Deciphering the Performance Enhancement, Cell Failure Mechanism, and Amelioration Strategy of Sodium Storage in Metal Chalcogenides-Based Andes

Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) emerge as promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), heralding a new era of energy storage solutions. Despite their potential, the mechanisms underlying their performance enhancement and susceptibility to failure in ether-based electrolytes remain elusive. This study delves into these aspects, employing CoS2 electrodes as a case in point to elucidate the phenomena. The investigation reveals that CoS2 undergoes a unique irreversible and progressive solid-liquid-solid phase transition from its native state to sodium polysulfides (NaPSs), and ultimately to a Cu1.8S/Co composite, accompanied by a gradual morphological transformation from microspheres to a stable 3D porous architecture. This reconstructed 3D porous structure is pivotal for its exceptional Na+ diffusion kinetics and resilience to cycling-induced stress, being the main reason for ultrastable cycling and ultrahigh rate capability. Nonetheless, the CoS2 electrode suffers from an inevitable cycle life termination due to the microshort-circuit induced by Na metal corrosion and separator degradation. Through a comparative analysis of various TMCs, a predictive framework linking electrode longevity is established to electrode potential and Gibbs free energy. Finally, the cell failure issue is significantly mitigated at a material level (graphene encapsulation) and cell level (polypropylene membrane incorporation) by alleviating the NaPSs shuttling and microshort-circuit.

Dynamic network link prediction with node representation learning from graph convolutional networks

Dynamic network link prediction is extensively applicable in various scenarios, and it has progressively emerged as a focal point in data mining research. The comprehensive and accurate extraction of node information, as well as a deeper understanding of the temporal evolution pattern, are particularly crucial in the investigation of link prediction in dynamic networks. To address this issue, this paper introduces a node representation learning framework based on Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN), referred to as GCN_MA. This framework effectively combines GCN, Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), and multi-head attention to achieve comprehensive and accurate representations of node embedding vectors. It aggregates network structural features and node features through GCN and incorporates an RNN with multi-head attention mechanisms to capture the temporal evolution patterns of dynamic networks from both global and local perspectives. Additionally, a node representation algorithm based on the node aggregation effect (NRNAE) is proposed, which synthesizes information including node aggregation and temporal evolution to comprehensively represent the structural characteristics of the network. The effectiveness of the proposed method for link prediction is validated through experiments conducted on six distinct datasets. The experimental outcomes demonstrate that the proposed approach yields satisfactory results in comparison to state-of-the-art baseline methods.

Manganese Enhances the Osteogenic Effect of Silicon-Hydroxyapatite Nanowires by Targeting T Lymphocyte Polarization

Biomaterials encounter considerable challenges in extensive bone defect regeneration. The amelioration of outcomes may be attainable through the orchestrated modulation of both innate and adaptive immunity. Silicon-hydroxyapatite, for instance, which solely focuses on regulating innate immunity, is inadequate for long-term bone regeneration. Herein, extra manganese (Mn)-doping is utilized for enhancing the osteogenic ability by mediating adaptive immunity. Intriguingly, Mn-doping engenders heightened recruitment of CD4+ T cells to the bone defect site, concurrently manifesting escalated T helper (Th) 2 polarization and an abatement in Th1 cell polarization. This consequential immune milieu yields a collaborative elevation of interleukin 4, secreted by Th2 cells, coupled with attenuated interferon gamma, secreted by Th1 cells. This orchestrated interplay distinctly fosters the osteogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells and effectuates consequential regeneration of the mandibular bone defect. The modulatory mechanism of Th1/Th2 balance lies primarily in the indispensable role of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and the phosphorylation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In conclusion, this study highlights the transformative potential of Mn-doping in amplifying the osteogenic efficacy of silicon-hydroxyapatite nanowires by regulating T cell-mediated adaptive immunity via the MnSOD/AMPK pathway, thereby creating an anti-inflammatory milieu favorable for bone regeneration.

Silicon-Based Biomaterials Modulate the Adaptive Immune Response of T Lymphocytes to Promote Osteogenesis/Angiogenesis via Epigenetic Regulation

Silicon (Si)-based biomaterials are widely applied for bone regeneration. However, the underlying mechanisms of the materials function remain largely unknown. T lymphocyte-mediated adaptive immune response plays a vital role in the process of bone regeneration. In the current study, mesoporous silica (MS) is used as a model material of Si-based biomaterials. It shows that the supernatant of CD4+ T lymphocytes pretreated with MS extract significantly promotes the vascularized bone regeneration. The potential mechanism is closely related to the fact that MS extract can reduce the expression of regulatory factor X-1 (RFX-1) in CD4+ T lymphocytes. This may result in the overexpression of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) by boosting histone H3 acetylation and lowering DNA methylation and H3K9 trimethylation. Importantly, the in vivo experiments further reveal that MS particles significantly enhance bone regeneration with improved angiogenesis in the critical-sized calvarial defect mouse model accompanied by upregulation of IL-17A in peripheral blood and the proportion of Th17 cells. This study suggests that modulation of the adaptive immune response of T lymphocytes by silicate-based biomaterials plays an important role for bone regeneration.

The ASM2d model with two-step nitrification can better simulate biological nutrient removal systems enriched with complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria (comammox Nitrospira)

The discovery of comammox Nitrospira, a complete ammonia-oxidizing microorganism belonging to the genus Nitrospira, has brought new insights into the nitrification process in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The applicability of Activated Sludge Model No. 2 d with one-step nitrification (ASM2d-OSN) or two-step nitrification (ASM2d-TSN) for the simulation of the biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes of a full-scale WWTP in the presence of comammox Nitrospira was studied. Microbial analysis and kinetic parameter measurements showed comammox Nitrospira was enriched in the BNR system operated under low dissolved oxygen (DO) and long sludge retention time (SRT). The relative abundance of Nitrospira under the conditions of stage I (DO = 0.5 mg/L, SRT = 60 d) was about twice of that under stage II conditions (DO = 4.0 mg/L, SRT = 26 d), and the copy number of the comammox amoA gene for stage I was 33 times higher than that for stage II. Compared to the ASM2d-OSN model, the ASM2d-TSN model simulated the performance of the WWTP under stage I conditions better, and the Theil inequality coefficient values of all the tested water quality parameters were lower than using ASM2d-OSN. These results indicate that an ASM2d model with two-step nitrification is a better choice for the simulation of WWTPs with the presence of comammox.

Black phosphorus thermosensitive hydrogels loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes synergistically promote bone tissue defect repair

The osteogenic function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is mainly attributed to the paracrine effect of extracellular vesicles. MSC-derived exosomes are interesting candidates as biopharmaceuticals for drug delivery and for the engineering of biologically functionalized materials, and have emerged as cell-free regenerative medicine in recent years. In this study, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-derived exosomes were loaded with photothermal material layered black phosphorus (BP) modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) thermosensitive hydrogels to explore their effects on bone defect repair. In vitro, it was confirmed that the local high heat of nano-BP irradiated using a near-infrared (NIR) laser could trigger the reversible cascade reaction of hydrogels, and that the mechanical contraction of hydrogels led to the controllable release of a large number of exosomes along with the release of water molecules. Furthermore, in vitro investigations demonstrated that BP hydrogels loaded with BMSC-derived exosomes had favourable biocompatibility and could promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Experiments conducted in vivo confirmed that this system significantly promoted bone regeneration. Therefore, the results of our study indicated that the nanoplatform based on BP thermosensitive hydrogels could provide a new clinical treatment strategy for controlled release and on-demand drug delivery, while the cell-free system composed of BMSC-derived exosomes had great application potential in bone tissue repair with the synergism of BP.

Decoupling of Dual-Polarized Antenna Arrays Using Non-Resonant Metasurface

A non-resonant metasurface (NRMS) concept is reported in this paper to improve the isolation of dual-polarized and wideband large-scale antenna arrays. By properly designing the NRMS, it can perform stable negative permeability and positive permittivity along the tangential direction of the NRMS within a wide band, which can be fully employed to suppress the mutual couplings of large-scale antenna arrays. At the same time, the proposed NRMS can also result in positive permittivity and permeability along the normal direction of the NRMS, which guarantees the free propagation of electromagnetic waves from antenna arrays along the normal direction. For demonstration, a 4×4 dual-polarized antenna array loading with the proposed NRMS is designed to improve the isolations of the antenna array. The simulations demonstrate that the isolations among all ports are over 24 dB from 4.36 to 4.94 GHz, which are experimentally verified by the measured results. Moreover, the radiation patterns of antenna elements are still maintained after leveraging the proposed NRMS. Due to the simple structure of the proposed NRMS, it is very promising to be widely employed for massive MIMO antenna arrays.

A Learning-Based Vehicle-Cloud Collaboration Approach for Joint Estimation of State-of-Energy and State-of-Health

The state-of-energy (SOE) and state-of-health (SOH) are two crucial quotas in the battery management systems, whose accurate estimation is facing challenges by electric vehicles' (EVs) complexity and changeable external environment. Although the machine learning algorithm can significantly improve the accuracy of battery estimation, it cannot be performed on the vehicle control unit as it requires a large amount of data and computing power. This paper proposes a joint SOE and SOH prediction algorithm, which combines long short-term memory (LSTM), Bi-directional LSTM (Bi-LSTM), and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for EVs based on vehicle-cloud collaboration. Firstly, the indicator of battery performance degradation is extracted for SOH prediction according to the historical data; the Bayesian optimization approach is applied to the SOH prediction combined with Bi-LSTM. Then, the CNN-LSTM is implemented to provide direct and nonlinear mapping models for SOE. These direct mapping models avoid parameter identification and updating, which are applicable in cases with complex operating conditions. Finally, the SOH correction in SOE estimation achieves the joint estimation with different time scales. With the validation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration battery data set, as well as the established battery platform, the error of the proposed method is kept within 3%. The proposed vehicle-cloud approach performs high-precision joint estimation of battery SOE and SOH. It can not only use the battery historical data of the cloud platform to predict the SOH but also correct the SOE according to the predicted value of the SOH. The feasibility of vehicle-cloud collaboration is promising in future battery management systems.

Serum hsa-circ-0025244 as a biomarker in Chinese occupational mercury-exposed population and mediate apoptosis through JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

circRNAs have been recognized as biomarkers of numerous diseases. We would like to explore the expression pattern and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in the Chinese occupational mercury-exposed population.

METHODS

The workers from a thermometer manufacturing plant and lamp factory in Jiangsu province of China were recruited in 2016. Blood samples were collected from the subjects with chronic mercury poisoning group, mercury absorption group, and the healthy controls. The differentially expressed circRNAs (DECRs) between the three groups were screened from serum samples using a circRNA microarray. The significant DECRs were validated by qRT-PCR, and their respective diagnostic values for mercury poisoning and mercury absorption were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. For in vitro experiments, 293T cells were treated with different doses of HgCl₂ to determine the half-lethal concentration. The cells were transfected with the siRNA construct or expression plasmid of circRNA. The expression levels of JNK, p38, and caspase family proteins were analyzed by Western blotting.

RESULTS

hsa_circ_0025244 was up-regulated in the mercury poisoning and absorption groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05), and positively correlated with the urine mercury levels (P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of hsa_circ_0025244 for diagnosing occupational mercury poisoning was 0.748, indicating moderate accuracy (P < 0.001). Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of occupational mercury absorption was high (P < 0.001) with an AUC of 0.918. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0025244 in 293T cells significantly reduced the expression levels of JNK/p38, and caspase family proteins compared to that in the control cells (P < 0.01), and its overexpression led to opposite effects (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

hsa_circ_0025244 is a potential biomarker for mercury exposure and mediates mercury-induced apoptosis in 293T cells by activating the JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Boosting photocatalytic efficiency of MoS2/CdS by modulating morphology

CdS-based composites as the highly efficient photocatalyst have been extensively investigated in recent years due to the suitable band gap and high photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, the effect of various factors (pH, U(VI) concentration, contents, and types of photocatalyst) on photocatalytic reduction of U(VI) by MoS₂/CdS composite was investigated. The optimized experimental conditions (e.g., pH 7.0, 20 mg/g U(VI), and 1.0 g/L photocatalyst) was obtained by batch techniques. Approximately 97.5% of U(VI) was photo-catalytically reduced into U(IV) by 2.5 wt% MoS₂/CdS composite within 15 min. After 5 cycles, 2.5 wt% MoS₂/CdS composite still exhibited the high removal efficiency of U(VI) under 50-min irradiation, indicating the good stability. The photo-reduction mechanism of U(VI) on MoS₂/CdS composite was attributed to the O^-₂ radicals by quenching experiments, ESR, and XPS analysis. The findings indicate that CdS-based catalyst has a great potential for the photocatalytic reduction of uranyl in actual environmental remediation.

[Effect of low magnitude tension on the inflammatory response of periodontal ligament cells induced by isoproterenol]

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect of tension on the inflammatory response of human periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) induced by isoproterenol (ISO) and its molecular mechanism.

METHODS

Human PDLCs were cultured in vitro and stimulated with a certain concentration of ISO(0.01, 0.1, 1 μmol/L) for 24 h. Cyclic tensile strain with different degrees of elongation (5%, 10% and 15%) were applied. The expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in PDLCs was detected by real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). The protein expression of p-PERK, PERK, p-eIF2α, eIF2α and ATF4 related to ER stress was detected by Western blot. The expression of PERK gene in PDLCs was knocked down by cell transfection technique, and the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in PDLCs with low expression of PERK was detected by RT-qPCR under the stimulation of ISO and low magnitude tension. Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS 22.0 software package.

RESULTS

ISO induction could significantly up-regulate the IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression in PDLCs(P＜0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in PDLCs induced by ISO was inhibited by low magnitude tension, and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05). Western blot results showed that low magnitude tension could inhibit the ISO-stimulated phosphorylation of PERK and eIF2α and the expression of ATF4（P＜0.05）. Compared with the negative control group, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression was decreased in the ISO-stimulated PDLCs silenced by PERK gene.

CONCLUSIONS

Tension with 5% degrees of elongation may inhibit ISO-stimulated periodontal inflammatory response through endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway.

In situ construction of flower-like nanostructured calcium silicate bioceramics for enhancing bone regeneration mediated via FAK/p38 signaling pathway

Background

The repair of tissue defects has attracted considerable attention and remained a substantial challenge. Calcium silicate (CaSiO3, CS) bioceramics have attracted the interest of researchers due to their excellent biodegradability. Recent studies have demonstrated that nanoscale-modified bioactive materials with favorable biodegradability could promote bone tissue regeneration, providing an alternative approach for the repair of bone defects. However, the direct construction of biodegradable nanostructures in situ on CS bioceramics was still difficult.

Results

In this study, flower-like nanostructures were flexibly prepared in situ on biodegradable CS bioceramics via hydrothermal treatment. The flower-like nanostructure surfaces exhibited better hydrophilicity and more significantly stimulated cell adhesion, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, the CS bioceramics with flower-like nanostructures effectively promoted bone regeneration and were gradually replaced with newly formed bone due to the favorable biodegradability of these CS bioceramics. Importantly, we revealed an osteogenesis-related mechanism by which the FAK/p38 signaling pathway could be involved in the regulation of bone mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) osteogenesis by the flower-like nanostructure surfaces.

Conclusions

Flower-like nanostructure surfaces on CS bioceramics exerted a strong effect on promoting bone repair and regeneration, suggesting their excellent potential as bone implant candidates for improving bone regeneration.

Graphical Abstract

Carbon materials for extraction of uranium from seawater

With the rapid growth of population and industrialization, the energy crisis and environmental pollution as two main difficulties urgently need to be solved nowadays. The development and utilization of nuclear energy is of great significance for solving energy support, national security and environmental protection. As the raw material of nuclear energy, a lot of uranium in seawater provide a guarantee for the sustainable and green development of nuclear power plants. Recently, various new carbon-based materials (e.g., carbon nanofibers, multiwalled carbon nanotube, graphene) have been attracted widely intense interest in extraction of uranium from seawater due to large specific surface area, excellent acid-base resistance, high adsorption performance, environmental friendly and low cost. Thus, the systematic reviews concerning the extraction of uranium from seawater on various carbon-based materials were highly desirable. In this review, the extraction methods of uranium from seawater, including electrochemical, photocatalytic and adsorption methods are briefly introduced. Then the application and mechanism of four generation carbon-based materials on the extraction of uranium from seawater are systematically reviewed in details. Finally, the current challenges and future trends of uranium extraction from seawaters are proposed. This review provides the guideline for designing carbon-based materials with high adsorption capacity and exceptional selectivity for U(VI) extraction from seawater.

Ultrasmall Mo2C nanocrystals embedded in N-doped porous carbons as a surface-dominated capacitive anode for lithium-ion capacitors

In situ uniform confinement of ultrasmall Mo2C nanocrystals into micropore-enriched N-doped carbons was achieved by carbonizing phosphomolybdic acid/polyimide precursors to craft a surface-dominated capacitive battery-type anode. Upon coupling with a capacitor-type cathode, the as-fabricated lithium-ion capacitors exhibit superior power and energy outputs by improving the kinetics and capacity imbalance between two electrodes.

NUTM2A-AS1 silencing alleviates LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammation in dental pulp cells through targeting let-7c-5p/HMGB1 axis

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) NUTM2A antisense RNA 1 (NUTM2A-AS1) has been reported to be abnormally up-regulated in pulpitis tissues. However, the function of NUTM2A-AS1 in pulpitis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and working mechanism of NUTM2A-AS1 in pulpitis using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated human dental pulp cells (HDPCs).

METHODS

3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, flow cytometry and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release detection assay were conducted to analyze the viability of HDPCs. Cell inflammatory response was analyzed through measuring the protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8. Western blot assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were applied to measure protein expression and RNA expression, respectively. Bioinformatic database StarBase was used to predict the possible targets of NUTM2A-AS1 and let-7c-5p, and dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify these intermolecular interactions.

RESULTS

LPS stimulation restrained cell viability and induced cell apoptosis and inflammation of HDPCs. LPS exposure up-regulated the expression of NUTM2A-AS1 and High-Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) and down-regulated the level of let-7c-5p. LPS-induced injury in HDPCs was partly attenuated by the silencing of NUTM2A-AS1 or HMGB1. Let-7c-5p was confirmed as a direct target of NUTM2A-AS1, and let-7c-5p bound to the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of HMGB1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in HDPCs. HMGB1 overexpression largely overturned NUTM2A-AS1 silencing-mediated effects in LPS-induced HDPCs.

CONCLUSION

NUTM2A-AS1 knockdown attenuated LPS-induced damage in HDPCs partly through targeting let-7c-5p/HMGB1 axis.

Event-triggering robust fusion estimation for a class of multi-rate systems subject to censored observations

This novel is concerned with the event-triggering robust fusion estimation problem for multi-rate systems (MRSs) subject to stochastic nonlinearities (SNs) and censored observations (COs). The considered multi-rate system includes several sensor nodes, and each sensor is with different sampling rate. To reflect the dead-zone-like censoring phenomenon, a Tobit-1 regression model with prescribed left-censoring threshold is introduced, and the stochastic nonlinearities characterized by statistical means are considered in the MRSs. In order to save the limited resource, the event-triggering mechanism (ETM) has been introduced to determine whether the specified sensor node should transmit the information to the corresponding local filter. For the addressed MRSs, we aim to design a local Tobit Kalman filtering (TKF) algorithm for each sensor node firstly in the sense of the upper bound on each local filtering error covariance being minimal. Then, such a minimized upper bound is derived by designing the filter gain properly at each iteration. In the sequel, the fusion centre manipulates the local estimates by the CI scheme. Moreover, we discuss the issue of consistency for the proposed multi-rate fusion estimation (MRFE) approach. At last, experimental simulation are exploited to demonstrate the validation of the designed MRFE algorithm.

Quantum-Based Creative Generation Method for a Dancing Robot

In this paper, we propose a creative generation process model based on the quantum modeling simulation method. This model is mainly aimed at generating the running trajectory of a dancing robot and the execution plan of the dancing action. First, we used digital twin technology to establish data mapping between the robot and the computer simulation environment to realize intelligent controllability of the robot's trajectory and the dance movements described in this paper. Second, we conducted many experiments and carried out a lot of research into information retrieval, information fidelity, and result evaluation. We constructed a multilevel three-dimensional spatial quantum knowledge map (M-3DQKG) based on the coherence and entangled states of quantum modeling and simulation. Combined with dance videos, we used regions with convolutional neural networks (R-CNNs) to extract character bones and movement features to form a movement library. We used M-3DQKG to quickly retrieve information from the knowledge base, action library, and database, and then the system generated action models through a holistically nested edge detection (HED) network. The system then rendered scenes that matched the actions through generative adversarial networks (GANs). Finally, the scene and dance movements were integrated, and the creative generation process was completed. This paper also proposes the creativity generation coefficient as a means of evaluating the results of the creative process, combined with artificial brain electroenchalographic data to assist in evaluating the degree of agreement between creativity and needs. This paper aims to realize the automation and intelligence of the creative generation process and improve the creative generation effect and usability of dance movements. Experiments show that this paper has significantly improved the efficiency of knowledge retrieval and the accuracy of knowledge acquisition, and can generate unique and practical dance moves. The robot's trajectory is novel and changeable, and can meet the needs of dance performances in different scenes. The creative generation process of dancing robots combined with deep learning and quantum technology is a required field for future development, and could provide a considerable boost to the progress of human society.

Environmental application of emerging zero-valent iron-based materials on removal of radionuclides from the wastewater: A review

Owing to high surface energy, strong chemical reactivity and large surface area, nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) as a novel emerging material has been extensively utilized in environmental cleanup. Although a lot of reviews regarding the removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals on nZVI are summarized in recent years, the advanced progress concerning the removal of radionuclides on nZVI is still scarce. In this review, we summarized the removal of technetium (Tc), uranium (U), selenium (Se) and other radionuclides on nZVI and nZVI-based composites, then their interaction mechanisms were reviewed in details. This review is crucial for the environmental chemist and material engineer to exploit the actual application of nZVI-based composites as the emerging materials of permeable reactive barrier on the removal of radionuclides from aqueous solutions.

A robust prediction of U(VI) sorption on Fe3O4/activated carbon composites with surface complexation model

A robust prediction of U(VI) on Fe₃O₄/activated carbon (Fe₃O₄/AC, fabricated by co-precipitation method under N₂ conditions) under different pH was developed via diffuse layer model, in accordance with FI-IR, XRD and XPS analysis. No influence of ionic strength onto U(VI) adsorption by Fe₃O₄/AC under ambient conditions suggested the inner-sphere surface adsorption, which was attributed to abundant surficial functional groups according to FT-IR and XPS analysis. The batch experiments indicated Fe₃O₄/AC with fast adsorption rate (equilibrium within 60 min), high adsorption capacity (56 mg/g at pH 4.0) towards U(VI). The adsorbed U(VI) was partly reduced by Fe²⁺ of Fe₃O₄/AC by XPS analysis. Surface complexation modeling showed that a single set of monodentate and mononuclear species (SOUO₂⁺) cannot predict U(VI) adsorption at high pH, whereas the robust prediction of U(VI) adsorption over wide pH range was observed by adding the other binuclear and tridentate species ((SO)₂UO₂(CO₃)^6-). These findings revealed that magnetic AC as a candidate for immobilization and/or preconcentration of radioactive wastewater in environment management.

Mouth breathing impairs the development of temporomandibular joint at a very early stage

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to explore the effects of mouth breathing and hypoxia on the condyle of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) via two animal models.

METHODS

24 four-week-old rats were randomly separated into three groups, consisting of eight control rats, eight intermittent hypoxia (IH) rats, and eight intermittent nasal obstruction (INO) rats. We use the IH model and the INO model to simulate children suffering from hypoxia and mouth breathing. After 16 days, the condyle of TMJ and surrounding white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle tissue were obtained for further staining and qRT-PCR. Finally, RNA-seq was used to verify the results.

RESULTS

The intermittent hypoxia cannot significantly change the overall structure in the cause of short-term hypoxia stimulation, but the intermittent nasal obstruction can alter the condyle, WAT, and muscle, while also introducing noticeable structural changes in tissue hypoxia and macrophage infiltration. Sequencing data verified these findings and also suggested that this process might involve the Hif-1α/Vegf axis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal the very early structural impact of mouth breathing on condyle reconstruction in rat models, and hypoxia does not induce evident alteration on condyle. However, since these results are mainly focused on rats, further studies are needed to understand its effects on humans.

Ultrafast and highly capture of U(VI) by hierarchical mesoporous carbon

In this study, the hierarchical mesoporous carbon (HMC) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The batch adsorption experiments showed that HMC exhibited the ultrafast equilibrium fate (80 % U(VI) capture efficiency within 5 min), high UO2 2+ capture capacity (210 mg/g, pH = 4.5) and well recyclability. The investigations of XPS techniques indicated the oxygen-containing functional groups were responsible for high efficient UO2 2+ adsorption. The pH-dependent adsorption was simulated by three surface complexation modellings, revealing that UO2 2+ adsorption on HMC was excellently fitted by triple layer model using two inner-sphere complexes (i. e. SOUO2 + and SOUO2(CO3)3 5− species) compared to constant capacitance model and diffuse layer model. These findings are crucial for expanding actual applications of HMC towards the removal of radionuclides under environmental cleanup.

The enhanced photodegradation of bisphenol A by TiO2/C3N4 composites

A new photocatalyst of TiO₂/C₃N₄ composite (TiO₂/g-C₃N₄) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The characterization showed that TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ extended absorption light range and enhanced generation efficiency of photo-induced electron. Under the simulated solar irradiation, the photodegradation rate of bisphenol A (BPA) by TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ was twice as fast as that of g-C₃N₄. Furthermore, TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ presented the good stability and excellent selectivity for BPA degradation. The high degradation rate of BPA by TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ was demonstrated to be superoxide radical (·O₂^-) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) by radical quenching experiment, which was further evidenced by EPR, XPS, DRS and PL analysis. These findings revealed that TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ can be used as a potential photocatalyst for removing organic pollutants in actual environmental remediation.

Iron phosphide anchored nanoporous carbon as an efficient electrode for supercapacitors and the oxygen reduction reaction

Inspired by their distinctive properties, transition metal phosphides have gained immense attention as promising electrode materials for energy storage and conversion applications. The introduction of a safe and large-scale method of synthesizing a composite of these materials with carbon is of great significance in the fields of electrochemical and materials sciences. In the current effort, we successfully synthesize an iron phosphide/carbon (FeP/C) with a high specific surface area by the pyrolysis of the gel resulting from the hydrothermal treatment of an iron nitrate–phytic acid mixed solution. In comparison with the blank (P/C), the as-synthesized FeP/C appears to be an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor as well as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) applications in an alkaline medium in a three-electrode system. In the study of supercapacitors, FeP/C shows areal capacitance of 313 mF cm⁻² at 1.2 mA cm⁻² while retaining 95% of its initial capacitance value after 10 000 cycles, while in the ORR, the synthesized material exhibits high electrocatalytic activity with an onset potential of ca. 0.86 V vs. RHE through the preferred four-electron pathway and less than 6% H₂O₂ production calculated in the potential range of 0.0–0.7 V vs. RHE. The stability is found to be better than those of the benchmark Pt/C (20 wt%) catalyst.

Synthesis of a nanoporous FeP/C material through a two-step method involving hydrothermal and carbonization processes for supercapacitors and the oxygen reduction reaction.

[Clinicopathologic features of myxoid adrenocortical adenomas]

Objective: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics, immunophenotype, pathologic diagnosis and differential diagnosis of myxoid adrenocortical adenomas. Methods: The clinical data, histological features and immunohistochemical results of 4 cases of myxoid adrenocortical adenomas were analyzed, which were collected from January 2014 to December 2016 at Guangdong General Hospital, with review of literature. Results: Four cases of myxoid adrenocortical adenomas were presented. The patients ages ranged from 26 to 45 years (mean =35 years). Microscopically, it showed a typical morphology, characterized by small-sized tumor cell cords or pseudo-glands embedded in an abundant extracellular myxoid matrix. Immunohistochemical staining showed tumor cells were strongly positive for Melan A, vimentin and focally for α-inhibin, one case showed strong and diffuse positivity for CAM5.2, and two cases showed diffuse positivity for synaptophysin, while negative for CgA, S-100 protein, epithelial antigen, CK7, CK20 and CKpan. Conclusions: Myxoid adrenocortical adenomas are extremely rare, which may cause confusion with metastatic well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours, sex cord-stromal tumoursor metanephric adenoma. Recognition of this entity would be beneficial for pathologists to avoid misdiagnosis, and unnecessary treatment.

BARCOSEL: a tool for selecting an optimal barcode set for high-throughput sequencing

BACKGROUND

Current high-throughput sequencing platforms provide capacity to sequence multiple samples in parallel. Different samples are labeled by attaching a short sample specific nucleotide sequence, barcode, to each DNA molecule prior pooling them into a mix containing a number of libraries to be sequenced simultaneously. After sequencing, the samples are binned by identifying the barcode sequence within each sequence read. In order to tolerate sequencing errors, barcodes should be sufficiently apart from each other in sequence space. An additional constraint due to both nucleotide usage and basecalling accuracy is that the proportion of different nucleotides should be in balance in each barcode position. The number of samples to be mixed in each sequencing run may vary and this introduces a problem how to select the best subset of available barcodes at sequencing core facility for each sequencing run. There are plenty of tools available for de novo barcode design, but they are not suitable for subset selection.

RESULTS

We have developed a tool which can be used for three different tasks: 1) selecting an optimal barcode set from a larger set of candidates, 2) checking the compatibility of user-defined set of barcodes, e.g. whether two or more libraries with existing barcodes can be combined in a single sequencing pool, and 3) augmenting an existing set of barcodes. In our approach the selection process is formulated as a minimization problem. We define the cost function and a set of constraints and use integer programming to solve the resulting combinatorial problem. Based on the desired number of barcodes to be selected and the set of candidate sequences given by user, the necessary constraints are automatically generated and the optimal solution can be found. The method is implemented in C programming language and web interface is available at http://ekhidna2.biocenter.helsinki.fi/barcosel .

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing capacity of sequencing platforms raises the challenge of mixing barcodes. Our method allows the user to select a given number of barcodes among the larger existing barcode set so that both sequencing errors are tolerated and the nucleotide balance is optimized. The tool is easy to access via web browser.

Mesoporous Manganese Phosphonate Nanorods as a Prospective Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Mesoporous materials can serve as well-performed electrode candidates for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Mesoporous manganese phosphonate (MnP) nanorods are composed of an interconnected network of pores that have high infiltration capacity for electrolyte and less tortuous transport pathways for lithium/electron charge carriers. The mesoporous architecture should also help alleviate stress from volume variation upon lithium intercalation/deintercalation cycles. We used MnP as an LIB anode and observed an initial reversible capacity of 420 mA h g^-1 and a modest Coulombic efficiency of 68.7% at a relatively high current density of 144 mA g^-1. The reversible capacity stabilizes at 253 mA h g^-1 after 100 repetitive cycles, while most of the time, the Coulombic efficiency remains around 100%. The results show that, as a prospective LIB anode, the mesoporous MnP can achieve desirable capacity with decent durability and rate capability.

Facile synthesis of nanoporous Li1+xV1−xO2@C composites as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Nanoporous anode materials with composition Li_1+xV_1−xO₂@C have been prepared under mild synthetic conditions for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

LiV3O8 nanorods as cathode materials for high-power and long-life rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Much enhanced capacity retention abilities, improved high-rate performance and long-term stability have been attained for LiV₃O₈ nanorods synthesized by a two-step route using VO₂(B) nanosheets as the precursor.

3',4'-Dimeth-oxy-biphenyl-4-carbonitrile

The title compound, C₁₅H₁₃NO₂, was prepared through a palladium-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. The dihedral angle between the biphenyl rings is 40.96 (6)°. The meth­oxy groups are twisted slightly out of the plane of the benzene ring [C—C—C—C torsion angles = −3.61 (18) and 12.6 (2)°]. The packing of the molecules is stabilized by van der Waals inter­actions.

3a,11b-Dihy-droxy-3a,11b-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-2(3H)-thione

The title compound, C₁₃H₁₀N₄O₂S, was prepared through a cyclization reaction of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione and thio­urea. The dihedral angle between the pyridine rings is 8.22 (2)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected by N—H⋯O, O—H⋯N, N—H⋯S and O—H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network.

Laser Doping and Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon Thin Films

Fast-pulse laser crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films on non-crystalline substrates provides a low-temperature process for generating polycrystalline silicon. This process can be augmented by including laser doping to reduce the number of process steps in the fabrication of thin-film polysilicon devices. We have studied the simultaneous laser crystallization and laser doping process, starting with amorphous silicon on fused silica substrates and using the gas immersion technique for the doping. n-type and p-type doping employed PF5 and BF3 gases, respectively. Films were characterized both structurally and electrically. The grain size increases with increasing laser energy density as the film becomes fully melted and reaches a peak value, similar to laser crystallization without doping. The dopant concentration increases with the number of laser shots and, with 100 shots, achieves a high dose with a low sheet resistance below 1000 ohms/square, appropriate for devices. The dopant profile extends to a depth comparable to the melt depth, beyond which it falls off to the background level. Therefore, the doping depth and concentration can be controlled with the laser parameters.

Laser Crystallized Polysilicon Thin Films and Applications

Pulsed excimer-laser crystallization of amorphous silicon on non-crystalline substrates is an important processing technique for large-area polycrystalline silicon films and devices. Interest stems, in large part, from proposals to use polycrystalline silicon on glass in large-area electronic applications, such as flat-panel active matrix displays and two-dimensional imaging systems. The polycrystalline silicon is envisioned to increase the functionality and reduce costs over the current circuits that use amorphous silicon. Also, it is found that laser-crystallized polycrystalline silicon exhibits some interesting materials properties, such as a sharp peak in the average grain size with large lateral grain growth as a function of excimer laser energy density. The average grain size increases with increasing laser fluence and peaks on the order of several microns or two orders of magnitude larger than the film thickness. The grain size then decreases with further increases in laser fluence. This peak in grain size is accompanied by a similar peak in the Hall electron mobility. This is a significant relationship for devices since the grain structure has a substantial influence on electrical properties. But to the detriment of device parameters, this large lateral grain growth occurs over a very arrow range of laser fluences and is accompanied by a corresponding peak in the surface roughness of the films. These relationships between laser processing conditions, materials properties, and device parameters force a compromise between large grain size for high mobility and homogeneity of material for uniformity of device characteristics. A window does exist in process parameter space where good-quality devices with uniform characteristics have been obtained. In addition, these attributes have been achieved under conditions that yield good polycrystalline silicon and good amorphous silicon devices on the same wafer within a mm of one another, allowing for hybrid polycrystalline and amorphous silicon circuits.

Characterization of the Substrate Interface of Excimer Laser Crystallized Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Films

Excimer laser crystallized Si thin films on fused silica substrates exhibit a peak in the average grain size as a function of laser energy density. The average grain size increases with increasing laser fluence until a maximum value , approximately 10 microns for a 100 nm thick Si film, is achieved. The peak in grain size is accompanied by a peak in the electron Hall mobility. Further increases in the laser fluence result in a decrease in the Si grain size and an increase in the intragranular defects. A small energy range of 40 mJ/cm2 exists in which this peak in grain size can be achieved. Cross section TEM has shown that when the peak laser fluence is exceeded, the fused silica substrate can be as rough as 17 nm. Atomic force microscopy. performed on the substrate surface after the Si has been etched off, also shows that the magnitude and spatial frequency of the roughness increases when the critical laser fluence is exceeded. This degradation of the interface may also produce sites for stacking faults to form during the solidification of the Si. This result and results of simulations of the temperature of the interface during crystallization suggests that the peak energy range exists after the complete melting of the Si thin film and before the silica substrate starts to soften.

Large Grain Creation and Destruction in Excimer Laser Crystallized Amorphous Silicon

For fast-pulse laser-crystallized thin-film Si on non-crystalline substrates, the average grain size exhibits a peak as a function excimer laser energy density at a characteristic laserfluence FM. The average grain size increases with increasing laser fluence and can reach a maximum value on the order of 10 pm or about 100 times the film thickness. The grain size then decreases with further increases in fluence. This peak in grain size is accompanied by a similar peak in the Hall electron mobility and x-ray scattering intensity. Our experiments have investigated as-deposited and ion-implanted samples, using a double-scan laser crystallization process. Devices have also been fabricated and studied. The results are consistent with the increase in grain size occurring because of the destruction of nucleation sites with increasing laser fluence (i.e., increased heating and complete Melting). But substrate damage occurs in the vicinity of FM, creating nucleation sites which give rise to small grain sizes in the solidified film. The disruption of the interface causes substantial current leakage through the dielectric of bottom-gate transistors, implying that devices should be laser fabricated below Fm.

Nanofabrication for transistor matrix produced by self-aligned imprint lithography

This paper describes an approach of combining nanofabrication techniques with roll-to-roll fabrication of thin film transistor backplanes for flexible display applications.

[Interactions between domains within the NH2- and COOH-terminal fragments of presenilins]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the interactions between domains within the NH2- and COOH-terminal regions of presenilins.

METHODS

The various constructions corresponding to NH2-terminal fragment (NTF) and COOH-terminal fragment (CTF) derivatives of presenilin 1 (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2) were generated by RT-PCR, and their interactions were assayed by yeast two-hybrid system.

RESULTS

Domains within the NH- and COOH-terminal fragments of presenilins could directly interact with each other, and therefore form high molecular weight complex. The interaction site between domains within PS1 located at amino acid 361-447 of PS1 CTF, without the involvement of other partners. Similar interaction was not observed between PS11-360 and PS2341-448, PS2(1)-340 and PS1(361)-467.

CONCLUSIONS

Intramolecular interaction between domains within the NH2- and COOH-terminal regions of presenilins may be critical to the folding and assembly of mature PS molecules.

[Esophago-gastric mucosal anastomosis with staples after resection of cancer of the esophagus and gastric cardia]

OBJECTIVE

To delve an effective method to prevent anastomotic leakage and stenosis.

METHODS

Staples were used to carry out mucosal anastomosis between the esophagus and stomach.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty four patients were so treated. The morbidity rate was 9.3% and the mortality rate was 1.4%. No leakage or stenosis was found in this series.

CONCLUSION

Using staples to perfonm mucosal anastomotis has the advantages of being simple and safe. Besides prevention of leakage and stenosis, sufficient length of resection of the esophagus helps reduce the likelihood of residual stump cancer recurrence.

Critical Laser Fluence Observed in (111) Texture, Grain Size and Mobility of Laser Crystallized Amorphous Silicon

This paper describes new results on the relationship between the grain size, mobility, and Si (111) x-ray peak intensity of laser crystallized amorphous silicon as a function of the laser fluence, shot density, substrate temperature, and film thickness. These observations include an unexpected narrow peak found in the silicon (111) x- ray peak intensity, which occurs at a specific laser fluence for a given film thickness and substrate temperature. Amorphous silicon materials processed at laser energy densities defined by this peak exhibit exceptionally large grain sizes and electron mobilities that cannot be obtained at any other energy and shot density combination above or below the energy at which the Si (111) x-ray peak intensity maximum occurs.

Intussusception anastomosis of the esophagus: a new method of anastomosis after resection of esophageal or cardiac carcinoma

A new method of anastomosis after resection of esophageal or cardiac carcinoma was carried out in 141 patients in Anyang Cancer Hospital from February 1983 to September 1985. After resection of the tumor, the proximal end of the esophagus was intussuscepted into the stomach lumen and extroversion sutures were applied on the esophageal mucosa to prevent bleeding and stenosis. In this series, the operative mortality was 0.7% (1/141) and no anastomotic leakage was found. We consider that this modified operative procedure is fairly easy, simple, and beneficial in reducing surgical complications.

[Invagination anastomosis of the esophagus--a new method of anastomosing after resection of esophageal or cardial carcinoma]

A new method of anastomosis after resection of esophageal or cardial carcinoma was carried out in 141 patients in our hospital from Feb. 1983 to Sept. 1985. After resection of the tumor, the proximal end of esophagus was invaginated into the stomach lumen and a tight suture was applied between the outer wall of esophagus and stomach. Extroversion suture of the mucosa in the esophageal end, being free in the stomach lumen, was made to prevent bleeding and stenosis. The operative mortality was 0.7% (1/141) and no anastomotic leak was found. Our experiences indicate that this operative procedure is easy, simple and obviously reduces the complication in the anastomotic region.