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Introduction: Vertebral augmentation, including percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or kyphoplasty (PKP), is the current least invasive surgical option and has been widely used to treat the painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). However, the postoperative infections could be life-threatening, even though they rarely occur. Our studies aim to clarify the causation and outcomes of spinal infections following augmentation and meanwhile to identify the risk factors. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with OVCF who underwent PVP or PKP, and were subsequently admitted to our institution with postoperative spinal infection between January 2010 and December 2022. A total of 33 patients were finally included. Results: The rate of spinal infection after augmentation in our single institute was 0.05% (2/3893). In addition to these 2 patients, the remaining 31 were referred from other hospitals. All 33 patients exhibited elevated inflammatory parameters, 14 patients presented with fever, and 9 patients experienced neurological deficits. Additionally, 29 patients had comorbidity and risk factors. Pathogens were identified in 26 patients, while only 7 patients were examined as culture negative. 27 patients underwent revision surgery and 6 patients only received conservative therapy. Anterior surgery was performed in 2 patients, while posterior surgery was performed in 20 patients. A combined anterior–posterior surgery was performed in 5 patients. At the final follow-up, 18 patients had unrestricted mobility, 10 patients required assistance from crutches or a walker for ambulation, 4 patients needed a wheelchair, and 1 patients died after revision surgery. Conclusions: Spinal infection after vertebral augmentation is rare, but it cannot be ignored. Surgeons should make every effort to detect the potential preoperative spondylitis or discitis. Once postoperative spinal infection is confirmed, a prompt intravenous antibiotic therapy is warranted. If medication therapy fails, revision surgery involving debridement and spinal reconstruction should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are common diseases that predominantly affect older individuals. The interaction between muscle and skeleton exerts pivotal roles in bone remodeling. This study aimed to explore the function of myoblast-derived exosomal Prrx2 in osteogenic differentiation and its potential mechanisms. Methods: Exosomes were isolated from myogenic differentiated C2C12 cells. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to determine target molecule expression. Osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was evaluated by Alizarin red staining, ALP activity and levels of OCN, OPN, RUNX2, and BMP2. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, RIP, and ChIP assays were performed to verify the interaction between molecules. The nuclear translocation of YAP1 was observed by immunofluorescence staining. In vivo osteoporotic model was established by ovariectomy in mice. Bone loss was examined using HE staining. Results: Prrx2 expression was elevated in myogenic differentiated C2C12 cells and their exosomes. Myoblast-derived exosomal Prrx2 enhanced osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Delivering exosomal Prrx2 directly bond to MIR22HG promoter and promoted its transcription and expression. MIR22HG enhanced expression and nuclear translocation of YAP via sponging miR-128, thus facilitating BMSC osteogenic differentiation. Knockdown of exosomal Prrx2 suppressed osteogenic differentiation, which could be abolished by MIR22HG overexpression. Similarly, miR-128 inhibitor or YAP overexpression reversed the inhibitory effect of MIR22HG depletion or miR-128 mimics on osteogenic differentiation. Finally, myoblast-derived exosomal Prrx2 alleviated osteoporosis in mice via up-regulating MIR22HG and activating the Hippo pathway. Conclusion: Myoblast-derived exosomal Prrx2 contributes to transcriptional activation of MIR22HG to activate YAP pathway via sponging miR-128, thereby facilitating osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro thruster based on electrospray is currently one of most widely used electric propulsion technologies for micro-nano satellites due to excellent advantages of long acceleration time, no energy loss and zero chemical fuel pollution. However, in outer space, the fluctuation of ambient temperature directly affects the behavior of electrospray and its accuracy of thrusters. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the influence of temperature on electrospray process, where atomization morphology, drops or/and ions distribution and intermolecular interactions need to be clarified in detail. In present study, electrospray evaporation ions behaviors of ethanol and diethylene glycol were numerically studied at various ambient temperatures utilizing molecular dynamics (MD) method. The atomization morphology of two typical liquids under various electric field strengths is compared. Diethylene glycol requires a higher electric field strength to form a stable jet than ethanol. The jet firstly breaks up into main droplets and further disintegrate into progeny small droplets. As the ambient temperature increases, the ethanol main jet gradually becomes slender and changes from single-cluster cone jet to ramified jet, finally becomes multiple jet. The tip of ethanol jet emerges unstable behavior with the temperature increasing. Owing to the differences in physical properties between ethanol and diethylene glycol, the ionization/fission of ethanol is greater than that of diethylene glycol. When the temperature approaches the boiling point, the diethylene glycol jet rapidly bursts into irregular droplets maybe caused by ramified instability. The increase in temperature could accelerate evaporation rate and molecular thermal movement, the hydrogen bonds formed between molecules break more easily, while the interactions between molecules significantly reduce. The conclusion of present work may provide direct insight into the micro mechanism of electrospray evaporation behavior. • The cone-jet, ramified-jet and multi-jet sequentially appear as ambient temperature increasing. • The ionization of charged liquids is enhanced as ambient temperature increasing due to the stretching of bonds violent. • The hydrogen bonds between molecules break up more easily because of acceleration of evaporation rate and molecular thermal movement owing to an increase in temperature. • The ionization of ethanol is stronger than that of diethylene glycol because of the difference of density and viscosity. • Diethylene glycol requires a higher electric field to overcome the surface tension to form a stable jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balance between strength and ductility in spring steel is a perennial issue. However, production using traditional quenching and tempering (Q-T) process is challenging because tempered martensite provides high tensile strength but significantly reduces ductility. To solve this problem, we propose a novel quenching and partitioning (Q-P) process to enhance the comprehensive properties of 60Si2CrVAT spring steel. The novel Q-P process introduced 31.56% excellent mechanical stability retained austenite, which existed mostly as a film-like between the martensite and bainite laths, and ensured a continuous and long-lasting transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect. Moreover, Q-P process reduced the effective grain size due to the diffusion of carbon, and changed the fracture behavior due to the coordinated deformation of multiphase microstructure. Consequently, the total elongation of the spring steel increased by approximately 180%, from 7.8% to 21.7%, while the tensile strength of the spring steel was not affected and remained at a high of 1809 MPa. In conclusion, the novel Q-P process adjusted the volume fraction of the martensite, bainite, and retained austenite multiphase microstructure, and fully leveraged the synergistic effect of the multiphase microstructure to optimize the properties of spring steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a simple and low-cost side-wheel polishing machine was designed and fabricated to enable the fabrication of D-shaped optical fibers. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization of the fabricated polishing fiber cross section confirms the high precision of the polishing machine. The optimal parameters for the preparation of D-shaped SPR sensors were determined by simulation. A gold film was coated on the surface of D-shaped optical fibers with different polishing depths to realize the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and used it for refractive index (RI) detection. The sensitivity of the sensor reached a maximum of 3317.14 nm/RIU in the range of 1.341–1.400, which proves the effectiveness and usefulness of the D-shaped fiber that was polished. This polishing machine can meet the needs of the laboratory and is expected to realize the batch production of D-shaped optical fiber, which provides better support and guarantees for the development of D-shaped optical fiber sensors in the fields of biosensing and environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aims of this study were to explore the correlations between thoracic kyphosis (TK) and lumbar lordosis (LL) parameters and to build corresponding linear regressions to predict TK morphology and the thoracolumbar inflection point (IP) determined by individual LL parameters in asymptomatic adults. Methods: A total of 280 adult healthy volunteers were recruited, and full-spine X-rays were performed for each subject in a standing posture. The following sagittal parameters were measured: cumulative TK, LL, proximal LL (PLL), the apices of TK (TKA) and LL (LLA), the IP and the distance from the plumb line of the thoracic apex (TAPL) and the lumbar apex (LAPL) to the gravity line. The correlations between TK and LL parameters were analyzed, and the corresponding linear regressions were conducted. Results: Extensive variations existed in TK alignment, including angular and morphological parameters. In addition, there were statistical correlations of all cumulative TK angles with LL (r values from − 0.173 to − 0.708) and PLL (r values from − 0.206 to − 0.803), TKA and IP with LLA (rs = 0.359 and 0.582, respectively) and TAPL with LAPL (rs = 0.335). The common predictive formulas employed in ASD surgery could include T10-L1 = − 3.6–0.2*LL (R2 = 0.201), T4-L1 = 3.4–0.5*LL (R2 = 0.457), TKA = − 10.3 + 1.1*LLA (R2 = 0.180) and IP = − 12.7 + 1.6*LLA (R2 = 0.330). Conclusion: There were intimate associations between TK and LL parameters in asymptomatic adults. Moreover, predictive models for thoracic alignment, particularly cumulative TK, based on LL parameters were proposed, which could better delineate anatomical relationships, guide thoracic construction during adult spinal deformity surgery and may help preventing proximal junctional failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The solution with Span-80 has greater atomization performance than that with other surfactants (SDS, CTAB and TX-100) • The interaction between ethanol and SDS is largest because the sodium ions in SDS react with alkoxy negative ions. • The ethanol atomization morphology transforms from continuous jet to spindle under the synergistic effect of surfactant and salt ions. • An increase in Span-80 concentration promotes the formation of hydrogen bond between ethanol molecules. Electrospray in the cone-jet regime could produce highly charged and fine monodisperse drops, and further disintegrates into nanoscale drops, even ions due to synergism of Rayleigh instability and evaporation. The jet and its breakup instability into drops are significantly affected by liquid properties including surface tension, conductivity, density and others. Surfactants may play important roles on gas-liquid interface and are usually added in solution to vary liquid property and may further affect electrospray behaviors. In present work, the ethanol containing surfactants is atomized in the cone-jet to discuss the synergistic effect of surfactant types, concentrations and surfactant-salt on the jet evolution behaviors under direct current electric fields using molecular dynamics (MD) method. It is found that the jet length of ethanol solution with Span-80 is the longest (Span-80, SDS, CTAB and TX-100), while it has excellent dispersion. The addition of CTAB could make ethanol solution transform from continuous jet into dripping. SDS interacts most violently with ethanol due to the presence of sodium ions. As surfactant concentration increasing, the number of solution molecules sprayed remarkably increases, while the interaction generated from ethanol decreases. The number of molecular clusters (composed of three or more ethanol molecules) in the cone-jet electrospray increases with increasing Span-80 concentration. It is also found that the addition of Span-80 slightly changes the average bond angle of ethanol and bond angle distribution. The ethanol atomization morphology transforms to spindle becasue of the synergistic effect of surfactant and salt ions. The interaction generated between ethanol molecules plays a dominating role and decreases due to the generation of spindle-shaped drops. The hydrogen bond generated from ethanol decreases with increasing conductivity and surface tension. The conclusions of this paper will be latent value for the optimization of physical parameters in electrospray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Three trimethylsilyl based malonate esters, bis(trimethylsilyl) 2-methyl-2-fluoromalonate (BTMSMFM), bis(trimethylsilyl) 2-ethyl-2-fluoromalonate (BTMSEFM) and bis(trimethylsilyl) 2-propyl-2-fluoromalonate (BTMSPFM), have been used as additives in 1.0 M LiPF 6 /ethylene carbonate (EC)-dimethyl carbonate (DMC)-diethyl carbonate (DEC) (1-1-1, by v) baseline electrolyte for LiNi 0.80 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 (NCA) based high voltage lithium ion batteries. The NCA half-cells with 5 wt% BTMSMFM exhibit higher capacity retention than that in the baseline electrolyte at different upper cut off voltages, that is, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) show that the additive successfully prevents the formation of thick solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) films on the surface of the NCA electrodes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) further reveals that the crystal structure of NCA is also maintained in the electrolyte with 5 wt% BTMSMFM at high cut off voltages. Besides beneficial to NCA cathode, the BTMSMFM additive also ensures better cycling performance of the graphite based half-cells and NCA/graphite full-cells, and thus is a promising additive for application in rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Highlights • BTMSMFM additive significantly improves long cycling stability of NCA half-cells up to 4.5 V. • BTMSMFM additive prevents the formation of thick SEI films in conventional carbonate electrolytes. • BTMSMFM additive preserves structural stability of NCA material at different upper cut off voltages. • Electrolyte decomposition and parasitic side reactions are suppressed effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tin and tin oxide-based electrodes are promising high-capacity anodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, poor capacity retention is the major issue with these materials due to the large volumetric expansion that occurs when lithium is alloyed with tin during lithiation and delithiation process. Here, a method to prepare a low-cost, scalable carbon and tin(II) oxide composite anode is reported. The composite material was prepared by ball milling of carbon recovered from used tire powders with 25 wt% tin(II) oxide to form lithium-ion battery anode. With the impact of energy from the ball milling, tin oxide powders were uniformly distributed inside the pores of waste-tire-derived carbon. During lithiation and delithiation, the carbon matrix can effectively absorb the volume expansion caused by tin, thereby minimizing pulverization and capacity fade of the electrodes. The as-synthesized anode yielded a capacity of 690 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 40 mA g−1 with a stable battery performance.Graphical abstract: A method to prepare low-cost carbon/tin (II) oxide (SnO) composite by ball milling is reported. SnO powders are uniformly distributed inside the carbon matrix, which could effectively absorb the volume expansion of Sn and alleviate capacity fade. The anode yields a capacity of 690 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The morphology of ethanol EHD jet is firstly numerically simulated adopting molecular dynamics method. • The interaction between molecules and the jet length decreases with an increase in electric field strength. • The continuous jet transform into dripping mode with concentrations of sodium chloride increasing. • The jet form may change from 'plump' to 'sharp', and further disrupts into fragments as the liquid flowrate increasing. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) atomization is a physical process, in which a liquid subjected to an external strong electric field and pumped through a capillary tube, disintegrates into monodisperse fine drops. In present work, EHD atomization behaviors under various operating parameters were numerically investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) methods. Good agreement was obtained between the MD simulations and the previous experimental work. The effects of electric potential, liquid flowrate, sodium chloride concentration and temperature on EHD atomization process were systematically examined, analyzed and discussed from the microscopic perspective. The results show that the jet length and the number of ethanol molecules ejected from capillary tube increased with an increase in electric Bond number. As the electric Bond number increases, the interaction between ethanol molecules decreases, and the hydrogen bond number reduces. As the Weber number increases, the jet length also increases, and the jet morphology may change from 'plump' to 'sharp,' and finally disrupts into liquid fragments. Sodium chloride plays an important role in the formation of atomization mode. With increasing ions concentration, a continuous jet can convert into dripping, which results from that the ions could destroy the stable structure of hydrogen bond among ethanol molecules. Furthermore, the ethanol clusters would gradually increase in size as the sodium chloride ion concentrations increasing. In addition, the movement of cations is inseparable from the breakup of the jet. The trend of individual atom motion in an ethanol molecule increases with an increase in temperature. This work provides a microscopic insight into EHD atomization and will be potentially useful for optimizing operating parameters and improving efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report a unique, facile process for the preparation of a high-nitrogen-oxygen dual-doped three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous carbon network by one-step pyrolysis and in situ activation under a CO 2 atmosphere combined with acid treatment using Eriocheir sinensis as the precursor. The evolution of the physicochemical structure of carbon at different pyrolysis temperatures was investigated. Removing inorganics from the shell carbon of Eriocheir sinensis enabled the formation of a unique 3D network structure. In addition, a high doping concentration of nitrogen and oxygen can be formed in the porous carbon skeleton. The increase in the pyrolysis temperature was beneficial to the pore development and graphitisation of carbon. Because of the interconnected 3D hierarchical porous structure and high heteroatom doping content, which provides fast channels for electron and ion transport, the obtained carbon materials exhibit excellent capacitive performance as supercapacitor electrodes. Quantum chemical calculations further confirmed that the heteroatom-doped carbon plane has a larger negative charge and stronger interaction with K+ than that of the pure carbon surface. This inexpensive green carbon material based on food waste is expected to be a candidate material for high-performance electrode precursors. [Display omitted] • A unique three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon network is successfully prepared. • The samples exhibit excellent capacitive performance as supercapacitor electrodes. • Kinetic and quantum chemical calculations are used to reveal the inner mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium bis(2‐methyl‐2‐fluoromalonato)borate (LiBMFMB), as an additive for LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, exhibits improved efficiencies and cycling stability. Cyclic voltammograms indicate the cells with additive form good solid‐electrolyte interphases (SEIs) during the first cycle, whereas no additive cell needs more cycles to form a functional SEI. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals LiBMFMB could reduce the decomposition of LiPF6 salt and solvents, resulting in thinner SEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hard-carbon materials are considered as one of the most promising anodes for the emerging sodium-ion batteries. Here, we report a low-cost, scalable waste tire-derived carbon as an anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Tire-derived carbons obtained by pyrolyzing acid-treated tire at 1100 °C, 1400 °C and 1600 °C show capacities of 179, 185 and 203 mAh g −1 , respectively, after 100 cycles at a current density of 20 mA g −1 in sodium-ion batteries with good electrochemical stability. The portion of the low-voltage plateau region in the charge-discharge curves increases as the heat-treatment temperature increases. The low-voltage plateau is beneficial to enhance the energy density of the full cell. This study provides a new pathway for inexpensive, environmentally benign and value-added waste tire-derived products towards large-scale energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for a safe rechargeable battery with a high energy density per cell is driving a search for a novel solid electrolyte with a high Li or Na conductivity that is chemically stable in a working Li-ion or Na-ion battery. LiZnNbO (LZNO) has been reported to exhibit a σ > 10 S cm at 250 °C, but to disproportionate into multiple phases on cooling from 850 °C to room-temperature. An investigation of the room-temperature Li-ion conductivity in a porous pellet of a multiphase product of a nominal LZNO composition is shown to have bulk σ ≈ 3.3 × 10 S cm at room-temperature that increases to 1.4 × 10 S cm by 50 °C. Li MAS NMR spectra were fitted to two Lorentzian lines, one of which showed a dramatic increase with increasing temperature. A test for water stability indicates that Li may move to the particle and grain surfaces to react with adsorbed water as occurs in the garnet Li conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents and discusses the absorption of sulfur dioxide by charged calcium hydroxide aqueous solution droplets generated in electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA). The removal of sulfur dioxide is experimentally tested in a laboratory scale device, and the main factors affecting the absorption of sulfur dioxide, droplets diameter and specific charge, are obtained. The results indicated that the liquid-gas contacting interface area significantly increaes because droplets diameter decreases with an increase in electric potential. The specific charge increases as electric potential increasing, may lead to the uniform distribution of charged droplets in the spraying tower. The analysis of these findings indicated that the absorption rate and enhancement factor are improved in EHDA. The absorption efficiency can be significantly increased mainly because of the increase of contacting area between gas and liquid due to the disintegration of liquid in EHDA, and the uniform distribution of electrified droplets in the tower due to repulsive forces. Meanwhile, the activity of calcium ions can be improved due to electric field and charges on the droplets surface. There are also some interactions between the gas molecules near the droplet and the liquid molecules in electric field, which is difficult to characterize. In addition, the internal circulation induced by electric and flow fields inside the droplets may also enhance soluble gaseous pollutants transport. • The electric field can significantly make the droplets diameter decrease and disperse uniformly in spraying tower. • The absorption efficiency can be improved with an increase in electric potential. • The gas-liquid area due to reduction of droplets size and uniform dispersion mainly contribute the enhancement of absorption rate. • The specific charge, calcium ions movement and internal circulation may be potential function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reactions at the interfaces of immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) are of fundamental importance in the fields of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical sciences. Four-electrode cell setup, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and thin-film voltammetry are the three most frequently used methods for studying the electrochemical processes at these interfaces. The principle, experimental design, advantages and challenges of the three methods are described and compared. The thin-film voltammetry is highlighted for its simplicity in experimental operation and kinetic data analysis. Its versatile analytical applications are discussed in detail, including the study of redox properties of hydrophobic compounds, evaluation of interfacial electron transfer kinetics, synthesis of nanoparticles/nanostructures, and illustration of cross-membrane ion transport phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs) are a group of eight proteins that share structural similarity to the members of the angiopoietin protein family. ANGPTL3 plays a vital role in the regulation of the plasma levels of triglyceride and cholesterol, mainly via reversible inhibition of the lipoprotein lipase activity. ANGPTL4, which functions as a homo-oligomer different from ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL8, not only regulates the plasma levels of triglyceride and prevents the uptake of dietary lipids into adipose tissues but also inhibits intravascular lipolysis. ANGPTL8 (also called betatrophin) has been identified as an important factor in regulating the triglyceride levels and adipose tissue mass as well as in replenishing the adipose tissue triglyceride store. ANGPTL8 acts together with ANGPTL3 to regulate the lipid metabolism, and ANGPTL8 promotes cleavage of ANGPTL3 to augment the activity of ANGPTL3. In addition, ANGPTL8 promotes proliferation of pancreatic β-cells and enhances insulin secretion. The properties of ANGPTLs in regulating the lipid metabolism suggest their application in the target therapy for metabolic syndrome. As ANGPTLs are regulated by several factors and may be involved in certain specific pathways of lipid metabolism, designing drugs that target ANGPTLs or factors regulating ANGPTLs may be an efficient approach to treat metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We demonstrate that boron-doping of graphene quantum dots (B-GQDs) give rise to rich fluorescence owing to their peculiar interaction with the surrounding media. A B-GQDs borax (Na2B4O7·10H2O) solution was shown to be highly fluorescent in green, and upon evaporation, formed bright green fluorescent crystals. However, removing the borax left behind only blue and yellow luminescent solutions. These intriguing findings are rationalized by the insight that B-GQDs associate in the absence of borax whereas they form dative valence bonds with the bridgehead O atoms of borax in the presence of borax. We further demonstrate the use of the B-GQDs, for example, in chemosensor for detecting Al3+ and biomarker for cellular imaging. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrogen-doped CoO (N-CoO) nanoparticles with high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) were fabricated by electrochemical reduction of CoCl2 in acetonitrile solution at cathodic potentials. The initially generated, highly reactive nitrogen-doped Co nanoparticles were readily oxidized to N-CoO nanoparticles in air. In contrast to their N-free counterparts (CoO or Co3O4), N-CoO nanoparticles with a N content of about 4.6 % exhibit remarkable ORR electrocatalytic activity, stability, and immunity to methanol crossover in an alkaline medium. The CoN x active sites in the CoO nanoparticles are held responsible for the high ORR activity. This work opens a new path for the preparation of nitrogen-doped transition metal oxide nanomaterials, which are promising electrocatalysts for fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesized mesoporous carbonfrom pre-cross-linked lignin gelimpregnated with a surfactant as the pore-forming agent and then activatedthe carbon through physical and chemical methods to obtain activatedmesoporous carbon. The activated mesoporous carbons exhibited 1.5-to 6-fold increases in porosity with a maximum Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET) specific surface area of 1148 m2/g and a pore volumeof 1.0 cm3/g. Both physical and chemical activation enhancedthe mesoporosity along with significant microporosity. Plots of cyclicvoltammetric data with the capacitor electrode made from these carbonsshowed an almost rectangular curve depicting the behavior of idealdouble-layer capacitance. Although the pristine mesoporous carbonexhibited a range of surface-area-based capacitance similar to thatof other known carbon-based supercapacitors, activation decreasedthe surface-area-based specific capacitance and enhanced the gravimetricspecific capacitance of the mesoporous carbons. A vertical tail inthe lower-frequency domain of the Nyquist plot provided additionalevidence of good supercapacitor behavior for the activated mesoporouscarbons. We have modeled the equivalent circuit of the Nyquist plotwith the help of two constant phase elements (CPE). Our work demonstratedthat biomass-derived mesoporous carbon materials continue to showpotential for use in specific electrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional methods of disease diagnosis are both time-consuming and labor-intensive, and many tests require expensive instrumentation and trained professionals, which restricts their use to biomedical laboratories. Because patients can wait several days (even weeks) for the results, the consequences of delayed treatment could be disastrous. Therefore, affordable and simple point-of-care (POC) biosensor devices could fill a diagnostic niche in the clinic or even at home, as personal glucose meters do for diabetics. These devices would allow patients to check their own health conditions and enable physicians to make prompt treatment decisions, which could improve the chances for rapid recovery and cure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A porous nitrogen-doped nanocomposite (BPC@MnO 2) was simply fabricated. • The physicochemical properties of bio-carbon can be adjusted by pyrolysis regulation. • The specific capacitance of BPC@MnO 2 attains 288.3F/g with high stability. Soybean meal or bean pulp is the residual waste obtained after extraction of oil from soybean flakes. This residue has gained significant interests because of its high nitrogen content. In this study, a one-step pyrolysis synchronous activation method has been proposed for preparing nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous bean pulp carbon (BPC) in a CO 2 environment. The morphological, structural, and crystallisation properties of the BPC are adjusted by changing the treatment temperature. The BPC coated with MnO 2 (BPC@MnO 2) nanoparticles are further synthesised in a straightforward manner using a green hydrothermal method. The produced samples are evaluated as electrode materials for supercapacitor application. The results show that the pore structure and nitrogen species of biochar are strongly affected by the presence of CO 2 and pyrolysis temperature. The coated MnO 2 nanoparticles can be uniformly deposited on the surface of the BPC. The electrochemical performance of the BPC@MnO 2 composite is higher than that of the BPC. A specific capacitance of 288.3 F/g can be attained for the BPC@MnO 2 at the current density of 0.25 A/g. The symmetrical button capacitor made from the composite successfully lights up the light-emitting diode for more than 300 s. These novel electrode materials derived from bean pulp display considerable potentials for application in energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Three arylferrocene derivatives, ferrocenylbenzene (MFcB), 1,3-diferrocenylbenzene (DFcB), and 1,3,5-triferrocenylbenzene (TFcB), were prepared and their redox properties systematically explored by thin-layer cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential-pulse voltammetry (DPV). In contrast to conventional CV measurements that produced only a single pair of redox waves for all three compounds, the thin-layer technique discriminated between the multistep electron-transfer processes of DFcB and TFcB. In particular, two and three pairs of symmetric peaks were observed, respectively, when CV curves were recorded at a graphite electrode coated with a DFcB-containing and a TFcB-containing thin film of nitrobenzene and immersed in aqueous sodium perchlorate solution. These results demonstrate that the ferrocenyl moieties attached to the meta-positions of a benzene ring communicate electronically with each other, as a result of their distinct face-to-face orientations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The redox behavior of 1,3,5-triferrocenylbenzene (TFcB), a hydrophobic molecule with three structurally equivalent redox centers, was explored by thin-layer cyclic voltammetry (CV). Two pairs of redox waves were observed when the CV was recorded at a graphite electrode coated with a TFcB-containing thin film of nitrobenzene and immersed in aqueous sodium perchlorate solution, in contrast to the single pair of redox peaks obtained in conventional CV measurements. These results suggest that the redox reactions of TFcB occur in two distinct steps involving a total of three electrons, and that electronic intramolecular communication exists among the three ferrocenyl units. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report water-soluble, 3 nm uniform-sized graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with red emission prepared by electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in K2S2O8 solution. Such GQDs show a great potential as biological labels for cellular imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Predicting thoracic kyphosis morphology and the thoracolumbar inflection point determined by individual lumbar lordosis in asymptomatic adults" published in the European Spine Journal. The correction states that the second author's name was incorrectly swapped in the original publication and provides the correct name as Anouar Bourghli. The original article has been corrected. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Changyu Pan, Anouar Bourghli, Yunchao Li, Lei Li, Lei Kuang, Bing Wang, Jianmin Sun, Guohua Lv, and Ibrahim Obeid. [Extracted from the article]

Although power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solar cells (SCs) continues to improve, they are still far from practical application because of their complex synthesis process, high cost and inferior operational stability. Carbon quantum dots with high material stability and remarkable photoluminescence are successfully used in light‐emitting diodes. A good light emitter should also be an efficient SC according to the photon balance in Shockley–Quieisser formulation, in which all excitons are ultimately separated. However, the finite quantum‐sized sp2 domain leads to tight exciton bonding, and highly delocalized electron clouds in irregular molecular stacks form disordered charge transfer, resulting in severe energy loss. Herein, an axially growing carbon quantum ribbon (AG‐CQR) with a wide optical absorption range of 440–850 nm is reported. Structural and computational studies reveal that AG‐CQRs (aspect ratio ≈2:1) with carbonyl groups at both ends regulate energy level and efficiently separate excitons. The stacking‐controlled two‐dimensional AG‐CQR film further directionally transfers electrons and holes, particularly in AB stacking mode. Using this film as active layer alone, the SCs yield a maximum PCE of 1.22%, impressive long‐term operational stability of 380 h, and repeatability. This study opens the door for the development of new‐generation carbon‐nanomaterial‐based SCs for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel one-step method for the preparation of nitrogen-doped biochar was proposed. • The physicochemical properties of biochar can be adjusted by pyrolysis control. • The adsorption mechanism at the molecular level was revealed. • The adsorption capacity of phenol was 169.5 mg/g, and the specific capacitance was 208 F/g. Nitrogen doping is one of the most promising approaches for improving the properties of carbon materials. Here, we reported a simple and effective method for the preparation of nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbonaceous material for liquid phase adsorbents and supercapacitor electrodes. In this method, the target carbonaceous material (biochar) was produced by one-step pyrolysis and activation of bamboo chips under the ammonia atmosphere. Two green activation reagents (K 2 C 2 O 4 and KHCO 3) were introduced into the preparation process simultaneously. The physicochemical properties of biochar were studied by means of SEM, BET, XRD, XPS and so on. The characterization results confirmed that the vascular bundle structure of bamboo can be well preserved by pyrolysis under ammonia atmosphere combined with green activation, and the nitrogen atoms were successfully introduced into the biochar's skeleton uniformly. The physicochemical properties of biochar can be adjusted suitable for high phenol adsorption and supercapacitor electrodes at different temperatures. Optimum nitrogen-doped biochar showed a high phenol adsorption capacity of 169.5 mg/g at 25 ℃ and exhibited exceptional specific capacitance of 208 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g due to its unique nanoporous structures and surface functional groups. This novel nanoporous nitrogen-doped bamboo chips have great application potential in pollutant removal and energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of activated carbon by complex and expensive nitrogen doping and activation process has been studied extensively. N-doped activated biochar or carbon material prepared from renewable and low-cost biomass has arisen more and more attention due to the hierarchical porous structure and abundant nitrogenous functional groups in the application of supercapacitors. Herein, a method for preparation of in-situ nitrogen doped activated carbon derived from bean pulp (BPC) by one-step carbonization and CO 2 activation at 1073 K was proposed. The morphological structure, specific surface area (SSA), pore size and nitrogen-containing functional group compounds could be controlled by the adjustment of CO 2 concentration. The maximum SSA could be up to 558.2 m2 g−1 for BPC. The N content increased from 5.0% to 10.0% with the increase of CO 2 concentration from 0 to 50 vol%. In addition, pyridine, pyrrole, graphite, and nitrous oxide were detected and analyzed, in which pyridine and pyrrole nitrogen enhance the pseudocapacitance. A maximum specific capacitance of BPC-50 reached 106 F g−1 at 0.25 A g−1. The capacitance retention maintained 93% at 10 A g−1 after 20,000 cycles in the symmetrical supercapacitor with a 6 M KOH electrolyte. Schematic diagram representing synthesis of BPCs. Image 1 • In-situ N doped porous activated carbon was prepared from bean pulp. • Morphology structure and chemical composition were controlled by CO 2 concentration. • Maximum specific surface area of 558.2 m2 g−1 for BPC-100. • The capacitance of BPC-50 reached 106 F g−1 and maintained 93% after 20,000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In-situ pyrolysis regulation and post-modification of biochar were summarized. • The relationship between physicochemical properties and applications of biochar was analyzed. • The future research requirements for biochar preparation and applications were proposed. Biochar is a carbon-rich product obtained from the thermo-chemical conversion of biomass. Studying the evolution properties of biochar by in-situ modification or post-modification is of great significance for improving the utilisation value of lignocellulosic biomass. In this paper, the production methods of biochar are reviewed. The effects of the biomass feedstock characteristics, production processes, reaction conditions (temperature, heating rate, etc.) as well as in-situ activation, heteroatomic doping, and functional group modification on the physical and chemical properties of biochar are compared. Based on its unique physicochemical properties, recent research advances with respect to the use of biochar in pollutant adsorbents, catalysts, and energy storage are reviewed. The relationship between biochar structure and its application are also revealed. It is suggested that a more effective control of biochar structure and its corresponding properties should be further investigated to develop a variety of biochar for targeted applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies only investigated the simple linear relationships of global tilt (GT) with thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL) and pelvic incidence (PI). This study aimed to establish multiple linear regressions of GT based on individual TK, LL and PI in patients with degenerative spines.Methods: Four hundred sixty-nine adult patients aged older than 35 years with various degenerative spinal diseases were enrolled in this two-centre study between January 2017 and December 2020. Full-spine X-rays were performed for all the subjects in a standing position. The following regional and global parameters were measured in the sagittal plane: TK, LL, PI, pelvic tilt (PT), sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and GT. The correlations of the GT, PT and SVA with the TK, LL and PI were analysed, and then multiple linear regressions were constructed.Results: GT was statistically correlated with TK, LL and PI. Additionally, TK, LL and PI were significant predictors for the GT, PT and SVA models. The relevant predictive formulae were as follows: GT = -9.60 + 1.09*PI + 0.89*LL + 0.42*TK (R2 = 0.935), PT = -4.49 + 0.81*PI + 0.56*LL + 0.24*TK (R2 = 0.792) and SVA = -25.68 + 2.98*LL + 2.37*PI + 1.67*TK (R2 = 0.416).Conclusion: The specific sagittal spinopelvic morphology, evaluated by GT parameters, should be determined by individual TK, LL and PI values in the degenerative spine. Surgeons can utilize such predictive models to better understand the degenerative evolution of sagittal alignment and recognize the relationships between regional parameters and global sagittal alignment to customize a precise correction strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optoelectronic devices, such as light‐emitting diodes, have been demonstrated as one of the most demanded forthcoming display and lighting technologies because of their low cost, low power consumption, high brightness, and high contrast. The improvement of device performance relies on advances in precisely designing novelty functional materials, including light‐emitting materials, hosts, hole/electron transport materials, and yet which is a time‐consuming, laborious and resource‐intensive task. Recently, machine learning (ML) has shown great prospects to accelerate material discovery and property enhancement. This review will summarize the workflow of ML in optoelectronic materials discovery, including data collection, feature engineering, model selection, model evaluation and model application. We highlight multiple recent applications of machine‐learned potentials in various optoelectronic functional materials, ranging from semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) or perovskite QDs, organic molecules to carbon‐based nanomaterials. We furthermore discuss the current challenges to fully realize the potential of ML‐assisted materials design for optoelectronics applications. It is anticipated that this review will provide critical insights to inspire new exciting discoveries on ML‐guided of high‐performance optoelectronic devices with a combined effort from different disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration and sarcopenia are both age-related diseases without effective treatments. Their comorbidities may worsen the prognosis, and further studies on interaction and therapy are needed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia in intervertebral disc degeneration, and to compare the characteristics of intervertebral disc degeneration with and without sarcopenia and effects of interferential current. Methods: One hundred twenty disc degeneration patients were included from 2021 to 2022 in a single institute. Medical records, examination results and radiological reports were reviewed. Patients with sarcopenia were screened and grouped according to Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019. VAS, ODI, SARC-F, SMI, gait speed (GS), grip strength, disc Pfirrmann grading, standard cross-sectional area (SCSA), degree of fatty infiltration (DFF), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) were assessed before and after treatment. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia in intervertebral disc degeneration was 28.3%. The difference of VAS, ODI, disc Pfirrmann grading, SCSA, DFF and NCV between two groups were significant before intervention (P < 0.05), SCSA and DFF were related to the degree of disc degeneration. The improvement of SMI, GS, grip strength, VAS, SARC-F and ODI in intervertebral disc degeneration with sarcopenia group was significant after intervention, as well as SMI, GS, grip strength, VAS and ODI in those without sarcopenia (P < 0.05). The improvement of grip strength, GS, ODI and SARC-F in intervertebral disc degeneration with sarcopenia group were greater than the one without sarcopenia (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significance in improvement degree of other indicators between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of sarcopenia was high in intervertebral disc degeneration, and paravertebral muscles degeneration correlated with the degree of disc degeneration. Compared to those without sarcopenia, intervertebral disc degeneration patients with sarcopenia have more severe pain, poorer mobility and neurological function. Interferential current is effective in intervertebral disc degeneration patients and sarcopenia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and testing of integrated colorimetric microarray immunochips (immuno-microarrays) are reported for the quantitation and direct visual determination of multiple illicit drugs (e.g., morphine, cocaine and amphetamine) in body fluids. Such an immuno-microarray platform utilizes a competitive immunoassay format, which is based on silver staining for quantitative detection and multicolor staining for direct visualization (i.e., qualitative identification) of analytes present in the sample. Under optimized conditions, the dynamic response ranges of 3.7–1000, 1.1–300 and 1.5–300 ng mL−1 were achieved for amphetamine, cocaine, and morphine, respectively, which are wider towards low concentrations than those of standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. The limits of detection (LODs) for morphine, cocaine, and amphetamine were determined to be 1.5 ± 0.1, 1.1 ± 0.1 and 3.7 ± 0.2 ng mL−1, respectively in oral fluids, which meet government regulations for law enforcement. The obvious advantages of multiplexing, simultaneous visual recognition, and accurate quantitation make the on-site detection feasible, confirming that such a colorimetric immuno-microarray holds promise for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To find out if three-dimensional printing (3DP) off-the-shelf (OTS) prosthesis is superior to titanium mesh cages in anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) when treating single-segment degenerative cervical spondylotic myelopathy (DCSM). Methods: DCSM patients underwent ACCF from January 2016 to January 2019 in a single center were included. Patients were divided into the 3DP group (28) and the TMC group (23). The hospital stays, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and the cost of hospitalization were compared. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were recorded pre-operatively, 1 day, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-operatively. Radiological data was measured to evaluate fusion, subsidence, and cervical lordosis. Patients were sent with SF-36 to assess their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results: The differences in operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital stay were not statistically significant between groups (p > 0.05). Postoperative dysphagia occurred in 2 cases in the 3DP group and 3 cases in the TMC group, which all relieved one week later. The difference in improvement of JOA and NDI between the two groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). No hardware failure was found and bony fusion was achieved in all cases except one in the 3DP group. The difference in cervical lordosis (CL), fused segmental angle (FSA), mean vertebral height (MVH), and subsidence rates between groups at each follow-up time point was not statistically significant and the results of the SF-36 were similar (p > 0.05). The total cost was higher in the 3DP group with its higher graft cost (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In treating single-segment DCSM with ACCF, both 3DP OTS prosthesis and TMC achieved satisfactory outcomes. However, the more costly 3DP OTS prosthesis was not able to reduce subsidence as it claimed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For patients with multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy, laminectomy and posterior cervical fusions (PCF) with instrumentation are widely accepted techniques for symptom relief. However, hardware failure is not rare and results in neck pain or even permanent neurological lesions. There are no in-depth studies of hardware-related complications following laminectomy and PCF with instrumentation. Methods: The present study was a retrospective, single centre, observational study. Patients who underwent laminectomy and PCF with instrumentation in a single institution between January 2019 and January 2021 were included. Patients were divided into hardware failure and no hardware failure group according to whether there was a hardware failure. Data, including sex, age, screw density, end vertebra (C7 or T1), cervical sagittal alignment parameters (C2-C7 cervical lordosis, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis, T1 slope, Cervical lordosis correction), regional Hounsfield units (HU) of the screw trajectory and osteoporosis status, were collected and compared between the two groups. Results: We analysed the clinical data of 56 patients in total. The mean overall follow-up duration was 20.6 months (range, 12–30 months). Patients were divided into the hardware failure group (n = 14) and no hardware failure group (n = 42). There were no significant differences in the general information (age, sex, follow-up period) of patients between the two groups. The differences in fusion rate, fixation levels, and screw density between the two groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The failure rate of fixation ending at T1 was lower than that at C7 (9% vs. 36.3%) (p = 0.019). The regional HU values of the pedicle screw (PS) and lateral mass screw (LMS) in the failure group were lower than those in the no failure group (PS: 267 ± 45 vs. 368 ± 43, p = 0.001; LMS: 308 ± 53 vs. 412 ± 41, p = 0.001). The sagittal alignment parameters did not show significant differences between the two groups before surgery or at the final follow-up (p > 0.05). The hardware failure rate in patients without osteoporosis was lower than that in patients with osteoporosis (14.3% vs. 57.1%) (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Osteoporosis, fixation ending at C7, and low regional HU value of the screw trajectory were the independent risk factors of hardware failure after laminectomy and PCF. Future studies should illuminate if preventive measures targeting these factors can help reduce hardware failure and identified more risk factors, and perform long-term follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Sepsis is an infection-induced, multi-organ system failure with a pathophysiology related to inflammation and oxidative stress. Increasing evidence indicates that cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is involved in the incidence and development of inflammatory diseases. However, a role for CYP2E1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis has not been completely explored. Here we use Cyp2e1 knockout (cyp2e1-/-) mice to determine if CYP2E1 could be a therapeutic target for sepsis. We also evaluated the ability of Q11, a new specific CYP2E1 inhibitor, to prevent and ameliorate LPS-induced sepsis in mice and in LPS-treated J774A.1 and RAW264.7 cells. Cyp2e1 deletion significantly reduced hypothermia, multi-organ dysfunction and histological abnormalities in LPS-treated mice; consistent with this finding, the CYP2E1 inhibitor Q11 significantly prolonged the survival time of septic mice and ameliorated multi-organ injury induced by LPS. CYP2E1 activity in liver correlated with indicators of multi-organ injury, such as the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (P < 0.05). Q11 significantly suppressed the expression of NLRP3 in tissues after LPS injection; in vitro studies revealed that activation of NLRP3 signaling and increase of ROS was attenuated by Q11 in LPS-stimulated macrophages, which was reflected by reduced expression of caspase-1 and formation of ASC specks. Overall, our results indicate that Q11 improves the survival of mice with LPS-induced sepsis and attenuates sepsis-induced multiple-organ injury, suggesting that CYP2E1 could be a therapeutic target for sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) feature bright and tunable photoluminescence, solution processability, and low toxicity, showing great potential in optoelectronics. However, the large‐scale synthesis of CQDs with near‐unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) has not been achieved so far. In this study, we perform radical‐assisted synthesis of hexagon‐shaped CQDs (H‐CQDs) delivering near‐unity PLQY (96 %). Experimental and theoretical analyses revealed that the large vertically oriented transition dipole moment of H‐CQDs originating from high symmetry results in nearly 100 % PLQY. The H‐CQDs also exhibited a high electron mobility of up to 0.07 cm2 V−1 s−1. These properties enable the H‐CQD‐based light‐emitting diodes with a high external quantum efficiency of 4.6 % and a record maximum brightness of over 11 000 cd m−2. This study represents a significant advance that CQDs‐based electroluminescent device can be utilized for potential display and lighting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) feature bright and tunable photoluminescence, solution processability, and low toxicity, showing great potential in optoelectronics. However, the large‐scale synthesis of CQDs with near‐unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) has not been achieved so far. In this study, we perform radical‐assisted synthesis of hexagon‐shaped CQDs (H‐CQDs) delivering near‐unity PLQY (96 %). Experimental and theoretical analyses revealed that the large vertically oriented transition dipole moment of H‐CQDs originating from high symmetry results in nearly 100 % PLQY. The H‐CQDs also exhibited a high electron mobility of up to 0.07 cm2 V−1 s−1. These properties enable the H‐CQD‐based light‐emitting diodes with a high external quantum efficiency of 4.6 % and a record maximum brightness of over 11 000 cd m−2. This study represents a significant advance that CQDs‐based electroluminescent device can be utilized for potential display and lighting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond their essential applications in portable data storage for the past 30 years, optical discs and corresponding recording/reading technologies have been extensively explored with the ultimate goal of creating novel analytical tools for on-site chemical analysis and point-of-care (POC) medical diagnosis. In particular, the disc media (CD, DVD, and BD) are proven to be inexpensive and versatile substrate materials for the preparation of various biochips and microfluidic systems; conventional computer drives and disc players are widely adapted for biochip signal reading and microscopic imaging. Herein we provide an overview of such optical disc technology-enabled analytical devices, e.g., integrated systems developed from specifically fabricated analog disks, modified optical drives, or adapted software algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G-rich aptamers have been widely applied to develop various sensors for detecting proteins, small molecules, and cations, which is based on the target-induced conformational transfer from single strand to G-quadruplex. However, the transforming process is unclear. Here, with PW17 as an aptamer example, the forming process of G-quadruplex induced by K+ is investigated by circular dichroism spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, and native gel electrophoresis. The results demonstrate that PW17 undergoes a conformational transforming process from loose and unstable to compact and stable G-quadruplex, which is strictly K+ concentration-dependent. The process contains three stages: (1) K+ (<0.5 mM) could induce PW17 forming a loose and unstable G-quadruplex; (2) the compact and stable K+-stabilized G-quadruplex is almost formed when K+ is equal to or larger than 7 mM; and (3) when K+ ranges from 0.5 mM to 7 mM, the transformation of K+-stabilized PW17 from loose and unstable to compact and stable occurs. Interestingly, dimeric G-quadruplex through 5'-5' stacking is involved in the forming process until completely formed at 40 mM K+. Moreover, the total process is thermodynamically controlled. With PW17 as a sensing probe and PPIX as a fluorescent probe for detection of K+, three linear fluorescent ranges are observed, which corresponds to the three forming stages of G-quadruplex. Clarifying the forming process provides a representative example to deeply understand and further design aptamer-based biosensers and logic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid electrolytes are the subject of intense study partly because of their use in safer, high energy density, all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The addition of solid oxide fillers has been previously explored as a way to increase the ionic conductivity in composite electrolytes; however, no comparative study of the effect of both ion-conducting and non-conducting oxides on solid lithium superionic conductor electrolyte is reported. Nano-crystalline β -Li 3 PS 4 (LPS) was recently shown to have anomalous high ionic conductivity, but it was found that this property can be further enhanced. This study examines the effect of three solid oxide fillers (Li 6 ZnNb 4 O 14 , Al 2 O 3 , and SiO 2 ) in composites with LPS for the enhancement of the parent electrolyte. The electrolytes' processability, ionic conductivity, activation energy, and stability against metallic lithium are presented to gain a complete understanding on the effect of solid oxide fillers on LPS while elucidating the significant enhancement of LPS through the addition of Li 6 ZnNb 4 O 14 or Al 2 O 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A schematic illustration of the corresponding relationship between wax micro-structure characteristics in molecular dynamics simulation and pipeline. [Display omitted] • Micro-structural characterization of adsorbed & suspended wax is revealed. • A method for calculating the distributions of two forms of wax is proposed. • Surfactants are the main cause of wax adsorption behaviour. • Exceeding the critical wax content results in wax adsorption failure. As a key issue in the flow assurance of wax-containing crude oils, the microscopic mechanism of wax deposition in multiphase pipelines is still unclear. Based on macroscopic experimental data, two forms of crystallized wax have been found under an oil-water emulsion, including adsorbed wax on the interface of water droplets and suspended wax in the bulk oil phase, which are the important factors influencing wax deposition. However, the micro-formation mechanism of the adsorbed & suspended wax is not elucidated. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the micro-structure characteristics of the adsorbed & suspended wax in the oil-water emulsion containing surfactant Span60. A method is proposed to quantitatively calculate the distributions of the adsorbed & suspended wax and the percentage of wax adsorption area at the oil-water interface. The results indicate that surfactant with the hydrophilic end will insert into the water phase and the trailing hydrophobic end stretching will point to the oil phase during co-crystallizing with wax molecules. Meanwhile, the interface tension is further reduced by tilting the adsorbed wax tail chain to enhance the adsorption stability. Based on the complicated influence of surfactants on wax adsorption, the quantitative distribution characteristics of the adsorbed & suspended wax in the oil-water emulsion are complex under different wax carbon numbers and surfactant/wax contents. This microscopic investigation of wax distribution in oil-water emulsion can support the establishment of better strategies for solving the wax deposition problem in multiphase flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies the characteristics of electrical discharge, optical emission spectroscopy and ozone production of an air-fed dielectric barrier discharge reactor. In particular, the reactor utilizes water as the high voltage electrode and the grounding electrode. Results show that when the applied peak-to-peak voltage is increased from 16.8 kV to 26.8 kV at 10 kHz, the specific input energy is increased from 19.0 J/L to 664.9 J/L. The maximum ozone generation efficiency reaches about 155 g/kWh with an ozone concentration of around 1549 ppm. The results also show that at a peak-to-peak voltage of 24.0 kV, the typical rotational temperature is 306 ± 5 K. In addition, during a 400 min stability test with ozone concentrations up to about 6000 ppm, the ozone generation efficiency is stabilized at around 106 g/kWh. The reactor can provide optimized control of the gas temperature and realizes energy-efficient ozone generation. • Double water electrode is utilized in DBD ozone generation for the first time. • Energy efficiency is stabilized at 106 g/kWh with a concentration of 6000 ppm. • The rotational temperature is 305–308 K when V pp is 20–28 kV. • Frequency positively affects the microdischarge number and emission intensify. • Ozone concentration is maximized at a frequency of 10 kHz at specific SIEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct and rapid detection of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) is of great importance owing to its high carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and toxicity. In this study, a simple colorimetric assay for rapid determination of 1-OHP is reported, which is based on non-crosslinking aggregation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) induced by 1-OHP in the presence of formic acid (FA). Initially, Au NPs were synthesized with citrate as the capping agent and exhibited red color. Subsequently, the addition of FA did not cause aggregation of Au NPs, but a proton transfer process occurred from FA to carboxylic anions on the surface of Au NPs with a decreased zeta potential. The subsequent addition of 1-OHP resulted in a further decreased zeta potential and an intensely hydrophobic environment, which led to a strong and rapid non-crosslinking aggregation of Au NPs within 5 min with the color changing from red to violet blue. Based on this principle, sensitive and selective detection of 1-OHP was achieved. The detection limit was 3.3 nM. Finally, the colorimetric assay was successfully applied to detect 1-OHP in a urine sample. This strategy provides new insights into developing colorimetric methods for on-site and real-time detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical oxidation of adsorbed benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was explored in acetonitrile–water. When the GCE was incubated in 100 nM BaP acetonitrile–water (V water :V acetonitrile =1:1) for 10 min at open circuit, and then transferred into blank acetonitrile–water (V water :V acetonitrile =1:1, pH= 0.70) for differential pulse voltammetry measurement, a distinct oxidation peak at 0.98 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was observed. The peak potential was about 180 mV lower than that in acetonitrile. Importantly, the peak current was more than 22 times greater. The effects of water on BaP preconcentration on the electrode and electrochemical oxidation were revealed, respectively. Based on the results, an electrochemical assay for BaP detection was developed. The GCE was respectively incubated in acetonitrile–water (V water :V acetonitrile =1:1)with BaP concentration ranged from 0 nM to 1000 nM, and then transferred into the corresponding blank acetonitrile–water (pH= 0.70) for DPV measurements. When the BaP concentration was increased, an increased oxidative current at 0.98 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was observed, and a detection limit of 0.67 nM was achieved. Because all other priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons could not be electrochemically oxidized at 0.98 V, the electrochemical assay showed very high selectivity to BaP. Finally, the developed electrochemical assay was successfully applied to determination of BaP in a series of real world samples, such as drinking water, tap water, lake water and river water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camptothecin-20(s)- O-glycine ester-[ N-(3′α, 12′α-dihydroxy-24′-carbonyl-5′β-cholan)] ( A2), 10-(3′α,12′α-dihydroxy-5′β-cholan-24′-carboxyl)-(20 s)-camptothecin ( C2), and 10- O-(3- O-(3′α, 12′α-dihydroxy-24′-carbonyl-5′β-cholan)-propyl)-(20 S)-camptothecin ( D2) are novel camptothecin-deoxycholic acid analogues. MTT assays were performed to assess the anticancer activity of these compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721, breast carcinoma MCF-7, and colorectal carcinoma HCT-116 cells. A2 had a high killing ability on SMMC-7721 cells selectively, but C2 and D2 did not exhibit selectivity with regard to SMMC-7721 killing. Uptake assays were performed in an effort to elucidate the transport mechanisms of A2 into SMMC-7721 cells. A2 increased the mRNA expression of OATP1B3 (an organic anion-transporting polypeptide) and uptake of A2 was inhibited by rifampin (inhibitor of OATP1B3), which indicated that the transporter-mediated transport of A2 was mediated by OATP1B3. In addition, according to the western blot and apoptosis assays, we found that A2 killed SMMC-7721 cells by inducing cell apoptosis mainly via an AIF (apoptosis-inducing factor) pathway and a caspase-dependent mitochondria apoptosis pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium ions play diverse roles in biological processes, and abnormal K+ levels are the hallmarks of diseases. However, the potential clinical application of the developed DNA-based K+ sensors remains a challenge due to the presence of Pb2+ in blood samples. In this contribution, a novel colorimetric potassium sensing assay that functions in the presence of Pb2+ is reported. This approach is based on conformational switching of a hairpin DNA structure to a G-quadruplex. Specifically, the hairpin DNA containing G-rich aptamer T30695 is exposed to successive amounts of Na+, Pb2+ and K+. These cations induce formation of the corresponding metal-stabilized G-quadruplex, which acts as DNAzyme (with hemin as a cofactor) for the catalytic oxidation of ABTS by H2O2. Importantly, studies presented here show that K+ replaces Pb2+ from the G-quadruplex to form K+-stabilized G-quadruplex, which differ in the catalytic behavior. With Pb2+-stabilized G-quadruplex as a probe, a highly sensitive and selective colorimetric detection of K+ is achieved in the presence of Pb2+ and excessive Na+ (140 mM) with the detection limit of 1.9 nM. This system represents the first known DNAzyme-based colorimetric K+ sensor, which works in the presence of Pb2+. Finally, the sensor is successfully applied for K+ detection in a real human serum sample containing Pb2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel template-assisted deposition and etching strategy is proposed in this paper for preparing IrO2 nanotube arrays on ITO substrates, i.e., electrodepositing IrO2 nanoparticles onto ZnO nanorod surfaces to produce IrO2-coated core–shell nanorod arrays, and followed by wet chemical etching the ZnO nanorods away to generate IrO2 nanotube arrays. Well-aligned IrO2 nanotube arrays with high purity and uniform size are produced by using this synthetic strategy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are employed to examine the morphology, fine structure and composition of the IrO2 nanotube arrays intensively. Furthermore, electrocatalytic water oxidization experiments are performed to assess the catalytic performance of the as-prepared IrO2 nanotube arrays toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The IrO2 nanotube arrays have been found to possess an excellent catalytic performance: high turnover frequency (3.3s − 1 for TOF at 1.2V versus Ag/AgCl), low oxygen evolution overpotential (η =0.15V) and good catalytic stability (55% catalytic activity remaining after undergoing 400times potential cycles). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work emphasizes on the design criteria of aptamer-based biosensors for adenosine and the comparison of their performances by using both electrochemical and biochemical methods. The adenosine biosensors have been typically prepared by hybridizing a short bridging DNA (modified with a thiol for the attachment to gold electrode) to the aptamer strand that releases upon adenosine binding. We have carefully compared the two “isomeric” designs, one with the thiol-linker tethered to the 3′-hydroxyl and the other to the 5′-phosphate end of the bridging DNA. It has been demonstrated through electrochemical and gel electrophoresis experiments that the 3′-thiol bridged sensor shows much better performance than its 5′-counterpart on surface, whereas in solution phase the two sensor systems are equally sensitive. We believe that the “transient” secondary structure of the aptamer sequence restricts the freedom of the strand displacement upon analyte binding, leading to a sluggish release of the aptamer strand from the 5′-thiol-bridging DNA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]