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The rate performance, power density, and energy efficiency of electrochemical devices are often limited by ionic conductivities in electrolyte and electrode materials. Framework Prussian blue analogs and dense niobium oxides have been identified as high‐rate electrodes for sodium‐ and lithium‐ion batteries, respectively, yet the origin of the extremely high solid‐state Na+/Li+ transport is not fully understood. Of critical importance is the fact that their ultra‐low activation energy and anomalous pre‐exponent factor cannot be satisfactorily rationalized from conventional theory of solid‐state diffusion in the crystal lattice. Here, assisted by density‐functional‐theory calculations, we argued that the true origin is a unique surface‐like diffusion mechanism of the intercalation ions. In a surface‐like migration event, a mobile ion moves along the channel wall via a low coordination number and low migration barrier experiencing minimal steric hindrance. It is similar to surface diffusion in the conventional picture and contrasts with lattice diffusion from one interstitial/vacancy site to another one with high coordination number, crowded saddle‐point geometry and high migration barrier. We found that the shifting from solid‐state lattice diffusion to surface‐like diffusion is determined by the size difference between the mobile ion and the diffusion channel, and a lowest migration energy barrier can be reached by mediating the channel size. The analogy to gas diffusion in molecular sieves shall be discussed. Additionally, the effects of defects and crystal water in Prussian blue analogs were also discussed for better understanding their rate performances in experimental scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate performance, power density, and energy efficiency of electrochemical devices are often limited by ionic conductivities in electrolyte and electrode materials. Framework Prussian blue analogs and dense niobium oxides have been identified as high‐rate electrodes for sodium‐ and lithium‐ion batteries, respectively, yet the origin of the extremely high solid‐state Na+/Li+ transport is not fully understood. Of critical importance is the fact that their ultra‐low activation energy and anomalous pre‐exponent factor cannot be satisfactorily rationalized from conventional theory of solid‐state diffusion in the crystal lattice. Here, assisted by density‐functional‐theory calculations, we argued that the true origin is a unique surface‐like diffusion mechanism of the intercalation ions. In a surface‐like migration event, a mobile ion moves along the channel wall via a low coordination number and low migration barrier experiencing minimal steric hindrance. It is similar to surface diffusion in the conventional picture and contrasts with lattice diffusion from one interstitial/vacancy site to another one with high coordination number, crowded saddle‐point geometry and high migration barrier. We found that the shifting from solid‐state lattice diffusion to surface‐like diffusion is determined by the size difference between the mobile ion and the diffusion channel, and a lowest migration energy barrier can be reached by mediating the channel size. The analogy to gas diffusion in molecular sieves shall be discussed. Additionally, the effects of defects and crystal water in Prussian blue analogs were also discussed for better understanding their rate performances in experimental scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to identify candidate loci and genes related to sleep disturbances in depressed individuals and clarify the co-occurrence of sleep disturbances and depression from the genetic perspective. Methods: The study subjects (including 58,256 self-reported depressed individuals and 6,576 participants with PHQ-9 score ≥ 10, respectively) were collected from the UK Biobank, which were determined based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and self-reported depression status, respectively. Sleep related traits included chronotype, insomnia, snoring and daytime dozing. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of sleep related traits in depressed individuals were conducted by PLINK 2.0 adjusting age, sex, Townsend deprivation index and 10 principal components as covariates. The CAUSALdb database was used to explore the mental traits associated with the candidate genes identified by the GWAS. Results: GWAS detected 15 loci significantly associated with chronotype in the subjects with self-reported depression, such as rs12736689 at RNASEL (P = 1.00 × 10− 09), rs509476 at RGS16 (P = 1.58 × 10− 09) and rs1006751 at RFX4 (P = 1.54 × 10− 08). 9 candidate loci were identified in the subjects with PHQ-9 ≥ 10, of which 2 loci were associated with insomnia such as rs115379847 at EVC2 (P = 3.50 × 10− 08), and 7 loci were associated with daytime dozing, such as rs140876133 at SMYD3 (P = 3.88 × 10− 08) and rs139156969 at ROBO2 (P = 3.58 × 10− 08). Multiple identified genes, such as RNASEL, RGS16, RFX4 and ROBO2 were reported to be associated with chronotype, depression or cognition in previous studies. Conclusion: Our study identified several candidate genes related to sleep disturbances in depressed individuals, which provided new clues for understanding the biological mechanism underlying the co-occurrence of depression and sleep disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of the global population, the energy shortage is becoming increasingly acute. Phase change materials (PCMs) are considered green and efficient mediums for thermal energy storage, but the leakage problem caused by volume instability during phase change limits their application. Encapsulating PCMs with supporting materials can effectively avoid leakage, but most supporting materials are expensive and consume huge of natural resources. Carbon materials, which are rich and renewable resources, can be used as economical and environmentally friendly supporting skeletons to prepare form‐stable PCMs. Although many researchers have begun to use recyclable materials especially various derivatives of carbon as supporting skeletons to prepare form‐stable PCMs, the preparation methods, thermophysical properties and applications of form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons have rarely been systematically summarized yet. Form‐stable PCMs with a recyclable skeleton can be used as green and efficient thermal storage materials due to their high heat storage capacity and good thermophysical stability after 2000 thermal cycles. This review investigates the effects of recyclable skeletons on the thermophysical properties including phase change temperature, latent heat, thermal conductivity, supercooling, and thermal cycling reliability. Four major kinds of recyclable skeletons are focused on: biomass, biochar, industrial by‐products as well as waste incineration ash. Additionally, the application scales of form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons are explicated in depth. Moreover, the main challenges confronted by form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons are discussed, and future research trends are proposed. This article provides a systematic review of the form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons, giving significant guidance for further reducing carbon emissions and promoting the development of sustainable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking has caused great public health burdens in the global. Although socioeconomic factors have been confirmed to substantially influence smoking behaviors, the impact of comprehensive social deprivations on smoking behavior and related biological mechanisms are still unclear. Supported by UK Biobank cohort, we randomly divided 369,915 participants into discovery cohort (60%) and replication cohort (40%). We first tested the associations for index of multiple deprivation (IMD) and 7 IMD subdomains with ever-smoking and daily smoking frequency using regression models in both cohorts. Genome-wide by environment interaction study (GWEIS) was further conducted by using PLINK2.0 to detect the effects of the interactions between SNPs and IMD subdomains on two smoking behaviors. In discovery and replication cohorts, we observed the more deprivation status the individuals were in, the higher daily smoking frequency or risk to be ever smokers. And among the subdomains of IMD, income, education, health, living environment, and crime deprivation were positively associated with the risk of smoking behaviors, while employment deprivation was negatively correlated with smoking behaviors (all P < 0.0125). Totally, GWEIS analysis detected 23 shared significant socioeconomic-deprivation interacted loci for daily smoking frequency in two cohorts, such as rs116680599 at 2p16.3 (NRXN1, Pdiscovery = 7.68 × 10−14, Preplication = 1.96 × 10−2) and rs150451424 at 16p13.3 (RBFOX1, Pdiscovery = 1.89 × 10−10, Preplication = 1.96 × 10−2) interacting with employment deprivation. We illustrated the diverse effects of IMD on smoking behaviors and provided insights for the biological mechanisms of the interaction effects between socioeconomic deprivation with genetic factors on smoking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Design principle of a reliable electrolyte based on chelation strength is proposed for high-performance aqueous batteries. The addition of penta-sodium diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid salt is effective in dynamically modulating anode/electrolyte interface, inhibiting water-related side reactions, and mitigating dendrite generation on zinc anodes. Symmetrical, Zn||Cu half and Zn||NH4V4O10 full cells using the new electrolyte exhibit improved electrochemical performance. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising due to inherent safety, low cost, low toxicity, and high volumetric capacity. However, issues of dendrites and side reactions between zinc metal anode and the electrolyte need to be solved for extended storage and cycle life. Here, we proposed that an electrolyte additive with an intermediate chelation strength of zinc ion—strong enough to exclude water molecules from the zinc metal-electrolyte interface and not too strong to cause a significant energy barrier for zinc ion dissociation—can benefit the electrochemical stability by suppressing hydrogen evolution reaction, overpotential growth, and dendrite formation. Penta-sodium diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid salt was selected for such a purpose. It has a suitable chelating ability in aqueous solutions to adjust solvation sheath and can be readily polarized under electrical loading conditions to further improve the passivation. Zn||Zn symmetric cells can be stably operated over 3500 h at 1 mA cm−2. Zn||NH4V4O10 full cells with the additive show great cycling stability with 84.6% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1. Since the additive not only reduces H2 evolution and corrosion but also modifies Zn2+ diffusion and deposition, highlyreversible Zn electrodes can be achieved as verified by the experimental results. Our work offers a practical approach to the logical design of reliable electrolytes for high-performance aqueous batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-robot cooperative path planning is a significant research area in the domains of intelligent reconnaissance, transportation, and combat. The complexity of resolving multi-path conflicts in large-scale multi-robot scenarios poses a significant challenge to researchers. To address this issue, this paper proposed a universal conflict resolution mode, collision avoidance strategy in local crossing, and behavior regulation method that allows robots to take intelligent measures to avoid conflicts in scenarios with a large number of robots. Specifically, we introduced a novel algorithm, Universal Conflict Resolution and Free Crossing Emergence (UCR-FCE), that solves the conflict problem emerging in a significant number of local areas. The algorithm includes three extended multi-path resolution algorithms and a mechanism of avoiding Receptor Dodger (RD) from Noumenon Dodger (ND) to the free junction. We provided a completeness proof with Set Theory and Regional Theory to demonstrate that UCR-FCE can solve all conflict scenarios given sufficient free path nodes. Furthermore, a behavior regulation algorithm was developed to reduce the complexity of real-time path conflicts during robot motion. The proposed multi-robot cooperative intelligent planning algorithm is tested through simulation and field experiments. Results illustrate that the system can effectively refer to the traffic rules and intelligently adapt to ever-changing potential conflicts. A comparative simulation is also established to prove the effectiveness of each improvement proposed in this paper and to exhibit the superiority of the proposed method over other methods available in the literature. Results indicate that the proposed method outperforms eight comparative methods, with an absolute increase in the success planning rate of 56 % , 56 % , 44 % , 24 % , 12 % , 22 % and 18 % in large-scale multi-robot scenarios, respectively, when the number of robots in ROS-stage simulation environment reaches 400. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garnet oxides such as Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) are promising solid electrolyte materials for all‐solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries because of high ionic conductivity, low electronic leakage, and wide electrochemical stability window. While LLZTO has been frequently discussed to be stable against lithium metal anode, it is challenging to achieve and maintain good solid‐on‐solid wetting at the metal/ceramic interface in both processing and extended electrochemical cycling. Here we address the challenge by a powder‐form magnesium nitride additive, which reacts with the lithium metal anode to produce well‐dispersed lithium nitride. The in situ formed lithium nitride promotes reactive wetting at the Li/LLZTO interface, which lowers interfacial resistance, increases critical current density (CCD), and improves cycling stability of the electrochemical cells. The additive recipe has been diversified to titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, tantalum nitride, and niobium nitride, thus supporting the general concept of reactive dispersion‐plus‐wetting. Such a design can be extended to other solid‐state devices for better functioning and extended cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garnet oxides such as Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) are promising solid electrolyte materials for all‐solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries because of high ionic conductivity, low electronic leakage, and wide electrochemical stability window. While LLZTO has been frequently discussed to be stable against lithium metal anode, it is challenging to achieve and maintain good solid‐on‐solid wetting at the metal/ceramic interface in both processing and extended electrochemical cycling. Here we address the challenge by a powder‐form magnesium nitride additive, which reacts with the lithium metal anode to produce well‐dispersed lithium nitride. The in situ formed lithium nitride promotes reactive wetting at the Li/LLZTO interface, which lowers interfacial resistance, increases critical current density (CCD), and improves cycling stability of the electrochemical cells. The additive recipe has been diversified to titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, tantalum nitride, and niobium nitride, thus supporting the general concept of reactive dispersion‐plus‐wetting. Such a design can be extended to other solid‐state devices for better functioning and extended cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial issue limiting the cycle life of practical lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is the formation and growth of solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) as well as other side reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interfaces that consume the lithium reservoir in the first cycle and over extended cycling. Prelithiation is an effective strategy to offset the lithium loss and extend the cycle life. Full delithiation of lithia provides 1794 mA h g−1 charge capacity, making it a promising prelithiation additive. However, its practical application is hindered by the sluggish decomposition kinetics. Here we reported mechanically activated nanolithia that can be fully decomposed during the first charge half-cycle and it offers a high prelithiation capacity up to 1200 mA h g−1 at 4.3 V (vs. Li+/Li) upper cutoff voltage. The facile kinetics is enabled by the construction of a defect-rich Li2O–LiCoO2 nanocomposite, which facilitates the charge transfer and the irreversible lattice oxygen redox of the nanolithia. The construction of such a nanocomposite can use cycled LiCoO2 from waste batteries as the raw material, which is economically feasible. Using the nanolithia prelithiation additive, we successfully compensated the irreversible Li loss of graphite‖LiFePO4 full cells and obtained a 28.5% higher initial discharge capacity and 43.9% higher capacity retention over 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, micron-sized silver particles were prepared using the chemical reduction method by employing a Y-type microjet reactor, silver nitrate as the precursor, ascorbic acid as the reducing agent, and gelatin as the dispersion at room temperature (23 °C ± 2°C). Using a microjet reactor, the two reaction solutions collide and combine outside the reactor, thereby avoiding microchannel obstruction issues and facilitating a quicker and more convenient synthesis process. This study examined the effect of the jet flow rate and dispersion addition on the morphology and size of silver powder particles. Based on the results of this study, spherical and dendritic silver particles with a rough surface can be prepared by adjusting the flow rate of the reaction solution and gelatin concentration. The microjet flow rate of 75 mL/min and the injected gelatin amount of 1% of the silver nitrate mass produced spherical ultrafine silver particles with a size of 4.84 μm and a tap density of 5.22 g/cm3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium hydride (MgH2) is a promising candidate for hydrogen storage, but suffers from its sluggish de/hydrogenation kinetics. Catalytic addition is considered one of the most effective methods to improve the kinetics of Mg-based hydrides. Herein, the equiatomic high entropy alloys (HEAs), namely, TiVNbZrFe, TiVNbZrNi, and TiVNbCrNi, are used as catalysts for MgH2. The results show that HEAs exhibit the C14 Laves structure and provide excellent catalytic impact. Among these HEA catalysts, the TiVNbZrFe alloy shows a superior catalytic effect in improving the de/hydrogenation kinetics and cycling properties of MgH2. In particular, MgH2–TiVNbZrFe starts to release hydrogen at about 209 °C, nearly 170 °C lower than that of the pure MgH2. Also, it can be hydrogenated at room temperature and under 1 bar hydrogen pressure. Moreover, a stable reversible capacity up to 6.16 wt% is observed after 100 cycles. The apparent activation energy of dehydrogenating MgH2–TiVNbZrFe can be reduced to 63.03 kJ mol−1, which is about 90 kJ mol−1 lower than that of pure MgH2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to explore the combined effects of the smoking and breastfeeding on offspring mental health outcomes. We used data from UK biobank (N = 342,846) to evaluate joint effect of breastfeeding and maternal smoke during pregnancy (MSDP) on seven adult offspring mental health outcomes (self-reported depression, depression score, self-reported anxiety, anxiety score, neuroticism score, self-harm, suicide). We stratified individuals to MSDP group and non-MSDP group as well as breastfeeding group and non-breastfeeding group. Multiple linear regression and logistic regressions analysis were performed between independent variables (MSDP or breastfeeding) and dependent variables separately (seven mental health outcomes) in each stratum. Effect estimates were expressed as β values and OR values. Sex, age, 10 principle components of population structure, smoking, alcohol use, and Townsend deprivation index were examined as covariates. At MSDP grouping level, coefficients (odds ratio [OR]) for association of breastfed as a baby with self-reported anxiety (category variable) were 0.87 (95%CI, (0.82–0.93), P = 1.74 × 10–5) in the MSDP group and 0.83 (95%CI, (0.79–0.87), P = 2.76 × 10–17) in the non-MSDP group. At breastfeeding grouping level, OR for association of MSDP and self-reported anxiety were 1.15 (95%CI, (1.10–1.20), P = 5.36 × 10–11) in breastfeeding group and 1.12(95%CI, (1.06–1.20), P = 2.02 × 10–4) in non-breastfeeding group. At MSDP grouping level, negatively associations were found for breastfeeding and anxiety score (continuable variable) in MSDP group (-0.04 SD change per SD change in MSDP, 95% CI, (− 0.06, − 0.02), P = 2.42 × 10–3) and non-MSDP group (-0.06 SD change per SD change in MSDP, 95%CI, (− 0.07, − 0.04), P = 1.70 × 10–11). At breastfeeding grouping level, positive association was found for MSDP and anxiety score in the breastfeeding group (0.07 SD change per SD change in MSDP, 95%CI, (0.06–0.09), P = 1.49 × 10–20) and non-breastfeeding group (0.07 SD change per SD change in MSDP, 95%CI, (0.05–0.09), P = 7.19 × 10–8). Compared with non-MSDP group, the protective effect (reflected by coefficients) of breastfeeding on anxiety in the MSDP decreased. Our preliminary study found MSDP may lower the protective effect of breastfeeding on the adult offspring anxiety, depression and neuroticism, providing useful recommendations for health care service via quitting smoking during pregnancy and encouraging prolonged breastfeeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disrupted brain structures and several life environmental factors have been shown to influence depression and anxiety, but their interactions with anxiety and depression remain elusive. Genome‐wide association study datasets of 15 brain structure longitudinal changes (N = 15,640) were obtained from the published study. Genotype and phenotype‐related data of depression, anxiety, and life environmental factors (including smoking, alcohol drinking, coffee intake, maternal smoking, physical activity, vitamin D, insomnia, sleep duration, and family satisfaction) were collected from UK Biobank. We calculated the polygenic risk scores (PRS) of 15 brain structure changes and then conducted linear regression analyses to explore the interactions of brain structure changes and life environmental factors on depression and anxiety using 15 brain structure change‐related PRS, life environmental factors and interactions of them as instrumental variables, and depression score or anxiety score as outcomes. Sex stratification in all analyses was performed to reveal sex‐specific differences in the interactions. We found 14 shared interactions related to both depression and anxiety in total sample, such as alcohol drinking × cerebellum white matter 3 (WM; beta = −.003, p =.018 for depression; beta = −003, p =.008 for anxiety) and maternal smoking × nucleus accumbens 2 (beta =.088, p =.002 for depression; beta =.070, p =.008 for anxiety). We also observed sex‐specific differences in the interactions, for instance, alcohol drinking × cerebellum WM 3 was negatively associated with depression and anxiety in males (beta = −.004, p =.020 for depression; beta = −.005, p =.002 for anxiety). Our study results reveal the important interactions between brain structure changes and several life environmental factors on depression and anxiety, which may help to explore the pathogenesis of depression and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with conventional reactors that are designed by traditional micromachining technology, the use of 3D-printing technology to manufacture multichannel large-volume microchannel reactors as reaction equipment to remove low-concentration NOX by the wet method is simple and convenient, and the processing cost is low. The results showed that when the concentration of NO was 400 ppm, the mixed solution of (NH2)2CO mass fraction of 3% and H2O2 concentration of 0.5 mol/L was used, and the flow rates of gas and liquid were 100 mL/min, respectively, under the experimental conditions of pH = 11, solution temperature of 20 °C and 500 mL solution recycling for 20 min, the best removal effect of NOX was achieved, and the removal efficiency was 100%. When the O2 content in the flue gas was increased and the number and length of microchannels were increased, the NOX removal efficiency increased accordingly, which was conducive to the rapid and efficient reaction. The application of the microchannel reactor presents a new method for improving the air quality and reducing environmental pollution in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deformations or remodeling of the lamina cribrosa (LC) induced by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) are associated with optic nerve injury. The quantitative analysis of the morphology changes of the LC will provide the basis for the study of the pathogenesis of glaucoma. After the chronic high-IOP rat model was induced by cauterizing episcleral veins with 5-Fluorouracil subconjunctival injection, the optic nerve head (ONH) cross sections were immunohistochemically stained at 2 w, 4 w, 8 w, and 12 w. Then the sections were imaged by a confocal microscope, and six morphological parameters of the ONH were calculated after the images were processed using Matlab. The results showed that the morphology of the ONH changed with the duration of chronic high IOP. The glial LC pore area fraction, the ratio of glial LC pore area to the glial LC tissue area, first decreased at 2 w and 4 w and then increased to the same level as the control group at 8 w and continued to increase until 12 w. The number and density of nuclei increased significantly at 8 w in the glial LC region. The results might mean the fraction of glial LC beam increased and astrocytes proliferated at the early stage of high IOP. Combined with the images of the ONH, the results showed the glial LC was damaged with the duration of chronic elevated IOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The role of neurological proteins in the development of bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) remains elusive now. The current study aims to explore the potential genetic correlations of plasma neurological proteins with BD and SCZ. Methods: By using the latest genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data of BD and SCZ (including 41,917 BD cases, 11,260 SCZ cases, and 396,091 controls) derived from the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium website (PGC) and a recently released GWAS of neurological proteins (including 750 individuals), we performed a linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) analysis to detect the potential genetic correlations between the two common psychiatric disorders and each of the 92 neurological proteins. Two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis was then applied to assess the bidirectional causal relationship between the neurological proteins identified by LDSC, BD and SCZ. Results: LDSC analysis identified one neurological protein, NEP , which shows suggestive genetic correlation signals for both BD (coefficient = −0.165, p value = 0.035) and SCZ (coefficient = −0.235, p value = 0.020). However, those association did not remain significant after strict Bonferroni correction. Two sample MR analysis found that there was an association between genetically predicted level of NEP protein, BD (odd ratio [OR] = 0.87, p value = 1.61 × 10−6) and SCZ (OR = 0.90, p value = 4.04 × 10−6). However, in the opposite direction, there is no genetically predicted association between BD, SCZ, and NEP protein level. Conclusion: This study provided novel clues for understanding the genetic effects of neurological proteins on BD and SCZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As people age, their ability to regulate the body temperature gradually weakens. Old people are always more vulnerable to thermal-related discomfort in cold weather. The purpose of this paper was to develop a smart heating clothing for the elderly, which can automatically adjust the underwear microclimate according to different thermal condition. In our study, 8 elderly women were exposed to cold, we have measured the data of skin temperatures and taken the analysis on their physiological characteristics. The intelligent heating system for the elderly was developed with proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. Through MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation, three key parameters in PID model were optimized after multiple tuning. Based on wearable sensor technology and auxiliary heating equipment, we have developed the design of smart heating clothing for the female elderly. The development of smart heating clothing can not only satisfy the thermal requirements of the aged in cold environments, but also provide a technical reference for the design of smart clothing in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have identified multiple risk loci, how these loci confer risk of PTSD remains unclear. Through the FUSION pipeline, we integrated two human brain proteome reference datasets (ROS/MAP and Banner) with the PTSD GWAS dataset, respectively, to conduct a proteome-wide association study (PWAS) analysis. Then two transcriptome reference weights (Rnaseq and Splicing) were applied to a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) analysis. Finally, the PWAS and TWAS results were investigated through brain imaging analysis. In the PWAS analysis, 8 and 13 candidate genes were identified in the ROS/MAP and Banner reference weight groups, respectively. Examples included ADK (pPWAS-ROS/MAP = 3.00 × 10−5) and C3orf18 (pPWAS-Banner = 7.07 × 10−31). Moreover, the TWAS also detected multiple candidate genes associated with PTSD in two different reference weight groups, including RIMS2 (pTWAS-Splicing = 3.84 × 10−2), CHMP1A (pTWAS-Rnaseq = 5.09 × 10−4), and SIRT5 (pTWAS-Splicing = 4.81 × 10−3). Further comparison of the PWAS and TWAS results in different populations detected the overlapping genes: MADD (pPWAS-Banner = 4.90 × 10−2, pTWAS-Splicing = 1.23 × 10−2) in the total population and GLO1(pPWAS-Banner = 4.89 × 10−3, pTWAS-Rnaseq = 1.41 × 10−3) in females. Brain imaging analysis revealed several different brain imaging phenotypes associated with MADD and GLO1 genes. Our study identified multiple candidate genes associated with PTSD in the proteome and transcriptome levels, which may provide new clues to the pathogenesis of PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to explore the potential interaction effects of brain aging and gut microbiota on the risks of sleep, anxiety and depression disorders. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets of brain aging (N = 21,407) and gut microbiota (N = 3,890) were obtained from published studies. Individual level genotype and phenotype data of psychiatric traits (including sleep, anxiety and depression) were all from the UK Biobank (N = 107,947–374,505). We first calculated the polygenic risk scores (PRS) of 62 brain aging modes and 114 gut microbiota taxa as the instrumental variables, and then constructed linear and logistic regression analyses to systematically explore the potential interaction effects of brain aging and gut microbiota on psychiatric disorders. We observed the interaction effects of brain aging and gut microbiota on sleep, anxiety and depression disorders, such as Putamen/caudate T2* vs. Rhodospirillales (β = -0.012, P = 8.4 × 10–4) was negatively associated with chronotype, Fornix MD vs. Holdemanella (β = -0.007, P = 1.76 × 10–2) was negatively related to general anxiety disorder (GAD) scores, and White matter lesions vs. Acidaminococcaceae (β = 0.019, P = 1.29 × 10–3) was positively correlated with self-reported depression. Interestingly, Putamen volume vs. Intestinibacter was associated with all three psychiatric disorders, including chronotype (negative correlation), GAD scores (positive correlation) and self-reported depression (positive correlation). Our study results suggest the significant impacts of brain aging and gut microbiota on the development of sleep, anxiety and depression disorders, providing new clues for clarifying the pathogenesis of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gut microbiota is closely associated with host health and disease occurrence. Host genetic factor plays an important role in shaping gut microbial communities. The specific mechanism of host-regulated gene expression affecting gut microbiota has not been elucidated yet. Here we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) for gut microbiota by leveraging expression imputation from large-scale GWAS data sets. Results: TWAS detected multiple tissue-specific candidate genes for gut microbiota, such as FUT2 for genus Bifidobacterium in transverse colon (PPERM.ANL = 1.68 × 10–3) and SFTPD for an unclassified genus of Proteobacteria in transverse colon (PPERM.ANL = 5.69 × 10–3). Fine mapping replicated 3 candidate genes in TWAS, such as HELLS for Streptococcus (PIP = 0.685) in sigmoid colon, ANO7 for Erysipelotrichaceae (PIP = 0.449) in sigmoid colon. Functional analyses detected 94 significant GO terms and 11 pathways for various taxa in total, such as GO_NUCLEOSIDE_DIPHOSPHATASE_ACTIVITY for Butyrivibrio (FDR P = 1.30 × 10–4), KEGG_RENIN_ANGIOTENSIN_SYSTEM for Anaerostipes (FDR P = 3.16 × 10–2). Literature search results showed 12 genes prioritized by TWAS were associated with 12 diseases. For instance, SFTPD for an unclassified genus of Proteobacteria was related to atherosclerosis, and FUT2 for Bifidobacterium was associated with Crohn's disease. Conclusions: Our study results provided novel insights for understanding the genetic mechanism of gut microbiota, and attempted to provide clues for revealing the influence of genetic factors on gut microbiota for the occurrence and development of diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative evidence shows that gut microbiome can influence brain function and behavior via the inflammatory processes. However, the role of interaction between gut dysbiosis and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the development of anxiety and depression remains to be elucidated. In this study, a total of 3321 independent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci associated with gut microbiome were driven from genome-wide association study (GWAS). Using individual level genotype data from UK Biobank, we then calculated the polygenetic risk scoring (PRS) of 114 gut microbiome related traits. Moreover, regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the possible effect of interaction between gut microbiome and CRP on the risks of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (N = 113,693) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) (N = 114,219). At last, 11 candidate CRP × gut microbiome interaction with suggestive significance was detected for PHQ-9 score, such as F_Ruminococcaceae (β = − 0.009, P = 2.2 × 10–3), G_Akkermansia (β = − 0.008, P = 7.60 × 10–3), F_Acidaminococcaceae (β = 0.008, P = 1.22 × 10–2), G_Holdemanella (β = − 0.007, P = 1.39 × 10–2) and O_Lactobacillales (β = 0.006, P = 1.79× 10–2). 16 candidate CRP × gut microbiome interaction with suggestive significance was detected for GAD-7 score, such as O_Bacteroidales (β = 0.010, P = 4.00× 10–4), O_Selenomonadales (β = − 0.010, P = 1.20 × 10–3), O_Clostridiales (β = 0.009, P = 2.70 × 10–3) and G_Holdemanella (β = − 0.008, P = 4.20 × 10–3). Our results support the significant effect of interaction between CRP and gut microbiome on the risks of anxiety and depression, and identified several candidate gut microbiomes for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the conventional pressure–composition–temperature (PCT) method to determine the thermodynamics of metal hydrides is a time-consuming process. This work presents an efficient method based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), to characterize the thermodynamic parameters. Through cycling catalyzed magnesium hydride in a TGA apparatus under a flowing gas with a constant hydrogen partial pressure, TGA curves can be used to determine absorption/desorption equilibrium temperatures. Based on the van't Hoff analysis, the reaction enthalpies and entropies can be derived from the equilibrium temperatures as a function of hydrogen pressure. Using the results of this work we calculated the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation enthalpies, which are 79.8 kJ per mol per H2 and 76.5 kJ per mol per H2, respectively. These values are in good agreement with those reported values using the PCT method. These results demonstrate that the TGA can be an efficient and effective method for measuring thermodynamic parameters of metal hydrides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often coexists with multiple comorbidities which may have a significant impact on acute exacerbations of patients. At present, what kind of comorbidities affects acute exacerbations and how comorbidities lead to poor prognosis are still controversial. The purpose of our study is to determine the impact of comorbidities on COPD exacerbation and establish an acute exacerbation risk assessment system related to comorbidities. Methods: A total of 742 COPD patients participated in the Shanghai COPD Investigation on Comorbidity Program (SCICP, ChiCTR2000030911). Finally, the baseline information of 415 participants and one-year follow-up data were involved in the analysis. We collected hemogram indices, pulmonary function tests and acute exacerbation of COPD with regular medical follow-up. Q-type cluster analysis was used to determine the clusters of participants. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was constructed to assess the ability of indicators in predicting acute exacerbations. Results: Almost 65% of the population we investigated had at least one comorbidity. The distribution and incidence of comorbidities differed between exacerbation group and non-exacerbation group. Three comorbidity clusters were identified: (1) respiratory, metabolic, immune and psychologic disease (non-severe cases); (2) cardiovascular and neoplastic disease (severe cases); (3) less comorbidity. Different sub-phenotypes of COPD patients showed significant distinction in health status. Anxiety (OR=5.936, P=0.001), angina (OR=10.155, P=0.025) and hypertension (OR=3.142, P=0.001) were found to be independent risk factors of exacerbation in a year. The novel risk score containing BODEx and four diseases showed great prognostic value of COPD exacerbation in developing sample. Conclusion: Our study detailed the major interaction between comorbidities and exacerbation in COPD. Noteworthily, a novel risk score using comprehensive index – BODEx – and comorbidity parameters can identify patients at high risk of acute exacerbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asthma is one of the most common noninfectious chronic diseases characterized by type II inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of molecular hydrogen on the pathogenesis of asthma. Methods: OVA sensitized asthma mouse model and house dust mite treated 16HBE cellular model were established and hydrogen/oxygen mixture was used to treat asthmatic mice and 16HBE cells. Serum and BALF cytokines were measured with specific ELISA assays. E-cadherin and ZO-1 were detected by immunohistochemical staining and expression of caspase 3 and 9, NF-κB, IL-33 and ST2 was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot and/or immunofluorescence. IL-33 promoter activity was analyzed by dual-luciferase assay. ILC2 population was assayed by flow cytometry and differentially expressed miRNAs were detected using miRNA array. Results: Serum and BALF levels of IL-33 and other alarmin and type II cytokines were greatly increased by OVA and inhibited by H2 in asthmatic mice. The expression of NF-κB (p65) and ST2 was upregulated by OVA and suppressed by H2. ILC2 population was markedly increased in OVA-induced asthmatic mice, and such increase was inhibited by H2. E-cadherin and ZO-1 levels in airway tissues of asthmatic mice were significantly lower than that of control mice, and the reduction was recovered by H2 treatment. H2 alleviated HDM induced apoptosis of 16HBE cells, upregulation of IL-33 and ST2, and elevation of IL-33 promoter activity. A group of miRNAs differentially expressed in HDM and HDM + H2 treated 16HBE cells were identified. Conclusions: These data demonstrated that H2 is efficient in suppressing allergen-induced asthma and could be developed as a therapeutics for asthma and other conditions of type II inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state electrolyte as a crucial component in all-solid-state batteries should have high Li-ion conductivity and good stability in air. Recently, a new solid Li-ion conductor LiTa2PO8 (LTPO) with theoretical and experimental Li-ion conductivities of 35.3 and 0.25 mS/cm has been reported. Herein, we systematically investigate the ionic conductivity and chemical stability of the LTPO electrolytes sintered by conventional sintering (CS) and hot-pressing sintering (HP) methods. The effects of Li sources, sintering temperature, and the dwelling time are concerned. LTPO pellets using CH3COOLi·2H2O as the Li source sintered by CS method have a room-temperature Li-ion conductivity of 1.86 × 10–4 S/cm with an activation energy of 0.36 eV. A conductivity of 3.12 × 10–4 S/cm with an activation energy of 0.32 eV is achieved by further HP sintering. Moreover, LTPO shows excellent chemical stabilities in air, aqueous solution, and organic solvent and shows a stable cycling performance in the symmetric Li/Li cells and the all-solid-state Li/LiFePO4 batteries with the separation of a thin PEO membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High power lithium‐ion battery (LIB) puts forward higher requirements for separator. In this study, a new composite separator (SIPN/PPS) with superior stability and improved electrochemical performance was fabricated by the construction of semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (SIPN) on polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) nonwoven substrate. In SIPN, branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) was selected as crosslinking points due to multiple reactive terminal groups −NH2. Meanwhile, PEI owned irregular topology structure, which would be beneficial to interrupt the crystallization of polymer matrix and increase electrolyte storage by swelling. Characterization results show that this designed composite separator can exhibit higher porosity, improved electrolyte wettability, enhanced electrolyte uptake and excellent electrochemical performance, thus endowing battery with superior discharge capacity even at 3 C. In addition, the introduction of SIPN is confirmed to increase mechanical strength more obviously than that of single cross‐linked network reported in previous study. Meanwhile, anode current begins to be detected for SIPN/PPS composite separator under higher applied voltage (4.6 V vs Li+/Li), indicating its broader electrochemical window. Moreover, SIPN/PPS composite separator is displayed satisfactory cycling stability with higher discharge capacity retention ratio (85.3 %). Consequently, this contribution opens a new avenue for separator applied in high power LIB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-PLA2R antibody is only expressed in podocytes from patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). The detection of anti-PLA2R antibody in serum is therefore able to obtain essential information for rapid diagnosis and evaluation of the disease activity of IMN. In the present study, a polydopamine nanosphere-based fluorescent sensor was constructed for direct detection of anti-PLA2R antibodies in human serum. In this sensing system, the double-stranded DNA was phosphorylated under the action of anti-PLA2R antibody and the single-stranded DNA was cut by exonuclease. The single-stranded DNA was then adsorbed on polydopamine microspheres. The fluorescent groups labeled on the DNA were quenched, and the concentration of anti-PLA2R antibody was detected quantitatively by measuring the fluorescence signal changes before and after the reaction. The experimental results show that the method has a good linear detection range between 0.05 and 10 μg/mL for anti-PLA2R antibody and the detection limit is 0.02 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) in Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSIs) in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia. A total of 1466 samples (396 blood culture (BC)-positive, 1052 BC-negative, and 18 contaminated specimens) were included, comprising 268 Gram-negative, 88 Gram-positive, 19 fungal, and 21 polymicrobial BSIs. Median PCT value (0.72 ng/mL; IQR: 0.23–3.87) was significantly higher in Gram-negative than Gram-positive (0.34 ng/mL; IQR: 0.14–2.23; p <.01), or fungal (0.27 ng/mL; IQR: 0.13–0.40; p <.01) BSIs. In mono-microbial BSIs, the best PCT cutoff distinguishing Gram-negative BSIs from all other fever causes was 0.56 ng/ml, with a specificity of 76.8%. PCT levels were significantly higher in BSIs from multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative strains than from non-MDR (p <.01). This study confirms that elevated PCT may predict Gram-negative BSIs in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia, and demonstrates higher PCT levels in MDR Gram-negative BSIs in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over-production of mucus is an important pathophysiological feature in chronic airway disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Cigarette smoking (CS) is the leading cause of COPD. Oxidative stress plays a key role in CS-induced airway abnormal mucus production. Hydrogen protected cells and tissues against oxidative damage by scavenging hydroxyl radicals. In the present study we investigated the effect of hydrogen on CS-induced mucus production in rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sham control, CS group, hydrogen-rich saline pretreatment group and hydrogen-rich saline control group. Lung morphology and tissue biochemical changes were determined by immunohistochemistry, Alcian Blue/periodic acid-Schiff staining, TUNEL, western blot and realtime RT-PCR. Results: Hydrogen-rich saline pretreatment attenuated CS-induced mucus accumulation in the bronchiolar lumen, goblet cell hyperplasia, muc5ac over-expression and abnormal cell apoptosis in the airway epithelium as well as malondialdehyde increase in the BALF. The phosphorylation of EGFR at Tyr1068 and Nrf2 up-regulation expression in the rat lungs challenged by CS exposure were also abrogated by hydrogen-rich saline. Conclusion: Hydrogen-rich saline pretreatment ameliorated CS-induced airway mucus production and airway epithelium damage in rats. The protective role of hydrogen on CS-exposed rat lungs was achieved at least partly by its free radical scavenging ability. This is the first report to demonstrate that intraperitoneal administration of hydrogen-rich saline protected rat airways against CS damage and it could be promising in treating abnormal airway mucus production in COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate investigation of diverse rodent behaviours in rodents' home cages, we have developed an integrated modular platform, the Smart Cage™ system ( Afa Sci, Inc. Burlingame, CA, USA), which enables automated neurobehavioural phenotypic analysis and in vivo drug screening in a relatively higher-throughput and more objective manner., The individual platform consists of an infrared array, a vibration floor sensor and a variety of modular devices. One computer can simultaneously operate up to 16 platforms via USB cables., The Smart Cage™ detects drug-induced increases and decreases in activity levels, as well as changes in movement patterns. Wake and sleep states of mice can be detected using the vibration floor sensor. The arousal state classification achieved up to 98% accuracy compared with results obtained by electroencephalography and electromyography. More complex behaviours, including motor coordination, anxiety-related behaviours and social approach behaviour, can be assessed using appropriate modular devices and the results obtained are comparable with results obtained using conventional methods., In conclusion, the Smart Cage™ system provides an automated and accurate tool to quantify various rodent behaviours in a 'stress-free' environment. This system, combined with the validated testing protocols, offers powerful a tool kit for transgenic phenotyping and in vivo drug screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have suggested that vitamin D (VD) was associated with psychiatric diseases, but efforts to elucidate the functional relevance of VD with depression and anxiety from genetic perspective have been limited. Based on the UK Biobank cohort, we first calculated polygenic risk score (PRS) for VD from genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of VD. Linear and logistic regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the associations of VD traits with depression and anxiety traits, respectively. Then, using individual genotype and phenotype data from the UK Biobank, genome-wide environment interaction studies (GWEIS) were performed to identify the potential effects of gene × VD interactions on the risks of depression and anxiety traits. In the UK Biobank cohort, we observed significant associations of blood VD level with depression and anxiety traits, as well as significant associations of VD PRS and depression and anxiety traits. GWEIS identified multiple candidate loci, such as rs114086183 (p = 4.11 × 10−8, LRRTM4) for self-reported depression status and rs149760119 (p = 3.88 × 10−8, GNB5) for self-reported anxiety status. Our study results suggested that VD was negatively associated with depression and anxiety. GWEIS identified multiple candidate genes interacting with VD, providing novel clues for understanding the biological mechanism potential associations between VD and psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium-based hydrides are considered as promising candidates for solid-state hydrogen storage and thermal energy storage, due to their high hydrogen capacity, reversibility, and elemental abundance of Mg. To improve the sluggish kinetics of MgH2, catalytic doping using Ti-based catalysts is regarded as an effective approach to enhance Mg-based materials. In the past decades, Ti-based additives, as one of the important groups of catalysts, have received intensive endeavors towards the understanding of the fundamental principle of catalysis for the Mg-H2 reaction. In this review, we start with the introduction of fundamental features of magnesium hydride and then summarize the recent advances of Ti-based additive doped MgH2 materials. The roles of Ti-based catalysts in various categories of elemental metals, hydrides, oxides, halides, and intermetallic compounds were overviewed. Particularly, the kinetic mechanisms are discussed in detail. Moreover, the remaining challenges and future perspectives of Mg-based hydrides are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) is primarily a B cell lymphoid neoplasm and a member of the CD30-positive lymphomas. cHL and the other CD30-positive lymphomas are characterized by the elevated expression and/or constitutive activation of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) family transcription factors, c-Jun and JunB; however, the specific roles they play in the pathobiology of cHL are unclear. In this report we show that reducing either c-Jun or JunB expression with short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) reduced the growth of cHL cell lines in vitro and in vivo, primarily through impairing cell cycle transition through G1. We further investigated the effect of c-Jun and JunB knock-down on proliferation in another CD30-positive lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ ALCL). We found that JunB knock-down in most ALK+ ALCL cell lines examined also resulted in reduced proliferation that was associated with a G0/G1 cell cycle defect. In contrast, c-Jun knock-down in multiple ALK+ ALCL cell lines had no effect on proliferation. In summary, this study directly establishes that both c-Jun and JunB play roles in promoting HRS cell proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrate there are similarities and differences in c-Jun and JunB function between cHL and ALK+ ALCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]