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Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), which are favorable to form intimate interfacial contacts with electrodes, are promising electrolyte of choice for long-cycling lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, typical SPEs with easily oxidized oxygen-bearing polar groups exhibit narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW), making it impractical to increase specific capacity and energy density of SPE based LMBs with charging cut-off voltage of 4.5 V or higher. Here, we apply a polyfluorinated crosslinker to enhance oxidation resistance of SPEs. The crosslinked network facilitates transmission of the inductive electron-withdrawing effect of polyfluorinated segments. As a result, polyfluorinated crosslinked SPE exhibits a wide ESW, and the Li|SPE|LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cell with a cutoff voltage of 4.5 V delivers a high discharge specific capacity of ~164.19 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and capacity retention of ~90% after 200 cycles. This work opens a direction in developing SPEs for long-cycling high-voltage LMBs by using polyfluorinated crosslinking strategy.

Contour tracking accuracy is the key performance index of multi-axis motion control system. In the previous design of contour error feedback controller, the independent design idea of tracking controller and contour controller of each logic axis is often adopted, which is not easy to realize the optimal control of tracking accuracy and contour accuracy. The coupling increment of each controller is inevitable in motion control compensation, which has an impact on the stability of the control system. Therefore, a predictive control method for contour error is proposed. At first, through the state space model of feed system, the system dynamics are judged to predict the contour accuracy in the future finite time domain. Besides, the linear quadratic performance index function of contour error is established, and the performance of the control objective is continuously optimized during the limited time domain with the form of rolling optimization. A closed-loop solution is obtained which is most suitable for the current motion situation and could add to the system, so as to realize the optimal control considering the trajectory contour and the tracking stability of each servo axis in the next few sampling cycles. Finally, by the means of comparative experiments on the three-axis motion control platform, it is verified that the proposed contour predictive control strategy not only effectively reduces the tracking error, but also significantly improves the contour accuracy, which is suitable for application in complex industrial environment.

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), which are favorable to form intimate interfacial contacts with electrodes, are promising electrolyte of choice for long-cycling lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, typical SPEs with easily oxidized oxygen-bearing polar groups exhibit narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW), making it impractical to increase specific capacity and energy density of SPE based LMBs with charging cut-off voltage of 4.5 V or higher. Here, a polyfluorinated crosslinker has been applied to enhance oxidation resistance of SPEs via inductive electron-withdrawing effect of polyfluorinated segments transmitted through crosslinked networks. As a result, polyfluorinated crosslinked SPE exhibits a wide ESW, and the Li|SPE|LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cell with a cutoff voltage of 4.5 V delivers a high discharge specific capacity of ~ 164.19 mAh g− 1 at 0.5 C and capacity retention of ~ 90% after 200 cycles. This work opens a new direction in developing SPEs for long-cycling high-voltage LMBs by using polyfluorinated crosslinking strategy.

The presence of trace amounts of moisture in the electrolyte can cause hydrolysis of LiPF

Guided by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) measurements and quantitative analysis, we identified and synthesized a new type of lithium nickel oxide as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries. This compound is a composition of two crystallographic components: a major stoichiometric layer-structured phase, LiNiO2, and a minor Li-containing disordered rock-salt phase, LiδNi1-δO, both embedded in the same cubic close-packed oxygen lattice. The LiNiO2|LiδNi1-δO composite, when used as the active material in a cathode, delivers high energy density, superior rate capability, and long-term cycling stability owing to its unique structural configuration.

Although the blockade of immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1 has achieved great success, the lack of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment results in a limited response in certain tumor types. Thus, rational and optimal combination strategies were urgently needed. The combination of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and anti-angiogenic therapy has been reported to have great potential. Here, a chimeric peptide OGS was designed by conjugating the peptides OPBP-1 (8-12) and

To improve the heat transfer performance of microchannels, a novel microchannel embedded with connected grooves crossing two sidewalls and the bottom surface (type A) was designed. A comparative study of heat transfer was conducted regarding the performances of type A microchannels, microchannels embedded with grooves on their bottom (including types B and C), or on the sidewalls (type D) as well as smooth rectangular microchannels (type E) via a three-dimensional numerical simulation and experimental validation (at Reynolds numbers from 118 to 430). Numerical results suggested that the average Nusselt number of types A, B, C, and D microchannels were 106, 73.4, 50.1, and 12.6% higher than that of type E microchannel, respectively. The smallest synergy angle β and entropy generation number Ns,a were determined for type A microchannels based on field synergy and nondimensional entropy analysis, which indicated that type A exhibited the best heat transfer performance. Numerical flow analysis indicated that connected grooves induced fluid to flow along two different temperature gradients, which contributed to enhanced heat transfer performance.

Ni-rich layered oxides (LiNixMnyCozO2, x ≥ 0.6, x + y + z = 1) are promising positive electrode materials for high energy density lithium-ion batteries thanks to their high specific capacity. Howev...

Solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are ionically conducting but electronically insulating layers on electrode/electrolyte interfaces that form through the decomposition of electrolytes. And although SEIs can protect electrodes from the co-intercalation of solvent molecules and prevent the continued decomposition of electrolytes, their formation can consume active lithium and electrolytes and build up impedance for ion conduction. Therefore, the control of SEI structures and properties to allow for stability and ionic conductivity has become a critical but highly challenging task in battery designs. However, several factors contribute to the difficulty in SEI research. First, the chemical and electrochemical reactions leading to SEI formation are immensely complex and heavily influenced by numerous factors including electrolyte solvents, lithium salts, additives, electrode materials and charge/discharge conditions. Second, the chemical nature of film-formation products such as SEI constituents and their distribution and arrangement in the SEI are complex. Finally, SEIs are in situ formed at the electrode/electrolyte interface in assembled batteries, making the direct observation of SEIs difficult. To address these challenges, the development of advanced characterization techniques is key in the fundamental understanding of SEIs in LIBs. Based on this, this review will provide an overview of the progress in SEI characterization, including methods to investigate electrochemical performance, surface morphology, chemical composition, and structure and mechanical properties, with state-of-the-art characterization techniques developed in recent years being emphasized. And overall, the scientific insights obtained by using these advanced methods will help researchers to better understand electrode/electrolyte interfaces toward the development of high-performance secondary batteries.

Strategies boosting both innate and adaptive immunity have great application prospects in cancer immunotherapy. Antibodies dual blocking the innate checkpoint CD47 and adaptive checkpoint PD-L1 or TIGIT could achieve durable anti-tumor effects. However, a small molecule dual blockade of CD47/SIRPα and TIGIT/PVR pathways has not been investigated. Here, an elevated expression of CD47 and PVR was observed in tumor tissues and cell lines analyzed with the GEO datasets and by flow cytometry, respectively. Compounds approved by the FDA were screened with the software MOE by docking to the potential binding pockets of SIRPα and PVR identified with the corresponding structural analysis. The candidate compounds were screened by blocking and MST binding assays. Azelnidipine was found to dual block CD47/SIRPα and TIGIT/PVR pathways by co-targeting SIRPα and PVR. In vitro, azelnidipine could enhance the macrophage phagocytosis when co-cultured with tumor cells. In vivo, azelnidipine alone or combined with irradiation could significantly inhibit the growth of MC38 tumors. Azelnidipine also significantly inhibits the growth of CT26 tumors, by enhancing the infiltration and function of CD8+ T cell in tumor and systematic immune response in the tumor-draining lymph node and spleen in a CD8+ T cell dependent manner. Our research suggests that the anti-hypertensive drug azelnidipine could be repositioned for cancer immunotherapy.

Ni-rich layered oxide cathode materials, such as LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 (NCM811), exhibit high specific capacity and low cost, and become cathode material preference of high-energy-density Li-ion batteries. However, these cathode materials are not stable and will form Li-poor reconstructed layers and alkaline compounds (Li2CO3, LiOH) on the surface during the storage and processing in humid air, resulting in serious deterioration of electrochemical properties. During the past two decades, the consensus on the surface instability mechanism during humid air storage has not been reached. The main controversy focuses on the unstable octahedron mechanism and the Li/H exchange mechanism. Herein, we investigate the instability mechanism in the humid air by conducting scanning electronic microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis on NCM811 samples stored in designed atmospheres, etc., and realize that the surface instability of the NCM811 during storage should be mainly originated from Li/H exchange when it contacts with moisture.

NASICON-type (Na super ionic conductor) Na4VMn(PO4)3 (NVMP) cathode material has attracted increasing attention due to its higher sodium de-/intercalation voltage, lower cost and greener resources compared with Na3V2(PO4)3. However, the poor electronic conductivity limits the exploitation of its electrochemical performance. In this work, we achieved an ultrahigh rate capable and long cycle life NVMP/C-rGO composite using the simple and scalable spray-drying technique, in which low-fraction rGO nanosheets (2.14 wt%) highly dispersed and bridged the carbon shelled NVMP nanoparticles to form an effective electron conductive network. Benefiting from this favorable nano-architecture, the elaborately designed NVMP/C-rGO composite exhibited excellent performance as cathode in sodium ion batteries, delivering reversible capacities of 105.5 mA h g−1 at 1 C (1 C = 110 mA h g−1) and 102.6 mA h g−1 at 50 C with capacity retention of 90.6% (1 C) and 80.4% (50 C) over 500 cycles, respectively. This is the highest rate performance for Na4VMn(PO4)3 materials reported so far. This work provides a practicable tactic for fabricating advanced polyanion-type cathode materials which can be commercially scale up for sodium energy storage.

Ni-rich layered oxide materials have become a major choice of cathode material for electrical vehicle batteries. However, it is an outstanding challenge to improve the safety performance of these batteries as the energy density of the batteries increases with higher Ni content in the cathode material. Here we demonstrate that Ni-rich LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) based 10 Ah pouch cells can pass nail-penetration and overcharging tests by introducing nanometer-sized LiMn0.7Fe0.3PO4 (LMFP) particles in the cathode slurry. Since LMFP exhibits appreciable Li storage capacity in the battery operation voltage window, it brings no compromise in electrochemical performance to the cell. It is shown that LMFP improves the safety feature of the cell by partially blocking the NCM622/electrolyte interface, thereby alleviates parasitic reaction between NCM622 and electrolyte, which delays the phase transformation of NCM622 during thermal runaway as well as reduces heat generation between charged cathode and liquid electrolyte.

Ni-rich layered oxides, such as LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811), are considered as promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density. However, Ni-rich layered oxides are prone to react with water and carbon dioxide in ambient air forming residual lithium compounds, resulting in deterioration of electrochemical performance and bringing a challenge to the cathode electrode preparation. In this work, we have, for the first time, demonstrated that the chemical stability of the NCM811 material in ambient air can be significantly enhanced by passivating the surface with a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of octadecyl phosphate (OPA). As a result, the degradation reaction between the NCM811 material and ambient air and thus the electrochemical performance deterioration were significantly suppressed during ambient air exposure. Specifically, the 5C-rate capacity retention deterioration of the NCM811 sample during 14-day ambient air exposure has been decreased from 12 to 2% by OPA passivation. Furthermore, the 200-cycle capacity retention deterioration of the NCM811 sample after 7-day ambient air exposure has been improved from 23 to 0.7% by OPA passivation. These results are very important for the practical application of Ni-rich oxide since no need for controlling of humidity is required on the cathode manufacture; thus, the cost can be reduced. The concept of molecular self-assembly on the NCM811 material also open vast possibilities to design reagents for surface passivation of Ni-rich layered oxides.

In recent years solid Li+ conductors with competitive ionic conductivity to those of liquid electrolytes have been reported. However, the incorporation of highly conductive solid electrolytes into the lithium-ion batteries is still very challenging mainly due to the high resistance existing at the solid-solid interfaces throughout the battery structure. Here, we demonstrated a universal interfacial modification strategy through coating a curable polymer-based glue electrolyte between the electrolyte and electrodes, aiming to address the poor solid-solid contact and thus decrease high interfacial resistance. The liquid glue exhibits both great wettability as well as chemical/electrochemical stability to most of the electrodes, and it can be easily solidified into a polymer electrolyte layer through a "post-curing" treatment. As a result, symmetric Li batteries with the glue modification exhibit much smaller impedance and enhanced stability upon plating/stripping cycles compared to the batteries without glue modification. The all-solid-state Li-S batteries with glue modification show significantly enhanced performances. The strategy of developing glue electrolytes to improve the electrode-electrolyte interface contact provides an alternative option for improving many other solid-state batteries. Accepted version

Excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) functions as a nucleotide excision repair (NER) enzyme. Altered ERCC1 expression or function is closely associated with cancer development and progression. This study determined the association of ERCC1 expression with survivin expression, clinicopathological characteristics, and survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients after postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy.Tissue specimens from 102 resected ESCC patients were acquired for immunohistochemical analysis of ERCC1 and survivin protein expression.ERCC1 expression was detected in 62.7% of ESCC tissues and in 9.8% of normal squamous epithelium tissues (P .01), while survivin expression was detected in 60.8% of ESCC tissues and in 19.6% of normal squamous epithelia (P .01). ERCC1 overexpression associated with advanced tumor clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P .05), but not with tumor size, depth of invasion, or differentiation (P .05). ERCC1 overexpression was also associated with survivin levels (r = 0.42, P .01) and worse progression-free survival of ESCC patients after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Multivariate analysis data revealed that ERCC1 and survivin protein expression were independent predictors of overall survival of ESCC patients after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (P .05).ERCC1 overexpression is an important phenotype that is associated with ESCC lymph node metastasis and advanced tumor clinical stages. ERCC1 expression may also inhibit ESCC cell apoptosis via regulating survivin expression, and ERCC1 and survivin overexpression are independent predictors of prognosis for ESCC patients who receive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), CXC chemokine ligand-10 (CXCL-10) and intercellular adhesion molecule-l (ICAM-1) in patients with Graves' disease (GD) following iodine-131 (131I) therapy. A total of 30 patients with GD participated in the present study. Serum cytokine levels were measured with ELISA, and correlation analyses were performed. Serum levels of IL-6, CXCL-10 and ICAM-1 were significantly higher in patients with GD prior to treatment than those in the control subjects (P

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a promising therapy. CSII therapy is flexible, but the required insulin dose for different people may vary. Few studies have investigated the insulin dose and characteristics of CSII for T2DM, and none has focused on an Asian Chinese population.In total, 171 subjects with T2DM were using CSII and divided into different groups according to their body mass index (BMI) and the course of disease, respectively. The basal rate of CSII was set for four periods per day. We preferentially adjusted the basal insulin dose to control fasting and preprandial blood glucose.Good glycemic control was achieved after 4.8±2.5 days. The mean total daily insulin dose was 31.66±9.85 IU, and the dose per unit body weight was 0.48±0.19 IU/kg/day. The total daily basal and bolus doses were 21.14±7.64 IU and 10.38±3.62 IU, respectively (i.e., about 66.7±6.8% and 33.3±6.8% of the total daily dose). We did not observe any significant difference in total dose of insulin or basal and bolus doses of insulin per day among different groups divided by BMI. Only in the group with BMI of23 kg/m(2) was the insulin dose of per kilogram of body weight (0.60±0.25 IU/kg/day) significantly higher than in the other two groups (P=0.0001). There was no relationship between the insulin dose and the course of disease.In individuals with T2DM on CSII short-term intensive therapy, proper increase of basal dose of insulin and preferential adjustment of the basal rate may be the effective method that can achieve good glycemic control with a lower total daily dose.

This study is to evaluate the association of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with Graves’ disease (GD) in different homogenous samples of the Chinese Han population. A total of 2,865 unrelated individuals were enrolled from Linyi City, Shandong Province, China, including 1,139 patients of GD and 1,726 controls. All 9 SNPs showed significant associations with GD (P < 1.3×10-4, Bonferroni corrected Pc < 0.001). The most significant association was detected at rs2281388 at the HLA-DPB1 locus (P=1.3×10-21; OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.47-1.79). After adjusting for gender and age, 7 SNPs remained significantly associated with GD (P < 3.4×10-4, Pc < 0.003). The risk of GD caused by any of these SNPs was not significantly different between female and male participants (Phet > 0.15). Four SNPs located in MHC regions were significantly associated with GD in different ages (P < 8.4×10-4, Pc < 0.04). The risks of any SNP leading to the development of GD did not differ significantly in different ages (P_trend > 0.02, Pc > 0.18). The rs6457617 at the HLA-DR-DQ locus was significantly correlated with gender in GD patients (P=0.004, Pc=0.04). No significant correlation was found between any SNP and age of diagnosis in GD patients (P > 0.02, Pc > 0.17). The 9 previously identified SNPs are associated with GD in the Chinese Han population. And, gender and age may not influence the associations between the 9 SNPs and GD.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the expression levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10 may be used as biological markers in Graves’ disease (GD) patients. A total of 256 individuals, including 118 GD patients and 138 healthy individuals, were enrolled into the study. Blood samples were collected from each patient and healthy individual, which were then subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Total RNA and total proteins were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. In addition, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed to detect the presence of genetic polymorphisms. The ELISA results indicated that the IL-2 and IL-10 serum levels in the GD patients were increased by ~5.2 and ~7-fold when compared with the levels in the healthy controls. The results of RT-qPCR indicated that the mRNA expression levels of IL-2 and IL-10 were upregulated in the GD patients when compared with the healthy controls. Furthermore, the western blot analysis results revealed that the protein expression levels of IL-2 and IL-10 were significantly increased in the GD patients. RFLP analysis indicated that the increased number of GG single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GD group were detected in the −330 locus of the IL-2 promoter and the −1082 locus of the IL-10 promoter. In addition, the results indicated that the relatively high rates of homozygous GG SNPs (IL-2 −330T/G and IL-10 −1082A/G polymorphisms) on the alleles may be associated with the incidence of GD. The serum, mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-2 and IL-10 were significantly increased in GD patients when compared with the levels in the healthy controls. In conclusion, the expression levels and genetic polymorphisms of IL-2 and IL-10 may be potential biomarkers for the incidence of Graves’ disease in the population studied.

Objective To investigate prospectively the insulin dose requirements of Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with either multiple daily insulin injections (MDI) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy during a 2-week therapeutic intervention. Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly assigned to MDI or CSII therapy. The effects of the two treatment methods were determined based on blood glucose parameters, total daily insulin dose and rates of hypoglycaemia. Results A total of 609 patients were enrolled in the study. Glycaemic goals were achieved after a mean ± SD of 6.90 ± 2.10 and 5.44 ± 2.22 days’ treatment in the MDI and CSII groups, respectively. Once stabilized, the mean ± SD total daily insulin doses were 37.12 ± 10.19 IU and 32.58 ± 8.78 IU for the MDI and CSII groups, respectively. Once stabilized, the mean ± SD total basal and bolus doses were 19.46 ± 7.95 IU/day and 17.66 ± 3.53 IU/day for the MDI group, and 22.79 ± 7.55 IU/day and 9.81 ± 2.64 IU/day for the CSII group, respectively. There were significant differences in the total, basal and bolus insulin doses between the two groups. Conclusion CSII therapy may be considered as an effective method to achieve good glycaemic control in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The study showed that straw mulching decreased the basic seedlings and tillers of winter wheat and the leaf area index (LAI) at earlier growth stage, but increased the LAI at latter growth stage. Straw mulching and irrigation reduced the transmittance and reflectance of PAR, resulting in the increase of PAR capture ratio mainly at the height of 40-60 cm. The solar energy utilization ratio of grain was decreased by straw mulching, while that of stem and leaf was increased. The total solar energy utilization efficiency of winter wheat could also be increased by straw mulching.

Purpose: To observe the short-term dynamic change in serum CXC chemokine ligand-10 (CXCL10) levels in patients with Graves' disease (GD) before and after iodine therapy and to analyze the relationship between CXCL10 levels and clinical disease indices. Methods: ELISA was used to determine serum levels of CXCL10 in 43 patients with GD shortly before radioiodine therapy and on days six, 14, and 60, post-therapy. Results: Patients with newly diagnosed GD showed significantly higher levels of serum CXCL10 compared with the control group (P < 0.01). The serum CXCL10 level increased slightly on day six after treatment of radioactive iodine (P < 0.01). There was no significant statistical difference in serum CXCL10 levels pre-treatment and on day 14 post-treatment. A significant reduction in serum CXCL10 level was observed on day 60 (P < 0.01). GD patients with exophthalmia showed higher serum CXCL10 level than GD patients without exophthalmia. No correlation was found between levels of CXCL10 and FT3, FT4 or TSH at any time point, but significant positive correlation was shown between thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and CXCL10 (r=0.50, P < 0.01). Conclusion: CXCL10 participates in the early inflammatory response after radioactive iodine therapy in patients with Graves’ disease and shows a strong association with the autoimmune process.