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• Dec@PLGA@aMM could enhance the tumor suppression through restoration of TSGs. • The Dec@PLGA@aMM group showed the higher CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells, indicating the enhanced immunotherapy. • The decitabine could enhance aPD-L1-mediated immunotherapy of HCC via epigenetic alteration. • This novel targeted PLGA NPs are aimed to treat HCC by decreasing DNA methylation and blocking PD-L1. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor represents the first clinical breakthrough via targeting aberrant cancer epigenomes. Demethylation drugs such as decitabine can restore tumor suppressor gene (TSG) expression and function to achieve anti-tumor effect. Despite DNMT inhibitors have shown significant efficacy for treating leukemia, their application in solid tumor such as HCC is limited due to short in vivo half-lives. In this study, the DNMT1 inhibitor decitabine was first loaded into the Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) spherical nanoparticles (Dec@PLGA). The vesicle of PD-L1 antibody and macrophage membrane (aMM) was further coated onto the surface of Dec@PLGA to finally synthesize Dec@PLGA@aMM. Dec@PLGA@aMM was in uniformed spherical structure with hydrodynamic particle size of 95.7 ± 9.1 nm and surface zeta potential of −15.1 ± 3.3 mV. Dec@PLGA@aMM significantly increased the expression of both p14 and p16 in a concentration-dependent manner. Dec@PLGA@aMM could enhance the tumor suppression through restoration of TSGs, which were epigenetically silenced by DNA hypermethylation. The Dec@PLGA@aMM group showed significantly (P < 0.05) less tumor volume than PBS group, PLGA@MM group, aPD-L1 group, PLGA@aMM group, decitabine group, Dec + aPD-L1 group, and Dec@PLGA@MM group. The decitabine could enhance aPD-L1-mediated immunotherapy of HCC via epigenetic alteration. This novel targeted PLGA NPs are aimed to treat HCC by decreasing DNA methylation and blocking PD-L1, thus providing new ideas for effective treatments via epigenetic alteration for HCC patients clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oblique incident phase-shifting interferometric measurement method is an effective technique for assessing gear tooth form deviation. In the measurement process, the tooth flank incident angle is a crucial factor determining the quality of interferograms. Addressing the challenge in traditional optical path design, where the selection of the tooth flank incident angle encounters a trade-off among quality features such as measurable tooth area (MTA), interference fringe density (IFD) and interferogram compression ratio (ICR), this paper proposes an optimized method for the tooth flank incident angle. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation model is established to calculate and analyze the MTA, IFD and ICR of the helical gear. Secondly, by integrating BP neural network and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) algorithm, a tooth flank incident angle optimization method is devised to simultaneously optimize the measurement light incident angle γ and the rotation angle of the gear axis β. Finally, simulation analyses and physical experiments are employed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method, compared to before optimization, the pseudocorrelation (PSD) value has increased by an average of 34%, and the residual points have decreased by an average of 80%, confirming its capability to improve quality interferogram and measurement accuracy. • A multi-objective optimization method based on BP-MOPSO is proposed to solve the problem of multiple conflicting quality features in the tooth flank incident angle design. • A comprehensive evaluation model is established to calculate and analyze the conflicting targets of the interferogram. • The optimized measuring optical path improves the interferograms quality effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liposomes have been widely used as drug carriers in both biomedical research and for clinical applications, allowing the stabilisation of therapeutic compounds and overcoming obstacles to cellular and tissue uptake. However, liposomes still have low targeting efficiency, resulting in insufficient killing of tumour cells and unnecessary damage to normal cells. In this study, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) were used as ligands to prepare dual-ligand-modified doxorubicin-loaded liposomes (DOX-GA/PNA-Lips) to enhance the targeting accuracy and efficacy of drug delivery against malignant liver cancer. PNA and GA modification enhanced the binding ability of liposomes to liver cancer cells, leading to excellent tissue and cell targeting of DOX-GA/PNA-Lips. DOX-GA/PNA-Lips showed an effective anti-tumour effect in vivo and in vitro, with its targeted delivery facilitating attenuation of the toxic side effects of DOX. These results demonstrated that dual-ligand-modified liposomes may provide an effective strategy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation is an effective way to study roof strata movement induced by progressive excavation in longwall mining. However, establishing an effective and plausible numerical model is still of great difficulty, as the roof strata movement involves a complex geomechanical process. In this study, we develop a numerical tool based on the material point method (MPM) and strain softening constitutive model. Using this tool, numerical examples are conducted to demonstrate the capability of the numerical tool to simulate the roof strata movement. According to the numerical results, we obtain the following conclusion: 1) through comparison of the physical simulation experiment, the developed numerical tool is proved to be capable to simulate the complex physic processes involved in the roof strata movement, including roof deformation, shear and tensile fracture initiation and arbitrary propagation, roof fragmentation, caving and collapse, roof subsidence and contact with gob fragmentation; 2) the developed numerical tool can simulate the extremely large deformation (plastic flow) of the backfill under the same numerical framework, which is advantageous to study the mechanical interaction between the large deformation of the backfill and the roof subsidence; 3) both cross joints and layer interfaces have a significant effect on the extent of the roof collapse. The caving height is mainly affected by the layer thickness, while the vertical cross joints have a certain influence on the roof collapse in the horizontal direction. According to this study, we believe that the developed numerical tool is also beneficial for studying other excavation problems in underground, e.g., various mining methods, tunneling, cave construction, etc. Extending the numerical tool to 3D is straightforward. However, the computational efficiency should be enhanced. • A numerical tool was developed based on the material point method and strain softening model. • The numerical tool can effectively simulate the complex roof strata movement. • The numerical tool is capable to model the extremely large deformation of the backfill. • The numerical simulated roof strata movement shows a good agreement with the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella enterica serovar ( S. enteritidis ) is a pathogenic bacterium that can cause symptoms of food poisoning, leading to death of poultry, resulting in serious economic losses. The MyD88 and TRIF signalling pathways play important roles in activating innate and adaptive immunity in chickens infected with S. enteritidis . The objective of the present study was to characterize in vivo mRNA expressions, protein levels and methylation levels of genes in the above two pathways in both Tibetan chickens and DaHeng S03 chickens infected with S. enteritidis . MyD88-dependent and TRIF-dependent signalling pathway were activated by infection, and the MyD88 signalling pathway induced cytokines LITAF and IL-8 played important roles in fighting against the S. enteritidis infection in vivo . The TLR4 methylation might alter expression of genes involved in the MyD88 signalling pathway, and thus different breeds of chickens might show differences in susceptibility to the S. enteritidis . The increased expression of INF β was activated by S. enteritidis , but its expressions were different in levels of mRNA and protein in Tibetan chickens and DaHeng chickens, suggesting its functions on the resistance to S. enteritidis infection in chickens. This study contributes to the understanding of two pathways activated in response to S. enteritidis infection, and gives indications on the mechanisms underlying resistance of Tibetan chickens and DaHeng chickens to S. enteritidis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the modulation of various metabolic processes in the liver, yet little is known about the liver microRNAome (miRNAome) of the Tibetan pig. Here we used the Yorkshire pig as a control to analyze the Tibetan pig-specific liver miRNAome, and for preliminary investigation of differentially expressed miRNAs participating in metabolism. A comprehensive analysis of Tibetan and Yorkshire pig liver miRNAomes by small RNA sequencing identified 362 unique miRNAs. Among these, 304 were co-expressed in both libraries, and 10 and 48 miRNAs were specifically expressed. Differential expression analysis of miRNAs, miRNA target prediction and KEGG analysis revealed that differentially expressed miRNAs were associated mainly with the metabolism of glucose, lipid and protein. Six differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-34a, miR-326, miR-1, miR-335, miR-185 and miR-378) participating in the metabolism of glucose and lipid were identified. Additionally, qPCR results revealed that a lower expression of miR-34a in Tibetan pig liver may promote gluconeogenesis by increasing the expression of Sirtuin type 1 (Sirt1); a lower expression of miR-1 in Tibetan pig liver may promote the synthesis and accumulation of lipid by increasing the expression of Liver X receptor α (LXRα); and a lower expression of miR-185 in Tibetan pig liver may promote the uptake of cholesterol from blood and secretion of bile by increasing the expression of the scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI). Our results provide new information and understanding of porcine miRNA profiles, which may help explain the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in the metabolic functions of Tibetan pig liver, and provide new biomarkers to assist in the development of Tibetan pig breeding characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new GFA & GS tetrahedron is constructed from pseudo-four characteristic parameters. • A modified GFA & GS criterion is derived: G-FAS m = T x / T l +((T x - T g)/(T l - T g))0.3. • Unification of criteria from vertices, edges, faces and the entire body of the T-FAS. • Criteria expressions are unified by two complex temperatures parameters T rg and T xg. The various criteria of glass-forming ability and stability (GFA & GS) based on the three characteristic temperatures (glass transition temperature T g , the onset crystallization temperature T x and the liquid temperature T l) are uneven and inconsistent, and even contradictory. It is urgent to find a new method that comprehensively considers the GFA from cooling process and the GS from heating process, and unifies the GFA & GS criteria. In this paper, based on T g , the tetrahedron for evaluating GFA & GS (T-FAS) with pseudo-four characteristic parameters as vertexes is constructed from four aspects (1. The onset crystallization temperature T x : resistance to crystallization; 2. The liquid temperature T l : high temperature liquid stability; 3. The supercooled liquid region of glass (SLR glass) Δ T x = T x - T g (or the ratio of T x to T g , i.e., crystallization-vitrification ratio T x / T g): stability of SLR glass ; 4. The supercooled liquid region of melt (SLR melt) Δ T g = T l - T g (or the reduced glass transition temperature T rg): glass-forming ability/tendency of glass itself) involved two processes of GFA in cooling process and GS in heating process, from which the G-FAS criterion is derived and modified, and its wide applicability is compared and evaluated with other criteria. Finally, the existing characteristic temperature-based GFA & GS criteria are unified from the vertices, edges, faces and the entire body of the T-FAS, and the expressions are also unified by GFA & GS reflected by T g (i.e., two complex characteristic temperatures parameters T g / T l and T x / T g). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To research the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) characteristics of a micro-alloyed plastic mold steel (MnCrNb, SDP1®), a series of hot compression tests using Gleeble-3500 thermo-mechanical physical simulator are implemented under different temperatures and strain rates. In addition, the microstructure of specimens after hot compression tests are also observed by optical microscope. Combined Estrin and Mecking mathematic model (EM) with Avrami equation, the important material genome data of SDP1, such as DRX kinetic model, dynamic recovery (DRV) kinetic model and grain size evolution model, is established by the inverse analysis of flow stress curves to estimate the microstructure evolution during hot deformation. Furthermore, combined with the obtained material kinetic model, an elastic–plastic finite element (FE) model is built to simulate the microstructure evolution of SDP1 during the single-pass hot compression and compare with the experimental results. The results indicate that the simulation results agree well with the experimental ones, which verifies the availability of obtained material genome data. The finite element method (FEM) is an effective approach to analyze the hot compression process, which can provide a theoretical guidance and optimization scheme for making the more reasonable hot working procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Supercapacitor, known as an important energy storage device, is also a critical component for next generation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In this study, we report a novel route for synthesis of three-dimensional Ni(OH)2/graphene/nickel foam electrode by electrochemical depositing Ni(OH)2 nanoflakes on graphene network grown on nickel foam current collector and explore its applications in supercapacitors. The resulting binder-free Ni(OH)2/graphene/nickel foam electrode exhibits excellent supercapacitor performance with a specific capacitance of 2161 F/g at a current density of 3 A/g. Even as the current density reaches up to 60 A/g, it still remains a high capacitance of 1520 F/g, which is much higher than that of Ni(OH)2/nickel foam electrode. The enhanced rate capability performance of Ni(OH)2/graphene/nickel foam electrode is closely related to the presence of highly conductive graphene layer on nickel foam, which can remarkably boost the charge-transfer process at electrolyte–electrode interface. The three-dimensional graphene/nickel foam substrate also significantly improves the electrochemical cycling stability of the electrodeposited Ni(OH)2 film because of the strong adhesion between graphene film and electrodeposited Ni(OH)2 nanoflakes. Results of this study provide an alternative pathway to improve the rate capability and cycling stability of Ni(OH)2 nanostructure electrode and offer a great promise for its applications in supercapacitors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Large-area periodically aligned Si nanowire (PASiNW) arrays have been fabricated on Si substrates via a templated catalytic chemical etching process. The diameter, length, packing density, and even the shape of Si nanowires (SiNWs) could be precisely controlled and tuned. A local coupling redox mechanism involving the reduction of H2O2 on silver particles and the dissolution of Si is responsible for formation of SiNWs. With the as-prepared SiNWs as templates, three kinds of PASiNW radial pn junction structures were fabricated on Si substrates via a solid-state phosphorous diffusion strategy and their applications in solar cells were also explored. The PASiNW radial pn junction-based solar cell with big diameter and interspace shows the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.10% among the three kinds of devices. Further optimization, including surface passivation and electrode contact, is still needed for the higher efficiency PASiNW radial pn junction-based solar cells in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A pyramid/nanowire binary structure is fabricated on the silicon surface via a NaOH anisotropic etching technique followed by a silver-catalyzed chemical etching process. The silicon surface shows a stable superhydrophobicity with high contact angle of 162° and small sliding angle less than 2° after being modified with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS). The binary roughness of pyramid/nanowire structure presents a stable composite interface of silicon–air–water and responsible for the superhydrophobicity of silicon surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The tribological behaviors and phase transformation of single crystal silicon against Si3N4, Ruby and steel were investigated in this study. It was found that the strong chemical action between silicon and Fe was the key factor to the tribological behavior of silicon as slid against steel. SEM and Raman spectroscopy indicated that phase transformation of single crystal silicon occurred during the running-in period at low sliding velocity as slid against Si3N4 and Ruby, and gave birth to single or a mixture phase of Si-III, Si-XII and amorphous silicon. The high hardness of counterpart and the absence of chemical action between silicon and counterpart facilitated the phase transformation of single crystal silicon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The tribological behaviors and phase transformations of single-crystal silicon against Si3N4 with different sliding velocities and durations under low contact stress at room temperature were investigated. SEM and Raman analysis indicate that phase transformation was involved and characterized by plastically deformed area which consists of Si-III, Si-XII, and a-Si, especially in the early stage at the low sliding velocity. The plastically deformed layer was wiped off at high-velocity or long sliding duration. TEM analysis indicated that the wear debris consists of amorphous silicon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Scratch tests on single crystal silicon under dry sliding and pentadecane lubrication are performed on a commercially available nano-scratch tester. Loads range of elastic, elasto-plastic deformation and fracture are classified according to depth-load curves. A fully plastic removal of single crystal silicon below critical load for fracture is observed under pentadecane lubrication, which is quite different from that under dry sliding. Raman micro-spectra indicate that the phase compositions of the scratched track under dry sliding consist of a number of phases, including Si-I, Si-III, Si-XII and a-Si, while the phase composition of the track under pentadecane lubrication consists of single a-Si. Based on the results obtained, a simple approach to fabricate amorphous silicon pattern on single crystal silicon is introduced and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A quadrilateral with pseudo-four characteristic temperatures as vertices is established based on four aspects (1. The onset crystallization temperature T x : resistance to crystallization; 2. The liquid temperature T l : liquid stability; 3. The supercooled liquid region of glass (SLR glass) ΔT x = T x -T g , where T g is the glass transition temperature: stability of SLR glass ; 4. The supercooled liquid region of melt (SLR melt) ΔT g = T l -T g : glass-forming ability/tendency of glass itself) from two perspectives of the glass-forming ability (GFA) in cooling process and glass stability (GS) in heating process. According to pseudo-four characteristic temperatures, a glass-forming ability and stability criterion (G-FAS criterion) is derived and modified: G-FAS = T x /T l +(T x -T g)/(T l -T g) and G-FAS m = T x /T l +(T x -T g)/(1.5T x -T g). The validity and feasibility of the newly proposed criterion are elaborated and discussed through evaluating the correlation between criterion and R c and the consistency with the boundary conditions. Comparison with other currently existing 23 characteristic temperature-based criteria shows that the presently proposed criterion has excellent performance both correlation with R c and consistency with boundary conditions. • Pseudo-four characteristic temperatures (CTs) T x , T l , T x -T g and T l -T g evaluating GFA & GS are derived from three CTs. • A quadrilateral of GFA & GS is established. • A new G-FAS criterion is derived and modified: G-FAS = T x /T l +(T x -T g)/(T l -T g) and G-FAS m = T x /T l +(T x -T g)/(1.5T x -T g). • In criterion, the CTs T x , T l and T g appear the same times, indicating that the contribution of each CT is equal without bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides or nitride (MXene) have attracted wide attention due to their unique properties and promising applications in batteries, sensors, and catalysis. Due to its good hydrophilicity and abundant groups, it is also favored in environmental remediation. In this work, a cage-like octa(aminopropyl) silsesquioxane (POSS-NH 2) was chosen as the modifier to decorate the Ti 3 C 2 T x and an amino-rich lamellar material, Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 , was prepared successfully via a dehydration condensation reaction. Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 shows excellent adsorption capability toward Pb (II) ions within a wide pH range with an optimal adsorption capacity of 552.31 mg·g–1 at the pH value of 6. Even at strong acidic conditions (pH=2), the value is still as high as 283.65 mg·g–1. The Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 also shows preferential selectivity for lead ions in lead-containing wastewaters containing Cu (II), Zn (II), Fe (II) and Mg (II) ions. The kinetics, isotherm, and thermodynamic analyses were also studied. It is found that the adsorption process is an endothermic one and complies with the Langmuir isothermal adsorption model. The experimental data of Pb (II） ions adsorption by Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 can be well simulated with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. XPS and FTIR results showed that the Pb (II) ions were captured by a synergistic effect of coordination of -NH 2 on the Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 surface and the oxidation of oxygenated moieties in the layered structure of Ti 3 C 2 T x. The excellent properties of Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 allow it to occupy an important position in the treatment of lead-containing wastewater. [Display omitted] • A novel 2D materials Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 was prepared. • The maximum adsorption capacity of the material for Pb (II) ions is 552.31 mg·g–1. • The adsorption capacity of the material can reach 283.65 mg·g–1 at pH of 2. • The material will preferentially adsorb Pb (II) ions. • The adsorption of Pb (II) ions is dominated by a synergistic effect of coordination of-NH 2 on the Ti 3 C 2 T x /POSS-NH 2 surface and the oxidation of oxygenated moieties in the layered structure of Ti 3 C 2 T x [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subcellular organelles play critical roles in the process of apoptosis. Fluorescent probes that specifically target different organelles during cell death processes to monitor cell viability has important implications. In this work, two D(donor)-π-A(acceptor) configuration molecules (A1 and A2) with considerable two-photon absorption cross section in the near infrared region have been rational designed and synthesized. Of note, the obtained two probes could target different organelles in living and fixed cells, respectively. The reasons for different organelles targeting ability of A1 and A2 are discussed in our work. It provides a promising platform for real-time monitoring of cell mortality under subcellular level. • A1 and A2 exhibited excellent Aggregation-induced-emission behavior. • A1 and A2 respond strongly to pH fluctuation. • A1 and A2 can target different organelles in living and fixed cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathophysiology of coronasomnia remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate changes in white matter (WM) microstructure and inflammatory factors in patients with sleep disorders (SD) characterized by poor sleep quantity, quality, or timing following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in the acute phase (within one month) and whether these changes could be recovered at 3-month follow-up. 29 acute COVID-19 patients with SD (COVID_SD) and 27 acute COVID-19 patients without SD (COVID_NonSD) underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), tested peripheral blood inflammatory cytokines level, and measured Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and matched 30 uninfected healthy controls. Analyzed WM abnormalities between groups in acute phase and explored its changes in COVID_SD at 3-month follow-up by using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Correlations between DTI and clinical data were examined using Spearman partial correlation analysis. Both COVID_SD and COVID_NonSD exhibited widespread WM microstructure abnormalities. The COVID_SD group showed specific WM microstructure changes in right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) (lower fractional anisotropy [FA]/axial diffusivity [AD] and higher radial diffusivity [RD]) and left corticospinal tract (CST) (higher FA and lower RD) and higher interleukin-1β (IL-1β) compared with COVID_NonSD group. These WM abnormalities and IL-1β levels were correlated PSQI score. After 3 months, the IFOF integrity and IL-1β levels tended to return to normal accompanied by symptom improvement in the COVID_SD relative to baseline. Abnormalities in right IFOF and left CST and elevated IL-1β levels were important neurophenotypes correlated with COVID_SD, which might provide new insights into the pathogenesis of neuroinflammation in SD patients induced by COVID-19. • TBSS identified the specific WM changes in right IFOF and left CST at acute phase COVID-19 patients with SD. • Higher IL-1β level was identified in the acute COVID-19 patients with SD. • The right IFOF and IL-1β level tended to return to normal accompanied by sleep symptoms improvement after 3 months in the acute COVID-19 patients with SD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets have been experimentally proved to be a highly efficiency, rapid and universal demulsifier to break up the crude oil-in-water emulsion and/or the emulsified oily waste water in our previous study. To recycle the GO nanosheets and avoid the possible contamination of GO for crude oil, in this work, the magnetic graphene oxide (M-GO) was successfully synthesized and used for separating oil/water emulsions. Demulsification tests indicated that M-GO could separate the oil/water emulsions within a few minutes and recycle 6–7 times without losing its demulsification capability. The residual oil content in the separated water was as low as ∼10 mg/L, corresponding to a demulsification efficiency of 99.98% at an optimal dosage. Quantum chemical calculation results indicated that the π-π/σ-π interactions between GO materials and asphaltene molecules are the major driven forces for the high demulsification performance of M-GO nanosheets. This work not only provides a promising demulsifies to demulsify the crude oil-in-water emulsion or the oily wastewater but also give a deep understanding on the intrinsic interaction between demulsifiers and asphaltenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harm of Salmonella typhimurium ( S. typhimurium ) to public health mainly by the consumption of contaminated agricultural products or water stresses an urgent need for rapid detection methods to help control the spread of S. typhimurium . In this work, an intelligently designed sensor system took creative advantage of triple trigger sequences-regenerated strand displacement amplification and self-protective hairpin template-generated-scaffolded silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) for the first time. In the presence of live S. typhimurium , single-stranded trigger sequences were released from aptamer-trigger sequences complex, initiating a branch migration to open the hairpin template I containing complementary scaffolds of AgNCs. Then the first strand displacement amplification was induced to produce numerous scaffolds of AgNCs and reporter strands which initiated a branch migration to open the hairpin template II containing complementary scaffolds of AgNCs. Then the second strand displacement amplification was induced to generate numerous scaffolds of AgNCs and trigger sequences which initiated the third branch migration and strand displacement amplification to produce numerous scaffolds of AgNCs and reporter strands in succession. Cyclically, the reproduction of the trigger sequences and cascade successive production of scaffolds were achieved successfully, forming highly fluorescent AgNCs, thus providing significantly enhanced fluorescent signals to achieve ultrasensitive detection of live S. typhimurium down to 50 CFU/mL with a linear range from 10 2 to 10 7 CFU/mL. It is the first report on a fluorescent biosensor for detecting viable S. typhimurium directly, which can distinguish from heat denatured S. typhimurium . And it develops a new strategy to generate the DNA-scaffolds for forming AgNCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The research object of this paper is waste incineration waste heat boiler, the failure mechanism of superheater tubes was conducted by visual observation, micro-zone analysis, stress calculation, the on-site operation and shutdown of the boiler. • The damge model of of superheater tubes is corrosion thinning, the failure mechanism is including high temperature oxidation corrosion, high temperature sulfide corrosion, high temperature chloride corrosion, low temperature dew point corrosion. The corrosion mechanism is that the corrosive medium, over-temperature operation, severe fouling deposits are simultaneously available. • The innovation is to analyze the failure problem in complex environment by using the idea of mechanical thermophysical joint action, and obtain the damage mode and the alternating corrosion mechanism of sulfur and chlorine, put forward three conditions for corrosion. • These measures which can slow down corrosion thinning are suggested and put forward. The important significance is to prevent the failure of heating surface tube of waste heat boiler and reduce the abnormal shutdown time. In order to further understand the failure mechanism of superheater tubes of waste heat boiler in a complex environment, sample sections cut down from the failed and non-failed tubes had been investigated by using visual observation, micro-zone analysis and Stress calculation check. Results showed that S content of 15MoG slightly exceeded the standard, and the main composition of corrosion products were related to the oxygen, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, potassium, calcium. Ash samples on the failed tube and at the bottom of the furnace were analyzed by EDS and XRD. The on-site operation and shutdown of the boiler were also considered. The failure mechanism was corrosion thinning raised by high temperature oxidation corrosion, sulfide corrosion, chloride corrosion, and dew point corrosion. The prerequisite of corrosion was that corrosive medium, over-temperature operation, severe fouling deposits were present simultaneously. Measures to limit these factors which can alleviate corrosion thinning are suggested and put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Suggests a novel equivalent technique named relative plastic capacity equivalence. • Develops the object of the ODLV system from beams/plates to stiffened plates. • Proposes a similarity law for hetero-directional geometric distortion of stiffened plates. • Ability to flexibly adjust the material yield stress and the number of stiffeners. As a thin-walled structure, it is impractical or uneconomical to scale the thickness of stiffened plate with the same scale factor as the length, which leads to geometric distortion and the failure of traditional similarity laws. In this study, firstly, the common stiffened plate structure in engineering is selected as the object, and a reasonable equivalent technique for transforming stiffened plate into double-plate structure is proposed, which is named relative plastic capacity equivalence. Then, based on the ODLV system, the similarity law of geometric distortion for beam/plate structure is compared, and the Zhao's response number of stiffened plate is derived, from which the similarity law of co-direction geometric distortion for stiffened plate is obtained expanding the object of single thin-walled plates for the ODLV system. The similarity law of hetero-direction geometric distortion for the stiffened plate structure is derived under the premise that the relative plastic capacity K of stiffeners would be constant between the scaled model and the prototype. Satisfying this premise, the yield stress of the stiffener material and the number of stiffeners along x and y directions in the plane can both be adjusted. The similarity laws of co-direction and hetero-direction geometric distortion for stiffened plates are numerically validated through several mass-impacted stiffened plates. The results show that the similarity laws can enable the geometrically distorted stiffened plate model to predict the dynamic responses of the prototype structure, such as displacement, velocity, energy and impact force. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ultra-firm homogeneous COF with ∼7 nm of tetragonal structure layers was prepared on the silicon nanoparticles surface. • The PMDA-NiPc@Si electrode shows only ∼44% of expansion rate, which is only 27.3% of that of the Si electrode. • The reversible capacity of 654 mAh g-1 with retention rate of 80.4% can still be maintained after 2000 cycles at 5 A g-1. • PMDA-NiPc@Si exhibits excellent Li+ conductivity after pre-lithiation, significantly improving initial coulombic efficiency. • The PMDA-NiPc@Si/NCM811 full battery can still preserve 175.8 mAh g-1 and 85.8% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. The enormous volume change of silicon (Si) leads to pulverization of Si electrodes and continuous growth of solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) layers on the Si surface, for which we report a new Si anode material (PMDA-NiPc@Si) with a homogeneous and tetragonal covalent organic frameworks (COFs) coating on the surface of nano-Si particles. COFs with tetragonal structures have higher stability than other structures, which helps to increase the long cycle life of the electrodes. The strong constraining buffering effect of the coating layer can fully inhibit and buffer the volume change of Si nanoparticles during charging-discharging, reduce the consumption of electrolytes and form a homogeneous, stable and robust, LiF- and LiN-rich SEI film, and ultimately improve the rate performance and long-cycle performance. The pre-lithiation of PMDA-NiPc@Si shows a superior lithium ion conductivity that can enhance the lithium ion transport kinetics of silicon electrodes and significantly improve the initial coulomb efficiency (ICE). PMDA-NiPc@Si exhibits excellent specific capacity and cycling performance, with a capacity retention rate of 93.8 % after 100 cycles, which is 2.7 times higher than that of nano-Si. It also offers a high reversible capacity of 654 mAh/g and a capacity retention rate of 80.4 % after 2000 cycles at 5 A/g. The assembled full battery with PMDA-NiPc@Si anode and NCM811 cathode displayed a specific capacity of 175.8 mAh/g with a retention rate of 85.8 % after 100 cycles at 0.2C. The PMDA-NiPc@Si electrode shows only about 44 % of the expansion rate (21.6 to 31.1 μm), which is only 27.3 % of that of the Si electrode. PMDA-NiPc@Si anodes show significantly enhanced electrochemical performance, which will provide novel ideas for the development of high-performance Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effects of functional groups of UiO-66 on dyes adsorption capacity was studied. • The adsorption mechanism of functionalized UiO-66 on dyes was revealed. • The multiple interactions enhanced the adsorption of UiO-66-NH 2 on cationic dye. • The charge interaction increased the adsorption of UiO-66-(COOH) 2 on cationic dyes. UiO-66-based metal-organic framework (MOF) materials are a class of porous crystalline materials consisting of Zr metal clusters compounded with organic ligands of terephthalic acid group. In this study, functionalized UiO-66-X (X =H , NH 2 , (COOH) 2) nanoparticles were synthesized. The morphology of UiO-66-X nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, while the crystal structure was analyzed using XRD and TGA. Chemical composition of UiO-66-X nanoparticles were analyzed through TFIR and XPS. The adsorption capacities of UiO-66-X nanoparticles for anionic dye of Congo red (CR), and cationic dyes of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (Rh B) dyes were evaluated. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanisms of UiO-66-X nanoparticles for dyes were analyzed and summarized. Results showed that the adsorption capacities of UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH 2 on CR were 93.05 mg/g and 94.20 mg/g, respectively. In particular, the adsorption capacities of UiO-66-(COOH) 2 on MB and Rh B were significantly increased with the adsorption capacities of 80.66 mg/g and 72.64 mg/g, respectively. Due to the strong π-π effect and hydrogen bonding interactions between UiO-66 and CR dyes. UiO-66-NH 2 has stronger hydrophilicity and has electrostatic interactions, Lewis acid-base interactions and hydrogen bonds with CR. The abundant -COOH groups and higher negative Zeta potential (-23.43 mV) in UiO-66-(COOH) 2 led to strong electrostatic interactions and Lewis acid-base interactions with the cationic dyes MB and Rh B. Therefore, the adsorption performance of UiO-66-(COOH) 2 on cationic dyes was improved. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We previously developed GA-HA nanoparticles as liver-targeting drug carriers. • Adenine inhibits hepatic carcinoma cell proliferation time- and dose-dependently. • GA-HA NPs enhanced Ade liver-targeting and cellular uptake in vitro and in vivo. • Ade/GA-HA NPs showed good anti-tumor effects against HCC with good biocompatibility. • Ade/GA-HA NPs may serve as a liver-targeting drug delivery system for clinical use. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common malignancy in China and globally, is primarily treated through surgical resection and liver transplantation, with chemotherapy as a significant synergistic option. Adenine (Ade), a nucleobase, exhibits antitumor effects by blocking human hepatic carcinoma cells in S phase and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. However, its use is limited owing to its low solubility, poor targeting ability, and nephrotoxicity. Therefore, liver-targeting drug delivery systems have attracted considerable attention for the treatment of HCC. In this study, we explored the liver-targeting efficacy and antitumor effect of adenine-loaded glycyrrhetinic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (Ade/GA-HA) nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. The GA-HA nanoparticles possessed obvious targeting specificity toward liver cancer cells, which was mainly achieved by the specific binding of the GA ligand to the GA receptor that was highly expressed on the liver cell membrane. In vitro and in vivo results showed that Ade/GA-HA nanoparticles could inhibit liver cancer cell proliferation and migration, promote apoptosis, and significantly inhibit the growth of tumor tissues. Altogether, this study is the first to successfully demonstrate that the targeting activity and antitumor effect of Ade against HCC are enhanced by using GA-HA nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a most promising anode candidate, silicon has the shortcomings of low electron conductivity and high volume expansion of 300%, hindering its applications in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, one-dimension porous silicon nanowires (pSi-NWs) were prepared through a simple metal-assisted chemical etching process by using metallurgical silicon as raw material. To consolidate the structural integrity of pSi-NWs, a crossed carbon skeleton (c-Cs) was introduced into pSi-NWs via in-situ polymerization and carbonization process. The resultant pSi-NWs@c-Cs composite delivered the high capacity of 1253 mAh g −1 with good cycling stability as well as the notable rate capability (476 mAh g −1 at 4 A g −1 ), much superior to those of pSi-NWs and pSi-NWs@reduced graphene oxide composite. The enhanced electrochemical performance of pSi-NWs@c-Cs composite is attributed to the crossed carbon skeleton in constructing the advanced Si/C interface to more effectively improve the electron conductivity of pSi-NWs and acting as the protective shell to keep the structure integrity of pSi-NWs. As the additive of commercial graphite anode, 28% of capacity augment (460 mAh g −1 at 0.2 A g −1 ) was realized by adding 20 wt% of pSi-NWs@c-Cs composite into graphite, demonstrating its promising applications in LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagrammatic sketch of reverse separation of Nd(III) and Dy(III) from 70 vol% PEG 200 solution by using neutral extractant P350. [Display omitted] • A non-aqueous solvent extraction system (P350-PEG 200) was used for highly efficient separation of Nd(III) and Dy(III). • Under optimal extraction conditions, maximum separation factor can reached. • This solvent extraction system shows a good application prospect in recycling of Nd(III) and Dy(III) from end-of-life NdFeB. Recycling of Nd(III) and Dy(III) from waste NdFeB magnets is increasingly critical in the sustainable development of rare-earth elements (REEs) industry. The efficient separation of Nd(III) and Dy(III) from conventional aqueous solution by solvent extraction (SX) is facing huge challenge due to the high activity, high interfacial tension and the high dielectric constants of water that affect the coordination of REEs with the extractant. Herein, a novel non-aqueous solvent extraction (NASX) system based on neutral extractant P350 was developed to extract Nd(III) and Dy(III) with high extraction efficiency and separation factor. In this extraction system, the majority of water in the aqueous phase was replaced by different low-dielectric-constant polar molecular organic solvents (PMOSs) to reduce the influence of water during extraction. The effect of the type and content of PMOSs, P350 concentration, extract equilibration time and temperature on the separation performance were systematically investigated. It was encouraging to find that the favorable separation factor of Nd(III) and Dy(III) elements (β Nd/Dy) was determined to be 201 when extracted from 70 vol% PEG 200 with 0.2 mol/L P350, which was higher than that in traditional extraction from aqueous phase. Slope analysis method was used to determine the extractant stoichiometry and the main species of extraction complex was identified as DyCl 3 ·2L which was verified by Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Furthermore, in the simulation of recovery of NdFeB magnetic immersion solution experiment, the extraction efficiency (E%) of Dy(III) can reach 85 %, while co-extraction of Nd(III) was only 6 % and the β Dy/Nd was as high as 83.4. According to the McCabe-Thiele diagram, 3-stages counter-current solvent extraction was needed to completely extract Dy(III). Moreover, 97.11 % of Nd(III) and 98.5 % of Dy(III) in the loaded organic phase can be sequentially stripped by 0.04 mol/L and 0.4 mol/L HCl, respectively. These results indicated that the developed processes in this work have superior extraction efficiency, large separation factors and excellent stripping stability. Eventually, a P350-PEG 200 extraction system-based separation process was proposed in the hope of providing a novel and low-cost alternative to the efficient recycle of Nd(III) and Dy(III) from end-of-life NdFeB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous hard carbons are synthesized via carbonizing lotus stems with naturally hierarchical structures. The hard carbon carbonized at 1400 °C (LS1400) delivers a total capacity 350 mAh g −1 in the current density of 100 mA g −1 and a plateau capacity of 250 mAh g −1 . Even cycled at 100 mA g −1 after 450 cycles, the capacity still retains 94%. Further investigation shows that the sodium storage of LS carbons involves Na + adsorption in the defect sites, Na + insertion and Na metal deposition in the closed pores. However, the Na metal deposition in closed pores mainly contribute to the plateau capacity, leading to the excellent sodium storage performance of LS1400 with a large closed pore ratio of 66%. The results show that the intrinsic structure of natural biomass can inspire us to design hard carbon with large closed pore ratio as excellent anode for sodium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Poly-dioxolane solid polymer electrolyte (PSiDOL) with network structure was in situ prepared. • The PSiDOL exhibit high thermal stability, superior ionic conductance, and outstanding electrolyte/electrode interfacial stability. • The PSiDOL-based cells show high safety and excellent cycling performance. Rechargeable batteries paired with polyether-based solid-state electrolytes is a promising system to solve the safety problem of lithium metal (Li-metal) batteries, and stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer between electrolyte and anode is highly required for their long-term stability. Here we propose a novel thermal-stable polymerized 1,3-dioxolane electrolyte (PSiDOL), which is in situ formed via a multifunctional 1,3-bis(3-glycidoxypropyl) tetramethyl disiloxane crosslinker. This network structural PSiDOL not only achieves good flame retardancy, significantly increased operating temperature and improved oxidative stability, but also induces the formation of stable and robust SEI layer with rich Li x SiO y /LiF on the surface of Li-metal anode. Moreover, the three-dimensional polymer skeleton with abundant polar groups is beneficial to improve the ionic conductance and cationic transference number. As a result, the PSiDOL electrolyte enable ultralong-term (over 4000 h) reversible and stable lithium plating/stripping in Li symmetrical cell for lithium anode. In addition, the assembled full cells based on such electrolyte display desirable cycling stability at high temperature and high voltage with suppressed electrolyte degradation. This work affords a facile and practical approach to develop advanced electrolytes for solid-state Li-metal batteries with high safety and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a novel ZnMoO 4 /reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid was synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal method followed by a thermal annealing process for the first time. The plate-like ZnMoO 4 with diameter of 50–200 nm were uniformly distributed on the basal plane of two-dimensional rGO. As a novel anode material, ZnMoO 4 /rGO hybrid exhibited high reversible capacity (maximum capacity of 923.4 mAh g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 ), good rate capability (354.1 mAh g −1 at 2 A g −1 ), and excellent cycling stability over 500 cycles (0.064% capacity loss per cycle) overwhelmingly superior to those of bare ZnMoO 4 -based anode. The enhanced electrochemical performance of ZnMoO 4 /rGO hybrid is due to the unique composite structure with improved electronic conductivity, shortened lithium ion transport pathways, decreased lithium ions diffusion resistance, and the synergistic effect between the crystalline ZnMoO 4 and the conductive rGO matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable attention has been paid to sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) for large-scale energy storage due to low cost and abundant Na source. Phosphorus (P) is proposed as a high-capacity SIB anode material with theoretical capacity of 2596 mAh g −1 . However, the large volume expansion of P during sodiation brings about a series of challenges, including rapid capacity decay and slow ion transport. In this work, we develop an amorphous P ( α P) anode material with cubic boron nitride (c-BN) as a mechanical skeleton wrapped by nanoporous graphene (pGra) networks, which can combine synergistically the advantages of pGra and c-BN, and hence simultaneously solve the challenges for the P-based anodes. The rigid nature of c-BN is effective to suppress the severe volume expansion during P sodiation process, while the porous network of pGra serves as transport channel for electrons and ions, offering short pathways for large-radii Na + ions diffusion. The α P/c-BN/pGra composite anode shows excellent cyclability with a stable specific capacity of ∼1000 mAh g −1 and ∼90% capacity retention after 100 cycles at a specific current of 50 mA g −1 . The rigid c-BN and flexible pGra provides a promising pathway for developing high performance alloy-based materials for low-cost SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium iron hexacyanoferrate (Fe-HCF) is regarded as a potential cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high specific capacity, low cost, facile synthesis and environmentally friendly. However, Fe-HCF always suffers from poor electronic conductivity, low crystallinity and side reactions with electrolyte, leading to poor rate performance, low coulombic efficiency and deterioration of cycling stability. Herein, we report a green and facile synthesis to encapsulate Fe-HCF microcubes with potassium nickel hexacyanoferrate (Ni-HCF). The core-shell Fe-HCF@Ni-HCF composite delivers a reversible capacity of 79.7 mAh g −1 at 200 mA g −1 after 800 cycles and a high coulombic efficiency of 99.3%. In addition, Fe-HCF@Ni-HCF exhibits excellent rate performance, retaining 60 mAh g −1 at 2000 mA g −1 . The results show that Fe-HCF@Ni-HCF integrates the advantages of both Fe-HCF and Ni-HCF, making it electrochemically stable as cathode material for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the leader–follower consensus for linear and nonlinear multi-agent systems with three-layer network framework and dynamic interaction jointly connected topology. By introducing a novel concept of mirroring nodes for different roles of evolution agents, we remove the general assumptions that the topology among followers is specific and continuously contains a spanning tree, and propose a simple criterion to determine if a network is of three-layer framework. This criterion divides the agents of systems into leader-layer, middle-layer and follower-layer nodes according to their functions in cooperative behaviors. Moreover, by combining the state information of agents in different layers, two classes of linear and nonlinear leader–follower consensus protocols are designed with bounded consensus speed. In the sense of Lyapunov stability, it is proved that the leader–follower consensus for the closed-loop linear and nonlinear multi-agent systems can be achieved by employing novel error forms that decouple the leader–follower consensus errors of the three-layer network framework. Two simulation examples are presented to verify the proposed approach and demonstrate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a facile MgO template-assisted route has been proposed for the preparation of carbon@MoS 2 composites via a one-step hydrothermal method followed by a thermal annealing process. By using sucrose as a carbon source and commercial MgO powder as a structure-directing agent, a three-dimensional sphere-like carbon@MoS 2 nanoarchitecture was assembled by one-dimensional worm-like nanorods which were composed of few-layered MoS 2 nanosheets and amorphous carbon matrix. The influence of different amount of MgO template on the morphology, structure, and lithium storage performance of the carbon@MoS 2 composites is systematically investigated. The carbon@MoS 2 -2 composite synthesized with a Mo precursor: MgO molar ratio of 1:1 exhibits much higher reversible capacity (905.3 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g −1 ) and better high-rate capability (503.4 mAh g −1 at 5000 mA g −1 ) than those of bare MoS 2 and template-free carbon@MoS 2 -0 composite. Impressively, superior cycling stability is achieved for the carbon@MoS 2 -2 composite with a capacity retention of 93.4% even after 400 charge/discharge cycles at 5000 mA g −1 . The excellent electrochemical performance for carbon@MoS 2 -2 composite can be ascribed to its unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture and synergetic effect between MoS 2 nanosheets and amorphous carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A neural network model is established to predict hydraulic fracture initiation pressure. • The model considers the effect of the physic-based plastic critical distance. • The model is capable of predicting the abnormal high fracture initiation pressure. • An analytical solution for laboratory determination of the plastic critical distance is derived. • The effect of the plastic critical distance is experimentally and theoretically studied. Prediction of the hydraulic fracture initiation pressure is essential for in-situ hydraulic fracturing design and stress measurement. The prediction models based on the theory of critical distance have been proofed to fit the abnormal initiation pressure caused by the bore size. However, the critical distance used by the previous models is not physics-based, which may result in errors for prediction. In addition, the laboratory determination of the critical distance neglected the boundary loading effect, causing an underestimating of the critical distance. This work aims to provide an efficient and accurate model for predicting the in-situ hydraulic fracture initiation pressure with consideration of a physic-based plastic critical distance. We first establish a universal analytical solution for stress distribution and plastic zone around a borehole in a cylindrical sample through ideal elastoplastic theory. Using the analytical solution, the plastic critical distance of shale rock is analyzed based on a hydraulic fracturing experiment, and compared with the one estimated by the previous methods. Then, a set of numerical simulation are carried out to build a data set of hydraulic fracture initiation pressure under different stresses, tensile strength, and ratio of plastic critical distance to borehole radius. Finally, the nonlinear relationship between these parameters is mapped by a deep neural network model. According to this study, the following conclusions are obtained: 1) The plastic critical distance increases as the loading stress increases. 2) The established neural network trained by numerical simulation results is plausible, meanwhile, with high precision and high efficiency. 3) Increase in stresses and tensile strength can strengthen the influence of critical plastic distance. 4) Kirsch's approximate stress solution can bring an error for determination of the critical distance in lab-scale experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted increasing interest in large-scale energy storage systems due to their low cost, high safety, and high volumetric energy density. Manganese-based materials are one of most promising aqueous zinc ion battery cathode materials while their practical applications in ZIBs are limited by their low electrical conductivity, poor cycling stability and controversial energy storage mechanism. In this work, Ag 0.8 Mn 8 O 16 , a kind of manganese-based cathode material with combination displacement/intercalation reaction was prepared by using a hydrothermal method. Due to combination displacement/intercalation reaction mechanism, the generation of metallic silver during the discharge process greatly enhances the electronic conductivity of the material and thus the Ag 0.8 Mn 8 O 16 exhibits excellent rate performance and a reversible capacity of 198 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. In addition, Ag 0.8 Mn 8 O 16 shows an interesting capacity rise at low current density and through a series of comparative experiments, the existence of deposition dissolution mechanism in Zn/Ag 0.8 Mn 8 O 16 battery was confirmed to be a critical factor of capacity increase. • High rate capability manganese-based cathode was prepared by hydrothermal method. • Combination displacement/intercalation reaction was observed in electrode. • Metallic silver conductive network can enhance the conductivity of the electrode. • High discharge capacity of electrode was due to the deposition-dissolution mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon has attracted widespread attention as one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we report a scalable method for synthesizing the stacked Si nanosheets (s-SiNS) in molten salt by electro-deoxidation of attapulgite followed by an acid etching process. The s-SiNS consists of 3D stacked silicon nanosheets and abundant voids between them, which can accommodate volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation process. Ex-situ X-Ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope reveal that the formation of s-SiNS microstructure involved the stratified Ca 3 Si 3 O 9 intermediate and etching of unreacted SiO x by HF. Owing the typical void-contained 3D architecture, the s-SiNS anode delivers a high specific capacity of 3046 mAh g-1 with a high initial coulombic efficiency of 82.5% at 0.2 A g-1, and a high rate capability of 700 mAh g-1 at 4 A g-1. The s-SiNS anode also possesses good cyclability and can deliver a satisfying reversible specific capacity of 1205 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 200 cycles with a high capacity retention of 60.2%. More importantly, the results of this study provide a new strategy for scalable synthesizing void-contained 3D Si architecture with abundant attapulgite as feedstock, and might shed light on the high-value utilization of resourceful attapulgite. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C coating was prepared on the 45 steel by laser cladding with different process parameters. The phase, morphology and microstructure of the obtained coatings were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser scanning microscope (LSM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The influence of parameters on the crystallization, porosity, microhardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the coatings was explored. As a result, the increase of laser power or overlap rate will cause more serious crystallization, porosity and even cracks, which can reduce the comprehensive properties of the coatings. The microhardness of the coatings is determined by the amorphous phase as well as the hard phase B 6 Fe 23 and Cr 2 B. By analyzing the performance of the coating, it is determined that the optimal conditions of the laser cladding is the power of 1400 W with the overlap rate of 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a method to promote solid source growth of Si oxide nanowires (SiONWs) by using an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It starts with the fabrication of CNT array by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on Si wafers, followed by growth of SiONWs. Herein, CNTs serve as a scaffold, which helps the dispersion of catalysts for SiONWs and also provides space for hydrogen which boosts the diffusion of Si atoms and hence formation of SiONWs. As the result, a three dimensional (3D) hybrid network of densely packed SiONWs and CNTs can be produced rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of material damping is ignored in the current membrane structure design. Based on the damping characteristics of coated fabric obtained by the dynamic mechanical analyzer, the applicability of classical Maxwell model, generalized Maxwell model, three-parameter liquid model, fractional derivative Maxwell model, and fractional derivative Kelvin model to describe the viscoelastic properties of coated fabric were discussed. The free-falling body excitation vibration test of plane tensioned membrane structure is carried out and the dynamic response of plane membrane structure under impact load was studied. The reasonable viscoelastic damping constitutive model is obtained through a systematic comparison of the existing models then implemented in Abaqus software and subsequently validated with the data obtained from the vibration test. Taking saddle-shaped and umbrella-shaped membrane structures as research objectives, the dynamic response of membrane structures under dynamic wind load considering material damping performance is discussed. The results show that the damping property of the coated fabric significantly affects the dynamic characteristics of the membrane structure. Due to the existence of material damping, the modal frequency of the overall structure is greater than the result of the elastic model. The reduction factor of maximum vertical displacement can reach 67.14%, and the reduction factor of maximum principal stress can reach 68.93%, which makes the structural design safety factor high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast volume expansion of Si anode during lithiation process leads to poor cyclability and low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE), and thus seriously hampers its applications in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To overcome these obstacles, in this study, a double core-shell structure stabilized hierarchical porous Si (p-Si) microsphere was synthesized through a graphene-involved electrostatic self-assembly process coupled with a solvent-confined TiO 2 (sc-TiO 2) monomicelle assembly strategy. The advanced solvent-confined monomicelle assembly process enables the uniform deposition of ultra-thin TiO 2 layer on p-Si@graphene (p-Si@G) microsphere. The G/sc-TiO 2 hybrid double shell layer can significantly consolidate porous structure of p-Si microsphere and simultaneously improve the ICE value of p-Si@G@sc-TiO 2 microsphere. The resulting p-Si@G@sc-TiO 2 composite shows a high capacity value of 2597.9 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 with a high ICE value of 80.59%. The p-Si@G@sc-TiO 2 composite also demonstrates excellent rate capability with capacity of 802.53 mAh g−1 at 8 A g−1 and outstanding cyclability with capacity retention of 68% (1005.1 mAh g−1) after 300 cycles at 2 A g−1, superior to that of p-Si, p-Si@G as well as p-Si@G@TiO 2 microsphere preparing by traditional sol-gel TiO 2 coating method, suggesting its promising applications in LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious, intestinal infectious disease in pigs, characterized by severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. PED is widely epidemic in China as well as in many eastern Asian and America countries, causing tremendous losses in pig industry. However, little was known about the disease frequency and the associated risk factors of PED in pig farms. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the herd prevalence and to identify the potential risk factors of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection of pig farms (≥100 pigs) in Junan county, China. A two-stage random sampling strategy was adopted, and a total of 751 fecal samples from suckling piglets of 82 farms were collected and tested by RT-PCR and sequencing for PEDV. Meanwhile, information on the putative risk factors of PEDV infection of those farms were collected in forms of questionnaires, followed by a descriptive analysis, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The results showed that the herd-level true prevalence of PEDV infection of pig farms in Junan was 35.16 % (95 %CI: 22.91–53.89); there were two variables significantly associated with PEDV infection, which were 'having more than 1000 slaughter pigs per annum' (OR = 5.42, 95 %CI: 1.19–24.72), and 'Weaning at 21−25 days' old' (OR = 4.50, 95 %CI:1.25−16.20). The research suggested that PED was highly endemic in pig farms in Junan county; larger herd size and weaning at an earlier age were potential risk factors associated with PEDV infection in pig farms in Junan. This study set an example in the research on herd-level prevalence of PEDV infection and risk factors associated with PEDV infection, and the results were of practical significance for the future planning of prevention and control of PED in Junan or other areas of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel ordered palmate single-layered 2D nanosheet were prepared from natural attapulgite nanorods. • The morphology and structure evolution from nanorods to nanosheets were systematically studied and discussed. • The prepared nanosheets have a thickness in the range of 30–50 nm and the length and width of 30 nm-2 μm. • It is believed that the special morphology and structure of the 2D AT-NS material may bring some outstanding performance, which makes it have potential important application in related fields such as the demulsification of crude oil-in-water emulsion. Attapulgite (AT) nanorods are generally regarded as one-dimensional materials and have been widely used in many fields. Two-dimensional (2D) AT nanomaterials have remained quite rare due to the difficulty of assembling from one-dimensional nanorods. Herein, we have prepared a novel type of single-layered 2D palmate AT nanosheets (AT-NS) with uniform size by a solvothermal synthesis process. The morphology and structure of the obtained 2D nanosheets were characterized by SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. It was found that the AT nanosheets have a mean thickness in the range of 30–50 nm, and the length and width are in the range of 30 nm-2 μm. The structure evolution from AT nanorods to nanosheets were systematically studied and revealed. It was shown that the amination of AT and the introduction of trivalent iron ions (Fe3+) ions into the AT materials play key roles in the formation of AT-NS. The AT nanorods are connected each other by the AT-NH 2 groups coupling with the Fe3+ ions on the AT surface. More importantly, the Fe3+ substitute the Al3+, Mg2+ in AT mainly along the (1 1 0) planes. Therefore, the coordination of trivalent iron ions with amino groups occurs on the AT (1 1 0) plane. As a result, multiple nanorods are connected side by side to form the 2D nanosheets in a palmate shape. It is believed that the special morphology and structure of the 2D AT-NS material may bring some outstanding performance, which makes it have potential important application such as the demulsification of crude oil-in-water emulsion. In addition, the confined 2D assembling methodology offers us a new way to design and prepare novel materials with 2D structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) are deposited using copper (Cu) catalyst on Chromium (Cr)-coated substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at temperature of 700°C. Acetylene gas has been used as the carbon source while ammonia is used for diluting and etching. The thicknesses of Cu films on Cr-coated Si (100) substrates are controlled by deposition time of magnetron sputtering. The growth behaviors and quality of ACNTs are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The different performance of ACNTs on various Cu films is explained by referring to the graphitic order as detected by Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that the ACNTs are formed in tip-growth model where Cu is used as a novel catalyst, and the thickness of Cu films is responsible to the diameter and quality of synthesized CNTs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mediocre capacitive performance of carbon cathode has seriously hampered the advancement of lithium ion capacitors (LICs). The guideline for high-performance capacitive carbon cathode is still lacking. In this study, the desired microstructure of carbon cathode that suitable for LiPF 6 -contained electrolyte is calculated by using density functional theory. Results suggest that only the pore sizes more than 2.18 nm can accommodate the solvated P F 6 - ions. Experimental results confirm that the capacitive performance of the synthesized activated polyaniline-derived carbon (APDC) can be significantly promoted as the pore size was more than 2 nm. Especially, the APDC-700-based electrode demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performance with high capacitance (247 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1) and good rate capability (156 F g-1 at 10 A g-1), owing to the appropriate pore size and high N content in carbon matrix. The APDC-700-based LIC device can deliver an ultra-high energy density of 300.3 Wh kg-1 at 318 W kg-1, as well as good cycling stability over 10 000 cycles. This well-designed work will be conducive to deeply understand the performance improvement of capacitive carbon cathode in LiPF 6 electrolyte and provides guidelines for designing advanced LIC devices. [Display omitted] • P F 6 - ion mainly exists in the form of P F 6 - E C 6 in EC/DMC/DEC solvents. • The carbon with pore size more than 2.18 nm can accommodate the P F 6 - E C 6 species. • APDC-700 cathode delivers a high capacitance of 247 F g-1 in LiPF 6 electrolyte. • Good performance of APDC-700 is due to the suitable pore size and high N content. • APDC-700-based LIC device deliver an ultra-high energy density of 300.3 Wh kg-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An electroless chemical etching technique using polystyrene nanospheres as a self-assembled mask is developed to fabricate size-controllable, periodic silicon nanopillars (NPs) and subsequent nanocone (NC) arrays. The Si NCs are obtained based on the NPs structure using cost-effective ammonia-related etching chemistry. The diameter, height, and periodicity of the NCs can be systematically controlled. Optical measurement shows a good improvement in the reduction of reflectance properties with Si NCs structures. This method is potentially beneficial to many device applications including super-capacitors, batteries, solar cells, etc. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Hierarchical Si nano/microsphere was prepared by a selective chemical etching method. • Heterohierachical Si@G composite was successfully fabricated via a CVD process. • Heterohierachical Si@G composite delivered outstanding electrochemical performance. • Graphene greatly improves coulombic efficiency and cycling stability of porous Si. • Role of Graphene in improving the performance of porous Si microsphere is discussed. Core-shell structured heterohierachical porous Si@graphene (HH-P-Si@G) composite with hierarchical porous silicon nano/microsphere as core material and highly conductive graphene as shell layer was designed and experimentally prepared by a selective acid etching strategy followed by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The synthesized HH-P-Si@G microsphere can deliver a high specific capacity of 2200 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and 809 mAh g−1 at 3.2 A g−1, and can still deliver a high specific capacity of 1124 mAh g−1 after 120 cycles at 0.4 A g−1. The good electrochemical performance of HH-P-Si@G microsphere is closely related to the exterior graphene in improving the electrical conductivity of the composite and shielding the diffusion of electrolyte into interior silicon, as well as the hierarchical nano/micro structure in accommodating the volume changes of silicon during lithiation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary metal oxides have been proved to possess better pseudocapacitive performance than single metal oxide analogies. Substitution of toxic and high-cost ions (Co and Mo) in binary metal oxides with low-cost and environmentally-friendly ions (Ni and Mn) is of great economic and environmental importance. In this paper, murdochite-type binary metal oxides (i.e., Ni 6 MnO 8) and binary metal oxides@carbon nanotubes (i.e., Ni 6 MnO 8 @CNTs) core-shell structure were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach followed by a calcination process. Electrochemical measurement results indicated that the synthesized Ni 6 MnO 8 @CNT core-shell structure showed a high specific capacitance of 1213 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with two times capacitance value of Ni 6 MnO 8 at same current density. Even at the high current density of 20 A g−1, the Ni 6 MnO 8 @CNT core-shell structure can still deliver a high capacitance value of 711 F g−1, which value is also much higher than that of Ni 6 MnO 8 at the current density of 1 A g−1. With the prepared Ni 6 MnO 8 @CNT hybrid as positive electrode and activated-polyaniline-derived-carbon as negative electrode, an asymmetric supercapacitor cell (ASC) was successfully assembled. The assembled ASC device exhibited excellent pseudocapacitive performance with a high specific capacitance of 154 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and a high energy density of 58.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 831.4 W kg−1. Even at a high power density of 16.6 kW kg−1, the ASC device can still deliver a high energy density of 23.1 Wh kg−1, suggesting the promising applications of Ni 6 MnO 8 @CNT hybrid in supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TRPV1 shows targeting potential in hepatocellular carcinoma. • TRPV1 gives rise to phenotypic plasticity in hepatocarcinogenesis. • Tumor initiating cells and biliary cells were cellular origins in TRPV1 induced HCC. • TRPV 1 exert its role via transcription factors Ovol 2 and Zeb 1 mediated by SOX 10. The landscape of cellular plasticity and sources with relevant niche signals in hepatocellular carcinoma is still obscure. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a non-selective cation channel, is involved in a variety of malignancies and overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We have investigated the role of TRPV1 in HCC from different angles by various experimental techniques, such as in vivo and in vitro experiments, and by bioinformatics analysis of data from genetic models induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN), mice samples and human HCC samples. We find that TRPV1 knockout promotes to hepatocarcinogenesis and deconstructs the portal triad adjacent to tumor border that is contributed by originations of tumor initiating cells and biliary cells. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved and transcription factors Ovol2 and Zeb1 coordinated with Sox 10 drive gene expression in the event which is also confirmed by the expression of these proteins in human HCC samples. Treatment with TRPV1 agonist Capsaicin inhibits the growth of HCC cells in xenograft models. Our findings demonstrate that TRPV1 is a potential therapeutic target in human HCC and exerts effects on cellular plasticity with modulation of Ovol2, Zeb1 and Sox10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]