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High entropy materials are becoming more and more popular in energy storage field of supercapacitors because of their unique structure and modulated functional characteristics, but their low conductivity and instability of electrode structure limit their further electrochemical performance. In this paper, we use polyethylene glycol (PEG) with different molecular weights to modify the surface morphology of the high entropy oxides (FeCoCrMnNi) 3 O 4 in an attempt to improve their supercapacitors performance. The PEG was used as a pore-making agent to prepare porous high entropy oxides powder with a large specific surface area of 92.7559 m2 g−1, providing more active sites and ion transport channels. A high specific capacitance of 204 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and good cycle performance of 60.4 % capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles were obtained. Besides, an asymmetric device with improved energy density of 53 W h kg−1 and the power density of 400.8 W kg−1 were reached via the designed microstructure of the high entropy oxide electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal free photocatalysts have more environmentally friendly and low-cost advantages but are challenging to find suitable ones. Using the electronic properties of the edge-passivated graphene nanoribbons (EPGNRs) by manipulating the widths and edges, we demonstrate that 5 EPGNRs consisting of metal free elements, which are screened from 10 graphene nanoribbons passivated by H/N/O/F atoms, can achieve high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency in overall water splitting for hydrogen production. After ensuring the energy and thermodynamic stabilities, we construct 16 possible photocatalytic schemes for each EPGNR. At the same time, the feasible ones are selected by calculating charge density distributions, vacuum levels, and the potential energy of the band edges. 9 eligible schemes for overall water splitting are determined and the solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies are calculated according to the overpotentials and band gaps. The highest value of 34.19% is attributed to the H-GNR-O nanoribbon and a larger 38.71% can be boosted by stain engineering, which reveals that the passivated atoms can substantially manipulate the electronic properties and photocatalytic performance of graphene nanoribbons. The calculated Gibbs free energies confirm that the photocatalytic hydrogen and oxygen generations can be driven by the present EPGNRs. Therefore, the newfound metal free EPGNRs are promising for driving overall water splitting for generating hydrogen in a clean way. [Display omitted] • Photocatalytic water splitting schemes are built for five considered nanoribbons. • The highest solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of these schemes can reach 34.19%. • Anisotropic vacuum levels are responsible for the high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. • Thermodynamic feasibility of the built schemes is ensured by the Gibbs free energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment modalities of ependymoma in infants remain controversial. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy could prolong overall survival but has the potential to affect nervous system development in infants. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in prolonging overall survival for infants with ependymoma is still unclear. Therefore we designed this study to explore the effect of treatment modalities on survival time of infants with ependymoma. We studied 72 infants with ependymoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in this retrospective analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were adopted to determine hazard ratios and compare overall survival. Among 72 infants with ependymoma, 35 were male (48.6%) and 37 were female (51.4%). The 5-year overall survival of all patients was 67%. Forty-six infants (63.9%) received gross total resection, 20 (27.8%) received subtotal resection, and 6 (8.3%) did not receive surgical resection or only autopsy. Twenty-one infants (29.2%) received radiotherapy, and 45 (62.5%) received chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients accepted surgical resection (No vs. gross total resection, P < 0.001; No vs. subtotal resection, P = 0.026) and chemotherapy (No vs. Yes, P = 0.024) are the independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Treatment modality is associated with survival time in infants with ependymoma. The extent of resection and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for infants with ependymoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The association between temperature and influenza was nonlinear, and the contribution of low temperatures to influenza epidemics was relatively large. • The association between temperature and influenza activity varies in different regions, suggesting that influenza prevention and control policies need to be tailored to local conditions. • The threshold temperatures for an early warning of serious influenza outbreaks were −24.3 ℃ in northeast region, 16.6 ℃ in northwest region, and 1–10 ℃ in the other regions of China. Temperature affects influenza transmission; however, currently, limited evidence exists about its effect in China at the national and city levels as well as how temperature can be integrated into influenza interventions. Meteorological, pollutant, and influenza data from 201 cities in mainland China between 2013 and 2018 were analyzed at both the city and national levels to investigate the relationship between temperature and influenza prevalence. We examined the impact of temperature on the time-varying reproduction number (R t) using generalized additive quasi-Poisson regression models combined with the distributed lag nonlinear model. Threshold temperatures were determined for seven regions based on the early warning threshold of serious influenza outbreaks, set at R t = 1.2. A multivariate random-effects meta -analysis was employed to assess region-specific associations. The excess risk (ER) index was defined to investigate the correlation between R t and temperature, modified based on seasonal and regional characteristics. At the national level and in the central, northern, northwestern, and southern regions, temperature was found to be negatively correlated with relative risk, whereas the shapes of the data curves for the eastern, southwestern, and northeastern regions were not well defined. Low temperatures had an observable effect on influenza prevalence; however, the effects of high temperatures were not obvious. At an R t of 1.2, the threshold temperatures for reaching a warning for serious influenza outbreaks were − 24.3 °C in the northeastern region, 16.6 °C in the northwestern region, and between 1℃ and 10 °C in other regions. The study findings revealed that temperature had a varying effect on influenza transmission trends (R t) across different regions in China. By identifying region-specific temperature thresholds at R t = 1.2, more effective early warning systems for influenza outbreaks could be tailored. These findings emphasize the significance of the region-specific adaptation of influenza prevention and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the skin structures of Rana kukunoris with two different skin colors living in the same area of Haibei in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The skin thickness of the khaki R. kukunoris was significantly greater than that of the brown R. kukunoris (P < 0.01), and significantly more mucous and granular glands were present on the dorsal skin of the khaki frog (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the melanocytes on the dorsal skin of the brown frog were significantly larger than those on the khaki one (P < 0.05). Morphological changes in the expansion and aggregation of melanocytes seemed to deepen the skin color of R. kukunoris. Moreover, transcriptome sequencing identified tyrosine metabolism, melanogenesis, and riboflavin metabolism as the main pathways involved in melanin formation and metabolism in brown R. kukunoris. TYR, MC1R was upregulated as the skin color of R. kukunoris was deepened and contributed to melanin production and metabolism. In contrast, the khaki frog had significantly more upregulated genes and metabolic pathways related to autoimmunity. The khaki frog appeared to defend against ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced damage by secreting mucus and small molecular peptides, whereas the brown frog protected itself by distributing a large amount of melanin. Hence, the different skin colors of R. kukunoris might represent different adaptation strategies for survival in the intense UV radiation environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Figure. Individuals, Paraffin sections, Comparison of the morphological characteristics and the differentially expressed genes of R. kukunoris with different skin colors. [Display omitted] • The skin thickness of the khaki Rana kukunoris is greater than brown one • TYR and MC1R have different expression • Different skin colors are adaptation strategies to survive intense UV radiation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated by the pursuit of small and portable electronic devices, film supercapacitors have gradually developed. Due to the advantages of composition design and controllable performance, high entropy materials have shown excellent capacitive performance in electrochemical energy storage. Therefore, in this work, five transition metal elements Fe, Co, Cr, Mn and Ni were selected with different potential windows, and the (FeCoCrMnNi)C thin films with wide potential windows were successfully deposited on titanium and graphite substrates by using magnetron sputtering technology. The body centered cubic structured (FeCoCrMnNi)C films all have crystal orientation, showing irregular particle morphology, and the optimal orientation makes them eventually grow into morphologies similar to those of the substrates. The layered structure of the (FeCoCrMnNi)C film deposited on graphite substrate for 10 min is the most conducive to the storage of pseudocapacitance. We also found that (FeCoCrMnNi)C powder has better electrochemical properties than (FeCoCrMnNi)C film in the two low-dimensional states of the (FeCoCrMnNi)C, which is of great significance for exploring the development direction of supercapacitor electrode materials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difunctional devices have great potential in the application of many areas, they can perform two functions simultaneously, and structural difunctional supercapacitor is one of them. The difunctional supercapacitor can carry out bearing capacity and storge electric energy, but it's difficult to keep the balance between bearing capacity and energy storage capacity. In this work, the montmorillonite based geopolymer has a compressive strength of 31.6 MPa after curing for 28 days, and a compressive strength of 30.5 MPa after repolymerization. We use the geopolymer as the framework, and inject 0.5 M Na 2 SO 4 into the geopolymer to prepared a structural electrolyte. Then, the structural electrolyte membrane, electrodeposited MnO 2 , and an activated carbon are assembled into a difunctional supercapacitor. The maximum specific capacity reaches 2216.7 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2 under 15 MPa, achieving a good balance between compressive strength and energy storage capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, alumina foam ceramics (AFC) were prepared by foaming method, and AFC/salt composite phase change materials were prepared by melt infiltration method using AFC as skeleton materials. The results showed that AFC had good chemical compatibility with Na 2 SO 4 and NaCl. The salt contents of AFC/Na 2 SO 4 and AFC/NaCl were 37.8 wt% and 31.7 wt%, respectively, with compressive strength of 100.1 MPa and 72.8 MPa, thermal conductivity of 5.53 W/m·K and 6.40 W/m·K, and energy density of 1129 J/g and 1019 J/g, respectively. Due to the better wettability, AFC and Na 2 SO 4 form a chimeric structure, which has better binding and bonding strength, and is not prone to molten salt leakage. AFC/ Na 2 SO 4 is expected to be applied to industrial waste heat recovery and solar thermal power generation with periodic temperature changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel MOFs were synthesized as Fenton-like catalysts to degrade Rhodamine B with high efficiency, stability and recyclability. [Display omitted] • Three novel MOFs were synthesized with good stability and recyclability as Fenton-like catalysts. • 1–3 can photocatalytic degrade Rhodamine B with high efficiency. • The Fenton-like photocatalytic degradation mechanism of 1–3 was explored. Three novel metal organic frameworks (MOFs) including {[Zn 3 (nip) 3 (TPPA) 3 ]·3 DMF·H 2 O} n (1), [Co(NH 2 -bdc)(TPPA)(H 2 O)] n (2) and [Cd 2 (NH 2 -bdc) 2 (TPPA) 2 ] n (3) (TPPA = tri(4-pyridylphenyl)amine, H 2 -nip = 5-Nitroisophthalic acid, NH 2 -bdc = 2-Aminoterephthalic acid) were successfully prepared under hydrothermal conditions. X-ray single crystal analyses revealed that MOFs 1 – 3 possess 3D architecture. Impressively, all of them can function as a highly photocatalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under low-energy irradiation of a 150 W Xenon lamp. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance is significantly improved after the addition of H 2 O 2 , which could be attributed to their high efficiencies in generating OH and O 2 − radicals. In addition, MOFs 1–3 showed very stable activity in the degradation of RhB, and showed no significant loss of activity after three consecutive uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress plays an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms by which chronic physiological stress and perceived stress relate to the clinical features of schizophrenia may differ. We aimed to elucidate the relationships among chronic physiological stress indexed by allostatic load (AL), perceived stress, and clinical symptoms in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Individuals with FES (n = 90, mean age = 28.26years old, 49%female) and healthy controls (111, 28.88, 51%) were recruited. We collected data of 13 biological indicators to calculate the AL index, assessed subjective stress with the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14), and compared AL and perceived stress between groups. Patients with FES were also evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). Individuals with FES had higher AL and PSS score than healthy controls. There were no significant correlations between AL and PSS score in either patients or controls. Among individuals with FES, the AL index was associated with the severity of positive symptoms, while the PSS score was positively associated with CDSS score. Both elevated AL and PSS were correlated with the occurrence of schizophrenia. Physiological stress, as reflected by AL, may be more related to positive symptoms, while perceived stress appear to be associated with depressive symptoms in individuals with FES. Longitudinal studies are necessary to explore the relationships between interventions for different stressor types and specific clinical outcomes in FES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enantioseparation of metalaxyl and metalaxyl acid was realized in reverse phase conditions. • A LC-MS/MS for simultaneous determination of enantiomer residues of metalaxyl and metalaxyl acid. • Mixed anion exchange solid-phase extraction was used for sample preparation and clean-up. • The LOQs were 0.3–1.0 μg/kg in four animal muscle tissues. The toxicity of the two enantiomers of metalaxyl is significantly different and, for food safety concerns, stereoselective analysis of its residues is extremely important in animal muscle tissues. Herein, a simple, sensitive and reproducible method for the simultaneous stereoselective analysis of metalaxyl and its metabolite metalaxyl acid in animal-derived foods has been established based on mixed-mode anion exchange solid phase extraction and chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Under the optimized separation and sample pretreatment conditions, good linearity (r > 0.99) was obtained for four target analytes in four animal muscle tissues including bovine, chicken, swine and fish. Mean recoveries of all enantiomers in muscle tissue samples were 89.5–110.3 % with relative standard deviations below 12.4 %. The limits of quantification of the analytes were 0.3–1.0 µg/kg. The proposed method provides an effective means to monitor the enantiomer residues in real samples whether using highly active R -metalaxyl or racemic mixture drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fractal theory is applied to explain the different impact of Ca- and Mg-based ash on the filtration efficiency of DPF. • The average fractal dimensions of Ca- and Mg-based ash are 1.5420 and 1.5791, respectively. • The filtration efficiency of DPF increases first and then decreases with the loading of ash. • Loading of Mg-based ash can significantly improve the capture of small particles of about 10 nm. Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is an important technology to reduce diesel exhaust particles. The ash formed by the combustion of lubricant oil will be deposited in the DPF, which will affect the filtration efficiency of DPF. In this paper, the ash generated in the burner by combustion of two lubricant additives mixed with diesel fuel were obtained by the burner test of ash rapid loading. The microscopic morphology of ash was studied by scanning electron microscopy and the fractal dimension was calculated based on fractal theory. Chemical composition analysis was performed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The filtration efficiency of DPF was tested with EEPS 3090 when loaded with different ash fractions. The results show that the average fractal dimension of Mg-based ash (1.5791) is higher than that of Ca ash (1.5420), indicating a more detailed surface structure at the microscopic level. This suggests that Mg-based ash is more likely to plug, sinter and even form bridging phenomenon in the DPF inlet channel. The filtration efficiency of DPF increases and then decreases with the loading of ash. The capture efficiency of large particles of 40–200 nm is increasing with the loading of Ca-based ash. However, due to the higher fractal dimension, the loading of Mg-based ash can significantly improve the capture efficiency of small particles of about 10 nm. This work is beneficial to explain the influence of ash on the efficiency of DPF in filtering particles of different sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Gallic acid (GA) and EGCG were cooperated and incorporated to whey protein cold-set emulsion gel. • GA/EGCG promoted hydrophobic interactions, compact microstructure, and gel strength of the gel. • An artificial gastric digestive system was applied to evaluate the dynamic gastric digestion. • GA/EGCG caused less disintegration and protein hydrolysis during dynamic gastric digestion. • GA/EGCG, notably at a 3:1 ratio, facilitated controlled lipid release in the intestine of the gel. Gallic acid (GA) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), cooperated at varied ratios (1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1), were employed to modify gel properties of calcium induced-whey protein emulsion gel. The effects of GA/EGCG on emulsion morphology, as well as gel properties and in vitro digestive behavior of the emulsion gels were investigated. Compared with emulsions without phenolics, GA/EGCG induced slightly smaller particle size and stronger electrostatic repulsion between emulsion droplets. Moreover, GA/EGCG, notably at a ratio of 3:1, promoted electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between protein molecules and the formation of a compact and filamentous gel microstructure, resulting in a remarkable increment in the gel strength (up to 106 %). Furthermore, in vitro oral digestion, dynamic gastric digestion (using an artificial gastric digestive system, AGDS), and intestinal digestion of the emulsion gels were simulated. Particle size and protein hydrolysis results revealed that GA/EGCG was prone to weaken the physical disintegration of gels, reduce protein hydrolysis, and enhance the stability of emulsified oil droplets during dynamic gastric digestion. As a consequence, delayed release of oil droplets was observed in the gels and more free fatty acids were released in the intestinal digestion, particularly in the gel with GA/EGCG (3:1). These findings would provide novel strategies for application of phenolic compounds in developing protein gel-based delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]