Search

The hierarchical carbon-encapsulated yolk-shell nickelic composites were fabricated by a general MOF-derived route via Ostwald ripening and anion exchange strategy. Benefitting from the unique yolk-shell carbon framework, synergistic effect and satisfied phys-chemical characters, the nickel phosphide displays superior sodium storage properties compared with sulfide and selenide counterparts. [Display omitted] Transition-metal compounds have attracted enormous attention as potential energy storage materials for their high theoretical capacity and energy density. However, the most present transition-metal compounds still suffer from severe capacity decay and limited rate capability due to the lack of robust architectures. Herein, a general metal–organic framework-derived route is reported to fabricate hierarchical carbon-encapsulated yolk-shell nickelic spheres as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. The nickelic metal–organic framework (Ni-MOF) precursors can be in situ converted into hierarchical carbon-encapsulated Ni 2 P (Ni 2 P/C), NiS 2 (NiS 2 /C) and NiSe 2 (NiSe 2 /C) by phosphorization, sulfuration, and selenation reaction, respectively, and maintain their yolk-shell sphere-like morphology. The as-synthesized Ni 2 P/C sample can deliver much lower polarization and discharge platform, smaller voltage gap, and faster kinetics in comparison with that of the other two counterparts, and thus achieve higher initial specific capacity (3222.1/1979.3 mAh g−1) and reversible capacity of 765.4 mAh g−1 after 110 cycles. This work should provide new insights into the phase and structure engineering of carbon-encapsulated transition-metal compound electrodes via MOFs template for advanced battery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients treated with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) or radiation (RT) alone followed by radical surgery (RS). In a single-center retrospective study from a prospective database, 275 FIGO Stage IB2-IIIB patients who underwent CCRT/RT + RS were included. HRQOL was prospectively assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CX24 prior to any treatment (baseline) and 6 months after surgery, respectively. A statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in physical functioning (P < 0.001) and role functioning (P = 0.002, P = 0.031) was observed in patients receiving either CCRT+RS or RT + RS at follow-up. In addition, quality of life (QoL), physical functioning, and social functioning were better in the RT + RS group than the CCRT+RS group after treatment (P = 0.028, P = 0.010, P = 0.014). Symptom scores of fatigue decreased in both groups over time (P < 0.001, P = 0.004) while insomnia decreased only in the RT + RS group (P = 0.042). Worsened menopausal symptoms were documented in both groups at follow-up (P = 0.001, P = 0.047), while lymphedema was deteriorated only in patients receiving CCRT + RS (P < 0.001). Sexuality scores did not differ between groups or over time with the exception of sexual worry, which was deteriorated in patients receiving RT + RS (P = 0.042). QLQ-C30 functioning and tumor-related symptoms scores improved while lymphedema and menopausal symptoms worsened 6 months after neoadjuvant CCRT or RT alone followed by RS in LACC patients. Patients treated with RT + RS had a generally better HRQOL compared with those receiving CCRT+RS, though further validation with prospective randomized clinical trials is warranted. • Physical/role functioning improved 6 months after concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT)/radiation (RT) + radical surgery (RS). • Tumor-related symptoms of fatigue and insomnia decreased 6 months after treatment. • Treatment-related symptoms of lymphedema and menopausal symptoms increased after treatment. • Sexuality was not impaired significantly except for a worsened sexual worry in the RT + RS group. • Generally RT + RS seems superior to CCRT+RS with greater improvement in functioning and less toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a visual detection method by a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was proposed to detect green mangoes on the surface of the tree crown rapidly and meet the need of estimating the number of mango fruits in orchards. The YOLOv2 model was used for quick detection of mango images captured by a UAV. First, mango images were collected by a UAV. These images were marked manually and used to build a training set and a test set. The parameters of the model were determined by experiments. The resolution of the images was 544 × 544 pixels. The batch size was 64, and the initial learning rate was 0.01. The mAP (mean average precision) of the trained model on the training set was 86.4%. Good detection results were achieved on images containing different fruit numbers and different lighting conditions with a precision of 96.1% and a recall rate of 89.0%. Finally, an experiment was conducted to estimate the actual number of green mango fruits. A method of generating an image of the whole mango tree was designed. The fruit numbers estimation model for green mango was obtained by linear fitting between the actual number and the detected number of mangoes. From the comparison of the fruit numbers of 10 mango trees determined by manual calculation and model prediction, an estimation error rate of 1.1% was achieved. The result demonstrated that the algorithm was effective for green mango detection and provided a methodological reference for quick estimation of the number of green mango fruits in orchards. • A UAV-based technique was developed to detect mango fruit in commercial orchards. • A method for estimating the number of mango fruits per tree was developed. • The algorithm proposed in this paper had a detection accuracy of 96.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for detection of diethyl phthalate (DEP). Protein–hapten conjugate was synthesized to produce polyclonal antibodies against DEP. Experimental parameters were optimized, including immunoreaction conditions, the dilution ratio of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)–antigen conjugate, time of the antibody coated, effect of pH, and ionic strength. The limit of detection was 0.096ng/ml, and the linear range was 0.1–3500ng/ml with a regression coefficient (R 2) of 0.9957. Recoveries were between 96.4 and 106.2%. The cross-reactivities of the anti-DEP antibody to six structurally related phthalate esters were less than 9%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of DEP in tap water, river water (Yangtze River), and leachate from plastic drinking bottles. This immunoassay was highly specific, sensitive, rapid, simple, and suitable for DEP monitoring. The results obtained were compared with those obtained using the high-performance liquid chromatography method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]