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Infection analysisamongst malignant cancer patients remains elusive. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of both infection and anti-infection treatments in patients group with malignant cancer. We retrospectively studied the clinical data of 148 patients with malignant cancer and 171 benign patients enrolled in the pharmacist consultation from April 2015 to April 2017. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square test to compare the classification of primary disease, sites of infection, composition of pathogenic bacteria, and the effectiveness of drug treatment. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 102 pathogen strains were detected in the patients with malignant cancer and 129 pathogen strains were noted in the benign patient group, respectively. Statistics indicated that more abdominal infections were observed in malignant cancer patients rather than in non-cancer patients. Additionally, more pseudomonas aeruginosa infection was found in the malignant cancer patient group while more Klebsiella pneumonia infection was noted in the benign group. These findings were supported by statistical evidence. There were fewer extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) that produced Escherichia coli , which was commonly found in a gastrointestinal cancer patient group compared to patients under other types of cancer; it accounted for 51.3% of all malignant cases involved in the current study. Patients with malignant cancer are more likely to suffer from an infection containing pathogenic bacteria in comparison to benign patients. There have been considerable differences in the composition of pathogenic bacteria and its resistance to drugs. Overall, evaluating pathogens plays an essential role in the anti-infection treatment of patients with malignant cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The synthesis of Co 3 O 4 with a certain amount of CoCO 3 nanorods is described. • The growth of Co 3 O 4 with numerous defects is ascribed to the DMSO-assisted synthesis. • The nanorods had good sensitive/selective sensing toward gaseous diethyl ether at 160 °C. • The superior sensor performance is ascribed to the nanorods with abundant porosity and Co 3 O 4 with numerous defects. Herein, the mesoporous Co 3 O 4 -based nanorods were obtained by heat treatment of dimethyl sulfoxide-assisted hydrothermal-synthesized products at 300 °C and probe the composition, structure and morphology by several instrumental techniques. Additionally, we investigate the ability of the nanorods to sense several gaseous organic compounds, such as diethyl ether, ethanol, and acetone, demonstrating that the sensor based on the nanorods exhibits long-term stability and excellent responsiveness to diethyl ether (detection limit =0.5 ppm) at an operating temperature of 160 °C. The formation of the nanorods and the mechanism of diethyl ether sensing are discussed in detail, and the superior sensor performance is ascribed to the nanorods with abundant porosity and Co 3 O 4 with numerous defects, which facilitates the adsorption of oxygen on the sensor surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silver-containing hexagonal mesoporous silica (Ag-HMS) catalysts with different Si/Ag ratios were synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method for gas-phase selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. The samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron micrograph, transmission electron micrograph, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. It was found that the Ag-HMS catalysts with different Ag loadings (0.55–3.50wt.%) and different Ag particle sizes (5–32nm) showed a similar level of catalytic property because they possess a similar Ag surface area. The Ag-HMS catalyst with a Ag loading of 2.81wt.% exhibited excellent catalytic properties at 583K with a high benzyl alcohol conversion of near 100%, benzaldehyde selectivity of around 96.0%, and benzaldehyde yield of about 96.0%, superior to those of other M-HMS catalysts (M=Co, Ce, La, Cu, Sr, Cd, Ni, Mn, V, and Fe). The enhanced catalytic performance could be attributed to the presence of the Ag surface oxygen species generated via oxygen spillover process. The work would be helpful for the development of novel Ag catalysts for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to obtain high quality of benzaldehyde and understanding the catalytic mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two novel fluorosensors of 4,5-disubstituted-N-alkyl-l,8-naphthalimide derivatives (H1, H2, H3) with double ethylenediamino receptors, double propylenediamino receptors, or one methylpiperazine receptor were synthesized, respectively. Their fluorescence and absorption in the presence or absence of nine metal ions were studied. In the presence of Ag+, H1''s absorption moved to long wavelength with color change from yellow-green to red, its quenching and red shift in fluorescence were also remarkable. Similarly, H1''s fluorescence was also strongly quenched in the presence of Cu2+. In addition, H1 and H2 show high pH sensitively. There was 139-folds fluorescence enhancement for H1, 22-folds for H2, and 4-folds for H3 when pH was changed from 8 to 3, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• This article reviews the surface modification methods of aramid fiber and its composite materials. • Interfacial adhesion is important for aramid fiber reinforced composites. • The interfacial stress transfer mechanism of aramid fiber reinforced composites is still unclear. Aramid fiber (AF), which has excellent comprehensive properties such as low density, high specific strength, and high specific modulus, is widely used in composites reinforcement. AF-reinforced composites (AFRPs), which are very suitable for preparing advanced engineering materials, have drawn much attention due to their excellent properties. However, the smooth and chemically inert surface of the AF severely limits its applications. Various methods have been conducted to modify the surface of AF to improve the interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix. The purpose of surface modification of AF is to improve the surface chemical activity and increase the surface roughness, which aims to achieve an excellent chemical bonding and mechanical interlocking between fiber and matrix. The major focus of this review is the surface and interface modification of AF. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent progress of different surface modification methods of AF and its reinforcement to polymers. Finally, some existing problems of AFRPs as well as future research prospects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sandwich-like, hetero-structured vanadium pentoxide/carbon nanotubes are prepared by incorporating modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into layered V 2 O 5 sheets via a simple hydrothermal method. The CNTs ensure fast and smooth electron transfer between V 2 O 5 sheets, leading to higher electrochemical performance compared with V 2 O 5 sheets and bulk V 2 O 5 . As a result, the specific capacitance of the V 2 O 5 /CNTs complex reaches a value of 553.33 F g −1 . The composite also exhibits good cycling stability and maintains 83% of original capacitance over 1000 cycles at 10 mA cm −2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel bicarboxamidoquinoline-based fluorescent sensor 1 was designed and synthesized, which performed ratiometric recognition for Zn 2+ without interference from Cd 2+ . The sensor 1 bound Zn 2+ in 1:1 stoichiometry, with the binding constant of 2.07 × 10 3 M −1 . Moreover, the in situ generated 1 –Zn 2+ complex could serve as an excellent ratiometric citrate sensor via a Zn 2+ displacement and discriminated citrate from a series of common carboxylates in neutral aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite was hydrothermally synthesized using glucose as a template. Characterizations by XRD, TEM and nitrogen isotherms indicated that ZSM-5 possessed worm-like mesoporous. 27Al-MAS-NMR and NH3-TPD showed that the mesoporous ZSM-5 preserved tetrahedral coordination aluminum and stronger acidity than conventional mesoporous material. As-prepared mesoporous ZSM-5 was successfully used in alkylation reaction of phenol with tert-butanol and exhibited significantly high phenol conversion and 2,4-DTBP selectivity. In addition, the hydrothermal stability was also studied by boiling in water for 7 days and displayed good results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three types of NiMoO 4 nanomaterials with different morphologies and crystal structures were synthesized by regulating the pH value of the precursor solutions. The corresponding electrochemical performances were also systematically measured. Very interestingly, with increasing of the pH value, the morphologies of NiMoO 4 nanomaterials changed from nanorods to nanosheets, and eventually became to nanoparticles. The NiO/MoO 3 (NiMo-7) sample, prepared at the pH of 7 in the precursor solution, exhibited highly interconnected porous structure, demonstrating much higher specific surface area and enhanced specific capacitance (1516 F/g) at 1 A/g. The assembled asymmetric supercapacitor NiMo-7//AC also delivered a high energy density of 50.13 Wh/kg at 749.9 W/kg and good cyclic stability with a capacity retention of 76% after 5000 cycles at 10 A/g. These results indicated that the NiMo-7 electrode has a very promising application prospect in electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Supported Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalysts are widely used in chemical industries. Regeneration of the deactivated Ni catalysts caused by sintering of Ni nanoparticles and carbon deposition after long-term operation is significant but still very challenging. In this work, a feasible strategy via solid-phase reaction between NiO and Al 2 O 3 followed by a controlled reduction is developed which can burn out the deposited carbon and re-disperse the Ni nanoparticles well, thus regenerating the deactivated Ni catalysts. To demonstrate the feasibility of this method, Ni catalyst supported on α-Al 2 O 3 (Ni/Al 2 O 3) for CO methanation reaction was selected as a model system. The structure and composition of the fresh, deactivated and regenerated Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were comprehensively characterized by various techniques. The reduction and redistribution of Ni species as well as the interfacial interaction between Ni nanoparticles and Al 2 O 3 support were investigated in detail. It is found that calcining the deactivated Ni/Al 2 O 3 in air at high temperature can burn out the coke, while the sintered Ni species can combine with superficial Al 2 O 3 to form a surface NiAl 2 O 4 spinel phase through the solid-phase reaction. After the controlled reduction of the NiAl 2 O 4 spinel, highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles on Al 2 O 3 support are re-generated, thus achieving the regeneration of the deactivated Ni/Al 2 O 3. Interestingly, compared with the fresh Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalyst, the sizes of Ni nanoparticles became even smaller in the regenerated ones. The regenerated Ni/Al 2 O 3 showed much enhanced catalytic activity in CO methanation and became more resistant to carbon deposition, due to the better dispersed Ni nanoparticles and strengthened interaction between Ni and Al 2 O 3 support. Our work not only addresses the long existing catalyst regeneration issue, but also provides effective and renewable Ni-based catalysts for CO methanation. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A strategy to regenerate coked and sintered Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalyst was developed. • The strategy was solid-phase reaction followed by a controlled reduction. • Solid-phase reaction can burn out the deposited carbon and form NiAl 2 O 4 phase. • Controlled reduction of the NiAl 2 O 4 can induce re-dispersion of Ni nanoparticles. • The regenerated catalyst shows enhanced catalytic activity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of effective nano-microstructures electrode has been a tireless pursuit in the energy storage field. Herein, Controllable construction of diversified morphologies NiCo 2 O 4 nanomaterials by tuning the dielectric constant and viscosity of the mixed solvent. We employed different solvent compositions as deionized water (DI), DI:Ethanol (1:1), DI: Isopropanol (1:1), DI: Propylene glycol (1:1), DI: Butanediol (1:1). In mixed aqueous solvents with low dielectric constants of ethanol and isopropanol, metal ions diffuse well and the nanomaterials tend to construct sheet-like nanostructures whereas high viscosity of the propylene glycol and butanediol solution will slow down the rate of metal ion diffusion, which only grow uni-directionally to form rod-like nanostructures. The formed ear-shaped NiCo 2 O 4 nanostructures in V propylene glycol : V H2O = 1 : 1 mixed solvent have a large specific surface area and provide more electrochemically active sites, which facilitates effectively access electrolytes and thus accelerates the redox reaction rate. The resulting NiCo 2 O 4 nanoears exhibits favorable capacity of 251 mAh g−1 and excellent rate performance with a 73.0% capacity retention at 20 A g−1. More importantly, the asymmetric supercapacitors assembled with the preferred NiCo 2 O 4 nanoears and active carbon (AC) reveal excellent electrochemical performance at operating potential of 1.6 V, great specific capacity (58.0 mAh g−1), energy and power density of 46.4 Wh kg−1 at 801 W kg−1 and a specific capacity retention rate of 90.7% after 5000 cycles. This work provides a new perspective for the controllable construction of new micro-nanostructure materials. • Diversified morphologies NiCo 2 O 4 were prepared by tuning the dielectric constant and viscosity of the mixed solvent. • The NiCo 2 O 4 nanoears with the large specific surface improve the effective contact between nanomaterial and electrolytes. • The NiCo 2 O 4 nanoears yields a high capacity of 251 mAh g−1 and extraordinary rate performance. • The assembled NCO-NEs//AC device exhibits an energy density of 46.4 Wh kg−1 at 801 W kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fluorescent sensor for Zn 2+ based on 8-oxalamidoquinoline (OAQ) was designed and synthesized. OAQ behaves high selectivity to Zn 2+ accompanied by remarkable emission enhancement (32 folds) at 490 nm upon binding Zn 2+ in buffer aqueous solution at pH 7.2. The results show that a 1:1 complex was formed and the apparent association constant of OAQ/Zn 2+ complex was calculated to be 2.5 × 10 5 M −1 . The detection limit was gained to be 2.0 × 10 −8 M. Furthermore, the fluorescent signals of OAQ are utilized to construct an INHIBIT logic gate at the molecular level. Additionally OAQ was successfully used for fluorescence imaging in living yeast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dual fluorophore-based ratiometric Cu 2+ sensor CPC was synthesized via integrating carboxamidoquinoline and coumarin fluorophores. CPC showed high selectivity for Cu 2+ over other metal ions at pH 7.24 in acetonitrile–water solution. The emission produced by carboxamidoquinoline was obviously quenched upon binding Cu 2+ , while the emission produced by coumarin remained almost intact during the whole titration, thus acting as a stable internal standard and validating CPC as a ratiometric sensor. A Job's plot and the MS analysis implied that there was only the formation of a CPC /Cu 2+ complex with 1:1 stoichiometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel sensor T2 was synthesized through the introduction of N,N -di (pyridin-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine into the quinolimide fluorophore. T2 could detect Cd2+ and Zn2+ via fluorescence enhanced signals, and Cd2+ was distinguished from Zn2+ through the visible color change and the addition of S2−. The T2 -Cd2+ complex exhibited the exceptional selectivity to S2− through the restored fluorescence. Moreover, the combinational logic gate with OR and INHIBIT functions was constructed by using the controlled fluorescence "off-on" states of T2. The recoveries of Cd2+ and Zn2+ in water samples with T2 were in range of 95.6%–106.5%. And T2 was used for the visualization of Cd2+, Zn2+, and S2− in yeast cells. [Display omitted] • The quinolimide-based sensor T2 was developed for sensing Cd2+, Zn2+, and S2−. • T2 could distinguish Cd2+ from Zn2+ through the visible color change and the addition of S2−. • The T2-Cd2+ complex exhibited the exceptional selectivity to S2−. • The combinational logic gate with OR and INHIBIT functions was constructed. • T2 was applied to detect Cd2+, Zn2+, and S2− in water samples as well as in yeast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni catalysts supported on the raw bentonite (RB) and the acid–alkali treated bentonite (B), which were prepared by the impregnation method, were tested for methanation of CO 2 and CO respectively to produce synthetic natural gas (SNG). XRD, nitrogen adsorption, SEM, TEM, TG, H 2 -TPR, and XPS were employed for the characterization of the samples. The results showed that the Ni catalysts supported on the B support were more active than that supported on the RB support because of the improved Ni particles dispersion on the former that had larger specific surface area. After addition of proper amount of the VO x promoter, the catalytic activity of the B supported catalysts was further improved. This could be attributed to the enhanced H 2 uptakes, increased Ni dispersion, reduced Ni nanoparticle size, and the electronic effect of VO x that can promote dissociation of CO in the methanation reaction. In the lifetime test of CO 2 and CO methanation under atmospheric pressure, the Ni/B catalysts promoted by the VO x promoter were highly stable as they had superior anti-coking and anti-sintering performance to the catalyst without the promoter. This type of the catalysts is promising for industrial production of SNG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical nanoarrays NCO NWs /NC and NCO NSs /NC were prepared by a two-step fabrication process. The porous NC substrate derived by Ni-MOF uniformly was as "favorable skeleton", which could provide large surfaces for the growth of nanoarrays. Two different morphologies NiCo 2 O 4 nanoarrays were vertically grown on the porous NC substrate through in-situ growth methods. The introduction of urea could induce the formation of the hierarchical well-organized NiCo 2 O 4 nanowires arrays. Without urea, the NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets arrays were obtained. This fabrication strategy utilizing the porous NC substrate as the skeleton to construct the hierarchical structure not only favors the interface electron transfer, but also improves specific capacitance for the NiCo 2 O 4 nanoarrays. [Display omitted] • The porous NC substrate derived from Ni-MOF provides large specific surface and good conductivity for NiCo 2 O 4 nanoarrays. • The hierarchical architecture of NiCo 2 O 4 /NC nanoarrays as battery-type supercapacitors was constructed. • The hierarchical electrode with the NiCo 2 O 4 nanowires arrays grown on "favorable skeleton" NC (NCO NWs /NC) exhibits better electrochemical performance. The rational construction of hierarchical electrode materials has always been an attractive strategic development in energy storage. In this paper, the porous Ni/C (NC) substrate, which is derived from Ni metal–organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs), is served as the conductive skeleton on Ni foam (NF) for supporting two different morphologies NiCo 2 O 4 nanostructure arrays (NiCo 2 O 4 /NC). The hierarchical layered nanomaterial utilizes the porous NC substrate as "favorable skeleton" for electron transfer and is coupled to vertical well-organized NiCo 2 O 4 nanoarrays to improve specific capacitance of composites. Benefits from the advantages of hierarchical layered structure, the electrochemical properties of as-constructed NiCo 2 O 4 /NC with two different morphologies were better than those of pure NiCo 2 O 4 prepared under the same conditions. Moreover, the optimized NiCo 2 O 4 nanowires arrays on NC substrate (NiCo 2 O 4NWs /NC) electrode acquire prominent specific capacitance of 1945.9 F g−1 (270.3 mAh g−1) at 1 A g−1 and good rate performance. Additionally, the assembled asymmetric device by NiCo 2 O 4NWs /NC and carbon nanotube (CNT) displays a high energy density of 58.31 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 749.7 W kg−1, as well as good cyclic stability. The remarkable properties manifest that the hierarchical NiCo 2 O 4NWs /NC electrode has a good prospect in electrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recently, survivin has been attracting great attention because it plays an important role in inhibiting the apoptosis process of tumor cells. Down-regulating the expression of survivin gene by small interfering RNA (siRNA) offers a promising method for anti-tumor therapy. However, lack of appropriate siRNA delivery vector has significantly hindered the successful application of survivin-targeted siRNA in anti-tumor therapy. The purpose of this study was to use polysaccharide vector TAT-g-CS we synthesized to deliver functional siRNA and evaluate its in vivo anti-tumor activity. TAT-g-CS vector was firstly synthesized and well structurally characterized. MTT assay showed that TAT-g-CS vector exhibited good biocompatibility. TAT-g-CS complexed with siRNA offering nanoparticles with an average particle size of 212.2 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.121, and the zeta potential of the nanoparticles was +18.58 mV. Results from reporter gene assay suggested that luciferase-targeted siRNA when delivered by TAT-g-CS could down-regulate the expression of luciferase gene with 75.3% reduction. Most importantly, we use siRNASur targeting survivin gene to assess the in vitro and in vivo delivery capacity of TAT-g-CS and its anti-tumor effects. Our results demonstrated that TAT-g-CS/siRNASur nanoparticles not only strongly inhibited the in vitro proliferation of 4T1-Luc tumor cells via inducing cell apoptosis, but also effectively inhibited the in vivo growth and metastasis of malignant breast tumor, which suggested that TAT-g-CS/siRNA nanoparticle was a highly efficient non-viral system for siRNA delivery, especially for anti-tumor therapy based on siRNA therapeutics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]