Search

The lithium-ion battery, widely adopted in electric vehicles, demands precise thermal management to ensure optimal performance, longevity, and safety. This study introduces a novel serpentine flow channel with branch structure (SFCWBS) for practical engineering applications. Employing an orthogonal experimental design, the impact of key branch structure parameters, namely inlet angle, width, and confluence position, on thermal balance performance and power loss is thoroughly assessed. The optimised SFCWBS configuration significantly enhances battery pack temperature uniformity while concurrently reducing pressure drop, as revealed by simulation results. The maximum average temperature difference is reduced from 1.16 °C to 0.38 °C, and the pressure drop is reduced from 98.2 kPa to 92.3 kPa. • A novel Serpentine Flow Channel with Branch Structure is proposed for BTMS. • Inlet angle, width, and confluence position affect heat dissipation and flow effect. • A relatively optimal branch structure is designed with an orthogonal experiment. • Maximum average temperature difference and pressure drop are reduced effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nano-field-effect transistor (nano-FET) requires two-dimensional (2D) material with proper large band-gap, good air-stability, and functional carrier mobility. As known, 2D BN meets the first two conditions. Now, our numerical results show that pristine and fully functionalized 2D BN performs useable and tunable carrier mobility (4–23,000 cm2 V−1s−1). What's more, fully functionalization can significantly enhance the electron mobility (up to 34,000 cm2 V−1s−1) and suppress the hole mobility (close to 0 cm2 V−1s−1). Our work further taps the potential for 2D BN and should shed some light on its practical application in future nano-FET. • The pristine 2D BN performs useable carrier mobility (167–2000 cm2 V−1s−1). • Fully functionalization can saturates the out-plane dangling bond (p z orbitals) and results in stable puckered 2D BN. • The structural transformation from flattened hexagonal structure to buckled configuration can significantly enhance the electron mobility (up to 34,000 cm2 V−1s−1) and suppress the hole mobility (close to 0 cm2 V−1s−1). • This feature enables 2D-BN to assemble conductivity-adjustable nanoelectronics devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The silver nanosheets (AgNSs) prepared via normal silver mirror reaction were used to improve the performance of organic solar cells. AgNSs with a size of about 100nm in width and 10nm in thickness formed a 3-D network on an indium tin oxide (ITO) surface. Organic solar cells with a structure of ITO/AgNSs/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PC61BM)/LiF/Al exhibited an open circuit voltage (V oc ) of 0.60±0.01V, short circuit current density (J sc ) of 11.16±0.08mA/cm2, a fill factor (FF) of 53.69±0.92%, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.60±0.06%. The PCEs of organic solar cells with 3-D AgNSs layers were 1.29 times that of the control device without 3-D AgNSs layer. We attributed the improvement of the efficiency to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) induced by the 3-D network of AgNSs, which enhanced the light harvest of active layers, increased the probability of exciton generation and dissociation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A chloroindium phthalocyanine bearing phenoxyl substituents was synthesized and characterized by MS, 1H NMR and elemental analysis, which were consistent with the proposed structure; UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were also investigated. Near-infrared (NIR) organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) were fabricated employing tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) and poly(vinylcarbazole) (PVK) which had been doped with chloroindium phthalocyanine. Room-temperature electroluminescence (EL) was observed near 0.88μm due to transitions from the first excited singlet state to the ground state (S1–S0). As phthalocyanine possesses excellent solubility in common organic solvents, the light-emitting layer can be prepared by spin coating to simplify the fabrication process and so lower the manufacturing costs. The emission processes of this chloroindium phthalocyanine in the doped devices are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Several series of phthalocyanines (Pcs) and metallophthalocyanines (MPcs) were prepared and characterized by MS, 1H NMR, UV–vis and elemental analysis, which were consistent with the proposed structures. These Pcs and their metal complexes are synthesized using 3-(2-isopropyl-5-methylphenoxyl)phthalonitrile or 4-(2-isopropyl-5-methylphenoxyl)phthalonitrile as the starting material in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene(DBU) as the catalyst. An original UV–vis absorption investigation of these compounds is performed. Obvious hypochromic effect of Q-bands was found with the increment of temperature from 293K to 333K. B-bands did not show the analogous tendency. The hypochromic effect originates from conversion of Pc framework as a result of thermal vibration, which reduces the localization of π-electron system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The synthesis of a zinc phthalocyanine (Pc) bearing four phenoxyl substituents was described and its molecular structure was fully characterized by 1H NMR, MS, elemental analysis, UV–vis and IR, which were consistent with the proposed structure. This Pc possesses excellent solubility in polar organic solvents, such as dichloromethane and THF, and doesn''t readily aggregate to the dimer. TOF-MS and elemental analysis prove its excellent purity. The compound''s electrochemical redox reactions in THF occurred in the Pc ring and were quasi-reversible single-electron processes. The electrochemical reaction mechanism was proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Understanding the metabolic response to exercise may aid in optimizing stroke management. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate plasma metabolomic profiles in chronic stroke survivors following aerobic exercise training.Methods: Participants (age: 62 ± 1 years, body mass index: 31 ± 1 kg/m2, mean ± standard error of the mean) were randomized to 6 months of treadmill exercise (N = 17) or whole-body stretching (N = 8) with preintervention and postintervention measurement of aerobic capacity (VO2peak). Linear models for microarray data expression analysis was performed to determine metabolic changes over time, and Mummichog was used for pathway enrichment analysis following analysis of plasma samples by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.Results: VO2peak change was greater following exercise than stretching (18.9% versus -.2%; P < .01). Pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed metabolites results showed significant enrichment in 4 pathways following treadmill exercise, 3 of which (heparan-, chondroitin-, keratan-sulfate degradation) involved connective tissue metabolism and the fourth involve lipid signaling (linoleate metabolism). More pathways were altered in pre and post comparisons of stretching, including branched-chain amino acid, tryptophan, tyrosine, and urea cycle, which could indicate loss of lean body mass.Conclusions: These preliminary data show different metabolic changes due to treadmill training and stretching in chronic stroke survivors and suggest that in addition to improved aerobic capacity, weight-bearing activity, like walking, could protect against loss of lean body mass. Future studies are needed to examine the relationship between changes in metabolomic profiles to reductions in cardiometabolic risk after treadmill rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop a deep learning-based model for measuring automatic lumbosacral anatomical parameters from lateral lumbar radiographs and compare its performance to that of attending-level radiologists.Methods: A total of 1791 lateral lumbar radiographs were collected through the PACS system and used to develop the deep learning-based model. Landmarks for the four used parameters, including the lumbosacral lordosis angle (LSLA), lumbosacral angle (LSA), sacral horizontal angle (SHA), and sacral inclination angle (SIA), were identified and automatically labeled by the model. At the same time, the measurement results were obtained through landmarks on the test set compared to manual measurements as the reference standard. Statistical analyses of the Percentage of Correct Key Points (PCK), intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Pearson correlation coefficient, mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and Bland-Altman plots were performed to evaluate the performance of the model.Results: The mean differences between the reference standard and the model for LSLA, LSA, SHA, and SIA, were 0.39°, 0.09°, 0.13°, and 0.12°, respectively. A strong correlation and consistency between the four parameters were found between the model and reference standard (ICC = 0.92-0.98, r = 0.92-0.97, MAE = 1.35-1.84, RMSE = 1.82-2.51), while with statistically significant difference for LSLA (p = 0.02).Conclusions: The presented model revealed clinically equivalent measurements in terms of accuracy, while superior measurements were obtained in terms of cost-effectiveness, reliability, and reproducibility. The model may help clinicians improve their understanding and evaluation of lumbar diseases and LBP from a quantitative perspective in practical work. (ChiCTR2100048250). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The photovoltaic properties of an aza H2Pc containing four 1,10-phenanthroline subunits were investigated by means of surface photovoltage spectroscopy and electric-field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy. The surface photovoltaic response was enhanced under positive electric field and weakened under negative electric field. Thus, the expanded aza H2Pc was judged to be p-type semiconductor. From the similar response behavior, the Q-band and high-energy side of Soret-band were assigned to π–π* transition. Interestingly, the low-energy side of Soret-band exhibits blue shift under external electric field. According to the influence of electric field on the ground state of n-orbital with high polarizability, it was assigned to n–π* transition. We think the peripheral substituent units play a key role in the electronic transition and photovoltaic processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Cadmium (Cd) causes acute and chronic lung toxicities at occupational exposure levels, yet the impacts of Cd exposure at low levels through dietary intake remain largely uncharacterized. Health concerns arise because humans do not have an effective Cd elimination mechanism, resulting in a long (10- to 35-y) biological half-life. Previous studies showed increased mitochondrial oxidative stress and cell death by Cd yet the details of mitochondrial alterations by low levels of Cd remain unexplored. In the current study, we examined the impacts of Cd burden at a low environmental level on lung metabolome, redox proteome, and inflammation in mice given Cd at low levels by drinking water (0, 0.2, 0.6 and 2.0 mg Cd/L) for 16 weeks. The results showed that mice accumulated lung Cd comparable to non-smoking humans and showed inflammation in lung by histopathology at 2 mg Cd/L. The results of high resolution metabolomics combined with bioinformatics showed that mice treated with 2 mg Cd/L increased levels of lipids in the lung, accompanied by disruption in mitochondrial energy metabolism. In addition, targeted metabolomic analysis showed that these mice had increased accumulation of mitochondrial carnitine and citric acid cycle intermediates. The results of redox proteomics showed that Cd at 2 mg/L stimulated oxidation of isocitrate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and ATP synthase. Taken together, the results showed impaired mitochondrial function and accumulation of lipids in the lung with a Cd dose response relevant to non-smokers without occupational exposures. These findings suggest that dietary Cd intake could be an important variable contributing to human pulmonary disorders. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Low environmental Cd caused lung inflammation in mice. • Redox proteomics showed mitochondrial protein oxidation by low environmental Cd. • Inhibited mitochondrial enzymes were associated with increased lipids and citric acid cycle intermediates. • Combination of histopathology with data-driven omics supports analysis of toxicologic effects at low environmental Cd exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, silica nanospheres with different particle sizes were used as hard template for synthesis of a starch with a novel three-dimensional ordered macroporous structure (3DOMTS). As a pharmaceutical adjuvant, 3DOMTS was used to improve the dissolution rate and oral relative bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs. Felodipine (FDP) was chosen as a model drug and was loaded into the 3DOMTS by solvent evaporation. FDP loading into 3DOMTS with different pore sizes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR). The results obtained showed that FDP was present in the pores in an amorphic or microcrystalline state. The in vitro dissolution results showed that 3DOMTS could effectively improve the dissolution rate of FDP in comparison with commercial common tablets. Pharmacokinetic results indicated that the oral relative bioavailability of self-made FDP–3DOMTS tablets were 184%, showing that 3DOMTS produced a significantly increased oral absorption of FDP. In conclusion, 3DOMTS exhibits the dual potential of improving the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs and the novel filler produced by direct compression technology confirming that 3DOMTS will be useful for many applications in the field of pharmaceutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel, solvothermal method for directly growing crystals of the β-form of copper phthalocyanine that involved using quinoline as solvent and cooling the reaction mixture to room temperature is proposed. Needle-like, single crystals of CuPc up to 10mm in length were prepared using 1,3-diiminoisoindoline and Cu(AcO)2·2H2O in the quinoline solvent. The influence of the temperatures, growth time and solvent volumes on crystal yield were determined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new method of growing single crystal for β-form copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) is presented in this paper. Melted anthracene was used as solvent of CuPc. The method, vaporizing the solvent using an automatic exaltation machine, was employed to grow CuPc single crystals. The needle-like single crystals of CuPc up to 11.6mm in length were obtained by applying this method. The influences of different temperatures, exaltation speeds and concentrations on the single crystals growth were also discussed. The method was called exaltation–evaporation growth method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]