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Thermal runaway (TR) failures of large-format lithium-ion battery systems related to fires and explosions have become a growing concern. Here, we design a smart ceramic-hydrogel nanocomposite that provides integrated thermal management, cooling, and fire insulation functionalities and enables full-lifecycle security. The glass-ceramic nanobelt sponges exhibit high mechanical flexibility with 80% reversible compressibility and high fatigue resistance, which can firmly couple with the polymer-nanoparticle hydrogels and form thermal-switchable nanocomposites. In the operating mode, the high enthalpy of the nanocomposites enables efficient thermal management, thereby preventing local temperature spikes and overheating under extremely fast charging conditions. In the case of mechanical or thermal abuse, the stored water can be immediately released, leaving behind a highly flexible ceramic matrix with low thermal conductivity (42 mW m

Amorphous iron-calcium phosphate (Fe-ACP) plays a vital role in the mechanical properties of teeth of some rodents, which are very hard, but its formation process and synthetic route remain unknown. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of an iron-bearing amorphous calcium phosphate in the presence of ammonium iron citrate (AIC). The iron is distributed homogeneously on the nanometer scale in the resulting particles. The prepared Fe-ACP particles can be highly stable in aqueous media, including water, simulated body fluid and acetate buffer solution (pH 4). In vitro study demonstrates that these particles have good biocompatibility and osteogenic properties. Subsequently, Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is utilized to consolidate the initial Fe-ACP powders. The results show that the hardness of the ceramics increases with the increase of iron content, but an excess of iron leads to a rapid decline in hardness. Calcium iron phosphate ceramics with a hardness of 4 GPa can be achieved, which is higher than that of human enamel. Furthermore, the ceramics composed of iron-calcium phosphates showed enhanced acid resistance. This study provides a novel route to prepare Fe-ACP, and presents the potential role of Fe-ACP in biomineralization and as starting material to fabricate acid-resistant high-performance bioceramics.

It is challenging to develop a material that combines good mechanical properties and high translucency since these properties are generally not coincident in one material. In this study, we prepared ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramics that combines the above two types of properties. Raw powder with 55 mol%, 65 mol%, and 75 mol% ZrO2 and each with 5 mol% yttrium as a dopant was prepared by sol-gel method, followed by spark plasma sintering to obtain dense glass-ceramics. XRD results demonstrated that the glass-ceramics with 65 mol% and 75 mol% ZrO2 were composed of tetragonal-ZrO2, whereas, that with 55 mol% ZrO2 was composed of cubic-ZrO2. The as-sintered glass-ceramics showed black/brown discoloration, but they obtained high translucency after thermal treatment. X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) results in scanning electron transmission microscopy (STEM) mode demonstrated yttrium dopants were predominately distributed in ZrO2 nanocrystallites. The glass-ceramics with 65 mol% ZrO2 had the highest flexural strength, achieving an average value of 673 MPa. The glass-ceramics with different compositions sintered at different temperatures showed fracture toughness values ranging from 5.25 MPa m1/2 to 6.69 MPa m1/2. The strong and translucent ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramics showing great protentional to be used in many fields.

Surface nitriding has been widely used to improve the surface physicochemical properties of Ti alloys. However, the currently utilized surface nitriding methods, such as laser nitriding, typically require expensive and complicated instruments, which makes surface nitriding a less cost-effective process. Meanwhile, the antibacterial properties of surface-nitrided Ti alloy implants have not been evaluated. Thereafter, in this study, we were aiming to develop an effective, simple, and cost-effective surface nitriding strategy to enhance the antimicrobial properties of Ti alloy implants. The surface nitriding strategy was realized by wet-chemical etching and thermal treatment at controlled conditions. Results showed that the above surface modification treatments exerted significant effects on the phase composition and morphology of the newly formed phases on the surface of Ti samples. Crystalline TiN and TiO2 formed after treatments. Meanwhile, amorphous nitrides and oxynitride were also presented on the sample surfaces. The surface-modified Ti samples showed a bacterial inhibition effect compared with the non-treated Ti ones, and the bacterial inhibition effect was attributed to the released ammonia species from the surface of Ti samples. The surface modification strategy shows promise to improve the bacteriostatic property of Ti implants in dental and orthopedic fields.

Ceramic materials are sometimes used as bearing surfaces of joint implants due to their high wear resistance and biocompatibility. Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is one of the ceramics under investigation for such use, owing to its bacteriostatic properties and high wear resistance. Traditional Si3N4 is sintered using Al2O3 and Y2O3 as sintering aids. To improve the biocompatibility and bioactivity of Si3N4, new sintering aids (SrO, MgO, and SiO2) were used in this work. This substitution may however have substantial effects on the wear properties of the material. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate these effects. Multidirectional pin-on-disc wear tests against ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene pins were used to this end, running in fetal bovine serum solution at 37 °C for 2 million cycles. The surface roughness, phase composition, and surface morphology of the surfaces were investigated, together with the pH of the wear test lubricant and compared to a traditional Si3N4 composition. XRD and SEM results showed that the prepared ceramics were composed of α- and β-phase Si3N4. The surface roughness of the Si3N4 ceramic discs was in accordance with the biomedical standard, and the wear test results demonstrated that the new ceramics had a low wear factor and a comparable coefficient of friction to Si3N4 ceramics reported in previous work. However, the dissolution of the materials over time may be a concern for biotribological applications, such as long-term use or in other wear couples.

Hollow microstructured-and nanostructured-materials (also known as core-shell particles) have got great attention as advanced materials due to their fascinating physicochemical properties and favourable application prospects in many fields. In recent years, a variety of synthesis strategies have been explored to fabricate core-shell particles with different morphologies, compositions, microstructures, and thereby versatile functionalities. Among the synthesis strategies, soft-templating with the usage of nanobubbles is a feasible and effective one. Many inorganic core-shell particles have been prepared by using nanobubbles as a template. Nevertheless, studies in this field have not been reviewed comprehensively yet. Herein, the paper firstly reviewed several critical aspects of nanobubbles, such as the formation methods, stability and stabilization strategies of nano-bubbles; Secondly, characteristics of core-shell particles prepared by using nanobubbles soft template were summarized, including formation mechanisms, morphologies, etc.; Lastly, concerns regarding nanobubbles as soft templates were also briefly discussed. De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet

Thermal stability of nanocrystallites plays an important role in the manufacturing and application of nanocrystalline ceramics/glass-ceramics. This study explores the effects of thermal treatments on the microstructures of two ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramics (NCGCs), an undoped one and a yttria-doped one. The two as-sintered NCGCs were composed of tetragonal (t) and monoclinic (m) ZrO2 nanocrystallites, and SiO2 component was amorphous. t-ZrO2 and m-ZrO2 nanocrystallites were metastable during thermal treatment. The content of m-ZrO2 in the undoped ZrO2-SiO2 NCGC first increased after thermal treating at 850 °C for 5 h, then decreased after thermal treating at and above 950 °C. After thermal treating at 1250 °C for 5 h, t-ZrO2 nanocrystallites experienced a rapid phase transformation during cooling, resulting the formation of 88.6 vol% m-ZrO2. Size-driven phase transformation was utilized to explain the metastability of t-ZrO2 and m-ZrO2 nanocrystallites. In contrast, the content of m-ZrO2 in the yttria-doped ZrO2-SiO2 NCGC continuously decreased with the increase of thermal treatment temperature. The addition of yttria improved the phase stability of t-ZrO2 up to at least 1250 °C. Crystallite size of both t-ZrO2 and m-ZrO2 nanocrystallites increased with the increase of thermal treatment temperature in the two NCGCs. The presence of residual thermal stress in the as-sintered NCGCs changed the lattice spacing of t-ZrO2 and m-ZrO2 nanocrystallites, and the stress can be released after thermal treatment. Thermal treatment exerts significant influences on the microstructure of ZrO2-SiO2 NCGCs.

Background Nearly 234 million patients undergo surgery each year, and 1.3 million develop complications. The risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) remains high, especially in major upper abdominal surgery. The occurrence of PPCs seriously affects the outcomes of surgical patients, and the risk of death is significantly increased. This could have a serious impact on the prognosis of patients if no effective prevention or timely intervention is carried out. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is increasingly used in postoperative patients and is confirmed to be as effective as noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in preventing postoperative hypoxaemia and respiratory failure. In our clinical study, we observed faster recovery with combined HFNC and respiratory training (using PEP Acapella Choice) in patients with postoperative atelectasis. These two interventions have a theoretical benefit in the prevention of PPCs, but no relevant prospective randomised controlled studies have been conducted. Could HFNC combined with respiratory training reduce the incidence of PPCs compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) in postoperative patients? Could these combined interventions reduce mortality or improve the long-term prognosis? The answers to these questions remain unknown. In this randomised controlled trial, we hypothesise that HFNC combined with respiratory training will reduce the incidence of PPCs and mortality and improve the long-term prognosis in this cohort. Methods This is a randomised controlled single-centre trial. A total of 328 patients who undergo major abdominal surgeries will be included. Subjects will be randomised to receive HFNC combined with Acapella or COT alone immediately after extubation. Our primary endpoint is the incidence of PPCs within 7 days, and the secondary outcome measures include 28-day mortality, reintubation, length of hospital stay, and all-cause mortality within 1 year. Discussion This trial would help provide evidence of the preferred effect of HFNC combined with Acapella on COT in patients after major abdominal surgery. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal choice for improving the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery. Trial registration: ChiCTR2100047146. Registered on 8 June 2021. Retrospectively registered.

Background: In the study of medical images segmentation, U-Net is a good choice with better performance. But it will cause some problems such as gradient problems or information loss. Methods: In this paper, we introduce a new model based on such an encoder-decoder structure. We mixed a full connection and encoder output in per layer and we add an axial attention to solve gradient problem and keep the connection with pixel from long distance. After pooling, we add a module which has three atrous Convolution processes with different expansion rate and a non-local Self attention to increase the feeling field and fix the problem of losing spatial information. In decoder part, we put a dual channel gate to point out 'what' and 'where' feature we need by the union of Channel Attention and Spatial Attention. Results: We use 4 public dataSets are CVC-ClinicDB, Kvasir-SEG, CVC-ColonDB and CVC-T. We compared more than 10 groups other different models with these 4 group dataSets and marked some evaluating indicators such as mIou, mDice and so on. We also did some ablation experiments to verify that our model structure is reasonable and effective. Conclusions: The comparative training of 12 models in 4 different datasets verifies the feasibility and the good effectiveness of the proposed ideas. We also did some ablation experiments to verify that our model structure is reasonable and effective. The basic structure of the encoder decoder in semantic segmentation has been greatly improved.

The distribution of dopant atoms plays a key role in the effectiveness of doping, thereby requiring delicate characterizations. In this study, we found that energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were not adequate to reveal the distribution of yttrium and the chemical composition of the ZrO2/SiO2 heterophase interface in an yttrium-doped ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramic. Atom probe tomography (APT) is rarely utilized to characterize ceramics due to some inherent difficulties. However, we successfully revealed the three-dimensional distribution of ZrO2 nanocrystallites and SiO2 matrix at the atomic scale with APT under optimized and well-controlled conditions. We also found that the ZrO2 nanocrystallites had a special core-shell structure, with a thin Zr/Si interfacial layer as a shell and a ZrO2 solid solution as a core. Yttrium dopants showed interfacial segregation at both ZrO2 grain boundaries and the ZrO2/SiO2 heterophase interfaces.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating interstitial lung disease with dire consequences and in urgent need of improved therapies. Compelling evidence indicates that damage or dysfunction of AT2s is of central importance in the development of IPF. We recently identified a novel AT2 subpopulation characterized by low SFTPC expression but that is enriched for PD-L1 in mice. These cells represent quiescent, immature AT2 cells during normal homeostasis and expand upon pneumonectomy (PNX) and were consequently named injury-activated alveolar progenitors (IAAPs). FGF10 is shown to play critical roles in lung development, homeostasis, and injury repair demonstrated in genetically engineered mice. In an effort to bridge the gap between the promising properties of endogenous Fgf10 manipulation and therapeutic reality, we here investigated whether the administration of exogenous recombinant FGF10 protein (rFGF10) can provide preventive and/or therapeutic benefit in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis with a focus on its impact on IAAP dynamics. C57BL/6 mice and SftpcCreERT2/+; tdTomatoflox/+ mice aged 8–10 weeks old were used in this study. To induce the bleomycin (BLM) model, mice were intratracheally (i.t.) instilled with BLM (2 μg/g body weight). BLM injury was induced after a 7-day washout period following tamoxifen induction. A single i.t. injection of rFGF10 (0.05 μg/g body weight) was given on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 after BLM injury. Then, the effects of rFGF10 on BLM-induced fibrosis in lung tissues were assessed by H&E, IHC, Masson’s trichrome staining, hydroxyproline and Western blot assays. Immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry was used to assess the dynamic behavior of AT2 lineage-labeled SftpcPos (IAAPs and mature AT2) during the course of pulmonary fibrosis. We observed that, depending on the timing of administration, rFGF10 exhibited robust preventive or therapeutic efficacy toward BLM-induced fibrosis based on the evaluation of various pathological parameters. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a dynamic expansion of IAAPs for up to 4 weeks following BLM injury while the number of mature AT2s was drastically reduced. Significantly, rFGF10 administration increased both the peak ratio and the duration of IAAPs expansion relative to EpCAMPos cells. Altogether, our results suggest that the administration of rFGF10 exhibits therapeutic potential for IPF most likely by promoting IAAP proliferation and alveolar repair.

A novel microwave (MW) catalytic oxidation denitrification method was developed, which can deeply oxidize NO into nitrate/nitrite with little NO

Thrombectomy increases the survival rate of acute ischemic stroke patients corresponding to large vessel occlusion. This study aimed to determine clinical predictors for good outcomes in patients subjected to tissue window guided thrombectomy.This study was performed at the stroke center of the First Affiliated Hospital of SooChow University. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were retrospectively collected, 90 days after endovascular thrombectomy. Collection was done within 6-24 hours after a patient was last seen in good condition. Binary logistic regression was used to establish the clinical predictors for functional independence. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine cutoff values for outcome predictors. P value0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Forty-seven patients were enrolled in this study. Among them, 13 (27.7%) had last presenting stroke, 24 (51.1%) had wake-up stroke, and 10 (21.3%) had daytime unknown stroke onset. The median initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, infarct core volume, and ischemic penumbra volume were 15 (interquartile range [IQR] 11-18), 20 (IQR 8-36) mL, and 115 (IQR 81-176) mL, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that patients with a lower initial NIHSS score, smaller ischemic penumbra, and no hemorrhagic transformation were more likely to have good outcomes. As shown by the receiver operator characteristic curves, the optimal thresholds of initial NIHSS score, ischemic penumbra, and infarct core were 14.5 (AUC: 0.867; P0.001), 109 mL (AUC: 0.841; P0.001), and 12.5 mL (AUC: 0.681; P = 0.036), respectively.A lower initial NIHSS score, smaller ischemic penumbra, and lack of hemorrhagic transformation are significant independent predictors for good outcomes after a tissue-window based thrombectomy.

Purpose Admittance control is a typical complaint control methodology. Traditionally, admittance control systems are based on a dynamical relationship described by Voigt model. By contrast, after changing connection of spring and damper, Maxwell model produces different dynamics and has shown better impact absorption performance. This paper aims to design a novel compliant control method based on Maxwell model and implement it in a robot catching scenario. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this goal, this paper proposed a Maxwell model based admittance control scheme. Considering several motion stages involved in one catching attempt, the following approaches are adopted. First, Kalman filter is used to process the position data stream acquired from motion capture system and predict the subsequent object flying trajectory. Then, a linear segments with parabolic blends reaching motion is generated to achieve time-optimal movement under kinematic and joint inherent constraints. After robot reached the desired catching point, the proposed Maxwell model based admittance controller performs such as a cushion to moderate the impact between robot end-effector and flying object. Findings This paper has experimentally demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with typical Voigt model based compliant catching, less object bounding away from end-effector happens and the success rate of catching has been improved. Originality/value The authors proposed a novel Maxwell model based admittance control method and demonstrated its effectiveness in a robot catching scenario. The author’s approach may inspire other related researchers and has great potential of practical usage in a widespread of robot applications.

In this paper, the tensile properties and stress corrosion resistance of two Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys were tested by tensile test and slow stress rate tensile test. The microstructures of the precipitation were observed by transmission electron microscopy, and the proportion and size of the precipitates were measured by ImageJ software. This work revealed that Sc and Zr microalloying will instead reduce the SCC resistance of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys and increase the strength reduction of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys, under certain heat treatment. The area fraction of GBP can be effectively adjusted by the combine of changing quenching agents, step-aging and minor additive of Sc and Zr. With the increase of area fraction of precipitates at the grain boundary, the slow stress corrosion susceptibility decreased first and then increased. This is because when the area fraction exceeds 22.3%, the low stress cracking mechanism will change from hydrogen embrittlement mechanism to anodic dissolution mechanism. The combination of heat treatment and Sc, Zr microalloying enable the area fraction reach approximately 22.3 %, which will make the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys have high strength and low slow stress corrosion susceptibility.

The skin is an important barrier against environmental factors. Foregoing studies has shown that human KLK7 is a protease which promoted epidermal shedding, affected the epidermal barrier and increased the risk of atopic dermatitis. In this study, the structure and activity relationship of 40 human KLK7 inhibitors was explored by three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and hologram quantitative structure–activity relationship (HQSAR). 3D-QSAR including comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative molecular similarity indices analysis fields (CoMSIA), and Topomer comparative molecular field analysis (Topomer CoMFA). From the data we got, the 3D-QSAR models (CoMFA with q2 = 0.755, r2 = 0.994; CoMSIA with q2 = 0.602, r2 = 0.980; Topomer CoMFA with q2 = 0.644, r2 = 0.929) and the HQSAR model (q2 = 0.717, r2 = 0.950) had a good predictability. Molecular docking was used to reveal the binding mode between the inhibitors and KLK7 protein further. 3D-QSAR, HQSAR, and molecular docking results also provided guidance for discovering new human KLK7 inhibitors. Finally, 13 new compounds were designed as potential human KLK7 inhibitors, and the predicted activity values showed an effective inhibition on human KLK7.

3D-QSAR models were established by collecting 46 multivariate-substituted 4-oxyquinazoline HDAC6 inhibitors. The relationship of molecular structure and inhibitory activity was studied by comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA). The results showed the models established by CoMFA (q

To analyze the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of patients with primary bone lymphoma (PBL).The clinical data of 21 patients with PBL treated in our center from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, the clinical characteristics and the factors affecting prognosis of the patients were analyzed.The median age of all the 21 newly diagnosed PBL patients was 40(12-71) years old. Ostealgia was the initial symptom in most of the patients (19/21,90.5%). 42.9%(9/21) of the patients showed single bone lesion only. 571% (12/21) of the patients showed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. 28.6% (6/21) of the patients showed anaplastic large cell lymphoma and 9.5% (2/21) of the patients showed T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. All the patients received chemotherapy (CHOP or CHOP like regimen, 33.3% plus rituximab) with or without radiotherapy and/or autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). 18 patients achieved clinical remission (including 15 for CR and 3 for PR). The median follow-up time was 48 months. The 5-year overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate of the patients were was 67.5% and 63.7%, respectively. The single factors analysis showed that ASCT was the important prognostic factor of PFS, while the single or multiple bone lesion was the factors affecting OS of the patients. There were no statistical differences with the effects of age, sex, stage, ECOG score, LDH level, B symptoms and radiotherapy for the prognosis of patients.Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common pathological type of PBL. Chemotherapy is the main treatment, which can be combined with radiotherapy and/or ASCT. The ASCT and the number of bone lesion are the factors for long time survival of the patients.初治原发性骨淋巴瘤患者的临床特征和长期预后分析.分析原发骨淋巴瘤患者的临床特征及长期预后.回顾性分析2005年至2018年首都医科大学附属北京世纪坛医院血液淋巴肿瘤中心收治的21例恶性淋巴瘤患者的临床资料，分析其临床特点及影响预后的因素.21例患者均为初治原发骨淋巴瘤，中位发病年龄40岁，其中19例患者以疼痛起病，9例患者为单发骨病灶。全组有12例患者为弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤，其余为间变大细胞淋巴瘤（6例）和T淋巴母细胞淋巴瘤（2例）。 所有患者均接受化疗，部分患者联合放疗和/或自体造血干细胞移植，18例临床缓解（CR 15例，PR 3例）。中位随访时间为48个月，5年PFS、OS 率分别为63.7%和67.5%。单因素分析显示，自体造血干细胞移植有利于提高PFS（P=0.045），单发骨病变更有利于提高OS（P=0.015）； 患者年龄、性别、分期、ECOG评分、LDH水平、B症状、放疗对PFS、OS的影响均无统计学差异（P0.05）.原发骨淋巴瘤发病年龄较轻，弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤为最常见病理类型，自体造血干细胞移植和是否单发骨病变对预后有一定影响.

CAMKK2 inhibitors have therapeutic effects on cancer, metabolic disorders, diabetes and osteoporosis. However, high-quality CAMKK2 inhibitors are still lacking. Natural product databases were screened for potential inhibitors using bioinformatics strategies such as pharmacophore models, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation. Two hit compounds, STOCK1N-53910 and STOCK1N-66485, were got via Lipinski rule, Veber rule, PAINS rule, pharmacophore models and molecular docking. The results of molecular docking showed hit compounds had similar binding patterns to the active control. Hit compounds had low toxicity by prediction of ADME/T. Molecular dynamics simulation and energy decomposition showed the binding energy of hit compounds was better than active control, and had higher affinity. These results suggest STOCK1N-53910 and STOCK1N-66485 may inhibit CAMKK2 and could be as candidate drugs for further research.

Efficient and convenient methods for the removal of toxic heavy metal ions especially Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions is of great importance due to their serious threat to public health and the ecological system. In this study, two magnetic metal-organic frameworks (namely: Fe3O4@ZIF-8, and Fe3O4@UiO-66-NH2) were synthesized, fully characterized, and applied for the adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption efficiencies for the prepared nanocomposites are strongly dependent on the pH of the aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacities of Fe3O4@UiO-66-NH2, and Fe3O4@ZIF-8 at pH 6.0 were calculated to be 714.3 mg.g(-), and 370 mg.g(-1) for Cd(II), respectively, and 833.3 mg.g(-1), and 666.7 mg.g(-1) for Pb(II), respectively. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order model and fit the Langmuir isotherm model. Moreover, the thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process is endothermic, and spontaneous in nature. A plausible adsorption mechanism was discussed in detail. The magnetic adsorbents: Fe3O4@ZIF-8, and Fe3O4@UiO-66-NH2 showed excellent reusability, maintaining the same efficiency for at least four consecutive cycles. These results reveal the potential use of magnetic Fe3O4@ZIF-8, and Fe3O4@UiO-66-NH2 as efficient adsorbents in removing Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions.

Hubble tension between the local measurement and global observation has been a key problem in cosmology. In this paper, we consider the quintessence scalar field, phantom field and quintom field as the dark energy to reconcile this problem. Different from most previous work, we start from the dimensionless equation of state (w) of dark energy, not a parameterization of potential. The combined analysis shows that observational data sets favor Hubble constant H 0 = 71.3 − 0.917 + 0.854 km s − 1 Mpc − 1 , which can reconcile Hubble tension within 1.20σ. We also perform a Bayes factor analysis using the MCEvidence code, and confirm that the phantom scalar field is still the most effective. To investigate the reason of Hubble tension, we analyze the density parameter. The comparison shows that the scalar fields provide a slightly larger Ω b h 2 and smaller Ω c h 2 than the standard ΛCDM model. We finally analyze a possible reason of Hubble tension from the kinematic acceleration a ̈ . We find an interesting physical phenomenon. The acceleration a ̈ in these scalar fields are similar as the ΛCDM model at about redshift z > 0.5. However, they increase and deviate from each other at low redshift, especially in the near future. Only the a ̈ in phantom scalar field will decrease in the future.

Improving robot performance while simultaneously ensuring compliance and human safety has been appealing for a long time and remains a challenge. To this end, we propose a new approach for kinematic control of redundant manipulators to deal with multiple prioritized tasks and at the same time produce a novel compliance behavior in the null space of main task. Different from typical Voigt model based compliance control methods, the compliance control approach proposed in this paper is based on Maxwell model, which shows superior performance on impact absorption and contact reducing than its counterparts. In comparison with typical compliance control, the annoying and even harmful return force is removed and human comfortableness can be improved consequently. Besides, this novel compliance control method is implemented in the null space of higher priority task without disturbing the main end-effector task. The effectiveness of our approach has been practically evaluated and verified in experiments on a 7 DOF redundant collaborative robot manipulator. A novel cushion-like and plastic deformed whole body compliance has been realized while the continuity and quality of robot main task have been maintained. Promisingly, the approaches proposed in this paper are general and manipulator independent, which can also be applied to other emerging collaborative and even hyper redundant manipulators. Besides, research results of this work can also potentially inspire other robotic research related with human robot friendly interaction and collaboration.

A novel method of ultraviolet-heat synergistically catalyzing H2O2-X (X: NaCl, NaBr, HCl, and HBr) for removal of elemental mercury (Hg0) was developed. In terms of Hg0 removal efficiency and economy, HCl and HBr were the suitable additives. Hg0 removal efficiencies reached 93.6% for H2O2-HCl and 91.4% for H2O2-HBr, the concentrations of H2O2, HCl and HBr were 1 M, 4.2 mM and 0.5 mM. The doses of gaseous Cl and Br-oxidants were 6.27 and 0.75 ppm. The costs by using H2O2-HCl and H2O2-HBr were 1,180 USD/lb-Hg0 and 1,170 USD/lb-Hg0. The best temperature for heat catalysis was 413 K. Hg0 removal was enhanced by 500 mg/m3 SO2 and 300 mg/m3 NO due to the formation of sulfuric and NO2. Mercury distribution analyses indicated that 500 mg/m3 SO2, 300 mg/m3 NO, and 6% O2 favored KCl retaining Hg2+. When the H2O2 concentration was adjusted to 3 M, the simultaneous removal efficiencies of NO and Hg0 reached 83.7% and 99.2% for H2O2-HCl, and 82.8% and 98.8% for H2O2-HBr. Electron spin resonance demonstrated that ClOH•-/BrOH•- and Cl2•-/Br2•- played leading roles in Hg0 oxidation, besides Cl2/Br2. The mercury forms in spent KCl were HgCl2, HgBr2, and HgNO3, according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Two eye-movement experiments are reported in which a boundary paradigm was used to manipulate the presence versus absence of boundaries for high-frequency and low-frequency target words in the parafovea. In Experiment 1, this was done by introducing a blank space after the target words, whereas in Experiment 2 this was done by rendering the target words in red. In both experiments, higher frequency targets engendered longer saccades, whereas the presence of parafoveal word boundaries engendered shorter saccades. This pattern suggests the operation of two countermanding saccade-targeting mechanisms: one that uses parafoveal processing difficulty to adjust saccade lengths and a second that uses word boundaries to direct the eyes toward specific saccade targets. The implications of these findings for models of eye-movement control during reading are discussed, as are suggestions for integrating dynamic-adjustment and default-targeting accounts.

Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are commonly used as bone void fillers and to reinforce hardware in fracture repair. They are injectable, mouldable and self-setting in vivo, and in addition to being osteoconductive they can also be both bioactive and resorbable, which makes them interesting as bone regenerative biomaterials. The cement sets through a dissolution–precipitation process, and cement hardening occurs via the entanglement of the precipitated crystals. This type of setting reaction leads to an intricate microstructure, ranging from the nano- to the micrometre scale. Moreover, different types of porogens can be added to the cement paste, which changes the macrostructure of the hardened material. This chapter provides an overview of the structural organisation of CPCs at different length scales, which parameters influence it and also how this affects the characteristics of the cement. The structure and the porosity of the cement are dependent on the chemistry behind the setting reaction, as well as the size and size distribution of the starting powders, the choice of aqueous solution and the liquid-to-powder ratio. The structure of the cement, in turn, influences several important parameters of the cement. The microstructure can be correlated to the surface area, where a change in which affects both the resorbability and the bioactivity of the material. The mechanical properties of the cement can not only be strongly correlated to the structure and the porosity of the cement, but also to the efficacy of the crystal entanglement. Furthermore, CPCs can be used as drug delivery systems, where the structure of the cement influences both the amount of drug that can be loaded as well as the release rate.

Objective Sepsis is the leading cause of death in patients admitted to adult intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to determine the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in patients with sepsis in a large cohort. Methods This retrospective observational study used data from the eICU Collaborative Research Database. The prognostic value of RDW was investigated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, multiple logistic regression model, integrated discriminatory index (IDI), and net reclassification index (NRI). Results In total, 9743 patients were included. The area under the ROC curve of the RDW for predicting hospital mortality was 0.631 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.616–0.645). Based on the multiple logistic regression model, an RDW of ≥14.5% was correlated with hospital mortality, regardless of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) scores (odds ratio [OR]: 1.838, 95% CI: 1.598–2.119). Using SOFA and APACHE IV scores as reference, the IDI and continuous NRI of RDW for hospital mortality was about 0.3 and 0.014, respectively. Conclusions The RDW may be useful in predicting hospital mortality in patients with sepsis, offering extra prognostic value beyond SOFA and APACHE IV scores.