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Mn-Co mixed oxide (Mn a Co b O x ) catalysts were prepared by the precipitation method, and the effect of Mn/Co (atom) on their structural and catalytic performance for the solvent-free selective oxidation of cyclohexane with oxygen was investigated. The results showed that the atomic ratio of Mn/Co would affect the phase constitution, surface area, surface Mn valence states and the reducibility of the Mn a Co b O x catalysts. When the atomic ratio of Mn/Co in the catalyst is 0.6, the Mn 2 Co 3 O x catalyst behaved with excellent catalytic activity and stability, which should be attributed to its high specific surface area and the high atomic ratios of (Mn 4+ + Mn 3+ )/Mn and Co 3+ /Co on its surface. The effects of the preparation conditions for the Mn 2 Co 3 O x catalyst and the reaction conditions on the selective oxidation of cyclohexane over the Mn 2 Co 3 O x catalyst was tested. Under the reaction conditions of 0.5 MPa O 2 and 140 °C for 4 h, 10.4% conversion of cyclohexane and 62.0% selectivity to a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol (KA oil) were achieved. After this Mn 2 Co 3 O x catalyst was repeatedly used 10 times, the cyclohexane conversion and the selectivity to KA oil had hardly changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For low temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with ammonia, the highly effective Sm-Mn mixed oxide (Sm-Mn-O, the molar ratio Sm/Mn is 0.1) catalysts was developed. The effect of the calcination temperature on the structure, physicochemical and catalytic properties of the Sm-Mn-O catalysts was investigated in detail. The results showed that the Sm-Mn-O catalyst calcined at 450 °C exhibited the highest activity, and after been calcined at >550 °C its catalytic activity markedly decreased. With an increase in the calcination temperature, its surface area firstly increased and then decreased, and the poorly crystallized MnO 2 in Sm-Mn-O was transformed to highly crystalized Mn 2 O 3 phase. These changes influenced the adsorption ability of the Sm-Mn-O catalyst for NH 3 or NO + O 2 . After calcination at >550 °C, the contents of Mn 4+ and adsorbed oxygen (O S ) on the surface of Sm-Mn-O decreased obviously, resulting in the decrease in its catalytic properties for the NO oxidation and transformation of bridged nitrite to active intermediate of bidentate nitrate. Conversely, its catalytic activity for NH 3 oxidation was enhanced after being calcined at high temperature. These adverse factors cause the decrease in the SCR activities of Sm-Mn-O calcined at >550 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ce-doped MCM-48 (Ce-MCM-48) mesoporous molecular sieve was prepared hydrothermally and its surface was modified with organic groups or fluorine, and their physicochemical properties were characterized by XRD, low-temperature N 2 adsorption, TEM, UV–visible and FT-IR spectroscopies, XPS and contact angle measurement. The results indicated that Ce species were highly dispersed on the MCM-48 materials as Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ . After post-functionalization of Ce-MCM-48, the organic groups or fluorine species have been immobilized on the surface of Ce-MCM-48, but the chemical status of Ce species were hardly changed, and the post-functionalization improved the surface hydrophobicity of the Ce-MCM-48 sample. The catalytic activity testing for the oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen showed that, Ce-MCM-48 after post-functionalization exhibited the higher cyclohexane conversion and selectivity to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, 8.9% cyclohexane conversion with 91.2% selectivity to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol could be achieved over the Ce-MCM-48 with F-modified catalyst, which was attributed to the proper modification of their surface properties including hydrophobicity and polarity. The F-modified catalyst also showed excellent reusability, and its catalytic performance has no obvious deterioration after being repeatedly used five times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CHO-MCFs were prepared by post-synthetical functionalization of MCFs. [•] The aldehydepropyl groups were grafted successfully on the surface of CHO-MCFs. [•] The ultra-large 3D mesostructure of CHO-MCFs is beneficial for immobilization of PGA. [•] PGA immobilized covalently on CHO-MCFs increased the operational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] NH2-Fe3O4 nanoparticles were successfully grafted on the outer surface of AMCFs. [•] PGA molecules were mainly immobilized covalently on the inner surface of PAMCFs. [•] PGA/PAMCFs show higher initial activity and operational stability. [•] PGA/PAMCFs are easily recycled by the magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] PEMCFs with an open pore system were synthesized by a simple method. [•] PGA/PEMCFs shows the highest initial activity and operational stability. [•] PGA/PEMCFs is easily recycled by the aid of magnet. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Supported Ag-based bimetallic catalysts with low Ag loading of 3.0wt%, prepared by the surfactant-protected colloidal method, were investigated for the epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen and characterized by UV–vis, XRD, TEM, XPS, and H2-TPR. Ag–Cu/BaCO3 bimetallic catalyst exhibits better catalytic performance, governed by the molar ratio of Ag/Cu, than other supported Ag-based bimetallic catalysts and monometallic catalysts for the epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen. The highest propylene oxide selectivity of 55.1% and the propylene conversion of 3.6% were achieved over Ag95–Cu5/BaCO3 bimetallic catalyst. XRD and TEM results show that a small quantity of Cu can effectively regulate the size of Ag crystallites to restrain their agglomeration. XPS results indicate that the presence of Cu can withdraw electrons from nearby Ag and thus make Ag electropositive, which is beneficial to produce more active sites where electrophilic oxygen species can be absorbed to increase the propylene oxide selectivity. H2-TPR results show that the reactivity and the amount of the oxygen species adsorbed on Ag surface can be regulated by the synergistic effect between Ag and Cu, which plays an important role in increasing the propylene oxide selectivity and the propylene conversion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cu–CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst, prepared by co-precipitation method, was investigated for the gas-phase hydrogenation of maleic anhydride (MA) to γ-butyrolactone (GBL) at atmospheric pressure and the catalyst deactivation was also studied. Effects of catalyst composition, reaction temperature, and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of raw material on the catalytic performance of Cu–CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst were investigated. The catalyst (molar ratio of Cu:Ce:Al=1:1:2) showed better catalytic performance, in which both the conversion of MA and the selectivity of GBL kept 100% within two hours under the reaction conditions of 6mL catalyst, 0.1MPa, 220–280°C, 30mLmin−1 H2, 0.6h−1 LHSV of 20wt.% MA/GBL. As for Cu–CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst, smaller crystallite size of Cu and higher Cu surface area are favorable to increase its catalytic performance. The deactivation of Cu–CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst is due to formation of the compact wax-like deposition on the catalyst surface, which is probably ascribed to the strong adsorption of succinic anhydride and then polymerization on the catalyst surface. The catalytic performance of the regenerated catalyst can be recovered completely by the regeneration method of N2–air–H2 stage treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, different organic group-functionalized mesoporous ethanesilicas have been synthesized by the co-condensation of 1,2-bis-(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTEE) and organosilanes under basic conditions, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a template. High quality mesoporous materials were obtained with MCM-41-type structure. But the employing of different organic groups, such as vinyl, aminopropyl, glycidoxypropyl, mercaptopropyl, leads to different morphologies. The ratio of organosilane to BTEE also affects the mesostructures and morphologies of the final materials. Using the similar method, Ce-doped mesoporous ethanesilica was also obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Pd state transfers from Pd4+ to PdO with increasing CeO 2 calcination temperature. • C 3 H 8 and CO oxidation show reversed activity trend with Pd state transformation. • NO conversion in low temperature correlates to CO oxidation and NO adsorption. • PdO promotes C 3 H 8 activation and reaction with NO 3 –/ NO 2 – in high temperature. To investigate the correlation of activity and chemical state of Pd species in the three-way catalytic reaction, the supported Pd catalysts were prepared by using CeO 2 calcined at different temperatures as supports. It turned out that the chemical state of Pd could severely affect the catalytic activity of Pd/CeO 2 , which depended on the CeO 2 properties and the interaction between Pd and CeO 2. With increasing CeO 2 calcination temperature from 500 to 1200 °C, the state of Pd gradually transferred from Pd4+ as Pd x Ce 1-x O 2-σ to Pd2+ as PdO due to the decreased interaction between Pd and CeO 2. Meanwhile, the TOFs of C 3 H 8 oxidation linearly increased and the TOFs of CO oxidation showed a reversed trend, demonstrating the active states of Pd in C 3 H 8 and CO oxidation were different. NO conversion was correlated to the activity of CO oxidation in low-temperature zone and C 3 H 8 oxidation in high-temperature zone during the three-way catalytic reaction. Among them, Pd/CeO 2 (500) showed the highest CO oxidation activity and low-temperature NO conversion due to the enhanced adsorption ability of CO and NO. The existence of PdO on the surface of high-temperature calcined CeO 2 facilitated C 3 H 8 activation and reaction with surface nitrate/nitrite, which promoted NO conversion in high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CeZrO 4 support with κappa phase and large surface area was prepared successfully. • The Pd/κ-CZ catalyst exhibited an excellent activity for CH 4 combustion. • Smaller particle size and higher amount of active Pd sites are present on κ-CZ. • κ-CZ can prompt the redox cycle of active Pd sites during combustion reaction. Methane, one of the greenhouse gases, is controlled by the catalytic combustion that is the most efficient method. Herein, ceria-zirconia solid solutions (CeZrO 4) with high specific surface areas and different phases (κappa and tetragonal) were synthesized and then used to construct the supported Pd catalyst for methane combustion. Compared to the tetragonal CeZrO 4 support (t-CZ), the smaller particle sizes of PdO x and the higher amount of active PdO species are present on the κappa CeZrO 4 support (κ-CZ), leading to a higher ability of the Pd/κ-CZ catalyst for methane activation. More critically, the oxygen mobility of the Pd/κ-CZ catalyst is much higher than that of the Pd/t-CZ catalyst. Consequently, an excellent and stable redox cycle of PdO species is achieved on the Pd/κ-CZ catalyst compared to the Pd/t-CZ catalyst, prompting the oxidation of hydrocarbon fragments. These two factors result into a superior catalytic activity of the Pd/κ-CZ catalyst for methane combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sn y Mn 1- y O x composite oxide catalysts were prepared by a co-precipitation method. • Addition of Sn enhances the specific surface area and improves surface properties. • Presence of Sn-Mn-O solid solution increases the redox property and surface acidity. • Sn 0.6 Mn 0.4 O x catalyst shows the best catalytic performance for VC abatement. • Sn 0.6 Mn 0.4 O x catalyst exhibits excellent resistance ability to Cl poisoning and water. A series of Sn y Mn 1- y O x composite oxide catalysts with different Sn/Mn molar ratios (y = 1.0, 0.8, 0.6, 0.3 and 0) were prepared by a co-precipitation method. The catalysts were investigated for the catalytic combustion of vinyl chloride (VC), which is a typical chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC). It is found that the existence of Sn-Mn-O solid solution structure over Sn y Mn 1- y O x catalysts can increase the specific surface area and tune the valence state of Mn and the surface properties. As a result, the redox property and the ability of adsorbing oxygen species of Sn y Mn 1- y O x catalysts are enhanced. Meanwhile, more weak and medium acid sites are present on the catalyst surface. Under the synergetic effects of these above-mentioned factors, the catalytic activity of Sn y Mn 1- y O x catalyst for VC oxidation is significantly improved compared with pure SnO x and MnO x catalysts. Moreover, the Sn/Mn molar ratio significantly affects the catalytic activity of Sn y Mn 1- y O x catalysts, among which Sn 0.6 Mn 0.4 O x catalyst possesses the best catalytic activity and excellent resistance to Cl poisoning and water-resisting ability. It can retain VC conversion of 100% without any chlorinated byproducts for 100 h at the reaction temperature of 340 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening aortopathy with no specific pharmacological therapy. Ubiquitination, a highly orchestrated enzymatic cascade involving sequential E1-E2-E3 interactions, is suggested to contribute to the disease pathogenesis. However, the specific role of E1 enzymes in AD progression remains unknown. In this study, we analyzed the aortic transcriptional profiles of a human ascending dissection dataset (GSE52093) and identified ubiquitin-like modifier-activating enzyme 1 (UBA1) as a significantly up-regulated E1 enzyme in human AD. This finding was further corroborated by immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR in a mouse model of AD induced by β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN). Treatment of TAK-243, a specific UBA1 inhibitor, prevented BAPN-induced AD formation in mice and attenuated aortic medial degeneration, as evidenced by decreased elastin fragmentation (evaluated by EVG scoring), reduced vascular smooth muscle cell loss (visualized by α-SMA immunohistochemistry), and less extracellular matrix degradation (indicated by diminished MMP2 and MMP9 expression in immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR). Furthermore, TAK-243 treatment attenuated lesional macrophage accumulation and activation, as demonstrated by CD68 immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR analysis of aortic pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. In vitro, UBA1 activation was observed in macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) treated with angiotensin II (AngII), and TAK-243 significantly reduced AngII-induced macrophage activation, at least partially through the inhibition of IκBα and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation. In conclusion, we demonstrate that UBA1 may facilitate AD progression by promoting macrophage activation via the NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings reveal a pathogenic role for the E1 enzyme UBA1 in AD and show a pharmacological potential of UBA1-targeted therapy against this disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Previous research on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning has predominantly focused on negative emotions such as anxiety and boredom, neglecting positive emotions. Self-regulation, a cognitive factor, has emerged as a key construct of positive psychology in recent years. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which positive emotions influence EFL performance, especially through cognitive factors. Given the high-stakes nature of Chinese college entrance examination and Chinese culture's value on effort, Chinese senior high school students may experience distinct EFL emotions. Therefore, this study, based on the control-value theory (CVT), explored the potential mediating role of self-regulatory capacity (boredom, awareness, goal, and emotion controls) in the relationship between the three focal positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, and pride) and EFL performance among Chinese senior high school students. A paper-and-pencil questionnaire survey was administered to 330 Chinese third-year senior high school students (male: n = 159; female: n = 171). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis with SPSS 26 and PROCESS V3.3. The results indicated that the students reported low levels of enjoyment and pride, moderate levels of hope, low levels of awareness, goal, and emotion controls, and moderate levels of boredom control. The results also revealed significant and large associations among the three positive emotions, the four components of self-regulatory capacity, and EFL performance. Furthermore, the results suggested that self-regulatory capacity partially mediated the effect of positive emotions on EFL performance, supporting the CVT framework. The study concluded with implications for educators and suggestions for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fragment-based drug design is an emerging technology in pharmaceutical research and development. One of the key aspects of this technology is the identification and quantitative characterization of molecular fragments. This study presents a strategy for identifying important molecular fragments based on molecular fingerprints and decision tree algorithms and verifies its feasibility in predicting protein-ligand binding affinity. Specifically, the three-dimensional (3D) structures of protein-ligand complexes are encoded using extended-connectivity fingerprints (ECFP), and three decision tree models, namely Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM, are used to quantitatively characterize the feature importance, thereby extracting important molecular fragments with high reliability. Few-shot learning reveals that the extracted molecular fragments contribute significantly and consistently to the binding affinity even with a small sample size. Despite the absence of location and distance information for molecular fragments in ECFP, 3D visualization, in combination with the reverse ECFP process, shows that the majority of the extracted fragments are located at the binding interface of the protein and the ligand. This alignment with the distance constraints critical for binding affinity further supports the reliability of the strategy for identifying important molecular fragments., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background Subclinical atrial fibrillation (SCAF) is often asymptomatic nonetheless harmful. In patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices, we evaluated the combined performance of homocysteine and uric acid (UA) biomarkers to discriminate high-risk patients for SCAF. Methods and Results We enrolled 1224 consecutive patients for evaluation of SCAF in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices in Dalian, China, between January 2013 and December 2019. Clinical data and blood samples were obtained from patients selected according to the absence or presence of atrial high-rate episodes >6 minutes. Blood samples were obtained, and homocysteine and UA biomarkers were tested in all patients to distinguish their prognostic performance for SCAF. Homocysteine and UA biomarkers were significantly different in SCAF versus no SCAF. On multivariable Cox regression analysis with potential confounders, elevated homocysteine and UA biomarkers were significantly associated with an increased risk of SCAF. A rise of 1 SD in homocysteine (5.7 μmol/L) was associated with an increased risk of SCAF in men and women regardless of their UA levels. Similarly, a 1-SD increase in UA (91 μmol/L) was associated with an increased risk of SCAF among the patients with high levels of homocysteine in men (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.43-2.30) and women (hazard ratio, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.69-2.62). The addition of homocysteine and UA to the atrial fibrillation risk factors recommended by the 2020 European Society of Cardiology Guidelines significantly improved risk discrimination for SCAF. Conclusions Homocysteine and UA biomarkers were strongly associated with SCAF. The prediction performance of the European Society of Cardiology model for SCAF was increased by the addition of the selected biomarkers. Registration URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn; Unique identifier: Chi-CTR200003837.

Compressible energy devices have received increasing attention with the rapid development of flexible electronics and wearable devices due to their size adaptability and functional stability. However, it is hard to simultaneously achieve satisfactory energy density and mechanical stability for electrodes. Here an open-porous dual network sponge (DNS) with two networks of highly conductive carbon nanotubes and Li + -intercalating TiO 2 -B nanowires is synthesized and employed as compressible lithium ion battery electrodes. All 1D components inside the DNS mutually penetrate with each other to form two physically distinct but functionally coupling networks, endowing DNS excellent compressibility and stability. A prototype compressible lithium-ion battery (C-LIB) is also demonstrated, in which the DNS exhibits a specific capacity of >238 mAh g -1 under static 50% strain, and further in situ measurements show that under 1000 times of cyclic strains, DNS can charge and discharge normally maintaining a high capacity of 240 mAh g -1 and exhibits robustness to fast strain rates up to 500% min -1 . The dual network structure can be extended to design high-performance compliant electrodes that are promising to serve in future compressible and deformable electronics and energy systems., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Acquired long QT syndrome (aLQTS) is often associated with poor clinical outcomes., Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the important predictors of all-cause mortality of aLQTS patients by applying both random survival forest (RSF) and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) analyses., Methods: Clinical characteristics and manually measured electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters were initially entered into the RSF model. Subsequently, latent variables identified using NMF were entered into the RSF as additional variables. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality., Results: A total of 327 aLQTS patients were included. The RSF model identified 16 predictive factors with positive variable importance values: cancer, potassium, RR interval, calcium, age, JT interval, diabetes mellitus, QRS duration, QTp interval, chronic kidney disease, QTc interval, hypertension, QT interval, female, JTc interval, and cerebral hemorrhage. Increasing the number of latent features between ECG indices, which incorporated from n = 0 to n = 4 by NMF, maximally improved the prediction ability of the RSF-NMF model (C-statistic 0.77 vs 0.89)., Conclusion: Cancer and serum potassium and calcium levels can predict all-cause mortality of aLQTS patients, as can ECG indicators including JTc and QRS. The present RSF-NMF model significantly improved mortality prediction., (Copyright © 2020 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A direct Z scheme g-C 3 N x /Bi 2 WO 6 heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic performances were successfully prepared through nitrogen defect mediated method. HRTEM analyses illustrate Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles are closely bonded with the g-C 3 N x -0.05 nanosheets to form the g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 heterogeneous structures. An outstanding visible light absorption ability is shown in the g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 hybrid, which combines both the light absorption advantages of g-C 3 N x -0.05 and Bi 2 WO 6 together. In comparison with other photocatalysts the nitrogen defect mediated g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 hybrid shows the best photocatalytic properties, whose degradation efficiency can reach 83%. PL results indicate that an obvious larger amount of ·OH radical is produced on the g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 surface in the photocatalytic process. In the nitrogen defect mediated g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 the binding energies of C and N shift positively to the larger binding energy and the Bi, W and O elements shift negatively compared with that of the pristine g-C 3 N x -0.05 and Bi 2 WO 6 . The MS results show the g-C 3 N x -0.05 has a more negative E f than that of Bi 2 WO 6 . All the experimental results support the direct Z scheme charge transfer mechanism proposed in the g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 photocatalyst. The developing of direct Z scheme g-C 3 N x -0.05/Bi 2 WO 6 hybrid with excellent photocatalytic performance through defect mediated method shows great potential for more photocatalytic fields., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tailoring the interfaces between active metal centers and supporting materials is an efficient strategy to obtain a superior catalyst for a certain reaction. Herein, an active interface between Ru and CeO 2 was identified and constructed by adjusting the morphology of CeO 2 support, such as rods (R), cubes (C), and octahedra (O), to optimize both the activity and the stability of Ru/CeO 2 catalyst for propane combustion. We found that the morphology of CeO 2 support does not significantly affect the chemical states of Ru species but controls the interaction between the Ru and CeO 2 , leading to the tuning of oxygen vacancy in the CeO 2 surface around the Ru-CeO 2 interface. The Ru/CeO 2 catalyst possesses more oxygen vacancy when CeO 2 -R with predominantly exposed CeO 2 {110} surface facets is used, providing a higher ability to adsorb and activate oxygen and propane. As a result, the Ru/CeO 2 -R catalyst exhibits higher catalytic activity and stability for propane combustion compared with the Ru/CeO 2 -C and Ru/CeO 2 -O catalysts. This work highlights a new strategy for the design of efficient metal/CeO 2 catalysts by engineering morphology and associated surface facet of CeO 2 support for the elimination of light alkane pollutants and other volatile organic compounds.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are next-generation energy storage systems with high energy density, and the rate performance is a very important consideration for practical applications. Recent approaches such as introducing catalytic materials to facilitate polysulfide conversion have been explored, yet the results remain unsatisfactory. Here, we present an optimized Li-S electrode featured by a large amount of highly dispersed Co 3 S 4 nanoparticles (∼10 nm in size) throughout a hierarchical carbon nanostructure hybridized from ZIF-67 and carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge. This enables homogeneous distribution and close contact between infiltrated sulfur and Co 3 S 4 nanoparticles within the ZIF-67-derived N-doped carbon nanocubes, leading to effective chemical interaction with polysulfides, maximum catalytic effect and enhanced lithium ion diffusion, while the built-in three-dimensional CNT network ensures high electrical conductivity of the electrode. As a consequence, the Li-S battery exhibits both extraordinary rate performance by maintaining a capacity of ∼850 mAh g -1 at very high charge/discharge rate (5 C) and long-term cycling stability with 85% retention after 1000 cycles at 5 C (an average capacity fading rate of only 0.0137% per cycle).

Heterogeneous nanostructuring of MoSe 2 over a carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge as a free-standing electrode not only brings higher performance but also eliminates the need for dead elements such as a binder, conductive carbon, and supportive current collectors. Further, the porous CNT sponge can be easily compacted via an intense densification of the active material MoSe 2 to produce an electrode with a high mass loading for a significantly improved areal capacity. In this work, we present a tunable coating of MoSe 2 on a CNT sponge to fabricate a core-shell MoSe 2 @CNT anode. The three-dimensional nanotubular sponge is synthesized via a solvothermal process, followed by thermal annealing to improve crystallization. Structural and morphological studies revealed that MoSe 2 grew as a layered structure ( d = 0.66 nm), where numbers of layers can be controlled to yield optimized results for Li + storage. We showed that the 10-layer core-shell CNT@MoSe 2 hybrid sponge delivered a discharge capacity of 820.5 mAh g -1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g -1 with a high cyclic stability and rate capability. Further, an ex situ structural and morphological analysis revealed that ionic storage causes a phase change in MoSe 2 from a crystalline to a partial amorphous state for a continuous increase in the capacity with extended cycling. We believe that the strategy developed here will assist users to tune the electrode materials for future energy-storage devices, especially how the materials are changing with the passage of time and their effects on the device performance.

Objective: To observe the difference in the therapeutic effects on infantile herpetic angina among the treatments with western medication, acupuncture and the combined therapy of acupuncture and western medication., Methods: One hundred and twenty children of herpetic angina were randomized into a western medication group, an acupuncture group and a combined therapy group, 40 cases in each one. Besides the basic treatment with symptomatic support, in the western medication group, ribavirin granules were prescribed for oral administration, 10 mg/kga day, three times a day, for 3 days. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Xiaguan (ST 7), Jiache (ST 6), Dicang (ST 4), Shaoshang (LU 11) and Shangyang (LI 1), once a day, for 3 days. In the combined therapy group, the treatments as the western medication group and the acupuncture group were used, in which, the oral administration with ribavirin granules and acupuncture were adopted for 3 days. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared after treatment and the follow-up visit was conducted since the 4th day at the end of treatment to compare the antifebrile time, herpes relieving time and the use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid in the children among the three groups., Results: After treatment, the total effective rate was 95.0% (39/40) in the combined therapy group, was 62.5% (25/40) in the western medication group and was 80.0% (32/40) in the acupuncture group. The result in the combined therapy group was better than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant differences (both P <0.05). The antifebrile time and the herpetic relief time in the combined therapy group were earlier than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant differences (both P <0.05). The use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid in the combined therapy group was lower than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group, indicating the significant difference (both P <0.05)., Conclusions: The combined therapy with acupuncture and western medication relieve fever and herpes much more quickly and reduces the use frequency of ibuprofen oral liquid as compared with the simple use of acupuncture or western medication in the treatment of infantile herpetic angina, which achieve the much better therapeutic effects.

It is largely unknown how invading autoreactive T cells initiate the pathogenic process inside the diseased organ in organ-specific autoimmune diseases. In experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) induced by uveitogenic, interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP)-specific T cells (tEAU) in mice, we have previously reported that high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) released as a consequence of the direct interaction between IRBP-specific T cells and retinal parenchymal cells is an early and critical mediator in induction of intraocular inflammation. Our present study explored the roles of HMGB1 in intraocular inflammation, focusing on its role in recruiting inflammatory cells into the eye. Our results showed that supernatants from retinal explants either stimulated with HMGB1 or cocultured with IRBP-specific T cells attracted leukocytes. Notably, HMGB1 antagonists blocked supernatant-induced chemoattraction when present from the start of coculture, but not when added to the culture supernatants after coculture, indicating that molecules released by HMGB1-treated retinal cells are chemoattractive. Moreover, CXCL12 levels in the coculture supernatants were dependent on HMGB1, since they were increased in the cocultures and reduced when HMGB1 antagonists were added at the beginning of the coculture. When either anti-CXCL12 Ab was added to the supernatants after coculture or the responding lymphocytes were pretreated with Ab against CXCL12 specific receptor, CXCR4, chemoattraction by the coculture supernatants was decreased. Finally, induction of tEAU was significantly inhibited by a CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, at the time of autoreactive T cell transfer. Our study demonstrates that, at a very early stage of intraocular inflammation initiated by uveitogenic autoreactive T cells, synergism between HMGB1 and CXCL12 is crucial for the infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Heterogeneous inorganic nanotube structures consisting of multiwalled carbon nanotubes coated by long, continuous MoS 2 sheets with tunable sheet number are synthesized using a carbon-nanotube sponge as a template. The resulting 3D porous hybrid sponges have potential applications as high-performance freestanding anodes for Li-ion batteries with excellent specific capacity and cycling stability., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Five new alkaloids, including three 19,20-epoxytubotaiwine stereoisomers, viz. kopsiyunnanines F1 (1), F2 (2), and F3 (3), (Z)-isocondylocarpine (4), and (Z)-isocondylocarpine N-oxide (5), along with five known tubotaiwine-type indole alkaloids were isolated from the aerial part of Yunnan Kopsia arborea Blume (Apocynaceae). Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical means.