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Within cell plasma membranes, unsaturated lipids are asymmetrically distributed over the inner and outer leaflets, offering an attractive local structural feature. However, the mechanism to keep lipid transmembrane asymmetry and the closely related transmembrane movement (flip-flop) for unsaturated lipids remain poorly understood. Here, we applied sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy to investigate this lipid transmembrane asymmetry upon mimicking the cell membrane homeostatic processes. On the one hand, unsaturated lipids were found to hinder the flip-flop process and preserve lipid transmembrane asymmetry in model cell membranes, owing to the steric hindrance caused by their bent tails. On the other hand, local unsaturated lipids in the mixed unsaturated/saturated lipid bilayer were conducive to the formation of the local asymmetry. Therefore, lipid unsaturation can be recognized as an intrinsic key factor to form and maintain lipid transmembrane asymmetry in cell membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of the 316 L stainless steel (SS) is limited by its relatively low wear resistance, insufficient strength, and poor corrosion resistance in special environments. To this end, effects of Mo particles addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316 L SS are investigated in this study. The results show that the addition of Mo particles from 0 wt.% to 10 wt.% can modify the crystal orientation and improve the strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of LPBF 316 L SSs. Particularly, the LPBF 316 L SS forms a biphasic structure with a similar ratio of α-Fe to γ-Fe with 5 wt.% Mo addition. As a result, the corresponding samples possess both the excellent toughness of austenitic SSs and the high strength and corrosion resistance of ferrite SSs, which reaches a high tensile strength of about 830 MPa, together with a low friction coefficient of 0.421 μ. Since the Mo particles addition is beneficial to increase the content of Cr2O3 on the samples surface from 13.48% to 22.68%, the corrosion current density of 316 L SS decreases by two orders of magnitude from 569 nA to 6 nA, while the mechanical properties remain favorable. This study is expected to serve as a reference for the preparation of LPBF SSs with excellent integrated performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel flow control scheme characterized by active suction through the structured porous surfaces on the side-walls of a square cylinder is introduced and experimentally investigated to control the shear-layer separation and dynamic wake flows. The Reynolds number (Re) is about 1.05 × 104, given the incoming flow speed and diameter of the square cylinder test model. 55 pores are regularly arranged on the top and bottom side-walls of the square cylinder to form communicating channels for the distributed suction flow. In the wind tunnel experiment, a high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) system is used to measure the flow field, and then a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method is adopted to obtain dynamic patterns of the wake flow. The experimental results demonstrated that the control effects are closely related with the dimensionless suction momentum coefficient C μ. As C μ increases to 0.0197 and 0.0338, the unsteady wake of the square cylinder is significantly attenuated and the process of flow separation is notably restrained. It is shown that distributed suction through side-walls effectively controls the unsteady shear-layer separation and wake flows of the square cylinder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow carbon nanocages (HCNCs) consisting of sp2 carbon shells featured by a hollow interior cavity with defective microchannels (or customized mesopores) across the carbon shells, high specific surface area, and tunable electronic structure, are quilt different from the other nanocarbons such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. These structural and morphological characteristics make HCNCs a new platform for advanced electrochemical energy storage and conversion. This review focuses on the controllable preparation, structural regulation, and modification of HCNCs, as well as their electrochemical functions and applications as energy storage materials and electrocatalytic conversion materials. The metal single atoms-functionalized structures and electrochemical properties of HCNCs are summarized systematically and deeply. The research challenges and trends are also envisaged for deepening and extending the study and application of this hollow carbon material. The development of multifunctional carbon-based composite nanocages provides a new idea and method for improving the energy density, power density, and volume performance of electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) can cause nerve paralysis syndrome in mammals and other vertebrates. BoNTs are the most toxic biotoxins known and are classified as Class A biological warfare agents. BoNTs are mainly divided into seven serotypes A-G and new neurotoxins BoNT/H and BoNT/X, which have similar functions. BoNT proteins are 150 kDa polypeptide consisting of two chains and three domains: the light chain (L, catalytic domain, 50 kDa) and the heavy chain (H, 100 kDa), which can be divided into an N-terminal membrane translocation domain (HN, 50 kDa) and a C-terminal receptor binding domain (Hc, 50 kDa). In current study, we explored the immunoprotective efficacy of each functional molecule of BoNT/F and the biological characteristics of the light chain-heavy N-terminal domain (FL-HN). The two structure forms of FL-HN (i.e., FL-HN-SC: single chain FL-HN and FL-HN-DC: di-chain FL-HN) were developed and identified. FL-HN-SC could cleave the vesicle associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) substrate protein in vitro as FL-HN-DC or FL. While only FL-HN-DC had neurotoxicity and could enter neuro-2a cells to cleave VAMP2. Our results showed that the FL-HN-SC had a better immune protection effect than the Hc of BoNT/F (FHc), which indicated that L-HN-SC, as an antigen, provided the strongest protective effects against BoNT/F among all the tested functional molecules. Further in-depth research on the different molecular forms of FL-HN suggested that there were some important antibody epitopes at the L-HN junction of BoNT/F. Thus, FL-HN-SC could be used as a subunit vaccine to replace the FHc subunit vaccine and/or toxoid vaccine, and to develop antibody immune molecules targeting L and HN domains rather than the FHc domain. FL-HN-DC could be used as a new functional molecule to evaluate and explore the structure and activity of toxin molecules. Further exploration of the biological activity and molecular mechanism of the functional FL-HN or BoNT/F is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latest progress in SACs prepared by mechanical ball milling strategy and versatile heterogeneous catalysis applications of (including thermocatalysis, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis) are summarized. [Display omitted] A mechanochemical ball milling process will spontaneously generate strong shear force and a high local temperature, which will reconstruct the chemical bonds of materials and renovate the surface chemistry characteristics. The ball milling method is a simple and robust strategy to large scale synthesize nanomaterials, and it can also be used to synthesize single atom catalysts (SACs). In this review, we systematically summarized the methodology and principle of ball milling strategy for the preparation of SACs for the first time, which include the solvent-assisted ball-milling strategy, solvent-free ball-milling strategy, and ball-milling abrasion-thermal atomization joint strategy. At the same time, we also summarized the latest progress in heterogeneous catalysis applications of SACs prepared by mechanical ball milling strategy (including thermocatalysis, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis). The challenges and prospects of the ball milling-derived SACs in practical industrial production and application are pointed out as well. Admittedly, the mechanochemical construction of SACs has become a hot research field in sub-nanometer manufacturing and heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expressive art therapy, which originated from art therapy, uses visual art as a carrier and plays a complementary role in clinical medicine and psychological medicine in the healing process of mentally ill patients. With the rapid development of science and technology, expressive art therapy has also entered the field of technology-oriented virtual reality. This study aims to summarize the clinical psychology research of expressive art therapy based on virtual reality, to review the current state of the field, in order to provide detailed scientific research evidence summary for relevant content and complete knowledge reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Defective MnCo-LDH nanoflowers is obtained by simple hydrothermal method. • The MnCo-LDH shows well 3D nanostructure and bimetallic defective vacancy. • The activity of MnCo-LDH is excellent as HER and OER bifunctional catalysts. • The MnCo-LDH show high catalytic activity and stability in potential application. Manganese-cobalt layered double hydroxide (MnCo-LDH) is a kind of layered bimetallic hydroxide with good catalytic performance and stability for water decomposition. In this paper, a series of defective MnCo-LDH materials with different Mn/Co molar ratio was prepared by hydrothermal method. The results show that the MnCo-nanoflowers containing Mn and Co elements are successfully prepared, and all of them contain N, O, Mn and Co elements. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic performance of Co vacancy (V Co)-MnCo-LDH is better than that of commercial electrode Pt/C, and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic performance of Mn vacancy (V Mn)-MnCo-LDH is better than that of commercial electrode RuO 2. Two-electrode overall water splitting (OWS) test showed that the overpotential required by V Mn -MnCo-LDH/NF||V Co -MnCo-LDH/NF and Pt/C/NF||RuO 2 /NF were 1.56 V and 1.72 V respectively at the current density of 10 mA cm−2, and the catalytic activity of the prepared defective MnCo-LDH is excellent bifunctional electrocatalysts for both HER and OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unique geometric characteristics and electronic structure of hierarchical 3D nanosheets, they show excellent electron migration rate, ultra‐high specific surface area, and reliable structural stability. Therefore, 3D nanosheets have great application prospects in the field of electrochemical energy storage. Supercapacitor has attracted extensive attention in recent years due to its merits of fast charge and discharge, long cycle life, safety, and stability. Flexibility, miniaturization, and intelligent integration are the development direction of supercapacitor energy storage devices. The emerging 3D printing technology, especially the ink direct writing mode, has greatly improved the design ability and control accuracy of device microstructures. Based on the research progress of 3D graphene nanosheets and 3D MXene nanosheets in the early stage of the authors' or other teams, this paper proposes to use advanced 3D printing technology to realize the design of flexible all solid‐state supercapacitors by using 3D nanosheets active materials with high specific capacitance. The design methods of interdigital electrodes, multilayer skeleton electrodes and fiber electrodes by 3D printing technology and the performance evaluation of flexible supercapacitor are systematically analyzed. This perspective review aims to provide new conception and theoretical guidance for the design, preparation, and performance optimization of 3D nanosheets‐built materials by 3D printing for the practical application of flexible all‐solid‐state supercapacitor in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the sex differences in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to ischemic stroke (IS) by year, location and age. We extracted sex-specific data on DALYs number, age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) and all-age DALYs rate of IS by year, location and age from the Global Burden of Diseases study 2019. The estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) were calculated to evaluate the temporal trend of ASDR. For both sexes, although the ASDR of IS slightly decreased from 1990 to 2019, there has been an 60.3% increase in DALYs number worldwide. Sex difference in DALYs number (men minus women) decreased from − 2.83 million in 1990 to 0.14 million in 2019, while the men to women's ASDR ratio slightly increased from 1.10 in 1990 to 1.21 in 2019. The sex differences in IS DALYs showed remarkable regional variation. The largest sex differences in DALYs number and ASDR were in China and Vietnam. Middle-aged men had a higher IS DALYs than their age-matched counterparts. High systolic blood pressure accounted for the highest DALYs number in 2019, but the top three attributable risk factors that had the greatest sex differences were tobacco, dietary risk, and alcohol use. Sex differences in IS DALYs varied by year, location and age, mostly attributed to the disproportion of cardiovascular risk factors between sexes. Considering the population growth and aging, it is necessary to monitor the sex difference in IS DALYs in different populations and thus provide evidence for local administration to improve current preventive and management strategies of IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopant‐free hole‐transporting layers (HTLs) are highly desired for realizing efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PVSCs), but only very few of them can enable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) over 20%. Herein, two imide‐functionalized triarylamine‐based donor‐acceptor (D‐A) type copolymers, PBTI‐TPA and PTTI‐TPA, are developed and applied as dopant‐free HTLs in inverted PVSCs. The combination of a classic redox‐active triphenylamine donor unit and an electron‐withdrawing oligothiophene imide co‐unit with rigid and planar backbone furnishes the two polymers with quasi‐planar backbone, suitable frontier molecular orbital (FMO) energy levels, favorable thermal stability, appropriate film morphology, and passivation effect. More importantly, the greatly improved hole mobility renders them as promising HTLs for PVSCs. As a result, the undoped PTTI‐TPA‐based inverted PVSCs deliver a remarkable PCE up to 21% as well as negligible hysteresis and substantial long‐term stability, outperforming the devices based on PBTI‐TPA and PTAA. The performance also represents one of the highest PCEs reported to date for PVSCs based on dopant‐free polymeric HTLs. The results highlight the great potentials of oligothiophene imides for constructing donor‐acceptor polymeric HTLs for enabling high‐performance dopant‐free PVSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal–organic framework, UiO-66-NH2, was designed, synthesized and characterized in this study. By conducting solvothermal method, Salicylaldehyde (Sal) and 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (MHBA) were grafted onto UiO-66-NH2 via post-treatment to obtain the functionalized material UiO-66-Sal and UiO-66-MHBA. The three materials above were characterized, and the effects of solid–liquid ratio, pH, ionic strength, and oscillation time on U(VI) adsorption were studied. The relevant experimental results fitted well with pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and thermodynamic adsorption model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their exceptional mechanical characteristics and corrosion resistance, CoCrNi medium-entropy alloys have been the subject of increasing interest in recent years. In this study, CoCrNi medium entropy alloys strengthened with iron-based amorphous materials were fabricated using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology, with established gradients at 0, 3, 5, and 7 wt%. At room temperature, the yield strength and hardness of the CoCrNi-5MG specimen showed marked improvements of 27.5 % and 34.7 % respectively, compared to its pure CoCrNi counterpart, while still preserving a considerable fracture elongation of 24 %. Under low-temperature conditions, all samples prepared via Selective Laser Melting (SLM) demonstrated significant improvements in yield strength and fracture plasticity. Furthermore, the CoCrNi samples doped with iron-based amorphous material exhibited superior low-temperature performance, with the increase in plasticity exceeding that of the Pure CoCrNi samples compared to room temperature conditions. Importantly, an increase in the content of iron-based amorphous material resulted in a decrease in the corrosion current density, thereby noticeably enhancing corrosion resistance. Our study proposes an innovative approach to enhancing the strength and corrosion resistance of CoCrNi medium-entropy alloys. This is achieved by incorporating iron-based amorphous materials during the SLM preparation process, thereby providing a new avenue for optimizing its properties. • CoCrNi MEAs with iron-based amorphous material were fabricated by SLM, enhancing mechanical properties. • CoCrNi-5MG enhanced hardness and yield strength by 34.7% and 27.5% over pure CoCrNi, while maintaining good plasticity. • CoCrNi alloys doped with iron-based amorphous elevate low-temp mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hastelloy X is widely used in aerospace because of its excellent high-temperature performance. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) can be used to manufacture Hastelloy X and its reinforced materials with more complex structures and better performance. In this study, Hastelloy X reinforced materials added Fe-based metallic glass powder was manufactured using LPBF, and four sequences of 0, 3, 5, and 7 wt%. The introduction of Fe-based metallic glass powder has exhibited notable improvements in the mechanical properties at room and high temperatures. At room temperature (RT), the 5 wt% reinforced material exhibited a larger increase in hardness, with a yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 856Mpa and 1081 MPa, and the reduction in elongation was only 9.6%. At high temperatures, introducing Fe-based metallic glass enhanced the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, and the elongation was greatly improved at 800 ℃. The enhancements are mainly due to the grain size refinement caused by the introduction of Fe-based metallic glass powder, which increases dislocation density and grain boundary strengthening. In addition, as the content of Fe-based metallic glass increased, the corrosion resistance of the samples was also improved due to increased Cr and W content and the refinement of grains. This study provides a new research direction for improving the properties of Hastelloy X. • The Hastelloy X and its reinforced materials added Fe-based metallic glass were fabricated via laser powder bed fusion. • The microstructure, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of HX, HX3, HX5, and HX7 were investigated. • The addition of Fe-based metallic glass refined the grain size and eliminated microcracks. • HX5 exhibited better comprehensive mechanical properties at both room and high temperatures. • The corrosion resistance improved with the increase in the content of Fe-based metallic glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinct annexin V binding behaviours in Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-independent cases were comparatively investigated using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. It was discovered that binding affected the molecular arrangement of both membrane leaflets, and the initial Ca2+-independent binding went through a transition with annexin V reorientation to a more stable state upon adding Ca2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient non-noble metal catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are particularly important in the practical applications of electrocatalytic water splitting (ECWS). Herein, based on a simple quasi chemical vapor deposition (Q-CVD) method, we fabricate a newly Ni 3 S 2 @3-D graphene free-standing electrode for efficient OER applications. The Ni 3 S 2 @3-D graphene integrates the advantageous features of 3-D graphene and Ni 3 S 2 towards OER, such as more interfacial catalytic sites, pore-rich structure, N-doped structure and good electrical conductivity. Benefiting from the favorable features, the Ni 3 S 2 @3-D graphene (especially 900 °C sample) exhibits excellent OER performances in alkaline medium, which includes a low on-set potential (1.53 V), low overpotential of 305 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, and a smaller Tafel slope (50 mV dec−1). This catalyst also shows ultrahigh stability after chronoamperometry response at 10 mA cm−2 for 48 h with 30% increase in the current density. The present work opens a new approach for the one-pot construction of hybrid materials between metal sulfide and graphene to increase the electrocatalytic activity of non-noble metal OER catalysts. • A 3D-GNs@Ni 3 S 2 free-standing electrode has been synthesized by a one-pot Q-CVD technique. • The electrode exhibits remarkable catalytic performance and stability toward OER. • It shows a low on-set potential of 1.53 V, low overpotential of 305 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. • The enhancement effect of graphene acts as dominant role for the high performance and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon materials have been proposed as promising catalytic materials for oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline water-electrolysis hydrogen production. In this study, newly graphene-like graphitized carbon nanocages and nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon nanotubes are controllably prepared by using Tween-20 as molecular precursor, Ni as graphitization catalyst and urea as nitrogen source. The as-prepared materials are characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The OER electrochemical performances are evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It is found that the nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon nanotubes have higher oxygen evolution activity, lower oxygen evolution overpotential and desirable electrochemical stability relative to graphitized carbon nanocages, demonstrating it is a promising catalytic material for OER in alkaline water-electrolysis hydrogen production. Nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon from molecular precursor is successfully fabricated as non-metal electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Unlabelled Image • Nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon nanotubes with controllable length are successfully prepared. • Tween-20 molecular precursor was used for rational design of nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon. • An efficient and low-cost carbon-powder-protection solid-phase synthesis strategy is proposed. • Synergistic effect between Ni-catalyzed graphitization and in-situ N doping with urea is proved. • The nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes exhibit favorable excellent activity and stability for OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary nickel cobalt iron layered double hydroxide nanosheet arrays are synthesized on nickel foam (NiCoFe-LDH/NF) and applied as an oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst. The oxidative etching and cation exchange caused by Fe-incorporating induce the change of morphology and the formation of Ni3+, thus increase the specific surface area and expose more active sites, finally greatly enhance the electrocatalytic OER performance. As a result, the Ni 2 CoFe 0.5 -LDH/NF electrode exhibits significantly enhanced oxygen evolution reaction performance with a small overpotential of 240 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1 as well as an excellent durability in alkaline conditions for 72 h. Especially, the overpotential of Ni 2 CoFe 0.5 -LDH/NF is only 269 mV and 291 mV at 50 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively. This work provides a good paradigm for the design and fabrication of ternary NiCoFe-based functional electrocatalysts, and demonstrates the great practical potential of the Ni 2 CoFe 0.5 -LDH/NF electrocatalyst in oxygen evolution reaction. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Corannulene-cored molecules acted as novel HTMs for inverted PSCs. • Excellent molecular/film properties offered a remarkable hole-transporting process. • Cor-SMePTPA-based PSC achieved a highest PCE of 21.7% with an excellent stability. • The molecular/film effects on photovoltaic parameters of the device were elucidated. Hole transporting materials (HTMs), owing to their unique bottom position in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), exert a considerable influence on the hole-transporting process and the morphology/performance of the perovskite layers. Considering the well-known interfacial problems associated with commonly-used NiO x and poly(triarylamine) HTMs in traditional inverted PSCs, there is an urgent need for exploring efficient HTMs exhibiting good film formability/processability and interfacial contact to meet the specific requirements of high-performance and stable inverted PSCs. Herein, we fabricated inverted PSCs involving two star-like, dopant-free, corannulene-cored HTMs with O-terminals (sym -penta(N, N -bis(4-methoxyphenyl)aniline)corannulene, namely Cor-OMePTPA) and S-terminals (sym -penta(N, N -bis(4-(methylthio)phenyl)aniline)corannulene, namely Cor-SMePTPA) for the first time. The Cor-SMePTPA HTM exhibited a stronger hole-transporting ability and a better interfacial chemical linkage when compared to the Cor-OMePTPA HTM. The device containing Cor-SMePTPA HTM delivered a power conversion efficiency of 21.70%, which was the highest among inverted PSCs based on methylthio (SMe)-terminated HTMs. Furthermore, comprehensive experimental and theoretical characterizations clearly showed that the core and outer terminals (O or S) affected the optoelectric and chemical properties of the HTMs as well as the photovoltaic performance and stability of the corresponding PSCs, highlighting the superiority of the design involving a corannulene core and SMe groups in HTMs for inverted PSCs. We believe that such dopant-free corannulene-cored HTMs can have considerable potential for realizing highly efficient and stable PSCs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gauze-like g-C 3 N 4 profited to narrow the gap between rod-like silver vanadate and improved its photocatalytic performance. • The degradation rate of antibiotics could reach 83.6% and the reaction rate constant could reach 0.0298 min−1. • A possible pathway of tetracycline degradation was proposed through GC–MS analysis. • The composite material has stable performance which is conducive to cost control. • Proposing a method with lower cost, better stability, more convenient operation and better degradation effect than before. The degradation of tetracycline by silver vanadate (AgVO 3), graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) and their composites was studied by visible light photocatalysis. Their structures and morphologies were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Their degradation intermediates were analyzed by GC–MS. Nanorod silver vanadate was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The results show that the gap between nanorods is reduced by adding spinning carbon nitride, and the photocatalytic performance of the composite is stronger than that of single material. The reaction rate constants of Ag-AgVO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composites were 0.0298 min−1, 2.4 and 2.0 times that of g-C 3 N 4 (K=0.0125 min-1) and AgVO 3 (K=0.0152 min-1), respectively. At 120 minutes, the degradation rate of the composites reached 83.6%. The degradation of tetracycline was confirmed by GC–MS, and a possible degradation process was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with non-noble metals are very critical for the large-scale exploitation of electrocatalytic hydrogen production systems. To improve the catalytic activity of OER electrocatalysts, several design strategies, such as construction of nanostructures, porous structures and composite materials have been proposed. Herein, spinel NiCo 2 O 4 3-D nanoflowers supported on graphene nanosheets (GNs) are prepared by a simple solvothermal synthesis method as non-noble metal electrocatalysts for OER. The present NiCo 2 O 4 /GNs composite integrates multiple advantages of nanostructures, porous structures and composite materials, including high surface area, abundant catalytic sites and high stability. Benefiting from the favorable features, the NiCo 2 O 4 /GNs composite exhibits a better OER performance than NiCo 2 O 4 and RuO 2 in alkaline medium, which has a low onset potential (1.50 V), a small Tafel slope (137 mV dec−1). The present work opens a new window for the construction of the carbon-supported 3-D nanostructure of transition metal catalysts with optimizable electrocatalytic performances for electrocatalytic hydrogen production. A composite catalyst of spinel NiCo 2 O 4 3-D nanoflowers/graphene nanosheets is successfully fabricated as non-noble metal electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Image 1 • 3-D hierarchical structure of NiCo 2 O 4 nanoflowers are fabricated on graphene nanosheets. • A convenient and efficient graphene-mediated solvothermal synthesis strategy is proposed. • Hierarchical NiCo 2 O 4 nanoflowers provide short paths for fast transfer of electrolyte ions. • Graphene nanosheet makes up for the defect of poor conductivity of NiCo 2 O 4 component. • The composite exhibits favorable catalytic performance and good stability toward the OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Highest nitrogen removal was achieved at 20 °C in the hybrid CANON reactor. • Performance was not always deteriorated with temperature reduction. • Activities of key enzymes were analyzed with temperature reduction. • The factors for maintaining nitrogen removal performance varied with temperature. Abstract Recently, a flocculent-granular hybrid reactor was reported as a novel nitrogen removal system; however, the mechanisms of stable operation in the system remain unclear. In this study, the mechanisms of the stable nitrogen removal performance in a flocculent-granular hybrid system were investigated with temperature reduction. The operational period was divided into three phases with different temperatures ranges. In phase I, the nitrogen removal efficiency was stabilized at about 90% with nitrogen removal load maintained at approximately 0.28 kg N/(m3·day). In phase II, while decreasing the temperature to 20 °C, the activities of key enzymes were reduced immediately and were then maintained at a certain level. The relative abundances of aerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria gradually increased at this phase. In phase III, after the temperature dropped to 15 °C, the activities of key enzymes gradually increased due to adaptation to low temperature, boosting the nitrogen removal efficiency to 83%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorescent dye aimed at sensitively detecting hypochlorite anion (ClO−) has been designed, synthesized and characterized. The probe is comprised of a BODIPY fluorophore unit and a ClO− specific reactive group of amidoxime. The addition of hypochlorite results in a red-shift of absorption and emission spectra of the probe accompanied by a decrease of intensity and spectra changes (A500 and 1/I512) of the probe can achieve a good linearity to the concentration of ClO−. The fluorescence probe can react to ClO− rapidly (within 60 s) in a wide pH range (4-10) with high sensitivity (detection limit of 6.81 μM) and selectivity. The reaction mechanism has been proposed and confirmed by MS analysis, ClO− anion oxidizes amidoxime moiety to hydroxyl group and hydroxyl group is further oxidized to formyl group in the formation of a corresponding aldehyde compound. In addition, the probe has also been successfully applied to detect ClO− in tap water and river water samples by spiking a known amount of standard ClO−. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly three-dimensional graphene nanosheets/transition metal sulfide nanoparticles (i.e. 3-D GNs/Ni 3 S 2 NPs) composite was synthesized by an efficient quasi chemical vapor deposition (Q-CVD) technique in one-pot high temperature growth process. The as-prepared composite materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy. The supercapacitive performances of electrodes were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry charging, discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The 3-D GNs/Ni 3 S 2 NPs composite synthesized by the Q-CVD technique possesses favourable three-dimensional porous network of graphene and reasonable arrangement of Ni 3 S 2 NPs on the surface of graphene nanosheets. As a promising supercapacitor electrode, a relatively high specific capacitance of 652.5 F g −1 at current density of 1 A g −1 in 1 mol L −1 KOH aqueous solution, along with good cycling stability (with a 93% retention rate after 2000 cycles) were demonstrated for the 3-D GNs/Ni 3 S 2 NPs composite electrode. In addition, excellent electrochemical performances were also demonstrated for the asymmetric supercapacitor by using 3-D GNs/Ni 3 S 2 NPs as the cathode and 3-D GNs as the anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The specific surface-and phase-sensitive SFG spectroscopy revealed the absolute PS structure at the buried PS/silica interface. • The PS nanolayer near the substrate gradually formed during annealing. • The dewetting occurred at the non-adsorbed PS/the flattened PS nanolayer interface due to the autophobic effect. • As the solvent quality reduced, the dewetting rate of the PS film became slower. • This study provides a molecular-level understanding of the dewetting property of the polymer thin film. Dewetting is a common phenomenon observed from polymer thin films under stimuli, such as annealing, which directly affects the applications of polymer thin films. A key to understanding such dewetting behavior is to precisely probe the molecular structure evolution at the buried polymer/substrate interface during annealing. However, non-destructively probing the buried interface is very difficult at the molecular level and in situ. In this study, the specific surface- and phase-sensitive sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was used to investigate PS thin films on silica substrates during annealing. The results showed that the absolute orientation/conformation of PS at the film surface was significantly different from that of the flattened PS nanolayer formed near the substrate by dewetting. The dynamic molecular structure evolution of the PS nanolayer (the formation process of the flattened PS nanolayer) at the buried PS/silica interface was directly observed in situ. The dewetting occurred at the non-adsorbed (bulk, free) PS/the flattened PS nanolayer interface due to the autophobic effect. Furthermore, the effects of end groups and solvents on the PS dewetting rate were also elucidated. This study provides a molecular-level understanding of the PS structure at the buried PS/silica interface and its relationship to dewetting behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The molecular structures of the interfaces between a solid poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) surface and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as well as hydrochloric acid (HCl) solutions were probed using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy in situ in real time. Spectroscopic results clearly reveal that the PAA molecules are adsorbed onto the P4VP surface via hydrogen bonding at the P4VP/PAA solution interface while the P4VP surface is protonated at the P4VP/HCl solution interface. Consequently, the water molecules near the interfaces are strongly perturbed by these two interactions, exhibiting different orderings at the two interfaces. This work clearly demonstrates the power of studying the interfacial molecular-level structures via nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy when molecular adsorption happens at the solid-liquid interface and paves a way for our future study on tracing the adsorption dynamics of polymer chains onto solid surfaces. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 848-852 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel three-dimensional nitrogen-doped activated graphene-like nanosheets (3-D NAGNs) have been synthesized from inexpensive ion exchange resin, by using the an efficient activation-graphitization-doping synchronous strategy. The 3-D NAGNs sample has been systematically characterized by the X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. The analysis results indicate that the 3-D NAGNs has a high specific surface area of 1815.6 m 2 g −1 , a desirable crystalline structure and a satisfactory nitrogen content of 3.62% in atomic ratio. The as-prepared 3-D NAGNs electrode demonstrates excellent electrochemical performances for supercapacitors in 6M KOH aqueous solution electrolyte. A considerable specific capacitance of 383.2 F/g is obtained for the 3-D NAGNs electrode via charge-discharge at a current density of 1.0 A/g. It also displayed a very high cycle stability of 98%, compared with the initial capacitance, after 5000 cycles at a very high current density of 10 A/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic fuel cell as a potential green technology has been widely reported. In this work, MoS 2 /TiO 2 and MoS 2 /Ni foam were successfully synthesized and acted as photoanode and cathode, respectively, the as-prepared photocatalytic fuel cell. After MoS 2 is modified, the modified composite photoanode obtains higher light-harvesting, electron-hole separation efficiency and electron transport efficiency than pure TiO 2 nanorod photoanode. The result indicated that the photocurrent of the MT-3 photoanode is 1.76 times higher than that of pure TiO 2. The enhanced performance is attributed to the formation of heterojunction between TiO 2 and MoS 2 in reducing the interface charge carrier recombination and improving the light-harvesting compared with bare TiO 2. The highest value of open-circuit voltage (0.7 V), short-circuit current (1.04 mA •cm−2) and actual maximum power density (0.114 mW•cm−2) was obtained by the proposed MT-MN PFC. The degradation performance of the proposed PFC system was evaluated by decomposing the model organic pollutants. As the result indicates, the degradation efficiency was 69.16% when rhodamine B (20 ppm, pH=7) was used as the model organic waste. This work aimed to enhance the light absorption capacity of TiO 2 in photocatalytic fuel cell system. The MoS 2 /TiO 2 photoanode was prepared as photoanode and MoS 2 /Ni was prepared as cathode. In this PFC, the h+, •OH, H 2 O 2 , and O 2 -•was generated to degrade pollutants when photoanode was illustrated. [Display omitted] • ·MoS 2 /TiO 2 are firstly used as photoanode in PFC system. • ·The MoS 2 /TiO 2 possesses much higher photoactivity than bare TiO 2. • ·MoS 2 /TiO 2 heterojunction was successful established for enhancing photoactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel thermo- and pH-responsive poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) aqueous material with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) was developed in this study. It was found that the formation of the aqueous complex material was caused by the deprotonation of pyridinium groups of P4VP molecules and consequent hydrogen bonding formation between pyridine and carboxylic groups. This aqueous material exhibited significant reversible transition behaviors between the turbid colloidal and transparent solution states upon altering the pH and temperature values. Furthermore, the correlation between the solution pH and the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) enables us to design responsive aqueous materials with a broadly adjustable transition temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological edge states exhibit low backscattering, unidirectional energy propagation, and robust immunity to sharp bends and defects in photonic topological waveguides. These properties of topological waveguides are expected to be applied in terahertz (THz) technology and expand to functional devices. Here, we introduce a line-defect into valley Hall photonic crystals (VPCs) and discuss the influence of line-defect to edge states of valley Hall photonic topological waveguide. The introduction of line-defect can greatly improve the design freedom of topological waveguides, and is expected to be extended to functional devices. We constructed a straight VPC waveguide and a Z-shaped VPC waveguide to verify the topological valley line-defect edge state and the single-mode transmission of topological line-defect states is excited by a rectangular waveguide with a tapered coupling structure. The VPC waveguide has low bending loss and a working bandwidth (return loss < −10 dB) from 0.4 to 0.422 THz. We propose a topological power divider (TPD) operating at THz frequencies and achieved −3.3 per port equal power divide. Furthermore, this TPD is robust against defects and is promising for on-chip THz integration. • A line-defect is introduced into valley Hall photonic crystals (VPCs) and the influence of the line-defect to edge states of valley Hall photonic topological waveguide is discussed. • A rectangular waveguide with a tapered coupling structure is used as the excitation of the designed straight and Z-shaped VPC waveguides, and a single-mode transmission of topological line-defect states is observed. • A topological power divider (TPD) operating at THz frequencies is designed, which is robust against defects and is promising for on-chip THz integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the third leading cause of death due to cancer worldwide. The gastric mucosa often undergoes many years of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) stages before progressing to gastric malignancy. Unfortunately, there are no effective Western drugs for patients with PLGC. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proven effective in treating PLGC. Classical TCM formulas and chemical components isolated from some Chinese herbal medicines have been administered to treat PLGC, and the main advantage is their comprehensive intervention with multiple approaches and multiple targets. In this review, we focus on recent studies using TCM treatment for PLGC, including clinical observations and experimental research, with a focus on targets and mechanisms of drugs. This review provides some ideas and a theoretical basis for applying TCM to treat PLGC and prevent GC. [Display omitted] • This review summarized the mainly classification of syndrome differentiation of PLGC. • This review summarized the therapy of Chinese medicine formulas or components on PLGC. • This review listed the pharmacological mechanisms of the TCM for PLGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The molecular structures of an adhesion promoter, polybutadiene-modified epoxy (PBME) rubber at surfaces and buried interfaces with gold (Au) were studied using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The SFG spectra showed that the soft butadiene part of PBME can segregate to the surfaces and buried interfaces in two base formulations. This is consistent with its application as an adhesion promoter. For the first time, the orientation of the segregated vinyl methylene groups of PBME at the surface and buried interface was evaluated. We found that the vinyl methylene groups at the surface were highly tilted and twisted by quantitative analysis; while the vinyl methylene groups at the buried Au interface were highly tilted by qualitative estimation. Furthermore, this study confirms that the sandwiched-face-down experimental setup can be employed to study the buried interfaces. This could be developed into a standard way to probe the buried interfaces between the commercialized resins and metal substrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• N-doped Ni 3 S 2 nanocubes@N-doped graphene-like carbon coating layers supported by nickel foam (N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG/NF) is first demonstrated. • A conventional CVD technique from thiourea solid precursors is developed for the construction of N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG/NF composite nanostructures. • N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG/NF shows lower overpotential and better electrochemical stability than NF catalysts as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. • N-doping graphene changes Ni 3 S 2 crystal structure and electronic structure, leading to increase in catalytic activity for N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG/NF. Nickel sulfide (Ni 3 S 2) is a promising electrocatalyst because of its good metal conductivity and stability in alkaline medium. However, the reported catalytic activity of Ni 3 S 2 is still relatively low. N-doped graphene coated N-doped Ni 3 S 2 nanocubes (N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG) structure was proposed, which is an effective way to improve the catalytic activity of Ni 3 S 2. Thanks to the unique structural design and functional integration, the OER and HER in alkaline medium provide 238 mV and 100 mV over potential respectively at 10 mA cm−2, and 1.53 V ultra-low operating voltage for overall water splitting. In addition, its super stable catalytic activity is also impressive, and the performance loss is negligible after 70 h durability test. These experimental data and analysis show that, the outstanding catalytic activity of N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG is due to its abundant active centers and good electron transport properties. More broadly, this combination of bifunctional concept and nanoscale stereoscopic design is unique and advantageous, especially suitable for the development of highly active and durable electrocatalysts for energy conversion reactions. A new nanostructure based on N-doped Ni 3 S 2 nanocubes@N-doped graphene-like carbon layers supported by nickel foam (N-Ni 3 S 2 @NG) was synthesized by a conventional CVD technique for overall electrocatalytic water splitting. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The surface sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopic spectra of PMA and PMMA films prepared from solvents with different qualities were found different. This suggests that the surface molecular structures of PMA and PMMA films were affected by the solvent quality. A simple phenomenological model was used to describe the chain conformational order at the polymer surface by correlating the SFG resonant signals of the side chromophoric groups to the introduced chain arc included angle. This model is believed to be applicable for polymers with short and rigid side chromophores active for the SFG spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The glass transition temperature (T g) of polymer thin films, one of the most important parameters to characterize the relaxation behavior of polymer chains in a thin film, has been extensively investigated. It was found that the relaxation behavior of polymer chains in a polymer thin film at different locations, e.g., near a free surface, near a buried interface, or inside a given position of the film bulk, can vary greatly. Such results are significant for both fundamental understanding of molecular behavior and practical use of polymer thin films in many important applications but have not been systematically summarized and reviewed. In this review, we look at two extensively studied and commonly used polymer thin films, i.e., poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS), as examples to systematically examine the effects of the free surface, buried interface (substrate), and geometrical confinement (encapsulated between two substrates) on the surface, interfacial, and bulk relaxation behavior of polymer thin films. Especially, the universal effects of "hard" and "soft" confinements and adsorbed nanolayer near a substrate on T g are reviewed in detail. In addition, other important polymers such as poly(2-vinylpyridine) and the effects of other variables such as annealing are also discussed. This review elucidates variables which influence the relaxation behavior of polymer chains on the free surface, at buried interfaces, or in the bulk region of polymer thin films, providing in-depth understandings of such behavior. The systematic knowledge reported here will help to guide the future design of polymer thin films with desired properties used in a variety of applications, ranging from multilayer polymer packaging materials, polymer sheets, plastic microelectronics, to batteries and solar cells, and beyond. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of biomass and plastic into hydrogen through catalytic pyrolysis is a promising technology for the production of clean fuels. The developed Ni-La/Al2O3-CeO2-Bamboo charcoal (ACB) catalyst was applied to the co-pyrolysis of straw and polyethylene (PE) to produce hydrogen. This research explored the optimal mixing ratio of straw and PE, and the influence of the presence and stability of the catalysts on hydrogen production. Experiments show that the best mixing ratio is 5:5. Ni-La/ACB can significantly promote the production of H2 (13.56 mmol/g), and it can still maintain high stability after repeated use, which is inseparable from the introduction of La to improve the performance of the catalyst. It can be concluded that adding a certain proportion of plastic is beneficial to increase H2 production, and co-pyrolysis can solve the pollution problem caused by improper treatment of plastics while making full use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple studies have shown that mental disorders are common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the relationship between psychological factors and atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence remains unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk of AF due to psychological factors. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2022. Relevant and eligible cohort studies were included. Random or fixed effect model was used to estimate the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For non-randomized studies, the risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Thirteen publications, including 5,329,908 participants, met our inclusion criteria. The incidence of AF was increased by 10% (HR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.19, I2 = 33.6%, P = 0.013, n = 235,599 in 6 studies) for patients with anxiety, by 15% (HR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.26, I2 = 40.2%, P = 0.04, n = 21,791 in 3 studies) for patients with anger, by 25% (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.39, I2 = 57.4%, P < 0.001, n = 5,160,247 in 6 studies) for patients with depression, and by 18% (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.32, I2 = 19.2%, P = 0.004, n = 51,664 in 4 studies) for people under work stress. Adverse psychological factors such as anxiety, anger, depression, and work stress may increase the risk of AF. Interventions to prevent mental disorders may reduce the growing global burden of AF and its associated healthcare costs. Given the current study's limitations, our findings need to be further confirmed by a larger prospective study. • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Several systematic reviews have emphasized the link between psychological factors (anxiety and depression) and CVD. However, the conclusion about the correlation between psychological factors and AF still remains controversial. • In this systematic review and meta-analysis, psychological factors (anxiety, anger, depression and work stress) are found to be associated with increased risk of AF. • Several potential pathways are concluded for causality argument between mental disorders and AF. • This study suggests that effective interventions preventing mental disorders may decrease the growing global burden of AF and related healthcare cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel method for the manipulation of linearly polarized (LP) electromagnetic waves using Pancharatnamâ€"Berry phase is proposed. By combining polarization synthesis and aperture phase distributions, the polarization angle and wavefront of an LP wave can be arbitrarily manipulated. Four metasurfaces were designed and fabricated to generate pencil, vortex, and Bessel beams with different polarization angels, respectively. Simulation and measurement results consist well and demonstrate the proposed method in both polarization and wavefront manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hastelloy X (HX) is used in a wide range of aerospace applications due to its excellent high-temperature properties, Dynamic strain aging (DSA) and Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) are of great interest as they affect the mechanical behavior at high temperatures. In this study, the serrated flow behavior of highly textured Hastelloy X fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is investigated during uniaxial straining over a wide range of temperatures (20–800 °C) and strain rates (5×10−2 s−1 to 5×10−4 s−1). The alloy exhibits different types of tensile serrated flow in the temperature range of 200–600 °C. The alloy has been shown to have a very good tensile flow behavior. The presence of the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect (PLC) due to dynamic strain failure was observed at temperatures lower than 600 °C, respectively, with an average activation energy value of 45 kJ/mol calculated using the quasi-static aging (McCormick) model, and an average activation energy value calculated using the solute resistance (Cottrell) model of 41.8 kJ/mol, which is significantly lower than the 80–130 kJ/mol of conventionally fabricated HX. The effects of temperature and strain rate on fracture morphology and microstructure were analyzed by SEM, and the dynamic recrystallization behavior and nucleation mechanism were characterized by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The changes in the content of recrystallized texture Cube and deformed texture Goss at different deformation temperatures are explained, and the dynamic recrystallization mode changes, from continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) to discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) as the deformation temperature increase. Verification of the different DRX mechanisms contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the microstructural evolution of the hot deformation of HX fabricated by LPBF. • The highly textured Hastelloy X was fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. • Influence of temperature and strain rate on serrated flow behavior of HX were investigated. • EBSD was utilized to determine the dynamic recrystallization mechanism and changes in texture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It was hypothesized that use of proton beam therapy (PBT) in patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiation and consolidative immune checkpoint inhibition is associated with fewer unplanned hospitalizations compared with intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods: Patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer treated between October 2017 and December 2021 with concurrent chemoradiation with either IMRT or PBT ± consolidative immune checkpoint inhibition were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of radiation therapy technique with 90‐day hospitalization and grade 3 (G3+) lymphopenia. Competing risk regression was used to compare G3+ pneumonitis, G3+ esophagitis, and G3+ cardiac events. Kaplan–Meier method was used for progression‐free survival and overall survival. Inverse probability treatment weighting was applied to adjust for differences in PBT and IMRT groups. Results: Of 316 patients, 117 (37%) received PBT and 199 (63%) received IMRT. The PBT group was older (p <.001) and had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (p =.02). The PBT group received a lower mean heart dose (p <.0001), left anterior descending artery V15 Gy (p =.001), mean lung dose (p =.008), and effective dose to immune circulating cells (p <.001). On inverse probability treatment weighting analysis, PBT was associated with fewer unplanned hospitalizations (adjusted odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.38–0.81; p =.002) and less G3+ lymphopenia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37–0.81; p =.003). There was no difference in other G3+ toxicities, progression‐free survival, or overall survival. Conclusions: PBT is associated with fewer unplanned hospitalizations, lower effective dose to immune circulating cells and less G3+ lymphopenia compared with IMRT. Minimizing dose to lymphocytes may be warranted, but prospective data are needed. The use of proton beam therapy in locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer is associated with fewer 90‐day acute hospitalizations, lower effective dose to immune circulating cells, and less grade 3+ lymphopenia compared with intensity‐modulated radiation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a thermodynamic entropy-based life prediction model to estimate the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) life of the nickel-based superalloy GH4169 at elevated temperature (650 °C). The gauge section of the specimen was chosen as the thermodynamic system for modeling entropy generation within the framework of the Chaboche viscoplasticity constitutive theory. Furthermore, an explicitly numerical integration algorithm was compiled to calculate the cyclic stress–strain responses and thermodynamic entropy generation for establishing the framework for fatigue life assessment. A thermodynamic entropy-based life prediction model is proposed with a damage parameter based on entropy generation considering the influence of loading ratio. Fatigue lives for GH4169 at 650 °C under various loading conditions were estimated utilizing the proposed model, and the results showed good consistency with the experimental results. Finally, compared to the existing classical models, such as Manson–Coffin, Ostergren, Walker strain, and SWT, the thermodynamic entropy-based life prediction model provided significantly better life prediction results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease related to intestinal dysbiosis. Luteolin has been reported to reduce inflammation. However, it remains unclear whether luteolin ameliorates UC and regulates gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated the effects of luteolin on colonic structure and inflammation of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced rats using hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and evaluated the effects of luteolin on gut microbiota using 16S rDNA sequencing. We found that luteolin treatment significantly reduced colonic damage, and inhibited colonic inflammation in UC rats, evidenced by the decreased levels of NF-κB, IL-17 and IL-23 in UC rats and the increased level of PPAR-γ. In addition, the 16S rDNA sequencing analysis revealed that luteolin treatment could alter diversity and composition of gut microbiota in UC rats. Lactobacillus , Bacteroides , Roseburia and Butyricicoccus were dominant genera in the luteolin group. Luteolin treatment reduced DSS-induced increased ratios of Lactobacillus and Prevotella_9. Furthermore, KEGG analysis revealed that gut microbiota was mainly related to DNA repair and recombination proteins, ribosome, purine metabolism, peptidases, and pyrimidine metabolism. In conclusion, our results revealed that luteolin could alleviate DSS-induced colitis in rats, and gut microbiota had the potential to serve as promising biomarkers for uncovering the mechanism by which luteolin improved UC. • Luteolin treatment could ameliorate colonic damage and inflammation in UC rats. • Diversity of gut microbiota in UC rats was changed after luteolin therapy. • Luteolin might improve UC via regulating the structure and composition of gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of sludge ratio on the hybrid CANON system, autotrophic nitrogen removal sludge was inoculated with different granule/floc ratios to initiate the CANON system, and maintained the sludge ratio during the operation process. The start-up performances were compared, and the distribution characteristics of functional bacteria were investigated. The results show that the Equivalent system (granules:flocs = 1:1–1:1.5) successfully started-up on day 19, and the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) reached 0.299 kgN m−3·d−1 on day 63. At the same time, it was less affected by the load shock than High-granules and High-flocs systems. Therefore, the Equivalent system had the strongest start-up performance. The activities of the functional bacteria conformed to spatial heterogeneity, unlike the abundance. With the increased floc proportion, the difference in the activity and abundance of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AAOB) between the granules and flocs increased, while there was a decrease in the difference in aerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). However, the abundance of Nitrosomonas in the granules was higher than in the flocs when the proportion of flocs was higher than 50%. This study provides new ideas and insights for the fast start-up of the CANON system and can conform to the varying needs of engineering applications. • Inoculated granule/floc ratios were 1:1–1:1.5, achieving efficient start-up of CANON system. • Sludge ratio regulation affected functional bacteria distribution characteristics in hybrid CANON system. • With increase in floc proportion, difference in AAOB between granules and flocs increased; difference in AOB decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, a surface and interface specific technique, was used to study chemical interactions occurring at the buried interface between two polymers in situ. More specifically, the chemical reaction at the buried poly (ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH)/maleic anhydride (MAH) grafted polyethylene (MAHgEO) interface was monitored at the molecular level using SFG. This system was compared to a control EVOH/polyethylene (EO) (without MAH) system where no chemical reaction was observed at the interface. Results from the hydroxyl and carbonyl stretching regions contain contributions from the reaction products of EVOH with MAHgEO. SFG results suggest a chemical reaction occurs which increases interlayer adhesion, consistent with adhesion measurements. This work demonstrates that chemical reactions at buried interfaces between two polymers can be probed in situ nondestructively by SFG, and such interfacial reactions are important for the development of designed polymer/polymer interfaces with improved functionality and properties. Image 1 • Maleic anhydride grafted to polyethylene greatly enhanced adhesion at the polyethylene/poly (ethyl vinyl alcohol) interface. • Enhanced adhesion at the interface is due to the interfacial reaction between maleic anhydride and hydroxyl groups of EVOH. • Interfacial reaction was observed non-destructively at the buried polymer interface in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new nanostructure based on Ni 3 S 2 nanowires@N-doped graphene-like carbon layers supported by nickel foam (Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF) was synthesized by a conventional CVD technique for overall electrocatalytic water splitting. • N-doped graphene-like carbon layers (NGCLs) coated Ni 3 S 2 nanowires is first reported. • A conventional CVD technique is developed for the construction of Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF. • Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF shows lower overpotential and outstanding electrochemical stability. • NGCLs changes Ni 3 S 2 lattice and electron structure, leading to high catalytic activity. A new core/shell 1-D nanostructure based on Ni 3 S 2 nanowires and N-doped graphene-like carbon layers on nickel foam (i.e. Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF) has been fabricated and applied as composite electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and overall water splitting. The Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs exhibit a unique architecture with a well-defined core–shell cable-like one-dimensional nanostructure in which NGCLs act as conductive shell and Ni 3 S 2 nanowire as active core. The composite has a nitrogen content of 6.39% in atomic ratio. The Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF shows low overpotentials of 271 mV and 134 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH for OER and HER, respectively. Highly durable OER and HER performances were demonstrated by 40 h chronopotentiometry and 10,000 CV cycle tests. Excellent overall water splitting electrocatalytic activity was found in a Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF‖Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF two-electrode system. Particularly, an active-phase NiOOH, a highly active substance for OER, can be controllably formed in the reaction process due to the shell structure of multi-layer carbon that slows down the dissolution of Ni 3 S 2. Theoretical calculations suggest that Ni 3 S 2 @NGCLs/NF has a lower ΔG (H*) value of 0.51 eV for HER and lower overpotential value of 0.39 V for OER. These results suggest that the composite structure is a promising bifunctional electrocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Ageing is the most significant contributor to the increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF). The gut microbiota dysbiosis is involved in age-related diseases. However, whether the aged-associated dysbiosis contributes to age-related AF is still unknown. Direct demonstration that the aged gut microbiota is sufficient to transmit the enhanced AF susceptibility in a young host via microbiota-intestinal barrier-atria axis has not yet been reported. This study aimed to determine whether gut microbiota dysbiosis affects age-related AF. Methods and results Herein, by using a faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) rat model, we demonstrated that the high AF susceptibility of aged rats could be transmitted to a young host. Specially, we found the dramatically increased levels of circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and glucose led to the up-regulated expression of NOD-like receptor protein (NLRP)-3 inflammasome, promoting the development of AF, which depended on the enhanced atrial fibrosis in recipient host. Inhibition of inflammasome by a potent and selective inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, MCC950, resulted in a lower atrial fibrosis and AF susceptibility. Then, we conducted cross-sectional clinical studies to explore the effect of ageing on the altering trends with glucose levels and circulating LPS among clinical individuals in two China hospitals. We found that both of serum LPS and glucose levels were progressively increased in elderly patients as compared with those young. Furthermore, the ageing phenotype of circulating LPS and glucose levels, intestinal structure and atrial NLRP3-inflammasome of rats were also confirmed in clinical AF patients. Finally, aged rats colonized with youthful microbiota restored intestinal structure and atrial NLRP3-inflammasome activity, which suppressed the development of aged-related AF. Conclusions Collectively, these studies described a novel causal role of aberrant gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of age-related AF, which indicates that the microbiota-intestinal barrier-atrial NLRP3 inflammasome axis may be a rational molecular target for the treatment of aged-related arrhythmia disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The CANON reactor transformed from flocs-granules hybrid to granule-based system. • Nitrogen removal performance was better in flocs-granules hybrid system. • The nitrogen removal pathways of the different systems were calculated. • The distribution and bioactivity of function bacteria were analyzed. Flocs and granules tend to coexist in a single reactor. Granules can improve microbial retention capacity, however, the role of flocs in the CANON reactor remains unclear. The changes in the nitrogen removal performance and microbial communities between flocs-granules hybrid and granule-based systems were studied in this experiment. With a reduction in the flocs ratio (35% → 10%), the nitrogen removal performance deteriorated. The average nitrogen removal efficiency and rate dropped from 81.4% to 67.2% and from 0.225 to 0.174 kg/(m3·d), respectively. The contribution of heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria decreased from 13.5% to 1%, leading to changes in the nitrogen removal pathways between the systems. Furthermore, the activities of anaerobic and aerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria declined dramatically, which weakened the nitrogen removal performance. Thus, the hybrid system with a flocs ratio near 35% is recommended for use in a CANON reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]