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Fly ash (FA) and granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) were used as a precursor for geopolymerization to develop a low-carbon pavement base construction material. Based on the orthogonal test method, three levels were set separately for the L9 (34) test considering the proportion of FA (raw fly ash to grained fly ash), ratio of sodium hydroxide to liquid alkaline activator (LAA), and proportion of GBFS mixed with FA and solid–liquid ratio [(FA + GBFS): LAA] as factors influencing the geopolymer. The influence of these factors on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of soil stabilized by geopolymer was studied. The optimal combinations of levels and factors were determined. The UCS with these ratios combined was 5.1 MPa. According to the above compositions, the mechanical (UCS, splitting tensile strength, and flexural tensile strength) and durability (drying shrinkage, water stability, freezing and thawing resistance, and wet–dry cycle) properties of soil samples stabilized using the aforementioned geopolymer were investigated. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed to determine the effect of the change in hydration silicate gel in the UCS development. According to the SEM and XRD test results, hydrated silicate gels exist in the sample, filling the pores of the soil, making the soil more compact, bonding the soil particles, and enhancing the engineering performance of the soil. This study enables waste material utilization as a replacement and partially reactive material in pavement applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the status of weed Solanum nigrum L. as a transitional host for Meloidogyne enterolobii and its effect on the population base of the nematodes in the next season. The nematode species infecting S. nigrum L. in a fallow field was identified by morphological identification and molecular diagnosis, and parasitic characteristics of the nematodes in S. nigrum L., including development of the nematode in S. nigrum L., the histopathological response of S. nigrum L. to M. enterolobii, and the host suitability of S. nigrum L., were studied. The M. enterolobii soil population density was evaluated before and after S. nigrum L. planting. Species identification revealed that it was M. enterolobii infection. Developmental observation indicated that juveniles of M. enterolobii developed fast in S. nigrum L., establishing feeding sites by 5 days after inoculation (DAI) and forming obvious egg masses on the root at 25 DAI. Histopathological observation showed the typical susceptible response of S. nigrum L., including giant cells with thick cell walls, uniformly dense cytoplasm, and less vacuolation, mainly inside the vascular cylinder. Host suitability assays suggested that S. nigrum L. is a good host for M. enterolobii with an average reproduction factor (RF) of 48.04 ± 14.71. Population densities assays revealed that S. nigrum L. increased the population density of M. enterolobii for two consecutive years from 0.48 ± 0.25 and 0.53 ± 0.31 J2/cm3 to 1.33 ± 0.16 and 1.56 ± 0.43 J2/cm3 of soil. These results indicated that M. enterolobii could reproduce well by infecting S. nigrum L. during the fallow season, and it increased the population base of M. enterolobii to the next season during vegetable production, which suggested a novel direction for the control of root-knot nematodes by controlling weeds as transitional hosts of M. enterolobii in the fallow season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Na 2 S 2 O 4 , biochar, and micron iron were reunited by wet and dry ball milling. • Wet ball milling promoted faster and complete Cr(VI) removal (100 % in 80 min) • The composite of wet ball milling presented excellent anti-ageing property. • Higher electron selectivity was obtained (59.15% for wet and 46.72% for dry) • Replacing oxides with sulfides facilitated high iron cycling for Cr(VI) removal. Obstacles such as aggregation and low activity of micron zero-valent iron in pollutant treatment could be overcome by sulfidation and biochar support. Ball milling is a promising method for the preparation of iron-based composites but the milling atmosphere is critical. To maximize the reactivity and identify the effects of ball mill atmosphere, ball milling technology under wet and dry atmosphere was applied to prepare composites from mZVI, Na 2 S 2 O 4 , and pine wood biochar (BC) for Cr(VI) removal. The results showed that S-mZVI/BC-wet was highly dispersible with more FeS 2 coverage and thus more efficient on Cr (VI) removal than S-mZVI/BC-dry (99.9 % removal in 80 min vs. 87.9 % removal in 24 h) at the optimum Fe: C mass ratio (1:1), S: Fe molar ratio (1:10), and reaction conditions. Cr(VI) was adsorbed by a spontaneous, endothermic mechanism that combined physisorption and chemisorption. The reduction process was vulcanization efficiency and iron cycle dependent. Reduction outperformed adsorption on the Cr(VI) removal and high reduction rateswere electron-selectively related (59.15 % for S-mZVI/BC-wet and 46.72 % for S-mZVI/BC-dry), implying S-mZVI/BC-wet was more capable. S-mZVI/BC-wet presented excellent anti-ageing property and slightly inferior regeneration performance. In conclusion, the composite prepared by wet ball milling have excellent performance in rapid and complete removal of Cr(VI), and S-mZVI/BC-wet has superior potential in acidic wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Nanoformulations for combining chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy have enormous potential in tumor treatment. Coating nanoformulations with cell membranes endows them with homologous cellular mimicry, enabling nanoformulations to acquire new functions and properties, including homologous targeting and long circulation in vivo , and can enhance internalization by homologous cancer cells. Herein, we fused multifunctional biomimetic nanoformulations based on Cu-doped zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), a clinical anti-tumor drug, was encapsulated into ZIF-8, which was subsequently coated with polydopamine (PDA) and red blood cell membrane. The as-fabricated biomimetic nanoformulations showed an enhanced cell uptake in vitro and the potential to prolong blood circulation in vivo , producing effective synergistic chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy under the 808 nm laser irradiation. Together, the biomimetic nanoformulations showed a prolonged blood circulation and evasion of immune recognition in vivo to provide a bio-inspired strategy which may have the potential for the multi-synergistic therapy of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hollow-adjustable polymer MNs were developed by cyclic freeze-thawing technique. • The obtained MNs had sufficient mechanical strength and drug-loading capacity. • A notable hypoglycemic effect up to 14 h in vivo could be obtained. • The obtained MNs can be used a potential candidate for transdermal delivery of high-dose drugs. Maintaining blood glucose levels within a safe range is critical for diabetic management. In recent decades, microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a potential method for delivering drugs to treat diabetes. However, insufficient drug loading and the complexity of achieving long-acting release have presented challenges that research has not addressed well. In this study, the hollow-adjustable biocompatible polymer MNs with varying cavity volumes were developed by cyclic freeze-thawing technique. The structure of shell-layer of hollow MNs was optimized with a sequential casting approach for regulating drug release kinetics. This design can ensure the sufficient mechanical strength of MNs and help to improve the drug-loading capacity, thereby solving the problem of low drug-loading capacity and short pharmacodynamic action time of traditional polymer MNs. In vivo experiments performed on diabetic rat models revealed the potential of the as-fabricated MNs to effectively pierce into the skin, leading to a notable hypoglycemic effect lasting up to 14 h without inducing the risk of hypoglycemia. These results indicate that the fabricated hollow-adjustable polymer MNs is a potential candidate for transdermal delivery of high-dose drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, purchasing the products similar to the styles of stars' products has become a new trend in e-commerce platforms. Clothing transaction constitutes to the major part of these kinds of online purchasing. Traditional methods firstly segment clothes from human body and then input the segmented clothing image patch into a retrieval system as a query in a way that similar clothing items could be retrieved. However, the segmented clothing images usually contain complex backgrounds, and these clothing items appear to be twisted, as they are segmented from human body straightforwardly. In order to assist this cross-scenario clothing retrieval, this paper introduces a new triple-supervised GAN (TripleGAN) model by translating the clothes on human body into tiled clothes. Our model was trained on a large-scale dataset including over 30,000 clothing pairs constructed by ourselves. Extensive experimental results exhibit that our model consistently can generate tiled clothing images with more delicate details and higher quality compared with other models. Our model also shows promising performance in terms of cross-domain clothing retrieval in real-life applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Reduction of Cr(VI) occurs mainly on solid surfaces of the multiple interfaces from ternary composites. • Micron zero-valent iron powder activated by low-cost natural pyrite and biochar provide a long-lasting reduction for Cr(VI). • Biochar acts as a conductor, adsorber, and disperser in the reaction system. • The electron selectivity and utilization rate of the composite toward Cr(VI) were 14.20% and 48.08%, respectively. • 70.07% of Cr(VI) removal was due to reduction/precipitation and 29.93% was ascribed to surface sorption. Current studies have confirmed that sulfidation is an effective method to enhance the reduction capacity of zero-valent iron (ZVI), however, the cost of sulfidation and the durability of the material are still the challenges of material reducibility. In this work, ternary composites of natural pyrite (FeS 2), zero-valent iron powder, and pine wood biochar (BC) were synthesized by simple ball milling technology (BM) and applied for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in aqueous solution. Batch sorption experiments of each component and composites at various mass rates conformed that the adsorption capacity of BMFeS 2 /ZVI/BC at 1:1:1 (81.5 mg·g−1) exceeded two to three-fold of Cr (VI) than their individuals. Comparative experiments on two groups with various raw material ratios indicated the balance between biochar-related adsorption capacity and reduction-related S/Fe was imperative. The analysis and calculation of the products yielded 70.07 % of Cr(VI) removal due to reduction/precipitation and 29.93 % was ascribed to surface sorption at the equilibrium Cr(VI) concentration of 33.76 mg·L−1. The electron selectivity (ES) and utilization rate (UR) of 1:1:1 toward Cr(VI) were determined to be 14.20 % and 48.08 %, respectively. A negligible metal ion leakage was observed upon pH > 5.5. Shielding experiments of Fe2+, TEM, and XPS analysis proved the reduction of Cr(VI) occurred mainly on solid surfaces. The role of biochar in the reaction system was identified as conductor, adsorber, and disperser. The multiple interfaces caused by ball milling provide different reduction pathways. Nevertheless, reduction, adsorption, and surface complexation were the dominant mechanisms for Cr(VI) removal. This work demonstrates the potential of natural pyrite for the preparation of BMFeS 2 /ZVI/BC composite to remove Cr(VI) from water and wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new framework, ClothingOut, which utilizes generative adversarial network (GAN) to generate tiled clothing images automatically. Specifically, we design a novel category-supervised GAN model by learning transformation rules between clothes on wearers and clothes that are tiled. Our method features in adding category attribute to a traditional GAN model. For model training, we built a large-scale dataset containing over 20,000 pairs of wearer images and their corresponding tiled clothing images. The learned model can be straightforwardly applied to video advertising and cross-scenario clothing image retrieval. We evaluated our generated images which can be regarded as the segmentation from the wearer images from two aspects: authenticity and retrieval performance. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Hirota bilinear form, lump-type and lump solutions to a class of mathematical physics equation are explored. Specific examples are discussed to show the richness of the considered partial differential equation. In addition, a few of the analyses and three-dimensional plots of some explicit solutions are made to show the dynamical features in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity and development of the Internet, purchasing items that are similar to those that appear in videos or on fashion websites has gradually become an established trend in online commerce. Currently, determining how to accurately locate these similar items in a huge e-commerce database poses a major challenge. When processing images that contain clothes worn on the human body, traditional methods usually detect the clothes in these images first, add them to a database for clothing retrieval, and finally identify a few pieces of clothing with a high degree of similarity for recommendation. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have been widely and successfully utilized in the field of image-to-image translation. In this paper, GAN is used to transfer human body images into tiled clothing images, which can be directly used for clothing retrieval. To achieve this, a category-supervised GAN under a cascading structure is proposed. For model training, a large-scale dataset was compiled that contains 39,521 image pairs. Experimental results demonstrate that the tiled clothing images generated by our proposed method deliver higher quality, as well as performance superiority, for clothing retrieval in comparison to other existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, dissolving microneedles (MNs) using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly (1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (P(VP-co-VA)) as matrix materials were developed for transdermal delivery of rizatriptan benzoate (RB) for acute migraine treatment. In-vitro permeation studies were conducted to assess the feasibility of the as-fabricated dissolving MNs to release RB. Drug skin penetration were tested by Franz diffusion cells, showing an increase of the transdermal flux compared to passive diffusion due to the as-fabricated dissolving MNs having a sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the skin and form microchannels. The pharmacological study in vivo showed that RB-loaded dissolving MNs significantly alleviated migraine-related response by up-regulating the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and down-regulating the levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP). In conclusion, the RB-loaded dissolving MNs have advantages of safety, convenience, and high efficacy over conventional administrations, laying a foundation for the transdermal drug delivery system treatment for acute migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a transracial and cross-gender disease worldwide with a higher prevalence among young individuals. Traditional oral or subcutaneous injections are often used to treat AGA, however, they may cause severe side-effects and therefore effective treatments for AGA are currently lacking. In this work, to treat AGA, we developed a composite paste system based on minoxidil (MXD)-loaded nanoparticles and valproic acid (VPA) with the assistance of roller-microneedles (roller-MNs). The matrix of composite paste systems is carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hyaluronic acid (HA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The roller-MNs can create microchannels in the skin to enhance drug transdermal efficiency. With the combined effects of the stimulation hair follicle (HF) regrowth by upregulating Wnt/beta-catenin of VPA and the mechanical microchannels induced by roller-MNs, the as-prepared composite paste systems successfully boost perifollicular vascularization, and activate hair follicle stem cells, thereby inducing notably faster hair regeneration at a lower administration frequency on AGA mouse model compared with minoxidil. This approach offers several benefits, including the avoidance of efficacy loss due to the liver's first-pass effect associated with oral drug, reduction in the risk of infection from subcutaneous injection, and significant decrease in the side effects of lower-dose MXD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycorine, an isoquinoline alkaloid can exhibit significant anti-cancer effects. The present study was conducted to illustrate the underlying mechanisms of action of lycorine on breast carcinoma under in vitro and in vivo settings Tandem Mass Tag assay and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed that 20 signaling pathways were closely related to tumorigenesis, especially Wnt signaling pathway and tight junctions. The results demonstrated that lycorine evidently inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells with IC 50 values of 1.84 ± 0.21 μM and 7.76 ± 1.16 μM, respectively. It also blocked cell cycle in G2/M phase, caused a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced apoptosis pathways through regulating caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and PARP expression. Moreover, lycorine effectively repressed the β-catenin signaling and reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Furthermore, 4T1/Luc homograft tumor model was used to further demonstrate that lycorine significantly inhibited the growth and metastasis of breast tumor. These findings highlight the significance of lycorine as potential anti-neoplastic agent to combat breast cancer. [Display omitted] • Lycorine suppresses the malignancy of breast carcinoma involving cytoskeletal proteins in vitro and in vivo. • Lycorine could be developed as potential natural small active compounds for breast carcinoma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring electrocatalysts which efficiently perform the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity over wide pH range is greatly important for water splitting, however, remains enormous challenge. Herein, the host catalyst of CoP nanoarray on carbon cloth is co-doped with the guest elements of vanadium and nitrogen to acquire tuned electronic characteristics and additional active sites for improved HER activity. The electrochemical measurements show that the as-obtained V, N-CoP is endowed with smaller overpotentials and Tafel slopes than V-CoP and CoP. Impressively, V, N-CoP only needs low overpotentials of 57, 146, and 81 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH, 1 M phosphate buffer, and 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 , respectively. This study sets a blueprint for developing pH-universal HER electrocatalysts via metal and nonmetal elements co-doping engineering. Image 1 • V and N are co-doped into CoP nanoleaf array for improved HER. • The co-doping induces the subtle lattice distortion as additional active sites. • The co-doping leads to improved catalytic kinetics and charge transfer. • Excellent HER performances are obtained in acid, PBS buffer, and alkali. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract MoS 2 shows promising potential in the application of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) or sodium ion batteries (SIBs), however, suffering from the sluggish kinetics and terrible volume expansion. Here we fabricate interlayer-expanded VMo 2 S 4 nanosheets onto RGO and exhibit excellent electrochemical properties for lithium and sodium storage. The 2D nature and interlayer-expanded feature assure the shortened ion transfer path and improved diffusion kinetics. RGO substrates enhance the electric conductivity and preserve the material integrity. Based on such benefits, the present sample serves as advanced anode for both LIBs and SIBs, delivering reversible capacities of 1081 mAh g−1 for LIBs and 254 mAh g−1 for SIBs after 200 cycles at 1 A g−1. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Interlayer-expanded VMo 2 S 4 nanosheets on RGO are developed. • V dopants induce enlarged interlayer and synergism between V and Mo. • RGO improves conductivity and buffers the volume variation. • 2D feature shortens ion diffusion path. • High and fast lithium/sodium storage are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) contributes to the main overpotential during water splitting. Developing efficient, nonprecious OER electrocatalysts is vital for sustainable fuels. Herein, nickel iron boride nanosheets coupled with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been developed as efficient OER electrocatalyst. The two-dimensional hybrid affords high surface area and abundant active sites for catalytic reaction. The rGO substrate improves the charge transfer. The ternary Ni-Fe-B supplies synergism for OER. As a result, the Ni-Fe-B/rGO exhibits excellent OER performances with low overpotential of 265 mV at 10 mA cm−2, as well as excellent catalytic stability, making it the promising candidate for OER application. Graphical abstract Nickel iron boride nanosheets coupled with rGO has been firstly developed as efficient OER electrocatalyst, which delivers excellent OER activity that is superior to most of previously meal borides. fx1 Highlights • Ni-Fe-B nanosheets are closely coupled with rGO. • Structural advantages and rGO assure fast kinetics and large accessible sites. • Excellent OER catalytic activity and stability are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A potential role of berberine, a benzyl isoquinoline alkaloid, in cancer therapy is apparent. Its underlying mechanisms of berberine against breast carcinoma under hypoxia have not been elucidated. We focused on the doubt how berberine restrains breast carcinoma under hypoxia in vitro and in vivo. A molecular analysis of the microbiome via 16 S rDNA gene sequencing of DNA from mouse faeces confirmed that the abundances and diversity of gut microbiota were significantly altered in 4T1/Luc mice with higher survival rate following berberine treatment. A metabolome analysis liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) revealed that berberine regulated various endogenous metabolites, especially L -palmitoylcarnitine. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of berberine was investigated in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and 4T1 cells. In vitro to simulate under hypoxic environment, MTT assay showed that berberine inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and 4T1 cells with IC 50 values of 4.14 ± 0.35 μM, 26.53 ± 3.12 μM and 11.62 ± 1.44 μM, respectively. Wound healing and trans-well invasion studies revealed that berberine inhibited the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells. RT-qPCR analysis shed light that berberine reduced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) gene. Immunofluorescence and western blot demonstrated that berberine decreased the expression of E-cadherin and HIF-1α protein. Taken together, these results provide evidence that berberine efficiently suppresses breast carcinoma growth and metastasis in a hypoxic microenvironment, highlighting the potential of berberine as a promising anti-neoplastic agent to combat breast carcinoma. [Display omitted] • Berberine inhibits breast carcinoma proliferation and metastasis involving gut microbiota and endogenous metabolites. • Berberine inhibits breast carcinoma cells in tumor hypoxia microenvironment better than normoxia. • Berberine prominently restrains breast carcinoma in mouse 4T1/Luc breast tumor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures and their hybrids have triggered intensive attention in energy storage and conversion field owing to their structural benefits. This work firstly prepares 2D hybrids of MoS 2 nanosheets with B, N co-doped graphene nanosheets as advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The rational use of 2D nanomaterials can supply large surface area for lithium storage and shorten Li + diffusion length. The smart structure design can not only effectively enhance electrical conductivity of composite electrode, but also relax the volume change of MoS 2 upon electrochemical cycling. Due to the structural and compositional advantages, the present sample exhibits excellent anode performance with large and stable lithium storage, as well as high rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycorine, an natural isoquinoline alkaloid has reportedly that possesses multi-anticancer activity. However, to date, the anticancer feature of lycorine in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) has still not fully been spelled out. The present study mainly focused on the molecular mechanism of lycorine against NSCLC in vitro and vivo . The results showed that lycorine evidently inhibited proliferation of A549 and H460 with IC 50 values were 10.83 ± 1.14 μM and 12.35 ± 1.13 μM, while caused slight cytotoxicity in normal pulmonary epithelial Beas-2B cells, and arrested cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. Hoechst DNA-binding staining showed that typical characteristics of nuclear morphology apoptosis, AnnexinV-FITC/PI staining revealed the early-period apoptosis and the dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) were also captured after lycorine treatment. Moreover, lycorine effectively repressed the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, lycorine also intervened the caspase-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, A549/Luc tumor xenograft model was also corroborated that lycorine significantly suppressed the growth and metastasis of the lung tumor. These data highlight the significance of lycorine as potential anti-neoplastic agents to combat NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pt-based bimetallic alloys have attracted intensive interests as highly efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysts for fuel cell applications, and searching flexible free-standing nanomembranes has been on the research focus because of their promising applications in catalysis, nanoelectronics, batteries, and sensing. Herein, a flexible free-standing paper composed of FePt alloy nanoparticles on nitrogen-doped paper (FePt-NG paper) has been developed as integrated electrode towards electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. It is found that, N doping is beneficial for the well dispersion of FePt nanoparticles on NG paper. The synergistic effect between Fe and Pt, as well as N doping effect simultaneously assures the improved catalytic activity of FePt-NG paper, making it the promising flexible electrode for application in fuel cell system. Moreover, the synthesis strategy could be used for the construction of other free-standing electrode towards catalysis, sensing, and battery applications. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D architecture constructed by 2D hybrids of few-layer SnS 2 nanoplates and graphene has been prepared via a facile solvothermal method using tin tetrachloride, thiourea, graphene oxide nanosheets, and sodium dodecyl sulfonate as starting materials. The sample is characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and TG techniques, revealing that the few-layer SnS 2 nanoplates are well dispersed and tightly contacted onto graphene substrates, and the 2D hybrids assembly into 3D architecture. Endowed with the structural and compositional advantages of the specific architecture, the SnS 2 -graphene composite exhibits good electrochemical properties as anode for lithium-ion batteries, including high capacity, good cyclic stability (826 mA h g −1 at current density of 0.5 A g −1 after 200 cycles), and excellent high-rate performance (498 mA h g −1 at 8 A g −1 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to well retain the specific structures during the thermal transformation from metal hydroxide, carbonate, or acetate precursors to metal oxides is a challenging mission. A novel SiO 2 scaffold method has been developed for the first time to synthesize 1D porous Fe 2 O 3 nanostructures. The coated SiO 2 shell supplies additional mechanical support to prevent the collapse of nanorod precursors during the heat-treatment. The obtained 1D porous nanostructures possess great benefits for electrochemical lithium storage, including high contact surface area between active materials and electrolyte, pores for easily electrolyte penetration, and shortened migration path for Li + and electron. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the sample delivers high capacity and improved cyclic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration of mixed transition metal oxides with specific nanostuctures for high-performance lithium storages is an urgent but still challenging desire. Mesoporous FeCo 2 O 4 octahedra are synthesized for the first time with evaporation-induced self-assembly method as advanced anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Endowed with the combined benefits of multicomponent effect, octahedral structure stability, and mesoporous features, the sample delivers excellent electrochemical performance, including large, fast, and stable cyclic performance (1101 mAh g −1 at 1 A g −1 after 200 cycles), as well as the best high-rate performance ever reported for FeCo 2 O 4 (518 mAh g −1 at 10 A g −1 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous frameworks with geometry nanostructures have attracted increasing research interest due to their specific architectures which offer structural advantages for energy conversion and storage. Here, we firstly report the synthesis of porous cubes constructed by hybrid SnO 2 -CoS nanoparticles using cubic CoSn(OH) 6 precursor as template. The porous nanostructures, nanosized subunits, as well as the cubic geometry feature offer abundant pores and channels for electrolyte diffusion, ensure large contact surface area between electrolytes and active materials, shorten transport distance of lithium ion, and supply voids to buffer the huge volume variation, making it an ideal candidate for reversible lithium storage. When used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the developed sample exhibits outstanding electrochemical properties of large reversible capacity, high rate capability, and stable durability (750 mAh g −1 at 100 mA g −1 after 100 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporoussilica nanoparticles (MSNs) are promising solid supportsfor controlled anticancer drug delivery. Herein, we report biocompatiblelayer-by-layer (LbL) coated MSNs (LbL-MSNs) that are designed andcrafted to release encapsulated anticancer drugs, e.g., doxorubicinhydrochloride (DOX), by changing the pH or by adding competitive agents.The LbL coating process comprises bis-aminated poly(glycerol methacrylate)s(BA-PGOHMAs) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), where CB[7] serves as amolecular bridge holding two different bis-aminated polymeric layerstogether by means of host–guest interactions. This integratednanosystem is tuned to respond under specific acidic conditions orby adding adamantaneamine hydrochloride (AH), attributed to the competitivebinding of hydronium ions or AH to CB[7] with BA-PGOHMAs. These LbL-MSNhybrids possess excellent biostability, negligible premature drugleakage at pH 7.4, and exceptional stimuli-responsive drug releaseperformance. The pore sizes of the MSNs and bis-aminated compounds(different carbon numbers) of BA-PGOHMAs have been optimized to provideeffective integrated nanosystems for the loading and release of DOX.Significantly, the operating pH for the controlled release of DOXmatches the acidifying endosomal compartments of HeLa cancer cells,suggesting that these hybrid nanosystems are good candidates for autonomousanticancer drug nanocarriers actuated by intracellular pH changeswithout any invasive external stimuli. The successful cellular uptakeand release of cargo, e.g., propidium iodide (PI), in human breastcancer cell line MDA-231 from PI-loaded LbL-MSNs have been confirmedby confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), while the cytotoxicitiesof DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs have been quantified by the Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) viability assay against HeLa cell lines and fibroblast L929cell lines. The uptake of DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs by macrophages can beefficiently reduced by adding biocompatible hydrophilic poly(ethyleneglycol) or CB[7] without destroying the capping. In vivo tumor-growthinhibition experiments with BALB/c nude mice demonstrated a highlyefficient tumor-growth inhibition rate of DOX-loaded LbL-MSNs, suggestingthat the novel type of LbL-MSN materials hold great potentials inanticancer drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] FePt alloy nanoparticles anchored RGO composites are successfully synthesized. [•] The alloying of Fe with Pt is demonstrated with XRD and elemental maps. [•] FePt/RGO show enhanced catalytic activity on FA/methanol oxidation than Pt/RGO. [•] FePt/RGO also exhibit improved tolerance to CO poisoning than Pt/RGO. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A set of soil under the addition of ball-milled biochar (BM-biochar) from different feedstocks (wheat straw (WS) and rice husk (RH)) and pyrolysis temperature (300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C) was established to analyze the tetracycline (TC) degradation performance enhancement and greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO 2), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emission reduction from various angles, including physicochemical properties of soil and microbial community structure. After 45 days' incubation, the pH value decreased slightly from 7.34 to 7.22 for WS biochar-treated soil, while slightly increased from 7.34 to 7.50 for RH biochar-treated soil. The lowest KCl-leachable TC concentrations of BMWS700 and RH700 was about 0.0037 mg/L. Ball-milled 500 °C and 700 °C biochars enhanced the removal rate of TC significantly. The maximum reduction of TC was from 2.17 to 0.079 mg/kg, equivalent to 96% removal after ball-milled 500 °C wheat straw biochar (BMWS500) addition, suggesting the promoting effect of biochars on microorganisms for adsorption and degradation of TC. Biochars' addition reduced CO 2 and N 2 O emissions, BM-biochar enlarged this effect under the pyrolysis temperature 500 °C for both feedstock types. Ball milled rice husk biochar pyrolyzed under 500 °C (BMRH500) presented the maximum inhibitory effect CO 2 emission. The addition of BM-biochar changed the microbial community and diversity. The relative abundance of bacterium and fungus such as Proteobacteria , Acidobacteria , Chlorofexi , Mortierella , and Chaetomium increased due to BM-biochar addition, which promoted the degradation of TC and gave rise to more healthy soil environment for plant or microbes. The larger specific surface area, π–π interactions, hydrophobic interaction, and hydrogen bonding are account for better adsorption and degradation of TC by BM-biochars. This work elucidated the management of organic contaminants in real soil by BM-biochar. [Display omitted] • Ball-milled 500 °C biochar enhanced the tetracycline removal rate to 96%. • Sorption and degradation are dominant removal mechanisms. • Greenhouse gases emission was significantly suppressed after biochars' application. • The addition of ball-milled biochar reshaped the community structures of microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The preparation of novel hybrid materials based on MSN-polyelectrolytes nanoparticles (MSNPENs). [•] MSNPENS composed of carboxyl/amino functionalized MSNs and hollow HMSNs were compared. [•] This system could regulate the targeted release of the pre-loaded drug molecule, DOX. [•] The cytotoxicity assay revealed that MSNPENs showed excellent biocompatibility. [•] The drug release process accelerated at acidic conditions for target tumor release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sulfur on CoFe alloys embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets is designed. • M−S n 2- is the robust catalysis sites for HER. • The synergisms between sulfur and CoFe@NC are beneficial for HER. • 2D NC interacted 3D network supplies easily accessible active sites and rapid charge transfer. • The present S-CoFe@NC exhibits Pt-like HER performance in neutral media. Seeking novel low-cost non-noble metal based electrocatalysts with high efficiency is of great significance to promote industrial application of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we originally demonstrate sulfur on CoFe alloys embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (S-CoFe@NC) catalyst with extremely robust HER activity in neutral media. The present sample exhibits active HER performance with ultralow overpotential of 37 mV at current density of 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 34 mV dec-1, which is the same as commercial Pt/C. Systemic studies show that strong interaction between bridging S n 2- and CoFe@NC introduces M−S n 2- as the robust catalysis sites for HER, which is also beneficial for the charge exchange. The specific structure of NC nanosheet interconnected network provides structure advantages for easily accessible active sites and fast charge transfer for electrocatalysis. Thus, this work paves a way for the development of new class of sulfur based electrocatalyst with efficient HER performance for neutral water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Microneedle transdermal drug delivery has the advantages of minimally invasive, safe and efficient. • The core–shell type microneedle is obtained by a vacuuming and hot melting strategy. • The microneedle system is designed to release drugs quickly and improve the utilization rate of drugs. • The photothermal conversion efficiency of Cu-PDA NPs is increased to 50.40%. • Transdermal delivery of Cu-PDA NPs using MNs exhibited PTT-CDT synergistic therapy against skin melanoma. Multimodal nanoformulations with limited side-effects for tumor theranostics that catalyze a cascade of intracellular reactions show great potentials for tumor treatment with high specificity and efficiency. In this study, Cu-doped polydopamine nanoparticles (Cu-PDA NPs) have been prepared and embedded into microneedles (MNs) for photothermal and chemodynamic synergistic therapy against skin melanoma, by virtue of enhanced drug transdermal delivery owing to the unique core–shell structure of MNs. This multimodal tumor therapeutic strategy accumulates the high photothermal effect of Cu-PDA NPs (~50.40%) to acquire the energy from NIR irradiation and convert it into heat, and good Fenton-like catalytic activity of Cu+ ions to produce toxic free hydroxyl groups (‧OH) by reaction with excessive H 2 O 2 in tumor cells, leading to the generation of a new minimally invasive synergistic therapy. The B16F10 mouse melanoma model demonstrates that the active delivery of Cu-PDA NPs results in greatly inhibit proliferation of tumor and induce mixed necrosis/apoptosis of tumor cells in vivo. This study offers a new avenue for the development of microneedles-based microdevices for skin melanoma by a minimally invasive delivery of multimodal nanoformulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The periodic gain structure is used as the active region of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, which can enhance the effective coupling between gain regions and internal optical field. The high device performance is achieved. The maximum continuous-wave output power of large aperture device with active diameter up to 400μm is as high as 1.41W at room temperature. The low threshold current is only 0.5A, which is lower than that of the conventional device with three quantum wells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• S, N co-doped carbon nanosheets are prepared as SIBs anode. • S, N co-doping endows enlarged interlamellar spacing and defective active sites for improved sodium storage. • S, N co-doping improves Na+ diffusion coefficient. • High capacity of 270 mAh g−1 is obtained at 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles. • Capacity of 100 mAh g−1 is achieved at high rate of 1 A g−1 after long-term 1000 cycles. Heteroatom doping into specific nanostructure is believed as the leading solution for developing the advanced carbon materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), however, the preparation and understanding of heteroatoms co-doped carbon anodes are still challenging. Herein, the sulfur and nitrogen co-doped (weight content of 15.64% for N and 3.1% for S) carbon nanosheets (SNC) are prepared by treating nitrogen-rich carbon nanosheets with sublimation sulfur. The S, N co-doping is responsible for the enlarged interlamellar spacing of 0.38 nm and abundant defect-introduced active sites. These structure features combined with the advantage of nanosheet are significant for activating sodium ion storage properties, endowing SNC with high Na+ storage capacity of 270 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and 100 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. More importantly, the kinetic analysis is carried out to illustrate that S, N co-doping can improve the Na+ diffusion coefficient in carbon anode and enhance the ion storage. This work deepens the understanding on the boosting effect of heteroatoms dual-doping for the sodium ion storage of carbon materials, which conduces to development of advanced heteroatom doped carbon anodes for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things is described as a single Internet connection that allows switching data network physical devices. These devices are not necessarily complex technical progress. However, it simplifies the process and allows healthcare professionals timely complete tasks. Focus on healthcare and technology companies tend to invest a lot of money in the Internet of Things. Today, most high-tech equipments have some form of connection, from wearable devices (such as biological sensors) to have a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth X-ray equipment. IoT-enabled medical devices provide essential data to support the performance of health care professionals. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation in various diseases and immune activation standard therapy. However, like other potent drugs, it is not without side effects. Glucocorticoid-related side effects may be related to most of the major organ systems. All musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological psychiatry, dermatology, eye diseases and immune system side effects may occur. Glucocorticoid treatment with various side effects, but careful monitoring and appropriate prevention strategies may minimize these side effects. Doctors need to enable patients to understand these data and determine the most appropriate for their prevention and treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healing of damaged skin is a complex and dynamic process, and the multifunctional hydrogel dressings could promote skin tissue healing. This study, therefore, explored the development of a composite multifunctional hydrogel (HDCP) by incorporating the dopamine modified hyaluronic acid (HA-DA) and phenylboronic acid modified chitosan (CS-PBA) crosslinked using boric acid ester bonds. The integration of HA-DA and CS-PBA could be confirmed using the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. The fabricated HDCP hydrogels exhibited porous structure, elastic solid behavior, shear-thinning, and adhesion properties. Furthermore, the HDCP hydrogels exhibited antibacterial efficacy against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Subsequently, the cytocompatibility of the HDCP hydrogels was verified through CCK-8 assay and fluorescent image analysis following co-cultivation with NIH-3T3 cells. This research presents an innovative multifunctional hydrogel that holds promise as a wound dressing for various applications within the realm of wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the permease gene family are responsible for important biological functions in the growth and development of rice. Here, we show that OsAAP8 is a constitutive expression gene, and its translated protein is localized on the cell membrane. Mutation of the OsAAP8 can promote the expression of genes related to protein and amylopectin synthesis, and also promote the enlargement of protein bodies in its endosperm, leading to an increase in the protein, amylopectin, and total amino acid content of grains in OsAAP8 mutants. Seeds produced by the OsAAP8 mutant were larger, and the chalkiness traits of the OsAAP8 mutants were significantly reduced, thereby improving the nutritional quality and appearance of rice grains. The OsAAP8 protein is involved in the transport of various amino acids; OsAAP8 mutation significantly enhanced the root absorption of a range of amino acids and might affect the distribution of various amino acids. Therefore, OsAAP8 is an important quality trait gene with multiple biological functions, which provides important clues for the molecular design of breeding strategies for developing new high-quality varieties of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium super-ionic conductor (NASICON) materials are believed as competitive cathodes for sodium-ion batteries, however, their practical application is still prohibited by the limited reversible capacity. In this study, the tri-metal NASICON structured Na 3 Mn 0.5 V 0.5 Ti(PO 4) 3 is designed to combine with reduced graphene oxide (NMVTP/rGO) as cathode material. Benefited from the multi-step redox couples of Mn, V, and Ti, NMVTP/rGO realizes high reversible capacity and wide operating voltage. The small sizes of Na 3 Mn 0.5 V 0.5 Ti(PO 4) 3 and rGO ensure the fast charge migration. The rGO inhibits the dissolution of electrode material. As a result, NMVTP/rGO exhibits large specific capacity of 284.6 mAh g−1 at 0.1C, high rate performance (170.2 mAh g−1 at 1C and 108.5 mAh g−1 at 5C), and good cyclic stability. This work demonstrates a new insight for designing tri-metal NASICON structured materials with high capacity for sodium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of dietary phosphorus (P) on growth, body composition, antioxidant activities and lipid metabolism of juvenile Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). Six diets containing available P levels at 0.20%, 0.44%, 0.99%, 1.37%, 1.75% and 2.01% were prepared and fed to juvenile E. sinensis (0.38 ± 0.01 g) for 56 days. The weight gain, specific growth rate and molting frequency were markedly affected by dietary P, and the highest weight gain and specific growth rate were obtained in crabs fed the 0.99% available P diet. With increasing the dietary available P levels, the whole-body ash, Ca, and P contents, as well as the hepatopancreas and serum P contents increased, while the whole-body Mg content decreased. The increase of dietary P levels significantly decreased the lipid contents of whole-body, hepatopancreas and muscle, while increased the crude protein content of hepatopancreas. The hepatopancreas and serum alkaline phosphatase activities increased with an increase in dietary available P levels from 0.20% to 1.37%, and then decreased afterward. The crabs fed 1.37% available P diet had a markedly higher alkaline phosphatase activity than those fed 0.20%, 0.44% and 2.01% available P diets. Moreover, dietary P significantly affected total antioxidant capacity, the activities of total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and the malondialdehyde content in the hepatopancreas. The highest antioxidant activity and lowest malondialdehyde content in the hepatopancreas were found in the crabs fed 1.37% of available P in the diet. The relative mRNA expression showed that dietary P reduced hepatopancreas lipid accumulation might be produced through suppressing the genes related to lipid synthesis and promoting the genes related to lipid transport. This study demonstrates that optimum dietary P could enhance growth, antioxidant capacity and reduce hepatopancreatic lipid accumulation in juvenile E. sinensis and the range of available P in the diet is suggested to be 1.16%–1.51%. • The optimal available P requirement for juvenile E. sinensis is 1.16%–1.51%. • Dietary P addition can improve antioxidant capacity in juvenile E. sinensis. • Dietary P can reduce hepatopancreatic lipid accumulation in juvenile E. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction (MI) is considered as a significant cause of death globally. Exosomes (EXOs) are essential for intercellular communication and pathophysiology of several cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the short half-life and rapid clearance of EXOs leads to a lack of therapeutic doses delivered to the lesioned area. Therefore, an injectable silk fibroin and alginate (SF/Alg) composite hydrogel was developed to bind folate receptor-targeted EXOs (FA-EXOs) derived from H9C2 cells for the therapy of myocardial injury following myocardial infarction-ischemia/reperfusion (MI-I/R). The resulting composite exhibits a variety of properties, including adjustable gelation kinetics, shear-thinning injectability, soft and dynamic stability that adapts to the heartbeat, and outstanding cytocompatibility. After injected into the damaged rat heart, administration of SF/Alg + FA-EXOs significantly enhanced cardiac function as demonstrated by improved ejection fraction, fractional shortening and decreased fibrosis area. The results of real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining show a remarkable up-regulation in the expression of proteins (CD31) and genes (VWF and Serca2a) related to the heart. Conversely, expression of fibrosis-related genes (TGF-β1) decreased significantly. Therefore, the obtained SF/Alg + FA-EXOs system remarkably enhanced the intercellular interactions, promoted cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and achieved an outstanding therapeutic effect on MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, 980nm high-power bottom-emitting vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with large emission aperture are described. The devices have been fabricated by using oxidation confinement technology. Al2O3 film, instead of SiN x film, is used as the passivation layer to enhance heat dissipation. A distinguished device performance is achieved. The maximum continuous-wave (CW) output power of the large emission aperture devices with active diameters up to 500μm is as high as 1.95W at room temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Peripheral nerve injury often leads to the loss of neurological functions due to the slow regeneration rate and inefficient functional reconstruction. Current clinical treatments using nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) still face challenges in providing a biomimetic microenvironment to promote nerve repair. Herein, decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is obtained from porcine Achilles tendon and crosslinked with 3‐amino‐4‐methoxybenzoic acid grafted gelatin (PAMB‐G) to obtain conductive hydrogels. Then, a novel nerve guidance conduit is developed by assembling poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) conduit and conductive ECM@PAMB‐G hydrogel. This bioengineered ECM@PAMB‐G/PVA conduit demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and biodegradability. In vitro experiments confirmed that the ECM@PAMB‐G hydrogel significantly promotes the proliferation and migration of PC12 cells and primary Schwann cells, as well as the growth of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) axons. Furthermore, in vivo studies in a rat sciatic nerve model exhibited improvements in axonal regeneration, Schwann cell migration, myelin sheath formation, and functional recovery mediated by the ECM@PAMB‐G/PVA conduit. This work demonstrates the synergistic effects of extracellular matrix and electrical cues in enhancing peripheral nerve regeneration. The ECM@PAMB‐G/PVA nerve guidance conduit shows potential as an alternative to autografts for supporting peripheral nerve reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenotype-guided gene prioritizers have proved a highly efficient approach to identifying causal genes for Mendelian diseases. In our previous study, we preliminarily evaluated the performance of ten prioritizers. However, all the selected software was run based on default settings and singleton mode. With a large-scale family dataset from Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) project (N = 305) and an in-house trio cohort (N = 152), the four optimal performers in our prior study including Exomiser, PhenIX, AMELIE, and LIRCIAL were further assessed through parameter optimization and/or the utilization of trio mode. The in-depth assessment revealed high diagnostic yields of the four prioritizers with refined preferences, each alone or together: (1) 83.3–91.8% of the causal genes were presented among the first ten candidates in the final ranking lists of the four tools; (2) Over 97.7% of the causal genes were successfully captured within the top 50 by either of the four software. Exomiser did best in directly hitting the target (ranking the causal gene at the very top) while LIRICAL displayed a predominant overall detection capability. Besides, cases affected by low-penetrance and high-frequency pathogenic variants were found misjudged during the automated prioritization process. The discovery of the limitations shed light on the specific directions of future enhancement for causal-gene ranking tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grain protein content is an important quality trait in cereals, and the expression level of the OsAAP6 can significantly affect the grain protein content in rice. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we found that the position from −7 to −12 bp upstream of the transcription start site of the OsAAP6 was the functional variation site. By using the yeast single hybrid test, point-to-point in yeast, and the local surface plasmon resonance test, the OsNAC74 was screened and verified to be a regulator upstream of OsAAP6. The OsNAC74 is a constitutively expressed gene whose product is located on the cell membrane. The OsAAP6 and the genes related to the seed storage in the Osnac74 mutants were downregulated, and grain protein content was significantly reduced. In addition, OsNAC74 had a significant impact on quality traits such as grain chalkiness and gel consistency in rice. Although the Osnac74 mutant seeds were relatively small, the individual plant yield was not decreased. Therefore, OsNAC74 is an important regulatory factor with multiple biological functions. This study provides important information for the later use of OsNAC74 gene for molecular design and breeding in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is crucial to synergistically improve the yield and quality of sweet maize by implementing precise and strategic planting methods. However, a comprehensive understanding of how increasing plant density affects the sweet maize fresh ear yield, grain-filling rate, and grain carbohydrate concentration is not fully understood. Thus, a field experiment was performed using a split-plot design in Southeast China in 2021 and 2022, involving four sweet maize varieties (MT6855 and WT2015 were compact-type varieties, XMT10 and YZ7 were flat-type varieties) and three plant densities (D1: 4.5 plants m−2; D2: 6.0 plants m−2; and D3: 7.5 plants m−2). The results showed that an increasing plant density markedly increased the fresh ear yield of sweet maize varieties (MT6855 and WT2015) over the two years. However, it did not influence the fresh ear yield of XMT10 and YZ7. Across all four varieties in 2021 and 2022, the increasing plant density decreased the sweet maize filled ear length, while it did not affect the grain soluble solid concentration and grain residue ratio. The sweet maize grain weight, the maximum grain-filling rate, and the mean grain-filling rate decreased significantly with the increase in planting density across all four varieties. However, plant density did not significantly affect the grain soluble sugar, sucrose, fructose, and starch concentrations across different varieties at most stages during the grain filling. The current study also found that the sweet maize fresh ear yield was dramatically positively correlated with ears ha−1, grains per ear, grain-filling rate, and grain starch concentration but negatively correlated with the bare plant rate. Notably, a parabolic relationship existed between the fresh ear yield and 100-grain weight. These findings suggest that optimizing the plant density, particularly with compact-type varieties, can improve the sweet maize fresh ear yield without decreasing its quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low planting density and lack of density-tolerant varieties are the critical factors limiting the yield of sweet maize in Southeast China. However, there is relatively limited information about the interaction effects of plant density and variety on sweet maize in Southeast China. A two-year (2021–2022) field experiment was conducted with two sweet maize varieties (MT6855 and XMT10) and three plant densities (D1: 45,000 plants ha−1, D2: 60,000 plants ha−1, and D3: 75,000 plants ha−1). The results showed that plant density and variety had significant interaction effects on sweet maize yield and most traits. Increasing plant density significantly increased the fresh ear yield of MT6855, while it did not affect the XMT10 variety. The increase in fresh ear yield for MT6855 under D2 treatment was 14.9% and 14.0% higher than that under D1 treatment in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Meanwhile, increasing plant density significantly increased the bare plant rate and decreased the number of grains per ear of XMT10, while no sustainable changes were observed in MT6855. Moreover, we observed significantly increased pre-silking dry matter, N, P, and K accumulation across different densities in both varieties. In contrast, during the post-silking stage, the increasing plant density significantly improved the accumulation of dry matter, N, P, and K, only in MT6855 but not in XMT10. Meanwhile, harvest index, dry matter remobilization, and leaf N, P, and K remobilization of MT6855 were significantly higher than those of XMT10. Increasing plant density significantly increased N, P, and K partial factor productivity of MT6855 but did not remarkably affect those of XMT10. In addition, fresh ear yield of sweet maize was significantly and positively correlated with pre-silking, post-silking, and total N and P accumulation but had no significant relationship with leaf K remobilization across the two varieties. These results suggest that MT6855 is a density-tolerant variety of sweet maize, and optimizing planting density with a density-tolerant variety can improve the accumulation and remobilization of dry matter and nutrients, thereby improving the fresh ear yield and nutrient use efficiency of sweet maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Static leaching experiments lasting 480 h were performed to investigate the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and inorganic nitrogen from coal gangues collected from the Jurassic Middle-Lower Yan′an formation in the Bulianta coal mine (CG1) and the Permian Shanxi formation in the Baode coal mine (CG2) in North China. The amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NH4+–N, NO3−–N, and NO2−–N released from CG1 were all much higher than those from CG2, as was the electrical conductivity. These were highly correlated with the mineral and chemical composition and lithology. The fluorescence, biological, and humification indices for the leachates were indicative of autochthonous microbial processes that occurred during DOM formation. In addition, the specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA254) and fluorescence intensities (divided by DOC) of peaks B1, B2, T2, and A indicated that more microbial and less plant precursors in the DOM were released from CG2 than from CG1. Adsorption and denitrification of NH4+–N and NO3−–N released from CG1 and CG2 were observed. These results should be useful in assessing the environmental impacts caused by the DOM and nitrogen released from coal gangue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reported the clinical outcomes of 35 patients with mandibular odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) following treatment by radical resection and immediate defect reconstruction. Amongst 565 patients with OKCs that were treated between April 2003 and May 2015, 35 patients underwent segmental or marginal mandibulectomy. The use of radical resection was based on clinical and/or radiographic evidence of size, cortical perforation and subsequent soft tissue involvement, and on the history of previous recurrence of the same lesion. Recurrence, justifications of the main major factor for resection, and functional and cosmetic results of the patients following mandibular reconstruction were systematically evaluated. There were 26 OKCs in the mandibular molar-ramus region, eight in the mandibular anterior-premolar region and one in the mandibular molar-ramus and anterior-molar regions. Among the 35 patients, 20 had primary OKCs and 15 had recurrent OKCs. A total of 31 patients underwent segmental mandibulectomy, of which 28 were immediately reconstructed with a vascularized flap, whereas four patients underwent marginal mandibulectomy. The functional and cosmetic outcomes of patients were evaluated as satisfactory. The length of the follow-up period ranged from 2 to 17 years following operation (average, 5.82 years). Recurrence was identified in one patient who had been treated with marginal mandibulectomy. In conclusion, the findings from the present study suggested that radical resection may be recommended for patients with OKCs and locally aggressive features. Immediate mandibular reconstruction with a vascularized flap may be a crucial part of this aggressive treatment method that may reduce OKCs-associated morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nonprecious and high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst towards overall water splitting is of fundamental importance for future renewable fuel system and is still a big challenge. MoS 2 is regarded as a promising candidate, but effective techniques are lacking to simultaneously settle the obstacles of limited site density and intrinsic activity, which still restrict its practical application. Herein, we address such challenges via activating MoS 2 with Co,Fe co-doping and nanostructure engineering techniques through a template confined strategy. Using Prussian blue analogue (PBA) of Co 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ] 2 nanocubes as self-sacrifice template not only guides the specific geometry of Co,Fe co-doped MoS 2 (Co,Fe-MoS 2) nanosheets assembled architecture, but also achieves the Co,Fe co-doping. Nanosheets assembled architecture supplies structural benefits of high surface area, short charge transfer path, and easily accessible active sites. The Co,Fe co-doping induces defects as additional catalytic sites and alters the electronic structure of active sites. When used as bifunctional catalysts for water electrolysis, Co,Fe-MoS 2 shows excellent catalytic activity with a low cell potential of 1.49 V at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. In a two-electrode electrolyzer, only one single-cell AA battery could afford the sustainable overall water splitting. • Co,Fe co-doped MoS 2 nanosheets assembled architecture is prepared. • Synergism of doping and structure advantages is beneficial for catalysis. • Excellent HER and OER performances are obtained in KOH. • Co,Fe-MoS 2 serves as bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The advancements of sustainable energy storage and conversion systems will benefit from the exploring of cost-effective and high-performance electrode materials with multifunctions. In this study, a novel three-dimensional (3D) electrode, consisting of hybridized Ni(PO 3) 2 -MnPO 4 nanosheet array on self-supported conductive nickel foam (Ni(PO 3) 2 -MnPO 4 /NF), is established to demonstrate the promising applications of an class of transition metal phosphates (TMPOs) for electrochemical water splitting and supercapacitors. By means of the Ni(PO 3) 2 -MnPO 4 /NF electrode with rationally designed nanosheet array structure and abundant defects, we demonstrate the good catalytic activity of TMPOs for hydrogen evolution reaction (125 mV at 10 mA cm−2). It is also revealed as a robust oxygen-evolving catalyst, yielding a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at ultralow overpotential of 116 mV (corresponding to the electrode potential of 1.346 V). When tested as bifunctional electrocatalysts to drive overall water splitting, the applied potential difference is as low as 1.41 V for the whole cell to achieve the current density of 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, Ni(PO 3) 2 -MnPO 4 /NF could serve as excellent supercapacitor electrode with superior capacitance behavior (areal specific capacitance of 14.48 F cm−2 at 5 mA cm−2) and good stability. In an aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor, a high energy density of 45.6 Wh kg−1 is obtained at a power density of 1.1 kW kg−1. Highlights • Ni(PO 3) 2 -MnPO 4 nanosheet array on conductive nickel foam is prepared. • Good HER activity is firstly demonstrated for transition metal phosphates. • Acting as robust bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting. • Exhibiting high capacitance and stability as supercapacitor electrode. • Assembling a high-performance asymmetric capacitor with activated carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching active and cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is a vital but challenging task towards clean and sustainable energy sources. Here, mixed metal phosphides of Ni 2 P CoP anchored on N-doped reduced graphene oxide (NiCoP/N-rGO) as efficient and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for water splitting are reported. The large active sites, synergism, and hybridization with N-doped rGO endow NiCoP/N-rGO electrocatalyst with outstanding oxygen evolution reaction activity that is better than benchmark RuO 2 in alkaline electrolyte, as well as active hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solution. NiCoP/N-rGO has further been employed as both anode and cathode in a two-electrode alkaline water electrolyzer towards overall water splitting, exhibiting advanced electrochemical performances with a low cell voltage of 1.57 V at a current density of 20 mA cm −2 . Moreover, the overall water splitting in this two-electrode electrolyzer can be driven by a single-cell AA battery (nominal voltage of 1.5 V), making NiCoP/N-rGO as the promising efficient cost-effective catalysts for water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To efficiently improve the productivity of strawberries under growing environmental change, the photosynthesis, root growth, and nitrogen allocation of strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv. Toyonoka) were investigated in a factorial design of CO2, temperature, and nitrogen supply. Elevated CO2 decreased the maximum CO2 assimilation rate (Amax), maximum CO2 carboxylation capacity per unit leaf area (Vcmax), and maximum CO2 carboxylation capacity per unit leaf mass (Vcm-m) by 20%, 24%, and 44%, respectively. Meanwhile, it reduced the SPAD value, maximal fluorescence level in the dark-adapted state (Fm), and maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm). Moreover, root branches, root number, root dry weight, and nitrogen-use efficiency were further increased in response to elevated CO2 under low nitrogen. When elevated CO2 was applied together with nitrogen nutrients, the Vcm-m and root nitrogen concentration (RNC) declined by 32% and 12%, respectively, but the total root dry weight (TRDW) increased by 88%. If the nitrogen nutrient was individually applied, the TRDW decreased by 16%, while the RNC increased by 21%. When the high temperature was individually applied, the TRDW increased by 104%, but the RNC decreased by 5%. Overall, elevated CO2 exacerbated photosynthetic down-regulation and significantly affected nitrogen redistribution among strawberry organs, reducing leaf nitrogen concentration and accelerating leaf senescence. However, it could increase seed quantity and improve its quality as well. In other words, under nitrogen-deficient conditions, elevated CO2 could improve the survival of offspring via the cost of the mother plant's growth capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]