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Alkaline water electrolyzers (AWEs) holds great promise for large-scale green hydrogen production, but its commercialization is impeded by high electrical energy costs. Improving flow uniformity in AWEs is crucial to reduce energy consumption, necessitating optimized plate structure designs. Regrettably, the quantitative investigation of flow uniformity in electrolyzers is rare, due to the complex flow behavior. As a consequence, the existing designs primarily rely on empirical knowledge, lacking an efficient and systematic design guidance. This study establishes a general plate structure design strategy for commercial AWEs by introducing quantitative criteria for flow uniformity in multi-scale. The strategy comprises four steps: 1) single unit design to improve lateral liquid distribution, 2) evaluation of velocity magnitude discrepancy at horizontal sections, 3) flow behavior prediction by RTD analysis, and 4) validation through performance test. The strategy incorporates three quantitative parameters φ , δ , θ to evaluate the performance in three different levels. Two novel designs, namely, the rhombus and wedge electrolyzers are proposed to demonstrate the design strategy. Additionally, an in-situ electrolysis visualization/performance test platform is developed to vividly depict the gas-liquid flow during electrolysis and validate the effectiveness of our design guidelines. The proposed design guideline provides step-by-step guidance for the plate structure design of future high-performance commercial AWEs. [Display omitted] • A brief plate structure design guideline for commercial AWEs with improved liquid flow uniformity. • Multi-scale quantitative uniformity criteria by defined parameters φ , δ, and θ. • A concise approach to evaluate flow behavior: RTD analysis by CFD-PT method. • Noval designs for improved performance: wedge and rhombus electrolyzers. • Experimental validation: in-situ electrolysis visualization and performance test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiFe-based materials are among the most promising alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts because of their high intrinsic activities and abundance. Although many advanced NiFe-based catalysts have been developed, few exhibit simultaneous high activity, stability, good mass transfer, and cost-effective large-scale preparation. Furthermore, NiFe-based catalysts have rarely been studied in alkaline water electrolyzers (AWE) where the catalysts work under a large current density in an alkaline electrolyte at high temperatures and high concentrations with tight assembly pressure. This study successfully developes robust and highly active NiFe nanocone array (NA) catalysts that exhibit both fast and cost-effective mass production capabilities. Benefiting from the in situ-formed OER-active NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) and the superhydrophilic structure-induced fast mass transfer, the optimized NiFe NA sample presentes a low OER overpotential of 269 mV at 500 mA cm−2 in a 30 wt% KOH solution. The NiFe core-NiFe LDH shell structure and metallic bond between NiFe nanocones and the substrate are crucial for enabling the NiFe electrode to maintain a minimal potential increase of only 4% even after 250 h of testing at 500 mA cm−2 in a 30 wt% KOH solution. Moreover, the AWE using NiFe NA anodes and NiMo cathodes (NiFe//NiMo) works stably at 500 mA cm−2 under 80 °C in 30 wt% KOH solution and presents a power energy consumption of 4.0 kWh Nm−3 H 2 , much lower than that of the Ni mesh//Ni mesh counterpart and most commercial AWEs. This study, for the first time, evaluates the performance of NiFe electrodes in AWE and demonstrates their industrial application prospects in alkaline water electrolysis. [Display omitted] • Fast and large-size production using inexpensive raw materials. • Excellent oxygen evolution reaction activity and stability at large current density. • In situ-formed stable NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) layer. • Super hydrophilic structure. • Ultra-low cell voltage and power energy consumption in alkaline water electrolyser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green tea, a popular and healthy nonalcoholic drink consumed globally, is abundant in natural polyphenols. One of these polyphenols is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which offers a range of health benefits, such as metabolic regulation, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and potential anticancer properties. Clinical research has shown that EGCG can inhibit cancers in the male and female reproductive systems, including ovarian, cervical, endometrial, breast, testicular, and prostate cancers. Further research on cervical cancer has revealed the crucial role of epigenetic mechanisms in the initiation and progression of this type of cancer. These include changes to the DNA, histones, and non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs. These changes are reversible and can occur even before genetic mutations, making them a potential target for intervention therapies. One promising approach to cancer prevention and treatment is the use of specific agents (known as epi-drugs) that target the cancer epigenome or epigenetic dysregulation. Phytochemicals, a group of diverse molecules, have shown potential in modulating cancer processes through their interaction with the epigenetic machinery. Among these, green tea and its main polyphenol EGCG have been extensively studied. This review highlights the therapeutic effects of EGCG and its nanoformulations on cervical cancer. It also discusses the epigenetic events involved in cervical cancer, such as DNA methylation and microRNA dysregulation, which may be affected by EGCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous PPS membranes are commonly employed to separate the released gases in conventional alkaline electrolyzers. However, their poor ionic conductivity and high gas permeability bring up the issues of high energy consumption and rapidly raised safety risks when the electrolyzers operate at high-pressure levels. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop alternative membranes with superior conductivity and gas tightness. In this study, we prepared an ultrathin composite membrane with support layer via combination of hot-pressing and phase inversion precipitation techniques. The comprehensive performances of the prepared membranes, commercial PPS fabric and commercial Zirfon membrane were compared. The cell performance of the prepared membranes and commercial membranes at high current density was also evaluated. The ultrathin composite membrane exhibits lower cell voltage and ionic resistance than commercial membranes. With the introduction of support layer, the tensile strength of the prepared ultrathin composite membrane significantly increased by 19 times. • Cell performance of the membranes at high current density was evaluated. • Lower cell voltage and area resistance obtained for ultrathin composite membrane. • Tensile strength of prepared membranes rose sharply with support layer insertion. • Membranes prepared by combination of hot-pressing and phase inversion techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible symmetrical solid oxide cells (RS-SOCs) have attracted much attention due to their high energy conversion efficiency and fabrication simplicity. In this study, 10% Fe was substituted with Ni in the B-site of Sr0.9Fe0.9Mo0.1O3−δ to enhance the electrochemical performance of H2O electrolysis. The characterization results and theoretical calculations indicated that Ni doping decreased the adsorption and reaction energy barrier of intermediates of H2O electrolysis on the Sr0.95Fe0.8Mo0.1Ni0.1O3−δ's (111) surface, which promoted the kinetics of the electrode reaction, thus fabricating electrochemical activity and resulting in higher reaction dynamics. Consequently, a high power density of 1.145 W cm−2 at 850 °C on a symmetrical cell was achieved in the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode, and a current density of 3.995 A cm−2 was obtained at 850 °C and 1.6 V in the solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode, indicating the Sr0.9Fe0.8Mo0.1Ni0.1O3−δ oxide to be a promising SOFC electrode for power production and SOEC electrode for H2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) is promising for large-scale commercial production of green hydrogen, but large overpotential hinders their promotion. To reduce overpotential, the electrolyzers should be designed to improve flow uniformity, thus requiring a quantitative evaluation of flow distribution. However, the corresponding assessment criteria and method are ambiguous. This study establishes a 3D numerical model as well as quantitative parameters to investigate the liquid flow uniformity in a concave-convex bipolar plate (CCBP) electrolyzer. The simulation result is validated by a flow visualization experiment. The simulated velocity field reveals significant non-uniform flow in the CCBP electrolyzer. A uniformity parameter δ was defined to quantify the velocity discrepancy at various horizontal sections. Additionally, residence time distribution (RTD) analysis by CFD coupled particle tracing (CFD-PT) method is applied to evaluate flow behavior inside electrolyzers. The corresponding dimensionless parameter θ can be applied as a criterion for electrolyzer structure design, operation optimization, and scale-up. [Display omitted] • Non-uniform flow discovered in a commercial CCBP electrolyzer by 3D CFD simulation. • Simulation validation: flow visualization experiment. • A defined parameter δ to describe flow uniformity at horizontal sections. • Electrolyzer flow uniformity evaluation/prediction: RTD analysis by CFD-PT method. • Dimensionless time parameter θ : a criterion for electrolyzer structure design, operation optimization, and scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polarization-insensitive broadband terahertz absorber with a sandwich structure of metal–dielectric-graphene is designed and simulated. The graphene is patterned as an array of graphene square blocks with circular apertures. The results of the simulations and theoretical analysis show that the absorption exceeds 99 % from 0.93   to   1.65   THz while 90 % from 0.80   to   1.87   THz , and a broad relative bandwidth of 80.2% is achieved. The absorption performance is passively enhanced by altering physical dimensions of the graphene pattern and actively adjusted by changing the chemical potential of graphene. When the chemical potential increases from 0.1   eV to 0.7   eV , the corresponding terahertz absorption increases from 59.1 % to 99 % . The mechanism of absorption is disclosed by analyzing the impedance matching theory and distribution of electric-field intensity. In addition, different polarization modes and incident angles are also studied. The proposed absorber has the superiorities of broad relative bandwidth, high absorption rate, polarization insensitivity, and a wide incident angle, which offers some potential applications in the field of terahertz technology such as imaging, detection, and cloaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonably allocating the micro factor investment in the industry and trying to improve the energy efficiency are very important for the green development of industrial economy in Hebei Province, so as to the achievement of its double carbon target. This paper takes industrial energy consumption, assets and labor in Hebei Province as micro-input elements. Based on the panel data of 34 industrial industries in Hebei Province from 2005 to 2016, we identify the correlation of micro-input factors in different industries and conduct Granger causality test. The study shows that: (1) About half of the industry's combined energy consumption is correlated with the number of employees and assets; About two-thirds of the industry's asset workers are relevant; (2) There is a two-way causal relationship between the total energy consumption and assets of most industries and the annual average number of employees. (3) The rational allocation of capital, labor and energy consumption depends on the deepening reform of the factor market. The high energy consumption industry should actively improve and innovate the energy technology in this process to realize the coordinated promotion of energy saving and carbon reduction, and thus to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the industry steadily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Granulation and SND efficiency in AGS system was promoted by adding strain XL-2. • The addition of strain XL-2 promoted EPS secretion, particularly PN. • The increase of PN promoted hydrophilicity and altered proteins secondary structures. • Strain XL-2 induced the enrichment of EPS producing and denitrifying bacteria. In this study, the possibility of an auto-aggregating bacterium Pseudomonas strain XL-2 with heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification capacity for improving granulation and nitrogen removal was evaluated. The results showed that the supplementation of strain XL-2 promoted granulation, making R1 (experimental group with strain XL-2) dominated by granules at 14 d, which was 12 days earlier than R2 (control group without strain XL-2). This was attributed to the promotion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion, particularly proteins by adding strain XL-2, thereby improving the hydrophobicity of sludge and altering the proteins secondary structures to facilitate aggregation. Meanwhile, adding strain XL-2 improved simultaneous nitrification and denitrification efficiency of R1. Microbial community analysis indicated that strain XL-2 successfully proliferated in aerobic granule sludge and might induce the enrichment of genera such as Flavobacterium and Paracoccus that were favorable for EPS secretion and denitrification, jointly promoting granulation and enhancing nitrogen removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the strong requirement of keyhole TIG (K-TIG) welding for arc length stability and the advantages of voltage sensing, it is necessary to discuss the relationship between the voltage and arc length. In this paper, based on several groups of experiments, a nonlinear transition point between the relationship of voltage and arc length was found with increasing arc length. Then, to analyze the formation mechanism of the nonlinear transition, a simplified arc physical model was developed. After considering the variations in the welding parameter, the reduction in arc pressure was found to be the main factor leading to a nonlinear relationship, while the shielding gas flow rate is the most effective parameter. This work lays a foundation for better understanding the welding arc and real-time control of arc length by voltage sensing in K-TIG welding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distorting linear polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) out of planarity affects their physical properties and breaks their symmetry to induce inherent chirality. However, the chirality cannot be achieved in large distorted PAHs‐based macrocycles due to a low racemization barrier for isomerization. Herein, we report the precise synthesis and tuning size‐dependent (chir)optical properties of a new class of chiral PAHs‐containing conjugated macrocycles (cyclo[n]paraphenylene‐2,6‐anthrylene, [n]CPPAn2,6; n=6–8). Their inherent chiralities were squeezed out in small anthrylene‐based macrocycles. Efficient resolutions for chiral enantiomers with (P)/(M)‐helicity of small [6‐7]CPPAns were achieved by HPLC. Interestingly, these macrocycles showed enriched size‐dependent physical, chiral, and (chir)optical properties. Theoretical calculations indicate that these macrocycles have high strain energy (Estrain=60.8 to 73.4 kcal/mol) and very small Egap (∼3.0 eV). Notably, these enantiomers showed strong chiroptical properties and dissymmetry factors (|gabs| and |glum|∼0.01 for an enantiomer of [6]CPPAn2,6), which can give them potential applications in optically active materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooperation of heterojunction and magnetic field can effectively improve the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. Herein, CoFe 2 O 4 /BiFeO 3 Z-scheme heterojunctions (CFO/BFO) were applied in the magnetic field-assisted photocatalytic reaction generated by a rotating permanent magnet for the degradation of berberine hydrochloride, which achieved a degradation rate of 96.49% and showed good stability and recoverability. The active substances controlling the reaction were holes and superoxide radicals. The excellent magneto-photocatalytic performances of CoFe 2 O 4 /BiFeO 3 can be attributed to the construction of the Z-scheme heterojunction, the magnetoelectric effect produced by the synergistic combination in the magnetic field, and the driving force of the Lorentz force for photocatalysis. [Display omitted] • Hydrothermal synthesis of CoFe 2 O 4 /BiFeO 3 Z-scheme heterojunction. • Excellent photocatalytic effect in magnetic field-assisted photocatalysis. • Performance enhancement mechanism of magneto-photocatalysis is proposed. • Good stability and reusability of catalytic degradation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy characterized by a high fatality rate. Increasing evidence indicating that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among them, the correlation between LINC02298 and HCC remains unknown. The expression and subcellular localization of LINC02298 in HCC tissues and cell lines were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, the correlation between the expression of LINC02298 and clinicopathological features of HCC patients was analyzed. The regulatory effects of LINC02298 in HCC were investigated using colony formation, cell count Kit-8(CCK8), Transwell, EDU, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis. In addition, the expression of EMT-related proteins were detected by western blotting. Dual-luciferase reporter, RT-qPCR and rescue assays were employed to validate the involvement of the LINC02298/miR-28-5p/CCDC6 axis in the progression of HCC. The up-regulation of LINC02298 was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells, and it was found to be correlated with a negative prognosis in patients with HCC. Overexpression of LINC02298 enhanced the proliferation, migration, invasion, and induction of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) while suppressing apoptosis in HCC cells. LINC02298 bind to miR-28-5p to regulate the expression of CCDC6. Inhibition of miR-28-5p saved the inhibitory effect of shLINC02298, and knockdown of CCDC6 also saved the inhibitory effect of miR-28-5p on HCC in vitro and in vivo. LINC02298 regulates the expression of CCDC6 by sponging of miR-28-5p, thereby facilitating the the malignancy and EMT of HCC.The expression of LINC02298 exhibited an elevation in HCC tissues and cell lines. LINC02298 functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sequestering microRNAs (miRNAs) to modulate the expression of PDLIM5. Furthermore, it has been observed that LINC02298 plays a significant role in enhancing the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of HCC cells, while simultaneously inhibiting apoptosis.Graphical Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy characterized by a high fatality rate. Increasing evidence indicating that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among them, the correlation between LINC02298 and HCC remains unknown. The expression and subcellular localization of LINC02298 in HCC tissues and cell lines were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, the correlation between the expression of LINC02298 and clinicopathological features of HCC patients was analyzed. The regulatory effects of LINC02298 in HCC were investigated using colony formation, cell count Kit-8(CCK8), Transwell, EDU, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis. In addition, the expression of EMT-related proteins were detected by western blotting. Dual-luciferase reporter, RT-qPCR and rescue assays were employed to validate the involvement of the LINC02298/miR-28-5p/CCDC6 axis in the progression of HCC. The up-regulation of LINC02298 was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells, and it was found to be correlated with a negative prognosis in patients with HCC. Overexpression of LINC02298 enhanced the proliferation, migration, invasion, and induction of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) while suppressing apoptosis in HCC cells. LINC02298 bind to miR-28-5p to regulate the expression of CCDC6. Inhibition of miR-28-5p saved the inhibitory effect of shLINC02298, and knockdown of CCDC6 also saved the inhibitory effect of miR-28-5p on HCC in vitro and in vivo. LINC02298 regulates the expression of CCDC6 by sponging of miR-28-5p, thereby facilitating the the malignancy and EMT of HCC.The expression of LINC02298 exhibited an elevation in HCC tissues and cell lines. LINC02298 functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sequestering microRNAs (miRNAs) to modulate the expression of PDLIM5. Furthermore, it has been observed that LINC02298 plays a significant role in enhancing the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of HCC cells, while simultaneously inhibiting apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline water electrolysis is the most promising approach for the industrial production of green hydrogen. This study investigates the dynamic operational characteristics of an industrial-scale alkaline electrolyzer with a rated hydrogen production of 50 m3/h. Strategies for system control and equipment improvement in dynamic-mode alkaline electrolytic hydrogen production are discussed. The electrolyzer can operate over a 30%–100% rated power load, thereby facilitating high-purity (>99.5%) H 2 production, competitive DC energy efficiency (4.01–4.51 kW h/Nm3 H 2 , i.e., 73.1%–65.0% LHV), and good gas–liquid fluid balance. A safe H 2 content of 2% in O 2 (50% LFL) can be guaranteed by adjusting the system pressure. In transient operation, the electrolyzer can realize minute-level power and pressure modulation with high accuracy. The results confirm that the proposed alkaline electrolyzer can absorb highly fluctuating energy output from renewables because of its capability to operate in a dynamic mode. • Wind-powered 250 kW electrolyzer with rated hydrogen production of 50 m3/h. • Electrolyzer operability under partial power loads and transient states. • High-purity (>99.5%) H 2 production over a 30%–100% rated power load. • Minute-level power and pressure modulation with high accuracy. • Dynamic simulation experiments with fluctuating wind power input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical strand displacement–based DNA circuit, the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) has the potential to transduce and amplify signals for analytical applications, but little practice has been fulfilled in Luminex-based multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) detection. Here, we proposed a target-fueled CHA-based platform for sensitive and multiple miRNAs detection, by virtue of the multiplex characteristic of the Luminex xMAP platform. The cyclic use of target miRNA, which forms a substantial amount of H1-H2 duplexes, has amplified the fluorescent response to achieve sensitive sensing. Key experimental conditions including hairpin probe concentrations, reaction temperature, and concentration of SA-PE were optimized. Liver tumor–related miRNA-21, miRNA-122, and miRNA-222 could be simultaneously detected with LOD of 2 pM. Overall, the proposed method first combined CHA with the Luminex xMAP system to construct a sensitive sensing platform suitable for multiple miRNAs detection in real sample analysis, which could potentially be applied in biomedical research and clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unusual physical properties that are valuable for nanotechnology and electronics, but the chemical synthesis of chirality‐ and diameter‐specific CNTs and π‐conjugated CNT segments is still a great challenge. Reported here are the selective syntheses, isolations, characterizations, and photophysical properties of two novel chiral conjugated macrocycles ([4]cyclo‐2,6‐anthracene; [4]CAn2,6), as (−)/(+)‐(12,4) carbon nanotube segments. These conjugated macrocyclic molecules were obtained using a bottom‐up assembly approach and subsequent reductive elimination reaction. The hoop‐shaped molecules can be directly viewed by a STM technique. In addition, chiral enantiomers with (−)/(+) helicity of the [4]CAn2,6 were successfully isolated by HPLC. The new tubular CNT segments exhibit large absorption and photoluminescence redshifts compared to the monomer unit. The carbon enantiomers are also observed to show strong circularly polarized luminescence (glum≈0.1). The results reported here expand the scope of materials design for bottom‐up synthesis of chiral macrocycles and enrich existing knowledge of their optoelectronic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unusual physical properties that are valuable for nanotechnology and electronics, but the chemical synthesis of chirality‐ and diameter‐specific CNTs and π‐conjugated CNT segments is still a great challenge. Reported here are the selective syntheses, isolations, characterizations, and photophysical properties of two novel chiral conjugated macrocycles ([4]cyclo‐2,6‐anthracene; [4]CAn2,6), as (−)/(+)‐(12,4) carbon nanotube segments. These conjugated macrocyclic molecules were obtained using a bottom‐up assembly approach and subsequent reductive elimination reaction. The hoop‐shaped molecules can be directly viewed by a STM technique. In addition, chiral enantiomers with (−)/(+) helicity of the [4]CAn2,6 were successfully isolated by HPLC. The new tubular CNT segments exhibit large absorption and photoluminescence redshifts compared to the monomer unit. The carbon enantiomers are also observed to show strong circularly polarized luminescence (glum≈0.1). The results reported here expand the scope of materials design for bottom‐up synthesis of chiral macrocycles and enrich existing knowledge of their optoelectronic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we report the precise synthesis and photophysical properties of a naphthalene-containing carbon nanohoop, cyclo[7]paraphenylene-2,6-naphthylene ([7]CPPNa2,6), as a sidewall segment of a [9,8] single-walled carbon nanotube ([9,8]SWNT) using a rationally designed strategy. To the best of our knowledge, [7]CPPNa2,6 represents the smallest chiral SWNT segment ever reported. The structure was confirmed by 1H NMR, 2D 1H–1H COSY NMR, 13C NMR, and HR-MS spectrometry. The nanohoop's interesting photophysical properties were investigated by steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations. Compared with the [8]CPP and [9]CPP nanohoops, [7]CPPNa2,6 has a moderate strain energy (89.6 kcal mol−1) and a higher HOMO–LUMO gap (3.5 eV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of renewable energy generation fluctuation, water splitting for hydrogen generation is proposed, which can store renewable energy as hydrogen energy. Low overpotential cathode materials can effectively reduce the cost of hydrogen production. Here, a new NiMo/NMF electrode was prepared using a hydrothermal coupled H 2 reduction method. Three-dimensional NiMo nanorod arrays were constructed by modulating the ion dissolution and surface epitaxial growth process of the electrode substrate. The influence of different hydrothermal reaction and H 2 reduction conditions on the electrochemical performance of the electrode was investigated. Under optimum preparation conditions, the NiMo/NMF electrode exhibits a extremely low overpotentials of 158 mV at 500 mA cm-2 (30% wt. KOH alkaline medium), which can serve for preparing high efficiency and economy electrodes by in-situ integration of high active components on metal foam substrate. The NiMo/NMF electrode is a high-performance electrocatalytic cathode material with great prospects for industrial applications. • Water splitting for hydrogen generation is proposed for renewable hydrogen energy. • We made a low-overpotential NiMo/NMF electrode via hydrothermal coupled H 2 reduction. • The electrochemical performance of the NiMo/NMF electrode was investigated. • Different hydrothermal and H 2 reduction temperatures and times were explored. • The NiMo/NMF electrode exhibits a remarkable HER activity with low overpotentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoporous copper (NPC) and nanoporous copper-nickel (NPC-Ni) can be prepared by free corrosion dealloying Mn72Cu28−xNix (x=0, 1, 3at.% Ni) precursor alloys. Microscopic morphology characterization by scanning electron microscopy exhibited a three-dimensional bicontinuous porous structure with nanoscale ligaments and pores. NPC with a pore size of 48.7nm was obtained in 0.1M hydrochloric acid solution for 3.5h dealloyed at 25∘C. Under the same free corrosion dealloying condition, NPC-Ni1 and NPC-Ni3 were obtained with the pore size of 36.6nm and 28.1nm, respectively. The results indicate that minor Ni atoms addition to the precursor greatly refined the dealloyed nanoporous structure. This effect could be attributed to the lower Ni surface diffusivity than that of Cu and resulted in slow down of the diffusion and rearrangement of Cu atoms during dealloying process. Post-dealloying heat treatment at 300∘C, 450∘C and 600∘C made the ligaments coarsen in NPC and NPC-Ni. In the current study, minor amount of nickel element (1, 3 at.%) were added to MnCu dealloying precursor alloy for fabricating finer nanoporous structure. The refined effect could be attributed to the lower Ni surface diffusivity than that of Cu and resulted in slow down of the diffusion and rearrangement of Cu atoms during dealloying process. Furthermore, post-dealloying can be an efficient way for controlling ligament size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-matured alkaline water electrolysis is considered as the most favorable method for cost-effective production of green hydrogen using renewable energy. In this study, a 250-kW pressurized alkaline water electrolyzer has been operated and observed, through modified procedures, as part of a wind-to-hydrogen demonstration project. Cold start from an idle state to rated hydrogen production state requires more than 6 h. A semi-empirical model is proposed to describe the behavior of the real-scale alkaline electrolyzer system. The cell voltage and gas purity of the electrolyzer are considered as functions of operating pressure, temperature, and current density. The model parameters have been adjusted using a non-linear regression, based on experimental data taken from varying operating conditions. The simulated and measured cell voltages are compatible with each other, with a maximum error of 30 mV, and the relative error evaluated for the hydrogen impurities in oxygen is lower than 3.9%. Simulation results reveals that efficiency and safety are significantly affected by the operating conditions. Meanwhile, the model is further experimentally validated with wind-to-hydrogen demonstration test results. The proposed model is a helpful tool in designing and optimizing control strategies of alkaline electrolyzers, coupled with renewable energy sources. [Display omitted] • The 250 kW electrolyzer was operated and characterized with modified procedure. • The cold start from idle to normal state was observed on the scale of hours time. • The electrolyzer displayed load following capability during wind-to-H 2 demonstration. • A semi-physical model is developed considering operating pressure and temperature. • The model is parametrized and validated with peformance and demonstration test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral shape‐persistent molecular nanocarbons are promising chiroptical materials; their synthesis, however, remains a big challenge. Herein, we report the facile synthesis and chiral resolution of a double‐stranded figure‐eight carbon nanobelt 1 in which two [5]helicene units are fused together. Two synthetic routes were developed, and, in particular, a strategy involving Suzuki coupling‐mediated macrocyclization followed by Bi(OTf)3‐catalyzed cyclization of vinyl ether turned out to be the most efficient. The structure of 1 was confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The isolated (P,P)‐ and (M,M)‐ enantiomers show persistent chiroptical properties with relatively large dissymmetric factors (|gabs|=5.4×10−3 and |glum|=1.0×10−2), which can be explained by the effective electron delocalization along the fully conjugated belt and the unique D2 symmetry. 1 exhibits local aromatic character with a dominant structure containing eight Clar's aromatic sextet rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral shape‐persistent molecular nanocarbons are promising chiroptical materials; their synthesis, however, remains a big challenge. Herein, we report the facile synthesis and chiral resolution of a double‐stranded figure‐eight carbon nanobelt 1 in which two [5]helicene units are fused together. Two synthetic routes were developed, and, in particular, a strategy involving Suzuki coupling‐mediated macrocyclization followed by Bi(OTf)3‐catalyzed cyclization of vinyl ether turned out to be the most efficient. The structure of 1 was confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The isolated (P,P)‐ and (M,M)‐ enantiomers show persistent chiroptical properties with relatively large dissymmetric factors (|gabs|=5.4×10−3 and |glum|=1.0×10−2), which can be explained by the effective electron delocalization along the fully conjugated belt and the unique D2 symmetry. 1 exhibits local aromatic character with a dominant structure containing eight Clar's aromatic sextet rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with psychiatric disorders have elevated rates of type 2 diabetes comorbidity. Although little is known about the shared genetics and causality of this association. Thus, we aimed to investigate shared genetics and causal link between different type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders. We conducted a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait association study(GWAS) to investigate genetic overlap between type 2 diabetes and anorexia nervosa, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and Tourette syndrome. By post-GWAS functional analysis, we identify variants genes expression in various tissues. Enrichment pathways, potential protein interaction and mendelian randomization also provided to research the relationship between type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders. We discovered that type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders had a significant correlation. We identified 138 related loci, 32 were novel loci. Post-GWAS analysis revealed that 86 differentially expressed genes were located in different brain regions and peripheral blood in type 2 diabetes and related psychiatric disorders. MAPK signaling pathway plays an important role in neural development and insulin signaling. In addition, there is a causal relationship between T2D and mental disorders. In PPI analysis, the central genes of the DEG PPI network were FTO and TCF7L2. This large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis identified shared genetics andpotential causal links between type 2 diabetes and related psychiatric disorders, suggesting potential new biological functions in common among them. • Genetics overlapped between type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders. • Type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders have diverse genes in encephalic regions. • Common biological mechanisms in type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional multicellular tumor spheroids have become critical for anticancer study since they may provide a better model than conventional monolayer cultures of cancer cells. Various methods for tumor spheroid formation have been explored. However, only one kind of hydrogel was used in these methods, which has an influence on the size and morphology of the obtained tumor spheroids. Herein, we present a microfluidic droplet-based method for the formation of multicellular tumor spheroids using alginate and matrigel mixed hydrogel beads. By on-chip changing the flow rate of the two hydrogel solutions, mixed hydrogel beads with different volume ratios between alginate and matrigel are obtained. Meanwhile, human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells are encapsulated in the mixed hydrogel beads. Acridine orange and propidium iodide double-staining assay shows that the viability of cells encapsulated in the mixed hydrogel beads was more than 90%. After 4 day culture, the multicellular tumor spheroids were successfully formed with spherical shape and uniform size distribution compared with spheroids formed in pure alginate beads. Cytoskeletal analysis by TRITC-phalloidin staining show that HeLa cells in the mixed hydrogel beads closely link to each other. The dose-dependent response assay of HeLa cell spheroids to vincristine show that multicellular spheroids have more powerful resistance to vincristine compared to conventional monolayer culture cells. Taken together, this novel technology may be of importance to facilitate in vitro culture of tumor spheroids for their ever-increasing utilization in modern cell-based medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Microvascular endothelial cell dysfunction plays a key role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, wherein reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent signaling is intensively involved. However, the roles of the various ROS sources remain unclear. This study sought to investigate the role of NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) in the cardiac microvascular endothelium in response to I/R injury. Adult rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) were isolated and subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Our results showed that Nox4 was highly expressed in CMECs, was significantly increased at both mRNA and protein levels after H/R injury, and contributed to H/R-stimulated increase in Nox activity and ROS generation. Downregulation of Nox4 by small interfering RNA transfection did not affect cell viability or ROS production under normoxia, but exacerbated H/R injury as evidenced by increased apoptosis and inhibited cell survival, migration, and angiogenesis after H/R. Nox4 inhibition also increased prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) expression and blocked H/R-induced increases in HIF-1α and VEGF expression. Pretreatment with DMOG, a specific competitive PHD inhibitor, upregulated HIF-1α and VEGF expression and significantly reversed Nox4 knockdown-induced injury. However, Nox2 was scarcely expressed and played a minimal role in CMEC survival and angiogenesis after H/R, though a modest upregulation of Nox2 was observed. In conclusion, this study demonstrated a previously unrecognized protective role of Nox4, a ROS-generating enzyme and the major Nox isoform in CMECs, against H/R injury by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting migration and angiogenesis via a PHD2-dependent upregulation of HIF-1/VEGF proangiogenic signaling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a bidirectional relationship with metabolic disorders. The purposes of this review are to decipher the links between OCD and metabolic disorders and to explore the etiological mechanism of OCD in metabolism, which may aid in early identification of and tailored interventions for OCD and metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Integrity of the cell membrane is a basic requirement for maintaining the biological characteristics of a cell. In this study, changes in the morphology and ultrastructure of HeLa (human cervical carcinoma), HepG2 (human hepatocellular liver carcinoma), and C6 (rat glioma) cells were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) both before and after treatment with the anti-cancer drugs, colchicine or cytarabine. In response to both drugs, the microstructure of the cell membrane of all three cell types displayed similar changes; that is, with increases in drug concentration and reaction time, the degree of morphological changes on the surface of cell membrane increased. These changes included increases in the fluctuation of the surface components of the cell membrane, increase in shrinkage, or even the appearance of pores. Cell viability was maintained, as determined by optical microscope observation of gross cell morphology and by MTT assay results. Analysis of the cell membrane root-mean-square (RMS) roughness showed that under the action of colchicine and cytarabine, RMS values for the cell membranes of all three tumor cell types were positively correlated to the drug concentration and reaction time. This research has great significance for the visual diagnosis of early stage apoptosis in tumor cells in response to anti-cancer drugs, as well as in the studies on the interaction between drugs and cells. The use of AFM can be a rapid and sensitive visual method for studying the interaction between cells and drug. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A carboxylated superparamagnetic microbead-assisted sandwich fluoroimmunoassay was successfully demonstrated for the analysis of the early protein markers, myoglobin and human heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), associated with acute myocardial infarction. This assay approach consisted of the preparation of superparamagnetic polymer microbeads using a dispersion polymerization, followed by grafting of capture antibodies (monoclonal anti-H-FABP 10E1 and anti-myoglobin 7C3) onto the polymer microbeads using EDC-NHS protocol, and then a sequential sandwich fluoroimmunoassay using detection antibodies (FITC-labeled anti-H-FABP 9F3 and FITC-labeled anti-myoglobin 4E2). The Fe3O4 nanoparticles and carboxylated Fe3O4-polymer microbeads were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, vibrating sample magnetometry, and X-ray diffraction. The fluoroimmunoassay images were recorded using a confocal laser-scanning microscope, and the average fluorescence intensity of the microbeads was found to correspond to the concentration of each cardiac marker, in agreement with the results obtained by a spectrofluorophotometer. The carboxylated magnetic microbead-assisted protocol could be utilized to semi-quantitatively detect both myoglobin and H-FABP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rapid assessment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was successfully demonstrated using an improved superparamagnetic polymer microsphere-assisted sandwich fluoroimmunoassay to detect two early cardiac markers—myoglobin and human heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP). This assay used a preparation of superparamagnetic poly(styrene-divinylbenzene-acrylamide) microspheres, glutaraldehyde-coupled capture antibodies (monoclonal anti-myoglobin 7C3 and anti-H-FABP 10E1) grafted onto the polymer microspheres, and a sequential sandwich fluoroimmunoassay using detection antibodies (FITC-labeled anti-myoglobin 4E2 and FITC-labeled anti-H-FABP 9F3). Characterization of the polymer microspheres by TEM, SEM and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed that the microspheres were uniformly round with an average diameter of 1.12μm, and had a Fe3O4-polymer core–shell structure (shell thickness was about 84nm) with 0.22mmol/g amino groups on their surfaces. The magnetic behavior of the Fe3O4-polymer microspheres was superparamagnetic (M s =13emu/g, H c =13.1Oe). Fluorescence images of the post-immunoassay microspheres recorded using a confocal laser-scanning microscope showed that the average fluorescence intensity was correlated with the concentration of cardiac markers, in agreement with the results obtained by an F-4500 FL spectrophotometer; this indicated that the fluoroimmunoassay could be used to semi-quantitatively detect both myoglobin and H-FABP. The detection limit was 25ng/mL for myoglobin and 1ng/mL for H-FABP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Locoweeds cause significant livestock poisoning and economic loss all over the world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immune effect of locoweed toxin, swainsonine (SW), and human serum albumin (HSA) immunoconjugate (SW–HSA) on goats. Twenty four Sannon goats were randomly separated into immune control group, immune poisoning group I, immune poisoning group II and poisoning control group. Immune control group, immune poisoning group I and II were first vaccinated with SW–HSA immunoconjugate. Then, the poisoning control group, immune poisoning group I and II were fed with 10.0g/kg BW/d dry powder of Oxytropis kansuensis Bunge in every morning and the duration of poisoning was 80 days. The immune control group was supplied with an alfalfa-based diet. Blood samples of these experimental animals were collected every 7 days after poisoning, and the serum enzymes α-mannosidase (AMA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were analyzed. Comparing with the poisoning control group, the changes of serum LDH, AKP, AST, AMA and BUN level of the two immune groups (I and II) were delayed 28, 14, 28, 21, 14 days, respectively, which indicated that SW–HSA immunoconjugate could prevent tissues containing BUN and these serum enzymes of the experimental animals from Oxytropis kansuensis Bunge injuring during these days. In the whole study, SW–HSA immunoconjugate and swainsonine did not influence serum ALT levels of the experimental goats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rapid and accurate in situ determination of dopamine is of great significance in the study of neurological diseases. In this work, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT: PSS)/graphene oxide (GO) fibers were fabricated by an effective method based on microfluidic wet spinning technology. The composite microfibers with stratified and dense arrangement were continuously prepared by injecting PEDOT: PSS and GO dispersion solutions into a microfluidic chip. PEDOT: PSS/GO fiber microelectrodes with high electrochemical activity and enhanced electrochemical oxidation activity of dopamine were constructed by controlling the structure composition of the microfibers with varying flow rate. The fabricated fiber microelectrode had a low detection limit (4.56 nM) and wide detection range (0.01–8.0 µM) for dopamine detection with excellent stability, repeatability, and reproducibility. In addition, the PEDOT: PSS/GO fiber microelectrode prepared was successfully used for the detection of dopamine in human serum and PC12 cells. The strategy for the fabrication of multi-component fiber microelectrodes is a new and effective approach for monitoring the intercellular neurotransmitter dopamine and has high potential as an implantable neural microelectrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used graphene oxide (GO) and egg albumen (EA) to fabricate bipolar resistance switching devices with indium tin oxide (ITO)/GO/EA/GO/Aluminum (Al) and ITO/EA/Al structures. The experimental results show that these ITO/GO/EA/GO/Al and ITO/EA/Al bio-memristors exhibit rewritable flash memory characteristics. Comparisons of ITO/GO/EA/GO/Al devices with 0.05 ωt %, 0.5 ωt %, and 2 ωt % GO in the GO layers and the ITO/EA/Al device show that the ON/OFF current ratio of these devices increases as the GO concentration decreases. Among these devices, the highest switching current ratio is 1.87 × 103. Moreover, the RESET voltage decreases as the GO concentration decreases, which indicates that GO layers with different GO concentrations can be adopted to adjust the ON/OFF current ratio and the RESET voltage. When the GO concentration is 0.5 ωt %, the device can be switched more than 200 times. The retention times of all the devices are longer than 104 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel porous polymer, PS2, containing radially π-conjugated carbocycles and a linear phenylene backbone. The PS2-based membrane has a distinct small size cutoff (ca. 2.6 nm) and a major size at ∼1.5 nm for the size-selective separation of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a brain disease that frequently occurs in young people. Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce family burdens and reduce social costs. There is no objective evaluation index for schizophrenia. In order to improve the classification effect of traditional classification methods on magnetic resonance data, a method of classification of functional magnetic resonance imaging data is proposed in conjunction with the convolutional neural network algorithm. We take functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for schizophrenia as an example, to extract effective time series from preprocessed fMRI data, and perform correlation analysis on regions of interest, using transfer learning and VGG16 net, and the functional connection between schizophrenia and healthy controls is classified. Experimental results show that the classification accuracy of fMRI based on VGG16 is up to 84.3%. On the one hand, it can improve the early diagnosis of schizophrenia, and on the other hand, it can solve the classification problem of small samples and high-dimensional data and effectively improve the generalization ability of deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] CYP2A5, an enzyme responsible for metabolism of diverse drugs, displays circadian rhythms in its expression and activity. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully established. Here we aimed to investigate a potential role of CRY1/2 (circadian clock modulators) in circadian regulation of hepatic CYP2A5. Regulatory effects of CRY1/2 on CYP2A5 were determined using Cry1 -null and Cry2 -null mice, and validated using AML-12, Hepa1-6 and HepG2 cells. CYP2A5 activities both in vivo and in vitro were assessed using coumarin 7-hydroxylation as a probe reaction. mRNA and protein levels were detected by qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Regulatory mechanism was studied using a combination of luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). We found that ablation of Cry1 or Cry2 in mice reduced hepatic CYP2A5 expression (at both mRNA and protein levels) and blunted its diurnal rhythms. Consistently, these knockouts showed decreased CYP2A5 activity (characterised by coumarin 7-hydroxylation) and a loss of its time-dependency, as well as exacerbated coumarin-induced hepatotoxicity. Cell-based assays confirmed that CRY1/2 positively regulated CYP2A5 expression and rhythms. Based on combined luciferase reporter, ChIP and Co-IP assays, we unraveled that CRY1/2 interacted with E4BP4 protein to repress its inhibitory effect on Cyp2a5 transcription and expression. In conclusion, CRY1/2 regulate rhythmic CYP2A5 in mouse liver through repression of E4BP4. These findings advance our understanding of circadian regulation of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For bulk SmCo3 system hard-soft magnetic nanocomposites, it remains a challenge to fabricate an anisotropic magnet by forming a strong texture for the nanocrystalline SmCo3 phase. In this paper, we report the fabrication of a bulk anisotropic SmCo3/Fe(Co) nanocomposite magnet with a strong (00 l) texture for the SmCo3 phase and a small grain size of 21 nm for the Fe(Co) phase. Good results were achieved by controlling the nucleation and growth of the nanocrystals from the amorphous matrix using large stress and strain. The synthesized magnet exhibited a high-energy product of 17.0 MGOe, which was 26% larger than the reported highest value of 13.5 MGOe for SmCo3-based nanocomposites and 314% higher than 4.1 MGOe for the corresponding pure SmCo3 magnets. Moreover, these magnets possessed small remanence and coercivity temperature coefficients of α = −0.018%/°C and β = −0.24%/°C, which were much lower than those α = −0.14%/°C and β = −0.31%/°C for pure SmCo3 magnets and α = −0.073%/°C and β = −0.30%/°C for SmCo3/Fe(Co) isotropic nanocomposite. These findings are an important step toward the practical application of the SmCo3-based nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Cretaceous magmatism has been widely documented in the Great South Basin (GSB) of New Zealand, which is mainly relevant to the Gondwana break-up (105–83 Ma) and the separation of Zealandia from Australia and Antarctica (83–66 Ma). However, the magma plumbing system in the GSB is still poorly understood. In this study, we used a high-resolution 3D seismic reflection data to investigate the igneous intrusions that developed in the northern part of GSB. These igneous intrusions occurred from ∼75 Ma to ∼58 Ma that corresponded to the spreading of the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean. Most of the igneous intrusions developed above listric faults which formed during rifting stage. Moreover, dykes are also observed between the listric faults and igneous intrusions. Listric faults, dykes and sills formed the magma plumbing system of GSB. This study explored the possible origin of post-rift magmatism in the GSB, and addressed the post-rift magma plumbing system in detail, which greatly promoted the understanding of GSB' evolution, resource exploration and marine geological hazard assessment. • Magma plumbing system of the Great South Basin is described for the first time. • Magmatic activity during the Late Cretaceous is related to the spreading of the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean. • The distribution of igneous intrusions in the Great South Basin is controlled by the listric faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The APEX-IUD (Association of Perforation and Expulsion of Intrauterine Devices) study evaluated the association of postpartum timing of intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, breastfeeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, and IUD type (levonorgestrel-releasing vs copper) with risks of uterine perforation and IUD expulsion in usual clinical practice. We summarize the clinically important findings to inform counseling and shared decision making. METHODS: APEX-IUD was a real-world (using U.S. health care data) retrospective cohort study of individuals aged 50 years and younger with IUD insertions between 2001 and 2018 and with electronic health record data. Cumulative incidences of uterine perforation and IUD expulsion were calculated. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% CIs were estimated from proportional hazards models with control of confounding. RESULTS: Among the study population of 326,658, absolute risk of uterine perforation was low overall (cumulative incidence, 0.21% [95% CI 0.19-0.23%] at 1 year and 0.61% [95% CI 0.56-0.66% at 5 years]) but was elevated for IUDs inserted during time intervals within 1 year postpartum, particularly among those between 4 days and 6 weeks postpartum (aHR 6.71, 95% CI 4.80-9.38), relative to nonpostpartum insertions. Among postpartum insertions, IUD expulsion risk was greatest for insertions in the immediate postpartum period (0-3 days after delivery) compared with nonpostpartum (aHR 5.34, 95% CI 4.47-6.39). Postpartum individuals who were breastfeeding had a slightly elevated risk of perforation and lowered risk of expulsion than those not breastfeeding. Among nonpostpartum individuals, those with a heavy menstrual bleeding diagnosis were at greater risk of expulsion than those without (aHR 2.84, 95% CI 2.66--3.03); heavy menstrual bleeding also was associated with a slightly elevated perforation risk. There was a slightly elevated perforation risk and slightly lower expulsion risk associated with levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs compared with copper IUDs. CONCLUSION: Absolute risk of adverse outcomes with IUD insertion is low. Clinicians should be aware of the differences in risks of uterine perforation and expulsion associated with IUD insertion during specific postpartum time periods and with a heavy menstrual bleeding diagnosis. This information should be incorporated into counseling and decision making for patients considering IUD insertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin bronze was cladded on bare steel and nickel-plated steel to fabricate the tin bronze/steel bimetallic materials. The interfacial microstructures and infiltrated cracks in the bimetallic materials were investigated. As the tin bronze was cladded on the bare steel, metallurgical bonding was achieved, and a transition layer with BCC-Fe structure was generated at the tin bronze/steel interface. Infiltrated cracks originated from the interface and propagated into the interior of the steel along the grain boundaries. The main infiltrated crack had branch infiltrated cracks and most of the infiltrated cracks were less than 100 μm. The composition of infiltrated crack was similar to the tin bronze layer, and the infiltrated crack was composed of α-Cu (Sn) phase and δ-Cu41Sn11 phase. The infiltrated cracks could not deform synchronously with the steel matrix, and infiltrated cracks could evolve into macro cracks under lower stress and strain during the in situ tensile experiment. Cracking occurred not only in the boundary between the tin bronze and steel but also occurred in the interior of the tin bronze. Two kinds of fracture zone existed in the fracture including the ductile fracture zone and brittle fracture zone. As the tin bronze was cladded on the nickel-plated steel, a transition layer with BCC-Fe structure was also generated between the tin bronze and steel. Nickel was enriched at the interface and grain boundaries. The infiltrated cracks were eliminated. The nickel-segregated grain boundary could not evolve into macro crack during the in situ tensile process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Epidemiological studies demonstrate an association between classes of obesity and psychiatric disorders, although little is known about shared genetics and causality of association. Thus, we aimed to investigate shared genetics and causal link between different classes of obesity and psychiatric disorders.Methods: We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data range from 9725 to 500,199 sample sizes of European descent, conducted a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait association study to investigate genetic overlap between the classes of obesity and anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and Tourette syndrome. We conducted transcriptome-wide association study analysis (TWAS) to identified variants regulated gene expression in those related disorders. Finally, pathway enrichment analysis to identified major pathways.Results: In the combined analysis, we replicated 211 previously reported loci and discovered 58 novel independent loci that were associated with all three classes of obesity and related psychiatric disorders. Functional analysis revealed that the identified variants regulated gene expression in major tissues belonging to exocrine/endocrine, digestive, circulatory, adipose, digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems, such as DCC, NEGR1, INO80E. Mendelian randomization analyses suggested that there may be a two-way or one-way causal relationship between obesity and psychiatric disorders.Conclusion: This large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis identified shared genetics and potential causal links between classes of obesity and psychiatric disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anorexia nervosa, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder). Such shared genetics suggests potential new biological functions in common among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore to what extent intrauterine device (IUD) expulsion is associated with demographic and clinical risk factors.Methods: The APEX-IUD (Association of Perforation and Expulsion of IntraUterine Devices) study was a U.S. cohort study using electronic health records from three integrated health care systems (Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Southern California, and Washington) and a health care information exchange (Regenstrief Institute). These analyses included individuals aged 50 years or younger with IUD insertions from 2001 to 2018. Intrauterine device expulsion cumulative incidence and incidence rates were estimated. Using Cox regression models, hazard ratios with 95% CIs were estimated before and after adjustment for risk factors of interest (age, race and ethnicity, parity, body mass index [BMI], heavy menstrual bleeding, and dysmenorrhea) and potential confounders.Results: In total, 228,834 individuals with IUD insertion and no delivery in the previous 52 weeks were identified (184,733 [80.7%] with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system). Diagnosis of heavy menstrual bleeding-particularly a diagnosis in both recent and past periods-was the strongest risk factor for IUD expulsion. Categories with the highest risk of IUD expulsion within each risk factor included individuals diagnosed with overweight, obesity, and morbid obesity; those in younger age groups, especially among those aged 24 years or younger; and in those with parity of four or more. Non-Hispanic White individuals had the lowest incidence and risk, and after adjustment, Asian or Pacific Islander individuals had the highest risk. Dysmenorrhea was not independently associated with expulsion risk when adjusting for heavy menstrual bleeding.Conclusion: Most risk factors for expulsion identified in this study appear consistent with known physiologic factors that affect uterine anatomy and physiology (age, BMI, heavy menstrual bleeding, parity). The increased risk of IUD expulsion among individuals of color warrants further investigation. Intrauterine devices are an effective long-term contraceptive; expulsion is uncommon, but patients should be counseled accordingly.Funding Source: Bayer AG.Clinical Trial Registration: EU PAS register, EUPAS33461. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of low Pt-loading electrocatalyst with enhanced activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is highly demanded for widespread penetration of clean energy technologies. Heterointerface regulation can effectively optimize the electronic structure and intrinsic activity of the carbon supported Pt-based electrocatalyst to reduce Pt consumption. Here, by judicious choice of a sulfur-doped Fe-N-C (Fe-NS-C) as support, we construct a novel Pt/Fe-N-C heterointerface with sulfur incorporation and develop a hybrid electrocatalyst (denoted as Pt@Fe-NS-C) with ultralow Pt-loading (1.51 wt%). The incorporation of sulfur triggers the charge redistribution at the heterointerface and reduces the electron transfer from Pt to Fe-NS-C, prompting the electron density around Pt sites and boosting the electrocatalytic performance towards ORR (half-wave potential: 0.903 V; mass activity of 1.28 A mg−1 Pt at 0.9 V). In comparison, Pt species dispersed onto Fe-N-C without sulfur doping (Pt@Fe-N-C) are electron-deficient, which is not conductive to activate O 2 and results in inferior ORR activity. Zinc-air battery fabricated with Pt@Fe-NS-C as the cathode catalysts shows a large peak power density and a specific capacity of 806.7 mAh g−1 Zn. This work offers an effective way to tailor the heterointerface of hybrid or supported electrocatalyst with optimized electronic structures towards advanced electrocatalysis. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A hydrogel with ROS/glucose and exosomes-released properties was developed. • The hydrogel could reduce ROS and inflammatory response by repairing the ETC. • The hydrogel offers a localized exosomes dual-response release strategy. With numerous attempts at chronic wound healing in recent years, significant challenges pertaining to diabetic wound healing have arisen. These challenges result from excessive oxidative stress, vulnerability to bacterial infection, and persistent inflammation during the healing process. In response to the lack of a specific exosomes-sustained release system tailored for diabetic wounds, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)/glucose dual-responsive stimulated exosomes-released self-healing antibacterial antioxidant conductive multifunctional hydrogel has been developed, utilizing a simplistic "one-pot" method. This innovative hydrogel is constructed from a harmonious blend of polydopamine grafted MXene (PMX), chlorogenic acid (CA), L-ascorbate-2-phosphate trisodium slat (L), and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) derived exosomes (E) with phenylboronic acid modified flaxseed gum (LG-PBA), chemically cross-linked with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to generate dynamic phenylboronate ester bond, to obtain P-LP-PMX-CA-L@E hydrogel. It was further demonstrated that the ROS/glucose-responsive exosomes-released P-LP-PMX-CA-L@E hydrogel integrated system could reduce ROS and inflammatory response by repairing the electron transfer chain, thereby facilitating skin damage repair in a mouse type I diabetic model. In conclusion, the multifunctional P-LP-PMX-CA-L@E hydrogel, endowed with stimuli-responsive exosomes release capability, exhibits a promoting effect on the healing of chronic diabetic wounds and offers a localized exosomes dual-response release strategy for the treatment of type I diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abuse of pesticides has introduced a large number of residues in soil and drinking water, which can then enter the food chain and the human body. Monitoring pesticide residues and developing simple and fast detection systems for pesticide residues is urgently needed. In this study, we presented one-pot prepared CdS fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) and explored their sensing application for organic pesticides. The CdS QDs can sensitively and selectively detect three different pesticides, dichlorvos (DDVP), paraquat, and glufosinate-ammonium, through different fluorescence responses. Paraquat can effectively quench the fluorescence of the QDs and DDVP can cause remarkable fluorescent enhancement. Glufosinate-ammonium can induce both 150 nm fluorescent blueshifting and 30-fold fluorescent enhancement. The probe exhibited low detection limits for the three pesticides: 1.44 μM for paraquat, 0.23 mM for DDVP, and 49.8 μM for glufosinate-ammonium. Furthermore, based on the results, we utilized the powerful functions of smartphones to establish a concentration-gray value standard curve through RGB values and gray values to realize the qualitative detection and quantitative analysis of DDVP. It is believed that this work presents a new platform for the simultaneous detection of multiple pesticides using a single QDs probe. The present on-site method using a smartphone is of great potential for water monitoring in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully constructed a new type of intercalation membrane material by covalently grafting organic tris(hydroxypropyl)phosphine (THPP) molecules onto hydroxylated multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNT‐OH) as a functional interlayer for the advanced LSBs. The as‐assembled interlayer has been demonstrated to be responsible for the fast conversion kinetics of polysulfides, the inhibition of polysulfide shuttle effect, as well as the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) layer. By means of spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis, we further found THPP plays a key role in accelerating the conversion of polysulfides into low‐ordered lithium sulfides and suppressing the loss of polysulfides, thus rendering the as‐designed lithium–sulfur battery in this work a high capacity, excellent rate performance and long‐term stability. Even at low temperatures, the capacity decay rate was only 0.036 % per cycle for 1700 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully constructed a new type of intercalation membrane material by covalently grafting organic tris(hydroxypropyl)phosphine (THPP) molecules onto hydroxylated multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNT‐OH) as a functional interlayer for the advanced LSBs. The as‐assembled interlayer has been demonstrated to be responsible for the fast conversion kinetics of polysulfides, the inhibition of polysulfide shuttle effect, as well as the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) layer. By means of spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis, we further found THPP plays a key role in accelerating the conversion of polysulfides into low‐ordered lithium sulfides and suppressing the loss of polysulfides, thus rendering the as‐designed lithium–sulfur battery in this work a high capacity, excellent rate performance and long‐term stability. Even at low temperatures, the capacity decay rate was only 0.036 % per cycle for 1700 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by esophagectomy has been established as the first-line treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. Postoperative enteral nutrition has been widely used to improve perioperative outcomes. However, whether to implement preoperative nutritional intervention during neoadjuvant therapy is yet to be verified by prospective studies.Methods: POINT trial is a multicenter, open-labeled, randomized controlled trial. A total of 244 patients with surgically resectable esophageal cancer are randomly assigned to nutritional therapy group (arm A) or control group (arm B) with a 2:1 ratio. Both groups receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy with concurrent radiotherapy based on the CROSS regimen followed by minimally invasive esophagectomy. The primary endpoint is the rate of nutrition and immune-related complications after surgery. Secondary endpoints include completion rate of neoadjuvant chemoradiation and related adverse events, rate of pathological complete response, perioperative outcomes, nutritional status, overall survival, progression-free survival and quality of life.Discussion: This trial aims to verify whether immunonutrition during neoadjuvant chemoradiation can reduce the rate of complications and improve perioperative outcomes. Frequent communication and monitoring are essential for a multicenter investigator-initiated trial.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04513418. The trial was prospectively registered on 14 August 2020, https://www.Clinicaltrials: gov/ct2/show/NCT04513418 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Results from the phase 3 CLEAR study showed that lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab improved progression-free survival and overall survival compared with sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. We aimed to assess the health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcomes from the CLEAR study.Methods: This open-label, randomised, phase 3 study was done across 200 hospitals and cancer centres in 20 countries. Patients were required to be 18 years or older, with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, and a Karnofsky performance status of 70% or higher. Patients who had received previous systemic anticancer therapy for renal cell carcinoma were not eligible. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to lenvatinib (oral 20 mg per day) plus pembrolizumab (intravenous 200 mg every 21 days), lenvatinib (oral 18 mg per day) plus everolimus (oral 5 mg per day) in 21-day cycles, or sunitinib (oral 50 mg per day, 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off). Patients were assigned to treatments with a computer-generated randomisation scheme and were stratified by geographical region and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center prognostic groups. The primary endpoint, previously reported, was progression-free survival, and HRQOL was a secondary endpoint. Most HRQOL analyses were done in patients who underwent randomisation, received at least one dose of study treatment, and had any HRQOL data. Completion and compliance analyses were done in the full analysis set. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Kidney Symptom Index-Disease-Related Symptoms (FKSI-DRS), European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the EQ-5D-3 Level (EQ-5D-3L) preference questionnaire were administered at baseline and on day 1 of each subsequent 21-day cycle. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02811861, and is closed to new participants.Findings: Between Oct 13, 2016, and July 24, 2019, 355 patients were randomly assigned to the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab group, 357 to the lenvatinib plus everolimus group, and 357 to the sunitinib group. Median follow-up for HRQOL analyses was 12·9 months (IQR 5·6-22·3). Because of the promising efficacy and safety results of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in the first-line setting, we focus the HRQOL results in this report on that combination versus sunitinib. Mean change from baseline in the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab group compared with the sunitinib group was -1·75 (SE 0·59) versus -2·19 (0·66) for FKSI-DRS, -5·93 (0·86) versus -6·73 (0·94) for EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/quality of life (GHS/QOL), and -4·96 (0·85) versus -6·64 (0·94) for the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS). Median time to first deterioration in the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab group compared with the sunitinib group was 9·14 weeks (95% CI 6·43-12·14) versus 12·14 weeks (9·14-15·29; HR 1·13 [95% CI 0·94-1·35], log-rank p=0·20) for FKSI-DRS, 12·00 weeks (7·29-15·14) versus 9·14 weeks (6·29-12·14; 0·88 [0·74-1·05], log-rank p=0·17) for EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QOL, and 9·43 weeks (6·43-12·29) versus 9·14 weeks (6·29-12·00; 0·83 [0·70-0·99], log-rank p=0·041) for the EQ-5D VAS. Median time to definitive deterioration in the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab group compared with the sunitinib group was 134·14 weeks (95% CI 120·00-not estimable) versus 117·43 weeks (90·14-131·29; HR 0·70 [95% CI 0·53-0·92], log-rank p=0·0081) for FKSI-DRS, 114·29 weeks (102·14-153·29) versus 75·14 weeks (57·29-105·14; 0·60 [0·47-0·77], log-rank p<0·0001) for EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QOL, and 124·86 weeks (94·71-134·57) versus 74·86 weeks (54·14-96·00; 0·67 [0·53-0·85], log-rank p=0·0012) for the EQ-5D VAS. No outcomes on any of the instruments significantly favoured sunitinib over lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab. Most HRQOL comparisons of lenvatinib plus everolimus versus sunitinib were similar or favoured sunitinib.Interpretation: These HRQOL results demonstrate that patients given lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab treatment had similar or favourable scores compared with patients given sunitinib, particularly with respect to time to definitive deterioration. These results support the efficacy and safety profile of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.Funding: Eisai (Nutley, NJ, USA) and Merck Sharp & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck & Co (Kenilworth, NJ, USA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]