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An interesting method of fast enantio-specific state transfer (ESST) is proposed for cyclic three-level systems of chiral molecules. We show that the fast population transfer via shortcut to adiabaticity can be accomplished for the cyclic three-level system of a general (chiral) molecule with invariant-based inverse engineering of the coupling strengths. By choosing appropriate parameters, the two enantiomers, which are initially prepared in their ground states in the three-level systems, will evolve respectively along their enantio-selective shortcut-to-adiabaticity paths to different-energy final states simultaneously, thereby achieving the fast ESST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Identifying key factors for a successful transition from once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M) to three-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP3M) is crucial for improving treatment outcomes, enhancing patient adherence, and reducing relapse risk in patients with schizophrenia. Providing region-specific insights for evidence-based clinical decisions can aid clinicians in optimizing transition strategies for Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, the objective of this post hoc analysis of a double-blind parallel-group multicenter phase 3 study (NCT01515423) was to identify factors related to the disease stabilization that may allow for a successful transition from PP1M to PP3M in the treatment of Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Adults (18–70 years) diagnosed with schizophrenia using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition text revision, for over 1 year and with a baseline Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score between 70 and 120 were entered into an open-label (OL) phase receiving PP1M for 17 weeks. After the 17-week OL phase, patients who met the criteria necessary for stabilization were randomized (1:1) to PP1M (fixed-dose, 50, 75, 100, or 150 mg eq.) or PP3M (fixed-dose, 175, 263, 350, or 525 mg eq.) in a 48-week double-blind phase. Stabilization was defined as a PANSS total score < 70, PANSS item (P1, P2, P3, P6, P7, G8, G14) scores ≤ 4, and a reduction in Clinical Global Impression Severity (CGI-S) score of ≥ 1 from OL baseline. This post hoc analysis evaluated changes and trends in symptom severity using PANSS, changes in mental states using CGI-S, and changes in personal and social functioning using Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scores from baseline to the endpoint of the OL phase in patients who either met or did not meet the stabilization criteria (stabilized versus non-stabilized group). Comparison of changes and trends in the clinical scores between the stabilized group and non-stabilized group were conducted using linear mixed model and Mann–Kendall trend analysis, respectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore factors associated with stabilization status for transition. Results: Of 296 patients enrolled, 210 achieved disease stabilization (106 patients and 104 patients were randomized to PP1M and PP3M, respectively). Significant downward trends in the PANSS and CGI-S scores were detected in the stabilized patients (n = 210, ZPANSS = −2.21, p = 0.028; ZCGI-S = −2.21, p = 0.028) but not in the non-stabilized patients (n = 86). No significant trends in the PSP scores were observed in either group. The factors significantly associated with disease stabilization were the CGI-S score at baseline [odds ratio (OR) = 0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09, 0.5), reduction of the PANSS score at week 13 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.17), and reduction of CGI-S score at week 13 (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.03, 5.02). Conclusion: A lower CGI-S total score at baseline and greater reductions in PANSS and CGI-S scores at week 13 were associated with patients achieving disease stabilization, that may allow for a successful transition. Evidence from this study indicates that better disease condition at baseline, early functional improvement and symptomatic relief were the key factors associated with disease stabilization. The findings may guide clinicians to identify suitable patients for transition from PP1M to PP3M and further optimize the use of PP3M in China. Clinical Trials Registration: EudraCT number: 2011-004889-15 and ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT01515423) for the original double-blind randomized study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and managing major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with suicidal ideation or behavior (MDSI) is critical for reducing the disease burden. This scoping review aims to map the existing evidence related to MDSI in the Chinese population. A scoping review was conducted to summarize the published evidence regarding epidemiology or disease burden, evaluation, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of MDSI. The search strategy imposed restriction on English or Chinese publications between 1 January 2011 and 28 February 2022. Of the 14,005 identified records, 133 met the eligibility criteria and were included for analysis. The included studies were characterized as high heterogeneity in evaluation of suicidal ideation or behavior. Compared with MDD patients without suicidal ideation or behavior, MDSI patients were more likely to suffer from psychological and somatic symptoms, social function impairment, and lower quality of life. Younger age, female gender, longer disease course, and comorbid psychological or physical symptoms were consistently found to be risk factors of suicidal ideation or behavior. Relevant research gaps remain regarding comprehensive evaluation of standard clinical diagnosis, disease burden, social-cultural risk factors, and effectiveness of interventions targeting MDSI. Studies with large sample size, representative population are warranted to provide high-quality evidence. MDD patients with suicidal ideation or behavior should be prioritized in treatment and resource allocation. Heterogeneity exists in the definition and evaluation of MDSI in different studies. To better inform clinical practice, it is imperative to establish a unified standard for evaluation and diagnosis of suicidal ideation or behavior among MDD population. • Suicidal ideation or behavior adversely affects Chinese patients with MDD in physical, mental, and social functions • Heterogeneity exists in the definition and evaluation of MDSI • Younger age, female gender, longer disease course, and comorbid psychological or physical symptoms were risk factors of MDSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiplicity fluctuations play a crucial role in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. In this work, we explore how the multiplicity fluctuations can be effectively suppressed in the measurement of particle correlations. In particular, through proper normalization, particle correlations can be evaluated in a manner irrelevant to multiplicity. When the multiplicity fluctuations are adequately extracted, Monte Carlo simulations show that the remaining correlations possess distinct features buried in the otherwise overwhelming fluctuations. Moreover, we argue that such a normalization scheme naturally agrees with the multi-particle correlator, which can be evaluated using the Q-vectors. The implications of the present study in the data analysis are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a theoretical method for enantio-discrimination based on the light deflection effect in four-level models of chiral molecules. This four-level model consists of a cyclic three-level subsystem coupled by three strong driving fields and an auxiliary level connected to the cyclic three-level subsystem by a weak probe field. It is shown that the induced refractive index for the weak probe field is chirality-dependent. Thus, it will lead to chirality-dependent light deflection when the intensities of two of the three strong driving fields are spatially inhomogeneous. As a result, the deflection angle of the weak probe light can be utilized to detect the chirality of pure enantiomers and enantiomeric excess of the chiral mixture. Therefore, our method may act as a tool for enantio-discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediated semi-quantum key distribution (M-SQKD) allows two "semi-quantum" or "classical" users to establish a secret key with the help of a third party (TP), in which TP has full quantum power and possibly adversarial. It is the basis of the multi-party semi-quantum cryptography protocol for securing the private data of classical users. In this work, we propose a M-SQKD protocol based on circular transport structure and prove the protocol is unconditional security. Even in the worst case (i.e., TP is untrusted), the protocol's noise tolerance is also close to the BB84 protocol. The results show that our protocol can reach the similar level of security as the full quantum protocol. Besides, due to the scalability of the circular transport structure, our protocol is easily extended to multi-party scenarios, which offers an approach to realizing multiple "classical" users' key distribution. Therefore, it can be used to protect the private data of multiple classical users and may have potential application scenarios in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the study of the time-dependent green vehicle path problem (TDGVRP), most of the literature uses the step function to represent the vehicle speed change in order to reduce the computation, ignoring the continuity of vehicle speed, which leads to the lack of accurate carbon emissions measurement. This study represents the vehicle speed variation as a continuous function to make the constructed model more consistent with the actual situation, in order to promote the reduction of carbon emissions generated in the logistics and distribution process, improve the greenhouse effect and ecological environment, and ultimately promote sustainable development. In this paper, a simulated annealing-genetic hybrid algorithm (GA-SA) is proposed to solve the constructed optimization model, and two sets of comparison experiments are designed. The experimental results show that compared with the two classical algorithms, the simulated annealing-genetic hybrid algorithm (GA-SA) has better solution performance, inherits the robustness and potential parallelism of the genetic algorithm, and has a higher practical value. Meanwhile, although the total driving distance of the vehicle path considering carbon emissions increases by 3.52 km, the carbon emission cost and the total cost decrease by 5.6% and 3.4%, respectively, which confirms that the path optimization model considering carbon emissions constructed in this study can not only play the role of restraining carbon emissions but also reduce the total distribution cost and the waste of resources. In this study, a continuous function is used to represent the vehicle speed variation, and two classical optimization algorithms (the genetic algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm) are combined and parameter-optimized, and certain innovations are made in the processing of vehicle speed and the solution algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness of the model and algorithm is verified by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The overall GLE of the BRI partner countries remains relatively low while there is a discernible upward trend annually. • The BRI exerts a considerable influence on the enhancement of GLE in partner countries. • The effect of efficiency improvement in middle-income countries is markedly greater than in high-income countries. • A time-varying DID model is utilized to mitigate biases from varied join times of partner countries in the BRI. As a crucial event in the process of China's trade cooperation and openness, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) relies on the logistics as the foundational industry for its sustainable development. This study measures the green logistics efficiency (GLE) of BRI partner countries using panel data from 2013 to 2019 and evaluates the BRI's impact on their GLE. We find that: (1) The GLE of BRI partner countries is generally low, with only 15.9% achieving effectiveness. High-income countries have notably higher GLE than middle-income ones. (2) The GLE of BRI partner countries shows an upward trend annually, especially in middle-income countries, which are closing the gap with high-income countries. (3) The BRI has a significant positive impact on the GLE growth of partner countries. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this growth effect is more pronounced in middle-income countries. These results indicate and enhance the understanding of GLE among BRI partner countries and addresses some skepticism regarding BRI's sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test costs for large industrial designs increase rapidly in recent years. On-chip test compression hardware has become a pragmatic technology to cut down the overall test costs by reducing the test data volume. Determining the input and output channel counts of test compression hardware that results in minimum test data volume is thus a critical issue. In this article, efficient methods to estimate test pattern counts for an extensive range of input/output counts are developed. These methods require only a small number of ATPG runs. The estimation results can then be utilized to determine the test data volume for each input/output configuration. The configuration with the estimated lowest test data volume thus can be determined. The pattern count results of each configuration for a design can also be used to determine the best suitable configuration when the design is to be embedded in an SoC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Fast fashion" represents a short product life cycle, and international SPA enterprises are therefore criticised as representatives of high energy consumption, pollution, and emissions, which is contrary to China's goal of achieving carbon neutrality. In the context of China's shift to a low-carbon economic development model, how should SPA enterprises breakthrough in the face of China's large-scale market advantage and domestic demand potential? Based on the statistics of 277 prefecture-level cities from 2010 to 2018, this article selects 5 leading international SPA enterprises and uses the difference-in-differences (DID) method to explore the impact of low-carbon initiative on the location expansion of international SPA enterprises. The results suggest that the quantity of location expansions of SPA enterprises in the pilot cities is significantly lower by approximately 0.418 units compared with the nonpilot cities, implying that the low-carbon initiative has a significant inhibitory effect on the location expansion of SPA enterprises. After a series of robustness tests, the conclusion is valid. The results of the heterogeneity test suggest that the suppression effect is mainly found in the subsample of central cities and cities with medium and low levels of economic development. This article proposes that SPA enterprises should reduce their carbon emissions and gradually explore a green and sustainable development path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-assisted enantio-conversion is an ambitious issue related to chiral molecules in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. The theoretical laser-distillation method was proposed to realize enantio-conversion based on a four-level double-Δ model of two degenerated chiral ground states and two achiral excited states. Here, we re-investigate and improve the laser-distillation method so that a chiral mixture can be converted to an enantiopure sample of the desired chirality, i.e. complete enantio-conversion, which has not been discussed in previous theoretical works on the laser-distillation method. Since the undesired chirality may be inefficient, or even cause serious side effects in pharmacology, our work provides an important improvement to the original theoretical works on laser-assisted enantio-conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-quantum private comparison (SQPC) enables two classical users with limited quantum capabilities to compare confidential information using a semi-honest third party (TP) with full quantum power. However, entanglement swapping, as an important property of quantum mechanics in previously proposed SQPC protocols is usually neglected. In this paper, we propose a feasible SQPC protocol based on the entanglement swapping of Bell states, eliminating the need for an additional semi-quantum key distribution protocol to ensure the security of private data. Security analysis shows that our protocol is resilient to both external and internal attacks. To verify the feasibility and correctness of the proposed SQPC protocol, we design and simulate the corresponding quantum circuits using IBM Qiskit. Finally, we compare and discuss our protocol with related work. The results reveal that our protocol maintains high qubit efficiency, even when entanglement swapping is employed. Consequently, our proposed approach showcases the potential applications of entanglement swapping in the field of semi-quantum cryptography. • An efficient semi-quantum private comparison protocol using entanglement swapping. • Circular transmission realizes information transfer between different users. • Without using pre-shared keys to protect the classical user's private data. • Circuit simulation of the proposed protocol using IBM Qiskit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we successfully design the semi-quantum private comparison (SQPC) protocol with the measure-resend characteristic by using two-particle product states as the initial prepared quantum resource which allows two classical users to compare the equality of their private secrets under the help of a quantum third party (TP). The quantum TP is semi-honest in the sense that he is allowed to misbehave on his own but cannot conspire with either of users. Both the output correctness and the security against the outside attack and the participant attack can be guaranteed. Compared with the previous SQPC protocols, the advantage of our protocol lies in that it only employs two-particle product states as the initial prepared quantum resource, only requires TP to perform single-photon measurements and does not need quantum entanglement swapping. Our protocol can be realized with current quantum technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The utilization of once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M) in schizophrenia treatment has increased due to its enhanced adherence and convenience. However, there is limited evidence on patient characteristics that may influence treatment outcomes when switching from oral antipsychotics (OAPs) to PP1M therapy. This systematic review aims to identify such patient characteristics and explore potential beneficial factors to aid healthcare professionals in clinical practice. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases up to July 19, 2022. Studies related to patients with schizophrenia who had been previously treated with OAPs and switched to PP1M were identified and included. Outcomes included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score, the clinical Global Impressions – Severity (CGI-S) score, the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) total score, and hospitalisation rate. Data were independently extracted and analysed. The results were presented through a narrative synthesis. Results: Eleven studies with a total of 4150 patients were included, identifying nine potential characteristics. The most commonly reported characteristics was patient's prior treatment with OAPs, followed by the stage of disease, duration of illness (DI), ethnicity, reason for switching to PP1M, history of hospitalisation, time of start injection of PP1M, the PANSS and PSP total score at baseline. Patients in the acute stage, with a shorter DI, a less than 1-week time interval to PP1M injection, and a lower PANSS total score at baseline may have a trend on providing better improvements on PANSS total score. Acute stage and shorter DI also showed potential trends in reducing CGI-S score. Early initiation of PP1M, switching for reasons other than lack of efficacy, and a higher PSP score at baseline exhibited potential trends towards better PSP total score improvements. Conclusion: Our findings may suggest that patients in acute stage, with a shorter duration of illness, with early initiation of PP1M injection, and lower PANSS or PSP scores may trend towards better clinical results when transitioning to PP1M from OAPs. Further research is necessary to validate these potential associations and identify any unexplored characteristics. Such investigations are crucial for providing comprehensive clinical recommendations and informing treatment strategies in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose two semi-quantum dialogue (SQD) protocols by using single photons as the quantum carriers, where one requires the classical party to possess the measurement capability and the other does not have this requirement. The security toward active attacks from an outside Eve in the first SQD protocol is guaranteed by the complete robustness of present semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) protocols, the classical one-time pad encryption, the classical party’s randomization operation and the decoy photon technology. The information leakage problem of the first SQD protocol is overcome by the classical party’ classical basis measurements on the single photons carrying messages which makes him share their initial states with the quantum party. The security toward active attacks from Eve in the second SQD protocol is guaranteed by the classical party’s randomization operation, the complete robustness of present SQKD protocol and the classical one-time pad encryption. The information leakage problem of the second SQD protocol is overcome by the quantum party’ classical basis measurements on each two adjacent single photons carrying messages which makes her share their initial states with the classical party. Compared with the traditional information leakage resistant QD protocols, the advantage of the proposed SQD protocols lies in that they only require one party to have quantum capabilities. Compared with the existing SQD protocol, the advantage of the proposed SQD protocols lies in that they only employ single photons rather than two-photon entangled states as the quantum carriers. The proposed SQD protocols can be implemented with present quantum technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering the improvement in adherence and convenience, once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M) has been increasingly used in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the outcomes for patients who switch from oral antipsychotics (OAPs) to PP1M have not been reliably assessed. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy and safety of PP1M in the management of patients with schizophrenia with a prior history of OAP use. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library on 19 July 2022 to identify eligible studies. All studies that examined the effectiveness and safety of switching from OAPs to PP1M in patients with schizophrenia were included. The primary outcomes were relapse rate, hospitalisation rate, and the change from baseline in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. The secondary outcomes included the changed number of inpatient visits, changed length of stay hospitalisation, change from baseline in the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) score and the personal and social performance (PSP) total score, response rate, proportion of treatment discontinuation, and adverse events. We included randomised-controlled trials (RCTs), single-arm studies, and observational studies. Case reports, case series, and reviews were excluded. The quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB2), the 9-point Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) instrument for non-randomised studies and cohort studies, and the 12-item National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool for before-after (Pre-Post) study without control group. Follow-up times were reported as short- (≤ 13 weeks), medium- (14–26 weeks), and long term (≥ 27 weeks). Data were pooled using meta-analysis. Results: Fifteen studies with a total of 4740 patients were included. The long-term relapse rates and hospitalisation rates were 12% (95% CI 0.07–0.18) and 18% (95% CI 0.15–0.20), respectively. The short-, medium-, and long-term change in PANSS total score was − 21.69 (95% CI − 30.02 to −13.36), − 14.98 (95% CI − 21.45 to − 8.51) and − 17.88 (95% CI − 31.94 to −3.82), respectively. Approximately 50% of patients reported at least a 30% reduction in the PANSS score at the short-term follow-up. Improvements in CGI-S and PSP score were observed during various periods. There was a reduction in the length of stay hospitalisation and the number of inpatient visits at the medium- and long-term follow-ups. Low discontinuation and adverse event rates were reported. Conclusion: Based on our findings, this study may support the efficacy and safety of switching from OAPs to PP1M for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. Future large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In relativistic heavy-ion collisions, event-by-event fluctuations are known to have non-trivial implications. Even though the probability distribution is geometrically isotropic for the initial conditions, the anisotropic ε n still differs from zero owing to the statistical fluctuations in the energy profile. On the other hand, the flow harmonics extracted from the hadron spectrum using the multi-particle correlators are inevitably subjected to non-vanishing variance due to the finite number of hadrons emitted in individual events. As one aims to extract information on the fluctuations in the initial conditions via flow harmonics and their fluctuations, finite multiplicity may play a role in interfering with such an effort. In this study, we explore the properties and impacts of such fluctuations in the initial and final states, which both notably appear to be statistical ones originating from the finite number of quanta of the underlying system. We elaborate on the properties of the initial-state eccentricities for the smooth and event-by-event fluctuating initial conditions and their distinct impacts on the resulting flow harmonics. Numerical simulations are performed. The possible implications of the present study are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to improve the barrier ability of sodium caseinate (SC) films using corn zein via direct coatings and structural inversion approach. The effects of zein coatings on barrier properties (oxygen and water vapor) and surface properties (surface hydrophobicity, surface free energy and surface topography) of the films were extensively investigated. Zein coating via the structural inversion approach heightened surface hydrophobicity of SC films, and polar parameter (γ AB) of surface free energy (γ) decreased from 11.5 to 3.4 mJ/m2, whilst apolar parameter (γ LW) of γ increased from 25.3 to 32.1 mJ/m2. In contrast, direct coating of zein presented an opposite pattern. Zein coatings increased surface roughness of SC films, structural inversion approach led to apparent surface irregularities with high irregular projections, whereas the well-defined zein nanospheres were evenly distributed in film surface via direct depositing. Zein coatings produced via structural inversion approach enhanced the barrier of SC films against water vapor and oxygen, whereas the direct coating approach only decreased oxygen permeability (OP) of the films. The present data pointed to a possible arrangement and orientation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties of zein on surface of SC films under different conditions. A schematic illustration of the formation pathway of zein coatings on SC films was proposed to relate it with barrier and surface properties of the films. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) belongs to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EEDCs) and can be rapidly hydrolyzed into the ultimate toxicant mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP). In this study, we used 5-aminofluorescein modified MEHP (MEHP-AF) as a fluorescence tracer to explore the toxicokinetics, including toxicokinetic parameters, absorption and transport across the intestinal mucosal barrier, distribution and pathological changes of organs. While the dose was as lower than 10 mg/kg by intragastric administration, the toxicokinetic parameters obtained by fluorescence microplate method were similar to those with the literatures by chromatography. MEHP-AF can be rapidly absorbed through the intestinal mucosal barrier in rats. In situ organ distribution in mice showed that MEHP-AF was mainly concentrated in the liver, kidney and testis. Our results suggested that the fluorescence tracing technique had the advantages with easy processing, less time-consuming, higher sensitivity for the quantitative determination, In addition, this technology also avoids the interference of exogenous or endogenous DEHP and MEHP in the experimental system. It also can be utilized to the visualization detection of MEHP in situ localization in the absorption organ and the toxic target organ. The results show that this may be a more feasible MEHP toxicological research method. [Display omitted] • MEHP-AF as a fluorescence tracer can be used to explore the toxicokinetics of MEHP. • Toxicokinetic feature got by fluorescence method was similar to this with by HPLC. • The method could be used to detecting visually in situ in the target organs. • The method had virtue with easy handle and high sensitive for quantitative assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. LHON is a progressive disease with early disease onset and male predominance, usually causing devastating visual loss to patients. These systematic review and meta-analysis are aimed at summarizing epidemiology, disease onset and progression, visual recovery, risk factors, and treatment options of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) with mitochondrial DNA mutation G11778A from current evidence. Methods. The PubMed database was examined from its inception date to November 2021. Data from included studies were pooled with either a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model, depending on the results of heterogeneity tests. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of results. Results. A total of 41 articles were included in the systematic review for qualitative analysis, and 34 articles were included for quantitative meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of proportion of G11778A mutation among the three primary mutations of mitochondrial DNA (G11778A, G3460A, and T14484C) for LHON was 73% (95% CI: 67% and 79%), and the LHON patients with G11778A mutation included the pooled male ratio estimate of 77% (76% and 79%), the pooled age estimate of 35.3 years (33.2 years and 37.3 years), the pooled onset age estimate of 22.1 years (19.7 years and 24.6 years), the pooled visual acuity estimate of 1.4 LogMAR (1.2 LogMAR and 1.6 LogMAR), and the pooled estimate of spontaneous visual recovery rate (in either 1 eye) of 20% (15% and 27%). Conclusions. The G11778A mutation is a prevalent mitochondrial DNA mutation accounting for over half of LHON cases with three primary mutations. Spontaneous visual recovery is rare, and no effective treatment is currently available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High theoretical capacity, stabilized and layered 2H phase molybdenum disulfide (2H) is regarded as a promising material for superior kinetics anode in sodium ion battery, but the inherent semiconducting properties and sluggish sodium ions diffusion limit the development of 2H based anode. Hence, this study builds a unique metalloid phase with high electronic conductivity and suitable layer structure by screening non‐metallic carbon atoms doped in 2H (2H‐C). As experimental and simulation results, 2H‐C of metalloid properties after carbon atom modulation exhibit superior sodium storage kinetics and reversibility by a unique mechanism that promotes ion intercalation under high voltage window, and further good for the later uniformly conversion at lower voltage (intercalation‐conversion mechanism). The 2H‐C anode material delivers a remarkable reversible capacity of 156 mAh g−1 at ultra‐high 100.0 A g−1, long‐term life of 6000 cycles, and superior performance at low temperatures of −10 °C. Otherwise, 2H‐C/Na3V2(PO4)3 full cell also performs charge/discharge capacity of 80.0/76.7 mAh g−1 with 87% capacity retention after 140 cycles at 0 °C. This discovery further explores the unique mechanism and application of 2D layered materials in sodium‐ion battery anodes for fast kinetics under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although combined chemotherapy had achieved the ideal efficacy in clinical anti-cancer therapeutic, the issues that need to be addressed are non-targeting and toxic-side effects of small molecule chemical drug (SMCD). In this study, we designed and prepared a novel binary blended co-delivered nanoparticles (BBCD NPs) with pH-responsive feature on tumor microenvironment. The BBCD NPs consists of two kind of drug-loaded NPs, in one of which carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and Poly (lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) were chosen as delivery carrier to load anti-cancer drug vincristine (VCR), named CMC-PLGA-VCR NPs (or CPNP VCR); and in the other of which methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(β-amino ester) (mPEG-PAE) were chosen as delivery carrier to load anti-fibrotic drug pirfenidone (PFD), named mPEG-PAE-PFD NPs (or PPNP PFD). Then, the two types of NPs (CPNP VCR and PPNP PFD) were physically mixed in mass ratios to form BBCD NPs, which was named CPNP VCR &PPNP PFD. CPNP VCR &PPNP PFD had good encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity, and the particle size distribution was uniform. In cytotoxicity experiments and non-contact co-culture studies in vitro , the model drugs loaded in CPNPVCR&PPNPPFD could respectively target cancer cell and cancer associated fibroblast (CAF) owing to the precise pH-sensitive drug release in the pharmacological targets and show stronger synergism than that of the combined treatment of two free drugs. As a modularity and assemble ability feature in design, BBCD NPs would have the advantages on the terms of concise on preparation process, controllable on quality standard, stable in natural environment storage. The research results can provide scientific evidence for the further development of a novel drug co-delivery system with multi-type cell targets. Unlabelled Image • Designed and prepared binary blended co-delivered nanoparticles (BBCD NPs) loaded anti-cancer drug vincristine and anti-fibrotic drug pirfenidone • BBCD NPs had with precise pH-responsive acting on tumor microenvironment. • BBCD NPs could respectively target cancer cell and cancer associated fibroblast. • BBCD NPs showed stronger synergism than that of the combined treatment of two free drugs. • BBCD NPs had the advantages on the terms of concise on preparation process, controllable on quality standard, stable in natural environment storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High alignment of graphene in mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers endows them with excellent properties such as high thermal conductivity and ultrahigh modulus. However, the weak interlayer interaction between large planar molecules leads to unwanted open crack in circular carbon fiber, leading to low strain-to-failure and low utilization rate in composite manufacturing. It remains a challenge to produce split-free circular carbon fiber while keeping a high degree of alignment of graphite layers. Herein, a die swell manipulating strategy is employed to address the problem through elaborating spinneret design. By applying an exit angle of 30° at the spinneret, the stored stress and shear-induced orientation of crystallites during the capillary flow were relaxed at the exit to enhance the die swell. The disoriented texture of fibers prevents the carbon fibers from splitting while still maintaining high degree of molecular alignment. The obtained carbon fibers present 20% higher of tensile strength, and more than twice of the compressive strength than the split ones, without sacrificing their superior thermal properties, which is up to 512 W·m−1·K−1. The work provides valuable insights into the design of carbon fiber for structural and functional integration materials in aerospace and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feng, H.; Ye, C., and Gao, R., 2020. AHP-based evaluation of port logistics transportation efficiency. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 477–480. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The logistics transportation efficiency of ports is an important basis for their development planning, which is of great significance to regional economic development. This paper attempts to study the evaluation of port logistics efficiency on the basis of the analytic hierarchy process. To this end, taking Shandong coastal ports (Qingdao, Rizhao, Yantai, Weihai, Weifang, and Jining ports) as research objects, it establishes an evaluation index system and evaluation model for logistics transportation efficiency of, and then evaluates their logistics transportation efficiency. The results showed that Qingdao Port ranked first, followed by Rizhao Port and Yantai Port, in terms of efficiency. Suggestions for improvement were put forward. The research findings enrich the related results of the logistics transportation efficiency evaluation system and model on maritime ports and have certain theoretical significance and practical reference value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on a novel high-thermal-conductive C/C composite used in heat-redistribution thermal protection systems. The 3D mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber (CFMP) preform was prepared using CFMP in the X (Y) direction and polyacrylonitrile carbon fiber (CFPAN) in the Z direction. After the preform was densified by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) and polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP), the 3D high-thermal-conductive C/C (CMP/C) composite was obtained. The prepared CMP/C composite has higher thermal conduction in the X and Y directions. After an ablation test, the CFPAN becomes needle-shaped, while the CFMP shows a wedge shape. The fiber/matrix and matrix/matrix interfaces are preferentially oxidized and damaged during ablation. After being coated by SiC coating, the thermal conductivity plays a significant role in decreasing the hot-side temperature and protecting the SiC coating from erosion by flame. The SiC-coated CMP/C composite has better ablation resistance than the SiC-coated CPAN/C composite. The mass ablation rate of the sample is 0.19 mg·(cm−2·s−1), and the linear ablation rate is 0.52 μm·s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphaltene constitutes the heaviest component in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry oil. Mesophase pitch are prepared from FCC slurry oil by adding two asphaltenes (CL-As/JB-As) with distinct structure, and the influence of asphaltenes on the formation of mesophase is investigated. The findings suggest that an addition of CL-As within the range of 0–20 wt% is advantageous for the development and formation of mesophase. The addition of JB-As less than 1 wt% facilitates the formation and development of mesophase, while the opposite is observed with JB-As greater than 1 wt%. This is due to the light fraction of JB-As (JB-As-L), which is similar to CL-As and possesses appropriate concentrations of reactive sites that promote the formation of mesophase. However, the prevalence of alkane-branched chains is most densely concentrated in the heavy fraction of JB-As (JB-As-H), which leads to an excessive concentration of reactive sites. The predominance of JB-As-H causes an increase of the system's viscosity in the early stage so that the collision of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon macromolecules is reduced and the formation of the mesophase is postponed eventually. This provides a profound understanding of the preparation of high-quality mesophase pitch by regulating the properties of raw materials. [Display omitted] • Notable differences in molecular structure of asphaltenes from different sources. • Different types of asphaltenes have diverse effects on the mesophase formation. • Reactive sites are mainly concentrated in the heavy fraction of JB-As. • The influence mechanism is explained from the perspective of chemical reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change material (PCM) based thermal energy storage (TES) is an important solution to the waste of heat and intermittency of new energy sources. However, the thermal conductivity of most PCMs is low, which severely affects the thermal energy storage performance. Oscillation of the tube bundles in a TES unit can intensify the convection of liquid PCM and, therefore, enhance heat transfer. However, the energy storage performance of bundled-tube TES systems in response to oscillation at different amplitudes and frequencies has not been well understood yet, and the optimum time to apply the oscillation during phase transition remains unexplored. To address this issue, this present study was carried out. First, the melting behaviour of PCM with oscillation starting at different times was investigated. Then, the influences of oscillation frequency and amplitude on the melting performance were explored. Finally, the solidification behaviour of PCM with oscillation starting at different times was examined. Results show that the oscillation can accelerate the phase transition process by enhancing convective heat transfer. Compared to the case without oscillation, the complete melting and solidification times are reduced by 8.2 and 6.7% for the case with oscillation starting at 200 s, respectively. The effect of oscillation frequency on the melting enhancement is negligible, while the oscillation amplitude has an important effect on the melting enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur doping in carbonaceous anode is a popular method to improve the sodium storing performance. Regulating the C/S bond effect of carbon atom with doped sulfur atom could understand and develop superior carbonaceous anode for sodium‐ion batteries. Therefore, this study designed porous hollow carbon nanocages with synergistically‐doped C/S bonds (C‐S/C = S) by secondary‐sulfidation. The secondary‐sulfidation is conducive to the different bond formation of sulfur atom with carbon skeleton and adjust the structure via removed other groups. Thus, the C‐S/C = S anode with synergistically C‐S and C = S bonds delivered a reversible capacity of 307 mAh g‐1 at 1.0 A g−1 with initial coulomb efficiency of 80.15%, a stable cycle life of 2000 cycles, and a fast charge capability of 186 mAh g−1 at 20.0 A g−1 in sodium‐ion batteries. Through characterization and simulation results, the doped C‐S/C = S bonds creates more active sites and ion diffusion channels in carbon skeleton for enhancing the fast and durable kinetics of sodium‐ion. This work provides deep insights into C/S bonds effect of carbon anode material for developing fast charge stability sodium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of graphite crystals determines the thermal conductivity of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. Nevertheless, its connection with dynamic thermal response behavior is not completely clear, especially for the high-thermal-conductive C/C (HTC-C/C) composites. This study investigates the influence of the different graphite crystal developments on the thermal response behavior of HTC-C/C composites by controlled graphitization. The results show that when the graphitization degree increases from 77.9% to 87.7%, the thermal conductivity of HTC-C/C composites in the X/Y direction increases from 311.84 W·m−1·K−1 to 453.05 W·m−1·K−1, and that in the Z direction increases from 23.13 W·m−1·K−1 to 66.17 W·m−1·K−1. The temperature distributions on the X–Y and Y-Z surfaces exhibit distinct "lattice-like" and "stripe-like" features, aligning with the arrangement of mesophase-pitch-based carbon fibers. By increasing the graphitization degree and reducing porosity, the thermal conduction of HTC-C/C composites can be significantly enhanced. The in-plane thermal conductivity is primarily governed by the graphitization degree, while the out-of-plane thermal conductivity is mainly dominated by the porosity in HTC-C/C composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by using d-level single-particle states, two novel multi-party quantum private comparison protocols for size relation comparison with two semi-honest third parties and one semi-honest third party are constructed, respectively. Here, each protocol can compare the size relation of secret integers from n parties rather than just the equality within one time execution. In each protocol, every third party is assumed to be semi-honest in the sense that she may misbehave on her own but is not allowed to collude with anyone else; and each party employs the qudit shifting operation to encode her secret integer. Each protocol can resist both the outside attack and the participant attack. Specially, each party’s secret integer can be kept unknown to other parties and the third parties. The proposed protocol with two third parties is workable in a stranger environment, as there are no communication and no pre-shared key between each pair of party. The proposed protocol with one third party is workable in an acquaintance environment, as all parties need to share a common private key beforehand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical methods of enantiomeric-specific state transfer had been proposed theoretically based on a cyclic three-level system of chiral molecules. According to these theoretical methods, recently the breakthrough progress has been reported in experiments (Eibenberger et al 2017 Phys. Rev. Lett. 118 123002; Pérez et al 2017 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56 12512) for cold gaseous chiral molecules but with achieving low state-specific enantiomeric enrichment. One of the limiting factors is the influence of the thermal population in the selected cyclic three-level system based on purely rotational transitions in the experiments. Here, we theoretically explore the improvement of the enantiomeric-specific state transfer at finite temperature by introducing ro-vibrational transitions for the cyclic three-level system of chiral molecules. Then, at the typical experimental temperature, approximately only the lowest state in the desired cyclic three-level system is thermally occupied and the optical method of enantiomeric-specific state transfer works well. Comparing with the case of purely rotational transitions where all the three states are thermally occupied, this modification will remarkably increase the obtained state-specific enantiomeric enrichment with enantiomeric excess being approximately 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsized‐silicon (µ‐Si, >1 µm) is one of the ideal anodes for lithium‐ion batteries due to its low‐cost, high tap density, and high specific capacity. However, during repeated lithiation/delithiation processes, µ‐Si undergoes huge volume changes. This leads to continued capacity loss during cycling due to severe particle pulverization, separation from the conductive network and uncontrolled growth of an unstable solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein, an electrode construction strategy is proposed by carbonization of the slurry‐casting µ‐Si electrode. The organic binder serves as both carbon resource and physical framework, which is carbonized to form a carbon binder that is chemically bonded with the µ‐Si particles and within the electrode. The electrode with carbon binder ensures stable electric channel and promotes formation of a stable and passivating SEI at the interface with a high µ‐Si content up to 82 wt%. The carbon binder offers physical buffer that shield against localized strain and modifies the surface reactivity, which enables a high initial Coulombic efficiency (91.85%) and stable cycle performance at commercial‐level areal capacities (2 mAh cm−2). This work offers an easily scalable yet practical approach for the current battery industry without any electrolyte modification or complicated manufacturing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of comparative benefits of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in Asian patients with schizophrenia has been inconsistent. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the current evidence in the past ten years and provide an overview of efficacy, safety, treatment adherence, patient attitudes, and healthcare resource utilization of LAI in this population. A systematic search was conducted with a pre-defined search strategy in six electronic databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycArticles. A total of 46 studies were included, including 15 cohort studies, 13 single-arm trials, 10 randomized controlled trials, four mirror-image studies, three cross-sectional studies, and one controlled clinical trial. Paliperidone palmitate once-monthly injection (27/46) and risperidone LAI (14/46) were the most frequently investigated LAIs. Compared with oral antipsychotic medications (OAMs), LAIs demonstrated a lower rate of relapse/hospitalization and comparable improvement in efficacy. Adverse events (AEs) were similar between LAIs and OAMs, although types and incidence varied. Significant reduction in the length of hospitalization and number of outpatient visits/inpatient admission was observed after initiation of LAIs. These findings suggest that LAI demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety among Asian populations with schizophrenia in comparison to OAMs. Better adherence and lower relapse were observed in patients receiving LAIs from published evidence. Future research is warranted to better understand the comprehensive performance of LAI in specific population or context.Plain Language Summary: LAI antipsychotic drugs for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia have been considered the therapy of choice in case of poor adherence to treatment and frequent relapses. Few review studies focused on the benefits of LAI antipsychotics for schizophrenia in the Asian population have been conducted to date. Therefore, we conducted this scoping review to comprehensively summarize the current published evidence in terms of LAI efficacy, safety, treatment adherence, patient attitudes, and healthcare resource utilization in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resin is one of the key components of fluid catalytic cracking slurry oil which is the raw material to form high-quality mesophase pitch. The effect of resin variations on the formation of mesophase was investigated in this paper. The results showed when the resin addition was from 0 to 20 wt%, the formation rate of mesophase remained basically invariable, but it was beneficial to the development of mesophase pitch with higher order degree. However, excessive additions of resin (>20 wt%) sharply accelerated the formation of mesophase due to the high concentration of reactive sites in the system, which shortened the time to form pitch with mesophase content close to 100%, adversely it led to the generation of mesophase pitch with lower order degree. In addition, the approximate molecular structure model of resin was constructed by various characterization methods. The aromatic ring skeleton of resin was dominated by 3–4 ring aromatic hydrocarbons. Resin also possessed structural features such as higher aromaticity, higher N and S content, larger molecular size, longer branched chains, more cyclic alkane structures and methylene bridges, and higher concentration of reactive sites than FCC-exR. Furthermore, an explanation of the effect of resin on the formation and development of mesophase with respect to the molecular structure characteristics was presumed. This work has important implications for regulating the raw material properties of FCC slurry oil and the preparation of high-quality mesophase pitch. [Display omitted] • Resin accelerates the formation of mesophase. • Resin possesses higher concentration of active sites than FCC-exR. • Its influence mechanism was explained from the perspective of chemical reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bladder cancer is the 13th most common cancer in China with the predominant histologic type being urothelial carcinoma (UC). Locally advanced and metastatic (la/m) UC accounts for 12% of UC and the five‐year survival rate is only 39.4%, imposing a significant disease and economic burden on the patients. The aim of this scoping review is to synthesize existing evidence of epidemiology, the landscape of treatment options and associated efficacy and safety profiles, as well as treatment‐related biomarkers among Chinese la/mUC patients. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang, and CNKI) from January 2011 to March 2022 based on the scoping review criteria in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews. Results: A total of 6211 records were identified, and further review resulted in 41 relevant studies that met all criteria. Additional searches were conducted on epidemiology and treatment‐related biomarkers of bladder cancer to supplement the evidence. Among 41 studies, 24 reported on platinum‐based chemotherapy, eight on non‐platinum‐based chemotherapy, six on immunotherapy, two on targeted therapy, and one on surgery. Efficacy outcomes were summarized by line of therapy. Treatment‐related biomarkers including PD‐L1, HER2, and FGFR3 alterations were identified, and the alteration rate of FGFR3 of Chinese UC patients was lower than that of the western patients. Conclusions: Despite chemotherapy has been the main treatment choice for decades, appealing new therapeutic strategies including ICIs, targeted therapies and ADCs were applied in clinical practice. Further research on epidemiology and treatment‐related biomarkers of la/mUC patients is needed given only a limited number of studies have been identified thus far. High genomic heterogeneity and complexity of molecular features were observed among la/mUC patients; thus, further studies are required to identify critical drivers and promote potential precise therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An anisotropically conductive phase change composite is proposed by a simple method. • High and adjustable anisotropic degree of thermal conductivities is achieved. • High photothermal efficiencies of 79.17%-98.31% are achieved under 1 sun-3 suns. • The phase change composite exhibits excellent thermal, cyclic and shape stability. • The phase change composite is suitable for scalable solar energy harvesting. Solar thermal energy harvesting with phase change materials (PCMs) can overcome the intermittent nature of solar energy through thermal energy storage to provide uninterruptible heat supply. However, the PCMs' intrinsically low thermal conductivities and weak solar absorptances pose considerable challenges to achieving high photothermal efficiency, and most PCMs also suffer from leakage and poor stability. Herein, we propose a simple and scalable approach to develop anisotropically conductive phase change composites (PCCs) by fabricating and embedding aligned continuous carbon fibers (CFs) in paraffin wax (PW)/olefin block copolymer (OBC) blends. The aligned CFs provide continuous and directional thermal conduction paths within the PCCs, enabling a high lengthwise thermal conductivity of 5.63 W·K−1·m−1 and a low transverse thermal conductivity of 0.77 W·K−1·m−1 with a rather high anisotropic degree of 7.31. The excellent anisotropic thermal conductivity can enhance the lengthwise heat transfer from the PCC surface to the deep inside and reduce the transverse heat loss from PCC to the surroundings. Furthermore, to enhance the solar absorption, carbon black is coated on the PCC surface to boost the full-spectrum solar absorptance up to 0.988. Because of the synergetic effects of the excellent anisotropic thermal conductivity and high full-spectrum solar absorptance, the PCC can achieve high photothermal efficiencies of 79.17 %-98.31 % under 1 sun-3 suns. Moreover, the PCC also demonstrates excellent thermal, cyclic and shape stability. This work offers a promising strategy for fabricating anisotropically conductive PCCs for efficient solar thermal energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serpins are a family of serine protease inhibitors that are found widely in insects. They play an important role in insect physiological responses, such as innate immunity and development. In this study, we obtained the Bombyx mori serpin6 ( BmSerpin6 ) sequence from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and the silkworm genome database (SilkDB). Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) results showed that BmSerpin6 was expressed highly in hemocytes, the midgut, and the fat body. After challenging with Micrococcus luteus (Mi) and Serratia marcescens ( Sm ), the BmSerpin6 expression level was induced significantly. Transcript levels of gloverin2 and prophenoloxidase (PPO) activity were reduced significantly in the fat body and hemocytes after injecting the recombinant BmSerpin6 protein into silkworm larvae. A BmSerpin6 recombinant plasmid (BmSerpin6-pAC 5.1) was constructed successfully and transfected into Drosophila S2 cells, which resulted in significantly reduced expression of the drosomycin protein. These results indicated that BmSerpin6 might regulate silkworm immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To match the increasing miniaturization and integration of electronic devices, higher requirements are put forward for the electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA) and thermal conductivity (T c) of heat conduction-microwave absorption integrated materials (HCMWAIMs) to overcome the problems of electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution and heat accumulation. Herein, a simple and efficient shear force induction technique is used to construct a carbon/magnetic isolation network within the silicone resin matrix, where ferrite particles are well dispersed in vertically oriented SiC-coated carbon fibers array. Benefiting from the orderly interconnection of CFs@SiC in the array, the prepared composites have a high T c of 7.86 W m−1 K−1. The introduction of magnetic ferrite particles within the CFs@SiC array can induce electrical-magnetic coupling, optimize impedance matching, and enhance EMW attenuation. This synergy of V-CFs@SiC/ferrite isolation network structure gives the composites an excellent effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.88 GHz and a minimal reflection loss (RL min) of −47.5 dB at a thickness of 1.5 mm. Moreover, the as-prepared composites exhibit outstanding elastic compressibility of 43.2 % and rebound rate of 45.1 % under a pressure of 35psi. This strategy offers a distinguishing understanding of preparing high-performance HCMWAIMs in modern electronic devices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Designing CF with integrated thermal conductivity and insulation by BN coating. • Extrusion treatment effectively regulates the orientation arrangement of CF@BN. • Pads exhibit good thermal conductivity, insulation, and mechanical properties. Due to excellent thermal conductivity, high aspect ratio, and low density, mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCFs) are highly desired in electronic packaging. However, their thermal conductivity is hard to present in the polymer matrix because of the disordered stacking and low filling. Moreover, few researches are focused on the enhancement of the electrical insulation performance for MPCFs. Herein, we report vertically aligned and insulating boron nitride (BN) coated carbon fiber (CF) powders as significant fillers for polymer composites, endowing markedly improved thermal conductivity and electrical insulation. The high-quality BN coating layer on the surface of the CF is produced by a cooling precipitation method and high-temperature treatment with ingenious use of solubility properties, exhibiting a conformal, dense, and highly crystalline structure. This preparation method overcomes the limitations of coating thickness and particle agglomeration, resulting in a 31-fold enhancement of the electrical resistivity of the CF powders. After orientation treatment in a silicone rubber matrix, such CF@BN-filled pads exhibit good thermal conductivity, significantly improved insulation performance, and excellent mechanical properties. Among them, the optimized pad achieves a thermal conductivity of 12.06 W m−1 K−1, a volume resistivity of 50 × 108 Ω cm and a breakdown voltage of 3100 V mm−1, exceptional flexibility, and a favorable compression ratio (@45 psi) of 41.7 %. This work provides unique insights into constructing carbon fiber fillers as well as the preparation of high thermal conductivity composites, thereby expanding the application scenarios of carbon fiber powder in electronic packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties especially the compression performance are very important for thermal interface materials (TIMs) to mitigate warpage failure caused by stress concentration and reduce contact resistance in practical applications. However, high thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties are generally incompatible in traditional TIMs. Herein, we fabricate a high-performance carbon fiber-based TIM by using an extrusion method based on the flow shearing effect. The vertically oriented composite shows a through-plane thermal conductivity up to 18.5 W·m−1·K−1 at 20 wt% carbon fiber content, which is 92.7 times that of pure matrix and 6.3 times that of the random structure. Moreover, the as-prepared material exhibits low hardness of 56 (Shore 00) and outstanding elastic compression performance of 51.4% compression under a pressure of 45 psi. These excellent properties are primarily attributed to the high orientation of the carbon fibers (CFs), thereby establishing a direct and effective thermal conductivity path in the vertical direction. In addition, the synergistic effect of carbon fibers and alumina particles is also beneficial for building thermal conduction pathways. Our work provides an insight to further research in fabricating high-performance flexible TIMs as a promising candidate for applying in advanced thermal management fields. • The composite achieves a thermal conductivity of 18.54 W·m−1·K−1. • The composites exhibit good elastic compliance under high through-plane thermal conductivity. • The synergistic effect of carbon fibers and alumina promotes the enhancement of thermal conductivity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Estimating the phase composition of carbon fibers by the internal standard method. • Multi-scale modeling on the microstructure of carbon fibers. • Evaluating the contribution of the microstructural factors. In this paper, a model is developed to predict the thermal conductivity of carbon fibers (CFs) based on the microstructure information and phase composition obtained experimentally. The microstructures of four different CFs are investigated by SEM and XRD. The contents of graphite crystallites, amorphous carbon, and microvoids are estimated by the internal standard method. Crystallinity, crystallite size, and the orientation of crystallite are considered in the model. The predicted thermal conductivities are in good agreement with the reported values. The contribution of the microstructural factors on the thermal conductivity is evaluated. It is revealed that crystallinity is the major factor that affects the thermal conductivity of CFs. Furthermore, the predictions of the presented model are also compared with the prediction of empirical models based on the measured electrical resistivity. The results show that the prediction of our model has a higher generality. The fundamental understanding on the thermal conductivity of CFs may benefit the development of high-performance CFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fibers produced from mesophase pitch are superior in many properties such as high thermal conductivity and high tensile modulus, which originated from the high graphitizability and high carbon yield of the raw materials. Any variation in mesophase pitch microstructure will be inherited in derived carbon fibers. Herein, we monitored the microcrystal structure evolution of carbon fiber derived from thermal soaked mesophase pitch and the caused variation in mechanical properties. Results showed that mesophase pitch with prolonged soaking time from 1 to 12 h produced the carbon fibers with improved microcrystal structure, reduced diameter, and crack angle, contributing to an apparent increase in tensile strength from 1.70 to 2.72 GPa and tensile modulus from 152 to 246 GPa. Thermal soaking upon elevated temperature from 320 to 335 °C also contributes an improvement in microcrystalline development. However, the attendant increment in diameter and open crack angle lead to deterioration in tensile strength and modulus, the highest value of which is only 1.53 GPa and 190 GPa. This work provides useful information on thermal soaking parameter selection and is of particular interest for future optimization of carbon fiber production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new ethylenediamine Schiff bases of 2-acetylthiazole and 2-acetylpyrazine (abbreviated as Th-Th and Py-Py respectively), as well as their silver(I) complexes [Ag(Th-Th)]2·2(NO3) and [Ag(Py-Py)]2·2(NO3), have been prepared and characterized by a variety of physico-chemical techniques including elemental analyses, m.p., 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ESI-QTOF-MS, FT/IR, UV–Vis and theoretical calculations including density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods. All structures were solved from single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) data, except [Ag(Py-Py)]2·2(NO3), whose crystal is not good enough for SXRD. Hence, conventional powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) has to be used. As a first step, the stoichiometric formula of [Ag(Py-Py)]2·2(NO3) was ascertained by elemental analyses and ESI-QTOF-MS. IR and UV–Vis indicated the existence of coordinated Py-Py and charge-balancing . On the basis of symmetry character proved by NMR, three possible symmetrical Ag(I) coordination structures were designed and optimized by DFT method. Then, relative binding free energies were calculated to find the most appropriate molecule structure. DFT results suggest that four imine-N and four ortho-ring-N atoms from two Py-Py ligands are coordinated to two Ag(I) ions, resulting in a similar dimer structure as that of [Ag(Th-Th)]2·2(NO3). The molecule structure was further confirmed by PXRD based crystal structure, which was solved following direct space method and refined by the Rietveld method. The antitumor activities of the Schiff bases and their silver(I) complexes have been evaluated against human lung cancer cell line A549. Both silver(I) complexes were found to display cytotoxicity (IC50 =3.15±0.5 and 9.73±1.1μM) that is similar to or better than that of cisplatin, while metal-free Schiff bases show very low activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We developed a novel procedure to prepare core/shell zein/SC nanoparticles. [•] Zein/SC nanoparticles possessed the strong loading capacity for thymol. [•] Thymol loadings endowed zein/SC nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity. [•] Zein/SC nanoparticles possessed the ability to sustained release of thymol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High-purity rayon-based carbon fiber (CF Ray) felt holds significant promise for applications in thermal protection systems and semiconductor crystal growth furnaces. This study employs halogen gas purification and high-temperature purification techniques in the fabrication of high-purity CF Ray felt. Additionally, the influence of the purification process on the thermal insulation and oxidation resistance of CF Ray felt is investigated. The glow discharge mass spectrometer analysis reveals that purification at a lower temperature of 2300 °C achieves a purity level of 6.9 ppm, surpassing both purified CF Ray felt without halogen at 2300 °C (56.1 ppm) and high-temperature treated CF Ray felt at 3000 °C (10.4 ppm). Thermal insulation and dynamic-static oxidation resistance tests show that the properties of CF Ray felt are concurrently affected by the heat treatment temperature. Compared to high-temperature purification, halogen gas purification operates at lower temperatures, preventing the graphitization of CF Ray , thereby ensuring high purity while enhancing thermal insulation and demonstrating relatively superior oxidation resistance. This study offers novel insights into the preparation and performance adjustment of high-purity CF Ray felt. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]