Search

• The organic-inorganic hybrid coating forms an interpenetrating network structure. • The "labyrinth effect" of the organic-inorganic hybrid coating preventing the transmission and diffusion of corrosive media. • Multifunctional performances owing to the unique physical barrier and friendly interfacial interaction. • Bronze anticorrosion mechanism was investigated through electrochemical analysis. Bronze relics with vital historical, artistic, and scientific value, are one of the significant symbolizations of human civilization. However, due to the long burial time and the change in storage conditions, an inevitable and thorny problem arises in preventing the ancient bronze relics from corrosion. Coatings have great potential for metal corrosion protection at present. This study prepared a multifunctional coating consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO 2), and fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE) polymer by an organic-inorganic hybrid, which was applied onto the surface of corroded bronze using a self-assembly method and spraying. The rough structure of composite coating resembling that of the mastoid structure found on lotus leaf, effectively prolongs the transmission path of corrosive ions while preventing bronze contact with the corrosive media. Additionally, this study mainly investigated the bronze anti-corrosion mechanism through an electrochemical analysis perspective. Electrochemical tests revealed the lower corrosion current density, and the positive corrosion potential of multifunctional FEVE@ZnO/TiO 2 coating immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The experimental results demonstrate that the synergistic effect of organic-inorganic significantly enhances corrosion resistance by retarding the corrosion process and providing active protection against corrosion. The multifunctional coating also exhibits exceptional self-cleaning properties and weatherability when without changing the bronze color and appearance. Consequently, this preparation strategy and research approach for constructing a multifunction coating has a great application prospect in the conservation of bronze relics and metal anti-corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional layered Ti 3 C 2 T x and N-doped Carbon Nanotube Hollow Polyhedron were tightly anchored together by strong electrostatic adsorption, which ensures the complexity of the multilevel structure and high electronic conductivity and fast transport channels. [Display omitted] • N-doped carbon nanotube hollow polyhedron/Ti 3 C 2 T x prepared with hierarchical multilevel structures. • Electrochemical performance enhancement due to rational heat treatment temperature and "electron sharing" mechanism. • Co 3 O 4 -CNT-800/Ti 3 C 2 T x provides exceptional lithium storage properties with a stabilized structure. The matching of long cycle life, high power density, and high energy density has been an inevitable requirement for the development of efficient anode materials for lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). Here, we introduce an N -doped carbon nanotube hollow polyhedron structure (Co 3 O 4 -CNT-800) with high specific surface area and active sites, which is anchored with two-dimensional (2D) Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets with metallic conductivity and abundant surface functional groups by electrostatic adsorption to form a hierarchical multilevel hollow semi-covered framework structure. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between Co 3 O 4 -CNT-800 and Ti 3 C 2 T x , the composites exhibit superior energy storage efficiency and long cycling stability. The Co 3 O 4 -CNT-800/Ti 3 C 2 T x electrodes exhibit a high specific capacity of 817C/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g under the three-electrode system, and the capacity retention rate is 91 % after 5000 cycles at a current density of 2 A/g. Additionally, we assembled Co 3 O 4 -CNT-800/Ti 3 C 2 T x as the anode and Activated carbon (AC) cathode to form LIC devices, which showed an electrochemical test result of 90.01 % capacitance retention after 8000 cycles at 2 A/g, and the maximum power density of the LIC was 3000 W/kg and the maximum energy density was 121 Wh/kg. This work pioneered the combination of N -doped carbon nanotube hollow polyhedron structure with two-dimensional Ti 3 C 2 T x , which provides an effective strategy for preparing LIC negative electrode materials with high specific capacitance and long cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whirlpool is a hash function that has been standardized by ISO/IEC. In this paper, we develop a new type of distinguishing property for its underlying permutation |$ W $|⁠. Division property proposed by Todo at EUROCRYPT 2015 was initially used in the integral cryptanalysis of symmetric-key algorithms. This work for the first time utilizes the MILP method to search for the integral distinguishers of |$ W $| in both the forward and backward directions while concentrating on word-based division property. Under the known-key model, the fact that the permutation used in the hash function does not depend on any secret parameters allows the previous properties to be exploited from the middle, i.e. from an intermediate internal state. Therefore, we apply the inside-out strategy which is the essential step in the zero-sum property to connect the trails in opposite directions. Consequently, we obtain new distinguishers up to full rounds for the |$ W $|⁠. To further reduce the complexity of the integral distinguishers, we add one round in the middle with the help of subspace trails. Finally, we succeed in extending the length and improving the complexity of the integral distinguishers. To the best of our knowledge, all the results in this paper are competitive with the previous work in both computational cost and memory complexity. It is worth mentioning that the methods presented in this paper are applicable to a broad class of hash functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D is an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-like cipher employed 3D structure proposed in 2008. The main innovation of 3D is the multi-dimensional state, generalizing the design of Rijndael and allowing block sizes beyond the 256-bit boundary. Saturnin, a lightweight block cipher has been selected as a second-round candidate in the National Institute of Standards and Technology standardization for lightweight cryptography. It also employs a 3D structure and provides high security against quantum and classic attacks. The exchange-equivalence attacks proposed by Bardeh and Rønjom consider how quadruples of plaintexts confirm distinguishable properties for AES. It is similar to the principle of yoyo attack, but it can find a longer number of rounds of distinguisher. In this paper, we investigate the exchange-equivalence attack on 3D and yoyo attack on Saturnin. Our new results turn out to be the first secret-key chosen plaintext distinguisher for 10-round 3D. The complexity of the distinguisher is about |$2^{364.2}$| in terms of data, memory and computational complexity. For Saturnin, we propose the first six-super-round impossible differential yoyo attack, which is suitable for the two-S-layer version. Compared with the previous impossible differential attacks in the design report of Saturnin, the attacks presented here are the best in terms of the complexity under the chosen-plaintext scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion layers are crucial components for lightweight cryptographic schemes. Optimal binary matrices are widely used diffusion layers that can be easier to achieve the best security/performance trade-off. However, most of the constructions of binary matrices are concentrated in smaller dimensions. Besides, to maximize the number of branches, the performance is often neglected. In this paper, we investigate the diffusion of the Lai-Massey (L-M) structures and propose a series of binary diffusion layers with the best possible branch number and efficient software/hardware implementations as well for feasible parameters (up to 64). Firstly, we prove the lower bound of the circuit depth of a binary matrix with a fixed branch number. Then, we construct binary matrices by L-M structure with cyclic shift as round functions because of taking account of the improvement of software performance and demonstrate that this construction can not get the diffusion layers with branch number >4. Then, we get some 4 |$\times $| 4 and 6 |$\times $| 6 optimal binary matrices with branch number 4 by one-round L-M structure. Note that the depth of these results is optimal, i. e. they achieve the lowest hardware costs without loss of software efficiency. Secondly, we construct diffusion layers by extended L-M structures to obtain binary matrices with large sizes. We give a list of software/hardware friendly optimal binary matrices with large dimensions, especially for dimensions 48 and 64. In particular, some of the solutions are Maximum Distance Binary Linear matrices. Finally, we also present diffusion layers constructed by the extended generalized L-M structure to improve their applicabilities on other platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The simple preparation of ZnCo 2 S 4 with double hollow morphology by two-part hydrothermal method has excellent performance. • The synthesis of ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x and ZnCo 2 P 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x via the electrostatic self-assembly method was successfully accomplished, and their subsequent assembly with AC led to the formation of LIC. • The specific capacitance of ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x is 1563 C·g−1, which exceeds that of ZnCo 2 P 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x (936 C·g−1) and pure Ti 3 C 2 T x (289 C·g−1). • Lithium-ion capacitors based on ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x provide an energy density of 136.25 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 337.10 W kg−1. Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) represent a novel energy storage solution, merging the high energy storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries with the adequate power density of supercapacitors. However, the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion capacitors is notably constrained by the inherent imbalance between the charge storage mechanisms and electrochemical reaction dynamics of their anodes and cathodes. In this study, a dual-shell hollow structured ZnCo 2 S 4 was prepared via a two-step hydrothermal method and compared with spherical ZnCo 2 P 4 prepared by calcination. Subsequently, they were respectively anchored onto two-dimensional Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets, which possess abundant surface functional groups, through electrostatic adsorption, forming layered semi-encapsulated framework structures. The introduction of MXene significantly enhances the conductivity of the material, restricts the expansion of ZnCo 2 S 4 and ZnCo 2 P 4 during the Li+ insertion/extraction process, and inhibits their aggregation. Under a three-electrode configuration, ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x exhibits excellent rate performance (1004 C·g−1 at 10 A·g−1) and cycling stability (95 % capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 2 A·g−1). The discharge capacity of the ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x LIB is up to 1360 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1, and the discharge capacity of the ZnCo 2 P 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x LIB is 1121 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1. As an anode material for LIC, ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x demonstrates excellent specific capacitance and rate performance (105 F·g−1 at 0.5 A·g−1). At a power density of 337.10 W·kg−1, ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x //AC LIC exhibits a significant energy density of 136.25 Wh·kg−1. At a current density of 2 A·g−1, ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x //AC LIC retains 89 % of its capacity after 5000 charge-discharge cycles, demonstrating excellent stability for practical applications. ZnCo 2 P 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x //AC LIC exhibits an energy density of 45.20 Wh·kg−1 at a power density of 623.07 W·kg−1, and after 5000 cycles at 2 A·g−1, its capacity retention rate reaches 80 %. These findings suggest that ZnCo 2 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x and ZnCo 2 P 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x composites are promising anode materials for LICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Two-dimensional (2D) layered metal carbides materials called MXenes (e.g., Ti 3 C 2) are significantly attentioned as electrode material for lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) because of its large surface-to-volume ratio and ultra-high electronic conductivity. Whereas, as anode electrode material, the performance and application prospects of Ti 3 C 2 are severely restricted to its lower theoretical capacity. In this work, a straightforward and effective strategy to surmount the restrictions was developed to combine layered Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets with dual Co/Zn metal–organic framework (MOF) polyhedrons derivatives through electrostatic assembly. Co 3 O 4 /ZnO polyhedrons could prevent the stacking of Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets and provide prominent lithium storage capacity. Furthermore, the advanced structure of Ti 3 C 2 @Co 3 O 4 /ZnO as anode material could provide short Li+ paths, large electrolyte channels and excellent structural stability to enhance the electrochemical performance for LICs. As a result, the prepared Ti 3 C 2 @Co 3 O 4 /ZnO composite exhibited a specific capacity of 585.7 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, and the electrode still delivered a capacity of 229 mAh/g at 2 A/g after 1000 cycles with 93% capacity retention in lithium -ion half cell. In addition, by assembling with activated carbon (AC) as cathode and Ti 3 C 2 @Co 3 O 4 /ZnO as anode, the LIC revealed an ultra-high energy density of 196.8 Wh/kg at a power density of 174.9 W/kg, and delivered a high energy output of 87.5 Wh/kg even at a power density of 3500 W/kg. And its capacitance retention reaches 75% after 6000 cycles at 2 A/g. The advanced structure, handy preparation, and outstanding performance of layered carbon-based material Ti 3 C 2 @hollow polyhedrons composite might provide promising applications in LICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key-alternating Feistel (KAF) cipher, refer to Feistel scheme with round functions of the form F(x ⊕ k), where k is the round-key and F is a public random function. This model roughly captures the structures of many famous Feistel ciphers, and the most prominent instance is DES. In order to analyze how KAF cipher can achieve security under simpler and more realistic assumptions from the view of provable security, a kind of KAF cipher is widely studied, which is called KAF cipher for shorter keys. Existing KAF ciphers for shorter keys (SCIS 2021, ASIACRYPT 2018 and ACNS 2020) have been proved to be super pseudorandom permutations (SPRPs) and can achieve birthday bound security. In this paper, we focus on the quantum security of the KAF ciphers for shorter keys. We show that the KAF ciphers for shorter keys are insecure against quantum chosen-plaintext attacks (qCPA). According to our study, the KAF ciphers for shorter keys can be distinguished from random permutation based on Simon's algorithm in polynomial time. We also show that the KAF ciphers for shorter keys with arbitrary rounds are insecure in the qCPA setting. In addition, we propose quantum multi-user distinguishing attacks on the KAF ciphers for shorter keys. The results show that the KAF ciphers for shorter keys can be distinguished from random permutation in polynomial time in the qCPA setting even if either the round function or the number of rounds is unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Hierarchical microstructures of electrode materials for supercapacitors have attracted strong attention owing to the enlarged surface area, fast charge transportation and enhanced volume expansion. All these advantages of hierarchical structures are available for facilitating the electrochemical performances and stability of electrode materials for advanced supercapacitors. However, few reports focused on the development of transition metal-based homogeneous 2D/1D hierarchical structures use the same material. Herein, the ZnCo-LDH with 3D hierarchical microstructure was self-assembled with 1D nanoneedles and 2D nanosheets that in situ synthesized on Ni foam through a simple and effective strategy. The optimal sample (ZnCo-LDH-2) exhibited the ultra-high specific capacitance of 3871.2 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 and excellent cycle life span (capacitance retention of 87.5% after 6000 cycles at 5 A g−1). Particularly, the current density was as high as 100 A g−1, the specific capacitance of ZnCo-LDH-2 still remained 1526 F g−1. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitor (SSC) fabricated with ZnCo-LDH-2 showed the maximum energy density of 40.3 Wh kg−1 and power density of 15.08 kW kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. HNSCC is the sixth most frequent type of malignant carcinoma with a low prognosis rate. In addition, autophagy is important in cancer development and progression. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential significance of ARGs in the diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC. Materials and Methods. Expression data and clinical information of HNSCC samples were collected from the TCGA database, and a list of ARGs was obtained from the MSigDB. Then, we used R software to perform differential expression analysis and functional enrichment analysis. Further analysis was also performed to find out the survival-related ARGs in HNSCC, and two prognosis-related ARGs, FADD and NKX2-3, were selected to construct a prognosis prediction model. Moreover, some methods were applied to validate the prognosis prediction model. Finally, we used cell lines and clinical tissue samples of HNSCC to analyze the importance of FADD and NKX2-3. Results. We screened a total of 38 differentially expressed ARGs, and enrichment analysis showed that these genes were mainly involved in autophagy. Then, we selected FADD and NKX2-3 to construct a prognosis model and the risk score calculated by the model was proved to be effective in predicting the survival of HNSCC patients. Additionally, significant differences of the clinicopathological parameters could also be observed in the risk scores and the expression of NKX2-3 and FADD. The expression of FADD and NKX2-3 in cell lines and HNSCC tissue samples also showed the same trends. Conclusions. ARGs may be a potential biomarker for HNSCC prognosis, and targeted therapies for FADD and NKX2-3 are possible to be a new strategy of HNSCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. However, the target genes of miR-221-3p and the underlying mechanism involved in HNSCC are still not clear. Therefore, in the current study, we studied the role of miR-221-3p in the HNSCC.Methods: Tissues collected from 48 control and 21 HNSCC patients were processed to check the differential expression of miR-221-3p by RT-qPCR. Overexpression of microRNA-221-3p (miR-221-3p) is significantly correlated to the onset and progression of HNSCC. We also conducted the meta-analysis of the cancer literature from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to estimate the expression of miR-221-3p in HNSCC. The miR-221-3p target genes in the HNSCC were predicted with the miRWalk and TCGA databases, and functionally annotated via the Gene Ontology. Finally, Spearman's analysis was used to determine the role of the related target genes in important pathways involved in the development of HNSCC.Results: We observed a significantly higher expression of miR-221-3p in HNSCC compared to the normal with a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) of 0.86(95% Cl: 0.83,0.89). The KEGG and GO comprehensive analysis predicted that miR-221-3p might be involved in the development of HNSCC through the following metabolic pathways, viz. Drug metabolism - cytochrome P450 UGT1A7 and MAOB may be important genes for the role of miR-221-3p.Conclusion: Based on bioinformatics analysis, our results indicate that miR-221-3p may be used as a non-invasive and hypersensitive biomarker in the diagnosis. Thus, it can be concluded that miR-221-3p may be an extremely important gene locus involved in the process of the deterioration and eventual tumorigenesis of HNSCC. Hopefully, additional work will validate its usefulness as a target for future clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. However, the target genes of miR-221-3p and the underlying mechanism involved in HNSCC are still not clear. Therefore, in the current study, we studied the role of miR-221-3p in the HNSCC. Methods: Tissues collected from 48 control and 21 HNSCC patients were processed to check the differential expression of miR-221-3p by RT-qPCR. Overexpression of microRNA-221-3p (miR-221-3p) is significantly correlated to the onset and progression of HNSCC. We also conducted the meta-analysis of the cancer literature from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to estimate the expression of miR-221-3p in HNSCC. The miR-221-3p target genes in the HNSCC were predicted with the miRWalk and TCGA databases, and functionally annotated via the Gene Ontology. Finally, Spearman's analysis was used to determine the role of the related target genes in important pathways involved in the development of HNSCC. Results: We observed a significantly higher expression of miR-221-3p in HNSCC compared to the normal with a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) of 0.86(95% Cl: 0.83,0.89). The KEGG and GO comprehensive analysis predicted that miR-221-3p might be involved in the development of HNSCC through the following metabolic pathways, viz. Drug metabolism - cytochrome P450 UGT1A7 and MAOB may be important genes for the role of miR-221-3p. Conclusion: Based on bioinformatics analysis, our results indicate that miR-221-3p may be used as a non-invasive and hypersensitive biomarker in the diagnosis. Thus, it can be concluded that miR-221-3p may be an extremely important gene locus involved in the process of the deterioration and eventual tumorigenesis of HNSCC. Hopefully, additional work will validate its usefulness as a target for future clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium carbide MXene (Ti 3 C 2) has attracted significant research interest because of its extraordinary advantages as advanced electrode material for energy storage. In this work, we explored a facile strategy to construct Ti 3 C 2 -based hierarchical composite materials by surface modification using pseudocapacitive materials. The method involved the synthesis of the exfoliation of ultrathin Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets, followed by one-pot in situ polymerization and surface decoration using polyaniline nanotubes (PANI-NTs). Herein, the self-aggregation of Ti 3 C 2 layers had been effectively suppressed, resulting in an enhanced interlamellar spacing and enlarged ion contact area. Furthermore, the novel hierarchical structure of Ti 3 C 2 /PANI-NTs can facilitate the electrolyte ions diffusion, which also boosted more electrochemical active sites to become more accessible. In addition, the electrochemical test in the three-electrode system demonstrated that the specific capacitance of the Ti 3 C 2 /PANI-NTs-1 composite can be as high as 596.6 F g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, remaining 94.7% retention of initial capacitance after 5000 cycles of charge/discharge. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitor device based on Ti 3 C 2 /PANI-NTs-1 composite exhibited a maximum energy density of 25.6 Wh kg−1 (at 153.2 W kg−1) and an impressive power density of 1610.8 W kg−1 (at 13.2 Wh kg−1), as well as outstanding cycling stability (81.1% retention of the capacitance after 4000 cycles). These electrochemical measurements indicated that the performance of Ti 3 C 2 -based supercapacitors could be immensely improved by designing and constructing the hierarchical structure with abundant pseudocapacitive materials. Furthermore, this strategy could be extended to other MXenes composite materials as advanced electrodes by taking full advantage of their potentials for new symmetric supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To design and prepare novel composites with strong electrode structure and superior electrochemical performances via a facile and convenient synthesis method is a significant challenge to develop the high-performance materials for energy storage and conversion devices. Herein, we fabricated a novel hybridization of two dimensional (2D) Ti 3 C 2 -MXenes nanosheets and one dimensional (1D) nickel-cobalt sulfide (NiCo 2 S 4) hollow nanotubes though the favorable electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged Ti 3 C 2 and positively charged NiCo 2 S 4 nanotubes. The electrode combined the good metallic conductivity of Ti 3 C 2 -MXenes and high pseudo-capacitance of NiCo 2 S 4 demonstrated the outstanding electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. Herein, 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXenes/1D NiCo 2 S 4 hybrid electrode achieved an excellent specific capacitance of 1927 F g-1 at 2 mV s-1, long cycling stability for 4000 cycles and charming rate performances, which is mainly ascribed to the synergistic effect and interfacial interaction between two components. Particularly, the novel hybrid material with 1D and 2D hierarchical structures can provide additional electrochemical reaction sites, supply shorter paths for ions diffusion and electron transport, and effectively raise the charge transfer kinetics during the electrochemical process, which explores a new strategy aimed to develop 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXenes energy storage devices with high electrochemical performance, and is possible potential for expansion into other application fields. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Propose a 10-bed pressure swing adsorption configuration to produce hydrogen efficiently. • Adsorption isotherm experiments and strict mathematical models ensure the accuracy of simulations. • Purge tanks address the constraint of direct coupling between the regeneration steps. • The productivity increases by 50% under optimal conditions compared to previous work. This work proposes a 10-bed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process configuration for H 2 production, which allows extended purification time using purge tanks to completely regenerate the adsorption beds. Meanwhile, it divides the ten beds into two series at the purge step to improve the process stability. The process was simulated using the commercial software Aspen Adsorption, and evaluated by means of performance indicators and profiles of variables. It is proved that the purge tank can improve considerable flexibility in designing PSA configuration and significantly boost productivity. In addition, this work investigated the effect of the purge-to-feed (P/F) ratio and the tank volume. The novel configuration applied for H 2 production from steam methane reforming (SMR) at 22 bar can provide 99.9918%-purity H 2 with 87.63% recovery, and productivity up to 7.82 mol H 2 /(kg ads ⋅h). Compared to the direct coupling of the two adsorption beds at the purge step in the reported process, the production capacity increases by 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Ti 3 C 2 @PDA/NiCo 2 S 4 composites as high performance supercapacitor electrodes were synthesized by the hydrothermal treatment process. The chemical modification and uniformly coating of Ti 3 C 2 surface by polydopamine (PDA) can prevent the structural collapse and over-oxidation of Ti 3 C 2 during the hydrothermal synthesis of NiCo 2 S 4. Furthermore, the confined-synthesis of smaller NiCo 2 S 4 particles between the Ti 3 C 2 layers, not only prevent the restacking of Ti 3 C 2 that between the adjacent monolayers during cycling, but also afford high surface areas accessible to charge transfer and ion diffusion. Thereby, enhance the electrochemical cycling stability of the Ti 3 C 2 @PDA/NiCo 2 S 4 composite. It is significant to explore how NiCo 2 S 4 alters the microstructure, morphology as well as supercapacitors performance of Ti 3 C 2 to tune the microstructure and performance of Ti 3 C 2 by appropriate hydrothermal synthesis strategy. The experimental results exhibit a prominent improvement in the supercapacitor performance, the gravimetric capacitance of Ti 3 C 2 @PDA/NiCo 2 S 4 composites achieve as high as 495 F g-1 at 2 mV s-1, which increase the 10 times as compared to the pristine Ti 3 C 2. Furthermore, the cycling stability of the Ti 3 C 2 @PDA/NiCo 2 S 4 composites electrode was enhanced significantly by the hierarchical architecture, and showed exceptional capacitance retention (81.16%) even after 3000 cycles. The dramatic improvement in the supercapacitors performance of Ti 3 C 2 @PDA/NiCo 2 S 4 electrodes is attributed to impressive conductive matrix Ti 3 C 2 , the effective modification of small size Ni 2 Co 2 S 4 , and the strong interfacial interaction between Ti 3 C 2 @PDA and NiCo 2 S 4. This study demonstrating its attractive application prospect of Ti 3 C 2 Mxenes modified with bimetallic sulfide as electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel organ-like Ti 3 C 2 /PPy nanocomposite has been synthesized via in-situ polymerization of pyrrole monomers to form well-defined and uniformly dispersed polypyrrole nanoparticles on the organ-like Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets under a low temperature. The microstructures and electrochemical properties of Ti 3 C 2 /PPy composites with the different mass ration of PPy and Ti 3 C 2 were studied by means of measurement. The analyses reveal that organ-like Ti 3 C 2 /PPy nanocomposite exhibits the highest specific capacitance of 184.36 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1 and keeps excellent cycling stability almost 83.33% capacitance retention after 4000 charging-discharging cycles at 1 A g−1. Notably, the high specific capacitance and excellent cycling stability are mainly attributed to the combination of organ-like Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets with electric double-layer capacitor (EDLCs) mechanism and PPy nanoparticles with pseudocapacitance behavior, which take advantages of the synergistic effect between different electrode materials and different energy storage mechanisms to improve the electrochemical performance. The organ-like Ti 3 C 2 as framework limits the growth of PPy, prevents the stacking of PPy, and promotes structural stability of Ti 3 C 2 /PPy nanocomposite. Additionally, the intercalation of homogeneous PPy nanoparticles expands the interlayer spacing of Ti 3 C 2 , and the highly aligned polymer chains can afford more pathways for electrolyte ions diffusion and charge transfer, therefore increasing the specific capacitance and decreasing the charge transfer resistance. And most of all it has shown a low-cost and convenient way to fabricate large-scale Ti 3 C 2 /PPy nanocomposites which has great potential and promising prospect as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered material Ti 3 C 2 T x has good pseudo capacitance properties, but its structure is unstable, and it was easily affected by water molecules in the air, which seriously limits its application in practical applications. The electrostatic self-assembly of nanoparticle Ni 3 S 2 solid polyhedron provides more active sites for pseudo capacitive reaction, and the ion transport resistance is low, which provides a buffer space when the structure changes, and overcomes the structural instability of the carbon-based material (Ti 3 C 2 T x) and the low theoretical specific capacity. Ti 3 C 2 T x layered material was used as a stable conductive network substrate for charge transfer interconnection, which further improves the charge transfer rate between multi-layer structures, and successfully prepares Acupressure Mat-like Hierarchical Structure Ni 3 S 2 @Ti 3 C 2 T x composite material. It was capacity retention rate can reach 98% after 5000 cycles at a current density of 2 A/g. The assembled SSC unit has a huge potential window of 0–1.6 V, excellent magnification performance (93%), high power density (792.1 W/kg), and energy density (71.7 Wh/kg). The solid polyhedral Ni 3 S 2 @layeredTi 3 C 2 T x composite material has a good synergistic effect. It can synergistically reduce the expansion and collapse of materials, realize the steady improvement of electrochemical properties such as rate characteristics and energy density, and provide a potential application prospect for SSCs with high energy density. [Display omitted] ● Ultra-simple electrostatic self-assembly strategy. ● Acupressure Mat-like Hierarchical Structure. ● Volume buffering and high surface electron conductance. ● High magnification performance and capacity retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene has become an excellent two-dimensional conductive substrate for electrode materials of supercapacitors (SCs) with prominent physicochemical properties. Whereas, due to the lower theoretical specific capacitance and its interlayer agglomerate, the practical application and electrochemical property of Ti 3 C 2 T x have imposed serious restrictions. Herein, metal-organic framework (MOF) derived NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 nanocages with superior yolk-shell structure are introduced to anchor on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 T x via ion exchange reaction and electrostatic attraction, forming the distinctive hierarchical structure of NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x composed of NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 yolk-shell nanocages (NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 YSNs) adsorbed on 2D Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets. The NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 YSNs with a large void space, serving as a confined reactor, not only offer a buffer against the volume variation, but also supply abundant active sites and restrain the agglomeration of Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets. Furthermore, the novel structure of NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x composite as electrode material could accelerate the thermodynamic stability, suppress the textural instability, and moderate the unavoidable volume change of active substance. Benefited from the above merits, the NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x electrode demonstrates a significant specific capacitance (1872 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1), remarkable rate capability in the high current density (such as, 1121.6 F g−1 at 20 A g−1, 1533 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and displays an excellent life span with 92.2 % of the capacity retention after 12,000 cycles at 10 A g−1. More particularly, the asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) fabricated with NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 /Ti 3 C 2 T x represent a fascinating energy density of 241.9 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1125 W kg−1, which can light up 10 LEDs simultaneously. The results further prove that this rational design method could provide a meaningful prospect for MXenes and MOF derivatives composites for high-performance ASCs. • NiCo 2 S 4 @Co 3 S 4 yolk-shell nanocages and Ti 3 C 2 T x self-assemble via ion exchange reaction and electrostatic attraction. • The ASCs represent a fascinating energy density of 241.9 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1125 W kg−1,which can light up 10 LEDs simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether a block cipher can resist impossible differential attack is an important basis to evaluate the security of a block cipher. However, the length of impossible differentials is important for the security evaluation of block ciphers. Most of the previous studies are based on structural cryptanalysis to find the impossible differential, and the structural cryptanalysis covers a lot of specific cryptanalytic vectors which are independent of the nonlinear S-boxes. In this paper, we study the maximum length of the impossible differential of an Advanced Encryption Standard-like cipher in the setting with the details of S-boxes. Inspired by the 'Divide-and-Conquer' technique, we propose a new technique called Reduced Block , which combines the details of the S-box. With this tool, the maximum length of impossible differentials can be proven under reasonable assumptions. As applications, we use this tool on uBlock and Midori. Consequently, we prove that for uBlock-128, uBlock-256 and Midori-64, there are no impossible five-round, six-round and seven-round differentials with one active input nibble and one active output nibble, even when considering the details of S-boxes. Furthermore, we reveal some properties of the uBlock S-box and linear layer and demonstrate theoretically that there are no impossible differentials longer than four rounds for uBlock-128 under the assumption that the round keys are independent and uniformly random. This study might provide some insight into the bounds of the length of impossible differentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the in situ synthesis of polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes via self-assembly of organic dopant acid is a particularly charming task in supercapacitors. Herein, we report the formation of uniform PANI nanotubes doped with malic acid (MA) and other organic acids, such as propionic acid (PA), succinic acid (SA), tartaric acid (TA) and citric acid (CA), which simultaneously acts as a dopant acid as well as a structure-directing agent. The morphology, structure and thermal stability of PANI nanotubes were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectra, Ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV–vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Meanwhile, the electrochemical performance of the fabricated electrodes was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Furthermore, the PANI-MA and PANI-CA nanotubes, with [aniline]/[acid] molar ratio of 4:1, possessed highest specific capacitance of 658 F/g and 617 F/g at the current density of 0.1 A/g in 1.0 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte due to their unique nanotubular structures. It makes PANI nanotubes a promising electrode material for high performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXene-Ti 3 C 2 T x is a promising material for next-generation energy storage for sodium-ion capacitors (SICs). However, the attraction between active functional groups and hydrogen bonds on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 T x make the interlayer agglomerate obviously. Herein, we introduce 2D ZnCo bimetallic hydroxide (ZnCo-LDH) to adsorb on Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets (Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnCo-LDH) and form the 3D interlaced porous frameworks, which could stabilize the complex structure and provide flexible ion diffusion channels. The ZnCo-LDH could not only increase the active sites for adsorbing the charges, but also prevent Ti 3 C 2 T x from agglomerating and promote the electron transport kinetics. Benefited from this novel stable structure, Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnCo-LDH possess a wonderful specific capacitance (644.9 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1) and outstanding rate performance that combine with pseudocapacitance and low resistance. Particularly, the Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnCo-LDH electrode exhibit an excellent cyclic stability with 95.5% of the initial capacitance after 10000 cycles at 5 A g−1. More significantly, the SICs fabricated with 3D porous Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnCo-LDH display maximized energy density of 27.2 Wh kg−1 and power density of 7987.5 W kg−1, and an outstanding cycle stability of 95.8% after 10000 cycles. This work could provide an effective strategy for the preparation of MXene and LDH composites as electrode materials for sodium ion capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising supercapacitor material based on dialdehyde starch reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (DAS-RGO/PANI) composite has been successfully synthesized via in situ oxidation polymerization. In this paper, we developed a green and facile approach to the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) based on dialdehyde starch (DAS) using exfoliated graphite oxide (GO) as precursor. The merit of this method is that both the reducing agents themselves and the oxidized products are environmentally friendly. It should be noted that, besides the mild reduction capability to GO, DAS could also play an important role as a capping reagent in stabilizing as-prepared RGO simultaneously, which exhibited good stability in water. This approach can open up the new possibility for preparing RGO in large-scale production alternatively. Moreover, DAS can reduce GO and polyaniline (PANI) in one pot to obtain DAS-RGO/PANI composite that exhibit good electrochemical properties. In addition, the DAS-RGO/PANI composite achieved the maximum specific capacitance as high as 499 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, which is the highest value reported so far for graphene-doped PANI composite via a green and facile approach of reduced graphene oxide. Low resistance, long cycle life and fast reflect of oxidation/reduction on high current changes are other outstanding characteristics for the designed supercapacitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The sodium alginate-multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyaniline was firstly synthesized. [•] Novel nanocomposites have coaxial tubular morphology. [•] SA-modified MWCNTs as a support material could provide more electroactive sites. [•] The maximum specific capacitance as high as 442F/g was achieved. [•] Only 0.6wt% MWCNTs, the lowest doping amount, have the maximum specific capacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Phenanthrene sorption and desorption from sediment/soil in fresh and saline water were measured, and effects of nanopores, solute concentration, and salinity on sorption–desorption hysteresis were discussed. The extent and kinetics of sorption–desorption hysteresis depend much on the pore distribution of the sorbents, and greater but slower-developed hysteresis occurred on the sorbent with higher specific surface area and more nanopores. In saline water, phenanthrene sorption was enhanced as compared to freshwater, with log K F increasing from 2.84 and 3.08 to 2.96 and 3.33 for the two sorbents, respectively; however, the sorption–desorption hysteresis was weakened, as indicated by the lower hysteresis index in saline water as compared to those in freshwater. In successive desorption, the irreversible sorbed amount of phenanthrene increased with increasing phenanthrene concentration until a maximum () was achieved, and the subsequent sorption became reversible. In saline water, is much lower (10mgkg−1) as compared to freshwater (36mgkg−1), and phenanthrene sorption was almost reversible, especially at high concentrations. N2 sorption illustrated that soil organic matter had changed to a more condensed conformation in saline water, as indicted by the reduced surface area (from 9.6 to 7.3m2 g−1), which is unfavorable for irreversible sorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The conductivity of two synthetic surfactants and several natural surfactants, dissolved organic matters (DOMs), as well as their enhancement on phenanthrene solubility were measured in order to compare the formation of micelle by DOMs with synthetic surfactants, and their applicability for promoting hydrophobic organic pollutants’ mobility. The DOMs could form micelle structure, similar to the synthetic surfactants. The critical micelle concentration values of the DOMs are lower than those of the synthetic surfactants, and the enhancement of phenanthrene solubility by the DOMs is comparable to or more remarkable than the synthetic surfactants. The partitioning coefficient of phenanthrene to DOM micelles decreased at high DOM concentrations, which is attributed to the structure rearrangement of DOM macromolecules, while no such phenomenon was observed for simple synthetic surfactant micelles. There was an optimum concentration range when applying DOMs to enhance HOCs’ solubility and mobility. Synthetic surfactants gave a concentration dependent conductivity plot with two evident regimes, premicellar and postmicellar regimes, whereas the DOMs showed a gradual transition between the two regimes. The degree of counterion dissociation (α) of the DOMs was remarkably higher than those of the synthetic ionic surfactants. These results provide insight into DOM micelle structure and micelle forming process with compared to synthetic surfactants, and valuable information on using natural surfactant-enhanced remediation technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • NiCo 2 S 4 nanoflowers@NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets composites were successfully prepared. • NiCo 2 S 4 nanoflowers@NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets showed high specific capacitance of 338.1 mAh/g at 1 A/g. • The hierarchical structure can increase active sites and slow down damage of material's own structure. Hierarchical nanostructure of materials can protect themselves from damage and improve the stability in electrochemical reaction as electrode materials, increasing active sites and ion adsorption, and then strengthen the electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. In this work, hierarchical NiCo 2 S 4 nanoflowers@NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets (NiCo 2 S 4 NFs@NiCo 2 S 4 NSs) composite was fabricated on Ni foam substrate via facile and low-cost multistep hydrothermal methods. As a result, the NiCo 2 S 4 NFs@NiCo 2 S 4 NSs with unique hierarchical nanostructure demonstrates prominent rate property with the capacity of 338.1 mAh/g at 1 A/g and 290.1 mAh/g at 10 A/g. In addition, the cycling stability of the NiCo 2 S 4 NFs@NiCo 2 S 4 NSs is enhanced significantly (capacitance loss of 8% after 4000 cycles) on account of distinct and stable microarchitecture. Furthermore, the assembled NiCo 2 S 4 NFs@NiCo 2 S 4 NSs//NiCo 2 S 4 NFs@NiCo 2 S 4 NSs symmetrical supercapacitor (SSC) device proves a favorable power density of 750 W/kg at energy density of 18.04 Wh/kg with cycling stability of 89% after 4000 charge/discharge cycles. This strategy is offered to generate the unique and low-cost hierarchical electrode structure leading excellent electrochemical properties and demonstrating its application prospect as electrode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical core-shell nanoarchitectures have triggered significant technological and scientific interests because of their remarkable versatility in nanoscale electronics and energy storage systems. Meanwhile, designing and fabricating the heterostructure electrode materials by employing effective interface modification could acquire prominent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. In this study, we reported that FeCo 2 O 4 nanosheets were first synthesized on Ni foam, and then the novel microstructure of NiO nanowhiskers was covered on FeCo 2 O 4 by surface modification. The FeCo 2 O 4 NSs@NiO NWs composite with hierarchical and core-shell structure presented ultrahigh specific capacitance of 4746.2 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1, and the remarkable capacitance retention was 88.9% after 8000 cycles at 5 A g−1. Meanwhile, the asymmetric supercapacitors (FeCo 2 O 4 NSs@NiO NWs//AC) exhibited excellent energy density of 60.6 Wh kg−1 and remarkable power density of 30 kW kg−1, which could efficiently light up 23 red LED (1.8 V). The device also displayed prominent cyclic stability with 130.8% capacitance retention after 8000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. This work presented a new method to accomplish a controllable synthesis of hierarchical core-shell heterostructure as electrode materials for high-performance electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• N-doped Ti 3 C 2 /NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets composites were successfully fabricated. • N-Ti 3 C 2 /NiCo 2 S 4 showed the high specific capacitance of 1849 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1. • Excellent electrochemical performance owing to the unique heterostructures and friendly interfacial interaction. • The hierarchical structures can act as electrolyte "buffer pool" to offer the abundant active sites. An integrated system of heterostructure composites which can protect and optimize the structure and performance of single composition shows the positive signal of being interested in energy storage and conversion field. Recently, MXenes with versatile physicochemical properties are intriguing candidate materials for energy storage. Herein, by in situ nucleation and ion-exchange reaction, open NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets were intimately anchored onto the surfaces of ultrathin nitrogen-doped Ti 3 C 2 -MXene nanosheets (N-Ti 3 C 2) to form the novel hierarchical N-Ti 3 C 2 /NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets. Furthermore, ultrathin N-Ti 3 C 2 serves as a favorable conductive substrate not only to maintain structural stability, but also to afford the electrophilicity of electroactive centers and harmonize the electrochemical properties in multi-composition systems. On the other hand, NiCo 2 S 4 nanosheets supply the effective channel for charge transport resulting in improved reaction kinetics and offer higher pseudocapacitance. Owing to the unique heterostructure and friendly interfacial interaction, the N-Ti 3 C 2 /NiCo 2 S 4 electrode exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances with specific capacitance of 1849 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1, low internal resistance, excellent rate performance, and stable cycle life, which is much better than that of Ti 3 C 2 -MXene electrode. The results demonstrate that the heterostructure N-Ti 3 C 2 /NiCo 2 S 4 was an advanced electrode, and this strategy provide the useful method to design MXenes-based electrode with superior electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated a facile strategy to fabricate the polypyrrole nanospheres/Ti 3 C 2 -MXene (PPy/Ti 3 C 2) heterostructure nanocomposite as an advanced supercapacitors electrode material. The well-defined PPy nanospheres with average diameter of about 75 nm were anchored on ultrathin Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets via in situ polymerizations of pyrrole monomers in the introduction of Ti 3 C 2 suspension. The electrode materials of ultrathin Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets and uniform PPy nanospheres with different energy storage mechanisms were effective combined, which made the specific capacitance and cycling stability of the PPy/Ti 3 C 2 heterostructure nanocomposite improved via the synergistic effect between the different EDLCs and pseudocapacitance materials. Furthermore, the electrochemical test with a three-electrode system in 1.0 M H 2 SO 4 solution exhibited that the specific capacitance of the PPy/Ti 3 C 2 heterostructure nanocomposite was as high as 458 F g−1 at the scan rate of 2 mV s−1, which was significantly higher than that of pristine Ti 3 C 2 (132 F g−1). Moreover, the optimal PPy/Ti 3 C 2 nanocomposite showed good cycling stability. In particular, the PPy/Ti 3 C 2 -S2 symmetric supercapacitor achieved high energy density of 21.61 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 499.94 W kg−1. Meanwhile, after 4000 charge and discharge tests the initial capacitance retention was 73.68% at 1A g−1. Overall, the novel PPy/Ti 3 C 2 electrode with the stable microstructure and excellent energy storage features has potential to be applied in practical, demonstrating the promising potential of the energy storage device. • Heterostructure PPy/Ti 3 C 2 nanocomposites were fabricated via in situ polymerizations. • The PPy/Ti 3 C 2 electrode possessed specific capacitance of 458 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1. • The optimal PPy/Ti 3 C 2 electrode was used as high-performance symmetric supercapacitor. • The SSC exhibited impressive energy density 21.61 Wh kg−1 at 499.94 W kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated a novel and convenient synthesis of amino-Ti 3 C 2 /polyaniline (N-Ti 3 C 2 /PANI) composites as high-performance supercapacitors electrode by chemical bonding between organ-like N-Ti 3 C 2 and PANI chains, which were successfully deposited on FTO-glass substrates by a facile two-steps electrochemical reactions. Owing to effective chemical bonds between PANI chains and N-Ti 3 C 2 layers, and well-defined Ti 3 C 2 layers profiting from organ-like structures, it could afford the rapid pathways for charge/ion transfer and prevent the restacking of Ti 3 C 2 layers. Herein, the effects of the electrochemical time of aniline, morphology, structure and electrochemical properties of organ-like N-Ti 3 C 2 /PANI composites were explored. Experimental results show that N-Ti 3 C 2 can act as active sites to combine with the amine nitrogens of PANI chains and promote the growth of aniline monomers on the interlamination and surface of Ti 3 C 2 layers. PANI possesses the good pseudocapacitance behavior which can enhance surface area and interlaminar spacing of the Ti 3 C 2 Mxenes. The N-Ti 3 C 2 /PANI composites achieve the maximum area capacitance as high as 228 mF cm−2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s−1, and almost 85% capacitance retention is obtained after 1000 charging/discharging cycles. Moreover, the facile synthesis of organ-like N-Ti 3 C 2 /PANI composite can provide a convenient and green strategy to prepare promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. Unlabelled Image • Organ-like Ti 3 C 2 /polyaniline was successfully synthesized by chemical bonding. • Ti 3 C 2 Mxenes afforded good structural support and abundant electroactive sites. • The area capacitance of N-Ti 3 C 2 /PANI composites can be increased to 228 mF cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hierarchical structure of PANI@TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 T x ternary composite for high performance electrochemical capacitors was prepared by a hydrothermal treatment combining with in situ polymerization process. Layered Ti 3 C 2 T x was used as both an active material with large surface area and a framework providing more paths for ion insertion/extraction. The introduction of PANI nanoflakes and TiO 2 nanoparticles can offer an enhanced performance due to their good pseudocapacitance behavior and increased surface area of active materials. The hierarchical PANI@TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 T x ternary composite exhibits high specific capacitance of 188.3 F g −1 at 10 mV s −1 , which is about twice higher than that of TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 T x , and 435.4 F cm −2 at 0.5 A g −1 in KOH solution. Furthermore, it also shows remarkable cycle stability, remaining at 94% of the initial value even after 8000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g −1 . The enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to the hierarchical architecture and the synergistic effect of combining PANI nanoflakes with TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 T x composite. This work propels a novel way of using MXene matrix to prepare hierarchical structure composite for next-generation electrochemical capacitors electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Akkermansia muciniphila, an intestinal microorganism, belongs to Verrucomicrobia, one of the most abundant microorganisms in the mammalian gut. It is a mucin-degrading bacterium that can colonise intestines of mammals such as humans and mice by utilising mucin as the only nitrogen and carbon source. When A. muciniphila colonises the intestine, its metabolites interact with the intestinal barrier, affecting host health by consolidating the intestinal barrier, regulating metabolic functions of the intestinal and circulatory systems, and regulating immune functions. This review summarised the mechanisms of A. muciniphila-host interactions that are relevant to host health. We focussed on characteristics of A. muciniphila in relation to its metabolites to provide a comprehensive understanding of A. muciniphila and its effects on host health and disease processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an immune-mediated, chronic inflammatory joint disease that commonly occurs as a complication of psoriasis. EGF-like repeats and discoidal I-like domain 3 (EDIL3) is a secreted protein with multiple structural domains and associated with various physiological functions. In this study, we employed a mannan-induced psoriatic arthritis model to investigate the impact of EDIL3 on PsA pathogenesis. Notably, a downregulation of EDIL3 expression was observed in the PsA model, which correlated with increased disease severity. EDIL3 knockout mice exhibited a more severe phenotype of PsA, which was ameliorated upon re-infusion of recombinant EDIL3 protein. The mitigation effect of EDIL3 on PsA depends on its regulation of the activation of monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) and T-help 17 cells (Th17). After inhibiting the function of MoDCs and Th17 cells with neutralizing antibodies, the beneficial effects of EDIL3 on PsA were lost. By inducing adenosine monophosphate (AMP)–activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and suppressing protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation, EDIL3 attenuates intracellular glycolysis in MoDCs stimulated by glucose, thereby impeding their maturation and differentiation. Moreover, it diminishes the differentiation of Th17 cells and decelerates the progression of PsA. In conclusion, our findings elucidate the role and mechanism of EDIL3 in the development of PsA, providing a new target for clinical diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel hollow-magnetite (HFO)/MXene nanohybrids with coral-like structure were successfully prepared via templating and electrostatic self-assembly techniques for electromagnetic (EM) wave adsorption application. The unique coral-like structure of the prepared HFO/MXene hybrids was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When mass ratio of HFO to MXene is 2:1, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB max) of HFO/MXene hybrids is able to reach 5.36 GHz. Moreover, when mass ratio of HFO to MXene is 1:1, the minimum reflection loss (RL min) even achieves −42.48 dB with a thickness of 3.1 mm. The excellent EM absorption performance of HFO/MXene hybrids is mainly due to the ideal impedance matching and synergistic effect of magnetic loss and dielectric loss caused by unique coral-like structure. This work provides unexplored areas in the design of the spatial structure of MXene for microwave absorption. [Display omitted] • HFO/MXene hybrids with unique coral-like structure was prepared by templating and electrostatic self-assembly method. • Hollow Fe 3 O 4 are distributed in MXene, which provides magnetic losses and improves the impedance matching. • RL min achieves −42.48 dB with a thickness of 3.1 mm, and maximum EAB max is able to reach 5.36 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose some new quantum circuit implementations of SM4 block cipher and SM3 hash function, which are based on the following ideas. Firstly, we propose an improved classical circuit of SM4's S-box, which requires less AND gates than the previous works. Our improved classical circuit of SM4's S-box can be used for constructing a new quantum circuit of SM4's S-box. Secondly, we propose a new implementation of the Feistel-like structure of SM4 so as to reduce the number of qubits and T-depth simultaneously. Thirdly, we reduce the number of qubits in our quantum circuit of SM3 by making use of linear message expansion algorithm of SM3. Fourthly, we propose some in-place implementations of the linear permutations of SM4 and SM3. Based on our new techniques, our stand-alone memory-efficient quantum circuit implementation of SM4 only requires 384 qubits, seven ancilla qubits and 33,024 T-depth, while our depth-efficient quantum circuit of SM4 requires 384 qubits, 1080 ancilla qubits and 455 T-depth. Furthermore, we propose a stand-alone memory-efficient quantum circuit implementation of SM3 with 768 qubits, 33 ancilla qubits and 144,768 T-depth, while our depth-efficient quantum circuit of SM3 requires 768 qubits, 202 ancilla qubits, and 25,344 T-depth. Compared to the previous work, our new quantum circuits of SM3 requires less qubits and T-depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose some new methods to reduce the time and memory cost in our quantum circuit implementations of Camellia block cipher. Firstly, we present some new quantum circuits of Camellia's S-box, which are based on our improved classical circuit of Camellia's S-box. That is, we not only propose an improved classical circuit of Camellia's S-box by using the tower field architecture, but also explore the linear relationship between different parameters in Camellia's S-box. Based on our improved classical circuit of Camellia's S-box, we can reduce the number of qubits and the T-depth in the quantum circuit of Camellia's S-box. Secondly, we propose a new in-place implementation of the inverse linear layer of Camellia, which can be used to construct an efficient quantum circuit of the Feistel–SPN structure in Camellia. To sum up, our quantum circuit implementations of Camellia-128/-192/-256 with fewer qubits only require 391/647/647 qubits, while the T-depth of our depth-efficient quantum circuits of Camellia-128/-192/-256 are 114/156/156. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the curse of dimensionality, the data in high-dimensional space hardly afford sufficient information for neural networks training. Hence, this is a tough task to approximate the high-dimensional space using neural networks. To address this, here proposes the method that neural networks approximate a high-dimensional function that can effectively approach the high-dimensional space, rather than using neural networks to directly approximate the high-dimensional space. Hence, two boundaries were derived by Lipschitz condition, i.e., the one is that neural networks approximate a high-dimensional function, and the other is that a high-dimensional function approaches the high-dimensional space. Experimental results on synthetic and real-world datasets show that our method is effective and outperforms the competing methods in the performance to approximate the high-dimensional space. We find that this manner of using neural networks to approximate a high-dimensional function that can effectively approach the high-dimensional space is more resistance to the curse of dimensionality. In addition, the ability of the proposed method to approximate the high-dimensional space is related to the number of hidden layers and the choice of high-dimensional functions, but more relies on the latter. Our findings demonstrate that it is no obvious dependency between the number of hidden layers respecting the proposed method and the choice for high-dimensional functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural networks can approximate data because of owning many compact non-linear layers. In high-dimensional space, due to the curse of dimensionality, data distribution becomes sparse, causing that it is difficulty to provide sufficient information. Hence, the task becomes even harder if neural networks approximate data in high-dimensional space. To address this issue, according to the Lipschitz condition, the two deviations, i.e., the deviation of the neural networks trained using high-dimensional functions, and the deviation of high-dimensional functions approximation data, are derived. This purpose of doing this is to improve the ability of approximation high-dimensional space using neural networks. Experimental results show that the neural networks trained using high-dimensional functions outperforms that of using data in the capability of approximation data in high-dimensional space. We find that the neural networks trained using high-dimensional functions more suitable for high-dimensional space than that of using data, so that there is no need to retain sufficient data for neural networks training. Our findings suggests that in high-dimensional space, by tuning hidden layers of neural networks, this is hard to have substantial positive effects on improving precision of approximation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Detection of trace cyclopeptide toxins in mushrooms by Q-Orbitrap MS. • Non-target screening of cyclopeptide toxin analogues by DIA acquisition mode. • Three α-amanitin analogues were screened in Amanita rimosa sample without standard. • Two of α-amanitin analogues were tentatively identified as unknown compounds. A non-target screening method of cyclopeptide toxins and their analogues in mushroom was developed, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS) followed by mass spectrometry databases retrieval and software tools analysis for the candidate analogues. Three cyclopeptide toxins in the toxic mushroom Amanita rimosa were firstly screened without standard, and two of them were unknown analogues which were tentatively identified by the accurate masses, isotopic patterns and characteristic fragments. A validated quantitative method was performed to rapidly quantify three major cyclopeptide toxins in the Amanita rimosa sample including α-manitin, β-amanitin and phalloidin, and their contents were detected to be 4.52 mg/kg, 2.37 mg/kg and 2.53 mg/kg, respectively. The developed method has good selectivity and sensitivity for rapid and comprehensive screening the cyclopeptide toxins and their analogues in mushrooms at trace levels. Successful non-target screening of trace cyclopeptide toxin analogues will guarantee the food safety in mushrooms consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point-of-use water purifiers are widely applied as a terminal treatment device to produce drinking water with high quality. However, concerns are raised regarding low efficiency in eliminating emerging organic pollutants. To enhance our understanding of the reliability and potential risks of water purifiers, the removal of trihalomethanes, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in four public water purifiers was investigated. In the four public water purifiers in October and November, the removal efficiencies of trichloromethane (TCM) and bromodichloromethane (BDCM) were 15%–69% (averagely 37%) and 6%–44% (averagely 23%). The levels of TCM and BDCM were lowered by all water purifiers in October and November, but accelerated in effluent compared to the influent in one public water purifier in December. The removal efficiencies of twelve antibiotics greatly varied with species and time. Out of twelve sampling cases, the removal efficiencies of total antibiotics were 25%–75% in ten cases. In the other two cases, very low removal efficiency (6%) or higher levels of antibiotics present in effluent compared to the influent were observed. Two public water purifiers effectively remove ARGs from water, with log removal rates of 0.45 log–3.89 log. However, in the other two public water purifiers, the ARG abundance accidently increased in the effluents. Overall, public water purifiers were more effective in removing antibiotics and ARGs compared to household water purifiers, but less or equally effective in removing trihalomethanes. Both public and household water purifiers could be contaminated and release the accumulated micro-pollutants or biofilm-related pollutants into effluent. The production frequency and standing time of water within water purifiers can impact the internal contamination and purification efficacy. [Display omitted] • Removal of THMs, antibiotics and ARGs in public water purifiers were investigated. • Increases of pollutants in effluents of water purifiers accidently happened. • Water production frequency and standing time impact purification efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the clinicopathological features and chemotherapy response of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and endometrioid carcinoma (EC) associated with endometriosis or not. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 128 patients diagnosed with CCC and EC from 2002 to 2017. Clinicopathological features and chemotherapy response were analyzed. Results:There were 34 women with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC) and 94 with non-endometriosis associated ovarian cancer (non-EAOC) according to Sampson's and Scott's criteria. The mean diagnosis age in the EAOC group was 48.65 vs. 54.39 years in non-EAOC (p = 0.002). Compared with non-EAOC, the EAOC patients were more likely to have an earlier menarche age (13 vs. 14 years, p = 0.001), a higher incidence of infertility (26.47% vs. 10.64%, p = 0.026), and an earlier stage tumor (91.18% vs. 73.40% in stages I–II, p = 0.032). At a median follow-up time of 32.9 months, overall survival among patients with EAOC was significantly longer (109.8 vs. 47.4 months, p = 0.007). Association with endometriosis (p = 0.033) was the significant favorable prognostic factors associated with survival. However, stratifying by stage, the overall survival advantage of EAOC was not significant. Although EAOC had a better prognosis, no difference was observed in chemotherapy response between the two groups (p = 0.535). Conclusions: The EAOC patients were often diagnosed at a younger age, an earlier stage, and related to nulliparity and infertility. Patients with EAOC had a better prognosis than non-EAOC, early stage rather than association with endometriosis may be the driver of survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Herein, we develop a fluoride-free hydrothermal etching approach using the small amounts of water-assisted potassium hydroxide as ingenious etching agents to produce novel two-dimensional Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 -MXene nanoribbons (Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs). The as-produced Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs possess less Al atoms, more abundant hydroxyl functional groups on their surface, and more open structure features compared with their pristine counterparts and the other etching products. Simultaneously, the resulting Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs show significantly enhanced Li ions storage capabilities with outstanding specific capacity of 143.4 mA h g−1 obtained at 100 mA g−1 after 250 cycles, excellent cycling stability, and good rate property, being significantly superior than the parent Ti 3 AlC 2 phases and the sugarcane-like transitional etching products. The superior electrochemical properties of Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs could be ascribed to the unique nanoribbon architectures with rich hydroxyl terminal groups and few Al atoms, which facilitates the adsorption and storage of a growing number of Li ions on the surface active sites of Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs and the transport of electrons and ions effectively. What's more, this study provides a simple, effective, green, and nontoxic fluoride-free etching procedure to synthesize other more MXenes nanoribbons including but not limited to Ti 3 C 2 (OH) 2 NRs as promising anode candidates for advanced lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vividly structurally colored pigments with a non-iridescent character produced by APSs (amorphous photonic structures) have attracted great attention recently. However, these artificial APSs usually have a low color visibility. Here, a new strategy based on a drop-coating method for creating large area 3D APSs by using polypyrrole (PPy) as an additive is proposed. The bright and non-iridescent structural colors were obtained by self-assembling the mixture of monodisperse SiO 2 spheres and PPy particles. The color hues of the APSs are strongly related to the diameter of the SiO 2 spheres while their spectral purity can be controlled by the proportion of the SiO 2 spheres to the PPy particles. Surprisingly, these structurally colored films applied on ceramic substrate have the presence of a metallic texture under direct sunlight. To the best of our knowledge, such bright and non-iridescent structural colors obtained by simple but effective coating method may facilitate the development of special functional industries for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hexagonal mesoporous structured NiCo 2 O 4 with uniform size is successfully synthesized via a facile rotary evaporation. Hexagonal NiCo 2 O 4 electrodes exhibit a high specific capacitance of 568.0 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , standout rate performance of 71.0% retention for current increases 16 times, and excellent cycling stability of 76.8% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles, which are attributed to interconnected mesoporous self-assembly architecture and larger specific surface area generated through the novel rotary evaporation. This strategy provides a new avenue to develop and broaden more mesoporous self-assembly functional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high-performance supercapacitor electrode material, polyaniline (PANI) modified two-dimensional Ti 3 C 2 composites(denoted as PANI-Ti 3 C 2 ), has been synthesized via in situ polymerization. The experiment results showed that the introduction of PANI to Ti 3 C 2 can improve the electrochemical properties of Ti 3 C 2 because the amino groups in PANI not only increased the electric conductivity for faster ion transport but also improved the surface wettability of Ti 3 C 2 for more active sites and provided faradaic reactions for additional capacity. The specific capacitance of PANI-Ti 3 C 2 can achieve a maximum of 164 F g −1 at 2 mV s −1 and 1.26 times greater than that of Ti 3 C 2 (131 F g −1 ). Moreover, PANI-Ti 3 C 2 showed superior cycling stability, retaining ∼96% of its initial capacitance after 3000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel two–step method has been proposed to synthesize Ti 3 C 2 T x @CNTs three–dimensional composites. At the outset, the thin layer of polydopamine (PDA) was coated on Ti 3 C 2 T x and served as protective cover to achieve the structural stability and integrity of Ti 3 C 2 T x . CNTs were then in situ grown on Ti 3 C 2 T x layers via a simple pyrolysis process using urea as carbon source, and the length and density of the grown CNTs can be effectively controlled by altering the amount of urea in the synthesis process. The vertically−aligned CNTs not only provided channels for electrolyte transport, but also greatly expanded the interlayer space of Ti 3 C 2 T x sheets. When applied as electrode materials for supercapacitor energy storage, the Ti 3 C 2 T x @CNTs 6.0 composites revealed a high areal capacity of 924.9 mF cm -2 at 2 mV s -1 and an advantageous retentive capacity of 78.1% at 1 A g -1 after 10,000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti2AlC has been investigated for several decades, but much less attention has been paid to its delamination and potential energy storage applications, mainly due to the difficulty of delamination and its oxidation features. Herein, a new path to enhance exfoliation and delamination of two-dimensional (2D) Ti2CTx MXene is used. By using an etchant of HCl + LiF, multilayer Ti2CTx is easy to obtain. With only the assistance of mild sonication for 1.5 h without any additional intercalation, two-dimensional (2D) Ti2CTx flake suspensions are produced. Subsequently, the as-fabricated stable suspensions of delaminated Ti2CTx flakes are combined with carbon nanotubes. After filtration, a two-dimensional layered Ti2CTx/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite “paper” is prepared. Owing to the larger specific area of MXene flakes, which is caused by the complete exfoliation of MXene, with carbon nanotubes assisting with structural support between layers to prevent restacking, this structure provides a rapid charge transfer path during electrochemical reactions. When the nanocomposite paper is used as a lithium ion battery anode, it exhibits a higher capacitance and better cycling stability (a reversible capacity of 155.5 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 200 cycles). Moreover, the “paper” can be directly used for electrodes in supercapacitors; the calculated capacitances are 515.3 F g−1 and 694 F cm−3 at a scanning rate of 2 mV s−1. The facile synthesis of layered Ti2C MXene/carbon nanotube nanocomposite paper provides a more secure and easy way to fabricate promising energy storage materials, and creates wider opportunities for exploiting the potential of other MXenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yolk–shell magnetic nanoreactors consisting of a mesoporous carbon shell and Fe3O4 core coated by tiny gold nanoparticle loaded SiO2 were fabricated through a facile method. Fe3O4@SiO2@RF nanospheres were firstly prepared by a one-pot process that combined the sol–gel process of tetraethyl orthosilicate and condensation polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde in the mixed solvent of water and ethanol with the help of ammonia, based on the similar mechanism of these two processes. Au nanoparticles were in situ immobilized after the Fe3O4@SiO2@RF nanospheres were annealed under an inert atmosphere and the silica shell was partially etched. The Fe3O4 core not only provides sites for the immobilization of Au nanoparticles but also allows the nanoreactor to be easily recovered from liquid media by an external magnetic field. The outer mesoporous carbon shell protects the Au nanoparticles from aggregation and harsh external conditions. Furthermore, the reactants and products easily diffuse in and out of the cavities between the core and the shell because of their numerous channels. The obtained materials exhibit excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4 due to their special yolk–shell structure. No dramatic decrease in catalytic activity was noted, even after the synthesized catalyst was used 10 times. This work indicates that magnetic porous carbon yolk–shell spheres could provide the ideal support for noble metal nanospheres in the development of highly efficient catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]