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Production of high-grade bio-oil through catalytic pyrolysis technology was of great significance for alleviating the current energy shortage problem. This study synthesized a series of carbon-supported transition metal catalysts and their catalytic influence on the product distribution, behavior and liquid component during cellulose pyrolysis in N 2 and CO 2 atmosphere were analyzed. The obtained results indicated that the unique flower-like structure of carbon significantly elevated strengths to generate gaseous products and the enrichment of furan compounds during pyrolysis. The inclusion of CO 2 further enhanced the secondary reaction of liquid product, and the maximum increment of syngas yield was 14.50 wt% after adding Ni/Co–C catalyst. Moreover, CO 2 participated in thermal conversion process of biomass as an oxygen source and thus more sugars were converted into furans. The Ni/Co–C catalyst and CO 2 produced favorable synergistic effect during cellulose pyrolysis, which resulted in the highest relative content of furans, with the value of 26.77%. Therefore, this study presented an efficient means to access to furan-rich bio-oil via catalytic pyrolysis of biomass. • The flower-like carbon-based catalysts that improve yield of furans are synthesized. • A 15.31% increase in furans is obtained by adding Ni/Co loaded carbon catalyst in CO 2. • The prepared catalysts promote the secondary reaction for generation of syngas. • The mechanism of flower-like carbon catalyst for component variation is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serine/threonine kinase (STK) 33 plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Abnormal STK33 expression is closely related to malignancy of numerous cancers. This study suggests the important role of STK33 in the pathogenesis and metastatic progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). STK33 expression in human ESCC tissues was detected by immunohistochemical technique. Further, we analyzed the relationship between STK33 and clinical and pathological factors as well as the prognosis of patients. ECa109 cell line was cultured and transfected with STK33-RNAi lentiviral vector to perform Hochest33342 & PI and metastasis experiments. The TCGA database was used to analyze the STK33 expression level in ESCC. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 23.0 software. Differences with P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. In human ESCC specimens, STK33 was overexpressed and associated with poor prognosis. Silencing STK33 expression suppressed ESCC proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth. STK33 also mediated angiogenesis, TGFβ, and inflammatory response in ESCC. Mechanistic investigations revealed that STK33 regulates ESCC through multiple complex pathways. Dysregulated STK33 signaling promotes ESCC growth and progression. Thus, our findings identified STK33 as a candidate treatment target that improves ESCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of biomass-based nanofibers by electrospinning technology is reviewed. • Advances in electrospun nanofibers as energy storage devices are summarized. • Prospect of biomass-based nanofibers in the energy storage devices is given. Biomass-based nanofibers prepared by electrospinning technology have the advantages of unique porous structure, high specific surface area, low cost and easy availability, hence they have wide applications in electrochemical energy storage devices. This review describes the characteristics of electrospun nanofibers prepared from various biomass components and their derivatives and introduces their application performances in electrochemical energy storage devices. The preparation methods of electrospun nanofibers with excellent electrochemical properties are systematically introduced, and the differences of various biomass materials and their applications in electrochemical energy storage devices are analyzed and summarized. Some development suggestions for the future application of biomass-based nanofibrous materials are given. These works provide some important references for the application and expansion of biomass-based electrospun nanofibers in the field of energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Five heroin use trajectories were identified in heroin-dependent users in China. • Gender, age, education, and impulsivity were associated with heroin trajectory patterns. • Heroin users in group of Persistent High, Slow Decrease, or Gradual Increase had higher relapse risk. The relationship between past drug use trajectory and long-term relapse risk after rehabilitation among heroin-dependent patients remain understudied. The primary objectives were to identify longitudinal heroin use patterns of heroin-dependent patients, to determine the associative factors with trajectories and to investigate the impact of trajectory groups on relapse after finishing compulsory rehabilitation programs. A total of 564 heroin-dependent patients were recruited from 4 compulsory rehabilitation facilities in Shanghai, China between 2007 and 2008. The baseline data was linked to participants' follow-up data on relapse from official records. Group-based trajectory model was used to identify distinctive drug use trajectory groups. The association between the identified group and heroin relapse risk was then analyzed to understand the role of past drug use trajectory on relapse. Five trajectory groups were identified in this cohort: (1) Rapid Decrease (9.9%); (2) Persistent High (32.0%); (3) Slow Decrease (34.1%); (4) Gradual Increase (4.5%); (5) Persistent Low (19.5%). Gender, age, education, and impulsivity were found to be different between the five groups. During the 5 years after discharged from the compulsory program, 291 (59.0%) individuals relapsed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the persistent high group (OR: 2.77 [1.46–5.24]), slow decrease group (OR: 2.31 [1.32–4.06]) and gradual increase group (OR: 3.50 [1.18–10.39]) was positively associated with the heroin relapse risk when compared to the persistent low group. Heroin use trajectories vary among heroin-dependent patients in China. The trajectories of heroin use before compulsory rehabilitation are associated with subsequent long-term relapse risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Methamphetamine users showed reduced GABA levels in left DLPFC than healthy controls. • The concentration of GSH, GPC, Ins, NAA, GPC + PCh, NAA + NAAG, Cr + PCr were lower. • GABA and Glx concentrations were significantly correlated with age and duration of withdrawal. Increasing evidence suggested the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is implicated in the pathogenesis of methamphetamine use disorder. Metabolites changes of DLPFC may mediate the progression of addiction. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to examine the changes of metabolites in the left DLPFC in individuals with methamphetamine dependence compared to healthy controls. Fifty patients and twenty age-matched healthy controls participated in this study. The 1H MRS data were automatically fit with linear combination model for quantification of metabolite levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate + glutamine (Glx) and other metabolites across groups. The GABA and Glx levels were calculated with the unsuppressed water signal as reference. Methamphetamine users showed reduced GABA and GABA/Glx in left DLPFC than healthy controls. Furthermore, the concentration of GSH, GPC, Ins, NAA, GPC + PCh, NAA + NAAG, Cr + PCr were lower in individuals with methamphetamine dependence compared with controls. The patients group's relative GABA and Glx metabolite concentrations were significantly correlated with age and duration of withdrawal. Our preliminary findings provide the first report of abnormal levels of GABA in left DLPFC of patients with methamphetamine use disorder, indicating that dysregulation of the GABAergic neurotransmitter system may be an important neurobiological mechanism in the pathogenesis of methamphetamine dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Na 3 V 2 (PO 4) 3 (NVP) is one of the most promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries because of its stability, safety, and high reversible capacity. However, the sluggish Na-ion diffusion and poor electronic conductivity of NVP often hinder electrochemical performance, thus requiring compositing with carbon materials, such as graphene to improve the material. In this work, the effect of doping species of graphene on the electrochemical performance of NVP/graphene composites was systematically investigated and vigorously compared. 3D porous NVP fabricated by sol-gel method with 3 nm of carbon coating layers was deposited on graphene sheets with different surface functionalities (GO, N-rGO and P-rGO). NVP/N-rGO composites have low charge transfer resistance and high Na+ diffusion coefficient than that of NVP powder, NVP/P-rGO, and NVP/GO, which delivered a specific capacity of 113.9 mAh g−1 at 0.5C with a capacity retention up to 88.42% after 5000 cycles at 20 C. The superior sodium storage performance derives from the pyridinic and pyrrolic N doping in graphene, which triggers defective and active site numbers but maintains moderate graphitization to accelerate the Na+ and electron transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Catalysts that can effectively promote cellulose decomposition are synthesized. • CO 2 -assisted cobalt-based Ce/Fe/Mg catalyst enhances furans and ketones. • The synthesized catalyst has good oxygen transfer ability. • The performance of catalyst in improving the selectivity of compound is given. The production of high value-added liquid products by catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose has become an effective way to realize the efficient utilization of biomass. This work synthesized a series of Co-Ce, Co-Fe and Co-Mg composite metal catalysts and used them to obtain furans and ketones production. In addition, the CO 2 was used as a pyrolysis atmosphere to investigate the synergistic effect between CO 2 and the prepared catalyst. The results showed that the catalyst effectively promoted the depolymerization of cellulose and improved the oxygen transfer behavior between volatile matters during cellulose pyrolysis. As a reaction medium, CO 2 influenced the carbon distribution of products, thereby increasing syngas yield, and the CO 2 atmosphere promoted the formation of furans and ketones. Compared with those obtained by the non-catalytic pyrolysis in N 2 atmosphere, the relative contents of furans and ketones in the liquid products produced by the catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose in CO 2 atmosphere increased by about 13.38% and 9.8%. In the CO 2 environment, the generation ability for furans was Co-Mg catalyst > Co-Ce catalyst > Co-Fe catalyst, and the generation ability for ketones was Co-Ce catalyst > Co-Mg catalyst > Co-Fe catalyst. These works provide an important way for the efficient preparation of furans and ketones from biomass pyrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate whether 12-week moderate-intensity aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on oxidative stress markers in blood and on cognitive functions in patients who have methamphetamine dependence. Serum levels of oxidative stress markers, including total anti-oxidation capability, super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA), were measured at baseline (all participants) and the 12-week follow-up (methamphetamine-dependent patients). Serum levels of CAT and MDA in methamphetamine-dependent patients ( n  = 68) were higher than those in healthy controls ( n  = 35) at baseline. Furthermore, the international shopping list (ISL) task scores of methamphetamine-dependent patients were significantly lower than those of the controls, indicating verbal memory deficits in methamphetamine-dependent patients. Although there were no significant interactions for all cognitive function scores, aerobic exercise improved the processing speed in methamphetamine-dependent patients. Of interest, aerobic exercise significantly attenuated a spontaneous increase in serum MDA levels in methamphetamine-dependent patients after 12-weeks of abstinence. In conclusion, this study showed that methamphetamine-dependent patients with verbal learning and memory deficits have higher serum levels of MDA, and that a 12-week aerobic exercise program may have beneficial effects on the processing speed as well as blood lipid peroxidation in methamphetamine-dependent patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of TiO 2 and CaF 2 on the crystallization kinetics, microstructure, phase evolution and microhardness of Y 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass ceramics were investigated by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The results show that the addition of TiO 2 is effective to promote crystallization by decreasing the activation energy, refining the grain size and increasing the microhardness. However, the CaF 2 plays an opposite role by increasing the activation energy, coursing the grain size and decreasing the microhardness. Furthermore, the addition of TiO 2 induces bulk crystallization of Y 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass. On the contrary, the addition of CaF 2 leads to surface crystallization and decreasing of thickness of surface crystallized layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvesting solar energy for vapor generation has attracted large amount of attention due to its promise for applications in water purification, desalination, power generation, and so on. Many structures based on the two-layered design or the plasmonic enhanced evaporation have been reported to promote the efficiency of solar vapor generation. Inspired by the transpiration phenomenon in plant, we report that a capillary-driven pump can be used for highly efficient solar vapor generation. The pump is mainly consisted of a porous hydrophilic modified NiO (M-NiO) disc and a one-dimension water supply channel. The M-NiO with a three-layered structured TiAlON-based nanocomposite absorber deposited on its surface can efficiently capture solar radiation (absorptance of 0.97). Driven by the capillary force in the porous M-NiO, the pump can continuously wick water via the one-dimension channel to the solar absorber for evaporation, achieving solar-to-vapor efficiency of 73% at 1 sun and 90% at 4 suns. The high conversion efficiency can be attributed to the high absorption ability of the M-NiO disc and the one-dimension water supply design to limit the thermal loss. This new design with advantage of easy scale-up provides an efficient approach to harvest sunlight for solar vapor generation in low solar concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]