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The iconic saurichthyid fishes ('lizard fish') are specialised predators in the aquatic realm of Early Mesozoic era. After a rapid diversification in the Middle Triassic, they seemingly shrank their geographical distribution from a global pattern to that mainly confined to Euramerican region and exhibited increasing rarity in the freshwater environment since the Late Triassic. Here, we report a new species of Saurichthys from the Late Triassic freshwater deposits of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. This new species Saurichthys sui sp. nov. is characterised by a mosaic of primitive and derived features in Saurichthys: large circumorbital bones and spiracular plate, a vestigial opercle and pectoral fins devoid of fringing fulcra. This feature combination supports the hypothesis that the freshwater system might have served as the refugium of some basal saurichthyid species. Saurichthys sui represents the first record of large predatory fishes in the Triassic Junggar Basin and indicates the establishment of a trophically complex lacustrine ecosystem there. Together with the co-occurring fossil insects and plants, Saurichthys sui, showing some affinities to its congeners from central Asia and North China, implies some biogeographical links of the fossil localities of non-marine Saurichthys on the continents north to PalaeoTethys during the Middle-Late Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Depression and urinary incontinence (UI) are both troubling symptoms that severely impact quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between UI (including UI types and severity) and depression among men. Population and methods: The analyzed data was collected from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. A total of 16,694 male participants aged ≥ 20 years with complete information about depression and UI were included in this study. Logistic regression was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to determine the association between depression and UI by adjusting for relevant covariables. Results: The prevalence of depression was 10.91% among participants with UI. Urge UI was the main type of UI and accounts for 50.53% of all UI types. The adjusted ORs for the association between depression and UI were 2.69 (95%CI, 2.20–3.28). Compared with slight UI, the adjusted ORs were 2.28 (95% CI, 1.61–3.23) for moderate UI, 2.98 (95% CI, 1.54–5.74) for severe UI, and 3.85 (95% CI, 1.83–8.12) for very severe UI. Compared with no UI, the adjusted ORs were 4.46 (95% CI, 3.16–6.29) for mixed UI, 3.15 (95% CI, 2.06–4.82) for stress UI, and 2.43 (95% CI, 1.89–3.12) for urge UI. The subgroup analyses also showed similar correlation about depression and UI. Conclusion: Among men, depression was positively associated with UI status, severity and types. For clinicians, it's necessary to screen depression in patients with UI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries based on elemental sulfur cathodes require the use of highly reactive metallic Li or Li alloy anodes in cell constructions. In order to match with safer Li-free anodes, lithium sulfide (Li 2 S) has been studied as a promising alternative cathode material for lightweight Li and Li-ion batteries. However, intrinsically high electrical resistance, large first charge barrier, dissolution during cycling and polysulfide shuttle limit the electrochemical performance of Li 2 S. In this review, we discuss various approaches for producing Li 2 S-based nano- and micron-scale composite particles and standalone electrodes aiming to overcoming such challenges. In addition, we discuss strategies for electrolyte optimizations. Finally, we share our perspective on the gaps between the state-of-the art research demonstrations and the requirements for successful mass-market commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) films are widely used as separators for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, owing to the poor thermal stability of PP and PE films, current LIBs suffer from serious safety risks in their practical applications. As an effective path, the design of novel high‐safety composite separators can significantly overcome the safety issues of LIBs. Herein, a universal and cost‐effective strategy is developed to fabricate highly‐thermal‐stable separators via coating natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) on both sides of commercial papers or waste newspaper. The resulted separators show superior properties, including thermal stability, heat conduction, wettability, and electrolyte uptake. Compared with commercial PP separators, both HNTs coated A4 paper and waste newspaper composite separators enable better cycling and rate performance for Li/LiFePO4 cells. Even after burning in fire or treating under 180 °C, the composite separators still present a normal structure, and the assembled cell can perform as regular. Furthermore, the nail penetration test of pouch cells illustrates that such separator significantly prevents thermal runaway of LIBs. The inexpensive and environmentally friendly materials with a facile coating process provide a highly‐thermal‐stable separator for commercial LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remarkable uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in the Neogene had great impacts on the climate and environment of East Asia and even the world. Therefore, establishment of the Neogene stratigraphic framework of the Tibetan Plateau is of great significance to research in various fields of geosciences. Based on marine sediments, the international chronostratigraphic system of the Neogene is divided into six stages in the Miocene and two stages in the Pliocene. Since the beginning of the Cenozoic, the share of terrestrial strata on continents has increased rapidly. By the Neogene, it had far exceeded that of marine strata, and almost all deposits on the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas were terrestrial strata. In China, the Miocene includes five stages and the Pliocene includes two stages. Except for the Tunggurian of the Miocene, which has a lower boundary at 15 Ma, the other stages have the same paleomagnetic definitions and time intervals as the corresponding international marine stages. Mammalian fossils play a very important role in the division and correlation of Cenozoic terrestrial strata, and rodent, carnivore, proboscidean, perissodactyl and artiodactyl fossils are especially important in Neogene terrestrial biostratigraphy. There are many basins with well-exposed strata and abundant mammalian fossils in the Tibetan Plateau. The lower boundary stratotype sections of the Neogene Xiejian and Bahean stages are located respectively in the Xining and Linxia basins, and there are precise paleomagnetic dates in coordination with mammalian fossils. The lower boundary stratotypes of other stages can also be effectively determined in the Tibetan Plateau. Many first appearing mammalian genera in East Asia also appeared in the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas, especially in the Linxia Basin on the northeast margin and in the Siwaliks on the southwest margin. Among them, Prodeinotherium first appeared at the bottom of the Miocene in the Siwaliks, and the earliest Hipparion of the Old World first appeared at the bottom of the Bahean Stage in the Linxia Basin. Carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of enamel and paleosols of Cenozoic sediments and mammal fossils in the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas have been used to reconstruct the climate, environment and vegetation development characteristics, and revealed that these changes were not only related to global change, but also had regional features. Evidence of the Late Miocene C4 plant expansion event based on carbon isotope changes comes from the southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, but in sharp contrast, δ13C indicates that there was still no clear or significant C4 plant signal on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau until the end of the Neogene. The δ18O analysis shows that there were several major climate change events in the Cenozoic, especially in the Late Miocene at about 7 Ma, when positive drift of δ18O indicates that the northern and southern sides of the Tibetan Plateau were changing to drier environments. The strong uplift of the Tibetan Plateau in the Late Miocene strengthened the thermal contrast between sea and land, which strengthened monsoon circulation and led to the expansion of C4 vegetation in South Asia. However, the East Asian summer monsoon, which can bring atmospheric precipitation and a climate suitable for C4 plants to northern China, was not enough to affect the northern Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan Plateau on the whole rose to an altitude of about 3000 m in the Miocene, becoming a barrier to mammalian migration; it reached its modern altitude of more than 4000 m in the Pliocene, thus forming a cryosphere environment, which led to the emergence of ancestral types of the Ice Age fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A low-cost, green, selective electrolysis process for Li recovery from spent LiFePO 4. • High performance LiFePO 4 was synthesised by impurity removal regeneration process. • The electrolysis and regeneration process makes full use of spent LiFePO 4. In this paper, a green, efficient and low-cost process for the selective recovery of lithium from spent LiFePO 4 by anodic electrolysis is proposed. The leaching rates of Li, Fe and P under different conditions were explored and the optimal conditions are obtained. In the optimal conditions, Li, Fe and P leaching rates were 96.31%, 0.06% and 0.62% respectively. The Li/Fe selectivity was over 99.9%. The product obtained is isostructural FePO 4 and retains the original particle morphology. The FePO 4 obtained can be synthesised into LiFePO 4 /C by direct regeneration process or impurity removal regeneration process. The material synthesized by the latter process has a better electrochemical performance, with a discharge specific capacity of 144.5 mAh/g at 1.0C and a capacity retention of 92.0% over 500cycles. The superior performance can be attributed to an impurity removal process that reduced agglomeration and improved particle morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal fluorides (MFs) are regarded as high‐capacity conversion cathode materials for next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries with high energy density. However, these cathodes suffer from poor electronic conductivity, sluggish reaction kinetics, and deleterious cathode solid electrolyte interface (CEI) formation, which may cause rapid cell degradation upon cycling. Herein, a low temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD) carbon coating technology is successfully achieved to coat MFs‐FeF2 with a thin amorphous carbon layer, which promotes the formation of a stable CEI with improved electronic and ionic transport property. Consequently, a discharge capacity higher than 450 mAh g−1 of the CVD coated FeF2 is achieved with a capacity retention at about 75% after 2500 cycles in a saturated electrolyte. Moreover, an unprecedented cycling performance with the discharge capacity of 350 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles in a super diluted electrolyte is also achieved. Advanced cryo‐electron microscopy reveals that the carbon coating significantly suppresses the undesirable CEI formation and promotes the formation of a thin CEI with excellent chemo‐mechanical property. This work provides a feasible technology to stabilize the important interface on MFs and offers a new strategy to accelerate the commercial adoption of such cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of low‐temperature lithium–sulfur batteries (LSB) has been suppressed by rather poor sulfur utilization and cycle performance, caused by planar Li2S growth, hindered lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) transformation, and poor stability of the anode. Recently, low‐concentration electrolytes (LCE) have been employed as promising solutions to solve the above issues. However, aggregation and deposition behavior of polysulfides have been rarely studied. In this work, by comparing the performance of 0.1 and 1 m LiFSI electrolytes, LCEs are proven beneficial for low‐temperature LSBs via new fundamental insights. According to growth pattern analyses by both morphology observation and theoretical models, Li2S nucleation in LCEs switch into progressive mode with less initial nuclei, which favors the vertical growth of Li2S, resulting in a more complete lithium–sulfur conversion reaction under cold conditions. Through visual experiments, computational simulation, and progressive electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the ability of LCEs to suppress LiPSs clustering is supported and this anti‐clustering ability effectively enhances the Li–S conversion reaction kinetics. Moreover, in LCEs a protective SEI with LiF and Li2S/Li2S2 is likely to form on and stabilize the anode. As a whole, the boosting effect and the mechanism of LCEs enlighten future designs on low‐temperature electrolytes for high‐performance cryogenic LSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of de-lithiated single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes are causing extensive concern. Here, we first show that the compression hardness of single crystal Ni-rich cathode particles decreases significantly at highly de-lithiated states by micro-compression testing. Thus, phase-boundary hardening was introduced to inhibit the planar gliding, resulting in excellent electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the high cost of cobalt, cobalt‐free lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), which has an extremely high theoretical specific capacity, has become attractive. However, its application is hampered by continuous irreversible phase changes, unstable interfaces, and particle pulverization. Herein, an ≈35 nm‐thick selenium (Se) coating is applied to modify LiNiO2 using a combination of solid‐phase mixing and low‐temperature sintering. After 300 cycles, the selenium‐coated LiNiO2 (Se–LNO) cathode exhibits unusually high capacity retention of 82.09% at a charge cutoff voltage of 4.3 V. Furthermore, the coating modification improves the rate performance of the cathode materials, which exhibit considerable specific capacities of 168.7 and 149.6 mAh g−1 at current densities of 2 and 5 C, respectively. The significantly enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to the ability of the Se coating to enhance the structural stability of the cathode materials by suppressing phase transitions, stabilizing the interface, enhancing the kinetic behavior of the electrode, and reducing particle pulverization. According to the findings of this study, manipulating the Se coating in cathodes may provide a viable path for lower‐cost and higher‐energy‐density Co‐free lithium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur cathode materials in lithium–sulfur chemistry suffer from poor electronic conductivity and shuttle of lithium polysulfides during charging and discharging. Serious shuttle effects and the sluggish redox reaction kinetics of polysulfides severely limit the development of lithium–sulfur batteries with high sulfur loading, impeding the practical process of lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, a honeycomb73x02010;structured CoF2@C is introduced as a functional layer adhered to the separator, achieving rapid lithium‐ion transport, high catalytic activity, and suppressed shuttle effect simultaneously. As a result, the cell with CoF2‐modified separator presents satisfactory cycle stability with a capacity decay of 0.076% per cycle within 300 cycles at 1 C rate with the sulfur loading of 2.0 mg cm−2. A low‐capacity decay of 0.088% per cycle for 200 cycles at 0.2 C is also achieved with sulfur loading of 3.0 mg cm−2. In addition, a high‐capacity retention of 697.5 mA g−1 is achieved with sulfur loading of 4.0 mg cm−2 and the electrolyte volume/sulfur mass (E/S) ratio of 8 μL mg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered manganese oxide represents one most potential cathode for sodium-ion batteries thanks to high theoretical specific capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness. Nevertheless, its surface structure degrades owing to the hydration reaction when being stored in the humid air. Herein, Na 0.67 Mn 0.92 Cu 0.04 Fe 0.04 O 2 (NMCFO) cathode material is functionalized by tetradecylphosphonic acid (TPA) on the surface to enhance the air stability. It is demonstrated that the TPA protection layer could improve the surface hydrophobicity, and further inhibit the hydration reaction to produce residual alkali, effectively maintaining modified material's crystal structure and electrochemical performance. After 28 days of placement in the humid air, the modified material delivers a specific capacity of 94.0 mAh g−1 at 5C, and exhibits a capacity retention of 92.22% after 100 cycles at 1C. In summary, we provide an effective pathway to protect layered manganese oxide and other moisture-sensitive materials without sacrificing cell performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentration of electrolyte has significant effects on performances of rechargeable batteries. Previous studies mainly focused on concentrated electrolytes. So far, only several recipes on low‐concentration electrolytes were studied, performing enhanced performance in advanced rechargeable batteries. Here, based on common electrolyte components, a low‐concentration electrolyte composed of 0.2 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) solvated in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) is employed for high‐voltage Li metal battery. The synergistic working mechanisms of introducing fluorine‐containing solvent in the solvated structure and low salt concentration effect are revealed, resulting in LiF‐rich, uniform, and robust solid electrolyte interphase layer and fewer unfavorable decomposition products. As a result, this low‐concentration electrolyte significantly enhances electrochemical performances of Li||Li symmetric cells and high‐voltage LiCoO2||Li batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentration of electrolyte has significant effects on performances of rechargeable batteries. Previous studies mainly focused on concentrated electrolytes. So far, only several recipes on low‐concentration electrolytes were studied, performing enhanced performance in advanced rechargeable batteries. Here, based on common electrolyte components, a low‐concentration electrolyte composed of 0.2 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) solvated in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) is employed for high‐voltage Li metal battery. The synergistic working mechanisms of introducing fluorine‐containing solvent in the solvated structure and low salt concentration effect are revealed, resulting in LiF‐rich, uniform, and robust solid electrolyte interphase layer and fewer unfavorable decomposition products. As a result, this low‐concentration electrolyte significantly enhances electrochemical performances of Li||Li symmetric cells and high‐voltage LiCoO2||Li batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium‐metal batteries, with high energy density and low cost, are emerging stars in the field of large‐scale energy storage and power batteries. The application of sodium metal is hindered by side reactions between the active sodium metal anode and the electrolyte, unstable solid electrolyte interphase, and dendrite growth caused by the uneven distribution of sodium ions. Here, heterogeneous interface layer composed of the sodium fluoride and metallic cobalt (NaF/Co) is constructed in situ and spontaneously by introducing the CoF2 nanoparticles confined in carbon to the Na metal surface. The NaF/Co artificial interface layer with high Young's modulus, high Na+ conductivity, high surface energy, and strong sodiophilicity renders the Na+ evenly distributed, suppresses Na‐dendrite growth, and reduces side reaction with electrolyte. Due to these virtues, the Na||Na symmetric cells with NaF/Co interface layers demonstrate long cycle life (1000 h at 1.0 mA cm−2, 1.0 mAh cm−2). Moreover, when the NaF/Co/Na anode is matched with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode, the produced full battery (Na3V2(PO4)3||NaF/Co/Na) exhibits a long lifespan of 1000 cycles at 15 C and a high‐rate capacity of ≈52 mAh g−1 at 60 C. This work provides a new strategy to solve the dendrite growth of Na metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur chemistry suffers from poor conversion reaction kinetics, causing low‐capacity utilization of sulfur cathodes, particularly at cryogenic temperatures. Herein, based on low‐cost and abundant commercial sulfur particles directly, a low concentration electrolyte (LCE, 0.1 m) is employed to accelerate lithium–sulfur conversion reaction at low temperatures, demonstrating a broad applicability of this approach. Compared to conventional concentration (1.0 m) electrolytes, the proposed LCE successfully enhances conversion kinetics from Li2S4 to Li2S and restrains shuttle effects of polysulfides, resulting in higher capacity utilizations and more stable cycle performance at 0 and −20 °C. Further interfacial chemistry analyses on cycled electrodes reveal that a hybrid surface layer dominated by organic species as well as some favorable inorganics is constructed in the LCE, demonstrating smaller surface layer resistance. In situ EIS measurements at 0 °C and CV tests reveal main differences of electrode kinetics in 0.1 and 1 m electrolytes, further explaining the differences in working mechanism of two electrolytes. These findings elucidate the roles of LCEs on realizing faster kinetics for cryogenic lithium–sulfur batteries and provide a simple, low‐cost, and widely applicable pathway for achieving high‐performance lithium–sulfur batteries under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] As alloying-type anode materials, metallic aluminum owns an ultra-high specific capacity (993 mAh g A l - 1 to LiAl) for Li storage, which is low-cost and a promising candidate for next-generation rechargeable batteries with high energy densities. However, metallic Al anodes suffer from irreversible lithiation of naturally occurring alumina layer during cycles, resulting in rapid capacity decay of Al anode-based batteries. Herein, Li supplement nucleated on Al foil via a controllably electrochemical pre-lithiation technology is employed for achieving high-performance elemental foil anodes. In full batteries, the pre-lithiated areas continuously supply Li outward during dealloying process to compensate for irreversible lithium loss during alloying process that preferentially alloys the unreacted Al 2 O 3 surface layer along the rolling direction of Al foil until the entire surface is covered by Li x AlO y. This lithiation behavior can avoid the severe stress concentration during alloying to prevent the perforation and pulverization of foil, making commercial Al foil succeed as single-material anodes. The produced commercial Al foil anode-based Li-ion batteries employing various commercial cathodes demonstrate promising electrochemical performances. For example, the Al||LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 battery offers a high specific capacity of 180 mAh g−1, an excellent capacity retention of ∼90% after 400 cycles, and relatively stable solid electrolyte interface without any dendrite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of right heart-associated PE. Background. Right heart-related pulmonary edema (PE) refers to PE resulting from impaired right heart function caused by primary or secondary factors, which is common in critically ill patients. Although the clinical manifestations of different types of right heart-related PE are similar, the pathophysiological changes and treatment methods are significantly different. According to the hemodynamic mechanism, right heart-related PE is primarily classified into two types. One is the increase of right heart flow, including extravascular compression, intravascular compression, cardiac compression, and cardiac decompression. The other type is the abnormal distribution of pulmonary circulation, including obstruction, resistance, pleural decompression, or negative pressure. With the development of hemodynamic monitoring, hemodynamic data not only help us understand the specific pathogenesis of right heart-related PE but also assist us in determining the direction of therapy and enabling individualized treatment. Summary. This article presents a review on right heart-associated PE, with a perspective of hemodynamic analysis, and emphasizes the importance of right heart function in the management of circulation. Understanding the mechanism of right heart-associated PE will not only aid in better monitoring right heart function but also help intensivists make a more accurate identification of various types of PE in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shuttle of polysulfides and slow sulfur redox kinetics are the two main issues in the practical application of lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The interface-induced electric fields produced in MnO 2 -based conductive composites are proposed to solve the above obstacles. Herein, a novel hybrid structure of birnessite-MnO 2 nanosheets in situ formed inside polyaniline nanotubes (NSs-MnO 2 @PANI) is prepared and applied as a catalytic host in Li-S batteries. The DFT calculation combined with experiments reveal the interface-induced electric field with a direction pointing from PANI to birnessite-MnO 2 is created, which would induce interface charge redistribution and result in electron-rich MnO 2 region and electron-deficient PANI region, optimizing the strong anchoring of polysulfides and their fast catalytic conversions. Owing to the interfacial synergy, the NSs-MnO 2 @PANI/S cathode delivers higher capacity than PANI/S at rates from 0.1 C (1473.7 vs. 467.5 mAh g−1) to 5 C (513.2 vs. 38.1 mAh g−1), with a low decay rate of 0.054% during 500 cycles at 0.2 C. Further, at an extremely high sulfur loading of 15.9 mg cm−2, the areal capacity achieves a high level of 10.2 mAh cm−2 at 0.05 C, with stable cycling at 1 C. Our work provides new insights for attaining high-energy and stable Li-S batteries. To overcome the low conductivity, the shuttling and sluggish redox kinetics of polysulfides for lithium-sulfur batteries, a novel hybrid structure of birnessite-MnO 2 nanosheets in situ formed inside polyaniline nanotubes (NSs-MnO 2 @PANI) was designed and applied as a catalytic host. The interface-induced electric field with a direction pointing from PANI to birnessite-MnO 2 was created at the two-phase interface of MnO 2 @PANI, which could optimize the strong anchoring of polysulfides and their fast catalytic conversions. [Display omitted] • An ingenious nanoengineering design for a newly sulfur host was reported. • Birnessite-MnO 2 nanosheets were in situ formed inside PANI nanotubes. • The interface-induced electric field was created pointing from PANI to MnO 2. • The NSs-MnO 2 @PANI hybrid combined strong anchoring and catalytic function. • Li-S batteries with superior electrochemical performances were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Pediatric patients are facing greater difficulties in radial catheterization for anatomic variation and smaller diameter. This study is to investigate the efficacy of phentolamine accompanied by lidocaine subcutaneously under ultrasound guidance on radial catheterization in pediatric patients. Methods. 66 pediatric patients were enrolled and randomly divided into saline group, phentolamine group, and phentolamine+lidocaine group. Baseline characteristics and surgical types were collected. Relevant solutions were subcutaneously injected, and catheterization was subsequently conducted under ultrasound guidance. Radial artery diameter and depth were measured, the success rate of catheterization and procedure time were calculated, and the complications were evaluated with ultrasonography. Results. No significant differences were observed in age, sex, weight, American Society of Anesthesiologists' classification, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, hemoglobin, and surgical types among three groups. Subcutaneously, the diameter in phentolamine and phentolamine+lidocaine groups increased significantly compared with the saline group. Moreover, the diameter also increased significantly after injection compared with that before injection both in the phentolamine and phentolamine+lidocaine groups. The first-attempt success rates were significantly higher while the procedure times of cannulation were shorter in the phentolamine and phentolamine+lidocaine groups than that in the saline group. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the overall procedure time was shorter in the phentolamine and phentolamine+lidocaine groups than the saline group. Overall complications and vasospasm incidence were lower in the phentolamine and phentolamine+lidocaine groups than the saline group. Conclusion. Phentolamine accompanied by lidocaine subcutaneous injection under ultrasound guidance improved the first-attempt success rate and reduced the complication of radial artery catheterization in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High Lithium Extraction Rate. • Success direct regeneration of de-lithiated product. • Mechanism about de-lithiation and regeneration processes. The recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries has become an urgent imperative. Electrochemical technology is emerging as an environmentally friendly approach for selectively extracting lithium from discarded cathode materials, garnering significant attention. However, the lack of a clear understanding of the structural evolution during the de-lithiation process, and the re-lithiation mechanism of transition-metal oxides after lithium extraction, hinder the direct regeneration of de-lithiated materials into battery-worthy materials. This limitation also impeds the further advancement of this promising technology. Here, for the first time the structural transformation associated with water-molecule intercalation during the electrochemical process of spent layer material (LiNi 0.55 Co 0.15 Mn 0.3 O 2) is demonstrated. X-ray diffraction technique monitors the structural evolution upon de-lithiation, revealing an unusual phase transformation from H3 to "H4" driven by water-molecule intercalation. This transformation triggers significant lattice expansion along c -axis and introduces notable lattice distortion in de-lithiated material. These characteristics render direct calcination for material regeneration impractical, due to lattice collapse from dehydration, obstructing lithium intercalation at high temperatures. Interestingly, low-temperature calcination can endow resynthesized materials with a well-ordered layer structure after creating a lithium-water-balance layer structure for de-lithiated materials by hydrothermal process. Consequently, the regenerated material delivers a capacity of 132.5 mAh/g at 5C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Sepsis becomes the main death reason in hospitals with rising incidence, causing a growing economic and medical burden. However, the genes related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of sepsis are still unclear, which is a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Materials and Methods. Gene expression profiles of GSE69528 were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Limma software package got employed to search for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) were used for enrichment analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Results. We screened 101 DEGs, containing 81 upregulated DEGs and 20 downregulated DEGs. GO analysis demonstrated that the upregulated DEGs were chiefly concentrated in negative regulation of response to interferon-gamma and regulation of granulocyte differentiation. KEGG analysis revealed that the pathways of upregulated DEGs were concentrated in prion diseases, complement and coagulation cascades, and Staphylococcus aureus infection. The PPI network constructed by upregulated DEGs contained 67 nodes (proteins) and 110 edges (interactions). Analysis of bioinformatics results showed that CEACAM8, MPO, and RETN were hub genes of sepsis. Conclusion. Our analysis reveals a series of signal pathways and key genes related to the mechanism of sepsis, which are promising biotargets and biomarkers of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a strategy of synergetic modulation on electrolyte and electrode interface. • Synergistically accelerate the interfacial reaction kinetics at low temperature. • Niobium oxide with high intercalation potential inhibit the generation of Li plating at low temperature. • Promising rate and cycle performance of T-Nb 2 O 5 @C||LFP at ultra-low temperature. The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in cold environments remains a challenge due to the insufficient ionic conductivity of electrolyte and lithium plating at graphite anodes. Herein, we demonstrate that the synergistic effect of ether-based electrolyte and niobium oxide with high intercalation potential can significantly improve the low-temperature charging/discharging performance of LIBs. Theoretical calculations and in-situ characterizations prove that the weak desolvation energy of electrolyte and the strong binding energy Li+-O bridging coordination synergistically accelerate the interfacial reaction kinetics. The full cells by coupling the niobium oxide anode with LiFePO 4 cathode show 95.6% of the initial capacity after 500 cycles at −30 °C, and exhibit excellent rechargeability at −50 °C. This work verifies that the synergism of solvating power of solvent and Li+ intercalation behavior is crucial in low-temperature LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron trifluoride (FeF 3) is highlighted as a competitive cathode for next-generation lithium and lithium-ion batteries with higher energy densities and lower cost. However, the FeF 3 cathode is typically hindered by rapid capacity fade for their poor electronic/ionic conductivity and unstable electrode/electrolyte interphase. Herein, a microcubic FeF 3 @C composite, where the nanosized FeF 3 particles (<40 nm) are encapsulated by graphitized carbon and linked through surrounding amorphous carbon matrix, is firstly synthesized through the Prussian blue microcubes. When using as the cathode of coin-type lithium batteries, it can achieve stable and ultralong lifespan (over 1000 cycles) at FeF 3 mass loading of ∼2 mg cm−2, ascribing to the compact and thick wrapping of carbon shell and stable cathode solid electrolyte interphase (CEI) during cycling. Besides, the FeF 3 –Li pouch cell, FeF 3 full batteries with pre-lithiated Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (PLLTO) and pre-lithiated mesocarbon microbeads (PLMCMB) anodes are successfully constructed. To interpret the capacity rising of as-prepared FeF 3 cathodes within initial cycles, the detailed electrochemical behaviors and electrode kinetics are investigated. The results show that the decay of the high-potential decomposition process cannot catch up with the activation of the low-potential conversion reaction The repeated electrochemical activation within initial cycles causes multiple interface and increased Li+ diffusion coefficient (resulted from the amorphization of FeF 3 particle), which induce the capacity rising. [Display omitted] • A microcubic FeF 3 @C composite was synthesized from the Prussian blue microcubes. • As-fabricated FeF 3 cathodes can realize ultra-long cycle performance at ∼2 mg cm−2 • The FeF 3 cathodes were successfully applied in pouch cell and full cell. • Rising capacity within initial cycles is resulted from the amorphization of FeF 3. • Amorphization of FeF 3 leads to the increasing Li+ diffusivity and improved kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiFe-based and NiCo-based catalysts are promising alternatives to noble-metal catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to their excellent catalytic activity, low cost and abundant resources. However, the active sites nature, along with the pathway to achieve the highest electroactivity, remains unclear. Herein, we use nickel foam (NF) as carrier and prepared NiFe/NF and NiCo/NF catalysts with excellent OER catalytic activity and stability by electrodeposition and calcine them either in Air or H 2 /Ar after deposition. In 1 M KOH media, the overpotential of NiFe/NF at 50 mA cm−2 is only 182 mV, which one of the lowest for OER reported to date. By analyzing the influence of the morphology, structure and surface chemical states caused by calcination on performances, we found that the ratio of hydroxide/hydroxyl oxide to lattice oxygen heavily impacts the OER with higher hydroxide/hydroxyl oxide to lattice oxygen ratio achieving the highest catalytic activity. This work significantly furthers the understanding of the OER mechanism on the surface of NiFe and NiCo catalysts and provides insights for regulating NiFe and NiCo catalysts to achieve higher OER performance. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanded graphite has garnered considerable interest for potential applications in electrochemical energy storage due to its distinctive morphological and structural Li storage features. However, the present synthetic procedure of preparing expanded graphite is highly complex and yields low production. Herein, we demonstrate that an efficient microwave method can produce large-scale expanded graphite utilizing anthracite as a precursor. The designed expanded graphite exhibits a remarkably ordered graphitic structure and a unique morphology of porous layered gossamer nanosheets having a wider pore size distribution within the ranges of 3–70 nm and a practically huge specific surface area being 21.5 m2 g−1, which are beneficial for improving the conductivity of expanded graphite, inducing more active sites for electrochemical reactions and accelerating Li+ diffusion. Furthermore, the expanded graphite demonstrates a promising capacity utilization of 278.0 mAh g−1 and a stable Coulombic efficiency of 99.17% during 300 cycles at 0.2C when it is employed as lithium-ion batteries anode material. Hence, this study presents a promising method for the large-scale production of expanded graphite materials as anodes for lithium-ion battery by exploiting natural anthracite as the low-cost raw material. • Expanded graphite was synthesized by microwave method utilizing anthracite as precursor. • The prepared expanded graphite demonstrated ordered graphitic structure and unique layered gossamer nanosheets. • The expanded graphite delivered a capacity of 278.0 mAh g−1 and 99.17% Coulombic efficiency. • Microwave method is suitable to achieve large-scale production of anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synergetic optimization of non-uniform fillings and water distribution was studied. • Synergetic optimization improves significantly the uniformity of air dynamic field. • Outlet water temperature drops furthest by 0.31 ℃ after optimization. • Evaporation loss can decrease by about 3.3% after synergetic optimization. To improve the heat and mass transfer performance of large wet cooling towers, a synergetic optimization method of non-equidistant fillings and non-uniform water distribution was proposed in this paper. The impact of the optimization scheme on the cooling performance was studied for the cooling tower equipped for a 600 MW unit. Firstly, the fillings were divided into two zones, and the optimized inner fillings radius was obtained according to the different non-equidistant fillings patterns, namely the optimized radius dividing point in the filings zone. Then, the cooling performance variation under different non-uniform water distribution patterns was discussed based on this optimized radius dividing point. The simulation results showed that the synergetic optimization coupling the fillings and water-spraying zones improves significantly the uniformity of the air dynamic and temperature field. The water temperature drops and ventilation rate all increase firstly and then decrease with the increase of the water distribution ratio in the inner zone. Compared with the equidistant fillings layouts of 26 mm and 30 mm, after the synergetic optimization, the outlet water temperature drops increase by 0.21 ℃, 0.22 ℃, and the ventilation rate enhances by 6.68%, 1.13% respectively in the design condition, but 0.28 ℃, 0.31℃ and 7.03%, 1.53% in the typical operating condition in summer. Additionally, the evaporation loss all decreases by about 3.3% in the design condition by comparison with the equidistant fillings layouts of 26 mm and 30 mm, but increases in the typical operating condition in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In patients with obstructive jaundice, the cardiovascular system exhibits hypotension and vascular hyporeactivity. Most norepinephrine is taken up through the neuronal norepinephrine transporter (NET), which is implicated in cardiovascular diseases. A previous study demonstrated that pharmacological NET inhibition could increase resting blood pressure. However, the role of NETs in vascular hyporeactivity induced by obstructive jaundice is poorly understood. This study used the NET inhibitor nisoxetine and a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL) to investigate whether NET is associated with BDL-induced vascular hyporeactivity. Rats were injected with nisoxetine via the tail vein for 7 consecutive days after BDL. Samples of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion (SCG) and thoracic aortic rings were processed for investigations. Our results showed that NET expression in the SCG was significantly increased after BDL. Nisoxetine prevented the augmentation of NET expression, increased α 1 -adrenoceptor activation, and enhanced the weakened contractile responses of thoracic aortic rings after BDL. Our study demonstrates that nisoxetine plays a protective role in BDL-induced vascular hyporeactivity through increased α 1 -adrenoceptor activation in rats. [Display omitted] • NET expression in SCG is upregulated after BDL. • The vascular hyporeactivity is rescued by pharmacological inhibition of NET. • Pharmacologic NET inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy in vascular hyporeactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]