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Gastrointestinal bleeding is the most frequent major complication of antiplatelet therapy. In patients at low bleeding risk, however, clinically overt gastrointestinal bleeding is relatively uncommon.The authors sought to assess the effects of different antiplatelet regimens on gastrointestinal mucosal injury by means of a novel magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy system in patients at low bleeding risk.Patients (n = 505) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in whom capsule endoscopy demonstrated no ulcerations or bleeding (although erosions were permitted) after 6 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) were randomly assigned to aspirin plus placebo (n = 168), clopidogrel plus placebo (n = 169), or aspirin plus clopidogrel (n = 168) for an additional 6 months. The primary endpoint was the incidence of gastrointestinal mucosal injury (erosions, ulceration, or bleeding) at 6-month or 12-month capsule endoscopy.Gastrointestinal mucosal injury through 12 months was less with single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) than with DAPT (94.3% vs 99.2%; P = 0.02). Aspirin and clopidogrel monotherapy had similar effects. Among 68 patients without any gastrointestinal injury at randomization (including no erosions), SAPT compared with DAPT caused less gastrointestinal injury (68.1% vs 95.2%; P = 0.006), including fewer new ulcers (8.5% vs 38.1%; P = 0.009). Clinical gastrointestinal bleeding from 6 to 12 months was less with SAPT than with DAPT (0.6% vs 5.4%; P = 0.001).Despite being at low risk of bleeding, nearly all patients receiving antiplatelet therapy developed gastrointestinal injury, although overt bleeding was infrequent. DAPT for 6 months followed by SAPT with aspirin or clopidogrel from 6 to 12 months resulted in less gastrointestinal mucosal injury and clinical bleeding compared with DAPT through 12 months. (OPT-PEACE [Optimal Antiplatelet Therapy for Prevention of Gastrointestinal Injury Evaluated by Ankon Magnetically Controlled Capsule Endoscopy]; NCT03198741).

Design of highly efficient heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is of significant importance to address the energy shortage and environmental crisis. Nevertheless, the smart design of semiconductor-based heterojunctions at the atomic scale still remains a significant challenge hitherto. Herein, we report novel atomic CdS/ZnIn2S4 heterojunctions by in-situ epitaxially growing 2D ZnIn2S4 nanosheets onto the surface of 1D defective CdS nanorods. The strong electronic coupling between defective CdS and ZnIn2S4 is confirmed by transient photocurrent response measurements, •O2- and •OH radicals experiments, and PL results, leading to accelerated interfacial charge separation and transfer. Additionally, the elevated charge transfer and electronic coupling are further confirmed by theoretical calculations. Consequently, CdS/ZnIn2S4 hybrids exhibit superior photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity to pristine CdS. Our findings offer a new paradigm for designing atomic 1D/2D heterojunctions for efficient solar-driven energy conversion.

Black phosphorus (BP) is one of the most promising visible-near-infrared light-driven photocatalysts with favorite photoelectric properties and unique tunable direct band gap. Nevertheless, the further development of BP is hindered by the fast carrier recombination rate and high Gibbs free energy. Herein, an innovative strategy is developed for the controllable construction of Zn-P bonds induced zinc ferrite/black phosphorus (ZnFe2O4-BP) three dimensions (3D) microcavity structure. The Zn-P bonds serve as an efficient channel to optimize the carrier transport and Gibbs free energy of BP simultaneously. Besides, the unique 3D core-shell microcavity structure maintains the multiple reflections of sunlight inside the catalysts, which greatly improves the sunlight utilization upon photocatalysis. An optimized photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 560 µmol h-1g-1 under near-infrared light (>820 nm) is achieved. A possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed based on a series of experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations, this work provides a new sight to design high-quantity BP-based full-spectrum photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

Semiconductor-based photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is considered to be a promising and cost-effective approach to address the environmental issues and energy crisis. It still remains a great challenge to design highly-efficient semiconductor photocatalysts via a facile method. Herein, hierarchically porous hydrangea-like In2S3/In2O3 heterostructures are successfully synthesized via a simple in situ oxidization process. The formed In2S3/In2O3 heterostructures exhibit superior photocatalytic activity to the counterpart In2S3 and In2O3. The boosted photocatalytic performance is ascribed to the formed heterostructures, which greatly facilitate the interfacial charge transfer. Moreover, the formation of hierarchically porous heterostructures increases the number of active sites and improves the permeability, and thus significantly promotes the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity. This work may provide a new insight for designing In2S3-based heterostructures for efficient solar light conversion.

The effects of SARS-COV-2 infection on the pregnant women and their fetus growth have attracted worldwide concern. Our case study aimed to investigate the neonatal clinical outcomes of the recovered pregnant women from COVID-19 in China, expecting to provide the clinical references of urgent need for other countries. Our study recruited a total of 12 recovered pregnant women from COVID-19 prior to pregnancy termination. The maternal and neonatal clinical characteristics were recorded. Of them, the placental pathological characteristics of five participants were evaluated following the standard guidelines. Two of them chose induced labour due to being worry about the potential adverse effects of medical treatment for COVID-19 by themselves. For the others, 8 gave birth by cesarean section with certain indications and 2 by vaginal delivery. Their neonates were all live birth with ≥ 37 gestational weeks and high Apgar scores of 9 ∼ 10. For the neonate related biological samples, they all have negative results of RNA test, including nasopharyngeal swab, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, vaginal fluid, placenta, or umbilical cord. Most of other pathological indicators of placental examination suggested no abnormal syndromes. Overall, we did not find any abnormal pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes among them. We concluded that excess adverse effect on the fetus development due to COVID-19 in the recovered pregnant women should be less influential, especially, induce abortion due to the anxiety of COVID-19 treatment should be not advisable.

Exploiting efficient and stable noble metal-free hydrogen evolution catalysts for water splitting is of great importance. In this work, NixCo1-xO@C/CdS hybrid is successfully fabricated through an electrostatic interaction of oppositely charged nanoparticles on their surfaces. The resulting NixCo1-xO@C nanoboxes cocatalysts which were derived from NiCo-LDH@ZIF-67 with Ni–Co layered double hydroxides (LDH) decorated with ZIF-67 precursor exhibited improved hydrogen production rate compared with bare CdS semiconductor from 0.7 mmol g−1 h−1 to 56 mmol g−1 h−1. It is demonstrated that the electrostatic interaction between the two surface charged nanoparticles of NixCo1-xO@C and CdS play an important role in migrating and separating of photogenerated charge carriers. The synthesized NixCo1-xO@C as excellent candidates for cost-effective cocatalysts is aimed to substitute for noble metals in photocatalytic H2 evolution.

Through an adaption of the convex integration scheme in the two dimensional case, a result of the h-principle type is presented for the two-dimensional hypoviscous incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. It is shown that the C t 0 L x 2 weak solutions can possess compact temporal supports and thus are not unique in general.

For quasilinear hyperbolic systems with time-periodic boundary conditions possessing a dissipative structure, the existence, uniqueness and stability of the time-periodic classical solutions are proved. Moreover, the feedback boundary control with dissipative structure can stabilize the system around the time-periodic solution, provided that the time-periodic boundary conditions are W 2 , ∞ smooth.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis is a newly developed exquisite methodology for innovative biomolecular detection. Photocathodes made by p-type semiconductors have different photoelectric properties from that of n-type semiconductors-based photoanodes. Due to their obvious advantages and potentials, the integration of PEC bioanalysis and photocathodes has opened almost unlimited possibilities for elegant cathodic PEC bioanalysis. Currently, the impetus for advanced cathodic PEC bioanalysis has grown tremendously as demonstrated by increased research papers. Using illustrative examples, this review discusses specifically on this topic, with the aim to cover the basic concept, major signaling strategies, the state of the art in this field, and the future prospects based on our own opinions.

Hyperuricemia contributes to vascular injury and dysfunction, yet the potential mechanisms are not well understood. Uric acid (UA) has been found to stimulate macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) up-regulation in renal tubules from rats subjected to UA-induced nephropathy. Given that MIF is able to induce vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) de-differentiation (from contractile state to a secretory state), we thus hypothesized that UA-induced vascular injury is via up-regulating of MIF in VSMCs, which enhancing vascular inflammation and VSMC transition. Within a mouse model of UA injection (500 mg/kg, twice/day, 14 days), we measured circulating and vascular MIF levels under UA stimulation at 6 h, day 1, and 14. We tested the efficacy of MIF inhibitor (10 mg/kg, twice/day, 14 days) on UA-induced vascular inflammation and remodeling. High plasma level of UA induced vascular MIF release into the plasma at acute phase. In the chronic phase, the protein level of MIF is up-regulated in the vessels. MIF inhibitor suppressed vascular inflammatory responses, repressed VSMC de-differentiation, and attenuated vascular remodeling and dysfunction following UA stimulation. Knockdown of MIF in cultured VSMCs repressed UA-induced de-differentiation. Our results provided a novel mechanism for MIF-mediated vascular injury in response to UA stimulation, and suggested that anti-MIF interventions may be of therapeutic value in hyperuricemic patients.

Objectives This study aims to propose a novel and effective throat swab collection method for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods The subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The subjects were asked to open their mouth to make “ah” sound (traditional method) or simulate yawn (improved method) for throat swab collection. The usage of tongue depressor, collection time, adverse reactions and subjective discomfort (VAS score) were compared. The collection time, comprehensive indicators of adverse reactions and VAS score were also compared among three collectors. Results The tongue depressor was less used in the improved group (χ2 = 40.186, P < 0.01). The average collection time of the traditional group was 5.44 ± 2.97 and that of the improved group was 4.00 ± 2.31 (P < 0.01). The subjects in the improved group had fewer and milder adverse reactions. The VAS score of subjects in the improved group was lower than that in the traditional group (P < 0.01). Among different collectors, the collection time, comprehensive indicators of adverse reactions and VAS were the same as the overall trend. Conclusion Simulating yawn is a safer and faster throat swab collection method.

Discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (DCFRTP) are promising materials for the fabrication of complex parts. In predicting the mechanical properties of DCFRTP with randomly oriented reinforcement, the application of numerical methods, which employ homogeneous models, is limited because the mesoscopic structural parameters influencing mechanical properties are not adequately represented in the macroscopic numerical model. On the basis of the peridynamic (PD) theory, a new numerical method, which employs a heterogeneous particle model, is proposed in this investigation for the mechanical analysis of DCFRTP. The tensile properties of ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics (UT-CTT) are investigated using this numerical method. The relationship between PD horizon size and characteristic size of UT-CTT is discussed. The effect of model size on the scattering of the tensile properties is analyzed and the influence of interface properties on crack propagation is investigated. A comparison between PD simulations and experimental results indicated a good agreement.

It was widely accepted that pristine CdS showed weak photocatalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) because of its poor photogenerated carriers separation and transfer efficiency. Yet the influence of conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB) redox potentials on its photocatalytic reduction reaction efficiency was often neglected, especially the VB potential. Considering the above facts, in this work, we design a highly efficient carbon quantum dots (CQDs)/Zn2+ ions doped-CdS nanowires (ZnCdS NWs) composite photocatalysts, where CQDs were acted as metal-free co-catalysts to promote the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers and Zn2+ ions doping was used to adjust the redox of CdS NWs. As a result, under visible light irradiation, 4-NA could be completely converted to PPD with near 100% selectivity over the as-synthesized CQDs/ZnCdS NWs within 6 min in the presence of ammonium formate. It was found that Zn2+ ions doping increased VB potential of CdS rather than lowering its CB potential, which was responsible for its enhanced photocatalytic activity. The present strategy on the combination of co-catalyst and energy band engineering could open a new avenue to develop highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for green organic synthesis.

Public interest in complementary and alternative medicine has been increased worldwide, due to its wide applications in cancer prevention and treatment. Cordycepin is one of the most common and crucial types of complementary and alternative medicine. Cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine), a derivative of adenosine, was first isolated from medicine drug Cordyceps militaris. Cordycepin has been widely used as one compound for antitumor, which has been found to exert antiangiogenic, anti-metastatic, and antiproliferative effects, as well as inducing apoptosis. However, the mechanism of its anti-tumor activity is not well known. This review will clarify anti-tumor mechanisms of Cordycepin, which regulate signaling pathways related with tumor growth and metastasis. Cordycepin inhibit tumor growth via upregulating tumor apoptosis, inducing cell cycle arrest and targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cordycepin regulates tumor microenvironment via suppressing tumor metastasis-related pathways. Thus, Cordycepins may be one of important supplement or substitute medicine drug for cancer treatment. Keywords: Cordycepin, Anti-tumor, Anti-metastasis

Moderate dehydrofluorinated PVDF (MD PVDF) composed of polyene and untreated PVDF was produced by elimination reaction in polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and KOH aqueous solution. Dielectric films of MD PVDF were fabricated by solution casting method to study the energy density performance of the polymer. The energy density of MD PVDF was enhanced and the maximum energy density was 10.5 J/cm3 at 450 kV/mm with an efficiency of 46%. The enhanced energy density was attributed to combined effects of high conductivity of polyene and charges blockage of untreated PVDF. This work may provide a new way to enhance the energy density performance of polymer dielectrics by moderate dehydrofluorination.

Compared to the single emission intensity based sensors, the ratiometric fluorescence assay has achieved improved sensitivity and accuracy by providing built-in correction. However, the dual signals on and ratiometric methods have rarely been reported. Here, a novel strategy for constructing dual fluorescence signals on and ratiometric mercury sensing system is proposed using two kinds of fluorescence dyes (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and N-methylmesoporphyrin IX (NMM)) and two DNA sequences with both thymine (T)-rich and guanine (G)-rich at two ends. In the presence of Hg2+, T-rich segments cooperatively coordinate with Hg2+ due to the specific and strong affinity between T–T mismatched base pairs and Hg2+, which causes the formation of the split G-quadruplex by two G-rich segments at the other ends. So, both the fluorescent dyes of DAPI and NMM selectively intercalate into dsDNA and G-quadruplex DNA separately, and their fluorescence at 455 nm and 610 nm were enhanced accordingly. Under the experimental conditions employed here, the ratiometric signal was proportional to the Hg2+ concentrations from 0.05 to 3 μM. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be 8 nM based on 3s/m rule. The Hg2+ concentration in FCS has been successfully determined, further demonstrating the potential utility of the novel system.

TiO2 with exposed (001) facets were composited with CdS nanorods to construct 2D/1D heterojunction. As comparison, P25 with mainly exposed (101) facets were employed to combine with CdS nanorods. The 2D/1D heterojunction of TiO2 nanosheets and CdS nanorod displayed 3.7 times higher hydrogen generation than that of P25/CdS composites. The results indicated that TiO2 with exposed (001) facets were favorable for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of CdS via optimizing the heterojunction between TiO2 and CdS. Photoluminescence and photoelectrochemical characteristics results demonstrated that the 2D-TiO2/1D-CdS heterojunction exhibits higher separation efficiency of photoinduced carriers and superior electron transfer ability. This work exemplifies that heterojunction modification is an effective strategy to improve the efficiency of the photocatalyst composites.

A simple oligonucleotide-based label-free turn-on fluorescent Hg 2+ sensor depending on the transformation of the random single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) into a G-quadruplex/double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) assemble has been developed. The proposed sensor combines the advantages of the huge enhancement of Thioflavin T binding to G-quadruplex/dsDNA assemble and high selectivity of the thymine (T)-T mismatched base pairs to Hg 2+ . In the presence of Hg 2+ , the two separated ssDNA prefer to form a metal-dsDNA complex, which results in the two G-rich segments connecting to each other and forming a split G-quadruplex complex. First, the reporter ThT bind to the G-quadruplex and then intercalate to dsDNA, resulting in remarkable fluorescence enhancement (∼16-fold). The sensor affords a high sensitivity for Hg 2+ , with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 10 nM based on a calculation of 3σ/slope. The main features of the proposed sensor include: (1) Simple design and easy operation, (2) the proposed sensor displays high sensitivity and lower limit of detection for Hg 2+ . (3) Environmental friendly and being used for assessing Hg 2+ levels in fetal calf serum (FCS) with satisfactory results.

A novel strategy was proposed for the construction of photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing platform based on multifunctional photosensitizer which can simultaneously achieve photo-sensitization, target-recognition and interface conjugation. Herein, N3 dye, bis(4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyrid ine) dithiocyanato ruthenium (II), was employed as a model multifunctional molecule and covalently tethered on amino-functionalized TiO2 nanowires. The obtained photoanode can produce a sensitive photocurrent response towards Hg2+ under visible illumination (∼540 nm). The decrease in photocurrent can be attributed the larger HOMO-LUMO gap, the higher LUMO energy level and the reduced electron cloud density of N3–Hg2+ complex compared with the free N3 dye, which is demonstrated by DFT calculations. Under optimized conditions, the PEC assay displayed a linear dynamic range of 0.5–50 μM for Hg2+ with a detection limit of 0.13 nM. Moreover, the long-term stability of the PEC sensor was achieved due to the covalent conjugation of the photosensitizer to the TiO2 nanowire. The proposed sensing strategy, by utilizing the multifunctional molecule photosensitizers for direct responding to targets, presents a novel methodology for the development of high performance PEC sensors in future.

Quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D)nickel nanostructures were prepared by a facial wet chemical process, and then the nickel chains/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites were fabricated using the hot-molding procedure. Both the complex permittivity and permeability of the Ni/PVDF composites could be artificially adjusted by changing the nickel proportions, which contribute to enhancing the microwave absorption. An excellent reflection loss (RL) of −42.08 dB at 7.4 GHz with a low filler loading(20 wt%)and effective bandwidth (RL

This paper considers the Cauchy problem for the quasilinear hyperbolic system of balance laws in R d , d ≥ 2 . The system is partially dissipative in the sense that there is an eigen-family violating the Kawashima condition. By imposing certain supplementary degeneracy conditions with respect to the non-dissipative eigen-family, global unique smooth solutions near constant equilibria are constructed. The proof is based on the introduction of the partially normalized coordinates, a delicate structural analysis, a family of scaled energy estimates with minimum fractional derivative counts and a refined decay estimates of the dissipative components of the solution.

The NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain–containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. The activated NLRP3 inflammasome has been reported to promote macrophage foam cell formation, but not all studies have obtained the same result, and how NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in the formation of foam cells remains elusive. We used selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors and NLRP3-deficient THP-1 cells to assess the effect of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition on macrophage foam cell formation, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) uptake, esterification, and cholesterol efflux, as well as the expression of associated proteins. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuated foam cell formation, diminished ox-LDL uptake, and promoted cholesterol efflux from THP-1 macrophages. Moreover, it downregulated CD36, acyl coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase-1 and neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase expression; upregulated ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) expression; but had no effect on the expression of scavenger receptor class A and ATP-binding cassette transporter G1. Collectively, our findings show that inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome decreases foam cell formation of THP-1 macrophages via suppression of ox-LDL uptake and enhancement of cholesterol efflux, which may be due to downregulation of CD36 expression and upregulation of ABCA1 and SR-BI expression, respectively.

A new polyoxometalate (POM)-based inorganic–organic hybrid, [Ag4(SiMo12O40)(HBTA)8]·8H2O (1), constructed from the Keggin-type polyoxomolybdates and benzotriazole (HBTA) ligands linked by two dinuclear silver(I) clusters has been obtained and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and IR spectrum. In 1, a pair of parallel Ag2(HBTA)4 units fixed to the central [SiMo12O40]4− stick out like a barbell to support the whole structure. These clusters are extended into the wave-like layers by the strong π–π stacking interactions and hydrogen bonds. The 2D layers are further extended into a 3D supramolecular structure by means of hydrogen bonds (C4–H4⋯O10) between the nitrogen atoms of the HBTA ligands and the oxygen atoms of [SiMo12O40]4− anions. Luminescence property of 1 in CH3CN solution has been investigated. In addition, 1-CPE possesses good electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of KNO2, H2O2 and KBrO3.

Aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have regarded as promising secondary chemical battery system because of the excellent safety, low cost and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, it is still a great challenge to exploit suitable cathode materials for the insertion of zinc ions. The vanadium oxides-based materials are regarded as hopeful cathode materials of AZIBs because of their various coordination numbers and oxidation states. Especially, the hydrated, monovalent (divalent)-cations co-preinserted vanadium oxides show more excellent electrochemical performance because of the enlarged interlayer space. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the energy storage mechanisms and research development of various efficient ways to improve electrochemical performance for vanadium oxides-based compounds is presented. Finally, some insights into the future developments, challenges, and prospects of vanadium oxides-based compounds for AZIBs are proposed. This review illustrates electrochemical reaction mechanism of vanadium oxides-based compounds for AZIBs, and benefits the discovery of new AZIBs cathode materials, gives a novel viewpoint to shed light on the future innovation in vanadium oxides-based cathode materials, then facilitates the fast development and large-scale applications of AZIBs. The article will provide useful guidance for future design and construction of high-performance cathode materials for AZIBs.

Entropy weak solutions with bounded periodic initial data are considered for the system of weakly nonlinear gas dynamics. Through a modified Glimm scheme, an approximate solution sequence is constructed, and then a priori estimates are provided with the methods of approximate characteristics and approximate conservation laws, which gives not only the existence and uniqueness but also the uniform total variation bounds for the entropy solutions.

A new naphthalimide-based probe was designed and synthesized for the rationmetric detection of hydrazine. The probe is designed in such a way that the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) of the 4-hydroxynaphthalimide was masked by the 4-bromobutyrate moiety, and the selective deprotection of the 4-bromobutyrate group of the probe by hydrazine through a substitution-cyclisation-elimination process results in the recovery of the ICT of 4-hydroxynaphthalimide. Thus the probe can realize both colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of hydrazine in a ratiometric manner. The probe is highly selective toward hydrazine over other abundant interferences. The LOD (limit of detection) of the probe for N 2 H 4 was calculated to be 0.27 μM which is well below the safety level (10 ppb, 0.31 μM) set by EPA. Notable, the probe loaded thin-layer-chromatography (TLC) plate could be successfully used to detect gaseous hydrazine. Moreover, the cell imaging studies demonstrated that the probe can be exploited to detect hydrazine in biological systems.

Graphene/Ca 2 Ge 7 O 16 nanofibers composite (GCNF) was synthesized by a facile in situ hydrothermal process. In the composite, Ca 2 Ge 7 O 16 nanofibers (CNF) were enwrapped by the highly conductive graphene sheets. As anode material for lithium ion batteries, at the current density of 0.6 mA cm −2 , the GCNF electrode delivered a reversible charge capacity of 602 mA h g −1 , with a capacity retention of 99% after 100 cycles. When the current density was increased to 3, 6 and 15 mA cm −2 , the electrode still delivered 517, 414 and 354 mA h g −1 , respectively. The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to synergistic effect between graphene and CNF, which improve the structural stability and the electronic conductivity of the composite.

In this work, via a facile solvothermal route, we synthesized an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs)—SnS 2 nanoparticle/graphene (SnS 2 NP/GNs) nanocomposite. The nanocomposite consists of SnS 2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 4 nm and graphene nanosheets without restacking. The SnS 2 nanoparticles are firmly anchored on the graphene nanosheets. As an anode material for LIBs, the nanocomposite exhibits good Li storage performance especially high rate performance. At the high current rate of 5, 10, and 20 A/g, the nanocomposite delivered high capacities of 525, 443, and 378 mAh/g, respectively. The good conductivity of the graphene nanosheets and the small particle size of SnS 2 contribute to the electrochemical performance of SnS 2 NP/GNs.

Inorganic perovskite oxide photosensitizer have shown versatile practical applications, owing to fruitful chemistries of photoelectric materials. This work reports a straightforward and general protocol via the use of Co/Ba co-doped KNbO3 (KBCNO) photosensitizer coupled with TiO2 nanorods to boost photoelectricity property. In the representative system, KBCNO with different doping concentrations and TiO2 nanorods were used as photosensitizer and electron transfer layer, respectively. The synthetic process implicated that KBCNO with various concentration prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique and TiO2 nanorods were used as an active optical absorption layer and electrode, and the specific physicochemical, optical characterization and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance were all discussed in detail in the detection of the obtained photoelectrodes. This work is also an effective extension of previous studies on the category of inorganic perovskite oxide photosensitizers, which has not been reported by other research group. Given that KNbO3-based compounds can be easily obtained in abundance and variety, this work enjoys great advantages in PEC performance of numerous other inorganic perovskite oxide photosensitizer.

CoNiO2 nanosheets were prepared by a simple hydrothermal process, and then the spherical CoNiO2@C micro-nano structures composed of nanoparticles were designed by morphology reshaping for the first time. The results show that the carbon coating changes the morphology of CoNiO2, and the CoNiO2@C composite shows porous microsphere structure consisted of nanoparticles. The porous structure combined with highly conductive carbon shell indicates an improved electronic conductivity and charge transfer. The carbon shell decreases the charge-transfer resistance of CoNiO2, and thus enhances the kinetic performances. The pristine CoNiO2 and CoNiO2@C (3, 5, and 10 wt%) composites deliver charge/discharge capacities of 511.7/526.9, 811.3/826.3, 997.1/1013.1, and 1216.1/1241.8 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 after 200 cycles, respectively. The carbon coating improves the reversible capacity, rate capability, and cycle performance of CoNiO2, especially at high rates. The improved rate performance, excellent cycle performance, and high kinetic performances are ascribed to the elaborate design of architecture and composition. Hence, such porous CoNiO2@C microsphere consisted of nanoparticles can be regarded as promising candidates as anode materials for lithium-ion battery.

Autoimmune disorders are the third most common diseases in the United States, and affect the daily lives of millions of people. In this study, we analyzed patient samples, utilized a transgenic mouse model and human B cells to reveal Natural Killer Cell Transcript 4 (NK4) as a novel regulator that promotes the development of autoimmune disorders. NK4 was significantly elevated in samples from patients with Sjӧgren's Syndrome (SS). SS patients show elevated NK4 levels. There is a strong and positive correlation between the increased levels of NK4 and the duration of SS. Interestingly, transgenic expression of NK4 in a mouse model led to the development of autoantibodies and lymphocytic infiltration in salivary glands similar to those in SS patients. Those phenotypes were associated with increased B1a cells in the peritoneum, plasma cells in the spleen, and increased IgM, IgA, and IgG2a in serum of the NK4 transgenic mice. The autoimmune phenotypes became more severe in older mice. Moreover, after NK4 transfection, human naïve B cells were activated and memory B cells differentiation into IgG and IgA-plasmablasts, resulting in an increased production of autoantibodies.NK4 regulated the differentiation and activation of B cells through activating Rap1 activity. NK4 also promoted B cell migration in a paracrine fashion through an induction of CXCL13 in endothelial cells. Collectively, these findings identify NK4 as a promoter of the development of autoimmune disorders through its roles on B cells. Therefore, NK4 may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) have recently emerged as attractive biosensor materials due to their flexible components, high tailorable properties and unique luminescence features. In this work, we designed a smart LCP probe of Tb-CIP/AMP {(CIP, ciprofloxacin) (AMP, adenosine monophosphate)} for Hg 2+ detection by using lanthanide ions as metal nodes, CIP as ligand molecule, and AMP as bridging linker and recognition unit. Tb-CIP/AMP emits strong green luminescence due to the inclusion of AMP, which withdraws the coordinated water molecules and shields Tb 3+ from the quenching effect of O–H vibration in water molecules. The subsequent addition of Hg 2+ into Tb-CIP/AMP can strongly quench the fluorescence because of the specific coordination interaction between AMP and Hg 2+ . As a kind of Hg 2+ nanosensor, the probe exhibited excellent selectivity for Hg 2+ and high sensitivity with detection limit of 0.16 nM. In addition, the probe has long fluorescence lifetime up to millisecond and has been applied to detect Hg 2+ in drinking water and human urine samples with satisfactory results. We envision that our strategy, in the future, could be extended to the designation of other LCP-based hypersensitive time-gated luminescence assays in biological media and biomedical imaging.

Catalytic reduction of CO2 is usually accompanied by competitive H2 evolution. However, the selectivity between CO2 reduction and H2 evolution is not completely understood hitherto. Here ZnS is chosen as the model catalyst to study this and are prepared by hydrothermal treatment of ZnS(en)0.5 precursor. ZnS nanoparticles exhibit high production yield of solar fuels due to the formation of internal Sphalerite-Wurtzite phase junction within a single particle. The predominant product of H2 can reach a yield as high as 31.5 mmol/g-cat after 4-h reaction, meanwhile with a high CO yield of 279.3 μmol/g-cat. The mechanism is proposed from both dynamic (adsorption/desorption of reactants/products) and thermodynamic (redox potential, change in Gibbs free energy of key intermediates) point of view. This work not only provides useful information on the reaction selectivity between CO2 reduction and H2 evolution, but also pave a way to adjust the yield of a specific product upon photocatalysis.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small proteins with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities, and could kill a variety of pathogens. In this study, 50 mg/kg (G1 group), 100 mg/kg (G2), and 200 mg/kg (G3) of AMPs were added to the basal diet (0 mg/kg AMPs, G0 group) of the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). After feeding for 60 days, the growth performance, muscle composition, the activities of antioxidase immune-related enzymes and digestive enzymes, and intestinal morphology of M. salmoides were measured. The results showed that the final weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate were significantly higher in the G3 group than in the control group (G0) (p < 0.05). The crude protein of muscle in G3 group was significantly higher than in G0 group (p

Metal-organic coordination polymers have emerged as attractive functional materials due to their tunable structures and unique properties. In this work, by the self-assembly of citrate (Cit) and lanthanide ions, we developed lanthanide coordination polymer nanoparticles (LCPNPs), Cit/Tb, for fluorescence sensing of guanosine-5-monophosphate (GMP). The LCPNP-based Cit/Tb sensor alone displayed weak luminescence, however, the addition of GMP to Cit/Tb led to the formation of a ternary LCPNP, Cit/Tb-GMP, with a significantly enhanced luminescence (15-fold) owing to the intramolecular energy transfer from GMP to Cit/Tb and the hydrophobic environment in the polymer interior. This luminescence turn-on assay exhibited excellent selectivity and high sensitivity for GMP with detection limit of 100 nmol L−1. Furthermore, the Cit/Tb LCPNP possesses a long luminescence lifetime of up to a millisecond, which is important for detecting GMP in complicated samples of infant formula and ham by time-resolved fluorimetry. We believe that the presented Cit-based nanosensor would inspire the development of various new LCPNP-based fluorescent assays by utilizing Cit or other water-soluble, non-toxic organic ligands for a variety of applications in fluorescence sensing, bio-imaging, drug delivery and so on.

The accumulative roll bonding process was carried out to produce multilayered Ti/Al/Nb composites up to four cycles. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy electron backscattered diffraction and nanoindentation were employed to investigate the microstructural and texture evolution. A homogenous distribution of Ti/Nb necking layers in Al matrix was achieved after four ARB cycles. Grain refinement was observed to increase with increasing number of ARB cycles. The fraction of high-angle grain boundaries as also increased. Strong recrystallization texture appeared for high number of ARB cycles due to the adiabatic heat that occurs during ARB processing. The shear band at the Ti/Al interface reduced the intensity of the cold rolling fiber textures of Al. There was no evidence of shear component from the orientation distribution function results.

Hierarchical SnO2 nanoflowers assembled by atomic thickness nanosheets were prepared by facile one-pot solvothermal method with acetone/water mixture as solvent. The crystal structure, morphology and the microstructure of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM). Results revealed that the nanoflowers (2–4 μm) were assembled by the ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets (3.1 nm estimated by AFM). When tested as anode material for lithium ion batteries, the SnO2 nanoflowers showed improved cycling stability comparing with the commercial SnO2 particles. The reversible charge capacity of SnO2 nanoflowers maintained 350.7 mAh/g after 30 cycles, while that of the commercial SnO2 was only 112.2 mAh/g. The high reversible capacity and good cycling stability could be ascribed to the hierarchical nanostructure, atomic thickness nanosheets and large surface area of the SnO2 nanoflowers.

Nickel hydroxide/hydroxyapatite (designated as Ni(OH) 2 /HAP) nanorods have been designed and synthesized by hydrothermal method. The size and morphology of Ni(OH) 2 /HAP sample depend strongly on the reaction condition, and introduction of small amount of Ni 2+ ions would be propitious to get the smaller size nanorods. By taking advantage of the high affinity of Ni 2+ ions toward histidine-tagged (His-tagged) proteins, the Ni(OH) 2 /HAP nanorods can be used to enrich and separate His-tagged proteins directly from a mixture of lysed cells, and their universality was evaluated by separating three kinds of His-tagged proteins. The Ni(OH) 2 /HAP nanorods present negligible nonspecific protein adsorption and high protein binding ability, and their specificity and affinity toward His-tagged proteins can be remained after 4 times recycling. The Ni(OH) 2 /HAP nanorods may provide many potential applications for the detection or separation of different biomolecules.