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Pectus excavatum is not rare in China. Many treatments for this disease have proved to have many shortcomings. Nuss procedure has been a ground-breaking technology, but it also has some disadvantages. Hence, this study was conducted to review our experience in the use of modified Nuss procedure in our hospital.Data from 259 patients suffered from pectus excavatum between August 2020 and August 2021 who were treated with modified Nuss procedure was analyzed retrospectively.Age was from 3 to 37 years. The average was 15.54 years. The male was 213 cases and the female was 46 cases. The time patients or their family members found pectus excavatum varied. 10 cases had been repaired previously when patients were admitted in our hospital. The clinical symptoms also varied. Each case had an improvement in Haller index. The average of the postoperative hospitalization was 3.97 days. Most cases were inserted 1 bar. Complication rate was also very low. All patients or their parents or their guardians were satisfied with the appearance of the chest wall after operation. There was no death in the whole observation period.From our experience, this modified Nuss procedure have obtained optimistic outcomes with more minimal invasion and low complication rate. This surgical method may be applied to many other hospitals in the future.

Ammonia (NH3) is mainly produced through the traditional Haber–Bosch process under harsh conditions with huge energy consumption and massive carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. The nitrogen electroreduction reaction (NERR), as an energy-efficient and environment-friendly process of converting nitrogen (N2) to NH3 under ambient conditions, has been regarded as a promising alternative to the Haber–Bosch process and has received enormous interest in recent years. Although some exciting progress has been made, considerable scientific and technical challenges still exist in improving the NH3 yield rate and Faradic efficiency, understanding the mechanism of the reaction and promoting the wide commercialization of NERR. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as promising catalysts because of their atomically dispersed activity sites and maximized atom efficiency, unsaturated coordination environment, and unique electronic structure, which could significantly improve the rate of reaction and yield rate of NH3. In this review, we briefly introduce the unique structural and electronic features of SACs, which contributes to comprehensively understand the reaction mechanism owing to their structural simplicity and diversity, and in turn, expedite the rational design of fantastic catalysts at the atomic scale. Then, we summarize the most recent experimental and computational efforts on developing novel SACs with excellent NERR performance, including precious metal-, nonprecious metal- and nonmetal-based SACs. Finally, we present challenges and perspectives of SACs on NERR, as well as some potential means for advanced NERR catalyst.

Solid state dewetting (SSD) of thin-film can trigger morphology evolution from continuous film to isolated nanostructures over percolation threshold. However, the Au thin-film fabricated by low-degree SSD, namely Au network nanostructures, showed a wider plasmon absorption over visible and mid-infrared region as compared to the fully-developed nanoparticles. The optical properties of Au networks is systematically investigated by assistant of finite difference-time domain (FDTD) analysis in terms of E-field distribution and extinction efficiency. It is shown that the semi-manufactured irregular nanostructure possess strong plasmon resonance even at the wavelength up to 1900 nm. The monochromic plasmon responds of corresponding low-developed and high-developed samples are examined by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy with 532 nm laser excitation. And for polychromic light, solar simulator was employed to evaluate the photocurrent performance of TiOx / Au network hybrid film. The results suggest the Au network have large potentials to be utilized under polychromic LSPR excitation scenes such as solar irradiation to improve the photoelectric properties.

We assessed the impact of changes in body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), and waist circumference (WC) on prediabetes among Chinese middle-aged and elderly adults.2.5-year changes in BMI, BF%, and WC were calculated by subtracting baseline levels from follow-up, based on a cohort of 3,632 participants with prediabetes, and outcomes were defined as remission to normal glucose regulation (NGR), persistence in prediabetes, and progression to newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (NDM).Among participants with prediabetes, 16.9% returned to NGR and 24.6% progressed to NDM. Changes in BMI, BF%, but not WC were associated with remission and progression of prediabetes (risk ratio per standard deviation increase of BMI: 0.86 [0.79-0.93] and 1.15 [1.08-1.23]; BF%: 0.91 [0.84-0.98] and 1.11 [1.03-1.19]). Among participants with combined impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), only BF% change was significantly associated with remission of prediabetes.Short-term management of BMI and BF% should be stressed to promote the remission and prevent the progression of prediabetes, regardless of whether someone is obese. Moreover, it is of particular clinical importance to monitor BF% among people with combined IFG and IGT.

Recent years have witnessed a rapid development of the fluorescent carbon dots (CDs), due to their distinctive advantages of straightforward synthesis, excellent biocompatibility, low cost, and tunable optical properties. However, the widespread applications of CDs in biomedical theranostics, light harvesting, and photocatalysis are limited by the lack of emission and/or excitation in the red/near-infrared (NIR) region. Extensive explorations have been conducted to synthesize CDs with intensive red/NIR emission/excitation (red CDs) by rational design and ingenious synthesis to broaden their applications. This review emphasizes the most recent efforts in the development of CDs with intensive emission at a long wavelength, with a focus on the regulation methods for the optical properties of CDs, including particle size, surface state, and heteroatom doping. Key factors in processing red CDs, such as reaction solvent and precursors, are demonstrated. More importantly, employing polyaromatic and dye molecules as carbon sources is highlighted, which could further expand emission/excitation to the NIR region. The boosting applications of red CDs in white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs), biosensing, bioimaging, theranostics, and photocatalysis are demonstrated. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of red CDs are also discussed.

Rainfall interception and other hydrologic processes affected by the forest litter layer are usually related to litter characteristics and rainfall conditions, with limited studies that consider the influence of slope. To simulate the hydrological functions of the litter layer at different slope gradients, artificial rainfall experiments were conducted at four rainfall intensities (from 30 to 120 mm hr−1) in horizontal and inclined trays (with the slope of 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°) with litter of Pinus tabuliformis or Quercus variabilis. The results indicated that (1) the dynamic process of litter interception had 3 phases: a rapid intercepted phase within the first 5 min, a moderate intercepted phase and a post-rainfall drainage phase; (2) the maximum interception storage (Cmax) and the minimum interception storage (Cmin) of Q. variabilis were larger than those of P. tabuliformis; (3) Cmax and Cmin were correlated with slope for both types of litter, whereas only Cmax was correlated with rainfall intensity; and (4) lateral flow amount significantly increased with both slope gradient and rainfall intensity only for Quercus variabilis, whereas drainage volume showed significant correlation with rainfall intensity. Moreover, the ratio of lateral runoff and drainage was affected by slope gradient whereas percentage of litter interception had a good relationship with rainfall intensity, rather than slope, with litter interception and drainage contributing the smallest and the largest proportions, respectively. Overall, the results demonstrate the effect of rainfall and slope factors on hydrological processes in the forest litter layer.

Carbon dots with both red-emission and red-excitation (R-CDs) have attracted much attention due to their excellent optical property and promising application in various fields. However, most carbon dots (CDs) with red-emission are only excited with short wavelength irradiation, which heavily hinders their further applications. Herein, novel R-CDs are obtained through a hydrothermal synthesis by using p-phenylenediamine and ammonium thiocyanate as precursors. The as-synthesized R-CDs exhibit a strong red emission at 618 nm at a long excitation (598 nm). Moreover, the R-CDs are explored as a selective and sensitive “turn-off” sensor for Sn2+ detection by the non-radiative recombination of the excitons through effective electron, charge or energy transfer between Sn2+ and surface functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, amine, thiophene, and S O, with a detection range from 0 to 90 μM and a detection limit of as low as 17.25 nM.

A series of tests under uniform and non-uniform airflow conditions were conducted to study the influence of airflow form on the heat transfer capacity of a parallel-flow heat exchanger (PFHX) used as a vehicle radiator. A numerical model of the heat exchanger (HX) based on the principle of internal pressure balance (PIPB) and the method of effectiveness-NTU was proposed, which included the coupled relation between internal fluid distribution and outside airflow distribution. A movable multi-propeller-based device was used to measure the air velocity distribution of the HX in bench test as well as in vehicle wind tunnel test to validate the numerical model. Besides the mean air velocity and the non-uniformity of airflow distribution, the matching degree of the fluid distributions of the two sides (M) was first taken into consideration to investigate the thermal performance of the HX in uneven airflow. It was found that, under the same mean air velocity and non-uniformity, better matching degree of the two side fluid distribution resulted in smaller performance deterioration. Airflow with low mass flow rate and better matching degree of flow distributions could even improve the heat exchanger performance, especially for the HX with small aspect ratios. The results of vehicle wind tunnel test further proved the effectiveness of the method in this work to predict the performance of the HX under realistic uneven airflow.

DNA-based high-performance rare-earth materials were synthesized for the first time to enhance the near-infrared fluorescence of Yb3+ and to provide a sensory response to Cu2+ and Fe3+. Yb3+, TTA, phen and DNA were coordinated in an ethanol solution. The mixture produced a stable DNA material under the action of stirring and ultrasound. By changing the ratio, the morphology and luminous properties of the product were controlled. The addition of DNA increased the luminescent intensity of Yb3+ complexes three folds. Earlier reports investigated Yb3+ complexes fluorescence in the visible range or reported weak near-infrared emission. The rare-earth materials we synthesized herein have significantly increased near-infrared fluorescence intensity of Yb3+, and significantly improved biocompatibility. Potential applications for DNA-coordinated Yb3+ complexes include the detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+ in vitro and in vivo, taking advantage of good penetration of IR through human tissue in the window 950 nm to 1050 nm.

All available phase diagram data for the (Ce + Mg + Zn) system were critically assessed. In-situ neutron diffraction (ND) experiments were performed on selected samples to identify phases and transition temperatures. A critical thermodynamic evaluation and optimization of the (Ce + Mg + Zn) system were carried out and model parameters for the thermodynamic properties of all phases were obtained. The phase transformation behaviour of selected samples was well resolved from the ND experiments and experimental data were used to refine the thermodynamic model parameters.

All available phase diagram data for the La–Mg–Zn, Pr–Mg–Zn and Sm–Mg–Zn systems have been collected and critically assessed. Critical thermodynamic evaluations and optimizations of the La–Mg–Zn, Pr–Mg–Zn and Sm–Mg–Zn systems were carried out and model parameters for the thermodynamic properties of all phases have been obtained.

All available phase diagram data for the Y–Mg–Zn, Gd–Mg–Zn, Tb–Mg–Zn, Dy–Mg–Zn, Ho–Mg–Zn, Er–Mg–Zn, Tm–Mg–Zn and Lu–Mg-Zn systems have been collected and critically assessed. Critical thermodynamic evaluations and optimizations of these heavier-RE–Mg–Zn systems were carried out and model parameters for the thermodynamic properties of all phases have been obtained.

All available phase diagram and thermodynamic data for the Y–Zn, Eu–Zn, Gd–Zn, Tb–Zn, Dy–Zn, Ho–Zn, Er–Zn, Tm–Zn, Yb–Zn and Lu–Zn systems have been collected and critically assessed. Optimized model parameters for the thermodynamic properties of all phases have been obtained. Trends in the properties of the rare earth (RE)–Zn systems as one traverses the rare earth series have been exploited for purposes of estimating missing data and for checking existing data for consistency.

All available phase diagram and thermodynamic data for the Sc–Zn, La–Zn, Ce–Zn, Pr–Zn, Nd–Zn, Pm–Zn and Sm–Zn systems have been collected and critically assessed. Optimized model parameters for the thermodynamic properties of all phases have been obtained. Trends in the properties of the rare earth (RE)–Zn systems as one traverses the rare earth series have been exploited for purposes of estimating missing data and for checking existing data for consistency.

Hybrid metal-oxide (MO)/metal nanostructures (MNSs) have been appealing in widespread optoelectronic devices due to their strong and tunable plasmonic activity encompassing selective scattering and absorption of wavelength depending upon the surface morphology and surrounding dielectric environment. In this paper, the various MO/Au NSs hybrid thin-films are fabricated via the solid-state-dewetting growth of Au NSs and sol-gel deposition of MO top-layers including ZrOx, CeOx, YOx and AlOx. Over 450% enhancements in maximum absorption are observed along with the peak redshift of 168 nm for the series of MO/Au NS films. The overall plasmonic properties undergo three regimes by the systematical control of film morphology: (I) Rapid enhancement, (II) Slow enhancement and (III) Decay. The optical evolution is correspondingly investigated with the assistant of finite-different time-domain (FDTD) calculation. This work may give an aid to the photo-electronic applications, such as photovoltaics, sensing and surface enhanced Raman scattering, based on hybrid MNSs especially on control of their plasmonic properties.

Herein, a double-stranded (ds) DNA microarray-based resonance light scattering (RLS) assay with multifunctional gold nanoparticle (GNP) probes has been developed for studying restriction endonuclease functionality and inhibition. Because of decreasing significantly melting temperature, the enzyme-cleaved dsDNAs easily unwind to form single-stranded (ss) DNAs. The ssDNAs are hybridized with multiplex complementary ssDNAs functionalized GNP probes followed by silver enhancement and RLS detection. Three restriction endonucleases (EcoRI, BamHI and EcoRV) and three potential inhibitors (doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), ethidium bromide (EB) and an EcoRI-derived helical peptide (α4)) were selected to demonstrate capability of the assay. Enzyme activities of restriction endonucleases are detected simultaneously with high specificity down to the limits of 2.0×10 −2 U/mL for EcoRI, 1.1×10 −2 U/mL for BamHI and 1.6×10 −2 U/mL for EcoRV, respectively. More importantly, the inhibitory potencies of three inhibitors are showed quantitatively, indicating that our approach has great promise for high-throughput screening of restriction endonuclease inhibitors.

A comparative study on bimetallic alloy nanomaterials, with different dimensions (i.e., 1D nanowires and 3D nanosponges), of peroxidase mimetics and as enhanced catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction was performed. The synthesized PdPt nanosponges possessed much better oxidase and peroxidase mimetics than those of PdPt nanowires. In addition, nanosponges exhibited more advantageous onset potential and higher ORR specific activity, while nanowires presented higher limiting current density. Keywords: PdPt alloy, Dimensions, Peroxidase mimetics, ORR

In order to ascertain the reaction type for the degenerated equilibrium among liquid, (Al) and NbAl 3 , differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements with heating and cooling rates of 2, 5 and 10 K/min are performed for the annealed pure Al and Al 0.97 Nb 0.03 (atomic fraction) samples. The degenerated equilibrium is identified to be a peritectic one by extrapolating the heating rates to 0 K/min. A set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters for the Al–Nb system is then obtained by means of the calculation of phase diagram (CALPHAD) approach applied to the experimental phase diagram and thermodynamic data from the literature and the present work. The calculated phase diagram and thermodynamic properties agree well with the corresponding experimental ones. The unusual feature associated with the previous modeling ( i.e ., the appearance of ordered Bcc_B2 phase at low temperatures) is avoided in the present modeling.

A consistent thermodynamic data set for the Al–Fe–Si system over the entire composition and temperature ranges is obtained by using CALPHAD approach applied to predominant literature data, supplemented with the present experimental data resulting from X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, electron probe microanalysis, and enthalpy measurements of decisive alloys. Numerous comparisons between the calculated and measured phase diagrams as well as thermodynamic quantities indicate that almost all of the reliable experimental information is satisfactorily accounted for by the present thermodynamic modeling. The inconsistency between the measured and computed enthalpies of formation via CALPHAD method for the ternary compounds is traced to the Fe–Si system in which there is a disagreement between the experimental enthalpy of formation and CALPHAD type one. The reliability of calculated thermodynamic properties for ternary phases is verified through enthalpy measurement employing drop calorimetry. A hybrid approach of CALPHAD method and key experiment to acquire a thermodynamic description of a complex ternary system is recommended.

The binary Ce–Mn system is investigated via key experiments and thermodynamic modeling. The phase diagram data available in the literature are critically reviewed. Four key alloys are prepared by arc melting the pure elements, annealed at 600 °C for 8 days and then subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for phase identification and to differential thermal analysis (DTA) for measurement of phase transition temperatures. The thermodynamic optimization of the Ce–Mn system is performed by considering the experimental data from the literature and the present work. A consistent thermodynamic data set for the Ce–Mn system is obtained by optimization of the selected experimental data. The calculated phase diagram agrees well with the experimental data.