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Photoassisted electrochemical reaction is regarded as an effective approach to reduce the overpotential of lithium-oxygen (Li-O

The photoassisted lithium-oxygen (Li-O

Mangrove-derived actinobacteria strains are well-known for producing novel secondary metabolites. The polycyclic tetramate macrolactam (PTM), ikarugamycin (IKA) isolated from Streptomyces xiamenensis 318, exhibits antiproliferative activities against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in vitro. However, the protein target for bioactive IKA is unclear. In this study, whole transcriptome-based profiling revealed that the glycolysis pathway is significantly affected by IKA. Metabolomic studies demonstrated that IKA treatment induces a significant drop in glucose-6-phosphate and a slight increase in intracellular glucose level. Analysis of glucose consumption, lactate production, and the extracellular acidification rate confirmed the inhibitory role of IKA on the glycolytic flux in PDAC cells. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments and docking studies identified the key enzyme of glycolysis, hexokinase 2 (HK2), as a molecular target of IKA. Moreover, IKA reduced tumor size without overt cytotoxicity in mice with PDAC xenografts and increased chemotherapy response to gemcitabine in PDAC cells in vitro. Taken together, IKA can block glycolysis in pancreatic cancer by targeting HK2, which may be a potential drug candidate for PDAC treatment.

Severe polarization triggered by the limited electrochemical activity of carbon dioxide as well as the insulating and insoluble discharge product Li2CO3 significantly impedes the practical application of Li–CO2 batteries. Herein, a light-assisted Li–CO2 system employing SiC/RGO as the photo-electro-catalytic hybrid cathode is presented to overcome the obstacle of polarization in conventional Li–CO2 cells. RGO is capable of transferring high-energy electrons generated on SiC after absorbing photons, inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated electrons. During the discharge process, the kinetics of CO2 reduction reaction is promoted by the photogenerated electrons. Thus, the discharge voltage of the battery is increased to 2.77 V, which is very close to the theoretical potential for 4Li + 3CO2 → 2Li2CO3 + C (2.80 V). Besides, the holes generated on the photoelectrode upon charging promote the decomposition of Li2CO3, effectively alleviating the overpotential of the Li–CO2 battery. Consequently, the system exhibits an excellent energy efficiency of 84.4%. These findings demonstrate the promising potential of the photo-assisted electrochemical process in addressing the overpotential issue of Li–CO2 batteries.

Metal oxide based gas sensors should mostly work at high temperatures; the high working temperature is associated with safety concerns and high energy consumption, which makes portable and wearable devices almost impossible, and the inhomogeneous temperature distribution over a sensor also has a detrimental effect on the device performance. However, all the above problems can be effectively resolved by using visible light-excited sensors working at room temperature. By depositing an array of well-aligned In2O3 nanowires on polyimide (PI) substrates, we fabricate flexible and transparent sensors that achieve room temperature gas sensing using visible light as the excitation source. The detection limit to NO2 is as low as 10 ppb under illumination using both monochromatic (blue) and polychromatic (white) light sources. The sensing performance remains consistent after repetitive bending and long-term operation. Remarkably, the sensor exhibits recoverable response to 500 ppb NO2 even under the illumination of an iPhone screen with a low irradiance of 0.56 W m−2. Through a systematic study of the interaction between the photoelectric and gas sensing properties of the materials, we also explore the mechanism of photo-induced gas sensing reactions at room temperature. This work will lay the foundation for gas sensors that can be used in portable and wearable devices.

Explorations of new second harmonic generation materials in Ag+-Hg2+/Bi3+-selenites systems afforded three new silver selenium oxides, namely, Ag4Hg(SeO3)2(SeO4) (1), Ag2Bi2(SeO3)3(SeO4) (2) and Ag5Bi(SeO3)4 (3). They exhibit flexible crystal chemistry. Compounds 1 and 2 are mixed valence selenium oxides containing Se(IV) and Se(VI) cations simultaneously. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibit a 3D open framework with 4-, 6- and 8-member polyhedral ring tunnels along a, b and c axes. Compound 1 crystallized in a polar space group and could display a subtle frequency doubling efficiency about 35% of the commercial KH2PO4 (KDP). UV-vis-NIR spectra reveal that compounds 1–3 are wide-band semiconductors with the optical bandgaps of 3.11, 3.65, 3.58 eV respectively. Theoretical calculations disclose that compounds 2 and 3 are indirect band gap structures and their bandgaps are determined by Ag, Bi, Se and O atoms together.

Summary: The rapid and effective formation and decomposition of Li2O2 during cycling is crucial to solve the problems associated with the practical limitation of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries. In this work, a highly dispersed electrocatalyst with Ru nanoclusters inside the special organic molecular cage (RuNCs@RCC3) through a reverse double-solvent method for Li-O2 batteries has been proposed for the first time. This RuNCs@RCC3 shows an effective catalyst enabling reversible formation and decomposition of the Li2O2 at the interface between the Li2O2 and the liquid electrolyte, rather than the sluggish solid-solid interface reactions on commonly used solid catalysts. As a result, the Li-O2 cells with RuNCs@RCC3 show enhanced electrochemical performance, including low overpotential (310 mV at a current density of 100 mA g−1), high specific capacity (15,068 mAh g−1), good rate capability (1,800 mAh g−1 at a current density of 2.8 A g−1), and especially superior cycle stability up to 470 cycles. : Electrochemistry; Energy Storage; Energy Materials Subject Areas: Electrochemistry, Energy Storage, Energy Materials

Small-scale supercapacitors or microsupercapacitors (MSCs) can be integrated with miniaturized electronics to work as stand-alone power sources, or as efficient energy storage units coupling with energy harvesters to realize self-powered microdevices. Despite many advances, research and development of MSCs are still in their infancy. In this work, in-plane flexible solid-state MSCs based on interdigital electrodes are developed through a facile, cost-effective, universal and industrially applicable protocol, i.e. screen printing technique. To verify the generality of such method, activated carbon (AC) nanospheres and molybdenum oxide (MoO3-x) nanorods as representative electrical double-layer capacitive material and intercalation pseudocapacitive material are used as the electrode active material, respectively. Using a highly viscous AC nanosphere or MoO3-x nanorod paste, shape-designable microelectrodes with an effective area of 0.415 cm2, and a spacing of 250 μm between the two electrode fingers are printed on flexible substrate in several seconds. The MSCs can deliver high areal capacitances and energy densities (5.04 mF cm−2 and 0.7 μWh cm−2 for the MSC with AC nanosphere electrodes, 41.7 mF cm−2 and 5.8 μWh cm−2 for the MSC with MoO3-x nanorod electrodes), own excellent rate capability and long cycle life for both the electric double-layer capacitive material and pseudocapacitive material. This work demonstrates the opportunity and practicability for developing MSCs for flexible on-chip electronic devices.

Aim To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) for the treatment of infertility with intrauterine adhesions. Methods Forty patients who suffered from infertility with intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) were enrolled in this prospective trial from October 2018 to December 2019. They were randomly divided into a PRF group and a control group. Both groups underwent transcervical resection of adhesions (TCRA) during the follicular phase. PRF group: PRF prepared from autologous venous blood was placed in the uterine cavity after TCRA and after the first menstrual re-fluid; control group: no PRF insertion. After the second menstrual re-fluid, both groups underwent hysteroscopy to reevaluate adhesion severity. Pregnancy rate, intrauterine adhesion score, menstrual volume and duration, and endometrial thickness were assessed and adverse events were recorded. Results (1) PRF group pregnancy rate was significantly higher than the control group (55.0% vs. 20.0%). Mean follow-up time was (17.63 ± 2.33) months. All patients fell pregnant naturally. Four (PRF) and one (control) patients delivered live births without placental complications. (2) Intrauterine adhesion scores decreased compared with treatment-before. (3) In the pictorial blood loss assessment chart, score and menstrual duration during the 3rd menstrual cycle showed significant improvements for both groups. (4) Endometrial thickness also showed an increasing trend, and subendometrial bloodflow improved. (5) No treatment-related serious adverse events were noted. Conclusion Placing PRF into the uterine cavity of infertility patients with IUAs following TCRA is a safe and effective therapeutic method.

Although the lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery brings hope for the improvement of high-energy rechargeable batteries, the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics become the major stumbling block. Herein, the incorporation of a plasmonic silver cathode as an advanced strategy to promote ORR and OER kinetics due to strong local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is introduced. Chronoamperometry results revealed that the highly energetic electrons and holes excited by LSPR of silver nanostructure facilitated ORR and OER kinetics ascribe to the emission of hot carriers in femtosecond time scale. Furthermore, a relatively rare discharge voltage 3.1 V is obtained, correspondingly, the charge plateau also decline to 3.3 V, the energy efficiency of Li-O2 battery by a 23% increase in comparison with a commercial 5% Pt/C catalyst (discharge and charge plateau of 2.75 and 3.61 V). Additionally, the improvement in the efficient charge transfer manner result in a reversible spherical Li2O2 which further improve the ORR and OER kinetics. The LSPR strategy represents a critical step toward developing fast kinetics and high energy efficiency Li-O2 batteries.

Directly converting and storing abundant solar energy in next-generation energy storage devices is of central importance to build a sustainable society. Herein, a new prototype of a light-promoted rechargeable and flexible Li-CO

Caddisflies of Stenopsyche angustata (Trichoptera, Stenopsychidae) are widely distributed in various freshwater bodies and a few species inhabit marine environments. The mitochondrial genome was sequenced by Illumina high-throughput sequencing, and then the complete mitochondrial genome sequence was obtained through splicing and assembly. The mitochondrial genome sequence size was 15,371 bp, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and a control region. Two of the protein-coding genes (COX 2 and nad 5) had an incomplete termination codon T. In addition, the start codon of all protein-coding genes was ATN, except for the start codon of the nad4l gene which was GTG. The base composition of the mitochondrial genome was 41.64% A, 35.03% T, 7.81% G, and 15.52% C.

The photo-assisted lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) system emerged as an important direction for future development by effectively reducing the large overpotential in Li-O2 batteries. However, the advancement is greatly hindered by the rapidly recombined photoexcited electrons and holes upon the discharging and charging processes. Herein, we make a breakthrough in overcoming these challenges by developing a new magnetic and optical field multi-assisted Li-O2 battery with 3D porous NiO nanosheets on the Ni foam (NiO/FNi) as a photoelectrode. Under illumination, the photogenerated electrons and holes of the NiO/FNi photoelectrode play a key role in reducing the overpotential during discharging and charging, respectively. By introducing the external magnetic field, the Lorentz force acts oppositely on the photogenerated electrons and holes, suppressing the recombination of charge carriers. The magnetic and optical field multi-assisted Li-O2 battery achieves an ultra-low charge potential of 2.73 V, a high energy efficiency of 96.7%, as well as a good cycling stability of 200 h. This external magnetic and optical field multi-assisted technology paves a new way of developing high-performance Li-O2 batteries and other energy storage systems.

Introduction: Results from recent trials assessing the effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid (SUA) have been inconsistent. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the association between oral vitamin C supplementation and serum uric acid. Methods: PUBMED, EMBASE, CNKI, Web of Science, and CENTRAL of Cochrane library databases were searched to identify relevant articles published up to February 2020. Heterogeneity was evaluated using I-square (I2) statistics. Random-effects model was used to pool weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) as summary effect sizes. Results: The total sixteen eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) containing 1,013 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled findings showed that vitamin C supplementation had a significant effect of lowering SUA. The subgroup analyses showed that the effect of vitamin C supplementation on SUA has positive association with mean age of participants

In this paper, a discrete-time dynamic economic system, with exponential demand term and quadratic cost term, is established. We have spent great lot efforts in verifying the properties of existence and local stability of equilibrium points by Medium Theory and Zero-Point Theory. Immediately, the stability conditions are given in details. And then, by changing the valuesof parameters, the system shows some new and interesting phenomena in terms to stability and multi-stability, like different shape basin of coexisting attractors. Even some changes in the topological structure of basin have beenintuitively and more deeply analyzed by using numerical simulation. Finally, we utilize critical curves to analyze the reason of “hole” formation and to descript their evolution process. As a result, we can intuitively find that the generation of global bifurcation, like contact bifurcation or final bifurcation,is usually accompanied by the contact of critical curve and boundary.

The efficacy and toxicity of polymyxin B (PB) are closely related to its pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio. The purpose of this study was to obtain PK data for PB in Chinese severe pneumonia patients and establish appropriate blood sampling time points for the PB therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). After treatment with at least four doses of PB (50 IU, q12h), the blood samples were collected immediately after the end of infusion (C0) and 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 h (C1.5, C2, C4, C6, C8, C12) after PB administration. The PB blood plasma concentrations were determined using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). All 42 patients were randomly divided into modeling (n = 24) and validation (n = 18) groups. The relationship between AUCss,24h and PB plasma concentration at each time point in modeling group was analyzed using limited sampling strategy and a PK method based on one-compartment with correction model. C6 scheme was found to provide the most accurate prediction of AUCss,24h values (r2 = 0.984) with the target value of 1.9–4.2 μg/ml at steady state to reach the 50–100 μg h/ml criteria of AUCss,24h. C0 with target value of 1.0–2.8 μg/ml can be considered an alternative sampling scheme (r2 = 0.900) but prediction deviation may exist. C0 and Cmax sampling scheme also demonstrated good predicting ability of AUC values using PK model. This study provides a clear plan for the implementation of TDM of PB, which is useful for optimizing the dosing regimen and individualizing treatment in severe pneumonia patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate a total fasting regimen assisted by a novel prebiotic, Flexible Abrosia (FA), in more than 7 days of continual dietary deprivation (7D-CDD). Our analysis included basic physical examinations, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and clinical lab and ELISA analysis in normal volunteers. Methods: Seven healthy subjects with normal body weight participated in 7D-CDD with the assistance of a specially designed probiotic. Individuals were assigned to take FA (113.4 KJ/10 g) at each mealtime to avoid possible injuries to intestinal flora and smooth the hunger sensation. During 7D-CDD, the subjects were advised to avoid any food intake, especially carbohydrates, except for drinking plentiful amounts of water. The examination samples were collected before CDD as self-control, at 7 days fasting, and after 7~14 days of refeeding. Three subjects were also tested after 6-m refeeding. Results: The FA-CDD regimen significantly decreased suffering from starvation, with tolerable hunger sensations during the treatment. With the addition of daily mineral electrolytes, the subjects not only passed through the entire 7D-CDD regimen but also succeed in 12~13 days total fasting in two subjects. There was a significant reduction in blood glucose, insulin, and high-density lipoprotein levels during fasting, and the blood concentrations of uric acid (UA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatine kinase (CK) were increased. However, after more than 2 months of refeeding, the disease markers ALT, GOT, and CK either remained stable or were slightly downregulated compared to their initial D0 control level. Conclusion: Our experiment has supplied the first positive evidence that, with the assistance of a daily nutritional supply of around 100 kcal total calories to their intestinal flora, human subjects were able to tolerate hunger sensations. We have found that, although 7D-CDD induced increases in UA, CK, and transferases during fasting, refeeding led the markers to become either down-regulated or unchanged compared to their initial levels. This phenomenon was further confirmed in longer-term (6 m) recovery. Our results failed to support the hypothesis that fasting induced liver damage, since ALT, GOT, and CK remained low after longer-term refeeding. Our findings indicate that the 7D-CDD regimen might be practical and that it might be valuable to design larger clinical fasting trials for improvement of health strategy-targeting in metabolic disorders.

Aim To investigate whether treatment with progesterone would decrease the incidence of miscarriage in women who faced threatened miscarriage. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were identified by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Trials were included if they compared progesterone with placebo, no treatment or any other treatment given in an effort to treat threatened miscarriage. Pregnant prophylaxis drugs were not included without strict progesterone type, language and progesterone management. The primary outcome was the incidence of miscarriage. The summary measures were reported as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Eight RCT including 845 women who faced threatened miscarriage were analyzed. Pooled data from the eight trials showed that women with threatened miscarriage who were randomized to the progesterone group had a lower risk of threatened miscarriage (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.85). Dydrogesterone was shown to have a lower risk of miscarriage (RR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33-0.75) than natural progesterone (RR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.40-1.19). Oral management was demonstrated to have a lower risk of miscarriage (RR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.38-0.79) compared with vaginal administration (RR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.28-1.21). Conclusion Our findings show that progesterone agents are effective in reducing the incidence of miscarriage in threatened miscarriage. Dydrogesterone, but not natural progesterone, was associated with a lower risk of miscarriage. Given the limitations of the studies included in our meta-analysis, it is difficult to recommend route and dose of progesterone therapy. Further head-to-head trials of gestational weeks and long-time follow-up are required.

A photoinduced flexible Li-CO

Nanocrystalline Tb3+-doped Na5Lu9F32 powders were prepared by a facile and environmentally-friendly hydrothermal process for the first time. Upon excitation at 368 nm, the Na5Lu9F32:Tb3+ nanocrystals show the characteristic f-f emissions and gives strong green emission. Furthermore, the optimum doping concentration of the Tb3+ is 7 mol% and its lifetime value is 10.227 ms. Compared with the strong absorbed exciting radiation (at 368 nm), the weak absorbed exciting radiation (at 317 nm) can be used to explore the mechanism of concentration quenching and the concentration quenching was demonstrated to occur among nearest-neighbor ions. The temperature-dependent PL spectra suggested that the products possessed good thermal stability and the activation energy was found to be 0.14 eV. These results show this green-emitting phosphors material may have potential applications in w-LEDs.

In this work, we synthesized highly uniform and well-dispersed hexagonal phase GdPO4 nanorods by hydrothermal method at 180 °C, which were transformed to GdPO4 nanocrystals with the monoclinic phase upon heating above 800 °C. The phase transformation process and photoluminescence properties of as-prepared samples were investigated via XRD, FE-SEM, and PL spectroscopy. The integrated emission intensity of GdPO4:0.07 Tb3+ (monoclinic) is almost 2.62 times stronger than that of GdPO4·H2O:0.07 Tb3+ (hexagonal). By codoping the Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions into the GdPO4 host, the emitting colors could be adjusted from the green to warm white due to the efficient energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ at 368 nm excitation. Moreover, the energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ was revealed to be resonant type by quadrupole-quadrupole mechanism, and the energy transfer efficiency of GdPO4:Tb3+, y Eu3+ reached about 96.1% when the concentration unit of Eu3+ was 12 mol%. These merits demonstrate that this material may find potential application in warm-white display fields.

Sweet's syndrome (SS), also known as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis is often associated with a hematological malignancy, especially acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myeloid dysplasia syndrome. Histopathologically, SS is characterized by diffuse infiltrates in the upper dermis, predominantly consisting of mature neutrophils. The origin of neutrophils invading the skin remains unknown. Herein, we report a patient with concurrent acute monoblastic leukemia and SS who initially presented with discrete erythematous papules and nodules on the neck. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and next generation sequencing (NGS) revealed a concordant fms-related tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT-3) gene mutation in the bone marrow and skin lesion, indicating that the neutrophilic infiltrates were clonally related to the underlying myeloid neoplasm. This is the first case report of concurrent SS and AML, in which SNP array and NGS analysis were applied to confirm the clonality of the neutrophilic infiltrates.

A rare C12-norabietane diterpene racemate (1) and a new abietane diterpene alkaloid (2) were isolated from the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Their structures were established by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, and 1 was successfully resolved by chiral HPLC, demonstrating that 1 is racemic. The absolute configurations of 1a [(+)-miltiorolide A], 1b [(-)-miltiorolide A], and 2 were determined using TDDFT-ECD calculations. 1a and 1b are the first examples of enantiomeric C12-norabietane diterpenes featuring an isobutylene with a tetrahydronaphthalene-butyrolactone ring system. The cytotoxic activities of the isolates (1 and 2) were evaluated against three human cancer cell lines BEL-7402, HT-29 and PANC-28. A plausible biogenetic pathway of 1 was also proposed.

The hysteresis kinetics of carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CDRR) and evolution reaction (CDER) reaction are major barriers toward the practical implementation of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO2) batteries. Herein, a free-standing and binder-free cathode composed of rutile TiO2 nanorod arrays (TiO2 NAs) and carbonized natural sponge was designed and realized by a simple seeds-assisted construction. The novel air cathode was found to exhibits a high specific capacity of 4.38 mAh cm−2 and long cycle life of more than 1600 h, as well as the discharge products, which would deposit at the surface of the TiO2 NAs rather than carbon substrate during the discharge process. The improved performance can be ascribed to the interconnected conductive sponge framework with macropore and mesoporous channels that can house more discharge products, and the reactant molecules can unrestricted contact with the active sites. Furthermore, the good adhesion to the carbon substrate and the numerous available catalytic sites of the TiO2 NAs contribute intimate contact of the discharge products with the TiO2 NAs, improving CDRR and CDER kinetics effectively and boosting the electrochemical reactions. This TiO2/Sponge represents a promising design in the development of a nature-inspired, self-standing, and binder-free electrode for high-performance Li-CO2 batteries.

In this study, a class of vernier yttrium oxyfluoride (Y5O4F7 denoted as V-YOF) with a variety of shapes and sizes was formed by adjusting the crystal growth environment; after calcination, the samples can maintain the morphology of the precursor; this may be attributed to the topotactic chemical transformation. A comparison of the fluorescence results shows that the hexagonally shaped microcrystal strips can effectively improve the light-emitting characteristics; further, to explore the growth mechanism of precursors, time-dependent experiments and three-dimensional growth simulations have been carried out. They suggest that the formation of hexagonal strips may be due to the unique way that the crystals grow from the interior space to the outer wall. Moreover, Tm3+/Dy3+-codoped V-YOF phosphors exhibit excellent white light emission (CIE: x = 0.338, y = 0.313 close to that of standard white light (0.33, 0.33)) due to energy transfer. These results confirm that the V-YOF phosphors may have potential applications in the field of luminescent materials.

In this study, monodisperse and uniform β-NaYF4 hexagonal microtubes were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method without any organic surfactants, employing Y(OH)CO3 colloid spheres as precursors. The possible formation mechanism was studied on the basis of a series of time-dependent control experiments and its intrinsic crystal structure. The integrated emission intensity of β-NaYF4:0.05Tb3+ is almost 1.78 times stronger than that of α-NaYF4:0.05Tb3+. In addition, the photoluminescence properties of β-NaYF4:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Tb, Tm, Sm, Ho) were studied in detail, and it was found that the photoluminescence color of β-NaYF4:0.03Tm3+ phosphor was close to the standard blue light (0.14, 0.08). Moreover, by co-doping the Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions into the β-NaYF4 host, multicolor tunable emissions were obtained due to the efficient energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ at 368 nm excitation. These merits demonstrate that this material may find potential application in color display fields.

Highly uniform and monodisperse β-NaLuF4:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Tb, Dy, Sm, Tm, Ho) hexagonal prisms have been synthesized via a facile two-step hydrothermal method without any organic surfactants. The structures, morphologies and luminescence properties of the samples were investigated through XRD, SEM, and PL spectra. Furthermore, the shapes and sizes of the products can be further manipulated through adjusting the pH values of initial solutions. Upon excitation at 368 nm, the β-NaLuF4:Tb3+ phosphors exhibit the strongest green emission at pH = 9.0. Moreover, the photoluminescence properties of β-NaLuF4:Ln3+ were studied in detail, and it was found that the photoluminescence color of the β-NaLuF4:0.03Tm3+ phosphor was close to standard blue light (0.14, 0.08). Under 356 nm irradiation, multicolour emission from blue to sapphire and then to pale green has been achieved from the Tm3+/Dy3+ co-doped β-NaLuF4 samples. The energy transfer process from Tm3+ to Dy3+ was studied and was demonstrated to be an electric dipole–dipole interaction mechanism. It is obvious that the β-NaLuF4 phosphors may have potential applications in the field of full-color displays.

A two-step synthetic route using RE(OH)CO3 colloid spheres as the sacrificial template was designed to prepare monodisperse, pure bastnasite (RECO3F: RE = Ce, La, Pr, Nd) with a hole structure for the first time. A variety of morphologies, including jujube core-like, stacked nanoblocks, and stacked nanosheets were obtained through changing the ratio of reactants. The phase, structure, shapes, and photoluminescence properties of samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The CeCO3F:Ln3+ (Ln = Tb, Eu, Dy) phosphors give green, yellow and blue emission, respectively, due to the f-f transitions of Ln3+ ions. Furthermore, the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Dy3+ and Tb3+ was described in detail.

BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the development and progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The miR-148/152 family has been reported to be express differently in various kinds of tumors. We investigated the expression level of the miR-148/152 family in AML patients and their clinical significance. MATERIAL AND METHODS Expression levels of the miR-148/152 family in 80 patients with newly diagnosed AML and 20 healthy participants were analyzed by qRT-PCR. We also evaluated the relationship between the expression levels of the miR-148/152 family and clinicopathological features of AML patients. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, we found a significant lower expression of downregulated miR-148/152 in AML patients (p

Hierarchical and hollow porous Fe2O3 nanoboxes (with an average edge length of ∼500 nm) were derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and the gas sensing characteristics were investigated. Sensors based on Fe2O3 nanoboxes exhibited a response (resistance ratio) of 1.23 to 0.25 ppm (ppm) hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at 200 °C, the response/recovery speed is fast and the selectivity to H2S is excellent. Remarkably, the sensor showed fully reversible response to 5 ppm of H2S at 50 °C, demonstrating its promise for operating at near room temperature, which is favorable for medical diagnosis and indoor/outdoor environment monitoring. The excellent performance of the Fe2O3 nanoboxes can be ascribed to the unique morphology with high specific surface area (SSA) and porous nanostructure.

Four new and rare iridoid glucosides, cornusfuroside A-D (1-4), containing the furan ring were identified from water extract of the fruit of Cornus officinalis. These new chemical structures were determined through extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, IR, HRESIMS, experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Notably, this study is the first report on the isolation of four iridoid glucoside structures with acetal functions in the sugar moiety. The neuroprotective effects of these compounds were also evaluated in vitro.

LaCo1 − xFexO3 (x ranging from 0 to 1) nanoparticles were prepared using the co-precipitation method, and the CO gas sensing properties of LaCo1 − xFexO3 nanoparticles were investigated. The LaCo0.3Fe0.7O3 sensor shows the highest response at 250 °C (S = 40.9), and reliable dynamic response-and-recovery to different CO concentrations at a temperature as low as 50 °C. On the other hand, the LaCo0.2Fe0.8O3 sensor exhibits the fastest response and recovery in the entire temperature region of 250 to 450 °C. The excellent CO sensing properties could be ascribed to the intense oxidation of CO by adsorbed O2 on the LaCo1 − xFexO3 (x = 0.6, 0.7, 0.8) surface.

Red-blood-cell-shaped chitosan microparticles with acid-triggered dissolution and auto-fluorescence were successfully fabricated by a simple strategy combining electrospraying with a solvent diffusion process controlled by solvent evaporation. The sizes of the prepared chitosan microparticles were relatively uniform. Control of the solvent diffusion process was crucial for the formation of microparticles with concave morphology. A chitosan aqueous solution containing 20 vol% ethanol as the evaporable solvent and 30 vol% dimethyl sulfoxide as the diffusible solvent was optimal for preparation of chitosan microparticles with the desired red-blood-cell-like size and shape. These chitosan microparticles will be highly attractive for many biological and biomedical applications.

Diapause is a complex physiological response that allows insects to survive unfavorable environmental conditions, and many signaling pathways participate in regulating this process. However, little is known about TOR signaling in the regulation of diapause. In this study, we found that the TOR pathway-related proteins TOR and Raptor are expressed at low levels in the brains of diapause-destined pupae of Helicoverpa armigera, consistent with a previous report that TOR signaling is associated with development. Interestingly, another TOR signaling-related protein, p-S6K, was increased in the brains of diapause-destined pupae. Our results showed that p-S6K in the brains of diapause-destined pupae can respond to the upstream signals reactive oxygen species (ROS) and AKT and that S6K activates the level of CREB, which binds to the HIF-1α promoter and increases its expression. Previous study has shown that HIF-1α levels elevated by ROS in the brains of diapause-destined pupae cause low mitochondrial activity for insect diapause. Thus, p-S6K in response to ROS/AKT regulates HIF-1α via activating transcription factor CREB for diapause initiation.

Directly converting and storing abundant solar energy in next-generation energy storage devices is of central importance to build a sustainable society. Herein, a new prototype of a light-promoted rechargeable and flexible Li-CO2 battery with a TiO2 /carbon cloth (CC) cathode is reported for the direct utilization of solar energy to promote the kinetics of the carbon dioxide reduction reaction and carbon dioxide evolution reaction (CO2 ER). Under illumination, photoelectrons are generated in the conduction band of TiO2 /CC, followed by the enhancing diffusion of electrons and lithium ions during the discharge process. The photoelectrons on the cathode surface can regulate the morphology of the discharge product Li2 CO3 , contributing to boosting the kinetics of the subsequent CO2 ER process. In the reverse charge process, photogenerated holes can favor the decomposition of Li2 CO3 , leading to a negative charge potential of 2.88 V without increased polarization over ≈60 h of cycling. Owing to an ultralow overpotential of 0.06 V between the discharge and charge process, an ultrahigh energy efficiency of 97.9% is attained under illumination. The introduction of a light-promoted flexible Li-CO2 battery can pave the way toward developing the use of solar energy to address the charging overpotential of conventional Li-CO2 batteries.

High concentration LiBr is beneficial to enhance the Br− oxidation rate, displaying stable low voltage plateau during charging process for lithium–oxygen batteries. However, the sufficient cyclic performance is generally restricted by uncontrollable high level Br3−, resulting in the low energy efficiency and shuttle effect. Herein, a nanoreactor, red-ox mediators shuttling suppressor and lithium-metal protector with the combination of the high concentration and shuttle-free LiBr are successfully constructed by anchoring the Br3− to carbonized ZIF-8 supported on reduced graphene oxide substrate (ZC-rGO). ZnO-decorated/nitrogen-doped 3D carbon framework of ZC-rGO cathode can accurately capture Br3− by space confinement effects and/or chemisorption, which is beneficial to improve the oxidation of discharge products (Li2O2) and avoid the anode corrosion. The Li–O2 battery demonstrates enormous advantages of the RMs in comparation with the typical rGO-based batteries, such as better cycling performance (>90 cycles) and more stable overpotential (

Five new ent-abietane diterpenoids (1–5), along with nine known analogues (6–14), were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by the analysis of extensive spectroscopic data (UV, IR, HRESIMS, NMR) and the comparison of the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Among the isolates, it's notable that the ent-abietane diterpenoids bearing an additional five-membered lactone ring might be derived from the proposed precursors of fischeriabietane B (2) and C (3), and their plausible biosynthetic relationship was detailed discussed. All the isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (Panc-28, Bel-7402, and HT-29), 2 and 3 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity.

Ce-doped BaTiO 3 (Ba 0.99 Ce 0.01 TiO 3 ) nanoparticles with the sizes of 30–60 nm were prepared by the co-precipitation method, and sensors were fabricated by spin coating the nanoparticles on FTO substrates. To further enhance the sensing properties, α-Fe 2 O 3 was decorated to the Ba 0.99 Ce 0.01 TiO 3 sensor. The Fe 2 O 3 -Ba 0.99 Ce 0.01 TiO 3 sensor showed fascinating gas sensing performances towards H 2 S, including the ability to detect low concentrations of H 2 S (400 ppb or lower), fast response and recovery speed ( t res = 45 s and t rec = 124 s) and low working temperatures (150 °C). When exposed to H 2 S, the sensor resistance increased, due to the reduction of Ce 4+ to Ce 3+ and the chemical reactions of oxygen species.

A free-standing, flexible, and semi-transparent MoO3 nanopaper was fabricated using ultralong MoO3 nanobelts (length ∼ 200 μm; width 200–400 nm), and its gas-sensing characteristics were investigated. The sensor exhibited high responses (resistance ratio) of 49 to 5 parts per million (ppm) hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at 250 °C and 121 to 5 ppm trimethylamine (TMA) at 325 °C with excellent gas selectivity, demonstrating its dual function for gas detection. Moreover, the sensor showed promising potential for the all-in-one detection of three representative offensive odors (TMA, H2S, and NH3) simply by tuning of the sensing temperature. This particular performance is attributed to the high chemical affinity of MoO3 to H2S and the acid–base interaction between basic TMA/NH3 and acidic MoO3. The mechanism underlying the control of gas selectivity by modulating the sensor temperature was investigated by Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) measurements.

Objective: To analyze the changes of glucolipid metabolism, oxidation and inflammation in patients with diabetic nephropathy after probucol combined with olmesartan medoxomil treatment. Methods: A total of 108 patients with diabetic nephropathy were randomly divided into observation group and control group (n=54), control group received olmesartan medoxomil therapy, and observation group received probucol combined with olmesartan medoxomil therapy. Differences in blood glucose and fluctuation levels, lipid metabolism indexes, oxidation/antioxidation indexes and inflammation indexes were compared between the two groups after treatment. Results: GLU, MAGE, SDBG and MPPGE levels in peripheral blood of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group; lipid indexes TC, ApoB and LDL-C content in serum were significantly lower than those of control group while ApoA1, ApoA5 and HDL-C content were significantly higher than those of control group; oxidation/antioxidation indexes AOPP, MDA and ONOO- content in serum were significantly lower than those of control group while T-AOC, SOD and GSH-PX content were significantly higher than those of control group; inflammation indexes IL-1 β, IL-4, IL-18, PCT and TGF content in serum were significantly lower than those of control group. Conclusions: Probucol combined with olmesartan medoxomil therapy can optimize the overall condition in patients with diabetic nephropathy, and plays a positive role in equalizing glucolipid metabolism, inhibiting oxidation and inflammation state and other aspects.

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins play important roles in repressing gene expression by modifying chromatin. PcG proteins usually form multiple protein complexes, such as Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 complexes, to repress gene expression. At least three PRC2 complexes have been identified in Arabidopsis that are required for normal plant development. PRC2 complexes repress gene expression through trimethylating lysine 27 on histone 3. Sequentially, PRC1 complexes recognize and bind to H3K27me3 mark generated by PRC2 complexes and monoubiquitylate lysine 119. However, neither the recruitment of PRC nor the regulation mechanisms of PRC functions are well understood. Recent findings suggest that the recruitment of PRC2 complexes to the target chromatin is not simple. Polycomb Response Elements (PREs) in the promoter regions of several PRC2 target genes, transcriptional factors, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and PRC2 associated-proteins have been documented to be involved in PRC2 tar...

The issue of cathode passivation during cycling resulting in rapid capacity fading and premature battery death is a major challenge that hinders the applications of lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries. Here, a facile strategy of introducing a functional separator based on flexible amination SiO2/TiO2 inorganic woven film (STON WF) is proposed to suppress the cathode passivation problem. The by-products, i.e. HCOOLi, CH3COOLi and Li2CO3 can be selectively adsorbed on the STON WF separator preferably compared with the cathode and further proved by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Thus, benefiting from the separator, the Li–O2 cells with super P carbon and catalyst-free cathode show enhanced electrochemical performance (5645 mA h g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1), good rate capability (discharge voltage of 2.43 V at a current density of 1.5 A g−1) and especially superior cycle stability up to 268 cycles. These findings present a promising approach to prevent the premature battery death.

Porous materials possessing high surface area, large pore volume, tunable pore structure, superior tailorability, and dimensional effect have been widely applied as components of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2 ) batteries. Herein, the theoretical foundation of the porous materials applied in Li-O2 batteries is provided, based on the present understanding of the battery mechanism and the challenges and advantageous qualities of porous materials. Furthermore, recent progress in porous materials applied as the cathode, anode, separator, and electrolyte in Li-O2 batteries is summarized, together with corresponding approaches to address the critical issues that remain at present. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of the correlation between the function-orientated design of porous materials and key challenges of Li-O2 batteries in accelerating oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics, improving the electrode stability, controlling lithium deposition, suppressing the shuttle effect of the dissolved redox mediators, and alleviating electrolyte decomposition. Finally, the rational design and innovative directions of porous materials are provided for their development and application in Li-O2 battery systems.

Photo-assisted charging is considered an effective approach to reducing the overpotential in lithium-oxygen (Li-O2 ) batteries. However, the utilization of photoenergy during the discharge process in a Li-O2 system has been rarely reported, and the functional mechanism of such a process remains unclear. Herein, a novel bifunctional photo-assisted Li-O2 system is established by employing a hierarchical TiO2 -Fe2 O3 heterojunction, in which the photo-generated electrons and holes play key roles in reducing the overpotential in the discharging and charging processes, respectively. Moreover, the morphology of the discharge product (Li2 O2 ) can be modified via the dense surface electrons of the cathode under illumination, resulting in promoted decomposition kinetics of Li2 O2 during the charging progress. Accordingly, the output and input energies of the battery can be tuned by illumination, giving an ultralow overpotential of 0.19 V between the charge and discharge plateaus with excellent cyclic stability (retaining a round-trip efficiency of ≈86% after 100 cycles). The investigation of the bifunctional photo-assisted process presented here provides significant insight into the mechanism of the photo-assisted Li-O2 battery and addresses the overpotential bottleneck in this system.