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Highly ordered hierarchical TiO2 nanotube (HTNT) arrays are obtained with a facile and low-cost approach, which can be applied in flexible fiber-type dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To achieve the HTNT arrays, smooth TiO2 nanotube (STNT) arrays are fabricated by a two-step anodization process followed by hydrothermal treatment in the presence of the aqueous solution of NH4F. Both STNT and HTNT arrays can serve as photoanodes in the flexible fiber-type DSSCs. We demonstrate that the conversion efficiency of the HTNT array-based flexible fiber-type DSSC (8.6%), which has increased by more than 30% compared with that of the STNT array-based flexible fiber-type DSSC. Moreover, the conversion efficiency is highly stable, even when the flexible fiber-type DSSC is subjected to extreme mechanical deformation, such as 180° bending. This promising conversion efficiency may originate from the significant dye loading capability of the photoanode, which has an enormous surface area benefited from the hierarchical nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toughening ceramics has been a long‐standing challenge. By chemically infiltrating B4C into aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) sheets, we fabricate a novel CNT/B4C composite with a fracture strength approaching the theoretical maximum of B4C matrix. The CNT/B4C composites simultaneously possess a strongly bonded tube/matrix interface and an amorphous, crack‐free B4C matrix. The fracture strength of the CNT/B4C nanowires is about 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that of the bulk B4C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the nasal cycle (NC) during sleep in healthy individuals without nasal obstruction or obstructive sleep apnoea via a flexible wearable respiratory monitoring system in a continuous and real-time manner. Methods: NC during sleep was continuously measured in 30 healthy individuals (15 women, 15 men) via long-term sleep respiratory monitoring system, while sleep stage and body position were simultaneously recorded via polysomnography (PSG). The number of NC transitions and positional changes were documented each night. Additionally, time intervals between NC transitions and their closest positional changes during sleep were meticulously recorded to investigate potential correlations between them. Results: A total of 86.7% of the participants displayed the classic NC, with a mean duration of 6.43 ± 2.33 h. Nightly observations revealed an average occurrence of 2.19 ± 0.40 NC transitions, predominantly occurring during REM stage (68.4%), and 9.15 ± 7.77 postural changes. Analysis of the intervals between NC transitions and positional changes revealed an average absolute value of 27.72 ± 10.85 min, with a substantial 56.4% exceeding 30 min, indicating a non-obvious sequence order among them. Conclusion: NC can be measured in a continuous and real-time manner, the transitions occur mainly during the REM stage. However, we have not identified a clear correlation between NC transition and positional change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pore volume (mainly micropore volume) has an important parameter influencing uptake of aromatics. • For high-concentration adsorption, micropore volume of activated carbon has a positive effect on uptake of aromatics. • For high-concentration adsorption, aromatics adsorbed onto activated carbon is mainly in micropore filling. • Surface acidic groups (mainly oxygen-containing groups) of activated carbon obviously decrease uptake for aromatics. • It is superior to other isotherms, but the Langmuir model only approximately describes adsorption behaviors of activated carbons for aromatics. This paper reports adsorption behaviors of monocyclic aromatics from water onto different pore-size activated carbons and HNO 3 -modified activated carbon fiber felt, and modelling of experimental data by the Langmuir, the Freundlich, the Dubinin-Radushkevich and the Temkin isotherms. To study the adsorption mechanism, the maximum uptakes of compounds by activated carbons in the Langmuir model were correlated with the structure of activated carbons. The results show that the Langmuir isotherm is superior to other isotherms and the Langmuir model can approximately describe adsorption behaviors of activated carbons for aniline, phenol, and pyridine. For high-concentration adsorption, activated carbon's micropore volume has a positive effect on adsorption capacity of compounds, and micropore filling mainly happens. The uptake of aniline and phenol by activated carbon is obviously higher than that pyridine, which is ascribed to their low solubility. The surface acidic groups (mainly oxygen-containing groups) of activated carbon fiber felt obviously decrease adsorption capacity for aromatics due to a decrease in dispersion interaction between activated carbon's surface and aromatics. The results show that in order to effectively remove high-concentration aromatics from water, effects of micropore vlome and surface acidic groups of activated carbons need to be considered, compared and analyzed, and micropore volume of activated carbon should usually be given priority to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current energy and environment scenario, it is imperative to develop energy efficient routes for chemical manufacturing that also pave the way for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. This work presents an efficient pathway for continuous syngas production via a chemical looping conversion of the two most potent greenhouse gases—CH4, and CO2. The well-known dry-reforming process of converting CH4, and CO2 to syngas is energy-intensive and suffers from catalyst deactivation. The chemical looping approach, on the other hand, provides avenues for mitigating catalyst deactivation and enabling improved energy efficiency. The key to such process enhancements lies in the intricate structure–function relationships of the catalyst and its correlation to the process variables. We present the reduction and oxidation characteristics of 5 wt.% Ni/Ce1−xZrxO2-based catalysts (x = 0, 0.4, and 0.625). We demonstrate low temperature CH4 activation over Ni-promoted samples as opposed to pure Ce1−xZrxO2. Moreover, our results depict an optimum regeneration of these catalysts when oxidized by CO2, and H2O, which allows for chemical looping operation of steam reforming of methane as well. Process variables were tuned to optimize the CH4 conversion (over 80%), and H2/CO ratio at 650 °C. The critical surface reactions—carbon accumulation and gasification, and thermocatalytic CO2 splitting were investigated to elucidate the dynamic nature of the catalyst surface. The impact of this work lies in showcasing the opportunities to design chemical looping reactors for energy efficient syngas production from waste greenhouse gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Developing a reliable and high-performing direct hydrocarbon symmetric solid oxide fuel cells (S SOFCs) is promising to achieve the simple and durable operation in natural gas. Here we demonstrate a durable S SOFC with a ceramic oxide material simultaneously used as symmetric electrode that performs outstandingly in dry methane at anode side and ambient air at cathode side. This cell shows high performance with strong resistances against both coking and sulfur poisoning in dry fuel without any steam as reforming agent. At 800 °C, the cell exhibits a low polarization resistance of 0.027 Ω cm2 in air and 0.074 Ω cm2 in 5% H 2. When the cell is further optimized by implementing a nanostructured electrode, the high peak power densities of 1.05 W cm−2 in H 2 and 0.4 W cm−2 in CH 4 are achieved at 800 °C. To our best knowledge, this is the highest performance among S SOFCs using ceramic oxide as symmetric electrode in dry methane. The cell exhibits a very stable performance under a constant current load of 1.0 A cm−2 for 1060 h with even slight performance increase. In addition, the electrode is structurally stable in various fuels, suggesting that the cell can be operated in flexible gas conditions. Highlights • A layered perovskite material is employed as anode. • High mixed ionic and electronic conductivity facilitates catalysis. • High power densities are achieved at 700 °C in H 2 and CH 4. • The anode exhibits stable performance in dry methane. • The anode shows resistance against sulfur poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a multiple amplify-and-forward (AF) relays based cooperative orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with quadrature index modulation (C-OFDM-QIM) system to enhance the spectral efficiency and the transmission reliability, where two independent subcarrier subsets are activated to convey the real and imaginary symbol vectors, respectively, and the per-subcarrier relay selection (RS) scheme is adopted to select the relay with the maximum end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each active subcarrier. Both fixed-gain AF and variable-gain AF protocols are investigated at the selected relays. Based on the order statistics and the max-flow min-cut theory, the closed-form average outage probability (AOP) and the average capacity are derived, respectively. Numerical results demonstrate that the theoretical AOP is correct and accurate and the proposed C-OFDM-QIM system outperforms the traditional cooperative OFDM with index modulation (C-OFDM-IM) system in the spectral efficiency, the outage performance, and the average capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and synthesis of high‐performance and economical carbon electrodes play a critical role in developing energy‐efficient water desalination technologies. As a sustainable approach, low‐cost and abundant biomass materials are promising candidates to prepare porous carbon for capacitive deionization. In this study, binder‐free porous carbon sheets are successfully prepared using natural balsa, pine, and basswood by thermal carbonization and treated by chemical activation. The carbon electrode materials converted from balsa and pine exhibit a comparable salt adsorption performance by capacitive deionization due to the extensive surface area, substantial electrical property, and superior hydrophilic performance. The following activation treatment of the balsa‐converted carbon further enhances the surface and electrical properties and benefits the desalination performance. The salt adsorption capacity of the activated balsa electrode exhibits 12.45 mg g−1. Additionally, 19.52 mg g−1 Pb2+ and 20.06 mg g−1 Cr3+ heavy metal adsorption capacity is also observed with the activated balsa electrode in 100 mg L−1 PbCl2 and 50 mg L−1 CrCl3, respectively. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the highest NaCl adsorption capacity performance reported thus far by using pure wood converted carbon as the electrode, and these promising results indicate that activated balsa is an extraordinary material for water desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) have the potential in reducing the energy input and carbon emissions in ethylene production from ethane dehydrogenation. The performance of conventional perovskite-based anode materials for ethane conversion in PCECs is limited by their low active surface area and proneness to coke deposition. In this work, for the first time, we demonstrate the use of aligned carbon nanotube forests (CNTFs) as a novel anode material for an ethane fueled PCEC to co-produce ethylene and electricity. The CNTF electrode was grown on the electrolyte by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Highly dispersed iron carbide nanoparticles are formed in situ on the CNTFs during the CVD process, acting as highly active catalysts for ethane dehydrogenation. The novel PCECs show superior catalytic and electrochemical performances to that using conventional perovskite-based anodes. The cell also exhibits excellent durability and anti-coking abilities within 100 h test. This work showcases the promising application of nanostructured carbon, a new class of non-perovskite materials, as the multifunctional electrode materials for PCECs. [Display omitted] • CNTF can be integrated into PCEC as electrode and catalyst support by CVD method. • CNTF is a promising non-perovskite candidate electrode material for PCEC. • CNTF shows superior electrochemical and catalytic performance than SFM. • Carburized Fe species on CNTF are the active species for EDH reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NO 2 − and S2− are two kinds of common toxic anions widely distributed in environmental water, soil and food products. Human beings have suffered a lot of diseases from intake of excessive NO 2 − or S2−, i.e., infantile methemoglobin, cancer and even to death. Although tremendous efforts have been afforded to monitor NO 2 − and S2−, most were high instrument-depended with complex processing procedures. To keep food safety and to protect human health, it will be a huge challenge to develop a convenient and efficient way to monitor S2− and NO 2 − in practice. A kind of folic acid capping Bi3+-doped Ag quantum dots (FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs) was developed for the first time by one-pot homogeneous reduced self-assembly. Not only did FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs possess intrinsic fluorescent property, it expressed synergistic peroxidase-like activity to catalyze the redox of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H 2 O 2 with K m / v max of 0.087 mM/6.61 × 10−8 M s−1 and 6.42 mM/6.25 × 10−7 M s−1 respectively. Interestingly, trace S2− could exclusively alter its fluorescent property and peroxidase-like activity, exhibiting significant hypochromic and "turn-on" fluorescent effects. While trace NO 2 − could make FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs-TMB-H 2 O 2 system hyperchromic. Under the optimized conditions, FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs were applied for dual-mode recognition of S2− and visual sensing of NO 2 − in real food samples with satisfactory recoveries, i.e., 100.7–107.9 %/95.8–104.7 % and 97.2–104.8 % respectively. The synergistic enzyme-mimic mechanism of FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs and its selective response mechanisms to S2− and NO 2 − were also proposed. This represents the first nanozyme-based FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs system for dual-mode recognition of S2− and visual sensing of NO 2 −, well meeting the basic requirement in drinking water set by WHO. It will offer a promising way for multi-mode monitoring of different pollution using the same nanozyme-based sensor. [Display omitted] • A kind of folic acid capping Bi3+-doped Ag quantum dots (FA@Bi3+-Ag QDs) was developed. • It expresses superior peroxidase-like activity and intrinsic fluorescent property. • Either toxic NO 2 − or S2− could exclusively change the peroxidase-like or fluorescent property. • It was successfully applied for dual-mode recognition of S2− and visual sensing of NO 2 − in real food samples. • The synergistic peroxidase activity and sensing mechanisms to NO 2 − or S2− were proposed too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Robust Gd–La codoped TiO2 microspheres with diameter of 2∼3 μm were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method using poly(ethylene glycol)-block–poly(propylene glycol)-block–poly(ethylene glycol) as a template. The photocatalytic activity of the Gd–La codoped TiO2 microspheres evaluated by photodegrading methyl orange (MO) has been significantly enhanced compared to that of undoped TiO2 microspheres. Ti4+ may substitute for La3+ and Gd3+ in the lattices of rare earth oxides to create abundant oxygen vacancies and surface defects for electron trapping and dye adsorption, accelerating the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and MO photodegradation. The formation of an exciton energy level below the conduction band of TiO2 from the binding of electrons and oxygen vacancies decreases the excitation energy of Gd–La codoped TiO2 microspheres, resulting in robust photocatalysts. The results suggest that Gd–La codoped TiO2 microspheres calcined at 350 °C are very promising for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Amorphous two-dimensional silica has been successfully fabricated. • Salt is a crucial for promoting the evaporation of transition metals (TMs). • TMs account for the hexagonal structure of 2D silica. • The group VB TMs facilitate the formation of uniform hexagonal 2D silica. Owing to their remarkable electronic properties, silica ultrathin films have been utilized as an insulating layer in nanoelectronics systems. Silica films have been epitaxially grown on different substrates using various synthesis methods. Among all fabrication approaches, chemical vapor deposition has long been an advanced method for synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) materials due to its ability to ensure precise stacking control and minimize contamination between layers. This study harnessed the potential of CVD to atomically fabricate thin layered 2D silica on a SiO 2 /Si substrate. Significantly, a unique combination of multiple transition metals and salt as the catalysts aided the formation of 2D silica for the first time. Salt is a crucial catalyst in promoting the evaporation of high-melting-point metal catalysts, resulting in hexagonal nucleation sites on the SiO 2 /Si wafer. By meticulously controlling growth parameters, a distinctive hexagonal structure was obtained. Correspondingly, this work delves into the growth mechanism of 2D silica, as evidenced by experiments involving salt alone and individual transition metals. Group VB transition metals played a prominent role in achieving the hexagonal structure compared to their group IVB counterparts. This research offers insight into the formation and growth mechanism of 2D silica, expanding the understanding of silica nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, well-aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films were utilized as lamellae to prepare a multifunctional nanocomposite by a feasible 'layer-by-layer' preparation method. This structural design can not only dramatically reduce the agglomeration effect of SWCNTs, but also achieve high in-plane stiffness. It was found that the well-aligned SWCNT films contribute to the high stress-transfer between CNTs and present good wettability with epoxy matrix, thereby improving the mechanical enhancement. Interestingly, this laminated structure possesses distinct electrical behaviors under different loading conditions. The electrical resistance linearly increases with the increase of in-plane tensile strain but is insensitive to bending. This work could provide in-depth understanding on the mechanical and electrical properties of CNT-based laminated nanocomposites. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient separation of hole-electron pair plays a crucial role in enhancing photocatalytic water splitting activity, which essentially requires a noble metal co-catalyst. Here we report that two-dimensional (2D) metallic 1T-MoS 2 can exceed the performance of noble metal like Pt as a co-catalyst in assisting the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over 2D semiconductor such as oxygenated monolayer graphitic carbon nitride (O-g-C 3 N 4 ). The abundance of intrinsic active site for hydrogen evolution reaction for 1T-MoS 2 partly contributes to the outstanding performance of 1T-MoS 2 /O-g-C 3 N 4 system. More importantly, the 2D heterostructure junction of 2D metals-2D semiconductor through van der Waals interaction minimizes the Schottky barrier, which in turn improves the charge transfer efficiency. The optimal 1T-MoS 2 /O-g-C 3 N 4 exhibited H 2 evolution rate as high as ∼1841.72 μmol/g/h, an external quantum efficiency of ∼7.11% at λ = 420 nm, and a super high TOF of 156.6 h −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we take the spatial and delay-Doppler dimensions into account and propose a novel transmission scheme combining quadrature spatial modulation (QSM) and orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) to improve the spectral efficiency, achieve the diversity gains, and resist strong Doppler effect in high-mobility scenes. The system model and the specific signal transmission process of the OTFS with QSM (QSM-OTFS) scheme are presented first. Then, the theoretical average bit error rate (ABER) analysis for QSM-OTFS system is provided. Additionally, a linear enhanced minimum mean square error (EMMSE) detection is investigated to reduce the detection complexity in the QSM-OTFS system. Numerical results illustrate that the QSM-OTFS system is able to obtain an improved ABER performance compared with the typical spatial modulation (SM) based OTFS (SM-OTFS) and that the proposed EMMSE detection outperforms the other linear detection algorithms under the same spectral efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two kinds of hierarchical anatase TiO 2 structures are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method in this report. A new transparent, 3D light-collected, and flexible fiber-type dye-sensitized solar cell (FF-DSSC) with such hierarchical TiO 2 structures is developed. The conversion efficiency of the FF-DSSC based on a TiCl 4 -treated TiO 2 nanorod array (hierarchical structure I) exhibits about 4 times higher than that based on a HCl-treated TiO 2 nanorod array, and further rises to 4.4% when the TiCl 4 -treated TiO 2 nanorod array is treated in a mixed solution of (NH 4 ) 2 TiF 6 and H 3 BO 3 three times (hierarchical structure II). The obvious enhancement in conversion efficiency can be ascribed to the dye adsorption promotion benefiting from their hierarchical structures. Beyond the attractive conversion efficiency, the new designed FF-DSSC possesses several advantages including good flexibility, excellent stability, and 3D light-collection. The conversion efficiencies of the FF-DSSCs can still keep 85%–90% even the FF-DSSCs are bent for 1000 times. The maximum power outputs of the FF-DSSCs characterized by Diffuse Illumination Mode using home-made Al reflector exhibit about 3 times higher than that done by Standard Illumination Mode due to 3D light-collections. The FF-DSSCs based on highly ordered hierarchical anatase TiO 2 nanorod arrays hold great promise in future energy harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hollow polyaniline (PANI) nano-capsule with holes on the wall has been synthesized via a facile interfacial polymerization (IP) method without using any templates. The intriguing microstructure of such nano-capsule has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A possible growth mechanism of the PANI nano-capsule has also been proposed. To further explore its possible application for supercapacitor, the electrochemical performance of the PANI nano-capsule has been carried out by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic discharge/charge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The obtained PANI nano-capsule electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 502 F g −1 (at the current density of 5 mA cm −2 ) and excellent cycling stability, rendering it to be a promising material for supercapacitor applications. Such special hollow PANI nano-capsule with well-defined microstructure holds great promise not only for electrochemical energy storage, but also for sensors, actuators, drug carrier and other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer nanocomposites with tuning functions are exciting candidates for various applications, and most current research has focused on static mechanical reinforcement. Actually, under service conditions of complex dynamic interference, stable dynamic mechanical properties with high energy dissipation become more critical. However, nanocomposites often exhibit a trade-off between static and dynamic mechanics, because of their contradictory underlying physics between chain crosslinking and chain relaxation. Here, we report a general strategy for constructing ultra-stable dynamic mechanical complex fluid nanocomposites with high energy dissipation by infusing complex fluids into the nanoconfined space. The key is to tailor full-scale polymer dynamics across an exceptionally broad timescale by single-chain confinement. These materials exhibit stable storage modulus (10 0  ~ 10 2   MPa) with high energy dissipation (loss factor > 0.4) over a broad frequency range (10 -1  ~ 10 7   Hz)/temperature range (-35 ~ 85°C). In the loss factor > 0.4 region, their dynamic mechanical stability (rate of modulus change versus temperature (k)) is 10 times higher than that of conventional polymer nanocomposites., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

(1) Background: At present, the only potency assay approved in China for the in-country testing of botulinum toxin type A for injection products is the mouse bioassay (MBA). The Chinese market for neurotoxin products is rapidly expanding, but MBAs are subject to high variability due to individual variations in mice, as well as variations in injection sites, in addition to the limited number of batches tested for one MBA. Compared with the mLD 50 method, the cell-based potency assay (CBPA) developed for the potency testing of onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX) by AbbVie not only does not use any experimental animals but also allows for significant time and cost savings. Due to the significant benefits conferred by the replacement of the mLD 50 assay with CBPA in China, the CBPA method has been transferred, validated, and cross-validated to demonstrate the equivalence of the two potency methods. (2) Methods: The differentiated SiMa cells were treated with both BOTOX samples and the reference standard, and the cleaved SNAP25 197 in the cell lysates was quantified using Chemi-ECL ELISA. A 4-PL model was used for the data fit and sample relative potency calculation. The method accuracy, linearity, repeatability, and intermediate precision were determined within the range of 50% to 200% of the labeled claim. A statistical equivalence of the two potency methods (CBPA and mLD 50 ) was initially demonstrated by comparing the AbbVie CBPA data with NIFDC mLD 50 data on a total of 167 commercial BOTOX lots (85 50U lots and 82 100U lots). In addition, six lots of onabotulinumtoxinA (three 50U and three 100U) were re-tested as cross-validation by these two methods for equivalence. (3) Results: The overall assay's accuracy and intermediate precision were determined as 104% and 9.2%, and the slope, R-square, and Y-intercept for linearity were determined as 1.071, 0.998, and 0.036, respectively. The repeatability was determined as 6.9%. The range with the acceptable criteria of accuracy, linearity, and precision was demonstrated as 50% to 200% of the labeled claim. The 95% equivalence statistic test using margins [80%, 125%] indicates that CBPA and mLD 50 methods are equivalent for both BOTOX strengths (i.e., 50U and 100U). The relative potency data from cross-validation were within the range of ≥80% to ≤120%. (4) Conclusions: The CBPA meets all acceptance criteria and is equivalent to mLD 50 . The replacement of mLD 50 with CBPA is well justified in terms of ensuring safety and efficacy, as well as for animal benefits.

Activated carbon (AC)-based materials have shown promising performance in carbon capture, offering low cost and sustainable sourcing from abundant natural resources. Despite ACs growing as a new class of materials, theoretical guidelines for evaluating their viability in carbon capture are a crucial research gap. We address this gap by developing a hierarchical guideline, based on fundamental gas-solid interaction strength, that underpins the success and scalability of AC-based materials. The most critical performance indicator is the CO 2 adsorption energy, where an optimal range (-0.41 eV) ensures efficiency between adsorption and desorption. Additionally, we consider thermal stability and defect sensitivity to ensure consistent performance under varying conditions. Further, selectivity and capacity play significant roles due to external variables such as partial pressure of CO 2 and other ambient air gases (N 2 , H 2 O, O 2 ), bridging the gap between theory and reality. We provide actionable examples by narrowing our options to methylamine- and pyridine-grafted graphene.

Hydrogels with pure hydrophilic network have received much attention due to their excellent low frictional behavior. However, the lubrication performance of hydrogels is not satisfied under high-speed condition due to the energy dissipation caused by adsorbed polymer chains as well as the failure of lubricating mechanisms accompanied by the transition of lubrication regime. In this work, interpenetrating double-network organohydrogels were constructed by combining hydrophilic and oleophilic polymer networks to modify the physiochemical properties of surface polymer chains, especially the chain mobility. The oleophilic polymer network spatially restricting the mobility of the swollen hydrophilic network in water, resulted in a low coefficient of friction (ca. 0.01) compared with conventional hydrogels at high speed (0.1 m s -1 ). Meanwhile, the organohydrogels had superior wear resistance, with almost no wear observed on the sliding track after 5 k cycles of rubbing at high speed. The design concept of organohydrogels can be extended to a variety of low-wear, highly-lubricating materials., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Introduction: Adenoid hypertrophy is the main cause of obstructive sleep apnea in children. Previous studies have suggested that pathogenic infections and local immune system disorders in the adenoids are associated with adenoid hypertrophy. The abnormalities in the number and function of various lymphocyte subsets in the adenoids may play a role in this association. However, changes in the proportion of lymphocyte subsets in hypertrophic adenoids remain unclear., Methods: To identify patterns of lymphocyte subsets in hypertrophic adenoids, we used multicolor flow cytometry to analyze the lymphocyte subset composition in two groups of children: the mild to moderate hypertrophy group (n = 10) and the severe hypertrophy group (n = 5)., Results: A significant increase in naïve lymphocytes and a decrease in effector lymphocytes were found in severe hypertrophic adenoids., Discussion: This finding suggests that abnormal lymphocyte differentiation or migration may contribute to the development of adenoid hypertrophy. Our study provides valuable insights and clues into the immunological mechanism underlying adenoid hypertrophy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhu, Wang, Yang, Shen, Wang, Zhang, Zhang, Li, Gao, Liu, Zhu, Wei, Guan, Su, Liu, Gu and Yin.)

For most electrodes fabricated with carbon, transition metal compounds, or conductive polymers, the capacitance may deteriorate with cyclic charging and discharging. Thus, an electrochemically stable supercapacitor has long been pursued by researchers. In this work, the hierarchical structure of balsa wood is preserved in the converted carbon which is used as a supporting framework to fabricate electrodes for supercapacitors. Well-grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on interior and exterior surfaces of balsa carbon channels provide two advantages including 1) offering more specific surface area to boost capacitance via electric double layer capacitance and 2) offering more active Fe and Ni sites to participate in the redox reaction to enhance capacitance of the balsa carbon/CNTs electrode. The balsa carbon/CNTs demonstrate an excellent area capacitance of 1940 mF cm -2 . As active sites on Ni and Fe catalysts and inner walls of CNTs are gradually released, the capacitance increases 66% after 4000 charge-discharge cycles. This work brings forward a strategy for the rational design of high-performance biomass carbon coupled with advanced nanostructures for energy storage., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objective: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been effectively used for the treatment of hematological malignancies and some solid tumors, while ATO effects were not tested clinically in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC)., Methods: Patients with primary or secondary platinum-resistant EOC were enrolled from October 2015 to December 2019. Patients were mainly treated with ATO-based combined sequential chemotherapy as follows: Regimen 1 (ATO combined taxanes weekly therapy); Regimen 2 (ATO + taxanes + 5-fluorouracil + adriamycin ± bevacizumab sequential chemotherapy), for 5 patients platinum-free interval >12 months, added oxaliplatin). Prespecified end points in this cohort included confirmed best overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety., Results: A total of 33 patients were enrolled in this study. After a median follow-up time of 22.1 months (range 5.5-42.9 months), ORR was 42% and DCR was 85%. The overall PFS was 9.5 months (range 1-38.4 months). The main side effect was myelosuppression., Conclusions: ATO-based sequential combined chemotherapy is effective for primary and recurrent drug-resistant EOC patients in clinical phase II trials. The associated side effects could be controlled, while further study is needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yingchao Yang et al.)

Purpose: This study aimed to detect the epidemiological relevance between adenoid hypertrophy (AH) and rhinosinusitis, and AH and allergic rhinitis (AR) through an Internet search., Methods: Internet search query data from January 2011 to December 2019 in China were retrieved from the Baidu Index (BI). Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to detect the correlation among the search volumes of AH, rhinosinusitis, and AR. We also collected search data from the first 5 months of 2020, when quarantine was implemented in China due to the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic. Then, we compared the search data to those obtained during the same period in 2019 to assess the effects of isolation on AH and AR., Results: Statistically significant relevance was found between the search variations of AH and rhinosinusitis during 2011-2019 (R = 0.643, P < 0.05). However, the relationship between AH and AR was weak (R =  - 0.239, P < 0.05) and that between rhinosinusitis and AR (R =  - 0.022, P > 0.05) was not relevant. The average monthly search volume of AH and rhinosinusitis had a strong correlation (R = 0.846, P < 0.01), but AH and AR and rhinosinusitis and AR were not correlated (R = - 0.350, P > 0.05; R = - 0.042, P > 0.05, respectively). AH and rhinosinusitis search volumes decreased consistently during the first 5 months of 2020 (isolation), whereas that for AR increased during January-February., Conclusion: AH had an epidemiological relationship with rhinosinusitis, which was not consistent with AR. The decrease in public gathering effectively reduced the morbidities of AH and rhinosinusitis but not those of AR., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (CD-MOF) as a highly porous supramolecular carrier could be one of the solutions to the insolubility of isosteviol (STV). The solubility of STV was lower than 20.00 ng/mL at pH 1.0 and pH 4.5, whilst its solubility increased to 20,074.30 ng/mL at pH 6.8 and 129.58 ng/mL in water with a significant pH-dependence. The in vitro release profiles of STV from STV@CD-MOF (0.5:1) were pH-independent in distinct pH media and closed to be thoroughly released but no such release profiles were observed for STV@CD-MOF (1:1) owing to nanoclusters formation. The bioavailability of STV@CD-MOF (1:1) in rats was 8.67-fold higher than that of STV, and was 1.32- and 1.27-fold higher than that of STV@CD and STV@CD-MOF (0.5:1). Our results indicated that the inclusion mechanism played a primary role when STV in CD-MOF was at a low loading ratio, while the increasement in bioavailability at a high loading ratio, which was attributed to the nanocluster mechanism. This was confirmed by molecular simulation. In conclusion, CD-MOF is a promising system for STV loading, overcoming the insolubility and to improve the bioavailability of this natural compound., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2021 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)

If a bulk material can withstand a high load without any irreversible damage (such as plastic deformation), it is usually brittle and can fail catastrophically 1,2 . This trade-off between strength and fracture toughness also extends into two-dimensional materials space 3-5 . For example, graphene has ultrahigh intrinsic strength (about 130 gigapascals) and elastic modulus (approximately 1.0 terapascal) but is brittle, with low fracture toughness (about 4 megapascals per square-root metre) 3,6 . Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a dielectric two-dimensional material 7 with high strength (about 100 gigapascals) and elastic modulus (approximately 0.8 terapascals), which are similar to those of graphene 8 . Its fracture behaviour has long been assumed to be similarly brittle, subject to Griffith's law 9-14 . Contrary to expectation, here we report high fracture toughness of single-crystal monolayer h-BN, with an effective energy release rate up to one order of magnitude higher than both its Griffith energy release rate and that reported for graphene. We observe stable crack propagation in monolayer h-BN, and obtain the corresponding crack resistance curve. Crack deflection and branching occur repeatedly owing to asymmetric edge elastic properties at the crack tip and edge swapping during crack propagation, which intrinsically toughens the material and enables stable crack propagation. Our in situ experimental observations, supported by theoretical analysis, suggest added practical benefits and potential new technological opportunities for monolayer h-BN, such as adding mechanical protection to two-dimensional devices.

Background: Haem is a key metabolic factor in the life cycle of the malaria parasite. In the blood stage, the parasite acquires host haemoglobin to generate amino acids for protein synthesis and the by-product haem for metabolic use. The malaria parasite can also synthesize haem de novo on its own. Plasmodium falciparum-specific histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) has a haem-binding site to mediate the formation of haemozoin, a biocrystallized form of haem aggregates. Notably, the gene regulates the mechanism of haemoglobin-derived haem metabolism and the de novo haem biosynthetic pathway in the Pfhrp2-disrupted parasite line during the intraerythrocytic stages., Methods: The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to disrupt the gene locus of Pfhrp2. DNA was extracted from the transgenic parasite, and PCR, Southern blotting and Western blotting were used to confirm the establishment of transgenic parasites. RNA-sequencing and comparative transcriptome analysis were performed to identify differences in gene expression between 3D7 and Pfhrp2 - -3D7 parasites., Results: Pfhrp2 - transgenic parasites were successfully established by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. A total of 964, 1261, 3138, 1064, 2512 and 1778 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the six comparison groups, respectively, with 373, 520, 1499, 353, 1253 and 742 of these DEGs upregulated and 591, 741, 1639, 711, 1259 and 1036 of them downregulated, respectively. Five DEGs related to haem metabolism and synthesis were identified in the comparison groups at six time points (0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40 h after merozoite invasion). The genes encoding delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase and ferrochelatase, both related to haem biosynthesis, were found to be significantly upregulated in the comparison groups, and those encoding haem oxygenase, stromal-processing peptidase and porphobilinogen deaminase were found to be significantly downregulated. No GO terms were significantly enriched in haem-related processes (Q value = 1)., Conclusion: Our data revealed changes in the transcriptome expression profile of the Pfhrp2 - -3D7 parasite during the intraerythrocytic stages. The findings provide insight at the gene transcript level that will facilitate further research on and development of anti-malaria drugs.

There is a longstanding challenge to disperse metal nanoparticles uniformly in bulk polymers for widespread applications. Conventional scale-down techniques often are only able to shrink larger elements (such as microparticles and microfibers) into micro/nano-elements (i.e. nanoparticles and nanofibers) without much altering their relative spatial and size distributions. Here we show an unusual phenomenon that tin (Sn) microparticles with both poor size distribution and spatial dispersion were stretched into uniformly dispersed and sized Sn nanoparticles in polyethersulfone (PES) through a stack and draw technique in thermal drawing. It is believed that the capillary instability plays a crucial role during thermal drawing. This novel, inexpensive, and scalable method overcomes the longstanding challenge to produce bulk polymer-metal nanocomposites (PMNCs) with a uniform dispersion of metallic nano-elements.

An in situ quantitative tensile testing platform is developed to enable the uniform in-plane loading of a freestanding membrane of 2D materials inside a scanning electron microscope. The in situ tensile testing reveals the brittle fracture of large-area MoSe 2 crystals and measures their fracture strength for the first time., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Structural defects in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have significant influence on the electric, optical, thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties of the material. Among all the types of structural defects of the chemical vapor phase-grown monolayer MoS2, the VMoS3 point defect (a vacancy complex of Mo and three nearby S atoms) is another type of defect preferentially generated by the extended electron irradiation. Here, using the classical molecular dynamics simulation with reactive empirical bond-order (REBO) potential, we first investigate the effect of VMoS3 point defects on the elastic properties of monolayer MoS2 sheets. Under the constrained uniaxial tensile test, the elastic properties of monolayer MoS2 sheets containing VMoS3 vacancies with defect fraction varying from 0.01 to 0.1 are obtained based on the plane anisotropic constitutive relations of the material. It is found that the increase of VMoS3 vacancy concentration leads to the noticeable decrease in the elastic modulus but has a slight effect on Poisson's ratio. The maximum decrease of the elastic modulus is up to 25 %. Increasing the ambient temperature from 10 K to 500 K has trivial influences on the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio for the monolayer MoS2 without defect and with 5 % VMoS3 vacancies. However, an anomalous parabolic relationship between the elastic modulus and the temperature is found in the monolayer MoS2 containing 0.1 % VMoS3 vacancy, bringing a crucial and fundamental issue to the application of monolayer MoS2 with defects.

The practical recycling of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the electrochemical reduction route requires an active, stable, and affordable catalyst system. Although noble metals such as gold and silver have been demonstrated to reduce CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO) efficiently, they suffer from poor durability and scarcity. Here we report three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam incorporated with nitrogen defects as a metal-free catalyst for CO2 reduction. The nitrogen-doped 3D graphene foam requires negligible onset overpotential (-0.19 V) for CO formation, and it exhibits superior activity over Au and Ag, achieving similar maximum Faradaic efficiency for CO production (∼85%) at a lower overpotential (-0.47 V) and better stability for at least 5 h. The dependence of catalytic activity on N-defect structures is unraveled by systematic experimental investigations. Indeed, the density functional theory calculations confirm pyridinic N as the most active site for CO2 reduction, consistent with experimental results.