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In order to provide aluminum hydroxide with β‐nucleating surface (β‐ATH) for PP crystallization, the calcium pimelate supported on the surface of ATH was prepared through chemical reaction between calcified ATH and pimelic acid in our lab. The β‐ATH particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Effect of ATH, calcified ATH, and β‐ATH on crystallization and crystalline modification of PP was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicated that the prepared β‐ATH has higher heterogeneous nucleation than ATH and calcified ATH for PP crystallization. Addition of ATH and calcified ATH has no influence on the crystalline modification of PP. The β‐ATH can induce the formation of β‐crystal in the ATH‐filled PP composites with β‐crystal content of above 90%. The transformation of surface nucleation mechanism of ATH from α‐nucleation into β‐nucleation was investigated. The effects of β‐ATH content, mass ratio of calcified ATH/pimelic acid and concentration of calcium acetate solution in the preparation of calcified ATH on the heterogeneous nucleation and β‐crystal content of β‐ATH‐filled PP composites were discussed. The mechanical performance of the prepared β‐ATH‐filled PP composites were also characterized. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E194–E201, 2019. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the numerous treatments for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), chemotherapy is still one of the most effective methods. However, the impact of chemotherapy on immune cells is not yet clear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the different roles of immune cells and their relationship with treatment outcomes in the tumor and blood before and after paclitaxel therapy. We analyzed the single-cell sequencing data of immune cells in tumors and blood before and after paclitaxel treatment. We confirmed a high correlation between T cells, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), and therapeutic efficacy. The differences in T cells were analyzed related to therapeutic outcomes before and after paclitaxel treatment. In the effective treatment group, post-treatment tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells were associated with elevated inflammation, cytokines, and Toll-like-receptor-related gene expression, which were expected to enhance anti-tumor capabilities in tumor immune cells. Moreover, we found that the expression of immune-checkpoint-related genes is also correlated with treatment outcomes. In addition, an ILC subgroup, b_ILC1-XCL1, in which the corresponding marker gene XCL1 was highly expressed, was mainly present in the effective treatment group and was also associated with higher patient survival rates. Overall, we found differences in gene expression in T cells across different groups and a correlation between the expression of immune checkpoint genes in T cells, the b_ILC1-XCL1 subgroup, and patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite is an advanced optoelectronic semiconductor material that has garnered significant attention in recent years. However, its drawback lies in its environmental instability, limiting its practical applications. To tackle this issue, this research delved into the idea of creating a space-confined structure and used electrospinning to produce a film of perovskite nanocomposite fibers. By effectively encapsulating perovskite nanocrystals into a polymer matrix, the perovskite could be shielded from water and oxygen in the environment, thereby reducing the likelihood of perovskite decomposition and enhancing the stability of its structure and properties. This study examined the influence of material composition and the spinning process on the nanofiber structure to create good spatial confinement. This strategy resulted in a high photoluminescence quantum yield of over 80% and a long-term environmental stability of as long as 1000 h over 90% of the original PLQY. By harnessing the flexibility of the composite fibers, this study demonstrated the potential applications and performance of this nanocomposite film in flexible quantum fluorescence conversion for LED applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyimide (PI) refers to a type of high-performance polymer containing imide rings in the main chain, which has been widely used in fields of aerospace, microelectronic and photonic devices, gas separation technology, and so on. However, traditional aromatic PIs are, in general, the inefficient fluorescence or even no fluorescence, due to the strong inter- and intramolecular charge transfer (CT) interactions causing unavoidable fluorescence quenching, which greatly restricts their applications as light-emitting functional layers in the fabrication of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. As such, the development of fluorescent PIs with high fluorescence quantum efficiency for their application fields in the OLED is an important research direction in the near future. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of fluorescent PIs as well as the methods to improve the fluorescence quantum efficiency of PIs. It is anticipated that this review will serve as a valuable reference and offer guidance for the design and development of fluorescent PIs with high fluorescence quantum efficiency, ultimately fostering further progress in OLED research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) have been identified as promising bio-platform furans that have a wide range of potential applications as biofuels, bioplastics, and biochemicals. Furfural and HMF are typically synthesized from the substrates of C5 sugars and C6 sugars, respectively. Furfural can also be produced from C6 sugars, which is technically more challenging owing to the higher energy requirement for carbon–carbon bond cleavage. In this study, the simultaneous production of furfural and HMF from glucose was conducted over different binary catalyst systems of Brønsted acids and Lewis acids using γ-valerolactone (GVL) as the solvent. A promising performance was achieved by a SnSO4-H2SO4 coupling catalyst, with an optimized furfural yield of 42% and an HMF yield of 34% at 443 K in GVL. In addition, a kinetics study was performed in order to understand the mechanism of the simultaneous formation of furfural and HMF from glucose at different temperatures and GVL/water ratios. The results showed that the ratio of furfural to HMF production rate at different temperatures (433 to 463 K) or GVL/water ratios (90 to 80%) was constant close to 1, suggesting that the production of furfural and HMF might follow similar reaction pathways. Finally, the reaction pathway of glucose conversion to furfural and HMF was proposed based on the experimental and kinetics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A goal of salmon aquaculture is to produce larger, physiologically robust smolts to improve performance at time of seawater transfer and reduce time spent in marine net pens. However, little is known about whether standard processes to induce smoltification provide benefits in the production of large smolts. In Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reared under continuous light (24 L:0D) we applied an artificial photoperiod treatment (8 weeks of 12 L:12D followed by 4 weeks of 24 L:0D before seawater transfer) at three sizes to produce fish of ∼150–200 g, ∼400–600 g, and ∼ 1200–1300 g at seawater transfer. We then measured O 2 consumption (a proxy for metabolic rate) of photoperiod treated and control salmon (kept in constant 24 L:0D until time of seawater transfer) at three time points (in freshwater prior to seawater entry, 24 h after seawater entry, and 1 month after seawater entry) to assess impacts of photoperiod treatment and seawater transfer on performance. Consistent with known higher metabolic rates in smolts vs parr, photoperiod treatment (12 L:12D) increased minimum O 2 consumption (ṀO 2min) by ∼13% across all three sizes and at all time points measured. Increased ṀO 2min was not solely a result of increased growth rates and was associated with lower hypoxia tolerance at time of seawater transfer in ∼500 g and ∼ 1200 g salmon. Transfer to seawater reduced maximum O 2 consumption (ṀO 2max) acutely in ∼200 g and ∼ 500 g salmon regardless of the photoperiod treatment (12 L:12D or 24 L:0D), consistent with potential ion and osmotic disturbances leading to an osmo-respiratory compromise 24 h after seawater transfer. For both sizes of ∼200 g and ∼ 500 g, ṀO 2max recovered to freshwater levels 1 month after seawater transfer. In contrast, ∼1200 g salmon showed no significant changes in ṀO 2max following seawater transfer. Overall, we showed little benefits of traditional photoperiod treatments (12 L:12D) on performance of large salmon following seawater transfer. In fact, photoperiod treatment (12 L:12D) may lead to negative impacts on large salmon by increasing ṀO 2min and sensitivity to environmental stress such as hypoxia. Our results, combined with other recent studies, suggest that traditional photoperiod manipulations may be unnecessary for the development of larger Atlantic salmon smolts. However, further research is needed to fully understand impacts of photoperiod manipulations on physiological performance of larger salmon at time of seawater transfer. • Photoperiod treatment increased minimum O 2 consumption in large Atlantic salmon. • Increased minimum O 2 consumption was linked to reduced hypoxia tolerance. • Acute seawater transfer reduced maximum O 2 consumption and hypoxia tolerance. • Few benefits of photoperiod treatment for large salmon across seawater transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-containing polyimide (PI-OSi) has been established as a colorimetric and ratiometric chemosensor for rapid detecting fluoride ions (F−). The UV-vis absorbance ratio value (A322/A288) of PI-OSi in a DMF solution displays a wide linear range change to F− concentrations with a detection limit (DL) value of 2.13 μM. Additionally, adding incremental amounts of F− to a DMF solution of PI-OSi shows an immediate color change to yellow and finally to green from colorless. More interestingly, the resulting PI-OSi plus F− system (PI-OSi·F) could detect trace water in DMF. The A292/A322 value of PI-OSi·F almost linearly increases with low water content, which suggests convenient quantitative sensing of trace water content in DMF. The DL value of PI-OSi·F for sensing water in DMF is determined to be 0.00149% (v/v). The solution color of PI-OSi·F returns to colorless when the water content increases, indicating that PI-OSi·F can conveniently estimate water content in DMF by naked-eye detection. The detection mechanisms confirmed by an 1H NMR study and a DFT calculation involve a F−-induced desilylation reaction of PI-OSi to form phenolate anion followed by protonation with trace water. Finally, PI-OSi film was fabricated for the colorimetric detection of F− and water in CH3CN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high content of organic matter in sludge is the primary reason for the poor solidifying effect and excessive dosage of the cement base. In this study, potassium ferrate and straw fiber are utilized to synergistically enhance the solidifying effect of the cement and elaborate the strength mechanisms. Among them, potassium ferrate was selected to oxidize and crack the structure of organic matter in sludge and consume part of organic matter; straw fiber was used as an adsorption material to absorb some of the organic material and reduce its interference with the cement hydration reaction; the skeleton function of straw fiber in solidified sludge was used to improve the final solidified sludge strength. It is shown that the presence of these two additives significantly improved the cement solidification strength and reduced the moisture content of the solidified body. Moreover, the moisture content and strength followed an obvious linear relationship (adjusted R2 = 0.92), with the strength increasing as the moisture content decreased. After pretreatment with potassium ferrate, the free water content in the dewatered sludge increased by 4.5%, which was conducive to the adequate hydration reaction with cement. The analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) revealed potassium ferrate synergizes with straw fibers to promote the production of hemihydrate gypsum and gismondine. However, hemihydrate gypsum, calcium carbonate, and gismondine resulted in structural swelling, which was confirmed by the microscopic morphology and pore structure analysis. However, the adverse effects due to swelling were offset by the increase in strength brought by the above crystalline substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, all-in-one flexible supercapacitors have achieved great attainment, but their intrinsic weak physical interfacial interactions inevitably lead to interfacial fatigue debonding during violent and long-term deformations. Herein, a controllable interfacial molecular level entanglement strategy (CIMES) is proposed to design and build such highly flexible and mechanical robust asymmetric supercapacitors (FASCs) with all-in-one configurations. The controllable interfacial molecular level entanglement is achieved by controlled solvent induced re-entanglement and alcoholysis of the electrolyte homogeneous matrix - ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer. With the generated electrolyte-philic and electrolyte-proof matrix and all-in-one configuration of anode/electrolyte/cathode used in the FASCs, low interfacial charge transfer resistances, good mechanical properties, and high interfacial peeling strength are achieved simultaneously. Thus, the all-in-one FASCs exhibit a much higher areal capacitance, superior cyclic stability, and unprecedented mechanical durability with capacitance retention of 100.6 % and 100.7 % exceeding 10 000 bending and twisting cycles respectively. Furthermore, the all-in-one FASCs are demonstrated to work under bending, twisting, and even folding conditions. Those findings can provide a new platform on the design of all-in-one configurations for the FASCs with superior mechanical durability, highly desired for many flexible devices such as geotextiles. A controllable interfacial molecular level entanglement strategy is proposed to develop all-in-one flexible asymmetric supercapacitors based on the electrolyte homogeneous matrix with unprecedented mechanical durability exceeding 10 000 bending and twisting cycles. [Display omitted] • A controllable interfacial molecular level entanglement strategy is proposed to develop all-in-one FASCs. • The interfacial molecular level entanglement is controlled by solvent induced re-entanglement and alcoholysis of matrix. • The all-in-one FASCs achieve unprecedented mechanical durability exceeding 10 000 bending and twisting cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy with high morbidity rates in the east and southeast Asia. The molecular mechanisms of NPC remain largely unknown. We explored the pathogenesis, potential biomarkers, and prognostic indicators of NPC. Methods: We analyzed mRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the whole transcriptome sequencing dataset of our hospital (five normal tissues vs. five NPC tissues) and six microarray datasets (62 normal tissues vs. 334 NPC tissues) downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE12452, GSE13597, GSE95166, GSE126683, and GSE70970, GSE43039). Differential expression analyses, gene ontology (GO) enrichment, kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were conducted. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were constructed using the miRanda and TargetScan database, and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was built using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) software. Hub genes were identified using Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE), NetworkAnalyzer, and CytoHubba. Results: We identified 61 mRNAs, 14miRNAs, and 10 lncRNAs as shared DEGs related to NPC in seven datasets. Changes in NPC were enriched in the chromosomal region, sister chromatid segregation, and nuclear chromosome segregation. GSEA indicated that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3 OH kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) pathway, apoptotic pathway, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were involved in the initiation and development of NPC. Finally, 20 hub genes were screened out via the PPI network. Conclusions: Several DEGs and their biological processes, pathways, and interrelations were found in our current study by bioinformatics analyses. Our findings may offer insights into the biological mechanisms underlying NPC and identify potential therapeutic targets for NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum hydroxide-filled polypropylene composites generally form α-crystal due to the strong heterogenous α-nucleation of filler. In order to utilize β-crystal PP with high toughness to prepare aluminum hydroxide-filled PP composites, the aluminum hydroxide-filled PP composites nucleated by calcium pimelate and PP composites filled by calcium pimelate-supported aluminum hydroxide were fabricated. The crystallization and melting behavior of filled composites were compared by differential scanning calorimetry. The influence of aluminum hydroxide contents on the β-crystal content in the filled PP composites was discussed. It is a novel effective method to prepare aluminum hydroxide-filled β-PP composites with calcium pimelate-nucleated aluminum hydroxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is one of the most promising energy storage devices but suffer from insufficient cyclability and low utilization of sulfur caused by insulative nature of sulfur and the shuttle effect of Li-S battery. To address the abovementioned issues, a strategy based on confined assembly of polyaniline (PANI) on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) drive by the π-π electronic interaction is proposed to prepare MWNTs@PANI model. Benefit from the doping characteristic of PANI, various multifunctional dopants can be introduced to adjust the aggregation structure of PANI and construct a functionally improved model, and most importantly, the various functional groups of dopants provide an extra boost for suppression of the shuttle effect. Benefit from the unique microstructure and multi-functional groups, the cathode based on MWNTs@PANI model delivers the initial discharge capacity of 1309 mAh g−1 at 0.1C, and exhibits a stable capacity of 672 mAh g−1 even after cycling for 250 times at 1C. The assembled soft-packed cell shows an ultrastable open-circuit voltage at various bending states. These results indicate that the MWNTs@PANI model can easily introduce various functional groups to address the challenge from the shuttle effect, which is supposed to accelerate the practical progress of high-performance Li-S battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonyl polymers, such as poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide) (PAQS) and poly(benzoquinonyl sulfide) (PBQS), are typically selected as cathode materials for lithium-organic batteries (LOBs) because of their inherent high theoretical capacity and low solubility in the electrolyte. However, their commercialization is hindered by their relatively complex synthesis routes, low yields, and high cost. Herein, a carbonyl polymer poly(piperazine-alt-benzoquinone) (NP2), obtained from the polymerization of vanillin and piperazine with oxidative amination at the theoretical production cost of US $0.48 per gram, exhibits a high reversible capacity of 257 mAh g−1, leading to a cost performance of US $0.19 per 100 mAh, which is superior to the reported carbonyl polymers. Furthermore, ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ex situ and in situ Fourier-transform infrared measurements release the reversible electrochemical reaction mechanism of NP2 based on carbonyl redox chemistry. This study demonstrates a simple and effective strategy to synthesize low-cost carbonyl polymers, which will pave the way for their future application in high-performance LOBs. [Display omitted] ● A carbonyl polymer (NP2) is obtained for the organic cathode. ● High reversible capacity of 257 mAh g−1 is realized for NP2 cathode. ● Low production cost of US $0.48 per gram is exhibited for NP2. ● Low cost performance of US $0.19 per 100 mAh is realized for NP2 cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]