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The research and development of hydrogen oxidation reaction catalysts in alkaline media is a prerequisite for the commercialization of alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Pt Ru bimetallic catalyst was found to be more active towards HOR than Pt in alkaline, but the composition-activity relationship of Pt Ru alloys is still lacking. Herein, a series of Pt Ru alloy planar electrodes with 14 different compositions were prepared in a high-throughput fashion using an improved magnetron sputtering method. The atomic ratio of Pt was controlled from 6.7% to 99.7% within the samples. The corresponding electro-catalytic activities towards the HOR in alkaline were systematically measured by rotating disc electrode method. A volcano-shape relationship between the HOR exchange current density and the Ru atomic fraction was revealed, and maximum activity was observed at ca. 55% content of Ru. The enhancement in electro-catalytic activity is attributed to a reduction in the electronic charge density of Pt upon Ru doping.

The development of the hydrogen electrode is vital for the application of alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs). In this study, a series of Ni(OH)2 decorated Ni/C catalysts (Ni(OH)2-Ni/C) were prepared by a three-step electrochemical treatment of Ni/C. The existence of Ni(OH)2 was demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the surface molar ratio of Ni(OH)2/Ni of the samples was estimated via an electrochemical method. The HOR catalytic activity of the catalysts was evaluated by a rotation disk electrode (RDE) method, and a “volcano plot” was established between the HOR exchange current (j0) and the surface molar ratio of Ni(OH)2/Ni. On top of the “volcano”, the surface molar ratio of Ni(OH)2/Ni is 1.1:1, the j0 of which was 6.8 times of that of Ni/C. The stability of the samples toward HOR was evaluated to be good. Our study added a systematic experimental evidence to the HOR research, showing that the HOR catalytic activity of Ni can be deliberately controlled via decoration of Ni(OH)2, which may help understanding the HOR mechanism on Ni.

This work reports a novel Ga-based material, NiGa2O4, which is typically used as a photocatalyst for water splitting, as an anode for Li-ion battery with a long cycle life. High-surface-area reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been used as the conductive substrate to avoid the aggregation of NiGa2O4 nanoparticles (NPs). Because the size and shape of NiGa2O4 are very sensitive to the pH of the precursor, ethylene glycol has been employed as the solvent, as well as the reduction agent to reduce GO, to avoid using extra surfactants and also to avoid the variation of pH of the precursor. The obtained NiGa2O4/rGO composite possesses high capacity and long cycle life (2000 cycles, 2 A/g), with NiGa2O4 NPs around 3-4 nm that are uniformly distributed on the rGO surface. Full cell performance with LiCoO2 as cathode has also been studied, with the average loss of 0.04% per cycle after 100 cycles (C/2 of LiCoO2). The long cycle life of the composite was ascribed to the self-healing feature of Ga0 formed during charging.

Li metal batteries have recently attracted extensive attention due to the pursuit of high-energy-density batteries for electric vehicles. However, safety and low cycling Coulombic efficiency (CCE) hinder the development of high-energy Li metal secondary batteries due to the high reactivity of Li metal with present electrolytes. Here, we investigate the reductive stability of nonflammable electrolytes with a wide salt to solvent ratio range and demonstrate that an ion–solvent-coordinated (ISC) nonflammable electrolyte–lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)-triethylphosphate (TEP) enables dendrite-free Li metal plating/stripping on the Cu electrode with a high CCE of 99.3% up to 350 cycles. Understanding of the fundamental electrochemistry tells us that the decrease of solvent activity in ISC electrolyte can improve the reductive stability of the solvent on Li metal anodes. The fundamental concept of ISC electrolyte developed in this work provides new perspectives for the development of highly stable and ...

Identifying the catalytically active site(s) in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), under real-time electrochemical conditions, is critical to the development of fuel cells and other technologies. We have employed in situ synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to investigate the synergistic interaction of a Co-Mn oxide catalyst which exhibits impressive ORR activity in alkaline fuel cells. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) was used to track the dynamic structural changes of Co and Mn under both steady state (constant applied potential) and nonsteady state (potentiodynamic cyclic voltammetry, CV). Under steady state conditions, both Mn and Co valences decreased at lower potentials, indicating the conversion from Mn(III,IV) and Co(III) to Mn(II,III) and Co(II), respectively. Rapid X-ray data acquisition, combined with a slow sweep rate in CV, enabled a 3 mV resolution in the applied potential, approaching a nonsteady (potentiodynamic) state. Changes in the Co and Mn valence states were simultaneous and exhibited periodic patterns that tracked the cyclic potential sweeps. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first study, using in situ XAS, to resolve the synergistic catalytic mechanism of a bimetallic oxide. Strategies developed/described herein can provide a promising approach to unveil the reaction mechanism for other multimetallic electrocatalysts.

Monodisperse colloidal particles have promising applications in electrophoretic displays with vivid colors, reversibility and low switching times. In this study, a facile, effective and large-scale strategy for preparing size-controlled Fe3O4@SiO2 particles is reported. Multiple Fe3O4 particles were synthesized by a modified solvothermal method using sodium citrate as a surface modifier with a binary solvent, and were then coated with a SiO2 layer to obtain a highly negatively charged surface via a modified Stober method. Owing to the easily controlled sizes and sufficient surface charges, Fe3O4@SiO2 particles can be assembled into colloidal amorphous arrays with the balance of electrostatic repulsion and electrophoretic forces. The reflections cover wavelengths ranging from 802 to 453 nm, and were optimized by investigating the dependence of the particles on variables such as particle size, particle volume fraction, and electric field intensity. The large-scale preparation of electrically responsive Fe3O4@SiO2 particles facilitates an electrophoretic display with broad-range colors, showing the practical potential in industrial application.

Sensitive substrate is the key factor, which may affect the enhancement effect of the SERS detection. SiO 2 /Ag hybrid nanospheres were synthesized by using (3-Aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTES) modified SiO 2 nanospheres and [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] + ions, which would be used as very sensitive and homogeneous surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Our results show that the –NH 2 groups were grafted on the surface of SiO 2 due to the modification of APTES, which promoted adsorption of Ag nanoparticles on the SiO 2 matrix. The effects of APTES on the micromorphology, chemical structure, and SERS performance of SiO 2 /Ag hybrid nanospheres were investigated by the SEM, XRD, and SERS measurements. Results indicated that the Ag nanoparticles were crystalline and the diameter of AgNPs ranged from 50 to 100 nm. SERS measurement showed that the surface electromagnetic enhancement would increase with number of AgNPs on SiO 2 nanospheres surface, and the mechanism explained by the FDTD simulation. Furthermore, our results indicate the highly uniformity and reproducibility of these substrates with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak intensity was 7.74%. The SiO 2 /Ag nanospheres with had high sensitivity, uniformity and reproducibility should be potential SERS applications.

The electrochemical conversion of CO2 to fuels or chemicals is an attractive approach that can combine sustainable energy utilization and carbon recycling, but its practicability is still vague, because the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has hitherto been mostly studied in electrolyte solutions, with small current densities limited by the solubility of CO2. An important and urgent task is thus to develop CO2 electrolyzers that can demonstrate the feasibility of the large-scale conversion of CO2, in particular analogs of water electrolyzers using polymer electrolyte based gas-diffusion electrodes. Here we report a high-performance CO2 electrolyzer making use of alkaline polymer electrolytes (APEs). A highly conductive and stable APE, quaternary ammonia poly(N-methyl-piperidine-co-p-terphenyl) (QAPPT), was applied both as the membrane separator and the ionomer impregnating the gas-diffusion electrodes. Dry CO2 was fed into the Au cathode, with a faradaic efficiency of CO production (COFE) over 85%, and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurred at the IrO2 anode fed with pure water. The cell was operated at temperatures up to 80 °C, and the current density reached 0.5 A cm−2 at 3 V at 60 °C. The stability of this electrolyzer was tested under 0.1 A cm−2, and the cell voltage remained stable at 2.25 V over 100 h, with the COFE staying at 90–95%.

The alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs) hold great promise for using nonnoble metal-based electrocatalysts toward the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but are hindered by the sluggish anodic hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline electrolytes. Here, a strategy is reported to promote the alkaline HOR performance of Ru by incorporating 3d-transition metals (V, Fe, Co, and Ni), where the conduction band minimum (CBM) level of Ru can be rationally tailored through strong d-d orbital coupling. As expected, the obtained RuFe nanosheet exhibits outstanding HOR performance with the mass activity of 233.46 A g

Recent studies demonstrated that the chemical stability of alkaline polymer electrolytes (APEs) could be improved by reducing the inductive effect between cations and backbones. Therefore, pendent cations were recommended. However, microphase-separated morphologies would be generated by elongating the spacer between cations and backbones, which have a significant influence on the chemical stability of APEs too. In order to analyze how the patterns of micromorphology affect the chemical stability of the materials, in the present work, four APEs (a1-QAPS, a3-QAPS, a5-QAPS, and a7-QAPS) with different lengths of side chain between polysulfone and quaternary ammonium are synthesized. The longer the side chain is, the more obvious the microphase separation for the ax-QAPS membranes is observed. After immersing in a hot alkaline solution (80 °C, 1 M KOH) for 30 days, a5-QAPS exhibits the highest chemical stability. The ion exchange capacity and ionic conductivity of a5-QAPS film are reduced by 10.0 and 10.5%, r...

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are a key material for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Non-fluorinated hydrocarbon PEMs are low-cost alternatives to Nafion, but limited by the low proton conductivity, because of the weak phase segregation structure and narrow ion-transport channels. Various efforts have been taken to improve the performance of hydrocarbon PEMs, but mostly with complex methodologies. Here we demonstrate a simple, yet very efficient method to create phase segregation structure inside a typical hydrocarbon PEM, sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). By simply adding appropriate amounts of water into the DMF solvent, the resulting SPEEK membrane exhibits widened ion-transport channels, with the phase size of 2.7 nm, as indicated by both molecular dynamic (MD) simulations and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations, and the proton conductivity is thus improved by 200%. These findings not only further our fundamental understanding of hydrocarbon PEMs, but are also valuable to the development of low-cost and practical fuel cell technologies.

An ideal proton exchange membrane for fuel-cell application should possess excellent dimensional stability, high ionic conductivity and inexpensiveness. Introducing cross-links into the polymer structures is a popular strategy to alleviate the tradeoff between swelling ratio and ionic conductivity of high ion exchange capacity proton exchange membranes. However, the cross-links in these membranes will block the transport of H+, resulting in unfavorable decrease of conductivity. Here we report a systematic study of acSPEEK-Sx membranes with alkyl chain attached ionic cross-links to demonstrate how the unique cross-links can improve both the conductivity and swelling behavior of the materials. Compared to the conventional SPEEK, in addition to high anti-oxidative stability, the ionic conductivity and swelling behavior of the acSPEEK-Sx samples are significantly improved. A high proton conductivity of 101.2 mS cm−1 and a low swelling degree of 15.0% are observed in the acSPEEK-S6 membrane at the temperature of 80 °C. Based on the high-performance acSPEEK-S6 sample, a peak power density of 750 mW cm−2 is achieved at 60 °C, which is similar or superior to those of Nafion 112 (710 mW cm−2) under the same measurement conditions.

Induced by appropriate magnetic field, Fe3O4 nanoparticles self-assemble into magnetically responsive photonic crystals (MRPC), showing the potential applications in color display, bioimaging agents and sensors. We report a kind of Fe3O4 clusters synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal reaction with the attachment of a small molecule (citrate groups) on the surface, which increases negative charge density and demonstrates the characteristics of good water-dispersity and stability. The characteristics of the nanoparticles are measured by TEM, SEM, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, TG and VSM. The variation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles size is determined by the amount of citrate. The MRPC show tunable photonic performance under a magnetic field ranging from 80 to 374 G, which could be controlled by the size, concentration, washing method and washing cycles.

We report the design and synthesis of catalyst for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, where the high geometric current of metal electrode and the excellent selectivity of molecular cataly...

The electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H

BackgroundHeated tobacco products (HTP) generate nicotine-containing aerosol by heating tobacco rather than burning it. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently authorised the sale of one HTP brand, iQOS, in the USA. This study examined the awareness, use and risk perceptions of HTP in the USA following FDA authorisation.MethodsA national probability sample of 20 449 US adults completed an online survey between November 2019 and February 2020. In addition to assessing awareness and use of HTP, two ratios were calculated: the ratio of those who experimented with HTP given that they had heard about it (E/H) and the ratio of those who currently used HTP given experimentation (C/E). These ratios for HTP were compared against those for e-cigarettes from a similar national survey in 2012.ResultsOverall, 8.1% of respondents had heard of HTP. Only 0.55% had tried and 0.10% were current users. The rate of experimentation among those who heard about HTP and the rate of current use among experimenters were, however, similar to those for e-cigarettes in 2012: E/H and C/E for HTP were 6.8% and 18.2%, respectively; and 10.7% and 17.8%, respectively for e-cigarettes. The majority of respondents considered HTP either less harmful than (11.6%), or equally harmful as e-cigarettes (42.7%).ConclusionsOnly a small fraction of US population in 2020 have tried any HTP. However, the similarity in early adoption rates following awareness, suggests that future adoption for HTP may be similar to that for e-cigarettes, if HTP are marketed more aggressively.

We investigate the first-order metal-ferromagnetic insulator phase transition on the puckered honeycomb lattice, combining the cellular dynamical mean field theory with the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo method. By analyzing the interplay among intrinsic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), Rashba SOC and on-site interaction, we show that the ferromagnetic (FM) order and the antiferromagnetic (AFM) order occur in different regimes. Rashba SOC allows the electron spin flipping, which leads to the phase transition from the metal to FM insulator induced by the increasing on-site interaction. In contrast to the usual continuous metal-antiferromagnetic insulator phase transition, we find that the metal-ferromagnetic insulator transition is first-order by computing the double occupancy. Furthermore, the complete phase diagrams of the Rashba SOC, on-site interaction and temperature are also demonstrated.

BACKGROUND Health authorities across nations differ markedly on their position regarding electronic cigarettes. For example, the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom promoted e-cigarettes as a harm-reduction alternative to cigarettes, whereas the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against the use of e-cigarettes. OBJECTIVE This study tests the effects of these different policy messages on the public’s perception of e-cigarettes. METHODS Participants (N=20,055) were sampled from an online panel with members from 19 major Chinese cities, and were randomized into three groups. Group 1 received brief messaging on e-cigarettes equivalent to the UK position, Group 2 received messaging equivalent to the US position, and Group 3 served as a control.Harm of cigarettes and e-cigarettes were rated on a 1–10 scale. Cigarettes smokers were asked if they intended to use e-cigarettes in a future quit attempt. RESULTS The group exposed to the US message rated e-cigarettes as significantly more risky than the control group, 5.87 (95%CI, 5.81-5.93) vs. 5.49 (5.43-5.55). The UK message group had a similar rating to the control, 5.42 (5.36-5.48). A lower percent of smokers in the US message group, 53.9% (51.8-56.0), intended to use e-cigarettes in future attempts to quit smoking than the control group, 60.1% (58.0-62.2), which was similar to that of the UK message group, 60.3% (58.3-62.4). CONCLUSIONS Messages from health authorities that cast e-cigarettes chiefly in a negative light could significantly increase the perceived risks of e-cigarettes and decrease smokers’ intentions to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. In addressing the risk of e-cigarettes, policymakers should consider the net effect of a policy so as to maximize its potential to save lives.

Starting from Shannon's definition of dynamic entropy, we proposed a simple theory to describe the transition between different rare event related dynamic states in condensed matters, and used it to investigate high pressure ice VII. Instead of the thermodynamic intensive quantities such as the temperature and pressure, a dynamic intensive quantity named dynamic field is taken as the controlling variable for the transition. Based on the dynamic entropy versus dynamic field curve, two dynamic states corresponding to ice VII and dynamic ice VII were discriminated rigorously in a pure dynamic view. Their microscopic differences were assigned to the dynamic patterns of proton transfer. This study puts a similar dynamical theory used in earlier studies of glass models on a simple and more fundamental basis, which could be applied to describe the dynamic states of realistic and more condensed matter systems., 5 pages, 4 figures

ispartof: ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING vol:8 issue:43 pages:16046-16047 status: published

Topological stability is an important property for topological materials. However, the non-Hermitian effects may change this situation. Here, we investigate the robustness of edge states in the non-Hermitian Kitaev chain with imbalanced tunneling term and superconducting pairing term. By defining the similarity of Majorana zero modes (MZMs) and magnetic factor, the coalescing phase diagram of the MZMs and corresponding spin polarization phase diagram are provided. Because of the non-Hermitian coalescence effect and non-Hermitian suppression effect induced by the breakdown of sublattice symmetry and particle-hole symmetry, the system emergence very interesting phenomenons, such as defective MZMs, number-anomalous bulk-boundary correspondence, coalescing of many-body ground states, the magnetic phase crossover without gap closing. Those novel non-Hermitian effects offer fresh insights into MZMs and topological physics., 9 pages, 5 figures

Background The neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have drawn attention in recent years as novel non‐specific inflammatory markers; however, only a few studies have been conducted to investigate their value in RA. Objective To investigate the value of the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as complementary diagnostic tools in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method This study included 1009 patients with RA, 170 patients with other rheumatic diseases, and 245 healthy individuals from four medical centers. The patients' general data, including complete blood count, C‐reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and rheumatoid factor (RF), were retrospectively analyzed, and the NLR and PLR were calculated. Potential effective indicators were screened by logistic regression analysis, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate their diagnostic value for RA. Results (a) The NLR and PLR were significantly higher in the RA group than in the non‐RA group and the control group (P .05). The PLR was positively correlated with RF (r = .139, P, The ROC curve of the diagnostic value of the NLR for RA. At the cutoff value of 2.13 and an AUC of 0.831, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 76.7%, 75.9%, and 76.4%, respectively, which were lower than the corresponding values for RF and CRP but higher than those for ESR. RF: rheumatoid factor; CRP: C‐reactive protein; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NLR: neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio; Pre‐1: predicted probability‐1.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of miniscrews thread shape on the stress distribution receiving a torque load. Seven thread shapes (S,V1,V2,B1,B2,R1,R2) models were constructed and a 6 Nmm-torque load was applied. The order of maximum equivalent stress (EQV) value was V1V2B1R1R2B2S. The order of maximum displacement of miniscrew (Max DM) value was S B2R1 = V1B1V2R2. Model R2 may be the most appropriate thread shape affording a torque force.

Background Data concerning adherence to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance among chronic liver disease (CLD) patients at high risk of developing HCC in China are limited. We aimed to examine the relationship between HCC-related knowledge dimensions and adherence to HCC surveillance procedures among chronic liver disease patients at high risk of developing HCC and to identify potential barriers. Methods A total of 380 patients with chronic liver disease at high risk of developing HCC were recruited between May and August 2018 to complete a survey during the first week of their first hospitalization at the Third People’s Hospital of Kunming in China. We followed up each patient up to 7 months by telephone to confirm whether the patient returned to complete investigations for HCC surveillance. Patient’s socio-demographic characteristics, HCC-related knowledge, and perceived barriers to HCC surveillance were measured using a structured questionnaire during their hospitalization. Factor analysis was performed on the knowledge questions to reduce the dimensions. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the association between dimensions of HCC-related knowledge and patients’ adherence to HCC surveillance. Results A total of 327 eligible patients had been successfully contacted in the follow-up phase. Only a quarter of patients completed HCC surveillance within 7 months after their first admission to hospital. High costs and perceived poor test efficacy were the two major barriers for HCC surveillance. Three common factors were derived from the factor analysis of HCC-related knowledge, namely, “Surveillance”, “Lifestyle”, and ‘Prognosis’. Knowledge of HCC surveillance and lifestyle but not prognosis had an influence on adherence to HCC surveillance. Patients with better surveillance and lifestyle knowledge domain had better adherence to HCC surveillance. Conclusion Adherence to HCC surveillance procedures is low in the study area. Closing the gap in HCC-related knowledge, particularly regarding surveillance and lifestyle, may help to increase adherence rates.

The exquisite combination of hetreometallic [TbIIINiII(COO)3(H2O)] clusters with a designed hexatopic ligand generates one highly robust three-dimensional heterometallic TbIII/NiII-organic framework material {[TbNi(HTDP)(H2O)]·3DMF·2H2O}n (NUC-2; H6TDP = 2,4,6-tri(2,4-dicarboxyphenyl)pyridine). Gas adsorption measurements reveal that the activated NUC-2 exhibits ultrahigh C2H2 adsorption capacity but negligible uptake of C2H4, which is ascribed to its high stability and ultrahigh functional internal surface. Furthermore, dynamic breakthrough experiments confirm that NUC-2 can effectively fulfill the separation of a C2H2/C2H4 (1 : 99) mixture. Such excellent performance makes NUC-2 a promising adsorbent for practical C2H2/C2H4 separation and provides new insights into heterometallic MOFs for gas separation.

A series of heterometallic Ln-Cr clusters with the formulas [Ln

Organosilane-functionalized carbon dots (SiCDs) immobilized silica composite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-SiCDs) with dually emissive properties have been prepared by a modified sol-gel method. Such Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-SiCDs nanoparticles solution exhibits blue light emission with a maximum wavelength of 470 nm at lower concentrations, and red-shifts to yellow-green light emission with maximum wavelength of 565 nm at higher concentrations, which is different with traditional carbon dots composite materials displaying strong emission only in the blue-light region. The SiCDs are immobilized in the outer mesoporous silica layer by covalent bonds via proper blending ration, which enables the nanoparticles solution to possess excellent fluorescence stability. The Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-SiCDs nanoparticles show good stability, high surface area (483.19 m2/g), high saturation magnetization (22.1 emu/g) and low remanence (0.217 emu/g). When the concentration of nanoparticles solution is increased, the distance between the nanoparticles decreases and exhibits the concentration-mediated scattering phenomena, which result in the red-shift of fluorescent peaks. The specific structure of the Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-SiCDs nanoparticles and the concentration-mediated scattering phenomena play key roles in the red-shift appearing. Keywords: Magnetic nanoparticles, Carbon dots, Composite silica material, Fluorescent properties, Red-shift

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in many biological processes by affecting gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. lncRNAs are dysregulated in colorectal cancer (CRC) and this dysregulation is closely related to tumorigenesis, metastasis, and prognosis. Although many lncRNAs have been identified in CRC, the relation between ZNF667 antisense RNA 1 (head to head; ZNF667-AS1, accession: NR_036521.1) and CRC remains unclear. In this study, a total of 2,218 differentially expressed genes and 428 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified between tumor and pericarcinous tissues. They were mainly enriched in cancer pathways, chemokine signaling, phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling pathway, and others. Key lncRNAs, including ZNF667-AS1, and their corresponding genes, such as ankyrin 2 (ANK2), were downregulated in CRC tumor tissues. In addition, downregulated ZNF667-AS1 (NR_036521.1) expression is associated with poor prognosis and disease progression. Overexpression of ZNF667-AS1 (NR_036521.1) inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of VOLO cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and ANK2 were significantly down- and upregulated in the overexpressed ZNF667-AS1 VOLO cells compared to those in the negative-control group. Knockdown of ANK2 or overexpression of JAK2 significantly counteracted the inhibitory effects of overexpression of ZNF667-AS1 on LOVO cell proliferation and migration. Taken together, it is indicated in our research that ZNF667-AS1 interaction with ANK2/JAK2 maybe important in CRC progression. Overexpression of ZNF667-AS1 could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, which may be related with the high ANK2 and low JAK2 levels.

Objectives: China has made remarkable achievements in the field of immunization. However, several widespread vaccine safety-related events have recently received worldwide attention and reflect flaws in vaccine management. This study aimed to summarize vaccine safety-related events between 1985 and 2018 in China and analyze the profit motives of these events.Methods. Literature and media reviews were conducted to discover vaccine safety-related events. We developed a conceptual model with profit-related variables, and using information available from each event, we identified which profit-related variable was implicated, and how it related to the pursuit of higher profits.Results: A total of 39 vaccine safety-related events were found in vaccine production, procurement, transportation, and daily management, along with adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). Overall, 90% (35/39) of the events could be classified as profit-driven. The motives of most events could be tied to one or more reasons, including decreasing costs among vaccine producers (67%, 26/39), reducing actual procurement price (67%, 26/39), and reducing costs of transportation and/or cold chain (24/39, 62%).Conclusions: In order to deal with vaccine-related challenges, a more restrictive supervision system on vaccine production and more emergency preparedness, including health and risk communication strategies, for vaccine safety should be implemented.

Summary Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with amine linkage in both three and two dimensions, COF-300-AR and COF-366-M-AR, were synthesized by direct reduction of their corresponding COFs with imine linkage, COF-300 and COF-366-M, respectively. The quantitative reduction was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and cross-polarization magic angle spinning NMR (both 13C and 15N) spectroscopy. These amine COFs were highly crystalline and exhibited excellent chemical stability in strong acids and bases. The abundant amino groups in the COF-300-AR backbone facilitated the electrochemical reduction of CO2 on silver electrodes in a concerted manner and led to selective generation of CO. Specifically, CO conversion efficiency was raised from 13% to 53% at −0.70 V and from 43% to 80% at −0.85 V (versus a reversible hydrogen electrode) in comparison with that of a bare silver electrode. The porosity of COFs favored molecular diffusion to the electrode surface, and the amine functional groups close to the electrode surface promoted CO2 conversion efficiency by forming carbamate intermediates.

Fast neutron multiplicity counting (FNMC) is a new method of non-destructive analysis for nuclear materials. Using fast neutron detector array to detect the neutrons emitted from a sample, it obtains measurements according to the multiple counting method and analyzes the mass of plutonium in the sample. In this paper, A FNMC measuring device model has been constructed for simulation study in reference to the most advanced FNMC experimental device in the world. A series of typical plutonium sample models, including samples of plutonium metal and samples of plutonium oxide with different isotopic abundance and in different mass, have been designed. The correctness of the newly established fast neutron multiplicity measuring equation and the necessity of modifying the classical measuring equation have been verified by the computer simulated measurements. Compared with the calculation result from the equation developed in this paper and the calculation result from the classical NMC model, the simulated result shows that the new method is better than the classic method in result deviation.

A novel approach, continuous needleless electrospinning from the tips of magnetization-induced self-assembling PVA/ferrofluid cone array, was proposed to prepare magnetic nanofibers. A PVA/ferrofluid was synthesized, the needleless electrospinning process was observed, and the morphology and magnetic properties of magnetic nanofibers were investigated. The results showed that the PVA/ferrofluid could remain stable and homogeneous for 21 days under the magnetic field gradient (2.2 mT/mm). “Taylor cone” array of PVA/ferrofluid was self-assembled under both the magnetic and electric fields. As the electric voltage reached 25 kV, the jets were emitted from the “Taylor cone” array, resulting in needleless electrospinning of magnetic nanofibers. Magnetic nanofibers were homogeneous and continuous with an average diameter of 73.6 nm. Magnetic nanofibers showed a good magnetic response property and relatively high saturated magnetization (1.71 emu/g), which is expected to be applied in the biomedical field.

There is a great deal of interest in developing battery systems that can exhibit self-healing behavior, thus enhancing cyclability and stability. Given that gallium (Ga) is a metal that melts near room temperature, we wanted to test if it could be employed as a self-healing anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, Ga nanoparticles (NPs), when directly applied, tended to aggregate upon charge/discharge cycling. To address this issue, we employed carbon-coated Ga2O3 NPs as an alternative. By controlling the pH of the precursor solution, highly dispersed and ultrafine Ga2O3 NPs, embedded in carbon shells, could be synthesized through a hydrothermal carbonization method. The particle size of the Ga2O3 NPs was 2.6 nm, with an extremely narrow size distribution, as determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. A lithium-ion battery anode based on this material exhibited stable charging and discharging, with a capacity of 721 mAh/g after 200 cycles. The high cyclability is due to not only the protective effects of the carbon shell but also the formation of Ga0 during the lithiation process, as indicated by operando X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy.