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Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFC), which can operate at 600 °C or lower, have recently emerged as a promising technology for widespread applications because of their low costs and...

The Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 (LAS) glass ceramics are prepared by one-step thermoelectric treatment. The influence of thermoelectric treatments on LAS glass-ceramics were studied. The crystal phase composition and microstructure of the LAS glass-ceramics were investigated by DSC, SEM, XRD and FTIR. Moreover, the thermal expansion performance and light transmittance of LAS nanocrystalline glass were characterized. The results show that low-expansion transparent LAS nanocrystalline glass can be produced in a short time by thermoelectric treatment. The free energy of nucleation and the degree of polymerization of the glass network are reduced by the electric field. The key is that the electric field polarizes Ti and Zr ions at the crystallization temperature, so that the crystal nuclei repel the same poles. This allows uniform crystal distribution, promotes crystallization and reduces one-step crystallization of crystal agglomeration. This proves that the rapid preparation of nanocrystalline glass by the one-step method is feasible, and provides a reference for the future one-step processing of glass-ceramics.

Due to a steady increase of electrical energy consumption, the demand for high-performance energy storage materials becomes more urgent than ever. Compared to other synthetic technologies, surfactant templating method offers the most efficient way to improve electrochemical performances of energy storage materials. In the synthesis of energy storage materials prepared, various surfactants are often used and play a crucial role in determining the properties of final products. Multifunctional surfactants can effectively tailor and control particle size, crystallinity, morphology, porosity, structure and composition of energy storage materials, achieving significant enhancement in rate capability and cycle stability. Herein, we summarize various surfactants, including classic alkyl-based surfactants, polymers, biological ligands and other surface active molecules. This review highlights the essential roles of surfactants, working as structure-directing agents, carbon sources, porogens and stabilizer agents, etc., in controlling nanostructure of energy storage materials and improving their properties. For different batteries (such as lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-oxygen batteries and alkaline batteries) and supercapacitors, similarities and differences in surfactant mechanism, functions, electrochemical performances of the synthesized materials, challenges and opportunities are discussed as well. To facilitate further development of surfactant template method, some future research trends and directions are finally put forward.

An efficient and catalyst-free method for the large-scale preparation of high-purity α-Si3N4 nanowires was demonstrated by annealing absorbent cotton and silicic acid in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere. The pyrolysis of absorbent cotton generated a fluffy structure constructed by carbon microfibers, which could promote the growth of α-Si3N4 nanowires. The nanowires were characterized by XRD and XRD Rietveld refinement, SEM and TEM. The results indicated that the nanowires have diameters of 50–100 nm and lengths of tens to hundreds of microns. Vapor-solid (VS) mechanism was proposed to be responsible for the formation of nanowires. The α-Si3N4 nanowires were then applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), exhibiting good rate capability and cycling property.

New triclinic oxide material Ta1−x−yTixCryO2.5−δ (x = 0.077, y = 0–0.053) was synthesized via an oxalate co-precipitation method and tested as a novel electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Structural, electrical, and thermal properties of tantalum-based electrolyte co-doping with Cr3+/Ti4+ content were studied. X-ray powder diffraction showed that the crystal structure changed from orthorhombic to triclinic due to co-doped, and its high-temperature triclinic (pseudo-tetragonal) phase of tantalum pentoxide (H-Ta2O5) structure was stabilized to room temperature by doping. The crystalline phase facilitates the generation of more oxygen vacancies, which increases the electrical conductivity. The appearance of oxygen vacancies in the crystal with triclinic structure was confirmed with Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy results exhibited the grain size decreases gradually with doping. Impedance curves showed high total ionic conductivity (1.48 × 10–1 S/cm at 700 °C) and low activation energy (Ea = 0.857 eV) for Ta0.9Ti0.067Cr0.033O2.5−δ. Thermal expansion coefficients (3.09 × 10–6 K−1) for co-doped samples were much lower in comparison to other electrolytes. Based on the results reported in this work, Ta1−x−yTixCryO2.5−δ can be an excellent oxygen conductor and recommended as solid electrolytes for IT-SOFC applications.

To explore the mechanism of microRNA‐155 (miR‐155) deficiency, protecting against experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) in a toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)‐dependent manner. After wild‐type (WT) and miR‐155−/− mice were injected with complete Freund's adjuvant and prostate antigen to establish EAP model, half were randomly selected for injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, a TLR4 ligand). The following experiments were then performed: von Frey filaments, hematoxylin‐eosin (HE) staining, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR), Western blotting, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). And the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) and the level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by corresponding kits.miR‐155−/− mice with prostatitis exhibited the attenuated pelvic tactile allodynia/hyperalgesia and the suppressed TLR4/nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) pathway as compared with the WT mice with prostatitis. In addition, LPS enhanced the upregulation of miR‐155 and the activation of the TLR4/NF‐κB pathway in the prostatic tissues of WT mice with EAP. Furthermore, prostatitis mice had aggravated inflammation scores accompanying the increased interleukin (IL)‐1β, tumor necrosis factor‐α, IL‐6, interferon‐γ, IL‐12, and MDA in prostatic tissues with the decreased IL‐10, SOD and GSH‐Px, and the unaltered IL‐4. Compared with the mice from the WT + EAP group and the miR‐155−/− + EAP + LPS group, mice from the miR‐155−/− + EAP group had decreased inflammation and oxidative stress. miR‐155 deficiency ameliorated pelvic tactile allodynia/hyperalgesia in EAP mice and improved inflammation and oxidative stress in prostatic tissues in a TLR4‐dependent manner involving NF‐κB activation, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect in chronic prostatitis treatment.

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the 10th most prevalent malignancy worldwide and remains a crucial cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a large class of endogenous non-coding RNAs, contain unique covalent closed structures and their biogenesis and turnover are regulated by multiple factors. Recently, multiple circRNAs have been found to serve as important factors in several biological processes such as tumorigenesis. An increasing amount of research discovered that circRNAs are dysregulated in multiple cancer tissues compared with matched normal tissues, especially in BCa, indicating that circRNAs can act as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of BCa. In this review, we focus on the biogenesis, properties, turnover, and functions of circRNAs, summarizing their potential functions and clinical implications in BCa.

Background The purpose of this bibliometric analysis was to identify and assess the 100 most-cited articles (T100 articles) on urological surgery. Methods The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database was used to investigate the T100 articles in the field of urological surgery. Different aspects of the T100 articles, including the countries, journals, authors, and topics, were analyzed. Results The number of citations of T100 articles published between 1989 and 2016 ranged from 334 to 2189. The T100 articles originated from 28 countries, with more than half originating from the USA (n = 80). Professor Bill-Axelson A from Uppsala University Hospital published the largest number of T100 articles as the first author (4) and as a coauthor (1). The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from the USA is the top institution with the most T100 articles in the field of urological surgery. The special journal Journal of Urology published 41 of the T100 articles, which had a total of 19780 citations. Conclusions Our study analyzed the 100 most-cited articles in the field of urological surgery. The USA is the dominant country in terms of the number of T100 articles, scientists and institutions. Surgery related to urological cancer has garnered the most academic attention, especially prostate cancer and renal cancer.

In this work, the plasma generated by the cascaded SinplexProTM plasma spray gun was studied by means of numerical simulation. Special attention is given to the laminarity of the plasma flow. The simulation part is divided into two parts: arcing simulation inside the spray gun and plasma jet simulation outside the spray gun. A laminar as well as a turbulent model is used in each case. The results show that, under the investigated conditions, the internal flow of the plasma torch can be considered as laminar with low turbulence and can, hence, be regarded as quasi-laminar flow. If carrier gas is injected into the plasma jet, the ideal laminar plasma jet is often greatly affected. However, the turbulent plasma jet with low turbulence intensity generated by the cascaded SinplexProTM plasma spray gun is less affected and can remain stable, which is beneficial to the plasma-spraying process.

Background: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has the highest incidence rate in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Although bioinformatics is widely used in cancer, few reliable biomarkers of KIRC have been found. Therefore, continued efforts are required to elucidate the potential mechanism of the biogenesis and progression of KIRC.Methods: We evaluated the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family genes in KIRC, and constructed a prognostic signature. We validated the signature by another database and explored the relationship between the signature and progression of KIRC. We assessed the prognostic value, immune infiltration, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) of the signature in KIRC.Results: We selected four key genes (TNFSF14, TNFRSF19, TNFRSF21, and EDA) to construct the TNF-related signature. We divided the KIRC patients into high- and low-risk groups based on the signature. Patients with higher risk scores had shorter overall survival and worse prognosis. With another database, we validated the value of the signature. The signature was considered as an independent risk factor. A higher level of risk score was relevant to higher level of immune infiltration, especially T regulatory cells, CD8+ T cells, and macrophages. The signature was also associated with TMB scores, and it may have an effect on assessing the efficacy of immunotherapy.Conclusion: This is the first TNF-family-related signature of KIRC and we demonstrated its effectiveness. It played a significant role in predicting the prognosis of patients with KIRC. It also has the potential to become a powerful tool in guiding the immunotherapy of KIRC patients in clinical practice.

Oil pollution is caused by the frequent discharge of contaminated industrial wastewater and accidental oil spills and is a severe environmental and health concern. Therefore, efficient materials and processes for effective oil–water separation are being developed. Herein, SiO2-Na2SiO3-coated stainless steel fibers (SSF) with underwater superoleophobic and low-adhesion properties were successfully prepared via a one-step hydrothermal process. The modified surfaces were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements to observe the surface morphology, confirm the successful incorporation of SiO2, and evaluate the wettability, as well as with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results revealed that SiO2 nanoparticles were successfully grown on the stainless-steel fiber surface through the facile hydrothermal synthesis, and the formation of sodium silicate was detected with XRD. The SiO2-Na2SiO3-coated SSF surface exhibited superior underwater superoleophobic properties (153–162°), super-hydrophilicity and high separation efficiency for dichloromethane–water, n-hexane–water, tetrachloromethane–water, paroline–water, and hexadecane–water mixtures. In addition, the as-prepared SiO2-Na2SiO3-coated SSF demonstrated superior wear resistance, long-term stability, and re-usability. We suggest that the improved durability may be due to the presence of sodium silicate that enhanced the membrane strength. The SiO2-Na2SiO3-coated SSF also exhibited desirable corrosion resistance in salty and acidic environments, however, further optimization is needed for their use in basic media. The current study presents a novel approach to fabricate high-performance oil–water separation membranes.

Although vanadium-based materials are potential electrode materials for Li-ion batteries, the development of commonly known vanadium-based crystalline phases is hindered by their inferior cyclic performance. Unlike crystalline phases, the amorphous vanadium-based materials do not exhibit undesirable phase transformations during the charge/discharge process leading to poor cyclic performance. Herein, we demonstrate the influence of a reducing atmosphere on the structure of vanadate–phosphate (V2O5-P2O5) glass and its electrochemical properties as a lithium-ion battery cathode. By employing various characterization techniques, we unveil the influence of reducing atmosphere on valence state of vanadium ions and structure of V2O5-P2O5 glass. The V2O5-P2O5 glass, synthesized in a reducing atmosphere, exhibits an ultra-high specific capacity of 270 mAh g−1 with excellent capacity retention of ∼90% after 100 cycles. Moreover, a stable specific capacity of 220 mAh g−1 is delivered at a high current density of 85 mA g−1 after 300 cycles, corresponding to 80% capacity retention. Overall, the V2O5-P2O5 glass, synthesized in a reducing atmosphere, renders higher capacity, excellent rate performance and stable cyclic performance than the V2O5-P2O5 glass, synthesized in the air atmosphere. The current work provides a novel route to develop multi-valence transition metal oxide electrodes for Li-ion batteries.

Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface by chemical etching and surface modification of glass ceramics. The surface morphology, crystal structure, chemical composition and wettability of the prepared surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water contact angle measurements. The modified glass ceramics exhibited an average water contact angle (WCA) of 152.7° ± 1.2°, a maximum WCA of 157° and a sliding angle of

Boron nitride (BN) and boron carbonitride (BCN) nanostructures with versatile morphology were synthesized at different temperatures. The morphologies such as smooth microspheres, nanoflake-decorated microspheres, solid nanowires, hollow nanotubes (bamboo-like nanotubes, quasi-cylindrical nanotubes, and cylindrical nanotubes), and nanosheet-assembled microwires have been observed. Systematic investigation showed that the reaction temperature was responsible for the versatile morphologies through influencing the guiding effect of catalyst alloy droplet and the diffusion rates of growth species. The diffusion rate differences between surface diffusion (along the surface of the droplet) and bulk diffusion (through the bulk of the droplet) at different reaction temperatures were suggested to affect the final structure of the BN and BCN nanostructures.

The nucleation mechanisms is of particularly technological interest since it determines the subsequent crystal growth and the resultant performances of glass-ceramics. Here we investigate the temperature dependent nucleation behavior of two compositionally similar silicate glasses. Striking difference in nucleation behavior was found for two glasses containing CaO and MgO, respectively, when they underwent the same heat-treatments under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Different from the CaO bearing glass for which only surface nucleation occurs, the substitution of MgO for CaO leads to volume nucleation. The comparison of rheological properties shows that the kinetic term with regard to diffusion makes a weak contribution to this difference in nucleation behavior. In contrast, the topological structure plays a key role in nucleation mechanism, which is strongly affected by the degree of intermediate-range order in both the glasses.

In oxide glasses, the microscopic hidden flow and the structural origin of the glass-to-liquid transition (GLT) are unclear due to the lack of detailed structural information. Herein, we investigate the evolution of the microscopic localized flow during GLT in a V2O5–P2O5 bulk oxide glass (BOG) by combining differential scanning calorimetry, temperature- and frequency-dependent bending experiments and stress relaxation spectra. The characteristic changes, their intrinsic correlations with the GLT process and the complete relaxation process are discussed in detail. We have observed three relaxation stages in the V2O5–P2O5 bulk oxide glass. Stage (I) corresponds to the nano-scale liquid-like movement with reversible activation of flow units. Stage (II) refers to the cooperative interaction of α and β relaxation, whereas stage (III) represents the glass transition process. In the frequency spectra, we have obtained a different result with metallic glasses by using a quasi-point defect model. When T 480 K (Tβ), χ shows a linear relationship with temperature. The present study provides useful insights to describe the relationship between the architecture of local atomic arrangements and mechanical properties of oxide glass.

It is a necessary part of crystal design to explore the process through which crystals precipitate in glass ceramics. In this work, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to structurally characterize a glass of composition 20MgO–20Al2O3–54SiO2–3K2O–1Fe2O3–2TiO2 (mol%). The evolution of the glass–crystal interface during the crystallization process was investigated using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode. Results showed that alkaline-earth metal Mg aggregated at the interface during crystallization to form an Mg-enriched layer, which could be verified through the concentration formula. According to the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the difference in diffusion coefficients between the base glass and Mg-enriched layer leads to the formation and stabilization of the layer. MD simulation also indicated that there was aggregation of Al in the enriched layer, which inhibited further crystal growth.

As a structural analog of graphene and boron nitride, hexagonal boron carbonitride nanosheets (BCNNSs) are supposed to be a potential drug deliverer. In the present work, an improved solid-state reaction method combined with ultrasonic exfoliating was reported for preparing BCNNSs. Vapor-solid (VS) mechanism was proposed to be responsible for the formation of BCNNSs. The BCNNSs were further modified by DSPE-mPEG-5000 to improve their dispersion in aqueous solution. It was found that the BCNNSs-PEG nanocomplex could be efficiently taken in by MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells evidenced by inverted fluorescence microscopy. The PEGylated BCNNSs showed an outstanding ability to load paclitaxel through π-π interaction and hydrophobic interaction, and BCNNSs-PEG-loaded paclitaxel presented higher cytotoxicity in comparison with free paclitaxel. BCNNSs may become a promising candidate for delivering paclitaxel and other hydrophobic drugs.

Herein, a superhydrophobic surface with superior durability was fabricated on a glass-ceramic surface by crystallization, hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching, and surface grafting. The as-prepared glass-ceramic surface was composed of three-dimensional flower-like micro-clusters, which were self-assembled from numerous nanosheets. Such a dual-scale rough surface exhibited superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle (WCA) of 170.3° ± 0.1° and a sliding angle (SA) of ~2° after grafting with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (FAS-17). This can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the dual-scale structure and surface chemistry. Furthermore, this surface exhibited excellent self-cleaning properties, stability against strong acid and strong alkali corrosion, and anti-stripping properties.

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the 10th most prevalent malignancy worldwide and remains a crucial cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a large class of endogenous non-coding RNAs, contain unique covalent closed structures and their biogenesis and turnover are regulated by multiple factors. Recently, multiple circRNAs have been found to serve as important factors in several biological processes such as tumorigenesis. An increasing amount of research discovered that circRNAs are dysregulated in multiple cancer tissues compared with matched normal tissues, especially in BCa, indicating that circRNAs can act as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of BCa. In this review, we focus on the biogenesis, properties, turnover, and functions of circRNAs, summarizing their potential functions and clinical implications in BCa.

Ta1 – x − yTixFeyO5 − δ was synthesized by co-precipitation. Their crystal structure, microstructure, electric conductivity, thermostability and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS), Thermogravimetric (TGA) and thermal dilatometer, respectively, and the effects of Fe2O3 content on the above properties were investigated. The results of XRD showed the crystal pattern changed from orthorhombic to triclinic structure. SEM analysis showed the sintering and densification of electrolyte had been promoted with the introduction of Fe2O3. Ta1 – x − yTixFeyO5 − δ had the highest electric conductivity of 4.02 × 10− 2 S/cm when x = 0.077, y = 0.023 and good thermal performance at high temperature.

MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 (MAS) the basic glass was prepared by the traditional melt-quenching method, whereas the glass-ceramics was produced by subjecting the glass to thermoelectric coupling treatment. The MAS glass-ceramics were characterized by FTIR, XPS, and SEM. Clearly, the extension of the heat-treatment time did not change the crystal grains number in the absence of an electric field. However, with the electric-field voltage increase,the crystal grains number in the MAS glass-ceramics gradually increased when the electric-field voltage became steady at 1200 V. At high temperatures, Ti4+ participates in the silicon-oxygen network with four coordinations and produces good miscibility with the melt. By the introduction of electric field into the glass, a high amount of titanium transforms from a titanium-oxide tetrahedron to a titanium-oxide octahedron. Titanium was separated from the silicon–oxygen network framework to form a crystal nucleus and promote crystal growth. This study provides insights into the relationship between electric-field and glass-ceramics nucleation.

Vanadium-based glass shows high electronic conductivity without grain boundaries. It easily undergoes structural microcrack defects during fabrication using the melt-quenching method resulting in voids that affect its properties. This paper demonstrates that the cathode material obtained by nanocrystals precipitated by long-cycle electric fields are identical with those obtained by the heat treatment method. V2O5-Li3PO4 (VP) glass precipitates nanocrystals of Li3P and Li0.3V2O5 under heat treatment at 340 °C. It showed a prominent specific capacity of 269.4 mAh.g−1 in the first cycle at a current density of 50 mA.g−1, and 227.4 mAh.g−1 after 50 cycles with a retention rate of 86.3%, as the cathode of a lithium ion battery. Thermal field-controlled VP glass allows selective crystallization of nanocrystal of Li3P and Li0.3V2O5, which promote conductivity and charge transfer and significantly enhance the electrode reaction kinetics. Through ex-situ TEM, DSC, XRD and XPS, it was observed that discharge/charge caused disordered transitions in the amorphous VP, leading to the formation of nanocrystals of Li3P and Li0.3V2O5 after 100 cycles. Amorphous glass electrode material as a high-energy unstable state, has same tendency of precipitation of crystals to become stable under different treatment methods with long electric field cycles and thermal field induction.

Endometritis is one of major challenges in reproduction infections caused by bacteria in sows. Understanding of the vaginal bacterial community between endometritis and healthy sows serves as a critical step to develop more effective ways to improve reproduction ability in pig industry. The aim of the present study is to evaluate and compare the vaginal microbiota of endometritis and healthy sows using high-throughput pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene. The main bacterium found at the phylum level were Firmicutes (60.88% vs. 45.86%), Proteobacteria (20.45% vs. 32.19%) and Bacteroidetes (9.19% vs. 12.99%) for healthy and endometritis sows, respectively. Most notable difference at the phylum level was the Proteobacteria which occupied high abundance in the endometritis sows but less abundance in the healthy sows. At the genus level, the highest abundant were Bacillus (27.13% vs. 16.15%), Paenibacillus (14.78% vs. 8.92%), Alkaliphilus (3.99% vs. 2.87%) and Cronobacter (4.04% vs. 2.37%), in healthy and endometritis sows, respectively. Notable differences were Escherichia-Shigella, Bacteroides, Fusobacterium and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 which were more abundant in the endometritis than the healthy sows respectively. The present results for the first time demonstrate vaginal microbial community of sows and indicate that endometritis affected the vaginal microbiota of sow.

In this article, we investigate the mixed alkaline-earth effect in a silicate glass series with varying the molar ratio of [MgO]/([CaO]+[MgO]). This effect manifests itself as a minimum in Vickers microhardness (HV), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and isokom temperatures at 1012(Tg) and 102 Pa·s, and as a maximum in liquid fragility. To probe the structural origin of the mixed alkaline-earth effect in CTE and Hv, we conducted the Raman measurements. In contrast to the aluminosilicate glasses, the present glass series exhibit a negative deviation of shift of peak position at ~1100 cm−1 from a linear additivity, indicating the role of the aluminum speciation in affecting the vibration modes. By fitting the Vogel–Fulcher–Tamann equation to the high-temperature viscosity data, we found a near-linear increase of the fractional free volume with the gradual substitution of Ca by Mg, confirming the dynamic structural mismatch model describing the mixed modifier effect. This work gives insight into the mixed modifier effect in glassy systems.