Search

Few studies have been conducted focusing on the non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) incidence rate and influencing factors among left-behind children in northeastern Sichuan, China. In this study, we investigated the incidence rate of the NSSI behaviors, levels of anxiety and depression in left-behind children in northeastern Sichuan, and relevant sociodemographic factors.The NSSI behaviors were identified using the Ottawa Self-injury Inventory (Chinese version). Its incidence rate and related influencing factors were evaluated by Cluster sampling; the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) was adopted to assess the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress.A total of 9450 adolescents met the inclusion criteria, including 543 with NSSI behaviors, and the prevalence of NSSI was 5.7 %. There were 3596 left-behind children, and 243 of them had NSSI behaviors, the NSSI incidence in left-behind children was 6.8 %. There were 5854 non-left-behind children, and the NSSI incidence in non-left-behind children was 5.1 %. Left-behind children's NSSI behaviors were remarkably correlated with five risk factors: being female (OR = 2.411, 95%CI = 1.773-3.279), parents' divorce (OR = 1.742, 95%CI = 1.262-2.404), elder age (OR = 1.120, 95%CI = 1.028-1.219), severe depression (OR = 1.212, 95%CI = 1.148-1.281), and high anxiety (OR = 1.170, 95%CI = 1.093-1.251).This is a cross-sectional study, we cannot probe into the causality between NSSI behaviors and corresponding risk factors. Reporting and recalling biases may be unavoidable as questionnaires are performed by self-rating scales and retrospective reports.The NSSI behaviors are common in left-behind children in northeastern Sichuan. This study proposes that prevention and intervention measures are necessary for the healthy growth of such children.

This study investigates the relationship between academic achievement, psychological distress, and smartphone addiction in medical students. In total, 513 medical students voluntarily completed a survey that included the Personal Information Questionnaire, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS). Results showed that 321 participants were screened positive for smartphone addiction and the prevalence of smartphone addiction was 62.6%. We found that the prevalence of smartphone addiction was higher among male rather than female students (67.1% vs 58.2%; p = 0.039). There were significant differences between the smartphone addiction group and the smartphone non-addiction group as per the DASS-21 scores and the IAS scores. In addition, multiple regression indicated that psychological distress including anxiety, stress, depression, and social anxiety might be the predictors of smartphone addiction. However, smartphone addiction was found to have no significant correlation with academic performance in 274 undergraduate medical students. In conclusion, the study revealed the high prevalence of smartphone addiction in medical students. Smartphone addiction was associated with states of depression, anxiety, stress, and social anxiety, and there was no significant relationship between academic performance and smartphone addiction in undergraduate medical students. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the causal relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological distress.

The level of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has been well evaluated by the particle number, while the mass concentration of MPs and especially nanoplastics (NPs) remains unclear. In this study, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the mass concentrations of MPs and NPs with different size ranges (0.01-1, 1-50, and 50-1000 μm) across the whole treatment schemes in two WWTPs. The mass concentrations of total MPs and NPs decreased from 26.23 and 11.28 μg/L in the influent to 1.75 and 0.71 μg/L in the effluent, with removal rates of 93.3 and 93.7% in plants A and B, respectively. The proportions of NPs (0.01-1 μm) were 12.0-17.9 and 5.6-19.5% in plants A and B, respectively, and the removal efficiency of NPs was lower than that of MPs (>1 μm). Based on annual wastewater effluent discharge, it is estimated that about 0.321 and 0.052 tons of MPs and NPs were released into the river each year. Overall, this study investigated the mass concentration of MPs and NPs with a wide size range of 0.01-1000 μm in wastewater, which provided valuable information regarding the pollution level and distribution characteristics of MPs, especially NPs, in WWTPs.

To report a rare case of male breast micropapillary carcinoma (MBMC) with early metastasis of axillary lymph nodes, the molecular characteristics were further studied in both primary and metastatic foci. In addition, we have reviewed similar published cases in the literature and tried to outline the molecular characteristics of this disease.A 63-year-old male patient presented with a painless mass on the medial side of left breast and was pathologically diagnosed with MBMC. Postoperative examination revealed 80 % invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and 20 % invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) in the mass, with a histological grade WHO III. There were 25 axillary lymph nodes, 11 of which were metastatic, including 5 macrometastasis and 1 micrometastasis, with a lymph node metastasis rate of 44 % (11/25). Pathological TNM stage: pT2N2M0. Immunohistochemical results in primary foci: AR (90 %, +), HER- 2 (1 +) and ER (90 %, +), PR (60 %, +), E - cadherin (+), EGFR (-), GATA - 3 (90 %, 3 +), Ki - 67 (50 %). Lymph node metastasis: AR (40 %, strong +), HER-2 (2+), ER (90 %, strong +), PR (40 %, strong +), Ki-67 (50 %). AR and Ki-67 were obviously expressed in both primary and metastatic foci. A mixture of IDC and IMPC was found in lymph node metastases, both of which expressed varying degrees of AR and Ki-67.MBMC is easy to early metastasized to lymph node. In this case, there was no significant difference between primary and metastatic cancer in molecular results. It is positive for ER and PR, but negative for HER-2 in this patient. There is few data on male HER-2 expression, HER-2 expression is deficient in this case. AR is found to be positive in 50 % of MBMC cases, although their clinical relevance has not been established yet. The significance of EGFR in the prognosis of MBMC remains unclear, however, EGFR positive expression is not found in this patient.MBMC is a rare disease characterized by early lymph node metastasis, high histological grade, positive ER and PR, and generally negative HER-2. The molecular biological characteristics and prognostic significance of MBMC need to be further studied in order to develop the optimal treatment strategy.

Convenient and green methods to synthesize highly efficient and stable multi-functional electrode materials are the key and a challenge for the industrial application of new energy conversion devices. Herein, we have developed a general host–guest strategy to construct amorphous hetero-atom doped cobalt phosphates; in the first step, we fast synthesized large-scale 2D Co-based phosphate precursors with different organic amine guest molecules by a hydrothermal method, afterwards, we calcined these precursors at different annealing temperatures, leading to the decomposition of organic guest molecules, and consequently, we obtained amorphous C,N co-doped mesoporous Co-based phosphates during this decomposition process. Moreover, the optimal C4NCPO-450 shows bi-functional activity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and supercapacitor applications. Which has a low overpotential of 292 mV and a Tafel slope of 67.45 mV dec−1 for the OER, and when used as an electrode material for supercapacitors, it reveals a large specific capacitance of 326 F g−1@1 A g−1, accompanied by a stability of 2200 charge and discharge cycles. We suppose that this method can be used to prepare other hetero-atom doped mesoporous electrode materials, which should be promising candidates in the electrochemical energy storage and conversion field.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are currently considered an environmental pollutant of concern, but the actual extent of NP pollution in environmental water bodies remains unclear and there is not enough quantitative data to conduct proper risk assessments. In this study, a pretreatment method combining ultrafiltration (UF, 100 kDa) with hydrogen peroxide digestion and subsequent detection with pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was developed and used to identify and quantify six selected NPs in surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW), including poly(vinylchloride) (PVC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The results show that the proposed method could detect NPs in environmental water samples. Nearly all selected NPs could be detected in the surface water at all locations, while PVC, PMMA, PS, and PET NPs were frequently below the detection limit in the groundwater. PP (32.9-69.9%) and PE (21.3-44.3%) NPs were the dominant components in both surface water and groundwater, although there were significant differences in the pollution levels attributed to the filtration efficiency of riverbank, with total mass concentrations of 0.283-0.793 μg/L (SW) and 0.021-0.203 μg/L (GW). Overall, this study quantified the NPs in complex aquatic environments for the first time, filling in gaps in our knowledge about NP pollution levels and providing a useful methodology and important reference data for future research.

The transport and fate of nanoplastics (NPs) in aquatic environments are closely associated with their colloidal stability, which is affected by aging and natural organic matter (NOM) adsorption. This study systematically investigated the combined effects of photoaging and NOM (e.g. humic acids, HA; and a model protein, bovine serum albumin, BSA) on the aggregation kinetics of NPs (polystyrene, PS) in NaCl and CaCl2 solutions. Our results showed that photoaged NPs adsorbed less HA than pristine NPs due to weaker hydrophobic and π-π interactions. In return, HA showed weaker impacts on NPs’ stability after photoaging. Differently, photoaged NPs absorbed more BSA than pristine NPs due to stronger hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction. Thus, the inhibitory effects of BSA on the aggregation kinetics of NPs were enhanced after photoaging. Regarding the effects of NOM on the aging of NPs, our results showed that HA competed with NPs for photons and underwent photo-degradation. Subsequently, the destruction/reconstruction of adsorbed HA increased (in NaCl) or decreased (in CaCl2) the stability of NPs. Notably, light radiation-induced flocculation of BSA molecules, which wrapped and integrated NPs and lead to their destabilization. Overall, this study provided new insights into the aggregation behavior of NPs in aquatic systems, which have significant implications for predicting the transport and fate of NPs in complex real-world environments.

The aggregation and deposition behaviors of colloidal or dissolved black carbon (DBC) with coexisting heavy metals are important to understand the fate of DBC and the associated contaminants in environmental and engineering systems. Time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) techniques were employed to study the effect of cation concentration and properties on the aggregation and deposition behaviors of DBC with divalent heavy metals (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+). The aggregation experiments suggested that divalent heavy metals significantly destabilized DBC due to strong complexation and cation–π interaction, and the destabilization ability of these metal cations was related to their electronegativity (critical coagulation concentration (CCC): Pb2+ Cd2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+). Overall, these results provide new insights into the aggregation and deposition behaviors of DBC with coexisting heavy metals in aquatic solution, which are helpful to understand the fate of DBC and the associated contaminants.

Dissolved black carbon (DBC), widely found in soil and water environments is likely to affect the transport of nanoplastics in aquatic environments. The aggregation and deposition behaviors of fresh and aged polystyrene nanoplastics (PSs) with and without DBC in NaCl solution were investigated by time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring equipment (QCM-D) techniques. The results suggest that DBC can screen the surface charges of PSs by interacting with PSs through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions and π-π interactions, although they were negatively charged. DBC promoted the aggregation of PSs under relatively low ionic strengths, and it minimally affected the stability of PSs under high ionic strength. Deposition experiments showed that both DBC in salt solution and DBC adsorption on silica surface facilitated the deposition of fresh PSs while HA inhibited both deposition processes. After aging, PSs were more stable, and the effects of DBC and HA were weakened. This study investigated the influence mechanism of DBC on the aggregation and deposition behaviors, which provides new insights into the stability and transport of PSs in complex aquatic environments.

To investigate the effect of properties of carriers, environmental conditions and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the initial adhesion of biofilm formation in biofilm-based reactors, a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was applied to monitor the deposition rates and viscoelastic properties of sieved sludge particles on model biocarriers. The results suggested that surface charge, hydrophobicity and surface coating of five representative carriers influenced deposition rates and viscoelastic properties of biofilm, whose variation with NaCl concentrations was controlled by not only the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) interaction but also non-DLVO forces. On hydrophobic surface, the addition of cationic substances enhanced the deposition rates and the compaction of deposited layer due to strong “hydrophobizing effect”. For examples, 10 mM Ca2+, 10 mM Mg2+ and 10 mg/L poly- l -lysine enhanced the deposition rates to nearly 3, 2 and 4 times, as well as reduced the softness of deposited layer to almost 35%, 60% and 35%. Conversely, 10 mg/L negatively charged alginate might cause water retainment and steric shielding, thereby reducing the deposition rates to 40% and increasing the softness of deposited film to 120%. The presence of EPS sub-fractions can modify surface properties of sludge particles, to distinct degrees, contributing to biofilm formation. Notably, compared to tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) was more conducive to microbial attachment, but the presence of LB-EPS promoted the formation of a soft layer on a hydrophobic surface. Overall, these results provide insights into intrinsic mechanisms of the variation of deposition rates and viscoelastic properties responding to critical factors, which are meaningful to predict and regulate the initial adhesion process in biofilm-based reactors.

To understand the fate of colloidal or dissolved black carbon (DBC) in aquatic systems, a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was applied to investigate deposition and release behaviors of DBC. The results suggested that DBC molecular composition and conformation were critical to the deposition processes on model surfaces, which were controlled by not only the classic Derjaguine-Landaue-Verweye-Overbeek (DLVO) interactions but also non-DLVO forces. The deposition rates of alumina, iron oxide and polyamide surfaces first increased due to the change of conformation and then decreased as the salt concentration increased. Correspondingly, the deposition layers first became more rigid and then got softer with the increase in the ionic strength. Both the pH values and calcium ion had distinctive effects on the deposition behaviors and viscoelastic properties due to their particular roles in DBC surface characteristic and molecular conformation. Overall, these results are meaningful to understand the environmental behaviors of DBC in aquatic systems.

As a green and effective water treatment technology, vacuum UV (VUV) radiation could generate reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals ( OH) and H2O2 via the homolysis and ionization of water. The formation mechanism of H2O2 in pure water was studied under irradiation of VUV/UV lamp emitting at 185 and 254 nm. The influence of dissolved oxygen was investigated. The production and the formation rate of H2O2 were promoted with enough dissolved oxygen, which demonstrated that the oxygen played an important role in H2O2 evolution. The UV254 radiation could induce the decomposing of H2O2 and had little effect on the synthesis of H2O2. Additionally, the alkaline condition and addition of some anions were unfavorable to the production of H2O2. Besides, 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-dizole (NBD-Cl) was used as the molecular probe to confirm the role of superoxide radicals ( O2−/HO2 ) in the oxygen-containing condition. The possible formation mechanism of H2O2 was proposed. The H2O2 was produced only by the recombination of OH in the oxygen-free system, while related to O2−/HO2 besides the recombination of OH in the oxygen-containing system. This study brought new insights into the process that utilizing the in-situ generated H2O2 in VUV/UV water treatment for organic contaminants.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of alanyl-glutamine-enriched nutritional support in the treatment of children with abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura. METHODS: Children with abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura who needed nutritional support were enrolled and stratified according to age, sex and the severity of disease, and were randomly divided into a control group (n=118) and an enriched nutritional support group (n=107). The control group was given nutritional support without using alanyl-glutamine, while the enriched nutritional support group was given alanyl-glutamine-enriched nutritional support. Intravenous steroids were used according to the severity of disease in both groups. Other therapies were the same in the two groups. The two groups were compared in terms of the length of hospital stay, the rate and duration of use of intravenous steroids, the recurrence rate of symptoms during hospitalization, the rate of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), the rate of weight loss and the rate of fasting for more than 5 days. All patients were followed up for 3 months after discharge to monitor the recurrence of symptoms. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the length of hospital stay, the rate of TPN and the rate of fasting for more than 5 days between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the enriched nutritional support group, the control group showed significant increases in the rate and duration of use of intravenous steroids, the recurrence rate of symptoms and the rate of weight loss (P < 0.05). After the 3-month follow-up, all the children resumed normal diet, and the recurrence rate of digestive symptoms was less than 20% in each group. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom (83.33%, 30/36), followed by vomiting and abdominal distention. No digestive hemorrhage was observed. All the symptoms were relieved after symptomatic treatment. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the recurrence rate of digestive symptoms (P=0.693). CONCLUSIONS: Alanyl-glutamine-enriched nutritional support in the treatment of children with abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura can reduce the use of intravenous steroids and weight loss, but without impact on the length of hospital stay and post-discharge recurrence.

Objective The aim of our study is to investigate the prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and the genetic characteristics of the class 1 integron in CRKP on multi-drug resistance. Methods Clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were collected from multiple departments of a hospital in central China. CRKP strains were identified among the isolates, and antibiotics susceptibility of CRKP strains was analyzed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was adopted to amplify the class 1 integron variable area. The integron genetic structure was analyzed with enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing technology. The relation between class 1 integron and drug resistance was analyzed statistically. Results Totally 955 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from varied sites of the hospital, and 117(12.3%) of them were identified as CRKP, with a separation rate of 8.9% (26/292) in 2013, 11.3% (38/336) in 2014 and 16.2% (53/327) in 2015, which shows an increasing trend by year. 44.4% (52/117) of CRKP strains were separated from specimen of ICU, and 61.5% (72/117) were from sputum. Over 95% CRKP strains were resistant to ampicillin/sulbactam, aztreonam, imipenem, meropenem, ceftazidme, cefotaxime, cefepime, and piperacillin, while relatively low resistant rates were found in tigecycline (12.8%) and colistin (35.9%). The class 1 integron was detected in 77.8% (91/117) of CRKP strains. Class 1 integron of CRKP was significantly correlated with the antibiotic resistance to the tobramycin, gentamicin and amikacin (all P Conclusions CRKP has an increasing trend in a clinical setting in China, and most of them were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Class 1 integron in CRKP has strong ability to capture the genes resistant to aminoglycosides antibiotics from environment, with the aadA2 gene as the most popular one.

The activation of oncogenes and the loss of tumor suppressor genes are believed to play critical roles in the pathogenesis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Metaherin (MTDH), also called astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), is frequently amplified in a variety of cancers, but the roles of MTDH with regard to growth and apoptosis in HCC have not yet been studied. In the present study, we first analyzed the expression of MTDH in HCC samples. We found that MTDH protein levels are higher in most HCC cancerous tissues compared with their matched adjacent non-tumor tissues. Additionally, the MTDH mRNA was also higher in HCC tissues compared to their matched adjacent non-tumor tissues. Knockdown of the endogenous MTDH using small interfering RNA further showed that deficiency of MTDH suppressed cell growth and caused apoptosis in HCC cells. Knockdown MTDH promoted PTEN and p53 expression in HCC cells and inhibited AKT phosphorylation. Knockdown MTDH also inhibited tumor growth in vivo. All these results indicated that MTDH protein levels in most HCC tissues are higher than non-tumor tissues, and knockdown of MTDH inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in HCC cells through the activation of PTEN. Therefore, MTDH might be an effective targeted therapy gene for HCC.

Essential oil has been popularly used as an alternative for the treatment of inflammation. The bioactivities of essential oil from blossoms of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl (CAVAO) showed greater anti-inflammation potential than that of antioxidant, anticancer, and 3T3-L1 proliferation inhibition. CAVAO (250 μg/mL) significantly inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO) (99.54 ± 2.81%), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (98.11 ± 1.62%), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (41.84 ± 1.52%), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (56.09 ± 2.21%) as well as their gene expression level. CAVAO also markedly decreased the expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene and protein. Furthermore, CAVAO inhibited nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation, which was justified by the inhibitory effect on NF-κB nuclear translocation, IκBα phosphorylation and degradation, and phosphorylation-dependent IκB kinase activation in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharides. CAVAO also suppressed the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, indicating that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were also blocked. The major constituents of CAVAO were characterized as linalool (64.6 ± 0.04%), α-terpineol (7.61 ± 0.03%), (R)-limonene (6.15 ± 0.04%), and linalyl acetate (5.02 ± 0.03%), which might be responsible for its observed anti-inflammation activity. It is concluded that CAVAO has great potential to be developed into a functional food for the treatment of inflammatory-associated diseases.

Objective The aim of our study is to investigate the prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and the genetic characteristics of the class 1 integron in CRKP on multi-drug resistance.Methods Clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were collected from multiple departments of a hospital in central China. CRKP strains were identified among the isolates, and antibiotics susceptibility of CRKP strains was analyzed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was adopted to amplify the class 1 integron variable area. The integron genetic structure was analyzed with enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing technology. The relation between class 1 integron and drug resistance was analyzed statistically.Results Totally 955 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from varied sites of the hospital, and 117(12.3%) of them were identified as CRKP, with a separation rate of 8.9% (26/292) in 2013, 11.3% (38/336) in 2014 and 16.2% (53/327) in 2015, which shows an increasing trend by year. 44.4% (52/117) of CRKP strains were separated from specimen of ICU, and 61.5% (72/117) were from sputum. Over 95% CRKP strains were resistant to ampicillin/sulbactam, aztreonam, imipenem, meropenem, ceftazidme, cefotaxime, cefepime,and piperacillin, while relatively low resistant rates were found in tigecycline (12.8%) and colistin (35.9%). The class 1 integron was detected in 77.8% (91/117) of CRKP strains. Class 1 integron of CRKP was significantly correlated with the antibiotic resistance to the tobramycin, gentamicin and amikacin (all P0.01). The gene cassette analysis of variable area of class 1 integron showed that aadA2 accounts for 64.8% (59/91), aacA4-catB8-aadA1 23.1% (21/91), and aadA2-dfrA25 12.1% (11/91).Conclusions CRKP has an increasing trend in a clinical setting in China, and most of them were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Class 1 integron in CRKP has strong ability to capture the genes resistant to aminoglycosides antibiotics from environment, with the aadA2 gene as the most popular one.

Objective To explore the effects of Scutellaria baicalensis on activity and biofilm formation of Klebsiella pneumonia (Kp).Methods The broth and agar dilution Methods were carried out to determine minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of Scutellaria baicalensis for TW518. VITEK-32 system was used to assay TW518 susceptibility to antibiotics. Kp biofilms were formed in vitro and stained with BacLight Live/Dead stain. The class integron geneⅠ1 mRNA expression was analyzed with RT-PCR.Results The minimum inhibitory concentration of Scutellaria baicalensis on TW518 identified as a Kp colony was 32 mg/ml, and minimum bactericidal concentration was 64 mg/ml. Scutellaria baicalensis and broad-spectrum penicillin, cephalosporin, quinolones, or beta-lactamase had synergistic bactericidal effects. Biofilm formation activity of Kp treated with Scutellaria baicalensis was significantly lower than that of the control group. And class integron geneⅠ1 mRNA expression of TW518 was significantly inhibited by Scutellaria baicalensis.Conclusions Scutellaria baicalensis has sterilization effect on Kp, and Scutellaria baicalensis could effectively inhibit Kp biofilm formation with prolonged treatment. Scutellaria baicalensis might inhibit Kp biofilm formation through down-regulating integron geneⅠ1 expression.

Olivine LiFe1−xMnxPO4/C composites were prepared by high temperature solid phase method using MnO2, NH4H2PO4, Li2CO3, FeC2O4•2H2O, glucose as the starting materials. XRD, SEM and constant-current charging/discharging tests were used to study the structure and electrochemical properties of the material. The result showed that when x=0.2 the material exhibited the optimal electrochemical performance, with a higher specific energy of 484.94 Wh/kg.

LiFePO4/C composite cathode material prepared by carbothermal reduction method was coated by metal oxide MnO2, Al2O3, CuO, respectively, by a chemical precipitation method. The effects of metal oxide coating on the structure and electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C composites were systematically investigated. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical properties were evaluated by constant-current charge/discharge cycling tests. It is found that the coating of metal oxide could greatly improve its high-rate dischargeability and cycling performance. The LiFePO4/C cathode material coated by MnO2 exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 118.5 mAh/g at 3C rate, much higher than the uncoated sample (95.1 mAh/g), with a capacity degradation rate of only 6.3 % after 250 cycles at 3C rate.

The Ti-Al-Mo-V-Ag α+β alloys were processed by powder metallurgy (PM) using the blended elemental (BE) technique. The effects of Ag addition and sintering temperature on microstructure and properties of the Ti-5Al-4Mo-4V alloys were investigated using X-ray diffraction, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and mechanical properties tests. The results show that adding Ag element increases the relative density and improves the mechanical properties of PM Ti-5Al-4Mo-4V alloy. After sintering at 1 250 °C for 4 h, the relative density and compression strength of Ti-5Al-4Mo-4V-5Ag alloy are 96.3% and 1 656 MPa, respectively.

Lithium iron phosphate with varied Fe/P molar ratio was synthesized from LiOH, FeSO4, and H3PO4by hydrothermal route at 180°C for 6 h. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), chemical analysis, and constant current charge-discharge cycling test. It was found that at the same pH value of reaction, the Fe/P ratio had a major effect on the content of impurity phase, crystal structure and electrochemical performance of the samples. However, it had a minor effect on the morphology of the samples. A single phase structure was obtained for the samples with the Fe/P ratio of 0.97-1.02. The sample with the Fe/P ratio of 0.97 exhibited the best electrochemical behaviors, whose specific discharge capacities could reach 152.7, 144.8 and 133.2mAhg-1at 0.2C, 1C and 5C rate, respectively, with the capacity retention rate close to 100% after 50 cycles at 5C. It is believed that the excellent electrochemical performance of specific discharge capacity, rate capability and cycling stability is attributed to the nonstoichiometry of LiFePO4, which results in the Li-rich defective crystal structure and the decrease of cell parameters, thus facilitating the discharge behaviors at high rates.

Phase pure Li4Ti5O12/C composite was synthesized by sol-gel method using lithium acetate CH3COOLi•2H2O and tetrabutyl titanate [Ti(OC4H9)4] as starting materials, oxalic acid as chelating agent and sucrose as an additional carbon source. The as-prepared samples were characterized by means of TG-DTA, XRD and SEM. The electrochemical properties were investigated in terms of constant-current charge/discharge cycling and high-rate dischargeability. SEM analysis indicated that the prepared Li4Ti5O12/C composite using sucrose and oxalic acid as carbon source showed a spongy nano-particle aggregate structure, with average nano-particle size of 80-100 nm. Electrochemical results showed that the Li4Ti5O12/C composite prepared in the presence of sucrose exhibited better electrochemical performance with specific discharge capacities of 204.7, 171.6, 155.3 and 154.6 mAh/g at 0.2C, 1C, 2C, and 5C rates, respectively. And the discharge capacity could still reach 143.9mAh/g after 80 cycles at 1C rate, exhibiting excellent cycling performance.

Mg2+ doped LiFePO4 was synthesized from Li3PO4, FeSO4 and MgSO4 by a hydrothermal synthesis at 150 °C（Li1-xMgxPO4, x=0.00, 0.01,0.02,0.04,0.06）. The samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and charge-discharge test. The results showed that Mg2+ dissolved in the LiFePO4 lattice. When the content is in the range of 0 to 6 mol%, Mg2+ caused the shrinkage of LiFePO4 cell volume. The capacity of doped and undoped samples at low discharging rate was similar, about 145mAhg-1 for 0.2C. But the sample doped with 2-4 mol% Mg2+ has higher capacity and longer cycle lifetime than the undoped one at 5C.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4 ) doped with magnesium was hydrothermally synthesized from commercial LiOH, FeSO 4 , H 3 PO 4 and MgSO 4 with glucose as carbon precursor in aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and constant charge–discharge cycling. The results show that the synthesized powders have been in situ coated with carbon precursor produced from caramel reaction of glucose. At ambient temperature (28 ± 2 °C), the electrochemical performances of LiFePO 4 prepared exhibit the high discharge capacity of 135 mAh g −1 at 5C and good capacity retention of 98% over 90 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performances should be correlated with the intimate contact between carbon and LiFePO 4 primary and secondary particles, resulting from the in situ formation of carbon precursor/carbon, leading to the increase in conductivity of LiFePO 4 .