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Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries have high expectations for large-scale applications in energy devices because of their high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, due to the insulation and shu...

The implementation of memristive synapses in neuromorphic computing is hindered by the limited reproducibility and high energy consumption of the switching behaviour of the devices. Typical filament-type memristors suffer, in particular, from temporal and spatial variation in the set voltage and resistance states due to stochastic filament formation. Here, we report memristors based on two-dimensional pentagonal palladium diselenide (PdSe2) that can exhibit anomalous resistive switching behaviour with two interchangeable reset modes: total reset and quasi-reset. Heterophase grain boundaries are formed in the PdSe2 via local phase transitions induced by electron-beam irradiation, which leads to residual filaments along the grain boundaries that can guide the formation of conductive filaments. When operated in the quasi-reset mode, the memristors show a sixfold improvement in switching variation compared with devices operating in the total-reset mode, as well as a low set voltage (0.6 V), long retention times and programmable multilevel resistance states. We also show that the devices can emulate synaptic plasticity and that multipattern memorization can be implemented using a crossbar array architecture. Heterophase grain boundaries in memristors based on pentagonal palladium diselenide can guide the formation of conductive filaments during resistive switching, leading to devices with uniform switching properties, low set voltages, long retention times and programmable multilevel resistance states.

The progress of flexible/wearable electronic devices with multi-functionality has stimulated the rapid development of the matching power supply devices. Flexible supercapacitors with high electrochemical performance and mechanical flexibility are considered as attractive technologies to power flexible electronics and have been studied intensively. Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotube, graphene, and their composites, possess unprecedented physical/chemical properties and exhibit great potential for use in flexible supercapacitors. In this review, the recent progress of state-of-the-art flexible supercapacitors using advanced carbon nanomaterials is expounded comprehensively and systematically, the topic covered the micro/nano-structure control, macroscopic morphologies design, property optimization and application of carbon nanomaterials. Based on the current advances, the challenges and prospects of carbon nanomaterials applied in flexible supercapacitors are outlined and highlighted. As last, the matching between the characters of carbon nanomaterials, construction of flexible supercapacitors and fabrication technologies are put forward.

Background and Aim Studies have found that gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA)‐enhanced T1 mapping magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could assess liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and function with high effectiveness. The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy of MRI in predicting the safety of hepatectomy. Methods Forty‐nine patients who underwent liver resection were recruited. Gd‐EOB‐DTPA‐enhanced MRI examination was performed 1 week before surgery, and the rate of T1 relaxation time reduction (ΔT120min%) of liver parenchyma was calculated. Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) was defined by the “50–50 criteria” and International Study Group of Liver Surgery (ISGLS) classification, respectively, and posthepatectomy complications (PHC) were defined by the Clavien‐Dindo grading system. The effectiveness of ΔT120min% in predicting the occurrence of PHLF and PHC was analyzed. Results The area under the curve (AUC) for ΔT120min% predicting PHLF meeting “50–50 criteria” was 0.957, with a cutoff value of 0.497, sensitivity of 100%, and specificity of 89.1%. The AUC for predicting ISGLS grade B/C (severe) PHLF was 0.84, with a cutoff value of 0.5232, sensitivity of 63.6%, and specificity of 92.6%. The AUC for predicting PHC of Clavien‐Dindo grades 3–5 (severe) was 0.882, with a cutoff value of 0.5646, sensitivity of 87.5%, and specificity of 75.8%. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that ΔT120min%, We designed a preliminary study to find a new method to predict the safety of hepatectomy. Our study results proved that gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid‐enhanced T1 mapping MRI could effectively predict the incidence of posthepatectomy liver failure and posthepatectomy complications.

Coupling charge impurity scattering effects and charge-carrier modulation by doping can offer intriguing opportunities for atomic-level control of resistive switching (RS). Nonetheless, such effects have remained unexplored for memristive applications based on 2D materials. Here a facile approach is reported to transform an RS-inactive rhenium disulfide (ReS

In-memory computing based on memristor arrays holds promise to address the speed and energy issues of the classical von Neumann computing system. However, the stochasticity of ions' transport in conventional oxide-based memristors imposes severe intrinsic variability, which compromises learning accuracy and hinders the implementation of neural network hardware accelerators. Here, these challenges are addressed using a low-voltage memristor array based on an ultrathin PdSeO

Due to the impressive flexibility and stitchability, one-dimensional (1D) power storage devices are promising in facilitating devices assembly and provide highly efficient power sources for textile...

Photocatalysis is considered to be a green and promising technology for transforming organic contaminants into nontoxic products. In this work, a CuO/tourmaline composite with zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) CuO architecture was successfully obtained via a facile hydrothermal process, and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Surface element valence state and molecular vibration characterization revealed that CuO chemically interacted with tourmaline via Si–O–Cu bonds. The specific surface area of the CuO/tourmaline composite (23.60 m2 g−1) was larger than that of the pristine CuO sample (3.41 m2 g−1). The CuO/tourmaline composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB, which was ascribed to the increase in the quantity of the adsorption-photoreactive sites and the efficient utilization of the photoinduced charge carriers. This study provides a facile strategy for the construction of 0D/2D CuO structures and the design of tourmaline-based functional composite photocatalysts for the treatment of organic contaminants in water.

State-of-the-art memristors are mostly formed by vertical metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structure, which rely on the formation of conductive filaments for resistive switching (RS). However, owing to the stochastic formation of filament, the set/reset voltage of vertical MIM memristors is difficult to control, which results in poor temporal and spatial switching uniformity. Here, a two-terminal lateral memristor based on electron-beam-irradiated rhenium disulfide (ReS2) is realized, which unveils a resistive switching mechanism based on Schottky barrier height (SBH) modulation. The devices exhibit a forming-free, stable gradual RS characteristic, and simultaneously achieve a small transition voltage variation during positive and negative sweeps (6.3%/5.3%). The RS is attributed to the motion of sulfur vacancies induced by voltage bias in the device, which modulates the ReS2/metal SBH. The gradual SBH modulation stabilizes the temporal variation in contrast to the abrupt RS in MIM-based memristors. Moreover, the emulation of long-term synaptic plasticity of biological synapses is demonstrated using the device, manifesting its potential as artificial synapse for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing applications.

We demonstrate the first electron beam irradiated rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ) based synaptic transistor. The device exhibits gradual resistive switching (RS) ratio of ~100 at a read voltage (V d ) of 1 V. The RS is attributed to sulfur vacancies motion induced by drain bias in ReS 2 , which modulates the Schottky barrier height (SBH) at source and drain contacts. Defect engineering and flake thickness optimization show that irradiation dosage, area and flake thickness are key parameters to improve the RS performance. In addition, the device is further utilized as an electronic synapse. Long-term plasticity mimicking the behaviors of biological synapse are implemented, showing great potential for next generation neuromorphic computing devices and systems.

Photocatalysis is considered to be a green and promising technology for transforming organic contaminants into nontoxic products. In this work, the CuO/tourmaline composite with zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) CuO architecture was obtained via a facile hydrothermal process. CuO chemically interacted with tourmaline via Si-O-Cu bond. The specific surface area of the CuO/tourmaline composite (23.60 m2 g-1) was larger than that of pristine CuO (3.41 m2 g-1). Three predominant reactive species of superoxide radical (O2 •-), hydroxyl radical (•OH), and h+ were generated by the CuO/tourmaline composite aqueous suspension system under light irradiation. The CuO/tourmaline composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic capacity for the decomposition of organic pollutants, which was ascribed to the increase in the quantity of adsorption-photoreactive sites and the efficient utilization of photoinduced charge carriers benefited from tourmaline. This study offered a facile strategy for the construction of 0D/2D CuO structure and the design of tourmaline-based functional composite photocatalysts for the treatment of organic contaminants in waster.

BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in various human cancer types. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remain poorly understood. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, lncRNA array was used to identify HCC related lncRNAs. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) followed mass spectrometry was used to explore lncRNA binding proteins. Western blot, quantitative PCR, tumor sphere formation, migration and viability assay were performed to evaluate the oncogenic role of lncRNAs. RESULTS We identified a novel lncRNA named long stress induced non-coding transcripts 5 (LSINCT5) which facilitates HCC progression. LSINCT5 was significantly upregulated in both HCC specimens and cell lines and correlates with poor survival. In vitro experiments showed that LSINCT5 promoted migration and viability of HepG2 and Huh7 cells. The in vivo xenograft mouse model also confirmed an oncogenic role for LSINCT5. RIP in combination with mass spectrometry identified HMGA2 as the LSINCT5 binding partner. LSINCT5 could bind to HMGA2 and decrease proteasome-mediated HMGA2 degradation leading to EMT activation. LSINCT5 also served as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-4516, resulting in increased STAT3/BclxL expression and attenuated apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS Our data have collectively established a lncRNA LSINCT5 mediated process during HCC carcinogenesis and might have provided novel insight into therapeutic targeting.

We demonstrate for the first time a flexible strain sensor based on two-dimensional Indium Selenide (InSe) material for human motion surveillance. The InSe exhibits a highly strain-tunable bandgap property, which enables an effective modulation of electrical conductivity and piezoresistivity. A large gauge factor (GF) of 32 and 36 is achieved even when subject to a low tensile and compressive strain down to ±0.25 %, respectively, manifesting its superior strain sensitivity. Moreover, the GF and piezoresistance coefficient can be significantly enhanced by 8 and 9 folds, respectively, through electrostatic gating. Our work reveals a highly tunable piezoresistive effect and low Young’s modulus in InSe that is promising for realizing ultrasensitive human motion sensors, in which the performance can be further enhanced via gating effect using a three-terminal device configuration.

Yuquan Tao,1,* Yesheng Li,2,* Xing Liu,1 Qing Deng,1 Yongchun Yu,1 Zongguo Yang1,3 1Department of Central Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China; 2Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China; 3Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: The roles of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the occurrence and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain controversial. This analysis aimed to summarize the relationships between NSAIDs and HCC development. Methods: Studies published prior to October 1, 2017, in the PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched and analyzed. Results: Eleven studies were included in this analysis. A meta-analysis of five studies revealed that aspirin use could significantly decrease the risk of HCC occurrence (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.45–0.91, P = 0.014). No significant difference was found for the use of NSAIDs (six studies) and non-aspirin NSAIDs (three studies) in HCC occurrence (HR = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.53–1.02, P = 0.064 and HR = 0.98, 95%CI = 0.87–1.12, P= 0.81, respectively). However, subgroup analysis of cohort studies demonstrated that NSAIDs significantly decreased the risk of HCC occurrence (HR = 0.58, 95%CI = 0.43–0.78, P < 0.001). HCC patients who received NSAIDs achieved better disease-free survival and overall survival compared with the non-NSAID users (HR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.74–0.84, P

Based on the tungsten hydrate structure model, we report the strategy to fabricate hierarchically structured WO3·0.33H2O/graphene composites through a facile hydrothermal approach. The structure characteristics, conversion reaction mechanism as well as the electrochemical properties are carefully investigated. The hierarchical architectures assembled by nanorods or nanobricks of about 20 nm thickness combine the advantages of reduced length scale of Li ion diffusion derived from nanosizes and structural stability guaranteed by hierarchical features. In addition, compared with bare WO3·0.33H2O and anhydrous WO3, the WO3·0.33H2O/graphene composites exhibit the optimal performances with high rate capability and good cycle stability, which is attributed to synergistic effects of structural hydration and graphene: providing a more open charge transfer channel, forming a conductive pathway and accommodating the volume change. Such an improved lithium storage performance makes the graphene-based WO3·0.33H2O a promising anode candidate for lithium-ion battery applications.

C56H46N4O22P2Zn2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 9.6537(4) Å, b = 31.1374(11) Å, c = 9.8927(4) Å, β = 112.709(2)°, V = 2743.13(19) Å3, Z = 2, R gt(F) = 0.0341, wR ref(F 2) = 0.0934, T = 296(2) K.

Memristor crossbar with programmable conductance could overcome the energy consumption and speed limitations of neural networks when executing core computing tasks in image processing. However, the implementation of crossbar array (CBA) based on ultrathin 2D materials is hindered by challenges associated with large-scale material synthesis and device integration. Here, a memristor CBA is demonstrated using wafer-scale (2-inch) polycrystalline hafnium diselenide (HfSe2 ) grown by molecular beam epitaxy, and a metal-assisted van der Waals transfer technique. The memristor exhibits small switching voltage (0.6 V), low switching energy (0.82 pJ), and simultaneously achieves emulation of synaptic weight plasticity. Furthermore, the CBA enables artificial neural network with a high recognition accuracy of 93.34%. Hardware multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operation with a narrow error distribution of 0.29% is also demonstrated, and a high power efficiency of greater than 8-trillion operations per second per Watt is achieved. Based on the MAC results, hardware convolution image processing can be performed using programmable kernels (i.e., soft, horizontal, and vertical edge enhancement), which constitutes a vital function for neural network hardware.

Tungsten carbide (WC) particles-embedded carbon nanomaterials with ultrathin edges and high degree of graphitization are very favorable co-catalysts for Pt in electrochemical fields. Herein, WC-embedded graphite carbon films (WC@GCFs) were successfully fabricated as co-catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via an in-situ carbonization technique. The mass specific activity of the WC@GCFs loading Pt NPs is 278 mA mg−1 Pt and 277 mA mg−1 Pt under the overpotential of 48 and 52 mV, which is 1.3 and 1.45 times higher than those of the commercial Pt-C (212.8 mA mg−1 Pt and 191.4 mA mg−1 Pt). The WC@GCFs-Pt displays excellent high stability for HER in acidic and alkaline media even after 5000 potential cycles. As expected, the GCFs originated from the surface of WC can effectively prevent WC particles from agglomeration, which contributes to high catalytic activity and stability of WC. The in-situ formed GCFs possesses ultrathin edges (~5 carbon layers), high degree of graphitization, and some oxygen-containing function groups. Charges are easily transferred from Pt NPs to WC via the linked-GCFs, which contributes to the high HER activity of WC@GCFs-Pt. We believe this work can provide a more economical and efficient route for large-scale synthesis of graphite carbon films coated transition metal carbide as co-catalysts in electrochemical fields.

A new pseudocapacitive nanocomposite is reported in this article. Such amorphous materials were prepared via restacking of Ni-Mn LDH and MnO2 nanosheets obtained by exfoliation treatments. Synergetic effects of the two components were demonstrated in both alkaline and neutral aqueous electrolytes, as rate capability and cycle stability were both greatly improved compared to each-component samples and mixture. Tests on an activated carbon//nano-composite asymmetric device reveal that the energy density could be about 16 Wh/Kg at a power density of 15 KW/Kg in alkaline electrolytes, while in neutral electrolytes, the value reached about 13 Wh/Kg at a power density of 9 KW/Kg, matching with many other composition technologies. Besides, rather small leakage and self-discharge currents further indicate its promising applications in practical areas.

The common one dimensional (1D) core-shell phase junction usually cannot fully utilize the separated charges because one phase is encapsulated inside, which leads to the incomplete release of the electrons or holes. Here, a unique vertical 1D/1D tungsten oxide phase junction constructed by orthorhombic WO3·0.33H2O (o-WO3·0.33H2O) nanorods and hexagonal WO3 (h-WO3) nanowires in the sunflower-like structure was fabricated via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The nanorods and the nanowires vertically intersect at the endpoint to construct the vertical 1D/1D phase junction with another end exposed outside. This structure ensures that both two phases can contact the pollutants, so as to fully release the holes and electrons that accumulate on the o-WO3·0.33H2O and h-WO3 phase, respectively. Furthermore, the two phases are both single crystals, substantially decreasing the impediments of defects to the transport of the photogenerated charges. This novel hierarchical structure with vertical 1D o-WO3·0.33H2O/h-WO3 phase junction can significantly improve the utilization efficiency of the separated photogenerated charges and thus effectively enhance the photocatalytic performance.

It is known that the exposed facet and defect state are crucial to the photocatalytic performance. Here, we report that the exposed facets of the building blocks in the tungsten oxide hierarchical nanostructures could be controlled by adjusting the amount of formamide in the hydrothermal precursor solution and the oxygen vacancies were successfully introduced through the post-air annealing. It is found that exposing high percentage (020) facet is unbeneficial for the photocatalytic performance and (200) and (002) facets should be the photocatalytic active facets of the hexagonal tungsten oxide. The hexagonal tungsten oxide with oxygen vacancies and maximum (200) and (002) facets archives highest photocatalytic performance in degrading rhodamine B under simulated solar light irradiation, which the rate constant per specific surface area (k/SBET) is 7.3 times as high as the sample without oxygen vacancies and minimum (200) and (002) facets. Both introducing oxygen vacancies and exposing (200) and (002) facets can enhance the separation efficiency of photo-generated charges, thus improving the photocatalytic performance.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been linked to the development of cancer. The relationship between MetS and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. Studies up to September 2017 of MetS and HCC were systematically identified and meta-analyzed. Ten studies (nine cohorts and one case-control) were included in this meta-analysis. It was found that MetS patients are significantly more likely to develop HCC (RR = 1.60, 95%CI = 1.12-2.28, P = 0.01). Additionally, when only cohort studies were included, MetS is a potential risk factor for HCC occurrence (RR = 1.52, 95%CI = 1.01-2.30, P = 0.05). Interestingly, subgroup analysis showed that male patients with MetS are more likely to develop HCC compared with female patients (RR = 1.91, 95%CI = 1.38-2.65, P0.0001 in male and RR = 2.1, 95%CI = 0.69-6.37, P = 0.19 in female). Additionally, MetS could significantly increase the risk of HCC in the Euro-US population (RR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.09-2.67, P = 0.02). In conclusion, metabolic syndrome might be associated with a high risk of HCC occurrence, especially in male and the Euro-US population. However, no statistical significances were found between MetS and HCC clinicopathological features including capsule, vascular invasion, and moderate-poor differentiation, and between MetS and HCC survivals. Prospectively, well-designed trials with large numbers of samples should be conducted to evaluate the links between MetS and HCC.

A unique reduced graphene oxide (RGO) three-dimensionally wrapped WO 3 (WO 3 @RGO) composite was synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. In this composite, the building blocks of the WO 3 hierarchical structure, the nanobelts, were intimately wrapped by a layer of RGO. Due to the synergistic effect of the hierarchical structure of WO 3 and intimately wrapped RGO on the surface of the nanobelts, the WO 3 @RGO showed much higher photocatalytic performance in degrading rhodamine B and phenol under simulated solar light irradiation than the bare WO 3 and other composites in which only the mainframe of WO 3 was wrapped by RGO. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was significantly influenced by the loading amount of RGO. The optimal performance was found in the 1.2% WO 3 @RGO, which was about 2.50 times that of the bare WO 3 . Conclusively, using graphene to wrap the building blocks rather than only the mainframe of semiconductors is anticipated to be a promising method to achieve high-performance photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

In this paper, we reported that oxygen vacancies could be introduced in tungsten oxide hierarchical nanostructures through air treatment at certain temperatures. The production of oxygen vacancies may be due to two mechanisms, i.e., critical phase transition and nanoscale inhomogeneous deformation, depending on the annealing temperature or time and the size of the building block. The oxygen vacancies can be introduced at 300 and 350 °C when critical phase transformation from orthorhombic WO3·0.33H2O to hexagonal WO3 takes place or 350 and 400 °C when nanoscale inhomogeneous deformation occurs in the nanobelts. Moreover, the oxygen vacancy concentration is also influenced by the annealing time. For comparison, the oxygen vacancies are also introduced by hydrogen treatment. It is found that a certain amount of oxygen vacancies introduced by air treatment could trap and transfer electrons, thus decreasing the electron–hole recombination rate and improving the conductivity, while an abundance of oxygen vacanc...

Highly graphitic carbon nanomaterials with large specific surface area and good dispersion are very favorable supports for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells. Ultrathin and coiled carbon nanosheets (UC-CNS) were successfully synthesized via chemical vapor deposition method using tungsten carbide (WC) as substrate. After the WC@UC-CNS was immersed in HF/HNO3/H2O solution, UC-CNS was completely stripped away from the WC substrate without obvious destruction, and possessed coiled edges and more oxygen-containing functional groups for anchoring Pt nanoparticles. Another obtained product (WO3) could be used as a tungsten source to produce UC-CNS repeatedly. The purified UC-CNS, with thicknesses of 3.45–5.61 nm, possessed high specific surface area (547 m2 g−1) and high degree of graphitization (IG/ID=1.43). Pt loaded on the UC-CNS exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and extremely high stability for methanol oxidation reaction even after 14,000 potential cycles. We believe UC-CNS can be widely used in fuel cells and other related green chemical applications.

Supercapacitors based on commercialized metallic collectors (such as Cu and Al) possess an innate interface imperfection, causing long ion diffusion pathway and sluggish electron conduction, as well as inferior flexibility. Herein, we explore carbon nanotubes macroscopic films (CMF) as current collectors to build near-integrated electrodes via anchored combination between CMF and commercial active carbon (AC). In addition, our fabricated CMF presents outstanding electrolyte permeation, which shortens the ion diffusion pathway, increases the electron conduction and ameliorates the flexibility. As a result, the supercapacitor based on CMF exhibits prominent electrochemical performance of specific capacitance (48.5 F cm−3 at 0.5 A g−1), rate capability (82.5% from 0.5 to 16 A g−1) and volumetric energy density (104.9 Wh L−1), which higher than those of reported flexible supercapacitors. More importantly, the supercapacitor exhibits remarkable stability under different folding conditions, even in particular circumstances (such as low temperature and negative pressure). Further, the supercapacitors show good energy features in parallels and series. Therefore, it is believed that these supercapacitors based on CMF are promising in the future wearable energy storage devices in different operating environments.

The morphology of tungsten oxide (WO3) was effectively mediated by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as templates. The grown direction of WO3 on the CNT bundle surfaces could be controlled, which mainly depended on the distribution state of tungsten acid (H2WO4) precursor in the reaction system. After thermal treatment of H2WO4/CNTs under nitrogen gas flow, WO3 with different morphologies (plates, short rods, and long rods) and sizes (10–1000 nm) supported by CNT bundles were finally obtained. The results indicated CNT bundles as templates can play an important role in regulating the morphologies of WO3. Moreover, the study shows that CNT bundles exhibit excellent prospects in the tailor-synthesis of micro/nanostructured materials with different dimensions. According to the peak current density for the 1000th electrochemical cycle in 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4 and 0.5 mol L−1 CH3OH electrolyte solution, short rod-like WO3/CNTs exhibited higher peak current density (43.2 mA cm−2) than long rod-like WO3/CNTs (23.68 mA cm−2), plate-like WO3/CNTs (15.63 mA cm−2), CNTs (2.25 mA cm−2), and commercial WO3 (3.19 mA cm−2). The results demonstrated the potential application of short rod-like WO3/CNTs materials for hydrogen oxidation reaction of methanol fuel cells and in other related fields.

Figure 7 in the original version of this article was unfortunately wrong on page 23

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury is an important clinical complication in which excessive inflammation is a key factor; however, few studies have provided effective means of its regulation. As previous studies suggested that electro-acupuncture (EA) is able control excessive inflammation, the present study aimed to explore its effects on liver ischemia-reperfusion injury in experimental rats. The animals were randomly divided into surgery and sham groups, which were further divided into four sub-groups, including a non-treatment (NT), a non-point acupuncture (NPA), the non-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl L-pioperazinium iodide (DMPPI) and an EA group. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum cytokine and myeloperoxidase (MP) levels and the tissue pathology were evaluated after 90 min of ischemia followed by a 4, 8 or 24 h reperfusion. The results demonstrated that EA and DMPPI suppressed serum ALT elevation at 4 and 8 h reperfusion, whereas NPA did not. I/R induced hepatocellular necrosis, and cytoplasmic vacuolization and sinusoidal congestion was ameliorated by EA treatment after an 8 and 24 h reperfusion. In addition, EA also inhibited liver neutrophil accumulation, evidenced by a decreased MPO level at 8 h reperfusion. EA also suppressed the release of serum inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 for the duration of reperfusion. However, little influence on IL-10 was observed. Mechanistically, vagus block by subphrenic vagotomy or mecamylamine hydrochloride abolished EA effect on liver damage, neutrophil accumulation and inflammatory factor release. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that EA protects the liver against I/R induced injury by inhibiting the inflammatory response, which is associated with the vagus.

Hierarchical tungsten oxide nanostructures, controllably assembled with one-dimensional nanosized building blocks, which exhibit different exposed facets and crystal phases were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal reaction assisted by urea. Systematic and comprehensive investigations indicate that urea plays a significant role in tuning the exposed facets of the building blocks and controlling the crystal phase by effectively regulating the process of nucleation. By adjusting the amount of urea, a suitable crystal phase can be obtained and the exposed facets can be tuned to achieve the highest photocatalytic activity of tungsten oxide. It has been found that (020) is the active facet of orthorhombic WO3·0.33H2O but not of hexagonal WO3. The orthorhombic WO3·0.33H2O exposing the largest amount of (020) facets shows the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light illumination, which is 4.1 times as high as that of the sample exposing the least amount of (020) facets.

Tungsten carbide was prepared via a one step method, made from the compound of carbon black and tungstic acid. The tungsten precursor with small size was supported on carbon nanotubes as template, while H 2 and N 2 were used for providing deoxidization and protection atmosphere. In addition, two key conditions of atmosphere and temperature were investigated. The results show, if the reaction temperature is higher than 800 °C, and before H 2 and N 2 pass through the reaction tube which was in vacuum state, WO 3 can be carbonized into W, and then carbonized into W 2 C, and W 2 C further carbonized into WC. The method can realize the production of tungsten carbide with controllable morphology and low cost.