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CoS2/NC@1T MoS2 synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method forms a unique hierarchical configuration with simultaneous internal and external modifications. A lithium–sulfur battery with a CoS2/NC@1T MoS2-PP separator shows superior cycling performance.

As an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) inspection, face diagnosis is significant in judging the rise and fall of viscera and essence and diagnosing and treating diseases. Cancer is a serious disease that endangers human life and health. Face diagnosis can play a great role in diagnosing and treating tumors, but this approach has not achieved the expected effects due to the lack of research. Herein, we summarized the research regarding facial expression, color, shape, and state, demonstrating that facial diagnosis is significant in diagnosing and treating tumors. We also propose that facial diagnosis must be combined with computer technology to realize the objectification of facial diagnosis as soon as possible to play a greater role in diagnosing and treating tumors.

This study aimed to determine the effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on overall survival (OS) of patients with stage IIIB-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).We retrospectively analyzed patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC from January 2015 to December 2018 in the Department of Oncology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Kaplan-Meier plots, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to describe the effect of T2DM on the OS of patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC.This study collected data on 76 patients with NSCLC and T2DM (group A) and 214 NSCLC patients without T2DM (group B). After propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, 74 patients were included in each group. The mean OS of all patients was 17 months (range, 11-31 months). The mean OS of group A was 15 months (range, 8-25 months) and the mean OS of group B was 20 months (range, 14-39 months). The mean OS of group B was longer than group A, and the difference was statistically significant. Univariate analysis of the clinical data showed that T2DM and complications were significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC (p = 0.003 and p = 0.034). Multivariate Cox model analysis showed that T2DM and complications were independent prognostic factors for patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC (p = 0.002 and p = 0.024, respectively).Stage IIIB-IV NSCLC patients without T2DM have an increased OS compared to patients with stage IIIB-IV NSCLE and T2DM.

Background Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is essential for cell mitosis division and has been associated with necroptosis. Although PLK1 and necroptosis are implicated in a variety of cancers, their function in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still not fully understood. METHODS The differential expression of PLK1 in LUAD was investigated utilizing Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases, and its prognostic significance was determined using the Kaplan-Meier test. Potential signaling pathways and biological activities were investigated using functional analysis. The overall survival (OS) of LUAD patients at 1, 3, and 5 years was predicted using multivariate Cox regression and validated using independent datasets. PLK1 was studied for its connection to immunological infiltration. Finally, the PLK1 impact on proliferation and apoptosis of LUAD cells was detected by overexpression and silencing PLK1. PLK1 impact on LUAD cell proliferation was verified by Western blot and in a xenograft model. Result PLK1 overexpression in LUAD was associated with TNM pathological staging, and residual tumor/smoking. High PLK1 expression correlated with lower OS, DFS, and DFI. PLK1 was determined as a significant predictor of LUAD by multivariate Cox regression. Functional analyses indicated PLK1 function was related to cell mitosis, neurotransmitter transmission and drug metabolism. Immune infiltration analysis showed that PLK1 was upregulated in cold tumors and inversely correlated to T cells, B cells and CD8+ T cells. Cellular assays demonstrated that PLK1 was significantly overexpressed in A549 and NCI-H1299 cell lines. Silencing PLK1 reduced proliferation and significantly increased LUAD cell apoptosis. Western Blot showed that the expression of necroptosis-related pathway proteins RIPK3, RIPK1, and MLKL was significantly increased after silencing PLK1. Finally, silencing PLK1 decreased LUAD cell proliferation in the xenograft model. Conclusion PLK1 may be a prognostic biomarker and suppresses LUAD immune infiltration by inhibiting necroptosis to promote LUAD cell proliferation.

Glycosylation is a critical post-translational modification (PTM) that affects the function of proteins and regulates cell signaling, thereby regulating various biological processes. Protein oxygen-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation modifications are glycochemical modifications that occur within cells in the signal transduction and are frequently found in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Due to the rapid and reversible addition and removal, O-GlcNAc modifications are able to reversibly compete with certain phosphorylation modifications, immediately regulate the activity of proteins, and participate in kinds of cellular metabolic and signal transduction pathways, playing a pivotal role in the regulation of tumors, diabetes, and other diseases. This article provided a brief overview of O-GlcNAc glycosylation modification, introduced its role in altering the progression and immune response regulation of gastrointestinal tumors, and discussed its potential use as a marker of tumor neogenesis.

CO methanation from electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) is significant for sustainable environment and energy, but electrocatalysts with excellent selectivity and activity are still lacking. Selectivity is sensitive to the structure of active sites, and activity can be tailored by work function. Moreover, intrinsic active sites usually possess relatively high concentration compared to artificial ones. Here, antisite defects Mo S2 and W S2 , intrinsic atomic defects of MoS 2 and WS 2 with a transition metal atom substituting a S 2 column, are investigated for CORR by density functional theory calculations. The steric hindrance from the special bowl structure of Mo S2 and W S2 ensures good selectivity towards CO methanation. Coordination environment variation of the active sites, the under-coordinated Mo or W atoms, effectively lowers the work function, making Mo S2 and W S2 highly active for CO methanation with the required potential of -0.47 and -0.49 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, respectively. Moreover, high concentration of active sites and minimal structural deformation during the catalytic process of Mo S2 and W S2 enhance their attraction for future commercial application.

Electrochemical water decomposition is a clean energy-conversion method to convert electric energy into high-purity H2, wherein the sluggish kinetic process of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) extre...

Herein, we construct Co1–x–yNixZny(CO3)0.5(OH)·0.11H2O nanoneedles–NiCo-layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) nanosheet hierarchical architecture on vulcanized Ni foam (Ni3S2-NF) based on a multistep...

Heavy-duty machine tools are composed of many subsystems with different functions, and their reliability is governed by the reliabilities of these subsystems. It is important to rank the weaknesses of subsystems and identify the weakest subsystem to optimize products and improve their reliabilities. However, traditional ranking methods based on failure mode effect and critical analysis (FMECA) does not consider the complex maintenance of products. Herein, a weakness ranking method for the subsystems of heavy-duty machine tools is proposed based on generalized FMECA information. In this method, eight reliability indexes, including maintainability and maintenance cost, are considered in the generalized FMECA information. Subsequently, the cognition best worst method is used to calculate the weight of each screened index, and the weaknesses of the subsystems are ranked using a technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution. Finally, based on the failure data collected from certain domestic heavy-duty horizontal lathes, the weakness ranking result of the subsystems is obtained to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. An improved weakness ranking method that can comprehensively analyze and identify weak subsystems is proposed herein for designing and improving the reliability of complex electromechanical products.

This paper presents a reliability optimization design method for a hydraulic system that considers oil contamination. The proposed method applies the quantitative relationship between oil contamination and system reliability to the reliability design of a hydraulic system, while considering the performance, layout, and other design factors. A global reliability model of the hydraulic system is constructed based on the oil contamination control model. Further studies aiming at an optimization design model of the hydraulic system is established where the cost is the objective function, reliability index, size and structure range, performance requirements are constraints, structure size and oil change period are design variables. For illustration, a case study on the reliability optimization design of the oil supply point branch of the static pressure bracket of a certain type of heavy CNC horizontal lathe is considered.

The effect of small amounts of chalcogen alloying elements (S, Se and Te) on the oxidation resistance (OR) of Cu has been investigated at 300–800 °C in 0.1 MPa oxygen atmospheres. Compared to pure copper, the addition of S, Se and Te could effectively improve the OR below 600 °C mainly owing to the chalcogen-element inclusions which hinder the diffusion of Cu. However, it becomes weak above 800 °C. In contrast, the failure at 800 °C is associated with the absence of those inclusions. The results are discussed in detail by the thermodynamic methods.

Along with the progress of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, high-performance lithium-ion batteries are needed urgently. Herein, we design and prepare a Fe2O3/MoS2/rGO composite in wh...

Conversion-type binary cobalt–molybdenum oxides are rated as engineering lithium-ion battery (LIB) materials with high theoretical capacity. However, there exists an annoying issue regarding fast c...

Due to their high biocompatibility, high spatial resolution, chromatographic capability, and adjustable size and morphology, magnetic nanoparticles have become the most promising nanomaterials for clinical application in noninvasive imaging and drug delivery for the treatment of malignant tumors. Herein, a novel magnetic nanoparticle coated with calcium carbonate was prepared and loaded with near-infrared drugs to be used as a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform for the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors. Then, these drug-loaded nanoparticles were used for combined photodynamic/photothermal therapy by intravenous administration that was simultaneously guided by fluorescence/MR imaging. Due to the targeted induction of the external magnetic field and tumor response degradation of the calcium carbonate layer, the nanoprobe demonstrated excellent tumor targeting and greatly improved drug aggregation at the tumor site. Finally, single wavelength-mediated photothermal/photodynamic therapy was applied to liver cancer model mice, ultimately achieving an exciting antitumor therapeutic effect. This study may promote further exploration of nanoplatforms based on magnetic nanoparticles for clinical application in the treatment of malignant tumors.

Multi-dimensional nanomaterials have drawn great interest for application in supercapacitors due to their large accessible surface area. However, the achievements of superior rate capability and cycle stability are hindered by their intrinsic poor electronic/ionic conductivity and the erratic structure. Herein, we develop a three-dimensional hierarchical self-supported NiO/Co3O4@C/CoS2 hybrid electrode, in which NiO/Co3O4 nanosheets are in situ grown on a nickel foam substrate and combined with CoS2 nanospheres through a carbon medium. The hybrid electrode has a high specific capacity of ∼1025 C g−1 at 1 A g−1 with a superior rate performance of ∼74% capacity retention even at a current density of 30 A g−1. Moreover, the assembled NiO/Co3O4@C/CoS2//AC hybrid supercapacitor achieves excellent performance with a maximum voltage of 1.64 V and a high energy density of 62.83 W h kg−1 at a power density of 824.99 W kg−1 and excellent cycle stability performance with a capacity retention of ∼92% after 5000 cycles. The high electrochemical performance of the hybrid supercapacitor is mainly attributed to the porous structure of the NiO/Co3O4@C nanosheets and CoS2 nanospheres and intimate integration of active species. The rational strategy for the combination of various earth-abundant nanomaterials paves a new way for energy storage materials.

Taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA) is the principal ingredient of Compound Shougong Powder. Despite traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research demonstrates that Compound Shougong Powder can restrict tumor growth, whether TCDCA exerts a role in suppressing cancer as the major ingredient of Compound Shougong Powder remains unknown. This study aims to clarify the regulatory mechanism of TCDCA on gastric cancer. Gastric cancer cells SGC-7901 were cultured to investigate the effects of TCDCA on proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, a subcutaneously implanted tumor model was established using SGC-7901 cells in BALB/C nude mice and tumor volume was measured under low and high dose treatment of TCDCA. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were subjected to 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. Differentially expressed genes were screened by transcriptome sequencing. Nude mouse tumorigenicity assay was initiated to identify the effect of TCDCA on both tumor volume and weight, and the expression of candidate genes screened by transcriptome sequencing was determined by real-time fluorescence quantification (qPCR) and Western blot. The experiments revealed that TCDCA could significantly inhibit the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells and induce apoptosis of these cells. Meanwhile, test findings via in vivo indicated that TCDCA severely diminished the volume and weight of tumors. This study first demonstrated that TCDCA inhibited the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer and induced apoptosis, which is expected to serve as an experimental basis for the application of TCM in tumor therapeutic options. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Through this study, the inhibitory effect of Taurochenodeoxycholic acid on gastric cancer can be clarified, which provides a new research basis for the application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and TCM monomer in cancer. In addition, this study can further promote the research and application of Chinese traditional medicine, which has important application value and economic benefits.

Purpose This paper aims to study the oxidation kinetics of the nanocrystalline Al ultrathin films. The influence of structure and composition evolution during thermal oxidation will be observed. The reason for the change in the oxidation activation energy on increasing the oxidation temperature will be discussed. Design/methodology/approach Al thin films are deposited on the silicon wafers as substrates by vacuumed thermal evaporation under the base pressure of 2 × 10−4 Pa, where the substrates are not heated. A crystalline quartz sensor is used to monitor the film thickness. The film thickness varies in the range from 30 to 100 nm. To keep the silicon substrate from oxidation during thermal oxidation of the Al film, a 50-nm gold film was deposited on the back side of silicon substrate. Isothermal oxidation studies of the Al film were carried out in air to assess the oxidation kinetics at 400-600°C. Findings The activation energy is positive and low for the low temperature oxidation, but it becomes apparently negative at higher temperatures. The oxide grains are nano-sized, and γ-Al2O3 crystals are formed at above 500°C. In light of the model by Davies, the grain boundary diffusion is believed to be the reason for the logarithmic oxidation rate rule. The negative activation energy at higher temperatures is apparent, which comes from the decline of diffusion paths due to the formation of the γ-Al2O3 crystals. Originality/value It is found that the oxidation kinetics of nanocrystalline Al thin films in air at 400-600°C follows the logarithmic law, and this logarithmic oxidation rate law is related to the grain boundary diffusion. The negative activation energies in the higher temperature range can be attributed to the formation of γ-Al2O3 crystal.

Summary The sodium-ion battery has shown great potential to replace the lithium-ion battery, especially for large-scale energy-storage systems. In this work, a hybrid material of ultra-small Sb nanoparticles encapsulated in unique N-doped carbon nanonecklace (Sb/N-CNN) has been synthesized for the first time via electrospinning and in situ substitution. As an anode material in sodium-ion batteries, the as-fabricated Sb/N-CNN exhibits superior rate property (314 mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1) and cycling stability (401 mAh g−1 after 6,000 cycles at 1 A g−1), outperforming other Sb-based materials. Such excellent performances originate from the ingenious necklace-like structure of Sb/N-CNN, which supplies efficient electrolyte diffusion paths and more active sites for Na+ insertion/extraction, disperses the stress caused by the large volume change of Sb nanoparticles during the cycling process, and also reduces the electrode resistance. This study provides a facile strategy for construction of a well-designed structure for advanced energy-storage technologies.

Based on a bandgap thermodynamic approach, the thickness-dependent bandgap of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides is modeled without any adjustable parameter. An efficient expansion in bandgap upon lowering the thickness is predicted. The thickness-dependence of bandgap is believed originated from the interlayer van der Waals (vdW) interaction, while the surface effect is characterized by the difference in atomic thermal vibration between the surface and the interior. Due to the suppression role of the interlayer vdW interaction on the thermal vibration of interior chalcogen atoms, the surface effect is variable, which changes from monotonic increase for sulfides to decrease for tellurides . The role of the interlayer vdW interaction depends on the polarity of metal-chalcogen bonds. The model predictions agree with available experiment and simulation results.

Though high-capacitance transition metal oxides are considered as promising pseudocapacitive materials to achieve high-energy storage for supercapacitors, the practical capacitance is far from the theoretical values because of their intrinsic poor abilities about the electronic and ionic transports. Here, to tackle these problems, we develop a hybrid nanostructured electrode in a facile process, in which layer-structured δ-MnO2 nanosheets are anchored onto seamless three-dimensional Ni nanocylinder arrays. The resultant Ni/δ-MnO2 nanocylinder arrays exhibit high specific capacitance up to 883.2 Fg−1 at a scan rate of 10 mVs−1 and achieve high energy density about 108 Whkg−1 at a power of 2.4 kWkg−1. The improved electrochemical performance mainly benefits from the vertically aligned Ni/δ-MnO2 hybrid structure. Owing to such a hybrid structure the ion/electron transports are facilitated along the nanocylinders due to the reduction in the transport distance, and large accessible surface area is also provided for anchoring more high-capacitance materials. Moreover, the additional contact resistance can be dramatically reduced owing to the large interplanar spacing of δ-MnO2 and ordered semicoherent interface of Ni/δ-MnO2. Keywords: Supercapacitor, Hybrid electrode, Ni nanocylinder arrays, δ-MnO2, 3D nanostructure

Based on a thermodynamic approach, glass transition temperature (Tg) of substrate-supported polymer nanofilms (s-PNFs) is investigated for carbon-chain polymers, taking the role of the interface energy into consideration. Relative to the Tg depression, originating from the positive interface energy due to the weak interfacial van der Waals interactions, the Tg raise is reversely induced by the negative interface energy, induced by the hydrogen bonds formed between the side-chains of polymers and the surface hydroxyl groups of substrates. Moreover, the Tg raise can be reinforced for s-PNFs with simple side-chains. The model predictions agree well with available experimental or simulation results.

The ever-increasing demand for ammonia requires more advanced atomic catalysts with high-activity and high-loading active sites for the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Owing to the “accept and backdonate mechanism”, transition metal (TM) atoms are the preferred active sites. However, because of the fast self-nucleation of TM heteroatoms, the loading of active TM heteroatoms is relatively low. Thus, the research on intrinsic TM active sites is significant. Herein, using density functional theory calculations, intrinsic defects in the basal plane of WS2, including vacancy defects and antisite defects, were created with high-loading TM active sites for boosting NRR. As expected, antisite WS with one W atom replacing one S atom could catalyze NRR with a low potential of −0.24 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode.

At present, the focus of exploration and development has gradually shifted from conventional oilfields to ultra-low permeability oilfields. Due to the influence of illite resistivity, the traditional exploration technology for ultra-low permeability oilfield cannot accurately locate the ultra-low permeability oilfield. Therefore, taking Xuecha oil area of Wuqi oilfield as an example, the analysis model of influencing factors of illite resistivity in ultra-low permeability oilfield is established. The resistivity structure of soil rock series, parallel resistivity structure of soil rock structure, series parallel hybrid resistivity structure of soil rock structure, water content resistivity inversion, porosity resistivity inversion, and dry density resistivity inversion are obtained respectively. Based on this, the experiment is designed. The results show that the resistivity of illite increases with the increase of water content, porosity, dry density, water content, and compaction time, and the confidence coefficient model is higher than 0.9600. The experimental results show that this method can be applied to analyze the influencing factors of illite resistivity in ultra-low permeability oilfield.

Temperature-pressure phase diagrams can provide guidance for materials preparation and application, but nano-phase diagrams are scarce. Coordination environment of atoms located at surface and grain boundary is different to that of interior ones, indicating the non-negligible surface and grain boundary effects on nano-phase transitions. The surface effect has been universally considered in previous theoretical models, but its size-dependence has been ignored, while the grain boundary effect has rarely been explored. Here, the surface and grain boundary effects are modeled using a thermodynamic approach to construct the nano-phase diagrams of carbon and boron nitride. As the size is reduced, the additional pressure induced by these two effects raises, contributing to the transition from thermodynamically stable phases to metastable ones, and the phase boundary shifts to low temperature and low pressure. Our prediction agrees well with available literature results.

The energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process currently dominants the production of ammonia (NH3), an indispensable chemical for humans. For the sustainable development of society, highly efficient and green strategies to convert nitrogen (N2) to NH3 are urgently required. Electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (eNRR) is universally regarded as a promising strategy owing to the mild operating conditions and renewable energy supply. The key for eNRR is the high-performance catalysts, which activate the inert N-N triple bond and thus decrease the energy barrier. Herein, the recent theoretical and experimental progress on eNRR catalysts at room temperature and ambient pressure is summarized, aiming to provide a reference for future design of high-performance eNRR catalysts.

Multi-dimensional nanomaterials have drawn great interest for application in supercapacitors due to their large accessible surface area. However, the achievements of superior rate capability and cycle stability are hindered by their intrinsic poor electronic/ionic conductivity and the erratic structure. Herein, we develop a three-dimensional hierarchical self-supported NiO/Co

Temperature-pressure phase diagrams can provide guidance for materials preparation and application, but nano-phase diagrams are scarce. Coordination environment of atoms located at surface and grain boundary differs to that of interior ones, indicating non-negligible surface and grain boundary effects on nano-phase transitions. The surface effect was universally considered in previous theoretical models, but its size-dependence was ignored. Moreover, the grain boundary effect was rarely explored. Here, the surface and grain boundary effects are modeled using a thermodynamic approach to construct the nano-phase diagrams of nanostructured carbon. As the size is reduced, additional pressures induced by these two effects rise, contributing to the transition from thermodynamically stable phase to metastable one, and the phase boundary shifts to low temperature and low pressure. Our prediction agrees well with available literature results.

Group V elemental few-layered materials with semiconducting electronic properties are emerging as promising 2D layered materials . Since the layered configurations need substrate for device fabrications , their surface energy values could decide their properties. Here, we have performed a systematic density functional theory (DFT) investigation on the surface energies of arsenene and antimonene films as the function of thickness. The results show that the surface energy of β phase increases with increased layered numbers and converges to a constant value at about five layers, while the surface energy of α phase is size-independent. Since the surface energies of both α and β phase are similar, there is the existence possibility of α phase. Those could give references for future manufacture of arsenene and antimonene nano-devices.

The pressure-induced superheating of metallic nanoparticles embedded in a coherent or incoherent matrix was evaluated by considering the interface energy effect. As the size decreases, the superheating is weakened from the bulk value to zero for these two systems. Associated to the competing roles of different thermodynamic quantities, the weakening in the coherent system originates from the predominant lattice contraction and melting enthalpy reinforcement because of the negative interface energy, but that in the incoherent system results from the bulk modulus decline due to the positive interface energy. Our theoretical predictions are in agreement with available literature results.

The cohesive energy is a key quantity to determine the mechanical, physical, chemical, and electronic properties of materials. In this work, the interface effect on the cohesive energy of nanostructured materials and substrate-supported nanofilms is modeled free of adjustable parameters. The cohesive energy drops on lowering the grain size or thickness. However, this decrease is weak compared with nanocrystals, dependent on the interface energy size relative to the surface energy associated with the coordination imperfection. Based on this exploration, the interface effect on the thermal and electronic properties of melting point, thermal expansion coefficient, bandgap and core-level shift of nanostructured materials and/or nanofilms has also been modeled and discussed. Our theoretical predictions are validated by available experimental results.

The predictions of a new series of two-dimensional (2D) materials, namely, arsenene and antimonene have enriched the field of nano-electronic devices-fabrication. However, the indirect band gap character of the pristine structures slows down the pace of their practical applications. Herein, we prepared and studied novel monolayer AsxSby alloys with excellent stabilities (where x and y denote the atomic ratio of As and Sb elements and x + y = 16). The results indicate that some of the components possess direct band gaps. Moreover, the low effective masses (lower than 0.2m0, where m0 is the static electron mass) of the alloys, which enhanced the device efficiency, were also identified. In particular, α-phase AsxSby (5 ≤ y ≤ 9) harbors effective masses even lower than phosphorene. Our predictions not only inject new vigor into 2D alloys, enriching the candidate materials available in this field, but also highlight the potential of these alloys as fascinating materials for future non-electronic devices.