Upgrading Gel Electrolytes Through Electrostatic-Induced Dual-Salt Paradigm for Superior Zn-Ion Battery Performance.

Gel electrolytes are gaining attention for rechargeable Zn-ion batteries because of their high safety, high flexibility, and excellent comprehensive electrochemical performances. However, current gel electrolytes still perform at mediocre levels due to incomplete Zn salts dissociation and side reactions. Herein, an electrostatic-induced dual-salt strategy is proposed to upgrade gel electrolytes to tackle intrinsic issues of Zn metal anodes. The competitive coordination mechanism driven by electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance of dual anions promotes zinc salt dissociation at low lithium salt addition levels, improving ion transport and mechanical properties of gel electrolytes. Li+ ions and gel components coordinate with H2O, reducing active H2O molecules and inhibiting associated side reactions. The dual-salt gel electrolyte enables excellent reversibility of Zn anodes at both room and low temperatures. Zn||Polyaniline cells using the dual-salt gel electrolyte exhibit a high discharge capacity of 180 mAh g-1 and long-term cycling stability over 180 cycles at -20 °C. The dual-salt strategy offers a cost-effective approach to improving gel electrolytes for high-performance flexible Zn-ion batteries.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with dehydration of patients with dysphagia in eastern China: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: Dehydration is one of the common complications of dysphagia and poses significant risks including hospitalization and mortality, but the relationship between dysphagia and dehydration has received little attention. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors for dehydration of patients with dysphagia in eastern China, and to provide reference for early identification and prevention of dehydration. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was conducted. Three hundred and thirty-seven (n = 337) patients with dysphagia participated in the study between August and December 2022. Information relating to participants' demographic variables, nutrition, cognition, functional, hydration status and fluid intake was collected. Univariate analysis was used to examine related impact factors, and then binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine reliable impact factors. RESULTS: Among 337 patients with dysphagia, the average age was 63.47 ± 16.96, most participants were male (72.1%) and married (91.7%). The prevalence of dehydration was calculated to be 43.9%, the mean plasma osmolality score was 293.53 mmol/L. Diseases with the highest prevalence were stroke (78.3%), followed by hypertension (63.5%). The risk for dehydration increased with older age, usage of more medicines such as diuretics and beta-blockers, worse functional status and lower fluid intake. CONCLUSION: This study found a high percentage of dehydration in patients with dysphagia. Findings can provide a basis for targeted nursing interventions for clinical prevention and treatment of dehydration.

The effectiveness of chin-down manoeuvre in patients with dysphagia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: The chin-down posture is a widely used compensatory manoeuvre for patients with dysphagia. The aim of this study was designed to systematically measure the effectiveness of chin-down manoeuvre application. METHODOLOGY: We retrieved the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Medline, CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and SinoMed databases from inception to 30 August 2022. Raters independently screened literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the included literature was evaluated, and data were extracted. The software Review Manager software 5.3 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Fourteen studies with a total of 571 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that chin-down manoeuvre could significantly reduce the risk of aspiration (MD = -1.35, 95% CI [-2.25, -0.44], Z = 2.92, p < .01), decrease the chin angle (MD = -12.20, 95% CI [-14.61, -9.79], Z = 9.91, p < .001), shorten oral transit time (MD = -0.81, 95% CI [-1.20, -0.43], Z = 4.17, p < .001), reduce the maximum swallowing pressure at upper oesophageal sphincter (MD = -82.07, 95% CI [-112.77, -51.37], Z = 5.24, p < .001) and decrease pharyngeal residue. CONCLUSIONS: Existing evidence indicated that chin-down manoeuvre could reduce the risk of aspiration and pharyngeal residue, decrease the maximum swallowing pressure at UES. More large-sample, high-quality clinical trials are still needed in the future to further ascertain the results of this research.

Enhanced Stress Stability in Flexible Co/Pt Multilayers with Strong Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy.

Due to the magnetoelastic coupling, the magnetic properties of many flexible magnetic films (such as Fe, Co, and Ni) are sensitive to mechanical stress, which deteriorates the performance of flexible magnetoelectronic devices. We show that by stacking Co and Pt alternatively to form multilayers with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), both magnetic hysteresis and magnetic domain measurements reveal robust PMA against external stress. As the PMA weakens at increased Co thickness, the magnetic anisotropy is vulnerable to external stress. These results were understood based on a micromagnetic model, which suggests that the strength of magnetoelastic anisotropy with respect to initial effective magnetic anisotropy affects the stress-stability of the film. Although the stress coefficient of magnetoelastic anisotropy is enhanced at reduced Co thickness, the concomitant increase of initial effective magnetic anisotropy guarantees a robust PMA against external stress. Our results provide a route to constructing flexible magnetoelectronic devices with enhanced stress stability.

Synergistic effect of excellent carriers separation and efficient high level energy electron utilization on Bi3+-Ce2Ti2O7/ZnIn2S4 heterostructure for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

The separation of photogenerated carriers and the efficient utilization of high-level energy electrons (HLEEs) are the key processes for improving the performance of photocatalysts. Herein, Ce2Ti2O7/ZnIn2S4 (CTOZIS) and Bi3+-doped Ce2Ti2O7/ZnIn2S4 (BCTOZIS) photocatalyst were successfully synthesized through hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic hydrogen production of CTOZIS and BCTOZIS was 1233.7 µmol g-1 and 4168.5 µmol g-1 under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) within 5 h, which was 2.3 and 7.6 times than that of pure ZnIn2S4, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization demonstrated that after Bi3+ doping, the electron-hole pairs recombination of BCTOZIS was inhibited, which may be ascribed to the establishment of a Z-scheme heterojunction and the presence of oxygen vacancy and Ce4+/Ce3+ redox center. The doping of Bi3+ resulted in the adjustment of the valence band position of Ce2Ti2O7 from 1.98 V to 1.92 V. This adjustment enabled direct transfer of HLEEs generated in Ce2Ti2O7 to the conduction band of ZnIn2S4 for hydrogen production with a wavelength below 423 nm. The synergistic effect of conventional Z-scheme electron transfer and the unique utilization of HLEEs boosted the photocatalytic performance of BCTOZIS. This study affords an innovative insight for designing visible-light-driven photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity.

Porous Rod-like NiTiO3-BiOBr Heterojunctions with Highly Improved Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance.

NiTiO3-BiOBr heterostructured photocatalysts were constructed via precipitation, calcination and hydrothermal treatments. Various characterizations demonstrated that BiOBr nanosheets were decorated on NiTiO3 nanoparticals, forming porous rod-like heterojunctions. Compared with independent NiTiO3 and BiOBr, the composites with optimal BiOBr content presented highly improved visible-light photocatalytic efficiency. The degradation rates of Rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) reached 96.6% in 1.5 h (100% in 2 h) and 73.5% in 3 h, which are 6.61 and 1.53 times those of NiTiO3, respectively. The result is an improved photocatalytic behavior from the formation of heterojunctions with a large interface area, which significantly promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers and strengthened the visible-light absorption. Based on the free radical capture experiments and band position analysis, the photodegradation mechanism of type-II heterojunction was deduced. This study provides a new way to fabricate highly efficient NiTiO3-based photocatalysts for degrading certain organics.

Flexible Magnetic Sensors.

With the merits of high sensitivity, high stability, high flexibility, low cost, and simple manufacturing, flexible magnetic field sensors have potential applications in various fields such as geomagnetosensitive E-Skins, magnetoelectric compass, and non-contact interactive platforms. Based on the principles of various magnetic field sensors, this paper introduces the research progress of flexible magnetic field sensors, including the preparation, performance, related applications, etc. In addition, the prospects of flexible magnetic field sensors and their challenges are presented.

Spontaneous Desaturation of the Solvation Sheath for High-Performance Anti-Freezing Zinc-Ion Gel-Electrolyte.

In recent years, gel-electrolyte becomes pivotal in preventing hydrogen evolution, reducing dendrite growth, and protecting the zinc metal anode for zinc-ion batteries. Herein, a polyvinyl alcohol-based water-organic hybrid gel electrolyte with Agar and dimethyl sulfoxide is designed to construct the spontaneous desaturation of the solvation sheath for reducing hydrogen evolution and dendrite growth at room temperature and even low temperature. According to experimental characterization and theoretical calculations, the well binding between multihydroxy polymer and H2 O is achieved in the hybrid desaturated gel-electrolyte to regulate the inner and outer sheath. The ionic conductivity of hybrid gel-electrolyte reaches 7.4 mS cm-1 even at -20 °C with only 0.5 m zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (Zn(OTf)2 ). The Zn symmetric cells cycle over 1200 h under 26 and -20 °C with improved mechanical properties and electrochemical performance. The asymmetric Zn || Cu cell with hybrid gel electrolyte reaches ≈99.02% efficiency after 250 cycles. The capacity of full cell is maintained at around 74 mAh g-1 with almost unchanged retention rate from 50 to 300 cycles at -20 °C. This work provides an effective strategy for desaturated solvation to reach anti-freezing and high-density Zn energy storage devices.

Novel noble-metal-free Co2P/CdIn2S4 heterojunction photocatalysts for elevated photocatalytic H2 production: Light absorption, charge separation and active site.

Constructing heterojunctions is an effective and controllable approach that can boost the activity of photocatalysts. Inspiringly, this study explored a simple method that can be used to construct novel noble-metal-free Co2P/CdIn2S4 (CPCIS) heterojunction photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The heterojunction was formed by loading CdIn2S4 (CIS) nanoparticles on the surface of Co2P (CP). The structure, morphology, and optical property of the as-prepared samples were characterized by a series of tests. The DRS results showed that, the light absorption range of CPCIS was extended to the full visible light range and its light absorption intensity obviously was enhanced at 500-800 nm. The PL and photoelectrochemical tests manifested that the formed heterojunction promoted the separation of charges. The LSV results indicated that CP reduced the H2 evolution overpotential of the composites. Besides, CP could serve as active sites of H2 evolution in heterojunction composites. Interestingly, the H2-evolution rate for the optimum CPCIS (471.87 µmol h-1 g-1) was around 3.6 times than CIS-Pt. The elevated activity of CPCIS may mainly attribute to the following aspects: its enhanced light absorption, elevated charge separation and increased active site. More importantly, the photocatalytic activity of heterojunction composites didn't almost decrease after three cycles. This article delivers an idea that can be applied to form heterojunctions between CP and other sulfides for photocatalytic H2 production, easily extending to other transition metal phosphides.

Nickel Foam Coated by Ni Nanoparticle-Decorated 3D Nanocarbons as a Freestanding Host for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Nanocarbons (NCs) consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were coated on the surface of nickel foam (NF) via a chemical vapor deposition method. The CNFs formed conductive networks on NF, while the CNTs grew perpendicular to the surface of the CNFs, accompanied with the formation of Ni nanoparticles (Ni NPs) at the end of CNTs. The unique Ni-NCs-coated NF with a porous structure was applied as the three-dimensional (3D) current collector of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, which provided enough space to accommodate the electrode materials inside itself. Therefore, the 3D interconnected conductive framework of the coated NF collector merged in the electrode materials shortened the path of electron transport, and the generated Ni NPs could adsorb lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and effectively accelerated the conversion kinetics of LiPSs as well, thereby suppressing the "shuttle effect". Moreover, the rigid framework of NF would also constrain the movement of the electrode compositions, which benefited the stability of the Li-S batteries. As a matter of fact, the Li-S battery based on the Ni-NCs-coated NF collector delivered an initial discharge capacity as high as 1472 mAh g-1 at 0.1C and outstanding high rate capability at 3C (802 mAh g-1). Additionally, low decay rates of 0.067 and 0.08% at 0.2C (300 cycles) and 0.5C (500 cycles) have been obtained, respectively. Overall, our prepared Ni-NCs-coated NF collector is promising for the application in high-performance Li-S batteries.

Curcumin Blunts IL-6 Dependent Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition to Alleviate Renal Allograft Fibrosis Through Autophagy Activation.

Fibrosis contributes to graft loss in chronic renal allograft injury. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) plays an important role in the development of fibrosis following kidney transplantation. Autophagy plays an important role in the homeostasis of diverse cell types including endothelial cells. Here we demonstrate that inhibition of autophagy by treatment with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or by silencing autophagy-related (ATG)5 promoted interleukin (IL)-6-dependent EndMT in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human renal glomerular endothelial cells (HRGECs), and autophagy inactivation was associated with EndMT in patients with chronic allograft dysfunction. IL-6 level was significantly higher in the culture medium of HUVECs transfected with ATG5 siRNA or treated with 3-MA compared to the respective control groups. IL-6 application induced EndMT in HUVECs and HRGECs, whereas antibody-mediated neutralization of IL-6 suppressed EndMT induced by ATG5 silencing. The protective role of curcumin (Cur) against allograft fibrosis was confirmed in a rat kidney transplantation model of F344 donors to Lewis recipients. Curcumin-a natural polyphenol compound with known antifibrotic effects in various tissues-alleviated IL-6-induced EndMT and promoted autophagy in the allografted organ and in HUVECs. This is the first demonstration of the role of autophagy in renal allograft fibrosis; our findings indicate that curcumin can alleviate chronic renal allograft injury by suppressing IL-6-dependent EndMT via activation of autophagy.

Prognostic role of high TET1 expression in patients with solid tumors: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recently, increased expression of TET1 has been shown to inhibit tumor development in many studies. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic role of TET1 in solid tumors. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science (last updated on June 13, 2019) were searched and 16 eligible studies involving 3100 patients were eventually taken forward into the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Pooled results indicated that higher TET1 expression in cancer tissues was associated with improved overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.736, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.542-0.998, P = .049]. In the subgroup analysis, higher TET1 expression in respiratory tumors (HR = 0.778, 95% CI = 0.639-0.946, P = .012) and breast cancer in Asian patients (HR = 0.326, 95% CI = 0.199-0.533, P < .001) were significantly associated with better OS. In addition, the association between high TET1 expression and prolonged OS was also statistically significant in the following subgroups; data source from samples (HR = 0.561, 95% CI = 0.384-0.819, P = .003), reported in text (HR = 0.539, 95% CI = 0.312-0.931, P = .027), TET1 protein (HR = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.409-0.984, P = .042), Asians (HR = 0.563, 95% CI = 0.376-0.844, P = .005). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis displays that high expression levels of TET1 in tissues is significantly associated with better survival in patients with solid tumors. This finding can be used as evidence to the tone that TET1 may be a useful target for the treatment of patients with solid tumors in the future.

Remarkable Enhancement of Upconversion Luminescence on Cap-Ag/PMMA Ordered Platform and Trademark Anticounterfeiting.

High brightness of upconversion luminescence (UCL) for a thinner layer of UC nanoparticles is significant for routine applications of effective trademark anticounterfeiting technology. In this work, efficient UCL of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+/Tm3+ was realized by combining a Ta2O5 dielectric layer on the cyclical island silver films supported by poly(methyl methacrylate) opal photonic crystals (PCs). The synergistic modulation of localized surface plasmon resonance and PC effect results in a significant improvement of the local electromagnetic field and an optimum UC enhancement of 145 folds. Furthermore, colorful pattern nanoprinting has been applied to this composite and used for trademark anticounterfeiting. The combination of angle-dependent PC effect and infrared-to-visible UCL represents a more advanced anticounterfeiting technique.