Coordination Confined Silver-Organic Framework for High Performance Electrochemical Deionization.

Silver (Ag) is deemed a promising anode material for capacitive deionization (CDI) due to its high theoretical capacity and efficient selectivity to Cl-. However, the strong volume change during the conversion reaction significantly undermines the cycling performance of the Ag electrode. Additionally, achieving well-dispersed Ag in the active matrix is challenging, as Ag electrodes prepared by conventional thermal reduction tend to agglomerate. Herein, the organic linker confinement strategy is proposed, applying metal-organic framework (MOF) chemistry between Ag nodes and organic ligands to construct Ag-based MOF. The uniform dispersion of Ag at the molecular level, confined in the organic matrix, efficiently enhances the utilization of active sites, and strengthens the interfacial stability of Ag. Consequently, the Ag-MOF for the CDI anode exhibits an excellent Cl- removal capacity of 121.52 mg g-1 at 20 mA g-1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution, and a high Ag utilization rate of 60.54%. After 100 cycles, a capacity retention of 96.93% is achieved. Furthermore, the Cl- capture mechanism of Ag-MOF is elucidated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations, ex situ XRD, ex situ Raman and XPS. This ingenious electrode design can offer valuable insights for the development of high-performance conversion electrodes for CDI applications.

In the View of Electrons Transfer and Energy Conversion: The Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Metal-Based Nanomaterials and Their Applications.

The global pandemic and excessive use of antibiotics have raised concerns about environmental health, and efforts are being made to develop alternative bactericidal agents for disinfection. Metal-based nanomaterials and their derivatives have emerged as promising candidates for antibacterial agents due to their broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, environmental friendliness, and excellent biocompatibility. However, the reported antibacterial mechanisms of these materials are complex and lack a comprehensive understanding from a coherent perspective. To address this issue, a new perspective is proposed in this review to demonstrate the toxic mechanisms and antibacterial activities of metal-based nanomaterials in terms of energy conversion and electron transfer. First, the antimicrobial mechanisms of different metal-based nanomaterials are discussed, and advanced research progresses are summarized. Then, the biological intelligence applications of these materials, such as biomedical implants, stimuli-responsive electronic devices, and biological monitoring, are concluded based on trappable electrical signals from electron transfer. Finally, current improvement strategies, future challenges, and possible resolutions are outlined to provide new insights into understanding the antimicrobial behaviors of metal-based materials and offer valuable inspiration and instructional suggestions for building future intelligent environmental health.

Boron-Modulated Electronic-Configuration Tuning of Cobalt for Enhanced Nitric Oxide Fixation to Ammonia.

Electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction (eNORR) to ammonia (NH3) provides an environmental route to alleviate NO pollution and yield great-value chemicals. The evolution of eNORR has been primarily hindered, however, by the poor reaction kinetics and low solubility of the NO in aqueous electrolytes. Herein, we have rationally designed a cobalt-based composite with a heterostructure as a highly efficient eNORR catalyst. In addition, by integrating boron to modulate the electronic structure, the catalyst CoB/Co@C delivered a significant NH3 yield of 315.4 µmol h-1 cm-2 for eNORR and an outstanding power density of 3.68 mW cm-2 in a Zn-NO battery. The excellent electrochemical performance of CoB/Co@C is attributed to the enrichment of NO by cobalt and boron dual-site adsorption and fast charge-transfer kinetics. It is demonstrated that the boron is pivotal in the enhancement of NO, the suppression of hydrogen evolution, and Co oxidation to boost eNORR performance.

Enhanced Pseudo-Capacitance Process in Nanoarchitectural Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoarrays Hollow Nanocages for Improved Capacitive Deionization Performance.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are perceived as a hopeful capacitive deionization (CDI) faradic electrode for Cl- insertion due to its tunable composition, excellent anion exchange capacity, and fast redox activity. Nevertheless, the self-stacking and inferior electrical conductivity of the two-dimensional structure of LDH lead to unsatisfactory CDI performance. Herein, the three-dimensional (3D) hollow nanocage structure of CoNi-layered double hydroxide/carbon composites is well designed as a CDI anode by cation etching of the pre-carbonized ZIF-67 template. C/CoNi-LDH has a unique 3D hollow nanocage structure and abundant pore features, which can effectively suppress the self-stacking of LDH sheets and facilitate the transport of ions. Moreover, the introduced amorphous carbon layer can act as a conductive network. When employed as the CDI anode, C/CoNi-LDH exhibited a high Cl- removal capacity of 60.88 mg g-1 and a fast Cl- removal rate of 18.09 mg g-1 min-1 at 1.4 V in 1000 mg L-1 NaCl solution. The mechanism of the Cl- intercalation pseudo-capacitance reaction of C/CoNi-LDH is revealed by electrochemical kinetic analysis and ex situ characterization. This study provides vital guidance for the design of high-performance electrodes for CDI.

Surface redox pseudocapacitance boosting Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles-encapsulated N-doped graphene-like carbon for high-performance capacitive deionization.

The practical application of carbon anode in capacitive deionization (CDI) is greatly hindered by their poor adsorption capacity and co-ion effect. Herein, an N-doped graphene-like carbon (NC) decorated with Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles composite (Fe/Fe3C@NC) with large specific surface area and plentiful porosity is fabricated via a facile and scalable method, namely sol-gel method combined with Fe-catalyzed carbonization. As expected, it exhibits superior CDI performance as a Cl-storage electrode, with Cl- adsorption capacity as high as 102.3 mg g-1 at 1000 mg L-1 Cl- concentration and 1.4 V voltage, and a stable capacity of 68.5 mg g-1 for 60 cycles in 500 mg L-1 Cl- concentration and 100 mA g-1 current density. More importantly, on the basis of electrochemical tests, ex-situ X-ray diffraction, ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and XPS analysis with argon ion depth etching, it is revealed that the chlorine storage mechanism of the Fe/Fe3C@NC electrode is dominated by the surface-related redox pseudocapacitance behavior of Fe2+/Fe3+ couple occurring on or near the surface, enabling fast and reversible ion storage. This work proposes an economical and environmentally friendly general method for the design and development of high-performance Cl-storage electrodes for CDI, and offers an in-depth insight into the Cl- storage mechanism of Fe decorated carbon electrodes, further promoting the development of CDI technology.

Configurational Entropy Regulation in Polyolefin Elastomer/Paraffin Wax Vitrimers by Thermally Responsive Liquid-Solid Transition for Force Storage.

The work output of shape memory polymers during shape shifting is desired for practical application as actuators. Herein, a polyolefin elastomer (POE) and paraffin wax (PW) are co-cross-linked by dynamic boronic ester bonds to enhance the network elasticity and the stress transfer between the two phases, endowing high force storage capacity to the prepared vitrimers. Depending on the phase of PW, one-way force storage is realized by programming at a low temperature (25 °C), owing to which solid PW can promote the locking of POE chains in a low-entropy state, while reversible force storage can be realized by programming at a high temperature (75 °C), owing to which the relaxation of chains facilitated by liquid PW can promote the construction of a stable structure. Based on one-way force storage, a weight-lifting machine with a weight of 20 mg prestrained at 25 °C can lift a 100 g weight, showing a lifting ratio of no less than 5000, with a high work output of 0.98 J/g. A high-temperature alarm can be triggered at varied temperatures (43-56 °C) through controlled force release by adjusting the PW content and programmed prestrains. Based on the reversible force storage, crawling robots and artificial muscles with a work output of 0.025 J/g are demonstrated. The dynamic cross-linking network also confers mold-free self-healing capability to POE/PW vitrimers, and the repair efficiency is enhanced compared with the POE vitrimer due to the improved POE chain motion by liquid PW. The realized one-way and reversible force storage and self-healing by POE/PW vitrimers pave the way for the application of SMPs in the fields of soft robotic actuators.

Hierarchical network relaxation of a dynamic cross-linked polyolefin elastomer for advanced reversible shape memory effect.

Reversible shape-memory polymers (RSMPs) are highly desired for soft actuators due to the repeatability of deformation. Herein, a polyolefin elastomer vitrimer (POEV) was prepared by constructing a dynamic cross-linked network based on boronic ester bonds. POEV showed varied network relaxation in a wide temperature range due to hierarchical network relaxation, and then the entropy decreased and the relaxation of POEV chains was facilely controlled by temperature. The controllable relaxation of POEV by programming the temperature enabled the actuation domain with a reduction in entropy and the skeleton domain with a relatively high entropy can be built in POEV, greatly affecting the reversible shape memory effects (RSMEs). The topological rearrangement resulted from the activated exchange of dynamic covalent bonds, which enables POEV with good shape reconfigurability, and allows for complicated 3D shapes and shape-shifting on demand. More interestingly, combining the decreasing entropy of POEV chains and fully topological rearrangement tailored by temperature, hybrid aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be constructed in POEV via a two-stage training. Then, the aligned CNTs can enhance the elasticity and act as a hybrid skeleton for RSMEs, avoiding the negative impact of CNTs on the reversible actuation strain. The hierarchical network relaxation facilitates combining all these unusual properties in one shape memory network synergistically, paving new avenues for realizing smart materials with advanced RSME.

Energy Consumption in Capacitive Deionization for Desalination: A Review.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging eco-friendly desalination technology with mild operation conditions. However, the energy consumption of CDI has not yet been comprehensively summarized, which is closely related to the economic cost. Hence, this study aims to review the energy consumption performances and mechanisms in the literature of CDI, and to reveal a future direction for optimizing the consumed energy. The energy consumption of CDI could be influenced by a variety of internal and external factors. Ion-exchange membrane incorporation, flow-by configuration, constant current charging mode, lower electric field intensity and flowrate, electrode material with a semi-selective surface or high wettability, and redox electrolyte are the preferred elements for low energy consumption. In addition, the consumed energy in CDI could be reduced to be even lower by energy regeneration. By combining the favorable factors, the optimization of energy consumption (down to 0.0089 Wh·gNaCl-1) could be achieved. As redox flow desalination has the benefits of a high energy efficiency and long lifespan (~20,000 cycles), together with the incorporation of energy recovery (over 80%), a robust future tendency of energy-efficient CDI desalination is expected.

Self-Sensing Actuators Based on a Stiffness Variable Reversible Shape Memory Polymer Enabled by a Phase Change Material.

Soft actuators with integrated mechanical and actuation properties and self-sensing ability are still a challenge. Herein, a stiffness variable polyolefin elastomer (POE) with a reversible shape memory effect is prepared by introducing a typical phase change material, i.e., paraffin wax (PW). It is found that the variable stiffness of POE induced by PW can balance the reversible strain and load-bearing capability of actuators. Especially, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are concentrated in a thin surface layer by spraying and hot pressing in the soft state of POE/PW blends, providing signal transductions for the strain and temperature perception for actuators. Taking advantage of tunable reversible deformation and mechanical transformation of the POE/PW actuator, different biomimetic robotics, including grippers with high load-bearing capability (weight-lifting ratio > 146), walking robots that can sense angles of joints, and high-temperature warning robots are demonstrated. A scheme combining the variable stiffness and electrical properties provides a versatile strategy to integrate actuation performance and self-sensing ability, inspiring the development of multifunctional composite designs for soft robotics.

Carbon Nanoarchitectonics with Bi Nanoparticle Encapsulation for Improved Electrochemical Deionization Performance.

Electrochemical deionization (EDI) is hopefully the next generation of water treatment technology. Bismuth (Bi) is a promising anode material for EDI, due to its high capacity and selectivity toward Cl-, but the large volume expansion and severe pulverization aggressively attenuated the EDI cycling performance of Bi electrodes. Herein, carbon-layer-encapsulated nano-Bi composites (Bi@C) were prepared by a simple pyrolysis method using a Bi-based metal-organic framework as a precursor. Bi nanoparticles are uniformly coated within the carbon layer, in which the Bi-O-C bond enhances the interaction between Bi and C. Such a structure effectively relieves the stress caused by volume expansion by the encapsulation effect of the carbon layer. Moreover, the introduction of a carbon skeleton provides a conductive network. As a consequence, the Bi@C composite delivered excellent electrochemical performance with a capacity of 537.6 F g-1 at 1 mV s-1. The Cl- removal capacity was up to 133.5 mg g-1 at 20 mA g-1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution. After 100 cycles, the Bi@C electrode still maintains 71.8% of its initial capacity, which is much higher than the 26.3% of the pure Bi electrode. This study provides a promising strategy for improving EDI electrode materials.

Human urinary kallindinogenase therapy for acute ischemic stroke according to Chinese ischemic stroke subclassification: Clinical efficacy and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate effectiveness of human urinary kallindinogenase (HUK) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) according to Chinese ischemic stroke subclassification (CISS) and analyzed risk factors of clinical efficacy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 134 patients received conventional therapy were enrolled to control group, and 132 patients received HUK treatment were enrolled to HUK group. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy. Multivariate analysis of risk factors was performed by using logistic regression. RESULTS: After treatment, NIHSS score of HUK group was significant lower than that of control group (p = .009). Effectiveness rate was 71.2% in HUK group, and 53.7% in control group, respectively (p = .003). The NIHSS of patients with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) subtype in HUK group was significantly lower than that in control group (p = .005). The absence of HUK (OR = 2.75), homocysteine (OR = 0.15), and CS subtype (OR = 0.18) were risk factors for HUK clinical efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Human urinary kallindinogenase is an effective therapeutic approach for treatment of patients with AIS, especially in patients with LAA subtype. The absence of HUK, elevated homocysteine, and cardiogenic stroke subtype were risk factor for clinical efficacy of HUK.

Electro and Light-Active Actuators Based on Reversible Shape-Memory Polymer Composites with Segregated Conductive Networks.

Reversible shape-memory polymers (RSMPs) show great potential in actuating applications because of its repeatability among many other advantages. Indeed, in many cases, multiresponsive RSMPs are more expected, and the strategy to introduce functional fillers without deteriorating the reversible deformation performance is of great importance. Here, a facile strategy to balance the electro, photothermal performance, and molecular chain mobility is reported. Segregated conductive networks of carbon nanotubes (S-CNTs) are constructed in the poly(ethylene-co-octene) (POE) matrix at a relatively low filler loading, which renders the composite good electrical, photothermal, and actuating properties. A low percolation threshold of 0.25 vol % is achieved. The electrical conductivity is up to 0.046 S·cm-1 for the POE/S-CNT composites with 2 vol % CNT, and the absorption of light (760 nm) is above 90%. These characteristics guarantee that the actuator can be driven at low voltage (≤36 V) and suitable light intensity (250 mW·cm-2) with a good actuating performance. An electric gripper and a light-active crawling robot demonstrate the potential applications in multiresponsive robots. This work introduces a facile strategy to fabricate multiresponsive RSMPs by designing CNT network structures in polymer composites and holds great potential to enlarge the applications of RSMPs in many areas including artificial muscles and bionic robots.

MicroRNA-650 expression in glioma is associated with prognosis of patients.

MicroRNAs are known as non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of target mRNA. Accumulating evidence has indicated that microRNA expression in human malignancies can be utilized as a prognostic marker for patients. However, the prognostic value of miR-650 in human glioma has not been investigated yet. In the present investigation, we have recruited 168 cases glioma specimens and 21 normal control brain specimens. Quantitative real-time PCR was carried out to investigate the expression of miR-650. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox's proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the association of miR-650 with prognosis of glioma patients. Results showed that miR-650 expression was increased in glioma compared with normal control specimens (P < 0.001). It was also found that miR-650 expression was related to World Health Organization grade and Karnofsky performance score (KPS) for high expression was more frequently detected in glioma of high grade or low KPS score (P < 0.001). The prognosis of glioma with high miR-650 expression was significantly worse compared with that of glioma with low miR-650 expression. These results proved that miR-650 expression was a significant prognostic indicator in glioma, which may suggest new management of human glioma.

The association between the disruption of motor imagery and the number of depressive episodes of major depression.

BACKGROUND: Mental rotation performance may be used as an index of mental slowing or bradyphrenia, and may reflect, in particular, speed of motor preparation. Previous studies suggest depressive patients present the correlates of impaired behavioural performance for mental rotation and psychomotor disturbance. The aim of this study is to compare the mental rotation abilities of patients with a first episode of depression, recurrent depression and healthy control subjects with regard to hand tasks. METHODS: We tested 32 first episode of depression, 38 recurrent depression and 36 healthy control subjects by evaluating the performance of depressed patients with regard to the hand mental rotation tasks. RESULTS: First, the first episode and recurrent depression subjects were significantly slower and made more errors than controls in mentally rotating hands. Second, the first depressive episode but not the recurrent depression displayed the same pattern of response times to stimuli at various orientations relative to control subjects in the hand task. Third, in particular, recurrent depression subjects were significantly slower and made more errors during the mental transformation of hands than first depressive episode relative to control subjects and the differences were significantly larger in female than male subjects in the mental rotation hand task. LIMITATIONS: Patients were on antidepressant medication. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the impaired behavioural performance for mental representation processing are related to the number of previous episodes. Moreover, the recurrent major depressive episodes may contribute to the reinforcement of cognitive impairments and further the development or maintenance of mental representation dysfunctions, especially in female patients. A deficit on mental rotation in the depressive patients may be potential biomarkers for recurrence chronically.

Decreased expression of NDRG2 is related to poor overall survival in patients with glioma.

Members of the NDRG (N-Myc downstream-regulated) gene family have been shown to play a variety of roles in human malignancies. In the present study, we examined the expression of NDRG2 protein in glioma samples of WHO grades I-IV. We also investigated the association between NDRG2 expression and survival. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to measure NDRG2 protein expression in 316 specimens of human glioma and 41 normal control tissues. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards model. We found that NDRG2 expression was reduced in glioma relative to normal tissue, and that NDRG2 expression decreased with increasing glioma grade. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients without NDRG2 expression had a lower survival rate than other patients. Multivariate analysis showed that NDRG2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of patients with glioma. The present study provides the first evidence that NDRG2 expression is decreased in gliomas, indicating that NDRG2 may play an inhibitory role during the development of gliomas. NDRG2 expression may also be a significant and independent prognostic indicator for glioma.

Decreased expression of NDRG1 in glioma is related to tumor progression and survival of patients.

The aim of the study was to examine the expression of NDRG1 gene in glioma samples with different WHO grades and its association with survival. About 168 glioma specimens and 21 normal control tissues were collected. Immunochemistry assay, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were carried out to investigate the expression of NDRG1 and Myc. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards model were used in survival analysis. Immunohistochemistry showed that Ndrg1 expression was reduced in glioma. NDRG1 mRNA and protein levels were lower in glioma compared to control on real-time PCR and Western blot analysis (P < 0.001). Its expression levels increase from grade IV to grade I glioma on real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry analysis (P < 0.001) and Western blot. On the contrary, the expression of Myc by real-time PCR and Western blot showed the opposite trend of NDRG1. The survival rate of Ndrg1-negative patients was lower than that of Ndrg1-positive patients. We confirmed that the loss of NDRG1 expression was a significant and independent prognostic indicator in glioma by multivariate analysis. NDRG1 may play an inhibitory role during the development of glioma and may be a potential prognosis predictor of glioma.

Association of epileptiform activity with neuronal death in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus following focally evoked limbic seizures.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationnship between epileptiform activity and cell death in the CA3 subfield of hippocampus following focally evoked limbic seizures through a quantitative study. METHODS: Wistar rats used in this study received intra-amygdaloid injection of kainic acid to induce type epileptiform activity of different duration with continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptotic cells. The number of CA3 neurons survived and TUNEL-positive cells were counted to estimate the number of necrotic cells. RESULTS: Epileptiform activity induced necrosis in the major form of apoptosis of the cells in CA3 subfield of the hippocampus following focally evoked limbic seizures. The longer the type epileptiform activity lasted, the less neurons survived, with consequent increase in the number of both necrotic and apoptotic cells. CONCLUSION: Prolongation of type IV seizures dose-dependently causes increase in apoptotic and necrotic cells in CA3 subfield of the hippocampus.