Exploring Three Decades of Progress: A Comprehensive Visual Review of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MRI Research (1988-2021).

BACKGROUND Despite an increasing number of published articles on intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in the past decade, almost all have focused on the technique and clinical applications of IVIM, with little attention to the collective knowledge and scientific analysis of this field. The aim of the present study was to construct a knowledge framework and to explore hotspots and emerging trends concerning use of IVIM in humans. MATERIAL AND METHODS The articles concerning IVIM MRI published from 1988 to 2021 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expended of the Web of Science Core Collection on 17, August 2021. The downloaded data were imported into Excel 2016 and CiteSpace V for scientometric analysis. RESULTS A total of 921 articles were included in this study and most of them were published since 2012. China (n=392) was the most productive country and the Philips Healthcare (n=46) was the most productive institution. Christian Federau had the largest number of publications (n=18). An article by Andreou A et al (2013) was the most important reference with the most co-citations (n=100) and centrality (0.06). The 5 hotspots in IVIM were perfusion, diffusion-weighted imaging, intravoxel incoherent motion, apparent diffusion coefficient, and magnetic resonance imaging. The 2 frontier topics were "brain perfusion" and "accuracy". According to the clustering of co-citation analysis, "liver", "diffusion weighting", "pancreas", and "brain" were the main research directions. CONCLUSIONS Scientometric analysis of IVIM literature with CiteSpace software can provide researchers with valuable information about knowledge framework, hotspots, and emerging trends concerning IVIM in humans.

Electrosynthesis of a Defective Indium Selenide with 3D†Structure on a Substrate for Tunable CO2 Electroreduction to Syngas.

Syngas (CO/H2 ) is a feedstock for the production of a variety of valuable chemicals and liquid fuels, and CO2 electrochemical reduction to syngas is very promising. However, the production of syngas with high efficiency is difficult. Herein, we show that defective indium selenide synthesized by an electrosynthesis method on carbon paper (γ-In2 Se3 /CP) is an extremely efficient electrocatalyst for this reaction. CO and H2 were the only products and the CO/H2 ratio could be tuned in a wide range by changing the applied potential or the composition of the electrolyte. In particular, using nanoflower-like γ-In2 Se3 /CP (F-γ-In2 Se3 /CP) as the electrode, the current density could be as high as 90.1 mA cm-2 at a CO/H2 ratio of 1:1. In addition, the Faradaic efficiency of CO could reach 96.5 % with a current density of 55.3 mA cm-2 at a very low overpotential of 220 mV. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of F-γ-In2 Se3 /CP can be attributed to its defect-rich 3D structure and good contact with the CP substrate.

Converting Metal-Organic Framework Particles from Hydrophilic to Hydrophobic by an Interfacial Assembling Route.

Here, we propose to modify the hydrophilicity of metal-organic framework (MOF) particles by an interfacial assembling route, which is based on the surface-active nature of MOF particles. It was found that hydrophilic UiO-66-NH2 particles can be converted to hydrophobic particles through an oil-water interfacial assembling route. The underlying mechanism for the conversion of UiO-66-NH2 was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was revealed that the close assembly of UiO-66-NH2 particles at the oil-water interface strengthens the coordination between organic ligands and metal ions, which results in a decrease in the proportion of hydrophilic groups on UiO-66-NH2 particle surfaces. Hydrophobic UiO-66-NH2 particles show improved adsorption capacity for dyes in organic solvents compared with pristine UiO-66-NH2 particles. It is expected that the interfacial assembling route can be applied to the synthesis of different kinds of MOF materials with tunable hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity required for diverse applications.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by a metal-organic framework (MOF) and graphene oxide (GO) for producing MOF/GO composites.

Herein we demonstrate the formation of a novel kind of Pickering emulsion that is stabilized by a Zr-based metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) and graphene oxide (GO). It was found that the Zr-BDC-NO2 and GO solids assembling at the oil/water interface can effectively stabilize the oil droplets that are dispersed in the water phase. Such a Pickering emulsion offers a facile route for fabricating Zr-MOF/GO composite materials. After removing water and oil by freeze drying from Pickering emulsions, the Zr-MOF/GO composites were obtained and their morphologies, structures and interaction properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, respectively. The influences of the concentration of GO and Zr-MOF on the emulsion microstructures and the properties of the MOF/GO composites were studied. Based on experimental results, the mechanisms for the emulsion formation by Zr-MOF and GO and the as-synthesized superstructures of the Zr-MOF/GO composite were proposed. It is expected that this facile and tunable route can be applied to the synthesis of different kinds of MOF-based or GO-based composite materials.

Interfacial assembly and hydrolysis for synthesizing a TiO2/metal-organic framework composite.

Herein we propose an interfacial assembly and hydrolysis route for fabricating TiO2/UiO-67 composites. The UiO-67 assembles at the water-oil interface serving as a stabilizer of the emulsion. TiO2 nanoparticles are loaded on UiO-67 by hydrolysis of the precursor TBT (tetra-n-butyl titanate) at the water-oil interface. By such a strategy, hollow capsules structured by UiO-67 and decorated by ultra-small TiO2 nanoparticles were produced. The newly-constructed composite combines the CO2 adsorption properties of UiO-67 and the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, showing high activity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formic acid. Such a composite with a novel structure provides a promising route for the preparation of new compound materials.

High internal ionic liquid phase emulsion stabilized by metal-organic frameworks.

The emulsification of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for the two immiscible phases of water and ionic liquid (IL) was investigated for the first time. It was found that Ni-BDC (BDC = 1,4-dicarboxybenzene) can emulsify water and ILs and favor the formation of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) under certain experimental conditions. The microstructures of the HIPEs were characterized by confocal laser scanning microscopy using a fluorescent dye Rhodamine B, which proves that the HIPEs are the IL-in-water type. Further results reveal that the HIPE forms during the IL-in-water to water-in-IL emulsion inversion. The possibilities of the HIPE formation by other MOFs (Cu-BDC and Zn-BDC) were explored and the mechanism for HIPE formation was discussed. The MOF-stabilized HIPE was applied to the in situ synthesis of a MOF/polymer composite by HIPE polymerization. The macroporous MOF/polyacrylamide network and MOF/polystyrene microspheres were obtained from the HIPEs, respectively.

Assembly of Mesoporous Metal-Organic Framework Templated by an Ionic Liquid/Ethylene Glycol Interface.

We propose a facile room-temperature synthesis of a metal-organic framework (MOF) with a bimodal mesoporous structure (3.9 and 17-28 nm) in an ionic liquid (IL)/ethylene glycol (EG) mixture. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that MOF formation can be efficiently promoted by the presence of the EG/IL interface at room temperature. The MOFs with mesoporous networks are characterized by SEM and TEM. The formation mechanism of the mesoporous MOF in EG/IL mixture is investigated. It is proposed that the EG nanodroplets in the IL work as templates for the formation of the large mesopores. The as-synthesized mesoporous metal-organic framework is an effective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst to catalyze the aerobic oxidation of benzylic alcohols.

Poly(ethylene glycol) stabilized mesoporous metal-organic framework nanocrystals: efficient and durable catalysts for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol.

Active, selective, and stable: The fabrication of uniform mesoporous Cu3(BTC)2 (BTC: 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) nanocrystals with tunable size and porosity is reported. The as-synthesized Cu3(BTC)2 structures show high activity, selectivity, and stability for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to aldehyde.

Surface Engineering of Biochar Toward Simultaneously Generating Superamphiphilicity and Catalytic Activity for Strengthening Pickering Interfacial Catalysis.

Multifunctional carbon materials have revealed distinctive features and excellent performance in the field of catalysis. However, the facile fabrication of bifunctional carbon materials with special wettability and catalytic activity remains a grand challenge in Pickering emulsion catalysis. Herein, we reported one-step construction of bifunctional biochar with superamphiphilicity and catalytic activity directly from the thermolysis of sawdust and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate for enhancing the oxidation of benzyl alcohol in Pickering emulsion. Co-doping of B and F enhanced the hydrophilicity of biochar, and the oleophilicity of biochar was kept simultaneously. Conversion became 4 times using bifunctional biochar compared with blank results during the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. More interestingly, the turnover frequency (TOF) value using bifunctional biochar enhanced 61 % than that employing N-doped superamphiphilic carbon without catalytic activity. Catalytic activities of bifunctional biochar could be ascribed to the existence of different chemical bonds containing the element B. This work paves a path toward rational design of bifunctional biochar materials with special wettability and catalytic activity for greatly enhancing the liquid-liquid biphasic reaction efficiencies.

CTBP1-AS2 promoted non-small cell lung cancer progression via sponging the miR-623/MMP3 axis.

Mounting evidence indicates that lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) are involved in the initiation and development of tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the involvement of C-terminal binding protein-antisense RNA 2 (CTBP1-AS2) in NSCLC remains to be studied. RT-qPCR was carried out to detect CTBP1-AS2 and miR-623 expression in NSCLC cells and tissues. CCK-8 and flow cytometry were performed to measure cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Luciferase reporter analysis was performed to study the potential target of CTBP1-AS2. We found that CTBP1-AS2 expression was upregulated in NSCLC cells (SPC-A1, A549, H23, and H1299) compared to 16HBE cells. We demonstrated that the CTBP1-AS2 level was higher in NSCLC specimens than in paired non-tumor specimens. Elevated expression of CTBP1-AS2 increased cell growth and induced cell cycle progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We also found that ectopic expression of CTBP1-AS2 inhibited miR-623 expression. MMP3 was a direct target of miR-623, and luciferase reporter assays suggested that miR-623 overexpression suppressed the luciferase expression driven by the MMP3 wild-type reporter but not the mutant reporter. Overexpression of miR-623 suppressed MMP3 expression in A549 cells, and overexpression of CTBP1-AS2 increased MMP3 expression in A549 cells. Moreover, the miR-623 level was lower in NSCLC specimens than in paired non-tumor specimens, and CTBP1-AS2 expression was negatively correlated with miR-623 expression in NSCLC samples. Furthermore, overexpression of CTBP1-AS2 enhanced cell growth, cell cycle progression, and EMT progression by modulating MMP3 expression.

Switching micellization of pluronics in water by CO2.

The micellization of amphiphilic molecules is an interesting topic from both theoretical and practical points of view. Herein we have studied the effects of compressed CO(2) on the micellization of Pluronics in water by means of fluorescence, UV/Vis spectra, and small-angle X-ray scattering. It was found that CO(2) can induce the micellization of Pluronics in water, and the micelle can return to the initial state of molecular dispersion after depressurization. Therefore, the micellization of Pluronics in water can be switched through the easy control of pressure. Different from the common micelles with hydrophobic cores, interestingly, this CO(2)-induced micelle has an amphiphilic core, in which hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains coexist. On account of the ability to dissolve both polar and nonpolar components in the micellar core, the CO(2)-induced micelles can improve the reagent compatibilities frequently encountered in various applications. In an attempt to address this advantage, this micelle was utilized as template to the one-step synthesis of Au/silica core-shell composite nanoparticles. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism for the CO(2)-induced micellization of Pluronics in water was investigated by a series of experiments.

Pd(II) immobilized on mesoporous silica by N-heterocyclic carbene ionic liquids and catalysis for hydrogenation.

In this work we synthesized Pd(II) immobilized on mesoporous silica by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ionic liquids (ILs) with different alkyl chain lengths. The catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), low-angle X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen sorption. The catalysts were used for the hydrogenation of alkenes and allyl alcohol. The results indicated that the catalysts were very active, selective, and stable. The selectivity for the hydrogenation of allyl alcohol to 1-propanol increased with the increase of the alkyl chain length of the ILs. The effect of supercritical CO(2) (scCO(2)) on the hydrogenation of allyl alcohol was also studied, and it was demonstrated that scCO(2) could enhance the selectivity of the reaction considerably. The XPS study showed that the valence of Pd(II) remained unchanged under hydrogenation conditions.

Carbon dioxide in ionic liquid microemulsions.

Tailor-made emulsion: a CO(2) -in-ionic-liquid microemulsion was produced for the first time. The CO(2)-swollen micelles are "tunable" because the micellar size can be easily adjusted by changing the pressure of CO(2). The microemulsion has potential applications in materials synthesis, chemical reactions, and extraction.

Fabrication of Superamphiphilic Carbon Using Lignosulfonate for Enhancing Selective Hydrogenation Reactions in Pickering Emulsions.

Superamphiphilic materials have great potential to enhance the mass transfer between phases in liquid-liquid catalysis due to their special affinities. Constructing superamphiphilic surfaces that possess superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic properties simultaneously has been a tough assignment. So, exploration of simple methods to prepare such materials using renewable and abundant feedstocks is highly desired. Here, we reported an effective strategy to construct superamphiphilic carbon directly from sodium lignosulfonate, which is a renewable resource from paper industry wastes. From the characterization of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for superamphiphilic carbon, we found that element C was responsible for the hydrophobic nature and the existence of O and S endowed the carbon with hydrophilic characteristics. Further, micro/nanohierarchical pores were found beneficial for the superamphiphilicity of carbon. Meantime, in the selective hydrogenation of styrene, phenylacetylene, and cis-stilbene in liquid-liquid systems, conversion became double using superamphiphilic carbon compared with blank results, and the yields were three times more than those in blank experiments. The reasons were that superamphiphilic carbon induced the formation of Pickering emulsions and enriched the reactants around catalysts, as concluded by the characterization of confocal laser scanning microscopy and relating contrastive experiments. This work revealed a different route to obtain superamphiphilic carbon and provided a diverse perspective to promote Pickering emulsion catalysis by the superamphiphilicity of carbon.

[Application of fibreoptic endoscope evaluating of oropharyngeal swallowing in post-irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fibreoptic endoscopic of sallowing （FEES） in the assessment of pharyngeal dysphagia in post-irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Method:Fifty-three NPC patients with post-irradiated underwent FEES and video fluoroscopy（VF）.The results were analyzed using the Bolus Residue Scale and Rosenbek's penetration aspiration scale. Result:The agreement in the detection of penetration and aspiration between FEES and VF of liquid（κ=0.56, 95%CI 0.38-0.73） and porridge（κ=0.64, 95%CI 0.43-0.81） was "fair". The detection rates of penetration on FEES with liquid and porridge were 60% and 51%, the detection rates of aspiration on VF with liquid and porridge were 70% and 53%. There were no statistical differences. The agreement in the detection of pharyngeal residue between FEES and VF of liquid （κ=0.38, 95%CI0.12-0.62） and porridge （κ=0.66, 95%CI 0.44-0.86） was "fair". The detection rates of pharyngeal residue on FEES and VF with porridge were 43% and 45%, the difference was not statistically significant. The detection rates of pharyngeal residue on FEES and VF with liquid were 44% and 24%, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:FEES is an effective and valuable tool for evaluating pharyngeal dysphagia in post-irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Highly Efficient Synthesis of Amino Acids by Amination of Bio-Derived Hydroxy Acids with Ammonia over Ru Supported on N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes.

The amino acids have extensive applications, and their productions from biomass-derived feedstocks are very attractive. In this work, the synthesis of amino acids by amination of bio-derived hydroxy acids with ammonia over different metallic nano-catalysts supported on various supports is studied. It is found that Ru nano-catalysts on the nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Ru/N-CNTs) have an outstanding performance for the reaction. Different hydroxy acids can be catalytically converted into the corresponding amino acids with yields up to 70.0 % under mild conditions, which is higher than those reported. The reasons for the high efficiency of the catalyst are investigated, and the reaction pathway is proposed on the basis of control experiments.

Effect of phase behavior on the ethenolysis of ethyl oleate in compressed CO2.

How to enhance the reaction efficiency using greener methods is an important topic. In this work, the phase behavior of the reaction system of metathesis of ethyl oleate with ethene in compressed CO2 was studied at 308.15 and 323.15 K using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The effect of the phase behavior on the reaction rate and equilibrium conversion was studied. It was demonstrated that addition of CO2 in the reaction system could increase the reaction rate and equilibrium conversion considerably at suitable conditions where the solubility of the reactant in the vapor phase was low, while the solubility of the products was very high. However, at the condition where the solubility of the reactant and products were all high, the reaction rate was much slower. The mechanism for this interesting phenomenon was discussed in detail.

Surface engineering in PbS via partial oxidation: towards an advanced electrocatalyst for reduction of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone.

Development of mild and efficient strategies for biomass conversion is of great significance, and design of advanced catalysts is crucial for biomass valorization. Herein, we designed PbS-based electrocatalysts through a surface engineering strategy via partial oxidation, and the degree of surface oxidation of PbS to PbSO4 could be easily tuned by calcination temperature. It was discovered that the prepared electrocatalysts could efficiently catalyze reduction of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) using water as the hydrogen source. Especially, the electrocatalyst calcined at 400 °C (PbS-400) showed outstanding performance with a current density of 13.5 mA cm-2 and a GVL faradaic efficiency of 78.6%, which was far higher than the best results reported up to date. Moreover, GVL was the only product from LA reduction, indicating the excellent selectivity. Mechanism investigation showed that LA was converted through electrocatalytic hydrogenation of carbonyl groups of LA and subsequent intramolecular esterification.

Selective catalytic transformation of lignin with guaiacol as the only liquid product.

Guaiacol is an important feedstock for producing various high-value chemicals. However, the current production route of guaiacol relies heavily on fossil resources. Using lignin as a cheap and renewable feedstock to selectively produce guaiacol has great potential, but it is a challenge because of its heterogeneity and inert reactivity. Herein, we discovered that La(OTf)3 could catalyze the transformation of lignin with guaiacol as the only liquid product. In the reaction, La(OTf)3 catalyzed the hydrolysis of lignin ether linkages to form alkyl-syringol and alkyl-guaiacol, which further underwent decarbonization and demethoxylation to produce guaiacol with a yield of up to 25.5 wt%, and the remaining residue was solid. In the scale-up experiment, the isolated yield of guaiacol reached up to 21.2 wt%. To our knowledge, this is the first work to produce pure guaiacol selectively from lignin. The bio-guaiacol may be considered as a platform to promote lignin utilization.