Ammonia-Responsive Colorimetric Film of Phytochemical Formulation (Alizarin) Grafted onto ZIF-8 Carrier with Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Sodium Alginate for Beef Freshness Monitoring.

In this study, we devised a photothermally stable phytochemical dye by leveraging alizarin in conjunction with the metal-organic framework ZIF-8 (AL@ZIF-8). The approach involved grafting alizarin into the microporous structure of ZIF-8 through physical adsorption and hydrogen-bonding interactions. AL@ZIF-8 significantly enhanced the photostability and thermostability of alizarin. The nanoparticles demonstrate substantial color changes in various pH environments, showcasing their potential for meat freshness monitoring. Furthermore, we introduced an intelligent film utilizing poly(vinyl alcohol)-sodium alginate-AL@ZIF-8 (PA-SA-ZA) for detecting beef freshness. The sensor exhibited a superior water contact angle (52.34°) compared to the alizarin indicator. The color stability of the film was significantly enhanced under visible and UV light (ΔE < 5). During beef storage, the film displayed significant color fluctuations correlating with TVB-N (R2=0.9067), providing precise early warning signals for assessing beef freshness.

The relationship between splenic dose and radiation-induced lymphopenia.

Lymphocytes, which are highly sensitive to radiation, play a crucial role in the body's defense against tumors. Radiation-induced lymphopenia has been associated with poorer outcomes in different cancer types. Despite being the largest secondary lymphoid organ, the spleen has not been officially designated as an organ at risk. This study hypothesizes a connection between spleen irradiation and lymphopenia and seeks to establish evidence-based dosage limits for the spleen. We retrospectively analyzed data from 96 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who received postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) between May 2010 and May 2017. Complete blood counts were collected before, during and after CRT. We established a model for predicting the minimum absolute lymphocyte count (Min ALC) and to investigate potential associations between spleen dosimetric variables and Min ALC. The median follow-up was 60 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 65.2% and 56.8%, respectively. The median values of pre-treatment ALC, Min ALC and post-treatment ALC were 1.40 × 109, 0.23 × 109 and 0.28 × 109/L, respectively. Regression analysis confirmed that the primary tumor location, number of fractions and spleen V5 were significant predictors of Min ALC during radiation therapy. Changes in ALC (ΔALC) were identified as an independent predictor of both OS and DFS. Spleen V5 is an independent predictor for Min ALC, and the maximum dose of the spleen is associated with an increased risk of severe lymphopenia. Therefore, these doses should be restricted in clinical practice. Additionally, ΔALC can serve as a prognostic indicator for adjuvant radiotherapy in gastric cancer.

A prediction model based on random survival forest analysis of the overall survival of elderly female papillary thyroid carcinoma patients: a SEER-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common malignancy whose incidence is three times greater in females than in males. The prognosis of ageing patients is poor. This research was designed to construct models to predict the overall survival of elderly female patients with PTC. METHODS: We developed prediction models based on the random survival forest (RSF) algorithm and traditional Cox regression. The data of 4539 patients were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Twelve variables were analysed to establish the models. The C-index and the Brier score were selected to evaluate the discriminatory ability of the models. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also drawn to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The clinical benefits of the two models were compared on the basis of the DCA curve. In addition, the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) plot was used to visualize the contribution of the variables in the RSF model. RESULTS: The C-index of the RSF model was 0.811, which was greater than that of the Cox model (0.781). According to the Brier score and the area under the ROC curve (AUC), the RSF model performed better than the Cox model. On the basis of the DCA curve, the RSF model demonstrated fair clinical benefit. The SHAP plot showed that age was the most important variable contributing to the outcome of PTC in elderly female patients. CONCLUSIONS: The RSF model we developed performed better than the Cox model and might be valuable for clinical practice.

Research on Anchorage Performance of the Foundation Ring for Wind Turbines.

The foundation ring (FR) is a steel component embedded within the concrete of a wind turbine foundation, playing a pivotal role in connecting the wind turbine tower to the foundation structure. In this paper, the FR-foundation connection is equivalent to the exposed foundation and the shallow foundation by analyzing the anchorage characteristics of the foundation ring. Based on the ABAQUS concrete damaged plasticity model, full-scale modeling of the wind turbine foundation is carried out. The influence of embedment depth, ring radius and base flange width of the foundation ring on moment capacity is simulated. Based on the observed stress distributions under ultimate loads, analytical expressions were proposed to estimate the variation law of anchorage load-bearing capacity in the ultimate load state. Compared with the numerical simulation, the average errors under different influencing factors are 8.2%, 9.6% and 10.8%, respectively. The results indicate that the base flange provided the majority of the moment capacity, though the contribution of the sidewall increased to 25-50% that of the base flange in later stages.

Clinical and immunologic features of co-infection in COVID-19 patients, along with potential traditional Chinese medicine treatments.

Objectives: With the increasing number of people worldwide infected with SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of co-infection and/or comorbidities is rising. The impact of these co-infections on the patient's immune system remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the immunological characteristics of secondary infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and preliminarily predict potential therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine and their derivatives for the treatment of co-infections. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 131 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, of whom there were 64 mild and 67 severe cases. We analyzed clinical characteristics and immunologic data, including circulating immune cell numbers, levels of inflammatory factors and viral load, comparing COVID-19 patients with and without co-infection. Results: Among 131 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 41 (31.3%) were co-infection positive, with 33 (80.5%) having severe disease and 14 (34.1%) of them resulting in fatalities. Co-infected patients exhibited significantly higher severity and mortality rates compared to non-co-infected counterparts. Co-infected patients had significantly lower absolute counts of lymphocytes, total T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B lymphocytes, while levels of hs-CRP, PCT and IL-6 were significantly elevated compared to non-co-infected patients. Additionally, the viral load of co-infected patients was significantly higher than non-co-infected patients. Conclusion: Co-infection emerges as a dangerous factor for COVID-19 patients, elevating the risk of severe pneumonia and mortality. Co-infection suppresses the host's immune response by reducing the number of lymphocytes and increasing inflammation, thereby diminishing the antiviral and anti-infective effects of the immune system, which promotes the severity of the disease. Therefore, it is crucial to implement infection prevention measures to minimize the spread of co-infections among COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Additionally, changes in these biomarkers provide a theoretical basis for the effective treatment of co-infections with traditional Chinese medicine.

PRaG 3.0 therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly fatal disease with limited effective treatment especially after first-line chemotherapy. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) positive is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and shorter overall survival in PDAC. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of multiple metastatic PDAC with IHC mismatch repair proficient but HER-2 IHC weakly positive at diagnosis that didn't have tumor regression after first-line nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and PD-1 inhibitor treatment. A novel combination therapy PRaG 3.0 of RC48 (HER2-antibody-drug conjugate), radiotherapy, PD-1 inhibitor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-2 was then applied as second-line therapy and the patient had confirmed good partial response with progress-free-survival of 6.5 months and overall survival of 14.2 month. She had not developed any grade 2 or above treatment-related adverse events at any point. Percentage of peripheral CD8+Temra and CD4+Temra were increased during first two activation cycles of PRaG 3.0 treatment containing radiotherapy but deceased to the baseline during the maintenance cycles containing no radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: PRaG 3.0 might be a novel strategy for HER2-positive metastatic PDAC patients who failed from previous first-line approach and even PD-1 immunotherapy but needs more data in prospective trials.

The Important Role of the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Conflict Adaptation: A Combined Voxel-Based Morphometry and Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation Study.

Humans can flexibly adjust their executive control to resolve conflicts. Conflict adaptation and conflict resolution are crucial aspects of conflict processing. Functional neuroimaging studies have associated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with conflict processing, but its causal role remains somewhat controversial. Moreover, the neuroanatomical basis of conflict processing has not been thoroughly examined. In this study, the Stroop task, a well-established measure of conflict, was employed to investigate (1) the neuroanatomical basis of conflict resolution and conflict adaptation with the voxel-based morphometry analysis, (2) the causal role of DLPFC in conflict processing with the application of the continuous theta burst stimulation to DLPFC. The results revealed that the Stroop effect was correlated to the gray matter volume of the precuneus, postcentral gyrus, and cerebellum, and the congruency sequence effect was correlated to the gray matter volume of superior frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and lobule paracentral gyrus. These findings indicate the neuroanatomical basis of conflict resolution and adaptation. In addition, the continuous theta burst stimulation over the right DLPFC resulted in a significant reduction in the Stroop effect of RT after congruent trials compared with vertex stimulation and a significant increase in the Stroop effect of accuracy rate after incongruent trials than congruent trials, demonstrating the causal role of right DLPFC in conflict adaptation. Moreover, the DLPFC stimulation did not affect the Stroop effect of RT and accuracy rate. Overall, our study offers further insights into the neural mechanisms underlying conflict resolution and adaptation.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus-loaded and chia mucilage-rich gum arabic/pullulan nanofiber film: An effective antibacterial film for the preservation of fresh beef.

In recent years, the development of probiotic film by incorporating probiotics into edible polymers has attracted significant research attention in the field of active packaging. However, the influence of the external environment substantially reduces the vitality of probiotics, limiting their application. Therefore, to improve the probiotic activity, this study devised a novel nanofiber film incorporating chia mucilage protection solution (CPS), gum arabic (GA), pullulan (PUL), and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (LB). SEM images indicated the successful preparation of the nanofiber film incorporating LB. CPS incorporation significantly improved the survival ability of LB, with a live cell count reaching 7.62 log CFU/g after 28 days of storage at 4 °C - an increase of 1 log CFU/g compared to the fiber film without CPS. The results showed that the fiber film containing LB inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, the novel probiotic nanofiber film was applied to beef. The results showed that the shelf life of the beef during the experiments was extended for 2 days at 4 °C. Therefore, the novel probiotic film containing LB was suitable for meat preservation.

Serum uric acid level is associated with glomerular ischemic lesions in patients with primary membranous nephropathy: an analytical, cross-sectional study.

To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid level and glomerular ischemic lesions (GIL) in patients with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) and identify relevant risk factors. A total of 201 patients with PMN but normal renal function confirmed by renal biopsy executed in the Liaocheng People's Hospital, China, during January 2020-January 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. The enrolled patients were divided into a hyperuricemia group and a normal serum uric acid group (control group) according to their serum uric acid levels. Then, the participants were further divided into a non-GIL group or a GIL group based on the patient's renal biopsy results. The two groups' clinical and pathological data and meaningful indicators for differences were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Additionally, the serum uric acid level prediction value on GIL was investigated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Compared with the control group, the hyperuricemia group exhibited high serum uric acid, the prevalence of GIL, serum albumin, the prevalence of hypertension, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels (P < 0.05). Compared with the non-GIL group, the GIL group exhibited were older, had enhanced serum uric acid, serum albumin, and an increased prevalence of tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (TA/IF), arteriolosclerosis, and low eGFR levels (P < 0.05). The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the serum uric acid and the TA/IF are independent risk factors of GIL (P < 0.05). The AUC of ROC of GIL of PMN patients, predicted based on the serum uric acid concentration, was 0.736 (P < 0.05), wherein the threshold = 426.5 µmol/L and the Youden's index = 0.41. Serum uric acid concentration and the TA/IF are independent risk factors of GIL in patients with PMN, and the former exhibits prediction value on GIL in patients with PMN.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a precise thymalfasin-regulated PRaG regimen for advanced refractory solid tumours: protocol for the open-label, prospective, multicentre study (PRaG5.0 study).

INTRODUCTION: The PRaG regimen, which consists of hypofractionated radiotherapy combined with a programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitor and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), has been demonstrated to have a survival benefit in patients with advanced solid tumours who have failed at least two lines of treatment. Nonetheless, lymphopenia poses an impediment to the enduring efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. Adequate lymphocyte reserves are essential for the efficacy of immunotherapy. Coupling the PRaG regimen with immunomodulatory agents that augment the number and functionality of lymphocytes may yield further survival benefits in this cohort of patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a meticulously thymalfasin-controlled PRaG regimen in patients with advanced and chemotherapy-resistant solid tumours. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study has a prospective, single-arm, open-label, multicentre design and aims to recruit up to 60 patients with histologically confirmed advanced solid tumours that have relapsed or metastasised. All eligible patients will receive a minimum of two cycles of the PRaG regimen comprising thymalfasin followed by maintenance treatment with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor and thymalfasin for 1 year or until disease progression. Patients will be monitored according to the predetermined protocol for a year or until disease progression after initiation of radiotherapy. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, on 25 November 2022 (JD-LK-2022-151-01) and all other participating hospitals. Findings will be disseminated through national and international conferences. We also plan to publish our findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05790447.

Preparation of edible antibacterial films based on corn starch /carbon nanodots for bioactive food packaging.

Packaging plays an important role in protecting food from environmental impacts. However, traditional petroleum-based packaging has difficulty in meeting the antimicrobial and antioxidant requirements of prepared foods. This study introduced carbon dots (CDs), prepared by using carrot as a precursor, into corn starch (CS) to construct a bio-friendly composite film with high freshness retention properties. The scavenging of DPPH radicals reached 92.77 % at a CDs concentration of 512 µg/mL, and the antimicrobial activity of CS/5% CDs against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was increased to 99.9 %. Notably, the homogeneous doping of CDs creates a dense surface and high carbon content inside the film, which promotes the elasticity and thermal stability of the composite film. Finally, we encapsulated deep-fried meatballs in CS-CDs films. The results showed that the CS-CDs films effectively protected the quality of deep-fried meatballs, and have excellent potential for application in food preservation.

In situ self-reconstructed hierarchical bimetallic oxyhydroxide nanosheets of metallic sulfides for high-efficiency electrochemical water splitting.

The advancement of economically efficient electrocatalysts for alkaline water oxidation based on transition metals is essential for hydrogen production through water electrolysis. In this investigation, a straightforward one-step solvent method was utilized to spontaneously cultivate bimetallic sulfide S-FeCo1 : 1/NIF on the surface of a nickel-iron foam (NIF). Capitalizing on the synergistic impact between the bimetallic constituents and the highly active species formed through electrochemical restructuring, S-FeCo1 : 1/NIF exhibited remarkable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, requiring only a 310 mV overpotential based on 500 mA cm-2 current density. Furthermore, it exhibited stable operation at 200 mA cm-2 for 275 h. Simultaneously, the catalyst demonstrated excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and overall water-splitting capabilities. It only requires an overpotential of 191 mV and a potential of 1.81 V to drive current densities of 100 and 50 mA cm-2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also employed to validate the impact of the bimetallic synergistic effect on the catalytic activity of sulfides. The results indicate that the coupling between bimetallic components effectively reduces the energy barrier required for the rate-determining step in water oxidation, enhancing the stability and activity of bimetallic sulfides. The exploration of bimetallic coupling to improve the OER performance holds theoretical significance in the rational design of advanced electrocatalysts.

Identifying individual's distractor suppression using functional connectivity between anatomical large-scale brain regions.

Distractor suppression (DS) is crucial in goal-oriented behaviors, referring to the ability to suppress irrelevant information. Current evidence points to the prefrontal cortex as an origin region of DS, while subcortical, occipital, and temporal regions are also implicated. The present study aimed to examine the contribution of communications between these brain regions to visual DS. To do it, we recruited two independent cohorts of participants for the study. One cohort participated in a visual search experiment where a salient distractor triggering distractor suppression to measure their DS and the other cohort filled out a Cognitive Failure Questionnaire to assess distractibility in daily life. Both cohorts collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data to investigate function connectivity (FC) underlying DS. First, we generated predictive models of the DS measured in visual search task using resting-state functional connectivity between large anatomical regions. It turned out that the models could successfully predict individual's DS, indicated by a significant correlation between the actual and predicted DS (r = 0.32, p < 0.01). Importantly, Prefrontal-Temporal, Insula-Limbic and Parietal-Occipital connections contributed to the prediction model. Furthermore, the model could also predict individual's daily distractibility in the other independent cohort (r = -0.34, p < 0.05). Our findings showed the efficiency of the predictive models of distractor suppression encompassing connections between large anatomical regions and highlighted the importance of the communications between attention-related and visual information processing regions in distractor suppression. Current findings may potentially provide neurobiological markers of visual distractor suppression.

[Transoral robotic surgery in the management of solitary fibrous tumor at the entrance of the hypolaryngeal esophagus: a case report and literature review].

To explore the clinical diagnosis and treatment experience of isolated fibrotic tumor （SFT） occurring in the larynx, hypopharynx and esophageal inlet with a wide range.The patient, admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Medical University was a female aged at 78 years, who was diagnosed with SFT primarily occured at laryngeal, hypopharynx and esophageal entrance. The clinical data, surgical methods, histopathology characteristics of the patient were analyzed respectively. It's proved that a tumor sized about 3.8 cm×2.8 cm×2.0 cm with slippy surface was found at the entrance of the laryngeal, hypopharynx and esophageal entrance, covering the laryngeal vestibule, glottis and right piriform fossa, which was completely resected by transoral robotic surgery. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was SFT. The patient recovered well after surgery and showed no recurrence within 16-month follow-up. SFT occurring in the larynx, hypopharynx, and esophageal inlet is very rare, and transoral da Vinci robotic surgical resection of the tumor in this area is feasible, and has the advantages of clear field of vision, less bleeding, less trauma, fewer complications, and quicker postoperative recovery.

Methodologies for 176Lu-176Hf Analysis of Zircon Grains from the Moon and Beyond.

Zircons are found in extraterrestrial rocks from the Moon, Mars, and some differentiated meteorite parent-bodies. These zircons are rare, often of small size, and have been affected by neutron capture induced by cosmic ray exposure. The application of the 176Lu-176Hf decay system to zircons from planetary bodies such as the Moon can help establish the chronology of large-scale differentiation processes such as the crystallization of the lunar magma ocean. Here, we present methods to measure the isotopic composition of Hf of extraterrestrial zircons dated using ID-TIMS U-Pb after chemical abrasion. We introduce a 2-stage elution scheme to separate Hf from Zr while preserving the unused Zr fraction for future isotopic analysis. The effect of neutron capture is also re-examined using the latest thermal neutron capture cross sections and epithermal resonance integrals. Our tests show that the precision of Hf isotopic analyses is close to what is theoretically attainable. We have tested this method to a limited set of zircon grains from lunar rocks returned by the Apollo missions (lunar soil 14163, fragmental polymict breccia 72275, and clast-rich breccia 14321). The model ages align with previously reported values, but further work is needed to assess the chronology of lunar magma ocean crystallization as only a handful of small zircons (5 zircons from 3 samples) were analyzed, and the precision of the analyses can be improved by measuring more and larger lunar zircon grains.

A nitrous oxide/oxygen fixed mixture to reduce pain induced by the hypodermic injection: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematological malignancies received multiple hypodermic injections of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Procedural pain is one of the most common iatrogenic causes of pain in patients with hematological malignancies. It is also identified as the most commonly occurring problem in clinical care in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Shenzhen University General Hospital. However, providing immediate relief from pain induced by hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor remains a major challenge. This trial aims to evaluate the safety and analgesic efficacy of a fixed nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture for patients with hematological malignancies and experiencing procedural pain caused by hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the department. METHODS: The nitrous oxide/oxygen study is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving patients with hematological malignancies who require hypodermic injections of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for treatment. This trial was conducted in the Hematology and Oncology Department of Shenzhen University General Hospital. A total of 54 eligible patients were randomly allocated to either the fixed nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture group (n = 36) or the oxygen group (n = 18). Neither the investigators nor the patients known about the randomization list and the nature of the gas mixture in each cylinder. Outcomes were monitored at the baseline (T0), immediately after hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (T1), and 5 min after hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (T2) for each group. The primary outcome measure was the score in the numerical rating scale corresponding to the highest level of pain experienced during hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Secondary outcomes included the fear of pain, anxiety score, four physiological parameters, adverse effects, total time of gas administration, satisfaction from both patients and nurses, and the acceptance of the patients. DISCUSSION: This study focused on the safety and analgesic efficacy during hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor procedure. Data on the feasibility and safety of nitrous oxide/oxygen therapy was provided if proven beneficial to patients with hematological malignancies during hypodermic injection of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and widely administered to patients with procedural pain in the department. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR2200061507. Registered on June 27, 2022. http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=170573&htm=4.

Enhancing Green Ammonia Electrosynthesis Through Tuning Sn Vacancies in Sn-Based MXene/MAX Hybrids.

Renewable energy driven N2 electroreduction with air as nitrogen source holds great promise for realizing scalable green ammonia production. However, relevant out-lab research is still in its infancy. Herein, a novel Sn-based MXene/MAX hybrid with abundant Sn vacancies, Sn@Ti2CTX/Ti2SnC-V, was synthesized by controlled etching Sn@Ti2SnC MAX phase and demonstrated as an efficient electrocatalyst for electrocatalytic N2 reduction. Due to the synergistic effect of MXene/MAX heterostructure, the existence of Sn vacancies and the highly dispersed Sn active sites, the obtained Sn@Ti2CTX/Ti2SnC-V exhibits an optimal NH3 yield of 28.4 µg h-1 mgcat-1 with an excellent FE of 15.57% at - 0.4 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M Na2SO4, as well as an ultra-long durability. Noticeably, this catalyst represents a satisfactory NH3 yield rate of 10.53 µg h-1 mg-1 in the home-made simulation device, where commercial electrochemical photovoltaic cell was employed as power source, air and ultrapure water as feed stock. The as-proposed strategy represents great potential toward ammonia production in terms of financial cost according to the systematic technical economic analysis. This work is of significance for large-scale green ammonia production.

Molybdenum/selenium based heterostructure catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution: Effects of ionic dissolution and repolymerization on catalytic performance.

Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) are recognized as highly efficient electrocatalysts and have wide applications in the field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, but the real catalytic substances and catalytic processes of these catalysts are not clear. The species evolution of Mo and Se during alkaline hydrogen evolution was investigated by constructing MoSe2@CoSe2 heterostructure. The real-time evolution of Mo and Se in MoSe2@CoSe2 was monitored using in situ Raman spectroscopy to determine the origin of the activity. Mo and Se in MoSe2@CoSe2 were dissolved in the form of MoO42- and SeO32-, respectively, and subsequently re-adsorbed and polymerized on the electrode surface to form new species Mo2O72- and SeO42-. Theoretical calculations show that adsorption of Mo2O72- and SeO42- can significantly enhance the HER catalytic activity of Co(OH)2. The addition of additional MoO42- and SeO32- to the electrolyte with Co(OH)2 electrodes both enhances its HER activity and promotes its durability. This study helps to deepen our insight into mechanisms involved in the structural changes of catalyst surfaces and offers a logical basis for revealing the mechanism of the influence of species evolution on catalytic performance.

Substitutional Cd Dopant as Photohole Transfer Mediator Boosting Photoelectrochemical Solar Energy Conversion of 2D Cd-ZnIn2 S4 Photoanode.

Fast recombination dynamics of photocarriers competing with sluggish surface photohole oxidation kinetics severely restricts the photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion efficiency of photoanode. Here, a defect engineering strategy is developed to regulate photohole transfer and interfacial injection dynamics of 2D ZnIn2 S4 (ZIS). Via selectively introducing substitutional Cd dopant at Zn sites of the ZIS basal plane, energy band structure and surface electrochemical activity are successfully modulated in the Cd-doped ZIS (Cd-ZIS) nanosheet array photoanode. Comprehensive characterizations manifest that a shallow acceptor level induced by Cd doping and superior electrochemical activity make surface Cd dopants simultaneously act as capture centers and active sites to mediate photohole dynamics at the reaction interface. In depth photocarrier dynamics analysis demonstrates that highly efficient photohole capture of Cd dopants brings about effective space separation of photocarriers and acceleration of surface reaction kinetics. Therefore, the optimum 2D Cd-ZIS achieves excellent PEC solar energy conversion efficiency with a photocurrent density of 5.1 mA cm-2 at 1.23 VRHE and a record of applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) of 3.0%. This work sheds light on a microstructure design strategy to effectively regulate photohole dynamics for the next-generation semiconducting PEC photoanodes.

cTBS to Right DLPFC Modulates Physiological Correlates of Conflict Processing: Evidence from a Stroop task.

Conflict typically occurs when goal-directed processing competes with more automatic responses. Though previous studies have highlighted the importance of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) in conflict processing, its causal role remains unclear. In the current study, the behavioral experiment, the continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), and the electroencephalography (EEG) were combined to explore the effects of behavioral performance and physiological correlates during conflict processing, after the cTBS over the rDLPFC and vertex (the control condition). Twenty-six healthy participants performed the Stroop task which included congruent and incongruent trials. Although the cTBS did not induce significant changes in the behavioral performance, the cTBS over the rDLPFC reduced the Stroop effects of conflict monitoring-related frontal-central N2 component and theta oscillation, and conflict resolution-related parieto-occipital alpha oscillation, compared to the vertex stimulation. Moreover, a significant hemispheric difference in alpha oscillation was exploratively observed after the cTBS over the rDLPFC. Interestingly, we found the rDLPFC stimulation resulted in significantly reduced Stroop effects of theta and gamma oscillation after response, which may reflect the adjustment of cognitive control for the next trial. In conclusion, our study not only demonstrated the critical involvement of the rDLPFC in conflict monitoring, conflict resolution processing, and conflict adaptation but also revealed the electrophysiological mechanism of conflict processing mediated by the rDLPFC.