Pressure Tuning and Sn Particle Size Optimization for Enhanced Performance in PbSnF4-Based All-Solid-State Fluoride Ion Batteries.

All-solid-state fluoride ion batteries (ASSFIBs) show remarkable potential as energy storage devices due to their low cost, superior safety, and high energy density. However, the poor ionic conductivity of F- conductor, large volume expansion, and the lack of a suitable anode inhibit their development. In this work, PbSnF4 solid electrolytes in different phases (ß- and γ-PbSnF4) are successfully synthesized and characterized. The ASSFIBs composed of ß-PbSnF4 electrolytes, a BiF3 cathode, and micrometer/nanometer size (µ-/n-) Sn anodes, exhibit substantial capacities. Compared to the µ-Sn anode, the n-Sn anode with nanostructure exhibits superior battery performance in the BiF3/ß-PbSnF4/Sn battery. The optimized battery delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 181.3 mAh g-1 at 8 mA g-1 and can be reversibly cycled at 40 mA g-1 with a high discharge capacity of over 100.0 mAh g-1 after 120 cycles at room temperature. Additionally, it displays high discharge capacities over 90.0 mAh g-1 with excellent cyclability over 100 cycles under -20 °C. Detailed characterization has confirmed that reducing Sn particle size and boosting external pressure are crucial for achieving good defluorination/fluorination behaviors in the Sn anode. These findings pave the way to designing ASSFIBs with high capacities and superior cyclability under different operating temperatures.

Sublethal and transgenerational effects of lufenuron on the biological traits of Panonychus citri (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae).

The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), is a globally important pest that has developed severe resistance to various pesticides. Lufenuron has been widely used in the control of the related pests in citrus orchard ecosystem. In this study, the susceptibilities of egg, larva, deutonymph and female adult of P. citri to lufenuron was determined, and the LC50 values were 161.354 mg/L, 49.595 mg/L, 81.580 mg/L, and 147.006 mg/L, respectively. Life-table analysis indicated that the fecundities were significantly increased by 11.86% and 26.84% after the mites were treated with LC20 concentrations of lufenuron at the egg or deutonymph stages, respectively. After eggs were treated with lufenuron, the immature stage and longevity were also affected, and resulted in a significant increase in r, R0 and λ. After exposure of female adults to LC20 of lufenuron, the fecundity and longevity of F0 generation significantly decreased by 31.99% and 10.94%, respectively. Furthermore, the expression level of EcR and Vg was significantly inhibited upon mites was treated with lufenuron. However, lufenuron exposure has a positive effect on fecundity and R0 in F1 generation, the expression of all reproduction-related genes was significantly up-regulated. In conclusion, there was a stimulating effect on the offspring population. Our results will contribute to the assessment of the resurgence of P. citri in the field after the application of lufenuron and the development of integrated pest control strategies in citrus orchards.

Facilely Fabricating F-Doped Fe3N Nanoellipsoids Grown on 3D N-Doped Porous Carbon Framework as a Preeminent Negative Material.

Transition metal nitride negative electrode materials with a high capacity and electronic conduction are still troubled by the large volume change in the discharging procedure and the low lithium ion diffusion rate. Synthesizing the composite material of F-doped Fe3N and an N-doped porous carbon framework will overcome the foregoing troubles and effectuate a preeminent electrochemical performance. In this study, we created a simple route to obtain the composite of F-doped Fe3N nanoellipsoids and a 3D N-doped porous carbon framework under non-ammonia atmosphere conditions. Integrating the F-doped Fe3N nanoellipsoids with an N-doped porous carbon framework can immensely repress the problem of volume expansion but also substantially elevate the lithium ion diffusion rate. When utilized as a negative electrode for lithium-ion batteries, this composite bespeaks a stellar operational life and rate capability, releasing a tempting capacity of 574 mAh g-1 after 550 cycles at 1.0 A g-1. The results of this study will profoundly promote the evolution and application of transition metal nitrides in batteries.

Ion-in-Conjugation: A Promising Concept for Multifunctional Organic Semiconductors.

Most organic semiconductors (OSCs) consist of conjugated skeletons with flexible peripheral chains. Their weak intermolecular interactions from dispersion and induction forces result in environmental susceptibilities and are unsuitable for many multifunctional applications where direct exposure to external environments is unavoidable, such as gas absorption, chemical sensing, and catalysis. To exploit the advantages of inorganic semiconductors in OSCs, ion-in-conjugation (IIC) materials are proposed. An IIC material refers to any conjugated material (molecules, polymers, and crystals) in Kekule's structural formula containing stoichiometric ionic states in its conjugated backbone in the electronic ground state. In this review, the definitions, structures, synthesis, properties, and applications of IIC materials are described briefly. Four types of IIC material, including zwitterionic conjugated molecules/polymers, conjugated ionic dyes, π-d conjugated molecules and polymers, and coordinatively doped polymers, are reported. Their applications in gas sensing, humidity sensing, resistive memory devices, and thermal/photo-/electro-catalysis are demonstrated. The challenges and opportunities for future research are also discussed. It is expected that this work will inspire the design of new organic electronic information materials.

Nanophase-Separated, Elastic Epoxy Composite Thin Film as an Electrolyte for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries.

The design of solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) with high ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical properties is challenging because these two properties are often conflicting. To achieve both, a reaction-controlled strategy is proposed based on the nanophase separation of an ionic transport pathway and a supporting matrix to balance ionic mobility and mechanical properties. Specifically, an elastic epoxy polymer electrolyte (eEPE), synthesized via two-step polymerization, combines outstanding mechanical strength (toughness of 3.4 MJ m-3) and high ionic conductivity (3.5 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C). The nanostructured eEPE is both tough and flexible, therefore promotes uniform deposition of Li even under a high current density (2 mA cm-2 and 2 mAh cm-2). Importantly, eEPE composite films greatly improve the safety performance of the LiFePO4/Li pouch cells: safe operations are achieved under several abusive conditions. This work highlights an alternative route for high-safety solid-state lithium metal batteries of the next generation.

Clarifying the relationship between redox activity and electrochemical stability in solid electrolytes.

All-solid-state Li-ion batteries promise safer electrochemical energy storage with larger volumetric and gravimetric energy densities. A major concern is the limited electrochemical stability of solid electrolytes and related detrimental electrochemical reactions, especially because of our restricted understanding. Here we demonstrate for the argyrodite-, garnet- and NASICON-type solid electrolytes that the favourable decomposition pathway is indirect rather than direct, via (de)lithiated states of the solid electrolyte, into the thermodynamically stable decomposition products. The consequence is that the electrochemical stability window of the solid electrolyte is notably larger than predicted for direct decomposition, rationalizing the observed stability window. The observed argyrodite metastable (de)lithiated solid electrolyte phases contribute to the (ir)reversible cycling capacity of all-solid-state batteries, in addition to the contribution of the decomposition products, comprehensively explaining solid electrolyte redox activity. The fundamental nature of the proposed mechanism suggests this is a key aspect for solid electrolytes in general, guiding interface and material design for all-solid-state batteries.

Comparative evaluation for phytochemical composition and regulation of blood glucose, hepatic oxidative stress and insulin resistance in mice and HepG2 models of four typical Chinese dark teas.

BACKGROUND: Dark tea, comprising one of the six major teas, has many biological activities, which originate from their active substrates, such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, and so on. The hypoglycemic effect is one of its most prominent activities, although less is known about their evaluation and potential role in the hypoglycemic mechanism. RESULTS: In the present study, we separately analyzed the phytochemical composition, glycosidase inhibition and free radical scavenging activities, and hypoglycemic activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus mice, as well as the alleviation of insulin resistance in HepG2 cells of four dark tea aqueous extracts. The results showed that the phytochemical composition of dark tea aqueous extracts was significantly different, and they all had good glycosidase inhibition and free radical scavenging activities, in vivo hypoglycemic activity and alleviation of insulin resistance, and could also activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt-perixisome proliferation-activated receptor cascade signaling pathway to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, change the key enzyme activities related to glucose metabolism and antioxidant activity, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory factor levels. Among them, Liubao brick tea (LBT) and Pu-erh tea (PET) possessed better glycosidase inhibitory activity, in vivo hypoglycemic activity and improved insulin resistance activity, whereas Qingzhuan brick tea and Fuzhuan brick tea had better free radical scavenging activity, which may be explained by their distinct phytochemical compositions, such as tea proteins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, catechins, and tea pigments and some elements. CONCLUSION: Dark tea is a highly attractive candidate for developing antidiabetic food, LBT and PET may be good natural sources of agricultural products with anti-diabetic effects. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

An Ion-In-Conjugation-Boosted Organic Semiconductor Gas Sensor Operating at High Temperature and Immune to Moisture.

Organic electrical gas sensors have been developed for many decades because of their high sensitivity and selectivity. However, their industrialization is severely hindered by their intrinsic humidity susceptibility and poor recovery. Conventional organic sensory materials can only operate at room temperature owing to their weak intermolecular interactions. Herein, we demonstrate using a croconate polymer (poly-4,4'-biphenylcroconate) that the "ion-in-conjugation" concept enables organic gas sensors to operate at 100 °C and 70 % relative humidity with almost complete recovery. The fabricated sensor had a parts-per-billion (ppb) detection limit for NO2 and showed the highest sensitivity (2526 ppm-1 at 40 ppb) of all reported NO2 chemiresistive sensors. Furthermore, charge transfer increased with temperature. Theoretical calculations and in situ FTIR spectra confirmed the ion-in-conjugation-inspired hydrogen bond as key for excellent sensitivity. A NO2 alarm system was assembled to demonstrate the feasibility of this sensor.

miR-155 increases stemness and decitabine resistance in triple-negative breast cancer cells by inhibiting TSPAN5.

Effective therapeutic targets for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a special type of breast cancer (BC) with rapid metastasis and poor prognosis, are lacking, especially for patients with chemotherapy resistance. Decitabine (DCA) is a Food and Drug Administration-approved DNA methyltransferase inhibitor that has been proven effective for the treatment of tumors. However, its antitumor effect in cancer cells is limited by multidrug resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are thought to act as seeds during tumor formation, regulate tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance through complex signaling. Our previous study found that miR-155 is upregulated in BC, but whether and how miR-155 regulates DCA resistance is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-155 was upregulated in CD24- CD44+ BC stem cells (BCSCs). In addition, the overexpression of miR-155 increased the number of CD24- CD44+ CSCs, DCA resistance and tumor clone formation in MDA-231 and BT-549 BC cells, and knockdown of miR-155 inhibited DCA resistance and stemness in BCSCs in vitro. Moreover, miR-155 induced stemness and DCA resistance by inhibiting the direct target gene tetraspanin-5 (TSPAN5). We further confirmed that overexpression of TSPAN5 abrogated the effect of miR-155 in promoting stemness and DCA resistance in BC cells. Our data show that miR-155 increases stemness and DCA resistance in BC cells by targeting TSPAN5. These data provide a therapeutic strategy and mechanistic basis for future possible clinical applications targeting the miR-155/TSPAN5 signaling axis in the treatment of TNBC.

Effects of extraction methods on physicochemical properties and hypoglycemic activities of polysaccharides from coarse green tea.

Coarse tea is made of mature tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) shoots and is generally discarded as a worthless crop product, but has been proved an excellent material for the treatment of diabetes. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the extraction techniques WE (water extraction), UAE (ultrasound-assisted extraction), MAE (microwave-assisted extraction), and EE (enzyme extraction) on the physicochemical properties and antidiabetic activities of polysaccharides from coarse tea (CTPSs). The results showed that all four CTPSs had homogeneity in the monosaccharide types and similar IR (Infrared spectroscopy) characteristic absorption peaks, but differed in monosaccharide proportion and molecular weight distribution. Compared with the other three extraction techniques, CCTPS extracted by EE had the lowest protein content, the highest total sugar content of 71.83% and a polysaccharide yield of 4.52%. In addition, EE-CTPS had the best hypoglycemic activity that was better than ordinary green tea polysaccharides, the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities of EE-CTPS were highest in the range of 2-10 mg/mL compared with the other three CTPSs, which may be related to its smaller molecular weight and porous structure. The results suggested that the EE method was a good way to extract polysaccharides from coarse tea for food and pharmaceutical production.

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oil Derived from the Wild Rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala.

The present study investigated the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oil (EO) derived from the wild rhizomes of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMA) growing in Qimen County (eastern China). GC/MS analysis identified fifteen compounds, representing 92.55 % of AMA EO. The major compounds were atractylone (39.22 %), ß-eudesmol (27.70 %), thymol (5.74 %), hinesol (5.50 %), and 11-isopropylidenetricyclo[4.3.1.1(2,5)]undec-3-en-10-one (4.71 %). Ferricyanide reducing, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picyrlhydrazyl (DPPH) and 3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) scavenging assays revealed that AMA EO exhibited strong antioxidant capacities. Additionally, AMA EO showed inhibitory effects on growth of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis, with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/mL. Treatments with AMA EO also significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, indicating anti-inflammatory activity of AMA EO. Furthermore, treatments with AMA EO decreased the transcriptional levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which might be the molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-inflammatory effects. Overall, these results provide a theoretical basis for further study and application of AMA EO in food and medicine products.

Measurement of Water Velocity in Gas-Water Two-Phase Flow with the Combination of Electromagnetic Flowmeter and Conductance Sensor.

A method to measure the superficial velocity of the water phase in gas-water flow using an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) and rotating electric field conductance sensors (REFCSs) is introduced in this paper. An electromagnetic flowmeter instrument factor model is built and the correlation between electromagnetic flowmeter output and gas holdup in different flow patterns are explored through vertical upward gas-water flow dynamic experiments in a pipe with an inner diameter (ID) of 20 mm. Water superficial velocity is predicted based on pattern identification among bubble, churn, and slug flows. The experimental results show that water superficial velocity can be predicted fairly accurately for bubble, churn, and slug flows with a water cut higher than 60% (absolute average percentage deviation and absolute average deviation are 4.1057% and 0.0281 m/s, respectively). The output of the electromagnetic flowmeter is unstable and invalid in slug flows with a water cut below 60% due to the non-conducting gas slug is almost filling the pipe. Therefore, the electromagnetic flowmeter is not preferred to be used in such conditions.

A method overview in smart aquaculture.

Aquaculture is an important part of agricultural economy. In the past, major farming accidents often occurred due to subjective experience. There are many factors affecting the water quality of aquaculture. Maintaining an ecological environment with good water quality is the most critical link to ensure the production efficiency and quality of aquaculture. With the continuous development of science and technology, intelligence and informatization in aquaculture has become a new trend. Smart aquaculture cannot only realize real-time monitoring, prediction, warning, and risk control of the physical and chemical factors of the aquaculture environment but can also conduct real-time monitoring of the characteristics and behaviors of the fish, which infers the changes of the aquaculture ecological environment. In this paper, the research achievements over past two decades both are summarized from four aspects: water quality factor acquisition and pre-processing, water quality factor prediction, morphological characteristics, and behavioral characteristic recognition of fish and the mechanism between fish behavior and water quality factors. The advantages and disadvantages of existing research routes, algorithm models, and research methods in smart aquaculture are summarized. The work in this paper can provide a well-organized and summative knowledge reference for further study on the dynamic mechanism between the changes of water quality factors and the fish body characteristics and behavior. Meanwhile, the work can also provide valuable reference for promoting the smart, ecological, and efficient development of aquaculture.

Environmentally Robust Memristor Enabled by Lead-Free Double Perovskite for High-Performance Information Storage.

Memristors are emerging as a rising star of new computing and information storage techniques. However, the practical applications are severely challenged by their instability toward harsh conditions, including high moisture, high temperatures, fire, ionizing irradiation, and mechanical bending. In this work, for the first time, lead-free double perovskite Cs2 AgBiBr6 is utilized for environmentally robust memristors, enabling highly efficient information storage. The memory performance of the typical indium-tin-oxide/Cs2 AgBiBr6 /Au sandwich-like memristors is retained after 1000 switching cycles, 105 s of reading, and 104 times of mechanical bending, comparable to other halide perovskite memristors. Most importantly, the memristive behavior remains robust in harsh environments, including humidity up to 80%, temperatures as high as 453 K, an alcohol burner flame for 10 s, and 60 Co γ-ray irradiation for a dosage of 5 × 105 rad (SI), which is not achieved by any other memristors and commercial flash memory techniques. The realization of an environmentally robust memristor from Cs2 AgBiBr6 with a high memory performance will inspire further development of robust electronics using lead-free double perovskites.

Detection of NO2 Down to One ppb Using Ion-in-Conjugation-Inspired Polymer.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) emission has severe impact on human health and the ecological environment and effective monitoring of NO2 requires the detection limit (limit of detection) of several parts-per-billion (ppb). All organic semiconductor-based NO2 sensors fail to reach such a level. In this work, using an ion-in-conjugation inspired-polymer (poly(3,3'-diaminobenzidine-squarine, noted as PDBS) as the sensory material, NO2 can be detected as low as 1 ppb, which is the lowest among all reported organic NO2 sensors. In addition, the sensor has high sensitivity, good reversibility, and long-time stability with a period longer than 120 d. Theoretical calculations reveal that PDBS offers unreacted amine and zwitterionic groups, which can offer both the H-bonding and ion-dipole interaction to NO2 . The moderate binding energies (≈0.6 eV) offer high sensitivity, selectivity as well as good reversibility. The results demonstrate that the ion-in-conjugation can be employed to greatly improve sensitivity and selectivity in organic gas sensors by inducing both H-bonding and ion-dipole attraction.

Prediction Model of Cardiac Risk for Dental Extraction in Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.

BACKGROUND: With the rapidly increasing population of elderly people, dental extraction in elderly individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has become quite common. The issue of how to assure the safety of elderly patients with CVDs undergoing dental extraction has perplexed dentists and internists for many years. And it is important to derive an appropriate risk prediction tool for this population. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective, observational study was to establish and validate a prediction model based on the random forest (RF) algorithm for the risk of cardiac complications of dental extraction in elderly patients with CVDs. METHODS: Between August 2017 and May 2018, a total of 603 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were used to create a training set. An independent test set contained 230 patients between June 2018 and July 2018. Data regarding clinical parameters, laboratory tests, clinical examinations before dental extraction, and 1-week follow-up were retrieved. Predictors were identified by using logistic regression (LR) with penalized LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) variable selection. Then, a prediction model was constructed based on the RF algorithm by using a 5-fold cross-validation method. RESULTS: The training set, based on 603 participants, including 282 men and 321 women, had an average participant age of 72.38 ± 8.31 years. Using feature selection methods, 11 predictors for risk of cardiac complications were screened out. When the RF model was constructed, its overall classification accuracy was 0.82 at the optimal cutoff value of 18.5%. In comparison to the LR model, the RF model showed a superior predictive performance. The AUROC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) scores of the RF and LR models were 0.83 and 0.80, respectively, in the independent test set. The AUPRC (area under the precision-recall curve) scores of the RF and LR models were 0.56 and 0.35, respectively, in the independent test set. CONCLUSION: The RF-based prediction model is expected to be applicable for preoperative clinical assessment for preventing cardiac complications in elderly patients with CVDs undergoing dental extraction. The findings may aid physicians and dentists in making more informed recommendations to prevent cardiac complications in this patient population.

cAMP Receptor Protein of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Modulate Glycolysis in Macrophages to Induce Cell Apoptosis.

We studied the role of glycolysis in the mechanism of cAMP receptor protein-induced macrophage cell death of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Cell apoptosis, caspase-3, -8, -9 enzyme activity, and pyruvic acid, lactic acid, ATP, and hexokinase (HK) contents were determined after infection of macrophages with S. Typhimurium SL1344 wild-type and a cAMP receptor protein mutant strain. While cell apoptosis, caspase-3, -8, -9 enzyme activity, lactic acid, hexokinase, and ATP levels significantly changed by infection with crp mutants compared to the wild-type strain (P < 0.05). Our data suggest that the cAMP receptor protein of S. Typhimurium can modulate macrophage death by effecting glycolysis levels. This finding may help to elucidate the mechanisms of S. Typhimurium pathogenesis.

The application of p2PSA% and prostate health index in prostate cancer detection: A prospective cohort in a Tertiary Medical Center.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) with low specificity that causes unnecessary prostate biopsies increases clinical morbidities, psychological stress, and medical expenses. We aimed to test the accuracy and cutoff value of Prostate Health Index (PHI) in men for prostate cancer detection. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 213 men who underwent prostate biopsy with PSA≦10 ng/ml or abnormal findings on digital rectal examination. Total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA) and p2PSA levels were measured by serum samples before prostate biopsy. PHI was calculated as (p2PSA/fPSA) × âˆštPSA. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to predict the risk of cancer and detect clinically significant prostate cancer. RESULTS: 33 (27.0%) patients were confirmed with the diagnoses of prostate cancer by prostate biopsy. The levels of p2PSA, %p2PSA, and PHI showed statistically significant differences between prostate cancer patients and non-cancer patients. %p2PSA and PHI had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.723 and 0.772 (both p < 0.001), respectively, predicting cancer detection at biopsy than other predictors (tPSA, fPSA, %fPSA, and PSA density (AUC: 0.544, 0.538, 0.593, and 0.664, respectively). In multivariable logistic regression, %p2PSA had a statistical significant odds ratio 8.51 (p = 0.003) and PHI had an odds ratio with marginal significance 4.18 (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: %p2PSA and PHI increased the diagnostic accuracy with significantly greater sensitivity and specificity than tPSA. We determined an optimal cut-off value of PHI among Taiwanese population. These findings support the usefulness in the decisional process of prostate biopsy.