Carbon Nanotube-Based Chemiresistive Sensors.

The development of simple and low-cost chemical sensors is critically important for improving human life. Many types of chemical sensors have been developed. Among them, the chemiresistive sensors receive particular attention because of their simple structure, the ease of high precise measurement and the low cost. This review mainly focuses on carbon nanotube (CNT)-based chemiresistive sensors. We first describe the properties of CNTs and the structure of CNT chemiresistive sensors. Next, the sensing mechanism and the performance parameters of the sensors are discussed. Then, we detail the status of the CNT chemiresistive sensors for detection of different analytes. Lastly, we put forward the remaining challenges for CNT chemiresistive sensors and outlook the possible opportunity for CNT chemiresistive sensors in the future.

The impact of blinding on estimated treatment effects in randomized clinical trials on acupuncture: A meta-epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sole impact of blinding patients and outcome assessors in acupuncture randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on treatment effects while considering the type of outcome measures. METHODS: We searched databases for the meta-analyses on acupuncture with both blinded and non-blinded RCTs. Mixed-effects meta-regression models estimated the average ratio of odds ratios (ROR) and differences in standardized mean differences (dSMD) for non-blinded RCTs versus blinded mixed-effects meta-regression model. RESULTS: The study included 96 meta-analyses (1012 trials). The average ROR for lack of patient blinding was 1.08 (95% confidence intervals 0.79-1.49) in 18 meta-analyses with binary patient-reported outcomes. The average ROR for lack of outcome assessor blinding was 0.98 (0.77-1.24) in 43 meta-analyses with binary subjective outcomes. The average dSMD was -0.38 (-0.96 to 0.20) in 10 meta-analyses with continuous patient-reported outcomes. The average dSMD was -0.13 (-0.45 to 0.18) in 25 meta-analyses with continuous subjective outcomes. The results of the subgroup analysis were consistent with the primary analysis findings. CONCLUSIONS: Blinding of participants and outcome assessors does not significantly influence acupuncture treatment efficacy. It underscores the practical difficulties of blinding in acupuncture RCTs and the necessity to distinguish between trials with and without successful blinding to understand treatment expectations' effects. Enhancing blinding procedures' quality and assessment in future research is crucial for improving RCTs' internal validity and reliability.

The reporting quality of meta-epidemiological studies needs substantial improvement: a research on research study.

BACKGROUND: Meta-epidemiological research plays a vital role in providing empirical evidence needed to develop methodological manuals and tools, but the reporting quality has not been comprehensively assessed, and the influence of reporting guidelines remains unclear. The current study aims to evaluate the reporting quality of meta-epidemiological studies, assess the impact of reporting guidelines, and identify factors influencing reporting quality. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Embase for meta-epidemiological studies. The reporting quality of these studies was assessed for adherence to established reporting guidelines. Two researchers independently screened the studies and assessed the quality of the included studies. Time-series segmented linear regression was used to evaluate changes in reporting quality over time, while beta-regression analysis was performed to identify factors significantly associated with reporting quality. RESULTS: We initially identified 1720 articles, of which 125 meta-epidemiological studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 65 (52%) had low reporting quality, 60 (48%) had moderate quality, and none achieved high quality. Of the 24 items derived from established reporting guidelines, 4 had poor adherence, 13 had moderate adherence, and 7 had high adherences. High journal impact factor (≥ 10) (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.80; P = 0.003) and protocol registration (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.22; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with better reporting quality. The publication of the reporting guideline did not significantly increase the mean reporting quality score (- 0.53, 95% CI: - 3.37, 2.31; P = 0.67) or the trend (- 0.38, 95% CI: - 1.02, 0.26; P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis showed suboptimal reporting quality in meta-epidemiological studies, with no improvement post-2017 guidelines. This potential shortcoming could hinder stakeholders' ability to draw reliable conclusions from these studies. While preregistration could reduce reporting bias, its adoption remains low. Registration platforms could consider creating tailored types for meta-epidemiological research, and journals need to adopt more proactive measures to enforce reporting standards.

Synthesis and Stability of Hydrogen Storage Material Aluminum Hydride.

Aluminum hydride (AlH3) is a binary metal hydride with a mass hydrogen density of more than 10% and bulk hydrogen density of 148 kg H2/m3. Pure aluminum hydride can easily release hydrogen when heated. Due to the high hydrogen density and low decomposition temperature, aluminum hydride has become one of the most promising hydrogen storage media for wide applications, including fuel cell, reducing agents, and rocket fuel additive. Compared with aluminum powder, AlH3 has a higher energy density, which can significantly reduce the ignition temperature and produce H2 fuel in the combustion process, thus reducing the relative mass of combustion products. In this paper, the research progress about the structure, synthesis, and stability of aluminum hydride in recent decades is reviewed. We also put forward the challenges for application of AlH3 and outlook the possible opportunity for AlH3 in the future.

Vinyltriethoxysilane crosslinked poly(acrylic acid sodium) as a polymeric binder for high performance silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries.

In order to effectively relieve the large volume changes of silicon anodes during the cycling process in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), we developed a vinyltriethoxysilane crosslinked poly(acrylic acid sodium) polymeric binder (PVTES-NaPAA) for the Si anodes. The PVTES-NaPAA binder was synthesized by using a free radical co-polymerization method with VTES and NaPAA as precursors. In this binder, NaPAA with carboxyl groups can provide strong adhesion between Si particles and the current collector. Furthermore, VTES can be hydrolyzed and condense with each other to form a three-dimensional crosslinked network; the special network makes it possible to improve the Si electrode stability, resulting in an excellent cycling performance (78.2% capacity retention after 100 cycles) and high coulombic efficiency (99.9% after 100 cycles).