Boosted Near-Infrared Photothermal Conversion in Rare Earth Ions-Doped 2D SnSe Nanosheets for Solar-Powered Water Evaporation Systems.

Solar-powered water evaporation as a clean and abundant renewable energy-efficient desalination technology provides a promising strategy to solve the shortage of freshwater resources. However, the development and application of solar vapor technology are hindered by the relatively low near-infrared photothermal conversion efficiency of existing materials and the lack of effective improvement strategies. In this work, the conductivity characteristics of 2D semiconductors are capitalized on the high visible light absorption and ultra-low thermal. Specifically, rare-earth ion dopants into SnSe nanosheets, significantly boosting their near-infrared photothermal conversion efficiency and solar water evaporation performance are introduced. Remarkably, the photothermal conversion efficiency of the doped SnSe nanosheets surged from 51.56% to 82.11%, surpassing many previously reported photothermal materials. Furthermore, leveraging these nanosheets with enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency, a solar interfacial evaporation system is constructed. The evaporation rate of 2.17 kg m-2 h-1 and the efficiency of 96.5% can be achieved at one solar irradiance, and it also has good salt-resistance properties. The findings demonstrate the potential of rare earth ion-doped 2D semiconductor nanosheets in solar water evaporation, paving the way for future sustainable desalination solutions.

Efficient Solar-Driven Interfacial Water Evaporator using Hydrogel Modified Carbon-Based Biomass with Abundant Microchannels.

The conventional sea water desalination technologies are not yet adopted worldwide, especially in the third world countries due to their high capital cost as well as large energy requirement. To solve this issue in a sustainable way an interfacial solar water evaporation device is designed and proposed in this article using the branches of Prunus serrulata (PB). The PB has abundant microchannels and shows excellent photothermal conversion capability after carbonization. Moreover, the easy access to raw materials and the facile fabrication process makes the solar water evaporating device very cost effective for seawater desalination application. Experiments show that in the presence of the fabricated evaporator the evaporation rate of water can reach 3.5 kg m-2 h-1 under 1 sun, which is superior to many similar experimental devices. In addition, its advantages, such as effective sewage purification capability, low cost, and environmental friendliness, make this evaporator highly competitive in the extensive promotion of this technology and can be considered as a new sustainable solution for seawater desalination with great application potential and prospects.

Bio-Derived Photothermal Materials and Evaporators for Sustainable Solar Energy-Driven Water Process.

Interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) is considered as an excellent seawater desalination technology because of its electricity-independent nature, low cost, and portability. However, improving the water evaporation efficiency, simplifying the fabrication process, and reducing the overall cost of the evaporator are still challenging. Here, an efficient and sustainable solar water evaporator is fabricated with carbonized ginkgo biloba leaves as the structural basis of photothermal materials. The combination of the abundant capillary channels in ginkgo leaves paired with polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel accelerates water transportation and solar-driven evaporation. The fabricated evaporator shows excellent photothermal conversion capability and evaporates water at 2.39 kg m-2 h-1 under 1 sun irradiation. In addition, the device exhibits remarkable stability in simulated seawater and can effectively realize seawater desalination or sewage treatment. As a result, the system is promising for future highly efficient solar evaporation due to its environmental protection and low cost.

Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Training in Delaying Cognitive Function Decline in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With no current cure for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), delaying its progression could significantly reduce the disease burden and improve the quality of life for patients with MCI. Computerized cognitive training (CCT) has recently become a potential instrument for improvement of cognition. However, the evidence for its effectiveness remains limited. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to (1) analyze the efficacy of CCT on cognitive impairment or cognitive decline in patients with MCI and (2) analyze the relationship between the characteristics of CCT interventions and cognition-related health outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search was performed using MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Full texts of randomized controlled trials of CCT interventions in adults with MCI and published in English language journals between 2010 and 2021 were included. Overall global cognitive function and domain-specific cognition were pooled using a random-effects model. Sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the reasons for heterogeneity and to test the robustness of the results. Subgroup analyses were performed to identify the relationship between the characteristics of CCT interventions and cognition-related effectiveness. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies with 1059 participants were included in this review. According to the meta-analysis, CCT intervention provided a significant but small increase in global cognitive function compared to that in the global cognitive function of the control groups (standardized mean difference=0.54, 95% CI 0.35-0.73; I2=38%). CCT intervention also resulted in a marginal improvement in domain-specific cognition compared to that in the control groups, with moderate heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses showed consistent improvement in global cognitive behavior in the CCT intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review suggests that CCT interventions could improve global cognitive function in patients with MCI. Considering the relatively small sample size and the short treatment duration in all the included studies, more comprehensive trials are needed to quantify both the impact of CCT on cognitive decline, especially in the longer term, and to establish whether CCT should be recommended for use in clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021278884; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=278884.

Tumor Microenvironment-Inspired Glutathione-Responsive Three-Dimensional Fibrous Network for Efficient Trapping and Gentle Release of Circulating Tumor Cells.

Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is important for early cancer diagnosis, prediction of postoperative recurrence, and individualized treatment. However, it is still challenging to achieve efficient capture and gentle release of CTCs from the complex peripheral blood due to their rarity and fragility. Herein, inspired by the three-dimensional (3D) network structure and high glutathione (GSH) level of the tumor microenvironment (TME), a 3D stereo (3D-G@FTP) fibrous network is developed by combining the liquid-assisted electrospinning method, gas foaming technique, and metal-polyphenol coordination interactions to achieve efficient trapping and gentle release of CTCs. Compared with the traditional 2D@FTP fibrous scaffold, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could achieve higher capture efficiency (90.4% vs 78.5%) toward cancer cells in a shorter time (30 min vs 90 min). This platform showed superior capture performance toward heterogeneous cancer cells (HepG2, HCT116, HeLa, and A549) in an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-independent manner. In addition, the captured cells with high cell viability (>90.0%) could be gently released under biologically friendly GSH stimulus. More importantly, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could sensitively detect 4-19 CTCs from six kinds of cancer patients' blood samples. We expect this TME-inspired 3D stereo fibrous network integrating efficient trapping, broad-spectrum recognition, and gentle release will promote the development of biomimetic devices for rare cell analysis.