One-Step Construction of Closed Pores Enabling High Plateau Capacity Hard Carbon Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries: Closed-Pore Formation and Energy Storage Mechanisms.

Closed pores play a crucial role in improving the low-voltage (<0.1 V) plateau capacity of hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the lack of simple and effective closed-pore construction strategies, as well as the unclear closed-pore formation mechanism, has severely hindered the development of high plateau capacity hard carbon anodes. Herein, we present an effective closed-pore construction strategy by one-step pyrolysis of zinc gluconate (ZG) and elucidate the corresponding mechanism of closed-pore formation. The closed-pore formation mechanism during the pyrolysis of ZG mainly involves (i) the precipitation of ZnO nanoparticles and the ZnO etching on carbon under 1100 °C to generate open pores of 0.45-4 nm and (ii) the development of graphitic domains and the shrinkage of the partial open pores at 1100-1500 °C to convert the open pores to closed pores. Benefiting from the considerable closed-pore content and suitable microstructure, the optimized hard carbon achieves an ultrahigh reversible specific capacity of 481.5 mA h g-1 and an extraordinary plateau capacity of 389 mA h g-1 for use as the anode of SIBs. Additionally, some in situ and ex situ characterizations demonstrate that the high-voltage slope capacity and the low-voltage plateau capacity stem from the adsorption of Na+ at the defect sites and Na-cluster formation in closed pores, respectively.

Graphene-doped silicon-carbon materials with multi-interface structures for lithium-ion battery anodes.

The carbon nanomaterials are usually used to improve the electrical conductivity and stability of silicon (Si) anodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, the Si-based composites containing carbon nanomaterials generally show large specific surface area, leading to severe side reactions that generate large amounts of solid electrolyte interphase films. Herein, we embedded graphene oxide (GO) and silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) uniformly in pitch matrix by solvent dispersion. The internally doped GO reduces the exposed surface and improves the electrical conductivity of the composite. Meanwhile, the multi-interface structures are constructed inside to limit the domains of Si NPs and improve the structural stability of the material. When evaluated as anodes, the Si/graphene/pitch-based carbon composite anode exhibits the outstanding electrochemical properties, delivering a reversible capacity of 820.8 mAh/g at 50 mA g-1, as well as a capacity retention of 93.6 % after 1000 cycles at 2 A/g. In addition, when assembled with the LiFePO4 cathode, the full cell exhibits an impressive capacity retention of 95 % after 100 cycles at 85 mA g-1. This work provides a valuable design concept for the development of Si/carbon anodes.

Effects of tidal hydrology on soil phosphorus forms in the Yellow River estuary wetland: A field study of soil core translocation.

Phosphorus (P) forms in soil are related to the P cycle and play an important role in maintaining the productivity and function of wetlands. Tidal hydrology is a key factor controlling soil P forms in estuary wetlands; however, the response of soil P forms to tidal hydrological changes remains unclear. A translocation experiment in the Yellow River Estuary wetland was conducted to study the effect of hydrological changes on P forms in the soil, in which freshwater marsh soils in the supratidal zone were translocated to salt marshes in different intertidal zones (up-high-tidal zone, high-tidal zone, and middle-tidal zone). Over a 23-month experiment, soil properties showed varying changes under different tidal hydrology conditions, with an increase in pH, salinity, Ca2+ and salt ions and a decrease in iron oxide and nutrients. Compared with the control, the content of different forms of phosphorus (total phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus, organic phosphorus, and calcium-bound phosphorus) in the cultured soil cores decreased from 3.3 % to 67.0 % in the intertidal zones, whereas the content of ferrum­aluminum-bound phosphorus increased from 58.9 % to 65.1 % at the end of the experiment. According to the partial least squares structural equation model, P forms are influenced by tidal hydrology mainly through the mediation of salt ions and nutrient levels. These results suggest that seawater intrusion promotes the release of P in the supratidal zone soil of estuary wetlands.

Preoperative low plasma creatine kinase levels predict worse survival outcomes in bladder cancer after radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative creatine kinase (CK) levels in bladder cancer (BCa) patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 570 BCa patients with RC were identified between 2010 and 2020. 108.5 U/L of CK levels were defined as the cutoff value. Logistic regression analysis and Cox regression models were performed to evaluate the association between CK levels and oncologic outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed to address cofounding factors. RESULTS: Preoperative low CK levels were associated with worse recurrence-free survival (RFS, log-rank P = 0.001) and overall survival (OS, log-rank P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative low CK levels were an independent predictor for worse RFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.683; P < 0.001) and OS (HR: 1.567; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative low CK level independently predicts worse survival outcomes in BCa after RC. Incorporating it into prediction models might be valuable to assist risk stratification.

ADP-dependent glucokinase controls metabolic fitness in prostate cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: Cell metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor progression, and targeting cancer metabolism might effectively kill cancer cells. We aimed to investigate the role of hexokinases in prostate cancer (PCa) and identify a crucial target for PCa treatment. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, online tools and clinical samples were used to assess the expression and prognostic role of ADP-dependent glucokinase (ADPGK) in PCa. The effect of ADPGK expression on PCa cell malignant phenotypes was validated in vitro and in vivo. Quantitative proteomics, metabolomics, and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) tests were performed to evaluate the impact of ADPGK on PCa metabolism. The underlying mechanisms were explored through ADPGK overexpression and knockdown, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), ECAR analysis and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. RESULTS: ADPGK was the only glucokinase that was both upregulated and predicted worse overall survival (OS) in prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD). Clinical sample analysis demonstrated that ADPGK was markedly upregulated in PCa tissues vs. non-PCa tissues. High ADPGK expression indicates worse survival outcomes, and ADPGK serves as an independent factor of biochemical recurrence. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ADPGK overexpression promoted PCa cell proliferation and migration, and ADPGK inhibition suppressed malignant phenotypes. Metabolomics, proteomics, and ECAR and OCR tests revealed that ADPGK significantly accelerated glycolysis in PCa. Mechanistically, ADPGK binds aldolase C (ALDOC) to promote glycolysis via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. ALDOC was positively correlated with ADPGK, and high ALDOC expression was associated with worse survival outcomes in PCa. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, ADPGK is a driving factor in PCa progression, and its high expression contributes to a poor prognosis in PCa patients. ADPGK accelerates PCa glycolysis and progression by activating ALDOC-AMPK signaling, suggesting that ADPGK might be an effective target and marker for PCa treatment and prognosis evaluation.

Modulation of Si-O Structure in Uniformly Ultrasmall Silicon Oxycarbide for Superior Lifespan of Lithium Metal Anodes.

Utilizing nanoseeds guiding homogeneous deposition of lithium is an effective strategy to inhibit disorderly growth of lithium, where silicon oxide has been attracting attention as a transform seed. However, the research on silicon-oxide-based seeds has concentrated more on utilizing their lithiophilicity but less on their Si-O structures, which could result in different failure mechanisms. In this study, various Si-O structures of silicon oxycarbide carbon nanofibers are prepared by adjusting the content of octa(aminopropylsilsesquioxane). According to XANES and experimental observations, the C-rich SiOC has an active Si-O-C structure but generates a larger volume variation during lithiation, while in the O-rich phase, the silica-oxygen tetrahedral structure can contribute to alleviate the volume expansion but has poor electrochemical activity. SiOC, which is dominated by SiO3C, has a suitable Si-O and silica-oxygen tetrahedral-structure distribution, which balances the electrochemical activity and volume expansion. This allows the host to demonstrate an excellent lifespan over 3740 h with a tiny voltage hysteresis (22 mV) at 2 mA cm-2, and it retains a favorable capacity of 97 mA h g-1 after 630 cycles with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% in full cells. This study experiences the influence of various Si-O structures on lithium metal anodes.

Effect of electron acceptor addition on the temperature sensitivity of soil anaerobic carbon mineralization in the Yellow River Estuary wetland, China.

The temperature sensitivity of soil carbon mineralization (Q10) is an important index to evaluate the responses of ecosystem carbon cycling to climate change. We examined the effects of three electron acceptors [SO42-, NO3- and Fe(Ⅲ)] addition on the Q10 value of anaerobic carbon mineralization of Phragmites australis community soil (0-10 cm) in the Yellow River Estuary wetland with the closed culture-gas chromatography method. The results showed that the three electron acceptors addition inhibited the production of CO2 and CH4 during the 48-day culture period, with a decrease of 17.3%-20.8% for CO2 and 29.2%-36.2% for CH4. Generally, the CO2 production differed with the concentrations of electron acceptors, while CH4 production differed with the type of electron acceptors. The CO2:CH4 ratios were significantly different with temperature, indicating an obvious temperature dependence for the anaerobic carbon mineralization pathway. The Q10 values of CO2 and CH4 production under three electron acceptor additions ranged from 1.08 to 1.11 and from 1.19 to 1.37, respectively, showing an increasing trend compared with the control. The type and concentration of electron acceptors affected the temperature dependence of CO2 production, while electron acceptors affected that of CH4 production. It is suggested that the input of reducing salts would retard the mineralization loss of organic carbon in estuary freshwater wetlands under the background of climate change, but enhance the sensitivity of carbon mineralization to increasing temperature.

[An attention-guided network for bilateral ventricular segmentation in pediatric echocardiography].

Accurate segmentation of pediatric echocardiograms is a challenging task, because significant heart-size changes with age and faster heart rate lead to more blurred boundaries on cardiac ultrasound images compared with adults. To address these problems, a dual decoder network model combining channel attention and scale attention is proposed in this paper. Firstly, an attention-guided decoder with deep supervision strategy is used to obtain attention maps for the ventricular regions. Then, the generated ventricular attention is fed back to multiple layers of the network through skip connections to adjust the feature weights generated by the encoder and highlight the left and right ventricular areas. Finally, a scale attention module and a channel attention module are utilized to enhance the edge features of the left and right ventricles. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method in this paper achieves an average Dice coefficient of 90.63% in acquired bilateral ventricular segmentation dataset, which is better than some conventional and state-of-the-art methods in the field of medical image segmentation. More importantly, the method has a more accurate effect in segmenting the edge of the ventricle. The results of this paper can provide a new solution for pediatric echocardiographic bilateral ventricular segmentation and subsequent auxiliary diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

[Effects of Water-salt Environment on Freshwater Wetland Soil C, N, and P Ecological Stoichiometric Characteristics in the Yellow River Estuary Wetland].

Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are important nutrients, and their ecological stoichiometric characteristics can reflect the quality and fertility capacity of soil, which is critical to understanding the stable mechanisms of estuarine wetland ecosystems. Under global changes, the increase in salinity and flooding caused by sea level rise will lead to changes in biogeochemical processes in estuarine wetlands, which is expected to affect the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of soil C, N, and P and ultimately interfere with the stability of wetland ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how the C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics respond to the water-salt environment in estuarine wetlands. We differentiated changes in the C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics through an ex-situ culture experiment for 23 months in the Yellow River Estuary Wetland. The five sites with distinct tidal hydrology were selected to manipulate translocation of soil cores from the freshwater marsh to high-, middle-, and low-tidal flats in June 2019. The results showed that soil water content (SWC); electrical conductivity (EC); and C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics of freshwater marsh soil significantly changed after translocation for 23 months. SWC decreased on the high- and middle-tidal flats (P<0.05) and increased on the low-tidal flat (P<0.05). EC increased to different degrees on all three tidal flats (P<0.05). Soil total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were significantly lower on the high-tidal flat (P<0.05), whereas total phosphorus (TP) was significantly lower on the middle- and high-tidal flats (P<0.05). C:N was decreased on the high- and middle-tidal flats (P<0.05); C:P and N:P were lower on the high-tidal flat; and all C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics showed no change on the low-tidal flat (P>0.05). Pearson's analysis showed that the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of C, N, and P were related to some properties of soil over the culture sites. The PLS-SEM model showed that the water-salt environment had different effects on soil C:N, C:P, and N:P through the main pathways of negative effects on soil TOC and TP. The results suggest that sea level rise may impact the C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics in freshwater marsh soil, resulting in some possible changes in the nutrient cycles of estuarine wetlands.

Attention-Driven Memory Network for Online Visual Tracking.

A memory mechanism has attracted growing popularity in tracking tasks due to the ability of learning long-term-dependent information. However, it is very challenging for existing memory modules to provide the intrinsic attribute information of the target to the tracker in complex scenes. In this article, by considering the biological visual memory mechanisms, we propose the novel online tracking method via an attention-driven memory network, which can mine discriminative memory information and enhance the robustness and reliability of the tracker. First, to reinforce effectiveness of memory content, we design a novel attention-driven memory network. In the network, the long memory module gains property-level memory information by focusing on the state of the target at both the channel and spatial levels. Meanwhile, in reciprocity, we add a short-term memory module to maintain good adaptability when confronting drastic deformation of the target. The attention-driven memory network can adaptively adjust the contribution of short-term and long-term memories to tracking results under the weighted gradient harmonized loss. On this basis, to avoid model performance degradation, an online memory updater (MU) is further proposed. It is designed to mining for target information in tracking results through the Mixer layer and the online head network together. By evaluating the confidence of the tracking results, the memory updater can accurately judge the time of updating the model, which guarantees the effectiveness of online memory updates. Finally, the proposed method performs favorably and has been extensively validated on several benchmark datasets, including object tracking benchmark-50/100 (OTB-50/100), temple color-128 (TC-128), unmanned aerial vehicles-123 (UAV-123), generic object tracking -10k (GOT-10k), visual object tracking-2016 (VOT-2016), and VOT-2018 against several advanced methods.

Utilizing Ultra-homogeneous SiOx and Defects to Achieve Interlayer Protection for Lithium Metal Anodes.

The uncontrollable growth and uneven nucleation of lithium metal can be addressed by utilizing spatial confinement structures in conjunction with lithiophilic sites. However, their complex fabrication technique and the inhomogeneous dispersion of lithiophilic sites make the application ineffective. In this work, ultra-uniformly dispersed SiOx seeds and defects are produced in situ to achieve the spatially restricted protection within the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layer. The in situ formed SiOx and defects during annealing double constrain lithium nucleation and growth behaviors thanks to the superlithiophilic characteristic, while both provide the fast Li+ transport channel to utilize the interlayer protection of rGO in limiting lithium dendrite growth. Furthermore, XANES and XPS analyze the SiOx seeds that are dominated by various valence states, and theoretical calculations further verify the control on the nucleation of lithium atoms. Benefiting from the optimum average valence of three for the "control site", the host realizes steady circulation. In asymmetric cells, the host demonstrates excellent coulombic efficiency of 99.1% and stable lifespans over 1250 h at 1 mA cm-2 . When assembled in LiFePO4 full cells, it retains a favorable capacity of 116.2 mA h g-1 after 170 cycles.

AS-605240 Blunts Osteoporosis by Inhibition of Bone Resorption.

Background: Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease. Osteoclasts are significantly involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. AS-605240 (AS) is a small molecule PI3K-γ inhibitor and is less toxic compared to pan-PI3K inhibitors. AS also exerts multiple biological effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and myocardial remodeling promotion. However, the involvement of AS in the differentiation and functions of osteoclasts and the effect of AS in treating patients with osteoporosis is still unclear. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate if AS inhibits the differentiation of osteoclasts and resorption of the bones induced by M-CSF and RANKL. Next, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of AS on bone loss in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis mice models. Methods: We stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages with an osteoclast differentiation medium containing different AS concentrations for 6 days or 5µM AS at different times. Next, we performed tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, bone resorption assay, F-actin ring fluorescence, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and Western blotting (WB). Next, MC3T3-E1s (pre-osteoblast cells) were differentiated to osteoblast by stimulating the cells with varying AS concentrations. Next, we performed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, RT-qPCR, and WB on these cells. We established an OVX-induced osteoporosis mice model and treated the mice with 20mg/kg of AS. Finally, we extracted the femurs and performed micro-CT scanning, H&E, and TRAP staining. Results: AS inhibits the formation of osteoclasts and resorption of bone triggered by RANKL by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, AS enhances the differentiation of osteoblasts and inhibits bone loss due to OVX in vivo. Conclusion: AS inhibits osteoclast production and enhances osteoblast differentiation in mice, thus providing a new therapeutic approach for treating patients with osteoporosis.

Dry-Spinning of Artificial Spider Silk Ribbons From Regenerated Natural Spidroin in an Organic Medium.

Natural spider silks with striking performances achieve extensive investigations. Nonetheless, a lack of consensus over the mechanism of the natural spinning hinders the development of artificial spinning methods where the regenerated spider silks generally show poor performances compared with the natural fibers. As is known, the Plateau-Rayleigh instability tends to break solution column into droplets and is considered a main challenge during fiber-spinning. Here in this study, by harnessing the viscoelastic properties of the regenerated spidroin dope solution via organic salt-zinc acetate (ZA), this outcome can be avoided, and dry-spinning of long and mechanically robust regenerated spider silk ribbons can be successfully realized. The as-obtained dry-spun spider silk ribbons show an enhanced modulus up to 14 ± 4 GPa and a toughness of ≈51 ± 9 MJ m-3 after the post-stretching treatment, which is even better than that of the pristine spider silk fibers. This facile and flexible strategy enriches the spinning methodologies which bypass the bottleneck of precisely mimicking the complex natural environment of the glands in spiders, shining a light to the spider-silk-based textile industrial applications.

Utilizing the Lactate Dehydrogenase-to-Albumin Ratio for Survival Prediction in Patients with Bladder Cancer After Radical Cystectomy.

Purpose: Previous studies have suggested that the preoperative lactate dehydrogenase-to-albumin ratio (LAR) is correlated with survival in several cancers except bladder cancer (BCa). This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of the LAR in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) after radical cystectomy (RC). Patients and Methods: A total of 595 UCB patients with RC in West China Hospital from December 2010 to May 2020 were enrolled. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cutoff value of the LAR. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were applied to evaluate the association of the LAR with overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival. Independent factors in multivariate analyses were selected to construct nomograms. Calibration curves, ROC curves, concordance index (C-index) and decision curve analyses were used to evaluate the performance of the nomograms. Results: The optimal cutoff value of the LAR was determined to be 3.8. Preoperative low LAR was associated with decreased OS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P < 0.001), especially in patients with ≥ pT2 disease. LAR was an independent factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.719; P <0.001) and RFS (HR: 1.429; P = 0.012). The addition of the LAR into nomograms could result in better prediction performance. The areas under the curves of the nomograms were 0.821 and 0.801 for the prediction of 3-year OS and RFS, respectively. The C-indexes of the nomograms were 0.760 and 0.741 for the prediction of OS and RFS, respectively. Conclusion: The preoperative LAR is a novel and reliable independent prognostic biomarker for survival in UCB after RC.

Comparison of the survival outcomes between primary and secondary muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a propensity score-matched study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have classified muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) into primary (initially muscle-invasive, PMIBC) and secondary subtypes (initially non-muscle-invasive but progresses, SMIBC), for which controversial survival outcomes were demonstrated. This study aimed to compare the survival outcomes between PMIBC and SMIBC patients in China. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with PMIBC or SMIBC at West China Hospital from January 2009 to June 2019 were retrospectively included. Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher tests were employed to compare clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox competing proportional risk model were used to compare survival outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to reduce the bias and subgroup analysis was used to confirm the outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 405 MIBC patients were enrolled, including 286 PMIBC and 119 SMIBC, with a mean follow-up of 27.54 and 53.30 months, respectively. The SMIBC group had a higher proportion of older patients (17.65% [21/119] vs. 9.09% [26/286]), chronic disease (32.77% [39/119] vs . 22.38% [64/286]), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (19.33% [23/119] vs . 8.04% [23/286]). Before matching, SMIBC had a lower risk of overall mortality (OM) (hazard ratios [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.85, P  = 0.005) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.44-0.94, P  = 0.022) after the initial diagnosis. However, higher risks of OM (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.02-2.10, P  = 0.038) and CSM (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.09-2.29, P  = 0.016) were observed for SMIBC once it became muscle-invasive. After PSM, the baseline characteristics of 146 patients (73 for each group) were well matched, and SMIBC was confirmed to have an increased CSM risk (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.09-3.06, P  = 0.021) than PMIBC after muscle invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with PMIBC, SMIBC had worse survival outcomes once it became muscle-invasive. Specific attention should be paid to non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer with a high progression risk.

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography for the confirmation of endotracheal tube intubation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Despite several studies and reviews reporting data accuracy of ultrasonography for confirmation of endotracheal intubation, there has been limited pooled evidence summarizing the diagnostic accuracy of this imaging modality, especially based on recent evidence. Hence, the current study reviews the recent literature and conducts a meta-analysis to compare the accuracy of ultrasonography for the confirmation of endotracheal tube placement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic search for all studies reporting the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in the databases of Medline, EMBASE,PubMed Central, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar & Cochrane library from inception till December 2021. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA software "midas" package. RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies with 3,268 participants were included. Thepooled sensitivity was 98% (95% CI, 97%-99%) and specificity was 95% (95% CI, 90%-98%), respectively. The AUC was 0.98 (95%CI: 0.96-1.00). The pooled DOR was 1090 (95% CI, 408-2910). Pooled LRP was 19 (95% CI, 9-39) and pooled LRN was 0.02 (0.01-0.03). There was significant heterogeneity found in the outcome with significant chi-square tests and I2 statistics > 75%. CONCLUSION: Findings from our review demonstrate promise in the applicability of ultrasonography as a major diagnostic tool for confirming the endotracheal tube intubation.

Simple Construction of Multistage Stable Silicon-Graphite Hybrid Granules for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Because of its high specific capacity, the silicon-graphite composite (SGC) is regarded as a promising anode for new-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, the frequently employed two-section preparation process, including the modification of silicon seed and followed mixture with graphite, cannot ensure the uniform dispersion of silicon in the graphite matrix, resulting in a stress concentration of aggregated silicon domains and cracks in composite electrodes during cycling. Herein, inspired by powder engineering, the two independent sections are integrated to construct multistage stable silicon-graphite hybrid granules (SGHGs) through wet granulation and carbonization. This method assembles silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) and graphite and improves compatibility between them, addressing the issue of severe stress concentration caused by uncombined residue of Si NPs. The optimal SGHG prepared with 20% pitch content exhibits a highly reversible specific capacity of 560.0 mAh g-1 at a current density of 200 mA g-1 and a considerable stability retention of 86.1% after 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1 . Moreover, as a practical application, the full cell delivers an outstanding capacity retention of 85.7% after 400 cycles at 2 C. The multistage stable structure constructed by simple wet granulation and carbonization provides theoretical guidance for the preparation of commercial SGC anodes.

Sustainable safe and environmentally friendly process to recovery valuable materials from hazardous waste InP.

With the rapid expansion of the market scale for indium phosphide (InP) semiconductors in high-tech industries such as optoelectronics and solar energy, the generation of hazardous waste InP has also increased dramatically, and the task of recycling waste InP is urgent. However, InP as a representative phosphide semiconductor is prone to produce highly toxic substances such as yellow phosphorus and PH3 in the recycling process, which discourages most companies from using it. In this study, a safe and efficient method of "vacuum decomposition-directional condensation (VD-DC)" is proposed to recover valuable materials from waste InP. In this method, briquetting pretreatment is used to improve thermal conductivity. At a decomposition temperature of 1123 K, system pressure of 30 Pa, and holding time of 3.5 h, indium with a purity of 99.43 wt% is obtained, and the direct yield reaches 98.54%. Non-toxic and stable red phosphorus with a purity of 98.14 wt% is recovered by converting the condensed yellow phosphorus at 573 K. Vacuum technology significantly reduces the decomposition temperature of InP and avoids the emission of waste water and waste gas, thus operating in an environmentally friendly manner.

Stretchable and Highly Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on a 2D MXene and 1D Whisker Carbon Nanotube Binary Composite Film.

We fabricate a 2D MXene and 1D whisker carbon nanotube (WCNT) binary composite, where the MXene layer was sandwiched between two WCNT films, and assemble a flexible resistive-type strain sensor using this composite film. The deformations of the conductive networks trigged by the external mechanical stimuli cause the variations of the number of effective conductive paths, which result in the changes of the electric resistance of composite films. The resistances of the MXene/WCNT composite films that carry the strain information about the external mechanical stimuli are monitored. In addition, we demonstrate the role of the conductive MXene networks and the WCNT networks in responding to the external mechanical stimuli. The MXene networks dominate the variations of the resistance of the strain sensors in the low strain range. In the middle strain range, the deformations of both the MXene networks and the WCNT networks are responsible for the variations of the resistance of the strain sensors. In the high strain range, an "island bridge" like conductive network forms, where MXenes act as islands and WCNTs connect the adjacent MXene islands like bridges. The multiple types of conductive networks lead to the high sensitivity of the MXene/WCNT-based strain sensors over a wide strain range and a wide response window. This stretchable strain sensor exhibits good performances in detecting human muscle motions with a wide strain range and has the potentials of being applicable to wearable electronics.

The prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index for patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy.

Background: Biomarkers acquired from blood samples are easy to obtain and cost-effective, have attracted considerable interest, and have been widely investigated. Inflammation plays a crucial role in cancer cell initiation, proliferation, and metastasis. We aimed to evaluate the association of the preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) with the clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed with bladder cancer and who underwent radical cystectomy (RC). Materials and methods: Data from patients diagnosed with bladder cancer and who underwent RC from December 2010 to May 2020 in West China Hospital were retrospectively collected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into a low-SII group and a high-SII group according to the SII level. Survival outcomes were obtained during follow-up. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Cox proportional hazard models were performed to estimate the effect of SII on OS and RFS and control for potential confoundings. Subgroup analyses were conducted, and the log likelihood ratio test was used to inspect the interaction. Results: A total of 725 patients who underwent RC were ultimately involved in this study. Of these patients, 621 (85.66%) were men and 104 (14.34%) were women. The median age was 65 years. The median follow-up was 36 months for OS and 33.6 months for RFS. The optimal cutoff value was identified as 554.23 × 109/l. A total of 467 (64.41%) patients were divided into the low-SII group (SII <554 × 109/l), and 258 (35.59%) patients were divided into the high-SII group (SII ≥554 × 109/l) accordingly. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression demonstrated that a high SII was an independent prognostic factor for worse OS (HR: 1.69 95% CI: 1.02-2.81, P = 0.0436) and RFS (HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.09-3.24, P = 0.0229) in NMIBC patients. A high SII was found to be an independent prognostic factor for worse RFS in patients with HBP (HR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.34-3.30, P = 0.0012), with DM (HR: 3.76, 95% CI: 1.73-8.15, P = 0.0008), and without PNI (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04-1.69, P = 0.0238). Conclusions: The SII was a potential prognostic predictor for bladder cancer patients who underwent RC. Further prospective multicenter investigations are warranted.