Ultrathin High-Entropy Fe-Based Spinel Oxide Nanosheets with Metalloid Band Structures for Efficient Nitrate Reduction toward Ammonia.

Spinel oxides with tunable chemical compositions have emerged as versatile electrocatalysts, however their performance is greatly limited by small surface area and low electron conductivity. Here, ultrathin high-entropy Fe-based spinel oxides nanosheets are rationally designed (i.e., (Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2Mg0.2Cu0.2)Fe2O4; denotes A5Fe2O4) in thickness of ≈4.3 nm with large surface area and highly exposed active sites via a modified sol-gel method. Theoretic and experimental results confirm that the bandgap of A5Fe2O4 nanosheets is significantly smaller than that of ordinary Fe-based spinel oxides, realizing the transformation of binary spinel oxide from semiconductors to metalloids. As a result, such A5Fe2O4 nanosheets manifest excellent performance for the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3 -RR) to ammonia (NH3), with a NH3 yield rate of ≈2.1 mmol h-1 cm-2 at -0.5 V versus Reversible hydrogen electrode, outperforming other spinel-based electrocatalysts. Systematic mechanism investigations reveal that the NO3 -RR is mainly occurred on Fe sites, and introducing high-entropy compositions in tetrahedral sites regulates the adsorption strength of N and O-related intermediates on Fe for boosting the NO3 -RR. The above findings offer a high-entropy platform to regulate the bandgap and enhance the electrocatalytic performance of spinel oxides.

Bridging Together Theoretical and Experimental Perspectives in Single-Atom Alloys for Electrochemical Ammonia Production.

Ammonia is an essential commodity in the food and chemical industry. Despite the energy-intensive nature, the Haber-Bosch process is the only player in ammonia production at large scales. Developing other strategies is highly desirable, as sustainable and decentralized ammonia production is crucial. Electrochemical ammonia production by directly reducing nitrogen and nitrogen-based moieties powered by renewable energy sources holds great potential. However, low ammonia production and selectivity rates hamper its utilization as a large-scale ammonia production process. Creating effective and selective catalysts for the electrochemical generation of ammonia is critical for long-term nitrogen fixation. Single-atom alloys (SAAs) have become a new class of materials with distinctive features that may be able to solve some of the problems with conventional heterogeneous catalysts. The design and optimization of SAAs for electrochemical ammonia generation have recently been significantly advanced. This comprehensive review discusses these advancements from theoretical and experimental research perspectives, offering a fundamental understanding of the development of SAAs for ammonia production.

Effects of intravenous rtPA in patients with minor stroke.

BACKGROUND: Whether minor ischemic stroke (MIS) patients can benefit from intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remains controversial. The association between the efficacy of IVT and baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score is unclear in MIS, while the association in moderate and severe stroke is known. This study aimed to explore the effect of IVT in patients with MIS and analyze its efficacy in patients with different baseline NIHSS scores. METHODS: Patients with a NIHSS score ≤5 within 4.5 h of stroke onset were screened in 32 centers. Patients with and without IVT were matched to a ratio of 1:1 with propensity scores. An excellent outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤1 at three months after stroke onset. Safety outcomes included mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Multivariate analysis was used to compute the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for excellent outcomes. The effect of IVT was further analyzed in subgroups according to the baseline NIHSS score. RESULTS: Of the 23,853 screened, 3336 patients with MIS who arrived at the hospital within 4.5 h of onset were included. The 1163 patients treated with IVT were matched with 1163 patients without IVT. IVT in minor strokes generated an adjusted OR of 1.38 (95% CI: 1.09-1.75, p = 0.009) for excellent outcomes. There were no significant differences in mortality (0.17% vs. 0.09%, p = 1.000) and sICH (0.69% vs. 0.86%, p = 0.813) between patients with and without IVT. Subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant effect of IVT in the baseline NIHSS 0-1 or 2-3 subgroups, with adjusted OR of 0.816 (95% CI 0.437-1.53, p = 0.525) and1.22 (95% CI 0.845-1.77, p = 0.287), respectively. In patients with NIHSS score of 4-5, IVT was significantly effective, with an adjusted OR of 1.53 (95% CI 1.02-2.30, p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: IVT can improve MIS outcomes. The risks of sICH and mortality did not increase, especially in patients with NIHSS scores 4 to 5, who could benefit from IVT significantly.

Overall, intravenous thrombolysis can improve the outcomes of patients with minor stroke.Minor stroke patients with a baseline NIHSS score of 4-5 can benefit the most from intravenous thrombolysis.

Borophene Embedded Cellulose Paper for Enhanced Photothermal Water Evaporation and Prompt Bacterial Killing.

Solar-driven photothermal water evaporation is considered an elegant and sustainable technology for freshwater production. The existing systems, however, often suffer from poor stability and biofouling issues, which severely hamper their prospects in practical applications. Conventionally, photothermal materials are deposited on the membrane supports via vacuum-assisted filtration or dip-coating methods. Nevertheless, the weak inherent material-membrane interactions frequently lead to poor durability, and the photothermal material layer can be easily peeled off from the hosting substrates or partially dissolved when immersed in water. In the present article, the discovery of the incorporation of borophene into cellulose nanofibers (CNF), enabling excellent environmental stability with a high light-to-heat conversion efficiency of 91.5% and water evaporation rate of 1.45 kg m-2 h-1 under simulated sunlight is reported. It is also demonstrated that borophene papers can be employed as an excellent active photothermal material for eliminating almost 100% of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria within 20 min under three sun irradiations. The result opens a new direction for the design of borophene-based papers with unique photothermal properties which can be used for the effective treatment of a wide range of wastewaters.

Emerging Trends of Carbon-Based Quantum Dots: Nanoarchitectonics and Applications.

Carbon-based quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a fascinating class of advanced materials with a unique combination of optoelectronic, biocompatible, and catalytic characteristics, apt for a plethora of applications ranging from electronic to photoelectrochemical devices. Recent research works have established carbon-based QDs for those frontline applications through improvements in materials design, processing, and device stability. This review broadly presents the recent progress in the synthesis of carbon-based QDs, including carbon QDs, graphene QDs, graphitic carbon nitride QDs and their heterostructures, as well as their salient applications. The synthesis methods of carbon-based QDs are first introduced, followed by an extensive discussion of the dependence of the device performance on the intrinsic properties and nanostructures of carbon-based QDs, aiming to present the general strategies for device designing with optimal performance. Furthermore, diverse applications of carbon-based QDs are presented, with an emphasis on the relationship between band alignment, charge transfer, and performance improvement. Among the applications discussed in this review, much focus is given to photo and electrocatalytic, energy storage and conversion, and bioapplications, which pose a grand challenge for rational materials and device designs. Finally, a summary is presented, and existing challenges and future directions are elaborated.

The association between serum orexin A and short-term neurological improvement in patients with mild to moderate acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: The serum orexin A level was significantly lower among patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and negatively related to the volume of the infarction, but the relationship between serum orexin A and prognosis of AIS was still unclear. We aimed to clarify the association between serum orexin A and the short-term neurological improvement in patients with mild to moderate AIS. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled patients with first ever mild to moderate AIS admitted to hospital within 48 h from symptom onset in this prospective observational study. The serum orexin A concentrations were determined on the second morning since the admission. The short-term neurological improvement was defined as more than 1 point decrease in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score within 7 days after admission. RESULTS: We detected increased serum orexin A level in mild to moderate AIS patients with early onset of stroke-related insomnia (33.44 vs 18.66 pg/ml, p = .004) as well as in patients with short-term neurological improvement compared to those without improvement (31.78 vs 16.24 pg/ml, p = .038). The serum orexin A level was positively associated with the short-term neurological improvement after adjusting for sleep condition and other related variables. CONCLUSION: Serum orexin A might be a useful biomarker for the assessment of early prognosis in patients with mild to moderate AIS.

Surface acoustic wave induced phenomena in two-dimensional materials.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW)-matter interaction provides a fascinating key for inducing and manipulating novel phenomena and functionalities in two-dimensional (2D) materials. The dynamic strain field and piezo-electric field associated with propagating SAWs determine the coherent manipulation and transduction between 2D excitons and phonons. Over the past decade, many intriguing acoustic-induced effects, including the acousto-electric effect, acousto-galvanic effect, acoustic Stark effect, acoustic Hall effect and acoustic exciton transport, have been reported experimentally. However, many more phenomena, such as the valley acousto-electric effect, valley acousto-electric Hall effect and acoustic spin Hall effect, were only theoretically proposed, the experimental verification of which are yet to be achieved. In this minireview, we attempt to overview the recent breakthrough of SAW-induced phenomena covering acoustic charge transport, acoustic exciton transport and modulation, and coherent acoustic phonons. Perspectives on the opportunities of the proposed SAW-induced phenomena, as well as open experimental challenges, are also discussed, attempting to offer some guidelines for experimentalists and theorists to explore the desired exotic properties and boost practical applications of 2D materials.

Clinical factors associated with cerebral autoregulation in ischemic stroke related to small artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND: Existing data suggest that cerebral autoregulation (CA) varies among different subtypes of ischaemic stroke. CA is globally impaired in patients with small artery occlusion (SAO). However, the factors influencing CA impairment in patients remains to be elucidated. METHODS: Stroke patients with SAO who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were prospectively studied. Within 7 days after stroke onset, CA was recorded from the middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity and arterial blood pressure was simultaneously measured. Transfer function analysis was used to derive CA parameters, including gain and phase. Clinical characteristics, mean arterial pressure (MAP), biochemical findings, and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) markers on MRI were assessed in each patient. Factors associated with CA parameters were investigated. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between clinical factors and CA parameters. RESULTS: Sixty-three SAO patients (age, 56.3 ± 9.9 years; 55 men) were enrolled in the study. In the multiple linear regression analysis, after controlling for relevant clinical factors, MAP on admission (ipsilateral OR = 0.99 and contralateral OR = 0.99, both P < 0.005) was a significant independent predictor of bilateral gain. MAP > 105 mmHg on admission (OR = 0.77, P = 0.019) was significantly associated with ipsilateral gain. Diabetes mellitus was a significant predictive factor for bilateral gain (ipsilateral OR = 1.32 and contralateral OR = 1.22, both P < 0.005). No correlations were found between CA parameters and CSVD characteristics. CONCLUSION: In SAO-related ischaemic stroke, patients with MAP > 105 mmHg on admission tended to have better ipsilateral CA. Diabetes mellitus appears to be an independent risk factor for CA impairment in patients with SAO-related stroke. CSVD may not be the main factor affecting bilateral CA in patients with SAO.

Low-Dimensional Metal-Halide Perovskites as High-Performance Materials for Memory Applications.

Metal-halide perovskites have drawn profuse attention during the past decade, owing to their excellent electrical and optical properties, facile synthesis, efficient energy conversion, and so on. Meanwhile, the development of information storage technologies and digital communications has fueled the demand for novel semiconductor materials. Low-dimensional perovskites have offered a new force to propel the developments of the memory field due to the excellent physical and electrical properties associated with the reduced dimensionality. In this review, the mechanisms, properties, as well as stability and performance of low-dimensional perovskite memories, involving both molecular-level perovskites and structure-level nanostructures, are comprehensively reviewed. The property-performance correlation is discussed in-depth, aiming to present effective strategies for designing memory devices based on this new class of high-performance materials. Finally, the existing challenges and future opportunities are presented.

Ordered Mesoporous Boron Carbon Nitrides with Tunable Mesopore Nanoarchitectonics for Energy Storage and CO2 Adsorption Properties.

Porous boron carbon nitride (BCN) is one of the exciting systems with unique electrochemical and adsorption properties. However, the synthesis of low-cost and porous BCN with tunable porosity is challenging, limiting its full potential in a variety of applications. Herein, the preparation of well-defined mesoporous boron carbon nitride (MBCN) with high specific surface area, tunable pores, and nitrogen contents is demonstrated through a simple integration of chemical polymerization of readily available sucrose and borane ammonia complex (BAC) through the nano-hard-templating approach. The bimodal pores are introduced in MBCN by controlling the self-organization of BAC and sucrose molecules within the nanochannels of the template. It is found that the optimized sample shows a high specific capacitance (296 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 ), large specific capacity for sodium-ion battery (349 mAg h-1 at 50 mAh g-1 ), and excellent CO2 adsorption capacity (27.14 mmol g-1 at 30 bar). Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that different adsorption sites (BC, BN, CN, and CC) and the large specific surface area strongly support the high adsorption capacity. This finding offers an innovative breakthrough in the design and development of MBCN nanostructures for energy storage and carbon capture applications.

Multi-Site Infant Brain Segmentation Algorithms: The iSeg-2019 Challenge.

To better understand early brain development in health and disorder, it is critical to accurately segment infant brain magnetic resonance (MR) images into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Deep learning-based methods have achieved state-of-the-art performance; h owever, one of the major limitations is that the learning-based methods may suffer from the multi-site issue, that is, the models trained on a dataset from one site may not be applicable to the datasets acquired from other sites with different imaging protocols/scanners. To promote methodological development in the community, the iSeg-2019 challenge (http://iseg2019.web.unc.edu) provides a set of 6-month infant subjects from multiple sites with different protocols/scanners for the participating methods. T raining/validation subjects are from UNC (MAP) and testing subjects are from UNC/UMN (BCP), Stanford University, and Emory University. By the time of writing, there are 30 automatic segmentation methods participated in the iSeg-2019. In this article, 8 top-ranked methods were reviewed by detailing their pipelines/implementations, presenting experimental results, and evaluating performance across different sites in terms of whole brain, regions of interest, and gyral landmark curves. We further pointed out their limitations and possible directions for addressing the multi-site issue. We find that multi-site consistency is still an open issue. We hope that the multi-site dataset in the iSeg-2019 and this review article will attract more researchers to address the challenging and critical multi-site issue in practice.

Prognostic nomogram for patients with minor stroke and transient ischaemic attack.

BACKGROUND: Ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) share a common cause. We aim to develop and validate a concise prognostic nomogram for patients with minor stroke and TIA. METHODS: A total of 994 patients with minor stroke and TIA were included. They were split into a derivation (n=746) and validation (n=248) cohort. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores 3 months after onset were used to assess the prognosis as unfavourable outcome (mRS≥2) or favourable outcome (mRS<2). RESULT: The final model included seven independent predictors: gender, age, baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, white blood cell and serum uric acid. The Harrell's concordance index (C-index) of the nomogram for predicting the outcome was 0.775 (95% CI 0.735 to 0.814), which was confirmed by the validation cohort (C-index=0.787 (95% CI 0.722 to 0.853)). The calibration curve showed that the nomogram-based predictions were consistent with actual observation in both derivation cohort and validation cohort. CONCLUSION: The proposed nomogram showed favourable predictive accuracy for minor stroke and TIA. This has the potential to contribute to clinical decision-making.

Smoking Status Affects the Association Between Hematoma Heterogeneity and Hematoma Expansion.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to verify the relationship between hematoma heterogeneity and hematoma expansion and explore any effect modifiers through subgroup analyses. METHODS: Clinical records of 357 patients with spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage at Shenzhen Second People's Hospital from March 2016 to October 2018 were included in the study. Hematoma heterogeneity was measured on the first noncontrast computed tomography image according to the Barras scale. Hematoma expansion was defined as an absolute hematoma volume increase of 6 mL, or a 33% increase. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, as well as subgroup analyses, to assess the relationship between the presence of heterogeneity on noncontrast computed tomography and hematoma expansion. RESULTS: Hematoma expansion occurred in 79 (22.13%) of the 357 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Among the patients with ICH, there were 83 smokers, accounting for 23.24%. The average patient age was 56.21 ± 13.75 years, and 74.51% were male. Compared with the absence of heterogeneity, the risk of hematoma expansion increased by 1.06 times (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-3.86). Based on the subgroup analysis, smoking status was found to modify the association between heterogeneity and hematoma expansion; the association was stronger in smokers than in nonsmokers (odds ratio, 10.23; 95% confidence interval, 2.15-48.65). CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneity independently predicts hematoma expansion, especially in smoking patients.

Identification and Clinical Analysis of the First Nonsense Mutation in the PSEN1 Gene in a Family With Acute Encephalopathy and Retinitis Pigmentosa.

In the present study, we investigated the genetic variation in a family with acute encephalopathy and retinitis pigmentosa. Nine of 25 people in this family underwent genetic testing. Three family members, namely, the proband and the proband's two sisters, showed symptoms resembling those of meningoencephalitis and simultaneously suffered from retinitis pigmentosa. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing identified a heterozygous mutation, chr14: 73673106 c.881G>A (p.W294*), in the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene in these three family members, and the SWISS-MODEL server predicted the formation of a truncated protein. This mutation was not found in the asymptomatic family members. This mutation is a newly discovered nonsense mutation that results in a truncated protein. Although the current genetic evidences may indicate the likelihood of association, further investigations are needed to establish the genotype and phenotype relationship.

Assessing the risk of ASFV entry into Japan through pork products illegally brought in by air passengers from China and fed to pigs in Japan.

A risk assessment was conducted to assess the risk of ASFV entry into Japan through pork products illegally brought in by air passengers from China and fed to pigs in Japan. Scenario tree modelling was used with the following entry and exposure pathway considered to be the most likely route of ASF entry: an ASFV infected pork product is illegally brought into Japan by air travellers from China; this pork product is then used in a restaurant where scrap waste is recycled for animal feed and subsequently fed to pigs without being heat-treated. Input parameter values were based on surveys conducted by the authors, scientific data gathered from the literature and official data published by government agencies. The annual probability of ASFV entry into Japan via this pathway was predicted to be 0.20 (90% prediction interval: 0.00-0.90). The wide prediction interval was mainly caused by the uncertainty regarding the dose response relation of ASFV, followed by the probability of an ASF infected pig dying on affected farms, the loading of ASFV in an infected pig and the probability of an illegally imported pork product being heat-treated in China and used in restaurants. The results of scenario analysis revealed that the annual probability of ASFV entry into Japan will increase with an increase in the number of ASF affected farms in China. The probability of ASFV entry will increase substantially even if only a small proportion of Ecofeed is not heat-treated during the production process. The probability will decrease if an increased proportion of farms that feed swill apply heat-treatment before feeding swill to their pigs. These findings indicate that stringent application of heat-treatment of Ecofeed and swill is key to protecting the Japanese pig industry from the introduction of ASFV.

Effects of Baseline Systolic Blood Pressure on Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients With Intravenous Thrombolysis Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) is an important parameter that can significantly influence the outcome in ischemic stroke patients who received intravenous thrombolysis, but the target baseline SBP for optimal outcome is uncertain. This study aimed to assess the relationship between baseline SBP and outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies that evaluated the association between the baseline SBP and the outcome of patients undergoing thrombolytic therapy were sought. Data were extracted according to a predefined data extraction form and then analyzed by STATA 12.0 software. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of good outcomes measured by a modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months, while the secondary endpoint was the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage and death. RESULTS: Eleven studies involving a total of 33,263 patients were included. Pooled data suggested that the odds of good outcome was decreased by 7% per 10 mm Hg increase in baseline SBP (odds ratio=0.93; 95% confidence interval: 0.91-0.94; P<0.001). Patients with higher baseline SBP were more likely to have intracranial hemorrhage (odds ratio=1.12 per 10 mm Hg increase; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.16, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that lower baseline SBP may be positively associated with a greater chance of good outcome and less chance of intracranial hemorrhage. However, this effect was reliable only when the baseline SBP was within a certain range, which has not been explicitly stated. Therefore, more well-designed studies are needed to define the optimal baseline SBP.

A questionnaire survey of the illegal importation of pork products by air travelers into Japan from China and exploration of causal factors.

With the aim of obtaining information to establish an import risk assessment on African swine fever (ASF) and other transboundary animal diseases (TADs) into Japan, a questionnaire survey was conducted between 1 August and 20 September 2019 on air travellers arriving into Japan from China. There were 248 responses with 2.8 % of respondents illegally importing pork products. The quantity imported per traveller varied between 250 g and 2 kg. Concerning the travellers' perception in regard to the difficulty of importing a pork product in their luggage, 32 respondents (12.9 %) considered it very easy or rather easy and 216 (87.1 %) very difficult or rather difficult. In regard to the recognition of respondents of the illegality of importing pork products into Japan, seven respondents (2.8 %) did not consider this practice to be illegal whilst 241 (97.2 %) had some idea of the illegal nature of this behaviour. The regression analysis revealed that the practice of illegal importation of pork products was significantly affected by the level of difficulty perception held by the traveller (P < 0.001) and that the difficulty perception is significantly affected by the level of recognition of illegality by the traveller (P < 0.001). The result of this study will not only provide useful data in developing a model to assess the probability of introduction of ASF and other TADs into Japan and other countries, but also in monitoring the effect of measures taken by the government to reduce the illegal importation of meat and meat products.

Antimicrobial usage on 72 farrow-to-finish pig farms in Japan from 2015 to 2017.

In Japan veterinary antimicrobials are used most in the pig production sector. However, there is a paucity of data on the quantity of antimicrobials used on pig farms in Japan. This study describes antimicrobial use on Japanese pig farms in 2015, 2016 and 2017 in terms of mg of active ingredient per kg of PCU (population correction unit). Data on antimicrobial use from a total of 72 farrow-to finish farms over these three years were used in the study. The results revealed that the average use of antimicrobials in 2015, 2016 and 2017 was 304.8 (SD = 226.3), 311.2 (SD = 241.0) and 342.9 (SD = 291.3) mg/kg PCU, respectively. Most (97%) of the antimicrobials were administered orally. The most commonly used antimicrobials were tetracyclines, followed by macrolides, penicillins and sulfonamides. Tohoku was the region in which the lowest quantities of antimicrobial were used whilst South Kanto was the region in which the largest amount was used. The use of antimicrobials was on the increase in the North Kanto, South Kanto and Kyushu regions.