Dementia and metabolic syndrome: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition, while metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of metabolic abnormalities such as hypertension, high blood sugar, and obesity. There exists a connection and overlap between the two conditions in certain aspects, and both are influenced to varying degrees by the process of aging. This study presents an overview of the current research landscape regarding dementia and MetS through bibliometric analysis. Methods: A systematic search was conducted to retrieve relevant literature on dementia and MetS published between 1 January 2000, and 30 November 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Various bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R software package "bibliometrix," were utilized for analysis. Results: A total of 717 articles were identified, showing an upward trend in annual publications. Leading contributors included the United States, Italy, and China, with institutions such as the University of California System at the forefront. The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease emerged as the top publisher, while research published in Neurology garnered significant citations. Noteworthy authors encompassed Panza, Francesco; Frisardi, Vincenza; and Feldman, Eva L, with Kristine Yaffe being the most cited author (280 citations). Recent studies have focused on themes like "gut microbiota," "neuroinflammation," "fatty acids," and "microglia." Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis summarizes the foundational knowledge structure in the realm of dementia and MetS from 2000 to 2023. By highlighting current research frontiers and trending topics, this analysis serves as a valuable reference for researchers in the field.

Ion-Pair Engineering-Induced High Piezoelectricity in Bi4Ti3O12-Based High-Temperature Piezoceramics.

High-temperature piezoceramics are highly desirable for numerous technological applications ranging from the aerospace industry to the nuclear power sector. However, it is a grand challenge to achieve excellent piezoelectricity and high Curie temperature (Tc) simultaneously because there is a contradiction between the large piezoelectric coefficient and high Curie temperature in piezoceramics. Here, we provide a perspective via B-site ion-pair engineering to design piezoceramics with high performance for high-temperature applications. In bismuth-layered Bi4Ti2.93(Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.07O12 ceramics, high piezoelectricity of d33 = 30.5 pC/N (more than four times higher than that of pure Bi4Ti3O12 (d33 = 7.3 pC/N) ceramics) in conjunction with excellent thermal stability, high Curie temperature Tc = 657 °C, and large dc resistivity of ρ = 1.24 × 107 Ω·cm at 500 °C (three orders of magnitude larger than that of the pure Bi4Ti3O12 ceramics) are achieved by B-site Nb5+-Zn2+-Nb5+ ion-pair engineering. Excellent piezoelectricity is ascribed to sufficient orientation of the fine lamellar ferroelectric domain with the introduction of Nb5+-Zn2+-Nb5+ ion-pairs. The good temperature stability of d33 originates from the stability of the crystal structure and the robustness of the oriented ferroelectric domain. The significantly improved resistivity is due to the restricted mobility of oxygen vacancies. This work presents a brand-new technique for achieving high-temperature piezoceramics with high performance by B-site ion-pair engineering.

Light-absorbing and fluorescent properties of atmospheric brown carbon: A case study in Nanjing, China.

Brown carbon (BrC), a significant wavelength-dependent atmospheric absorber of solar radiation, plays a key role in photochemistry and long-lasting haze episodes. Herein, two types of BrC extracted from one-year PM2.5 samples (June 2017-May 2018 in Nanjing), i.e. methanol-extracted organic carbon (MSOC) and ultrapure water-extracted organic carbon (WSOC), were obtained to investigate distinct optical properties of atmospheric BrC. The extraction efficiency of BrC was as high as 91% in methanol solution, and the corresponding light absorption coefficient (Abs) of MSOC at 365 nm (Abs365-MSOC, 7.75 ± 3.95 Mm-1) was approximately 1.6 times that of WSOC (Abs365-WSOC, 4.84 ± 2.97 Mm-1), indicating that the water-insoluble compounds mostly affected the light absorption of BrC. The seasonal variations of Abs365-WSOC and Abs365-MSOC were followed the sequence of winter > spring > autumn > summer, due to the dominated emissions from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning in the cooling seasons. Additionally, four fluorescent chromophores in WSOC and MSOC, containing three humic-like chromophores and one protein-like chromophore, exhibited the highest fluorescent intensities in winter but weakest in summer. The lower humification index (HIX) in MSOC reflects that humic-like chromophores were preferentially water-soluble, in coordination with high degree of photo-oxidation and aromaticity. Fluorescence index (FI) of BrC was also higher in winter because of the effects of photo-bleaching, whereas biological index (BIX) remained stable throughout a year. Considering the correlation between primary organic carbon (POC) and secondary organic carbon (SOC), aside from the contribution of primary emissions, secondary formation has become another major source to atmospheric BrC in Nanjing.

Aerosol characteristics and sources in Yangzhou, China resolved by offline aerosol mass spectrometry and other techniques.

Detailed chemical characterization of fine aerosols (PM2.5) is important for reducing air pollution in densely populated areas, such as the Yangtze River Delta region in China. This study systematically analyzed PM2.5 samples collected during November 2015 to April 2016 in urban Yangzhou using a suite of techniques, in particular, an Aerodyne soot particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SP-AMS). The techniques used here reconstructed the majority of total PM2.5 measured where extracted species comprised on average 91.2%. Source analyses of inorganic components showed that secondary nitrate, sulfate and chloride were the major species, while primary sources including biomass burning, coal combustion, traffic, industry and re-suspended dust due to nearby demolition activities, could contribute to other species. EC-tracer method estimated that the organic matter (OM) was composed of 65.4% secondary OM (SOM) and 34.6% primary OM (POM), while the SP-AMS analyses showed that the OM was comprised of 60.3% water-soluble OM (WSOM) and 39.7% water-insoluble OM (WIOM). Correlation analyses suggested that WSOM might be rich in secondary organic species, while WIOM was likely mainly comprised of primary organic species. We further conducted positive matrix factorization (PMF) analyses on the WSOM, and identified three primary factors including traffic, cooking and biomass burning, and two secondary factors. We found the secondary factors dominated WSOM mass (68.1%), and their mass contributions increased with the increase of WSOM concentrations. Relatively small contribution of primary sources to WSOM was probably due to their low water solubility, which should be investigated further in future. Overall, our findings improve understanding of the complex aerosol sources and chemistry in this region.