The electrochemical performance of Na0.45Ni0.22Co0.11Mn0.66O2 in an ionic liquid-based electrolytic solutions is reported and compared with that obtained in a conventional, carbonate-based ...electrolyte. Even at ambient temperature, the Na-ion intercalation material reveals a much better electrochemical performance in 10 mol% NaTFSI (or 0.45 M) in PYR14FSI electrolyte than 0.5 M NaPF6 in PC electrolyte in terms of specific capacity and cycling stability. In particular, the electrodes cycled in the IL-based electrolyte combine a capacity retention of about 80% after 100 cycles with high specific capacities (about 200 mAh g-1) and high average voltage (2.7 V vs. Na/Na+), demonstrating that Na0.45Ni0.22Co0.11Mn0.66O2 is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries.
Modern industrial agriculture is strongly influenced by product norms and standards, resulting in massive amounts of fresh fruit that is left in the field or wasted in spite of their good nutritional ...value. Herein, we present the synthesis of hard carbon from natural apple biowaste, and its use of biomass is a suitable strategy for the development of cheap and powerful carbon‐based active materials for Na‐ion batteries. The hard carbon exhibits a good rate capability 112 mAh g−1 at 5 C (1 A g−1), excellent long‐term cycling stability (1000 cycles at 5 C), and high specific capacity (245 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) with full retention after 80 cycles. The full capacity (250 mAh g−1) of the hard carbon is also obtained in Na‐ion cells by using the layered P2‐type NaxNi0.22Co0.11Mn0.66O2 cathode. The good electrochemical performance as well as the low cost and environmental friendliness of the apple‐biowaste‐derived hard carbon proves its suitability for future Na‐ion batteries.
How do you like them apples? The sustainable use of natural resources is indispensable for future energy storage. As a step towards the utilization of biowaste, hard carbon produced from waste apples is demonstrated to be a high‐performance active material for Na‐ion batteries.
Liver transplantation is an optimal radical therapy for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The stringent organ allocation system driven by the Milan criteria has been challenged by ...alternative sets of expanded criteria. Careful analysis is needed to prove that the Milan criteria can be expanded safely and effectively.
This study collectively reviewed 6012 patients of hepatocellular carcinoma from the China Liver Transplant Registry. Expanded criteria were evaluated to characterise an optimised expansion with acceptable outcomes beyond the Milan criteria.
Compared with the Milan criteria, Valencia, University of California, San Francisco, University Clinic of Navarra and Hangzhou criteria provided an expansion of 12.4%, 16.3%, 19.6%, and 51.5%, respectively. The post-transplant survivals of patients fulfilling the expanded criteria were comparable to that of the Milan criteria. The analysis of net reclassification improvement and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves showed an excellent efficiency in recurrence prediction for the expanded criteria compared with the Milan criteria. In patients exceeding Milan but fulfilling the Hangzhou criteria (N=1352), α-fetoprotein (AFP) >100 ng/mL and tumour burden>8 cm were the only two independent prognostic factors (p<0.001). Accordingly, the Hangzhou criteria were stratified as type A (tumour burden ≤8 cm, or tumour burden >8 cm but AFP≤100 ng/mL) and type B (tumour burden >8 cm but AFP between 100 and 400 ng/mL). Type A showed significantly higher 5-year tumour-free survival rates compared with type B (p<0.001).
The Milan criteria can be expanded safely and effectively. The prognostic stratification system based on the Hangzhou criteria serves as a hierarchy of transplant candidates for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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•Two flavonoids were discovered as characteristic markers for Am monofloral honey.•A combined untargeted and targeted MS method was used for marker identification.•Calycosin exerted ...excellent antioxidant activity in free radical scavenging assays.
Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus Hsiao (Am) is a widely used traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The monofloral honey from Am plant nectar collected by honeybees (MH-Am) has potential medicinal activities. Quality control of MH-Am requires discovery of characteristic markers. In this study, calycosin and formononetin were identified as reliable chemical markers for MH-Am authentication, which were shared with its plant (P-Am), but absent in other honeys based on untargeted mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. The contents of calycosin and formononetin in MH-Am, other honeys and P-Am were determined through a targeted MS-based quantitative approach. Furthermore, free radical scavenging assays showed that calycosin functioned directly in the antioxidative activity of MH-Am. Thus, calycosin has great potential to be certified as a bioactive marker contributing to future quality control of commercial MH-Am products.
Shale with high quartz, feldspar and carbonate, will have low Poisson＇s ratio, high Young＇s modulus and high brittleness. As a result, the shale is conducive to produce natural and induced fractures ...under external forces. In general, there is a good correlation between fracture development in shale and the volume of brittle minerals present. Shale with high TOC or abnormally high pressure has well-developed fractures. Shale fracture development also shows a positive correlation with total gas accumulation and free gas volume, i.e., the better shale fractures are developed, the greater the gas accumulation and therefore the higher the gas production. Fractures provide migration conduits and accumulation spaces for natural gas and formation water, which are favorable for the volumetric increase of free natural gas. Wider fractures in shale result in gas loss. In North America, there is a high success ratio of shale gas exploration and high gas production from high-angle fracture zones in shale. Good natural gas shows or low yield producers in the Lower Paleozoic marine organic matter-rich rocks in the Sichuan Basin are closely related to the degree of fracture development in brittle shales.
Abstract
Some specific chemotherapeutic drugs are able to enhance tumor immunogenicity and facilitate antitumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). However, tumor immunosuppression ...induced by the adenosine pathway hampers this effect. In this study, E-selectin-modified thermal-sensitive micelles are designed to co-deliver a chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin, DOX) and an A2A adenosine receptor antagonist (SCH 58261), which simultaneously exhibit chemo-immunotherapeutic effects when applied with microwave irradiation. After intravenous injection, the fabricated micelles effectively adhere to the surface of leukocytes in peripheral blood mediated by E-selectin, and thereby hitchhiking with leukocytes to achieve a higher accumulation at the tumor site. Further, local microwave irradiation is applied to induce hyperthermia and accelerates the release rate of drugs from micelles. Rapidly released DOX induces tumor ICD and elicits tumor-specific immunity, while SCH 58261 alleviates immunosuppression caused by the adenosine pathway, further enhancing DOX-induced antitumor immunity. In conclusion, this study presents a strategy to increase the tumor accumulation of drugs by hitchhiking with leukocytes, and the synergistic strategy of chemo-immunotherapy not only effectively arrested primary tumor growth, but also exhibited superior effects in terms of antimetastasis, antirecurrence and antirechallenge.
Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases tend to show alteration of lipid profiles. It remains unknown whether dietary intake with specific lipids, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin ...(SM), have distinguishable effects against IBD. Here, a preclinical study using dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice model was applied to explore/compare the effects by PC, and SM. Results showed that PC treatment (p.o., 30 mg/kg b.w., 15 d) exerted higher inhibitory activity than the same dosage of SM supplementation on colonic tissue lesions and pro-inflammatory cytokines expressions induced by DSS. Integrative analysis of the metabolome and microbiome indicated that PC and SM supplementation could modulate endogenous tryptophan metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, purine metabolism, bile secretion, as well as vitamin digestion and absorption, closely correlated with their regulation on the abundance of Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Dubosiella, Turicibacter, and Parasutterella communities in the gut. Based on these data, PC is a more promising candidate for preventing colitis than SM. Our findings provided a scientific foundation for further clinical research to screen more efficient dietary intervention strategy for colitis prevention.
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•We analysed the potential floral markers of the selected honey samples.•We established the fingerprints of the monofloral honey samples.•The classification was performed using phenolic acids and ...common chromatography peaks.•We demonstrated the accuracy of the method by using 41 test specimens.
A total of 77 jujube, longan and chaste honey samples were collected from 18 different areas of China. Thirteen types of phenolic acids in the honey samples were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC–ECD). Moreover, HPLC–ECD fingerprints of the monofloral honey samples were established. From the analysis of the HPLC–ECD fingerprints, common chromatography peak information was obtained, and principal component analysis and discriminant analysis were performed using selected common chromatography peak areas as variables. By comparing with phenolic acids as variables, using a chemometric analysis which is based on the use of common chromatography peaks as variables, 36 honey samples and 41 test samples could be correctly identified according to their floral origin.
Sulfoxaflor is a novel sulfoximine insecticide which is widely used to control crop pests. Risk assessments have reported its high toxicity to pollinators. However, sulfoxaflor is not persistent in ...the environment and few studies have addressed its negative effects on larval and newly emerged honeybees at environmentally relevant concentrations. In the present study, the sublethal effects of a sulfoxaflor commercial product, Isoclast™ Active, were evaluated in the laboratory using larvae and newly emerged worker honeybees. The results of 96-h acute toxicity showed that Isoclast is moderately toxic to adult bees, and it could induce significant death and growth failure of larvae after continuous dietary intake. In addition, Isoclast induced significant changes in antioxidative (SOD, CAT), lipid peroxidation (POD, LPO, MDA), detoxification (GST, GR, GSH) and signal transduction-related (AChE, ACh) enzymes or products both in larvae and adult honey bees under residue levels. Here we firstly reported the lethal and sublethal effects of commercial sulfoxaflor to honeybees’ larvae and young workers. All these findings revealed the potential risks of sulfoxaflor residue in environment to honey bees, and may also to other pollinators. This is a laboratory mimic studies, and further studies are still needed to investigate the risks and in-depth mechanisms of sulfoxaflor to bees in field.
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•Sulfoxaflor disrupted the development of bee larvae and led to eclosion failure.•Exposure to μg/L levels of sulfoxaflor for 14 days resulted in death of adult bees.•Sulfoxaflor induced significant oxidative stress both in larval and adult bees.•Honeybee larvae are a sensitive model for pollution assessment.
Antimony (Sb) represents a promising anode for K-ion batteries (KIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity and suitable working voltage. However, the large volume change that occurs in the ...potassiation/depotassiation process can lead to severe capacity fading. Herein, we report a high-capacity anode material by in situ confining Sb nanoparticles in a three-dimensional carbon framework (3D SbNPs@C) via a template-assisted freeze-drying treatment and subsequent carbothermic reduction. The as-prepared 3D SbNPs@C hybrid material delivers high reversible capacity and good cycling stability when used as the anode for KIBs. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry and in situ X-ray diffraction analysis were performed to reveal the intrinsic mechanism of a K-Sb alloying reaction. Therefore, this work is of great importance to understand the electrochemical process of the Sb-based alloying reaction and will pave the way for the exploration of high performance KIB anode materials.
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