Conjugated polymers (CPs) have garnered increasing attention in the field of photocatalysis due to their stability and molecular tunability. Understanding the structure–property relationship in CPs ...and addressing appropriate molecular design strategies are pivotal to improving the photocatalytic performance of CPs. Herein, a new efficient cyano (CN) engineering approach was proposed to promote the photocatalytic performance of CPs, and three representative CP‐based photocatalysts with different CN contents were tailor‐made to investigate the relationship between CN functionalization and photocatalytic activity. A series of systematically experimental and theoretical studies reveal that CN functionalization contributes to strengthening the donor‐acceptor (D‐A) interaction, enhancing the light absorption ability, charge separation/transfer efficiency, and hydrophilicity of CPs, and also facilitating the output of separated photoinduced electrons from CPs to Pt cocatalyst. Thus, the dicyano‐functionalized polymer (P‐2CN) manifests an attractive photocatalytic performance in hydrogen production. This study provides a facile strategy to develop excellent CP‐based photocatalysts for solar fuel production.
Photocatalysis: The increase in the degree of CN functionalization can regulate the D‐A interaction with beneficial effects, such as broadened light absorption range, improved charge separation, enhanced interaction with Pt cocatalyst, and strengthened hydrophilicity, which achieves an excellent activity in the photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction.
Background
The contribution of B‐cell subsets and T‐B cell interaction to the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) and mechanisms of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) remain poorly understood. This ...study aimed to outline circulating B‐cell signature, the underlying mechanism, and its association with clinical response to AIT in patients with AR.
Methods
IgD/CD27 and CD24/CD38 core gating systems were used to determine frequencies and phenotypes of B cells. Correlations between B cells, T cells, antigen‐specific IgE, and disease severity in AR patients were investigated. Switched memory B cells were co‐cultured with type 2 follicular helper T (Tfh2) cells and follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells. Associations between B‐cell subsets and clinical benefits of AIT were analyzed.
Results
Frequencies and absolute numbers of circulating memory B cells were increased in AR patients. CD23 expression on CD19+CD20+CD27+IgD− switched memory B cells was significantly enhanced and positively correlated with antigen‐specific IgE levels, symptom scores, and Tfh2/Tfr cell ratio in AR patients. Compared with those from healthy controls, Tfh2 cells from AR patients had a greater capacity to induce CD23 expression on switched memory B cells via IL‐4, which was unable to be sufficiently suppressed by AR‐associated Tfr cells with defective IL‐10 expression. CD23 expression on switched memory B cells was downregulated after 12‐month AIT, which positively associated with disease remission in AR patients.
Conclusion
T‐B cell interaction, bridged by CD23 expression particularly on switched memory B cells, may be involved in the disease pathogenesis and mechanism of AIT in patients with AR.
Circulating memory B cells are increased in AR patients. The enhanced expression of CD23 on switched memory B cells correlates with antigen‐specific IgE levels, symptom scores, and allergen immunotherapy efficacy in AR patients. Tfh2 cells from AR patients have a greater capacity to induce CD23 expression on switched memory B cells via IL‐4, which is unable to be sufficiently suppressed by AR‐associated Tfr cells with defective IL‐10 expression.
Abbreviations: AIT, allergen immunotherapy; AR, allergic rhinitis; HC, healthy controls; NSM, nonswitched memory; SM, switched memory; Tfh2, type 2 follicular helper T cells; Tfr, follicular regulatory T cell.
The relationship between orexin/hypocretin and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep remains elusive. Here, we find that a proportion of orexin neurons project to the sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus (SLD) ...and exhibit REM sleep-related activation. In SLD, orexin directly excites orexin receptor-positive neurons (occupying ~3/4 of total-population) and increases gap junction conductance among neurons. Their interaction spreads the orexin-elicited partial-excitation to activate SLD network globally. Besides, the activated SLD network exhibits increased probability of synchronized firings. This synchronized excitation promotes the correspondence between SLD and its downstream target to enhance SLD output. Using optogenetics and fiber-photometry, we consequently find that orexin-enhanced SLD output prolongs REM sleep episodes through consolidating brain state activation/muscle tone inhibition. After chemogenetic silencing of SLD orexin signaling, a ~17% reduction of REM sleep amounts and disruptions of REM sleep muscle atonia are observed. These findings reveal a stabilization role of orexin in REM sleep.
Vacuum steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) was employed as a novel blanching technology on Cornus officinalis to soften the tissue for subsequent coring and dehydration. The current work aims to explore ...its effect on mass transfer behavior, PPO inactivation, drying characteristics, physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, and microstructure of C. officinalis. Results showed that VSPB increased water loss, decreased solid gain, and increased weight reduction with increased blanching cycles. Besides, VSPB significantly changed physical properties and extensively reduced drying time which was attributed to the cell wall components dissolving and cell turgor pressure decreasing, also verified by observing microstructure alteration. PPO was completely denatured after blanching in 6 cycles, but phenolic compounds were still diffused or degraded. Notably, the content of flavonoids and antioxidant capacity significantly increased compared to fresh samples probably due to increased extractability caused by the disrupting cell structure. Besides, the carotenoids and ascorbic acid could be well preserved.
Currently available echocardiographic reference values are derived mainly from North American and European population studies, and no echocardiographic reference values are available for the Chinese ...population. The aim of this study was to establish normal values of echocardiographic measurements of the cardiac chambers and great arteries in a nationwide, population-based cohort of healthy Han Chinese adults.
A total of 1,586 healthy Han Chinese volunteers aged 18 to 79 years were screened at 43 collaborating laboratories throughout China. Standard M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography was performed to obtain measurements of the cardiac chambers and great arteries. The impacts of gender and age on all echocardiographic measurements were analyzed.
A total of 1,394 qualified healthy subjects (mean age, 47.3 ± 16.0 years; 678 men) were ultimately enrolled. Except for left ventricular ejection fraction, values of cardiac chamber and great arterial dimensions were significantly higher in men than in women. Most measurements of the atrial and great arterial dimensions, left ventricular wall thickness, and left ventricular mass increased with age in both men and women.
Normal reference values of cardiac dimensional parameters were established for the first time in a nationwide, population-based cohort of healthy Han Chinese adults. Because most of these parameters were found to vary with gender and age, reference values stratified for gender and age should be used in clinical practice.
For the development of solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), it is highly desirable yet challenging to realize solution-processable non-doped thermally activated delayed ...fluorescence (TADF) emitters due to their high efficiency and excellent compatibility to the wet methods. Herein, two pairs of blue TADF isomers are designed and synthesized with a hetero-donor configuration for the realization of high photoluminescent quantum yield. The incorporation of two tert -butyl groups in the molecules can effectively increase the molecular solubility and reduce the aggregation-caused self-quenching of excitons in neat films by inhibiting the intramolecular vibrational relaxation and the intermolecular π–π stacking. Solution-processed non-doped OLEDs are achieved with these blue TADF emitters, exhibiting the record-high external quantum efficiencies (EQE) of 25.8%. Furthermore, an all-TADF white OLED with an EQE of 27.3% is also achieved by employing a single emitting layer with the blue TADF emitter as a host for an orange-red TADF dopant.
LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) is one of the most promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electric vehicles, which is successfully adopted in Tesla. However, the dissolution of ...the cation into the electrolyte is still a one of the major challenges (fading capacity and poor cyclability, etc.) presented in pristine NCA. Herein, a homogeneous nanoscale ZnO film is directly sputtered on the surface of NCA electrode via the magnetron sputtering (MS). This ZnO film is evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results clearly demonstrate that ZnO film is fully and uniformly covered on the NCA electrodes. After 90 cycles at 1.0C, the optimized MS-2min coated NCA electrode delivers much higher discharge capacity with 169 mAh g−1 than that of the pristine NCA electrode with 127 mAh g−1. In addition, the discharge capacity also reaches 166 mAh g−1 at 3.0C, as compared to that of 125 mAh g−1 for the pristine electrode. The improved electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the superiority of the MS ZnO film that reduce charge transfer resistance and protect the NCA electrode from cation dissolution.
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•ZnO coated LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) is prepared by magnetron sputtering (MS).•ZnO film is fully and conformally coated on the surface of NCA particles.•The cyclic performance and rate capability of NCA are greatly improved.•The optimized MS ZnO coated NCA is promising and economical for application.
The 2007 discovery of fragmentary human remains (two molars and an anterior mandible) at Zhirendong (Zhiren Cave) in South China provides insight in the processes involved in the establishment of ...modern humans in eastern Eurasia. The human remains are securely dated by U-series on overlying flowstones and a rich associated faunal sample to the initial Late Pleistocene, >100 kya. As such, they are the oldest modern human fossils in East Asia and predate by >60,000 y the oldest previously known modern human remains in the region. The Zhiren 3 mandible in particular presents derived modern human anterior symphyseal morphology, with a projecting tuber symphyseos, distinct mental fossae, modest lateral tubercles, and a vertical symphysis; it is separate from any known late archaic human mandible. However, it also exhibits a lingual symphyseal morphology and corpus robustness that place it close to later Pleistocene archaic humans. The age and morphology of the Zhiren Cave human remains support a modern human emergence scenario for East Asia involving dispersal with assimilation or populational continuity with gene flow. It also places the Late Pleistocene Asian emergence of modern humans in a pre-Upper Paleolithic context and raises issues concerning the long-term Late Pleistocene coexistence of late archaic and early modern humans across Eurasia.
Cobalt selenide has been developed as an effective cocatalyst to decorate visible light photocatalysts, including WO sub(3), BiVO sub(4) and g-C sub(3)N sub(4), establishing intense surface contact ...with substrates for the photocatalytic water oxidation reaction. Compared with CoOx and CoSx, CoSe sub(2) is superior for improving the photocatalytic water oxidation activity due to the lower anionic electronegativity, which leads to dense adhesion and enables fast interfacial charge transfer for the water oxidation reaction.
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