Vanadium trioxide (V6O13) cathode has recently aroused intensive interest for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their structural and electrochemical diversities. However, it undergoes ...sluggish reaction kinetics and significant capacity decay during prolonged cycling. Herein, an oxygen‐vacancy‐reinforced heterojunction in V6O13−x/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) cathode is designed through electrostatic assembly and annealing strategy. The abundant oxygen vacancies existing in V6O13−x weaken the electrostatic attraction with the inserted Zn2+; the external electric field constructed by the heterointerfaces between V6O13−x and rGO provides additional built‐in driving force for Zn2+ migration; the oxygen‐vacancy‐enriched V6O13−x highly dispersed on rGO fabricates the interconnected conductive network, which achieves rapid Zn2+ migration from heterointerfaces to lattice. Consequently, the obtained 2D heterostructure exhibits a remarkable capacity of 424.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and a stable capacity retention (96% after 5800 cycles) at the fast discharge rate of 10 A g−1. Besides, a flexible pouch‐type AZIB with real‐life practicability is fabricated, which can successfully power commercial products, and maintain stable zinc‐ion storage performances even under bending, heavy strikes, and pressure condition. A series of quantitative investigation of pouch batteries demonstrates the possibility of pushing pouch‐type AZIBs to realistic energy storage market.
The oxygen‐vacancy‐reinforced V6O13−x/reduced graphene oxide heterojunction cathode with interconnected conductive network demonstrates the superior rate capability and cycling stability for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs). Significantly, the encapsulated flexible pouch‐type AZIBs can effectively power for the tablet, confirming the vast commercialization potential.
The technique of attaching the polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG), or PEGylation, has brought more than ten protein drugs into market. The surface conjugation of PEG on proteins prolongs their blood ...circulation time and reduces immunogenicity by increasing their hydrodynamic size and masking surface epitopes. Despite this success, an emerging body of literature highlights the presence of antibodies produced by the immune system that specifically recognize and bind to PEG (anti-PEG Abs), including both pre-existing and treatment-induced Abs. More importantly, the existence of anti-PEG Abs has been correlated with loss of therapeutic efficacy and increase in adverse effects in several clinical reports examining different PEGylated therapeutics. To better understand the nature of anti-PEG immunity, we summarize a number of clinical reports and some critical animal studies regarding pre-existing and treatment-induced anti-PEG Abs. Various anti-PEG detection methods used in different studies were provided. Several protein modification technologies beyond PEGylation were also highlighted.
Display omitted
Non-reciprocal devices, which allow non-reciprocal signal routing, serve as fundamental elements in photonic and microwave circuits and are crucial in both classical and quantum information ...processing. The radiation-pressure-induced coupling between light and mechanical motion in travelling-wave resonators has been exploited to break the Lorentz reciprocity, enabling non-reciprocal devices without magnetic materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a reconfigurable non-reciprocal device with alternative functions as either a circulator or a directional amplifier via optomechanically induced coherent photon-phonon conversion or gain. The demonstrated device exhibits considerable flexibility and offers exciting opportunities for combining reconfigurability, non-reciprocity and active properties in single photonic devices, which can also be generalized to microwave and acoustic circuits.
Highly enantioselective 3+3 annulation reactions of bromoenals and 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds are reported. In addition, both enantiomers of the resultant dihydropyranone could be easily obtained by ...choosing N‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with the same stereocenter but different substituents under the optimized reaction conditions.
As a fundamental step of water splitting and a stepping stone toward exploring other multielectron transfer processes, the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an ideal model for ...both fundamental understanding and electrocatalyst design. Here, we review the fundamentals and recent developments of theoretical insights into HER, covering the mechanistic aspects, key activity descriptors, local environment considerations, and advances beyond the computational hydrogen electrode. Although it is experimentally challenging to explore the active sites and mechanisms in the electrocatalytic process, computational and theoretical advances show great potential in identifying active sites and reaction mechanisms. In this Review, we especially focus in depth on theoretical insights in revealing and designing the active sites for HER. Major challenges ahead will also be discussed at the end of the Review.
With the rapid spread of carbon trading in the world, the interaction of carbon prices and fossil energy prices has raised growing attention, but little research has discussed their time-varying ...correlation and dynamic volatility spillover. This paper employs the threshold dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model and the full Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner (BEKK) GARCH model to explore these issues, for the daily data of European carbon futures prices and the three fossil energy prices (coal, natural gas and Brent oil) from January 2 2008 to September 30 2014. The results indicate that, first, there is significant unidirectional volatility spillover from coal market to carbon market and from carbon market to natural gas market, whereas there exists no significant volatility spillover between carbon market and Brent oil market. Second, carbon market and fossil energy markets have significantly positive correlation across time. Specifically, among the three fossil fuels, coal market has the highest correlation with carbon market, followed by natural gas and Brent oil markets. Finally, as for the three fossil fuels, their price decrease may have stronger impact on carbon price volatility than their price increase with the same degree, while there is asymmetric impact of carbon price increase and decrease only on Brent oil price volatility. These results may help investors to well configure their portfolios and manage their investment risks, and help emission trading installations to join in carbon market in a cost-effective way.
•The dynamic volatility spillover between carbon and energy markets are detected.•Significant one-way and time-varying spillover exists from coal to carbon markets.•There is also one-way and time-varying spillover from carbon to natural gas markets.•No significant volatility spillover is found between carbon and crude oil markets.•Coal market is most correlated with carbon market, followed by natural gas and oil.
The objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of rice husk biochar (RHB) and coal fly ash (CAF) on the formation and stability of aggregates, pore size distribution, water retention, ...swell–shrinkage, consistency limit, and tensile strength of an expansive clayey soil (Vertisol). For this purpose, RHB and CAF are added to the clayey soil at four levels of 0, 2, 4, and 6% by weight, and incubated for 180days in a glasshouse. Results indicate that the RHB significantly increases macroaggregates with a diameter larger than 0.25mm and reduces microaggregates with a diameter of <0.25mm. Whereas CFA does not significantly affect the formation of macroaggregates. The RHB- and CFA-amended soils have significantly higher mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GWD) as compared with the control soil. The enhanced aggregate stability is attributed to a decrease in the aggregate breakdown by differential swelling and an increase in the aggregate resistance to mechanical breakdown. The RHB-amended soil has a greater water-holding capacity and higher available water content. Pore size distribution (PSD) of RHB- and CFA-amended soils, determined by the mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), indicates that the amendment enhances the formation of mesopores having a pore size range between 6 and 45μm. In the measured pore range (0.003–360μm), the amended soils are found to have considerably higher porosity than the control soil. The RHB and CAF affect the PSD of clayey soil by binding microaggregates together to form macroaggregate and combining carbon and fly ash particles with clay mineral phases to form a larger complex. Meanwhile, the RHB and CFA significantly decrease the tensile strength and coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) of clayey soil. For example, adding a 6% RHB can reduce the tensile strength from 936.8 to 353.6kPa and COLE from 0.63 to 0.56, respectively. The RHB and CFA also decrease the plasticity index of clayey soil. The above results indicate that the RHB and CFA are able to improve the physical quality and swelling–shrinkage status of expansive clayey soils, being a potential soil amendment for improving poor physical characteristics of the clayey soil.
•Rice husk biochar (RHB) and coal fly ash (CFA) change the soil physical properties.•RHB promotes the formation of macroaggregates and resists aggregate slaking.•RHB and CFA change the pore size distribution and increase larger pores of soil.•RHB and CFA decrease the tensile strength and COLE of clayey soil.
2D metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted broad research interest in recent years owing to their unique dimension‐related properties for widespread applications in catalysis, energy storage, ...conductivity, and optoelectronic devices. In this review, first the strategies for the rational design and precise construction of 2D MOFs are introduced. Then, the synthesis of 2D MOFs and their nanosheets by using top‐down and bottom‐up methods are summarized. Subsequently, the recent advances in optical/photonic applications of these 2D MOFs are highlighted, with special focus on lighting and display devices, nonlinear optics, as well as the luminescent sensing and biomedicine applications. Finally, the future potentials and challenges for the construction of 2D MOFs for optical materials are outlooked.
2D metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) show great advantages for optical applications, such as multiple light‐emitting sites, wide emission wavelength ranges, and facile functional modifications, which are of great significance for the future development of advanced chemical sensors, photonics and optoelectronic devices. The strategies for the design and construction of 2D MOFs and their exfoliating methods are reviewed and applications are highlighted.
To investigate the characteristics of cytokines in patients with different HBV infection status and their correlation with HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg levels. Peripheral blood samples were collected ...from patients with chronic HBV infection in immune tolerance phase (IT), HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and acute hepatitis B (AHB) groups, and levels of cytokines were detected by Luminex technique, and analyzed by FLEXMAP 3D analyzer. The correlation between cytokines and HBV DNA load, HBsAg, HBeAg, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level in patients with chronic HBV infection was analyzed. In total 312 subjects (184 males and 128 females) were enrolled in the study. There were significant differences among IT, CHB, and AHB groups in Flt‐3L value (P = .003; H = 12.312), IFN‐γ (P = .001; H = 11.723), IL‐10 (P = .001; H = 18.736), IL‐17A ((P = .001; H = 12.735), and TGF‐β1 (P = .001; Z = 48.571). IFN‐α2 levels in CHB group were significantly higher than those in IT and AHB groups (15.24 vs 35.78 pg/mL, P = .000; Z = 3.727; 13.88 vs 35.78 pg/mL, P = .024; Z = −2.258. In CHB group, the levels of HBsAg and ALT were positively correlated with the levels of IL‐10 (r = .173; P = .006; r = 0.176; P = .006, respectively), while HBeAg level was positively correlated with the IFN‐α2 level (r = .153; P = .016). In AHB group, the HBsAg level was positively correlated with Flt‐3L, IFN‐α2, IL‐10, and IL‐6 (r = .402; P = .023; r = .436; P = .016; r = .524, P = .002; r = .405; P = .022, respectively). HBeAg level was positively correlated with IFN‐γ and IL‐17A levels (r = .400; P = .023; r = .373; P = .036, respectively), and ALT level was positively correlated with IL‐6 levels (r = .367; P = .039). In either AHB or CHB group, HBV DNA load was only related to TGF‐β level (r = .493; P = .004; r = −.218, P = 0.009 respectively). The correlation between Flt‐3L and HBsAg (F = 7.422; P = .007); IL‐17, IL‐6, and HBeAg (F = 5.757; P = .017; F = 6.156; P = .014) were statistically significant. There was significant correlation between TGF‐β2 and HBV DNA (F = 11.795; P = .001), and between ALT and HBsAg, HBV DNA (F = 26.089; P = .000; F = 4.724; P = .031). HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA were correlated with cytokines and ALT in patients with HBV infection. The level of IFN‐α2 was significantly higher in patients with CHB. HBV DNA load was only correlated with the level of TGF‐β in acute or CHB.
Highlights
Recover from acute HBV infection or the onset of hepatitis in patients with chronic HBV infection depend on host immune response. Immune cells and relevant cytokines are closely related to the pathogenesis and chronicity of hepatitis B, as well as efficiency of treatments. This study focused on the relation of serum cytokines levels to the HBV load, HBV antigens levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B and patients with acute hepatitis B. It was demonstrated that levels of HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA load were correlated with serum concentration of cytokines and ALT levels, also to provide the basis for identifying the treatment opportunity of chronic HBV infection in clinical practice.
Based on the framework of attribute diversity (a generalization of Hill numbers of order q), we develop a class of functional diversity measures sensitive not only to species abundances but also to ...trait-based species-pairwise functional distances. The new method refines and improves on the conventional species-equivalent approach in three areas: (1) the conventional method often gives similar values (close to unity) to assemblages with contrasting levels of functional diversity; (2) when a distance metric is unbounded, the conventional functional diversity depends on the presence/absence of other assemblages in the study; (3) in partitioning functional gamma diversity into alpha and beta components, the conventional gamma is sometimes less than alpha. To resolve these issues, we add to the attribute-diversity framework a novel concept: τ, the threshold of functional distinctiveness between any two species; here, τ can be chosen to be any positive value. Any two species with functional distance ≥ τ are treated as functionally equally distinct. Our functional diversity quantifies the effective number of functionally equally distinct species (or "virtual functional groups") with all pairwise distances at least s for different species pairs. We advocate the use of two complementary diversity profiles (τ profile and q profile), which depict functional diversity with varying levels of τ and q, respectively. Both the conventional species-equivalent method (i.e., τ is the maximum of species-pairwise distances) and classic taxonomic diversity (i.e., τ is the minimum of non-zero species-pairwise distances) are incorporated into our proposed τ profile for an assemblage. For any type of species-pairwise distance matrices, our attribute-diversity approach allows proper diversity partitioning, with the desired property gamma ≥ alpha and thus avoids all the restrictions that apply to the conventional diversity decomposition. Our functional alpha and gamma are interpreted as the effective numbers of functionally equally distinct species, respectively, in an assemblage and in the pooled assemblage, while beta is the effective number of equally large assemblages with no shared species and all species in the assemblages being equally distinct. The resulting beta diversity can be transformed to obtain abundance-sensitive Sørensen-and Jaccard-type functional (dis)similarity profiles. Hypothetical and real examples are used to illustrate the framework. Online software and R codes are available to facilitate computations.
PDF
