The circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) switching is of significant interest for applications in security technologies and sensing devices. Small organic molecules (SOMs) show several advantages ...over metal complexes, supramolecular assemblies, and polymers. Therefore, the recent progress on the CPL switching in SOMs is here reviewed. The results are summarized based on the strategies used to tune factors that influence the emission properties, and thus, to realize CPL switching. The strategies that have been adopted include promoting the excimer formation of fluorescent units, changing the conformation of fluorophores, tuning the electronic structure of the π‐skeleton/substituent, and modulating the intramolecular charge‐transfer dynamics.
Switching! The circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) switching in small organic molecules (SOMs) is of great interest. However, the achievement of such a property is very challenging. In this minireview, the strategies that have been recently adopted are summarized.
We show that the incoherent elastic scattering of partons, as present in a multi-phase transport model (AMPT), with a modest parton–parton cross-section of σ=1.5–3 mb, naturally explains the ...long-range two-particle azimuthal correlation as observed in proton–proton and proton–nucleus collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.
Background
With the increased prevalence of obesity and sarcopenia, those patients with both visceral obesity and sarcopenia were at higher risk of adverse outcomes.
Aim
The aim of this study was to ...ascertain the combined impact of visceral obesity and sarcopenia on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
Methods
We conducted a prospective study from July 2014 to February 2017. Patients’ demographic, clinical characteristics, physical performance, and postoperative short-term outcomes were collected. Patients were classified into four groups according to the presence of sarcopenia or visceral obesity. Clinical variables were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses evaluating the risk factors for postoperative complications were performed.
Results
A total of 376 patients were included; 50.8 and 24.5% of the patients were identified as having “visceral obesity” and “sarcopenia,” respectively. Patients with sarcopenia and visceral obesity had the highest incidence of total, surgical, and medical complications. Patients with sarcopenia or/and visceral obesity all had longer hospital stays and higher hospitalization costs. Age ≥ 65 years, visceral obesity, and sarcopenia were independent risk factors for total complications. Rectal cancer and visceral obesity were independent risk factors for surgical complications. Age ≥ 65 years and sarcopenia were independent risk factors for medical complications. Laparoscopy-assisted operation was a protective factor for total and medical complications.
Conclusion
Patients with both visceral obesity and sarcopenia had a higher complication rate after colorectal cancer surgery. Age ≥ 65 years, visceral obesity, and sarcopenia were independent risk factors for total complications. Laparoscopy-assisted operation was a protective factor.
Recently, PM2.5 (atmospheric fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm) have received so much attention that the observations, source appointment and countermeasures of it have been ...widely studied due to its harmful impacts on visibility, mood (mental health), physical health, traffic safety, construction, economy and nature, as well as its complex interaction with climate. A review on the PM2.5 related research is necessary. We start with summary of chemical composition and characteristics of PM2.5 that contains both macro and micro observation results and analysis, wherein the temporal variability of concentrations of PM2.5 and major components in many recent reports is embraced. This is closely followed by an overview of source appointment, including the composition and sources of PM2.5 in different countries in the six inhabitable continents based on the best available results. Besides summarizing PM2.5 pollution countermeasures by policy, planning, technology and ideology, the World Air Day is proposed to be established to inspire and promote the crucial social action in energy-saving and emission-reduction. Some updated knowledge of the important topics (such as formation and evolution mechanisms of hazes, secondary aerosols, aerosol mass spectrometer, organic tracers, radiocarbon, emissions, solutions for air pollution problems, etc.) is also included in the present review by logically synthesizing the studies. In addition, the key research challenges and future directions are put forward. Despite our efforts, our understanding of the recent reported observations, source identifications and countermeasures of PM2.5 is limited, and subsequent efforts both of the authors and readers are needed.
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•Newly reported characteristics, sources and control of PM2.5 pollution are reviewed.•The characteristics of PM2.5 involve all the world's six inhabitable continents.•This review, based on over 300 new reports, could serve as an updated PM2.5 database.•Hot topics, challenges and future directions of PM2.5 research are pointed out.•Education can improve ideology, and the World Air Day is proposed to be established.
We consider spherically symmetric and static charged black holes in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet-Maxwell gravities in general D≥5 dimensions and study their photon spheres and black hole shadows. We show ...that they all satisfy the sequence of inequalities recently proposed relating a black hole's horizon, photon sphere, shadow and its mass.
•A highly energy-efficient flow-through electro-Fenton reactor was designed.•It had high H2O2 yield and low energy consumption for organic pollutants degradation.•The effect of operational parameters ...was optimized and possible process mechanism was studied.•The novel system performed wide practicability and potential for organic pollutants degradation.
A highly energy-efficient flow-through Electro-Fenton (E-Fenton) reactor for oxidation of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution was designed using a perforated DSA as anode and the graphite felt modified by carbon black and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as cathode for the in situ generation of H2O2. The modified cathode had a high H2O2 production with low energy consumption, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption study and contact angle. The flow-through E-Fenton system was compared to the flow-by and regular one, and confirmed to be best on MB removal and TOC degradation. The operational parameters such as current density, pH, Fe2+ concentration and flow rate were optimized. The MB and TOC removal efficiency of the effluents could keep above 90% and 50%, respectively, and the energy consumption was 23.0kWh/kgTOC at the current density of 50mA, pH 3, 0.3mM Fe2+, and the flow rate of 7mL/min. OH was proved to be the main oxidizing species in this system. After 5 times operation, the system, especially cathode, still showed good stability. Five more organic pollutants including orange II (OG), tartrazine, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), tetracycline (TC) and 2,4-dichlorophen (2,4-DCP) were investigated and the electric energy consumption (EEC) was compared with literatures. All results demonstrated that this flow-through E-Fenton system was energy-efficient and potential for degradation of organic pollutants.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the greatest cause of death, accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths worldwide. The increase in obesity rates over 3 decades is widespread and threatens the ...public health in both developed and developing countries. Obesity, the excessive accumulation of visceral fat, causes the clustering of metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, culminating in the development of CVD. Adipose tissue is not only an energy storage organ, but an active endocrine tissue producing various biologically active proteins known as adipokines. Since leptin, a central regulator of food intake and energy expenditure, was demonstrated to be an adipose-specific adipokine, attention has focused on the identification and characterization of unknown adipokines to clarify the mechanisms underlying obesity-related disorders. Numerous adipokines have been identified in the past 2 decades; most adipokines are upregulated in the obese state. Adipokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and resistin are pro-inflammatory, and exacerbate various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, a small number of adipokines, including adiponectin, are decreased by obesity, and generally exhibit antiinflammatory properties and protective functions against obesity-related diseases. Collectively, an imbalance in the production of pro- and antiinflammatory adipokines in the obese condition results in multiple complications. In this review, we focus on the pathophysiologic roles of adipokines with cardiovascular protective properties.
Transition metal carbides (TMCs) are a large family of materials with many intriguing properties and applications, and high-quality 2D TMCs are essential for investigating new physics and properties ...in the 2D limit. However, the 2D TMCs obtained so far are chemically functionalized, defective nanosheets having maximum lateral dimensions of ∼10 μm. Here we report the fabrication of large-area high-quality 2D ultrathin α-Mo2C crystals by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The crystals are a few nanometres thick, over 100 μm in size, and very stable under ambient conditions. They show 2D characteristics of superconducting transitions that are consistent with Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless behaviour and show strong anisotropy with magnetic field orientation; moreover, the superconductivity is also strongly dependent on the crystal thickness. Our versatile CVD process allows the fabrication of other high-quality 2D TMC crystals, such as ultrathin WC and TaC crystals, which further expand the large family of 2D materials.
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