A novel and general method is proposed to construct three‐dimensional graphene/metal oxide nanoparticle hybrids. For the first time, it is demonstrated that this graphene‐based composite with open ...pore structures can be used as the high‐performance capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode materials, which outperform currently reported materials. This work will offer a promising way to develop highly effective CDI electrode materials.
Images obtained in an unfavorable environment may be affected by haze or fog, leading to fuzzy image details, low contrast, and loss of important information. Recently, significant progress has been ...achieved in the realm of image dehazing, largely due to the adoption of deep learning techniques. Owing to the lack of modules specifically designed to learn the unique characteristics of haze, existing deep neural network-based methods are impractical for processing images containing haze. In addition, most networks primarily focus on learning clear image information while disregarding potential features in hazy images. To address these limitations, we propose an innovative method called contrastive multiscale transformer for image dehazing (CMT-Net). This method uses the multiscale transformer to enable the network to learn global hazy features at multiple scales. Furthermore, we introduce feature combination attention and a haze-aware module to enhance the network's ability to handle varying concentrations of haze by assigning more weight to regions containing haze. Finally, we design a multistage contrastive learning loss incorporating different positive and negative samples at various stages to guide the network's learning process to restore real and non-hazy images. The experimental findings demonstrate that CMT-Net provides exceptional performance on established datasets and exhibits superior visual outcomes.
Hetero-nanostructures featured with both strong plasmon absorption and high catalytic activity are believed to be ideal platforms to realize efficient light-driven catalysis. However, in reality, it ...remains a great challenge to acquire high-performance catalysis in such hetero-nanostructures due to poor generation and transfer of plamson-induced hot electrons. In this report, we demonstrate that Au nanorod@Pd superstructures (Au@Pd SSs), where the ordered Pd nanoarrays are precisely grown on Au nanorod surfaces via solution-based seed-mediated approach, would be an excellent solution for this challenge. Both experiment and theory disclose that the ordered arrangement of Pd on Au nanorod surfaces largely promotes hot electron generation and transfer via amplified local electromagnetic field and decreased electron–phonon coupling, respectively. Each effect is separately highlighted in experiments by the significant plasmon-enhanced catalytic activity of Au@Pd SSs in two types of important reactions with a distinct time scale of bond-dissociation event: molecular oxygen activation and carbon–carbon coupling reaction. This work opens the door to design and application of new generation photocatalysts.
Theoretical calculations reveal that intrinsic pentagons in the basal plane can contribute to the local electronic redistribution and the contraction of band gap, making the carbon matrix possess ...superior binding affinity and electrochemical reactivity. To experimentally verify this, a pentagon‐defect‐rich carbon nanomaterial was constructed by means of in situ etching of fullerene molecules (C60). The electrochemical tests show that, relative to hexagons, such a carbon‐based material with abundant intrinsic pentagon defects makes much greater contribution to the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity and electric double layer capacitance. It shows a four‐electron‐reaction mechanism similar to commercial Pt/C and other transition‐metal‐based catalysts, and a higher specific capacitance than many reported metal‐free carbon materials. These results show the influence of intrinsic pentagon defects for developing carbon‐based nanomaterials toward energy conversion and storage devices.
The intrinsic pentagon defects of carbon‐based materials make a greater contribution to the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity and electric double‐layer capacitance relative to common hexagons. When pentagon defects are combined with nitrogen dopants, the as‐obtained material shows promise in practical Zn‐‐air batteries (picture: left) and supercapacitors (right).
Single-atom catalysts not only maximize metal atom efficiency, they also display properties that are considerably different to their more conventional nanoparticle equivalents, making them a ...promising family of materials to investigate. Herein we developed a general host-guest strategy to fabricate various metal single-atom catalysts on nitrogen-doped carbon (M
/CN, M = Pt, Ir, Pd, Ru, Mo, Ga, Cu, Ni, Mn). The iridium variant Ir
/CN electrocatalyses the formic acid oxidation reaction with a mass activity of 12.9 Formula: see text whereas an Ir/C nanoparticle catalyst is almost inert (~4.8 × 10
Formula: see text). The activity of Ir
/CN is also 16 and 19 times greater than those of Pd/C and Pt/C, respectively. Furthermore, Ir
/CN displays high tolerance to CO poisoning. First-principle density functional theory reveals that the properties of Ir
/CN stem from the spatial isolation of iridium sites and from the modified electronic structure of iridium with respect to a conventional nanoparticle catalyst.
Serotonin neurons of the dorsal and median raphe nuclei (DR, MR) collectively innervate the entire forebrain and midbrain, modulating diverse physiology and behavior. To gain a fundamental ...understanding of their molecular heterogeneity, we used plate-based single-cell RNA-sequencing to generate a comprehensive dataset comprising eleven transcriptomically distinct serotonin neuron clusters. Systematic in situ hybridization mapped specific clusters to the principal DR, caudal DR, or MR. These transcriptomic clusters differentially express a rich repertoire of neuropeptides, receptors, ion channels, and transcription factors. We generated novel intersectional viral-genetic tools to access specific subpopulations. Whole-brain axonal projection mapping revealed that DR serotonin neurons co-expressing vesicular glutamate transporter-3 preferentially innervate the cortex, whereas those co-expressing thyrotropin-releasing hormone innervate subcortical regions in particular the hypothalamus. Reconstruction of 50 individual DR serotonin neurons revealed diverse and segregated axonal projection patterns at the single-cell level. Together, these results provide a molecular foundation of the heterogenous serotonin neuronal phenotypes.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death receptor/ligand 1 (PD‐1/PD‐L1) pathway have profoundly improved the clinical management of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ...Nevertheless, the superiority of single‐agent PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors in pretreated EGFR mutant patients has turned out to be moderate. One proposed mechanism for poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors is an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Therefore, we utilized two autochthonous EGFR‐driven lung tumor models to investigate dynamic microenvironmental responses to EGFR‐TKI treatment. We observed that at an early stage, sensitive EGFR‐TKIs caused obvious tumor shrinkage accompanied by increased cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and dendritic cells, eradication of Foxp3+ Tregs, and inhibition of M2‐like polarization of macrophages. However, the tumor microenvironmental changes that may be most beneficial for combination treatment with immune‐mediated anticancer approaches were only temporary and disappeared as treatment continued. Meanwhile, the level of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), particularly mononuclear MDSCs, was consistently elevated throughout the treatment. Analysis of inflammatory factors in serum showed that EGFR‐TKIs increased the levels of IL‐10 and CCL‐2. Our study systematically analyzed dynamic changes in tumor microenvironments responding to EGFR‐TKIs in vivo. The results have implications for combination therapy using EGFR‐TKIs. The optimal sequence of the treatment and strategies that modulate the tumor microenvironment to a state that may favor antitumor immune responses need to be considered when designing clinical trials.
What's new?
An immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is proposed to contribute to the low efficacy of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors. We investigated the dynamic effect of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors on tumor immune microenvironment and identified a rather small window in which EGFR blockade is most beneficial in the setting of combinations with immune‐mediated anticancer approaches. Our data provides implications for combinations of EGFR‐TKIs and immunotherapies for the treatment of lung carcinomas.
It remains no clear conclusion about which is better between robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung ...cancer (NSCLC). Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to compare the short-term and long-term efficacy between RATS and VATS for NSCLC.
Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Medline, and Web of Science databases were comprehensively searched for studies published before December 2020. The quality of the articles was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the data analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 software. Fixed or random effect models were applied according to heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were conducted.
A total of 18 studies including 11,247 patients were included in the meta-analyses, of which 5114 patients were in the RATS group and 6133 in the VATS group. Compared with VATS, RATS was associated with less blood loss (WMD = - 50.40, 95% CI -90.32 ~ - 10.48, P = 0.010), lower conversion rate (OR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.43 ~ 0.60, P < 0.001), more harvested lymph nodes (WMD = 1.72, 95% CI 0.63 ~ 2.81, P = 0.002) and stations (WMD = 0.51, 95% CI 0.15 ~ 0.86, P = 0.005), shorter duration of postoperative chest tube drainage (WMD = - 0.61, 95% CI -0.78 ~ - 0.44, P < 0.001) and hospital stay (WMD = - 1.12, 95% CI -1.58 ~ - 0.66, P < 0.001), lower overall complication rate (OR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.83 ~ 0.99, P = 0.020), lower recurrence rate (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.36 ~ 0.72, P < 0.001), and higher cost (WMD = 3909.87 USD, 95% CI 3706.90 ~ 4112.84, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between RATS and VATS in operative time, mortality, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Sensitivity analysis showed that no significant differences were found between the two techniques in conversion rate, number of harvested lymph nodes and stations, and overall complication.
The results revealed that RATS is a feasible and safe technique compared with VATS in terms of short-term and long-term outcomes. Moreover, more randomized controlled trials comparing the two techniques with rigorous study designs are still essential to evaluate the value of robotic surgery for NSCLC.
Lithium-sulfur batteries are one of the most promising energy storage devices with high energy density, but their practical application is hindered by the serious capacity fading due to the shuttle ...effect resulting from the migration of polysulifdes during charge-discharge. Using small sulfur molecules (S
2-4
), in place of conventional cyclo-S
8
, as cathode materials is an efficient method to fundamentally eradicate the shuttle effect. To satisfy the demands of flexible electronic devices, in this paper, two-dimensional (2D) MXene nanosheets were used as a conductive binder and flexible backbone to combine with the S
2-4
/carbon composite, fabricating a flexible small-sulfur electrode for lithium-sulfur batteries. The 2D MXene nanosheets with excellent conductivity can not only provide flexibility for the electrode, but also construct a conductive network for fast charge transfer. As a result, the flexible S
2-4
electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance, which has a capacity of 1029.7 mA h g
−1
at 0.1 C and maintains 946.7 mA h g
−1
after 200 cycles with 91.9% retention. Besides, a capacity of 502.3 mA h g
−1
is obtained at 2 C current density. This electrode is promising for flexible lithium-sulfur batteries, and the application of MXene as a conductive binder and flexible backbone in lithium-sulfur batteries offers an effective method to achieve both flexibility and high performance.
A flexible small-sulfur electrode with MXene as a conductive binder and flexible backbone is constructed combining good flexibility, stable cycling and good rate performance.
In this study, we investigated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation in C57BL/6J mice by using behavioral tests, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent ...assay (ELISA) and Western blot. We found that LPS treatment leads to sickness behavior and cognitive impairment in mice as shown in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test, and these effects were accompanied by microglia activation (labeled by ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1, IBA-1) and neuronal cell loss (labeled by microtubule-associated protein 2, MAP-2) in the hippocampus. The levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the serum and brain homogenates were reduced by the LPS treatment, while the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), prostaglandin E2 (PGE
) and nitric oxide (NO) were increased. In addition, LPS promoted the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the brain homogenates. The Western blot analysis showed that the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway was activated in the LPS groups. Furthermore, VIPER, which is a TLR-4-specific inhibitory peptide, prevented the LPS-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment. These data suggest that LPS induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation via microglia activation by activating the NF-kB signaling pathway; furthermore, we compared the time points, doses, methods and outcomes of LPS administration between intraperitoneal and intracerebroventricular injections of LPS in LPS-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment, and these data may provide additional insight for researchers performing neuroinflammation research.
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