Investigation of multi-step fast charging protocol and aging mechanism for commercial NMC/graphite lithium-ion batteries

Fast charging is considered a promising protocol for raising the charging efficiency of electric vehicles.However,high currents applied to Lithium-ion(Li-ion)batteries inevitably accelerate the degradation and shorten their lifetime.This work designs a multi-step fast-charging method to extend the lifetime of LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2(NMC)/graphite Li-ion batteries based on the studies of half cells and investigates the aging mechanisms for different charging methods.The degradation has been studied from both full cell behaviour and materials perspectives through a combination of non-destructive diagnostic methods and post-mortem analysis.In the proposed multi-step charging protocol,the state-of-charge(SOC)profile is subdivided into five ranges,and the charging current is set differently for different SOC ranges.One of the designed multi-step fast charging protocols is shown to allow for a 200 full equivalent cycles longer lifetime as compared to the standard charging method,while the charging time is reduced by 20%.From the incremental capacity analysis and electrical impedance spectroscopy,the loss of active materials and lithium inventory on the electrodes,as well as an increase in internal resistance for the designed multistep constant-current-constant-voltage(MCCCV)protocol have been found to be significantly lower than for the standard charging method.Post-mortem analysis shows that cells aged by the designed MCCCV fast charging protocol exhibit less graphite exfoliation and crystallization damage,as well as a reduced solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)layer growth on the anode,leading to a lower Rseiresistance and extended lifetime.

A Transient-Pressure-Based Numerical Approach for Interlayer Identification in Sand Reservoirs

Almost all sandstone reservoirs contain interlayers. The identification and characterization of these interlayers iscritical for minimizing the uncertainty associated with oilfield development and improving oil and gas recovery.Identifying interlayers outside wells using identification methods based on logging data and machine learning isdifficult and seismic-based identification techniques are expensive. Herein, a numerical model based on seepageand well-testing theories is introduced to identify interlayers using transient pressure data. The proposed modelrelies on the open-source MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox. The effects of the interlayer thickness, position,and width on the pressure response are thoroughly investigated. A procedure for inverting interlayer parametersin the reservoir using the bottom-hole pressure is also proposed. This method uses only transient pressuredata during well testing and can effectively identify the interlayer distribution near the wellbore at an extremelylow cost. The reliability of the model is verified using effective oilfield examples.

Identification of Hyperparasitic Fungal Species Associated with Coffee Leaf Rust

[Objectives]The paper was to elucidate the specific hyperparasitic fungal species that are associated with coffee leaf rust.[Methods]Tissue isolation,sample humidification,and three-point inoculation techniques were employed to isolate,culture,and purify the hyperparasitic fungi responsible for coffee leaf rust.The purified strains were identified using traditional morphological techniques and molecular biology methods.[Results]Four strains were isolated,specifically BS21(Cladosporium cladosporioides),BS34(C.tenuissimum),BS62(C.cladosporioides),and BS75(C.colombiae).[Conclusions]The findings of this research will contribute novel insights into the biological control of coffee leaf rust.

Understanding the mechanism of capacity increase during early cycling of commercial NMC/graphite lithium-ion batteries

A capacity increase is often observed in the early stage of Li-ion battery cycling.This study explores the phenomena involved in the capacity increase from the full cell,electrodes,and materials perspective through a combination of non-destructive diagnostic methods in a full cell and post-mortem analysis in a coin cell.The results show an increase of 1%initial capacity for the battery aged at 100%depth of discharge(DOD)and 45℃.Furthermore,large DODs or high temperatures accelerate the capacity increase.From the incremental capacity and differential voltage(IC-DV)analysis,we concluded that the increased capacity in a full cell originates from the graphite anode.Furthermore,graphite/Li coin cells show an increased capacity for larger DODs and a decreased capacity for lower DODs,thus in agreement with the full cell results.Post-mortem analysis results show that a larger DOD enlarges the graphite dspace and separates the graphite layer structure,facilitating the Li+diffusion,hence increasing the battery capacity.

Relationship between hyperlipidemia and the gut microbiome of rats, characterized using high-throughput sequencing

Objective:To determine the effects of a high-fat diet(HFD)on the gut microbiome in rats,to explore the relationship between the intestinal flora and blood lipid profile.Methods:SpragueeDawley rats were fed an HFD for four weeks to induce hyperlipidemia,then 16S rRNA sequencing was used to compare the intestinal flora between hyperlipidemic and control diet-fed rats.Results:The microbiome of rats fed an HFD for four weeks differed from that of control diet-fed rats.Bacterial species that were less abundant were most affected by HFD feeding,among which were many pathogenic species,which became significantly more abundant.Eighteen genera were present in significantly different numbers in hyperlipidemic and control rats,more than half of which have been linked to infection and inflammation,or energy intake and obesity.The results indicated a type of stress response of the flora to a high-fat environment.In addition,the age of the rats tended to influence the gut microbial composition.Conclusion:These findings suggest that HFD may induce hyperlipidemia by affecting the gut microbial composition.Changes in the abundance of pro-inflammatory and pathogenic bacteria,and those that influence energy intake and obesity,may be important mediators of this.

Ferroptosis molecular inducers:A future direction for malignant tumor chemotherapy

Iron-dependent ferroptosis is a form of cell death dependent on iron levels.Cells that undergo ferroptosis have glutathione(GSH)deficiency,reduced Glutathione peroxidase-4(GPX4)activity and intracellular lipid peroxidation,Mitochondria,lysosomes and many signal pathways are involved in the regulation of ferroptosis.More importantly,many tumor cells resistant to other cell death methods exhibit sensitivity to ferroptosis.Moreover,over recent years,a number of ferroptosis-induced drugs have been recommended for the treatment of malignant tumors.Therefore,the study of ferroptosis is of great significance for future cancer treatments.In this review,we discussed the metabolic process of ferroptosis,the role of different organelles,the typical signaling pathways involved in ferroptosis,as well as natural and synthetic compounds that can induce ferroptosis,aiming to point out new conceptual avenues for utilizing ferroptosis in future cancer treatments.

Synergistic application of molecular docking and machine learning for improved binding pose

Accurate prediction of protein-ligand complex structures is a crucial step in structure-based drug design.Traditional molecular docking methods exhibit limitations in terms of accuracy and sampling space,while relying on machine-learning approaches may lead to invalid conformations.In this study,we propose a novel strategy that combines molecular docking and machine learning methods.Firstly,the protein-ligand binding poses are predicted using a deep learning model.Subsequently,position-restricted docking on predicted binding poses is performed using Uni-Dock,generating physically constrained and valid binding poses.Finally,the binding poses are re-scored and ranked using machine learning scoring functions.This strategy harnesses the predictive power of machine learning and the physical constraints advantage of molecular docking.Evaluation experiments on multiple datasets demonstrate that,compared to using molecular docking or machine learning methods alone,our proposed strategy can significantly improve the success rate and accuracy of protein-ligand complex structure predictions.

Association of insomnia with diet quality and eating behavior

To the Editor:Insomnia affects 30%-50%of adults globally,leading to diminished quality of life and increased risks of developing physically and mentally demanding disorders.[1]Previous research,primarily in Western populations,reported the association between insomnia and poor diet quality,characterized by higher energy intake,lower vegetable consumption,and a preference for fatty foods,risk factors contributing to major chronic conditions.[2]This association,however,remains under-explored in Asian populations.

Image format pipeline and instrument diagram recognition method based on deep learning

In this study,we proposed a recognition method based on deep artificial neural networks to identify various elements in pipelines and instrumentation diagrams(P&ID)in image formats,such as symbols,texts,and pipelines.Presently,the P&ID image format is recognized manually,and there is a problem with a high recognition error rate;therefore,automation of the above process is an important issue in the processing plant industry.The China National Offshore Petrochemical Engineering Co.provided the image set used in this study,which contains 51 P&ID drawings in the PDF.We converted the PDF P&ID drawings to PNG P&IDs with an image size of 8410×5940.In addition,we used labeling software to annotate the images,divided the dataset into training and test sets in a 3:1 ratio,and deployed a deep neural network for recognition.The method proposed in this study is divided into three steps.The first step segments the images and recognizes symbols using YOLOv5+SE.The second step determines text regions using character region awareness for text detection,and performs character recognition within the text region using the optical character recognition technique.The third step is pipeline recognition using YOLOv5+SE.The symbol recognition accuracy was 94.52%,and the recall rate was 93.27%.The recognition accuracy in the text positioning stage was 97.26%and the recall rate was 90.27%.The recognition accuracy in the character recognition stage was 90.03%and the recall rate was 91.87%.The pipeline identification accuracy was 92.9%,and the recall rate was 90.36%.

Electrochemically-driven interphase conditioning of magnesium electrode for magnesium sulfur batteries

The earth-abundant magnesium metal is a kind of promising anode material due to its low reduction potential (-2.356V vs. SHE), high volumetric and gravimetric specific capacities of 3882 mAh cm-3 and 2234 mAh g_1 respectively [1]. Moreover, the magnesium anode shows high safety due to the non-dentritic electrodeposition mechanism during cycling, which is related to the strong Mg-Mg bonding and the consequent high energy barrier between the crystal boundaries of different crystal orientation [2].

Modification and application of Fe_(3)O_(4) nanozymes in analytical chemistry:A review

In recent years,Fe_(3)O_(4)nanomaterials have received much attention in analytical chemistry due to their excellent magnetic and peroxidase-like activity.As the catalytic characteristics of Fe_(3)O_(4)nanomaterials is similar to those of horseradish peroxidase(HRP),Fe_(3)O_(4)nanomaterials are also used as peroxidase mimics and have achieved a certain development in many fields based on latest research results.To improve the stability and catalytic ability of simple Fe_(3)O_(4)nanomaterials,various modification strategies of Fe_(3)O_(4)nanomaterials have been developed.The recent advances of these strategies have been presented and discussed.In addition,this paper introduces the application of Fe_(3)O_(4)nanozymes in the detection of food and industrial pollutants,as well as in the field of biosafety.

Temporospatial inhibition of Erk signaling is required for lymphatic valve formation

Intraluminal lymphatic valves(LVs)and lymphovenous valves(LVs)are critical to ensure the unidirectional flow of lymphatic fluid.Morphological abnormalities in these valves always cause lymph or blood reflux,and result in lymphedema.

2018 Chinese Pediatric Cardiology Society(CPCS) guideline for diagnosis and treatment of syncope in children and adolescents

Syncope belongs to the transient loss of consciousness(TLOC), characterized by a rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous complete recovery. It is common in children and adolescents, accounting for 1% to 2% of emergency department visits.Recurrent syncope can seriously affect children's physical and mental health, learning ability and quality of life and sometimes cardiac syncope even poses a risk of sudden death. The present guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of syncope in children and adolescents was developed for guiding a better clinical management of pediatric syncope. Based on the globally recent development and the evidence-based data in China, 2018 Chinese Pediatric Cardiology Society(CPCS) guideline for diagnosis and treatment of syncope in children and adolescents was jointly prepared by the Pediatric Cardiology Society, Chinese Pediatric Society, Chinese Medical Association(CMA)/Committee on Pediatric Syncope, Pediatricians Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association(CMDA)/Committee on Pediatric Cardiology, Chinese College of Cardiovascular Physicians, Chinese Medical Doctor Association(CMDA)/Pediatric Cardiology Society, Beijing Pediatric Society, Beijing Medical Association(BMA). The present guideline includes the underlying diseases of syncope in children and adolescents, the diagnostic procedures, methodology and clinical significance of standing test and headup tilt test, the clinical diagnosis vasovagal syncope, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, orthostatic hypotension and orthostatic hypertension, and the treatment of syncope as well as follow-up.

Organoid based personalized medicine:from bench to bedside

Three-dimensional cultured organoids have become a powerful in vitro research tool that preserves genetic,phenotypic and behavioral trait of in vivo organs,which can be established from both pluripotent stem cells and adult stem cells.Organoids derived from adult stem cells can be established directly from diseased epithelium and matched normal tissues,and organoids can also be genetically manipulated by CRISPR-Cas9 technology.Applications of organoids in basic research involve the modeling of human development and diseases,including genetic,infectious and malignant diseases.Importantly,accumulating evidence suggests that biobanks of patientderived organoids for many cancers and cystic fibrosis have great value for drug development and personalized medicine.In addition,organoids hold promise for regenerative medicine.In the present review,we discuss the applications of organoids in the basic and translational research.

Frequent RNF43 mutation contributes to moderate activation of Wnt signaling in colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma

Dear Editor,Signet-ring cell carcinoma(SRCC)is a rare subtype of colorectal cancer(CRC)characterized histologically by the accumulation of mucins in the cytoplasm and displacement of nuclei to the cellular periphery,accounting for about 1%CRC(Fig.S1A)(Borger et al.,2007).Compare to common subtypes of CRC,such as adenocarcinoma(AC)and mucinous adenocarcinoma(MAC),SRCC is associated with aggressive behaviors and younger age at presentation(Kang et al.,2005;Sung et al.,2008;Nitsche et al.,2013;Hugen et al.,2014;Inamura et al.,2015).A retrospective analysis of CRC patient's data at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center(FUSCC)also indicated a worse overall and disease-free survival of SRCC patients(Fig.S1B and S1C,Table S1).

Advances in bismuth-based topological quantum materials by scanning tunneling microscopy

In recent years,topological quantum materials(TQMs)have attracted intensive attention in the area of condensed matter physics due to their novel topologies and their promising applications in quantum computing,spin electronics and next-generation integrated circuits.Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy(STM/STS)is regarded as a powerful technique to characterize the local density of states with atomic resolution,which is ideally suited to the measurement of the bulk-boundary correspondence of TQMs.In this review,using STM/STS,we focus on recent research on bismuth-based TQMs,including quantum-spin Hall insulators,3D weak topological insulators(TIs),high-order TIs,topological Dirac semi-metals and dual TIs.Efficient methods for the modulation of the topological properties of the TQMs are introduced,such as interlayer interaction,thickness variation and local electric field perturbation.Finally,the challenges and prospects for this field of study are discussed.

Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance and Inflammation via Gonadal Steroid Hormones in Preterm Birth

In 2019,preterm births(PTB)accounted for approximately 0.66 million deaths globally.PTB is also associated with a significantly higher risk of mortality and long-term complications for newborns.Long-term studies associated several factors,including disruption of immune tolerance and inflammation,with PTB.However,the pathogenesis of PTB remains unclear.Gonadal steroid hormones are critical for pregnancy maintenance and regulation of immune and inflammatory responses.However,it is not clear how unbalanced gonadal steroid hormones,such as imbalanced estrogen/androgen or estrogen/progesterone contribute to PTB.In this review,we discuss how gonadal steroid hormones mediate dysfunction in immune tolerance and inflammatory responses,which are known to promote the occurrence of PTB,and provide insight into PTB prediction.

The development and implementation of pathological parameters and molecular testing impact prognosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma

Objective:This study aims to analyze how changes in pathological diagnosis practice and molecular detection technology have affected clinical outcomes for colorectal cancer(CRC)patients in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center(FUSCC).Methods:This retrospective cohort study analyzed 21,141 pathologically confirmed CRC cases diagnosed at FUSCC from 2008 to 2020.Patients were divided into five groups for different analytical purposes:(1)the before vs.since 2014 groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the classification criteria of pT3 and pT4 staging on the survival of patients;(2)the partial vs.total mesorectal excision(TME)groups to analyze whether evaluation of completeness of the mesorectum have impact on the survival of patients;(3)the tumor deposit(TD)(+)N0 vs.TD(+)N1c groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the pN staging on the survival of patients with positive TD and negative regional lymph node metastasis(LNM);(4)the before vs.since 2013 groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the testing process of deficient mismatch repair on the survival of patients;and(5)the groups with vs.without RAS/BRAF gene mutation testing to analyze the influence of these testing on the survival of patients.Patients’clinicopathological parameters,including age at diagnosis,sex,tumor size,location,differentiation,mucinous subtype,TD,lymphovascular invasion,perineural invasion,tumor depth,LNM and distant metastasis,and tumor-node-metastasis(TNM)stage,were compared between groups.Kaplan-Meier analysis with log rank method was performed for patients’overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)analyses.Results:In pathological reports,there were three parameter changes that impacted patient outcomes.Firstly,changes in the pT staging criteria led to a shift of the ratio of patients with stage pT3 to stage pT4 from 1:110.9 to 1:0.26.In comparison to patients admitted before 2014(n=4,754),a significant difference in prognosis between pT3 and pT4 stages was observed since 2014(n=9,965).Secondly,we began to evaluate the completeness of the mesorectum since 2016.As a result,91.0%of patients with low rectal cancer underwent TME(n=4,111)surgery,and patients with TME had significantly better OS compared with partial mesorectal excision(PME,n=409).Thirdly,we began to stage TD(+)LNM(-)as N1c since 2017.The results showed that N1c(n=127)but not N0(n=39)can improve the prognosis of patients without LNM and distal metastasis.In molecular testing,there have been three and five iterations of updates regarding mismatch repair(MMR)/microsatellite instability(MSI)status and RAS/BRAF gene mutation detection,respectively.The standardization of MMR status testing has sharply decreased the proportion of deficient MMR(dMMR)patients(from 32.5%to 7.4%)since 2013.The prognosis of patients underwent MMR status testing since 2013(n=867)were significantly better than patients before 2013(n=1,313).In addition,detection of RAS/BRAF gene mutation status(n=5,041)resulted in better DFS but not OS,for patients with stage I-III disease(n=16,557).Conclusion:Over the past few decades,updates in elements in pathological reports,as well as the development of standardized tests for MMR/MSI status and RAS/BRAF gene mutations have significantly improved patient outcomes.

Characteristics of volatile organic compounds,NO_2,and effects on ozone formation at a site with high ozone level in Chengdu

Chengdu is a megacity in the southwest of China with high ozone(O_3) mixing ratio.Observation of volatile organic compounds(VOCs), NO_2 and O_3 with high temporal resolution was conducted in Chengdu to investigate the chemical processes and causes of high O_3 levels. The hourly mixing ratios of VOCs, NO2, and O_3 were monitored by an online system from 28 August to 7 October, 2016. According to meteorological conditions,Chengdu, with relative warm weather and low wind speed, is favorable to O_3 formation.Part of the O_3 in Chengdu may be transported from the downtown area. In O_3 episodes,the average mixing ratios of NO_2 and O_3 were 20.20 ppbv and 47.95 ppbv, respectively. In non-O_3 episodes, the average mixing ratios of NO_2 and O_3 were 16.38 ppbv and 35.15 ppbv,respectively. The average mixing ratio of total VOCs(TVOCs) was 40.29 ppbv in non-O_3 episodes, which was lower than that in O_3 episodes(53.19 ppbv). Alkenes comprised51.7% of the total O_3 formation potential(OFP) in Chengdu, followed by aromatics which accounted for 24.2%. Ethylene, trans-pentene, propene, and BTEX(benzene, ethylbenzene,toluene, m/p-xylene, o-xylene) were also major contributors to the OFP in Chengdu. In O_3 episodes, intensive secondary formations were observed during the campaign. Oxygenated VOCs(OVOCs), such as acetone, Methylethylketone(MEK), and Methylvinylketone(MVK)were abundant. Isoprene rapidly converted to MVK and Methacrolein(MACR) during O_3 episodes. Acetone was mainly the oxidant of C3-C5 hydrocarbons.

Elodexanthones A—J, Isoprenylated Xanthone Derivatives with Diverse Skeletons and Bioactivities from Hypericum elodeoides

Elodexanthones A—J (1—10), two pairs of rearranged isoprenylated xanthone enantiomers with an unprecedent 6/6/5/6 tetracyclic core (1—2) along with seven new isoprenylated xanthones (3—9) and a pair of phenylpropanoid xanthones (10), were purified and enantio-separated from the whole plant of Hypericum elodeoides. Their structures including absolute configurations were characterized by the comprehensive analysis of NMR, HRESIMS, NMR calculations, and ECD calculations. Through Bayer-Villiger oxidation, Claisen condensation and electrophilic addition, the rearranged skeletons of elodexanthones A—B (1—2) were generated from isoprenylated xanthone precursors. The bioactivities evaluation exhibited that compounds 3, 5, 8—10 showed anti-inflammatory activity with the IC_(50) values in the range of 9.53—34.39 μmol/L, and compounds 3—7, and 9 showed notable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC_(50): 6.02—257.11 μmol/L).