Mechanism of aluminum corrosion in LiFSI-based electrolyte at elevated temperatures

Lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide(LiFSI) is a promising replacement for lithium hexafluorosphate due to its excellent properties. A solution to the corrosion of aluminum(Al) current collectors by LiFSI at elevated temperatures is essential. The mechanisms of Al corrosion in LiFSI-based electrolyte at 45 ℃ were studied with density functional theory calculations and spectroscopic investigations. It is found that the irregular, loose and unprotected AlF3 materials caused by the dissolution of co-generated Al(FSI)3 can exacerbate Al corrosion with the increase of temperature. Lithium bis(oxalate)borate(LiBOB) can effectively inhibit the Al corrosion with a robust and protective interphase;this can be attributed to the interfacial interactions between the Al foil and electrolyte. Boron-containing compounds promote the change from AlF3 to LiF, which further reinforces interfacial stability. This work allows the design of an interface to Al foil using LiFSI salt in lithium-ion batteries.

Synergistic effect of bromocriptine and tumor necrosis factor-a on reversing hepatoceiiuiar carcinoma multidrug resistance in nude mouse MDRl model of liver neoplasm

AIM： To investigate the effect of bromocripUne （BCT） and tumor necrosis factor-α ClNF-α） on hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） multidrug resistance （MDR） in nude mouse HDR model of liver neoplasm. METHODS： Human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2t drug resistant hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2/adriamycin （ADM） and hepatocarcinoma cell line transfected with TNF-α gene HepG2JADM/TNF were injected into the liver of nude mice via orthotopic implantation and MDR model of liver neoplasm in vivo was established （HepG2t ADM, TNF, BCT groups）. Among these groups, BCT group and TNF group were treated with BCT through gastric canal. Each group was divided into control group and chemotherapy group. Size and weight of the tumor were measured. Furthermore, tumor his^logical character and growth of the nude mice were observed and their chemosensitivity was tested. MDR-associated genes and proteins （MRP, LRP） of implanted tumors were detected by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and apoptosis rate of hepatocarcinoma cells was detected by TUNEL assay. RESULTS： The nude mouse model of each cell line was inoculated successfully. The tumor growth rate and weight were significantly different among groups. After chemotherapy, abdominal cavity tumor growth inhibition rate was higher in BCT group （67%） compared to ADM and TNF groups, and similar to HepG2group （54%）. MDRI and LRPmRNA could be detected in all groups, but TNF-α was detected only in TNF and BCT groups. Furthermore, MDR1 and LRP protein expression of tumors in TNF and BCT groups was low similar to HepG2 group. The apoptosis rate of hepatocarcinoma cells was much higher in BCT group than in other groups with TUNEL assay. CONCLUSION： BCT and TNF-a can reverse HCC MDR in nude mouse MDR1 model of liver neoplasm. 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Dumbbell-shaped solitary fibrous tumor in the parapharyngeal space:A case report

BACKGROUND Solitary fibrous tumors(SFTs)occurring in the parapharyngeal space are rare,and their final diagnosis depends on pathological and immunohistochemical analyses.Once the tumor is diagnosed,complete resection and regular postoperative follow-up are required.CASE SUMMARY A 40-year-old male patient with a right parotid gland mass discovered 8 years ago was admitted to hospital.The mass showed no tenderness or local skin redness.Imaging was carried out as the patient had stable vital signs and showed that the mass was a dumbbell-shaped tumor comprising a superficial tumor approximately 5 cm long and 3 cm wide in size that compressed the right parotid gland and a deep tumor located in the right parapharyngeal space approximately 4.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide in size.Both tumors were connected in the middle.Prior to surgery,the tumors were considered to be parapharyngeal schwannomas.During surgical dissection,the tumors were found to be smooth and tough,without obvious adhesion to the surrounding tissues.The tumors were revealed to be a SFT following postoperative pathological analysis.CONCLUSION SFTs in the parapharyngeal space are rarely reported,and complete resection of such tumor is recommended.Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is used in patients with extensive tumor invasion to lower the recurrence rate.Postoperative longterm follow-up is required.

CGD-1, a defensin-related peptide derived from marine Chinese medicine Ostreae concha, inhibits the Gram-negative bacteria by membrane attack

There is an increasing interest in discovering new antibacterial agents derived from nature to enhance the treatment of various bacterial infections.Defensins and their derived peptide fragments exhibit significant antibacterial activity without any cytotoxic effects,making them attractive features for potential novel antibacterial therapeutics.Crassostrea gigas,a traditional seafood that has been used worldwide for centuries,has its shells applied in Chinese medicine as Ostreae concha.In this study,bioinformatics analysis was used to obtain a novel antibacterial peptide,CGD-1,derived from marine Chinese medicine Ostreae concha.The physicochemical characterization and circular dichroism analysis results demonstrated that CGD-1 assembled into anα-helical structure in a simulated membrane environment,and it displayed antibacterial action against Gram-negative bacteria.The minimal inhibitory concentrations against both Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC25922 were 25μM.CGD-1 was able to efficiently permeate the cell membrane.Changes in bacterial cell morphology were evaluated using a field emission scanning electron microscope.The results suggested that CGD-1 exerted its antibacterial activity through permeabilizing and disrupting the bacterial cell membrane.Therefore,CGD-1 may have potential applications in fighting against pathogenic bacteria such as P.aeruginosa and E.coli.

First branchial cleft cyst accompanied by external auditory canal atresia and middle ear malformation:A case report

BACKGROUND We report a rare case of first branchial cleft anomaly(FBCA)accompanied by bony atresia of the external auditory canal,middle ear malformation,and location malformation of the facial nerve according to the intraoperative findings.CASE SUMMARY A 19-year-old male patient presented to our department with a mass behind the right earlobe and recurrent postauricular swelling and pain since childhood,he also had severe hearing loss in the right ear since birth.The patient underwent surgery including mass removal,mastoidectomy,and simultaneous meatoplasty and ossiculoplasty under microscopy.No facial palsy or recurrence was noted during postoperative follow-up.CONCLUSION FBCAs are rare,and to our knowledge,this is the first report of FBCA accompanied by external auditory canal bony atresia,middle ear malformation,and location malformation of the facial nerve.An effective postauricular approach under microscopy facilitated complete lesion removal and simultaneous otologic reconstruction.

Analysis and evaluation of structural complexity of circular economy system＇s industrial chain

This paper examined the method to evaluate structural complexity of circular economy system＇s industrial chain, which applied entropy information and hierarchical metrics to produce complexity degrees according to the theory of complex system. We developed an evaluation model to make a general metrics for circular economy system of industrial chains. The development of the evaluation tree drew upon five factors to identify the structural complexity. The evaluation model generated unitive entropy information from six data definition （node, level of community, metabolic span, degree of node, number of relation and connectivity of node） according to the evaluation tree. The industrial chains of Tashan circular economy park of Datong Coal Mine Group and Gujiao circular economy park of Xishan Coal-Electricity Group were evaluated by the proposed method. The key factors stunted by the decline of structural complexity were identified and the unitive metrics of entropy information of the industrial chain was shown for realigning the circular economy systems.

Photon-assisted and spin-dependent shot noise in magnetic-field tunable ZnSe/Zn1-xMnxSe structures

We have investigated the photon-assisted shot noise properties in the magnetic field tunable heterostructures. Transport properties of the model structure are strongly dependent on the oscillatory field and the magnetic field. In this structure,electrons can absorb or emit one or multi-photons to reach the quasi-bound state. As a result, the transmission properties are affected considerably by photon-assisted tunneling and these features cause the nontrivial variations in the shot noise and Fano factor. It is found that the shot noise becomes spin-dependent and can be modulated not only by the magnetic field, but also by the oscillatory field. Both the spin-up and spin-down components of the shot noise can be greatly suppressed by the magnetic field, and can also be drastically enhanced by the harmonically driven field. Furthermore,with increasing external magnetic field, it is important to note that the enhanced intensity is decreased, even suppressed.These results suggest another method to suppress the shot noise via modulating the oscillatory field at a diluted-magneticsemiconductors/semiconductor structure.

Impregnated copper on magnetite as catalyst for the O-arylation of phenols with aryl halides

Nanoparticle Fe304 encapsulated CuO, as a heterogeneous catalyst, is a facile system for the synthesis of diaryl ethers by the cross-coupling reaction of various substituted aryl halides with various substituted phenols, which avoids using any type of expensive ligand and can be recovered from the reaction mixture by using a simple magnet. Moreover, this catalyst can be reused three times with high catalytic activity.