Transformation of Hexagonal Lu to Cubic LuH_(2+x)Single-Crystalline Films

With the recent report of near ambient superconductivity at room temperature in the N-doped lutetium hydride(Lu-H-N)system,the understanding of cubic Lu-H compounds has attracted worldwide attention.Generally,compared to polycrystals with non-negligible impurities,the single-crystalline form of materials with high purity can provide an opportunity to show their hidden properties.However,the experimental synthesis of single-crystalline cubic Lu-H compounds has not been reported so far.Here,we develop an easy way to synthesize highly pure LuH_(2+x)single-crystalline films by the post-annealing of Lu single-crystalline films(purity of 99.99%)in H_(2)atmosphere.The crystal and electronic structures of films were characterized by x-ray diffraction,Raman spectroscopy,and electrical transport.Interestingly,Lu films are silver-white and metallic,whereas their transformed LuH_(2+x)films become purple-red and insulating,indicating the possible formation of an unreported electronic state of Lu-H compounds.Our work provides a novel route to synthesize and explore more singlecrystalline Lu-H compounds.

Preparation and Applications of Soybean Residue CNF Films

In this study, soybean residues were treated with HCl and soybean residue cellulose was extracted, which was used to prepare cellulose nanofiber (CNF) using the high-pressure homogenization method. The maximum yield of CNF, the reaction temperature, reaction time, and HCl concentration were optimized. The optimum HCl concentration for acid treatment was 6%, the reaction time was 60 min, the reaction temperature was 80℃, and the maximum yield of soybean residue cellulose was 78.8%. The different CNF films were then prepared;the color, mechanical property, and light transmittance of the CNF films were studied. Compared to the properties of the CNF film prepared with the soybean residue cellulose by high-pressure homogenization 15 times (HGT-15 film), the mechanical properties of the CNF film with soybean residue cellulose by decolorizing treatment decreased, but the light transmittance increased. The film prepared by adding HGT- 15 CNF to whey protein was investigated for its mechanical property, light transmittance, and solubility. Unlike the pure whey protein film, addition of 2.0% CNF to the whey protein enhanced the mechanical property and water vapor transmission rate (WVT) of the film. With the increase in CNF content, the solubility of the whey protein film decreased, and then stabilized.

Preparation and Properties of Nanocellulose/Sodium Alginate Composite Hydrogel

Cellulose nanofiber(CNF)was isolated from Okara using deep eutectic solvent(DES)with high-speed stirring.The composite hydrogels obtained by using different proportions of CNF and sodium alginate(SA)had different properties.The CNF/SA composite hydrogels were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy and tested for compression properties,rheological properties,water content,and swelling degree.Physical crosslinking between SA and Ca^(2+),and different degrees of hydrogen bond formation between SA and CNF were observed.The CNF/SA composite hydrogel have great potential as reinforcements in eco-friendly composite hydrogels for diverse applications.

Effect of High Pressure Homogenization Treatment on Structure and Properties of Soybean Residue Cellulose Nanofibers

To reduce the adverse effects of non-cellulose materials on subsequent homogenization,the effects of a high-pressure homogenization treatment on the structure and properties of cellulose nanofibers(CNF)prepared by acid treatment of soybean residue were studied.The effects of the number of homogenization step on the microfibrillation degree,crystalline structure and mechanical properties of the soybean residue were analyzed by SEM,FT-IR,XRD,TG and DTG.The results showed that an increase in the number of homogenization steps led to an increase in the degree of microfibrillation,a more uniform distribution of the CNF diameter,and an increase in the crystallinity of CNF.However,but when the number of homogenization steps exceeded 15,the rate of change decreased,and the crystallinity of CNF decreased.As the number of homogenization steps increased,the average degree of polymerization and average molecular weight of CNF decreased continuously,and after 15 homogenization steps,their rate of change also decreased.Therefore,15 steps of high-pressure homogenization represented a suitable number of steps to prepare the soybean residue CNF with an average diameter of 15 nm.

Okara Cellulose Nanofibrils Produced by Pretreatment with Sustainable Deep Eutectic Solvent Coupled with Various Mechanical Treatments

In this study,a green,environmentally friendly method for rapid cellulose nanofribril(CNF)preparation with a significant cost advantage was developed.Pretreatment with a deep eutectic solvent(DES)synthesized from oxalic acid dihydrate and choline chloride(ChCl-O)was combined with various mechanical treatment methods to produce okara CNFs from agricultural waste,with different diameter distributions.The results showed that high-speed stirring produced CNFs with an average diameter of 27 nm.This method was advantageous because it consumed about 94%less energy than traditional high-pressure homogenization method.The DES recovery rate was more than 90%,and DES served as a highly effective treatment,indicating that DES pretreatment is an economical,convenient,and effective strategy for okara CNF preparation.

Overall survival,late mortality,and cancer-directed surgery among children and adolescents with ultra-rare pediatric pancreatoblastoma in the United States,1975-2018

Background:Pediatric pancreatoblastoma is an extremely rare malignant tumor,posing diagnostic and treatment difficulties for pediatric surgeons.Using the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)database,we present an up-to-date report of the epidemiology,clinicopathological features,survival rates,and prognosis of pancreatoblastoma in pediatric patients.Methods:All pediatric patients diagnosed with pancreatoblastoma between 1975 and 2018 were identified in the SEER regis-tries(SEER 8 registries and SEER 17 registries).We conducted a survival analysis to assess overall survival and 1-and 5-year late mortality rates.Descriptive statistics and log-rank test were performed.Results:A total of 22 children and adolescents with pancreatoblastoma were identified.In this cohort,12 of 22 were male(54.55%),14 were White(63.64%),and 11 were diagnosed between the ages of 1 and 4 years(50.0%).Among the 22 patients,11(50.0%)had distant metastases,whereas 7(31.82%)had localized,and 4(18.18%)had a regional disease.A total of 5 children and adolescents died during the study period,with cumulative survival rates of 14 of 17(82.35%)and 10 of 11(90.95%)among 1-and 5-year survivors,respectively.Cancer-directed surgery was significantly associated with an increased life expectancy(log-rank test,P=.018).Conclusion:Pediatric pancreatoblastoma is a rare entity.Cases that underwent surgery had a greater likelihood of overall survival and reduced late mortality.

Robust hydrogel sensors for unsupervised learning enabled sign-to-verbal translation

Highly stretchable and robust strain sensors are rapidly emerging as promising candidates for a diverse of wearable electronics.The main challenge for the practical application of wearable electronics is the energy consumption and device aging.Energy consumption mainly depends on the conductivity of the sensor,and it is a key factor in determining device aging.Here,we design a liq-uid metal(LM)-embedded hydrogel as a sensing material to overcome the bar-rier of energy consumption and device aging of wearable electronics.The sensing material simultaneously exhibits high conductivity(up to 22 S m�1),low elastic modulus(23 kPa),and ultrahigh stretchability(1500%)with excel-lent robustness(consistent performance against 12000 mechanical cycling).A motion monitoring system is composed of intrinsically soft LM-embedded hydrogel as sensing material,a microcontroller,signal-processing circuits,Bluetooth transceiver,and self-organizing map developed software for the visu-alization of multi-dimensional data.This system integrating multiple functions including signal conditioning,processing,and wireless transmission achieves monitor hand gesture as well as sign-to-verbal translation.This approach provides an ideal strategy for deaf-mute communicating with normal people and broadens the application of wearable electronics.