Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on postoperative sleep disturbance in older patients undergoing lower limb major arthroplasty:a prospective,double-blind,pilot,randomised controlled trial

Background Postoperative sleep disturbance(PSD)is a common and serious postoperative complication and is associated with poor postoperative outcomes.Aims This study aimed to investigate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS)on PSD in older patients undergoing lower limb major arthroplasty.Methods In this prospective,double-blind,pilot,randomised,sham-controlled trial,patients 65 years and over undergoing lower limb major arthroplasty were randomly assigned to receive active tDCS(a-tDCS)or sham tDCS(s-tDCS).The primary outcomes were the objective sleep measures on postoperative nights(N)1 and N2.Results 116 inpatients were assessed for eligibility,and a total of 92 patients were enrolled;47 received a-tDCS and 45 received s-tDCS.tDCS improved PSD by altering the following sleep measures in the a-tDCS and s-tDCS groups;the respective comparisons were as follows:the promotion of rapid eye movement(REM)sleep time on N1(64.5(33.5-105.5)vs 19.0(0.0,45.0)min,F=20.10,p<0.001)and N2(75.0(36.0-120.8)vs 30.0(1.3-59.3)min,F=12.55,p<0.001);the total sleep time on N1(506.0(408.0-561.0)vs 392.0(243.0-483.5)min,F=14.13,p<0.001)and N2(488.5(455.5-548.5)vs 346.0(286.5-517.5)min,F=7.36,p=0.007);the deep sleep time on N1(130.0(103.3-177.0)vs 42.5(9.8-100.8)min,F=24.4,p<0.001)and N2(103.5(46.0-154.8)vs 57.5(23.3-106.5)min,F=8.4,p=0.004);and the percentages of light sleep and REM sleep on N1 and N2(p<0.05 for each).The postoperative depression and anxiety scores did not differ significantly between the two groups.No significant adverse events were reported.Conclusion In older patients undergoing lower limb major arthroplasty,a single session of anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed a potentially prophylactic effect in improving postoperative short-term objective sleep measures.However,this benefit was temporary and was not maintained over time.

Reducing voltage hysteresis of metal oxide anodes to achieve high energy efficiency for Li-ion batteries

In the past two decades,a lot of high-capacity conversion-type metal oxides have been intensively studied as alternative anode materials for Li-ion batteries with higher energy density.Unfortunately,their large voltage hysteresis(0.8-1.2 V) within reversed conversion reactions results in huge round-trip inefficiencies and thus lower energy efficiency(50%-75%) in full cells than those with graphite anodes.This remains a long-term open question and has been the most serious drawback toward application of metal oxide anodes.Here we clarify the origins of voltage hysteresis in the typical SnO2anode and propose a universal strategy to minimize it.With the established in situ phosphating to generate metal phosphates during reversed conversion reactions in synergy with boosted reaction kinetics by the added P and Mo,the huge voltage hysteresis of 0.9 V in SnO_(2),SnO_(2)-Mo,and 0.6 V in SnO2-P anodes is minimized to 0.3 V in a ternary SnO_(2)-Mo-P(SOMP) composite,along with stable high capacity of 936 mA h g^(-1)after 800 cycles.The small voltage hysteresis can remain stable even the SOMP anode operated at high current rate of10 A g^(-1)and wide-range temperatures from 60 to 30℃,resulting in a high energy efficiency of88.5% in full cells.This effective strategy to minimize voltage hysteresis has also been demonstrated in Fe2O3,Co3O4-basded conversion-type anodes.This work provides important guidance to advance the high-capacity metal oxide anodes from laboratory to industrialization.

Understanding the Reversible Reactions of Li-N_(2) Battery Catalyzed With SnO_(2)

Metal–N_(2) battery can be applied in both energy storage and electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR);however,there has been only extraordinarily little study on metal–N_(2) battery since its electrochemical reversibility still needs further proofs.And its electrochemical performances also need to be enhanced.Herein,we investigated the discharge–charge reactions between Li anode and N_(2) cathode via designing an efficient catalyst of nanosized SnO_(2) particles dispersed on N-doped carbon nanosheets(SnO 2@NC)for the Li-N_(2) battery,with good cyclic stability and a high specific capacity of 0.25 mA h(~500 mA h g^(−1))at a large current density of 1000 mA g^(−1).The electrochemical reversibility of both NRR in the discharge process and nitrogen extraction reaction in the charge process for Li-N 2 battery is discussed.Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry results imply that the SnO_(2)@NC can effectively promote the adsorption of N_(2) and the activation of NRR in the discharge process.Furthermore,ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared tests are performed to study the electrochemical reversibility of Li-N_(2) battery.It can be proved that the formation and decomposition of discharging product Li_(3)N are electrochemical reversible during cycling in our deigned Li-N_(2) battery system with SnO_(2)@NC catalyst.

Development of catalytic combustion and CO_(2)capture and conversion technology

Changes are needed to improve the efficiency and lower the CO_(2)emissions of traditional coal-fired power generation,which is the main source of global CO_(2)emissions.The integrated gasification fuel cell(IGFC)process,which combines coal gasification and high-temperature fuel cells,was proposed in 2017 to improve the efficiency of coal-based power generation and reduce CO_(2)emissions.Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China,the IGFC for nearzero CO_(2)emissions program was enacted with the goal of achieving near-zero CO_(2)emissions based on(1)catalytic combustion of the flue gas from solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)stacks and(2)CO_(2)conversion using solid oxide electrolysis cells(SOECs).In this work,we investigated a kW-level catalytic combustion burner and SOEC stack,evaluated the electrochemical performance of the SOEC stack in H2O electrolysis and H2O/CO_(2)co-electrolysis,and established a multiscale and multi-physical coupling simulation model of SOFCs and SOECs.The process developed in this work paves the way for the demonstration and deployment of IGFC technology in the future.

Understanding the phenomenon of capacity increasing along cycles: In the case of an ultralong-life and high-rate SnSe-Mo-C anode for lithium storage

A good cycling stability is a prerequisite for the application of metal-based materials in lithium-ion batteries(LIBs). However, an abnormal increase in capacity is often observed, which has rarely been focused on in many studies. In our SnSe-Mo-C composite anode, a high reversible capacity of 737.4 mAh g^(-1)remained after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^(-1)between 0.01 and 3.0 V versus Li/Li+. However, a continuous capacity increase occurred in the initial cycles, with 1086.9 mAh g^(-1)after 1000 cycles and 1216.9 mAh g^(-1)after 1500 cycles, respectively. Further studies revealed that the electrolyte decomposed at high potentials(2.5–3.0 V) and provided additional capacities. The cut-off voltage and electrolyte filling were controlled, which eliminated the impact of electrolyte decomposition, prevented rapid capacity decay, and provided a stable cycling performance for SnSe-Mo-C anodes in LIBs. This work shows that the composite anode is promising for lithium storage and the findings provide new insights into understanding and controlling the phenomenon of capacity increase with cycling in metal-based anode materials.

Blockade of integrin signaling reduces chemotherapy-induced premature senescence in collagen cultured bladder cancer cells

Background:Diminished sensitivity towards chemotherapy remains the major impediment to the clinical treatment of bladder cancer.However,the critical elements in control of chemotherapy resistance remain obscure.Methods:We adopted improved collagen gels and performed cytotoxicity analysis of doxorubicin(DOX)and mitomycin C(MMC)of bladder cancer cells in a 3D culture system.We then detected the expression of multidrug resistant gene ABCB1,dormancy-associated functional protein chicken ovalbumin upstream-transcription factor 1(COUPTF1),cell proliferation marker Ki-67,and cellular senescence marker senescence-associatedβ-galactosidase(SA-β-Gal)in these cells.We further tested the effects of integrin blockade or protein kinase B(AKT)inhibitor on the senescent state of bladder cancer.Also,we examined the tumor growth and survival time of bladder cancer mouse models given the combination treatment of chemotherapeutic agents and integrinα2β1 ligand peptide TFA(TFA).Results:Collagen gels played a repressive role in bladder cancer cell apoptosis induced by DOX and MMC.In mechanism,collagen activated the integrinβ1/AKT cascade to drive bladder cancer cells into a premature senescence state via the p21/p53 pathway,thus attenuating chemotherapy-induced apoptosis.In addition,TFA had the ability to mediate the switch from senescence to apoptosis of bladder cancer cells in xenograft mice.Meanwhile,TFA combined with chemotherapeutic drugs produced a substantial suppression of tumor growth as well as an extension of survival time in vivo.Conclusions:Based on our finding that integrinβ1/AKT acted primarily to impart premature senescence to bladder cancer cells cultured in collagen gel,we suggest that integrinβ1 might be a feasible target for bladder cancer eradication.