Inherent thermal-responsive strategies for safe lithium batteries

Safe batteries are the basis for next-generation application scenarios such as portable energy storage devices and electric vehicles,which are crucial to achieving carbon neutralization.Electrolytes,separators,and electrodes as main components of lithium batteries strongly affect the occurrence of safety accidents.Responsive materials,which can respond to external stimuli or environmental change,have triggered extensive attentions recently,holding great promise in facilitating safe and smart batteries.This review thoroughly discusses recent advances regarding the construction of high-safety lithium batteries based on internal thermal-responsive strategies,together with the corresponding changes in electrochemical performance under external stimulus.Furthermore,the existing challenges and outlook for the design of safe batteries are presented,creating valuable insights and proposing directions for the practical implementation of safe lithium batteries.

Cardiovascular risk burden,dementia risk and brain structural imaging markers:a study from UK Biobank

Background Cardiovascular risk burden is associated with dementia risk and neurodegeneration-related brain structure,while the role of genetics and incident cardiovascular disease(CVD)remains unclear.Aims To examine the association of overall cardiovascular risk burden with the risk of major dementia subtypes and volumes of related brain regions in a large sample,and to explore the role of genetics and CVD onset.Methods A prospective study among 354 654 participants free of CVD and dementia(2006-2010,mean age 56.4 years)was conducted within the UK Biobank,with brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRl)measurement availablefor 15104participants since 2014.CVD risk burden was evaluated by the Framingham General Cardiovascular Risk Score(FGCRS).Dementia diagnosis was ascertained from inpatient and death register data.Results Overamedian 12.0-yearfollow-up,3998 all-cause dementia cases were identified.Higher FGCRS was associated with increasedall-cause dementia risk after adjusting for demographic,major lifestyle,clinical factors and the polygenic risk score(PRS)of Alzheimer's disease.Comparing the high versus low tertile of FGCRS,the odds ratios(ORs)and 95%confidence intervals(Cls)were 1.26(1.12 to 1.41)for all-cause dementia,1.67(1.33 to 2.09)for Alzheimer's disease and 1.53(1.07 to 2.16)for vascular dementia(all p_(treng)<0.05).Incident stroke and coronary heart disease accounted for 14%(95%Cl:9% to 21%)of the association between FGCRS and all-cause dementia.Interactions were not detected for FGCRS and PRS on the risk of any dementia subtype.We observed an 83%(95%Cl:47%to 128%)higher all-cause dementia risk comparing the high-high versus low-low FGCRS-PRS category.For brain volumes,higher FGCRS was associated with greater log-transformed white matter hyperintensities,smaller cortical volume and smaller grey matter volume.Conclusions Our findings suggest that the positive association of cardiovascular risk burden with dementia risk also applies to major dementia subtypes.The association of cardiovascular risk burden with all-cause dementia is largely independent of CVD onset and genetic predisposition to dementia.

Review of advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies

As a vital and integral component of transportation infrastructure,pavement has a direct and tangible impact on socio-economic sustainability.In recent years,an influx of groundbreaking and state-of-the-art materials,structures,equipment,and detection technologies related to road engineering have continually and progressively emerged,reshaping the landscape of pavement systems.There is a pressing and growing need for a timely summarization of the current research status and a clear identification of future research directions in these advanced and evolving technologies.Therefore,Journal of Road Engineering has undertaken the significant initiative of introducing a comprehensive review paper with the overarching theme of“advanced road materials,structures,equipment,and detection technologies”.This extensive and insightful review meticulously gathers and synthesizes research findings from 39 distinguished scholars,all of whom are affiliated with 19 renowned universities or research institutions specializing in the diverse and multidimensional field of highway engineering.It covers the current state and anticipates future development directions in the four major and interconnected domains of road engineering:advanced road materials,advanced road structures and performance evaluation,advanced road construction equipment and technology,and advanced road detection and assessment technologies.

Maternally expressed gene 3 regulates retinal neovascularization in retinopathy of prematurity

The mouse model of oxygen induced retinopathy is suitable for the study of various retinal neovascularization diseases,including retinopathy of prematurity.The maternally expressed gene 3(MEG3)has been demonstrated to have an inhibitory effect on diabetic retinopathy.In this study,we investigated the role of MEG3 overexpression in oxygen-induced retinopathy in mice.The results showed that MEG3 overexpression effectively inhibited the production of retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy mice.It acts by down-regulating the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase,serine/threonine kinase,and vascular endothelial growth factor and pro-inflammatory factors.MEG3 overexpression lentivirus has a future as a new method for the clinical treatment of retinopathy of prematurity.The animal experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University,China(approval No.2016PS074K)on February 25,2016.

Expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs in retinopathy of prematurity

Long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)regulates the proliferation and migration of human retinal endothelial cells,as well as retinal neovascularization in diabetic retinopathy.Based on similarities between the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)and diabetic retinopathy,lncRNA may also play a role in ROP.Seven-day-old mice were administered 75±2% oxygen for 5 days and normoxic air for another 5 days to establish a ROP model.Expression of lncRNA and mRNA in the retinal tissue of mice was detected by high-throughput sequencing technology,and biological functions of the resulted differentially expressed RNAs were evaluated by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses.The results showed that compared with the control group,57 lncRNAs were differentially expressed,including 43 upregulated and 14 downregulated,in the retinal tissue of ROP mice.Compared with control mice,42 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the retinal tissue of ROP mice,including 24 upregulated and 18 downregulated mRNAs.Differentially expressed genes were involved in ocular development and related metabolic pathways.The differentially expressed lncRNAs may regulate ROP in mice via microRNAs and multiple signaling pathways.Our results revealed that these differentially expressed lncRNAs may be therapeutic targets for ROP treatment.This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University on February 25,2016(approval No.2016PS074K).

Formation of Dithymidylic Acid by Ester Exchange Reaction on－Phosphoryl Serine

Ester exchange reaction between the thymidine and N(O,O-diisopropyl)phosphoryl serine could yield several derivatives of thymidylic acid, including dithymidylic acid. These results might be meaningful to the prebiotic synthesis of macromolecules.

Preoperative laser reduces silicone oil use in primary diabetic vitrectomy

AIM: To identify the predictive factors and laser photocoagulation associated with the use of silicone oil as endotamponade during primary diabetic vitrectomy. METHODS: The medical and surgical records of 690 patients(798 eyes) who underwent primary diabetic vitrectomy at a tertiary eye hospital in China from January 2018 to December 2018 were reviewed in this retrospective cohort study. The patients’ baseline characteristics and preoperative treatments were recorded. The binary Logistic regression model was used to evaluate the risk factors for the use of silicone oil as endotamponade agent during primary vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)-related complications.RESULTS: Among 690 patients with mean age of 52.1±10.5 y(range: 18-85 y), 299/690(43.3%) were female. The 31.6% of the eyes received preoperative laser treatment, and 72.4% of the eyes received preoperative anti-VEGF adjuvant therapy. Non-clearing vitreous haemorrhage(VH) alone or combined with retinal detachment was the main surgical indication(89.5%) for primary vitrectomy. Silicone oil was used as endotamponade in 313(39.2%) eyes. Lack of preoperative laser treatment [odds ratio(OR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.48-0.92;P=0.015] and older age(OR 0.96, 95%CI: 0.95-0.98;P<0.001) were predictors of silicone oil tamponade during primary vitrectomy for PDR. CONCLUSION: The lack of preoperative laser treatment is a significant predictor of silicone oil tamponade during primary vitrectomy for PDR. However, the severity of PDR relevant to silicone oil use should be further evaluated.

Associations of decimetric type Ⅲ bursts with coronal mass ejections and Hα flares

We present a statistical study of decimetric type Ⅲ radio bursts, coronal mass ejections （CMEs）, and Hα flares observed in the period from July 2000 to March 2005. In total, we investigated 395 decimetric type Ⅲ radio burst events, 21% of which showed apparent correlation to CMEs that were associated with Hα flares. We noticed that the Hα flares which were strongly associated with CMEs were gradual events, and 82% of them took place before CMEs appeared in the field of view of LASCO C2; that most of the CME-associated radio bursts started in the frequency range around 750 MHz with a frequency drifting rate of several hundred MHz s-1, of which both positive and negative ones were recognized; and that the correlation of type Ⅲ radio bursts to CMEs without associated flares is fairly vague, less than 9%.

Prevalence of dementia and the attributable contributions of modifiable risk factors in China

With the largest ageing population in the world,China is faced with the huge chal-lenge of dementia.-However,previously reported estimates on the prevalence of dementia among Chinese older adults were inconsistent,varying from 2%to 13%.5°It is crucial for dementia prevention to determine the number of cases that could be delayed or prevented,but how to do this remains unclear.To address these research gaps,we aimed to provide population estimates of the prevalence of dementia in China and estimate the population attributable fractions(PAFs)of potentially modifiable risk factors.

Efficient utilization of glass fiber separator for low-cost sodium-ion batteries

The separator is a key component of sodium-ion battery,which greatly affects the electrochemical performances and safety characteristics of the battery.Conventional glass fiber separator cannot meet the requirements of large-scale application because of high cost and poor mechanical properties.Herein,the novel composite separators are prepared by a simple slurry sieving process using glass fiber separator scraps and ordinary qualitative filter paper as raw materials.As the composite mass ratio is 1:1,the composite separator has excellent comprehensive properties,including tensile strength of 15.8 MPa,porosity of 74.3%,ionic conductivity of 1.57×10^(-3)S·cm^(-1)and thermal stability at 210℃.The assembled sodium-ion battery shows superior cycling performance(capacity retention of 94.1%after 500 cycles at 1C)and rate capacity(retention rate of 87.3%at 10C),and it maintains fine interface stability.The above results provide some new ideas for the separator design of high-performance and low-cost sodium-ion batteries.

OCT在弱视患者眼底研究中的应用

弱视是一种常见的儿童眼部疾病,如未进行及时的矫正与治疗,将对儿童视力造成不可逆的损伤,导致单眼或双眼视力下降或丧失。弱视的发病原因复杂,目前具体发病机制尚不明确,主要集中于中枢学说与外周学说,既往传统观念认为弱视患者眼底无明显器质性改变。近年来光学相干断层扫描(OCT)技术迅速发展,作为一种便捷、直观的眼科检查手段,其安全无创、非接触性及快速清晰的优点,使OCT越来越多地应用于弱视患者的视网膜检查,弱视患者眼底结构存在的异常解剖学结构也逐渐被发现,为弱视的外周学说发病机制提供一定佐证和依据,对弱视的检查、治疗评估和预后也起到一定作用,本文对OCT技术对弱视患者视网膜厚度、脉络膜厚度及血管密度的研究情况进行综述。

轮胎–土复合结构体力学性能的研究

近年来,随着大量废旧轮胎的产生,而又没有适当的方式来处理废旧轮胎,对于这种现状,本文提出了一种新型复合材料结构—轮胎土复合结构体,针对该结构单体的力学性能及组合体的抗剪强度进行了室内试验及数值模拟研究。得到的结果如下:1) 轮胎对内部土体具有约束作用,可以显著提高土体的抗压性能;2) 推求出轮胎–土复合体的粘聚力和内摩擦角;3) 数值模拟出轮胎–土复合体支挡结构水平位置变化量。本研究为废旧轮胎的回收利用提供了新的途径,同时为复合结构单体和组合体在实际工程中的应用提供了理论支撑。

Recent Advances of Persistent Luminescence Nanoparticles in Bioapplications

Persistent luminescence phosphors are a novel group of promising luminescent materials with afterglow properties after the stoppage of excitation.In the past decade,persistent luminescence nanoparticles(PLNPs)with intriguing optical properties have attracted a wide range of attention in various areas.Especially in recent years,the development and applications in biomedical fields have been widely explored.Owing to the efficient elimination of the autofluorescence interferences from biotissues and the ultra-long near-infrared afterglow emission,many researches have focused on the manipulation of PLNPs in biosensing,cell tracking,bioimaging and cancer therapy.These achievements stimulated the growing interest in designing new types of PLNPs with desired superior characteristics and multiple functions.In this review,we summarize the works on synthesis methods,bioapplications,biomembrane modification and biosafety of PLNPs and highlight the recent advances in biosensing,imaging and imaging-guided therapy.We further discuss the new types of PLNPs as a newly emerged class of functional biomaterials for multiple applications.Finally,the remaining problems and challenges are discussed with suggestions and prospects for potential future directions in the biomedical applications.

Enhanced Poly(ethylene terephthalate)Hydrolase Activity by Protein Engineering

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)hydrolase(PETase)from Ideonella sakaiensis exhibits a strong ability to degrade poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)at room temperature,and is thus regarded as a potential tool to solve the issue of polyester plastic pollution.Therefore,we explored the interaction between PETase and the substrate(a dimer of the PET monomer ethylene terephthalate,2PET),using a model of PETase and its substrate.In this study,we focused on six key residues around the substrate-binding groove in order to create novel high-efficiency PETase mutants through protein engineering.These PETase mutants were designed and tested.The enzymatic activities of the R61A,L88F,and I179F mutants,which were obtained with a rapid cell-free screening system,exhibited 1.4 fold,2.1 fold,and 2.5 fold increases,respectively,in comparison with wild-type PETase.The I179F mutant showed the highest activity,with the degradation rate of a PET film reaching 22.5 mg perμmol·L^-1 PETase per day.Thus,this study has created enhanced artificial PETase enzymes through the rational protein engineering of key hydrophobic sites,and has further illustrated the potential of biodegradable plastics.

A Novel Objective Quality Assessment Method for Video Conferencing Coding

Most recently, due to the demand of immersive communication, region-of-interest-based(ROI) high efficiency video coding(HEVC) approaches in conferencing scenarios have become increasingly important. However, there exists no objective metric, specially developed for efficiently evaluating the perceived visual quality of video conferencing coding. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel objective quality assessment method, namely Gaussian mixture model based peak signal-tonoise ratio(GMM-PSNR), for the perceptual video conferencing coding. First, eye tracking experiments, together with a real-time technique of face and facial feature extraction, are introduced. In the experiments, importance of background, face, and facial feature regions is identified, and it is then quantified based on eye fixation points over test videos. Next, assuming that the distribution of the eye fixation points obeys Gaussian mixture model, we utilize expectation-maximization(EM) algorithm to generate an importance weight map for each frame of video conferencing coding, in light of a new term eye fixation points/pixel(efp/p). According to the generated weight map, GMM-PSNR is developed for quality assessment by assigning different weights to the distortion of each pixel in the video frame. Finally, we utilize some experiments to investigate the correlation of the proposed GMM-PSNR and other conventional objective metrics with subjective quality metrics. The experimental results show the effectiveness of GMM-PSNR.

Determination of phthalate esters in physiological saline solution by monolithic silica spin column extraction method

Monolithic silica spin column extraction （MonoSpin-SPE） was developed as a simple, sensitive, and eco-friendly pretreatment method which combined with ultra-fast liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （UFLC-MS） to determine the levels of six phthalate esters, dimethyl- （DMP）, diethyl- （DEP）, dipropyl- [ DPrP], butyl-benzyl- （BBP）, dicyclohexyl- （DcHP）, and di-n-octyl-（DOP） phthalate in physiological saline samples. Under optimized experimental conditions, the method was linear in the following ranges： 0.2- 50 μg/L for DMP, DEP, DPrP, DcHP and DOP; 5- 100 μg/L for BBP. The correlation coefficients （R2 ） were in the range of 0. 9951 - 0. 9995 for all the analytes and the limits of detection （LODs） and limits of quantification （LOQs） were in the ranges of 0.02 - 0.9 μg/L and 0.08 - 2.7μg/L, respectively. The pretreatment process showed good reproducibility with inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations （RSDs） below 8.5% and 11.2%, respectively. This method was used to determine the levels of six phthalate esters in physiological saline samples and the recoveries ranged from 71.2% to 107.3%. DMP and DEP were found in actual physical saline samples （brand A and brand B）.

Fine-tuning the ductile-brittle transition temperature of Mg_2Si intermetallic compound via Al doping

Brittleness is a dominant issue that restricts potential applications of Mg_2Si intermetallic compounds(IMC). In this paper, guided by first-principles calculations, we found that Al doping will enhance the ductility of Mg_2Si. The underlying mechanism is that Al doping could reduce the electronic exchange effect between Mg and Si atoms, and increase the volume module/shear modulus ratio, both of which are beneficial to the deformation capability of Mg_2Si. Experimental investigations were then carried out to verify the calculation results with Al doping contents ranging from Al-free to 10 wt%. Results showed that the obtained ductile-brittle transition temperature of the Mg_2Si–Al alloy decreased and the corresponding ductility increased. Specifically, the ductile-brittle transition temperature could be reduced by about 100℃. When the content of Al reached 6 wt%, α-Al phase started to precipitate, and the ductile-brittle transition temperature of the alloy no longer decreased.

Optimization of Fermentation Conditions of Lepista sordida Mycelium

[ Objective] This study aimed to optimize the fermentation condition of Lepista sordida mycelium. [ Method ] The effects of carbon sources, nitrogen sources ,pH and incubation time on the dry weight of mycelium in L. sordida fermentation were investigated. [ Result] The descending order of the influences on L. sordida mycelium growth was ： carbon sources 〉 incubation time 〉 pH 〉 nitrogen sources. Based on orthogonal experiment, the optimal fermentation condition of L. sordida mycelium was determined as ： fermentation medium of 3% corn powder and 0.2% yeast extract, pH of 6.0, and incubation time of 8 d. [ Conclusion ] This study provides theoretical reference and experimental basis for the development and utilization of L. sordida biological resources.

浅谈中小型猪场自动饲喂系统

文章介绍了现有自动化饲喂系统,包括输料机械种类,固态料和液态料饲喂系统,分析对比了两种饲喂系统的优缺点及目前国内应用情况,在此基础上提出中小型猪场饲喂现状和痛点,进一步介绍了其发展趋势和应用要点。中小型猪场因其资金承受能力有限和养殖人员专业程度参差不齐,现有自动饲喂系统需要根据场地以及猪场实际情况针对性的改动适应,提供高—中—低配等不同选择模式,降低硬件占比,提高软件功能,做到设备功能集成化,移动化,达到一机多用的状态。

Improved Electrochemical Synthesis of Nitro-substituted 1-Aryl-2-pyrrolidinecarbonitriles

In this paper, we described an improved electrochemical method for synthesis of some 1-aryl-2-pyrrolidinecarbonitrile derivatives bearing an electron-withdrawing group （NO2）. The electrochemical synthesis of titile compounds has been successfully performed in an undivided cell in reasonable yields.