Assessing the synergy effect of additive and matrix on single-crystal growth: Morphological revolution resulted from gel-mediated enhancement on CIT-calcite interaction

It is well known that in biomineralization, the inorganic solids crystallized in the presence of organic phases, which are generally recognized as additives and matrix, leading to the crystal morphology modification. However, the synergy effects of both soluble additive and insoluble matrix on regulating the morphology of synthetic single-crystals are less studied. Here, we examine the morphological revolution of calcite single crystals induced by the additive, citrate（CIT）, or/and the matrix, agarose gel network. The agarose gel matrix is inert to the crystal morphology in the sense that the agarose gelgrown calcite crystals maintain in characteristic rhombohedra. In contrast, CIT additives are active in crystal morphology modification and crystals begin to exhibit curved rough surfaces when grown in solution with the concentration of CIT coated Au nanoparticles（[CIT-Au NPs]） of more than 2.25 mg/mL.Interestingly, once agarose gel and CIT-Au NPs are simultaneously introduced, the curved morphological feature emerges at a much lower [CIT-Au NPs] of around 0.2 mg/mL. Increasing the gel concentrations further reduce the [CIT-Au NPs] needed to trigger calcite morphological modification, suggesting that the gel networks reduce the CIT diffusion and thereby enhance the kinetic effects of CIT on crystallization. As such, this work may have implications for understanding the mechanism of hierarchical biominerals construction and provide rational strategy to control single-crystal morphologies.

Relativistic effect on synergy of electron cyclotron and lower hybrid waves on EAST

In recent experiments on EAST,the electron temperature at the center can be raised to 9.7 ke V by injecting electron cyclotron(EC)and lower hybrid(LH)waves simultaneously.With such strong core electron heating,the relativistic effect could play an important role in the interactions between the plasma and waves.In order to explore the relativistic effect on synergy between the EC and LH waves on EAST,ray-tracing/Fokker-Planck simulations are conducted to investigate electron heating for a typical discharge with a center electron temperature of 9.7 ke V.It is found that the relativistic effect can cause the EC wave to deposit its power deeper in the plasma core,where the synergy between the EC and LH waves occurs and enhances the absorption of the LH waves.As a result,a high center electron temperature can be achieved.

CoB and BN composites enabling integrated adsorption/catalysis to polysulfides for inhibiting shuttle-effect in Li-S batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are hampered by the infamous shuttle effect and slow redox kinetics,resulting in rapid capacity decay.Herein,a bifunctional catalysis CoB/BN@rGO with integrated structure and synergy effect between adsorption and catalysis is proposed to solve the above problems.The integrated CoB and BN are simultaneously and uniformly introduced on the rGO substrate through a one-step calcination strategy,applied to modify the cathode side of PP separator.The transition metal borides can catalyze the conversion of lithium polysulfides(Li_(2)Sn,n≥4),whereas the bond of B-S is too weak to absorb LPS.Thus BN introduced can effectively restrict the diffusion of polysulfides via strong chemisorption with LiSnLi+…N,while the rGO substrate ensures smooth electron transfer for redox reaction.Therefore,through the integrated adsorption/catalysis,the shuttle effect is suppressed,the kinetics of redox reaction is enhanced,and the capacity decay is reduced.Using CoB/BN@rGO modified PP separator,the Li-S batteries with high initial capacity(1450 mAh g^(-1)at 0.35 mA cm^(-2))and long-cycle stability(700 cycles at 1.74 mA cm^(-2)with a decay rate of 0.032%per cycle)are achieved.This work provides a novel insight for the preparation of bifunctional catalysis with integrated structure for long-life Li-S batteries.

Dual metal atom catalysts:Advantages in electrocatalytic reactions

The dual-metal-atom catalysts(DACs)have aroused much attention as they possess the advantages of single-atom and metal alloy catalysts.And the DACs have exhibited enhanced performance in various electrocatalytic reactions,such as hydrogen/oxygen evolution and oxygen/carbon dioxide/nitrogen reduction.In this review,we mainly overview the latest understanding of the advantages of DACs for these reactions.This review will start with the familiar characterization methods for DACs,then the primary synthesis strategies for DACs will be discussed.Emphasis is given to the advantages of DACs in catalytic reactions,including the adsorption and activation,electronic structure regulation,breaking scaling relations,reducing energy barriers,cascading and coupling,synergy effect,and providing mechanism research platforms.Finally,personal perspectives and challenges for the further development of DACs are briefly discussed.

Electrical Resistance Behavior of Vinylester Composites Filled with Glass-carbon Hybrid Fibers

Vinylester （bismethacryloxy derivative with glass-carbon hybrid fibers （CF-GF） weight fraction of a bisphenol-A type EP resin, VE） composites of 50%, were prepared by the compress molding method. The distribution of carbon fiber in the hybrids was observed by stereomicroscope. The electrical resistance behavior of the composites filled with different carbon fiber （CF） weight contents （0.5% to 20%） was studied. The experimental results show that the electrical resistance behaviors of CF-GF/VE composites are different with those of CF/VE composites because carbon fibers＇ conducting networks are broken by the glass fibers in the CF-GF/VE composites. The carbon fibers distribute uniformly in the networks of glass fibers （GF） like single silk and form the semi-continuous conducting networks. Composite filled with GF-CF hybrid has a higher percolation threshold than that filled with pure CF. At that time, the resistivity of CF-GF/VE composites varies little with the temperature increasing. The temperature coefficient of resistivity in GF-CF/VE composite is less than 317 ppm and the variation of the resistivity after ten thermal cycles from 20℃ to 240 ℃is less than 1.96%.

Carambola-like metal-organic frameworks for high-performance electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Hydrogen production by electrocatalytic water splitting promises a green and sustainable technology to address serious energy crisis and environmental pollution [1]. As well known, the process of electrocatalytic water splitting is composed of two half reaction, i.e. oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode [2].

The Effect of Online Channel Addition on Store Performance:Empirical Evidence from Chinese Chain Retailers

With the rapid development of e-Commerce and takeaway platforms, retailers have gradually developed multi-channel operations. However, limited empirical studies explored the effects of an online channel offered by takeaway platforms on the store performance. Does an online channel addition have a synergy effect or a cannibalization effect on store performance? We empirically investigate these effects by analyzing a large dataset including diverse samples collected from multiple retailers across various regions. The dataset includes 2115 stores across 25 retailers for 10 months that includes two types of retail formats and covers 16 provinces and 21 cities of China. We study the impacts of the newly introduced online channel on the incumbent offline channel and the overall store performance.The empirical results reveal that the online channel addition mainly has a synergy effect. Specifically,for the overall store, it has a positive effect on the sales and product variety, whereas it has a negative effect on the basket size. Surprisingly, an online channel addition also has a positive effect on the offline sales. Our study adds novel values to multi-channel retailing literature by empirically researching the cannibalization and synergy effect of a new type of online channel, offered by takeaway platforms. It can provide insights for retail enterprises who are interested in introducing O2 O model.

The role of bacteria and its derived biomaterials in cancer radiotherapy

Bacteria-mediated anti-tumor therapy has received widespread attention due to its natural tumor-targeting ability and specific immune-activation characteristics.It has made significant progress in breaking the limitations of monotherapy and effectively eradicating tumors,especially when combined with traditional therapy,such as radiotherapy.According to their different biological characteristics,bacteria and their derivatives can not only improve the sensitivity of tumor radiotherapy but also protect normal tissues.Moreover,genetically engineered bacteria and bacteria-based biomaterials have further expanded the scope of their applications in radiotherapy.In this review,we have summarized relevant researches on the application of bacteria and its derivatives in radiotherapy in recent years,expounding that the bacteria,bacterial derivatives and bacteria-based biomaterials can not only directly enhance radiotherapy but also improve the anti-tumor effect by improving the tumor microenvironment(TME)and immune effects.Furthermore,some probiotics can also protect normal tissues and organs such as intestines from radiation via anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidation and apoptosis inhibition.In conclusion,the prospect of bacteria in radiotherapy will be very extensive,but its biological safety and mechanism need to be further evaluated and studied.

Rational design of Prussian blue analogue-derived manganese-iron oxides-based hybrids as high-performance Li-ion-battery anodes

The unique components and architecture of Prussian blue analogous(PBAs) offer great potential for the construction of various functional nanostructures. Herein, we reported the preparation of a series of Mn–Fe oxides-based hybrids using Mn–Fe PBA as a template and an organic carbon source by calcination.The study focuses on revealing the interaction between the microstructure and electrochemical performance of the products obtained at different calcination temperatures. Notably, the as-derived porous Fe–Fe0.33Mn0.67O/C nanocubes(i.e., M600) exhibited the best rate capability and cycle life compared with other samples(~890 m Ah/g at 0.1 A/g, 626.8 m Ah/g after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A/g with a 99% capacity retention). These can be attributed to the fact that the porous structure provides shorter Li+diffusion path and promotes the penetration of electrolyte. Besides, the N-doped C formed by the carbonization of organic ligands can buffer the volume change and prevent the aggregation of Fe_(0.33)Mn_(0.67)O nanoparticles during the discharge/charge cycles. Moreover, the presence of metallic Fe enhances the conductivity and the electrochemical activity, which accelerates the electrochemical reactions. Therefore, reasonable design of microstructure and compositions of functional nanocomposites is the key to obtain ideal electrochemical properties.

Achieving ultrahigh electrocatalytic NH_(3) yield rate on Fe-doped Bi_(2)WO_(6) electrocatalyst

NH_(3),derived from electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR),is promising to satisfy the need of food production and serve as a carbon-free liquid energy carrier in the near future.Yet major challenges remain in enhancing NH_(3) yield rate and conversion efficiency of available electrocatalysts.This work achieved an ultrahigh electrocatalytic NH_(3)yield rate on the_(0.50)Fe-Bi_(2)W0_(6) catalyst by a facile Fe-doped strategy.Up to 289μg·h^(-1)·mg_(cat)^(-1) of NH_(3) formation rate was obtained at-0.75 V vs.RHE,which was reliably quantized by indophenol blue and ^(1)H NMR methods.The impressive result is an order of magnitude higher than that of the reported Fe-and Bi-based catalysts,even more superior than the result of single atom Ru catalyst.The key of the outstanding NRR behaviors on the_(0.50)Fe-Bi_(2)W0_(6) catalyst is the significant hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)suppression and the synergy between Bi and Fe,which can effectively modulate the electron distribution and accelerate the electron transport.This work endows a new insight to further explore the high-performance electrocatalysts toward NRR.

Exploring the underlying mechanism of action of a traditional Chinese medicine formula,Youdujing ointment,for cervical cancer treatment

Background:A traditional Chinese medicine formula,Youdujing(YDJ)ointment,is widely used for treatment of human papilloma virus-related diseases,such as cervical cancer.However,the underlying mechanisms by which active compounds of YDJ alleviates cervical cancer are still unclear.Methods:We applied a comprehensive network pharmacology approach to explore the key mechanisms of YDJ by integrating potential target identification,network analysis,and enrichment analysis into classical molecular docking procedures.First,we used network and enrichment analyses to identify potential therapeutic targets.Second,we performed molecular docking to investigate the potential active compounds of YDJ.Finally,we carried out a network-based analysis to unravel potentially effective drug combinations.Results:Network analysis yielded four potential therapeutic targets:ESRI,NFKB1,TNF,and AKT1.Molecular docking highlighted that these proteins may interact with four potential active compounds of YDJ:E4,Y2,Y20,and Y21.Finally,we found that Y2 or Y21 can act alone or together with E4 to trigger apoptotic cascades via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and estrogen receptors.Conclusion:Our study not only explained why YDJ is effective for cervical cancer treatment,but also lays a strong foundation for future clinical studies based on this traditional medicine.

A Near-infrared Fluorescent Probe for Selective Simultaneous Detection of Fe2＋ and CI- in Living Cells

A naked-eyed chromo-near infrared fluorescent probe for simultaneous detection of Fe2＋ and C1 has been developed, based on photoinduced electron transfer mechanism （PET）. The fluorophore is cyanine （Cy-SO3）, and the Fe2＋ receptor is 4＇-（aminomethylphenyl）-2,2＇,6＇,2＂-terpyridine （Tpy）. The probe responds linearly and rapidly to [Fe2＋] and [C1 ] variations under physiological conditions and exhibits high sensitivity, good photostability, and excellent cell membrane permeability. The real-time imaging of cellular Fe2＋ was achieved successfully in living HL-7702, HepG2, and RAW264.7 cell lines.

海胆状CoTe-CoP异质结构催化剂在全pH范围内高效析氢

研发长效稳定、pH适应性强的析氢反应(HER)催化剂对实现大规模制氢具有重要意义.界面工程是研发高效HER催化剂的有效策略之一.本文成功构建了海胆状异质结构催化剂CoTe-CoP/NF.CoTe和CoP的协同作用不仅优化了电子结构、暴露了更多的活性位点,而且有效地提高了催化剂的亲水性和疏气性.密度泛函理论计算表明:CoTe与CoP之间的相互作用有效地降低了水的解离能垒,同时增强了对H~*的吸附.这些结果使得CoTe-CoP/NF在整个pH范围内具有优异的HER性能和催化稳定性.在酸性、碱性和中性介质中,CoTe-CoP/NF电极驱动10 mA cm^(-2)的电流密度仅需51、53和75 mV的过电位.总之,本工作为在全pH范围内构建高性能HER催化剂提供了一种界面工程新策略.