Armoring the cathode with starch gel enables Shuttle-Free Zinc-Iodine batteries.

Zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) have been recognized as a promising energy storage device due to their high energy density, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the development of ZIBs is hindered by the shuttle effect of polyiodides which results in capacity degradation and poor cycling performance. Inspired by the ability of starch to form inclusion compounds with iodine, we propose to use a starch gel on the cathode to suppress the shuttle of polyiodides. Herein, porous carbon is utilized as a host for iodine species and provides an excellent conductive network, while starch gel is used as another host to suppress polyiodides shuttle, resulting in improved battery performance. The test results demonstrate that the conversion between I-/I2/I3- in the cathode and the effective inclusion role of starch suppress the shuttle of polyiodides during the charging process. Meanwhile, based on the electrochemical tests and theoretical DFT calculations, it is found that starch has a stronger ability to adsorb polyiodides compared to carbon materials, which enables effective confinement of polyiodides. The ZIBs used the cathode with starch gel exhibit high coulombic efficiency (>95 % at 0.2 A/g) and low self-discharge (86.8 % after resting for 24 h). This strategy is characterized by its simplicity, low cost and high applicability, making it significant for the advancement of high-performance ZIBs.

Protection effects of mice liver and lung injury induced by coronavirus infection of Qingfei Paidu decoction involve inhibition of the NLRP3 signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a grave and pervasive global infectious malady brought about by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), posing a significant menace to human well-being. Qingfei Paidu decoction (QFPD) represents a pioneering formulation derived from four classical Chinese medicine prescriptions. Substantiated evidence attests to its efficacy in alleviating clinical manifestations, mitigating the incidence of severe and critical conditions, and reducing mortality rates among COVID-19 patients. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to investigate the protection effects of QFPD in mice afflicted with a coronavirus infection, with a particular focus on determining whether its mechanism involves the NLRP3 signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The coronavirus mice model was established through intranasal infection of Kunming mice with Hepatic Mouse Virus A59 (MHV-A59). In the dose-effect experiment, normal saline, ribavirin (80 mg/kg), or QFPD (5, 10, 20 g/kg) were administered to the mice 2 h following MHV-A59 infection. In the time-effect experiment, normal saline or QFPD (20 g/kg) was administered to mice 2 h post MHV-A59 infection. Following the assessment of mouse body weights, food consumption, and water intake, intragastric administration was conducted once daily at consistent intervals over a span of 5 days. The impact of QFPD on pathological alterations in the livers and lungs of MHV-A59-infected mice was evaluated through H&E staining. The viral loads of MHV-A59 in both the liver and lung were determined using qPCR. The expression levels of genes and proteins related to the NLRP3 pathway in the liver and lung were assessed through qPCR, Western Blot analysis, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: The administration of QFPD was shown to ameliorate the reduced weight gain, decline in food consumption, and diminished water intake, all of which were repercussions of MHV-A59 infection in mice. QFPD treatment exhibited notable efficacy in safeguarding tissue integrity. The extent of hepatic and pulmonary injury, when coupled with QFPD treatment, demonstrated not only a reduction with higher treatment dosages but also a decline with prolonged treatment duration. In the dose-effect experiment, there was a notable, dose-dependent reduction in the viral loads, as well as the expression levels of IL-1ß, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase 1, Caspase-1 p20, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, and NF-κB within the liver of the QFPD-treated groups. Additionally, in the time-effects experiments, the viral loads and the expression levels of genes and proteins linked to the NLRP3 pathway were consistently lower in the QFPD-treated groups compared with the model control groups, particularly during the periods when their expressions reached their zenith in the model group. Notably, IL-18 showed only a modest elevation relative to the blank control group following QFPD treatment. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, our current study demonstrated that QFPD treatment has the capacity to alleviate infection-related symptoms, mitigate tissue damage in infected organs, and suppress viral replication in coronavirus-infected mice. The protective attributes of QFPD in coronavirus-infected mice are plausibly associated with its modulation of the NLRP3 signaling pathway. We further infer that QFPD holds substantial promise in the context of coronavirus infection therapy.

Facile synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide sandwich composites for highly efficient microwave absorption.

Component regulation and microstructure design are two effective strategies to adjust electromagnetic parameters and improve the microwave absorption performance of materials. In this study, a facile synthesis strategy consisting of ultrasonic dispersion, blast drying, and roasting is proposed to build a sandwich-like graphene-based absorbent, in which Fe3O4 nanoparticles with adjustable content are sandwiched uniformly between reduced graphene oxide nanosheets. The sandwich structure can form multiple interfaces, prevent the aggregation of nanoparticles, facilitate interface polarization, and endow the material with multiple electromagnetic loss mechanisms, which is very beneficial for impedance matching and microwave attenuation. Notably, the effective absorption bandwidth achieves 5.7 GHz, and the minimum reflection loss value is -49.9 dB. In addition, the synthesis process is simple and suitable for large-scale production and possible industrial applications. Thus, this facile route to fabricate sandwich-like graphene-based absorbents provides new ideas and approaches for designing new graphene-based nanocomposites.

Modulating the Graphitic Domains and Pore Structure of Corncob-Derived Hard Carbons by Pyrolysis to Improve Sodium Storage.

Biomass-derived hard carbon materials are considered as the most promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their abundant sources, environmental friendliness, and excellent electrochemical performance. Although much research exists on the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the microstructure of hard carbon materials, there are few reports that focus on the development of pore structure during the pyrolysis process. In this study, corncob is used as the raw material to synthesize hard carbon at a pyrolysis temperature of 1000~1600 °C, and their interrelationationship between pyrolysis temperature, microstructure and sodium storage properties are systematically studied. With the pyrolysis temperature increasing from 1000 °C to 1400 °C, the number of graphite microcrystal layers increases, the long-range order degree rises, and the pore structure shows a larger size and wide distribution. The specific capacity, the initial coulomb efficiency, and the rate performance of hard carbon materials improve simultaneously. However, as the pyrolysis temperature rises further to 1600 °C, the graphite-like layer begins to curl, and the number of graphite microcrystal layers reduces. In return, the electrochemical performance of the hard carbon material decreases. This model of pyrolysis temperatures-microstructure-sodium storage properties will provide a theoretical basis for the research and application of biomass hard carbon materials in SIBs.

Current strategies for SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection.

The molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important for the discovery and prevention of pandemic dissemination. Because SARS-CoV-2 is not always present in the samples that can be collected, the sample chosen for testing has inevitably become the key to the SARS-CoV-2 positive cases screening. The nucleotide amplification strategy mainly includes Q-PCR assays and isothermal amplification assays. The Q-PCR assay is the most used SARS-CoV-2 detection assay. Due to heavy expenditures and other drawbacks, isothermal amplification cannot replace the dominant position of the Q-PCR assay. The antibody-based detection combined with Q-PCR can help to find more positive cases than only using nucleotide amplification-based assays. Pooled testing based on Q-PCR significantly increases efficiency and reduces the cost of massive-scale screening. The endless stream of variants emerging across the world poses a great challenge to SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection. The multi-target assays and several other strategies have proved to be efficient in the detection of mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants. Further research work should concentrate on: (1) identifying more ideal sample plucking strategies, (2) ameliorating the Q-PCR primer and probes targeted toward mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants, (3) exploring more economical and precise isothermal amplification assays, and (4) developing more advanced strategies for antibody/antigen or engineered antibodies to ameliorate the antibody/antigen-based strategy.

A Sustainable and Low-Cost Route to Design NiFe2O4 Nanoparticles/Biomass-Based Carbon Fibers with Broadband Microwave Absorption.

Carbon-based microwave-absorbing materials with a low cost, simple preparation process, and excellent microwave absorption performance have important application value. In this paper, biomass-based carbon fibers were prepared using cotton fiber, hemp fiber, and bamboo fiber as carbon sources. Then, the precise loading of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles on biomass-based carbon fibers with the loading amount in a wide range was successfully realized through a sustainable and low-cost route. The effects of the composition and structure of NiFe2O4/biomass-based carbon fibers on electromagnetic parameters and electromagnetic absorption properties were systematically studied. The results show that the impedance matching is optimized, and the microwave absorption performance is improved after loading NiFe2O4 nanoparticles on biomass-based carbon fibers. In particular, when the weight percentage of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in NiFe2O4/carbonized cotton fibers is 42.3%, the effective bandwidth of NiFe2O4/carbonized cotton fibers can reach 6.5 GHz with a minimum reflection loss of -45.3 dB. The enhancement of microwave absorption performance is mainly attributed to the appropriate electromagnetic parameters with the ε' ranging from 9.2 to 4.8, and the balance of impedance matching and electromagnetic loss. Given the simple synthesis method, low cost, high output, and excellent microwave absorption performance, the NiFe2O4/biomass-based carbon fibers have broad application prospects as an economic and broadband microwave absorbent.

Facile Synthesis of Metal Oxide Decorated Carbonized Bamboo Fibers with Wideband Microwave Absorption.

Aiming at the disadvantages of high cost, complex processes, low yield, and narrow bandwidth of carbon-based microwave absorbing materials, this paper provides a novel and efficient method for synthesizing metal oxide/carbonized bamboo fibers using renewable natural bamboo fibers as a carbon source. The results suggested that the metal oxides such as NiO and Fe3O4 were uniformly dispersed on the carbonized bamboo fibers and proved that the dielectric component NiO and magnetic component Fe3O4 can significantly improve the microwave absorption performance of the carbonized bamboo fibers. As expected, the NiO/carbonized bamboo fibers showed excellent microwave absorption performance due to the appropriate complex permittivity, high impedance matching, and attenuation coefficient. A wide effective bandwidth of 6.4 GHz with 2.2 mm thickness is achieved, covering the entire Ku-band. Remarkably, the reflection loss (RL) values less than -10 dB covered the whole X-band at a thickness of 3.0 mm. This work reveals the potential of carbonized bamboo fibers-based composite as an economic and broadband microwave absorbent and offers a new strategy for designing promising microwave absorption materials.

Analysis and identification of potential type II helper T cell (Th2)-Related key genes and therapeutic agents for COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic poses a severe threat to public health. However, so far, there are no effective drugs for COVID-19. Transcriptomic changes and key genes related to Th2 cells in COVID-19 have not been reported. These genes play an important role in host interactions with SARS-COV-2 and may be used as promising target. We analyzed five COVID-19-associated GEO datasets (GSE157103, GSE152641, GSE171110, GSE152418, and GSE179627) using the xCell algorithm and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Results showed that 5 closely correlated modular genes to COVID-19 and Th2 cell enrichment levels, including purple, blue, pink, tan and turquoise, were intersected with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 648 shared genes were obtained. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that they were enriched in cell proliferation, differentiation, and immune responses after virus infection. The most significantly enriched pathway involved the regulation of viral life cycle. Three key genes, namely CCNB1, BUB1, and UBE2C, may clarify the pathogenesis of COVID-19 associated with Th2 cells. 11 drug candidates were identified that could down-regulate three key genes using the cMAP database and demonstrated strong drugs binding energies aganist the three keygenes using molecular docking methods. BUB1, CCNB1 and UBE2C were identified key genes for COVID-19 and could be promising therapeutic targets.

Facile synthesis of TiO2/Ag3PO4 composites with co-exposed high-energy facets for efficient photodegradation of rhodamine B solution under visible light irradiation.

In this study, TiO2/Ag3PO4 composites based on anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with co-exposed {101}, {010}/{100}, {001} and [111]-facets and Ag3PO4 microcrystals with irregular and cubic-like polyhedron morphologies were successfully synthesized by combining hydrothermal and ion-exchange methods. The anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with different high-energy facets were controllably prepared via hydrothermal treatment of the exfoliated [Ti4O9]2-/[Ti2O5]2- nanosheet solutions at desired pH values. The Ag3PO4 microcrystal with different morphologies was prepared via the ion-exchange method in the presence of AgNO3 and NH4H2PO4 at room temperature, which was used as a substrate to load the as-prepared anatase TiO2 nanocrystals on its surface and to form TiO2/Ag3PO4 heterostructures. The apparent rate constant of the pH 3.5-TiO2/Ag3PO4 composite was the highest at 12.0 × 10-3 min-1, which was approximately 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 13.3, and 24.0 fold higher than that of pH 0.5-TiO2/Ag3PO4 (10.5 × 10-3 min-1), pH 7.5-TiO2/Ag3PO4 (10.2 × 10-3 min-1), pH 11.5-TiO2 (8.8 × 10-3 min-1), Ag3PO4 (7.7 × 10-3 min-1), blank sample (0.9 × 10-3 min-1), and the commercial TiO2 (0.5 × 10-3 min-1), respectively. The pH 3.5-TiO2/Ag3PO4 composite exhibited the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity which can be attributed to the synergistic effects of its heterostructure, relatively small crystal size, large specific surface area, good crystallinity, and co-exposed high-energy {001} and [111]-facets. The as-prepared TiO2/Ag3PO4 composites still exhibited good photocatalytic activity after three successive experimental runs, indicating that they had remarkable stability. This study provides a new way for the preparation of TiO2/Ag3PO4 composite semiconductor photocatalysts with high energy crystal surfaces and high photocatalytic activity.

Preparation of Ni/C porous fibers derived from jute fibers for high-performance microwave absorption.

Composites obtained by incorporating magnetic nanoparticles into porous carbon materials are promising in serving as microwave absorbing materials. In this study, Ni/C porous fibers were successfully synthesized through a simple in situ template method by using low-cost jute fibers as carbon source and template. The results showed that the Ni nanoparticles were uniformly loaded on the surface and hollow porous structure of the Ni/C porous fibers. Meanwhile, the content and size of the Ni nanoparticles on the Ni/C porous fibers can be controlled. Due to a suitable filling content, the synergistic effect of dielectric loss, interface polarization loss, magnetic loss and porous structure of the Ni/C porous fibers, an excellent microwave absorption performance was achieved. The minimum reflection loss value reached -43.0 dB, and a reflection loss value less than -10 dB was in the frequency range of 11.2-16.1 GHz with 2.0 mm thickness. In particular, under matching thickness (1.5-3.5 mm), the values of all the reflection loss peaks were below -20.0 dB. It is believed that this work can not only provide a new way to design excellent carbon-based microwave absorbing materials, but also offer an effective design strategy to synthesize biomass nanocomposites.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of High-Energy Faceted TiO2 Nanocrystals Derived from Exfoliated Porous Metatitanic Acid Nanosheets with Improved Photocatalytic and Photovoltaic Performance.

A facile one-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of rutile TiO2 quadrangular prisms with dominant {110} facets, anatase TiO2 nanorods and square nanoprisms with co-exposed {101}/[111] facets, anatase TiO2 nanorhombuses with co-exposed {101}/{010} facets, and anatase TiO2 nanospindles with dominant {010} facets were reported through the use of exfoliated porous metatitanic acid nanosheets as a precursor. The nanostructures and the formation reaction mechanism of the obtained rutile and anatase TiO2 nanocrystals from the delaminated nanosheets were investigated. The transformation from the exfoliated metatitanic nanosheets with distorted hexagonal cavities to TiO2 nanocrystals involved a dissolution reaction of the nanosheets, nucleation of the primary [TiO6]8- monomers, and the growth of rutile-type and anatase-type TiO2 nuclei during the microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared anatase nanocrystals were evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of typical carcinogenic and mutagenic methyl orange (MO) under UV-light irradiation at a normal temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance of the synthesized anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with various morphologies and crystal facets was also characterized. The {101}/[111]-faceted pH2.5-T175 nanocrystal showed the highest photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance compared to the other TiO2 samples, which could be attributed mainly to its minimum particle size and maximum specific surface area.

Cancer risk assessment of soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Shanxi, China.

To assess the human cancer risk exposed to soil contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Shanxi province, China, the total 33 samples in the surface soil were collected from 11 cities, and the priority 15 PAHs were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after the soxhlet extraction and silica-alumina column purification. As a result, the levels of ∑15PAH in soil varied from 66.2 to 2633 ng/g dry weight (dw) with a mean of 732 ng/g dw, and seven carcinogenic PAHs made up 42-69% of the total priority PAHs and had an average value of 367 (in the range of 33.2 to 1181) ng/g dw. Accordingly, the total concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene equivalents (BaPeq) for 15 PAHs ranged from 10.3 to 358 (average 98.3) ng/g dw, and the seven carcinogenic BaPeq accounted for above 90%. Subsequently, the possible sources of PAHs in soil were identified by isomer ratios, demonstrating that the combustion contributed to the main source. Finally, the incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) of soil contaminated by 15 priority PAHs were estimated using the targeted chemical-specific approach. ILCR values were considered to be greater than 1 × 10-6 in 16 of 33 sites and followed a decreasing trend of adulthood > childhood > adolescence. Subsequently, the analysis of variance was performed by average ILCR value among the 11 cities (n = 3, p < 0.01), which indicated that the potential low cancer risk significantly increased for nearby residents in two areas, including Datong and Xinzhou, with the ILCR values of 4.61 ±â€¯1.93 and 3.92 ±â€¯2.54 per million, respectively. Therefore, the consumption of traditional coal should be controlled and partially replaced with the alternative energy sources. And the rigorous monitoring should be termly warranted to avoid the cancer risk for human being in agricultural area of Shanxi, China.

NiFe2O4 nanoparticles supported on cotton-based carbon fibers and their application as a novel broadband microwave absorbent.

In this work, NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were successfully supported on cotton-based carbon fibers through a flexible two-step approach consisting of calcination of cotton in a N2 atmosphere and subsequent hydrothermal reaction. The incorporation of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles into cotton-based carbon fibers resulted in better impedance matching, leading to better microwave absorption performance than cotton-based carbon fibers and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles. For NiFe2O4/carbon fibers, reflection loss (RL) values less than -10 dB were obtained in the frequency range of 11.5-18 GHz with 2.4 mm thickness, which covered the entire Ku-band (from 12 to 18 GHz). Meanwhile, when the matching thickness was 3.2 mm, the RL values less than -10 dB were in the range of 8.0-12.7 GHz, which covered the entire X-band (from 8 to 12 GHz). This excellent and interesting microwave absorption performance can satisfy multiple applications. Owing to the characteristics of a cost-effective synthetic route, low density and excellent microwave absorption, the NiFe2O4/carbon fibers have a promising future in X-band and Ku-band absorption.

Fe-, Co-, and Ni-Loaded Porous Activated Carbon Balls as Lightweight Microwave Absorbents.

Porous activated carbon ball (PACB) composites impregnated with iron, cobalt, nickel and/or their oxides were synthesized through a wet chemistry method involving PACBs as the carrier to load Fe(3+), Co(2+), and Ni(2+) ions and a subsequent carbothermal reduction at different annealing temperatures. The results show that the pyrolysis products of nitrates and/or the products from the carbothermal reduction are embedded in the pores of the PACBs, with different distributions, resulting in different crystalline phases. The as-prepared PACB composites possessed high specific surface areas of 791.2-901.5 m(2) g(-1) and low densities of 1.1-1.3 g cm(-3). Minimum reflection loss (RL) values of -50.1, -20.6, and -20.4 dB were achieved for Fe-PACB (annealed at 500 °C), Co-PACB (annealed at 800 °C), and Ni-PACB (annealed at 800 °C) composites, respectively. Moreover, the influence of the amount of the magnetic components in the PACB composites on the microwave-absorbing performances was investigated, further confirming that the dielectric loss was the primary contributor to microwave absorption.

CoFe2O4 and/or Co3Fe7 loaded porous activated carbon balls as a lightweight microwave absorbent.

In order to prepare a lightweight and efficient microwave absorbent, porous activated carbon balls (PACB) were used to load Fe(3+) and Co(2+) ions, because the PACB carrier has a high specific surface area of 800 m(2) g(-1) and abundant pores, including micropores and macropores. The loaded Fe(3+) and Co(2+) ions in the PACB composite were transformed into magnetic CoFe2O4 and/or Co3Fe7 particles during subsequent heat-treatment under an Ar atmosphere. According to the XRD and SEM results, the magnetic particles were embedded in the PACB macropores and showed different crystalline phases and morphologies after heat-treatment. CoFe2O4 flakes with spinel structure were obtained at approximately 450 °C, and were then transformed into loose quasi-spheres between 500 °C and 600 °C, where CoFe2O4 and Co3Fe7 coexisted because of the partial reduction of CoFe2O4. Co3Fe7 microspheres appeared above 700 °C. The density of the magnetic PACB composites was in the range of 2.2-2.3 g cm(-3). The as-synthesized PACB composites exhibited excellent microwave absorbability, which was mainly attributed to the magnetism of CoFe2O4 and Co3Fe7, as well as the presence of graphitized carbon. The minimum reflection loss value of the CoFe2O4-Co3Fe7-PACB composite reached -32 dB at 15.6 GHz, and the frequency of microwave absorption obeyed the quarter-wavelength matching model, showing a good match between dielectric loss and magnetic loss. The microwave reflection loss (RL) value could be modulated by adjusting the composition and thickness of the PACB composite absorbent. PACB composites with CoFe2O4-Co3Fe7 are a promising candidate for lightweight microwave absorption materials.