Study of the Rolling Effect on MoS2-Carbon Fiber Density and Its Consequences for the Functionality of Li-Ion Batteries.

In this study, an electrode slurry composed of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and vapor-grown carbon fiber (VGCF) prepared through a solid-phase synthesis method was blade-coated onto copper foil to form a thick film as the anode for lithium-ion batteries. In previously reported work, MoS2-based lithium-ion batteries have experienced gradual deformation, fracture, and pulverization of electrode materials during the charge and discharge cycling process. This leads to an unstable electrode structure and rapid decline in battery capacity. Furthermore, MoS2 nanosheets tend to aggregate over charge and discharge cycles, which diminishes the surface activity of the material and results in poor electrochemical performance. In this study, we altered the density of the MoS2-carbon fiber/Cu foil anode electrode by rolling. Three different densities of electrode sheets were obtained through varying rolling repetitions. Our study shows the best electrochemical performance was achieved at a material density of 2.2 g/cm3, maintaining a capacity of 427 mAh/g even after 80 cycles.

Intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Biliary cystadenoma (BCA) is a rare benign tumor, accounting for only 5% of reported cystic lesions of the liver. Given its potential for malignancy and high rate of recurrence, surgical resection is the preferred treatment. Therefore, early and accurate preoperative diagnosis is critical to the choice of treatment. We here report the first male case of BCA in our hospital, diagnosed by our team and confirmed by pathological biopsy. This article aims to improve the understanding of this disease and help make a correct diagnosis to better manage it. CASE SUMMARY: A 58-year-old man with irregular abdominal discomfort came to our clinic and was found to have a distended abdomen during physical examination. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging both showed a huge cystic mass in the liver. The patient underwent left hepatic lobectomy, cholecystectomy, and liver cyst fenestration, and most of the masses had decreased in size as of the 6-mo follow-up. The pathological diagnosis was consistent with BCA, and no recurrence was detected after the surgery. BCA occurred mainly in middle-aged women. To the best of our knowledge, this patient is the 11th male case of BCA reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: The combination of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is of great significance for the early accurate diagnosis of the disease and the choice of surgical methods.

Structural and Magnetic Properties of Rare Earth Doped Multilayer Nanocable Arrays.

The structure and anisotropic magnetization of One-dimensional (1D) Nd/Co/PA66 coaxial nanocables prepared by a low cost physical infiltration and electrodeposition methods are investigated. The preparation of Co nanotubes, Co/PA66 two-layer nanotubes and Nd/Co/PA66 three-layer nanocales is described, respectively. The structure, chemical composition and magnetic properties of various nanomaterials were investigated. The results show that the magnetic properties were affected by the rare earth metal Nd and the structural properties. The residual magnetization ratio of Nd/Co/PA66 nanocables is the biggest due to the synergistic effect of Nd and Co. In addition, the magnetization processes of the nanostructure were discussed in detail. We believe that these methods may provide an idea for ferromagnetic alloys and permanent magnet material and suitable for future applications in perpendicular recording media.

Effect of Each Layer on Anisotropic Magnetic Properties of Nd/Fe/Polyamide 66 Three-Layer Coaxial Nanocables.

One-dimensional (1D) Nd/Fe/polyamide 66 (Nd/Fe/PA66) three-layer coaxial nanocable arrays with high aspect ratio and highly anisotropic magnetization were successfully prepared via layer-by-layer deposition in the anodic aluminum oxide template. The morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of Nd/Fe/PA66 nanocables were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry . The effects of 1D nanocables on the magnetic properties of the assembled ordered arrays have been systematically investigated. The structural properties of these nanostructures are investigated as a function of the geometrical parameters. The magnetic anisotropy of Nd/Fe/PA66 nanocables has been significantly enhanced owing to the doped Nd that possesses a larger spin-orbital coupling and leads to a synergistic effect with Fe to enhance anisotropy energy.

Higher Bioavailability of Organic Bound Zinc from High Zinc-Enriched Fungi.

The organic forms of trace elements are considered more bioavailable than the inorganic forms. Although yeast can enrich metal elements and convert inorganic zinc to organic species, its tolerability and transforming capacity are limited. It would therefore be very interesting to look for higher conversion and accumulation in zinc fungi to obtain organic bound zinc from the natural environment. In this paper, potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium containing 800 µg/mL zinc was used for initial screening, with twenty-two fungal strains that tolerated high zinc isolated from the natural environment, and one strain (No.LZ-1108) growing well at a zinc (II) concentration of 10,000 µg/mL. According to morphological analysis, 18S rDNA sequence analysis, and biophysical and biochemical characteristics, No.LZ-1108 was tentatively identified as Fusarium oxysporum. Using atomic absorption spectrometry, the zinc content in the No.LZ-1108 cells was found to be 6.7 mg/g dry cell. After oral administration to rats at a dose of 10 mg Zn (II)/kg body weight, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the maximum zinc blood concentration (Cmax) of No.LZ-1108 and zinc gluconate were 8.10 g/L.min and 4.28 g/L.min, 23.72 µg/mL and 6.23 µg/mL, respectively. The AUC of No.LZ-1108 was significantly higher than those of zinc gluconate (P<0.05), and the mean relative bioavailability of AUC(test)/AUC(zinc gluconate) was 190 %, which showed that the bound zinc in No.LZ-1108 was more bioavailable than zinc gluconate. The present study reports an interesting alternative to developing zinc-based supplements from a natural source of zinc.

Determination of essential oil composition from Osmanthus fragrans tea by GC-MS combined with a chemometric resolution method.

The essential oils of the Osmanthus fragrans tea (OFT), Osmanthus fragrans (OF) and green tea (GT) had been extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with the help of heuristic evolving latent projections (HELP), an effective chemometric resolution method (CRM). The overlapping peak clusters were resolved into pure chromatograms and pure mass spectra with HELP. The qualitative analysis was performed by similarity searches in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) mass spectra database with the obtained pure mass spectrum of each component. Identification of some compounds was also assisted by comparison of temperature-programmed retention indices (PTRI) with authentic standards included in our own laboratory database under construction. The quantitative results were obtained by overall volume integration (OVI) method. A total of 67, 73 and 53 components in essential oils of the OFT, OF and GT were identified, accounting for 90.83%, 93.65% and 89.97% total contents of the essential oil of OFT, OF and GT, respectively.

Comparative analysis of volatile constituents between recipe jingfangsan and its single herbs by GC-MS combined with alternative moving window factor analysis method.

Comparative analysis of volatile constituents between recipe jingfangsan and its single herbs was performed by GC-MS combined with alternative moving window factor analysis (AMWFA), a new chemometric resolution method. Identification of the compounds was also assisted by comparison of temperature-programmed retention indices (PTRIs) on the OV-1 column with authentic samples. In total, 36, 29, and 42 volatile components in essential oil of Herba schizonepetae (HS), Radix saposhnikoviae (RS), and the recipe were respectively determined qualitatively and quantitatively, accounting for 81.80, 82.62 and 85.98% total contents of volatile oil of HS, RS, and the recipe respectively. Analysis by the method of AMWFA indicates that there are 22 common volatile constituents between the recipe and single herbal medicine HS, and 14 common volatile constituents between the recipe and single herb medicine RS. The experimental results also show that the volatile components of the recipe in number are almost addition of that of two single herbal medicines HS and RS, and are mainly from the single herbal medicine HS.

Comparative analysis of essential components between the herbal pair Radix Saposhnikoviae-Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii and its single herbs by GC-MS combined with a chemometric resolution method.

Comparative analysis of essential components in the herbal pair Radix Saposhnikoviae-Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii and its single herbs is performed using two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data coupled with a chemometric method, named alternative moving window factor analysis. Identification of the compounds is also assisted by comparison of temperature-programmed retention indices (PTRIs) on the OV-1 column with authentic samples. The experimental results show that the main volatile chemical components in the herbal pair are mainly from Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii, and the number of essential chemical components in the herbal pair is almost equal to the sum of the number in the two single herbs but with a different quantity.

[Analysis of essential oil in herba ephedrae-ramulus cinnamomi by GC-MS and chemometric resolution method].

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, chemometric resolution method ( CRM) and overall volume integration method were used to analyze the essential components of herbal pair Herba Ephedrae-Ramulus Cinnamomi (HP HE-RC) and compare it with that of single herbs HE and RC. 72, 68, and 97 essential components in essential oil of HE, RC, and HP HE-RC were determined, accounting for 90. 08% , 91. 62% , and 89. 76% of total contents of essential oil of HE, RC, and HP HE-RC, respectively. The numbers of essential components of HP HE-RC are almost the summation of that of two single herbs, but some relative contents of them are changed. Some new components, such as 1, 6-dimethylhepta-1,3,5-triene, tetracyclo[4. 2. 1.1 (2,5 ). 0 (9,10) ] deca-3,7-diene, globulol, ( E, E) -6, 10,14-trimethyl-5,9,13-pentadecatrien-2 -one, etc. have been found in HP HE-RC because of chemical reactions and physical changes during the course of decocation.

[Analysis of common volatile constituents in herbal pair chuanxiong rhizome-notoperygium root and its single herb].

Analysis of common volatile constituents in herbal pair (HP) Chuanxiong Rhizome (CXR)-Notoperygium root (NR) and its single herb was performed by the method of alternative moving window factor analysis (AMWFA). In total, 65, 71, and 79 volatile chemical components in volatile oil of CXR, NR, and HP CXR-NR were separately determined qualitatively and quantitatively, accounting for 83.69%, 96.04% and 95.39% total contents of volatile oil of CXR, NR, and HP CXR-NR respectively. Analysis by the method of AMWFA indicates that there are 45 common volatile constituents in HP CXR-NR and single herb CXR, and 63 common volatile constituents in HP CXR-NR and single herb NR and 31 common volatile constituents among these three systems. The experimental results also show that the number of volatile chemical components in HP CXR-NR is almost equal to the sum of the number in the two single herbs, and volatile chemical components in HP CXR-NR are mainly from single herb NR.

Analysis of volatile oil in Rhizoma ligustici chuanxiong-Radix paeoniae rubra by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometric resolution.

AIM: To analyze the volatile chemical components of the herbal pair Rhizoma Ligustici chuanxiong-Radix paeoniae rubra (RLC-RPR) and compare them with those of each of the herbs alone. METHODS: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), a chemometric resolution technique using the heuristic evolving latent projections (HELP) method, and the overall volume integration method were used. RESULTS: In total, 52, 38, and 61 volatile chemical components in RLC, RPR, and RLC-RPR essential oils were determined, respectively, accounting for 95.14%, 95.19%, and 89.68% of the total contents of essential oil of RLC, RPR, and RLC-RPR, respectively. The main volatile chemical components were butyldienephthalide (20.65%) and ligustilide (50.15%) for RLC; and n-hexadecanoic acid (20.18%), [Z,Z]9,12-octadecadienoic acid (30.11%), 2-hydroxy-benzaldehyde (17.08%) for RPR, and butyldienephthalide (14.80%), and ligustilide (38.91%) for RLC-RPR. The main volatile chemical components of RLC-RPR were almost the same as those of RLC, but the relative amounts were altered. CONCLUSION: The number of volatile chemical components in RLC-RPR was almost equal to the sum of the number in the 2 constituent herbs, but the relative amounts were altered. Furthermore, an acid-base reaction takes place during the process of decocting the herbs. The data gathered in this study may be helpful for understanding the synergistic nature of this herb pair in traditional Chinese medicine.

Alternative moving window factor analysis for comparison analysis between complex chromatographic data.

In this investigation, a novel chemometric method is developed for the analysis of five possible relationships of components or spectral features between two correlative but different hyphenated chromatographic systems. It is very helpful for comparison study of components present in different complex systems in both chemistry and systems biology. The proposed method, named alternative moving window factor analysis (AMWFA), could be utilized to determine the number of common components between different samples and then to identify their corresponding spectra half-automatically. AMWFA can alternatively be employed to mind for the selective information hiding in anyone of the two compared data X and Y, and to self-verify the resolution results by changing the extracted target matrices in analysis. From the results of comparison of simulated hyphenated chromatographic data, volatile chemical components in drug pair rhizoma ligustici chuanxiong-radix paeoniae rubra (RLC-RPR) and its single herbal medicines, and analysis of Angelica oral solution and its plasma sample after oral intake to rabbit, powerful ability of the proposed method is shown.