ABSTRACT
The development of high-voltage Mg metal batteries is hampered by the incompatibility between a Mg metal anode and conventional electrolyte, leading to a high overpotential for Mg plating/stripping processes. In this work, we tailored a hybrid functional layer consisting of Bi/MgCl2/polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) by an in situ THF polyreaction during the reaction of the Mg anode with BiCl3 solution. The introduction of PTHF inhibits the growth of Bi particles and fills the layer interstice with MgCl2-containing PTHF, improving the structural integrity of the functional layer and insulation between the electrolyte and Mg anode. As a result, compared to a simply modified Bi/MgCl2 layer, the Bi/MgCl2/PTHF functional layer exhibits a lower polarization voltage of 0.25 V and longer cycling life of more than 2000 h at 0.1 mA cm-2. Mechanism analysis shows that Mg is plated on the surface of Bi particles within the layer. The Mo6S8/Mg full battery with the hybrid functional layer achieved a low voltage hysteresis of â¼0.25 V and long cycling life over 500 cycles at 50 mA g-1. This work provides a facile and effective hybrid functional layer strategy to realize Mg metal batteries in conventional electrolytes.
ABSTRACT
A 25-line flattened optical frequency comb (OFC) is generated by cascading Mach-Zehnder modulators, and its coherent beating properties are investigated. The effect of bias voltages and the power of radio frequency signals on the flatness of the OFC, and the phase relationships between each comb line are theoretically deduced. In the experiment, a 25-line OFC with a flatness of less than 1 dB and an optical sideband suppression ratio of 12 dB is successfully demonstrated, and the agreement between simulation and experimental results supports the validity of the model for analysis of the flatness. The measured amplitude of harmonic signals by coherent beating of the generated 25-line OFC matches well with the theoretical prediction. A phase noise of -105.31dBc/Hz at 10 kHz frequency offset for the 12th harmonic signal almost without phase noise degradation proves the high coherence of the generated OFC lines.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-targeted therapy and sunitinib monotherapy have been widely applied to metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), effectiveness and safety data are still lacking. To optimize clinical decision-making, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized clinical trials to characterize the efficacy and the risk of adverse events (AEs) in patients treated with ICIs plus anti-VEGF therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before March 27, 2021. The efficacy outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR). The pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of AEs were calculated in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Six RCTs involving 4,227 patients were identified after a systematic search. For OS, ICI and anti-VEGF combination therapy decreased mortality approximately 30% in the intention-to-treat population (ITT) (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.57-0.87), but there was no statistical difference in patients evaluated as "favorable" by the International Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria compared with monotherapy (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.55-1.46, p = 0.66). In terms of PFS, the progression risk for all participants declined 35% (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.83) and patients evaluated as "poor" by IMDC benefited further (HR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36-0.58). No evident divergence was found in age and sex subgroups. The RRs of all-grade hypertension, arthralgia, rash, proteinuria, high-grade (grades 3-5) arthralgia, and proteinuria developed after combination therapy were increased compared with sunitinib. The risk of high-grade hypertension and rash showed no statistical difference. However, the risk of hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR), stomatitis, and dysgeusia decreased in combination therapy groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with sunitinib, OS, PFS, and ORR were significantly improved in patients receiving ICI and anti-VEGF combination therapy at the expense of increased specific AEs. More attention should be paid to individualized application of these combination therapies to achieve the best benefit-risk ratio in the clinic. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: [https://inplasy.com/] INPLASY: 202130104.
ABSTRACT
The anti-yeast activities of a food-grade dilution-stable microemulsion against Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been studied. The weight ratio of the formulated microemulsion is glycerol monolaurate (GML)/propionic acid/Tween 80/sodium benzoate (SB)/water = 3:9:14:14:24. Results of anti-yeast activity on solid medium by agar diffusion method showed that the anti-yeast activity of the microemulsion at 4.8 mg/ml was comparable to that of natamycin at 0.1 mg/ml as positive control. Results of anti-yeast activity in liquid medium by broth dilution method showed that the growth of both C. albicans and S. cerevisiae was completely inhibited when the liquid medium containing 10(6) cfu/ml was treated with 1.2 mg/ml microemulsion, which was determined as minimum fungicidal concentration. The kinetics of killing results showed that the microemulsion killed over 90% yeast cells rapidly within 15 min and caused a complete loss of viability in 120 min. Among the components, SB and GML had a similar anti-yeast activity, followed by propionic acid, while Tween 80 exhibited no activity and could not enhance the anti-yeast activities of these components, and it was revealed that the anti-yeast activity of the microemulsion was attributed to a combination of propionic acid, GML, and SB. The anti-yeast activity of the microemulsion was in good agreement with the leakage of 260-nm absorbing materials and the observation of transmission electron microscopy, indicating that the microemulsion induced the disruption and dysfunction of the cell membrane.
