A rational design of titanium-based heterostructures as electrocatalyst for boosted conversion kinetics of polysulfides in Li-S batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries have great potential for next-generation electrochemical storage systems owing to their high theoretical specific energy and cost-effectiveness. However, the shuttle effect of soluble polysulfides and sluggish multi-electron sulfur redox reactions has severely impeded the implementation of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, we prepared a new type of Ti3C2-TiO2 heterostructure sandwich nanosheet confined within polydopamine derived N-doped porous carbon. The highly polar heterostructures sandwich nanosheet with a high specific surface area can strongly absorb polysulfides, restraining their outward diffusion into the electrolyte. Abundant boundary defects constructed by new types of heterostructures reduce the overpotential of nucleation and improve the nucleation/conversion redox kinetics of Li2S. The Ti3C2-TiO2@NC/S cathode exhibited discharge capacities of 1363, and 801 mAh g-1 at the first and 100th cycles at 0.5C, respectively, and retained an ultralow capacity fade rate of 0.076% per cycle over 500cycles at 1.0C. This study provides a potential avenue for constructing heterostructure materials for electrochemical energy storage and catalysis.

Predictors of Primary Functional Maturation of Autogenous Radiocephalic Arteriovenous Fistula in a Cohort of Asian Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of autogenous radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (RCAVF) maturation. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing RCAVF creation from June 2013 to December 2018 at a single medical center. Comparison of the variables between the matured and nonmatured group was performed. RESULTS: A total of 277 patients (men, 173; 62.5%) with a mean age of 56.6 ± 16.9 years underwent primary RCAVF creation during the study period. The mean diameter of the cephalic vein and radial artery were 2.4 ± 0.6 mm (range 1.5 to 4.3 mm) and 2.3 ± 0.5 mm (range 1.5 to 4.0 mm), respectively. Primary functional maturation was achieved in 236 patients (236/277, 85%). There was no statistical significance between the matured and nonmatured group in terms of age (56.4 ± 14.8 vs. 58.1 ± 15.1, respectively; P = 0.498), coronary arterial disease (12% vs. 17%, respectively; P = 0.449), diabetes mellitus (42% vs. 39%, respectively; P = 0.864), smoking (26% vs. 22%, respectively; P = 0.699), or antiplatelet therapy (23% vs. 24%, respectively; P = 0.844). However, female gender (35% vs. 54%, respectively; P = 0.024), peripheral arterial disease (9% vs. 22%, respectively; P = 0.025), and small vein (2.4 ± 0.5 mm vs. 2.0 ± 0.5 mm, respectively; P < 0.01) and artery (2.4 ± 0.5 vs. 2.1 ± 0.4, respectively; P < 0.01) diameter were associated with the failure of maturation. The best cutoff diameter for the cephalic vein and radial artery was 1.85 mm and 2.05 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients undergoing RCAVF creation, vein and artery diameter on preoperative ultrasound mapping was the predictor of functional maturation. Female gender and presence of peripheral arterial disease were associated with failure of maturation.

Effects of Internet popular opinion leaders (iPOL) among Internet-using men who have sex with men.

BACKGROUND: The Internet has become a popular venue for facilitating sex networking for men who have sex with men (MSM). OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Internet popular opinion leaders (iPOL) in disseminating information about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), increasing the frequency of HIV testing, and reducing risky behaviors among MSM in Taiwan. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control website for comparison was used to estimate the effectiveness of iPOL. A community-level intervention, iPOL, was conducted at the Facebook social networking website and at top1069 as a control. The iPOLs actively disseminated HIV-related information via the platform of Internet opinion leaders and AIDS information center, and discussed and responded to questions or replied to Internet-using MSM. RESULTS: A total of 369 iPOLs posted 432 articles and 503 replies to others, influencing 959,088 persons on Facebook. A total of 1037 MSM, 552 (53.23%) from an intervention website and 485 (46.76%) from a control website, participated in the follow-up study survey (response rate 96%). At the 6-month follow-up after the intervention was conducted, MSM who visited the intervention website were more likely to receive HIV-related information (25.49% versus 10.47%, P<.001), discuss HIV issues with others (41.88% versus 23.79%, P<.001), review articles about HIV (90.58% versus 79.73%, P<.001), and be asked about or discuss HIV-related questions (51.11% versus 31.78%, P<.001) than those on the control website. In addition, MSM were more likely to have HIV tests within 6 months (43.89% versus 22.31%, P<.001) and consistently use condoms during anal sex with online sex partners than those using the control website (34.15% versus 26.19%, P=.004). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed the feasibility and effectiveness of the iPOL intervention as an online HIV prevention program. These findings underscore the importance of disseminating HIV information online, as well as the challenges inherent in the efforts of iPOL to reduce HIV-related risky behaviors among Internet-using MSM.