Critical Bimetallic Phosphide Layer Enables Fast Electron Transfer and Extra Energy Supply for Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Zinc Batteries

Nickel-based cathodes in aqueous nickel-zinc batteries typically suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics and limited energy density. In situ introduction of metal phosphides and rational construction of heterostructures can effectively promote electron/ion transport. However, the complex evolution of phosphidation and intractable phosphidizing degree greatly affect the composition of active phase, active sites, charge transfer rate, and ion adsorption strength of cathodes. Herein, the critical bimetallic phosphide layer (CBPL) is constructed on the NiCo-layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) skeleton by a controllable anion-exchange strategy, yielding a novel nanohybrid cathode (NiCo-P1.0, 1.0 representing the mass ratio of Na2H2PO2 to NiCo-LDH). The high-conductivity CBPL with the inner NiCo-LDH forms extensive heterostructures, effectively regulating the electronic structure via charge transfer, thereby improving electrical conductivity. Remarkably, the CBPL exhibits unexpected electrochemical activity and synergizes with NiCo-LDH for electrode reactions, ultimately delivering extra energy. Benefiting from the bifunctional CBPL, NiCo-P1.0 delivers an optimal capacity of 286.64 mAh g-1 at 1C (1C = 289 mAh g-1) and superb rate performance (a capacity retention of 72.22% at 40C). The assembled NiCo-P1.0//Zn battery achieves ultrahigh energy/power density (503.62 Wh kg-1/18.62 kW kg-1, based on the mass loading of active material on the cathode), and the flexible quasi-solid-state pouch cell validates its practicality. This work demonstrates the superiority of bifunctional CBPL for surface modification, providing an effective and scalable compositing strategy in achieving high-performance cathodes for aqueous batteries

Understanding youth resilience: the role of the brain and protective factors

© 2025 Lu ZhangChildhood adversity, such as experiences of childhood maltreatment, trauma, and socioeconomic disadvantage, has consistently been associated with lasting impacts on mental health. Despite the known negative consequences of childhood adversity, some exposed children are able to thrive and experience better-than-expected psychological functioning. These children may be described as showing resilience, which refers to the dynamic processes of adaptation in the face of threats or challenges. Understanding resilience factors and mechanisms that promote positive outcomes may be important for prevention and intervention efforts. This may be particularly important during adolescence, a period of marked neurobiological and socioemotional development, which may provide an opportune window for resilience. However, limited research has examined the impact of subsequent stress exposure on resilience to childhood adversity, as well as psychosocial factors that may promote resilience to the combined effect of childhood adversity and subsequent stress exposure. Evidence of the neurobiological correlates of resilience during adolescence is also unclear, with a lack of systematic synthesis of existing findings. Further, the field continues to debate the domain specificity of resilience (i.e., whether resilience is specific to certain functioning domains or prevails across domains), with limited empirical examination on the topic. To address these gaps in the literature, this thesis aimed to examine a) the impact of subsequent stress exposure on resilience to childhood adversity and the protective effect of known buffering factors, b) the neurobiological correlates of resilience during adolescence, and c) the differences and similarities in neural correlates of resilience to different domains of mental health outcomes as well as factors that promote resilience to these outcomes. This thesis predominately used data from the large-scale U.S.-based Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, which constituted longitudinal neuroimaging and mental health data of over 11,000 adolescents. In the first study, I examined Aim 1 of the thesis in the context of COVID-19 stressor exposure, with the focus on resilience to childhood trauma (severe forms of childhood adversity). I found that COVID-19 stressor experience exacerbated the effect of childhood trauma on adolescent mental health difficulties during the pandemic, however, this negative effect was mitigated by improvements in family and peer relationships. Aim 2 was explored in studies 2 and 3. My systematic syntheses of the existing evidence on neurobiological correlates of resilience to childhood adversity during childhood and adolescence revealed largely mixed findings and paucity of research on resilience to externalising problems and sex-related differences. Based on these findings, using multi-modal neuroimaging, I empirically examined neurobiological correlates of resilience to internalising and externalising symptoms in the context of childhood trauma. Sex differences were also explored. From this, I found preliminary evidence for the potential association between resilience and resting-state connectivity between cortical networks and the hippocampus, suggesting a potential role of attention regulation and memory processes in resilience. Further, distinct patterns of resilience-associated connectivity were found in males and females, highlighting the need to consider sex differences in future research. Across the studies, I explored resilience across internalising and externalising symptom domains, with results indicating a high overlap in resilience neurobiology and factors that promote resilience across these symptom domains. The knowledge gained from this thesis provides additional insights into the neural markers and psychosocial protective factors that may promote resilience during adolescence. These findings have important implications for future research on resilience during adolescence as well as early intervention/prevention efforts for young people with childhood adversity experience

A Digital Pornography Education Prototype Co-Designed With Young People: Formative Evaluation

Background: Interventions to help young people make sense of sex and relationships in the context of widely available pornography are becoming increasingly supported in school settings. However, young people who experience disruptions to their education often have less access to such programs. Digital platforms may offer a more accessible method to deliver tailored sexual health and pornography literacy to young people who are disengaged from mainstream schooling, or who experience other types of structural disadvantage. Objective: This study aimed to describe the formative evaluation of “The Gist” a co-designed online sexual health education and pornography literacy prototype designed to meet the sexual health information needs of structurally marginalized young people in Australia. Methods: We conducted iterative workshops with 33 young people aged between 15 and 24 years recruited from an alternative education school in Melbourne, Australia. Through interactive activities, participants evaluated the overall prototype design, including its usability, desirability, inclusiveness, and potential for impact. Results: Participants reported The Gist to be easy to use (17/20, 85%) and safe (19/23, 83%), with “hot” branding (25/30, 83%). However, perceived content relevance was dependent on the participants’ existing level of sexual health knowledge and experience, with only 31% (7/23) agreeing that “The Gist feels like it was made for me.” The interactive learning activities such as the debunked (myth-busting) and quiz features were among the most used and well-liked on The Gist platform. Low unprompted engagement with the prototype outside of facilitated workshop settings also confirmed previous researcher postulations that The Gist as a standalone digital platform is unlikely to meet the needs of this population group. Further design refinements are needed to improve user experience, including more interactive activities and visual information in place of heavily text-based features. Conclusions: This study provides important insights into the design and sexual health information needs of structurally marginalized young people. Further research is needed to assess the overall efficacy of The Gist prototype, as well as its ability to positively influence young people’s sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Future iterations should consider hybrid or face-to-face delivery models to better capture student engagement

Physicochemical Characterization, Storage Stability Behavior, and Intestinal Bioaccessibility of Clove Extract Encapsulated Using Varying Combinations of Gum Arabic and Maltodextrin

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum, L.) is a rich source of polyphenols and antioxidants, but its intense flavor, poor solubility, and instability may limit its widespread and efficient use in industrial applications. In a series of laboratory-scale experiments, gum Arabic (GA) and maltodextrin (MD) were used as coating agents in various proportions (ranging from 0MD:100GA to 100MD:0GA) for encapsulation of clove extract using a freeze-drying method. The encapsulates were assessed for the physicochemical properties, storage stability behavior, and intestinal bioaccessibility of phenolics using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion test. The freeze-dried encapsulates were characterized as having low water activity (90%), solid (product) recovery (mean 93.1 ± 1.77%), and encapsulation efficiency (91.4−94.9%). Hygroscopicity increased as the GA:MD proportion increased in the encapsulation formulations. Encapsulation was effective in protecting bioactive components of clove extract during storage at room (up to 40 days) or high temperature (60 °C for 7 days) and minimized the loss of antioxidant activity during storage, as compared to the clove extract in a non-encapsulated form. All encapsulation formulations were characterized by a negative zeta potential (from −22.1 to −29.7 mV) and a polydispersity index ranging from 0.47 to 0.68, classifying the formulations as having a mid-range polydisperse particle size distribution. The FTIR analysis demonstrated that the freeze-drying encapsulation process resulted in no evident chemical interaction between coating and core materials. Intestinal bioaccessibility of total phenolics after the in vitro-simulated gastrointestinal digestion was greater in the encapsulated clove extract compared to the non-encapsulated clove extract. In conclusion, the encapsulation process was effective in protecting the bioactivity of the polyphenol-rich clove extract during storage and improved the phenolic bioaccessibility, potentially supporting the application of the encapsulated clove extract for use in functional food development

MATES in Manufacturing: A Cluster RCT Evaluation of a Workplace Suicide Prevention Program

BACKGROUND: The MATES in Construction suicide prevention program was adapted to the manufacturing sector and evaluated in a pilot of the program. METHODS: Ten manufacturing worksites were randomly assigned to intervention (5 sites) and wait-list control (5 sites) conditions in a two-arm cluster randomized design. 1245 workers responded at baseline (87% response rate) and 648 at final (35% response rate). Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) was assessed as a process outcome, and help-seeking intentions as the primary outcome (General Help-Seeking Questionnaire [GHSQ] score). Secondary outcomes included help sought, suicidal thoughts and likelihood of suicide attempt scores, and Kessler-6 scores. Linear mixed models for repeated measures were used in intention-to-treat (ITT) and completer analyses. RESULTS: All sites finished the trial, with intervention periods ranging from 8 to 11 months; however, none of the five intervention sites fully implemented the intervention as planned. ITT analyses showed an improvement in LOSS scores within the intervention group (0.49, 95% CI 0.13-0.49), but the mean difference in change between intervention and control included the null (0.34, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.80). The primary outcome of GHSQ scores also improved within the intervention group, but the difference in change included the null (mean difference 1.52, 95% CI -0.69 to 3.74). No secondary outcomes improved relative to control in ITT or completers analyses. Exploratory analysis of disaggregated GHSQ help sources showed greater improvement in mean difference in change for the main MATES message of seeking help from MATES Connectors. CONCLUSION: The intervention, as implemented, was not effective at achieving the primary or secondary outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN 12622000122752

Intravenous amino acid for kidney protection: current understanding and future perspectives.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill and perioperative patients and is associated with mortality, morbidity, medical costs, and progression to chronic kidney function. Unfortunately, despite numerous research efforts, until recently, there was no AKI preventive therapy supported by level 1 evidence. Among the several factors that contribute to renal damage, two of the major triggers of AKI development are renal hypoperfusion and renal medullary hypoxia. The intravenous administration of a mixture of amino acids promotes the prevention of AKI through multiple mechanisms: the recruitment of renal functional reserve, increased renal blood flow, and improvements in renal oxygenation. Such mechanisms of action led to increased glomerular filtration rate and urine output in preclinical and pilot clinical studies. To test if these benefits on physiological parameters could be translated into clinically meaningful outcomes, a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, trial was conducted in the cardiac surgery setting. Among 3511 adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, intravenous amino acid administration, compared to placebo, significantly reduced the occurrence of AKI, providing the first level 1 evidence of an effective treatment for AKI prevention. In this review, we provide the epidemiology and pathophysiology of cardiac surgery-associated AKI and the concept of renal functional reserve. Then, we summarize the underlying mechanisms of intravenous amino acid infusion as a renoprotective strategy and its preclinical and clinical evidence. Finally, we discuss the existing evidence gaps and future directions of this promising intervention

Are monocytes a preferable option to develop myeloid cell-based therapies for solid tumors?

In the last two decades, novel and promising cell-based therapies have populated the treatment landscape for haematological tumors. However, commonly exploited T and NK cell-based therapies show limited applicability to solid tumors. This is mainly given by the impaired tumor trafficking capability and limited effector activity of these cells within a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Myeloid cells spontaneously home to tumors and can thus be reprogrammed and/or engineered to directly attack tumor cells or locally and selectively deliver therapeutically relevant payloads that may improve the efficacy of immunotherapy against difficult-to-access solid tumors. In the context of myeloid cell-based therapies, adoptive transfer of monocytes has often been overshadowed by infusion of differentiated macrophages or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation despite their promising therapeutic potential. Here, we summarize the recent improvements and benefits of using monocytes for the treatment of solid tumors, their current clinical applications and the challenges of their use as well as some possible strategies to overcome them

An analysis of controlled human infection studies registered on ClinicalTrials.gov

OBJECTIVES: Controlled human infection studies (CHIS) involve intentional exposure of human volunteers to infectious agents. A previous systematic review found that adverse event (AE) reporting across CHIS is inconsistent, which makes data aggregation and reuse difficult. We hypothesised that data may be more easily aggregated using a clinical trial registry such as ClinicalTrals.gov, the largest publicly accessible registry of clinical trial data. The objectives of the current analysis were to (1) evaluate the use of ClinicalTrials.gov for CHIS data reporting and (2) compare CHIS clinical trial participant flow and AE reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov with the same data in corresponding published articles. DESIGN: ClinicalTrials.gov records that described a CHIS were included and data were accessed using the Aggregated Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov application programming interface. These data were compared with results extracted from publications associated with included records' NCT identifiers and compared in groups stratified by sponsor type, cohort size and risk of bias. Results were considered discrepant if the same number was reported unambiguously differently in the clinical trial record and its associated publications. The frequencies of these discrepancies were used to quantify the differences between reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov records and publications of the same results. RESULTS: We screened 5131 ClinicalTrials.gov records for inclusion, reviewed 410 records in full and included 344 records. The overall prevalence of any discrepancy was 40%. Compared with their respective groups, significant discrepancies were observed in publicly funded trials, trials in the third quartile of study size and trials with a high risk of bias in selection of the reported result. Five studies reported a total of five serious AEs in ClinicalTrials.gov records but not in any associated publications. CONCLUSION: We identified an overall prevalence of discrepancy of 40% in CHIS, which is comparable with the prevalence observed in other types of clinical trials. In general, medium-sized, publicly funded trials tended to have more discrepancies in reporting, which may reflect the resources typically available to large, privately funded trials or the relative ease of reporting in smaller trials with fewer overall AEs. These results highlight the need to facilitate clear and consistent reporting in CHIS. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022330047