Anisotropic Ion Transport in a Poly(ethylene oxide)–LiClO₄ Solid State Electrolyte Templated by Graphene Oxide

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have attracted intensive attention due to their potential applications in all-solid-state lithium batteries. Tailoring crystallization is crucial to the design of high performance poly­(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–based SPEs. In this paper, we demonstrate that PEO crystal orientation in a PEO–lithium electrolyte results in anisotropic ionic conductivity along and through the crystalline lamellae. This conductivity anisotropy can be further enhanced by incorporating two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, which retard PEO crystallization, template the crystal orientation, and guide the ion transport, leading to highly anisotropic and conductive nanocomposite polymer electrolytes

How Does Nanoscale Crystalline Structure Affect Ion Transport in Solid Polymer Electrolytes?

Polymer electrolytes have attracted intensive attention due to their potential applications in all-solid-state lithium batteries. Ion conduction in this system is generally considered to be confined in the amorphous polymer/ion phase, where segmental relaxation of the polymer above glass transition temperature facilitates ion transport. In this article, we show quantitatively that the effect of polymer crystallization on ion transport is twofold: structural (tortuosity) and dynamic (tethered chain confinement). We decouple these two effects by designing and fabricating a model polymer single crystal electrolyte system with controlled crystal structure, size, crystallinity, and orientation. Ion conduction is confined within the chain fold region and guided by the crystalline lamellae. We show that, at low content, due to the tortuosity effect, the in-plane conductivity is 2000 times greater than through-plane one. Contradictory to the general view, the dynamic effect is negligible at moderate ion contents. Our results suggest that semicrystalline polymer is a valid system for practical polymer electrolytes design

Mimicking Bone Nanostructure by Combining Block Copolymer Self-Assembly and 1D Crystal Nucleation

The orientation and spatial distribution of nanocrystals in the organic matrix are two distinctive structural characteristics associated with natural bone. Synthetic soft materials have been used to successfully control the orientation of mineral crystals. The spatial distribution of minerals in a synthetic scaffold, however, has yet to be reproduced in a biomimetic manner. Herein, we report using block copolymer-decorated polymer nanofibers to achieve biomineralized fibrils with precise control of both mineral crystal orientation and spatial distribution. Exquisite nanoscale structural control in biomimetic hybrid materials has been demonstrated

Mimicking Bone Nanostructure by Combining Block Copolymer Self-Assembly and 1D Crystal Nucleation

The orientation and spatial distribution of nanocrystals in the organic matrix are two distinctive structural characteristics associated with natural bone. Synthetic soft materials have been used to successfully control the orientation of mineral crystals. The spatial distribution of minerals in a synthetic scaffold, however, has yet to be reproduced in a biomimetic manner. Herein, we report using block copolymer-decorated polymer nanofibers to achieve biomineralized fibrils with precise control of both mineral crystal orientation and spatial distribution. Exquisite nanoscale structural control in biomimetic hybrid materials has been demonstrated

Additional file 2: of Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of mTOR and phosphorylated mTOR expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Quality assessments of included studies. (DOCX 14 kb

DataSheet1_Acute combined effects of concurrent physical activities on autonomic nervous activation during cognitive tasks.docx

Backgrounds: The validity of heart rate variability (HRV) has been substantiated in mental workload assessments. However, cognitive tasks often coincide with physical exertion in practical mental work, but their synergic effects on HRV remains insufficiently established. The study aims were to investigate the combined effects of cognitive and physical load on autonomic nerve functions.Methods: Thirty-five healthy male subjects (aged 23.5 ± 3.3 years) were eligible and enrolled in the study. The subjects engaged in n-back cognitive tasks (1-back, 2-back, and 3-back) under three distinct physical conditions, involving isotonic contraction of the left upper limb with loads of 0 kg, 3 kg, and 5 kg. Electrocardiogram signals and cognitive task performance were recorded throughout the tasks, and post-task assessment of subjective experiences were conducted using the NASA-TLX scale.Results: The execution of n-back tasks resulted in enhanced perceptions of task-load feelings and increased reaction times among subjects, accompanied by a decline in the accuracy rate (p Conclusion: HRV can serve as a viable indicator for assessing mental workload in the context of physical activities, making it suitable for real-world mental work scenarios.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Disrupted properties of functional brain networks in major depressive disorder during emotional face recognition: an EEG study via graph theory analysis.docx

Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal brain networks in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in emotional processing. While any cognitive task consists of a series of stages, little is yet known about the topology of functional brain networks in MDD for these stages during emotional face recognition. To address this problem, electroencephalography (EEG)-based functional brain networks of MDD patients at different stages of facial information processing were investigated in this study. First, EEG signals were collected from 16 patients with MDD and 18 age-, gender-, and education-matched normal subjects when performing an emotional face recognition task. Second, the global field power (GFP) method was employed to divide group-averaged event-related potentials into different stages. Third, using the phase transfer entropy (PTE) approach, the brain networks of MDD patients and normal individuals were constructed for each stage in negative and positive face processing, respectively. Finally, we compared the topological properties of brain networks of each stage between the two groups using graph theory approaches. The results showed that the analyzed three stages of emotional face processing corresponded to specific neurophysiological phases, namely, visual perception, face recognition, and emotional decision-making. It was also demonstrated that depressed patients showed abnormally decreased characteristic path length at the visual perception stage of negative face recognition and normalized characteristic path length in the stage of emotional decision-making during positive face processing compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, while both the MDD and normal groups’ brain networks were found to exhibit small-world network characteristics, the brain network of patients with depression tended to be randomized. Moreover, for patients with MDD, the centro-parietal region may lose its status as a hub in the process of facial expression identification. Together, our findings suggested that altered emotional function in MDD patients might be associated with disruptions in the topological organization of functional brain networks during emotional face recognition, which further deepened our understanding of the emotion processing dysfunction underlying MDD.</p

Improved Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance of Co Confined in Ordered N‑Doped Porous Carbon Derived from ZIF-67@PILs

Diffusion and activation of reaction species are two critical factors of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Diffusion property is essentially dominated by transmission of reaction species in the channel of catalysts. Herein, we report a facile method to prepare ordered-carbon coated Co nanoparticle (Co@O-NPC). Specifically, we mixed ZIF-67 MOF microcrystal into an ionic liquid monomer which resulted in ZIF-67@PILs composites. Subsequently, Co@O-NPC was obtained by the high-temperature pyrolysis of ZIF-67@PILs. Electrochemical measurements show that it possesses superior ORR property compared to commercial Pt/C. A combination of molecular dynamics (MD) calculations and contrast experimental results reveals that the ordered porous carbon structure can improve the diffusivity of reaction species more effectively than disordered carbon, thereby enhancing ORR property. Moreover, DFT calculation results demonstrate that the catalytically active sites are located on the cavity bottom of Co@O-NPC and uncover the synergistic effect between Co nanoparticles and N-doped porous carbon