Universal Surface Engineering of Transition Metals for Superior Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Neutral Water

The development of low-cost hybrid water splitting-biosynthetic systems that mimic natural photosynthesis to achieve solar-to-chemical conversion is of great promise for future energy demands, but often limited by the kinetically sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the surface of nonprecious transition metal catalysts in neutral media. It is thus highly desirable to rationally tailor the reaction interface to boost the neutral HER catalytic kinetics. Herein, we report a general surface nitrogen modification of diverse transition metals (e.g. iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and nickel-cobalt alloy), accomplished by a facile low-temperature ammonium carbonate treatment, for significantly improved hydrogen generation from neutral water. Various physicochemical characterization techniques including synchroton X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theory modeling demonstrate that the surface nitrogen modification does not change the chemical composition of the underlying transition metals. Notably, the resulting nitrogen-modified nickel framework (N-Ni) exhibits an extremely low overpotential of 64 mV at 10 mA cm-2, which is, to our knowledge, the best among those nonprecious electrocatalysts reported for hydrogen evolution at pH 7. Out combined experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the surface electron-rich nitrogen simultaneously facilitates the initial adsorption of water via the electron-deficient H atom and the subsequent dissociation of the electron-rich HO-H bond via H transfer to N on the nickel surface, beneficial to the overall hydrogen evolution process

An atomic-level Catalysis of Au n (SR) m Nanoclusters for Stereoselective Epoxidation of Stilbene

Abstract The efficient and stereoselective epoxidation of cis-stilbene and trans-stilbene was achieved at the atomic level using atomically precise Au n (SR) m nanoclusters catalysts in mild conditions, involving thiolate-capped Au 25 (SR) 18 , Au 38 (SR) 24 , and Au 144 (SR) 60 nanoclusters. These Au n nanoclusters, which are ideally composed of an exact number of gold atoms, have unique atom packing structures and non-metallic electronic properties and show super catalysis comparing to current gold nanoparticles. The atomic-level understanding of mechamism is particularly interesting and the correlation of their structure and properties may provide us a deep insight into the fundamental nanogold catalysis

Could METS-VF provide a clue as to the formation of kidney stones?

ObjectiveThe lifetime occurrence rate of kidney stones is 14%, making it one of the most prevalent urological conditions. Other contributing elements, such as obesity, diabetes, diet, and heredity, are also taken into account. Our research sought to explore the potential link between high visceral fat scores (METS-VF) and the occurrence of kidney stones, as a means of understanding how to prevent them.MethodsThis research utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), mirroring the demographics of the United States. We carried out an in-depth analysis of the connection between METS-VF and kidney stones, based on data from 29,246 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 2007 to 2018, involving logistic regression, segmentation, and dose-response curve analysis.ResultsOur study of 29,246 potential participants found that METS-VF was positively associated with the prevalence and progression of kidney stones. After subgroup analysis by gender, race, blood pressure, and blood glucose, our results showed that the ORs for METS-VF and kidney stones were (1.49, 1.44) in males and females, respectively; while in Mexicans, whites, blacks, and In other populations, the OR values were (1.33, 1.43, 1.54, 1.86); in hypertensive and normal populations, the OR values were (1.23, 1.48); in diabetic patients and normoglycemic patients were (1.36,1.43). This proves that it works for all groups of people.SummaryOur studies demonstrate a strong connection between METS-FV and the emergence of kidney stones. It would be beneficial to investigate METS-VF as a marker for kidney stone development and progression in light of these findings

Adjuvant therapy for T3N0 rectal cancer in the total mesorectal excision era- identification of the high risk patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adjuvant therapy for T3N0 rectal cancer was controversial with respect to both radiation and the use of a combined regimen of chemotherapy. We evaluated both clinical features and biomarkers and sought to determine risk factors for those patients retrospectively.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 122 patients with T3N0 rectal cancer were analyzed in this study from January 2000 to December 2005. Clinicopathologic and biomarkers were used to predict local recurrence (LR), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median follow-up interval was 45.4 months. Five-year LR, DFS, and OS rates were 10.4%, 68.3%, and 88.7%. Having a lower tumor location and showing low P21 and high CD44v6 expression were identified as risk factors for LR: patients with two or three of these risk factors had a higher 5-year LR rate (19.3%) than did patients with none or one of these risk factors (6.8%) (p = 0.05). A poorer DFS was related to low P21 nor high CD44v6 expression but not to tumor location: the 5-year DFS rates were 79.3% for those with neither, 65.9% for those with either one or the other, and 16.9% for those with both (p = 0.00).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prognostic model including tumor location, P21 and CD44v6 expressions could help to distinguish these patients with high risk T3N0 patients and determine whether adjuvant therapy was beneficial.</p

Taiwan Oscillation Network

The Taiwan Oscillation Network (TON) is a ground-based network to measure solar intensity oscillations to study the internal structure of the Sun. K-line full-disk images of 1000 pixels diameter are taken at a rate of one image per minute. Such data would provide information onp-modes withl as high as 1000. The TON will consist of six identical telescope systems at proper longitudes around the world. Three telescope systems have been installed at Teide Observatory (Tenerife), Huairou Solar Observing Station (near Beijing), and Big Bear Solar Observatory (California). The telescopes at these three sites have been taking data simultaneously since October of 1994. Anl – v diagram derived from 512 images is included to show the quality of the data

Early Cambrian Anabarella plana from Three Gorges area, South China

Anabarella, a conspicuous taxon of early mollusc, is widely distributed in the early Cambrian strata and is considered an important link in the evolutionary lineage that reflects a transitional form from helcionelloids to bivalves. In South China, Anabarella has mainly been documented from Yunnan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Hubei provinces. However, the taxonomy of Anabarella is questionable, which has implications for the interpretation of the genus’ temporal and spatial distribution. New and abundant well-preserved specimens of the helcionelloid mollusc Anabarella were recovered from the Member 5 of the Yanjiahe Formation in the Three Gorges area. Through morphological study, these specimens can be definitely identified as A. plana. On the basis of this new material, the species of Anabarella previously reported in the literature from South China were taxonomically revised, and, with the exception of A. plana from the Yanjiahe Formation, other species should be assigned to Igorella. Therefore, at present, A. plana is the only valid species of the genus Anabarella in South China and is limited to Cambrian Stage 2. Study of the available specimens of A. plana reveal three types of microstructures: convex polygonal impressions, concave polygons, and lamello-fibrillar microstructure. In addition, the thicker shell of the sub-apical area and the three different structures of the sub-apical area provide more evidence that A. plana might have adapted a semi-infanual mode of life and indicate that Anabarella is a likely ancestor of Watsonella

Association Between Cancer Prevalence and Different Socioeconomic Strata in the US: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2018

BackgroundInequality in health outcomes in relation to Americans' socioeconomic status (SES) is rising. American Cancer Society depicts that the most common cancers are diagnosed in men and women in 2021. We aim to study socioeconomic inequalities in related cancers to investigate whether the cancer prevalence differs within the family income to poverty ratio (PIR).MethodsThe study investigated data from adults aged 20–85 years participated in the 1999–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) who had complete data available on PIR and cancer or malignancy information (n = 49,720). Participants were stratified into 3 categories of PIR: high income (PIR ≥ 4), middle income (&gt;1 and &lt;4), or at or below the federal poverty level (≤1).ResultsThe prevalence of prostate cancer was higher in the middle-income (3.61% [n = 464]) and high-income groups (3.36% [n = 227]) than in the low-income group (1.83% [n = 84], all p &lt; 0.001). The prevalence of breast cancer was higher in middle-income (2.86% [n = 390]) and high-income participants (3.48% [n = 218]) than in low-income participants (2.00% [n = 117], all p &lt; 0.001). Compared with the low-income group in men (0.48% [n = 22]), a higher prevalence of colon and rectum cancer occurs in the middle-income (0.87% [n = 112], p = 0.012) and high-income groups (0.89% [n = 58], p = 0.018). The prevalence of lung cancer in women was lower in high-income participants than middle-income participants (0.10% [n = 6] vs. 0.29% [n = 39], p = 0.014).ConclusionsIncreasing disparities in cancer prevalence were identified across all socioeconomic categories analyzed in this study. To ensure the sustainable development goals, it is a global health priority to understand inequalities in health and to target interventions accordingly

Three-Dimensional Point Cloud Reconstruction and Morphology Measurement Method for Greenhouse Plants Based on the Kinect Sensor Self-Calibration

Plant morphological data are an important basis for precision agriculture and plant phenomics. The three-dimensional (3D) geometric shape of plants is complex, and the 3D morphology of a plant changes relatively significantly during the full growth cycle. In order to make high-throughput measurements of the 3D morphological data of greenhouse plants, it is necessary to frequently adjust the relative position between the sensor and the plant. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently adjust the Kinect sensor position and consequently recalibrate the Kinect sensor during the full growth cycle of the plant, which significantly increases the tedium of the multiview 3D point cloud reconstruction process. A high-throughput 3D rapid greenhouse plant point cloud reconstruction method based on autonomous Kinect v2 sensor position calibration is proposed for 3D phenotyping greenhouse plants. Two red&ndash;green&ndash;blue&ndash;depth (RGB-D) images of the turntable surface are acquired by the Kinect v2 sensor. The central point and normal vector of the axis of rotation of the turntable are calculated automatically. The coordinate systems of RGB-D images captured at various view angles are unified based on the central point and normal vector of the axis of the turntable to achieve coarse registration. Then, the iterative closest point algorithm is used to perform multiview point cloud precise registration, thereby achieving rapid 3D point cloud reconstruction of the greenhouse plant. The greenhouse tomato plants were selected as measurement objects in this study. Research results show that the proposed 3D point cloud reconstruction method was highly accurate and stable in performance, and can be used to reconstruct 3D point clouds for high-throughput plant phenotyping analysis and to extract the morphological parameters of plants

Three-Dimensional Morphological Measurement Method for a Fruit Tree Canopy Based on Kinect Sensor Self-Calibration

Perception of the fruit tree canopy is a vital technology for the intelligent control of a modern standardized orchard. Due to the complex three-dimensional (3D) structure of the fruit tree canopy, morphological parameters extracted from two-dimensional (2D) or single-perspective 3D images are not comprehensive enough. Three-dimensional information from different perspectives must be combined in order to perceive the canopy information efficiently and accurately in complex orchard field environment. The algorithms used for the registration and fusion of data from different perspectives and the subsequent extraction of fruit tree canopy related parameters are the keys to the problem. This study proposed a 3D morphological measurement method for a fruit tree canopy based on Kinect sensor self-calibration, including 3D point cloud generation, point cloud registration and canopy information extraction of apple tree canopy. Using 32 apple trees (Yanfu 3 variety) morphological parameters of the height (H), maximum canopy width (W) and canopy thickness (D) were calculated. The accuracy and applicability of this method for extraction of morphological parameters were statistically analyzed. The results showed that, on both sides of the fruit trees, the average relative error (ARE) values of the morphological parameters including the fruit tree height (H), maximum tree width (W) and canopy thickness (D) between the calculated values and measured values were 3.8%, 12.7% and 5.0%, respectively, under the V1 mode; the ARE values under the V2 mode were 3.3%, 9.5% and 4.9%, respectively; and the ARE values under the V1 and V2 merged mode were 2.5%, 3.6% and 3.2%, respectively. The measurement accuracy of the tree width (W) under the double visual angle mode had a significant advantage over that under the single visual angle mode. The 3D point cloud reconstruction method based on Kinect self-calibration proposed in this study has high precision and stable performance, and the auxiliary calibration objects are readily portable and easy to install. It can be applied to different experimental scenes to extract 3D information of fruit tree canopies and has important implications to achieve the intelligent control of standardized orchards