Stable Li Metal Anode Enabled by Space Confinement and Uniform Curvature through Lithiophilic Nanotube Arrays

The application of lithium (Li) metal anodes in rechargeable batteries is primarily restricted by Li dendrite growth on the metal’s surface, which leads to shortened cycle life and safety concerns. Herein, well‐spaced nanotubes with ultrauniform surface curvature are introduced as a Li metal anode structure. The ultrauniform nanotubular surface generates uniform local electric fields that evenly attract Li‐ions to the surface, thereby inducing even current density distribution. Moreover, the well‐defined nanotube spacing offers Li diffusion pathways to the electroactive areas as well as the confined spaces to host deposited Li. These structural attributes create a unique electrodeposition manner; i.e., Li metal homogenously deposits on the nanotubular wall, causing each Li nanotube to grow in circumference without obvious sign of dendritic formation. Thus, the full‐cell battery with the spaced Li nanotubes exhibits a high specific capacity of 132 mA h g−1 at 1 C and an excellent coulombic efficiency of ≈99.85% over 400 cycles.This work presents a technique for suppressing lithium dendrite formation through ultrauniform curvature and space confinement. Lithium uniformly deposits/dissolves on the nanotube surfaces where the local current distribution is uniform due to the ultrauniform curvature. The nanotube spacing provides confined spaces to host deposited lithium. Thus, a full‐cell battery with spaced lithium nanotubes shows excellent specific capacity at high rates.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153606/1/aenm201902819_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153606/2/aenm201902819-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153606/3/aenm201902819.pd

Adaptive Steered Molecular Dynamics Combined With Protein Structure Networks Revealing the Mechanism of Y68I/G109P Mutations That Enhance the Catalytic Activity of D-psicose 3-Epimerase From Clostridium Bolteae

The scarcity, richness, and other important physiological functions of D-psicose make it crucial to increase the yield of D-psicose. The production of D-psicose can be accomplished by D-psicose 3-epimerase (DPEase) from Clostridium bolteae (CbDPEase) catalyzing the substrate D-fructose. Although the catalytic efficiency of the CbDPEase has been raised via using the site-directed mutagenesis (Y68I/G109P) technique, structure-activity relationship in the wild-type CbDPEase and Y68I/G109P mutant is currently poorly understood. In our study, a battery of molecular modeling methods [homology modeling, adaptive steered molecular dynamics (ASMD) simulations, and Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GB/SA)], combined with protein structure networks, were employed to theoretically characterize the reasons for the differences in the abilities of the D-fructose catalyzed by the wild-type CbDPEase and Y68I/G109P mutant. Protein structure networks demonstrated that site-directed mutagenesis enhanced the connectivity between D-fructose and CbDPEase, leading to the increased catalytic efficiency mediated by the functional residues with high betweenness. During the dissociation of the D-fructose from the Y68I/G109P mutant, planes of benzene rings of F248 and W114 could be continuously parallel to the stretching direction of D-fructose. It made the tunnel have an open state and resulted in the stable donor-π interactions between D-fructose and the benzene rings around 18Å. The stronger substrate-protein interactions were detected in the Y68I/G109P mutant, instead of in the wild-type CbDPEase, which were consistent with the binding free energy and Potential Mean of Force (PMF) results. The theoretical results illustrated the reasons that Y68I/G109P mutations increased the catalytic efficiency of CbDPEase and could be provided the new clue for further DPEase engineering

Operational performance of a novel fast-responsive heat storage/exchanging unit (HSEU) for solar heating systems

In order for a solar heating system to provide heat immediately after sunrise, a fast response is needed to the heat demand of a serviced space. The majority of existing solar heating systems have a slow response time due to the large volume of water stored in the heat storage/exchanger unit (HSEU). This leads to a slow heat delivery cycle, which results in discomfort for the occupants and thus creates a huge barrier to the wide deployment of solar heating systems. To overcome this critical issue, a novel interactive heat storage/exchanging unit (HSEU) employing a double-tank configuration was developed. Unlike conventional HSEUs, which have a single tank acting as the heat storage and exchanging unit, the new HSEU is comprised of a small tank for heat exchange combined with a large tank for heat storage. The small tank enables fast transfer of solar heat to the heating loop fluid without having to heat up the large volume of water in the entire HSEU tank, whilst the large tank is used to store and exchange heat between itself and the small tank using a temperature-oriented control mechanism. To test the proposed design, the heat transfer between the first (solar loop) and second (heating loop) fluids, the heat and mass transfer between the small and large tank and the associated operational strategy were investigated experimentally and theoretically for comparison. A conventional single tank HSEU requires around 120 min to deliver heat to a served space, whilst the new interactive double-tank HSEU can provide heat to the served space in around 20 min, thus creating a heating system which can respond significantly faster than traditional systems. The investigation of the heat exchange effect between the solar and heating loop fluids showed that the new HSEU achieved a convective heat transfer coefficient of as high as 391 W/m2·K, which is 551% higher than that of a conventional tank. As a result, the solar thermal efficiency of the solar panel-array in the new HSEU based system was increased by 7.5% compared to conventional HSEU based systems

Alterations in the human lung proteome with lipopolysaccharide

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recombinant human activated protein C (rhAPC) is associated with improved survival in high-risk patients with severe sepsis; however, the effects of both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and rhAPC on the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) proteome are unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using differential in gel electrophoresis (DIGE) we identified changes in the BALF proteome from 10 healthy volunteers given intrapulmonary LPS in one lobe and saline in another lobe. Subjects were randomized to pretreatment with saline or rhAPC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An average of 255 protein spots were detected in each proteome. We found 31 spots corresponding to 8 proteins that displayed abundance increased or decreased at least 2-fold after LPS. Proteins that decreased after LPS included surfactant protein A, immunoglobulin J chain, fibrinogen-γ, α₁-antitrypsin, immunoglobulin, and α₂-HS-glycoprotein. Haptoglobin increased after LPS-treatment. Treatment with rhAPC was associated with a larger relative decrease in immunoglobulin J chain, fibrinogen-γ, α₁-antitrypsin, and α₂-HS-glycoprotein.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Intrapulmonary LPS was associated with specific protein changes suggesting that the lung response to LPS is more than just a loss of integrity in the alveolar epithelial barrier; however, pretreatment with rhAPC resulted in minor changes in relative BALF protein abundance consistent with its lack of affect in ALI and milder forms of sepsis.</p

Mediastinal high-grade vasculogenic mesenchymal tumour with seminoma: a case report and literature review

Abstract Germ cell tumours with somatic-type solid malignancy (GCT-STM) are a rare disease of the mediastinum. Recently, a cohort of vasculogenic mesenchymal tumour (VMT)-nonseminoma cases with different prognoses were recognized and reported. Here, we report a case of mediastinal high-grade VMT with a seminoma. A 16-year-old male had a fever, chest tightness and fatigue. Chest CT showed a 7.5 cm×5.3 cm solid mass in the right anterior mediastinum. The serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were within the normal range. Tumorectomy was performed. The tumour was irregular, and no capsule was found. The cut surface was greyish white and greyish brown with medium consistency. There were foci of bleeding and necrosis. Microscopic histology showed prominent vascular proliferation, which was lined by mildly atypical endothelial cells in a cellular stroma with significant cytologic atypia. The vascular spectrum varied from crevice-like or antler-like thin- to thick-walled vessels. Beyond the tumour area, inside the remnant thymus tissues, there were small clusters of polygonal tumour cells with clear cytoplasm, distinct cell membranes, and round to polygonal nuclei with prominent nucleoli that were positive for Oct4, PLAP, SALL4 and CD117. The patient did not receive any treatments pre- or postoperation, and his condition was stable without progression after 14 months of follow-up evaluation. Here, we added a new entity of GCT-STM of the mediastinum composed of VMT and seminoma. A better understanding of the pathological features of GCT-VMT could help pathologists improve their awareness of these rare diseases

A Quantitative Evaluation Method of Anti-Sloughing Drilling Fluid Inhibition for Deep Mudstone

Wellbore instability resulting from deep mudstone hydration severely restricts the development of oil and gas resources from deep reservoir in western China. Accurate evaluation of drilling fluid inhibition properties plays an important role in selecting drilling fluid that can control deep mudstone hydration and then sustain wellbore stability. The previous evaluations are conducted by qualitative analysis and cannot consider the influence of complex hydration conditions of deep mudstone (high temperature, high pressure and flushing action). The study proposes a quantitative method to evaluate drilling fluid’s inhibition property for deep mudstone under natural drilling conditions. In this method, the cohesive strength of mudstone after hydration is adopted as the inhibition index of the tested drilling fluid. An experimental platform containing a newly designed HPHT (High pressure and high temperature) hydration experiment apparatus and mechanics characterization of mudstone after hydration based on scratch test is proposed to obtain the current inhibition index of tested drilling fluid under deep well drilling environments. Based on the mechanical–chemical wellbore stability model considering strength weakening characteristics of deep mudstone after hydration, a cross-correlation between drilling fluid density (collapse pressure) and required inhibition index (cohesive strength) for deep mudstone is provided as the quantitative evaluation criterion. Once the density of tested mud is known, one can confirm whether the inhibition property of tested mud is sufficient. In this study, the JDK mudstone of a K block in western China is selected as the application object of the proposed evaluation method. Firstly, the evaluation chart, which can demonstrate the required inhibition indexes of the tested fluids quantitatively with various densities for JDK mudstone, is constructed. Furthermore, the experimental evaluations of inhibition indexes of drilling fluids taken from two wells in K block are conducted under ambient and deep-well drilling conditions, respectively. In order to show the validity and advantage of the proposed method, a comparison between the laboratory evaluation results and field data is made. Results show that the laboratory evaluation results under deep-well drilling conditions are consistent with the field data. However, the evaluation under ambient conditions overestimates the inhibition property of the tested fluid and brings a risk of wellbore instability. The developed quantitative method can be a new way to evaluate and optimize the inhibition property of drilling fluid for deep mudstone

Comparison of the Polysaccharide Content of Cultivated Dioscorea nipponica Makino and Research on Pharmacologic Activity of Polysaccharide

Dioscorea nipponica Makino, a perennial herb growing in mountainous areas of the Chinese Changbai mountains and Korean peninsula, has long been used as a folk medicine for bronchitis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Due to these therapeutic properties, wild Dioscorea nipponica Makino resources become less and less, some wild species have been tamed to be cultivated ones. In this paper, we compared the content of polysaccharide in stem root between biennial and three-year old cultivated Dioscorea nipponica Makino. The results indicated there is no significant difference between these samples, while in different harvest stages (from the early of June to the late of September), the polysaccharide content displayed significant difference (p lt. 0.01). The polysaccharide content in the Epigean leaves also showed the same change rule in the growth stages (from the late of June to the late of July). Moreover, the pharmacologic activity analysis implied that the polysaccharide of cultivated Dioscorea nipponica Makino could reduce the hyperlipidemia mice serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, while increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level. These results demonstrated that the polysaccharide accumulation in biennial cultivated Dioscorea nipponica Makino almost get the same standard as three-year old ones, and the polysaccharide from epigean leaves also have some therapeutic properties as the stem root

Impact of inflammation and the immune system on hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after hepatectomy

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer‐related death worldwide. Hepatectomy remains the first‐line treatment for patients with resectable HCC. However, the reported recurrence rate of HCC at 5 years after surgery is between 50% and 70%. Tumor‐related factors, including tumor size, number and differentiation, and underlying liver disease are well‐known risk factors for recurrence after treatment. In addition to tumor‐related factors, ever‐increasing amounts of studies are finding that the tumor microenvironment also plays an important role in the recurrence of HCC, including systemic inflammatory response and immune regulation. Based on this, some inflammatory and immune markers were used in predicting postoperative cancer recurrence. These include neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio, platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio, cytotoxic T cells, and regulatory T cells, among others. In this review, we summarized the inflammatory and immune markers that affect recurrence after HCC resection in order to provide direction for adjuvant therapy after HCC resection and ultimately achieve the goal of reducing recurrence

Theoretical and experimental study of a novel solar indirect-expansion heat pump system employing mini channel PV/T and thermal panels

This paper presents the investigation of a novel mini channel PV/T and thermal collectors combined heat pump system, using both experimental and theoretical methods. Data were produced under conditions typical for winter days in Lvliang, China. A simulation model is developed to conduct theoretical evaluation based on real-world conditions. The experimental and simulated electrical and thermal efficiency of PV/T panels, thermal efficiency of thermal collectors and COP of heat pump are compared. It is shown that the experimental and simulated results are in close agreement. The errors range from 4.0% to 9.1%, giving us confidence that this model is reasonable to predict the seasonal performance of the system. The experimental and simulated results of the system provide fundamental data for performance analysis in winter conditions and inform further improvements of similar systems in the future

Effect of LongZhang Gargle on Dual-Species Biofilm of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans

Bioactive natural products have become a hot spot for oral disease treatments. At the present study, LongZhang Gargle was investigated for its effects on single-species biofilms of Candida albicans and dual-species biofilms of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans. Two different models of single and dual-species biofilms were grown in YNBB medium under appropriate conditions. Biofilm biomass, biofilm architecture, and cell activity in biofilms were assessed using Crystal Violet Staining, MTT, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Significant reductions of biofilm biomass and fungus activity were obtained when treated with LongZhang Gargle at 2% (P<0.05), 4% (P<0.05), and 8% (P<0.05) in single-species biofilms of C. albicans, and at 4% (P<0.05) and 8% (P<0.05) in double-species biofilms. Suppression of density, thickness, and the proportion of hyphae and fungal spores were obtained under SEM and CLSM. In conclusion, LongZhang Gargle affects single and dual-species biofilms by inhibiting biofilm biomass, cell activity, and formation of hyphae, but it does not affect the production of Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). We speculate that LongZhang Gargle would be a promising natural drug, which can be used in treatment against C. albicans and S. mutans in oral diseases