Toward High-Voltage/Energy Symmetric Supercapacitors via Interface Engineering

This chapter includes elaborately selected recent literatures on electrochemical energy storing in symmetric supercapacitors (SSCs) with high operating voltages (voltage >1.6 V) and high specific energy. SSCs are a typical sort of electrochemical capacitors with larger energy density than conventional capacitors; by involving electrode materials with stable interfaces (for instance, nitrogen-doped carbon materials) and electrolytes with wide safe potential window (for instance, ionic liquids), they can supply competitive energy relative to batteries. Fundamentals of SSCs are first introduced, aiming at clarifying some critical interfacial phenomena that are critical to enhance overall capacitive performance. State-of-the-art SSCs are included as demonstrations from the aspects of both enhanced capacitances and expanded voltages. We also provide a few feasible strategies for the design high-voltage/energy SSCs such as using inactive electrode materials

Model and Algorithm for Linkage Disequilibrium Analysis in a Non-Equilibrium Population

The multilocus analysis of polymorphisms has emerged as a vital ingredient of population genetics and evolutionary biology. A fundamental assumption used for existing multilocus analysis approaches is Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium at which maternally- and paternally-derived gametes unite randomly during fertilization. Given the fact that natural populations are rarely panmictic, these approaches will have a significant limitation for practical use. We present a robust model for multilocus linkage disequilibrium analysis which does not rely on the assumption of random mating. This new disequilibrium model capitalizes on Weir’s definition of zygotic disequilibria and is based on an open-pollinated design in which multiple maternal individuals and their half-sib families are sampled from a natural population. This design captures two levels of associations: one is at the upper level that describes the pattern of cosegregation between different loci in the parental population and the other is at the lower level that specifies the extent of co-transmission of non-alleles at different loci from parents to their offspring. An MCMC method was implemented to estimate genetic parameters that define these associations. Simulation studies were used to validate the statistical behavior of the new model

Using Markov Boundary Approach for Interpretable and Generalizable Feature Selection

Predictive power and generalizability of models depend on the quality of features selected in the model. Machine learning (ML) models in banks consider a large number of features which are often correlated or dependent. Incorporation of these features may hinder model stability and prior feature screening can improve long term performance of the models. A Markov boundary (MB) of features is the minimum set of features that guarantee that other potential predictors do not affect the target given the boundary while ensuring maximal predictive accuracy. Identifying the Markov boundary is straightforward under assumptions of Gaussianity on the features and linear relationships between them. This paper outlines common problems associated with identifying the Markov boundary in structured data when relationships are non-linear, and predictors are of mixed data type. We have proposed a multi-group forward-backward selection strategy that not only handles the continuous features but addresses some of the issues with MB identification in a mixed data setup and demonstrated its capabilities on simulated and real datasets

Frequency, severity, and risk factors related to sexual dysfunction in Chinese women with T2D

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency and severity of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in those with T2D (T2D) compared with non-diabetic controls. In addition, risk factors for FSD were analyzed. Methods: Sexual dysfunction, measured using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), was evaluated using a questionnaire in 184 women with T2D and 146 non-diabetic controls at three study sites in China. In the T2D group, FSD was examined by education level, correlations between FSD and other variables were analyzed, and risk factors were studied. Results: The frequency of FSD in the T2D group was 75.0%, much higher than in the control group (56.2%; P = 0.001). The severity of FSD in the T2D group was 17.84 ± 8.47 (mean ± SD), significantly lower than in the control group (21.14 ± 8.08; P = 0.001). In patients with T2D, being older (P = 0.001), taking oral antidiabetic medications (P = 0.013), and having diabetic neuropathy (P = 0.036) were risk factors for FSD. Conclusions: The rate of FSD is high in China and, as seen in the literature, more severe in diabetics than non-diabetics. Being older, taking oral antidiabetic medications, and diabetic neuropathy are risk factors for FSD

Electroacupuncture at PC6 (Neiguan) Improves Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Signaling Pathways Through the Regulation of Neuroendocrine Cytokines in Myocardial Hypertrophic Rats

Electroacupuncture (EA) therapy has been widely accepted as a useful therapeutic technique with low or no risk in the clinical prevention of cardiac hypertrophy. However, the signaling transduction mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. The current study investigates the effects of EA on the signaling pathways of myocardial hypertrophy (MH) in rats. Up to 40 3-month-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal, model, PC6 (Neiguan), and LI4 (Hegu) groups, with ten rats in each group. All the rats except for the normal group received 3 mg/kg·d of isoprinosine hydrochloride (ISO) injection into the back skin. The rats in the PC6 and LI4 groups received EA for 14 days. On the 15th day, electrocardiograms were recorded, and the ultrastructure of the myocardial cells was observed. The myocardial hypertrophy indices (MHIs), electrocardiograph (ECG), ultrastructure observation, levels of plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) and endothelin (ET), as well as protein expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and phosphorylation extracellular signal regulating kinase (p-ERK) in the left ventricular myocardial tissue were measured. The results indicated that EA can improve cardiac function in MH rats by modulating upstream neuroendocrine cytokines that regulate the ERK signaling pathways

Survival in Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy: The Importance of Prostate-Specific Antigen-Based Stratification

ObjectivesTo explore the effectiveness of radiotherapy in mPCa patients with different PSA stratifications based on the cancer database of a large population.BackgroundScreening criteria for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, who are candidates for radiotherapy, are rarely reported.Patients and MethodsWe identified 22,604 patients with metastatic prostate cancer in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database and divided them into a radiotherapy group and a control group. Patients with metastatic prostate cancer were divided into subgroups according to their levels of prostate-specific antigen to evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy. They were also divided into six subgroups according to their prostate-specific antigen levels. We used multivariate Cox analysis to evaluate overall survival and cancer-specific survival. After 1:1 propensity score matching, Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to explore the difference in overall survival and cancer-specific survival in the radiotherapy and control group.ResultsIn all, 5,505 patients received radiotherapy, compared to 17,099 in the control group. In the multivariate Cox analysis, radiotherapy improved overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.730, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.636–0.838; P<0.001) and cancer-specific survival (HR: 0.764, 95% CI: 0.647–0.903; P=0.002) in patients with a PSA level of 4–10 ng/mL. Similar results were obtained by Kaplan-Meier analysis after 1:1 propensity score matching. In patients with prostate-specific antigen levels between 4–10 ng/mL, the overall survival (P<0.001) and cancer-specific survival (P<0.05) in the radiotherapy group was significantly better than those in the control group.ConclusionThe result of this large population-based study shows that rigorous selection of appropriate metastatic prostate cancer patients for radiotherapy can benefit prognosis significantly. This can be the basis for future prospective trials

Identification and Expression Analysis of an Atypical Alkaline Phosphatase in Emiliania huxleyi

Emiliania huxleyi, a cosmopolitan coccolithophore in the modern ocean, plays an important role in the carbon cycle and local climate feedback as it can form extensive blooms, calcify, and produce dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) leading to the generation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) which affects climate when oxidized in the atmosphere. It is known to be able to utilize dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) by expressing a specific type of alkaline phosphatase (EHAP1) under phosphorus-limited conditions. In this study, we identified a new alkaline phosphatase (EH-PhoAaty) in this species, which we found belongs to the newly classified PhoAaty family. The expression of this atypical phosphatase was up-regulated under P-depleted conditions at both the transcriptional and translational levels, suggesting that E. huxleyi is able to express this AP to cope with phosphorus limitation. Comparative analysis revealed different transcriptional expression dynamics between eh-PhoAaty and ehap1, although both genes exhibited inducible expression under phosphate deficiency. In addition, after AP activity was eliminated by using EDTA to chelate metal ions, we found that AP activity was recovered with the supplement of Ca2+ and Zn2+, indicative of the adoption of Ca2+ as the cofactor under Zn-P co-limited conditions, likely a result of adaptation to oceanic environments where Zn2+ is often limiting

Health Services Utilization in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Large-Scale Online Survey

Timely access to essential health services is a concern as COVID-19 continues. This study aimed to investigate health services utilization during the first wave of the pandemic in China. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a self-administrated questionnaire in March 2020. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis. A total of 4744 respondents were included, with 52.00% reporting affected services utilization. Clinical testing (68.14%) and drug purchase (49.61%) were the most affected types. Higher education level, being married, chronic disease, frequently visiting a provincial medical institution, spending more time on pandemic-related information, perception of high-risk of infection, perception of large health impact of the pandemic, and anxiety/depression were significant predictors for reporting affected services utilization. For the 431 chronic disease respondents, 62.18% reported interruption, especially for drug purchase (58.58%). Affected health services utilization was reported during the first wave of the pandemic in China, especially for those with higher education level, chronic diseases, and COVID-19 related concerns. Enhancing primary healthcare, use of telehealth, extended prescription, and public communication were countermeasures undertaken by China during the rapid rise period. As COVID-19 progresses, the changing disease characteristics, adapted health system, along with enhanced public awareness/knowledge should be considered for the evolution of health services utilization, and further investigation is needed

Effect of moisture on anthracite crushing behavior and grinding energy consumption

The change of water occurrence form and content in coal will change the physical characteristics and pore structure of coal, and then affect its crushing process.In order to study the effect of moisture contained in coal on on the crushing behavior of coal particles,anthracite coal was used as the research object. A Hastelloy grinding equipped with a power measuring device was applied to simulate the crushing environment in a medium-speed coal mill. The individual and mixed crushing experiments were carried out in multi-time batches of coal samples with different water content. Thus, the effects of water occurrence on coal crushing rate, pulverized coal fineness, and grinding energy consumption were studied. The experimental results showed that compared with the original coal samples, the initial particle size material crushing rate of homogenized soaked coal samples decreases significantly due to the increase of water content, its grindability index first decreased and then increased with increasing the water content when the homogenized immersed coal sample was crushed separately, and the fineness of pulverized coal t10 was positively correlated with water content. When dry and wet coal samples were mixed and crushed, the crushing rate and fine-grained material generation rate of 13.34% moisture content samples were much higher than that of homogenized soaked coal samples with the same moisture content, and their its grindability index was larger than that of the original coal; The grindability index of the blended coal samples with other moisture contents was slightly smaller than that of the homogenized soaked coal samples, and this difference became larger with the increase of moisture content, while the crushing rate and the yield of fine-grained materials differed less from that of the homogenized impregnated coal samples. Also, the result indicated that the classical energy-particle size relationship model may be used to characterize the individual and mixed crushing processes of samples with different moisture gradients. The internal and external moisture reduced the ability of anthracite to resist crushing to varying degrees, and increasing the water content during separate crushing improved the energy efficiency significantly. So, the water content parameters were introduced into the energy consumption model to characterize the crushing process of various moisture coal samples. By exploring the influence mechanism of water content in coal on energy consumption of coal crushing, it reveals the way of energy loss in the process of coal crushing and provides theoretical guidance for optimizing coal crushing process and reducing energy consumption

Comparative metatranscriptomic profiling and microRNA sequencing to reveal active metabolic pathways associated with a dinoflagellate bloom.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have increased as a result of global climate and environmental changes, exerting increasing impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, coastal economy, and human health. Despite great research efforts, our understanding on the drivers of HABs is still limited in part because HAB species’ physiology is difficult to probe in situ. Here, we used molecular ecological analyses to characterize a dinoflagellate bloom at Xiamen Harbor, China. Prorocentrum donghaiense was identified as the culprit, which nutrient bioassays showed were not nutrient-limited. Metatranscriptome profiling revealed that P. donghaiense highly expressed genes related to N- and P-nutrient uptake, phagotrophy, energy metabolism (photosynthesis, oxidative phophorylation, and rhodopsin) and carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, TCA cycle and pentose phosphate) during the bloom. Many genes in P. donghaiense were up-regulated at night, including phagotrophy and environmental communication genes, and showed active expression in mitosis. Eight microbial defense genes were up-regulated in the bloom compared with previously analyzed laboratory cultures. Furthermore, 76 P. donghaiense microRNA were identified from the bloom, and their target genes exhibited marked differences in amino acid metabolism between the bloom and cultures and the potential of up-regulated antibiotic and cell communication capabilities. These findings, consistent with and complementary to recent reports, reveal major metabolic processes in P. donghaiense potentially important for bloom formation and provide a gene repertoire for developing bloom markers in future research