Synthesis of Graphitic Carbon Coated ZnPS and its Superior Electrochemical Properties for Lithium and Sodium Ion Storage.

Graphitic carbon-coated ZnPS is prepared via direct phosphosulfurization and high energy mechanical milling (HEMM) with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and first introduced as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The HEMM process with MWCNTs reduces the particle size of as-synthesized ZnPS bulk to 100-500 nm and yields the ≈5 nm thick graphitic carbon coated ZnPS nanoparticles, which are the nanocomposites of 5 nm sized nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous matrix. The ZnPS electrode undergoes the combined conversion and alloying reactions with Li and Na ions and exhibits high initial discharge and charge capacities in both LIBs and SIBs.

Fully Automated Segmentation of Human Eyeball Using Three-Dimensional U-Net in T2 Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Purpose: To develop and validate a fully automated deep-learning-based tool for segmentation of the human eyeball using a three-dimensional (3D) U-Net, compare its performance to semiautomatic segmentation ground truth and a two-dimensional (2D) U-Net, and analyze age and sex differences in eyeball volume, as well as gaze-dependent volume consistency in normal subjects.

Methods: We retrospectively collected 474 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including different gazing scans, from 119 patients. A 10-fold cross-validation was applied to separate the dataset into training, test, and validation sets for both the 3D U-Net and 2D U-Net.

Confinement Effects of Hollow Structured Pt-Rh Electrocatalysts toward Complete Ethanol Electrooxidation.

In the anodic ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) for direct ethanol fuel cells, the coverage of hydroxide (OH) is a major adsorbent competing with C-C bond cleavage, which is necessary for complete ethanol oxidation (C1-pathway) and durability. Beyond utilizing a less-alkaline electrolyte that causes ohmic losses, an alternative strategy to optimize OH coverage is to intentionally exploit local pH changes near the electrocatalyst surface that are governed by a combination of released H during EOR and OH mass transport from the bulk solution. Here, we manipulate the local pH swing by fine-tuning the electrode porosity with PtRh hollow sphere electrocatalysts based on particle size (250 and 350 nm) and mass loading.

Chiral separation and molecular modeling study of decursinol and its derivatives using polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases.

Plant-based bioactive substances have long been used to treat inflammatory ailments, owing to their low toxicity and cost-effectiveness. To enhance plant treatment by eliminating undesirable isomers, optimizing the chiral separation techniques in pharmaceutical and clinical studies is important. This study reported a simple and effective method for chiral separation of decursinol and its derivatives, which are pyranocoumarin compounds with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

Mapping the electrocatalytic water splitting activity of VO across its insulator-to-metal phase transition.

The electrocatalytic water splitting activity of V-based oxides has been rarely investigated, even though several polymorphs in VO are expected to exhibit different electrocatalytic activities depending on their crystal and electronic structures. The rutile structure of VO(R), showing metallic character, is a good candidate for a new electrocatalyst since it undergoes insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) from the insulating VO(M1) at a low temperature of 68 °C, and involves a substantially increased electrical conductivity by three orders of magnitude. The extensive improvements in the electrocatalytic activity for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are confirmed when the IMT is induced where the overpotential () is reduced from 1056 mV to 598 mV in the OER and 411 mV to 136 mV in the HER, respectively.

Determination of enantiomeric impurity of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate on a cellulose tris(3,5-dichlorophenyl-carbamate) chiral stationary phase and the characterization of its related substances.

A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed to determine the enantiomeric impurity of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, an orally bioavailable prodrug of tenofovir, commonly used for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B. Tenofovir disoproxil and its enantiomer, were completely separated on a Chiralpak IC column (3 μm, 100 × 4.6 mm, i.

A capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of the linagliptin enantiomeric impurity.

Linagliptin is a highly specific, long-acting inhibitor that is used as an orally administrable agent for type-2 diabetes treatment. Because only the R-enantiomer is of clinical use, we developed a capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of the enantiomeric impurity of this compound. Carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin was selected as the chiral selector for the separation of linagliptin enantiomers.

A MnVO/graphene nanocomposite as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

A MnV2O6/graphene nanocomposite was fabricated through hydrothermal synthesis and high energy milling to introduce it as an efficient OER electrocatalyst. The MnV2O6/graphene nanocomposite with 20 wt% graphene exhibited superior electrocatalytic OER performance with a low overpotential and high stability and durability in 1 M KOH aqueous solution, exhibiting even after 1000 CV cycles.

A P2-type Na(NiCoMn)O cathode with excellent cyclability and rate capability for sodium ion batteries.

A new P2-type Na0.7(Ni0.6Co0.

Solid solution phosphide (MnFeP) as a tunable conversion/alloying hybrid anode for lithium-ion batteries.

The substitutional solid solution Mn1-xFexP compounds between alloying reaction-type MnP and conversion reaction-type FeP are successfully synthesized via facile high energy mechanical milling and their electrochemical properties as an anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are investigated. A complete solid solution is formed between two end members and the Mn1-xFexP solid solution phosphide electrodes show an enhanced electrochemical performance, delivering a capacity of 360 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at a high current density of 2 A g-1 when the advantages of the two reaction mechanisms are beneficially combined. These synergistic effects resulted from the in situ generated nanocomposite of the Li-Mn-P alloying element and the Fe nano-network in combination with the surrounding amorphous lithium phosphide, which effectively buffers the accompanying volume variation, hinders the aggregation of the alloying element, and ensures the electron and ion transport.

Stable Silicon Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries through Covalent Bond Formation with a Binder via Esterification.

Silicon (Si) is considered to be one of the most promising anode candidates for next-generation lithium-ion batteries because of its high theoretical specific capacity and low discharge potential. However, its poor cyclability, caused by tremendous volume change during cycling, prevents commercial use of the Si anode. Herein, we demonstrate a high-performance Si anode produced via covalent bond formation between a commercially available Si nanopowder and a linear polymeric binder through an esterification reaction.

Mesoporous Si-Cu nanocomposite anode for a lithium ion battery produced by magnesiothermic reduction and electroless deposition.

Copper deposited mesoporous silicon was fabricated by magnesiothermic reduction and electroless deposition and its electrochemical properties as an anode for lithium ion batteries were investigated. The 300-400 nm sized mesoporous Si particles were synthesized by magnesiothermic reduction of SiO nanospheres prepared by the Stöber method. The mesopores of Si particles were effectively decorated with Cu using Sn sensitization/Pd activation and subsequent Cu electroless deposition.

The Role of Zr Doping in Stabilizing Li[Ni Co Mn ]O as a Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Ni-rich layered LiNi Co Mn O systems are the most promising cathode materials for high energy density Li-ion batteries (LIBs). However, Ni-rich cathode materials inevitably suffer from rapid capacity fading and poor rate capability owing to structural instability and unstable surface side reactions. Zr doping has proven to be an effective method to enhance the cycle and rate performances by stabilizing the structure and increasing the Li diffusion rate.

Superior electrochemical sodium storage of VP nanoparticles as an anode for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries.

V4P7 nanoparticles were synthesized via high-energy mechanical milling and their electrochemical properties as an anode for sodium-ion batteries were studied and compared with those of VO2(B)/Na and V4P7/Li cells, focusing on the electrochemical reaction mechanism and cycle performance. The V4P7 showed excellent cycling behavior even without any conductive material.

Simultaneous determination of 14 oral antihyperglycaemic drugs in human urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, sensitive, and rapid assay based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of metformin and 13 other oral antihyperglycaemic drugs in human urine using metoprolol as an internal standard. A simple sample clean-up procedure using the "dilute and shoot" approach enabled fast and reliable analysis. Chromatographic separation was performed on a HILIC column using an elution gradient of mobile phase A, composed of 1 mM ammonium formate (pH 5), and mobile phase B, composed of acetonitrile, at a flow rate of 0.

Superior sodium storage performance of reduced graphene oxide-supported NaFe(PO)/C nanocomposites.

In this study, a reduced graphene oxide-supported NaFe(PO)/C nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method and a subsequent heat-treatment process. Not only did the composite undergo a highly reversible electrochemical reaction, but it also exhibits superior rate capability and long-term cyclic stability as a Na-ion battery cathode.

Determination of S-(-)-lansoprazole in dexlansoprazole preparation by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Capillary zone electrophoresis was successfully applied to the enantiomeric purity determination of dexlansoprazole using sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin and methyl-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selectors. Separations were carried out in a 50 μm, 64/56 cm fused-silica capillary. The optimized conditions included 90 mM phosphate buffer, pH 6.

Determination of rabeprazole enantiomers in commercial tablets using immobilized cellulose-based stationary phase.

Rabeprazole is one of the latest proton-pump inhibitors used for treatment of several gastrointestinal disorders. For therapeutic applications, rabeprazole has been administered as a mixture of R-(+) and S-(-) enantiomers. Owing to pharmacological and toxicological differences between stereoisomers, chiral recognition has now become an integral part of drug research and development.

Determination of urazamide in pharmaceutical preparation with room temperature ionic liquid.

A high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of urazamide in pharmaceutical preparation with novel green aqueous mobile phase modified with room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). 1-Ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM][BF4]) was selected as a mobile phase additive to improve retention and avoid baseline disturbances at t. Various mobile phase parameters such as cation moiety, chaotropic anion moiety, pH and concentration of RTILs were optimized to determine urazamide at the proper retention time.

Identification and discrimination of three common Aloe species by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with multivariate analysis.

Aloe arborescens, Aloe barbadensis and Aloe ferox are the most widely cultivated and used among 500 aloe species due to their potent bioactivity. However, the difference of aloe species is neglected and labeled only one name Aloe in the market without specifying aloe species discrimination in general. Furthermore, differences in bioactivity and side effects from different aloe species have not been well investigated.

Determination of the R-enantiomer of valsartan in pharmaceutical formulation by capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary zone electrophoresis was successfully applied to the enantiomeric purity determination of valsartan using acetyl-β-cyclodextrin (A-β-CD) as a chiral selector. Separations were carried out in a 50 µm, 64/56 cm fused-silica capillary. The optimized conditions included 25 mM phosphate buffer, pH 8.

Pharmacokinetic comparisons between two formulations containing 100 mg of miglitol in healthy male Korean volunteers: a randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence crossover bioequivalence study.

Background: Miglitol is an α-glucosidase inhibitor (AGI) used as an antihyperglycemic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The mechanism is that miglitol binds to and inhibits the α-glucosidase reversibly in the proximal intestine. Thus, carbohydrates not digested in the upper small intestine are transported to the lower intestine where they are eventually digested.

Effects of rutaecarpine on hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in murine hepa-1c1c7 cells.

The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of rutaecarpine on DNA strand breaks and apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in murine Hepa-1c1c7 cells. Oxidative DNA damage was estimated by nuclear condensation assessment, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, and Comet assay. Rutaecarpine inhibited cell death induced by 500 μM H2O2, as assessed by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining.