Publications by authors named "LiChun Liu"

The high expense associated with electrocatalysts poses a challenge to the advancement of a hydrogen-based energy economy. The utilization of nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts that are easily prepared and cost-effective is imperative for the future sustainability of a hydrogen society. The semiconductive MoO has been identified as a promising nonprecious electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

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Silicon (Si) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, but its large volume expansion during cycling poses a challenge for the binder design. In this study, a novel gelatin binder is designed and prepared with a helical crosslinked network structure. This gelatin binder is prepared by enzymatic crosslinking and immersion in Hofmeister salt solution, which induces the formation of network and helical secondary structures.

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The Zn dendrite limits the practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries in the large-scale energy storage systems. To suppress the growth of Zn dendrites, a zinc ionophore of hydroxychloroquine (defined as HCQ) applied in vivo treatment is investigated as the electrolyte additive. HCQ dynamically regulates zinc ion concentration in the outer Helmholtz layer, promoting even Zn plating at the anode/electrolyte interface.

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A novel copper nanoparticle variant, denoted as CuNi NPs, which incorporate Ni atoms in an atomically dispersed manner, has been successfully synthesized via a straightforward one-pot electrochemical codeposition process. These nanoparticles were subsequently employed as an anode to facilitate the oxidation of furfural, leading to the production of hydrogen gas. Voltammetric measurements revealed that the inclusion of trace amounts of Ni atoms in the nanoparticles resulted in a pronounced synergistic electronic effect between Cu and Ni.

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Background: Although combining a low-protein diet (LPD) with oral nutritional supplements increases treatment adherence and nutritional status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the effect of this combination approach in older adults remains unclear. This study examined the impact of a 6% low-protein formula (6% LPF) with diet counseling in older adults with stage 3-5 CKD.

Methods: In this three-month randomized controlled study, 66 patients (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.

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  • Tropomyosin (TM) is the main allergen in shrimp, causing food allergies, and previous studies indicate that glycation may lower TM's allergenic potential.
  • Research focused on how glycation with glucose and maltotriose affects TM's allergenicity.
  • Glycation with glucose significantly reduced TM's ability to trigger allergic reactions, while glycation with maltotriose increased its allergenic properties due to the formation of new allergenic compounds.
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Background: Necroptosis is a novel form of controlled cell death that contributes to the progression of various illnesses. Nonetheless, the function and significance of necroptosis in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remain unknown and require further investigation.

Methods: We utilized single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) data to assess the expression patterns of necroptosis in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on 159 necroptosis-related genes.

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  • A new plastic electrode made from PEDOT:PSS on a PES substrate shows excellent electrical conductivity (over 2673 S/cm) and high light transmittance (over 90% at 550 nm) after treatment with sulfuric acid.
  • The arrangement of PEDOT molecules contributes to its unique semiconducting and metallic properties, confirmed through X-ray diffraction and temperature-dependent measurements.
  • Plastic solar cells using this HC-PEDOT:PSS electrode exhibit promising performance, with a power conversion efficiency of up to 12.8%, indicating its potential as a viable alternative for all-plastic and ITO-free solar cells.
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Utilizing solar and mechanical vibration energy for catalytic CO reduction and HO oxidation is emerging as a promising way to simultaneously generate renewable energy and mitigate climate change, making it possible to integrate two energy resources into a reaction system for artificial piezophotosynthesis. However, the practical applications are hindered by undesirable charge recombination and sluggish surface reaction in the photocatalytic and piezocatalytic processes. This study proposes a dual cocatalyst strategy to overcome these obstacles and improve the piezophotocatalytic performance of ferroelectrics in overall redox reactions.

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  • Using plasmonic nanoparticles, specifically Au@MoONPs, can enhance chemical reactions powered by solar energy.
  • The synthesis of these nanoparticles involved a simple wet-chemistry method, which allowed for strong light absorption and improved catalysis.
  • Testing showed that these nanoparticles significantly sped up the conversion of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol under visible light, demonstrating their effectiveness in catalyzing organic transformations.
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Here, the rational design of complex PtAu double nanoframes (DNFs) for plasmon-enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is reported. The synthetic strategy for the DNFs consists of on-demand multiple synthetic chemical toolkits, including well-faceted Au growth, rim-on selective Pt deposition, and selective Au etching steps. DNFs are synthesized by utilizing Au truncated octahedrons (TOh) as a starting template.

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  • Tramadol, a drug often used for cancer pain relief, shows potential antitumor effects on endometrial cancer cells, which needs further investigation.
  • The study revealed that tramadol can inhibit cell growth, induce cell death, and disrupt mitochondrial function in endometrial cancer cells.
  • Additionally, tramadol enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin and cisplatin, suggesting its potential as a supportive treatment in endometrial cancer therapy.
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  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with varying symptoms and outcomes, and this study investigates the role of ferroptosis, a specific cell death process, in ASD subtypes.
  • Researchers analyzed gene expression data from 201 normal samples and 293 ASD samples to classify molecular subtypes based on ferroptosis-related genes and assess differences in immune characteristics between these groups.
  • The study identified two distinct ASD molecular clusters linked to ferroptosis, with one cluster (Cluster2) showing higher immune activity and a stronger immune response compared to the other (Cluster1), highlighting the potential of a ferroptosis score model to predict ASD subtypes and immune profiles.
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  • Genomic selection is a powerful breeding tool for improving traits in goats, but high genotyping costs pose challenges.
  • The study focused on optimizing marker density and reference population size for better genomic selection in goats, specifically examining live body weight and fiber diameter traits.
  • Results indicate that a medium marker density panel of 45K and a reference population size of 1,500 enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of predicting breeding values for these economically important traits.
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  • Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a hereditary disorder with no current treatments, highlighting the need for new biomarkers and mechanisms related to its progression.
  • Researchers used data analysis to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in children and adults with FRDA, resulting in 88 co-expressed DEGs linked to immune response and inflammation.
  • Key findings included ten core genes with diagnostic potential, particularly CD28, FAS, and IFIT5, and the discovery of a significant regulatory pathway (NEAT1-hsa-miR-24-3p-CD28) that may drive FRDA pathology.
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The dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute to the development of major chronic diseases. Maillard reactions are the main mechanism for AGEs formation but their formation involving ascorbic acid (AA) is far from being fully understood. This study investigated the effect of pH (6-10) and temperature (65, 100 and 120 ℃) on AGEs formation in three model systems: glucose (Glu) + lysine (Lys), AA + Lys and Glu + Lys + AA.

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  • Over 80% of the 7699 female participants in a Taiwan study were found to have vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, linked to various gynecologic diseases.
  • Significant associations were identified between low serum vitamin D levels and conditions like abnormal Pap smears, high-risk HPV infections, and dysmenorrhea.
  • The study suggests that vitamin D supplements could be a cost-effective strategy for preventing and treating these gynecologic issues, potentially lowering healthcare costs.
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Antiangiogenic therapy, such as bevacizumab (BEV), has improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in high-risk patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) according to several clinical trials. Clinically, no reliable molecular biomarker is available to predict the treatment response to antiangiogenic therapy. Immune-related proteins can indirectly contribute to angiogenesis by regulating stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment.

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Epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) are fatal and obstinate among gynecological malignancies in advanced stage or relapsed status, with serous carcinomas accounting for the vast majority. Unlike EOCs, borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs), including serous BOTs, maintain a semimalignant appearance. Using gene ontology (GO)-based integrative analysis, we analyzed gene set databases of serous BOTs and serous ovarian carcinomas for dysregulated GO terms and pathways and identified multiple differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in various aspects.

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  • The study investigates how factors like citric acid, different sugars, and thickening agents affect furan levels in strawberry jams.
  • It was found that lower pH increases furan formation, with fructose leading to higher levels than sucrose and glucose, while xanthan gum helps reduce furan content.
  • The research concludes that optimizing processing methods and using xanthan gum could help lower furan formation in canned strawberry jams.
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The pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of ovarian low malignant potential (LMP) tumors or borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) have not been fully elucidated to date. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment for this disease, and diagnosis is mainly made by histopathology to date. However, there is no integrated analysis investigating the tumorigenesis of BOTs with open experimental data.

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In this study, volatile components of 40 Chinese fermented vinegar samples, made from different raw materials, starters, and processing technologies, were collected from different geographic origins in China (Shanxi, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Fujian Province) and their volatile components were analyzed by headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sixty-two aroma compounds have been identified by NIST library combined with retention index, mainly including esters, heterocyclics, acids, aldehydes, and ketones. In addition, multivariate analysis including principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were carried out to discriminate vinegars based on their composition of volatile components.

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  • South Asian immigrant women are the largest visible minority in Canada, with many over the age of 35, yet their midlife transition experiences have been under-researched.
  • The study identified various facilitators like stable financial situations, supportive social circles, and respectful societies, alongside barriers such as financial strain, cultural expectations, and limited support from family and community.
  • Recommendations include prioritizing employment and education programs, fostering peer support, and developing social policies to better support the midlife transition for these women.
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Background: Cardiotocography is a common method of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) for fetal well-being. Data-driven analyses have shown potential for automated EFM assessment. For this preliminary study, we used a novel artificial intelligence method based on fully convolutional networks (FCNs), with deep learning for EFM evaluation and correct recognition, and its possible role in evaluation of nonreassuring fetal status.

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  • The study analyzed serum samples from first-year university students in Lanzhou University, China, to measure levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As) in relation to their dietary habits and environmental exposure.
  • The average serum concentrations found were 21.38 μg/L for Pb, 1.46 μg/L for Cd, 3.86 μg/L for Hg, and 4.69 μg/L for As, with some samples exceeding safety standards.
  • Significant factors affecting metal concentrations included diet (especially seafood), gender, and relocation, with the study concluding that atmospheric transport and deposition of Pb influenced serum levels in students.
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