Alloying Confined Regulation of Nanoparticles in a Hierarchically Directed Porous Carbon for Zinc-Air Batteries.

The rational design of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts with efficient bifunctional catalytic activity is critical for the widespread application of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). In this study, an FeNi alloy encapsulated three-dimensional honeycomb-like network structure of carbon aerogels (FeNi/CAs) electrocatalyst was constructed using directional freeze-drying technology. The innovative architecture, combined with the synergistic effect between Fe and Ni, endows the FeNi/CAs catalyst with outstanding bifunctional catalytic activity compared with the introduction of a single metal in carbon aerogels.

Development of sensitive and rapid immunoassays for Moniliformin (MON) detection based on nanomaterials labeled monoclonal antibodies.

Moniliformin (MON) is a toxic secondary metabolite from Fusarium species. The natural contamination of MON in cereals and cereal by-products, poses a risk of exposure to MON. However, so far, no immunoassay method has been reported to detect MON in field samples.

Exploring Stibanyl Ligand for Accessing Arsinidene and Arsaketene Adducts, and Phosphaketene.

The salt metathesis reaction involving a diamine-based antimony chloride precursor with sodium arsaethynolate in the presence of PMe leads to the formation of stibanyl-functionalized PMe-arsinidene (). Detailed analyses through single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory of confirm the presence of covalent Sb-As bonds and reveal its polarized nature with a multiple-bond character. In contrast to the formation of complex , substituting PMe with xylyl isocyanide or 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene () produces an isocyanide-arsinidene adduct () and an -arsaketene complex (), respectively.

Establishment of highly sensitive lateral flow immunochromatographic strips for quinclorac detection utilizing signal amplification nanoparticles.

Highly selective herbicide quinclorac (Qui) is a type of quinoline carboxylic acid hormone herbicide, which has the characteristics of long half-life and difficulty for degradation, causing high risk to the environmental safety. In this study, anti-Qui 8A3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) with good specificity and high affinity (3.89 × 10 L/mol) was prepared, and two kinds of lateral flow immunochromatographic strips (LFICS) including nano-flower nanoparticles (AuNF) - and latex microsphere (LM)- based LFICS were established based on the antibody and signal amplification.

N-Heterocyclic imine-based bis-gallium(I) carbene analogs featuring a four-membered GaN ring.

A combination of Ga(I) centers as important building blocks and scaffolds containing N-heterocyclic imines gives new insights into low-valent Ga chemistry. In this study, a mixture of LNLi (L = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imidazolin-2-ylidene), BuOK, and Cp*Ga (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) in toluene afforded [LN-Ga] (1) salt metathesis. X-ray structure analysis of 1 revealed a four-membered GaN ring, and DFT studies indicated the presence of a lone pair at each Ga center.

Au-modified PtCu nanodendrites as a highly stable and active electrocatalyst.

Direct galvanic replacement of surface Cu with Au in PtCu nanodendrites is applied to synthesize an Au-modified PtCu nanodendrite catalyst (PtCu-Au), which shows both superior stability and excellent activity for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The PtCu-Au catalyst only lost 7% of its MOR activity and its ORR half-wave potential decreased 8 mV after 10 000 potential cycles.

Age- and Severity-Associated Humoral Immunity Response in COVID-19 Patients: A Cohort Study from Wuhan, China.

Age has been found to be the single most significant factor in COVID-19 severity and outcome. However, the age-related severity factors of COVID-19 have not been definitively established. In this study, we detected SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses and infectious disease-related blood indicators in 2360 sera from 783 COVID-19 patients, with an age range of 1−92 years.

Grafting nanometer metal/oxide interface towards enhanced low-temperature acetylene semi-hydrogenation.

Metal/oxide interface is of fundamental significance to heterogeneous catalysis because the seemingly "inert" oxide support can modulate the morphology, atomic and electronic structures of the metal catalyst through the interface. The interfacial effects are well studied over a bulk oxide support but remain elusive for nanometer-sized systems like clusters, arising from the challenges associated with chemical synthesis and structural elucidation of such hybrid clusters. We hereby demonstrate the essential catalytic roles of a nanometer metal/oxide interface constructed by a hybrid Pd/BiO cluster ensemble, which is fabricated by a facile stepwise photochemical method.

Mechanical Properties, Curing Mechanism, and Microscopic Experimental Study of Polypropylene Fiber Coordinated Fly Ash Modified Cement-Silty Soil.

Silty soil has the characteristics of low natural moisture content and poor viscosity, and the strength and deformation required for foundation engineering can be satisfied by reinforcing and improving the silt. In order to study the reinforcement and improvement effects of polypropylene (PP) fiber and fly ash (FA) on cement-silty soil, an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test, scanning electron microscope (SEM) test, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis test were carried out. Cement (mixed amounts are 4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% of dry soil mass) was used as the basic modifier, and PP fiber (mixed amounts are 0%, 0.

Engineering porous Pd-Cu nanocrystals with tailored three-dimensional catalytic facets for highly efficient formic acid oxidation.

Rational synthesis of bi- or multi-metallic nanomaterials with both dendritic and porous features is appealing yet challenging. Herein, with the cubic CuO nanoparticles composed of ultrafine CuO nanocrystals as a self-template, a series of Pd-Cu nanocrystals with different morphologies (e.g.

Influence of Reduction Kinetics on the Preparation of Well-Defined Cubic Palladium Nanocrystals.

A facile synthesis strategy has been developed to synthesize palladium nanocubes with tunable size and well-controlled morphology. Through adjusting the dosages of acetate species (KOAc, NHOAc, and HOAc), the sizes of well-defined Pd nanocubes are tuned. The reduction of Pd precursors, a first-order reaction, is influenceable by acetate species, and a quantitative relationship between cubic width and apparent reduction rate constant, which has been found to be an effective parameter to describe the growth process of Pd nanocubes, has been uncovered.

Variations in nutrient and trace element composition of rice in an organic rice-frog coculture system.

Introducing frogs into paddy fields can control pests and diseases, and organic farming can improve soil fertility and rice growth. The aim of this 2-year field study was compare the yield and elemental composition of rice between an organic farming system including frogs (ORF) and a conventional rice culture system (CR). The grain yields were almost the same in the ORF system and the CR system.

Resistin Induces Hypertension and Insulin Resistance in Mice via a TLR4-Dependent Pathway.

Resistin, an adipokine involved in insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes, has recently been reported to play a role in cardiovascular events. However, its effect on blood pressure (BP) and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we showed that resistin induces hypertension and IR in wild type (WT) mice, but not in tlr4(-/-) mice.

The multimerization and secretion of adiponectin are regulated by TNF-alpha.

Obesity is often associated with insulin resistance, mild systemic inflammation, and decreased blood adiponectin. However, some adipokines are increased in the adipose tissue of obese individuals, and whether these adipokines are directly related to the reductions in serum adiponectin levels in an autocrine or paracrine manner remains unknown. This study indicates that the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) suppresses the multimerization and secretion of adiponectin both in vitro and in vivo.