A Stable Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Constructed by a Nucleophilic Molecule Additive for the Zn Anode with High Utilization and Efficiency.

The solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) strongly determines the stability and reversibility of aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs). In traditional electrolytes, the nonuniform SEI layer induced by severe parasitic reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), will exacerbate the side reactions on Zn anodes, thus leading to low zinc utilization ratios (ZURs). Herein, we propose to use methoxy ethylamine (MOEA) as a nucleophilic additive, which has a stronger nucleophilic characteristic than water, with the advantage of an abundance of nucleophilic atoms.

Rechargeable Lithium-Hydrogen Gas Batteries.

The global clean energy transition and carbon neutrality call for developing high-performance batteries. Here we report a rechargeable lithium metal - catalytic hydrogen gas (Li-H) battery utilizing two of the lightest elements, Li and H. The Li-H battery operates through redox of H/H on the cathode and Li/Li on the anode.

Altered resting-state and dynamic functional connectivity of hypothalamic in first-episode depression: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

The hypothalamus is an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and an important brain region of the limbic system. Twenty-four first depressive episode(FDE) patients and 25 healthy controls were recruited for this study. The hypothalamus was used as a seed to observe the characteristics of resting state and dynamic functional connectivity (FC) changes in FDE patients, and further observed the correlation between the different brain regions and clinical symptoms.

A predictive study of the efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of major depressive disorder: An fMRI-based machine learning analysis.

Background: In order to improve taVNS efficacy, the usage of fMRI to explore the predictive neuroimaging markers would be beneficial for screening the appropriate MDD population before treatment.

Methods: A total of 86 MDD patients were recruited in this study, and all subjects were conducted with the clinical scales and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan before and after 8 weeks' taVNS treatment. A two-stage feature selection strategy combining Machine Learning and Statistical was used to screen out the critical brain functional connections (FC) that were significantly associated with efficacy prediction, then the efficacy prediction model was constructed for taVNS treating MDD.

Altered functional brain activity in first-episode major depressive disorder treated with electro-acupuncture: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Previous studies have found electroacupuncture could improve the clinical symptoms of first-episode major depressive disorder (MDD), but the exact neural mechanism of action needs to be further elucidated.

Methods: Twenty-eight first-episode MDD patients were randomly divided into 14 electro-acupuncture stimulation (EAS) groups and 14 sham-acupuncture stimulation (SAS) groups, and clinical symptoms were assessed and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were done in both groups. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was used to observe the changes between the pre-treatment and post-treatment in the two groups, and the altered brain areas were selected as region of interest (ROI) to observe the FC changes.

Modulating the default mode network: Antidepressant efficacy of transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoints stimulation targeting the insula.

Background: Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is a novel non-invasive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) that stimulates acupoints innervated by the trigeminal and auricular vagus nerves. However, there are few neuroimaging studies involving the TECAS for the treatment of MDD. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the treatment response and neurological effects of TECAS using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Facile Synthesis of 2D SiO-3D Si Hybrid Anode Materials by Ca Modification Effect for Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance.

Al-Si dealloying method is widely used to prepare Si anode for alleviating the issues caused by a drastic volume change of Si-based anode. However, this method suffers from the problems of low Si powder yield (<20 wt.% Si) and complicated cooling equipment due to the hindrance of large-size primary Si particles.

Statin for mood and inflammation among adult patients with major depressive disorder: an updated meta-analysis.

Introduction: Several small sample-sized clinical trials have demonstrated a beneficial effect of statin on depressive mood among major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. However, observational studies have showed the increased risk of anxiety/depression with statin treatment. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of statin on depressive mood and inflammation status among MDD patients.

Altered neural activity in the reward-related circuit associated with anhedonia in mild to moderate Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Anhedonia is a significant predictor of disease progression and treatment outcomes in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), linked to reward network dysfunctions. However, understanding of its underlying neural mechanisms remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the brain functional mechanisms underlying MDD with anhedonia using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation versus escitalopram for modulating the brain activity in mild to moderate major depressive disorder: An fMRI study.

Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is an innovative, non-invasive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, its effectiveness and underlying neural mechanisms remain not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the treatment response and neurological effects of TECAS compared to escitalopram, a commonly used depression medication, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Anions Regulation Engineering Enables a Highly Reversible and Dendrite-Free Nickel-Metal Anode with Ultrahigh Capacities.

The development of safe and high-energy metal anodes represents a crucial research direction. Here, the achievement of highly reversible, dendrite-free transition metal anodes with ultrahigh capacities by regulating aqueous electrolytes is reported. Using nickel (Ni) as a model, theoretical and experimental evidence demonstrating the beneficial role of chloride ions in inhibiting and disrupting the nickel hydroxide passivation layer on the Ni electrode is provided.

Ultrafast Electrical Pulse Synthesis of Highly Active Electrocatalysts for Beyond-Industrial-Level Hydrogen Gas Batteries.

The high reliability and proven ultra-longevity make aqueous hydrogen gas (H ) batteries ideal for large-scale energy storage. However, the low alkaline hydrogen evolution and oxidation reaction (HER/HOR) activities of expensive platinum catalysts severely hamper their widespread applications in H batteries. Here, cost-effective, highly active electrocatalysts, with a model of ruthenium-nickel alloy nanoparticles in ≈3 nm anchored on carbon black (RuNi/C) as an example, are developed by an ultrafast electrical pulse approach for nickel-hydrogen gas (NiH ) batteries.

Aqueous Zinc-Chlorine Battery Modulated by a MnO Redox Adsorbent.

Aqueous zinc-chlorine battery with high discharge voltage and attractive theoretical energy density is expected to become an important technology for large-scale energy storage. However, the practical application of Zn-Cl batteries has been restricted due to the Cl cathode with sluggish kinetics and low Coulombic efficiency (CE). Here, an aqueous Zn-Cl battery using an inexpensive and effective MnO redox adsorbent (referred to Zn-Cl@MnO battery) to modulate the electrochemical performance of the Cl cathode is developed.

[Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on functional connectivity in the related brain regions of patients with depression based on the resting-state fMRI].

Objective: To explore the brain effect mechanism and the correlation between brain functional imaging and cognitive function in treatment of depressive disorder (DD) with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) based on the resting-state functional magenetic reasonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Methods: Thirty-two DD patients were included in a depression group and 32 subjects of healthy condition were enrolled in a normal group. In the depression group, the taVNS was applied to bilateral Xin (CO) and Shen (CO), at disperse-dense wave, 4 Hz/20 Hz in frequency and current intensity ≤20 mA depending on patient's tolerance, 30 min each time, twice daily.

pH-Universal Decoupled Water Electrolysis Enabled by Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Gas Capacitive Chemistry.

In conventional water electrolysis (CWE), the H and O evolution reactions (HER/OER) are tightly coupled, making the generated H and O difficult to separate, thus resulting in complex separation technology and potential safety issues. Previous efforts on the design of decoupled water electrolysis mainly concentrated on multi-electrode or multi-cell configurations; however, these strategies have the limitation of involving complicated operations. Here, we propose and demonstrate a pH-universal, two-electrode capacitive decoupled water electrolyzer (referred to as all-pH-CDWE) in a single-cell configuration by utilizing a low-cost capacitive electrode and a bifunctional HER/OER electrode to separate H and O generation for decoupling water electrolysis.

Immediate modulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on the resting state of major depressive disorder.

Background: Previous studies have found that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is clinically effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its efficacy mechanism is related to modulation of the default mode network (DMN) and cognitive control network (CCN). However, the mechanism of the immediate effect of taVNS for MDD remains to be elucidated.

Methods: A total of 58 patients with MDD and 54 healthy controls(HCs) were included in this study.

Constructing robust heterostructured interface for anode-free zinc batteries with ultrahigh capacities.

The development of Zn-free anodes to inhibit Zn dendrite formation and modulate high-capacity Zn batteries is highly applauded yet very challenging. Here, we design a robust two-dimensional antimony/antimony-zinc alloy heterostructured interface to regulate Zn plating. Benefiting from the stronger adsorption and homogeneous electric field distribution of the Sb/SbZn-heterostructured interface in Zn plating, the Zn anode enables an ultrahigh areal capacity of 200 mAh cm with an overpotential of 112 mV and a Coulombic efficiency of 98.

Sex Differences of the Functional Brain Activity in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Study.

The presence of different clinical symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) of different sexes may be related to different neuropathological mechanisms. A total of 16 male patients with TRD, 18 female patients with TRD, 18 male healthy controls (HCs) and 19 female HCs completed this study. We used the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) method to analyze the results.

Characterization of Resting-State Striatal Differences in First-Episode Depression and Recurrent Depression.

The presence of reward deficits in major depressive disorder is associated with abnormal striatal function. However, differences in striatal whole-brain functional between recurrent depressive episode (RDE) and first-episode depression (FDE) have not been elucidated. Thirty-three patients with RDE, 27 with FDE, and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study.

Different characteristics of striatal resting-state functional conectivity in treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant depression.

Major depressive disorder is associated with a reward deficit manifested by abnormal striatal function. However, differences between treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and non TRD (nTRD) in striatal whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) have not been elucidated. Thirty-eight patients with TRD, 42 patients with nTRD, and 39 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study.

A Study of Differential Resting-State Brain Functional Activity in Males and Females with Recurrent Depressive Disorder.

In this study, we observed the sex differences in functional brain activity in patients with recurrent depressive disorder (RDE) and assessed the correlation between abnormal functional brain activity changes and clinical symptoms. A total of 40 patients with RDE (19 male and 21 female) and 42 healthy controls (HCs) (20 male and 22 female) met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of images using regional homogeneity (ReHo) and further analysis of the correlation between abnormal brain areas and clinical symptoms of the different sexes with RDE groups were carried out.

Proton-Trapping Agent for Mitigating Hydrogen Evolution Corrosion of Zn for an Electrolytic MnO/Zn Battery.

A rechargeable aqueous electrolytic MnO/Zn battery (EMZB) based on a reversible Mn/MnO two-electron redox reaction in an acidic electrolyte is very attractive for large-scale energy storage due to its high output voltage, large gravimetric capacity, and low cost. However, severe hydrogen evolution corrosion (HEC) of the Zn anode in an acidic electrolyte limits its application. Here, a proton-trapping agent (PTA) is introduced in the electrolyte to improve the electrochemical performance of the EMZB.

High-Capacity Zinc Anode with 96 % Utilization Rate Enabled by Solvation Structure Design.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZBs) show promises for large-scale energy storage. However, the zinc utilization rate (ZUR) is generally low due to side reactions in the aqueous electrolyte caused by the active water molecules. Here, we design a novel solvation structure in the electrolyte by introduction of sulfolane (SL).

Descriptor-Driven Computational Design of Bifunctional Double-Atom Hydrogen Evolution and Oxidation Reaction Electrocatalysts for Rechargeable Hydrogen Gas Batteries.

Rechargeable hydrogen gas batteries (RHGBs) have been attracting much attention as promising all-climate large-scale energy storage devices, which calls for low-cost and high-activity hydrogen evolution/oxidation reaction (HER/HOR) bifunctional electrocatalysts to replace the costly platinum-based catalysts. Based on density functional theory (DFT) computations, herein we report an effective descriptor-driven design principle to govern the HER/HOR electrocatalytic activity of double-atom catalysts (DACs) for RHGBs. We systematically investigate the -band center variation of DACs and their correlations with HER/HOR free energies.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve immediate stimulation treatment for treatment-resistant depression: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is effective for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In the current study, we observed the immediate modulating brain effect of taVNS in patients with TRD using rest-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Method: Forty patients with TRD and forty healthy controls (HCs) were recruited.