Publications by authors named "WenCong Zhang"
Chemical characteristics and evolution of groundwater in northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China.
Environ Geochem Health
December 2024
With the excellent water quality, abundant water quantity and convenient and economical exploitation conditions, groundwater has become an important water source for the social and economic development and people's livelihood in the northeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau in China. This study employed geostatistics, mineral saturation index, Gibbs diagram, ion ratio coefficient, chloralkali index and other methods to reveal the chemical distribution characteristics, evolution law and hydrogeochemical formation mechanism of groundwater in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the contents of main chemical components of groundwater in Beichuan increased continuously from 1980 to 2020 complicating the types of hydrochemistry due to intensive groundwater exploitation and potential pollution from chemical plants.
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- This study focuses on the role of intermetallic phases in catalysts, specifically examining the phase transitions and atomic diffusion in Pd@Pt-Co cubic nanoparticles during heating.
- Using advanced microscopy techniques, researchers found that as Pd atoms diffuse outward, they partially replace Pt in the surface, creating a new (Pt, Pd)-Co system which enables phase transitions at lower temperatures (400°C).
- At higher temperatures, excessive diffusion alters the material's composition and results in decreased atomic ordering and changes in shape, highlighting how understanding these processes can aid in designing better multi-component catalyst systems.
Enocyanin (ENO), an anthocyanin extracted from grapes, has been shown to exert inhibitory effects on acid phosphatase and inflammation; however, its role in osteogenesis and bone formation is currently unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of ENO on osteogenesis and bone formation , and to explore the rudimentary mechanisms. KusaO cells were employed to evaluate the osteogenic role of ENO by Alizarin red S staining, ALP staining, quantitative PCR and western blotting, and an analysis of the therapeutic effects of ENO on a femoral fracture model was performed using stereo microscope, micro‑CT and histological staining.
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- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is a key indicator for determining the effectiveness of chronic hepatitis B treatment and this study examines how well HBsAg seroconversion holds up in patients.
- A total of 295 patients who achieved HBsAg loss through a combination of nucleos(t)ide analogues and pegylated interferon alpha were analyzed, with findings showing that maintaining therapy after HBsAg seroconversion leads to lower recurrence rates.
- The study developed a predictive model for HBsAg reversion, demonstrating that ongoing treatment and certain factors can enhance the likelihood of maintaining HBsAg loss, indicating a strong potential for improved patient outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The paper addresses the challenge of aligning 3D pre-operative CT images with 2D intra-operative X-ray images for spine surgeries, highlighting limitations of traditional methods and existing learning-based approaches.
- The proposed method, PRSCS-Net, incorporates a unique Progressive 3D/2D rigid registration network that utilizes a single-view cycle synthesis to improve reconstruction and pose estimation efficiency, while reducing computational costs.
- Evaluations show that PRSCS-Net outperforms current methods in registration accuracy and robustness, indicating its potential for enhancing surgical planning in clinical settings.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers used advanced techniques to observe the corrosion behavior of Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles, highlighting changes in structure due to electrochemical activities.
- * The findings show that specific areas of the nanoparticles undergo different corrosion processes, providing new insights into how their surfaces change during electrochemical reactions.
Article Synopsis
- Precise segmentation of liver tumors from CT scans is crucial for clinical applications, and existing models have not effectively used multi-phase imaging information.
- The study introduces a novel multi-phase feature interaction Transformer network (MI-TransSeg) that enhances tumor segmentation and allows for evaluation of microvascular invasion (MVI) in liver tumors.
- Experimental results indicate that MI-TransSeg outperforms other models, showcasing its potential for improving liver tumor assessment using advanced multi-phase CT data.
Article Synopsis
- High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are gaining interest as effective catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions, especially in utilizing platinum (Pt) due to their unique properties.
- A new method for creating high-entropy nanoparticles involves thermal reduction using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), resulting in catalysts that significantly outperform traditional Pt/C catalysts in terms of mass activity.
- The process of electrochemical activation leads to structural changes in the catalysts, creating defects and single atoms that enhance their performance, suggesting valuable implications for fuel cell technology.
A ten-week culture trial in juvenile large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) (10.80 ± 0.10 g) was conducted to assess the impact of supplementing heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus (HLA) on growth performance, intestinal digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiosensor-based high-throughput screening is efficient for improving industrial microorganisms. There is a severe shortage of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) biosensors. This study established a 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL, a kind of HMOs) whole-cell biosensor by coupling cell growth with production.
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- - The study investigates the role of mitophagy and ferroptosis in primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), focusing on identifying new biomarkers and understanding the molecular mechanisms involved.
- - Key genes identified as significant in ITP include GABARAPL1, S100A8, LIN28A, and GDF9, which show potential for diagnostics and are linked to critical cellular processes like T-cell differentiation and signaling pathways.
- - Findings indicate that reduced expression of GABARAPL1 in bone marrow macrophages may hinder processes necessary for cell homeostasis, potentially leading to immune system imbalances in ITP patients.
An 8-week growth trial was performed to investigate the protective effects of methanotroph bacteria meal (MBM) produced from methane against soybean meal-induced enteritis (SBMIE) in juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.). Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated: fishmeal-based diet (FM, the control group); FM with approximate 50% of fishmeal substituted by 399.
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- Fish health suffers in high temperatures, and this study explores how dietary lipids influence juvenile turbot's growth and physiology under heat stress.
- Five lipid concentrations (6.81% to 17.08%) were tested, with 12.03% deemed optimal, leading to better growth and lipid balance in fish at high temperatures.
- Results indicated that the optimal lipid diet improved antioxidant activity, reduced oxidative damage, and enhanced immunity by regulating various genes and pathways.
Article Synopsis
- This paper presents a transient 3D model to simulate microwave-induced discharges in a waveguide plasma source, significantly simplifying calculations without reducing dimensionality.
- It utilizes a plane-symmetric simplification to minimize computational demands while maintaining accurate power coupling efficiency calculations from microwave to plasma during the discharge process.
- Results validate the model through comparisons with experimental data, revealing how changes in glass tube properties affect electromagnetic modes and plasma behavior during discharge.
Calcaneal tuberosity avulsion fracture, an extra-articular injury, is a rare fracture caused internally by Achilles tendon driven following intense contraction of gastrocnemius-soleus complex, and externally by low-energy (possibly high-energy). Moreover, the risk of injuries of the skin and Achilles tendon around calcaneal tuberosity is closely related to Lee classification and Carnero-Martín de Soto Classification of calcaneal tuberosity avulsion fracture. Although the diagnosis confirmed by X-ray, digital imaging and computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should also be used to evaluate soft tissue.
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- Supported metal catalysts often degrade quickly due to weak interactions with their support materials, but using hydrogenated borophene helps create more stable Pt/B/C catalysts.
- These new catalysts are around 2.5 nm in size, can have a high metal loading of 80 wt%, and are more stable due to strong Pt-B bonding.
- The study demonstrates that these catalysts maintain their structure even at high temperatures and show enhanced performance in electrocatalytic reactions, offering a promising solution for durable and efficient catalysis.
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- A nitrogen-doped carbon-supported CuNi bimetallic nanocluster catalyst, known as CuNi-NC, was synthesized using an easy method derived from ZIF.
- This catalyst showed a maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 96.3% and maintained an FE above 90% over a wide potential range of 600 mV, thanks to its adjustable pore size distribution.
- Density functional theory studies indicated that *COOH is preferentially formed during the catalytic process, highlighting the catalyst's effective performance.
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that suddenly emerged at the end of December 2019 and caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to afflict humanity, not only seriously affecting healthcare systems but also leading to global social and economic imbalances. As of August 2022, there were approximately 580 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and approximately 6.4 million confirmed deaths due to this disease.
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- Ionic thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs) face low energy conversion efficiency due to ions being confined in liquid/electrolyte media during thermodiffusion mode.
- The introduction of a redox couple directly on the electrode surface improves mass transport rates by allowing redox processes to occur more efficiently.
- The study demonstrates enhanced TEC performance with a carbon cloth/iron phytate setup, achieving high output voltage and power density, along with impressive energy density and Carnot-relative efficiency under specific temperature conditions.
Dietary high soybean oil (SO) levels might cause hepatic lipid deposition, induce oxidative stress and inflammatory response in aquatic animals, while octanoate (OCT) is beneficial to metabolism and health in mammals. However, the effect of OCT has been studied rarely in aquatic animals. In this study, a 10-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of supplemental OCT on hepatic lipid metabolism, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response of large yellow croaker () fed with high SO levels diet.
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- Aging is closely linked to various diseases, with osteoporosis being a common age-related condition affecting older adults.
- The senescence-related secretory phenotype (SASP) plays a role in transmitting aging information through extracellular vesicles (EVs), which connect micro-environmental aging to age-related diseases.
- The article aims to explore how EVs contribute to the mechanisms of aging cells in osteoporosis, offering insights into its occurrence, progression, and potential prevention or treatment strategies.
Tensile-Strained Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Surface on Palladium Octahedra as a Highly Durable Oxygen Reduction Catalyst.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2023
Article Synopsis
- The research focuses on improving Pt-based core-shell nanocrystals to enhance their activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) while making them more durable by using a thicker Pt shell to prevent core dissolution.
- A method was developed to achieve controlled deposition of multiple Pt-Co layers on Pd seeds, which helps maintain a better shape and prevents unwanted growth patterns typical with thicker layers.
- The resulting Pd@Pt-Co octahedra displayed significantly improved mass and specific activity for ORR compared to commercial Pt/C catalysts and demonstrated good durability after extensive cycling, making it a promising approach for effective and affordable catalytic materials.
Graphene nanoplates (GNPs)/TA15 composites were fabricated by pre-sintering and hot extrusion. During a room temperature tensile test, the dislocation was generated in grains. With increasing strain, the dislocation piled up along the interface between GNPs and Ti matrix, leading to stress concentration and microcracks.
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- * Among 328 HBV-infected patients, results showed that HBsAg loss rates at Week 24 were higher in the IHC group (39.50%) compared to the CHB group (28.71%), though no significant difference was found after adjusting for patient characteristics using Propensity Score Matching.
- * Additionally, patients with lower baseline HBsAg levels (<100 IU/ml) demonstrated improved clearance