Rational Engineering of p-n Heterogeneous ZnS/SnO Quantum Dots with Fast Ion Kinetics for Superior Li/Na-Ion Battery.

Constructing heterogeneous nanostructures is an efficient strategy to improve the electrical and ionic conductivity of metal chalcogenide-based anodes. Herein, ZnS/SnO quantum dots (QDs) as p-n heterojunctions that are uniformly anchored to reduced graphene oxides (ZnS-SnO @rGO) are designed and engineered. Combining the merits of fast electron transport via the internal electric field and a greatly shortened Li/Na ion diffusion pathway in the ZnS/SnO QDs (3-5 nm), along with the excellent electrical conductivity and good structural stability provided by the rGO matrix, the ZnS-SnO @rGO anode exhibits enhanced electronic and ionic conductivity, which can be proved by both experiments and theoretical calculations.

Genome diversity and highland-adaptative variation in Tibet barley landrace population of China.

Barley landraces accumulated variation in adapting to extreme highland environments during long-term domestication in Tibet, but little is known about their population structure and genomic selection traces. In this study, tGBS (tunable genotyping by sequencing) sequencing, molecular marker and phenotypic analyses were conducted on 1,308 highland and 58 inland barley landraces in China. The accessions were divided into six sub-populations and clearly distinguished most six-rowed, naked barley accessions (Qingke in Tibet) from inland barley.

A Selective Oxidation Strategy towards the Yolk-Shell Structured ZnS@C Material for Ultra-Stable Li-Ion Storage.

Metal chalcogenides are attractive anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. With the advantages of low cost and abundance reserves, ZnS is regarded as the prime candidate anode material for future generations, but its practical application is hindered by the large volume expansion during repeated cycling processes and inherent poor conductivity. Rational design of the microstructure with large pore volume and high specific surface area is of great significance to solve these problems.

T cell activation profiles can distinguish gram negative/positive bacterial sepsis and are associated with ICU discharge.

Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening complication resulting from a dysregulated host response to a serious infection, of which bacteria are the most common cause. A rapid differentiation of the gram negative (G)/gram positive (G) pathogens facilitates antibiotic treatment, which in turn improves patients' survival.

Methods: We performed a prospective, observational study of adult patients in intensive care unit (ICU) unit and underwent the analysis of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, cytokines and other clinical indexes.

A facile precursor route towards the synthesis of FeS@NC-rGO composite anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Iron-based sulfides are considered promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their low cost and high theoretical specific capacities. However, low conductivity and dissolution of lithium polysulfides during the reaction hamper their practical applications. Herein, we firstly synthesized N-doped carbon-coated FeS (FeS@NC) sheets through vacuum pyrolysis of the precursor FeS(en) (en = ethylenediamine).

Embedding Lanthanide Organic Polyhedra into Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes.

Organic pollutants cause severe environmental problems because of their damage to human health and ecological systems. Photocatalytic degradation of persistent organic pollutants is of great importance to address these hazards. Herein, we report a lanthanide organic polyhedra-based hybrid material Gd L ⊂MSN with the capability of photocatalytic dye degradation.

High level of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio increases the risk of deep venous thrombosis in intensive care unit patients after oral cancer surgery: a retrospective study.

Background: The incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is higher in surgical patients, but there have been few studies on the risk factors of DVT in intensive care unit (ICU) patients after oral cancer surgery, particularly in relation to the inflammatory and nutritional scores, and intervene with these risk factors early may decrease the occurrence of DVT.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of adult patients who were admitted to ICU after undergoing radical resection of oral cancer and performed ultrasound detection for DVT within 1 week after surgery from April 2019 to July 2021. DVT was diagnosed by venous ultrasonography of the lower extremities.

Mitigating gas emissions from poultry litter composting with waste vinegar residue.

The composting process is important in the recycling of organic wastes produced in agriculture, food, and municipal waste management. This study explored the suitability of using waste vinegar residue (WVR) as an amendment in poultry litter (PL) composting. Four treatments, including poultry litter (CK), poultry litter+vinegar residue (VR), poultry litter+vinegar residue+lime (VR_Ca) and poultry litter+vinegar residue+biochar (VR_B), were conducted.

Impacts of slurry application methods and inhibitors on gaseous emissions and NO pathways in meadow-cinnamon soil.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mitigation practices (slurry application methods and inhibitors applications) on gas emissions and identify the soil NO production pathways in cattle slurry applied soil using isotopocule mapping approach. First, we compared the NH and NO emissions of cattle slurry applied soil in a summer maize field experiment in north China plain (NCP) with four treatments: control (CK, no fertilization), slurry application using surface (SA-S), slurry application using band application (BA-S), and chemical fertilizer application using band application (BA-C). Then, an incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the mitigation effect of nitrification inhibitors (dicyandiamide, DCD) and denitrification inhibitors (procyanidins, PC) and their combination (DCD + PC) on gaseous N emissions with slurry applied using incorporation (IA) or surface application (SA) methods.

Preparation of ZnS@N-doped-carbon composites a ZnS-amine precursor vacuum pyrolysis route.

ZnS/carbon nanocomposites have potential electrochemical applications due to their improved conductivity and more active sites through modification of the carbon materials. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize the nanocomposites comprising ZnS nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped carbon (ZnS@NC). The inorganic-organic hybrid ZnS-amine material ZnS(ba) (ba = -butylamine) is synthesized on a large scale by a reflux method, which effectively shortens the reaction time while maintaining the high yield compared with the solvothermal method.

Separation efficiency of different solid-liquid separation technologies for slurry and gas emissions of liquid and solid fractions: A meta-analysis.

Solid-liquid separation (SLS) technology is widely used in the slurry management in animal farms. This study conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 45 published articles to evaluate the differences in separation efficiencies (SE) of various SLSs and the changes of gas emissions before and after the separation during on-farm slurry storage. The results indicated that the SE of the untreated raw slurry and acidified slurry were consistently greater than those of the digested slurry, and centrifugation resulted in greater SE than the other mechanical methods.

[Impact of hypophosphatemia on weaning from mechanical ventilation].

Objective: To explore the influence of hypophosphatemia on weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Methods: An observational study was conducted. The medical records of 30 mechanical ventilated patients with hypophosphatemia admitted to intensive care unit of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2018 to August 2020 were analyzed; another 60 mechanical ventilated patients with normophosphatemia around the same time were enrolled as controls by 1:2 case-control matching based on gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score.

Silencing of LncRNA-PVT1 ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in THP-1-derived macrophages via inhibition of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Background: Sepsis is common in intensive care units and has a high mortality rate; yet, its pathogenesis and treatment remain unclear. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (lncRNA-PVT1) plays a pro-inflammatory role in immune-related inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we investigated whether lncRNA-PVT1 plays an important pro-inflammatory effect in the inflammatory response of sepsis.

Prognostic Value of the Red Cell Distribution Width in Patients with Sepsis-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The prognostic value of the red cell distribution width (RDW) in patients with sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is still elusive. This study is aimed at determining whether RDW is a prognostic indicator of sepsis-induced ARDS.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1161 patients with sepsis-induced ARDS.

Impact of biochar application on gas emissions from liquid pig manure storage.

Biochars have been used to reduce gas emissions from manure composting practices and to recover nutrients from wastewater because of their effective sorption capacity. However, relatively less is known about the impacts of different alkaline biochars on the gas emissions from liquid manure. Materials including two commercial biochars prepared from walnut shell (WA) and coconut shell (CC), respectively, and coal (CO) were applied (with manure/biochar ratio of 20:1 in weight) to examine their influence on NH, CH, and NO emissions from liquid pig manure during a 68-d period in comparison with a control (CK, without biochars), and to investigate the evolution of the manure N mass balances and the changes in biochar properties during liquid manure storage to understand the characteristics of biochar.

Hyperphosphatemia rather than hypophosphatemia indicates a poor prognosis in patients with sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is the leading cause of hospitalization and death in the intensive care unit. It is vital to identify high-risk patients with poor prognosis in the early stages of sepsis. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of serum phosphorus levels for sepsis.

MicroRNA-338-5p alleviates neuronal apoptosis via directly targeting BCL2L11 in APP/PS1 mice.

MicroRNAs have become pivotal modulators in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. MiR-338-5p is associated with neuronal differentiation and neurogenesis, and expressed aberrantly in patients with cognitive dysfunction. However, its role and potential mechanism involved in Alzheimer's disease remain to be elucidated.

Content analysis of vitamins, dietary fibers and amino acids in a wide collection of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from Tibet, China.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important agricultural crop. Various studies on the genetic diversity, biochemical and molecular attributes on this species are known.

Trade-offs of gaseous emissions from soils under vegetable, wheat-maize and apple orchard cropping systems applied with digestate: An incubation study.

Land application of digestate from anaerobic digestion causes various gaseous emissions. A soil core incubation experiment was carried out in the laboratory to investigate the trade-offs of NH, NO and CH emissions from soils collected from vegetable, arable and orchard cropping systems. Digestate derived from liquid cattle manure was applied to the soil cores through the surface (SA) and incorporation application (IA) methods under three soil moisture conditions (40%, 60%, and 80% water-filled pore space, WFPS).

Impacts of feedlot floor condition, deposition frequency, and inhibitors on NO and CH emissions from feedlot dung and urine patches.

Unlabelled: Patches of dung and urine are major contributors to the feedlot gas emissions. This study investigated the impacts of dung deposition frequency (partly reflecting animal stocking density of a feedlot), dairy feedlot floor conditions (old floor indicated with the presence of consolidated manure pad [CMP] vs. new floor with the absence of consolidated manure pad [CMPn]), and application of dicyandiamide (DCD) and hydroquinone (HQ) on nitrous oxide (NO) and methane (CH) emissions from patches in the laboratory, and the integrative impacts were expressed in terms of global warming potential (CO-equivalent).

Characterization of T-Dependent and T-Independent B Cell Responses to a Virus-like Particle.

Natural pathogens, such as viruses, often induce T-dependent and T-independent Ab responses. However, the activation and differentiation of Ag-specific B cells under these conditions had not been examined in detail. In this study, we used bacterial phage Qβ-derived virus-like particles (Qβ-VLPs) as an immunogen to examine the T-independent and T-dependent phases of the response in mice.

Impact of Resistance Training in Subjects With COPD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of resistance training on subjects with COPD.

Methods: We performed a systematic search in MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Elsevier ScienceDirect, EBM Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov and also of leading respiratory journals for randomized controlled trials on COPD treatment for ≥ 4 weeks with resistance training compared with non-exercise control or with combined resistance and endurance training compared with endurance training alone.

CH4 and N2O emissions from China's beef feedlots with ad libitum and restricted feeding in fall and spring seasons.

Accurately quantifying methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from beef operations in China is necessary to evaluate the contribution of beef cattle to greenhouse gas budgets at the national and global level. Methane and N2O emissions from two intensive beef feedlots in the North China Plain, one with a restricted feeding strategy and high manure collection frequency and the other with an ad libitum feeding strategy and low manure collection frequency, were quantified in the fall and spring seasons using an inverse dispersion technique. The diel pattern of CH4 from the beef feedlot with an ad libitum feed strategy (single peak during a day) differed from that under a restricted feeding condition (multiple peaks during a day), but little difference in the diel pattern of N2O emissions between two feeding strategies was observed.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the enteric fermentation and manure storage of dairy and beef cattle in China during 1961-2010.

Due to the expanding dairy and beef population in China and their contribution to global CH4 and N2O budgets, a framework considering changes in feed, manure management and herd structure was established to indicate the trends of CH4 and N2O emissions from the enteric formation and manure storage in China׳s beef and dairy production and the underlying driving forces during the period 1961-2010. From 1961 to 2010, annual CH4 and N2O emissions from beef cattle in China increased from 2.18Mt to 5.