Yiwu Science and Technology Research Institute

Abstract Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (RZIBs) provide a promising complementarity to the existing lithium-ion batteries due to their low cost, non-toxicity and intrinsic safety. However, Zn anodes suffer from zinc dendrite growth and electrolyte corrosion, resulting in poor reversibility. Here, we develop an ultrathin, fluorinated two-dimensional porous covalent organic framework (FCOF) film as a protective layer on the Zn surface. The strong interaction between fluorine (F) in FCOF and Zn reduces the surface energy of the Zn (002) crystal plane, enabling the preferred growth of (002) planes during the electrodeposition process. As a result, Zn deposits show horizontally arranged platelet morphology with (002) orientations preferred. Furthermore, F-containing nanochannels facilitate ion transport and prevent electrolyte penetration for improving corrosion resistance. The FCOF@Zn symmetric cells achieve stability for over 750 h at an ultrahigh current density of 40 mA cm −2 . The high-areal-capacity full cells demonstrate hundreds of cycles under high Zn utilization conditions.

The growing maturity of nanofabrication has ushered massive sophisticated optical structures available on a photonic chip. The integration of subwavelength-structured metasurfaces and metamaterials on the canonical building block of optical waveguides is gradually reshaping the landscape of photonic integrated circuits, giving rise to numerous meta-waveguides with unprecedented strength in controlling guided electromagnetic waves. Here, we review recent advances in meta-structured waveguides that synergize various functional subwavelength photonic architectures with diverse waveguide platforms, such as dielectric or plasmonic waveguides and optical fibers. Foundational results and representative applications are comprehensively summarized. Brief physical models with explicit design tutorials, either physical intuition-based design methods or computer algorithms-based inverse designs, are cataloged as well. We highlight how meta-optics can infuse new degrees of freedom to waveguide-based devices and systems, by enhancing light-matter interaction strength to drastically boost device performance, or offering a versatile designer media for manipulating light in nanoscale to enable novel functionalities. We further discuss current challenges and outline emerging opportunities of this vibrant field for various applications in photonic integrated circuits, biomedical sensing, artificial intelligence and beyond.

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, there is a great demand for portable gas sensors. Metal oxide semiconductors (MOS) are one of the most traditional and well-studied gas sensing materials and have been widely used to prepare various commercial gas sensors. However, it is limited by high operating temperature. The current research works are directed towards fabricating high-performance flexible room-temperature (FRT) gas sensors, which are effective in simplifying the structure of MOS-based sensors, reducing power consumption, and expanding the application of portable devices. This article presents the recent research progress of MOS-based FRT gas sensors in terms of sensing mechanism, performance, flexibility characteristics, and applications. This review comprehensively summarizes and discusses five types of MOS-based FRT gas sensors, including pristine MOS, noble metal nanoparticles modified MOS, organic polymers modified MOS, carbon-based materials (carbon nanotubes and graphene derivatives) modified MOS, and two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides materials modified MOS. The effect of light-illuminated to improve gas sensing performance is further discussed. Furthermore, the applications and future perspectives of FRT gas sensors are also discussed.

Dietary fiber is fermented by the human gut microbiota, producing beneficial microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids. Over the last few centuries, dietary fiber intake has decreased tremendously, leading to detrimental alternations in the gut microbiota. Such changes in dietary fiber consumption have contributed to the global epidemic of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. The responses of the gut microbiota to the dietary changes are specific to the type, amount, and duration of dietary fiber intake. The intricate interplay between dietary fiber and the gut microbiota may provide clues for optimal intervention strategies for patients with type 2 diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases. In this review, we summarize current evidence regarding dietary fiber intake, gut microbiota modulation, and modification in human health, highlighting the type-specific cutoff thresholds of dietary fiber for gut microbiota and metabolic outcomes.

Abstract Designing non‐precious electrocatalysts to synergistically achieve a facilitated mass/electron transfer and exposure of abundant active sites is highly desired but remains a significant challenge. Herein, a composite electrocatalyst consisting of highly dispersed Co/CoP heterojunction embedded within a hierarchically ordered macroporous‐mesoporous‐microporous carbon matrix (Co/CoP@HOMC) is rationally designed through the pyrolysis of polystyrene sphere‐templated zeolite imidazolate framework‐67 (ZIF‐67) assemblies. The combined experimental and theoretical calculations reveal that Co/CoP interfaces not only provide richly exposed active sites but also optimize hydrogen/water absorption free energy via electronic coupling, while the interconnected macroporous structure enables a superior mass transfer to all accessible active sites. As a result, the as‐developed Co/CoP@HOMC composites exhibit outstanding catalytic activity with overpotentials of only 120 and 260 mV at 10 mA cm −2 for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 m KOH, respectively. Moreover, an alkaline electrolyzer constructed by Co/CoP@HOMC requires an ultralow cell voltage of 1.54 V to achieve 10 mA cm −2 , outperforming that of the Pt@C||IrO 2 @C couple (1.64 V).

Abstract Developing an efficient and non‐precious pH‐universal hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst is highly desirable for hydrogen production by electrochemical water splitting but remains a significant challenge. Herein, a hierarchical structure composed of heterostructured Ni 2 P‐Ni 12 P 5 nanorod arrays rooted on Ni 3 S 2 film (Ni 2 P‐Ni 12 P 5 @Ni 3 S 2 ) via a simultaneous corrosion and sulfidation is built followed by a phosphidation treatment toward the metallic nickel foam. The combination of theoretical calculations with in/ex situ characterizations unveils that such a unique sequential phase conversion strategy ensures the strong interfacial coupling between Ni 2 P and Ni 12 P 5 as well as the robust stabilization of 1D heteronanorod arrays by Ni 3 S 2 film, resulting in the promoted water adsorption/dissociation energy, the optimized hydrogen adsorption energy, and the enhanced electron/proton transfer ability accompanied with an excellent stability. Consequently, Ni 2 P‐Ni 12 P 5 @Ni 3 S 2 /NF requires only 32, 46, and 34 mV overpotentials to drive 10 mA cm −2 in 1.0 m KOH, 0.5 m H 2 SO 4 , and 1.0 m phosphate‐buffered saline electrolytes, respectively, exceeding almost all the previously reported non‐noble metal‐based electrocatalysts. This work may pave a new avenue for the rational design of non‐precious electrocatalysts toward pH‐universal hydrogen evolution catalysis.

Inspired by natural mobile microorganisms, researchers have developed micro/nanomotors (MNMs) that can autonomously move by transducing different kinds of energies into kinetic energy. The rapid development of MNMs has created tremendous opportunities for biomedical fields including diagnostics, therapeutics, and theranostics. Although the great progress has been made in MNM research, at a fundamental level, the accepted propulsion mechanisms are still a controversial matter. In practical applications such as precision nanomedicine, the precise control of the motion, including the speed and directionality, of MNMs is also important, which makes advanced motion manipulation desirable. Very recently, diverse MNMs with different propulsion strategies, morphologies, sizes, porosities and chemical structures have been fabricated and applied for various uses. Herein, we thoroughly summarize the physical principles behind propulsion strategies, as well as the recent advances in motion manipulation methods and relevant biomedical applications of these MNMs. The current challenges in MNM research are also discussed. We hope this review can provide a bird's eye overview of the MNM research and inspire researchers to create novel and more powerful MNMs.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of myopia has become a public health priority in China. This study is to investigate the prevalence of myopia and vision impairment, and their associated factors in school students in eastern China. METHOD: In this cross-sectional school-based study of 4801 students from 16 schools ranging from kindergarten to high school, students underwent refraction using non-cycloplegic autorefractor and visual acuity testing using logMAR chart with tumbling E. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent (SPHE) ≤ - 0.5 diopter (D) and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) 20/25 or worse. High myopia was defined as SPHE ≤ - 6.0 D and UCVA 20/25 or worse. Vision impairment was defined as UCVA 20/40 or worse. Logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with myopia and vision impairment. RESULTS: Among 4801 children (55% male) with mean age (standard deviation) 12.3 (3.8) years, 3030 (63.1, 95% CI: 61.7-64.5%) had myopia, 452 (9.4, 95% CI: 8.6-10.3%) had high myopia, and 2644 (55.1, 95% CI, 53.7-56.5%) had vision impairment. The prevalence rate of myopia increased with grade in a non-linear manner, 12% in kindergarten, 32% in grade 2, 69% in grade 5, and approximately 90% by grade 10 or above. The prevalence rate of high myopia was relatively low in grade 4 or below (< 1.5%), 4-7% in grade 5 to 7, 13-15% in grade 8-9, and > 20% in grade 10 to 12. The prevalence rate of vision impairment was 4% in kindergarten, 37% in elementary school, 77% in middle school and 87% in high school students. Higher grade (p < 0.0001), female (p < 0.0001) and higher school workload (p = 0.007) were independently associated with higher prevalence rates of myopia and vision impairment, while higher grade (p < 0.0001) and higher school workload (p < 0.0001) were independently associated with higher prevalence of high myopia. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of myopia and vision impairment was high among Chinese school students and increased with grade in a non-linear manner, reaching alarming high in high school students accompanied by high prevalence of high myopia. Increasing study burden on school students at younger age plays an important role on the higher prevalence rate of myopia and vision impairment.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the role of fast-track surgery in preventing the development of postoperative delirium and other complications in elderly patients with colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 240 elderly patients with colorectal carcinoma (aged ≥70 years) undergoing open colorectal surgery was randomly assigned into two groups, in which the patients were managed perioperatively either with traditional or fast-track approaches. The length of hospital stay (LOS) and time to pass flatus were compared. The incidence of postoperative delirium and other complications were evaluated. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were determined before and after surgery. RESULTS: The LOS was significantly shorter in the fast-track surgery (FTS) group than that in the traditional group. The recovery of bowel movement (as indicated by the time to pass flatus) was faster in the FTS group. The postoperative complications including pulmonary infection, urinary infection and heart failure were significantly less frequent in the FTS group. Notably, the incidence of postoperative delirium was significantly lower in patients with the fast track therapy (4/117, 3.4 %) than with the traditional therapy (15/116, 12.9 %; p = 0.008). The serum IL-6 levels on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3 in patients with the fast-track therapy were significantly lower than those with the traditional therapy (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to traditional perioperative management, fast-track surgery decreases the LOS, facilitates the recovery of bowel movement, and reduces occurrence of postoperative delirium and other complications in elderly patients with colorectal carcinoma. The lower incidence of delirium is at least partly attributable to the reduced systemic inflammatory response mediated by IL-6.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) can be effectively assessed using the dependable surrogate biomarker triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index. In various critical care contexts, like contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), an elevated TyG index has demonstrated a robust correlation with the incidence of AKI. Nonetheless, the potential of the TyG index to predict AKI in critically ill patients with heart failure (HF) remains uncertain. METHODS: A cohort of participants was non-consecutively selected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database and divided into quartiles based on their TyG index values. The incidence of AKI was the primary outcome. The secondary endpoint was in-hospital mortality within both the whole study population and the subset of AKI patients. The use of the renal replacement therapy (RRT) which represented the progression of AKI severity was also included as a secondary endpoint representing renal outcome. A restricted cubic splines model and Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to evaluate the association of TyG index with the risk of AKI in patients with HF in a critical condition. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was employed to estimate primary and secondary endpoint disparities across groups differentiated by their TyG index. RESULTS: This study included a total of 1,393 patients, with 59% being male. The incidence of AKI was 82.8%. Cox proportional hazards analyses revealed a significant association between TyG index and the incidence of AKI in critically ill patients with HF. The restricted cubic splines model illustrated the linear relationship between higher TyG index and increased risk of AKI in this specific patient population. Furthermore, the Kaplan-Meier survival analyses unveiled statistically significant differences in the use of RRT across the subset of AKI patients based on the quartiles of the TyG index. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the TyG index as a robust and independent predictor of the incidence of AKI and poor renal outcome in patients with HF in a critical condition. However, further confirmation of causality necessitates larger prospective studies.

In this article, the thermal vibration of functionally graded graphene platelets reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) annular plate resting on an elastic foundation under the mechanical load framework of higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) is analyzed. Governing equations and boundary conditions are established by employing Hamilton’s principle. A generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) is applied to obtain a numerical solution. Numerical results are compared with those published in the literature to examine the accuracy and validity of the applied approach. A comprehensive parametric study is accomplished to reveal the influence of stiffness of the substrate, patterns of temperature rise, temperature gradient, axial load, weight fraction and distribution patterns of GPLs, outer radius to inner radius ratio, inner radius to thickness ratio of the annular plate, and geometric dimensions of GPLs on the response of the structure. The results revealed that applying sinusoidal temperature rise and locating more square-shaped GPLs in the vicinity of the top and bottom surface result in the highest natural frequency.

Abstract The anode-free design is a promising strategy to increase the energy density of aqueous Zn metal batteries (AZMBs). However, the scarcity of Zn-rich cathodes and the rapid loss of limited Zn greatly hinder their commercial applications. To address these issues, a novel anode-free Zn-iodine battery (AFZIB) was designed via a simple, low-cost and scalable approach. Iodine plays bifunctional roles in improving the AFZIB overall performance: enabling high-performance Zn-rich cathode and modulating Zn deposition behavior. On the cathode side, the ZnI 2 serves as Zn-rich cathode material. The graphene/polyvinyl pyrrolidone heterostructure was employed as an efficient host for ZnI 2 to enhance electron conductivity and suppress the shuttle effect of iodine species. On the anode side, trace I 3 − additive in the electrolyte creates surface reconstruction on the commercial Cu foil. The in situ formed zincophilic Cu nanocluster allows ultralow-overpotential and uniform Zn deposition and superior reversibility (average coulombic efficiency &gt; 99.91% over 7,000 cycles). Based on such a configuration, AFZIB exhibits significantly increased energy density (162 Wh kg −1 ) and durable cycle stability (63.8% capacity retention after 200 cycles) under practical application conditions. Considering the low cost and simple preparation methods of the electrode materials, this work paves the way for the practical application of AZMBs.

Metal halide perovskite nanostructures have sparked intense research interest due to their excellent optical properties. In recent years, although the green and red perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have achieved a significant breakthrough with the external quantum efficiency exceeding 20%, the blue PeLEDs still suffer from inferior performance. Previous reviews about blue PeLEDs focus more on 2D/quasi-2D or 3D perovskite materials. To develop more stable and efficient blue PeLEDs, a systematic review of blue perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) is urgently demanded to clarify how PQDs evolve. In this review, the recent advances in blue PQDs involving mixed-halide, quantum-confined all-bromide, metal-doped and lead-free PQDs as well as their applications in PeLEDs are highlighted. Although several excellent PeLEDs based on these PQDs have been demonstrated, there are still many problems to be solved. A deep insight into the advantages and disadvantages of these four types of blue-emitting PQDs is provided. Then, their respective potential and issues for blue PeLEDs have been discussed. Finally, the challenges and outlook for efficient and stable blue PeLEDs based on PQDs are addressed.

Abstract Rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising candidates for advanced electrical energy storage systems owing to low cost, intrinsic safety, environmental benignity, and decent energy densities. Currently, significant research efforts are being made to develop high‐performance positive electrodes for ZIBs. Nevertheless, there are still many obstacles to be overcome in pursuit of the comprehensive performance of cathode materials, including specific capacity, structural stability, rate performance, and so forth. Many manganese‐based compounds have become the hotspots in the study of ZIB cathodes due to their advantages of natural abundance, less toxicity, and high operating voltage. Here, different energy storage mechanisms of various kinds of manganese‐based compounds are summarized. Electrochemical results of manganese‐based cathodes are compared and analyzed. Moreover, optimization strategies for addressing existing issues of these materials and improving ZIBs are discussed in detail.

Precise control of cellular signaling events during programmed cell death is crucial yet challenging for cancer therapy. The modulation of signal transduction in cancer cells holds promise but is limited by the lack of efficient, biocompatible, and spatiotemporally controllable approaches. Here we report a photodynamic strategy that modulates both apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death by altering caspase-3 protein activity and the associated signaling crosstalk. This strategy employs a mitochondria-targeting, near-infrared activatable probe (termed M-TOP) that functions via a type-I photochemical mechanism. M-TOP is less dependent on oxygen and more effective in treating drug-resistant cancer cells, even under hypoxic conditions. Our study shows that higher doses of M-TOP induce pyroptotic cell death via the caspase-3/gasdermin-E pathway, whereas lower doses lead to apoptosis. This photodynamic method is effective across diverse gasdermin-E-expressing cancer cells. Moreover, the M-TOP mediated shift from apoptotic to pyroptotic modulation can evoke a controlled inflammatory response, leading to a robust yet balanced immune reaction. This effectively inhibits both distal tumor growth and postsurgical tumor recurrence. This work demonstrates the feasibility of modulating intracellular signaling through the rational design of photodynamic anticancer drugs.

Adaptive gait-event detection is essential for intelligent and autonomous control of walking assistive devices. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) based algorithms have been widely adopted but mostly suffered from technical limitations, such as time-delays and/or calculation burden, diverse gait parameters involving different speeds, and other factors in real-world applications. Those can lead to the mismatching of gait between the wearer and the device, further affecting wearing comfort and safety. To reduce the delay and improve the robustness of gait-event detection for knee assistive devices, a lightweight adaptive gait detection method based on an onboard machine learning approach is developed and preliminarily evaluated in this work. The method consists of a two-level algorithm working independently of each other. The first-level algorithm outputs the current detection results at the frequency of 100 Hz, and the second-level algorithm trains and updates the parameters of the gait model for detection every 10 seconds. A total of six events were detected in real-time on a portable Raspberry Pi with two IMUs on thigh and foot, including two specific knee-related events for eliminating detection delay with heel strike and toe off phases in walking. The proposed algorithm exhibits consistently high-performance scores (F1-score of events ≥ 0.92) and early detection capability (≤ 39 ± 22ms) at different walking speeds, in particular, the event prediction for heel strike and toe off were about 77 ± 10ms and 141 ± 10ms in advance, respectively. Given the simple and convenient hardware requirements, this method is especially suitable for intelligent knee assistive device applications.

Anti-fatigue properties of tartary buckwheat extracts (TBE) was investigated in male Kunming mice. The animals were divided into four groups. The first group, designated as the control group (control), was administered with distilled water by gavage every day for 28 days. The other three groups, designated as TBE treatment groups, were administered with TBE of 60, 120 and 240 mg/kg body weight, respectively, by gavage every day for 28 days. Exhaustive swimming time, blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), tissue glycogen, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of mice after swimming were determined. The results showed that tartary buckwheat extracts had anti-fatigue properties, which extended the exhaustive swimming time of mice, effectively inhibiting the increase of BLA, decreasing the level of BUN, increasing the tissue glycogen content and the activities of SOD and GPx of mice. However, further study is needed to elucidate the exact mechanism of the effect of TBE on fatigue.

Abstract Anionic redox is an effective way to boost the energy density of layer‐structured metal‐oxide cathodes for rechargeable batteries. However, inherent rigid nature of the TMO 6 (TM: transition metals) subunits in the layered materials makes it hardly tolerate the inner strains induced by lattice glide, especially at high voltage. Herein, P2‐Na 0.8 Mg 0.13 [Mn 0.6 Co 0.2 Mg 0.07 □ 0.13 ]O 2 (□: TM vacancy) is designed that contains vacancies in TM sites, and Mg ions in both TM and sodium sites. Vacancies make the rigid TMO 6 octahedron become more asymmetric and flexible. Low valence Co 2+ /Co 3+ redox couple stabilizes the electronic structure, especially at the charged state. Mg 2+ in sodium sites can tune the interlayer spacing against O‐O electrostatic repulsion. Time‐resolved in situ X‐ray diffraction confirms that irreversible structure evolution is effectively suppressed during deep desodiation benefiting from the specific configuration. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that, deriving from the intrinsic vacancies, multiple local configurations of “□‐O‐□”, “Na‐O‐□”, “Mg‐O‐□” are superior in facilitating the oxygen redox for charge compensation than previously reported “Na‐O‐Mg”. The resulted material delivers promising cycle stability and rate capability, with a long voltage plateau at 4.2 V contributed by oxygen, and can be well maintained even at high rates. The strategy will inspire new ideas in designing highly stable cathode materials with reversible anionic redox for sodium‐ion batteries.

Chemotherapy remains as the first-choice treatment option for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the limited tumor penetration and low cellular internalization efficiency of current nanocarrier-based systems impede the access of anticancer drugs to TNBC with dense stroma and thereby greatly restricts clinical therapeutic efficacy, especially for TNBC bone metastasis. In this work, biomimetic head/hollow tail nanorobots were designed through a site-selective superassembly strategy. We show that nanorobots enable efficient remodeling of the dense tumor stromal microenvironments (TSM) for deep tumor penetration. Furthermore, the self-movement ability and spiky head markedly promote interfacial cellular uptake efficacy, transvascular extravasation, and intratumoral penetration. These nanorobots, which integrate deep tumor penetration, active cellular internalization, near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive release, and photothermal therapy capacities into a single nanodevice efficiently suppress tumor growth in a bone metastasis female mouse model of TNBC and also demonstrate potent antitumor efficacy in three different subcutaneous tumor models.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant modification in mRNAs, has been defined as a crucial modulator in the progression of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Identification of the key regulators of m6A modifications in AML could provide further insights into AML biology and uncover more effective therapeutic strategies for patients with AML. Here, we report overexpression of YTHDF1, an m6A reader protein, in human AML samples at the protein level with enrichment in leukemia stem cells (LSC). Whereas YTHDF1 was dispensable for normal hematopoiesis in mice, depletion of YTHDF1 attenuated self-renewal, proliferation, and leukemic capacity of primary human and mouse AML cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, YTHDF1 promoted the translation of cyclin E2 in an m6A-dependent manner. Structure-based virtual screening of FDA-approved drugs identified tegaserod as a potential YTHDF1 inhibitor. Tegaserod blocked the direct binding of YTHDF1 with m6A-modified mRNAs and inhibited YTHDF1-regulated cyclin E2 translation. Moreover, tegaserod reduced the viability of patient-derived AML cells in vitro and prolonged survival in patient-derived xenograft models. Together, our study defines YTHDF1 as an integral regulator of AML progression by regulating the expression of m6A-modified mRNAs, which might serve as a potential therapeutic target for AML. SIGNIFICANCE: The m6A reader YTHDF1 is required for progression of acute myelogenous leukemia and can be targeted with the FDA-approved drug tegaserod to suppress leukemia growth.