Interlayer Engineering of Molybdenum Trioxide toward High‐Capacity and Stable Sodium Ion Half/Full Batteries

Orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) is one of the most promising anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries because of its rich chemistry associated with multiple valence states and intriguing layered structure. However, MoO₃ still suffers from the low rate capability and poor cycle induced by pulverization during de/sodiation. An ingenious two‐step synthesis strategy to fine tune the layer structure of MoO₃ targeting stable and fast sodium ionic diffusion channels is reported here. By integrating partially reduction and organic molecule intercalation methodologies, the interlayer spacing of MoO₃ is remarkably enlarged to 10.40 Å and the layer structural integration are reinforced by dimercapto groups of bismuththiol molecules. Comprehensive characterizations and density functional theory calculations prove that the intercalated bismuththiol (DMcT) molecules substantially enhanced electronic conductivity and effectively shield the electrostatic interaction between Na⁺ and the MoO₃ host by conjugated double bond, resulting in improved Na⁺ insertion/extraction kinetics. Benefiting from these features, the newly devised layered MoO₃ electrode achieves excellent long‐term cycling stability and outstanding rate performance. These achievements are of vital significance for the preparation of sodium‐ion battery anode materials with high‐rate capability and long cycling life using intercalation chemistry.     

两性霉素B补料分批发酵工艺优化

为大幅提高产两性霉素B菌株的发酵产抗水平,对外源性短链脂肪酸类前体物质及其添加时机、添加量进行优化,得到了两性霉素B补料分批发酵工艺,即在产两性霉素B菌株发酵培养24～56 h左右,一次性补入2～4 g·L~(-1)(以发酵液总量计)的丙酸钠。该工艺解决了两性霉素B生物合成途径中内酯环形成的关键性因素,大幅提高了产两性霉素B菌株的发酵产抗水平。经15 t生产罐验证,最终实现了连续3批平均放罐效价达10 977μg·mL~(-1)的发酵产抗水平,与采用原发酵工艺的生产罐批相比,放罐效价提高了39.4%。     

Dependence of Lamellar Eutectic Growth with Convection on Boundary Conditions and Geometric Confinement: A Phase-Field Lattice-Boltzmann Study

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - Simulating eutectic growth with convection is challenging because of the enormous computing demand resulting from the required domain size compared with...     

Dynamic Stabilization of DNA Assembly by Using Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide

We used N-methylpyrrole (Py)-N-methylimidazole-(Im) polyamide as an exogenous agent to modulate the formation of DNA assemblies at specific double-stranded sequences. The concept was demonstrated on the hybridization chain reaction that forms linear DNA. Through a series of melting curve analyses, we demonstrated that the binding of Py−Im polyamide positively influenced both the HCR initiation and elongation steps. In particular, Py−Im polyamide was found to drastically stabilize the DNA duplex such that its thermal stability approached that of an equivalent hairpin structure. Also, the polyamide served as an anchor between hairpin pairs in the HCR assembly, thus improving the originally weak interstrand stability. We hope that these proof-of-concept results can inspire future use of Py−Im polyamide as a molecular tool to modulate the formation of DNA assemblies.     

High molecular weight poly(butylene terephthalate-co-butylene 2,5-furan dicarboxylate) copolyesters: From synthesis to thermomechanical and barrier properties

Poly(butylene terephthalate-co-butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) copolyesters (PBTFs) were synthesized from 1,4-butanediol, dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) by a two-step polymerization method. Their chemical structures were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance before thermal properties were explored with differential scanning calorimeter and thermogravimetric analyzer. Results showed that PBTFs changed from semi-crystalline to completely amorphous when the content of FDCA unit was increased to 45 mol% at first, and then became crystallographic again with the further increment of FDCA unit to 75 mol%. For their mechanical properties, the tensile modulus and strength showed the similar trend, decreasing firstly and then increasing later. Their barrier to carbon dioxide and oxygen became better with the increasing of furan content due to the rigidity and higher polarity of furan ring. The performance of PBTFs copolyesters was investigated clearly, and the relative content of FDCA and DMT can be adjusted to satisfy different performance requirements.     

Analysis of phosphorus removal and anaerobic selector performance in a full-scale activated sludge process in Singapore.

This paper analyses the performance of the anaerobic selector (A/O process) in a full-scale activated sludge process receiving mostly industrial sewage discharge (> 60%) in Singapore. In addition to the sludge settleability, enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was studied. The sludge volume index (SVI) reduced from 200 to 80 ml g(-1) and foaming was suppressed significantly, indicating the effectiveness of the anaerobic selector in improving sludge settleability. The phosphorus removal efficiency was 66%, and 7.5 mg HAc-COD was consumed per mg PO4(3-) -P removed. In the anaerobic compartment, 31% of the SCOD and 73% of the acetic acid in the settled sewage were removed with PO4(3-) -P release of 14.1 mg PO4(3-)-P l(-1). The linear correlation between PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment and PO4(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment indicates that there is about 0.8 mg PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment per mg PO34(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment. The fates of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and its short chain acids (SCAs) in the process were studied and discussed.     

Correlation of fecundability and serum estradiol after danazol treatment in patients with advanced endometriosis

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between pregnancy incidence and the level of serum E2 during danazol therapy. DESIGN: Danazol was given by 200 mg four times daily for 3 months. Serum E2 level was checked after completing the therapy, but before stopping medication. Patients then were advised to conceive at the appropriate time over a 6-month period. SETTING: Reproductive and Endocrine Laboratory of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan. PATIENTS: Infertile women with invasive endometriosis receiving conservative surgery and danazol treatment. INTERVENTIONS: Serum E2 is checked before medication and at the end of danazol therapy, but before stopping medication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Whether pregnancy is related to the change of serum E2 caused by danazol therapy. RESULTS: There were 24 pregnancies in 38 patients with invasive endometriosis after treatment. Pregnant patients had significantly lower serum E2 levels as compared with the nonpregnant patients. CONCLUSIONS: After conservative surgery for invasive endometriosis associated with infertility, the therapeutic period of danazol treatment could be shortened to 3 months. Because there is significant correlation of fecundability and serum E2 after danazol medication, serum E2 could be a guideline for predicting pregnancy or for prolonging or changing of treatment after danazol therapy.     

Pigeon perception and discrimination of rapidly changing texture stimuli

The perception and discrimination of rapidly changing texture stimuli by pigeons was examined in a target localization task. Five experienced pigeons were rewarded for finding and pecking at a randomly placed odd target block of small repeated elements embedded in a larger rectangular array of contrasting distractor elements. On dynamic color test trials, the color of the target, distractor, or both of these regions changed at rates of 100, 250, 500, or 1000 ms per frame. The number of colors appearing within such trials also varied. Pigeons performed well above chance in all test conditions, with target-associated changes producing the best discrimination. The results suggest: (a) global relational information can exclusively guide target localization behavior, (b) pigeons can perceptually group and segregate colored textured differences quite rapidly (< or = 100 ms), and (c) pigeons may possess automatic search control processes that can be captured by stimulus-driven changes in the display.