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Electrochemical water splitting has long been considered an effective energy conversion technology for transferring intermittent renewable electricity into hydrogen fuel, and the exploration of cost-effective and high-performance electrocatalysts is crucial in making electrolyzed water technology commercially viable. Cobalt phosphide (Co-P) has emerged as a catalyst of high potential owing to its high catalytic activity and durability in water splitting. This paper systematically reviews the latest advances in the development of Co-P-based materials for use in water splitting. The essential effects of P in enhancing the catalytic performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction are first outlined. Then, versatile synthesis techniques for Co-P electrocatalysts are summarized, followed by advanced strategies to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of Co-P materials, including heteroatom doping, composite construction, integration with well-conductive substrates, and structure control from the viewpoint of experiment. Along with these optimization strategies, the understanding of the inherent mechanism of enhanced catalytic performance is also discussed. Finally, some existing challenges in the development of highly active and stable Co-P-based materials are clarified, and prospective directions for prompting the wide commercialization of water electrolysis technology are proposed.

Current interest toward ionic liquids (ILs) stems from some of their novel characteristics, like low vapor pressure, thermal stability, and nonflammability, integrated through high ionic conductivity and broad range of electrochemical strength. Nowadays, ionic liquids represent a new category of chemical‐based compounds for developing superior and multifunctional substances with potential in several fields. ILs can be used in solvents such as salt electrolyte and additional materials. By adding functional physiochemical characteristics, a variety of IL‐based electrolytes can also be used for energy storage purposes. It is hoped that the present review will supply guidance for future research focused on IL‐based polymer nanocomposites electrolytes for sensors, high performance, biomedicine, and environmental applications. Additionally, a comprehensive overview about the polymer‐based composites’ ILs components, including a classification of the types of polymer matrix available is provided in this review. More focus is placed upon ILs‐based polymeric nanocomposites used in multiple applications such as electrochemical biosensors, energy‐related materials, biomedicine, actuators, environmental, and the aviation and aerospace industries. At last, existing challenges and prospects in this field are discussed and concluding remarks are provided. In this study, ionic liquids based polymer composites and their exceptional physicochemical characteristics and their capability to bond by analytes via multiple interchanges, such as π–π, hydrogen interaction, ion‐exchange, electrostatic, and dipolar relations, are discussed in detail.

[...]sIgA plays a critical role in cross-variant protection, suggesting that mucosal vaccines should be evaluated not just for systemic neutralizing antibodies but also for their ability to elicit durable sIgA responses. [...]methodological standardization and inclusion of biological variables such as sex are essential. [...]this Research Topic underscores the dynamic advances in understanding mucosal immunity in coronaviruses, from fundamental mechanisms to translational applications.

Background Sunflower stalk pith, residue from the processing of sunflower, is rich in pectin and cellulose, thereby acting as an economic raw material for the acquisition of these compounds. In order to increase the commercial value of sunflower processing industry, a two-step dilute sulfuric acid treatment process was conducted on spent sunflower stalk pith to obtain the value-added products, pectin and glucose. Results In this study, pectin was firstly extracted under mild acid condition to avoid pectin degradation, which was conducted at 90 °C with a pH of 2.0 for 2 h, and ~0.14 g/g of pectin could be recovered. Then the remaining solids after pectin extraction were subjected to the reinforced treatment process with 0.75% H2SO4 at 150 °C for 30 min to further improve enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. Moreover, by combining a fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysis strategy, a solid loading content of 16% was successfully achieved and the glucose titer reached 103.1 g/L with a yield of 83.6%. Conclusion Finally, ~140 g pectin and 260 g glucose were produced from 1 kg of raw sunflower stalk pith using the integrated biorefinery process. This work puts forward a two-step dilute acid pretreatment combined with enzymatic hydrolysis method to produce pectin and glucose from sunflower spent waste.

Underwater jet scouring is an efficient, flexible underwater dredging technique, yet its complex physical mechanisms and dynamic evolution hinder dredging effectiveness evaluation. Existing studies mostly use empirical formulas and neglect the sediment properties’ influence on scour holes. This study integrates numerical simulation, theoretical derivation, and sediment characteristics to develop a universal model for efficiently predicting underwater jet scour hole morphology, overcoming existing models’ limitations of over-simplifying complex physics and insufficient experimental data alignment. Using CFD–DEM coupling to simulate scouring, it correlates key physical parameters (average/maximum shear rate, average/maximum shear velocity) with jet characteristics (nozzle diameter, velocity, distance) via theoretical derivation and simplifications, validated using multi-condition simulation data. Comparative analysis shows maximum relative errors of 13% for depth and 7% for width, confirming the engineering applicability in scour hole prediction.

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped transparent conductive films (TCFs) is an encouraging option toward generally utilized indium tin oxide-depended TCFs for prospective stretchable optoelectronic materials. Industrial specifications of TCFs involve not just with high electrical performance and transparency but also amidst environmental resistance and mechanical characteristic; those are usually excused within the research background. Though the optoelectronic properties of these sheets require to be developed to match the necessities of various strategies. While, the electrical stability of single-walled CNT TCFs is essentially circumscribed through the inherent resistivity of single SWCNTs and their coupling confrontation in systems. The main encouraging implementations, CNT-doped TCFs, is a substitute system during approaching electronics to succeed established TCFs, that utilize indium tin oxide. Here we review, a thorough summary of CNT-based TCFs including an overview, properties, history, synthesis protocol covering patterning of the films, properties and implementation. There is the attention given on the optoelectronic features of films and doping effect including applications for sophisticated purposes. Concluding notes are given to recommend a prospective investigation into this field towards real-world applicability. Graphic abstract This graphical abstract shows the overview of different properties (mechanical, electrical, sensitivity and transportation), synthesis protocols and designing (dry and wet protocol, designing by surface cohesive inkjet-printed and the support of polymers), doping effect (general doping, metal halides, conductive polymers and graphene for transparent electrodes) and implementations (sensing panels, organic light-emitting diodes devices, thin-film transistors and bio-organic interface) of carbon nanotubes transparent conductive films.

Needle-free intranasal vaccines offer major potential advantages, especially against pathogens entering via mucosal surfaces. As yet, there is no effective vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a ubiquitous pathogen of global importance that preferentially infects respiratory epithelial cells; new strategies are urgently required. Here, we report the safety and immunogenicity of a novel mucosal RSV F protein vaccine linked to an immunostimulatory bacterium-like particle (BLP). In this phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 48 healthy volunteers, aged 18-49 years, were randomly assigned to receive placebo or SynGEM (low or high dose) intranasally by prime-boost administration. The primary outcome was safety and tolerability, with secondary objectives assessing virus-specific immunogenicity. There were no significant differences in adverse events between placebo and vaccinated groups. SynGEM induced systemic plasmablast responses and significant, durable increases in RSV-specific serum antibody in healthy, seropositive adults. Volunteers given low-dose SynGEM (140 μg F, 2 mg BLP) required a boost at Day 28 to achieve plateau responses with a maximum fold change of 2.4, whereas high-dose recipients (350 μg F, 5 mg BLP) achieved plateau responses with a fold change of 1.5 after first vaccination that remained elevated up to 180 days after vaccination, irrespective of further boosting. Palivizumab-like antibodies were consistently induced, but F protein site ∅-specific antibodies were not detected, and virus-specific nasal IgA responses were heterogeneous, with the strongest responses in individuals with lower pre-existing antibody levels. SynGEM is thus the first nonreplicating intranasal RSV subunit vaccine to induce persistent antibody responses in human volunteers.Clinical trials registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02958540).

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that regulates multicellular functions through interactions with its receptors on cell surfaces. S1P is enriched and stored in erythrocytes; however, it is not clear whether alterations in S1P are involved in the prevalent and debilitating hemolytic disorder sickle cell disease (SCD). Here, using metabolomic screening, we found that S1P is highly elevated in the blood of mice and humans with SCD. In murine models of SCD, we demonstrated that elevated erythrocyte sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) underlies sickling and disease progression by increasing S1P levels in the blood. Additionally, we observed elevated SPHK1 activity in erythrocytes and increased S1P in blood collected from patients with SCD and demonstrated a direct impact of elevated SPHK1-mediated production of S1P on sickling that was independent of S1P receptor activation in isolated erythrocytes. Together, our findings provide insights into erythrocyte pathophysiology, revealing that a SPHK1-mediated elevation of S1P contributes to sickling and promotes disease progression, and highlight potential therapeutic opportunities for SCD.

This study investigated the effect of sweet potato starch (SPS) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) on the textural, color, sensory, rheological properties, and microstructures of plant-based pork rinds. Plant-based gels were prepared using mixtures of soy protein isolate (SPI), soy oil, and NaHCO3 supplemented with different SPS and KGM concentrations. The texture profile analysis (TPA) results indicated that the hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of the samples improved significantly after appropriate SPS and KGM addition. The results obtained via a colorimeter showed no significant differences were found in lightness (L*) between the samples and natural pork rinds after adjusting the SPS and KGM concentrations. Furthermore, the rheological results showed that adding SPS and KGM increased both the storage modulus (G’) and loss modulus (G’’), indicating a firmer gel structure. The images obtained via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the SPS and KGM contributed to the formation of a more compact gel structure. A mathematical model allowed for a more objective sensory evaluation, with the 40% SPS samples and the 0.4% KGM samples being considered the most similar to natural pork rinds, which provided a comparable texture, appearance, and mouthfeel. This study proposed a possible schematic model for the gelling mechanism of plant-based pork rinds: the three-dimensional network structures of the samples may result from the interaction between SPS, SPI, and soybean oil, while the addition of KGM and NaHCO3 enabled a more stable gel structure.

Although anticapsular antibodies confer serotype-specific immunity to pneumococci, children increase their ability to clear colonization before these antibodies appear, suggesting involvement of other mechanisms. We previously reported that intranasal immunization of mice with pneumococci confers CD4+ T cell-dependent, antibody- and serotype-independent protection against colonization. Here we show that this immunity, rather than preventing initiation of carriage, accelerates clearance over several days, accompanied by neutrophilic infiltration of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Adoptive transfer of immune CD4+ T cells was sufficient to confer immunity to naïve RAG1(-/-) mice. A critical role of interleukin (IL)-17A was demonstrated: mice lacking interferon-gamma or IL-4 were protected, but not mice lacking IL-17A receptor or mice with neutrophil depletion. In vitro expression of IL-17A in response to pneumococci was assayed: lymphoid tissue from vaccinated mice expressed significantly more IL-17A than controls, and IL-17A expression from peripheral blood samples from immunized mice predicted protection in vivo. IL-17A was elicited by pneumococcal stimulation of tonsillar cells of children or adult blood but not cord blood. IL-17A increased pneumococcal killing by human neutrophils both in the absence and in the presence of antibodies and complement. We conclude that IL-17A mediates pneumococcal immunity in mice and probably in humans; its elicitation in vitro could help in the development of candidate pneumococcal vaccines.