Towards a carbon neutral NHS

Vanadium-Doped Heterogeneous Bimetallic Phosphides Derived from Layered Double Hydroxides for Saline Water Splitting

The development of energy- and time-saving synthetic methods to prepare bifunctional and high stability catalysts are vital for overall water splitting. Here, V-doped nickel-iron hydroxide precursor by etching NiFe foam (NFF) at room temperature with dual chloride solution ("NaCl-VCl3"), is obtained then phosphating to obtain V-Ni2P-FeP/NFF as efficient bifunctional (oxygen/hydrogen exchange reaction, OER/HER) electrocatalysts, denoted as NFF(V, Na)-P. The NFF(V, Na)-P requires only 185 and 117 mV overpotentials to reach 10 mA cm-2 for OER and HER. When used as a catalyst for water splitting in a full cell, it can be stably sustained for more than 1000 h in alkaline brine electrolysis at both current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm-2. In situ Raman analyses and density functional theory (DFT) show that the V-doping-induced surface remodeling generates hydroxyl oxides as the true catalytic active centers, which not only enhances the reaction kinetics, but also reduces the free energy change in the rate-determining step. This work provides a cost-effective substrate self-derivation method to convert commercial NFF into a powerful catalyst for electrolytic brine, offering a unique route to the development of efficient electrocatalysts for saline water splitting.

Chinese organic rice transition spatial econometrics empirical analysis

Based on the integrated model of Super-SBM model, spatial Durbin model (SDM) and Grey neural network model, this paper analyzes the panel data of various provinces in China from multiple angles and dimensions. It was found that there were significant differences in eco-efficiency between organic rice production and conventional rice production. The response of organic rice to climate change, the spatial distribution of ecological and economic benefits and the impact on carbon emission were analyzed. The results showed that organic rice planting not only had higher economic benefits, but also showed a rising trend of ecological benefits and a positive feedback effect. This finding highlights the importance of organic rice farming in reducing carbon emissions. Organic rice farming effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide and methane, by improving soil management and reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides. This has important implications for mitigating climate change and promoting soil health and biodiversity. With the acceleration of urbanization, the increase of organic rice planting area shows the trend of organic rice gradually replacing traditional rice cultivation, further highlighting the potential of organic agriculture in emission reduction, environmental protection and sustainable agricultural production. To this end, it is recommended that the Government implement a diversified support strategy to encourage technological innovation, provide guidance and training, and raise public awareness and demand for organic products. At the same time, private sector participation is stimulated to support the development of organic rice cultivation through a public-private partnership model. Through these measures, further promote organic rice cultivation, achieve the dual goals of economic benefits and environmental benefits, and effectively promote the realization of double carbon emission reduction targets.

NH4 + Deprotonation at Interfaces Induced Reversible H3 O+ /NH4 + Co-insertion/Extraction

Ion insertions always involve electrode-electrolyte interface process, desolvation for instance, which determines the electrochemical kinetics. However, it's still a challenge to achieve fast ion insertion and investigate ion transformation at interface. Herein, the interface deprotonation of NH₄ ⁺ and the introduced dissociation of H₂ O molecules to provide sufficient H₃ O⁺ to insert into materials' structure for fast energy storages are revealed. Lewis acidic ion-NH₄ ⁺ can, on one hand provide H₃ O⁺ itself via deprotonation, and on the other hand hydrolyze with H₂ O molecules to produce H₃ O⁺ . In situ attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared ray method probed the interface accumulation and deprotonation of NH₄ ⁺ , and density functional theory calculations manifested that NH₄ ⁺ tend to thermodynamically adsorb on the surface of monoclinic VO₂ , and deprotonate to provide H₃ O⁺ . In addition, the inserted NH₄ ⁺ has a positive effect for stabilizing the VO₂ (B) structure. Therefore, high specific capacity (>300 mAh g^-1 ) and fast ionic insertion/extraction (<20 s) can be realized in VO₂ (B) anode. This interface derivation proposes a new path for designing proton ion insertion/extraction in mild electrolyte.

Telephone clinic outcomes during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: results from an ENT department

Objective

To study the impact of telemedicine on patient outcomes during a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted to examine telemedicine consultations of newly referred patients over 7 days during a national lockdown. Overall outcomes of telephone clinics were recorded, measured as either patient discharged, imaging requested, patient referred to another specialty, further telephone follow up required, patient initiated follow up or face-to-face appointment required.

Results

Data were collected from 104 patients. Outcomes showed that 17 patients were discharged, 15 had imaging requested, 11 were referred to another specialty, 11 had further telemedicine appointments, 31 had patient-initiated follow up and 19 received face-to-face appointments. Overall, 57 per cent of patients avoided hospital visits and 17 per cent required face-to-face appointments. Of higher risk patients, 49 per cent were managed remotely. After eight months, no significant morbidity or mortality was reported.

Conclusion

Almost half of the higher risk patients avoided a hospital visit. The majority of patients were managed remotely, and thus the risk and spread of infection were reduced. Telemedicine has an important role in ENT out-patients.

Self-Template Synthesis of Prussian Blue Analogue Hollow Polyhedrons as Superior Sodium Storage Cathodes

Prussian blue and its analogues with three-dimensional frame structures have been shown to be of great importance in the research and development of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, we develop a simple and convenient self-template method to prepare a hollow-structured Prussian blue analogue (CoFe-PBA). This structure is conducive to buffer the volume changes during ion extraction and insertion processes and shorten the ion diffusion path. When further building a thin polydopamine (PDA) coating, the synthesized CoFe-PBA@PDA exhibits a high discharge capacity of 123.1 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 with a capacity retention of 71.5% after 500 cycles. Moreover, the capacity retention of CoFe-PBA@PDA after 100 cycles is 14.3% higher than that of the two comparison samples. In addition, the reversible structure of CoFe-PBA@PDA without forming a new phase was verified by in situ X-ray diffraction. This work may provide another design idea or strategy for improving the stability of the PBA cathodes used in SIBs.