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Nanoscale spatially controlled modulation of the properties of ferroelectrics via artificial domain pattering is crucial to their emerging optoelectronics applications. New patterning strategies to achieve high precision and efficiency and to link the resultant domain structures with device functionalities are being sought. Here, we present an epitaxial heterostructure of SrRuO3/PbTiO3/SrRuO3, wherein the domain configuration is delicately determined by the charge screening conditions in the SrRuO3layer and the substrate strains. Chemical etching of the top SrRuO3layer leads to a transition from in-plane a domains to out-of-plane c domains, accompanied by a giant (>105) modification in the second harmonic generation response. The modulation effect, coupled with the plasmonic resonance effect from SrRuO3, enables a highly flexible design of nonlinear optical devices, as demonstrated by a simulated split-ring resonator metasurface. This domain patterning strategy may be extended to more thin-film ferroelectric systems with domain stabilities amenable to electrostatic boundary conditions.

AbstractBackgroundThe potential influence of tinnitus on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality has yet to be explored. We aim to examine the correlations between tinnitus and the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study utilising data from the UK Biobank. The presence of tinnitus was evaluated through a questionnaire. The primary outcome was defined as a composition of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and mortality from CVD, as well as all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to examine the associations between tinnitus and both the primary outcome and its individual components. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the primary analysis.ResultsA total of 140,146 participants were included in the study. The presence of tinnitus was found to be associated with a higher incident rate of the primary outcome (HR = 1.057, 95%CI: 1.017–1.099, p = 0.005), MI (HR = 1.139, 95%CI: 1.061–1.222, p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.053, 95%CI: 1.003–1.105, p = 0.038) after adjusting for confounders. However, there was no significant association between tinnitus and stroke or mortality from CVD. Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between tinnitus and the primary outcome was significant in females, participants with abnormal BMI, and those without hearing difficulty, depression or anxiety. Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results.ConclusionThe findings from this study contribute to the existing body of evidence suggesting an association between tinnitus and an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.

Larger-sized primary carbides lead to stress concentration during the application of H13 hot-work die steel, resulting in microcracks and fatigue failure. Rare earth was usually added to modify the carbides and inclusions. The existing literature is reviewed on the effect of rare earth on primary carbides in H13 steel. A comprehensive review on the effect of rare earth on the characteristics of primary carbides, i.e., number, size, morphology, and thermal stability in H13 steel, was done. The precipitation mechanism and nucleation of primary carbides with rare earth were summarized. The position and form of rare earth in steel and their effects on alloying elements segregation were reviewed. The addition techniques of rare earth in H13 steel were compared, and the prospects for other uncommon rare earth and emerging technology were present. Based on the current references, it can be known that adding rare earth facilitated refined and dispersed primary carbides. The size of primary carbides would be reduced, and their morphology would be improved because the rare earth inclusions formed in H13 steel can act as nucleation cores for γ-Fe or δ-Fe, refining the dendritic structure. Besides, the number of primary carbides at grain boundaries would be significantly reduced. However, rare earth had little impact on thermal stability. The nucleation of primary carbides tended to be inhibited due to the modification of inclusions by rare earth which were likely to be nucleation cores for primary carbides. Rare earth had been reported to affect the mechanism and process of primary carbide precipitation. Additionally, the addition of rare earth can inhibit the segregation of alloying elements and carbon diffusion by calculation. Thus, laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations need to be conducted to study the states and evolution of rare earth steels.

This paper presents an experimental study on the compressive properties and creep behavior of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn-Nd alloy. A total of 42 specimens are prepared and tested, including 18 compression tests and 24 creep tests. The investigation aims to evaluate the influence of material orientation, temperature, and initial stress (for creep test only) on the compressive behavior of the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn-Nd alloy. First, the results of compression tests are analyzed, revealing insights into the anisotropic behavior, failure mode, yield strength, ultimate compressive strength, and failure strain of the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn-Nd alloy under compressive loading. Then, according to the experimental data from creep tests, where the steady creep rate, stress exponent and activation energy are calibrated. Furthermore, the creep mechanisms of the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn-Nd alloy under various material orientations are discussed. Additionally, the authors analyze and compare the Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) data of the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Mn-Nd alloy before and after undergoing compressive creep. Finally, based on the test results, a mathematical model is proposed to describe the development of compressive creep strain.

Porous structures can hinder phonon transport but inevitably deteriorate electrical and mechanical properties. In order to suppress the formation of pores, we propose a chemical bond engineering strategy to constrain the volatile Se in Cu2Se-based materials via applicable elemental substitution. Benefiting from the reduced porosity and successful dual doping, Cu vacancies and carrier mobility are optimized for the Gd2S3-added Cu1.99Se samples, leading to an ultrahigh power factor of ∼17.4 μW cm−1K−2at 1,000 K and a high figure of merit of ∼2.5 at 1,050 K. The fabricated segmented single-leg device maintains a high conversion efficiency of ∼9.0% and a power density of ∼636.3 mW cm−2at ΔT = 516 K without obvious degradation over 110 cycles of stability tests. Our work demonstrates a paradigm to control the porosity caused by elemental volatilization, providing more opportunities to enhance both the thermoelectric performance and service stability.

Excellent thermoelectric materials can be obtained by various synthesis procedures and optimization strategies, and the elaborately designed composition and microstructure benefit thermoelectric parameter decoupling. Herein, a high-performance mixed natural mineral (CQB), composed by chalcocite, quartz, and bismuthinite, enables direct thermoelectric energy conversion. The network of quartz layers is embedded into the matrix and blocks Cu ion long-range migration by producing the natural rheostat and voltage division circuit. The thermoelectric performance, mechanical strength, and electrical stability of natural minerals are found to be highly superior to the artificially synthesized Cu2S material. Learning from nature, a strategy for blocking mobile Cu+ions in Cu-based superionic conductors is proposed. Various Cu-based superionic conductors, composited with insulating macroscale glass sheets, have been designed and fabricated, showing highly enhanced electrical stability while maintaining good thermoelectric properties. These findings provide a deep understanding of the role of macroscopic insulating materials in improving the electrical stability of superionic conductors.

The liquid-like feature of thermoelectric superionic conductors is a double-edged sword: the long-range migration of ions hinders the phonon transport, but their directional segregation greatly impairs the service stability. We report the synergetic enhancement in figure of merit (ZT) and stability in Cu1.99Se-based superionic conductors enabled by ion confinement effects. Guided by density functional theory and nudged elastic band simulations, we elevated the activation energy to restrict ion migrations through a cation–anion co-doping strategy. We reduced the carrier concentration without sacrificing the low thermal conductivity, obtaining a ZT of ∼3.0 at 1,050 K. Notably, the fabricated device module maintained a high conversion efficiency of up to ∼13.4% for a temperature difference of 518 K without obvious degradation after 120 cycles. Our work could be generalized to develop electrically and thermally robust functional materials with ionic migration characteristics.

Current therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is largely hindered by the development of drug resistance of commonly used chemotherapy drugs, including cytarabine, daunorubicin, and idarubicin. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemotherapy drug resistance and potential strategy to improve the efficacy of these drugs against AML. By analyzing data from ex vivo drug-response and multi-omics profiling public data for AML, we identified autophagy activation as a potential target in chemotherapy-resistant patients. In THP-1 and MV-4-11 cell lines, knockdown of autophagy-regulated genes ATG5or MAP1LC3Bsignificantly enhanced AML cell sensitivity to the chemotherapy drugs cytarabine, daunorubicin, and idarubicin. In silico screening, we found that chloroquine phosphate mimicked autophagy inactivation. We showed that chloroquine phosphate dose-dependently down-regulated the autophagy pathway in MV-4-11 cells. Furthermore, chloroquine phosphate exerted a synergistic antitumor effect with the chemotherapy drugs in vitro and in vivo. These results highlight autophagy activation as a drug resistance mechanism and the combination therapy of chloroquine phosphate and chemotherapy drugs can enhance anti-AML efficacy.

The large primary carbides in H13 steel significantly affect its service life. In this study, pre-dispersion technology is used to disperse CeO2nanoparticles, which are then introduced into H13 steel. The effects of CeO2nanoparticles on the inclusions, primary carbides, microstructures, and properties of H13 steel are investigated. Ce-containing inclusions with size of 0.5–2 μm are generated and distributed uniformly in H13 steel owing to the reduction of CeO2by Al and C. Both the dendrite structure and primary carbides in H13 steel are refined by CeO2nanoparticles. The secondary dendrite arm spacing decreases from 13.51 ± 2.34 to 6.90 ± 1.23 μm. The size and number of primary carbides decrease from 1 to 5 to 1–3 μm, and from 1125 to 725/mm2, respectively. This is attributable to the disregistry of Ce-containing inclusions and primary carbides/austenite. The segregation of alloy elements in H13 steel is calculated using the Clyne–Kurz model. The properties of H13 steel are improved via the addition of CeO2; in particular, its tensile strength, total elongation rate, and hardness are 726.38 MPa, 23.43%, and 243.49, respectively, which corresponds to increases by approximately 5.58%, 8.27%, and 10.11%, respectively. The results can facilitate improvements to the performance of H13 steel and the development of rare earth steel.

There is currently no standard adjuvant treatment proven to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. Recent studies suggest that postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) is beneficial for patients at high risk of tumor recurrence. However, it is difficult to select the patients. The present study aimed to develop an easy-to-use score to identify these patients.

The Mott-Schottky heterostructure formed by the contact of intermetallic compound Co-B with N-type semiconductor NiMoO4helps to overcome the ion diffusion barrier and charge transport resistance during the charge and discharge process.

Recent advances in inverse-design approaches for discovering optical structures based on desired functional characteristics have reshaped the landscape of nanophotonic structures, where most studies have focused on how light interacts with nanophotonic structures only. When quantum emitters (QEs), such as atoms, molecules, and quantum dots, are introduced to couple to the nanophotonic structures, the light–matter interactions become much more complicated, forming a rapidly developing field – quantum nanophotonics. Typical quantum functional characteristics depend on the intrinsic properties of the QE and its electromagnetic environment created by the nanophotonic structures, commonly represented by a scalar quantity, local-density-of-states (LDOS). In this work, we introduce a generalized inverse-design framework in quantum nanophotonics by taking LDOS as the bridge to connect the nanophotonic structures and the quantum functional characteristics. We take a simple system consisting of QEs sitting on a single multilayer shell–metal–nanoparticle (SMNP) as an example, apply fully-connected neural networks to model the LDOS of SMNP, inversely design and optimize the geometry of the SMNP based on LDOS, and realize desirable quantum characteristics in two quantum nanophotonic problems: spontaneous emission and entanglement. Our work introduces deep learning to the quantum optics domain for advancing quantum device designs; and provides a new platform for practicing deep learning to design nanophotonic structures for complex problems without a direct link between structures and functional characteristics.

Understanding the mechanisms and spatial correlations of crystallographic symmetry breaking in ferroelectric materials is essential to tuning their functional properties. While optical second harmonic generation (SHG) has long been utilized in ferroelectric studies, its capability for probing complex polar materials has yet to be fully realized. Here, we develop a SHG spectral imaging method implemented on a home-designed laser-scanning SHG microscope, and demonstrate its application for a model system of (K,Na)NbO3single crystals. Supervised model fitting analysis produces comprehensive information about the polarization vector orientations and relative fractions of constituent domain variants as well as their thermal evolution across the polymorphic phase transitions. Multiple domains and phases are clearly delineated at different temperatures, suggesting the phase competitions in (K,Na)NbO3. Besides, we show that unsupervised matrix decomposition analysis can quickly and faithfully reveal domain configurations without a priori knowledge about specific material systems. The SHG spectral imaging method can be readily extended to other ferroelectric materials with potentials to be further enhanced.

This study aims to elucidate the effect of LPSO phases on the corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys through experimental design. The microstructure and corrosion behavior of four Mg−Zn−Y alloys designed according to the minimum structural unit for forming the 18R-LPSO phase, i.e. Zn/Y=3/4 (molar ratio), were studied in a comparative manner. The results showed that the alloys mainly contained α-Mg and 18R-LPSO phases, and the volume fraction of the 18R-LPSO phase increased with the increase of Zn and Y contents. The volume fraction of the 18R-LPSO phase in the four alloys was, in sequence, 16.55%, 34.45%, 54.24% and 70.36%, and the spatial distribution of the 18R-LPSO phase also changed from discrete blocks to continuous networks. When the volume fraction was about 50%, the corrosion resistance of the alloy was the best. When the volume fraction was greater than or less than 50%, the corrosion resistance of the alloy decreased.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a dangerous vascular disease without any effective drug therapies so far. Emerging evidence suggests the phenotypic differences in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) between regions of the aorta are implicated in the development of atherosclerosis evidenced by the abdominal aorta more vulnerable to atherosclerosis than the thoracic aorta in large animals and humans. The prevalence of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) is much less than that of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). In this study we investigated the effect of thoracic PVAT (T-PVAT) transplantation on aortic aneurysm formation and the impact of T-PVAT on vascular smooth muscle cells. Calcium phosphate-induced mouse AAA model was established. T-PVAT (20 mg) was implanted around the abdominal aorta of recipient mice after removal of endogenous abdominal PVAT (A-PVAT) and calcium phosphate treatment. Mice were sacrificed two weeks after the surgery and the maximum external diameter of infrarenal aorta was measured. We found that T-PVAT displayed a more BAT-like phenotype than A-PVAT; transplantation of T-PVAT significantly attenuated calcium phosphate-induced abdominal aortic dilation and elastic degradation as compared to sham control or A-PVAT transplantation. In addition, T-PVAT transplantation largely preserved smooth muscle cell content in the abdominal aortic wall. Co-culture of T-PVAT with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) significantly inhibited H2O2− or TNFα plus cycloheximide-induced VSMC apoptosis. RNA sequencing analysis showed that T-PVAT was enriched by browning adipocytes and anti-apoptotic secretory proteins. We further verified that the secretome of mature adipocytes isolated from T-PVAT significantly inhibited H2O2− or TNFα plus cycloheximide-induced VSMC apoptosis. Using proteomic and bioinformatic analyses we identified cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) as a secreted protein significantly increased in T-PVAT. Recombinant COMP protein significantly inhibited VSMC apoptosis. We conclude that T-PVAT exerts anti-apoptosis effect on VSMCs and attenuates AAA formation, which is possibly attributed to the secretome of browning adipocytes.

Over the past three decades, thermal anomalies from satellite infrared data have been widely discussed and associated with earthquakes. Besides infrared satellite data, the recent use of passive microwave satellite data has emerged as an important dataset to detect the potential thermal anomalies prior to earthquakes in all weather conditions due to its capability to monitor the earth in cloudy and foggy conditions and has been applied to the numerous strong earthquake events around the world. On September 5, 2022, an $\text{M}{w}$ 6.6 earthquake occurred in Luding County, nearby Mt. Gongga, China, with heavy cloud coverage over the epicenter and its surrounding region before and after the event. In this study, the microwave brightness temperature (MWBT) and clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation (ClrOLR) data were used together to identify the potential seismic thermal anomalies. Prominent anomalous signals were detected around the epicenter, appearing within two months preceding the earthquake. Further analysis was conducted through the combination of other parameters from satellite and ground observations, including precipitation (PR), cloud fraction (CloudFrc), and soil moisture (SM), in order to verify and better understand the detected anomalous signals. Our results suggest that the combination of MWBT and ClrOLR can be used as an effective tool to detect thermal anomalies associated with earthquake events in cloudy conditions over the epicenter.

Background: Most commonly, cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy reconstruction are the optimal treatment for choledochal cysts (CC). Robotic surgery (RS) is being conducted with increasing frequency to treat CC. It is unclear whether RS can overcome the limitations of laparoscopic surgery (LS) and improve the prognosis of patients. In terms of efficacy, evidence concerning which minimally invasive surgery is preferred is, however, sparse. Our objective is to further compare the efficacy of RS and LS in children with CC and draw a useful clinical conclusion. Methods: Studies meeting inclusion criteria were identified from a series of databases, consisting of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and their reference list of articles up to May 2022. Eligible articles comprised at least five objects that were younger than 18 years of age and the language was limited to English. Two authors independently evaluated selected studies and extracted data for analysis. Results: Forty studies were selected for analysis, with thirty-six reporting data on LS and eight containing data on RS. The pooled conversion rate and pooled postoperative complication rate of RS were lower than those of LS, but none of them was statistically significant. Moreover, comparisons of the following detailed postoperative complication rates were not statistically significant, such as intestinal obstruction or ileus, anastomotic bleeding, anastomotic or bile leakage, and anastomotic stenosis. However, the intraoperative blood loss and the postoperative hospital stay in RS group were significantly lower than those in LS group. Conclusions: RS is a safe and feasible option for children with CC. Further studies with more cases, long-term efficacy and health economics analysis are needed to confirm whether RS is more advantageous.

Corona discharge under airflow is extensively researched due to its wide applications in the fields of electrostatic precipitator, flow control, thermal management, and so on. The adjustment of discharge characteristics has been an important research topic in recent years. In this article, a magnetic field is applied as a method to adjust the characteristics of corona discharge under airflow. The experimental result illustrates that the intensity and direction of the magnetic field would influence the turning point of the discharge state under airflow, and the corresponding discharge image and Trichel pulse characteristics, such as amplitude and frequency, would also be changed. The physical mechanism for this phenomenon is analyzed by considering the magnetic force of the corona discharge. With increasing magnetic field intensity, the pressure in the discharge space would change and the airflow state and the discharge process, as the ionization process and the attachment process, would be influenced. The overall characteristics of discharge under airflow would be adjusted by the magnetic field. The results illustrated that the magnetic field is possibly utilized to improve the application of corona discharge under airflow.

AbstractA catastrophic earthquake (magnitude Mw7.2) occurred on 14 August 2021 in Haiti. Sea surface temperature (SST) and sea potential temperature (SPT) observed from satellites show pronounced changes prior to the main earthquake event. The changes are observed near the epicenter and the boundary of the Caribbean Plate. Here we have carried out a detailed analysis of ocean, atmosphere and land surface parameters (sea water salinity, chlorophyll-a, latent energy flux, sensible heat flux, specific humidity, air temperature, methane and land surface temperature) using multiple satellite data to understand the possible mechanism of sea temperature changes. The strong coupling among these geophysical and geochemical parameters has been found within 2-week prior to the 2021 Haiti Mw7.2 earthquake due to the interaction between ocean/land and atmosphere during the last phase of earthquake preparation period caused by the tectonic movement. The spatiotemporal distribution pattern of anomalies is discussed in view of the focal mechanism of the earthquake event.

The thermal management of proton exchange membrane fuel cells is an essential guarantee for the smooth operation of fuel cell vehicles. Most typical fuel cell cooling systems are controlled by threshold control, resulting in a strong coupling relationship between the inlet temperature and the difference of temperature between import and export. To address this problem, this paper proposes a decoupled control strategy and establishes a pump flow controller and a Fuzzy-PID fan controller. According to the fuel cell parameters, a Simulink-GT fuel cell cooling system model is built to verify the optimization strategy in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and compared with the traditional threshold control strategy. The results show that the decoupled control strategy works well under the NEDC cycle test conditions. The fuel cell temperature can be stabilized around the set target value at all times, keeping the fuel cell operating in the high-efficiency range.

The digital elevation model (DEM) is a type of model that has been widely used in terrain analysis and hydrological modeling. DEM resolution influences the hydrological and geomorphologic features of delineated catchments and consequently affects hydrological simulations. This study investigated the impacts of DEM resolution on the performance of the XAJ-GIUH hydrological model, a model coupling the widely used Xinanjiang (XAJ) hydrological model with the geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH), in flood simulations in small and medium-sized catchments. To test the model performance, the model parameters were calibrated at a fine DEM resolution (30 m) and then directly transferred to the simulation runs using coarser DEMs. Afterwards, model recalibration was conducted at coarser DEM resolutions. In the simulation runs with the model parameters calibrated at the 30-m resolution, the DEM resolution slightly affected the overall shape of the simulated flood hydrographs but presented a greater impact on the simulated peak discharges in the two study catchments. The XAJ-GIUH model consistently underestimated the peak discharges when the DEM resolution became coarser. The qualified ratio of peak simulations decreased by 35% when the DEM resolution changed from 30 m to 600 m. However, model recalibration produced comparable model performances when DEMs with different resolutions were used. This study showed that the impact of DEM resolution on model performance can be mitigated by model recalibration to some extent, if the DEM resolution is not too coarse.

Dissipation, often associated with plasmons, leads to decoherence and is generally considered fatal for quantum nonlinearities and entanglement. Counterintuitively, by introducing a dissipative plasmonic nanoantenna into a typical cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) system, we unveil the wide existence of the atom-photon quasi-bound state (qBS), a kind of exotic eigenstate with anomalously small decay, in the hybrid plasmonic-photonic cavity. To derive the analytical condition of atom-photon qBS, we formulate a quantized two-mode model of the local density of states by connecting the interacting uncoupled cavity modes to the macroscopic QED. With resonant plasmon-photon coupling, we showcase the single-atom qBS that improves the efficiency of single-photon generation over one order of magnitude; and the two-atom qBS that significantly enhances spontaneous entanglement generation compared with a bare photonic cavity. Notably, such single-atom and multi-atom qBS can be simultaneously accessed in realistic plasmonic-photonic cavities, providing a versatile platform for advanced quantum technologies, such as quantum light sources, quantum computation, and quantum information.

NaNbO3-based ceramics usually show ferroelectric-like P-Eloops at room temperature due to the irreversible transformation of the antiferroelectric orthorhombic phase to ferroelectric orthorhombic phase, which is not conducive to energy storage applications. Our previous work found that incorporating CaHfO3into NaNbO3can stabilize its antiferroelectric phase by reducing the tolerance factor (t), as indicated by the appearance of characteristic double P-Eloops. Furthermore, a small amount of MnO2addition effectively regulate the phase structure and tolerance factor of 0.94NaNbO3-0.06CaHfO3(0.94NN-0.06CH), which can further improve the stability of antiferroelectricity. The XRD and XPS results reveal that the Mn ions preferentially replace A-sites and then B-sites as increasing MnO2. The antiferroelectric orthorhombic phase first increases and then decreases, while the tshows the reversed trend, thus an enhanced antiferroelectricity and the energy storage density Wrecof 1.69 J/cm3at 240 kV/cm are obtained for 0.94NN-0.06CH-0.5%MnO2(in mass fraction). With the increase of Mn content to 1.0 % from 0.5 %, the efficiency increases to 81 % from 45 %, although the energy storage density decreases to 1.31 J/cm3due to both increased tolerance factor and non-polar phase.

Organic luminescent materials play an integral role in the optoelectronic applications of displays and solid-state lighting. Nevertheless, high-performance organic luminescent materials require the efficient combination of two or more kinds of materials, which is extremely difficult owing to the completely different self-assembly behaviors of multicomponent molecules. Herein, based on a broad scale from the molecular, micro-/nano-scale, and macroscopic levels, we successfully demonstrate the multiscale construction of organic luminescent microwires of cocrystals, solid solutions, and core-shell microstructures. Through the wide selection of electron donor/acceptor pairs, a series of color-tunable charge-transfer (CT) cocrystals are formed viathe intermolecular cooperative self-assembly process. On this basis, the high structural compatibility and perfect lattice mismatching (∼1.1%) of cocrystals are critical factors that facilitate the combination of dissimilar materials to form solid solutions and core/shell microwires. Significantly, because of the full-spectrum light transport from 400 to 800 nm, the nano-micro-scaled solid solution microwires act as microscale white-light sources [CIE (0.32, 0.36)]. Meanwhile, the macroscopic-scale core/shell organic-microwires demonstrate tunable white-light emission with a high color-rendering index (CRI) of 83, whose CIE coordinates span from (0.37,0.39) to (0.40,0.31). Therefore, our work provides a feasible approach to the multiscale synthesis of novel luminescent organic semiconductor materials, which could lay a solid foundation for organic optoelectronics.

An asymmetric membrane electrode based on phosphorene/MXene heterostructure-textured nanopiezocomposite was fabricated via a polar urea-assisted self-assembly strategy and additive manufacturing of the heterostructure beyond the skin effect.The merits of this novel asymmetric heterostructure-textured electrode and its intrinsic piezoelectricity were detailedly discussed.The stepwise lithiation process of phosphorene was revealed, and the enhanced electrochemical properties of this phosphorene-based nanopiezocomposite textured electrode were verified by the improved cycling stability and kinetics.

AbstractAll-fiber coherent beam combiners based on the self-imaging effect can achieve a near-perfect single laser beam, which can provide a promising way to overcome the power limitation of a single-fiber laser. One of the key points is combining efficiency, which is determined by various mismatches during fabrication. A theoretical model has been built, and the mismatch error is analyzed numerically for the first time. The mismatch errors have been numerically studied with the beam quality and combining efficiency being chosen as the evaluation criteria. The tolerance of each mismatch error for causing 1% loss is calculated to guide the design of the beam combiners. The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results, which show that the mismatch error of the square-core fiber is the main cause of the efficiency loss. The results can provide useful guidance for the fabrication of all-fiber coherent beam combiners.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in various fields of social life because of their good cycle performance and high energy density. The excellent performance of the anode electrode material directly determines the performance of the prepared battery. In recent years, bimetallic oxides with the spinel structure have been widely studied. However, the volume change in its structure during charge and discharge leads to its electrochemical instability, which cannot meet the needs of lithium batteries. Inspired by this, the NiGa2O4/RGO composite electrode material with a special structure was successfully designed and prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent heat treatment. The electrochemical properties of composites and pure materials are analyzed and compared. From the test results, it can be seen that NiGa2O4/RGO has outstanding electrochemical properties and fast kinetic behavior. After 200 charge/discharge cycles, the discharge specific capacity of the composite NiGa2O4/RGO is stably maintained at 610.5 mA h g–1and the Coulomb efficiency can reach about 99%. Moreover, in this article, we analyzed the capacitance characteristics of NiGa2O4/RGO rarely reported in other articles, which enriched the research on the electrochemical properties of such substances. Finally, it contributes to promoting the feasibility of such bimetallic oxides in practical applications.

After the 21st UN Climate Change Conference, Net Zero Emissions (NZE) has become a hot issue in the power industry all over the world. The use of renewable energy for power generation will highly increase in the future. However, renewable energy power generation is limited by the uncertainty of renewable resources, which is easy to cause an imbalance between supply and demand. In order to eliminate the impact of renewable energy generators on the power system, the development of energy storage systems is most important. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is very popular because of its large capacity and low cost. The current main pumped storage hydropower technologies are conventional pumped storage hydropower (C-PSH), adjustable speed pumped storage hydropower (AS-PSH) and ternary pumped storage hydropower (T-PSH). This paper aims to analyze the principles, advantages and disadvantages of various PSH technologies, and provide a selection reference for future PSH expansion and replacement. In addition, this paper using a case for explain the T-PSH operating.

ObjectiveThe study aimed to assess the associations of physical activity (PA) trajectories across a 25-year span with coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression, and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events.MethodsWe included 2497 participants from the Coronary Artery Disease Risk Development in Young Adults study who had computed tomography-assessment of CAC at baseline (year 15: 2000–2001) and follow-up (year 20 or 25) and at least three measures of PA from year 0 to year 25. Long-term PA trajectories were determined by latent class modelling using a validated questionnaire.ResultsAmong the included participants, 1120 (44.9%) were men, 1418 (56.8%) were white, and the mean (SD) age was 40.4 (3.6) years. We identified three distinct PA trajectories based on PA average levels and change patterns: low (below PA guidelines, n=1332; 53.3%); moderate (meeting and slightly over PA guidelines, n=919; 36.8%) and high (about three times PA guidelines or more, n=246; 9.9%). During a mean (SD) follow-up of 8.9 (2.1) years, 640 (25.6%) participants had CAC progression. Participants in the high PA trajectory group had a higher risk of CAC progression than those in the low PA trajectory group after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (HR 1.51; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.94). However, high PA trajectory was not associated with an increased risk of incident CVD events (HR 1.01; 95% CI 0.44 to 2.31) and the incidence of CVD events in participants with CAC progression was similar across all three PA trajectory groups (p=0.736).ConclusionLong-term PA about three times the guidelines or more is independently associated with CAC progression; however, no additional risk of incident CVD events could be detected.

C36H38N2O12Ti2, monoclinic, P21/n(no. 14), a= 10.3151(7) Å, b= 15.8747(11) Å, c= 11.5020(8) Å, β= 98.471(3)°, V= 1862.9(2) Å3, Z= 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0386, wRref(F2) = 0.1075, T= 296(2) K.

Toxoplasmosis, an infectious zoonotic disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii(T. gondii), is a major worldwide health problem. However, there are currently no effective options (chemotherapeutic drugs or prophylactic vaccines) for treating chronic latent toxoplasmosis infection. Accordingly, seeking more effective and safer chemotherapeutics for combating this disease remains a long-term and challenging objective. In this paper, we summarize possible molecular biotargets, with an emphasis on those that are druggable and promising, including, without limitation, calcium-dependent protein kinase 1, bifunctional thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase, and farnesyl diphosphate synthase. Meanwhile, as important components of medicinal chemistry, the binding modes and structure–activity relationship profiles of the corresponding inhibitors were also illuminated. We anticipate that this information will be helpful for further identification of more effective chemotherapeutic interventions to prevent and treat zoonotic infections caused by T. gondii.

The mechanism of antler peptide (TL4 peptide), an active ingredient of deer antler, in promoting the proliferation and ALP content of osteoblasts in MC3T3-E mice was investigated by using nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (1HNMR)-based cellular metabolomics techniques. The proliferation rate of MC3T3-E mouse osteoblasts and the ALP content in the cell culture medium were measured before and after the administration of TL4 peptide, and the metabolites in the cell crushing medium of MC3T3-E mice were investigated with principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. The results showed that deer antler peptide (TL4 peptide) could increase the proliferation rate and ALP content of MC3T3-E mouse osteoblasts, and the metabolic profile of cell lysate of MC3T3-E mouse significantly changed after administration. Metaboanalyst analysis revealed that the differential metabolites were mainly related to Phenylalanine, tyrosine and try.ptophan biosynthesis, Taurine and hy. potaurine metabolism, Phenylalanine metabolism and Glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, etc. It was initially clarified that TL4 peptide promoted cell proliferation and ALP content in MC3T3-E mice by regulating the nodes of these metabolic pathways.

A high-power monolithic continuous-wave fiber amplifier at 1064 nm has been demonstrated based on a piece of confined ytterbium-doped fiber, which generated 3.5 kW narrow-linewidth laser with near-diffraction-limited beam quality. By tailoring the diameter of gain dopant across the fiber core, and optimizing the profile of refractive index and doping concentration, the confined doping fiber works making the fundamental mode more dominant in transverse mode competition, while suppressing the high-order mode. In a kilowatt-level narrow-linewidth fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, the threshold of mode instability (MI) is about 2.2 times as much as that of the conventional fiber amplifier. Then, by increasing seed power and utilizing a MOPA configuration with four amplifier stages, up to 3.57 kW signal output, a slope efficiency of 61% without any sign of MI or stimulated Raman scattering for a spectral dynamic range of higher than −50dB is obtained. A further increase of the output power was only limited by the available laser-diode pump power. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest narrow-linewidth laser power generated from the confined doping monolithic fiber amplifier.

Fabrication of nanoparticle-dispersed composites is an effective strategy for enhancing the performance of thermoelectric materials, and in particular SiC nanoparticles have been often used to create composites with Bi2Te3-based applied thermoelectric materials. However, the effect of particle size on the thermoelectric performance is unclear. This work systematically investigated the electrical and thermal properties of a series of (Bi,Sb)2Te3-based nanocomposites containing dispersed SiC nanoparticles of different sizes. It was found that particle size has a significant impact on the electrical properties with smaller SiC nanoparticles giving rise to higher electrical conductivity. Even though the dispersed SiC nanoparticles enhanced the Seebeck coefficient, no apparent dependence of the enhancement on the particle size was observed. It was also found that smaller SiC nanoparticles scatter phonons to some extent while the larger nanoparticles contribute to increased thermal conductivity. Eventually, the highest ZTvalue of 1.12 was obtained in 30 nm-SiC dispersed sample, corresponding to an increase by 18% from 0.95 for the matrix made from commercial scraps, and then the ZTwas further boosted to 1.33 by optimizing the matrix composition and expelling excess Te during the optimized spark plasma sintering process. This work proves that the dispersion of smaller SiC nanoparticles in p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3materials is more effective than the dispersion of larger nanoparticles. In addition, it is revealed that additional compositional and/or processing optimization is vital and effective for obtaining further performance enhancement for nanocomposites of SiC nanoparticles dispersed in (Bi,Sb)2Te3.

Flexible piezoelectric thin films are raising interest in energy harvesting and wearable electronics, although their direct fabrication is challenging in the selection of substrates and thermal processing. In this work, we developed direct fabrication of flexible lead-free (K, Na)NbO3(KNN)-based piezoelectric films on commercially available metallic foils by sol–gel processing. Stainless steel and platinum foils are selected as flexible substrates because of their good thermal stability, robust flexibility, and cost-efficiency. The sol–gel-processed KNN-based thin films on both of the metallic foils show good flexibility, with the bending radii reaching ±3 mm. The flexible thin films grown on stainless steel and platinum foils present high breakdown electric fields that reach 1760 and 2530 kV/cm, respectively, resulting from the fine-grained dense structure, limited leakage current density, and suppressed mobility of charged carriers. Improved effective piezoelectric coefficient d33, eff* (75.4 pm/V) with a slight decrease after bending was obtained in the flexible thin films on Pt when compared to their rigid counterparts. The flexible lead-free piezoelectric thin films with combined high breakdown electric fields and piezoelectric and energy storage properties may pave the way for integrating KNN-based multifunctional thin films into flexible electronics.

Exceptional points (EPs) are the singularities of a non-Hermitian system where the eigenenergies and eigenstates simultaneously coalesce, a topological property that gives rise to a plethora of exotic phenomena. Probing the EPs and associated effects requires the system to go through the EPs. However, the ultrahigh sensitivity of an isolated EP to the external disturbances makes accessing the EPs difficult. To overcome this limit, many approaches have been presented to form the exceptional line/ring and surface. Here, we demonstrate that a quantum exceptional chamber, which is a three-dimensional collection of the EPs, can be constructed in the coupled plasmon-quantum dot (QD) systems by the nondipole effect of the QD. For an asymmetric QD adjacent to a plasmonic nanoparticle, it is found that the contributions of multipole transitions to the coupling strength can be larger than that of dipole transition. The orientation-dependent quantum interference between the dipole and multipole transitions can lead to controllable switch between the weak and strong coupling, and provides an extra degree of freedom to form a high-dimension EP space. Our approach provides a robust platform for accessing the quantum EPs and related applications.

Extremely low lattice thermal conductivity is always the pursuit of thermoelectric materials research. In this work, we reported an exceptional effect of Ag2S addition in MnTe, an emerging promising mid-temperature thermoelectric material, to enable the realization of minimum lattice thermal conductivity, namely ∼0.4 Wm−1K−1. Such a low lattice thermal conductivity is guaranteed by the incorporation of in-situ formed Ag rich phase (Ag2Te) with ultralow lattice thermal conductivity and further scattering of phonons from the partial doping effects induced point defects and boundaries between various phases. Apart from the dramatically decreased lattice thermal conductivity, the partial doping of Ag and S simultaneously enhance the electrical conductivity, further contributing to enhanced thermoelectric performance. Meanwhile, an inverse sign of Seebeck and Hall coefficient was observed and rationalized by the influence of highly electron-conductive Ag2Te phase. Thanks to the synergetic modulation of electrical and thermal transport properties by in-situ formed composite, a high ZTvalue of 1.1 was achieved in MnTe based thermoelectric materials, which also demonstrates the importance of compositing approaches to design state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials.

Interfacial engineering has proved to be an effective strategy for improving the performance of electrode materials in many applications. Herein, we report the disorder-order engineering of VO2nanorods, and construct a crystal core and a surface-amorphized shell heterostructure (denoted as A-VO2) by simple hydrothermal method and reduction reaction, as a promising anode of lithium ion capacitor (LIC). The tunable amorphous layer introduces a large number of oxygen vacancy, which can efficiently improve electronic conductivity and enhance Li ion storage capacity. The crystalline-amorphous heterointerface generated in A-VO2can significantly reduce the surface energy of VO2and Li+diffusion barrier, as well as increase the charge storage sites. The crystalline-amorphous heterogeneous phases work synergistically to facilitate ion and electron transport and maintain structural stability in discharge/charge process. The A-VO2-2 nanorods electrode possesses high capacity of 309 mAh g−1at 0.1 A g−1after 300 cycles, obviously larger than the crystalline VO2electrode. In addition, the LIC, assembled with A-VO2-2 nanorods as anode and commercial active carbon (AC) as cathode, exhibit great energy density of 76.75 and 22.05 W h kg−1at power density of 195 and 9360 W kg−1. It can remain 38.9 % of the initial capacity after 5000 cycles, demonstrating an instructive paradigm for disorder-order engineering in LIC electrode materials.

The rapid progress in microelectronic devices has brought growing focus on fast charging-discharging capacitors utilizing dielectric energy storage films. However, the energy density of these dielectric films remains a critical limitation due to the inherent negative correlation between their maximum polarization (Pmax) and breakdown strength (Eb). This study demonstrates enhanced energy storage performance in multilayer films featuring an ultra-thin layer structure. The introduction of a greater number of heterogeneous interfaces improves Eb, while lattice distortion and phase transitions, facilitated by diffusion and strain at interfaces, contribute significantly to the enhancement of Pmax. Remarkably, an energy density of 65.8 J/cm3with an efficiency of 72.3% was achieved in a 6.7 nm-per-layer BiFeO3/SrTiO3multilayer configuration, surpassing the performance of most multilayer films composed of simple constituents. This ultra-thin multilayer structure, which simultaneously promoted Pmaxand Eb, provides a promising avenue for the development of high-performance dielectric materials.

Higher manganese silicide (HMS) is a naturally abundant, eco-friendly, and low-cost p-type thermoelectric semiconductor with high power factor (PF); however, its figure of merit (ZT) is very low due to an intrinsically high thermal conductivity (κ). It is also difficult to synthesize a HMS single phase without MnSi or Si second phase, which generally leads to a significant decrease of the PFand/or increased κ. In this study, pure HMS was obtained via wet ball milling in combination with spark plasma sintering. A further p-type MnTe, with high Seebeck coefficient (S) and low κ, was incorporated into the HMS matrix to form MnTe/HMS composites. To effectively decrease κ, while simultaneously enhancing the electrical conductivity, Te nanowires of ∼35 nm in diameter were synthesized with a solution phase method and subsequently embedded to HMS to form MnTe/HMS nano/bulk structures. The incorporation of Te nanowires led to a 38% reduction of κ in addition to a slight increase of S. Finally, the ZTmaxof MnTe/HMS nano/bulk composites increased by ∼71% from 0.41 to 0.70. This study demonstrates a unique and facile method to boost the ZTof HMS to a high level, which is also applicable to other thermoelectric materials.

An organocatalytic enantioselective alkylation of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes with 3-bromooxindoles is reported. Enantioenriched oxindoles with vicinal quaternary stereocenters are accessed by an asymmetric conjugate addition process of branched aldehydes with o-azaxylylene intermediates (indol-2-ones). Key to the success of highly diastereo- and enantioselective transformations is the combined use of a triphenylsilyl-protected β-amino alcohol catalyst derived from the spiropyrrolidine scaffold and 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid. This study also presents a rare example of aldehyde alkylation with the formation of consecutive quaternary stereocenters.

GeSe, an analogue of SnSe, shows promise in exhibiting exceptional thermoelectric performance in the Pnmaphase. The constraints on its dopability, however, pose challenges in attaining optimal carrier concentrations and improving ZTvalues. This study demonstrates a crystal structure evolution strategy for achieving highly doped samples and promising ZTs in GeSe via LiBiTe2alloying. A rhombohedral phase (R3m) can be stabilized in the GeSe-LiBiTe2system, further evolving into a cubic (Fm3̅m) phase with a rising temperature. The band structures of GeSe-LiBiTe2in the rhombohedral and cubic phases feature a similar multiple-valley energy-converged valence band of L and Σ bands. The observed high carrier concentration (∼1020cm–3) reflects the effective convergence of these bands, enabling a high density-of-states effective mass and an enhanced power factor. Moreover, a very low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.6–0.5 W m–1K–1from 300 to 723 K is achieved in 0.9GeSe-0.1LiBiTe2, approaching the amorphous limit value. This remarkably low lattice thermal conductivity is related to phonon scattering from point defects, planar vacancies, and ferroelectric instability-induced low-energy Einstein oscillators. Finally, a maximum ZTvalue of 1.1 to 1.3 at 723 K is obtained, with a high average ZTvalue of over 0.8 (400–723 K) in 0.9GeSe-0.1LiBiTe2samples. This study establishes a viable route for tailoring crystal structures to significantly improve the performance of GeSe-related compounds.