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Age-associated obesity and muscle atrophy (sarcopenia) are intimately connected and are reciprocally regulated by adipose tissue and skeletal muscle dysfunction. During ageing, adipose inflammation leads to the redistribution of fat to the intra-abdominal area (visceral fat) and fatty infiltrations in skeletal muscles, resulting in decreased overall strength and functionality. Lipids and their derivatives accumulate both within and between muscle cells, inducing mitochondrial dysfunction, disturbing β-oxidation of fatty acids, and enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, leading to lipotoxicity and insulin resistance, as well as enhanced secretion of some pro-inflammatory cytokines. In turn, these muscle-secreted cytokines may exacerbate adipose tissue atrophy, support chronic low-grade inflammation, and establish a vicious cycle of local hyperlipidaemia, insulin resistance, and inflammation that spreads systemically, thus promoting the development of sarcopenic obesity (SO). We call this the metabaging cycle. Patients with SO show an increased risk of systemic insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, associated chronic diseases, and the subsequent progression to full-blown sarcopenia and even cachexia. Meanwhile in many cardiometabolic diseases, the ostensibly protective effect of obesity in extremely elderly subjects, also known as the 'obesity paradox', could possibly be explained by our theory that many elderly subjects with normal body mass index might actually harbour SO to various degrees, before it progresses to full-blown severe sarcopenia. Our review outlines current knowledge concerning the possible chain of causation between sarcopenia and obesity, proposes a solution to the obesity paradox, and the role of fat mass in ageing.

Cold sintered, Li2MoO4‐based ceramics have recently been touted as candidates for electronic packaging and low temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) technology but MoO3 is an expensive and endangered raw material, not suited for large scale commercialisation. Here, we present cold sintered temperature‐stable composites based on LiMgPO4 (LMP) in which the Mo (and Li) concentration has been reduced, thereby significantly decreasing raw material costs. Optimum compositions, 0.5LMP‐0.1CaTiO3‐0.4K2MoO4 (LMP‐CTO‐KMO), achieved 97% density at

Background EDP‐305 is a novel and potent farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist, with no/minimal cross‐reactivity to TGR5 or other nuclear receptors. Herein we report therapeutic efficacy of EDP‐305, in direct comparison with the first‐in‐class FXR agonist obeticholic acid (OCA), in mouse models of liver disease. Methods EDP‐305 (10 and 30 mg/kg/day) or OCA (30mg/kg/day) was tested in mouse models of pre‐established biliary fibrosis (BALBc.Mdr2‐/‐, n = 9‐12/group) and steatohepatitis induced by methionine/choline‐deficient diet (MCD, n = 7‐12/group). Effects on biliary epithelium were evaluated in vivo and in primary EpCAM + hepatic progenitor cell (HPC) cultures. Results In a BALBc.Mdr2‐/‐ model, EDP‐305 reduced serum transaminases by up to 53% and decreased portal pressure, compared to untreated controls. Periportal bridging fibrosis was suppressed by EDP‐305 at both doses, with up to a 39% decrease in collagen deposition in high‐dose EDP‐305. In MCD‐fed mice, EDP‐305 treatment reduced serum ALT by 62% compared to controls, and profoundly inhibited perisinusoidal ‘chicken wire’ fibrosis, with over 80% reduction in collagen deposition. In both models, treatment with 30mg/kg OCA reduced serum transaminases up to 30%, but did not improve fibrosis. The limited impact on fibrosis was mediated by cholestasis‐independent worsening of ductular reaction by OCA in both disease models; OCA but not EDP‐305 at therapeutic doses promoted ductular proliferation in healthy mice and favoured differentiation of primary HPC towards cholangiocyte lineage in vitro. Conclusions EDP‐305 potently improved pre‐established liver injury and hepatic fibrosis in murine biliary and metabolic models of liver disease, supporting the clinical evaluation of EDP‐305 in fibrotic liver diseases including cholangiopathies and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background Ageing, chronic diseases, prolonged inactivity, and inadequate nutrition pose a severe threat to skeletal muscle health and function. To date, experimental evidence suggests that ageing‐related subclinical inflammation could be an important causative factor in sarcopenia. Although inflammatory signalling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental animal models of sarcopenia, few studies have surveyed the clinical association between circulating factors and muscle mass in patients before and after lifestyle interventions. In this study, we evaluated whether proinflammatory cytokines are associated with the onset of sarcopenia, which circulating factors are associated with the severity of sarcopenia, and how these factors change after lifestyle interventions in sarcopenic elderly persons. Methods A total of 56 elderly subjects (age ≥ 60 years) with sarcopenia and 56 elderly non‐sarcopenic subjects, who met entry criteria and had given informed consent, were selected from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital multicentre prospective longitudinal sarcopenia study for testing relevant circulating factors. Thirty‐two elderly subjects from the sarcopenic cohort completed a 12 week intensive lifestyle intervention programme with whey supplements (30 g/day) and a personalized resistance training regimen. The levels of proinflammatory cytokines and metabolic hormones, pre‐intensive and post‐intensive lifestyle interventions, were measured. Results The sarcopenic group was significantly older (72.05 ± 6.54 years; P 11.15 pg/mL) and TWEAK (>1276.48 pg/mL) were associated with a 7.6‐fold and 14.3‐fold increased risk of sarcopenia, respectively. After adjustment for confounding variables, high levels of TWEAK were still associated with a 13.4‐fold increased risk of sarcopenia. Intensive lifestyle interventions led to significant improvements in sarcopenic patients' muscle mass and serum profiles of TWEAK, TNF‐α, IL‐18, insulin, and adiponectin (all P

Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor that has emerged as a key regulator in the maintenance of hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. However, the role of FXR in renal fibrosis remains to be established. Here, we investigate the effects of the FXR agonist EDP‐305 in a mouse model of tubulointerstitial fibrosis via unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Male C57Bl/6 mice received a UUO on their left kidney. On postoperative d 4, mice received daily treatment by oral gavage with either vehicle control (0.5% methylcellulose) or 10 or 30 mg/kg EDP‐305. All animals were euthanized on postoperative d 12. EDP‐305 dose‐dependently decreased macrophage infiltration as measured by the F4/80 staining area and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression. EDP‐305 also dose‐dependently reduced interstitial fibrosis as assessed by morphometric quantification of the collagen proportional area and kidney hydroxyproline levels. Finally, yes‐associated protein (YAP) activation, a major driver of fibrosis, increased after UUO injury and was diminished by EDP‐305 treatment. Consistently, EDP‐305 decreased TGF‐β1—induced YAP nuclear localization in human kidney 2 cells by increasing inhibitory YAP phosphorylation. YAP inhibition may be a novel antifibrotic mechanism of FXR agonism, and EDP‐305 could be used to treat renal fibrosis.—Li, S., Ghoshal, S., Sojoodi, M., Arora, G., Masia, R., Erstad, D. J., Ferriera, D. S., Li, Y., Wang, G., Lanuti, M., Caravan, P., Or, Y. S., Jiang, L.‐J., Tanabe, K. K., Fuchs, B. C. The farnesoid X receptor agonist EDP‐305 reduces interstitial renal fibrosis in a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction. FASEB J. 33, 7103–7112 (2019). www.fasebj.org

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the difference of two various robotic technology applied in R- Total mesorectal excision (TME). Methods From May 2017 to December 2018, consecutive patients with rectal cancer who underwent da Vinci R-TME or Micro Hand S R-TME were enrolled. The comparative study was conducted on Short-term Operative, Oncological, and Functional Outcomes between two type of R-TME. Results 47 patients underwent da Vinci R-TME, and 43 patients underwent Micro Hand S R-TME. No difference occured between two groups in TME completeness, CRM, DRM, CRM involvement and DRM involvement, operative time, blood loss, protective ileostomy, conversion rate, number of retrieved lymph nodes, Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) or Wexner scores. However, the setup time in the Micro Hand S group was longer. Conclusions In the present study, both da Vinci R-TME and Micro Hand S R-TME achieve excellent TME quality with acceptable morbidity and postoperative function.

Background Detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is vital for the diagnosis of hepatitis B infection. A novel test loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been successfully applied to detect various pathogens. However, the accuracy of LAMP in diagnosing HBV remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, the accuracy of LAMP for HBV detection was evaluated systematically. Methods Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases were searched for studies using LAMP to detect HBV. Then, two researchers extracted data and assessed the quality of literature using the QUADAS‐2 tool independently. I2 statistic and chi‐square test were analyzed to investigate the heterogeneity, and Deek's funnel plot assessed the publication bias. The pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive LR (PLR), negative LR (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and 95% confidence intervals were displayed in forest plots. We calculated the area under the curve (AUC) to assess the overall efficiency of LAMP for HBV detection. Results A total of nine studies with 1298 samples were finally included in this evaluation. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of HBV detection were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89 ~ 0.92) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94 ~ 0.99), respectively. The PLR, NLR, and DOR were 16.93 (95% CI: 6.15 ~ 46.55), 0.08 (95% CI: 0.05 ~ 0.14), and 397.57 (95% CI: 145.41 ~ 1087.07). Besides, the AUC was 0.9872, and Deek's plot suggested that there existed publication bias in the studies. Conclusion Compared with PCR, LAMP is a simple, rapid, and effective assay to diagnose HBV. However, additional evidence is essential to confirm that LAMP can replace other methods in diagnosing HBV infection.

Background Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors combined with other drugs for the treatment of malignant tumors are used more and more widely. In this study, we investigated the effect of trichostatin A (TSA), a HDAC inhibitor, in combination with cisplatin, a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent, on the apoptosis of lung cancer A549 cells. Methods A549 cells were treated with TSA alone, cisplatin alone or the two drugs combined. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated using a light microscope, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl] −2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and Hochst33258 staining. Moreover, Western blot analysis was employed to examine the alterations of apoptosis protein: cellular Fas-associated death domain-like interleukin-1 β converting enzyme inhibitory protein (cFLIP) and caspase-8 in A549 cells in response to the different exogenous stimuli. Results Compared with single-agent treatment, the co-treatment of A549 cells with TSA and cisplatin synergistically inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and increased the inhibition rate. Treatment with TSA and cisplatin led to a significant decrease of cFLIP expression. Furthermore, the treatment of A549 cells with TSA and cisplatin resulted in a significant decrease of pro-caspase-8 and a significant increase of caspase-8. Conclusions Synergistic anti-tumor effects are observed between cisplatin and TSA in lung cancer cells. The combination of TSA with cisplatin may be a more effective method in human lung cancer treatment.

Telocytes (TCs), a distinct interstitial cell population, have been identified in the uterus, oviduct and placenta, with multiple proposed potential biological functions. Their unique structure allows them to form intercellular junctions with various immunocytes, both in normal and diseased tissues, suggesting a potential functional relationship with the local immune response. It has been hypothesized that through direct heterocellular junctions or indirect paracrine effects, TCs influence the activity of local immunocytes that are involved in the inflammatory process and in immune‐mediated reproductive abnormalities. However, no reliable cytological evidence for this hypothesis is currently available. In this study, we cultured primary murine uterine TCs and collected TC conditioned media (TCM). Mouse peritoneal macrophages (pMACs) were co‐cultured for 48 hrs with TCM or with DMEM/F12 or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as negative and positive controls, respectively. Normal uterine TCs with a typical structure and a CD‐34‐positive/vimentin‐positive/c‐kit‐negative immunophenotype were observed during culture. Morphologically, TCM‐treated pMACs displayed an obvious activation/immunoresponse, in contrast to over‐stimulation and cell death after LPS treatment and no sign of activation in the presence of DMEM/F12. Accordingly, a cell counting kit 8 (CCK‐8) assay indicated significant activation of pMACs by TCM and LPS compared to DMEM/F12, thus supporting the marked morphological differences among these groups of cells. Furthermore, within a panel of macrophage‐derived cytokines/enzymes, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and inducible nitric oxide synthase were significantly elevated in TCM‐treated pMACs; tumour necrosis factor α, IL1‐R1, and IL‐10 were slightly, but significantly, up‐regulated; and no changes were observed for transforming growth factor‐β1, IL‐1β, IL‐23α and IL‐18. Our results indicate that TCs are not simply innocent bystanders but are rather functional players in the activation of pMACs; they trigger and maintain the immune response, likely through indirect paracrine effects. Thus, we provide preliminary in vitro evidence of immunoregulatory and immunosurveillance roles for TCs.

Primary pleural lymphoma is rare and has been described in association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or pyothorax. We report a rare case of primary pleural lymphoma in a 73-year-old man who presented with chest pain and no history of HIV infection or pyothorax. Chest imaging showed pleural thickening and pleural effusion. Thoracoscopic pleural biopsy was performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations conformed to that of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Physicians should be aware of this rare location of primary lymphoma and implement thoracoscopy as soon as possible.

The vaginal administration route suffers from relatively low absorption efficiency, which may hinder the identification of the toxicokinetics of curdione in pregnant women. A sensitive analytical method for determining the plasma concentration of curdione was developed and applied in the determination of curdione in pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats as a simulated model. Glimepiride was used as an internal standard and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Capcell Pak C18 MGIII column. A gradient elution profile with 0.5% formic acid (A)–0.5% formic acid–acetonitrile (B) was selected as mobile phase. The selected reaction monitoring mode was used for quantification based on the target fragment ions m/z 237.2 to m/z 135.1 for curdione and m/z 491.3 to m/z 352.1 for the glimepiride. The standard curve was linear over the range of 0.5–500 ng/mL for curdione in rat plasma and yielded a consistent peak pattern, even at the lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 ng/mL. The retention times of curdione and IS were 6.55 and 6.59 min, respectively. The mean recovery of curdione in rat plasma was 95.5–101.1%. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were between 2.35 and 9.08%. This LC-MS/MS method provides a simple and sensitive means for determining the plasma concentration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs11918092 and rs9520087) were genotyped in Chinese Zhuang and Han populations. Symptoms of schizophrenic patients were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. No association of any SNP with schizophrenic susceptibility was found. However, associations of rs9520087 with the total scale score (P = 0.014), positive scale score (P = 0.013), negative scale score (P = 0.032), and general psychopathology scale score (P = 0.031) were found in Zhuang patients. Additionally, rs11918092 was associated with positive scale score (P = 0.035) in Han patients. The two SNPs might influence symptoms of schizophrenia. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

Primary choriocarcinoma is a rare malignant tumor, particularly in men. The tumor, mostly found in the gastrointestinal system and mediastinum, often metastasizes early with poor therapeutic effects and prognosis. Herein, we present a male patient with primary mediastinum choriocarcinoma and widespread lung metastases. The disease progressed rapidly with little therapeutic effect from chemotherapy. The patient died of this disease 75 days after initial symptom presentations. Literature review found only 41 cases of primary choriocarcinoma reported in the mediastinum. This case highlights the importance of keeping primary choriocarcinoma in the differentials for mediastinum tumors in young men. Sex hormone testing is helpful to confirm diagnosis. Early biopsy should be performed to confirm pathologic diagnose, and early surgery and chemotherapy should be considered to improve the cure rate of this disease.

A number of studies have assessed a relationship between the T102C polymorphism in the HTR2A gene with an increased risk of major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BPD), and schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the results have been inconsistent. Hence, we performed this study to further evaluate potential associations between the T102C polymorphism and MDD, BPD, and SCZ. The strength of separate associations between the T102C polymorphism and the risk of MDD, BPD, or SCZ was measured by ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in six genetic models. Cochran's chi-square-based Q-statistic and I(2) were used to evaluate the heterogeneity between studies. The funnel plot and the Egger's test were used to assess the publication bias. Cumulative meta-analysis was also performed to evaluate the trend in OR over time. No significant association was found in the overall analysis of MDD, BPD and SCZ with a sample size of 17,178 cases and 20,855 control subjects. In a further analysis by ethnicity, the OR and 95% CIs indicated the T102C polymorphism was not associated with MDD, BPD, or SCZ in Caucasian, Asian or Chinese populations. No publication bias was observed in the meta-analysis, and the cumulative analyses indicated the robust stability of the results. Thus, the results of our study indicate that the T102C polymorphism is not associates with increased susceptibility to MDD, BPD, and SCZ.

Objective Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder. Its prevalence appears inconsistent in different regions of China; thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China. Method Studies on the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China were identified from electronic databases up to July 2013. Meta-analysis was used for prevalence of schizophrenia estimate. Results For lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 5.44 per 1000 (overall), 5.33 per 1000 (males), 5.51 per 1000 (females), 6.60 per 1000 (urban) and 4.73 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; there was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.30–1.59). For point prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 4.62 per 1000 (overall), 4.63 per 1000 (males), 4.95 per 1000 (females), 5.15 per 1000 (urban) and 4.44 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; no statistical difference was found in males and females, but prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.02–1.41). Conclusion The prevalence estimate results were consistent with the international prevalence estimate of schizophrenia in mainland China. There was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural.

Primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma is a rare condition characterized by fever, cough, dyspnea, and bilateral pulmonary nodules, usually diagnosed by transbronchial biopsy or computed tomography (CT) guided needle biopsy and pathology. In view of its poor prognosis, it is critical to distinguish and diagnose this disease as early as possible. We report here a case of a 39-year-old man who presented with fever, cough, expectoration with multiple nodules, and patch shadow in both lungs by chest CT. Tissue samples were taken by CT guided needle biopsy. The histological sample and immunohistochemistry showed peripheral T-cell lymphoma-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). After the patient was treated by chemotherapy for two courses, his condition deteriorated rapidly and he died 2.3 months after the onset of the disease.

We study the existence and concentration of positive solutions for the coupled nonlinear Schrodinger system under very weak assumptions on the two nonlinearities f and g by using the variational approach. In particular, no ‘Ambrosetti–Rabinowitz’ condition is required. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective To investigate the association between body mass index and oncological outcomes in Chinese patients who had undergone radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. Methods Between August 1998 and October 2009, 236 consecutive Chinese patients underwent radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China). Body mass index data were available for 230 (97.5%) of these patients. All 230 patients were classified into three groups according to the body mass index criteria for Asians, issued by the Asia Cohort Consortium: underweight, body mass index

Idelalisib ((S)-5-fluoro-3-phenyl-2-[1-(9H-purin-6-ylamino)-propyl]-3H-quinazolin -4-one, 9) is the first-in-class, highly selective inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase p110δ; it has been clinic...

Three-dimensional needled carbon/carbon (C/C) preforms were achieved after one cycle of polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP). Phenolic resin or the mixture of phenolic resin and 30 wt% graphite was used as the carbon precursor. Carbon/silicon carbide (C/SiC) composites were prepared by liquid silicon infiltrating into the C/C preforms with or without high-temperature treatment (HTT). The graphitization degree of C/C preforms was improved by HTT or graphite addition, the improvement being more outstanding by the latter, which influenced phase compositions as well as distribution and facilitated the formation of friction films for the resulting C/SiC composites. The friction studies show that higher the graphitization degree, lower the wear rate and higher the coefficient of friction as well as more stable the friction curve, with a lower sensitivity of friction and wear to the velocity–pressure conditions being due to the differences in the topography and stability of friction films.

Thin films of 0.65Pb (Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.35PbTiO3(PMN-PT) of thickness 300 nm were grown on Si (001) substrates using conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at substrate temperature in the range of 500°–650°C in oxygen ambient of 300 mTorr. The La0.5Sr0.5CoO3−δ (LSCO) thin films (used as bottom electrode) of RMS roughness of approximately 1.7 nm and resistivity of 2100 μΩ-cm were epitaxially grown on CeO2/YSZ-buffered Si (001) substrates. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results show that the PMN-PT films grown on LSCO/CeO2/YSZ/Si substrates at 550°C exhibit the epitaxial perovskite structure. The PMN-PT films exhibited a high dielectric constant of about 1631 and a low dissipation factor of 0.06 at a frequency of 10 kHz. A good P−E (polarization−electric field) hysteresis characteristic with remanent polarization of 6.34 μC/cm2 and a coercive field of 33.5 kV/cm was obtained on the PMN-PT films.

We report the use of a novel plasma- enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber with coaxial electrode geometry for the SiOx deposition. This novel plasma setup exploits the diffusion of electrons through the inner most electrode to the interior samples space as the major energy source. This configuration ena- bles a gentle treatment of sensitive materials like low-den- sity polyethylene foils and biodegradable materials. SiOx coatings deposited in the novel setup were compared with other state of the art plasma coatings and were found to possess equally good or better barrier properties. The barrier effect of single-layer coatings deposited under different reaction conditions was studied. The coating thickness and the carbon content in the coatings were found to be the critical parameters for the barrier prop- erty. The novel barrier coating was applied on different polymeric materials, and it increased the barrier property of the modified low-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polylactide by 96.48%, 99.69%, and 99.25%, respectively. V C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 2767-2772, 2010

4-vinyl pyridine was polymerized on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film by using lower energy pulsed AC plasma under low pressure in Ar atmosphere. The plasma polymerized coating was characterized by ATR Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Different thicknesses of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) coating under different plasma polymerization conditions were studied. Silver nanoparticles with diameter around 50nm deposit were precipitated on the poly(4-vinyl pyridine) coating by UV irradiation in Silver nitride water solution, in order to enhance the anti-microbial properties. Different kinds of modified PET films were tested for anti-microbial properties against yeast (Debaryomyces hansenii) by using microbiological analyser μ-4200 and direct microscopic count method.

Reactions of mixed ligands succinic acid (H2suc) and bent dipyridines, such as 2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (3-bpo) and its 4-N-donor analog (4-bpo), with inorganic CuII, NiII, and CdII salts yield three new metal-organic coordination frameworks {[Cu(suc)(3-bpo)(H2O)2]·(H2O)1.75}n (1), {[Ni(suc)(4-bpo)(H2O)2]·(H2O)5}n (3), and {[Cd2(suc)2(3-bpo)2(H2O)2]·(H2O)6.75}n (4), in which the metal centers are linked by bridging ligands 3-bpo/4-bpo and suc2– along two directions to form 2D infinite networks. The corrugated 2D nets of 1 and 4, obtained under hydrothermal conditions, align in an interdigitated manner with the presence of significant aromatic-stacking interactions to result in similar 3D architectures. The 2D sheets in 3 are extended by interlayer hydrogen bonds to afford a 3D structure. However, when succinic acid is replaced by fumaric acid (H2fum) in the reaction with 3-bpo and CuII salt, a metallacyclophane [Cu(Hfum)2(3-bpo)(H2O)]2·(3-bpo)2·(H2O)6 (2) is generated. The binuclear coordinated motifs are hydrogen-bonded to the lattice water chains to furnish a unique 3D channel-like framework, in which the guest 3-bpo molecules are accommodated. The thermal stabilities of these new materials were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of mass loss. The magnetic coupling in complexes 1–3 is antiferromagnetic and very small, which is as expected considering the long organic bridges between the paramagnetic centers. The solid-state luminescence properties of 4 reveal an intense fluorescence emission at 378 nm. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)

Using high resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we systematically investigate the electronic structure of T-d-WTe2, which has attracted substantial research attention due to its diverse and fascinating properties, especially the predicted type-II topological Weyl semimetal (TWS) phase. The observed significant lattice contraction and the fact that our ARPES measurements are well reproduced by our ab initio calculations under reduced lattice constants support the theoretical prediction of a type-II TWS phase in T-d-WTe2 at temperatures below 10K. We also investigate the evolution of the electronic structure of T-d-WTe2 and realize two-stage Lifshitz transitions induced by temperature regulation and surface modification, respectively. Our results not only shed light on the understanding of the electronic structure of T-d-WTe2, but also provide a promising method to manipulate the electronic structures and physical properties of the type-II TWS T-d-XTe2.

Li4Ti5O12/Ag composites are prepared by solid state reaction of Li2CO3, TiO2, and AgNO3 (air, 850 °C, 15 h).