Search

• Rationally designed structure prevent the aggregation of Mn-doped MoS 2 nanosheets. • Mn-doping enhance the intrinsic electronic conductivity and Li+ diffusion rate. • The as-synthesized electrode shows high rate capacity of 659 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1. Developing anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with excellent electrochemical performance is crucial to satisfy the requirement for energy storage. Molybdenum disulfide is recognized as a prospective anode material due to its high theoretical capacity and two-dimensional layered structure. However, its further application is mainly hindered by its poor electronic conductivity. Herein, we report Mn-doped MoS 2 nanosheets anchored on hierarchical carbon skeleton (MMSC) acting as an anode material. The as-synthesized electrode exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 1280 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, high rate capacity (920 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1), and long-time cycling stability (71% capacity retention after 1000 cycle). Compared to that of pristine MoS 2 electrode, the improved performance of MMSC anode can be attributed to the synergetic effects of optimized composite structure and Mn doping. The hierarchical carbon skeleton provides a larger surface area, allowing effective electrolyte penetration and preventing aggregation of MoS 2 nanosheets in charge/discharge cycles. To further understand the mechanism of the improved rate capability, calculation of corresponding atomic models according to experimental results and first-principles calculation are conducted. The calculated results prove that the Mn-doped MoS 2 (MMS) has a lower diffusion barrier of Li+ than that in pristine MoS 2. Moreover, the as-synthesized MMSC electrode also demonstrates better electronic conductivity because of the electronic injection by Mn atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of carbonate-hosted lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) ore deposits, known as Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) deposits, constitutes an important category of lead-zinc ore deposits. Previous studies proposed a fluid-mixing model to account for metal precipitation mechanism of the MVT ore deposits, in which fluids with metal-chloride complexes happen to mix with fluids with reduced sulfur, producing metal sulfide deposition. In this hypothesis, however, the detailed chemical kinetic process of mixing reactions, and especially the controlling factors on the metal precipitation are not yet clearly stated. In this paper, a series of mixing experiments under ambient temperature and pressure conditions were conducted to simulate the fluid mixing process, by titrating the metal-chloride solutions, doping with or without dolomite, and using NaHS solution. Experimental results, combined with the thermodynamic calculations, suggest that H2S, rather than HS− or S2−, dominated the reactions of Pb and/or Zn precipitation during the fluid mixing process, in which metal precipitation was influenced by the stability of metal complexes and the pH. Given the constant concentrations of metal and total S in fluids, the pH was a primary factor controlling the Pb and/or Zn metal precipitation. This is because neutralizing or neutralized processes for the ore-forming fluids can cause instabilities of Pb and/or Zn chloride complexes and re-distribution of sulfur species, and thus can facilitate the hydrolysis of Pb and Zn ions and precipitation of sulfides. Therefore, a weakly acidic to neutral fluid environment is most favorable for the precipitation of Pb and Zn sulfides associated with the carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel Pt-15Ir-3Hf-0.5Y alloy with good high-temperature strength and ductility is prepared. • No Pt-Hf precipitates but three types of nanoclusters, clusters containing stacking fault, clusters at 1/2 〈0 1 1〉 dislocation core and clusters with short-range order are observed in the alloy matrix. • The alloy has a strong ageing strengthening effect through more and larger clusters formation. A novel ultra-high temperature Pt-15Ir-3Hf-0.5Y (wt.%) alloy was developed for the first time by high vacuum arc-melting, hot rolling and ageing treatment. The microstructures of the as-cast and hot-rolled and then post-aged samples were investigated. The alloy consists of the (Pt,Ir) 5 Y phase and matrix. Through transmission electron microscopy atomic resolution imaging, three types of nanoclusters, clusters containing stacking fault, clusters at 1/2 〈0 1 1〉 dislocation core and clusters with short-range order were observed in the matrix. The hardness at the ambient temperature of the alloy after hot rolling and ageing treatment was up to 443 HV and the tensile strength at 1500 °C was up to 47.8 MPa. Compared with the solid solution strengthened Pt-Ir binary alloys, the addition of Hf and Y can effectively improve the mechanical properties, which were achieved by introducing the combined effects of nanocluster strengthening and grain boundary strengthening of (Pt,Ir) 5 Y phase. Our findings provided new insights into designing the Pt-based superalloy with high strength and ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg-3Al-1Zn (AZ31) alloy sheets fabricated using extrusion dies with angles of 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° were investigated. Finite element method was used to analyze the effective strain distribution in AZ31 Mg alloy during extrusion. The microstructure, texture and final mechanical properties were determined and compared among various extruded AZ31 sheets. Results demonstrated that the difference of effective strain was introduced during extrusion due to the variation in die angles. In the case of the 45° extrusion die, a large difference in effective strain along normal direction could form during sheet forming, which resulted in a uniform microstructure and weak basal texture of extruded AZ31 sheet. Therefore, the sheet processed using 45° extrusion die showed lower yield strength and r -value, but higher ductility and n -value. This study suggested that optimization of extrusion die angle could be an effective method to improve the mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of Al addition (0.0, 0.5, 3.0, 7.2 wt%) on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of Mg-3.5Ca based alloys were investigated. Our results revealed that the addition of Al to the as-cast Mg-3.5Ca alloy resulted in the transformation of precipitated secondary phase from Mg 2 Ca to (Mg, Al) 2 Ca, Al 2 Ca and even Mg 17 Al 12 phase. Moreover, the as-cast microstructure evolution influenced dynamic recrystallization and texture formation in the subsequent extrusion process. As Al content increased from 0.0 to 7.2 wt%, the elongation to fracture (EL) of as-extruded Mg-3.5Ca alloy was monotonously increased from 1.9% to 9.8% in tension, while counterparts were changeless in compression. As-extruded Mg-3.5Ca-3.0Al alloy showed higher yield and ultimate strength increased by about 42.2 MPa and 71.4 MPa than those of extruded Mg-3.5Ca alloy in tension, respectively. Moreover, when Al addition was up to 7.2 wt%, both tensile yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were in steep decline. The effects of Al addition on compressive mechanical properties (compressive yield strength and ultimate compressive strength) were similar to that in tension. Especially, significantly deteriorated tension-compression asymmetry (TCA) of Mg-3.5Ca-7.2Al alloy was ascribed to grain coarsening and secondary phase transformation. Besides, Al addition also had a significant impact on the hardening capacity (Hc) and strain hardening behavior of Mg-3.5Ca alloy. In particular, as 7.2 wt% Al was added, the hardening capacity of the Mg-3.5Ca alloy was significantly increased from 0.09 to 0.56 in tension. As a result, proper Al addition to Mg-3.5Ca alloy could improve the comprehensive mechanical performance, whereas excessive Al addition not only significantly decreased the strength, but also deteriorated the TCA performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous Late Cretaceous W–Sn deposits associated with granitic rocks were developed in the southern part of South China. However, the relationship among granitic magma, mineralization and tectonic setting remains disputed. The Yingwuling W–Sn deposit is spatially associated with K-feldspar granite and biotite granite in the southwestern part of Guangdong province, South China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of K-feldspar granite, biotite granite and weathered ore-bearing granites yielded ages of ∼79 Ma, which agree well with the LA-ICP-MS cassiterite U–Pb age of 79.6 ± 0.9 Ma, indicating a close genetic link between the Yingwuling pluton and W–Sn mineralization. Geochemically, both K-feldspar granite and biotite granite show high SiO 2 , Na 2 O + K 2 O and low CaO, P 2 O 5 contents, and they belong to shoshonitic series and high-K calc-alkaline series, respectively. High Rb/Sr ratios and low Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios of the Yingwuling pluton indicate strong magmatic differentiation. Compared with K-feldspar granite, biotite granite experienced a higher degree of fractional crystallization as indicated by lower Fe 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , LREE, Sr, Eu, Ba and Zr contents and higher SiO 2 , HREE, Rb, Cs and Y contents. Their Sr and Nd isotope compositions (initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7027 and 0.7097; ε Nd (t) = −5.6 and −5.7) are less radiogenic than that of the South China basement. Thus, it is likely that some juvenile materials were involved in the formation of these granitic intrusions. This is also favored by the wide range of zircon Hf isotope values (ε Hf (t) = −6.6 to 0.8), which indicates mixing processes. A-type granite affinity of the Yingwuling pluton shows that it was possibly formed in an extensional setting. Late Cretaceous W–Sn deposits constitute an EW-trending belt from Guangdong to Yunnan provinces, which was compatible with the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethys plate rather than the northwestward subduction of the Pacific plate during Late Cretaceous. Combined with previous studies on magmatic rocks and tectonic activities during Late Cretaceous in South China, this study suggests that the subduction of the Neo-Tethys plate was most possibly responsible for the Late Cretaceous Yingwuling granitic intrusion and associated W–Sn mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The calcination method was used to treat poplar leaf biomass ash. • The chemical composition and particle size distribution were changed by the treatment. • 650 °C is the best calcination temperature for poplar leaf biomass ash. • The replacement of cement by poplar leaf biomass ash has good economic and environmental benefits. The use of biomass for power generation is increasing. However, solving the solid biomass waste generated during the combustion process is a challenge. In order to reduce costs and the use of forestry waste, the replacement of cement in cement mortars with the same quality of poplar leaf ash was studied. The present study documents the potential of biomass ash obtained from calcined leaf ash as a supplementary cementitious. By thermogravimetric tests, 20 °C, 310 °C, 470 °C, and 650 °C were selected as the calcination temperatures. The effects of biomass ash on uniaxial compressive strength, crack extension, acoustic emission, and the microstructure of specimens at different curing ages of 7 d and 28 d were investigated. The results show that the strength of specimens mixed with 20 wt% poplar leaf ash is about 60% of cement mortar. The porosity of cement mortar specimens with biomass ash is higher than that of cement mortar. The hydration products of C-S-H and AFt are slightly less than cement mortar. To achieve the same flowability, the water-binder ratio is higher when mixed with biomass ash. As a result, the biomass ash specimens have higher porosity and lower strength. The strength of 310 °C and 470 °C is approximately 8.41% and 4.70% lower than that of 650 °C. The optimum calcination temperature for the pozzolanic activity of poplar leaf biomass ash is 650 ℃. This promotes the efficient use of biomass solid waste and the construction industry is green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress shielding at the implant-bone interface is the main causes of failure in orthopedic implant surgery, which is induced by the modulus mismatch between implants and bones. Reducing the Young's modulus of biomedical alloys is beneficial to alleviate the stress shielding effect. Recently, biomedical multiprinciple elemental (Bio-MPEAs) have aroused widespread concerns due to their low modulus, high strength, and superior biocompatibility. In this work, a series of (HfNbTa) 1-x Ti x alloys are designed to investigate the effects of Ti content on the structural and mechanical properties of Bio-MPEAs. The obtained results reveal that the designed alloys have a single-phase body-centered cubic (BCC) structure, and exhibit ambient ductility with a tensile elongation >12% and cold-rolling thickness reduction >86%. Ti addition helps to reduce the Young's modulus of Bio-MPEAs. Their super formability stems from the movability of <1 1 1>/2-type dislocations. Solid solution strengthening is the major strengthening mechanism of the alloys. Local lattice distortion plays a key role in solid solution strengthening, which is induced by atomic size mismatch and electronegativity difference of multiple elements. This work not only highlights the positive role of Ti addition for designing low-modulus Bio-MEAs, but also clarifies the physical mechanisms of solid solution strengthening and lattice distortion. [Display omitted] • New low-modulus biomedical multiprinciple elemental alloys (Bio-MPEAs) are designed. • The alloys exhibit excellent ductility and super formability at room temperature. • The ductility of Bio-MPEAs originates from <1 1 1>/2 dislocations movability. • First time, the effects of Ti on the material properties of Bio-MPEAs are clarified. • First time, solid solution strengthening and lattice distortion mechanisms are elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the deformation mechanisms of the as-extruded Mg–3Bi–1Ca (BX31, wt.%) alloy with strength-ductility synergy during room-temperature tension were studied in detail by in-situ electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), slip trace analysis, visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) modeling and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The quantitative results of in-situ EBSD and slip trace analysis showed that basal slips offered most of the deformation at the early stage, and with increasing strains the proportions of non-basal slips and {10-12} extension twinning gradually increased. At the medium and later stages, each deformation mode approached to be stable and the macroscopic strain became uniform. The critical resolved shear stresses (CRSSs) of different dislocation slip systems were estimated to establish the VPSC modeling. The VPSC-simulated results were highly consistent with the experimental ones. On the other hand, the microcosmic deformation incompatibility gave rise to the hetero-deformation induced (HDI) stress, caused by the distinct schmid factor (SF) and the low geometrical compatibility factor (m') between adjacent grains. Geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs, especially for the pyramidal edge dislocations) near grain boundaries would be generated to accommodate the deformation incompatibility. In addition, the basal screw dislocations in {10-12} extension twin interiors were also observed, which provided the extra strain hardening capacity. • Deformation mechanisms were revealed via in-situ EBSD and slip trace analysis. • VPSC modeling was established and compared with the experimental result. • HDI stress was found and accommodated by GNDs to form extra strain hardening. • Basal screw dislocations in {10-12} twin interiors were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion plays a vital role in regulating microstructure evolution and properties of metallic materials. However, understandings of how microalloying affects diffusion kinetics in gold bonding materials remain far from comprehensive, which severely threatens the reliability of microelectronic devices in the big-data era. This problem persists challenging due to enormous difficulty in accurate and cost-effective experimental measurements. Here, first-principle based theoretical computations are performed to explore the control of diffusion at elevated service temperatures by trace rare earth (RE) microalloying in gold bonding materials. We identify the light lanthanides can stably bind excess vacancies and the efficacy to modulate vacancy/solute-vacancy evolution depends on the RE concentrations and ambient temperatures. Above critical doping concentrations, self- and impurity-diffusion can be simultaneously hindered. These findings successfully point to a rational microalloying strategy to withstand heat and a novel perspective on improving the service life-time of microelectronics packaging materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy sheets were fabricated by conventional extrusion (CE) and asymmetric extrusion (AE) processes. The microstructures, textures and mechanical properties of the AE and CE AZ31 sheets were examined and compared. The results showed that a tilted weak basal texture and microstructure refinement were obtained in the AE AZ31 sheet compared with the CE AZ31 sheet. The reason for the texture weakening and microstructure refinement was ascribed to an introduction of large effective strain gradient throughout the normal direction during the AE process. In addition, the AE AZ31 sheet exhibited lower yield strength and r -value, but larger ductility and n -value. Improving mechanical properties for extruded AZ31 sheet were achieved by the AE process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xishan Sn–W deposit is spatially related to K-feldspar granites in the Yangchun basin, western Guangdong Province, South China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating for the Xishan pluton defines an emplacement age of ~ 79 Ma (78.1 ± 0.9 Ma; 79.0 ± 1.2 Ma; 79.3 ± 0.8 Ma), consistent with the mineralization age of the Xishan Sn–W deposit constrained by molybdenite Re–Os isochron age (79.4 ± 4.5 Ma) and LA-ICP-MS cassiterite U–Pb ages (78.1 ± 0.9 Ma and 79.0 ± 1.2 Ma) for the cassiterite-quartz vein. These indicate a close genetic relationship between the granite and Sn–W mineralization. The Xishan K-feldspar granites have geochemical characteristics of A-type granites, e.g., high total alkali (Na 2 O + K 2 O = 7.88–10.07 wt.%), high Ga/Al ratios (10000*Ga/Al > 2.6) and high Zr + Nb + Ce + Y concentrations (> 350 ppm). They are further classified as A 2 -type granites. The whole-rock isotopic compositions of K-feldspar granites (initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.705256–0.706181; ε Nd (t) = − 5.4 to − 4.8) and zircon ε Hf (t) values (− 7.8 to 2.0) suggest a mixed magma source. The low zircon Ce 4 + /Ce 3 + ratios (12–88) of K-feldspar granites suggest low oxygen fugacities, which is key for enrichment of tin in primary magmas. The K-feldspar granites have experienced strong differentiation as indicated by their high Rb/Sr and K/Rb ratios, and low Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios, which play an important role in ore-forming element transportation and concentration. A-type granite characteristics of the Xishan pluton show that it formed in an extensional environment. The high F and low Cl characteristics of the K-feldspar granite are most probably attributed to slab rollback. In the Late Cretaceous, the Xishan Sn–W deposit was located near the interaction of the circum-Pacific and the Tethys tectonic realms. Late Cretaceous Sn–W deposits, including the Xishan deposit, form an EW-trending belt from Guangdong to Yunnan Province in South China. This belt is in accordance with the direction of the Neo-Tethys slab rollback in the Late Cretaceous. In addition, the NS-trending extension has been recognized in the Late Cretaceous in South China. We propose that the Xishan Sn–W deposit should be attributed to the Neo-Tethys slab rollback in the Late Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discontinuous precipitation (DP) and ordering have been typically considered to influence the mechanical properties of many alloy systems during the aging process. In the present study, the microstructural evolution and the effect of discontinuous precipitation and ordering on the age-hardening behavior in Au-20Ag-30Cu (wt.%) ternary alloy were investigated. Au-20Ag-30Cu (wt.%) alloy is found to be typically age-hardened. Thermodynamic calculation forecasts the discontinuous precipitation forming Cu-rich α 1 phase and Ag-rich α 2 phase, companied by the disorder-order transformation forming AuCu 3 phase with L1 2 structure for this Au-Ag-Cu alloy. The DP is experimentally observed to form at grain boundaries consisting of alternative α 1 and α 2 two-phase lamellae. And the L1 2 -type AuCu 3 ordered phase, which presents nanometric spherical particle, forms at grain interior and the lamellar α 1 phase of DP. The DP and L1 2 -type AuCu 3 nanoprecipitates both grow with the elevated aging temperature. The DP at grain boundaries is found to deleteriously affect the overall age-hardening with different deformation mechanisms between these two lamellar phases of DP. High-density dislocations are observed in the lamellar α 1 phase of DP around the hardness indentation, which indicates that the interior L1 2 -type AuCu 3 nanoprecipitates in α 1 phase can effectively impede the movement of dislocations to boost the age-hardening. The overall age-hardening is determined by the competitive effect of the DP and L1 2 -type AuCu 3 nanoprecipitates. This study offers theoretical foundation for controlling the microstructures and optimizing the mechanical properties of Au-Ag-Cu alloys. • The effects of DP and ordering on the age-hardening of Au-20Ag-30Cu were revealed. • Both lamellar DP and nanometric ordered L1 2 -type AuCu 3 grew with aging temperature. • The hardness in lamellar DP was lower than in matrix with nanometric ordered AuCu 3. • High-density dislocations were observed in Cu-rich lamellae of DP. • The age-hardening depended on the competitive effect of DP and ordered AuCu 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the comprehensive effects of Ce addition and pre-twining deformation on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Zn alloys were systematically investigated. After Ce addition, two phases (CeMgSn and CeMgZn 2) were newly emerged, which eventually hampered grain growth and postponed {10−12} tensile twin extinction during annealing subsequent to pre-compression. Besides, due to prominent grain refinement, the addition of Ce into as-extruded Mg-Sn-Zn alloy gave rise to a noticeable improvement in strength. As for the application of pre-twining deformation, it could induce a significant increase in the tensile ductility via texture tailoring, and the relative Visco-Plastic Self-Consistent (VPSC) simulation confirmed that the main reason was attributed to the vigorous activation of {10−12} tensile twins. As a result, both the strength and ductility of the as-extruded Mg-Sn-Zn alloy were substantially improved via the combination of Ce addition (obvious grain refinement) and pre-twining deformation (effective texture regulation). [Display omitted] • CeMgSn and CeMgZn 2 were newly emerged after Ce addition, which eventually hampered grain growth and postponed {10−12} tensile twin annihilation during annealing of pre-twining deformation. • The relative VPSC simulation confirmed that, after pre-twining deformation, {10−12} tensile twins are vigorously activated in the early stage of tensile deformation, while basal slip is dominant in the compressive deformation. • The strength and ductility of as-extruded TZE100 alloy were improved simultaneously through the combination of Ce addition (grain refinement) and pre-twining deformation (texture tailoring). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a new Mg-1Bi-1Mn-0.3Zn (BMZ110, wt%) wrought alloy designed by the dilute addition of Zn subjected to an appropriate extrusion processing that showed an excellent strength-ductility synergy at room temperature. The main results included four aspects as follows: 1) With dilute Zn addition, the as-cast BMZ110 alloy was refined into an approximately equiaxed-grained structure, since the solid solution of Zn provided a relatively high growth restriction factor. 2) The as-extruded BMZ110 alloy exhibited the finer average grain size and weaker basal texture intensity than the as-extruded BM11 alloy without Zn. The co-segregation of Bi and Zn solutes into grain boundaries was observed to impede grain growth during extrusion and further weaken texture intensity. Moreover, Zn atoms incorporated into Mg 3 Bi 2 phases by replacing Bi atoms increasing the nucleation rate of Mg 3 Bi 2 phases and refining their sizes. 3) Compared with the as-extruded BM11 alloy, the as-extruded BMZ110 alloy demonstrated the higher yield strength (~ 283.4 MPa), ultimate strength (~ 366.2 MPa) and elongation-to-failure (~ 26%). The size refinement of grains and second phases contributed to an extra strength increments. Grain boundary segregation enhanced grain boundary cohesion not only reducing the number density of grain boundary cracks, but also activating more slip modes and grain rotation for increasing the ductility. 4) The as-extruded BMZ110 alloy had the higher grain growth resistance than the as-extruded BM11 alloy during annealing. Solute segregation offered an effective obstacle to restrict grain boundary migration enlarging the activation energy (~ 112.2 kJ/mol) and further delaying the grain growth. Therefore, this work will be helpful for the development of new high performance low-alloyed Mg-Bi based wrought alloys to achieve extensive applications in industries. [Display omitted] • With dilute Zn addition, the average grain size of the as-cast BM11 alloy was refined. • The extrusion temperature of 250 °C was suitable for the as-extruded BMZ110 alloy. • The co-segregation of Bi and Zn solutes into grain boundaries was found. • Zn atoms incorporated into Mg 3 Bi 2 phases by replacing Bi atoms for refining their sizes. • The as-extruded BMZ110 alloy demonstrated the excellent strength-ductility synergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) have promising applications in industry due to their outstanding high-temperature properties, but most of them are brittle and poorly plastic formability at ambient temperature. Developing new ambient ductile RHEAs is a challenge in current materials research. In this work, an ambient ductility TiHfVNbTa alloy was prepared, and its microstructure, mechanical properties, phase stability, lattice distortion, and basic physical properties were investigated by combing experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The obtained results show that TiHfVNbTa alloy has excellent cold-rolled formability with >84% thickness reduction, no crack generation, and ultimate tensile strain up to >12% at ambient temperature. Besides, the tensile yield strength (hardness) of the alloy increases from 997 MPa (363 HV) in the annealed state to 1340 MPa (453 HV) in the 84% cold-rolled state, displaying work-hardening behavior. The TiHfVNbTa alloy has a single-phase solid solution body-centered cubic (BCC) structure, and no structural transformation occurs during rolling and tension, implying its good phase stability. Notably, the TiHfVNbTa alloy exhibits a higher specific yield stress and ductility compared to most RHEAs. DFT results reveal that the high strength is mainly contributed by severe lattice distortion. Hf and V elements are the major sources of lattice distortion. In addition, the physical properties such as metallic bonding, anisotropy and electronic structure are also analyzed based DFT calculations. The obtained results not only help to understand the material properties of TiHfVNbTa alloy, but also provide design guidelines for novel ductile RHEAs. • Rolling and tension display that TiHfVNbTa has excellent ambient ductility and phase stability. • First time, solid solution strengthening is clarified by experiments and DFT calculations. • First time, lattice distortion is identified and evaluated for TiHfVNbTa alloy. • First time, Hf and V are identified as the key elements for the lattice distortion. • It provides new concept for designing ambient ductile refractory high-entropy alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversion-type transition metal oxides (TMOs) anodes with fascinating high theoretical capacities are considered potential candidates for high-energy-density alkali-ion batteries. However, the tremendous advantages of conversion reaction are yet to be fully exploited due to sluggish reaction kinetics and unfavorable thermodynamics. This is especially in the case of non-layered TMOs, where high ion intercalation energy and ion diffusion barriers compared to layered TMOs impede subsequent conversion reaction, while thermodynamically stable metal-oxide bonds with high bond energies prevent efficient cleavage. This work selects MoO 2 as a typical non-layered anode of lithium-ion batteries and demonstrates that pre-intercalating K+ ions in MoO 2 crystal can decrease the intercalation energy, enhance the diffusion kinetics, and weaken Mo-O bonds to efficiently facilitate conversion reactions by the the density functional theory calculations and experiments. K+ pre-intercalated MoO 2 can deliver a higher reversible discharge specific capacity (989 mAh g−1) than the pristine MoO 2 sample (720 mAh g−1) at 0.2 A g−1 after 100 cycles. This work provides a novel and crucial method to realize the functionality of non-layered TMOs based anodes and offers a potentially universal optimization strategy toward high-capacity alkali-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrated that the addition of different forms (dry powder and pre-suspended in water) of κ -carrageenan at an intermediate concentration (0.2%, w/w) significantly improved the textural and gel properties of frankfurters, as well as the rheological behaviour of meat batter (P < 0.05). Moreover, microstructural images revealed that the interaction between meat proteins and κ -carrageenan were closely associated with the distinct dispersed state of each incorporation form of κ -carrageenan in the meat protein gel network. Meanwhile, hydrogen bonding was the major molecular force in frankfurters in the present of κ -carrageenan, which could be altered with the incorporation forms and concentrations of κ -carrageenan. Additionally, incorporation of κ -carrageenan gradually decreased the in vitro digestibility of meat proteins in the frankfurters in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). However, each addition form of κ -carrageenan had no obvious differences of protein digestibility (P > 0.05). The main conclusions of present work provided the vital understanding for the applications of κ -carrageenan in emulsified meat products. [Display omitted] • Addition of two forms of κ -carrageenan enhanced the gel properties of frankfurters. • Each form of κ -carrageenan improved the rheological behaviour of meat batter. • Each form of κ -carrageenan exhibited different interaction modes with meat proteins. • Each form of κ -carrageenan decreased the in vitro digestibility of frankfurters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic stirring and alkaline treatment were combined as mechanical pretreatment. • More accurate results were provided after mechanical pretreatment. • The method was applied for both low-fat and high-fat content meat samples. In this work, a new enzymatic method is proposed to evaluate an accurate degree of gelatinized starch (DSG) in meat products with different fat contents, based on our previous work. The optimal parameters of the sample resolubilization steps involved mechanical stirring speeds, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations, and resolubilization times before enzymatic hydrolysis. The DSG values were calculated using the total starch content and gelatinized starch content of each sample. The optimized resolubilization steps for measuring the total starch content included 400 rpm stirring and incubation for 60 min at room temperature in 0.5 M NaOH. The optimized resolubilization steps for measuring gelatinized starch content included 400 rpm stirring and incubation for 60 min at room temperature in 80 mM NaOH. The resolubilization steps successfully eliminated the impact of higher fat content, improving the accuracy of the results. This work indicates that the new enzymatic method for evaluating the DSG of meat products was efficient, precise, and simple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slowing hot carrier (HC) cooling and improving HC extraction are considered two pivotal factors for enhancing power conversion efficiency in emerging HC photovoltaic applications of perovskites and other materials. Employing ab initio quantum dynamics simulations, we demonstrate the simultaneous slow cooling and efficient extraction of hot electrons at the C 60 /CsPbI 3 interface through dipolar surface passivation with phenethylammonium and 4-fluorophenethylammonium ligands. The passivation effectively suppresses I-Pb lattice vibrations, weakens the hot electron-phonon interaction in CsPbI 3 , and thus slows down the HC cooling. At the same time, the dipolar surface passivation elevates the LUMO + 1 state in C 60 and reduces the energy gap for HC extraction. Concurrently, higher-frequency vibrations of the dipolar layer enhance the coupling between C 60 and CsPbI 3 , promoting efficient HC extraction further. These phenomena are intensified with increased polarity of the dipolar layer. Furthermore, we find that dipolar passivation has the opposite influence on cold electron collection at the band edge, underscoring the fact that the observed improvement in photovoltaic performance stems preferentially from the effective utilization of HCs rather than cold electrons. The work provides a new strategy for achieving high-performance HC perovskite solar cells.

Exploring ultrafast magnetization control in 2D magnets via laser pulses is established, yet the interplay between spin dynamics and the lattice remains underexplored. Utilizing real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) coupled with Ehrenfest dynamics and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) simulations, we systematically investigate the laser-induced spin-nuclei dynamics with pre-excited A 1g and E 2g coherent phonons in the 2D ferromagnet Fe 3 GeTe 2 (FGT) monolayer. Selective pre-excitation of coherent phonons under ultrafast laser irradiation significantly alters the local spin moment of FGT, consequently inducing additional spin loss attributed to the nuclear motion-induced asymmetric interatomic charge transfer. Excited spin-resolved charge undergoes a bidirectional spin-flip between spin-down and spin-up states, characterized by a subtle change in the spin moment within approximately 100 fs, followed by unidirectional spin-flip, which will further contribute to the spin moment loss of FGT within tens of picoseconds. Our results shed light on the coupling of coherent phonons with magnetization dynamics in 2D limit.

Frequency conversion process based on periodically poled thin-film lithium niobate (PPTFLN) has been widely recognized as an important component for quantum information and photonic signal processing. Benefiting from the tight confinement of optical modes, the normalized conversion efficiency (NCE) of nanophotonic waveguides is improved by orders of magnitude compared to their bulk counterparts. However, the power conversion efficiency of these devices is limited by inherent nanoscale inhomogeneity of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), leading to undesirable phase errors. In this paper, we theoretically present a novel approach to solve this problem. Based on dispersion engineering, we aim at adjusting the waveguide structure, making local waveguide width adjustment at positions of different thicknesses, thus eliminating the phase errors. The adapted waveguide width design is applied for etched and loaded waveguides based on PPTFLN, achieving the ultrahigh power conversion efficiency of second harmonic generation (SHG) up to 2.1 × 10 4 %W -1 and 6936%W -1 , respectively, which surpasses the power conversion efficiency of other related works. Our approach just needs standard periodic poling with a single period, significantly reducing the complexity of electrode fabrication and the difficulty of poling, and allows for the placing of multiple waveguides, without individual poling designs for each waveguide. With the advantages of simplicity, high production, and meeting current micro-nano fabrication technology, our work may open a new way for achieving highly efficient second-order nonlinear optical processes based on PPTFLN.

This research examines vanadium-deficient V 2 C MXene, a two-dimensional (2D) vanadium carbide with exceptional electrochemical properties for rechargeable zinc-ion batteries. Through a meticulous etching process, a V-deficient, porous architecture with an expansive surface area is achieved, fostering three-dimensional (3D) diffusion channels and boosting zinc ion storage. Analytical techniques like scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and X-ray diffraction confirm the formation of V 2 C MXene and its defective porous structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further verifies its transformation from the MAX phase to MXene, noting an increase in V 3+ and V 4+ states with etching. Cyclic voltammetry reveals superior de-zincation kinetics, evidenced by consistent V 3+ /V 4+ oxidation peaks at varied scanning rates. Overall, this V-deficient MXene outperforms raw MXenes in capacity and rate, although its capacity diminishes over extended cycling due to structural flaws. Theoretical analyses suggest conductivity rises with vacancies, enhancing 3D ionic diffusion as vacancy size grows. This work sheds light on enhancing V-based MXene structures for optimized zinc-ion storage., (© 2024 The Authors. Small Methods published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Photodetectors have a wide range of applications across various fields. Self-powered photodetectors that do not require external energy have garnered significant attention. The photoelectrochemical type of photodetector is a self-powered device that is both simple to fabricate and offers high performance. However, developing photoelectrochemical photodetectors with superior quality and performance remains a significant challenge. The electrolyte, which is a key component in these detectors, must maintain extensive contact with the semiconductor without degrading its material quality and efficiently catalyze the redox reactions of photogenerated electrons and holes, while also facilitating rapid charge carrier transport. In this study, α-Ga 2 O 3 nanorod arrays were synthesized via a cost-effective hydrothermal method to achieve a self-powered solar-blind photodetector. The impacts of different electrolytes-Na 2 SO 4 , NaOH, and Na 2 CO 3 -on the photodetector was investigated. Ultimately, a self-powered photodetector with Na 2 SO 4 as the electrolyte demonstrated a stable photoresponse, with the maximum responsivity of 0.2 mA/W at 262 nm with the light intensity of 3.0 mW/cm 2 , and it exhibited rise and decay times of 0.16 s and 0.10 s, respectively. The α-Ga 2 O 3 nanorod arrays and Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte provided a rapid pathway for the transport of photogenerated carriers and the built-in electric field at the semiconductor-liquid heterojunction interface, which was largely responsible for the effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs that provided the outstanding performance of our photodetector.

Disentangling orbital (OAM) and spin (SAM) angular momenta in the ultrafast spin dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnets on subfemtoseconds is a challenge in the field of ultrafast magnetism. Herein, we employed a non-collinear spin version of real-time time-dependent density functional theory to investigate the orbital and spin dynamics of the 2D ferromagnets Fe 3 GeTe 2 (FGT) induced by circularly polarized light. Our results show that the demagnetization of the Fe sublattice in FGT is accompanied by helicity-dependent precession of the OAM and SAM excited by circularly polarized lasers. We further identify that precession of the OAM and SAM in FGT is faster than demagnetization within a few femtoseconds. Remarkably, circularly polarized lasers can significantly induce a periodic transverse linear response of the OAM and SAM on very ultrafast time scales of ∼600 attoseconds. Our finding suggests a powerful new route for attosecond regimes of the angular momentum manipulation to coherently control helicity-dependent orbital and spin dynamics in 2D ferromagnets.

Background and Aim: Clinical evidence for early identification and diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (LC) caused by different types of liver disease is limited. We investigated this topic through a meta-analysis of quantitative metabolomics., Methods: Four databases were searched until October 31, 2022 for studies comparing metabolite levels between patients with different types of liver disease and control individuals. A random-effects model was applied for the meta-analysis., Results: This study included 55 studies with 8266 clinical participants, covering 348 metabolites. In LC related to drug-induced liver injury (DILI), hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the primary bile acid biosynthesis (taurocholic acid: SMD, 1.08[0.81, 1.35]; P < 0.00001; glycocholic acid: SMD, 1.35[1.07, 1.62]; P < 0.00001; taurochenodeoxycholic acid: SMD, 1.36[0.94, 1.78]; P < 0.00001; glycochenodeoxycholic acid: SMD, 1.49[0.93, 2.06]; P < 0.00001), proline and arginine (l-proline: SMD, 1.06[0.53, 1.58]; P < 0.0001; hydroxyproline: SMD, 0.81[0.30, 1.33]; P = 0.002), and fatty acid biosynthesis (palmitic acid: SMD, 0.44[0.21, 0.67]; P = 0.0002; oleic acid: SMD, 0.46[0.19, 0.73]; P = 0.0008; stearic acid: SMD, 0.37[0.07, 0.68]; P = 0.02) metabolic pathways were significantly altered., Conclusion: We identified key biomarkers and metabolic characteristics for distinguishing and identifying LC related to different types of liver disease, providing a new perspective for early diagnosis, disease monitoring, and precise treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

To address the issues of low accuracy and slow response speed in tea disease classification and identification, an improved YOLOv7 lightweight model was proposed in this study. The lightweight MobileNeXt was used as the backbone network to reduce computational load and enhance efficiency. Additionally, a dual-layer routing attention mechanism was introduced to enhance the model's ability to capture crucial details and textures in disease images, thereby improving accuracy. The SIoU loss function was employed to mitigate missed and erroneous judgments, resulting in improved recognition amidst complex image backgrounds.The revised model achieved precision, recall, and average precision of 93.5%, 89.9%, and 92.1%, respectively, representing increases of 4.5%, 1.9%, and 2.6% over the original model. Furthermore, the model's volum was reduced by 24.69M, the total param was reduced by 12.88M, while detection speed was increased by 24.41 frames per second. This enhanced model efficiently and accurately identifies tea disease types, offering the benefits of lower parameter count and faster detection, thereby establishing a robust foundation for tea disease monitoring and prevention efforts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Spin injection stands out as a crucial method employed for initializing, manipulating, and measuring the spin states of electrons, which are fundamental to the creation of qubits in quantum computing. However, ensuring efficient spin injection while maintaining compatibility with standard semiconductor processing techniques is a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the capability of inducing an ultrafast spin injection into a WSe 2 layer from a magnetic CrI 3 layer on a femtosecond time scale, achieved through real-time time-dependent density functional theory calculations upon a laser pulse. Following the peak of the magnetic moment in the CrI 3 sublayer, the magnetic moment of the WSe 2 layer reaches a maximum of 0.89 μ B (per unit cell containing 4 WSe 2 and 1 CrI 3 units). During the spin dynamics, spin-polarized excited electrons transfer from the WSe 2 layer to the CrI 3 layer via type-II band alignment. The large spin splitting in conduction bands and the difference in the number of spin-polarized local unoccupied states available in the CrI 3 layer lead to a net spin in the WSe 2 layer. Furthermore, we confirmed that the number of available states, the spin-flip process, and the laser pulse parameters play important roles during the spin injection process. This work highlights the dynamic and rapid nature of spin manipulation in layered all-semiconductor systems, offering significant implications for the development and enhancement of quantum information processing technologies.

Despite spin (SAM) and orbital (OAM) angular momentum dynamics being well-studied in demagnetization processes, their components receive less focus. Here, we utilize real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) to unveil significant x and y components of SAM and OAM induced by circularly left (σ + ) and right (σ - ) polarized laser pulses in ferromagnetic Fe, Co, and Ni. Our results show that the magnitude of the OAM is an order of magnitude larger than that of the SAM, highlighting a stronger optical response from the orbital degrees of freedom of electrons. Intriguingly, σ + and σ - pulses induce chirality in the precession of SAM and OAM, respectively, with clear associations with laser frequency and duration. Finally, we demonstrate the time scale of the OAM and SAM precession occurs even earlier than that of the demagnetization process and the OISTR effect. Our results provide detailed insight into the dynamics of SAM and OAM during and shortly after a polarized laser pulse.

Aims: Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD), one of the major complications of diabetes, is also a major cause of end-stage renal disease. Metabolomics can provide a unique metabolic profile of the disease and thus predict or diagnose the development of the disease. Therefore, this study summarises a more comprehensive set of clinical biomarkers related to DKD to identify functional metabolites significantly associated with the development of DKD and reveal their driving mechanisms for DKD., Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases through October 2022. A meta-analysis was conducted on untargeted or targeted metabolomics research data based on the strategy of standardized mean differences and the process of ratio of means as the effect size, respectively. We compared the changes in metabolite levels between the DKD patients and the controls and explored the source of heterogeneity through subgroup analyses, sensitivity analysis and meta-regression analysis., Results: The 34 clinical-based metabolomics studies clarified the differential metabolites between DKD and controls, containing 4503 control subjects and 1875 patients with DKD. The results showed that a total of 60 common differential metabolites were found in both meta-analyses, of which 5 metabolites (p < 0.05) were identified as essential metabolites. Compared with the control group, metabolites glycine, aconitic acid, glycolic acid and uracil decreased significantly in DKD patients; cysteine was significantly higher. This indicates that amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism in DKD patients are disordered., Conclusions: We have identified 5 metabolites and metabolic pathways related to DKD which can serve as biomarkers or targets for disease prevention and drug therapy., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Accurate medical image segmentation is of great significance for subsequent diagnosis and analysis. The acquisition of multi-scale information plays an important role in segmenting regions of interest of different sizes. With the emergence of Transformers, numerous networks adopted hybrid structures incorporating Transformers and CNNs to learn multi-scale information. However, the majority of research has focused on the design and composition of CNN and Transformer structures, neglecting the inconsistencies in feature learning between Transformer and CNN. This oversight has resulted in the hybrid network's performance not being fully realized. In this work, we proposed a novel hybrid multi-scale segmentation network named HmsU-Net, which effectively fused multi-scale features. Specifically, HmsU-Net employed a parallel design incorporating both CNN and Transformer architectures. To address the inconsistency in feature learning between CNN and Transformer within the same stage, we proposed the multi-scale feature fusion module. For feature fusion across different stages, we introduced the cross-attention module. Comprehensive experiments conducted on various datasets demonstrate that our approach surpasses current state-of-the-art methods., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In order to solve the problem of precise identification and counting of tea pests, this study has proposed a novel tea pest identification method based on improved YOLOv7 network., Methods: This method used MPDIoU to optimize the original loss function, which improved the convergence speed of the model and simplifies the calculation process. Replace part of the network structure of the original model using Spatial and Channel reconstruction Convolution to reduce redundant features, lower the complexity of the model, and reduce computational costs. The Vision Transformer with Bi-Level Routing Attention has been incorporated to enhance the flexibility of model calculation allocation and content perception., Results: The experimental results revealed that the enhanced YOLOv7 model significantly boosted Precision, Recall, F1, and mAP by 5.68%, 5.14%, 5.41%, and 2.58% respectively, compared to the original YOLOv7. Furthermore, when compared to deep learning networks such as SSD, Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (RCNN), and the original YOLOv7, this method proves to be superior while being externally validated. It exhibited a noticeable improvement in the FPS rates, with increments of 5.75 HZ, 34.42 HZ, and 25.44 HZ respectively. Moreover, the mAP for actual detection experiences significant enhancements, with respective increases of 2.49%, 12.26%, and 7.26%. Additionally, the parameter size is reduced by 1.39 G relative to the original model., Discussion: The improved model can not only identify and count tea pests efficiently and accurately, but also has the characteristics of high recognition rate, low parameters and high detection speed. It is of great significance to achieve realize the intelligent and precise prevention and control of tea pests., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 He, Zhang, Yang, Wang, Gao, Huang, Wang, Wang, Yuan, Wu, Li, Xu, Wang, Zhang and Wang.)

Gastric cancer is a significant contributor to cancer-related fatalities globally. The automated segmentation of gastric tumors has the potential to analyze the medical condition of patients and enhance the likelihood of surgical treatment success. However, the development of an automatic solution is challenged by the heterogeneous intensity distribution of gastric tumors in computed tomography (CT) images, the low-intensity contrast between organs, and the high variability in the stomach shapes and gastric tumors in different patients. To address these challenges, we propose a self-attention backward network (SaB-Net) for gastric tumor segmentation (GTS) in CT images by introducing a self-attention backward layer (SaB-Layer) to feed the self-attention information learned at the deep layer back to the shallow layers. The SaB-Layer efficiently extracts tumor information from CT images and integrates the information into the network, thereby enhancing the network's tumor segmentation ability. We employed datasets from two centers, one for model training and testing and the other for external validation. The model achieved dice scores of 0.8456 on the test set and 0.8068 on the external verification set. Moreover, we validated the model's transfer learning ability on a publicly available liver cancer dataset, achieving results comparable to state-of-the-art liver cancer segmentation models recently developed. SaB-Net has strong potential for assisting in the clinical diagnosis of and therapy for gastric cancer. Our implementation is available at https://github.com/TyrionJ/SaB-Net., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We have no personal interests that may potentially influence or bias the content of this work. We have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: In this study, we investigated the dispersion patterns of aerosols and droplets in dental clinics and developed a suction device to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing aerosols during dental procedures., Materials and Methods: Firstly, the continuous images of oral aerosols and droplets were photographed with a high-speed camera, and the trajectories of these particles were recognized and processed by Image J to determine key parameters affecting particle dispersion: diffusion velocity, distance, and angle. Secondly, based on the parameter data, the flow field of aerosol particles around the oral cavity was simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the flow field under adsorption conditions was simulated to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics and capture efficiencies of the single-channel and three-channel adsorption ports at different pressures. Finally, according to the simulated data, a three-channel suction device was developed, and the capture efficiency of the device was tested by the fluorescein tracer method., Results: The dispersion experimental data showed that aerosol particles' maximum diffusion velocity, distance, and angle were 6.2 m/s, 0.55 m, and 130°, respectively. The simulated aerosol flow-field distribution was consistent with the aerosol dispersion patterns. The adsorption simulation results showed that the outlet flow rate of single-channel adsorption was 184.5 L/s at - 350 Pa, and the aerosol capture efficiency could reach 79.4%. At - 350 Pa and - 150 Pa, the outlet flow rate of three-channel adsorption was 228.9 L/s, and the capture efficiency was 99.23%. The adsorption experimental data showed that the capture efficiency of three-channel suction device was 97.71%., Conclusions: A three-channel suction device was designed by simulations and experiments, which can capture most aerosols in the dental clinic and prevent them from spreading., Clinical Relevance: Using three-channel suction devices during oral treatment effectively reduces the spread of oral aerosols, which is essential to prevent the spread of epidemics and ensure the health and safety of patients and dental staff., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Light-induced ultrafast dynamics in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic systems demonstrate substantial advancements in spintronics. Here, using the real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT), we applied laser pulses with various frequencies, from terahertz (THz) to optical pulse, to systematically study the interlayer spin transfer dynamics in 2D van der Waals nonmagnetic-ferromagnetic heterostructures, including graphene-Fe 3 GeTe 2 (Gr/FGT) and silicene-Fe 3 GeTe 2 (Si/FGT). Our results demonstrate that low-frequency THz pulses are particularly effective in facilitating interlayer spin injection from the ferromagnetic FGT layers to the Si or Gr layers. On the contrary, high-frequency optical pulses exhibit a minimal influence on this process. Such an effect is attributed to the low-frequency THz pulses inducing in-phase oscillations of the electron charge density around atomic centers, leading to a highly efficient interlayer spin transfer. Our results provide a new insight into ultrafast THz radiation control intralayer spin transfer and magnetic proximity dynamics in the 2D limit.

The potential to detect and manipulate the valley degree of freedom within two-dimensional hexagonal lattices possessing both inversion asymmetry and time-reversal symmetry is theoretically feasible. Intrinsic ferrovalley polarization in MXenes could be induced by asymmetric surface functionalization to break their inversion symmetry and the presence of spin-orbital coupling ensures their time-reversal symmetry. Our results indicate that the ferromagnetic Cr 2 COF MXene with Janus functionalization becomes an intrinsic Chern insulator with large spin-valley polarization and belongs to the family of quantum anomalous valley Hall effect (QAVHE) materials, based on Berry curvature and edge state calculations. Applying chemical engineering of functionalization to magnetic MXenes allows us to tune the structure-property relationship in 2D layers to obtain desirable spin-valley coupling. Our theoretical insight into the QAVHE on magnetic MXenes with asymmetry functionalization provides a new opportunity for valleytronics and spintronics.

Dengue is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. As an arbovirus disease, it is mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus . According to the previous studies, temperature is closely related to the survival of Aedes mosquitoes, the proliferation of dengue virus (DENV) and the vector competence of Aedes to transmit DENV. This review describes the correlations between temperature and dengue epidemics, and explores the potential reasons including the distribution and development of Aedes mosquitoes, the structure of DENV, and the vector competence of Aedes mosquitoes. In addition, the immune and metabolic mechanism are discussed on how temperature affects the vector competence of Aedes mosquitoes to transmit DENV., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liu, Zhang, Li, He, Guo, Wang, Huang, Xi, Yuan, Li and Li.)

We employ real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) and ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) to systematically investigate the ultrafast laser pulses induced spin transfer and relaxation dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic (AFM/FM) MnPS 3 /MnSe 2 van der Waals heterostructures. We demonstrate that laser pulses can induce a ferrimagnetic (FiM) state in the AFM MnPS 3 layer within tens of femtoseconds and maintain it for subpicosecond time scale before reverting to the AFM state. We identify the mechanism in which the asymmetric optical intersite spin transfer (OISTR) effect occurring within the sublattices of the AFM and FM layers drives the interlayer spin-selective charge transfer, leading to the transition from AFM to FiM state. Furthermore, the unequal electron-phonon coupling of spin-up and spin-down channels of AFM spin sublattice causes an inequivalent spin relaxation, in turn extending the time scale of the FiM state. These findings are essential for designing novel optical-driven ultrafast 2D magnetic switches.

Neoadjuvant immune-checkpoint blockade therapy only benefits a limited fraction of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Thus, targeting other immunomodulators on myeloid cells is an attractive therapeutic option. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics of patients with GBM treated with neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy. We identified unique monocyte-derived tumor-associated macrophage subpopulations with functional plasticity that highly expressed the immunosuppressive SIGLEC9 gene and preferentially accumulated in the nonresponders to anti-PD-1 treatment. Deletion of Siglece (murine homolog) resulted in dramatically restrained tumor development and prolonged survival in mouse models. Mechanistically, targeting Siglece directly activated both CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells through antigen presentation, secreted chemokines and co-stimulatory factor interactions. Furthermore, Siglece deletion synergized with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment to improve antitumor efficacy. Our data demonstrated that Siglec-9 is an immune-checkpoint molecule on macrophages that can be targeted to enhance anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapeutic efficacy for GBM treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine whether the regional methylation levels at the most distal D4Z4 repeat units (RU) in the 4qA-permissive haplotype were associated with disease severity and progression in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 1 (FSHD1)., Methods: This 21-year, retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted at the Fujian Neuromedical Center (FNMC) in China. Methylation levels of the most distal D4Z4 RU, including 10 CpGs, were assessed in all participants by bisulfite sequencing. Patients with FSHD1 were stratified into 4 groups based on methylation percentage quartiles, including LM1 (low methylation), LM2 (low to intermediate methylation), LM3 (intermediate to high methylation), and highest methylation (HM) levels. Patients received evaluations of motor function focusing on lower extremity (LE) progression at baseline and in follow-ups. FSHD clinical score (CS), age-corrected clinical severity scale (ACSS), and modified Rankin scale were used to assess motor function., Results: The methylation levels of the 10 CpGs were significantly lower in all 823 patients with genetically confirmed FSHD1 than in 341 healthy controls (HCs). CpG6 methylation levels could distinguish the following: (1) patients with FSHD1 from HCs; (2) symptomatic from asymptomatic/unaffected patients; (3) patients with LE involvement from those without LE involvement, with AUCs (95% CI) of 0.9684 (0.9584-0.9785), 0.7417 (0.6903-0.7931), and 0.6386 (0.5816-0.6956), respectively. Lower CpG6 methylation levels were correlated with higher CS (r = -0.392), higher ACSS (r = -0.432), and earlier onset age of first-ever muscle weakness (r = 0.297). For the LM1, LM2, LM3, and HM groups, the respective proportions of LE involvement were 52.9%, 44.2%, 36.9%, and 23.4%; and onset ages of LE involvement were 20, 26.5, 25, and 26.5 years. Cox regression analysis-adjusted for sex, age at examination, D4Z4 RU, and 4qA/B haplotype-showed that the LM1, LM2, and LM3 groups (i.e., groups with lower methylation levels) had a higher risk of independent ambulation loss, with HRs (95% CI) of 3.523 (1.565-7.930), 3.356 (1.458-7.727), and 2.956 (1.245-7.020), respectively., Discussion: 4q35 distal D4Z4 hypomethylation is correlated with disease severity and progression to lower extremity involvement., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.)

Realizing ultrafast control of magnetization switching is of crucial importance for information processing and recording technology. Here, we explore the laser-induced spin electron excitation and relaxation dynamics processes of CrCl 3 /CrBr 3 heterostructures with antiparallel (AP) and parallel (P) systems. Although an ultrafast demagnetization of CrCl 3 and CrBr 3 layers occurs in both AP and P systems, the overall magnetic order of the heterostructure remains unchanged due to the laser-induced equivalent interlayer spin electron excitation. More crucially, the interlayer magnetic order switches from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferrimagnetic (FiM) in the AP system once the laser pulse disappears. The microscopic mechanism underpinning this magnetization switching is dominated by the asymmetrical interlayer charge transfer combined with a spin-flip, which breaks the interlayer AFM symmetry and ultimately results in an inequivalent shift in the moment between two FM layers. Our study opens up a new idea for ultrafast laser control of magnetization switching in two-dimensional opto-spintronic devices.

To control the spread and transmission of airborne particles (especially SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, recently) in the indoor environment, many control strategies have been employed. Comparisons of these strategies enable a reasonable choice for indoor environment control and cost-effectiveness. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted in a full-scale chamber to simulate a conference room. The control effects of four different strategies (a ventilation system (320 m 3 /h) with and without a baffle, a specific type of portable air cleaner (400 m 3 /h) and a specific type of desk air cleaner (DAC, 160 m 3 /h)) on the transportation of particles of different sizes were studied. In addition, the effects of coupling the ventilation strategies with five forms of indoor airflow organization (side supply and side or ceiling return, ceiling supply and ceiling or side return, floor supply and ceiling return) were evaluated. The cumulative exposure level (CEL) and infection probability were selected as evaluation indexes. The experimental results showed that among the four strategies, the best particle control effect was achieved by the PAC. The reduction in CEL for particles in the overall size range was 22.1% under the ventilation system without a baffle, 34.3% under the ventilation system with a baffle, 46.4% with the PAC, and 10.1% with the DAC. The average infection probabilities under the four control strategies were 11.3-11.8%, 11.1-11.8%, 9.1-9.5%, and 18.2-19.7%, respectively. Among the five different forms of airflow organization, the floor supply and ceiling return mode exhibited the best potential ability to remove particles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Turkish National Committee for Air Pollution Research and Control. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Simiao pill (SMP) is a classic prescription that has shown anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and immunomodulatory effects and is clinically used to treat inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gouty arthritis, for which the effects and mechanism of action remain largely unknown. In this study, serum samples from RA rats were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry based metabolomics technology and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry proteomics technology together with network pharmacology to explore the pharmacodynamic substances of SMP. To further verify the above results, we constructed a fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) cell model and administered phellodendrine for the test. All these clues suggested that SMP can significantly reduce the level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in complete Freund's adjuvant rat serum and improve the degree of foot swelling; combined with metabolomics, proteomics, and network pharmacological technology, it is determined that SMP plays a therapeutic role through the inflammatory pathway, and phellodendrine is found to be one of the pharmacodynamic substances. By constructing an FLS model, it is further determined that phellodendrine could effectively inhibit the activity of synovial cells and reduce the expression level of inflammatory factors by downregulating the expression level of related proteins in the TLR4-MyD88-IRAK4-MAPK signal pathway to alleviate joint inflammation and cartilage injury. Overall, these findings suggested that phellodendrine is an effective component of SMP in the treatment of RA., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Laser metal-wire deposition (LMwD) exhibits a larger molten pool and layer height during printing, compared to powder bed fusion additive manufacturing; in the present study, these features revealed a more inhomogeneous but easily observable microstructure. The coaxial double laser used herein makes the energy distribution of the molten pool more complex than that afforded by a single laser source, and the microstructure of the LMwD parts was more heterogeneous as well. We observed the microstructure of Ti6Al4V by the double LMwD as-built samples by conducting a laboratory experiment and a simulation. The precipitated martensite (α') phase was defined after eliminating the influence of the β element in an X-ray diffraction analysis, which has not been discussed previously in the literature. We also propose a theory regarding the formation of heat-affected zone (HAZ) bands in an environment that includes the α' phase. Our experiments revealed only white HAZ bands, which can be attributed to the solute partitioning caused by sequential thermal cycling and the absence of the β element. The microhardness of the HAZ band areas was lower than that of both the upper and lower sides. The simulation results indicate that the maximum temperature of 2925 °C restrains the generating of HAZ bands in the final two deposited layers, due to its great difference from the β transus temperature. Moreover, the higher heat accumulation in the upper layers promoted the migration of β-grain boundaries, which may explain why the coarse columnar β grains tended to grow at the edge area in the layers deposited later. We also observed that with the use of high temperature, the nucleation of β grains is more easily promoted in the lower layers. We conclude that the concentration of residual stress in the fusion zone and the first layer is favorable to the nucleation of equiaxed grains.

Background: This study aimed to elucidate the effects of tumstatin (69-88) on heart failure and the underlying mechanism., Materials and Methods: Myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by ligating the left coronary artery in rats to trigger heart failure., Results: Tumstatin (69-88) can reduce cardiac insufficiency in rats with heart failure. The increased cardiac fibrosis in MI rat was attenuated by tumstatin (69-88). Increase of cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in rats with myocardial infarction, and Ang II-treated NRCMs or H9C2 cells was inhibited by tumstatin (69-88). In the heart of MI rats, and Ang II-treated NRCMs or H9C2 cells, the superoxide anions and NADPH oxidase (Nox) activity rose and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was reduced, which was inhibited by tumstatin (69-88). Diethyldithiocarbamate, an SOD inhibitor, increased the ANP and BNP in NRCMs or H9C2 cells. Tumstatin (69-88) inhibited the Ang II-induced raises of ANP and BNP in NRCMs or H9C2 cells, which was reversed by DETC., Conclusions: These results indicate that tumstatin (69-88) alleviates cardiac dysfunction of heart failure. Tumstatin (69-88) improves the hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes via attenuation of oxidative stress. Tumstatin (69-88) may be a potential drug for heart failure in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is an industrial technology for direct propylene production, which has received extensive attention and realized large-scale application. At present, the commercial Pt/Cr-based catalysts suffer from fast deactivation and inferior stability resulting from active species sintering and coke depositing. To overcome the above problems, several strategies such as the modification of the support and the introduction of additives have been proposed to strengthen the catalytic performance and prolong the robust stability of Pt/Cr-based catalysts. This review firstly gives a brief description of the development of PDH and PDH catalysts. Then, the advanced research progress of supported noble metals and non-noble metals together with metal-free materials for PDH is systematically summarized along with the material design and active origin as well as the existing problems in the development of PDH catalysts. Furthermore, the review also emphasizes advanced synthetic strategies based on novel design of PDH catalysts with improved dehydrogenation activity and stability. Finally, the future challenges and directions of PDH catalysts are provided for the development of their further industrial application.