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Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a bottleneck process for many electrochemical devices due to the sluggish kinetics, for which advanced electrocatalysts should be carefully designed. Nickle-based materials have been extensively studied to catalyze OER. However, their performances are still below the expectation and the active sites are often controversial. Herein, we have successfully modulated the electronic and surface properties of layered •-Ni(OH)2 by the interlayer ligand engineering, aiming to design novel efficient electrocatalysts and unveil the catalysis mechanism. By one-step solvothermal reaction, alkoxyl substituted •-Ni(OH)2 with variable interlayer distances is obtained, and the ethoxyl substituted one (NiEt) shows great potential for efficient OER. With the assistance of powder X-ray diffraction and crystalline structure computational simulation, the formula of alkoxyl substituted •-Ni(OH)2 are determined. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies combined with ex-situ analyses revealed that the critical active species of NiEt is formed via hydroxylation and subsequent de-protonation, with high valent Niδ+ (3

This study investigates optimal large-scale offshore wind turbines (OWT). The blade data for large-scale OWTs is developed using the NREL 5-MW baseline OWT and validated using the DTU 10-MW reference one, where the blade parameters for OWTs ranging from 5 to 17 MW are established. Interpolation, extrapolation, and regression analyses are used to obtain the relationship between the chord length and three blade properties, as well as the relationship between the nacelle mass and rotor diameter. The chord length and rotor radius are then adjusted based on the NREL 5-MW OWT to obtain the required rated power contour figure using FAST. One can use the rated power and critical blade out-of-plane deflection to determine the chord length and rotor radius factors, and the required FAST input files can thus be generated. In this study, 5- to 16-MW OWTs are selected to conduct a support structure analysis and to determine the optimal steel design. Based on the relationship between the rated power with the blade weight and the steel weight of the support structure, OWTs with a rated power ranging from 9 to 15 MW is suitable. The 12-MW one should be optimal, and those over 15 MW are not economic.

The exact role of a defect structure on transition metal compounds for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is a very dynamic process, remains unclear. Studying the structure-activity relationship of defective electrocatalysts under operando conditions is crucial for understanding their intrinsic reaction mechanism and dynamic behavior of defect sites. Co3O4 with rich oxygen vacancy (VO) has been reported to efficiently catalyze OER. Herein, we constructed pure spinel Co3O4 and VO-rich Co3O4 as catalyst models to study the defect mechanism and investigate the dynamic behavior of defect sites during the electrocatalytic OER process by various operando characterizations. Operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) implied that the VO could facilitate the pre-oxidation of the low-valence Co (Co2+, part of which was induced by the VO to balance the charge) at a relatively lower applied potential. This observation confirmed that the VO could initialize the surface reconstruction of VO-Co3O4 prior to the occurrence of the OER process. The quasi-operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and operando X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results further demonstrated the oxygen vacancies were filled with OH• first for VO-Co3O4 and facilitated pre-oxidation of low-valence Co and promoted reconstruction/deprotonation of intermediate Co-OOH•. This work provides insight into the defect mechanism in Co3O4 for OER in a dynamic way by observing the surface dynamic evolution process of defective electrocatalysts and identifying the real active sites during the electrocatalysis process. The current finding would motivate the community to focus more on the dynamic behavior of defect electrocatalysts.

Ni-based electrocatalysts with strong redox abilities are active for the electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Interface engineering is an efficient way to modulate the electronic structure, tune the intermediate adsorption, and expose more active sites. Herein, we increased the concentration of interfacial sites with rich defects in a 3D hierarchical nanostructured NiO-Co3O4 electrocatalyst and investigated its catalytic performance for HMF electro-oxidation. The interface effect created abundant cation vacancies, modulated the electronic properties of Co and Ni atoms, and raised the oxidation state of Ni species. The NiO-Co3O4 catalysts show superb HMF oxidation activities with a low onset potential of 1.28 VRHE. Meanwhile, in-situ surface-selective vibrational spectroscopy of sum-frequency generation was performed to study the reaction pathway during the oxidation process on the electrocatalysts. The current study offers an efficient way to create cation vacancies and proves the decisive role of cation vacancies in catalyzing the HMF electro-oxidation.

In this study, n-type MoS2 monolayer flakes are grown through chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and a p-type Cu2O thin film is grown via electrochemical deposition. The crystal structure of the grown MoS2 flakes is analyzed through transmission electron microscopy. The monolayer structure of the MoS2 flakes is verified with Raman spectroscopy, multiphoton excitation microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. After the preliminary processing of the grown MoS2 flakes, the sample is then transferred onto a Cu2O thin film to complete a p-n heterogeneous structure. Data are confirmed via scanning electron microscopy, SHG, and Raman mapping measurements. The luminous energy gap between the two materials is examined through PL measurements. Results reveal that the thickness of the single-layer MoS2 film is 0.7 nm. PL mapping shows a micro signal generated at the 627 nm wavelength, which belongs to the B2 excitons of MoS2 and tends to increase gradually when it approaches 670 nm. Finally, the biosensor is used to detect lung cancer cell types in hydroplegia significantly reducing the current busy procedures and longer waiting time for detection. The results suggest that the fabricated sensor is highly sensitive to the change in the photocurrent with the number of each cell, the linear regression of the three cell types is as high as 99%. By measuring the slope of the photocurrent, we can identify the type of cells and the number of cells.

The nucleophile oxidation reaction (NOR) is of enormous significance for organic electrosynthesis and coupling for hydrogen generation. However, the nonuniform NOR mechanism limits its development. For the NOR, involving electrocatalysis and organic chemistry, both the electrochemical step and non-electrochemical process should be taken into account. The NOR of nickel-based hydroxides includes the electrogenerated dehydrogenation of the Ni

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction (ECR) is a promising technology to produce valuable fuels and feedstocks from CO2. Despite large efforts to develop ECR catalysts, the investigation of the catalytic performance and electrochemical behavior of complex metal oxides, especially perovskite oxides, is rarely reported. Here, the inorganic perovskite oxide Ag-doped (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95Ag0.05MnO3–δ (LSA0.05M) is reported as an efficient electrocatalyst for ECR to CO for the first time, which exhibits a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 84.3%, a remarkable mass activity of 75 A g−1 (normalized to the mass of Ag), and stability of 130 h at a moderate overpotential of 0.79 V. The LSA0.05M catalyst experiences structure reconstruction during ECR, creating the in operando-formed interface between the perovskite and the evolved Ag phase. The evolved Ag is uniformly distributed with a small particle size on the perovskite surface. Theoretical calculations indicate the reconstruction of LSA0.05M during ECR and reveal that the perovskite–Ag interface provides adsorption sites for CO2 and accelerates the desorption of the *CO intermediate to enhance ECR. This study presents a novel high-performance perovskite catalyst for ECR and may inspire the future design of electrocatalysts via the in operando formation of metal–metal oxide interfaces.

Fuel cells are considered as a promising alternative to the existing traditional energy systems towards a sustainable future. Nevertheless, the synthesis of efficient and robust platinum (Pt) based catalysts remains a challenge for practical applications. In this work, we present a simple and scalable molten-salt synthesis method for producing a low-platinum (Pt) nanoalloy implanted in metal-nitrogen-graphene. The as-prepared low-Pt alloyed graphene exhibits a high oxygen reduction activity of 1.29 A mg

BACKGROUND Primary intraosseous meningiomas (PIMs) are rare, and PIMs of the vertebrae have not yet been reported. The authors report a case of primary meningioma arising from the vertebrae. OBSERVATIONS A 49-year-old man presented with lower back pain and numbness in both lower extremities. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed an L2 pathological fracture with epidural and paraspinal invasion. The patient had undergone a first palliative decompression and fixation surgery, and the diagnosis turned out to be a World Health Organization grade III anaplastic meningioma based on histopathology. The tumor had progressed after first operation and radiation therapy, and the patient was referred to the authors’ institute for excision. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course after a revisional total en bloc spondylectomy of L2. LESSONS The authors present a rare case of PIM of the vertebrae with epidural and paraspinal invasion. Careful preoperative assessment and surgical planning is crucial for successful patient management.

Finite element analysis (FEA) has always been an important tool in studying the influences of stress and deformation due to various loads on implants to the surrounding jaws. This study assessed the influence of two different types of dental implant model on stress dissipation in adjoining jaws and on the implant itself by utilizing FEA. This analysis aimed to examine the effects of increasing the number of fences along the implant and to compare the resulting stress distribution and deformation with surrounding bones. When a vertical force of 100 N was applied, the largest displacements found in the three-fenced and single-fenced models were 1.7469 and 2.5267, respectively, showing a drop of 30.8623%. The maximum stress found in the three-fenced and one-fenced models was 13.518 and 22.365 MPa, respectively, showing a drop of 39.557%. Moreover, when an oblique force at 35° was applied, a significant increase in deformation and stress was observed. However, the three-fenced model still had less stress and deformation compared with the single-fenced model. The FEA results suggested that as the number of fences increases, the stress dissipation increases, whereas deformation decreases considerably.

In this paper, an RF wire-to-board connector with an ultra-low loss cable is proposed to reduce interconnection loss at mmWave frequencies. A new type of the rotary connector structure with a mating height of 1.4 mm is designed to achieve a bandwidth from DC to 45 GHz. This rotary type RF wire-to-board connector may provide ultra-low loss connection solutions for 5G mobile and base station devices, radar systems, satellite modules, etc. Also, a DSFP high speed connector design is presented, where each of the dual high-speed channels in this connector may operate up to 28 GHz. With a PAM4 modulation technique, the aggregated data rate of the DSFP may reach 224 Gbps to support high-speed transmissions for 5G applications.

Red phosphorus is a promising photocatalyst with wide visible-light absorption up to 700 nm, but the fast charge recombination limits its photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. Now, [001]-oriented Hittorf's phosphorus (HP) nanorods were successfully grown on polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) by a chemical vapor deposition strategy. Compared with the bare PCN and HP, the optimized PCN@HP hybrid exhibited a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity, with HER rates reaching 33.2 and 17.5 μmol h-1 from pure water under simulated solar light and visible light irradiation, respectively. It was theoretically and experimentally indicated that the strong electronic coupling between PCN and [001]-oriented HP nanorods gave rise to the enhanced visible light absorption and the greatly accelerated photoinduced electron-hole separation and transfer, which benefited the photocatalytic HER performance.

In-depth understanding of electrocatalytically active species transformation during oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is highly guidable to design effective electrocatalysts for water splitting. Here...

Increasing the active site density of single atom catalysts (SACs) is expected to generate closely neighboring atomic sites with potential synergetic interaction. However, the synthesis of SACs with high active site density still remains a great challenge due to the easy aggregation of high density metal atoms during the synthesis. In the present work, we develop a stepwise anchoring strategy for the large-scale preparation of carbon-supported high-density Pt SACs (denoted as PtSA@BP). The Pt loading of PtSA@BP is as high as 2.5 wt%, leading to the observation of abundant closely distanced single Pt sites. The produced PtSA@BP catalyst exhibits ultrahigh catalytic activity for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of 26 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH under ultralow Pt loadings of 0.0009 mgPt cm−2 on the electrode, much superior to commercial Pt/C (20 wt%). Mechanistic studies suggest the main contribution of the coordination of closely distanced three-coordinated PtC2N1 moieties to the excellent catalytic activities towards the conversion of water to H2, due to their close-to-zero metal–hydrogen binding value and intense adsorption capability to H2O molecules as well as their low water-dissociation energy barrier. More importantly, this strategy has been verified to be feasible for preparing other noble-metal based SACs, for example, Rh and Pd. The present result provides an enabling and versatile platform for facile access of SACs with technological importance in various areas.

The electronic structure of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) can be modulated by heteroatom doping and creating vacancies. The number of exposed active sites can be enriched by exfoliating the bulk structure into fewer layers. Herein, we successfully achieved multielement doping and exfoliation for Co3Fe LDHs by one SF6-plasma etching step at room temperature (named as Co3Fe LDHs-SF6). The obtained Co3Fe LDHs-SF6 ultrathin nanosheets display outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity, which only needs 268 mV overpotential to reach 10 mA cm-2. Tafel slope and charge transfer resistance are dramatically decreased indicating a faster reaction kinetic rate. The excellent OER activity can be attributed to an increased number of active sites and an optimized electronic structure modulated by the incorporation of electron-withdrawing F, electron-donating S, and abundant vacancies resulting in proper adsorption energy to oxygen species.

Surface treatment is an effective method to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of photoelectrodes. Herein, we introduced a novel strategy of surface sulfurization to modify hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorods grown in an aqueous solution, which triggered encouraging improvement in PEC performances. In comparison to the solution-grown pristine α-Fe2O3 nanorod photoanode that is PEC inefficient and always needs high temperature (>600 °C) activation, the surface sulfurized α-Fe2O3 nanorods show photocurrent density increased by orders of magnitude, reaching 0.46 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode) under simulated solar illumination. This improvement in PEC performances should be attributed to the synergy of the increased carrier density, the reduced surface charge carrier recombination and the accelerated water oxidation kinetics at the α-Fe2O3/electrolyte interface, as induced by the incorporation of S ions and the formation of multi-state S species (Fe-Sx-Oy) at the surface of α-Fe2O3 nanorods. This study paves a new and facile approach to activate α-Fe2O3 and even other metal oxides as photoelectrodes for improved PEC water splitting performances, by engineering the surface structure to relieve the bottlenecks of charge transfer dynamics and redox reaction kinetics at the electrode/electrolyte interface.

In this work we propose a study to determine the structure of Fe and Co doped TiO2 by using the Fe K-edge, Co K-edge and Ti K- edge X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy. The detailed analysis of Fe and Co-doped TiO2 before and after Methylene blue (MB) treatment was examined under the irradiation of 35 W xenon arc lamp for 3 h. The materials treated with MB were studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, EPR and FT-IR which revealed that the oxidation state of Co2+ was photo-oxidized to Co3+ and Fe3+ was photo-reduced to Fe2+ or less. Thermodynamic, kinetic properties were studied at different reaction temperature and the activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS) and free energy (ΔG) of activation were calculated for the reaction. The activation energy has been found for TiO2, Fe TiO2 and Co TiO2 as 24.771, 11.413 and 15.801 kJ mol−1 respectively. The structure, morphology and optical properties were studied by XRD, UV-diffuse reflectance spectra, FESEM, TEM and PL. Moreover, electrochemical studies were carried out to demonstrate the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity on TiO2, Fe TiO2 and Co TiO2 in 1 M of H2SO4 electrolyte, with a scan rate of 50 mV s−1 and the as-prepared photocatalysts could act as the promising electrode materials for water splitting.

Electrochemical and ex-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) measurements of NiCo2O4 that have been annealed in different gases (Ar and air) were made to evaluate the efficiency of its electrocatalysis of hydrogen generation by the electrolysis of urea. The electrochemical and XAS measurements demonstrated that NCO–Ar contain significant amounts of Co2+ in octahedral coordination was more favorable than NCO-air for urea electrolysis owing to the effective exposure of electrochemical active sites to participate in the Faradic redox reaction. Further insight into the electrocatalytic mechanism of NiCo2O4-based materials during urea electrolysis was obtained using ex-situ soft XAS. The results of ex-situ soft XAS revealed that the variation of the octahedral and tetrahedral coordinations of Co2+ in NCO–Ar and NCO-air importantly contributes to electrocatalytic behavior. NCO–Ar exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the Co redox couples in a repetitive cycling process owing to the creation of highly efficient active sites (octahedral Co2+). This study presents importantly x-ray spectroscopic determination of the change in electronic structure of catalyst for hydrogen production.

Recently, a novel rechargeable Al ion battery (AIB) with high performance has been developed. Owing to its low cost, high-rate capability, excellent cyclability, and non-flammability, AIB provides a safe alternative to many commercial batteries used in the energy storage system. To improve its performance, identifying molecular structure and arrangement of chloroaluminate anion (AlCl4−) intercalated in the graphite layer remains a great challenge. In this work, operando analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy were performed to investigate the intercalation of AlCl4− anion and related molecular arrangement in the graphite layers. The intercalated stage and intercalant gallery height of graphite cathode electrode during AIB battery operation were observed to be stage 3 and 9.22 A, respectively. Furthermore, the spectral evolution from ex-situ XAS at the Al and Cl K-edge was associated with closely packed intercalation of AlCl4− molecules. With density functional theory (DFT) calculation, three simulated models of intercalated AlCl4− molecules in the graphite layer were revealed successfully, which explained possible molecular structures at different charging states. This analytical methodology paves the way for better understanding the structural transformation of molecular ions de-/intercalation in graphite layers.

Advances in new systems of organic–inorganic hybrid nanocomposites are less prevalent, owing to a lack of facile strategies for precise control of their structures, compositions, and, hence, their properties. In this work, Au-BINOL hybrid nanocomposites with eccentric and concentric nanostructures were produced. The hybrid nanocomposites containing two distinct moieties of inorganic Au nanocrystals and organic BINOL nanospheres were applied to the catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 in the aqueous phase with and without the illumination of visible light. Here, we demonstrate that the existence of Au–BINOL interfaces offers benefits to their performance. The eccentric nanostructures made with CTAC show the superior activity from large Au–BINOL interfaces formed between the BINOL nanospheres and the faces of Au nanoplates. They further exhibit a high Au localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-enhancement effect on the photoreduction of 4-nitrophenol, which is attributed to the strong LSPR...

Highly efficient non-noble materials for water splitting are essential for renewable energy application. Herein, cobalt phosphide nanoparticles with high P/Co ratio are synthesized and display overpotentials of 348 mV (or 343 mV) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with surface oxidized active species formed and 200 mV (or 184 mV) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1 M NaOH (or 1 M KOH) at 10 mA cm−2. The improved OER could be ascribed to the smaller particle size for increased active site number and more importantly the improved intrinsic activity probably assisted by more phosphates formed during electrocatalytic reaction; while the improved HER performance is mainly attributed to the increased active sites in the form of Co P bonds. In a two-electrode configuration, the catalysts exhibit excellent overall water splitting performance, with 10 mA cm−2 at 1.58 V and a long-time reaction stability without attenuation during 10 h operation.

The electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) offers a promising green route to attain high-value chemicals from biomass. The HMF electrooxidation reaction (HMFOR) is a complicated process involving the combined adsorption and coupling of organic molecules and OH- on the electrode surface. An in-depth understanding of these cooperative adsorption behaviors and reaction processes is fundamentally essential. Herein, the adsorption behavior of HMF and OH-, and the role of oxygen vacancy on Co3O4 are initially unraveled. Correspondingly, instead of the competitive adsorption of OH- and HMF on the metal sites, it is observed that the OH- could fill into oxygen vacancy (Vo) before couple with organic molecules through the lattice oxygen oxidation reaction process, which could accelerate the rate-determining step of the dehydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) and enhance the overall conversion of HMF on Vo-Co3O4. This work sheds a depth insight on the catalytic mechanism of oxygen vacancy, which benefits designing a novel strategy to modulate the multi-molecules combined adsorption behaviors.

Polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) has been widely used as a metal-free photocatalyst for solar hydrogen generation from water. However, rapid charge carrier recombination and sluggish water catalysis kinetics have greatly limited its photocatalytic performance for overall water splitting. Herein, a single-atom Ni terminating agent was introduced to coordinate with the heptazine units of PCN to create new hybrid orbitals. Both theoretical calculation and experimental evidence revealed that the new hybrid orbitals synergistically broadened visible light absorption via a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) process, and accelerated the separation and transfer of photoexcited electrons and holes. The obtained single-atom Ni terminated PCN (PCNNi), without an additional cocatalyst loading, realized efficient photocatalytic overall water splitting into easily-separated gas-product H2 and liquid-product H2O2 under visible light, with evolution rates reaching 26.6 and 24.0 μmol g−1 h−1, respectively. It was indicated that single-atom Ni and the neighboring C atom served as water oxidation and reduction active sites, respectively, for overall water splitting via a two-electron reaction pathway., Single-atom Ni terminating agent is introduced to coordinate with sp2 or sp3 N atoms in the heptazine units of PCN, realizing visible-light photocatalytic overall water splitting to H2O2 and H2 without additional cocatalyst.

This study proposes a novel design to implement a triaxial tactile force sensor, as shown in Fig. 1. The tactile force sensor is fabricated by TSMC standard CMOS process. The normal and shear forces sensing capabilities are achieved by three independent sensing components monolithically integrated on a single chip. Capacitive sensing membrane forms the normal force detection element and piezo-resistive bridges form the shear force detection elements. Merits of the design include (Fig. 2): (1) fully-clamped square-diaphragm array as the capacitive-type normal force sensing element: flexible only in out-of-plane direction (z-axis) to detect the normal load and avoid the cross-talk from shear forces; (2) clamped-clamped beam with Wheatstone bridge circuits as the piezo-resistive shear force sensing elements: flexible only in one in-plane direction (x-axis or y-axis) to detect the single axis share load, and the cross-talk from normal load is removed by the Wheatstone bridge circuits. Measurement results show the sensitivities of the proposed tri-axial tactile force sensor are 1.26 fF/N in z-axis, 2.043 mV/N in x-axis, 2.248 mV/N in y-axis and have less than 10% overall crosstalk.

Algae, which contains most of the marine biogenic sulfur (S), is the main producer of dimethylsulfide (DMS). The oxidation products of DMS (methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and non-sea salt sulfates (nss-SO42-)) are important contributors to acid rain acidity (~ 40%) and have great influence on global climate change and acid rain formation. The biogenic S of red algae mainly exists in carrageenan molecules, the polysaccharide extract of red algae. In this work, the carrageenan biogenic S was fixed into biochar aerogel (SCA) synchronically by pyrolysis with the assistance of the unique hydrogel property of carrageenan. During this process, 89% of C and 96% of marine biogenic S are preserved in SCA, efficiently preventing the loss of C and S element. More importantly, the thiophene S structure in SCA framework derived from the marine biogenic S could endow the carbon aerogel superior electrocatalysis activity by regulating the charge density of adjacent C atoms. For instance, thiophene S structure can promote the cleavage and protonation of N2 molecules and efficiently lower the energy barrier of the promote the protonation of N2, thus greatly enhance the activity of electrocatalytic NRR. This study provided a promising avenue for the synchronization fixation of marine biogenic S and C to reduce the the formation of acid rain and carbon dioxide emissions. It also developed a green and sustainable way to synthesize high-performance biochar materials for advanced energy conversion.

The fan-out panel-level chip-last packaging for heterogeneous integration is investigated. Emphasis is placed on the design, materials, process, and fabrication of: (a) the heterogeneous integration of one large chip and one small chip with 50µm-pitch (minimum), (b) a fine metal linewidth (L) and spacing (S) redistribution-layer (RDL)-first substrate on a temporary glass carrier, (c) an ordinary build-up package substrate on a panel, (d) a hybrid substrate which is by soldering the RDL-substrate on top of the build-up substrate, and (e) the chips to hybrid substrate bonding and underfilling. Reliability assessment by thermomechanical simulation includes thermal cycling of the heterogeneous integration of the two-chip package on the hybrid substrate that is performed by a nonlinear temperature- and time-dependent finite-element analysis.

BACKGROUND Paravertebral arteriovenous fistula (AVF) after spinal surgery is rarely reported in the literature. Its natural course is largely unknown. OBSERVATIONS The authors report a 31-year-old woman with a high-flow AVF after T12 vertebral giant cell tumor curettage. Eight months after the initial surgery, revision en bloc surgery was planned. Preoperative computed tomography angiography was performed for vascularity assessment, which incidentally revealed a large paravertebral early-enhanced venous sac. High-flow AVF was confirmed through subsequent spinal angiography. Endovascular embolization was scheduled before the surgery to avoid massive blood loss. However, the AVF closed spontaneously 1 month after the spinal angiography. The plan was changed to preoperative embolization; subsequently, three-level en bloc spondylectomy was performed smoothly. LESSONS Iatrogenic AVF is possible, prompting investigation by vascular imaging when suspected. Embolization is a preferred treatment method when feasible. However, for iatrogenic etiology, the prothrombotic property of the contrast medium may induce the resolution. Multidisciplinary discussion can be very helpful before aggressive spinal surgery.

Incremental ADCs (IADC) have more advantages and are now popular in high-resolution sensor interface circuits. In this paper, we proposed and demonstrate a power- and area-optimized IADC, using second-order feedforward one-bit modulator. With very simple coefficients scaling, the dynamic range is very wide and it can achieve 90-dB dynamic range and peak SNDR 86.2 dB with 2.6 Vpp, and its occupied area 0.025 mm2. It can achieve 16 kHz bandwidth with power consumption 677 μW, which results in a Schreier FoM 162 dB. It is very suitable for integration on sensor system-on-chip.

This study aims to apply a CCTA-derived territory-based patient-specific estimation of boundary conditions for coronary artery fractional flow reserve (FFR) and wall shear stress (WSS) simulation. The non-invasive simulation can help diagnose the significance of coronary stenosis and the likelihood of myocardial ischemia. FFR is often regarded as the gold standard to evaluate the functional significance of stenosis in coronary arteries. In another aspect, proximal wall shear stress ($$\mathrm{{WSS}_{prox}}$$ WSS prox ) can also be an indicator of plaque vulnerability. During the simulation process, the mass flow rate of the blood in coronary arteries is one of the most important boundary conditions. This study utilized the myocardium territory to estimate and allocate the mass flow rate. 20 patients are included in this study. From the knowledge of anatomical information of coronary arteries and the myocardium, the territory-based FFR and the $$\mathrm{{WSS}_{prox}}$$ WSS prox can both be derived from fluid dynamics simulations. Applying the threshold of distinguishing between significant and non-significant stenosis, the territory-based method can reach the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.88, 0.90, and 0.80, respectively. For significantly stenotic cases ($$\mathrm{FFR}_{m}$$ FFR m $$\le$$ ≤ 0.80), the vessels usually have higher wall shear stress in the proximal region of the lesion.

Li-CO

This study presents the design of thermocouples to enhance the detectivity of thermoelectric (TE) infrared (IR) sensor. The IR sensor is implemented using the standard TSMC CMOS processes. Merits of the design include: (1) to enlarge the width of thermocouple to minimize the influence of thermal noise, (2) no need to change the existing structure design. The proposed design is shown in Fig. 1. The IR sensor with higher detectivity (which means its easier for signal processing) is a design target. Measurement results demonstrate the proposed IR sensor can achieve 21.7% detectivity improvement and sustain the responsivity within 8.4% decrease in total. It indicates that this simple approach can successfully enhance the total performance of TE IR sensor.

Self-passivation in aqueous solution and sluggish surface reaction kinetics significantly limit the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performances of silicon-based photoelectrodes. Herein, a WO3 thin layer is deposited on the p-Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), acting as a photocathode for PEC hydrogen generation. Compared to bare p-Si, the single-junctional p-Si/WO3 photoelectrodes exhibit excellent and stable PEC performances with significantly increased cathodic photocurrent density and exceptional anodic shift in onset potential for water reduction. It is revealed that the WO3 layer could reduce the charge transfer resistance across the electrode/electrolyte interface by eliminating the effect of Fermi level pinning on the surface of p-Si. More importantly, by varying the oxygen pressures during PLD, the collaborative modulation of W-O bond covalency and WO6 octahedral structure symmetry contributes to the promoted charge carrier transport and separation. Meanwhile, a large band bending at the p-Si/WO3 junction, induced by the optimized O vacancy contents in WO3, could provide a photovoltage as high as ∼ 500 mV to efficiently drive charge transfer to overcome the water reduction overpotential. Synergistically, by manipulating W-O local atomic structures in the deposited WO3 layer, a great improvement in PEC performance could be achieved over the single-junctional p-Si/WO3 photocathodes for solar hydrogen generation.

The nitrogenous nucleophile electrooxidation reaction (NOR) plays a vital role in the degradation and transformation of available nitrogen. Focusing on the NOR mediated by the β-Ni(OH)2 electrode, we decipher the transformation mechanism of the nitrogenous nucleophile. For the two-step NOR, proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is the bridge between electrocatalytic dehydrogenation from β-Ni(OH)2 to β-Ni(OH)O, and the spontaneous nucleophile dehydrogenative oxidation reaction. This theory can give a good explanation for hydrazine and primary amine oxidation reactions, but is insufficient for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR). Through operando tracing of bond rupture and formation processes during the UOR, as well as theoretical calculations, we propose a possible UOR mechanism whereby intramolecular coupling of the N-N bond, accompanied by PCET, hydration and rearrangement processes, results in high performance and ca. 100 % N2 selectivity. These discoveries clarify the evolution of nitrogenous molecules during the NOR, and they elucidate fundamental aspects of electrocatalysis involving nitrogen-containing species.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has been proved to be effective in refractory ventricular arrhythmia (VA). We report the first Asian series of SBRT for refractory VA in a group of Taiwanese. This study included patients with treatment-failure VA. 3D electroanatomic maps, delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) and dual energy computed tomography (CT) were used to identify scar substrates. The target volume was treated with a single radiation dose of 20 Gy delivered by Varian TrueBeam System. Efficacy was assessed by VA events recorded by implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or 24-hour Holter. Pre- and post-radiation therapy image studies were also performed. Adverse events were monitored during follow-up. From February 2019 to December 2019, 7 patients were enrolled. Six male and one female patients, mean age 55 years, received the treatment. Among the 7 patients with variety of cardiomyopathy, one patient died of hepatic failure. For the other 6 patients, at a median follow-up of 14.5 months, the burden of VA decreased significantly. Increased intensity of DE-MRI might be associated with lower risk of VA recurrence while the dual energy CT had lower sensitivity in the detection. No acute and minimal late adverse events were reported. We conclude that, in patients with refractory VA, SBRT was associated with a marked reduction in the burden of VA and DE-MRI might be useful to monitor treatment effect.

This study realizes MEMS IR sensors using novel hybrid silicon etching processes on the CMOS platform. The processes include DRIE and XeF2 silicon etching, which can control the undercut depth and release the MEMS structure respectively. Such silicon etching processes exhibit three merits: (1) the undercut depth can be increased to enhance the responsivity of MEMS IR sensors in the atmosphere, (2) the process is conducted at the front side of the chip and the inherent CMOS dielectric layers act as the hard mask to avoid the alignment issues from the traditional approach using backside etching, and (3) this process is CMOS-compatible and benefits the construction of CMOS-MEMS IR sensors. The simulation and measurement results successfully demonstrate the enhancement of the responsivity of MEMS IR sensor through the hybrid silicon etching processes.