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Chalcogenide perovskites are an emerging family of perovskite materials, which possess excellent optoelectronic properties comparable with halide perovskites, avoiding the drawbacks of toxicity and poor stability. Due to the superiorities of strong light absorption, direct bandgaps, excellent carrier transport abilities, high defect tolerance, robust stability, and non‐toxicity, chalcogenide perovskites have been extensively studied as photovoltaic materials. However, the light emitting potential of chalcogenide perovskites is ignored or less explored. In this work, an Eu2+ doping strategy is proposed to activate the light emitting abilities of chalcogenide perovskite. The synthesized SrHfS3:Eu2+ powder exhibits intense red emission of Eu2+ through the relaxation of 4f65d1 to 4f75d0. The strong interband absorption of SrHfS3, as a distinct character of chalcogenide perovskite, harvests the optical energy and funnels it to the luminescent center Eu2+. Besides, SrHfS3:Eu2+ is characterized by superior semiconducting properties, suggesting its strong potential as suitable emitters in light‐emitting diodes. Moreover, the obtained SrHfS3:Eu2+ powder and its luminescence properties remain stable under ultraviolet irradiation, water, and high temperature testing. The above observations open a new frontier for exploring luminescent chalcogenide perovskites, highlighting their great potential in lighting and displays, rather than being limited to photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronegative S-filled skutterudite compounds have attracted considerable attention due to scattering of low-frequency phonons (35–50 cm − 1 ), but there are few reports on S-filled double-substituted skutterudite. In this work, a series of S-filled Te-Sn double-substituted skutterudite compounds were synthesized using high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) method. The phase composition, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties of SxCo4Sb 1 1 Te 0. 7 Sn 0. 3 (x = 0 , 0.05, 0.10, 0.20) samples were systematically determined. The results show that the introduction of S increases the substitution limit of Te in the Sb site. Under the combined effect of the sample synthesis pressure and S filling, the nucleation density of the sample grains increases and the grain size decreases. At the same time, there are numerous special microstructures in the samples synthesized in a high-pressure environment. Thermoelectric performance studies show that a small amount of S filling optimizes the Seebeck coefficient of the sample and increases the power factor (PF). With an increase of the amount of S introduced, the thermal conductivity of the samples decreases significantly. Therefore, the maximum zT value of an S 0. 0 5 Co4Sb 1 1 Te 0. 7 Sn 0. 3 sample synthesized at 2.5 GPa pressure is 0.17 at room temperature. The maximum zT value of the sample is 1.26 at 773 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is highly prevalent in patients receiving dialysis. The precise mechanisms underlying PH in hemodialysis (HD) patients have not been adequately addressed. Emerging experimental evidence indicates that circulating fibrocytes may contribute significantly to this process. Methods: We measured the proportion of circulating fibrocytes using flow cytometry analysis and prospectively analyzed patients during HD from February 1, 2017, to February 1, 2022. Then we investigated correlations between circulating fibrocytes, inflammation cytokines, PH, and their affective factors that predict the prognosis of HD patients. Results: The cohort included 192 patients. During a follow‐up of 5 years, we registered 66 all‐cause deaths, and 11 patients received kidney transplantation. The incidence of PH among HD patients was 30.9%. We found that the circulating fibrocyte level significantly correlated with pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (r = 0.412, p < 0.05). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the percentage of circulating fibrocytes was an independent predictor of PH (odds ratio [OR]: 2.080, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.539–2.812, p < 0.001). Controlling for confounding covariates in the multivariate Cox regression models, the presence of PH conferred an increased risk of all‐cause mortality in HD patients [hazard ratio (HR): 2.183, 95% CI:1.257–3.788, p = 0.006]. Conclusion: The prevalence of PH was high in HD patients and was associated with higher all‐cause mortality. Higher circulating fibrocyte level was an independent predictor of the presence of PH; these fibrocytes may serve as early detection markers and novel therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundLow-tar cigarette smoking is gaining popularity in China. The China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC) promotes low-tar cigarettes as safer than regular cigarettes.MethodsA total of 543 male smokers smoking cigarettes with different tar yields (15 mg, regular cigarettes, 10-13 mg low-tar cigarettes and < 10 mg low-tar cigarettes) were recruited in Shanghai, China, who then completed a questionnaire on smoking behaviour and provided a urine sample for analysis of the nicotine metabolites cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine. A total of 177 urine samples were selected at random for the analysis of the carcinogens polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites (PAHs) (1-hydroxypyrene, naphthols, hydroxyfluorenes and hydroxyphenanthrenes) and the tobacco specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-butanone (NNK) metabolites, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-butanol (NNAL) and NNAL-glucuronide. Values were normalised by creatinine to correct for possible distortions introduced by dilution or concentration of the urine.ResultsSmokers of low-tar cigarettes smoked fewer cigarettes per day (p=0.001) compared to smokers of regular cigarettes. Despite this lower reported consumption, levels of cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and PAHs in urine of people smoking low-tar cigarettes were not correlated with nominal tar delivery of the cigarettes they smoked. Urine concentrations of NNAL were higher in smokers of lower tar than higher tar cigarettes.ConclusionsChinese low-tar cigarettes do not deliver lower doses of nicotine and carcinogens than regular cigarettes, therefore it is unlikely that there would be any reduction in harm. CNTC's promotion of low-tar cigarettes as 'less harmful' is a violation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which China ratified in 2005.