One-Dimensional Crystal-Structure Te-Se Alloy for Flexible Shortwave Infrared Photodetector and Imaging.

Flexible shortwave infrared detectors play a crucial role in wearable devices, bioimaging, automatic control, etc. Commercial shortwave infrared detectors face challenges in achieving flexibility due to the high fabrication temperature and rigid material properties. Herein, we develop a high-performance flexible Te0.7Se0.3 photodetector, resulting from the unique 1D crystal structure and small elastic modulus of Te-Se alloying. The flexible photodetector exhibits a broad-spectrum response ranging from 365 to 1650 nm, a fast response time of 6 µs, a broad linear dynamic range of 76 dB, and a specific detectivity of 4.8 × 1010 Jones at room temperature. The responsivity of the flexible detector remains at 93% of its initial value after bending with a small curvature of 3 mm. Based on the optimized flexible detector, we demonstrate its application in shortwave infrared imaging. These results showcase the great potential of Te0.7Se0.3 photodetectors for flexible electronics.

Research on complex network modeling of building materials supply and demand and characteristics of communities.

Currently, China's building materials market is large and the supply and demand transactions are very frequent, which requires us to have a comprehensive understanding of the supply and demand transactions of building materials. Based on complex network theory, this paper constructs a complex network model of supply and demand of building materials. And the Louvain algorithm is also improved to identify and characterize the network community relations based on the characteristics of this network. This paper also applies prefabricated components as an example for empirical research and obtains the following findings: (1) From 2017 to 2022, large- and medium-sized communities in the network gradually increase while small communities gradually decrease; the internal connectivity of large communities is higher than that of small communities; and the regional network also has the structural characteristics of the network. (2) The characteristics of geographic agglomeration gradually emerge in the individual communities in the supply-demand network of prefabricated components with the passage of time. Most of these communities are bounded by provinces, and large-scale communities are distributed in the eastern and southern coastal areas. Thus, this paper visualizes the supply and demand of construction materials to provide a theoretical basis and methodological support for the supply and demand of construction materials and the development of the construction industry.

Rapid and large-scale synthesis of MoS2via ultraviolet laser-assisted technology for photodetector applications.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) thin films have been extensively employed in microelectronics research. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), as one of prominent candidates of this class, has been applied in photodetectors, integrated electronic devices, gas sensing, and electrochemical catalysis, owing to its extraordinary optoelectronic, chemical, and mechanical properties. Synthesis of MoS2crystal film is the key to its application. However, the reported technology revealed several drawbacks, containing limited surface area, prolonged high-temperature environment, and unsatisfying crystallinity. In order to enhance the convenience of MoS2applications, there is a pressing need for optimized fabrication technology, which could be quicker, with a large area, with adequate crystallinity and heat-saving. In this work, we presented an ultraviolet laser-assisted synthesis technology, accomplishing rapid growth (with the growth rate of about 40µm s-1) of centimeter-scale MoS2films at room temperature. To achieve this, we self-assembled a displaceable reaction chamber system, coupled with krypton fluoride ultraviolet pulse laser. The laser motion speed and trajectory could be customized in the software, allowing the maskless patterning of crystal films. As application, we exhibited a photodetector with the integration of synthesized MoS2and lead sulfide colloidal quantum dots (PbS CQDs), displaying broadband photodetection from ultraviolet, visible to near-infrared spectrum (365-1550 nm), with the detectivity of 109-1010Jones, and the rising time of 0.2-0.3 s. This work not only demonstrated a high-process-efficiency synthesis of TMDC materials, but also has opened up new opportunities for ultraviolet laser used in optoelectronics.

(Bi,Sb)2 Se3 Alloy Thin Film for Short-Wavelength Infrared Photodetector and TFT Monolithic-Integrated Matrix Imaging.

Short-wavelength infrared photodetectors play a significant role in various fields such as autonomous driving, military security, and biological medicine. However, state-of-the-art short-wavelength infrared photodetectors, such as InGaAs, require high-temperature fabrication and heterogenous integration with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) readout circuits (ROIC), resulting in a high cost and low imaging resolution. Herein, for the first time, a low-cost, high-performance, high-stable, and thin-film transistor (TFT) ROIC monolithic-integrated (Bi,Sb)2 Se3 alloy thin-film short-wavelength infrared photodetector is reported. The (Bi,Sb)2 Se3 alloy thin-film short-wavelength infrared photodetectors demonstrate a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 21.1% (light intensity of 0.76 µW cm-2 ) and a fast response time (3.24 µs). The highest EQE is about two magnitudes than that of the extrinsic photoconduction of Sb2 Se3 (0.051%). In addition, the unpackaged devices demonstrate high electric and thermal stability (almost no attenuation at 120 °C for 312 h), showing potential for in-vehicle applications that may experient such a high temperature. Finally, both the (Bi,Sb)2 Se3 alloy thin film and n-type CdSe buffer layer are directly deposited on the TFT ROIC (with a 64 × 64-pixel array) with a low-temperature process and the material identification and imaging applications are presented. This work is a significant breakthrough in ROIC monolithic-integrated short-wavelength infrared imaging chips.

Research on the Current Situation of Emergency Vehicle Management in Sports Medicine and Athletic Hospitals

Objective: To investigate the current state of emergency vehicle management within sports medicine and athletic hospitals, with a focus on hospitals located in Zhejiang Province. This study aims to provide valuable insights and recommendations for enhancing the management of emergency vehicles in the context of sports medicine. Methods: A convenience sampling approach was employed, involving surveys conducted with nurses from a total of 40 sports medicine and athletic hospitals located in 15 cities across Zhejiang Province during the period from April to May 2022. Results: The findings obtained through the questionnaire survey revealed noteworthy aspects. Specifically, 15.89% of the surveyed hospital departments lacked a dedicated pharmacist responsible for regular quality checks of emergency drugs. Furthermore, 55.14% of the respondents expressed concerns about the athlete nurses' level of knowledge regarding rescue drugs and related items. Alarmingly, the study found that 100% of the departments relied solely on manual inventory management for emergency drugs and items, with only 39.39% of them implementing partial information management systems, leading to varying degrees of inventory discrepancies. Conclusion: The study highlights certain shortcomings in the supervision and management systems related to emergency medicines and equipment within sports medicine and athletic hospitals. Additionally, personnel management practices appear to be lacking in some athletic hospitals. (AU)

Improved Carrier Lifetimes of CdSe Thin Film via Te Doping for Photovoltaic Application.

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) solar cells have proven to be a remarkable potential top cell for a silicon-based tandem application. However, the defects and short carrier lifetimes of CdSe thin films greatly limit the solar cell performance. In this work, a Te-doped strategy is proposed to passivate the Se vacancy defects and increase the carrier lifetime of the CdSe thin film. The theoretical calculation helps to reveal the mechanism of nonradiative recombination of the CdSe thin film in depth. After Te-doping, the calculated capture coefficient of CdSe can be reduced from 4.61 × 10-8 cm3 s-1 to 2.32 × 10-9 cm3 s-1. Meanwhile, the carrier lifetime of CdSe thin film is increased nearly 3-fold from 0.53 to 1.43 ns. Finally, the efficiency of the Cd(Se,Te) solar cell is improved to 4.11%, about a relative 36.5% improvement compared to the pure CdSe solar cell. Both theoretical calculations and experiments prove that Te can effectively passivate bulk defects and improve the carrier lifetime of CdSe thin films, deserving further exploration to improve solar cell performance.

Nanocrystals of CuCoO2 derived from MOFs and their catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction.

In this work, two different solvothermal synthesis routes were employed to prepare MOF-derived CuCoO2 (CCO) nanocrystals for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) application. The effects of the reductants (ethylene glycol, methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol), NaOH addition, the reactants, and the reaction temperature on the structure and morphology of the reaction product were investigated. In the first route, Cu-BTC derived CCO (CCO1) nanocrystals with a size of ∼214 nm and a specific surface area of 4.93 m2 g-1 were prepared by using Cu-BTC and Co(NO3)2·6H2O as the Cu and Co source, respectively. In the second route, ZIF-67 derived CCO (CCO2) nanocrystals with a size of ∼146 nm and a specific surface area of 11.69 m2 g-1 were prepared by using ZIF-67 and Cu(NO3)2·3H2O as the Co and Cu source, respectively. Moreover, the OER performances of Ni foam supported CCO1 (Ni@CCO1) and CCO2 (Ni@CCO2) electrodes were evaluated in 1.0 M KOH solution. Ni@CCO2 demonstrates a better OER catalytic performance with a lower overpotential of 394.5 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a smaller Tafel slope of 82.6 mV dec-1, and long-term durability, which are superior to those of some previously reported delafossite oxide or perovskite oxide catalysts. This work reveals the preparation method and application potential of CCO electrocatalysts by using Cu-BTC/ZIF-67 as the precursor, providing a new approach for the preparation of delafossite oxide CCO and the enhancement of their OER performances.

Metal-organic framework derived bimetal oxide CuCoO2 as efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials with tunable porous morphology, controlled crystalline structure, various compositions, and high specific surface area are widely used as precursors to synthesize electrocatalysts for water splitting, which is beneficial for improving their oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Using ZIF-67 as a Co source and Cu-BTC as a Cu source, hexagonal MOF-derived CuCoO2 (MOF-CCO) nanocrystals with the size of ∼288 nm were prepared through a one-step solvothermal method. The influence of the content of the precursor solvents (absolute ethanol and deionized water), reaction temperature, mass ratio of reactants, NaOH addition, and reactant concentration of precursors on the structure and morphology of the products was investigated. The optimal CuCoO2 nanocrystals (MOF-CCO1) around 288 nm present the highest OER activity, such as a low overpotential of 364.7 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 64.1 mV dec-1, and attractive durability in 1.0 M KOH solution. The XPS results showed that the higher catalytic efficiency of MOF-CCO1 nanocrystals could be due to the oxygen vacancies caused by lattice oxygen loss, the increase of OH- content on the surface, and the synergistic effect of Cu2+/Cu+ and Co2+/Co3+ redox pairs. Finally, a possible OER mechanism for MOF-CCO nanocrystals of water splitting was proposed. This study provides a new approach for the preparation of delafossite nanomaterials and for the improvement of their OER performances.

[Metabolic engineering study on biosynthesis of 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol from L-tyrosine in Escherichia coli].

As an important active ingredient in the rare Chinese herb Gastrodiae Rhizoma and also the main precursor for gastrodin biosynthesis, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol has multiple pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, and anti-cerebral ischemia. The pharmaceutical products with 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol as the main component have been increasingly favored. At present, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol is mainly obtained by natural extraction and chemical synthesis, both of which, however, exhibit some shortcomings that limit the long-term application of 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol. The wild and cultivated Gastrodia elata resources are limited. The chemical synthesis requires many steps, long time, and harsh reaction conditions. Besides, the resulting by-products are massive and three reaction wastes are difficult to treat. Therefore, how to artificially prepare 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol with high yield and purity has become an urgent problem facing the medical researchers. Guided by the theory of microbial metabolic engineering, this study employed the genetic engineering technologies to introduce three genes ThiH, pchF and pchC into Escherichia coli for synthesizing 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol with L-tyrosine. And the fermentation conditions of engineering strain for producing 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in shake flask were also discussed. The experimental results showed that under the conditions of 0.5 mmol·L~(-1) IPTG, 15 ℃ induction temperature, and 40 ℃ transformation temperature, M9 Y medium containing 200 mg·L~(-1) L-tyrosine could be transformed into(69±5)mg·L~(-1) 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, which has laid a foundation for producing 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol economically and efficiently by further expanding the fermentation scale in the future.

Hydrothermal synthesized delafossite CuGaO2 as an electrocatalyst for water oxidation.

Hydrogen production from water splitting provides an effective method to alleviate the ever-growing global energy crisis. In this work, delafossite CuGaO2 (CGO) crystal was synthesized through hydrothermal routes with Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and Ga(NO3)3·xH2O used as reactants. The addition of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was found to play an important role in modifying the morphology of CuGaO2 (CGO-CTAB). With the addition of CTAB, the morphology of CGO-CTAB samples changed from irregular flake to typical hexagonal sheet microstructure, with an average size of 1-2 µm and a thickness of around 100 nm. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of CGO-CTAB crystals for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was also studied and compared with that of CGO crystals. CGO-CTAB samples exhibited better activity than CGO. An overpotential of 391.5 mV was shown to be able to generate a current density of 10 mA/cm2. The as-prepared samples also demonstrate good stability for water oxidation and relatively fast OER kinetics with a Tafel slope of 56.4 mV/dec. This work highlights the significant role of modification of CTAB surfactants in preparing CGO related crystals, and the introduction of CTAB was found to help to improve their electrocatalytic activity for OER.

Protective effect of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills on the myocardium of rats with chronic heart failure.

Protective effect of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills on the myocardium of rats with chronic heart failure (CHF) was investigated. Sixty rats were divided into the sham operation (n=20), the model (n=20) and the Qishen Yiqi dropping pill treatment group (n=20) using the random table method. The treatment group received administration of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills. The model and the sham operation group were given the same amount of normal saline. Within 24 h after the last administration, the rats were sacrificed. The myocardia were used for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis and histological examination. In the sham operation group, cardiomyocytes were stained evenly and arranged neatly and densely with clear structures. In the model group, the cell morphology was fuzzy, the myocytes were hypertrophied, the nuclear pyknosis was fragmented, the arrangement was disordered, the intercellular space was narrowed, and the cytoplasm was missing. The apoptosis rates of cardiomyocytes in the model and Qishen Yiqi dropping pill treatment group were significantly higher than that in the sham operation group (P<0.05). The myocardial infarction areas in the model group and the Qishen Yiqi dropping pill treatment group were larger than that in the sham operation group (P<0.05). The expression levels of transforming growth factor-ß1, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2 (Smad2), Smad3, and caspase-3 messenger ribonucleic acids and proteins in the model group and the Qishen Yiqi dropping pill treatment group were higher than those in the sham operation group (P<0.05). Qishen Yiqi dropping pills have an obvious myocardial protective effect on CHF rats, which may enhance the degree of myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting the TGF-ß1/Smads pathway and improve cardiomyocyte apoptosis by suppressing the caspase-3 signaling pathway, thus protecting the myocardium.

Characterizing diversity based on nutritional and bioactive compositions of yam germplasm (Dioscorea spp.) commonly cultivated in China.

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are widely cultivated as edible resources and medical materials in China. Characterizing chemical compositions in yam germplasm is crucial to determine their diversity and suitability for food and medicine applications. In this study, a core germplasm containing 25 yam landraces was used to create an effective classification of usage by characterizing their nutritive and medicinal compositions. All studied landraces exhibited high contents of starch from 60.7% to 80.6% dry weight (DW), protein (6.3-12.2% DW), minerals (especially Mg 326.8-544.7 mg/kg DW), and essential amino acids. Allantoin and dioscin varied considerably, with values of 0.62-1.49% DW and 0.032-0.092% DW, respectively. The quality variability of 25 yam landraces was clearly separated in light of UPGMA clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Using an eigenvalue ≥1 as the cutoff, the first three principal components accounted for most of the total variability (62.33%). Classification was achieved based on the results of the measured parameters and principal component analysis scores. The results are of great help in determining appropriate application strategies for yam germplasm in China.

Up-scaling the synthesis of Cu2O submicron particles with controlled morphologies for solar H2 evolution from water.

The synthesis of Cu2O was studied to examine the effects of up-scaling on the size and morphology of the resultant particles. As a result, a successful protocol employing an automated laboratory reactor was developed for large-scale synthesis of phase-pure Cu2O colloids with specific sizes in the submicron to micrometer range (0.2-2.6 µm). The as-synthesized products have been studied by means of powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and photoelectrochemical measurements. A broad range of morphologies, both equilibrium (stellated octahedrons, cubes, cuboctahedrons, truncated octahedrons, truncated cuboctahedrons) and metastable (cage-like hierarchical structures, microspheres with flower-like texture), with uniform sizes have been selectively prepared either by careful tuning of synthesis conditions. Recrystallization of primary aggregates through Ostwald ripening is proposed as the formation mechanism for these Cu2O structures. As a photocathode for photoelectrochemical H2 evolution, Cu2O submicron cubes with exposed {001} facets exhibit a high open-circuit potential of ca. 0.9 V vs. the RHE at pH 1.

One-Step Synthesis of Self-Supported Nickel Phosphide Nanosheet Array Cathodes for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

Nickel phosphide is an emerging low-cost, earth-abundant catalyst that can efficiently reduce water to generate hydrogen. However, the synthesis of nickel phosphide catalysts usually involves multiple steps and is laborious. Herein, a convenient and straightforward approach to the synthesis of a three-dimensional (3D) self-supported biphasic Ni5 P4 -Ni2 P nanosheet (NS) array cathode is presented, which is obtained by direct phosphorization of commercially available nickel foam using phosphorus vapor. The synthesized 3D Ni5 P4 -Ni2 P-NS array cathode exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity and long-term durability toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic medium. The fabrication procedure reported here is scalable, showing substantial promise for use in water electrolysis. More importantly, the approach can be readily extended to synthesize other self-supported transition metal phosphide HER cathodes.

Silicon nanowire arrays coupled with cobalt phosphide spheres as low-cost photocathodes for efficient solar hydrogen evolution.

We demonstrate the first example of silicon nanowire array photocathodes coupled with hollow spheres of the emerging earth-abundant cobalt phosphide catalysts. Compared to bare silicon nanowire arrays, the hybrid electrodes exhibit significantly improved photoelectrochemical performance toward the solar-driven H2 evolution reaction.

Transciptome analysis reveals flavonoid biosynthesis regulation and simple sequence repeats in yam (Dioscorea alata L.) tubers.

BACKGROUND: Yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is an important tuber crop and purple pigmented elite cultivar has recently become popular because of associated health benefits. Identifying candidate genes responsible for flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (FBP) will facilitate understanding the molecular mechanism of controlling pigment formation in yam tubers. Here, we used Illumina sequencing to characterize the transcriptome of tubers from elite purple-flesh cultivar (DP) and conventional white-flesh cultivar (DW) of yam. In this process, we also designed high quality molecular markers to assist molecular breeding for tuber trait improvement. RESULTS: A total of 125,123 unigenes were identified from the DP and DW cDNA libraries, of which about 49.5% (60,020 unigenes) were annotated by BLASTX analysis using the publicly available protein database. These unigenes were further annotated functionally and subject to biochemical pathway analysis. 511 genes were identified to be more than 2-fold (FDR < 0.05) differentially expressed between the two yam cultivars, of which 288 genes were up-regulated and 223 genes were down-regulated in the DP tubers. Transcriptome analysis detected 61 unigenes encoding multiple well-known enzymes in the FBP. Furthermore, the unigenes encoding chalcone isomerase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase (F3'H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX), and flavonol 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) were found to be significantly up-regulated in the DP, implying that these genes were potentially associated with tuber color formation in this elite cultivar. The expression of these genes was further confirmed by qRT-PCR. Finally, 11,793 SSRs were successfully identified with these unigenes and 6,082 SSR markers were developed using Primer 3. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first comprehensive transcriptomic dataset for yam tubers, which will significantly contribute to genomic research of this and other related species. Some key genes associated with purple-flesh trait were successfully identified, thus providing valuable information about molecular process of regulating pigment accumulation in elite yam tubers. In the future, this information might be directly used to genetically manipulate the conventional white-fleshed tuber cultivars to enable them to produce purple flesh. In addition, our SSR marker sets will facilitate identification of QTLs for various tuber traits in yam breeding programs.

Ordered arrays of tilted silicon nanobelts with enhanced solar hydrogen evolution performance.

Well-ordered tilted silicon nanobelt arrays have been fabricated over a large area (≥2.5 cm(2)) by metal assisted chemical etching of pre-patterned silicon, which demonstrated markedly enhanced solar hydrogen evolution performance, compared with planar silicon of the same type and previously reported silicon nanowires prepared in a similar way.