Atomic-Resolution Interfacial Reaction Mechanism between Bi2Te3-Based Alloys and Ni Electrodes.

Interdiffusion and solid-solid phase reaction at the interface between thermoelectric (TE) materials and the electrode critically influence interfacial transport properties and the overall energy conversion efficiency during service. Here, the microstructural evolution and diffusion mechanisms at the interfaces between the most widely used Bi2Te3-based TE materials, n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 (BTS) and p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (BST), and Ni electrodes were investigated at atomic resolution using spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The BTS(0001)/Ni and BST(0001)/Ni interfaces were constructed by depositing Ni nanoparticles on mechanically exfoliated BTS and BST bulk materials and subsequent annealing. The interfacial reaction is initially dominated by Ni diffusion into the TE matrix to form NiAs-type NiM intermetallics, while Ni trans-quintuple-layer diffusion only occurs in Sb-rich BST. The Bi-rich BTS is more influenced by the Ni-Te preferential reaction, resulting in NiM abnormal grain growth and the formation of tilted and rotated interfaces. Bi diffusion into the BTS matrix forms a Bi double layer at the interface or Bi2[Bi2(Te,Se)3] as the annealing temperature increases, while Bi diffusion into the Ni thin film greatly accelerates the interfacial reaction rate, as elucidated by in situ heating STEM. The results provide essential structural details to understand and prevent the degradation of TE device performance.

Hybrid wavelet/Elman NN model for short term cost prediction utilizing developed deer hunting optimizer.

The cost signal of electricity in the competitive electrical energy marketplaces is of special importance for all planning and operation activities. Also, the price of electricity has an uncertain nature and various factors affect it in the short and long term. Factors active in the electricity market need to accurately and effectively forecast the electricity price signal to manage risk in the market. For estimating future electricity prices, this research suggests a combined procedure on the basis of Elman neural network model and the wavelet transform. The proposed Elman neural network/wavelet transform forecasted the next hour's power price based on the past 24 h' pricing. This research uses an optimized Elman neural network using a developed deer hunting optimizer and the total model is named Elman neural network/developed deer hunting optimization-wavelet transform. In this paper, Data of Zone Preliminary Billing is used for establishing the training of model and forecasting of performance. The method is then compared with some other published works and the outcomes demonstrate the offered approach superiority toward those for the electrical cost predicting.

Comparative Study of the Efficacy of the Ovarian-Adnexa Reporting and Data System Ultrasound Combined With Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and the ADNEX MR Scoring System in the Diagnosis of Adnexal Masses.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to develop the Ovarian-Adnexa Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) and O-RADS + contrast-enhanced ultrasound (O-RADS CEUS) scoring system to distinguish adnexal masses (AMs) and to compare the diagnostic efficacy of these systems with that of a magnetic resonance imaging scoring system (ADNEX MR). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 278 ovarian masses from 240 patients between May 2017 and July 2022. Pathology and adequate follow-up were used as reference standards for comparing the validity of O-RADS, O-RADS CEUS and ADNEX MR scoring to diagnose AMs. Area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were calculated. The inter-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to evaluate inter-reader agreement (IRA) between the two sonographers and two radiologists who analyzed the findings with the three modalities. RESULTS: The AUCs of O-RADS, O-RADS CEUS and ADNEX MR scores were 0.928 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.895-0.956), 0.951(95% CI: 0.919-0.973) and 0.964 (95% CI: 0.935-0.983), respectively. Their sensitivities were 95.7%, 94.3 and 91.4%, and their specificities were 81.3%, 92.3% and 97.1%, respectively. The three modalities had accuracies of 84.9%, 92.8% and 95.7%, respectively. O-RADS had the highest sensitivity but significantly lower specificity (p < 0.001), whereas the ADNEX MR scoring had the highest specificity (p < 0.001) but lower sensitivity (p < 0.001). O-RADS CEUS had intermediate sensitivity and specificity (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The addition of CEUS significantly improves the efficacy of O-RADS in diagnosing AMs. The diagnostic efficacy of the combination is comparable to that of the ADNEX MR scoring system.

Single-atom Iron Catalyst with Biomimetic Active Center to Accelerate Proton Spillover for Medical-level Electrosynthesis of H2 O2 Disinfectant.

Electrosynthesis of H2 O2 has great potential for directly converting O2 into disinfectant, yet it is still a big challenge to develop effective electrocatalysts for medical-level H2 O2 production. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of electrocatalysts with biomimetic active centers, consisting of single atomic iron asymmetrically coordinated with both nitrogen and sulfur, dispersed on hierarchically porous carbon (FeSA -NS/C). The newly-developed FeSA -NS/C catalyst exhibited a high catalytic activity and selectivity for oxygen reduction to produce H2 O2 at a high current of 100 mA cm-2 with a record high H2 O2 selectivity of 90 %. An accumulated H2 O2 concentration of 5.8 wt.% is obtained for the electrocatalysis process, which is sufficient for medical disinfection. Combined theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations verified the rationally-designed catalytic active center with the atomic Fe site stabilized by three-coordinated nitrogen atoms and one-sulfur atom (Fe-N3 S-C). It was further found that the replacement of one N atom with S atom in the classical Fe-N4 -C active center could induce an asymmetric charge distribution over N atoms surrounding the Fe reactive center to accelerate proton spillover for a rapid formation of the OOH* intermediate, thus speeding up the whole reaction kinetics of oxygen reduction for H2 O2 electrosynthesis.

In Situ Construction Channels of Lithium-Ion Fast Transport and Uniform Deposition to Ensure Safe High-Performance Solid Batteries.

Solid-state lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs) are the promising development direction for future power sources because of their high energy density and reliable safety. To optimize the ionic conductivity at room temperature (RT) and charge/discharge performance to obtain reusable polymer electrolytes (PEs), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) copolymer combined with polymerized methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers are used as substrates to prepare PE (LiTFSI/OMMT/PVDF/P(VDF-HFP)/PMMA [LOPPM]). LOPPM has interconnected lithium-ion 3D network channels. The organic-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) is rich in the Lewis acid centers, which promoted lithium salt dissociation. LOPPM PE possessed high ionic conductivity of 1.1 × 10-3 S cm-1 and a lithium-ion transference number of 0.54. The capacity retention of the battery remained 100% after 100 cycles at RT and 0.5 C. The initial capacity of one with the second-recycled LOPPM PE is 123.9 mAh g-1 . This work offered a feasible pathway for developing high-performance and reusable LIBs.

Direct observation of cation diffusion driven surface reconstruction at van der Waals gaps.

Weak interlayer van der Waals (vdW) bonding has significant impact on the surface/interface structure, electronic properties, and transport properties of vdW layered materials. Unraveling the complex atomistic dynamics and structural evolution at vdW surfaces is therefore critical for the design and synthesis of the next-generation vdW layered materials. Here, we show that Ge/Bi cation diffusion along the vdW gap in layered GeBi2Te4 (GBT) can be directly observed using in situ heating scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The cation concentration variation during diffusion was correlated with the local Te6 octahedron distortion based on a quantitative analysis of the atomic column intensity and position in time-elapsed STEM images. The in-plane cation diffusion leads to out-of-plane surface etching through complex structural evolutions involving the formation and propagation of a non-centrosymmetric GeTe2 triple layer surface reconstruction on fresh vdW surfaces, and GBT subsurface reconstruction from a septuple layer to a quintuple layer. Our results provide atomistic insight into the cation diffusion and surface reconstruction in vdW layered materials.

Accelerated Transfer and Spillover of Carbon Monoxide through Tandem Catalysis for Kinetics-boosted Ethylene Electrosynthesis.

Cu-based catalysts have been widely applied in electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 ER) to produce multicarbon (C2+ ) feedstocks (e.g., C2 H4 ). However, the high energy barriers for CO2 activation on the Cu surface is a challenge for a high catalytic efficiency and product selectivity. Herein, we developed an in situ *CO generation and spillover strategy by engineering single Ni atoms on a pyridinic N-enriched carbon support with a sodalite (SOD) topology (Ni-SOD/NC) that acted as a donor to feed adjacent Cu nanoparticles (NPs) with *CO intermediate. As a result, a high C2 H4 selectivity of 62.5 % and an industrial-level current density of 160 mA cm-2 at a low potential of -0.72 V were achieved. Our studies revealed that the isolated NiN3 active sites with adjacent pyridinic N species facilitated the *CO desorption and the massive *CO intermediate released from Ni-SOD/NC then overflowed to Cu NPs surface to enrich the *CO coverage for improving the selectivity of CO2 ER to C2 H4 .

Primary mediastinal seminoma with leiomyosarcoma: a rare case report.

Germ cell tumor is the most common malignant tumor of the gonads, sometimes they are found in locations other than the gonads, called Extra-gonadal Germ cell tumours (EGCTs). Primary mediastinal germ cell tumors (PMGCTs) are a kind of rare neoplasm in the anterior mediastinum, including seminoma and non-seminomatous, or appear as a mixture. Primary mediastinal seminoma mixed with sarcoma is an extremely rare clinicopathologic entity. Previous studies have revealed that primary pure mediastinal seminomas are commonly sensitive to chemoradiotherapy and possibly to palliative excision. The treatment options for mixed germ cell tumor composed of seminoma and sarcoma remain unknown. Only one case of primary mediastinal seminoma with rhabdosarcoma has been reported in the literature up to date and the patient benefited from chemotherapy as the neoadjuvant therapy. However, cases of primary mediastinal seminoma with leiomyosarcoma have not been documented. Herein, we report a case of an 18-year-old patient, who presented with dyspnea, orthopnea, and chest pain, the CECT scan of the chest showed a large mass in the anterior mediastinum, which turned out to be seminoma mixed with leiomyosarcoma after partial excision. We investigate the treatment strategy and potential molecular mechanism of this disease. Finally, our study demonstrated that the patient benefited from the treatment of chemotherapy alone, or combined with target therapy after the operation. Meanwhile, the BRAF p.G466V, TP53 mutations, MTOR p.T1977I and exons 2-5 deletion of FLCN may be potential molecular mechanisms and oncogenic drivers of this disease.

Electronic Localization Derived Excellent Stability of Li Metal Anode with Ultrathin Alloy.

Lithium metal is an ideal anode for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, lithium dendrite growth has impeded its commercial application. Herein, fabricating Li-based ultrathin alloys with electronic localization and high surface work function via depositing Bi, Al, or Au metals on the surface of copper foil for in situ alloying with lithium is proposed. It is discovered that the electronic localization can induce self-smoothing effect of Li ions, as a result, significantly suppressing the growth of dendritic lithium. Meanwhile, the high surface work function can effectively alleviate side reactions between the electrolyte and lithium. With the as-obtained ultrathin alloys as anodes, excellent cycling performance is achieved. The half cells run stably after more than 120 cycles under high capacity of 4 mAh cm-2 . The S||Bi/Cu-Li full cell delivers a specific capacity of 736 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles. This work provides a new strategy for fabricating long-life and high-capacity lithium batteries.

Nickel clusters accelerating hierarchical zinc indium sulfide nanoflowers for unprecedented visible-light hydrogen production.

As a typical two-dimensional (2D) metal chalcogenides and visible-light responsive semiconductor, zinc indium sulfide (ZnIn2S4) has attracted much attention in photocatalysis. However, the high recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes seriously limits its performance for hydrogen production. In this work, we report in-situ photodeposition of Ni clusters in hierarchical ZnIn2S4 nanoflowers (Ni/ZnIn2S4) to achieve unprecedented photocatalytic hydrogen production. The Ni clusters not only provide plenty of active sites for reactions as evidenced by in-situ photoluminescence measurement, but also effectively accelerate the separation and migration of the photogenerated electrons and holes in ZnIn2S4. Consequently, the Ni/ZnIn2S4 composites exhibit good stability and reusability with highly enhanced visible-light hydrogen production. In particular, the best Ni/ZnIn2S4 photocatalyst exhibits an unprecedented hydrogen production rate of 22.2 mmol·h-1·g-1, 10.6 times that of the pure ZnIn2S4 (2.1 mmol·h-1·g-1). And its apparent quantum yield (AQY) is as high as 56.14% under 450 nm monochromatic light. Our work here suggests that depositing non-precious Ni clusters in ZnIn2S4 is quite promising for the potential practical photocatalysis in solar energy conversion.

Improving Fast and Safe Transfer of Lithium Ions in Solid-State Lithium Batteries by Porosity and Channel Structure of Polymer Electrolyte.

Solid-state lithium batteries using solid polymer electrolytes can improve the safety and energy density of batteries. Smoother lithium-ion channels are necessary for solid polymer electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. The porosity and channel structure of the polymer film affect the transfer of lithium ions. However, their controllable synthesis remains a big challenge. Here, we developed a simple synthesis approach toward wrinkled microporous polymer electrolytes by combining the amphoteric (water solubility and organic solubility) polymer in three polymer blends. The homogeneous blend solution spontaneously wrinkled to vertical fold channels as the solvent evaporated. Two minor polymers, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and polyetherimide (PEI), formed close stacks, and Janus PVP was dispersed in the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix. The interfacial tensions between the three polymers were different, so stress was produced when they solidified. The solvent was evaporated to the top layer of the polymers when the temperature increased. The bottom layer wrinkled owing to the stress during solidification. The evaporation of the solvent generated micropores to form the lithium-ion channel. They helped Li+ transference and created a wrinkled microporous PVDF-based polymer electrolyte, which achieved an ionic conductivity of 5.1 × 10-4 S cm-1 and a lithium-ion transference number of 0.51 at room temperature. Meanwhile, the good flame retardancy and tensile strength of the polymer electrolyte film can improve the safety of the battery. At 0.5C and room temperature, the batteries with a LiFePO4 cathode and the wrinkled microporous LiTFSI/PEI/PVP/PVDF electrolyte reached a high discharge specific capacity of 122.1 mAh g-1 at the 100th cycle with a Coulombic efficiency of above 99%. The results of tensile and self-extinguishing tests show that the polymer electrolyte film has good safety application prospects.

Dimensional Control of Octahedral Tilt in SrRuO3 via Infinite-Layered Oxides.

Manipulation of octahedral distortion at atomic scale is an effective means to tune the ground states of functional oxides. Previous work demonstrates that strain and film thickness are variable parameters to modify the octahedral parameters. However, selective control of bonding geometry by structural propagation from adjacent layers is rarely studied. Here we propose a new route to tune the ferromagnetism in SrRuO3 (SRO) ultrathin layers by oxygen coordination of adjacent SrCuO2 (SCO) layers. The infinite-layered CuO2 exhibits a structural transformation from "planar-type" to "chain-type" with reduced film thickness. Two orientations dramatically modify the polyhedral connectivity at the interface, thus altering the octahedral distortion of SRO. The local structural variation changes the spin state of Ru and orbital hybridization strength, leading to a significant change in the magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall resistivity. These findings could launch investigations into adaptive control of functionalities in quantum oxide heterostructures using oxygen coordination.

Electrochemical activation induced multi-valence variation of (NH4)2V4O9 as a high-performance cathode material for zinc-ion batteries.

In this paper, we found that (NH4)2V4O9 undergoes an electrochemical activation process in the first charging process at ∼1.4 V (vs. Zn2+/Zn), leading to a significant improvement of capacity and cycling stability. The activated vanadium oxides delivered a high specific capacity of 477 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 and outstanding cycling stability with 97.7% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 15 A g-1.

Strong Ferromagnetism Achieved via Breathing Lattices in Atomically Thin Cobaltites.

Low-dimensional quantum materials that remain strongly ferromagnetic down to monolayer thickness are highly desired for spintronic applications. Although oxide materials are important candidates for the next generation of spintronics, ferromagnetism decays severely when the thickness is scaled to the nanometer regime, leading to deterioration of device performance. Here, a methodology is reported for maintaining strong ferromagnetism in insulating LaCoO3 (LCO) layers down to the thickness of a single unit cell. It is found that the magnetic and electronic states of LCO are linked intimately to the structural parameters of adjacent "breathing lattice" SrCuO2 (SCO). As the dimensionality of SCO is reduced, the lattice constant elongates over 10% along the growth direction, leading to a significant distortion of the CoO6 octahedra, and promoting a higher spin state and long-range spin ordering. For atomically thin LCO layers, surprisingly large magnetic moment (0.5 µB /Co) and Curie temperature (75 K), values larger than previously reported for any monolayer oxides are observed. The results demonstrate a strategy for creating ultrathin ferromagnetic oxides by exploiting atomic heterointerface engineering, confinement-driven structural transformation, and spin-lattice entanglement in strongly correlated materials.

Structural Analysis of the Regulatory GAF Domains of cGMP Phosphodiesterase Elucidates the Allosteric Communication Pathway.

Regulation of photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) activity is responsible for the speed, sensitivity, and recovery of the photoresponse during visual signaling in vertebrate photoreceptor cells. It is hypothesized that physiological differences in the light responsiveness of rods and cones may result in part from differences in the structure and regulation of the distinct isoforms of rod and cone PDE6. Although rod and cone PDE6 catalytic subunits share a similar domain organization consisting of tandem GAF domains (GAFa and GAFb) and a catalytic domain, cone PDE6 is a homodimer whereas rod PDE6 consists of two homologous catalytic subunits. Here we provide the x-ray crystal structure of cone GAFab regulatory domain solved at 3.3 Šresolution, in conjunction with chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometric analysis of conformational changes to GAFab induced upon binding of cGMP and the PDE6 inhibitory γ-subunit (Pγ). Ligand-induced changes in cross-linked residues implicate multiple conformational changes in the GAFa and GAFb domains in forming an allosteric communication network. Molecular dynamics simulations of cone GAFab revealed differences in conformational dynamics of the two subunits forming the homodimer and allosteric perturbations on cGMP binding. Cross-linking of Pγ to GAFab in conjunction with solution NMR spectroscopy of isotopically labeled Pγ identified the central polycationic region of Pγ interacting with the GAFb domain. These results provide a mechanistic basis for developing allosteric activators of PDE6 with therapeutic implications for halting the progression of several retinal degenerative diseases.

Divergent Synthesis of Tunable Cyclopentadienyl Ligands and Their Application in Rh-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis of Isoindolinone.

A series of rhodium complexes bearing sterically and electronically tunable cyclopentadienyl ligands, prepared by utilizing Co2(CO)8-mediated [2+2+1] cyclization as a key step, were synthesized. In the presence of 2.5 mol% of CpmRh4, unprecedented enantioselective [4+1] annulation reaction of benzamides and alkenes was achieved with a broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions, providing a variety of isoindolinones with excellent regio- and enantioselectivity (up to 94% yield, 97:3 er). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction involves an oxidative Heck reaction and an intramolecular enantioselective alkene hydroamination reaction.

One-Step Growth of Amorphous/Crystalline Ga2O3 Phase Junctions for High-Performance Solar-Blind Photodetection.

The pursuit of high-performance photodetectors functioning in the solar-blind spectrum is motivated by both scientific and practical applications ranging from secure communication, monitoring, sensing, etc. In particular, the fabrication of heterojunctions based on the wide band gap semiconductors has emerged as an attractive strategy to promote the high-efficient photogenerated electron/hole pair separation. However, the precisely controlled growth of heterojunctions remains a huge challenge. The lattice mismatch leads to the formation of defects and/or dislocations at the interface, deteriorating the performance of devices and limiting their envisioned applications. Here, we demonstrate a simple one-step growth of amorphous/crystalline Ga2O3 phase junctions by using sputtering technique, yielding a large responsivity of 0.81 A/W, a superior photo-to-dark current ratio over 107, and an ultrahigh response speed of ∼12 ns. Compared to the previous reported solar-blind photodetectors, the obtained detectivity ≈ 5.67 × 1014 Jones is increased by 2 orders of magnitude. Such excellent photoresponse characteristics can be understood by the interfacial built-in field-promoted electron/hole pair separation for the amorphous/crystalline Ga2O3 phase junctions. Our results provide a novel path toward realizing high-performance optoelectronics functioning in the solar-blind spectrum.

Oleanolic acid alleviates diabetic rat carotid artery injury through the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathways.

The overexpression of inflammasome components is correlated with diabetes­associated complications. Oleanolic acid is a triterpenoid compound which is important in arterial injury. The present study evaluated whether oleanolic acid improved diabetic rat carotid artery injury through the inhibition of nucleotide­binding domain, leucine­rich­containing family, pyrin domain­containing­3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes signaling pathways. A diabetic rat model was induced using streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) and underwent carotid artery injury. Morphometric analysis was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The mRNA and protein levels were assayed by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. It was found that oleanolic acid (100 mg/kg/day) improved body weight, glucose metabolic disorders, neointimal hyperplasia and endothelial dysfunction in diabetic rats with carotid artery injury. In addition, oleanolic acid administration significantly downregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of endothelin 1 in diabetic rats. Oleanolic acid decreased the intimal area and the ratio of neointima to media in diabetic rats. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor­α, interleukin (IL)­1ß, IL­6 and IL­18 in the oleanolic acid­treated diabetic rats were downregulated. Consistent with the serum results, it was demonstrated that oleanolic acid administration caused a significant decrease in the levels of NLRP3, caspase­1 and IL­1ß in the carotid arteries of diabetic rats. Taken together, these observations suggested that oleanolic acid attenuated carotid artery injury in diabetic rats and the underlying mechanism was mediated, at least partially, through the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathways.