Spatio-temporal composition of aquatic birds communityin Juluapan Lagoon, Colima, Mexican Central Pacific / Composición espacio-temporal de las aves acuáticas en la laguna Juluapan, Colima, en el Pacífico Central Mexicano

Abstract Introduction: Aquatic birds (AB) are usually associated with wetlands, which provide refuge, food, and/or nesting sites for resident and migratory species. Despite their ecological importance, there is little knowledge on AB in some tropical environments, such as those found on the Colima coast. Objective: To investigate the spatial and temporal composition of the AB community in Juluapan Lagoon, Colima, Central Mexican Pacific. Methods: Monthly counts were conducted between June 2017 and May 2018 during low-tide conditions to record habitat use by AB. Species richness and bird counts were obtained to compare sampling areas; mean richness and number of individuals were compared between seasons. Results: We detected 53 species and 5 750 individuals. The highest species richness and relative abundance values were obtained in winter at the lagoon area farthest from the connection with the marine system, where anthropogenic activity is lower. Diversity was greater in zones 2 and 3 in spring, summer, and fall. Muddy flats were the most used environment, and the most frequent activity was resting. Nesting activity was only recorded in the middle of the lagoon at the mangrove during spring. "Shorebirds" and "waders" were the most dominant groups in the bird community of the Juluapan lagoon. Conclusions: This coastal wetland is a site of great biological importance for aquatic birds; thus, conservation measures should be implemented, and there should be a continuous study of the effects of anthropogenic pressure.

Resumen Introducción: Las aves acuáticas (AA) son usualmente relacionadas a los humedales debido a que éstos funcionan como sitios de refugio, alimentación y anidación de diferentes especies residentes y migratorias. Sin embargo, el conocimiento sobre las aves acuáticas en algunos humedales es nulo. Objetivo: Investigar la composición espacio-temporal de la comunidad de AA en la laguna Juluapan, Colima, en el Pacífico Central Mexicano. Métodos: Entre junio de 2017 y mayo de 2018 se llevaron a cabo conteos mensuales en condiciones de marea baja para registrar el uso de hábitat de las AA. Se obtuvieron valores de riqueza de especies y número de individuos para realizar comparaciones entre zonas de muestreo, así como el promedio del número de especies y número de individuos para comparaciones entre temporadas. Resultados: Se registraron un total de 53 especies y 5 750 individuos. Los valores de riqueza de especies y densidad de individuos fueron más altos durante invierno, en la zona más alejada al ambiente marino, donde la actividad antropogénica es menor. La diversidad tuvo valores más altos en la zona 2 y 3, durante primavera, verano y otoño. El ambiente más explotado por las aves fueron las planicies lodosas; y el descanso fue la actividad más frecuente. Asimismo, la actividad de anidación sólo se registró en el manglar de la zona media durante primavera. Las "aves playeras" y "aves zancudas" fueron los grupos más predominantes en la comunidad de aves de la laguna Juluapan. Conclusiones: Este humedal costero es un sitio de gran importancia biológica para aves acuáticas, por lo que resulta necesario la implementación de medidas de conservación, así como el estudio de los efectos por la presión antropogénica.

Tardigrade distribution in soils of high Arctic habitats.

Tardigrades are omnipresent microfauna with scarce record on their ecology in soils. Here, we investigated soil inhabiting tardigrade communities in five contrasting polar habitats, evaluating their abundance, diversity, species richness, and species composition. Moreover, we measured selected soil physico-chemical properties to find the drivers of tardigrade distribution among these habitats. In spite of reported tardigrade viability in extreme conditions, glacier forelands represented a habitat almost devoid of tardigrades. Even dry and wet tundra with soil developing for over more than 10 000 years held low abundances compared to usual numbers of tardigrades in temperate habitats. Polar habitats also differ in species composition, with Diaforobiotus islandicus being typical species for dry and Hypsibius exemplaris for wet tundra. Overall, tardigrade abundance was affected by the content of nutrients as well as physical properties of soil, i.e. content of total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC), stoniness, soil texture and the water holding capacity (WHC). While diversity and species composition were significantly related to soil physical properties such as the bulk density (BD), soil texture, stoniness, and WHC. Physical structure of environment was, therefore, an important predictor of tardigrade distribution in polar habitats. Since many studies failed to identify significant determinants of tardigrade distribution, we encourage scientists to include physical properties of tardigrade habitats as explanatory variables in their studies.

An optimal combined slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and urea can enhance the decomposition rate of straw and the yield of maize by improving soil bacterial community and structure under full straw returning system.

Under a full straw returning system, the relationship between soil bacterial community diversity and straw decomposition, yield, and the combined application of slow-release nitrogen and urea remains unclear. To evaluate these effects and provide an effective strategy for sustainable agricultural production, a 2-year field positioning trial was conducted using maize as the research object. Six experimental treatments were set up: straw returning + no nitrogen fertilizer (S1N0), straw returning + slow-release nitrogen fertilizer:urea = 0:100% (S1N1), straw returning + slow-release nitrogen fertilizer:urea = 30%:70% (S1N2), straw returning + slow-release nitrogen fertilizer:urea = 60%:40% (S1N3), straw returning + slow-release nitrogen fertilizer:urea = 90%:10% (S1N4), and straw removal + slow-release nitrogen fertilizer:urea = 30%:70% (S0N2). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between treatments for Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Myxococcota, and Actinobacteriota at the jointing stage; Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Myxococcota, Bacteroidota, and Gemmatimonadota at the tasseling stage; and Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Myxococcota, Methylomirabilota, and Proteobacteria at the maturity stage. The alpha diversity analysis of the soil bacterial community showed that the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and the Chao1 index were higher in S1N2, S1N3, and S1N4 compared with S0N2 at each growth stage. Additionally, the alpha diversity measures were higher in S1N3 and S1N4 compared with S1N2. The beta diversity analysis of the soil bacterial community showed that the bacterial communities in S1N3 and S1N4 were more similar or closely clustered together, while S0N2 was further from all treatments across the three growth stages. The cumulative straw decomposition rate was tested for each treatment, and data showed that S1N3 (90.58%) had the highest decomposition rate. At the phylum level, straw decomposition was positively correlated with Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Myxococcota, and Bacteroidota but significantly negatively correlated with Acidobacteriota. PICRUSt2 function prediction results show that the relative abundance of bacteria in soil samples from each treatment differed significantly. The maize yield of S1N3 was 15597.85 ± 1477.17 kg/hm2, which was 12.80 and 4.18% higher than that of S1N1 and S0N2, respectively. In conclusion, a combination of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and urea can enhance the straw decomposition rate and maize yield by improving the soil bacterial community and structure within a full straw returning system.

Molecular genetic identification of Wuzhishan ant chicken, a newly discovered resource in China.

Introduction: The Wuzhishan ant (MY) chicken exhibits significant differences from other chicken breeds. However, the molecular genetic relationship between the MY breed and other chicken breeds has not been assessed. Methods: Whole-genome resequencing was used to compare genetic diversity, nucleotide diversity, the fixation index, the linkage disequilibrium coefficient, and phylogenetic tree relationships between the MY breed and the Wenchang (WC), Danzhou (DZ), Bawangling (BW), and Longsheng Feng (LF) breeds. Results: A total of 21,586,378 singlenucleotide polymorphisms and 4,253,341 insertions/deletions were screened out among the five breeds. The MY breed had the second highest genomic genetic diversity and nucleotide diversity and the lowest LD coefficient among the five breeds. Moreover, the phylogenetic tree analysis showed that individual birds of each breed clustered together with those of their respective breeds. Discussion: Our data indicated that the MY breed is distinct from the other breeds and can be considered a new genetic resource.

Electronic Structure Modification of MnO2 Nanosheet Arrays with Enhanced Water Oxidation Activity and Stability by Nitrogen Plasma.

The strategic design of catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial in tackling the substantial energy demands associated with hydrogen production in electrolytic water splitting. Despite extensive research on birnessite (δ-MnO2) manganese oxides to enhance catalytic activity by modulating Mn3+ species, the ongoing challenge is to simultaneously stabilize Mn3+ while improving overall activity. Herein, oxygen (O) vacancies and nitrogen (N) doping have been simultaneously introduced into the MnO2 through a simple nitrogen plasma approach, resulting in efficient OER performance. The optimized N-MnO2v electrocatalyst exhibits outstanding OER activity in alkaline electrolyte, reducing the overpotential by nearly 160 mV compared to pure pristine MnO2 (from 476 to 312 mV) at 10 mA cm-2, and a small Tafel slope of 89 mV dec-1. Moreover, it demonstrates excellent durability over a 122 h stability test. The introduction of O vacancies and incorporation of N not only fine-tune the electronic structure of MnO2, increasing the Mn3+ content to enhance overall activity, but also play a crucial role in stabilizing Mn3+, thereby leading to exceptional stability over time. Subsequently, density functional theory calculations validate the optimized electronic structure of MnO2 achieved through the two engineering methods, effectively lowering the intermediate adsorption free energy barrier. Our synergistic approach, utilizing nitrogen plasma treatment, opens a pathway to concurrently enhance the activity and stability of OER electrocatalysts, applicable not only to Mn-based but also to other transition metal oxides.

Family structure and children's risk of child protective services re-reports.

BACKGROUND: Single parent families are at higher risk of re-report to Child Protective Services (CPS) than two-parent families. Yet, how single-family homes differ in risk from two-parent families remains under researched. OBJECTIVE: To identify heterogenous patterns of child and caregiver factors among CPS-involved families and the subsequent risk for CPS re-report based on child and family characteristics (i.e., sociodemographic information, family structure, and risk indicators). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data were from the 2017 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System Child File (N = 249,026). METHODS: We conducted latent class analysis (LCA) to identify discrete patterns (i.e., classes) based on child and caregiver risk indicators (e.g., substance use, behavioral health). We then used logistic regression to examine family structure and other family characteristics and CPS indicators predicted CPS re-report for each class. RESULTS: Results yielded five distinct classes: 1) Financial Stressors (25 % of the sample); 2) Caregiver Substance Use (16 %); 3) Complex Household Stressors (3 %); 4) Child Disabilities (4 %); and 5) Minimal Household Stressors (53 %). Family structure was significantly associated with CPS re-reports for Classes 1, 2, and 5. For Class 1, single father families had increased odds of CPS re-report compared to other family structures. For Classes 2 and 5, single father families' odds of CPS re-reports were greater than those of married families, but lower than single mother families. CONCLUSIONS: Children growing up in single father families have different likelihoods of repeat CPS involvement compared to those in single mother and married families. Financial stressors and parental substance use within single father families should be addressed.

Influence of beeswax-based fish oil oleogels on the mechanism of water and oil retention in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) meat emulsion gels: Filling, emulsification and phase transition.

Oleogels have been used in the gelled surimi products to replace animal fats due to its structure characteristics. The effect of structure characteristics in fish oil oleogels on the mechanism of oil/water retention was investigated in meat emulsions. Beeswax assembly improved the oil and water retention. The unsaturation degree of fatty acids lowered the mobility of bound water, immobilized water as well as bound fat in the fish oil oleogel, but enhanced the mobility of free water and protons of unsaturated fatty acids. Beeswax addition and oil phase characteristics could enhance ß-sheets, disulfide bonds and hydrophobic force to improve the viscoelasticity, gel strength and oil/water retention. Beeswax assembly facilitated the tight micro-sol network and filling effect, and high unsaturation degree promoted the emulsification effect, thus reducing phase transition temperature and juice loss. The study could lay the foundation for development of gelled shrimp meat products with EPA and DHA.

Janus hydrogel loaded with a CO2-generating chemical reaction system: Construction, characterization, and application in fruit and vegetable preservation.

In this study, we inserted a dynamic chemical reaction system that can generate CO2 into Janus hydrogel (JH) to develop a multidimensional preservation platform that integrates hygroscopicity, antibacterial activity, and modified atmospheric capacity. The double gel system developed using sodium alginate/trehalose at a 1:1 ratio effectively encapsulated 90% of citric acid. Furthermore, CO2 loss was avoided by separately embedding NaHCO3/cinnamon essential oil and citric acid microcapsules into a gelatin pad to develop JH. Freeze-dried JH exhibited a porous and asymmetric structure, very strongly absorbing moisture, conducting water, and rapidly releasing CO2 and essential oils. Furthermore, when preserving various fruits and vegetables in practical settings, JH provided several preservation effects, including color protection, microbial inhibition, and antioxidant properties. Our study findings broaden the application of JH technology for developing chemical reaction systems, with the resulting JH holding substantial promise for cold chain logistics.

Accuracy and repeatability of 3D Photogrammetry to digitally reconstruct bones.

Advances in computer hardware and software permit the reconstruction of physical objects digitally from digital camera images. Given the varying shapes and sizes of human bones, a comprehensive assessment is required to establish the accuracy of digital bone reconstructions from three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry. Five human bones (femur, radius, scapula, vertebra, patella) were marked with pencil, to establish between 9 and 29 landmarks. The distances between landmarks were measured from the physical bones and digitized from 3D reconstructions. Images used for reconstructions were taken on two separate days, allowing for repeatability to be established. In comparison to physical measurements, the mean (±standard deviation) absolute differences were between 0.2±0.1mm and 0.4±0.2mm. The mean (±standard deviation) absolute differences between reconstructions were between 0.3±<0.1mm and 0.4±0.4mm. The 3D photogrammetry procedures described are accurate and repeatable, permitting quantitative analyses to be conducted from digital reconstructions. Moreover, 3D photogrammetry may be used to capture and preserve anatomical materials for anatomy education.

Danzhou chicken: a unique genetic resource revealed by genome-wide resequencing data.

Danzhou chicken (DZ) is a local breed in China noted for its strong adaptability, roughage resistance, strong wildness, and delicious taste, thus containing important genetic resources. In this study, genome re-sequencing data was generated from 200 DZ chickens. Combined with previously generated data from 72 additional chickens across six other exotic and local breeds, these data were used to systematically evaluate the germplasm characteristics of DZ chickens from a genomic perspective. Unlike exotic breeds, both DZ and southern local chicken varieties exhibited high genetic diversity, and the genetic distance between DZ and southern local chickens was smaller than the genetic distance between DZ and exotic chickens. A reconstructed Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree indicated that all sampled populations clustered into single independent populations, with DZ chickens showing clear evidence of intra-population differentiation, forming 2 subpopulations. Principal component analysis and ADMIXTURE analysis showed that DZ was significantly different from other breeds. These results indicate that DZ is a unique genetic resource that is different from other southern native and exotic chickens. The results of the study will improve our understanding of the genetic structure and current status of the DZ breed, which is of great significance in promoting the conservation of genetic resources of DZ chickens and fostering breed innovations and genetic improvement.

Structural basis of TMPRSS2 zymogen activation and recognition by the HKU1 seasonal coronavirus.

The human seasonal coronavirus HKU1-CoV, which causes common colds worldwide, relies on the sequential binding to surface glycans and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) for entry into target cells. TMPRSS2 is synthesized as a zymogen that undergoes autolytic activation to process its substrates. Several respiratory viruses, in particular coronaviruses, use TMPRSS2 for proteolytic priming of their surface spike protein to drive membrane fusion upon receptor binding. We describe the crystal structure of the HKU1-CoV receptor binding domain in complex with TMPRSS2, showing that it recognizes residues lining the catalytic groove. Combined mutagenesis of interface residues and comparison across species highlight positions 417 and 469 as determinants of HKU1-CoV host tropism. The structure of a receptor-blocking nanobody in complex with zymogen or activated TMPRSS2 further provides the structural basis of TMPRSS2 activating conformational change, which alters loops recognized by HKU1-CoV and dramatically increases binding affinity.

Advancements in inhibitors of crucial enzymes in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway: Serine acetyltransferase and O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase.

Infectious diseases have been jeopardized problem that threaten public health over a long period of time. The growing prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens and infectious cases have led to a decrease in the number of effective antibiotics, which highlights the urgent need for the development of new antibacterial agents. Serine acetyltransferase (SAT), also known as CysE in certain bacterial species, and O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS), also known as CysK in select bacteria, are indispensable enzymes within the cysteine biosynthesis pathway of various pathogenic microorganisms. These enzymes play a crucial role in the survival of these pathogens, making SAT and OASS promising targets for the development of novel anti-infective agents. In this comprehensive review, we present an introduction to the structure and function of SAT and OASS, along with an overview of existing inhibitors for SAT and OASS as potential antibacterial agents. Our primary focus is on elucidating the inhibitory activities, structure-activity relationships, and mechanisms of action of these inhibitors. Through this exploration, we aim to provide insights into promising strategies and prospects in the development of antibacterial agents that target these essential enzymes.

Preparation of imidazolium ionic liquid functionalized paper membrane for selective extraction of caffeic acid and its structural and functional analogues from Taraxaci Herba.

In the search for pharmaceutically active compounds from natural products, it is crucial and challenging to develop separation or purification methods that target not only structurally similar compounds but also those with specific pharmaceutical functions. The adsorption-based method is widely employed in this field and holds potential for this application, given the diverse range of functional monomers that can be chosen based on structural or functional selectivity. In this work, an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) modified paper membrane was synthesized via microwave reaction. Caffeic acid (CA), with potential interactions with imidazolium IL and a representative component of phenolic acids in Taraxaci Herba, was chosen as a target compound. After optimization of synthesis and extraction parameters, the resulting extraction membrane could be used to quantitatively analyze CA at ng/ml level, and to extract CA's analogues from the sample matrix. Cheminformatics confirmed the presence of structural and functional similarity among these extracted compounds. This study offers a novel approach to preparing a readily synthesized extraction membrane capable of isolating compounds with structural and functional analogies, as well as developing a membrane solid-phase extraction-based analytical method for natural products.

Combining Google Earth historical imagery and UAV photogrammetry for urban development analysis.

Rural-urban migration often triggers additional demand for housing and infrastructural development to cater for the growing population in urban areas. Consequently, town planners and urban development authorities need to understand the urban development trend to make sustainable urban planning decisions. Yet, methods to analyse changes and trends in urban spatial development are often complex and require costly data collection. This article thus presents a simplified method to analyse the urban development trend in an area. The method integrates Google Earth (GE) historical imagery (baseline data) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry (recent data) to quantify the changes over time. This approach can be applied to study the urban development trends in low-income countries with budget constraints. The method is discussed under four main headings: (1) background, (2) method details, (3) limitations, and (4) conclusion.•Google Earth historical image can be extracted with its associated world file.•The population of an area can be estimated by using average household size data and the number of residential buildings in the area.•The building height ratio can be used to ascertain if the land is being used parsimoniously.

Mapping and quantifying medium-term soil loss rates in mountain olive groves using unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

Olive groves are one of the main agroecosystems in the Mediterranean region, but water erosion, aggravated by inappropriate soil management, is compromising the environmental sustainability of these crops. National and international public organisations, including the European Union via its Common Agricultural Policy, have acknowledged the problem and recognise the need to quantify the effects of this process. However, the variability of currently available short-term soil erosion measurements, together with limited understanding of the underlying processes, mean there is considerable uncertainty about the long-term effects of soil erosion. This paper presents an innovative procedure called SERHOLIVE4.0 designed to measure and model long-term soil erosion rates in olive groves, by means of structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques by which image information is obtained from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For the present study, the procedure was evaluated in mountain olive groves, where the erosion rate was calculated from historical surface reconstructions. Overall, this approach was found to be practical and effective. The method includes the following steps: [1] measure the current relief using UAV technology; [2] reconstruct the historical relief from field measurements; [3] calculate soil truncation (h) and obtain a soil erosion rate map; [4] determine the erosive dynamics of the slope and establish the relation between tree truncation, slope and mounds. The method we describe presents the following advantages:•it quantifies soil losses by reference to existing tree mounds;•it is straightforward to apply;•its application enhances the calibration of erosion models.

Development of CDK12 as a Cancer Therapeutic Target and Related Inhibitors.

Cyclin-dependent Kinase 12 (CDK12) is a Cyclin-dependent Kinase (CDK) that plays a crucial role in various biological processes, including transcription, translation, mRNA splicing, cell cycle regulation, and DNA damage repair. Dysregulation of CDK12 has been implicated in tumorigenesis, and genetic alterations affecting CDK12 have been identified in multiple cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, and prostate cancer. Numerous studies have demonstrated that suppression of CDK12 expression effectively inhibits tumor growth and proliferation, underscoring its significance as a cancer biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in cancer treatment. A thorough comprehension of CDK12 is expected to significantly enhance the advancement of novel approaches for the treatment and prevention of cancer. In recent times, endeavors have been undertaken to formulate targeted inhibitors for CDK12, such as PROTAC and molecular gel degraders. Concurrently, investigations have been conducted on the combined utilization of CDK12 small molecule inhibitors and immunotherapy as a potential strategy. This paper examines the diverse functions of CDK12 in the modulation of gene expression and its implications in human tumors. Specifically, it explores the recently uncovered roles of CDK12 kinases in various cellular processes, emphasizing the potential of CDK12 as a viable therapeutic target for the management of human tumors. Furthermore, this review provides an up-to-- date account of the advancements made in utilizing CDK12 in tumor therapy.

Jellyfish-inspired Polyurea Ionogel with Mechanical Robustness, Self-Healing, and Fluorescence Enabled by Hyperbranched Cluster Aggregates.

Ionogels are promising for soft iontronics, with their network structure playing a pivotal role in determining their performance and potential applications. However, simultaneously achieving mechanical toughness, low hysteresis, self-healing, and fluorescence using existing network structures is challenging. Drawing inspiration from jellyfish, we propose a novel hierarchical crosslinking network structure design for in situ formation of hyperbranched cluster aggregates (HCA) to fabricate polyurea ionogels to overcome these challenges. Leveraging the disparate reactivity of isocyanate groups, we induce the in situ formation of HCA through competing reactions, enhancing toughness and imparting the clustering-triggered emission of ionogel. This synergy between supramolecular interactions in the network and plasticizing effect in ionic liquid leads to reduced hysteresis of the ionogel. Furthermore, the incorporation of NCO-terminated prepolymer with dynamic oxime-urethane bonds (NPU) enables self-healing and enhances stretchability. Our investigations highlight the significant influence of HCA on ionogel performance, showcasing mechanical robustness including high strength (3.5 MPa), exceptional toughness (5.5 MJ m-3), resistance to puncture, and low hysteresis, self-healing, as well as fluorescence, surpassing conventional dynamic crosslinking approaches. This network design strategy is versatile and can meet the various demands of flexible electronics applications.

In Situ Hydroxide Growth over Nickel-Iron Phosphide with Enhanced Overall Water Splitting Performances.

In this work, three dimensional (3D) self-supported Ni-FeOH@Ni-FeP needle arrays with core-shell heterojunction structure are fabricated via in situ hydroxide growth over Ni-FeP surface. The as-prepared electrodes show an outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, only requiring the low overpotential of 232 mV to reach 200 mA cm-2 with the Tafel slop of 40 mV dec-1. For overall water splitting, an alkaline electrolyzer with these electrodes only requires a cell voltage of 2.14 V to reach 1 A cm-2. Mechanistic investigations for such excellent electrocatalytic performances are utilized by in situ Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The computation results present that Ni-FeOH@Ni-FeP attains better intrinsic conductivity and the D-band center (close to that of the ideal catalyst), thus giving superior excellent catalytic performances. Likewise, the surface Ni-FeOH layer can improve the structural stability of Ni-FeP cores and attenuate the eventual formation of irreversible FeOOH products. More importantly, the appearance of FeOOH intermediates can effectively decrease the energy barrier of NiOOH intermediates, and then rapidly accelerate the sluggish reaction dynamics, as well as further enhance the electrocatalytic activities, reversibility and cycling stability.

Ductile P-Type AgCu(Se,S,Te) Thermoelectric Materials.

Ductile inorganic thermoelectric (TE) materials open a new approach to develop high-performance flexible TE devices. N-type Ag2(S,Se,Te) and p-type AgCu(Se,S,Te) pseudoternary solid solutions are two typical categories of ductile inorganic TE materials reported so far. Comparing with the Ag2(S,Se,Te) pseudoternary solid solutions, the phase composition, crystal structure, and physical properties of AgCu(Se,S,Te) pseudoternary solid solutions are more complex, but their relationships are still ambiguous now. In this work, via systematically investigating the phase composition, crystal structure, mechanical, and TE properties of about 60 AgCu(Se,S,Te) pseudoternary solid solutions, the comprehensive composition-structure-property phase diagrams of the AgCuSe-AgCuS-AgCuTe pseudoternary system is constructed. By mapping the complex phases, the "ductile-brittle" and "n-p" transition boundaries are determined and the composition ranges with high TE performance and inherent ductility are illustrated. On this basis, high performance p-type ductile TE materials are obtained, with a maximum zT of 0.81 at 340 K. Finally, flexible in-plane TE devices are prepared by using the AgCu(Se,S,Te)-based ductile TE materials, showing high output performance that is superior to those of organic and inorganic-organic hybrid flexible devices.

Synthesis, spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of various cymantrenyl thioethers [Mn{C5HxBry(SMe)z}(PPh3)(CO)2].

Starting from [Mn(C5H4Br)(PPh3)(CO)2] (1a), the cymantrenyl thioethers [Mn(C5H4SMe)(PPh3)(CO)2] (1b) and [Mn{C5H4-nBr(SMe)n}(PPh3)(CO)2] (n = 1 for compound 2, n = 2 for 3 and n = 3 for 4) were obtained, using either n-butyllithium (n-BuLi), lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) or lithium tetramethylpiperidide (LiTMP) as base, followed by electrophilic quenching with MeSSMe. Stepwise consecutive reaction of [Mn(C5Br5)(PPh3)(CO)2] with n-BuLi and MeSSMe led finally to [Mn{C5(SMe)5}(PPh3)(CO)2] (11), only the fifth complex to be reported containing a perthiolated cyclopentadienyl ring. The molecular and crystal structures of 1b, 3, 4 and 11 were determined and were studied for the occurrence of S...S and S...Br interactions. It turned out that although some interactions of this type occurred, they were of minor importance for the arrangement of the molecules in the crystal.