Lithium Superionic Conductive Nanofiber-Reinforcing High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries.

Although composite solid-state electrolytes (CSEs) are considered promising ionic conductors for high-energy lithium metal batteries, their unsatisfactory ionic conductivity, low mechanical strength, poor thermal stability, and narrow voltage window limit their practical applications. We have prepared a new lithium superionic conductor (Li-HA-F) with an ultralong nanofiber structure and ultrahigh room-temperature ionic conductivity (12.6 mS cm-1). When it is directly coupled with a typical poly(ethylene oxide)-based solid electrolyte, the Li-HA-F nanofibers endow the resulting CSE with high ionic conductivity (4.0 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 30 °C), large Li+ transference number (0.66), and wide voltage window (5.2 V). Detailed experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that Li-HA-F supplies continuous dual-conductive pathways and results in stable LiF-rich interfaces, leading to its excellent performance. Moreover, the Li-HA-F nanofiber-reinforced CSE exhibits good heat/flame resistance and flexibility, with a high breaking strength (9.66 MPa). As a result, the Li/Li half cells fabricated with the Li-HA-F CSE exhibit good stability over 2000 h with a high critical current density of 1.4 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the LiFePO4/Li-HA-F CSE/Li and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/Li-HA-F CSE/Li solid-state batteries deliver high reversible capacities over a wide temperature range with a good cycling performance.

Collective behavior of identical Stuart-Landau oscillators in a star network with coupling asymmetry effects.

In this study, we investigated the impact of the asymmetry of a coupling scheme on oscillator dynamics in a star network. We obtained stability conditions for the collective behavior of the systems, ranging from an equilibrium point over complete synchronization (CS) and quenched hub incoherence to remote synchronization states using both numerical and analytical methods. The coupling asymmetry factor α significantly influences and determines the stable parameter region of each state. For α ≠ 1, the equilibrium point can emerge when the Hopf bifurcation parameter a is positive, which is impossible for diffusive coupling. However, CS can occur even if a is negative under α < 1. Unlike diffusive coupling, we observe more behavior when α ≠ 1, including additional in-phase remote synchronization. These results are supported by theoretical analysis and validated through numerical simulations and independent of network size. The findings may offer practical methods for controlling, restoring, or obstructing specific collective behavior.

Land use and habitat quality change in the Yellow River Basin: A perspective with different CMIP6-based scenarios and multiple scales.

Studying the spatial distribution of land use/land cover (LULC) and habitat quality (HQ), influenced by both climate change and socio-economic factors, holds immense importance for fostering ecological sustainability. The previous scale setting was based on changes in granularity and division of spatial ranges, without considering the differences in land quantity structure and spatial expansion under different spatial ranges. Therefore, this study is based on climate and economic data at different spatial scales to determine the various land demands of provinces (YRB-P) and integration of provinces (YRB-I) in the Yellow River Basin, and to limit the expansion of LULC in corresponding regions. At the same time, we have also established three future scenarios representing different development speeds based on the latest path of shared socio-economic development in CMIP6. We found exhibit significant characteristics in ecological responses under combinations of different scales and scenarios. Shandong and Henan Provinces are the main gathering (38.7-41.7%, 24.1-26.5%) and expansion (68.54-85.99 × 102km2, 18.89-34.12 × 102km2) provinces of built-up land under the YRB-P scale, and their HQ (0.260-0.397) are significantly lower than the average HQ (0.619-0.654). Forest land, grassland, and high value regions of HQ show "45°" distribution at two scales, with high and low values clearly clustered (Moran's I is 0.5440-0.580). The HQ evolution region is larger and more dispersed at the YRB-P scale, but accumulates in local areas at the YRB-I scale. In addition, the highest and lowest HQ mean values appear under the low speed development scenario at the YRB-P scale (0.721) and the rapid development scenario at the YRB-I scale (0.689), respectively. This study helps decision-makers control different scales and development scenarios to improve the ecological level of the study area.

Pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy with acute angle-closure glaucoma and posterior subcapsular cataract: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy (PPRCA) is a rare fundus disease characterized by the presence of osteoblast-like pigment, atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and choroid deposition along the large retinal veins. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old Chinese female presented with right eye distention and bilateral vision loss. Osteocyte-like pigmentation and retinal choroidal atrophy distributed along the large retinal veins were seen in the fundus of bilateral eyes. The atrophy in the left eye was more severe compared to the right eye. The patient also presented with bilateral acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG) and posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) accompanied with anterior segmental manifestations, similar to the complications of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The patient underwent ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), Humphrey field analyser (HFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), electroretinogram (ERG), and electrooculography (EOG), all of which confirmed the aforementioned diagnose. CONCLUSION: PPRCA is a rare disease of unknown etiology. The patient in this case presented with complications similar to those of RP, and the two conditions may share a genetic basis. Further studies are needed to confirm this relationship.

α5-nAChR and survivin: Two potential biological targets in lung adenocarcinoma.

Recent studies have shown that the overexpression of α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α5-nAChR) is associated with nicotine-related lung carcinogenesis. Survivin is one of the biomarkers of a worse prognosis for smoking-related lung cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of α5-nAChR, survivin, and clinical outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We analyzed the expression level and correlation of CHRNA5 (encoding α5-nAChR) and BIRC5 (encoding survivin) in LUAD with The Cancer Genome Atlas data set. The relationship between overall survival (OS) and the expression of CHRNA5 or/and BIRC5 was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Moreover, our results showed that the expression of α5-nAChR mediated survivin expression in lung cancer cells and in lung tumor xenografts. Relationships between the expression of α5-nAChR and/or survivin with clinical-pathological characteristics were analyzed using LUAD tissue samples. The results showed that expression of α5-nAChR was correlated with survivin expression in vitro and in vivo. The group coexpressing α5-nAChR and survivin had a worse prognosis than other subgroups in LUAD (p < .05). In conclusion, ascertaining the expression of both α5-nAChR and survivin provides a better measure of prognosis for LUAD patients. The combined inhibition of α5-nAChR and survivin may be a promising multitargeted gene therapeutic strategy in LUAD diagnosis.

Optically stimulated synaptic transistor based on MoS2/quantum dots mixed-dimensional heterostructure with gate-tunable plasticity.

In this Letter, we report an optically stimulated synaptic transistor based on MoS2/quantum dots mixed-dimensional (MD) heterostructure, where the channel conductance shows a non-linear response to the optical stimuli. Paired-pulse facilitation is realized with the index above 200%, and the optical synaptic plasticity can be modulated by adjusting the amplitude, duration time, frequency, and power of light spikes. In addition, the long-term plasticity shows a gate-tunability, which can be attributed to the unique photoelectric coupling in MoS2/quantum dots MD heterostructure. This work opens up a new way to explore optically stimulated synaptic devices based on designed device structure and provides a feasible method to achieve plasticity modulation by gate voltage, which plays an important role in developing neuromorphic devices with complicated functions.

Out-of-plane and in-plane ferroelectricity of atom-thick two-dimensional InSe.

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials are promising substitutes of three-dimensional perovskite based ferroelectric ceramic materials. Yet most studies have been focused on the construction of non-centrosymmetric 2D van der Waals materials and only a few are constructed experimentally. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate the co-existence of voltage-tunable out-of-plane (OOP) and in-plane (IP) ferroelectricity in few-layer InSe prepared by a solution-processable method and fabricate ferroelectric semiconductor channel transistors. The reversible polarization can initiate instant switch of resistance with high ON/OFF ratios and a comparable subthreshold swing of 160 mV/dec under gate modulation. The origins of such unique OOP and IP ferroelectricity of the centrosymmetric structure are theoretically analyzed.

Gate stimulated high-performance MoS2-In(OH) x Se phototransistor.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and MoS2 have shown great potential in photodetection platforms. Photoresponsivity and photoresponse speed are two important parameters illustrating photodetector performances. Although various hybrid structures have been designed, the trade-off between photoresponsivity and photoresponse speed has not been well balanced. In this work, MoS2 film and In(OH) x Se nanoparticles are combined together to form the hybrid phototransistor. Utilizing both the photoconducting and photogating effects, the photoresponsivity increases about one order of magnitude with a value of 102 A W-1. The ratio of photocurrent and dark current increases to a value of 104. Considering the slow photo recovery speed, a 2 ms gate voltage pulse is applied after turning off the light, which results in a complete recovery of current. The photoconducting effect, photogating effect and gate voltage stimulation simultaneously promote the superior comprehensive photoresponse performances. This method can be further explored and utilized for realizing high performance photodetectors.

A Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of the Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Compound 4-N-Carbobenzoxy-gemcitabine (Cbz-dFdC).

Gemcitabine (dFdC) demonstrates significant effectiveness against solid tumors in vitro and in vivo; however, its clinical application is limited because it tends to easily undergo deamination metabolism. Therefore, we synthesized 4-N-carbobenzoxy-gemcitabine (Cbz-dFdC) as a lead prodrug and conducted a detailed pharmacokinetic, metabolic, and pharmacodynamic evaluation. After intragastric Cbz-dFdC administration, the Cmax of Cbz-dFdC and dFdC was 451.1 ± 106.7 and 1656.3 ± 431.5 ng/mL, respectively. The Tmax of Cbz-dFdC and dFdC was 2 and 4 h, respectively. After intragastric administration of Cbz-dFdC, this compound was mainly distributed in the intestine due to low carboxylesterase-1 (CES1) activity. Cbz-dFdC is activated by CES1 in both humans and rats. The enzyme kinetic curves were well fitted by the Michaelis-Menten equation in rats' blood, plasma, and tissue homogenates and S9 of the liver and kidney, as well as human liver S9 and CES1 recombinase. The pharmacodynamic results showed that the Cbz-dFdC have a good antitumor effect in the HepG2 cell and in tumor-bearing mice, respectively. In general, Cbz-dFdC has good pharmaceutical characteristics and is therefore a good candidate for a potential prodrug.

Anisotropic Growth and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Identification of Ultrathin Even-Layered PdSe2 Ribbons.

Palladium diselenide (PdSe2 ) is an emerging 2D layered material with anisotropic optical/electrical properties, extra-high carrier mobility, excellent air stability, etc. So far, ultrathin PdSe2 is mainly achieved via mechanical exfoliation from its bulk counterpart, and the direct synthesis is still challenging. Herein, the synthesis of ultrathin 2D PdSe2 on conductive Au foil substrates via a facile chemical vapor deposition route is reported. Intriguingly, an anisotropic growth behavior is detected from the evolution of ribboned flakes with large length/width ratios, which is well explained from the orthorhombic symmetry of PdSe2 . A unique even-layered growth mode from 2 to 20 layers is also confirmed by the perfect combination of onsite scanning tunneling microscopy characterizations, through deliberately scratching the flake edge to expose both even and odd layers. This even-layered, ribboned 2D material is expected to serve as a perfect platform for exploring unique physical properties, and for developing high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Influence of low-dimension carbon-based electrodes on the performance of SnO2 nanofiber gas sensors at room temperature.

Room-temperature NO2 gas sensors are fabricated by employing tin oxide (SnO2) nanofibers (NFs) as sensing layers and low-dimension carbon nanomaterials, including single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as conductive interdigital electrodes (IDEs). The morphology characteristics and gas sensing performance of rGO IDEs-SnO2 and SWCNTs IDEs-SnO2 gas sensors have been investigated. The results demonstrate that the response of rGO IDEs based sensors achieves 90.0% after been exposed to 12 ppm NO2, which is superior to the responses of Ti/Au and SWCNTs IDEs based sensors (55.1% and 16.7%, respectively). The rGO IDEs-SnO2 sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity, large recovery capability and repeatability, and high selectivity at room temperature. The sensing mechanism of such prominent performance has also been analyzed, revealing that the outstanding properties could be attributed to a large number of active adsorption sites, the formation of a p-n heterojunction and a large effective contact area between the two-dimensional rGO nanosheets and the tube-shaped SnO2 NFs. This work helps to build up a potential platform to explore effective electrodes for future novel NO2 gas sensors in practical gas sensing applications.

Valsartan reduced the vulnerability to atrial fibrillation by preventing action potential prolongation and conduction slowing in castrated male mice.

INTRODUCTION: Deficiency of testosterone was associated with the susceptibility of atrial fibrillation (AF). Angiotensin-II (AngII) receptor antagonists were shown to reduce AF by improving atrial electrical remodeling. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of valsartan, an AngII receptor antagonist, on the susceptibility to AF with testosterone deficiency. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five-week-old male ICR mice were castrated and valsartan was administered orally (50 mg/kg/d). High-frequency electrical stimulation method was used to induce atrial arrhythmia. Patch-clamp technique was used for recording action potential duration (APD), transient outward potassium current ( I to ), sustained outward potassium current ( I ksus ), and late sodium current ( I Na-L ). Optical mapping technique was used to examine atrial conduction velocity (CV). The expression of connexin40 (Cx40) and Cx43 were detected by Western blot analysis. The occurrence rate of AF was significantly increased in castrated mice and APDs measured at 50% and 90% repolarization were markedly prolonged in castrated mice than controls, which were alleviated by the administration of valsartan. Valsartan suppressed the increase of INa-L and rescued the reduction of Ito and Iksus in castrated mice. The left atrial CV in castrated mice was decreased and the expression of Cx43 reduced than controls, which were restored after valsartan treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Valsartan reduced the susceptibility of AF in castrated mice, which may be related to the inhibition of action potential prolongation and improvement of atrial conduction impairment. This study indicates that valsartan may represent a useful agent for the prevention of AF pathogenesis in elderly male patients.

Iminium Ion and N-Hydroxyimide as the Surrogate Components in DEAD-Promoted Oxidative Ugi Variant.

A practical metal-free oxidative Ugi-type three-component assembly has been achieved efficiently, employing a tertiary-amine-derived iminium ion as an imine surrogate, N-hydroxyimide as an acid surrogate, and DEAD as an oxidant. This dual-surrogate Ugi variant proceeded with a broad substrate scope and desired functional group tolerance, leading to a wide range of N-alkyl- N-acyl aminophthalimide and N-alkyl- N-acylaminosuccinimide derivatives in good isolated yields.

Locally hydrazine doped WSe2 p-n junction toward high-performance photodetectors.

Two dimensional (2D) materials have shown great potential in the photodetection and other optoelectronic applications. Exploiting 2D materials to form p-n junctions enables effective generation and separation of carriers excited by light, thus creating high-performance optoelectronic devices. This paper demonstrates a lateral WSe2 p-n junction through a locally hydrazine doping method. Good current-rectifying characteristics, including a high rectification ratio of ∼103, have been observed; this indicates that a high-quality p-n junction has been formed by chemical doping. Under light illumination, the device shows improved photoresponse capabilities with a responsivity of 30 mA W-1, a detectivity of 6.18 × 108 Jones, photocurrent/dark current ratio of 103 and a response time of 2 ms. These results suggest an effective way to get a p-n junction and reveal the application potential of the device for next generation photodetectors.

A robust LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of docetaxel and voriconazole in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies.

Opportunistic fungal infections are common in immunocompromised cancer patients, especially patients undergoing chemotherapy. Because antitumor agents are possible to combine with antifungal agents in clinical, it is necessary to study drug-drug interaction between antitumor agents and antifungal agents. The aim of the study was to explore a method for the simultaneous determination of voriconazole and docetaxel in plasma and investigate pharmacokinetic interaction of voriconazole and docetaxel in rats. A precise and reliable method using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous measure of docetaxel and voriconazole in rat plasma after liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The method was fully validated and successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic interaction study of docetaxel and voriconazole in rats after single or combined administration. We found that the AUC of each drug after coadministration increased compared with that after the single administration, which might be caused by interaction at the absorption stage or the competitive inhibition on the metabolic enzymes. This established method can be utilized to study the detailed mechanism of the drug-drug interaction and guide rational drug use in the clinic.

Mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenoma in the sellar region: a large-scale single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenoma is an extremely rare tumor occurring in the sellar region, histologically composed of both gangliocytic and pituitary adenomatous architectures. The histogenesis of these tumors remains unknown, and the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are yet to be fully understood. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, radiological, and histopathological profiles from a series of 20 patients with sellar mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenomas. All patients underwent surgical tumorectomy via an endoscopic or microscopic transsphenoidal approach. Perioperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) data were reviewed. Immunohistochemical stains and electron microscopy examination were performed. Follow-up outcomes were presented. RESULTS: This case series consisted of 13 females and seven males (age range, 20-59 years; mean age, 42.3 ± 11.2 years). Preoperative endocrine examination showed elevated growth hormone (GH) in nine patients and hyperprolactinemia in eight patients. The tumors were positive for GH in 15 cases, prolactin in 13 cases, adrenocorticotropic hormone in three cases, and thyroid-stimulating hormone in one case. Gross total resection was achieved in 15 patients, and subtotal resection in five patients. During an average follow-up period of 42.5 ± 29.0 months, no recurrence was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and neuroimaging features of sellar mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenomas are non-specific, and invasion into the cavernous sinus is common. Surgical resection via a transsphenoidal approach is the preferred treatment, and the surgical outcomes are favorable. Moreover, our histopathological findings are more likely to support the theory that mixed gangliocytoma-pituitary adenoma originates from the neuronal transdifferentiation of adenomatous cells.

Temperature-dependent transport and hysteretic behaviors induced by interfacial states in MoS2 field-effect transistors with lead-zirconate-titanate ferroelectric gating.

We report the temperature and gate-voltage-dependent electrical properties of lead-zirconate-titanate-gated MoS2 field-effect transistors (MoS2-PZT FETs) within a temperature range of 300 to 380 K. The MoS2 transistors with PZT gating exhibit large reproducible clockwise hysteresis, which is induced by the dynamic charge-trapping/de-trapping process of interfacial states between PZT films and MoS2 channels under the modulation of ferroelectric polarization of PZT films. In this way, the modulation of the gate effect on the hysteresis behavior has been achieved by activating the dynamic charge-trapping/de-trapping process in the interfacial states under different V gs . Moreover, the temperature dependence of the current in the range of 300 to 380 K indicates thermally activated hysteretic behaviors. The hysteresis in the transfer characteristics of MoS2-PZT FETs shows a simultaneous enlargement with increasing temperature, which can be attributed to the thermally sensitive dynamic trapping/de-trapping process of interfacial states.

Growth, Faraday and inverse Faraday characteristics of Tb2Ti2O7 crystal.

Tb2Ti2O7 (TTO) single crystal with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 16 mm3 was grown by the Czochralski method. Rietveld structure refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data confirms that the compound crystallizes in the cubic system with pyrochlore structure. Transmission spectra, Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra, Faraday and inverse Faraday characteristics of TTO crystal have been measured and analyzed in detail. The results demonstrate that TTO crystal has high transmittance at 700-1400 nm waveband and a larger Verdat constant than that of TGG reported. Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra showed that the 4f→4f transitions of Tb3+ have significant contributions to the magneto-optical activity (MOA). In the time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, the rotation signals of the probe beam based on the inverse Faraday effect in magneto-optical crystal were observed at zero time delay, the full width at half maximum of the rotation and ellipticity signals can be as fast as ~500 fs, which indicates that TTO crystal can be a promising material for ultrafast all-optical magnetic switching.

Adjustable hydrazine modulation of single-wall carbon nanotube network field effect transistors from p-type to n-type.

Single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) network field effect transistors (FETs), which show decent p-type electronic properties, have been fabricated. The use of hydrazine as an aqueous solution and a strong n-type dopant for the SWCNTs is demonstrated in this paper. The electrical properties are obviously tuned by hydrazine treatment at different concentrations on the surface of the SWCNT network FETs. The transport behavior of SWCNTs can be modulated from p-type to n-type, demonstrating the controllable and adjustable doping effect of hydrazine. With a higher concentration of hydrazine, more electrons can be transferred from the hydrazine molecules to the SWCNT network films, thus resulting in a change of threshold voltage, carrier mobility and on-current. By cleaning the device, the hydrazine doping effects vanish, which indicates that the doping effects of hydrazine are reversible. Through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization, the doping effects of hydrazine have also been studied.

NO2-induced performance enhancement of PEDOT:PSS/Si hybrid solar cells with a high efficiency of 13.44.

Using poly (3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS) as an effective hole collecting layer, high-efficiency PEDOT: PSS/n-Si hybrid solar cells are fabricated and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.13% is obtained. After being treated by HNO3 vapor, the PCE value of PEDOT: PSS/n-Si hybrid solar cells enhances from 12.13% to 13.44%. NO2 gas molecules in HNO3 vapor play a significant doping role in raising the PCE of solar cells. As the doping level raises, NO2 would get more electrons from PEDOT and lead to the increase of hole carriers in the films, which improves the polymer film's conductivity and PCE of solar cells.