Efficient generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) by CoP/Ni2P@NF for degradation of sulfamerazine through a heterogeneous electro-Fenton process at circumneutral pH.

In electro-Fenton (EF), the development of a catalytic material with wide pH application range and high interference resistance is more suitable for practical wastewater treatment. In this study, the nanoneedle-shaped CoP/Ni2P heterostructure loaded onto a nickel foam substrate (CoP/Ni2P@NF) was successfully fabricated, which was used as a cathode material for heterogeneous electro-Fenton (Hetero-EF) to degrade sulfamerazine (SMR) at circumneutral pH. The SMR degradation efficiency within 90 min went to 100% and 87% at initial pH of 6.8 and 11, respectively. Experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the heterostructure of CoP/Ni2P redistributed the interfacial charge and accelerated the electron transfer, resulting in different two-electron oxygen reduction (2e-ORR) selectivity and activity than CoP and Ni2P. The ion interference and complex water quality experiment exhibited that the degradation performance remained almost unchanged, showing better anti-interference ability and complex water quality applications. Through quenching experiments and EPR tests, it is confirmed that singlet oxygen (1O2) was the major reactive oxygen species (ROS) and 1O2 was converted from hydroxyl radical (·OH) adsorbed on the catalyst surface. This study provides an efficient catalyst for the application of Hetero-EF to remove organic compounds in complex water at circumneutral pH.

Synergistically Constructing High-Dielectric Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)/Silica/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Insulation Paper through Dynamic Covalent Chemistry and Hydrogen Bonding.

The rapid advancement of modern power equipment and high-power devices has imposed increasingly stringent demands upon the mechanical and dielectric properties of electrical insulation materials. Herein, we report a poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) composite insulating paper with excellent dielectric breakdown strength, reliable mechanical properties, and high thermal stability. Enhanced surface activity of PMIA is achieved through surface modification, facilitating the synergistic integration of modified PMIA (MPMIA), bovine serum albumin (BSA)/silica (SiO2), and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) into composite paper using dynamic covalent bonds and hydrogen bonding. The prepared MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composite paper exhibits a laminated stacked structure with high tensile strength (32.68 MPa) and strain at break (9.57%). Meanwhile, MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composites have excellent dielectric breakdown strength (24.75 kV/mm) and good temperature resistance. Therefore, the MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composite paper has a broad application prospect in the field of high-voltage and high-power electrical equipment insulation.

T-Cell Epitope-Based Vaccines: A Promising Strategy for Prevention of Infectious Diseases.

With the development of novel vaccine strategies, T-cell epitope-based vaccines have become promising prophylactic and therapeutic tools against infectious diseases that cannot be controlled via traditional vaccines. T-cell epitope-based vaccines leverage specific immunogenic peptides to elicit protective T-cell responses against infectious pathogens. Compared to traditional vaccines, they provide superior efficacy and safety, minimizing the risk of adverse side effects. In this review, we summarized and compared the prediction and identification methods of T-cell epitopes. By integrating bioinformatic prediction and experimental validation, efficient and precise screening of T-cell epitopes can be achieved. Importantly, we delved into the development approaches to diverse T-cell epitope-based vaccines, comparing their merits and demerits, as well as discussing the prevalent challenges and perspectives in their applications. This review offers fresh perspectives for the formulation of safe and efficacious epitope-based vaccines for the devastating diseases against which no vaccines are currently available.

Quinclorac-resistant Echinochloa spp. promoted growth and reproduction of Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) probably by providing more nutrients and stable environment.

Rice is an important agricultural crop that faces serious challenges from pathogens, pests, and weeds during growth stages. Meanwhile, these organisms would interact with each other to increase the level of destruction. The previous studies showed that barnyard grass (Echinochloa spp) could be used as a temporary host to increase infestation of small brown planthopper (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus), which is one of the main polyphagous pests. Herbicides are widely used to control weeds that induce resistance development. However, little is known about the effects of increased weed resistance on insect species. In this study, we investigated the effect of quinclorac-resistant and sensitive biotypes of barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli var. zelayensis; Echinochloa crus-pavonis Schult) and rice plants (Wuyujing 3) on the ecological fitness of SBPH and examined physiological indicators of plants and SBPH to explore the mechanism. Our results showed that the growth and reproduction of SBPH promoted significantly reared on quinclorac-resistant barnyard grass. From the perspectives of oxidative stress response, the activities of peroxidase (POD) increased and the activities of catalase (CAT), mixed-functional oxidase (MFO), and carboxylesterase (CarE) decreased in SBPH reared on resistant barnyard grass. Combined with the increased amino acid contents (threonine, serine, methionine, and alanine) of resistant barnyard grass E. crus-pavonis, we speculate that quinclorac-resistant barnyard grass probably provides SBPH with a more suitable environment, thus increasing the risk of SBPH.

African swine fever virus modulates the endoplasmic reticulum stress-ATF6-calcium axis to facilitate viral replication.

African swine fever (ASF), caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV), is a devastating infectious disease of domestic pigs and wild boar, which threatens the global pig industry. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional signaling organelle in eukaryotic cells that is involved in protein synthesis, processing, posttranslational modification and quality control. As intracellular parasitic organisms, viruses have evolved several strategies to modulate ER functions to favor their life cycles. We have previously demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes associated with unfolded protein response (UPR), which represents a response to ER stress, are significantly enriched upon ASFV infection. However, the correlation between the ER stress or UPR and ASFV replication has not been illuminated yet. Here, we demonstrated that ASFV infection induces ER stress both in target cells and in vivo, and subsequently activates the activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) branch of the UPR to facilitate viral replication. Mechanistically, ASFV infection disrupts intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis, while the ATF6 pathway facilitates ASFV replication by increasing the cytoplasmic Ca2+ level. More specifically, we demonstrated that ASFV infection triggers ER-dependent Ca2+ release via the inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R) channel. Notably, we showed that the ASFV B117L protein plays crucial roles in ER stress and the downstream activation of the ATF6 branch, as well as the disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis. Taken together, our findings reveal for the first time that ASFV modulates the ER stress-ATF6-Ca2+ axis to facilitate viral replication, which provides novel insights into the development of antiviral strategies for ASFV.

The I7L protein of African swine fever virus is involved in viral pathogenicity by antagonizing the IFN-γ-triggered JAK-STAT signaling pathway through inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT1.

Cell-passage-adapted strains of African swine fever virus (ASFV) typically exhibit substantial genomic alterations and attenuated virulence in pigs. We have indicated that the human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells-adapted ASFV strain underwent genetic alterations and the I7L gene in the right variable region was deleted compared with the ASFV HLJ/2018 strain (ASFV-WT). A recent study has revealed that the deletion of the I7L-I11L genes results in attenuation of virulent ASFV in vivo, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Therefore, we hypothesized that the deletion of the I7L gene may be related to the pathogenicity of ASFV in pigs. We generated the I7L gene-deleted ASFV mutant (ASFV-ΔI7L) and found that the I7L gene deletion does not influence the replication of ASFV in primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs). Using transcriptome sequencing analysis, we identified that the differentially expressed genes in the PAMs infected with ASFV-ΔI7L were mainly involved in antiviral immune responses induced by interferon gamma (IFN-γ) compared with those in the ASFV-WT-infected PAMs. Meanwhile, we further confirmed that the I7L protein (pI7L) suppressed the IFN-γ-triggered JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Mechanistically, pI7L interacts with STAT1 and inhibits its phosphorylation and homodimerization, which depends on the tyrosine at position 98 (Y98) of pI7L, thereby preventing the nuclear translocation of STAT1 and leading to the decreased production of IFN-γ-stimulated genes. Importantly, ASFV-ΔI7L exhibited reduced replication and virulence compared with ASFV-WT in pigs, likely due to the increased production of IFN-γ-stimulated genes, indicating that pI7L is involved in the virulence of ASFV. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that pI7L is associated with pathogenicity and antagonizes the IFN-γ-triggered JAK-STAT signaling pathway via inhibiting the phosphorylation and homodimerization of STAT1 depending on the Y98 residue of pI7L and the Src homology 2 domain of STAT1, which provides more information for understanding the immunoevasion strategies and designing the live attenuated vaccines against ASFV infection.

Immune responses induced by a recombinant C-strain of classical swine fever virus expressing the F317L protein of African swine fever virus.

African swine fever (ASF), a highly infectious and devastating disease affecting both domestic pigs and wild boars, owes its etiology to African swine fever virus (ASFV). ASFV encodes more than 165 proteins. However, novel immunogenic proteins remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the antigenicity of the F317L protein (pF317L) of ASFV. The results revealed that pF317L was able to react with convalescent pig sera, indicating that pF317L could be a candidate antigen. The antigenic potential of pF317L expressed by rHCLV-F317L, a recombinant virus in the backbone of C-strain (a lapinized live attenuated classical swine fever virus) was further investigated in rabbits and pigs. The results revealed that antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses against pF317L were induced in either rabbits or pigs inoculated with rHCLV-F317L. Importantly, anti-pF317L antibodies from rabbits or pigs immunized with rHCLV-F317L significantly inhibited ASFV replication in vitro. In conclusion, pF317L demonstrates favorable immunogenic properties, positioning it as a promising candidate for the development of protective antigens in the ongoing endeavor to formulate efficacious ASF vaccine strategies.

A recombinant pseudorabies virus surface - displaying the classical swine fever E2 protein induces specific antibodies rapidly.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV) are both economically important pathogens threatening the pig industry in many countries. The triple-gene-deleted variant of PRV, herein referred to as rPRVTJ-delgE/gI/TK, has exhibited pronounced efficacy and safety profiles. This underscores its viability as a prospective vaccine vector. However, the generation of specific anti-E2 antibodies necessitates elevated immunization doses and extended durations when the extracellular domain of the E2 protein of CSFV is secreted via the recombinant rPRVTJ-delgE/gI/TK vector. To enhance the presentation of exogenous antigens by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), we engineered the E2 protein expressed on the surface of PRV particles in this study. The recombinant virus expressing the E2 protein with a heterogonous transmembrane domain was generated in the backbone of rPRVTJ-delgE/gI/TK and designated as rPRVTJ-UL44-E2. The E2 gene was fused to the 3' terminus of the UL44 gene utilizing P2A, a self-cleaving peptide sequence. The electron microscopy showed that the E2 protein was anchored on the surface of the viral particles of rPRVTJ-delgE/gI/TK-E2. The insertion of the E2 gene did not alter the native biological characteristics of the viral vector. Rabbits immunized with 107 median tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of rPRVTJ-UL44-E2 exhibited a rapid seroconversion to anti-E2 specific antibodies within 7 days post-immunization (dpi). All the rabbits immunized with the rPRVTJ-UL44-E2 had generated antibodies specific to E2 prior to the administration of the booster immunization. However, the immunized rabbits were not protected from the CSFV C-strain challenge. Nevertheless, this strategy has notably achieved rapid induction of E2-specific non-neutralizing antibodies. These findings provide insights that the design of rPRVTJ-UL44-E2 requires optimization, thereby indicating a promising avenue for augmenting vaccine-induced immune responses.

In Situ Vanadium Modification Induced a Back Interfacial Field Passivation Effect toward Efficient Kesterite Solar Cells beyond 11% Efficiency.

Realization of a high-quality back electrode interface (BEI) with suppressed recombination is crucial for Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. To achieve this goal, the construction of a traditional chemical passivation effect has been widely adopted and investigated. However, there is currently a lack of reports concerning the construction of a field passivation effect (FPE) for the BEI. Herein, considering the characteristic of the negligible difference in ionic radius between Mo (0.65 Å) and V (0.64 Å) as well as the presence of one less valence electron compared to Mo, vanadium (V) was employed and in situ incorporated into the MoSe2 interfacial layer during the deposition of the Mo:V electrode and selenization process. This allowed for the establishment of a desirable in situ VI-FPE interface with p-MoSe2:V/p-CZTSSe at the BEI. The p-type characteristic in MoSe2:V is attributed to the presence of the VMo acceptor; notably, the Fermi energy level of MoSe2:V has shifted downward by 0.62 eV compared to MoSe2, thereby facilitating the formation of an optimized band alignment between MoSe2:V and the absorber. Consequently, the photovoltaic parameters of the cell-FPE have experienced a significant increase due to the enhanced carrier transportation efficiency compared to cell-ref, resulting in a remarkable improvement in efficiency from 8.28 to 11.11%.

Immune Responses Induced by a Recombinant Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Surface-Displaying the gD Protein of Pseudorabies Virus.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is one of the herpes viruses that can infect a wide range of animals including pigs, cattle, sheep, mice, and wild animals. PRV is a neurotropic alphaherpesvirus capable of infecting a variety of mammals. There is a rising interest in the targeted application of probiotic bacteria to prevent viral diseases, including PRV. In this study, the surface expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) on recombinant Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NC8 (rNC8) through the LP3065 LPxTG motif of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 was generated. The surface expression was observed through confocal microscopy. Dendritic cell targeting peptides (DCpep) were also fused with LPxTG that help to bind with mouse DCs. The PRV-gD was cloned in LP3065 LPxTG, resulting in the generation of rNC8-LP3065-gD. Inactivated rNC8-LP3065-gD was administered intravenously in mice on days 1 and 7 at a dose of 200 µL (109 CFU/mouse) for monitoring immunogenicity. Subsequently, a challenge dose of PRV TJ (104 TCID50) was administered intramuscularly at 14 days post-immunization. The survival rate of the immunized mice reached 80% (4/5) with no significant signs of illness. A significant rise in anti-gD antibodies was detected in the immunized mice by ELISA. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) results showed decreased viral loading in different body tissues. Flow cytometry of lymphocytes derived from mice spleen indicated an increase in CD3+CD4+ T cells, but CD3+CD8+ T cells were not detected. Moreover, it offers a model to delineate immune correlates with rNC8-induced immunity against swine viral diseases.

Wavelength Modulation and Fast Response of Mixed-Phase ß-Ga2O3:Zn/SnO2 in-Plane Heterojunction Ultraviolet Photodetectors.

Ultraviolet photodetectors based on wide bandgap mixed-phase ß-Ga2O3:Zn/SnO2 thin films formed through doping on the c-sapphire substrate (c-Al2O3) are prepared to construct in-plane heterojunctions employing a low-cost and simple preparation method. The mixed-phase thin film photodetectors have a low dark current of 0.74 nA, and the photo-to-dark current ratio ranges from 36.43 to 642.38 at 10 V. The photodetectors also have wavelength modulation, with response peaks ranging from 260 nm (4 mA/W) to 295 nm (1.63 A/W). Furthermore, the photodetectors have a fast response time with a rise time of 0.07 s/0.22 s and a decay time of 0.04 s/0.22 s at 1 V. The excellent performance of the devices is attributed to the reduction of VO and the establishment of multiple electric fields in the mixed-phase films, which indicates the feasibility of implementing wavelength-modulated and fast-response ß-Ga2O3 photodetectors using the sol-gel method.

The antibodies against the A137R protein drive antibody-dependent enhancement of African swine fever virus infection in porcine alveolar macrophages.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious disease that can kill up to 100% of domestic pigs and wild boars. It has been shown that the pigs inoculated with some ASF vaccine candidates display more severe clinical signs and die earlier than do pigs not immunized. We hypothesize that antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of ASFV infection may be caused by the presence of some unidentified antibodies. In this study, we found that the ASFV-encoded structural protein A137R (pA137R) can be recognized by the anti-ASFV positive sera, indicating that the anti-pA137R antibodies are induced in the ASFV-infected pigs. Interestingly, our results demonstrated that the anti-pA137R antibodies produced in rabbits or pigs enhanced viral replication of different ASFV strains in primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), the target cells of ASFV. Mechanistic investigations revealed that anti-pA137R antibodies were able to promote the attachment of ASFV to PAMs and two types of Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs), FcγRII and FcγRIII, mediated the ADE of ASFV infection. Taken together, anti-pA137R antibodies are able to drive ASFV ADE in PAMs. These findings shed new light on the roles of anti-ASFV antibodies and have implications for the pathophysiology of the disease and the development of ASF vaccines.

Downregulated expression of lncRNA TUBA4B predicts unfavorable prognosis and suppresses glioma progression by sponging miR-183 to regulate SMAD4 expression.

Introduction: Accumulating evidence has proved that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in progression of glioma. Nevertheless, the role of TUBA4B in glioma remains unclear. Material and methods: The expression of the target gene was measured by quantitative RT-PCR. The prognostic role of TUBA4B was analyzed by Meier survival analysis. Cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration and invasion were detected by MTS, soft agar colony forming assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. The target interaction of the target gene was validated by the luciferase reporter assay, biotin pull-down assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation. Results: We found that the expression of TUBA4B was lower in glioma tissues and cells. Moreover, patients with a low TUBA4B expression level exhibited poorer prognosis than those with high TUBA4B expression. Meanwhile, ROC analysis revealed that TUBA4B had diagnostic value to distinguish tumor patients from the healthy population. Overexpression of TUBA4B prohibited the malignancy of glioma, such as inhibition of proliferation, decrease of colony formation, arrest of the cell cycle, decline of migration and invasion, and promotion of cell apoptosis. In addition, we found that TUBA4B directly interacted with miR-183 and negatively regulated the expression of miR-183. We also observed that SMAD4 was a downriver target of miR-183 and TUBA4B subsequently exerted its tumor-suppressive effects by coordinating the expression of SMAD4 in glioma. Conclusions: This study revealed for the first time that TUBA4B could be a tumor suppressor gene in glioma by adjustment of the TUBA4B/miR-183/SMAD4 axis, which may provide a useful prognostic biomarker and promising therapeutic target for glioma treatment.

Delivery of neurotrophin-3 by RVG-Lamp2b-modified mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes alleviates facial nerve injury.

We aim to investigate the effect of RVG-Lamp2b-modified exosomes (exos) loaded with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on facial nerve injury. Exos were collected from control cells (Ctrl Exo) or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-transfected with RVG-Lamp2b and NT-3 plasmids (RVG-NT-3 Exo) by gradient centrifugation and identified by western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Effect of RVG-NT-3 Exo on oxidative stress damage was determined by analysis of the morphology, viability, and ROS production of neurons. Effect of RVG-NT-3 Exo on facial nerve axotomy (FNA) was determined by detecting ROS production, neuroinflammatory reaction, microglia activation, facial motor neuron (FMN) death, and myelin sheath repair. Loading NT-3 and modifying with RVG-Lamp2b did not alter the properties of the exos. Moreover, RVG-NT-3 Exo could effectively target neurons to deliver NT-3. Treatment with RVG-NT-3 Exo lowered H2O2-induced oxidative stress damage in primary neurons and Nsc-34 cells. RVG-NT-3 Exo treatment significantly decreased ROS production, neuroinflammatory response, FMN death, and elevated microglia activation and myelin sheath repair in FNA rat models. Our findings suggested that RVG-NT-3 Exo-mediated delivery of NT-3 is effective for the treatment of facial nerve injury.

Ferritin Nanoparticle Delivery of the E2 Protein of Classical Swine Fever Virus Completely Protects Pigs from Lethal Challenge.

Classical swine fever (CSF), caused by the classical swine fever virus (CSFV), results in significant economic losses to the swine industry in many countries. Vaccination represents the primary strategy to control CSF and the CSFV E2 protein is known as the major protective antigen. However, the E2 protein expressed or presented by different systems elicits distinct immune responses. In this study, we established a stable CHO cell line to express the E2 protein and delivered it using self-assembled ferritin nanoparticles (NPs). Subsequently, we compared the adaptive immune responses induced by the E2-ferritin NPs and the monomeric E2 protein produced by the CHO cells or a baculovirus expression system. The results revealed that the NP-delivered E2 protein elicited higher titers of neutralizing antibodies than did the monomeric E2 protein in pigs. Importantly, only the NP-delivered E2 protein significantly induced CSFV-specific IFN-γ-secreting cells. Furthermore, all the pigs inoculated with the E2-ferritin NPs were completely protected from a lethal CSFV challenge infection. These findings demonstrate the ability of the E2-ferritin NPs to protect pigs against the lethal CSFV challenge by eliciting robust humoral and cellular immune responses.

Exploration of electrochemical behavior of Sb-based porous carbon composites anode for sodium-ion batteries.

Sb-based materials are considered as promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their excellent sodium storage capacities and suitable potentials. However, the Sb-based anodes usually suffer from intense volume expansion and severe pulverization during the alloying-dealloying process, resulting in poor cycling performance. Herein, a composite anode with Sb/Sb2O3 nanoparticles embedded in N-doped porous carbon is prepared by the gas-solid dual template method. The volume change of the anode material is mitigated by the carbon layer enwrapping and the confinement of the porous structure. Nitrogen doping provides abundant sodium storage sites, thus enhancing the storage capacity of sodium ion. Furthermore, to gain the accurate kinetic interpretation of the electrochemical process, an ex-situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterization combined with distribution of relaxation times (DRT) is conducted. The Sb/Sb2O3@NPC-1.0 demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance, achieving 340.3 mAh g-1 at 1A g-1, and maintains a capacity of 86.7 % after 1000 cycles. This work paves the way for the practical application of SIBs with high-performance and long-life Sb-based anodes.

Differential Resistance to Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Inhibitors in Rice: Insights from Two Distinct Target-Site Mutations.

Weeds present a significant challenge to agricultural productivity, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides have proven to be effective in managing weed populations in rice fields. To develop ACCase-inhibiting herbicide-resistant rice, we generated mutants of rice ACCase (OsACC) featuring Ile-1792-Leu or Gly-2107-Ser substitutions through ethyl methyl sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The Ile-1792-Leu mutant displayed cross-resistance to aryloxyphenoxypropionate (APP) and phenylpyrazoline (DEN) herbicides, whereas the Gly-2107-Ser mutants primarily exhibited cross-resistance to APP herbicides with diminished resistance to the DEN herbicide. In vitro assays of the OsACC activity revealed an increase in resistance to haloxyfop and quizalofop, ranging from 4.84- to 29-fold in the mutants compared to that in wild-type. Structural modeling revealed that both mutations likely reduce the binding affinity between OsACC and ACCase inhibitors, thereby imparting resistance. This study offers insights into two target-site mutations, contributing to the breeding of herbicide-resistant rice and presenting alternative weed management strategies in rice cultivation.

Improvement of Performance of CZTSSe Solar Cells by the Synergistic Effect of Back Contact Modification and Ag Doping.

To improve the performance of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cells, a strategy is proposed to improve the quality of absorber and back interface simultaneously by substituting V-doped Mo (Mo:V) for a conventional Mo back electrode and incorporating Ag into the Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (ACZTSSe) absorber in this work. Since p+-type V-doped MoSe2 (MoSe2:V) is formed in the site between the absorber and Mo:V during selenization, the conventional Mo/n-MoSe2 back contact is modified to Mo:V/p+-MoSe2:V, a back surface passivation field (BSPF) is established at the back interface, the band bending of MoSe2:V is downward and that of bottom of the absorber is upward. Further investigation reveals that the back contact modification and Ag doping have a synergistic effect on inhibiting carrier recombination, decreasing series resistance and increasing shunt resistance, thereby leading to the PCE of device without antireflection coating increased from 8.61 to 10.98%, which is larger than the sum of increase in PCE induced by Ag doping alone (8.61 to 9.66%) and back contact modification alone (8.61 to 9.63%). It is demonstrated that the synergistic effect stems mainly from the strengthened BSPF and the further reduced back contact barrier height. The former is due to the increased difference in work function (WF) between MoSe2:V and absorber induced by the reduced WF of the absorber after Ag doping and the raised WF of MoSe2:V after V doping. The latter is due to the downshifted valence band maximum of absorber after Ag doping. This work highlights the synergistic effect of back contact modification and Ag doping on improving the performance of CZTSSe solar cells and also provides an effective way to suppress carrier recombination.

MRI-CEUS fusion-guided lymphatic mapping as a preoperative strategy for lymphedema patients undergoing lymphaticovenous anastomosis surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is useful in mapping lymphatic vessels in upper limb lymphedema; this study was aimed to evaluate its efficiency in lower limb lymphedema and investigate whether magnetic resonance lymphangiography (MRL) enhance the efficiency of CEUS. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 48 patients with lymphedema undergoing lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) surgery who received MRL and/or CEUS in addition to conventional indocyanine green (ICG) lymphangiography. The number of anastomotic sites and the duration per site (DPS) for LVA surgery were described and compared. RESULTS: Among the 48 patients subjected to analysis, it was observed that 12 (25%), 20 (41.67%), and 16 (33.33%) of them received ICG, ICG+CEUS, and ICG+CEUS+MRL, respectively. The ICG+CEUS group demonstrated a significant increase in the number of LVAs (median, 5; range, 4-7), compared with the ICG group (median, 2; range, 1-4) (P < .001). Moreover, the ICG+CEUS+MRL group exhibited a higher number of LVAs (median, 8; range, 7-8.25) compared with both the ICG+CEUS and ICG groups (P < .001). For lower limb lymphedema, the ICG+CEUS+MRL group displayed an elevated number of LVAs (median, 8; interquartile range, 7-9) (P = .003), in contrast to the ICG group (median, 3; interquartile range, 1.75-4.25). Furthermore, the DPS in the ICG+CEUS+MRL group (median, 50.56; interquartile range, 48.13-59.29) (P = .005) exhibited a remarkable decrease when compared with the ICG group (median, 131.25; interquartile range, 86.75-198.13]). CONCLUSIONS: MRL-CEUS fusion demonstrates superior performance in the identification of lymphatic vessels for lymphedema.