Compact bone mesenchymal stem cells-derived paracrine mediators for cell-free therapy in sepsis.

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition resulting in multiple organ dysfunction, is characterized by a dysregulated immune response to infection. Current treatment options are limited, leading to unsatisfactory outcomes for septic patients. Here, we present a series of studies utilizing compact bone mesenchymal stem cells (CB-MSCs) and their derived paracrine mediators, especially exosome (CB-MSCs-Exo), to treat mice with cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis. Our results demonstrate that CB-MSCs treatment significantly improves the survival rate of septic mice by mitigating excessive inflammatory response and attenuating sepsis-induced organ injuries. Furthermore, CB-MSCs-conditioned medium, CB-MSCs secretome (CB-MSCs-Sec), and CB-MSCs-Exo exhibit potent anti-inflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage (RAW264.7). Intriguingly, intravenous administration of CB-MSCs-Exo confers superior protection against inflammation and organ damage in septic mice compared to CB-MSCs in certain aspects. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) shotgun proteomic analysis, we identify a range of characterized proteins derived from the paracrine activity of CB-MSCs, involved in critical biological processes such as immunomodulation and apoptosis. Our findings highlight that the paracrine products of CB-MSCs could serve as a promising cell-free therapeutic agent for sepsis.

Single-crystalline van der Waals layered dielectric with high dielectric constant.

The scaling of silicon-based transistors at sub-ten-nanometre technology nodes faces challenges such as interface imperfection and gate current leakage for an ultrathin silicon channel1,2. For next-generation nanoelectronics, high-mobility two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors with an atomic thickness and dangling-bond-free surfaces are expected as channel materials to achieve smaller channel sizes, less interfacial scattering and more efficient gate-field penetration1,2. However, further progress towards 2D electronics is hindered by factors such as the lack of a high dielectric constant (κ) dielectric with an atomically flat and dangling-bond-free surface3,4. Here, we report a facile synthesis of a single-crystalline high-κ (κ of roughly 16.5) van der Waals layered dielectric Bi2SeO5. The centimetre-scale single crystal of Bi2SeO5 can be efficiently exfoliated to an atomically flat nanosheet as large as 250 × 200 µm2 and as thin as monolayer. With these Bi2SeO5 nanosheets as dielectric and encapsulation layers, 2D materials such as Bi2O2Se, MoS2 and graphene show improved electronic performances. For example, in 2D Bi2O2Se, the quantum Hall effect is observed and the carrier mobility reaches 470,000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at 1.8 K. Our finding expands the realm of dielectric and opens up a new possibility for lowering the gate voltage and power consumption in 2D electronics and integrated circuits.

Gate-Tunable Berry Curvature Dipole Polarizability in Dirac Semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2}.

We reveal the gate-tunable Berry curvature dipole polarizability in Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} nanoplates through measurements of the third-order nonlinear Hall effect. Under an applied electric field, the Berry curvature exhibits an asymmetric distribution, forming a field-induced Berry curvature dipole, resulting in a measurable third-order Hall voltage with a cubic relationship to the longitudinal electric field. Notably, the magnitude and polarity of this third-order nonlinear Hall effect can be effectively modulated by gate voltages. Furthermore, our scaling relation analysis demonstrates that the sign of the Berry curvature dipole polarizability changes when tuning the Fermi level across the Dirac point, in agreement with theoretical calculations. The results highlight the gate control of nonlinear quantum transport in Dirac semimetals, paving the way for promising advancements in topological electronics.

Control over Berry Curvature Dipole with Electric Field in WTe_{2}.

Berry curvature dipole plays an important role in various nonlinear quantum phenomena. However, the maximum symmetry allowed for nonzero Berry curvature dipole in the transport plane is a single mirror line, which strongly limits its effects in materials. Here, via probing the nonlinear Hall effect, we demonstrate the generation of Berry curvature dipole by applied dc electric field in WTe_{2}, which is used to break the symmetry constraint. A linear dependence between the dipole moment of Berry curvature and the dc electric field is observed. The polarization direction of the Berry curvature is controlled by the relative orientation of the electric field and crystal axis, which can be further reversed by changing the polarity of the dc field. Our Letter provides a route to generate and control Berry curvature dipole in broad material systems and to facilitate the development of nonlinear quantum devices.

Superconducting Proximity in Intrinsic Magnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4-NbN Hybrid Device Modulated by Coulomb Blockade Effect.

The combination of nontrivial topology, magnetism, and superconductivity could offer the potential to realize exotic excitations of quasiparticles. MnBi2Te4, as an intrinsic magnetic topological insulator, may be a good platform to create Majorana fermions if coupled to an s-wave superconductor. Here, we report the transport properties of a MnBi2Te4-NbN hybrid device. This device exhibits clear Coulomb blockade oscillations. We observe a large zero-bias conductance peak that exists over considerable changes in gate voltage, magnetic field, and temperature, which is interpreted as a not fully developed supercurrent. The zero-bias peak shows a nonmonotonic evolution with a magnetic field and an abrupt π phase shift with changing temperature. Zero-energy bound states and a topological phase transition may exist in this hybrid system. Our results provide the first experimental investigation into the properties of the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator/superconductor hybrid structures modulated by the Coulomb blockade effect.

Metasurface Enabled Photothermoelectric Photoresponse of Semimetal Cd3As2 for Broadband Photodetection.

The artificial engineering of photoresponse is crucial for optoelectronic applications, especially for photodetectors. Here, we designed and fabricated a metasurface on a semimetallic Cd3As2 nanoplate to improve its thermoelectric photoresponse. The metasurface can enhance light absorption, resulting in a temperature gradient. This temperature gradient can contribute to thermoelectric photoresponse through the photothermoelectric effect. Furthermore, power-dependent measurements showed a linearly dependent photoresponse of the Cd3As2 metasurface device, indicating a second-order photocurrent response. Wavelength-dependent measurements showed that the metasurface can efficiently separate photoexcited carriers in the broadband range of 488 nm to 4 µm. The photoresponse near the metasurface boundaries exhibits a responsivity of ∼1 mA/W, which is higher than that near the electrode junctions. Moreover, the designed metasurface device provided an anisotropic polarization-dependent photoresponse rather than the isotropic photoresponse of the original Cd3As2 device. This study demonstrates that metasurfaces have excellent potential for artificial controllable photothermoelectric photoresponse of various semimetallic materials.

Involvement of IL-1ß-Mediated Necroptosis in Neurodevelopment Impairment after Neonatal Sepsis in Rats.

The mechanism of long-term cognitive impairment after neonatal sepsis remains poorly understood, although long-lasting neuroinflammation has been considered the primary contributor. Necroptosis is actively involved in the inflammatory process, and in this study, we aimed to determine whether neonatal sepsis-induced long-term cognitive impairment was associated with activation of necroptosis. Rat pups on postnatal day 3 (P3) received intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/kg) to induce neonatal sepsis. Intracerebroventricular injection of IL-1ß-siRNA and necrostatin-1 (NEC1) were performed to block the production of IL-1ß and activation of necroptosis in the brain, respectively. The Morris water maze task and fear conditioning test were performed on P28-P32 and P34-P35, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR), and Western blotting were used to examine the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines and necroptosis-associated proteins, such as receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3). Sustained elevation of IL-1ß level was observed in the brain after initial neonatal sepsis, which would last for at least 32 days. Sustained necroptosis activation was also observed in the brain. Knockdown of IL-1ß expression in the brain alleviated necroptosis and improved long-term cognitive function. Direct inhibition of necroptosis also improved neurodevelopment and cognitive performance. This research indicated that sustained activation of necroptosis via IL-1ß contributed to long-term cognitive dysfunction after neonatal sepsis.

Continuous transthoracic echocardiographic monitoring for changes in maternal cardiac hemodynamics during cesarean section under combined epidural-spinal anesthesia: a prospective, observational study.

The change in maternal hemodynamics during cesarean section has not been well studied. Continuous transthoracic echocardiography can monitor cardiac function continuously. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of maternal hemodynamic parameters monitoring during cesarean section using continuous transthoracic echocardiography. In this prospective, observational study, women with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy scheduled for elective cesarean section at term under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia were enrolled. Maternal hemodynamic parameters were assessed by continuous transthoracic echocardiography at 11 pre-set time points. The image quality of continuous transthoracic echocardiography was evaluated before measurement was performed. Totally, one hundred parturients were recruited, and transthoracic echocardiography images with sufficient quality for further analysis were obtained in 72 women. Following anesthesia, maternal heart rate decreased by 11.18% and cardiac output decreased by 7.82%, but stroke volume remained stable. After delivery of the neonate and placenta, stroke volume and cardiac output increased by 21.09% and 22.33%, respectively. End-diastolic volume also increased significantly after delivery of the neonate, but end-systolic volume was unchanged. Following delivery of the neonate, fractional shortening increased till the end of the cesarean section while total peripheral resistance decreased significantly. In conclusion, continuous transthoracic echocardiographic monitoring revealed that there were significant changes in hemodynamic parameters during cesarean section after delivery of the newborn and placenta, which warranted further investigation.

Surface Engineering of Antisymmetric Linear Magnetoresistance and Spin-Polarized Surface State Transport in Dirac Semimetals.

Topological materials that possess spin-momentum locked surface states provide an ideal platform to manipulate the quantum spin states by electrical means. However, an antisymmetric magnetoresistance (MR) superimposed on the spin-polarized transport signals is usually observed in the spin potentiometric measurements of topological materials, rendering more power loss and reduced signal-to-noise ratio. Here we reveal the mechanism of surface-bulk interaction for the observed antisymmetric linear MR in the spin transport of Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 nanoplates. The antisymmetric linear MR can be eliminated through sample surface modifications. As a consequence, clean signals of charge current induced spin-polarized transport are observed, robust up to room temperature. The purification of spin signals can be attributed to the isolation of surface and bulk transport channels via forming a charge depletion layer with surface modifications. This surface engineering strategy should be valuable for high-performance spintronic devices on topological materials.

Light Controllable Electronic Phase Transition in Ionic Liquid Gated Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

Ionic liquid gating has proved to be effective in inducing emergent quantum phenomena such as superconductivity, ferromagnetism, and topological states. The electrostatic doping at two-dimensional interfaces relies on ionic motion, which thus is operated at sufficiently high temperature. Here, we report the in situ tuning of quantum phases by shining light on an ionic liquid-gated interface at cryogenic temperatures. The light illumination enables flexible switching of the quantum transition in monolayer WS2 from an insulator to a superconductor. In contrast to the prevailing picture of photoinduced carriers, we find that in the presence of a strong interfacial electric field conducting electrons could escape from the surface confinement by absorbing photons, mimicking the field emission. Such an optical tuning tool in conjunction with ionic liquid gating greatly facilitates continuous modulation of carrier densities and hence electronic phases, which would help to unveil novel quantum phenomena and device functionality in various materials.

Topological Transition of Superconductivity in Dirac Semimetal Nanowire Josephson Junctions.

We report the topological transition by gate control in a Cd_{3}As_{2} Dirac semimetal nanowire Josephson junction with diameter of about 64 nm. In the electron branch, the quantum confinement effect enforces the surface band into a series of gapped subbands and thus nontopological states. In the hole branch, however, because the hole mean free path is smaller than the nanowire perimeter, the quantum confinement effect is inoperative and the topological property maintained. The superconductivity is enhanced by gate tuning from electron to hole conduction, manifested by a larger critical supercurrent and a larger critical magnetic field, which is attributed to the topological transition from gapped surface subbands to a gapless surface band. The gate-controlled topological transition of superconductivity should be valuable for manipulation of Majorana zero modes, providing a platform for future compatible and scalable design of topological qubits.

Chylothorax caused by left atrial myxoma: A rare case report.

BACKGROUND: Myxoma is the most common tumor of the heart that can cause embolism, obstruction, and cardiac failure, but rarely causes chylothorax. We herein report a case of chylothorax caused by left atrial myxoma, which responded to diuretic therapy and was subsequently cured by resecting cardiac myxoma. CASE PRESENTATION: This is a case of a 63-year-old male with symptoms of cardiac insufficiency who was diagnosed with a left atrial myxoma. The patient also had a massive pleural effusion on the right side, which was diagnosed as chylothorax by Sudan III staining and the content of triglyceride. The pleural effusion disappeared and the symptoms of heart failure were relieved after draining the effusion with a fine thoracic drainage tube, but pleural effusion and cardiac insufficiency symptoms relapsed soon. Although diuretic treatment can improve the symptoms and reduced the amount of chylous fluid preoperatively, the chylous pleural effusion was eventually cured by surgical removal of the tumor, and no recurrence of the tumor and chylothorax was found in the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Chylothorax is rare comorbidity of cardiac myxoma. Large myxoma can cause congestive heart failure and lead to disfunction of chylous reflux, resulting in chylothorax, which can be cured by resection of the primary tumor.

Reducing Electronic Transport Dimension to Topological Hinge States by Increasing Geometry Size of Dirac Semimetal Josephson Junctions.

The notion of topological phases has been extended to higher-order and has been generalized to different dimensions. As a paradigm, Cd_{3}As_{2} is predicted to be a higher-order topological semimetal, possessing three-dimensional bulk Dirac fermions, two-dimensional Fermi arcs, and one-dimensional hinge states. These topological states have different characteristic length scales in electronic transport, allowing one to distinguish their properties when changing sample size. Here, we report an anomalous dimensional reduction of supercurrent transport by increasing the size of Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2}-based Josephson junctions. An evolution of the supercurrent quantum interferences from a standard Fraunhofer pattern to a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)-like one is observed when the junction channel length is increased. The SQUID-like interference pattern indicates the supercurrent flowing through the 1D hinges. The identification of 1D hinge states should be valuable for deeper understanding of the higher-order topological phase in a 3D Dirac semimetal.

Electric Control of Fermi Arc Spin Transport in Individual Topological Semimetal Nanowires.

The exotic topological surface states of Dirac or Weyl semimetals, namely Fermi arcs, are predicted to be spin polarized, while their spin polarization nature is still not revealed by transport measurements. Here, we report the spin-polarized transport in a Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} nanowire employing the ferromagnetic electrodes for spin detection. The spin-up and spin-down states can be changed by reversing the current polarity, showing the spin-momentum locking property. Moreover, the nonlocal measurements show a high fidelity of the spin signals, indicating the topological protection nature of the spin transport. As tuning the Fermi level away from the Dirac point by gate voltages, the spin signals gradually decrease and finally are turned off, which is consistent with the fact that the Fermi arc surface state has the maximum ratio near the Dirac point and disappears above the Lifshitz transition point. Our results should be valuable for revealing the transport properties of the spin-polarized Fermi arc surface states in topological semimetals.

Observation of an Odd-Integer Quantum Hall Effect from Topological Surface States in Cd_{3}As_{2}.

The quantum Hall effect (QHE) in a 3D Dirac semimetal thin film is attributed to either the quantum confinement induced bulk subbands or the Weyl orbits that connect the opposite surfaces via bulk Weyl nodes. However, it is still unknown whether the QHE based on the Weyl orbit can survive as the bulk Weyl nodes are gapped. Moreover, there are closed Fermi loops rather than open Fermi arcs on the Dirac semimetal surface, which can also host the QHE. Here we report the QHE in the 3D Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} nanoplate by tuning the gate voltage under a fixed 30 T magnetic field. The quantized Hall plateaus at odd filling factors are observed as a magnetic field along the [001] crystal direction, indicating a Berry's phase π from the topological surface states. Furthermore, even filling factors are observed when the magnetic field is along the [112] direction, indicating the C_{4} rotational symmetry breaking and a topological phase transition. The results shed light on the understanding of QHE in 3D Cd_{3}As_{2}.

Asymmetric Modulation on Exchange Field in a Graphene/BiFeO3 Heterostructure by External Magnetic Field.

Graphene, having all atoms on its surface, is favorable to extend the functions by introducing the spin-orbit coupling and magnetism through proximity effect. Here, we report the tunable interfacial exchange field produced by proximity coupling in graphene/BiFeO3 heterostructures. The exchange field has a notable dependence with external magnetic field, and it is much larger under negative magnetic field than that under positive magnetic field. For negative external magnetic field, interfacial exchange coupling gives rise to evident spin splitting for N ≠ 0 Landau levels and a quantum Hall metal state for N = 0 Landau level. Our findings suggest graphene/BiFeO3 heterostructures are promising for spintronics.

Fano Interference between Bulk and Surface States of a Dirac Semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} Nanowire.

Dirac semimetals possess Fermi-arc surface states, which will be a set of discrete surface subbands in a nanowire due to the quantum confinement effect. Here, we report a tunable Fano effect induced by the interference between the discrete surface states and continuous bulk states of a Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} nanowire. The discrete surface bands lead to a zero bias peak in conductance as the Femi level is tuned to across the surface subbands. The Fano resonance results in an asymmetric line shape in the differential conductance dI/dV spectrum. Furthermore, the Fano interference would introduce an additional phase into the Weyl orbits and lead to a modification of the oscillation frequency. The results are valuable for further understanding the exotic quantum transport properties of topological semimetals.

4π-Periodic Supercurrent from Surface States in Cd_{3}As_{2} Nanowire-Based Josephson Junctions.

The combination of superconductivity and surface states in Dirac semimetal can produce a 4π-periodic supercurrent in a Josephson junction configuration, which can be revealed by the missing of odd Shapiro steps (especially the n=1 step). However, the suppression of the n=1 step is also anticipated in the high-power oscillatory regime of the ordinary 2π-periodic Josephson effect, which is irrelevant to the 4π-periodic supercurrent. Here, in order to identify the origin of the suppressed n=1 step, we perform the measurements of radio frequency irradiation on Nb-Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2} nanowire-Nb junctions with continuous power dependence at various frequencies. Besides the n=1 step suppression, we uncover a residual supercurrent of first node at the n=0 step, which provides a direct and predominant signature of the 4π-periodic supercurrent. Furthermore, by tuning the gate voltage, we can modulate the surface and bulk state contribution and the visibility of the n=1 step. Our results provide deep insights to explore the topological superconductivity in Dirac semimetals.

Ultrafast Broadband Photodetectors Based on Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2.

Photodetection with extreme performances in terms of ultrafast response time, broad detection wavelength range, and high sensitivity has a wide range of optoelectronic and photonic applications, such as optical communications, interconnects, imaging, and remote sensing. Graphene, a typical two-dimensional Dirac semimetal, has shown excellent potential toward a high-performance photodetector with high operation speed, broadband response, and efficient carrier multiplications benefiting from its linear dispersion band structure with a high carrier mobility and zero bandgap. As the three-dimensional analogues of graphene, Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 processes all advantages of graphene as a photosensitive material but potentially has stronger interaction with light as a bulk material and thus enhanced responsivity. In this work, we report the realization of an ultrafast broadband photodetector based on Cd3As2. The prototype metal-Cd3As2-metal photodetector exhibits a responsivity of 5.9 mA/W with a response time of about 6.9 ps without any special device optimization. Broadband responses from 532 nm to 10.6 µm are achieved with a potential detection range extendable to far-infrared and terahertz. Systematical studies indicate that the photothermoelectric effect plays an important role in photocurrent generation. Our results suggest this emerging class of exotic quantum materials can be harnessed for photodetection with a high sensitivity and high speed (∼145 GHz) over a broad wavelength range.

Thickness dependent friction on few-layer MoS2, WS2, and WSe2.

Nanoscale friction on two-dimensional (2D) materials is closely associated with their mechanical, electronic and photonic properties, which can be modulated through changing thickness. Here, we investigated the thickness dependent friction on few-layer MoS2, WS2, and WSe2 using atomic force microscope at ambient condition and found two different behavior. When a sharp tip was used, the regular behavior of decreasing friction with increasing thickness was reproduced. However, when a pre-worn and flat-ended tip was used, we observed an abnormal trend: on WS2 and WSe2, friction increased monotonically with thickness, while for MoS2, friction decreased from monolayer to bilayer and then subsequently increased with thickness. As suggested by the density functional theory calculation, we hypothesize that the overall frictional behavior is a competition between the puckering effect and the intrinsic energy corrugation within the compressive region. By varying the relative strength of the puckering effect via changing the tip shape, the dependence of friction on sample thickness can be tuned. Our results also suggest a potential means to measure intrinsic frictional properties of 2D materials with minimum impact from puckering.