Co-multiplexing spectral and temporal dimensions based on luminescent materials.

Optical multiplexing is a pivotal technique for augmenting the capacity of optical data storage (ODS) and increasing the security of anti-counterfeiting. However, due to the dearth of appropriate storage media, optical multiplexing is generally restricted to a single dimension, thus curtailing the encoding capacity. Herein, the co-multiplexing spectral and temporal dimensions are proposed for optical encoding based on photoluminescence (PL) and persistent-luminescence (PersL) at four different wavelengths. Each emission color comprises four luminescence modes. The further multiplexing of four wavelengths leads to the maximum encoding capacity of 8 bits at each pixel. The wavelength difference between adjacent peaks is larger than 50 nm. The well-separated emission wavelengths significantly lower the requirements for high-resolution spectrometers. Moreover, the information is unable to be decoded until both PL and PersL spectra are collected, suggesting a substantial improvement in information security and the security level of anti-counterfeiting.

Metal-semiconductor-metal solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on Al0.55Ga0.45N/Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.65Ga0.35N heterostructures.

We have designed a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) by utilizing Al0.55Ga0.45N/Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.65Ga0.35N heterostructures. The interdigital Ni/Au metal stack is deposited on the Al0.55Ga0.45N layer to form Schottky contacts. The AlGaN hetero-epilayers with varying Al content contribute to the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) conduction channel and the enhancement of the built-in electric field in the Al0.4Ga0.6N absorption layer. This strong electric field facilitates the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Consequently, the fabricated PD exhibits an ultra-low dark current of 1.6 × 10-11 A and a broad spectral response ranging from 220 to 280 nm, with a peak responsivity of 14.08 A/W at -20 V. Besides, the PD demonstrates an ultrahigh detectivity of 2.28 × 1013 Jones at -5 V. Furthermore, to investigate the underlying physical mechanism of the designed solar-blind UV PD, we have conducted comprehensive two-dimensional device simulations.

Intrinsic- and Rare Earth Ion-Activated Luminescence in NbAlO4 with Wide Structure Channels.

Compounds with ordered and interconnected channels have versatile multifunctional applications in technological fields. In this work, we report the intrinsic- and Eu3+-activated luminescence in NbAlO4 with a wide channel structure. NbAlO4 is an n-type semiconductor with an indirect allowed transition and a band-gap energy of 3.26 eV. The conduction band and valence band are composed of Nb 3d and O 2p states, respectively. Unlike the common niobate oxide Nb2O5, NbAlO4 exhibits efficient self-activated luminescence with good thermal stability even at room temperature. The AlO4 tetrahedron effectively blocks the transfer/dispersion of excitation energy between NbO6 chains in NbAlO4, allowing for effective self-activated luminescence from NbO6 activation centers. Moreover, Eu3+-doped NbAlO4 displayed a bright red luminescence of 5D0 → 7F2 transition at 610 nm. The site-selective excitation and luminescence of Eu3+ ions in a spectroscopic probe were utilized to investigate the doping mechanism. It is evidenced that Eu3+ is doped in the structure channel in NbAlO4 lattices, not in the normal cation sites of Nb5+ or Al3+. The experimental findings are valuable in developing new luminescent materials and improving the understanding of the material's channel structure.

A droplet friction/solar-thermal hybrid power generation device for energy harvesting in both rainy and sunny weathers.

Photovoltaic device is highly dependent on the weather, which is completely ineffective on rainy days. Therefore, it is very significant to design an all-weather power generation system that can utilize a variety of natural energy. This work develops a water droplet friction power generation (WDFG)/solar-thermal power generation (STG) hybrid system. The WDFG consists of two metal electrodes and a candle soot/polymer composite film, which also can be regarded as a capacitor. Thus, the capacitor coupled power generation (C-WDFG) device can achieve a sustainable and stable direct-current (DC) output under continuous dripping without external conversion circuits. A single device can produce an open-circuit voltage of ca.0.52 V and a short-circuit current of ca.0.06 mA, which can be further scaled up through series or parallel connection to drive commercial electronics. Moreover, we demonstrate that the C-WDFG is highly compatible with the thermoelectric device. The excellent photothermal performance of soot/polymer composite film can efficiently convert solar into heat, which is then converted to electricity by the thermoelectric device. Therefore, this C-WDFG/STG hybrid system can work in both rainy and sunny days.

Giant tunneling magnetoresistance in in-plane double-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions based on MXene Cr2C.

The discovery of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials makes it possible to realize in-plane magnetic tunnel junctions. In this study, the transport characteristics of an in-plane double barrier magnetic tunnel junction (IDB-MTJ) based on Cr2C have been studied by density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function method. The results showed its maximum tunneling magnetoresistance ratio (TMR) value reached 6.58 × 1010. Its minimum TMR value (3.86 × 106) was also comparable to those of conventional field effect transistors (FETs). Due to its giant TMR and unique structural characteristics, the IDB-MTJ based on Cr2C has great potential applications in magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and logic computing.

Carbon phosphide nanoribbons with spatial inversion symmetry: robust generators of pure spin current with a photogalvanic effect.

Our recent work has demonstrated that the spin-dependent photogalvanic effect (PGE) is an ideal way to induce pure spin current in certain centrosymmetric systems (X. Tao, P. Jiang, H. Hao, X. Zheng, L. Zhang and Z. Zeng, Phys. Rev. B, 2020, 102, 081402), and thus the search for appropriate materials or structures is the key to realize it. Here, we theoretically propose a spin optoelectric device with α-phase carbon phosphide nanoribbons (α-CPNRs) to generate pure spin current by PGE using density functional theory simulation. By designing an α-CPNR based device with a centrosymmetric structure, due to the structural inversion symmetry and real space spin polarization antisymmetry of the system, the PGE induced pure spin current without any accompanying charge current can be always obtained, independent of polarization type and polarization angle of the photons. Furthermore, the magnitude of pure spin current can be greatly increased (nearly by an order of magnitude) by applying antiparallel electrical fields in the two leads to tune the spin density and band structure. Furthermore, by applying parallel electrical fields, a fully spin-polarized photocurrent can be produced in this system, suggesting a fantastic scheme to achieve half-metallic transport, another important goal in spintronics. These investigations suggest that the optoelectric devices constructed by α-CPNRs will have great potential in spintronics.

Quantum transport of short-gate MOSFETs based on monolayer MoSi2N4.

The high carrier mobility, appropriate band gap and good environmental stability of two-dimensional (2D) MoSi2N4 enable it to be an appropriate channel material for transistors with excellent performance. Therefore, we predict the performance of double-gate (DG) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) based on monolayer (ML) MoSi2N4 by ab initio quantum-transport calculations. The results show that the on-state current of the p-type device is remarkable when the gate length is greater than 4 nm, which can meet the high performance requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), 2013 version. Moreover, the gate length can be reduced to 3 nm when an underlap (UL) structure is employed in the MOSFET, and the sub-threshold swing, intrinsic delay time and power consumption also perform well. The calculation results reveal that ML MoSi2N4 will be a promising alternative for transistor channel materials in the post-silicon era.

Tunable tunneling magnetoresistance in in-plane double barrier magnetic tunnel junctions based on B vacancy h-NB nanoribbons.

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have attained new opportunities due to the emergence of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials after they were proposed more than forty years ago. Here, an in-plane double barrier magnetic tunnel junction (IDB-MTJ) based on B vacancy h-NB nanoribbons has been proposed firstly, and the transport properties have been studied using density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function method. Due to its unique structural characteristics, the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio can be tuned and the maximum TMR can reach 1.86 × 105. The potential applications of the IDB-MTJ in magnetic random-access memories and logical computation have also been discussed. We find that the IDB-MTJs have great potential in magnetic random-access memories and logical computation applications.

A capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of soluble monosaccharides in Ginkgo biloba leaves.

A method for the simultaneous determination of six monosaccharides by pre-column derivatization with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone and capillary electrophoresis was developed in this work. The derivatization (i.e., reaction temperature, capillary electrophoresis duration, and extraction number) and separation (i.e., pH and buffer concentration) conditions for capillary electrophoresis were optimized. Results showed that the limits of detection under optimal conditions were in the range of 0.036-0.35 mg/L with a mean correlation coefficient >0.99. The recoveries were in the range of 87.3-108.49%, and the relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day variations were in the ranges of 2.2-3.8 and 3.2-5.0%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of six free monosaccharides in three types of Ginkgo biloba leaves.

Graphene-based nano-devices: high spin Seebeck and pure spin photogalvanic effects.

We investigate the magnetic, thermoelectric transport, and photogalvanic effect (PGE) properties of two nano-devices based on sawtooth edged graphene nanoribbons (SGNRs). It is found that a robust spin-semiconducting property exists in SGNRs. When SGNRs are arranged in a configuration, a large spin Seebeck coefficient is obtained, indicating a high Seebeck effect under a temperature difference. In addition, we also propose a new spatial inversion symmetry nano-device, which is constructed by two head to head semi-infinite SGNRs in a configuration. The results show that spin-up and spin-down currents are generated by the PGE with opposite flowing directions and the same magnitude. As a result, only a finite pure spin current arises without an accompanying charge current. More importantly, the pure spin current is robustly induced by photons and is independent of the photon energy, polarization angle and the model of polarization (linear or elliptical polarization), which is attributed to the symmetry of the spatial inversion and anti-symmetry of the spin density inversion. The results presented here provide a useful insight into the real application of both spin caloritronics and photoelectric carbon-based nano-devices.

PPM1H is an independent prognostic biomarker of non-small cell lung cancer.

Protein phosphatase 1H (PPM1H) is the metal-dependent protein phosphatase, however, its role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression remains controversial. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common histological type of lung cancer but the expression and clinical significance of PPM1H in NSCLC is unknown. In our study, we detected the mRNA of PPM1H in 25 pairs of NSCLC tissues and their corresponding adjacent tissues with qRT-PCR. Moreover, we investigated PPM1H expression in 474 NSCLC tissues and divided them into subgroups with low and high PPM1H. We further evaluated its correlation with the clinicopathological factors. The correlation between PPM1H and other biomarkers involved in tumor progression including chromosome segregation 1-like protein (CSE1L), p53, and Ki67 was also estimated. In addition, the prognostic significance of PPM1H was investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses. The mRNA levels of PPM1H in NSCLCs were significantly higher than those in tumor-adjacent tissues. Patients with low and high PPM1H expression accounted for 54.64% (259/474) and 45.36% (215/474) respectively in all the NSCLCs. PPM1H expression (p=0.012), patients' sex (p=0.009), tumor size (p<0.001), histological grade (p=0.026), T stage (p=0.002), N stage (p<0.001), M stage (p=0.011), and TNM stage (p<0.001) were all associated with the poor prognosis. With multivariate analysis, PPM1H was determined as an independent prognostic factor of NSCLC (HR=1.42, 95% CI=1.14-1.75, p=0.001). Moreover, high PPM1H was significantly with high Ki67 (p=0.022), indicating the oncogenic role of PPM1H. PPM1H is an independent prognostic factor indicating an unfavorable prognosis of NSCLC. Our results indicated that PPM1H was an important supplement of NSCLC molecular profile and detecting PPM1H may help recognize the high-risk patients for further treatment.

Transition metal-containing molecular devices: controllable single-spin negative differential thermoelectric resistance effects under gate voltages.

Based on the non-equilibrium Green function method combined with density functional theory, we investigate the spin-resolved transport through transition metal (TM) (= Cr, Mn, Fe and Ru)-containing molecular devices in the presence of zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) electrodes. The wave-function mismatch for the single-spin component results in a perfect spin-filtering property near the Fermi level. Moreover, we also observe Fano and Breit-Wigner resonance peaks in the transmission spectrum. Under a temperature gradient, the single-spin electric current exhibits a remarkable negative differential thermoelectric resistance (NDTR) in the Ru-complex molecular device, which originates from the Fano asymmetry of the single-spin transmission peak near the Fermi level. A gate voltage allows for a precise control of the single-spin NDTR in the Ru-complex molecular device.

Half-metallic properties, single-spin negative differential resistance, and large single-spin Seebeck effects induced by chemical doping in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons.

Ab initio calculations combining density-functional theory and nonequilibrium Green's function are performed to investigate the effects of either single B atom or single N atom dopant in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) with the ferromagnetic state on the spin-dependent transport properties and thermospin performances. A spin-up (spin-down) localized state near the Fermi level can be induced by these dopants, resulting in a half-metallic property with 100% negative (positive) spin polarization at the Fermi level due to the destructive quantum interference effects. In addition, the highly spin-polarized electric current in the low bias-voltage regime and single-spin negative differential resistance in the high bias-voltage regime are also observed in these doped ZGNRs. Moreover, the large spin-up (spin-down) Seebeck coefficient and the very weak spin-down (spin-up) Seebeck effect of the B(N)-doped ZGNRs near the Fermi level are simultaneously achieved, indicating that the spin Seebeck effect is comparable to the corresponding charge Seebeck effect.

Executives' academic experience and corporate social responsibility: A case study in China.

Fulfilling corporate social responsibility (CSR) is crucial for society's sustainable development. Executives' academic experience significantly affects their awareness of social responsibility, value orientation, professional ability, and network resources. Thus, it is critical in CSR-related corporate decision-making. This paper explores the impact of executives' academic experience on the fulfillment of CSR. It focuses on non-financial, Special treatment enterprises (ST), and ST* enterprises listed in the A-share market from 2012 to 2021. It utilizes a fixed-effects analysis model to examine the relationship between executives' academic experience and CSR fulfillment. The CSR score and executives' academic experience were positively correlated. This paper also explores the intermediary role of compensation incentives and the moderating effect of marketization level. Both compensation incentives and the level of marketization positively moderated the relationship between executives' academic experience and CSR fulfillment. Meanwhile, the robustness results showed that the experimental findings still held after replacing the explained and explanatory variables. This paper contributes to the advancement of the Upper Echelons Theory and provides empirical evidence for the society's sustainable development.

Inhibiting or promoting: Population aging and economic development in China.

Population aging has become a social issue of concern to the whole world, and as the world's most populous country, how to cope with population aging will be a hot issue that all sectors of Chinese society must think about. This paper uses provincial panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2021 to study the relationship between population aging and economic development based on the perspective of health expenditure. The DIFF-GMM model, the fixed effect model (FE), and fixed effect instrumental variable model (FE-IV) are used to test this study. The following two conclusions are drawn from the empirical study: (1) population aging has a significant inhibitory effect on economic development, while health expenditures have a significant promotional effect on economic development; and (2) increased health expenditures help to alleviate the negative impact of population aging on economic development. However, the deepening of population aging will likewise inhibit the positive effect of health expenditure on economic growth. Based on the conclusions of the study, it is recommended that the government and society should continue to increase spending in the field of health protection, encourage and guide residents to carry out self-care, and moderately increase personal health expenditure, to promote economic development with healthy bodies and realize the goal of "Healthy China".

Association of Aldosterone, Renin, and Aldosterone to Renin Ratio with Metabolic Profile in Primary Aldosteronism.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the glycometabolism, fat mass, and lean mass in primary aldosteronism (PA) during disease progression. Patients and Methods: Patients diagnosed with PA and healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. A flash glucose monitoring system (FGMS) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were used to measure glucose variability and glucose target rate along with fat mass and lean mass. Comparative analysis of FGMS- or DEXA-derived parameters along with correlation analyses between these parameters and PA progression were performed. Results: Increased glucose variability and poor glucose target rate, along with an increased proportion of truncal fat mass, and decreased proportion of appendicular lean mass, were identified in PA group compared to those in HCs. Plasma aldosterone concentration was positively correlated with glucose variability and poor glucose target rate. Plasma renin concentration was positively correlated with the proportion of truncal fat mass and lean mass, and negatively correlated with the proportion of appendicular fat mass. Aldosterone-to-renin ratio was negatively correlated with the proportion of truncal fat mass and lean mass, and positively correlated with the proportion of appendicular fat mass. Conclusion: Patients with PA presented significant differences in glycometabolism, fat mass, and lean mass compared with HCs, and these alterations correlated with PA progression.

Uric Acid Metabolic Disorders in Pituitary-Target Gland Axis.

Uric acid (UA) is the end product of purine metabolism in the human, and the imbalance between production and excretion results in the disturbance of serum uric acid (SUA). There is evidence suggesting that pituitary-target gland hormones can affect UA metabolism through regulating the activity of xanthine oxidase and UA transporters. Related endocrine diseases including thyroid dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, acromegaly and Cushing's syndrome are often accompanied by elevated UA levels. In addition to the direct influence of abnormal hormones, obesity and insulin resistant play a pivotal role. Diabetes insipidus and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion also present with abnormal SUA levels due to the action of antidiuretic hormone. However, certain evidence within the population is disputed. This review summarized the effects of pituitary-target gland hormones on UA metabolism, and preliminarily described the related mechanisms, offering a theoretical foundation for assessing SUA in endocrine disorders as well as guiding its management.

Advanced Optical Information Encryption Enabled by Polychromatic and Stimuli-Responsive Luminescence of Sb-Doped Double Perovskites.

The smart materials with multi-color and stimuli-responsive luminescence are very promising for next generation of optical information encryption and anti-counterfeiting, but these materials are still scarce. Herein, a multi-level information encryption strategy is developed based on the polychromatic emission of Sb-doped double perovskite powders (SDPPs). Cs2NaInCl6:Sb, Cs2KInCl6:Sb, and Cs2AgInCl6:Sb synthesized through coprecipitation methods exhibit broadband emissions with bright blue, cyan, and orange colors, respectively. The information transmitted by specific SDPP is encrypted when different SDPPs are mixed. The confidential information can be decrypted by selecting the corresponding narrowband filter. Then, an encrypted quick response (QR) code with improved security is demonstrated based on this multi-channel selection strategy. Moreover, the three types of SDPPs exhibit three different water-triggered luminescence switching behaviors. The confidential information represented by Cs2NaInCl6:Sb can be erased/recovered through a simple water spray/drying. Whereas, the information collected from the green channel is permanently erased by moisture, which fundamentally avoids information leakage. Therefore, different encryption schemes can be designed to meet a variety of encryption requirements. The multicolor and stimuli-responsive luminescence greatly enrich the flexibility of optical information encryption, which leaps the level of security and confidentiality.

Exquisite visualization of mitophagy and monitoring the increase of lysosomal micro-viscosity in mitophagy with an unusual pH-independent lysosomal rotor.

BACKGROUND: Mitophagy plays indispensable roles in maintaining intracellular homeostasis in most eukaryotic cells by selectively eliminating superfluous components or damaged organelles. Thus, the co-operation of mitochondrial probes and lysosomal probes was presented to directly monitor mitophagy in dual colors. Nowadays, most of the lysosomal probes are composed of groups sensitive to pH, such as morpholine, amine and other weak bases. However, the pH in lysosomes would fluctuate in the process of mitophagy, leading to the optical interference. Thus, it is crucial to develop a pH-insensitive probe to overcome this tough problem to achieve exquisite visualization of mitophagy. RESULTS: In this study, we rationally prepared a pH-independent lysosome probe to reduce the optical interference in mitophagy, and thus the process of mitophagy could be directly monitored in dual color through cooperation between IVDI and MTR, depending on Förster resonance energy transfer mechanism. IVDI shows remarkable fluorescence enhancement toward the increase of viscosity, and the fluorescence barely changes when pH varies. Due to the sensitivity to viscosity, the probe can visualize micro-viscosity alterations in lysosomes without washing procedures, and it showed better imaging properties than LTR. Thanks to the inertia of IVDI to pH, IVDI can exquisitely monitor mitophagy with MTR by FRET mechanism despite the changes of lysosomal pH in mitophagy, and the reduced fluorescence intensity ratio of green and red channels can indicate the occurrence of mitophagy. Based on the properties mentioned above, the real-time increase of micro-viscosity in lysosomes during mitophagy was exquisitely monitored through employing IVDI. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY: Compared with the lysosomal fluorescent probes sensitive to pH, the pH-inert probe could reduce the influence of pH variation during mitophagy to achieve exquisite visualization of mitophagy in real-time. Besides, the probe could monitor the increase of lysosomal micro-viscosity in mitophagy. So, the probe possesses tremendous potential in the visualization of dynamic changes related to lysosomes in various physiological processes.

Visceral Fat Area and Subcutaneous Fat Area Increase in Hyperthyroidism Patients After Treatment-A Single-Group Repeated-Measures Trial.

Purpose: There is evidence that long-term vascular risk remains increased in patients with hyperthyroidism even after normalization of thyroid function, and the mechanisms that regulate this risk are unclear. The aim of this study was to assess how visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area change after hyperthyroidism treatment, and to further explore the relationship between thyroid hormones, abdominal fat area (visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area), and lipids. Patients and Methods: 50 patients with newly diagnosed Graves' disease were selected. Anthropometric parameters (weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, neck circumference), laboratory parameters (thyroid hormones, lipid metabolism indices), abdominal fat area (visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area), and drug dose were collected. Measurements were made at baseline, 6 and 12 months after treatment. We used linear mixed-effects models for analysis. Results: The results showed that the following indexes changed significantly at different time points: visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, body weight, neck circumference, body mass index, waist circumference, and drug dose (All P<0.001). We found that free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine were significantly negatively associated with abdominal fat area (P<0.01). There was no significant correlation between drug dose and abdominal fat area (P>0.05). Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein were significantly positively associated with abdominal fat area (P<0.01). However, high-density lipoprotein (P=0.06) was not correlated with abdominal fat area. Moreover, the results showed a significant negative correlation between thyroid hormones and lipids (P<0.001). Conclusion: After anti-thyroid medicine treatment, patients had elevated visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area and altered lipid profiles. These changes may be one of the reasons why metabolic and cardiovascular diseases remain increased after thyroid function is restored.