Ultrastrong Coupling between Polar Distortion and Optical Properties in Ferroelectric MoBr2O2.

Tuning the properties of materials by using external stimuli is crucial for developing versatile smart materials. Strong coupling among the order parameters within a single-phase material constitutes a potent foundation for achieving precise property control. However, cross-coupling is fairly weak in most single materials. Leveraging first-principles calculations, we demonstrate a layered mixed anion compound MoBr2O2 that exhibits electric-field switchable spontaneous polarization and ultrastrong coupling between polar distortion and electronic structures as well as optical properties. It offers feasible avenues of achieving tunable Rashba spin-splitting, electrochromism, thermochromism, photochromism, and nonlinear optics by applying an external electric field to a single domain sample and heating, as well as intense light illumination. Additionally, it exhibits an exceptionally large photostrictive effect. These findings not only showcase the feasibility of achieving multiple order parameter coupling within a single material but also pave the way for comprehensive applications based on property control, such as energy harvesting, information processing, and ultrafast control.

Unraveling the Role of Structural Topology on Chirality Transfer and Chiroptical Properties in Chiral Germanium Iodides.

Chiral hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides are highly promising chiroptoelectronic materials with potential applications in several fields, such as circularly polarized photodetectors, second-order nonlinear optics, and spin-selective devices. However, the ability of manipulating the chiroptical response and the chirality transfer from the organic ligands require one to shed light on structure-property correlations. Herein, we devised and prepared two novel Ge-based chiral hybrid organic-inorganic metal halides showing a different structural topology, namely, a 1D and a 2D arrangement, but composed of the same chemical building blocks: (R/S-ClMBA)3GeI5 and (R/S-ClMBA)2GeI4. Through a combined experimental and computational investigation on these samples, we discuss the impact of structural dimensionality on chiroptical properties, chirality transfer, and spin-splitting effects; also, we highlight the impact of structural distortions. The approach presented here paves the way for a solid understanding of the factors affecting the properties of chiral metal halides, thus allowing a future wise materials engineering.

An Ultrasmall Ordered High-Entropy Intermetallic with Multiple Active Sites for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Controlling multimetallic ensembles at the atomic level is significantly challenging, particularly for high-entropy alloys with more than five elements. Herein, we report an innovative ultrasmall (∼2 nm) PtFeCoNiCuZn high-entropy intermetallic (PFCNCZ-HEI) with a well-ordered structure synthesized by using the space-confined strategy. By exploiting these combined metals, the PFCNCZ-HEI nanoparticles achieve an ultrahigh mass activity of 2.403 A mgPt-1 at 0.90 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode for the oxygen reduction reaction, which is up to 19-fold higher than that of state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C. A proton exchange membrane fuel cell assembled with PFCNCZ-HEI as the cathode (0.03 mgPt cm-2) exhibits a power density of 1.4 W cm-2 and a high mass-normalized rated power of 45 W mgPt-1. Furthermore, theoretical calculations reveal that the outer electrons of the non-noble-metal atoms on the surface of the PFCNCZ-HEI nanoparticle are modulated to show characteristics of multiple active centers. This work offers a promising catalyst design direction for developing highly ordered HEI nanoparticles for electrocatalysis.

Phase 1/2 trial of avelumab combined with utomilumab (4-1BB agonist), PF-04518600 (OX40 agonist), or radiotherapy in patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint blockade has shown mixed results in advanced/recurrent gynecologic malignancies. Efficacy may be improved through costimulation with OX40 and 4-1BB agonists. The authors sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of avelumab combined with utomilumab (a 4-1BB agonist), PF-04518600 (an OX40 agonist), and radiotherapy in patients with recurrent gynecologic malignancies. METHODS: The primary end point in this six-arm, phase 1/2 trial was safety of the combination regimens. Secondary end points included the objective response rate (ORR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors and immune-related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, the disease control rate (DCR), the duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: Forty patients were included (35% with cervical cancer, 30% with endometrial cancer, and 35% with ovarian cancer). Most patients (n = 33; 83%) were enrolled in arms A-C (no radiation). Among 35 patients who were evaluable for efficacy, the ORR was 2.9%, and the DCR was 37.1%, with a median duration of stable disease of 5.4 months (interquartile range, 4.1-7.3 months). Patients with cervical cancer in arm A (avelumab and utomilumab; n = 9 evaluable patients) achieved an ORR of 11% and a DCR of 78%. The median progression-free survival was 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.8-3.5 months), and overall survival was 9.4 months (95% CI, 5.6-11.9 months). No dose-limiting toxicities or grade 3-5 immune-related adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this trial highlight that, in heavily pretreated patients with gynecologic cancer, even multidrug regimens targeting multiple immunologic pathways, although safe, did not produce significant responses. A DCR of 78% in patients with cervical cancer who received avelumab and utomilumab indicates that further research on this combination in select patients may be warranted.

Global synthesis on the response of soil microbial necromass carbon to climate-smart agriculture.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) supports the sustainability of crop production and food security, and benefiting soil carbon storage. Despite the critical importance of microorganisms in the carbon cycle, systematic investigations on the influence of CSA on soil microbial necromass carbon and its driving factors are still limited. We evaluated 472 observations from 73 peer-reviewed articles to show that, compared to conventional practice, CSA generally increased soil microbial necromass carbon concentrations by 18.24%. These benefits to soil microbial necromass carbon, as assessed by amino sugar biomarkers, are complex and influenced by a variety of soil, climatic, spatial, and biological factors. Changes in living microbial biomass are the most significant predictor of total, fungal, and bacterial necromass carbon affected by CSA; in 61.9%-67.3% of paired observations, the CSA measures simultaneously increased living microbial biomass and microbial necromass carbon. Land restoration and nutrient management therein largely promoted microbial necromass carbon storage, while cover crop has a minor effect. Additionally, the effects were directly influenced by elevation and mean annual temperature, and indirectly by soil texture and initial organic carbon content. In the optimal scenario, the potential global carbon accrual rate of CSA through microbial necromass is approximately 980 Mt C year-1, assuming organic amendment is included following conservation tillage and appropriate land restoration. In conclusion, our study suggests that increasing soil microbial necromass carbon through CSA provides a vital way of mitigating carbon loss. This emphasizes the invisible yet significant influence of soil microbial anabolic activity on global carbon dynamics.

Comparative proteomic analysis of vancomycin-sensitive and vancomycin-intermediate resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

PURPOSE: The extensive use of vancomycin has led to the development of Staphylococcus aureus strains with varying degrees of resistance to vancomycin. The present study aimed to explore the molecular causes of vancomycin resistance by conducting a proteomics analysis of subcellular fractions isolated from vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. aureus (VISA) and vancomycin-sensitive S. aureus (VSSA) strains. METHODS: We conducted proteomics analysis of subcellular fractions isolated from 2 isogenic S. aureus strains: strain 11 (VSSA) and strain 11Y (VISA). We used an integrated quantitative proteomics approach assisted by bioinformatics analysis, and comprehensively investigated the proteome profile. Intensive bioinformatics analysis, including protein annotation, functional classification, functional enrichment, and functional enrichment-based cluster analysis, was used to annotate quantifiable targets. RESULTS: We identified 128 upregulated proteins and 21 downregulated proteins in strain 11Y as compared to strain 11. The largest group of differentially expressed proteins was composed of enzymatic proteins associated with metabolic and catalytic activity, which accounted for 32.1% and 50% of the total proteins, respectively. Some proteins were indispensable parts of the regulatory networks of S. aureus that were altered with vancomycin treatment, and these proteins were related to cell wall metabolism, cell adhesion, proteolysis, and pressure response. CONCLUSION: Our proteomics study revealed regulatory proteins associated with vancomycin resistance in S. aureus. Some of these proteins were involved in the regulation of cell metabolism and function, which provides potential targets for the development of strategies to manage vancomycin resistance in S. aureus.

Significantly Enhanced Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Multiferroic EuFeO3-δ Thin Films.

Regulating the magnetic properties of multiferroics lays the foundation for their prospective application in spintronic devices. Single-phase multiferroics, such as rare-earth ferrites, are promising candidates; however, they typically exhibit weak magnetism at room temperature (RT). Here, we significantly boosted the RT ferromagnetism of a representative ferrite, EuFeO3, by oxygen defect engineering. Polarized neutron reflectometry and magnetometry measurements reveal that saturation magnetization reaches 0.04 µB/Fe, which is approximately 5 times higher than its bulk phase. Combining the annular bright-field images with theoretical assessment, we unravel the underlying mechanism for magnetic enhancement, in which the decrease in Fe-O-Fe bond angles caused by oxygen vacancies (VO) strengthens magnetic interactions and tilts Fe spins. Furthermore, the internal relationship between magnetism and VO was established by illustrating how the magnetic structure and magnitude change with VO configuration and concentration. Our strategy for regulating magnetic properties can be applied to numerous functional oxide materials.

Toward Ultimate Memory with Single-Molecule Multiferroics.

The demand for high-density storage is urgent in the current era of data explosion. Recently, several single-molecule (-atom) magnets and ferroelectrics have been reported to be promising candidates for high-density storage. As another promising candidate, single-molecule multiferroics are not only small in size but also possess ferroelectric and magnetic orderings, which can sometimes be strongly coupled and used as data storage to realize the combination of electric writing and magnetic reading. However, they have been rarely proposed and have never been experimentally reported. Here, by building Hamiltonian models, we propose a new model of single-molecule multiferroics in which electric dipoles and magnetic moments are parallel and can rotate with the rotation of the single molecule. Furthermore, by performing spin-lattice dynamics simulations, we reveal the conditions (e.g., large enough single-ion anisotropy and an appropriate electric field) under which the new single-molecule multiferroic can arise. Based on this model, as well as first-principles calculations, a realistic example of Co(NH3)4N@SWCNT is constructed and numerically confirmed to demonstrate the feasibility of the new single-molecule multiferroic model. Our work not only sheds light on the discovery of single-molecule multiferroics but also provides a new guideline to design multifunctional materials for ultimate memory devices.

Near-90° Switch in the Polar Axis of Dion-Jacobson Perovskites by Halide Substitution.

Ferroelectricity in two-dimensional hybrid (2D) organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) can be engineered by tuning the chemical composition of the organic or inorganic components to lower the structural symmetry and order-disorder phase change. Less efforts are made toward understanding how the direction of the polar axis is affected by the chemical structure, which directly impacts the anisotropic charge order and nonlinear optical response. To date, the reported ferroelectric 2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) [PbI4]2- perovskites exhibit exclusively out-of-plane polarization. Here, we discover that the polar axis in ferroelectric 2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskites can be tuned from the out-of-plane (OOP) to the in-plane (IP) direction by substituting the iodide with bromide in the lead halide layer. The spatial symmetry of the nonlinear optical response in bromide and iodide DJ perovskites was probed by polarized second harmonic generation (SHG). Density functional theory calculations revealed that the switching of the polar axis, synonymous with the change in the orientation of the sum of the dipole moments (DMs) of organic cations, is caused by the conformation change of organic cations induced by halide substitution.

Noninvasive ultrasound stimulation to treat myocarditis through splenic neuro-immune regulation.

BACKGROUND: The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) has been widely studied to modulate the immune response. Current stimulating strategies are invasive or imprecise. Noninvasive low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has become increasingly appreciated for targeted neuronal modulation. However, its mechanisms and physiological role on myocarditis remain poorly defined. METHODS: The mouse model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis was established. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound was targeted at the spleen to stimulate the spleen nerve. Under different ultrasound parameters, histological tests and molecular biology were performed to observe inflammatory lesions and changes in immune cell subsets in the spleen and heart. In addition, we evaluated the dependence of the spleen nerve and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in treating autoimmune myocarditis in mice through different control groups. RESULTS: The echocardiography and flow cytometry of splenic or heart infiltrating immune cells revealed that splenic ultrasound could alleviate the immune response, regulate the proportion and function of CD4+ Treg and macrophages by activating cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, and finally reduce heart inflammatory injury and improve cardiac remodeling, which is as effective as an acetylcholine receptor agonists GTS-21. Transcriptome sequencing showed significant differential expressed genes due to ultrasound modulation. CONCLUSIONS: It is worth noting that the ultrasound therapeutic efficacy depends greatly on acoustic pressure and exposure duration, and the effective targeting organ was the spleen but not the heart. This study provides novel insight into the therapeutic potentials of LIPUS, which are essential for its future application.

Concurrence of novel mutations causing Gilbert's and Dubin-Johnson syndrome with poor clinical outcomes in a Han Chinese family.

Dual-hereditary jaundice (Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) and Gilbert's syndrome (GS)) is a rare clinical entity resulting from defects of the ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 2 (ABCC2) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A1 (UGT1A1) genes with autosomal recessive inheritance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mutation profiles and characterize the phenotypes in a Han Chinese family with DJS and GS. Genetic screening for variants in the ABCC2 and UGT1A1, immunohistochemistry for expression of ABCC2, and histopathological examination were carried out. The proband and his brother had unconjugated and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia after birth. The proband's sister had only conjugated hyperbilirubinemia after birth. The proband developed into pleural effusions and ascites, pericardial thickening, intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary duct dilatation, and enlarged gallbladder at age 50. Hepatocellular carcinoma occurred in the proband's brother at age 46. Seven compound defects of the ABCC2 gene [c.2414delG, p.(Ile1489Gly), p.(Thr1490Pro), and p.(Ile1491Gln)] and the UGT1A1 gene (c.-3279T>G, p.(Gly71Arg), and p.(Pro451Leu)) were identified in family members. Accumulation of pigment in hepatocytes characteristic of that in DJS was present in the proband and his brother. Expression of ABCC2 protein was markedly diminished in the patient's liver. Our results show a different genetic profile of DJS and GS in a Han Chinese family, indicating a more complex pattern of dual-hereditary jaundice among different populations. The present study illuminates the underpinnings of DJS and GS and extends the mutation profiles and phenotypes of these two syndromes in dual-hereditary jaundice.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction promotes PDGF-primed bone mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for myocardial protection in acute Myocardial Infarction in rats.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) has emerged as a promising strategy for the targeted delivery of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the ischemic myocardium. However, the limited migration capacity and poor survival of MSCs remains a major therapeutic barrier. The present study was performed to investigate the synergistic effect of UTMD with platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) on the homing of MSCs for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: MSCs from male donor rats were treated with PDGF-BB, and a novel microbubble formulation was prepared using a thin-film hydration method. In vivo, MSCs with or without PDGF-BB pretreatment were transplanted by UTMD after inducing AMI in experimental rats. The therapeutic efficacy of PDGF-BB-primed MSCs on myocardial apoptosis, angiogenesis, cardiac function and scar repair was estimated. The effects and molecular mechanisms of PDGF-BB on MSC migration and survival were explored in vitro. RESULTS: The results showed that the biological effects of UTMD increased the local levels of stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), which promoted the migration of transplanted MSCs to the ischemic region. Compared with UTMD alone, UTMD combined with PDGF-BB pretreatment significantly increased the cardiac homing of MSCs, which subsequently reduced myocardial apoptosis, promoted neovascularization and tissue repair, and increased cardiac function 30 days after MI. The vitro results demonstrated that PDGF-BB enhanced MSC migration and protected these cells from H2O2-induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, PDGF-BB pretreatment promoted MSC migration and inhibited H2O2-induced MSC apoptosis via activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase (PI3K/Akt) pathway. Furthermore, crosstalk between PDGF-BB and stromal-derived factor-1/chemokine receptor 4 (SDF-1/CXCR4) is involved in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that UTMD combined with PDGF-BB treatment could enhance the homing ability of MSCs, thus alleviating AMI in rats. Therefore, UTMD combined with PDGF-BB pretreatment may offer exciting therapeutic opportunities for strengthening MSC therapy in ischemic diseases.

An exceedingly rare cause of neonatal shock and the value of point-of-care ultrasound.

We present a case of a 13-day-old neonate with shock who was diagnosed with congenital variation of aortic arch and critical coarctation of aorta by cardiac point-of-care ultrasound. Finally, surgery confirmed the anomalies. This case demonstrates the value of cardiac point-of-care ultrasound in detecting congenital anomalies of great vessels in neonates and may be beneficial in clinical management.

miR-205-5p inhibits homocysteine-induced pulmonary microvascular endothelium dysfunction by targeting FOXO1.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases, and vascular endothelial cell injury has been regarded as the initiating step for this process. miRNAs are involved in Hcy-induced endothelial dysfunction, while the underlying mechanism and roles of miRNAs in pulmonary endothelial dysfunction induced by homocysteine are unknown. Here, we find that miR-205-5p alleviates pulmonary endothelial dysfunction by targeting FOXO1 in CBS +/‒ mice to protect against Hcy-induced pulmonary endothelial dysfunction. Mechanistically, we show that Hcy can lead to DNA hypermethylation of the miR-205-5p promoter due to the increased binding of DNMT1 to its promoter, which contributes to reduction of miR-205-5p expression. In summary, miR-205-5p promoter hypermethylation causes downregulation of miR-205-5p expression, resulting in a reduction in miR-205-5p binding to FOXO1 during homocysteine-induced pulmonary endothelial dysfunction. Our data indicate that miR-205-5p may be a potential therapeutic target against Hcy-induced pulmonary injury.

Activating Blood Circulation, Anti-Inflammatory and Diuretic Effects of Leonurus japonicus Extract on a Rat Model of Trauma Blood Stasis and Its Phytochemical Profiling.

Leonurus japonicus Houtt. has been traditionally used to treat many ailments. This study evaluated the activating blood circulation, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects of L. japonicus extract (LJ) and identified its phytochemicals. In this work, the phytochemicals in LJ were identified using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups (n=8): Control group was treated with saline, while the Model group (saline) and LJ group (426 mg/kg) had induced traumatic injury. All rats were treated with once by daily oral gavage for one week. The biochemical indices and protein expression were measured. Herein, 79 constituents were identified in LJ, which were effective in elevating body weight, food consumption, water intake, and urinary excretion volume, as well as in ameliorating traumatic muscle tissues in model rats. In addition, LJ prominently decreased the contents of plasma viscosity, platelet aggregation rate, thrombin time, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, thromboxane B2 (TXB2), TXB2/6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), PAI-1/tissue-type PA (t-PA), and PAI-1/u-PA, while significantly increasing antithrombin III, 6-keto-PGF1α, and t-PA contents. Furthermore, LJ notably inhibited tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, angiotensin II, antidiuretic hormone, aldosterone, aquaporin 1 (AQP1), AQP2, and AQP3 levels, and markedly elevating IL-10 and natriuretic peptide levels. Finally, LJ markedly reduced the protein expression of AQP1, AQP2, and AQP3 compared to the model group. Collectively, LJ possessed prominent activating blood circulation, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects, thus supporting the clinical application of L. japonicus.

Risk assessment and clinical prediction model of planned transfer to the ICU after hip arthroplasty in elderly individuals.

BACKGROUND: With the development of hip arthroplasty technology and rapid rehabilitation theory, the number of hip arthroplasties in elderly individuals is gradually increasing, and their satisfaction with surgery is also gradually improving. However, for elderly individuals, many basic diseases, poor nutritional status, the probability of surgery, anaesthesia and postoperative complications cannot be ignored. How to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, optimize medical examination for elderly patients, and reasonably allocate medical resources. This study focuses on the construction of a clinical prediction model for planned transfer to the ICU after hip arthroplasty in elderly individuals. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 325 elderly patients who underwent hip arthroplasty. The general data and preoperative laboratory test results of the patients were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to screen independent influencing factors. The backwards LR method was used to establish the prediction model. Then, we assessed and verified the degree of discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness of the model. Finally, the prediction model was rendered in the form of a nomogram. RESULTS: Age, blood glucose, direct bilirubin, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, serum albumin, prothrombin time and haemoglobin were independent influencing factors of planned transfer to the ICU after hip arthroplasty. The area under the curve (AUC) of discrimination and the 500 bootstrap internal validation AUC of this prediction model was 0.793. The calibration curve fluctuated around the ideal curve and had no obvious deviation from the ideal curve. When the prediction probability was 12%-80%, the clinical decision curve was above two extreme lines. The discrimination, calibration and clinical applicability of this prediction model were good. The clinical prediction model was compared with the seven factors in the model for discrimination and clinical use. The discrimination and clinical practicability of this prediction model were superior to those of the internal factors. CONCLUSION: The prediction model has good clinical prediction ability and clinical practicability. The model is presented in the form of a linear graph, which provides an effective reference for the individual risk assessment of patients.

[Analysis of clinical features and ATRX gene variants in a Chinese pedigree affected with X-linked alpha thalassemia mental retardation (ATR-X) syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic basis of two brothers featuring X-linked alpha thalassemia mental retardation (ATR-X) syndrome. METHODS: An infant who had presented at the Qilu Children's Hospital in 2020 for unstable upright head and inability to roll over and his family were selected as the study subjects. The clinical features of the child and one of his brothers were summarized, and their genomic DNA was subjected to targeted capture and next generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: The brothers had presented with mental retardation and facial dysmorphisms. NGS revealed that they had both harbored a hemizygous c.5275C>A variant of the ATRX gene located on the X chromosome, which was inherited from their mother. CONCLUSION: The siblings were diagnosed with ATR-X syndrome. The discovery of the c.5275C>A variant has enriched the mutational spectrum of the ATRX gene.

Interactions between flue gas desulfurization gypsum and biochar on water infiltration characteristics and physicochemical properties of saline-alkaline soil.

The application of flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) improves the soil structure, reduces soil pH, and accelerates soil salt leaching. Biochar amendment to soil can affect the soil infiltration rate, increase soil porosity, decrease soil bulk density, and enhance the water retention capacity. This study investigated the interactive effect of FGDG and biochar on water infiltration characteristics and physicochemical properties as well as determined the optimal amendment rate as a saline-alkaline soil conditioner. Seven experimental schemes were designed, and the newly reclaimed cultivated soil from Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone in Fujian Province, China, was used in an indoor soil column experiment to simulate soil infiltration. Five models were employed to describe the infiltration process. The power function was used to represent the dynamic process of the wetting front. The conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) there was a reduction in the infiltration capacity of saline-alkaline soil (sandy soil) in each treatment, and the application of FGDG alone had the highest inhibition effect compared to the control (CK). The Kostiakov model provides the best fit for the experimental data of soil cumulative infiltration. (2) All treatments increased the total porosity and water content of saline-alkali soil, with the combined application of FGDG and biochar found to be more effective. (3) The application of FGDG alone or in combination with biochar decreased the pH and increased the electrical conductivity of the saline-alkali soil significantly, with the combined application having the most significant effect. In contrast, soil amended with biochar alone had minimal effect on the pH and EC of the soil. (4) The best improvement ratio was achieved with the F1B2 combination (75 g/kg FGDG + 30 g/kg biochar).

Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Room-Temperature Multiferroics.

Organic-inorganic multiferroics are promising for the next generation of electronic devices. To date, dozens of organic-inorganic multiferroics have been reported; however, most of them show a magnetic Curie temperature much lower than room temperature, which drastically hampers their application. Here, by performing first-principles calculations and building effective model Hamiltonians, we reveal a molecular orbital-mediated magnetic coupling mechanism in two-dimensional Cr(pyz)2 (pyz = pyrazine) and the role that the valence state of the molecule plays in determining the magnetic coupling type between metal ions. Based on these, we demonstrate that a two-dimensional organic-inorganic room-temperature multiferroic, Cr(h-fpyz)2 (h-fpyz = half-fluoropyrazine), can be rationally designed by introducing ferroelectricity in Cr(pyz)2 while keeping the valence state of the molecule unchanged. Our work not only reveals the origin of magnetic coupling in 2D organic-inorganic systems but also provides a way to design room-temperature multiferroic materials rationally.

Grafting of Tetraphenylethylene on Silica Surface, Characterizations, and Their Chromatographic Performance as Reversed-Phase Stationary Phases.

Surface modification is an effective way to functionalize the materials so as to get some special properties. Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) has been widely investigated as a well-known reagent which has the nature of aggregation-induced emission (AIE), but has never been reported in the liquid chromatography stationary phase. In this work, TPE-grafted silica (Sil-TPE) was obtained successfully using the derivative of 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,2-triphenylethylene as a ligand, and then characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra, thermogravimetric analysis, and so forth. Laser scanning confocal microscopy images reflected the AIE phenomenon of grafted TPE because the internal vibration and rotation of TPE molecules were restrained in the confined silica space. The contact angle test showed superhydrophobic properties of Sil-TPE. In order to understand thoroughly the mechanism of chromatographic performance and retention behavior for Sil-TPE, Tanaka test mixture, alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and phenols were separated. This reveals that Sil-TPE has strong aromaticity and certain shape selectivity, especially, has excellent separation performance for PAHs and phenols. The thermodynamic properties and repeatability of Sil-TPE were further studied, which showed the stability of Sil-TPE. This work shows that TPE can be successfully grafted on silica surface and it has the potential to be a new kind of promising stationary phases in the future.