Association between alcohol consumption and sleep traits: observational and mendelian randomization studies in the UK biobank.

Previous studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption is associated with poor sleep. However, the health risks of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption in relation to sleep traits (e.g., insomnia, snoring, sleep duration and chronotype) remain undefined, and their causality is still unclear in the general population. To identify the association between alcohol consumption and multiple sleep traits using an observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) design. Observational analyses and one-sample MR (linear and nonlinear) were performed using clinical and individual-level genetic data from the UK Biobank (UKB). Two-sample MR was assessed using summary data from genome-wide association studies from the UKB and other external consortia. Phenotype analyses were externally validated using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-2018). Data analysis was conducted from January 2022 to October 2022. The association between alcohol consumption and six self-reported sleep traits (short sleep duration, long sleep duration, chronotype, snoring, waking up in the morning, and insomnia) were analysed. This study included 383,357 UKB participants (mean [SD] age, 57.0 [8.0] years; 46% male) who consumed a mean (SD) of 9.0 (10.0) standard drinks (one standard drink equivalent to 14 g of alcohol) per week. In the observational analyses, alcohol consumption was significantly associated with all sleep traits. Light-moderate-heavy alcohol consumption was linearly linked to snoring and the evening chronotype but nonlinearly associated with insomnia, sleep duration, and napping. In linear MR analyses, a 1-SD (14 g) increase in genetically predicted alcohol consumption was associated with a 1.14-fold (95% CI, 1.07-1.22) higher risk of snoring (P < 0.001), a 1.28-fold (95% CI, 1.20-1.37) higher risk of evening chronotype (P < 0.001) and a 1.24-fold (95% CI, 1.13-1.36) higher risk of difficulty waking up in the morning (P < 0.001). Nonlinear MR analyses did not reveal significant results after Bonferroni adjustment. The results of the two-sample MR analyses were consistent with those of the one-sample MR analyses, but with a slightly attenuated overall estimate. Our findings suggest that even low levels of alcohol consumption may affect sleep health, particularly by increasing the risk of snoring and evening chronotypes. The negative effects of alcohol consumption on sleep should be made clear to the public in order to promote public health.

Characteristics of the knowledge graph of scientific and technological innovation in Gansu Province.

The knowledge graph based on research papers can accurately identify and present the latest developments in scientific and technological (S&T) innovation and is of great significance for supporting strategic decision-making relating to S&T innovation in undeveloped areas. Based on the international research papers produced in Gansu Province during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), five metrics, including the number and characteristics of papers, co-authors, main publications and their fields, major supporting institutions, and main research areas, are established herein. The results indicate that: (i) the total of 29,951 papers were published, which is about 2.89 times that in 2010-2015; (ii) Gansu Province collaborated with 149 countries/regions globally; (iii) the top 5 journals in terms of the number of papers were Medicine, Scientific Reports, RSC Advances, Science of the Total Environment, and Physical Reviews D; (iv) the funding sources were mainly from the national level; and (5) the top 5 research areas were chemistry, engineering, physics, material science, environmental science, and ecology, which accounted for 64.7% of all papers. Finally, the present study puts forward some recommendations for the decision-making process in the strategic layout of S&T innovation in Gansu Province.

[Appropriate Use and Abuse of Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs].

The incidence of insomnia has been increasing in recent years. In addition, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are experiencing a variety of insomniac problems, including having difficulty in sleep initation, waking up too early, and short sleep duration. Chronic insomnia may seriously affect patients' life and work, increase their risks of developing physical and mental illnesses, and cause crushing social and economic burdens. Sedative-hypnotics, including benzodiazepine agonists, melatonin receptor agonists, orexin receptor antagonists, and antidepressants with hypnotic effects, are widely used to treat most patients suffering from insomnia. However, there is the phenomenon of the non-medical use and abuse of sedative-hypnotic drugs, especially benzodiazepine receptor agonists. The abuse of sedative-hypnotic drugs may lead to mental and physical dependence, cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety, as well as an increased risks of falls and death. Therefore, drug regulatory authorities in China and other countries have issued relevant policies to reinforce regulation. Herein, we reviewed the prevalent use and safety of sedative-hypnotic drugs and proposed suggestions concerning their appropriate use. Both the efficacy and safety of sedative-hypnotic drugs should be carefully considered so that patients suffering from insomnia receive thorough and prompt treatment and the problem of potential abuse of sedative-hypnotic drugs is assessed in an objective and scientific manner. We also hope to provide references for the standardized clinical use of insomnia drugs.

Information quality, media richness, and negative coping: A daily research during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For most mobile technology users, social media platforms are their main source of information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the stimulus-organism-response model, this study proposes that information quality and media richness are related to social media fatigue, which induces negative coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. The moderating roles of health consciousness and COVID-19-induced strain are also examined. The data were collected from 108 users of WeChat using a daily experience sampling method and analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling with Mplus. The results show that information quality significantly decreases social media fatigue, whereas media richness significantly increases social media fatigue, which is an outcome of negative coping. Health consciousness buffers the indirect effect of information quality on negative coping through social media fatigue, whereas COVID-19-induced strain strengthens the indirect effect of media richness on negative coping through social media fatigue. These findings enrich the literature on social media fatigue and negative coping by revealing the informational and technical causes of these issues at the episode level in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of different doses of dexmedetomidine on the requirements for propofol for loss of consciousness in patients monitored via the bispectral index: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The α2-adrenergic agonist dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a sedative and can be used as an adjunct to hypnotics. The study sought to evaluate the effects of different doses of DEX on the requirements for propofol for loss of consciousness (LOC) in patients monitored via the bispectral index (BIS). METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, three arm parallel group design and placebo-controlled trial, 73 patients aged between 18 and ~ 65 years with a BMI range of 18.0-24.5 kg·m- 2 and an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I or II who were scheduled for general anesthesia at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were included in this study. Anesthesiologists and patients were blinded to the syringe contents. All patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive a 0.5 µg·kg- 1 DEX infusion (0.5 µg·kg- 1 DEX group; n = 24), a 1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX infusion (1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX group; n = 25) or a saline infusion (control group; n = 24) for 10 min. Propofol at a concentration of 20 mg·kg- 1·h- 1 was then infused at the end of the DEX or saline infusion. The propofol infusion was stopped when the patient being infused lost consciousness. The primary endpoint were propofol requirements for LOC and BIS value at LOC. RESULTS: The data from 73 patients were analyzed. The propofol requirements for LOC was reduced in the DEX groups compared with the control group (1.12 ± 0.33 mg·kg- 1 for the 0.5 µg·kg- 1 DEX group vs. 1.79 ± 0.39 mg·kg- 1 for the control group; difference, 0.68 mg·kg- 1 [95% CI, 0.49 to 0.87]; P = 0.0001) (0.77 ± 0.27 mg·kg- 1 for the 1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX group vs. 1.79 ± 0.39 mg·kg- 1 for the control group; difference, 1.02 mg·kg- 1 [95% CI, 0.84 to 1.21]; P = 0.0001). The propofol requirements for LOC was lower in the 1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX group than the 0.5 µg·kg- 1 DEX group (0.77 ± 0.27 mg·kg- 1 vs. 1.12 ± 0.33 mg·kg- 1, respectively; difference, 0.34 mg·kg- 1 [95% CI, 0.16 to 0.54]; P = 0.003). At the time of LOC, the BIS value was higher in the DEX groups than in the control group (67.5 ± 3.5 for group 0.5 µg·kg- 1 DEX vs. 60.5 ± 3.8 for the control group; difference, 7.04 [95% CI, 4.85 to 9.23]; P = 0.0001) (68.4 ± 4.1 for group 1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX vs. 60.5 ± 3.8 for the control group; difference, 7.58 [95% CI, 5.41 to 9.75]; P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The study showed that DEX (both 0.5 and 1.0 µg·kg- 1 DEX) reduced the propofol requirements for LOC. DEX pre-administration increased the BIS value for LOC induced by propofol. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (trial ID: NCT02783846 on May 26, 2016).

Three-dimensional nitrogen and sulfur co-doped holey-reduced graphene oxide frameworks anchored with MoO2 nanodots for advanced rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

In this manuscript, we synthesize a porous three-dimensional anode material consisting of molybdenum dioxide nanodots anchored on nitrogen (N)/sulfur (S) co-doped reduced graphene oxide (GO) (3D MoO2/NP-NSG) through hydrothermal, lyophilization and thermal treatment. First, the NP-NSG is formed via hydrothermal treatment using graphene oxide, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and thiourea as the co-dopant for N and S, followed by calcination of the N/S co-doped GO in the presence of ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate to obtain the 3D MoO2/NP-NSG product. This novel material exhibits a series of out-bound electrochemical performances, such as superior conductivity, high specific capacity, and excellent stability. As an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the MoO2/NP-NSG electrode has a high initial specific capacity (1376 mAh g-1), good cycling performance (1250 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g-1), and outstanding Coulombic efficiency (99% after 450 cycles at a current density of 1 A g-1). Remarkably, the MoO2/NP-NSG battery exhibits exceedingly good rate capacities of 1021, 965, 891, 760, 649, 500 and 425 mAh g-1 at different current densities of 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 mA g-1, respectively. The superb electrochemical performance is owed to the high porosity of the 3D architecture, the synergistic effect contribution from N and S co-doped in the reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and the uniform distribution of MoO2 nanodots on the rGO surface.

Co9 S8 /MoS2 Yolk-Shell Spheres for Advanced Li/Na Storage.

Uniform sized Co9 S8 /MoS2 yolk-shell spheres with an average diameter of about 500 nm have been synthesized by a facile route. When evaluated as anodes for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, these Co9 S8 /MoS2 yolk-shell spheres show high specific capacities, excellent rate capabilities, and good cycling stability.

Identification of strong promoters based on the transcriptome of Bacillus licheniformis.

OBJECTIVES: To expand the repertoire of strong promoters for high level expression of proteins based on the transcriptome of Bacillus licheniformis. RESULTS: The transcriptome of B. licheniformis ATCC14580 grown to the early stationary phase was analyzed and the top 10 highly expressed genes/operons out of the 3959 genes and 1249 operons identified were chosen for study promoter activity. Using beta-galactosidase gene as a reporter, the candidate promoter pBL9 exhibited the strongest activity which was comparable to that of the widely used strong promoter p43. Furthermore, the pro-transglutaminase from Streptomyces mobaraensis (pro-MTG) was expressed under the control of promoter pBL9 and the activity of pro-MTG reached 82 U/ml after 36 h, which is 23% higher than that of promoter p43 (66.8 U/ml). CONCLUSION: In our analyses of the transcriptome of B. licheniformis, we have identified a strong promoter pBL9, which could be adapted for high level expression of proteins in the host Bacillus subtilis.

Preparation of a γ-Fe2 O3 /Ag nanowire coaxial nanocable for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a silver nanowire-γ-Fe2 O3 coaxial nanocable architecture (Ag NWs@γ-Fe2 O3 nanocable) through mild oxidation of [Fe(CO)5 ] on the surface of silver nanowires followed by a calcination process. After optimization of the structural design, the Ag NWs@γ-Fe2 O3 nanocable could deliver superior lithium storage performance in terms of high reversible capacity, good rate performance, and excellent stability, such as a high reversible capacity of about 890 mA h g(-1) after 60 cycles at a current rate of 0.1 C (1.0 C=1005 mA g(-1) ). The reversible capacity remains as high as about 550 mA h g(-1) even at a high current rate of 2.0 C. This dramatic performance is mainly attributed to the smart coaxial design, which can not only alleviate the large volume change and prevent the aggregation of γ-Fe2 O3 nanoparticles, but also enables good conductivity and thus enhances fast charge transfer. The unique structural features of the Ag NWs@γ-Fe2 O3 nanocable represent a promising anode material in lithium-ion battery applications.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering behaviour of 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid on assembled silver nanoparticles.

Molecular recognition based on specific intermolecular interactions is essential for the design of sensors with high selectivity. Herein, we report the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) behaviour of 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid (MPBA) on self-assembled silver nanoparticles and its interaction with d-glucose. It is demonstrated that the orientation and existing form of the MPBA strongly depend on the pH value of the media. The surface-immobilized MPBA can be reversibly associated with OH(-) in solution, along with a molecular orientation alteration. A self-condensation reaction among the OH(-)-associated MPBA molecules results in irreversible conversion of OH(-)-associated MPBA to anhydride, which may hinder the interaction between d-glucose and the B-moiety of MPBA. However, the self-condensation reaction can be diminished under optimized conditions. By taking advantage of the difference in the kinetics of dissociation of the OH(-)-associated MPBA and d-glucose-associated MPBA in acidic media, a proper scheme of the SERS detection of d-glucose is proposed to illuminate the spectral interference of OH(-)-associated MPBA, which exhibits SERS features similar to those of d-glucose-associated MPBA species. Based on those strategies, the SERS detection of d-glucose can be achieved in the physiologically-relevant concentration range.

Facile synthesis of Pt/Pd nanodendrites for the direct oxidation of methanol.

The demand for clean and energy-efficient fuel cell systems requires electrocatalysts with greater activity and stability. Here, we report a facile wet-chemical approach for the synthesis of high-quality three-dimensional (3D) Pt/Pd bimetallic nanodendrites. The simple and unique process developed here used oleylamine as a reducing agent, and hydrogen gas to control the morphology. The as-prepared Pt/Pd nanodendrites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The nanodendrites showed superior electrocatalytic activity (609.565 mA mg(-1) Pt) for the oxidation of methanol compared with Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts. This method could provide a general approach for the morphology-controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt-based nanocatalysts, which are promising materials for applications in fuel cells.

Stabilizing NASICON-type Na4MnCr(PO4)3 by Ti-substitution toward a high-voltage cathode material for sodium ion batteries.

The sodium superionic conductor Na4MnCr(PO4)3 gains increasing attention owing to its three-dimensional structure and the three-electron reaction. However, rapid structure degradation during cycling is the major challenge for its practical application. Herein, Ti4+ is utilized to replace a portion of Mn2+ in Na4MnCr(PO4)3. The low redox voltage and d0 electronic configuration of the Ti4+ ions are helpful to suppress the structure alteration and improve electronic conduction. Consequently, the as-prepared Na3.4Mn0.7Ti0.3Cr(PO4)3/C cathode exhibits a remarkable good 91.0% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 10C rate, with exceptional rate capacities of 99.5 mAh g-1 and 81.0 mAh g-1 at 5C and 10C rate, respectively. Furthermore, based on ≈2.86-electron reactions involving Mn2+/Mn3+ (3.5 V), Mn3+/Mn4+ (4.1 V), Cr3+/Cr4+ (4.3 V), and Ti3+/Ti4+ (2.1 V), the material can provide an energy density of approximately 541.6 Wh kg-1, slightly surpassing that of Na4MnCr(PO4)3. Ex-situ XRD investigation further elucidates that throughout the entire charge-discharge process, the Ti-substituted material experiences highly reversible solid-solution and two-phase reactions. Additionally, Ti substitution can greatly promote the interfacial charge transfer of the material and suppress the decomposition of the electrolyte during cycling. This work might open a new insight for designing sodium-ion battery cathode materials with good cycling stability and high energy density.

Structure engineering with sodium doping for cobalt-free Li-rich layered oxide toward improving electrochemical stability.

Structure engineering of the Li-rich layered cathodes to overcome insufficient structural stability and the rapid decay of capacity and voltage is crucial for commercializing of the materials for the lithium-ion batteries. Alkali metal element doping at the lithium sites has proven to be a feasible approach to boost the performance of the Li-rich layered oxides. Herein, the Na+-doping strategy in the lithium slabs is introduced to modify the structure of the cobalt-free layered Li-rich oxide, Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2. It is revealed that the doped Na+ ions can promote the activation of the Li2MnO3 phase, endowing the materials with high initial discharge capacity of 284.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1C. Due to the pillaring effect of the doped Na+ ions in the lithium slabs and the induced formation of oxygen vacancies, the electrochemical stability of the material is significantly improved, providing a capacity retention of 94.0 % after 100 cycles at 0.5C. The voltage decay per cycle is only 2.0 mV, less than 3.2 mV of the Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2. The results suggest that the facile strategy of introducing Na+ ions into the lithium slabs is an efficient approach for optimizing structure design of the Li-rich layered oxides for the lithium-ion batteries.

Dual modification of phosphate toward improving electrochemical performance of LiNiO2 cathode materials.

Lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2) cathode materials are featured with high capacity and low cost for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries but suffer from severe structure and interface instability. Bulk doping together with surface coating has been proven to be an efficient approach to improve the inner structure and interfacial stability of the LiNiO2 cathode material. Nevertheless, the role of anion doping seems to be quite different from that of cation doping, and a deep insight will be desirable for the structure design of the LiNiO2 cathode material. In this paper, PO43--doped and Li3PO4-coating of dual modification of LiNiO2 are achieved via a facile approach. It is demonstrated that the PO43- anions are doped into the tetrahedron vacant sites of the crystal structure, alleviating the phase transition and improving the reversibility of crystal structure. Besides, the Li3PO4 coating layer ameliorates the interface stability to restrain the side reactions. Therefore, the dual modification enhances overall structural stability of the material to provide excellent performance. Moreover, the consumption of the Li residues by the formation of Li3PO4 coating layer, and the enlarged interlayer spacing of the crystal structure by PO43- doping can facilitate the Li+ ions diffusion, resulting in a superior rate capability.

The combined effects of arteriosclerosis and diabetes on cardiovascular disease risk.

The morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rank first among common diseases. Arteriosclerosis and diabetes are risk factors for CVDs, which influence each other. However, their combined effects on CVDs are still unclear. In this study, people who participated in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) testing and the annual physical examination of the Kailuan Group Finance Co., Ltd., from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020, were selected, and their anthropometric, biochemical and epidemiological data were collected. The participants were divided into four groups according to diabetes and arteriosclerosis diagnosis and follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression and subdistribution hazard models were used to analyse the combined effects of arteriosclerosis and diabetes on CVDs. Multiple sensitivity analyses were also performed. A total of 59,268 Asian populations were selected, including 14,425 females (28.11%) with an average age of 48.10 (± 12.72) years. During follow-up, 1830 subjects developed CVDs (mean follow-up period, 4.72 years). The cumulative incidence rates of the healthy control, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and comorbidity groups were 5.04% (807/38781), 15.17% (253/3860), 17.04% (465/5987), and 25.59% (305/2684), respectively. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that compared with the healthy control group, the risk of CVD in the diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and comorbidity groups was significantly increased. Their HR values were 1.88 (95% CI 1.62-2.18), 1.40 (95% CI 1.23-1.60), and 2.10 (95% CI 1.80-2.45), respectively. The results of the sensitivity analysis were robust. For each one standard increase in fasting blood glucose or baPWV, the HR values for CVDs were 1.16 (95% CI 1.12-1.20) and 1.22 (95% CI 1.16-1.28), respectively. The results indicated that both arteriosclerosis and diabetes lead to an increased risk of CVDs. The risk of CVDs, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, heart failure, stroke, coronary artery bypass grafting and ischemic stroke in patients with arteriosclerosis and diabetes was significantly higher than that in patients with arteriosclerosis or diabetes alone. Therefore, the primary prevention of CVDs in patients with arteriosclerosis complicated with diabetes needs more attention.

AcMYB96 promotes anthocyanin accumulation in onion (Allium cepa L) without forming the MBW complex.

Anthocyanins are major flavonoid compounds with established health benefits. Although the molecular mechanisms of MYB transcription factors (TFs) within the MYB-basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-WD-repeat protein (MBW) complex in anthocyanin biosynthesis have been revealed, the functions of other MYB TFs that are unable to form the MBW complex in this process remain unclear. In this study, we uncovered and extensively characterized an R2R3-MYB TF in onion (Allium cepa L.), named AcMYB96, which was identified as a potential anthocyanin activator. AcMYB96 was classified into subgroup 1 of the R2R3-MYB TF family and lacked the conserved sequences required for interactions with bHLH IIIf TFs. Consistently, yeast two-hybrid assays showed that AcMYB96 did not interact with any bHLH IIIf TFs examined, including AcB2 and AtTT8. The transcription pattern of AcMYB96 correlated with the level of anthocyanin accumulation, and its role in activating anthocyanin biosynthesis was confirmed through overexpression in the epithelial cells of onion bulbs and Arabidopsis. Yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift, and promoter transactivation assays further demonstrated that AcMYB96 promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis by binding to the promoters of the chalcone synthase (AcCHS1), anthocyanidin synthase (AcANS), and UDP-glucose-flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (AcUFGT) genes, thereby activating their expression independent of bHLH IIIf TFs. These results demonstrate that AcMYB96 activates anthocyanin biosynthesis without forming the MBW complex, providing a theoretical foundation to further enrich the gene resources for promoting anthocyanin accumulation and breeding red onions with high anthocyanin content.

Fabrication of a bowl-shaped silver cavity substrate for SERS-based immunoassay.

In this study, a metal sandwich substrate bridged by an immunocomplex has been created for a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based immunoassay. The bottom bowl-shaped silver cavity thin film layer was prepared by electrodeposition using a closely packed monolayer of 700 nm diameter polystyrene spheres as a template. The reflection spectra of the films were recorded as a function of film thickness, and then correlated with SERS enhancement using p-aminothiophenol as the probe molecule. The results demonstrate that SERS enhancement can be maximized when both the frequency of the incident laser and Raman scattering approach the resonance frequency of the localized surface plasmon resonance, providing a guideline for the fabrication and further application of these nanocavity arrays. The second layer of silver was introduced by the interactions between the immunocomplexes in the middle layer of the sandwich architecture and the silver nanoparticles. The proposed structure was used to perform the SERS-based immunoassay. The labeled protein can be detected over a wide concentration range and the detection limit of TRITC and Atto610 labeled proteins were 50 and 5 pg mL(-1), respectively. The results demonstrate that the new SERS substrate is suitable for the quantitative identification of biomolecules.

RuO2/TiSi2/graphene composite for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light irradiation.

A novel composite composed of TiSi(2), graphene and RuO(2) nanoparticles was fabricated by a one-pot deposition method using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as a supporting matrix and RuCl(3) as the RuO(2) precursor. The resulting RuO(2)/TiSi(2)/RGO composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoelectrical response and electrochemical impedance spectra. The results indicated that the three components in the composite were effectively contacted, thus facilitating the photogenerated charges transfer and separation through multiple routes. By using the composite as a photocatalyst for visible-light water splitting the average hydrogen production rate could reach 97.5 µmol h(-1) g(-1), which is higher than that from RuO(2)/TiSi(2) and pure TiSi(2) systems under the same conditions.

Bistable memory devices with lower threshold voltage by extending the molecular alkyl-chain length.

Three organic small molecules with alkyl chains of different lengths based on an azobenzene scaffold were designed and synthesized. The indium-tin oxide (ITO)-Azo-Al sandwich memory devices showed write-once-read-many-times (WORM) characteristics. The switch threshold voltage of Azo-based memory devices significantly decreased as the end-capping alkyl chain extends, which is totally consistent with the AFM and X-ray diffraction results that the thin films showed smoother morphologies and closer intermolecular packing with the molecular alkyl-chain length prolonging. These results demonstrated that variation in the alkyl-chain length at the end of the conjugated molecules is a powerful strategy for tuning film microstructure and intermolecular packing to enable high performance of the fabricated sandwiched devices.