A novel approach has been developed to produce pure plant-based gel soy yogurt by combining soy proteins (7S/11S), high pressure homogenization, and glycation reaction.

This research sought to examine how the physicochemical characteristics of soy globulins and different processing techniques influence the gel properties of soy yogurt. The goal was to improve these gel properties and rectify any texture issues in soy yogurt, ultimately aiming to produce premium-quality plant-based soy yogurt. In this research study, the investigation focused on examining the impact of 7S/11S, homogenization pressure, and glycation modified with glucose on the gel properties of soy yogurt. A plant-based soy yogurt with superior gel and texture properties was successfully developed using a 7S/11S globulin-glucose conjugate at a 1:3 ratio and a homogenization pressure of 110 MPa. Compared to soy yogurt supplemented with pectin or gelatin, this yogurt demonstrated enhanced characteristics. These findings provide valuable insights into advancing plant protein gels and serve as a reference for cultivating new soybean varieties by soybean breeding experts.

Two-dimensional Janus SbTeBr/SbSI heterostructures as multifunctional optoelectronic systems with efficient carrier separation.

The stacking of two-dimensional (2D) materials is a highly effective approach in the design of high-performance optoelectronic devices. In this study, we propose a novel Janus monolayer-based 2D/2D van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) called SbTeBr/SbSI. Starting from its most stable binding configuration, we systematically examined its electronic, optical, mechanical and dynamical properties. The SbTeBr/SbSI vdWH exhibits a type II band arrangement, with an indirect bandgap of 1.28 eV and strong light absorption capabilities in the visible range, achieving an absorption coefficient of 4 × 105 cm-1. These desirable properties suggest that SbTeBr/SbSI holds promise as a material for solar cells, potentially achieving a power conversion efficiency of 8.3%. The dipole-induced electric field in the SbTeBr/SbSI vdWH leads to significant differences in the mobilities of different carriers, which is a critical aspect in suppressing the recombination of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, according to the simulations of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, a long electron-hole recombination time of 133 ps is predicted. Thus, the SbTeBr/SbSI heterostructure enables efficient charge separation, demonstrating its potential as a high-performance optoelectronic material.

A rare case of bladder cancer that metastasized to brain, heart, and lung lymph nodes benefited from immunotherapy.

Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor of the genitourinary system, with the primary cause of death being metastasis. The most common metastatic sites are the lymph nodes, liver, lung, bone, peritoneum, pleura, kidney, adrenal gland, and the intestine. Brain and heart metastases are rare. In this report, we describe a patient who had pulmonary lymph node metastases more than a year after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, followed by brain and cardiac metastases more than two years later. Following the failure of standard first-line chemotherapy, the patient accepted 6 cycles of tislelizumab immunotherapy. The re-examination revealed that the bilateral frontal brain metastases had vanished, the right temporal lobe metastases had been greatly decreased, the neurological symptoms had been alleviated, and the cardiac metastases had disappeared. This is a rare clinical case with encouraging effects of tislelizumab and can serve as a model for the treatment of similar patients.

Photogenerated carrier dynamics at the B4C3/g-C3N4 interface.

Developing van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures is an excellent approach for optimizing exceptional optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of materials; therefore, researching the interface dynamics of charge carriers at the two-dimensional vdW heterojunction is of great significance. In this work, we perform time-dependent ab initio non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamics of charge transfer at the B4C3/g-C3N4 heterostructure. The simulations show that the charge transfer between B4C3/g-C3N4 layers is mainly caused by the non-adiabatic mechanism. The non-adiabatic mechanism leads to a higher charge-transfer efficiency and slows down the process of interlayer electron-hole recombination, thereby promoting the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Our investigation provides essential insights into understanding the dynamics of charge transfer for the B4C3/g-C3N4 heterostructure, which provides guidance for photocatalytic water splitting and optoelectrical applications.

The high power conversion efficiency of a two-dimensional GeSe/AsP van der Waals heterostructure for solar energy cells.

Constructing a van der Waals heterostructure is a practical way to promote the conversion efficiency of solar energy. Here, we demonstrate the efficient performance of a GeSe/AsP heterostructure in solar energy cells based on the first-principles calculations. The electronic properties, optical absorption, and optoelectronic properties are calculated to evaluate the efficiency of the newly designed heterostructure. The results indicate that the GeSe/AsP heterostructure possesses a type-II band alignment with an indirect bandgap of 1.10 eV, which greatly promotes the effective separation of photogenerated carriers. Besides, an intrinsic electric field is formed in the direction from the AsP to GeSe monolayer, which is beneficial to prevent the recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pair. Simultaneously, a strong optical absorption is observed in the visible light range. The predicted power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the GeSe/AsP heterostructure is 16.0% and can be promoted to 17.3% by applying 1% biaxial compression strain. The present results indicate that the GeSe/AsP heterostructure is a promising candidate material for high-performance solar cells.

2D AlP3 with high carrier mobility and tunable band structure.

The exploration of new monolayer materials always attracts much attention due to the extraordinary properties and promising applications. Here we predict two monolayered aluminum triphosphides (AlP3) with C2/m and P3m1 space groups with a tunable bandgap under strain as the new members of the 2D XP3 family by using the first principles calculations. The stabilities of the predicted structures are confirmed with the phonon dispersion curves and molecular dynamics. Unlike the narrow bandgaps of the reported XP3 monolayers, the larger bandgaps of 1.78 (HSE06) or 1.91 eV (G0W0) for C2/m and 1.42 (HSE06) or 2.14 eV (G0W0) for P3m1 AlP3 monolayers are observed. The high mobility of 1.01 × 105 and 1.62 × 104 cm2 V-1 s-1 are observed for the electron of P3m1 and the hole of C2/m. The optical absorptions of the AlP3 monolayers, in particular, the one with C2/m, are obviously strong in the visible light range. These results imply that the monolayers are promising in the optoelectronic application. Unfortunately, the undesirable band edges make them not suitable for water splitting in spite of the strong optical absorption coefficient in the visible light range. However, an obvious effect of strain engineering is demonstrated for the monolayers. Under -2% and -3% biaxial strain, the band edges of P3m1 AlP3 can straddle the redox potential of water and meet the requirement of photocatalytic water splitting. Therefore, the P3m1 AlP3 monolayer can also be a promising candidate for the photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen driven by the visible light.