Iodine-doped carbon nanotubes boosting the adsorption effect and conversion kinetics of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Compared with lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), based on electrochemical reactions involving multi-step 16-electron transformations provide higher specific capacity (1672 mAh g-1) and specific energy (2600 Wh kg-1), exhibiting great potential in the field of energy storage. However, the inherent insulation of sulfur, slow electrochemical reaction kinetics and detrimental shuttle-effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) restrict the development of LSBs in practical applications. Herein, the iodine-doped carbon nanotubes (I-CNTs) is firstly reported as sulfur host material to the enhance the adsorption-conversion kinetics of LSBs. Iodine doping can significantly improve the polarity of I-CNTs. Iodine atoms with lone pair electrons (Lewis base) in iodine-doped CNTs can interact with lithium cations (Lewis acidic) in LiPSs, thereby anchoring polysulfides and suppressing subsequent shuttling behavior. Moreover, the charge transfer between iodine species (electron acceptor) and CNTs (electron donor) decreases the gap band and subsequently improves the conductivity of I-CNTs. The enhanced adsorption effect and conductivity are beneficial for accelerating reaction kinetics and enhancing electrocatalytic activity. The in-situ Raman spectroscopy, quasi in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Li2S potentiostatic deposition current-time (i-t) curves were conducted to verify mechanism of complex sulfur reduction reaction (SRR). Owing to above advantages, the I-CNTs@S composite cathode exhibits an ultrahigh initial capacity of 1326 mAh g-1 as well as outstanding cyclicability and rate performance. Our research results provide inspirations for the design of multifunctional host material for sulfur/carbon composite cathodes in LSBs.

Visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical sensor based on conjugated microporous polymer-grafted graphene for o-aminophenol detection.

The pollutant o-aminophenol (o-AP) presents considerable risk to environmental safety, and its detection is therefore critical. Although various optical and electrochemical methods have been proposed for the detection of o-AP, there are a limited number of detection methods based on photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors. In this study, a sensitive visible-light-driven PEC sensor was developed for o-AP detection in water. A conjugated microporous polymer (CMP)-coated graphene heterostructure (CMP-rGO) was synthesized and used to develop a PEC sensor. Under optimal conditions, the proposed sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 0.03 µM with a wide linear range of 0.0034-37.6 µM. The PEC sensor also displayed acceptable repeatability and reproducibility, good long-term stability, and excellent recovery (98-102%). In addition, the binding patterns of CMP to o-AP and o-AP analog molecules were analyzed by molecular docking. Therefore, this study provides a new and feasible PEC sensor-based detection scheme for o-AP detection.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis combined with gastric mucosal calcification: a case report.

Background: Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease whose clinical and imaging manifestations are non-specific, characterized by the deposition of microliths, which primarily consist of calcium and phosphorus, within the alveoli. In the cases of PAM, patients combined with calcification of other organs such as gastric mucosal calcification are less common. Case presentation: A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to cough producing white, foamy sputum, accompanied by dyspnea and fever for 20 days. The CT scan showed diffuse ground-glass opacities and calcification of the gastric mucosa. Lung tissue biopsy revealed the presence of calcification and granulomatous foreign bodies in the interstitium and alveolar cavity. In the later stages, she developed painful skin petechiae. For this patient, the diagnosis of PAM, gastric mucosal calcification, and purpura fulminans was made. However, the genetic test results hinted that the patient and her son had a heterozygous mutation in the FBN1 gene, but her daughter's genetic test results were normal. Although the patient received anti-infection treatment, steroids, and oxygen therapy, her condition did not improve. Conclusion: We reported a rare case of PAM combined with calcification of other organs and purpura fulminans. Treatment of steroids did not show any benefit. The causative mechanism and effective treatment of this disease remain unclear. More treatments need to be explored.

Surface heterojunction based on n-type low-dimensional perovskite film for highly efficient perovskite tandem solar cells.

Enhancing the quality of junctions is crucial for optimizing carrier extraction and suppressing recombination in semiconductor devices. In recent years, metal halide perovskite has emerged as the most promising next-generation material for optoelectronic devices. However, the construction of high-quality perovskite junctions, as well as characterization and understanding of their carrier polarity and density, remains a challenge. In this study, using combined electrical and spectroscopic characterization techniques, we investigate the doping characteristics of perovskite films by remote molecules, which is corroborated by our theoretical simulations indicating Schottky defects consisting of double ions as effective charge dopants. Through a post-treatment process involving a combination of biammonium and monoammonium molecules, we create a surface layer of n-type low-dimensional perovskite. This surface layer forms a heterojunction with the underlying 3D perovskite film, resulting in a favorable doping profile that enhances carrier extraction. The fabricated device exhibits an outstanding open-circuit voltage (VOC) up to 1.34 V and achieves a certified efficiency of 19.31% for single-junction wide-bandgap (1.77 eV) perovskite solar cells, together with significantly enhanced operational stability, thanks to the improved separation of carriers. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of this wide-bandgap device by achieving a certified efficiency of 27.04% and a VOC of 2.12 V in a perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cell configuration.

Molecular basis of signal transduction mediated by the human GIPR splice variants.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) is a potential drug target for metabolic disorders. It works with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and glucagon receptor in humans to maintain glucose homeostasis. Unlike the other two receptors, GIPR has at least 13 reported splice variants (SVs), more than half of which have sequence variations at either C or N terminus. To explore their roles in endogenous peptide-mediated GIPR signaling, we determined the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the two N terminus-altered SVs (referred as GIPR-202 and GIPR-209 in the Ensembl database, SV1 and SV2 here, respectively) and investigated the outcome of coexpressing each of them in question with GIPR in HEK293T cells with respect to ligand binding, receptor expression, cAMP (adenosine 3,5-cyclic monophosphate) accumulation, ß-arrestin recruitment, and cell surface localization. It was found that while both N terminus-altered SVs of GIPR neither bound to the hormone nor elicited signal transduction per se, they suppressed ligand binding and cAMP accumulation of GIPR. Meanwhile, SV1 reduced GIPR-mediated ß-arrestin 2 responses. The cryo-EM structures of SV1 and SV2 showed that they reorganized the extracellular halves of transmembrane helices 1, 6, and 7 and extracellular loops 2 and 3 to adopt a ligand-binding pocket-occupied conformation, thereby losing binding ability to the peptide. The results suggest a form of signal bias that is constitutive and ligand-independent, thus expanding our knowledge of biased signaling beyond pharmacological manipulation (i.e., ligand specific) as well as constitutive and ligand-independent (e.g., SV1 of the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor).

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production with high efficiency monolayer In2Te5: a theoretical study.

Employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we explore the excellent performance of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor In2Te5 in photocatalytic water splitting at the theoretical level. The calculated results illustrate that 2D In2Te5 is a direct band gap semiconductor with a moderate band gap value and an ultrahigh optical absorption coefficient in the visible light region. It was found that its conduction band edge is higher than the reduction potential of water (-4.44 eV), which proves that it can split water to produce hydrogen. Furthermore, its excellent hydrogen evolution activity can be tuned under an appropriate biaxial strain. In addition, 2D In2Te5 shows a remarkable photo-generated current, suggesting that electrons and holes can be separated efficiently. Our results offer a superior candidate material for realizing photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution.

Role of antenatal anxiety in the relationship between maternal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and small for gestational age: A birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Both Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure and antenatal anxiety have individually been associated with small for gestational age (SGA). Little is known, however, about whether there is effect modification of antenatal anxiety on NO2-related SGA. METHODS: The prospective birth cohort study included 1823 mother-newborn pairs in Guangzhou, China, from January 2017 to April 2020. Exposure to NO2 during the pre-conceptional and prenatal periods was estimated using an inverse distance weighted method. Antenatal anxiety was assessed by Trait Anxiety Inventory. SGA was determined by the Chinese gestational age- and sex-specific birthweight standards. Cox proportional hazards regression models was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for SGA as per 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2. Modifying effects of trait anxiety on NO2-related SGA were identified by stratified analyses, and three-dimensional response surface plots and two-dimensional heat maps. RESULTS: Each 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 exposure during the third trimester was significantly associated with SGA risk among overall participants (HR = 1.221, 95 % CI: 1.014-1.471) and primipara (HR = 1.271, 95 % CI: 1.023-1.579). We found significant effect modification of anxiety level for NO2-related SGA in the third trimester (Pinteraction < 0.05). Pregnant women with higher levels of trait anxiety were more likely to deliver SGA newborns, particularly for those with high trait anxiety (HR = 1.781, 95 % CI: 1.007-2.945). Primiparous women were more susceptible. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that antenatal trait anxiety may modify the effects of maternal NO2 exposure on SGA risk. The third trimester could be a critical window of susceptibility.

Nonselective Intercalation of G-Quadruplex-Targeting Ligands into Double-Stranded DNA Quantified by Single-Molecule Stretching.

Most G-quadruplex (G4)-targeting ligands reported so far contain planar heteroaromatic groups and can intercalate into adjacent base pairs of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). However, quantitative data on the binding number γ (ligands/bp) of G4 ligands that intercalate into long dsDNA remain lacking, which are essential for understanding the selectivity of G4 ligands. Here, using a single-molecule stretching assay based on the lengthening of dsDNA, we analyzed the dissociation constants and the binding number of eight most commonly used G4 ligands that intercalate into dsDNA. We showed that five ligands (CX-5461, BRACO-19, RHPS4, TrisQ, and Phen-DC3) intercalate into dsDNA avidly (Kd = 0.5-2.1 µM, saturated γ > 0.2 ligands/bp), which was similar to the typical dsDNA intercalator EB. Two bisquinolines, PDS and 360A, showed moderate intercalation ability (Kd = 22.5 and 48.7 µM) and γ < 0.01 ligands/bp in the presence of 1 µM ligands. Porphyrin NMM showed no intercalative binding even at 200 µM. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to further evaluate the intercalative binding of these G4 ligands with dsDNA by calculating the binding energies and π-π stacking probability.

Configuration of prosocial motivations to enhance employees' innovation behaviors: From the perspective of coupling of basic and applied research.

Prosocial motivation refers to the employees' willingness to invest for the sake of helping others. It improves basic and applied research behaviors of employees and the interaction between them. Employees' innovation behavior depends on prosocial motivation because the motivation to protect the interests of others may promote knowledge sharing and knowledge coupling. However, there is a research gap in solving the optimal solution of prosocial motivations that facilitates different types of innovation behaviors based on the combination of prosocial motivations. We perform a qualitative comparative study on the effect of the motivation configurations on innovation behaviors. We find that highly basic and highly applied research behaviors share in common collectivism-based, principlism-based, contextual, and situational motivations which work in all configurations. But the core conditions between the two are different, which are principlism-based and situational motivations, respectively. In addition, both highly basic-to-applied and highly applied-to-basic transformation behaviors share the same core condition and the same secondary conditions with highly basic and highly applied research behaviors, respectively. Moreover, the behaviors of non-highly basic research and non-highly basic-to-applied transformation share the severe absence of egoism-based motivation as the core condition in common. Non-highly behaviors of applied research and applied-to-basic transformation have a common point of the severe absence of the pressure-based type as the key. Finally, we also analyze active and passive prosocial degrees of all types of high/non-high innovation behaviors. Our study deepens the academics' thinking on multi-dimensional prosocial motivation and the classification management of coupling innovation behavior and provides implications for practice.

Impacts of Corporate Social Responsibility on Employees' Mental Fatigue: Employees' Ethical Perspective.

With the rise of cost of living and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic therewithal, finding reliable measures to reduce employees' mental fatigue has become a great challenge. In this context, scholars have mainly focused on solutions for relieving employees' mental fatigue from the perspective of human resource management but barely from employees' ethical perspectives and that of internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employees' ethics. This study uses hierarchical regression analysis and attempts to formulate and analyze the relationship between CSR, perceptions of corporate hypocrisy, and employees' mental fatigue along with the mediating role of ethical egoism and altruistic choice. It also conceptualizes models and develops various hypotheses and theoretical logic. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed, and 176 valid responses were subsequently gathered. The results show that employees' mental fatigue significantly reduces when either internal or external CSR has a positive impact on employees' altruistic choice and significantly increases either internal or external CSR has a negative effect on ethical egoism. Similarly, reducing perceptions of corporate hypocrisy can enhance the positive impact of external CSR on altruistic choice, which consequently reduces employees' mental fatigue.

What Makes a Nobel Prize Innovator? Early Growth Experiences and Personality Traits.

The original innovation talents and their achievements promote the development of natural science and are regarded as a symbol of the national comprehensive power. This study explores the process that causes original innovation talents' personality, uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, and explores the linkage between configurations made up of early growth experiences and personality. We took Nobel Prize winners as samples and discovered that high responsibility was inspired by high family democracy driving, high family size driving, high family function driving, and high teaching democracy driving; high extroversion was inspired by high family size driving, high family democracy driving, and high family status driving; high openness was inspired by high family status driving, high family democracy driving, high family size driving, both high open teaching and educational level driving, as well as high peer support driving; high or non-high family status brought high extroversion or openness; non-high teacher accomplishments and teacher-student relationships produced high openness; non-high extroversion came with non-high teacher-student relationship. We proposed strategies for strengthening the positive effects or avoiding the negative effects of early growing-up experiences on personality.

Synergetic Anticorrosion Mechanism of Main Constituents in Chinese Yam Peel for Copper in Artificial Seawater.

Active constituents of Chinese yam peel (CYPE), namely, diosgenin (DOG), batatasin-I (BTS-I), batatasin-III (BTS-III), and yam polysaccharide (Y-PS), were extracted via an ultrasonic soaking strategy. The synergetic anticorrosion mechanism among these compounds for copper in artificial seawater (ASW) was clarified by gravimetric measurements, electrochemical evaluations, surface analyses, quantum chemical calculations under a dominant solvent model, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results of weight loss revealed that CYPE strongly inhibited the corrosion of copper in ASW, and the elevating temperature boosted the anticorrosion efficacy of CYPE. The inhibition efficiency could attain 96.33% with 900 mg/L CYPE in ASW at 298 K due to effective adsorption. CYPE simultaneously suppressed the anodic and cathodic reactions for copper in ASW, which could be categorized as the mixed-type corrosion inhibitor with the predominant anodic effect. Similar electrochemical kinetics was evidenced by electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicated that CYPE prominently increased the charge-transfer resistance at the copper/electrolyte interface without altering the corrosion mechanism. Extending the immersion time was also conducive for CYPE to further minimize the corrosion of copper in ASW, which was demonstrated by the time-course polarization, EIS, and EFM tests. Owing to the adsorption of CYPE, the copper surface was well-protected and showed reduced wettability and limited variation of roughness. From the outcomes of quantum chemical calculations, global and local reactive descriptors of DOG implied the cross-linked deposition of actually formed dioscin on the copper surface; otherwise, those of BTS-I/-III showed the propensity for parallel adsorption, which could chemically anchor on the voids uncovered by dioscin and thereby synergistically inhibit the corrosion process. The adsorption orientations of DOG, BTS-I, and BTS-III were also consolidated by MD simulations. The findings of this study might be beneficial to inspire the development of eco-friendly corrosion inhibitors from plant wastes for copper in marine environments.

Ego-Lane Index Estimation Based on Lane-Level Map and LiDAR Road Boundary Detection.

Correct ego-lane index estimation is essential for lane change and decision making for intelligent vehicles, especially in global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-challenged environments. To achieve this, we propose an ego-lane index estimation approach in an urban scenario based on particle filter (PF). The particles are initialized and propagated by dead reckoning with inertial measurement unit (IMU) and odometry. A lane-level map is used to navigate the particles taking advantage of topologic and geometric information of lanes. GNSS single-point positioning (SPP) can provide position estimation with meter-level accuracy in urban environments, which can limit drift introduced by dead reckoning for updating the weight of each particle. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a common sensor in an intelligent vehicle. A LiDAR-based road boundary detection method provides distance measurements from the vehicle to the left/right road boundaries, which provides a measurement for importance weighting. However, the high precision of the LiDAR measurements may put a tight constraint on the distribution of particles, which can lead to particle degeneration with sparse particle sets. To deal with this problem, we propose a novel step that shifts particles laterally based on LiDAR measurements instead of importance weighting in the traditional PF scheme. We tested our methods on an urban expressway at a low traffic volume period to ensure road boundaries can be detected by LiDAR measurements at most time steps. Experimental results prove that our improved PF scheme can correctly estimate ego-lane index at all time steps, while the traditional PF scheme produces wrong estimations at some time steps.

Systematic Identification of Proteins Binding with Cisplatin in Blood by Affinity Chromatography and a Four-Dimensional Proteomic Method.

Cisplatin is widely used for the treatment of various solid tumors. It is mainly administered by intravenous injection, and a substantial amount of the drug will bind to plasma proteins, a feature that is closely related to its pharmacokinetics, activity, toxicity, and side effects. However, due to the unique properties of platinum complexes and the complexity of the blood proteome, existing methods cannot systematically identify the binding proteome of cisplatin in blood. In this study, high-abundance protein separation and an ion mobility mass spectrometry-based 4D proteomic method were combined to systematically and comprehensively identify the binding proteins of cisplatin in blood. The characteristic isotope patterns of platinated peptides and a similarity algorithm were utilized to eliminate false-positive identification. Finally, 39 proteins were found to be platinated. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the identified proteins were mainly involved in the complement and coagulation cascade pathways. The binding ratio of some peptides with cisplatin was measured based on the area ratio of the free peptide using the parallel reaction monitoring method. This study provides a new method for systematically identifying binding proteins of metal drugs in blood, and the identified proteins might be helpful for understanding the toxicity of platinum anticancer drugs.

Characteristics of a novel heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification yeast, Barnettozyma californica K1.

Yeast strain K1, isolated from surface sediment, was identified as Barnettozyma californica. The strain showed efficient heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) at initial ammonium, nitrite and nitrate concentrations of 14-140 mg/L. Additionally, the optimum carbon source for its growth and nitrogen removal activity was sucrose, followed by glucose, acetate and citrate. The maximum removal efficiencies of ammonium, nitrite and nitrate were 99.11%, 99.13% and 98.84% under 48 h of culture with sucrose at 140 mg/L nitrogen and the corresponding removal efficiencies of total nitrogen were 90.16%, 86.65% and 81.48%, respectively. The optimum conditions for the inorganic nitrogen removal and growth of strain K1 were a C/N of 18 and a salinity of 5-15 ppt. The amoA, nirK and nosZ genes of K1 were detected. All the results suggest that B. californica K1 is capable of HN-AD and has the potential to remove inorganic nitrogen from wastewater.

Funding of health professional education: China's 20-year process and a global comparison.

CONTEXT: Funding is an essential requirement for ensuring the quality of health professional education worldwide. Adequate funding is of immense significance in training health professionals. Due to the difficulty of accessing relevant data, quantitative research of the kind is scarce. OBJECTIVES: This study aims at analysing the trends of funding levels and funding sources for health professional institutions in China spanning the past 20 years and making a global comparison. METHODS: We used data from Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People's Republic of China to analyse its funding level and structure of funding sources of health professional education in China during 1998-2017. When analysing funding level, we used two indicators: total funding and funding per student. We chose the United States, and analysed its funding level and structure to allow easy comparison to the situation in China. The data from a Lancet report (Lancet, 376, 2010, 1923) were also used to analyse global funding status to make an international comparison. RESULTS: Funding levels of health professional institutions in China has increased significantly in the past 20 years, while the average annual growth rate of funding per student (4.5%) is lower than that of total funding (19.9%). In terms of the structure of funding sources, fiscal appropriation accounts for 51.1% on average, and tuition, fees and scientific research income explains 37.0%. CONCLUSION: From 1998 to 2017, the total funding and funding per student of HPE in China increased continuously, and the total funding increased at a faster rate. The increase in funding of HPE in China is closely related to the efforts of the Chinese government and the implementation of relevant policies. Even so, funding of HPE in China is likely to remain relatively low compared to other countries.

A new method for the treatment of kitchen waste: Converting it into agronomic sprayable mulch film.

This report describes a new method for converting kitchen waste (KW) with high water content into mulch films that can be applied in agricultural production. Specifically, the KW was emulsion polymerized with acrylic monomers (in various proportions) to obtain a series of sprayable bio-based KW-acrylate mulch films. The films' properties and performances were evaluated, and the experimental results showed that the KW-acrylate mulch films exhibited excellent sprayability, membrane formation, and mechanical properties, which allowed them to effectively reduce soil water evaporation (by 13-50%) and increase soil temperature (by 1.9-6.7%). Compared with bare soil, the soil treated with the optimized KW-acrylate mulch film increased the germination rate of rapeseeds by 20% and the yield of Chenopodium album by 0.7 times; the mulch film biodegradation then reached 70% after 100 days.

Comparison of wild rice (Oryza longistaminata) tissues identifies rhizome-specific bacterial and archaeal endophytic microbiomes communities and network structures.

Compared with root-associated habitats, little is known about the role of microbiota inside other rice organs, especially the rhizome of perennial wild rice, and this information may be of importance for agriculture. Oryza longistaminata is perennial wild rice with various agronomically valuable traits, including large biomass on poor soils, high nitrogen use efficiency, and resistance to insect pests and disease. Here, we compared the endophytic bacterial and archaeal communities and network structures of the rhizome to other compartments of O. longistaminata using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Diverse microbiota and significant variation in community structure were identified among different compartments of O. longistaminata. The rhizome microbial community showed low taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity as well as the lowest network complexity among four compartments. Rhizomes exhibited less phylogenetic clustering than roots and leaves, but similar phylogenetic clustering with stems. Streptococcus, Bacillus, and Methylobacteriaceae were the major genera in the rhizome. ASVs belonging to the Enhydrobacter, YS2, and Roseburia are specifically present in the rhizome. The relative abundance of Methylobacteriaceae in the rhizome and stem was significantly higher than that in leaf and root. Noteworthy type II methanotrophs were observed across all compartments, including the dominant Methylobacteriaceae, which potentially benefits the host by facilitating CH4-dependent N2 fixation under nitrogen nutrient-poor conditions. Our data offers a robust knowledge of host and microbiome interactions across various compartments and lends guidelines to the investigation of adaptation mechanisms of O. longistaminata in nutrient-poor environments for biofertilizer development in agriculture.

Information technology solutions, challenges, and suggestions for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Various technology innovations and applications have been developed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic also has implications for the design, development, and use of technologies. There is an urgent need for a greater understanding of what roles information systems and technology researchers can play in this global pandemic. This paper examines emerging technologies used to mitigate the threats of COVID-19 and relevant challenges related to technology design, development, and use. It also provides insights and suggestions into how information systems and technology scholars can help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper helps promote future research and technology development to produce better solutions for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.

Stratification of Health Professional Education and Its Funding Disparities: Evidence From China During the Period of 1998-2017.

Background: The finance of health professional education (HPE) is of immense importance for effective and sustainable health systems, yet relevant empirical research was scarce due to the lack of financial data. The study aimed to bridge the gap by presenting the scenario of finance for health professional institutions (HPIs) of different tiers in China and exploring how the stratification of institutions affected their funding disparities. Methods: The study employed data collected from the Ministry of Education in China, and selected the HPIs mainly based on the World Directory of Medical Schools. The funding levels and disparities of China's HPIs during the period (1998-2017) were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and the indicators of funding per institution and funding per student were both considered. The average funding in HPIs was presented by tiers, and the Gini coefficient and Theil index were employed to describe the differences in financing among HPIs over the span. Results: The study found that the number of HPIs has kept growing over the past two decades, with both the funding per institution and the funding per student increasing steadily. Specifically, the average funding per institution of the three tiers increased by 31.5 times, 13.4 times, and 10.5 times separately, with the first-tier universities having an absolute advantage compared to lower tiers. As for the financing disparities among HPIs, the Gini coefficient of the funding per institution maintained to be over 0.5, with the third-tier institutions scoring the highest, while the Gini coefficient of the funding per student all ranged approximately from 0.2 to 0.3. Through the decomposition of the inequalities measured by the Theil index, the share of the between-tier difference in per-institution funding grew from 29.7 in 1998 to 77.9% in 2017. Conclusions: The funding disparities between tiers of HPIs in China gradually became more accentuated, with the top-tier institutions taking up the largest share. Although the stratified development in HPE has posed a challenge to the unified quality assurance of medical personnel training, it may also be regarded as an effective pathway for developing countries like China to achieve stable development in health professional education.