Dendrite growth of alkali metal anodes limited their lifetime for charge/discharge cycling. Here, we report near-perfect anodes of lithium, sodium, and potassium metals achieved by electrochemical ...polishing, which removes microscopic defects and creates ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase layers at metal surfaces for providing a homogeneous environment. Precise characterizations by AFM force probing with corroborative in-depth XPS profile analysis reveal that the ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase can be designed to have alternating inorganic-rich and organic-rich/mixed multi-layered structure, which offers mechanical property of coupled rigidity and elasticity. The polished metal anodes exhibit significantly enhanced cycling stability, specifically the lithium anodes can cycle for over 200 times at a real current density of 2 mA cm
with 100% depth of discharge. Our work illustrates that an ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase may be robust enough to suppress dendrite growth and thus serve as an initial layer for further improved protection of alkali metal anodes.
Abstract
We report the observations of FRB 20220912A using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. We conducted 17 observations totaling 8.67 hr and detected a total of 1076 bursts ...with an event rate up to 390 hr
−1
. The cumulative energy distribution can be well described using a broken power-law function with the lower- and higher-energy slopes of −0.38 ± 0.02 and −2.07 ± 0.07, respectively. We also report the
L
-band (1–1.5 GHz) spectral index of the synthetic spectrum of FRB 20220912A bursts, which is −2.6 ± 0.21. The average rotation measure value of the bursts from FRB 20220912A is −0.08 ± 5.39 rad m
−2
, close to 0 rad m
−2
and was relatively stable over 2 months. Most bursts have nearly 100% linear polarization. About 45% of the bursts have circular polarization with Signal-to-Noise ratio > 3, and the highest circular polarization degree can reach 70%. Our observations suggest that FRB 20220912A is located in a relatively clean local environment with complex circular polarization characteristics. These various behaviors imply that the mechanism of circular polarization of FRBs likely originates from an intrinsic radiation mechanism, such as coherent curvature radiation or inverse Compton scattering inside the magnetosphere of the FRB engine source (e.g., a magnetar).
Heterostructured metal—organic framework (MOF)‐on‐MOF thin films have the potential to cascade the various properties of different MOF layers in a sequence to produce functions that cannot be ...achieved by single MOF layers. An integration method that relies on van der Waals interactions, and which overcomes the lattice‐matching limits of reported methods, has been developed. The method deposits molecular sieving Cu‐TCPP (TCPP=5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin) layers onto semiconductive Cu‐HHTP (HHTP=2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexahydrotriphenylene) layers to obtain highly oriented MOF‐on‐MOF thin films. For the first time, the properties in different MOF layers were cascaded in sequence to synergistically produce an enhanced device function. Cu‐TCPP‐on‐Cu‐HHTP demonstrated excellent selectivity and the highest response to benzene of the reported recoverable chemiresistive sensing materials that are active at room temperature. This method allows integration of MOFs with cascading properties into advanced functional materials.
MOF‐on‐MOF thin films were prepared from Cu‐HHTP (HHTP=hexahydrotriphenylene) and Cu‐TCPP (TCPP=tetrakis(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin frameworks). The properties of the MOF layers cascade to produce functionality not achieved by a single layer. The MOF‐on‐MOF films demonstrate excellent selectivity and the highest response to benzene among reported recoverable chemiresistive sensing materials active at room temperature.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (NONFH) is a debilitating disease that represents a significant financial burden for both individuals and healthcare systems. Despite its ...significance, however, its prevalence in the Chinese general population remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NONFH and its associated risk factors in the Chinese population. Methods: A nationally representative survey of 30,030 respondents was undertaken from June 2012 to August 2013. All participants underwent a questionnaire investigation, physical examination of hip, and bilateral hip joint X-ray and/or magnetic resonance imaging exalnination. Blood samples were taken after overnight fasting to test serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. We then used multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the associations between various metabolic, demographic, and lifestyle-related variables and NONFH. Results: NONFH was diagnosed in 218 subjects (0.725%) and the estimated NONFH cases were 8.12 million among Chinesepeople aged 15 years and over. The prevalence of NONFH was significantly higher in males than in females (1.02% vs. 0.51%, x^2 = 24.997, P 〈 0.001 ). Among NONFH patients, North residents were subjected to higher prevalence of NONFH than that of South residents (0.85% vs. 0.61%,x^2= 5.847, P = 0.016). Our multivariate regression analysis showed that high blood levels oftriglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-H DL-cholesterol, male, urban residence, family history of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. heavy smoking, alcohol abuse and glucocorticoid intake, overweight, and obesity were all significantly associated with an increased risk of NONFH. Conclusions: Our findings highlight that NONFH is a significantpublic health challenge in China and underscore the need for policy measures on the national level. Furthermore, NONFH shares a number of risk factors with atherosclerosis.
Abstract
Context
The key gut microbial biomarkers for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and how dysbiosis causes insulin resistance and PCOS remain unclear.
Objective
To assess the characteristics ...of intestinal flora in PCOS and explore whether abnormal intestinal flora can affect insulin resistance and promote PCOS and whether chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) can activate intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR), improving glucose metabolism in PCOS.
Setting and design
The intestinal flora of treatment-naïve PCOS patients and hormonally healthy controls was analyzed. Phenotype analysis, intestinal flora analysis, and global metabolomic profiling of caecal contents were performed on a letrozole-induced PCOS mouse model; similar analyses were conducted after 35 days of antibiotic treatment on the PCOS mouse model, and glucose tolerance testing was performed on the PCOS mouse model after a 35-day CDCA treatment. Mice receiving fecal microbiota transplants from PCOS patients or healthy controls were evaluated after 10 weeks.
Results
Bacteroides was significantly enriched in treatment-naïve PCOS patients. The enrichment in Bacteroides was reproduced in the PCOS mouse model. Gut microbiota removal ameliorated the PCOS phenotype and insulin resistance and increased relative FXR mRNA levels in the ileum and serum fibroblast growth factor 15 levels. PCOS stool-transplanted mice exhibited insulin resistance at 10 weeks but not PCOS. Treating the PCOS mouse model with CDCA improved glucose metabolism.
Conclusions
Bacteroides is a key microbial biomarker in PCOS and shows diagnostic value. Gut dysbiosis can cause insulin resistance. FXR activation might play a beneficial rather than detrimental role in glucose metabolism in PCOS.
Computing-in-memory (CIM) based on embedded nonvolatile memory is a promising candidate for energy-efficient multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operations in artificial intelligence (AI) edge devices. ...However, circuit design for NVM-based CIM (nvCIM) imposes a number of challenges, including an arealatency-energy tradeoff for multibit MAC operations, patterndependent degradation in signal margin, and small read margin. To overcome these challenges, this article proposes the following: 1) a serial-input non-weighted product (SINWP) structure; 2) a down-scaling weighted current translator (DSWCT) and positive-negative current-subtractor (PN-ISUB); 3) a currentaware bitline clamper (CABLC) scheme; and 4) a triple-margin small-offset current-mode sense amplifier (TMCSA). A 55-nm 1-Mb ReRAM-CIM macro was fabricated to demonstrate the MAC operation of 2-b-input, 3-b-weight with 4-b-out. This nvCIM macro achieved T MAC = 14.6 ns at 4-b-out with peak energy efficiency of 53.17 TOPS/W.
The development of high-performance near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes is hindered by strong non-radiative processes as governed by the energy gap law. Here, we show that exciton ...delocalization, which serves to decouple the exciton band from highly vibrational ladders in the S0 ground state, can bring substantial enhancements in the photoluminescence quantum yield of emitters, bypassing the energy gap law. Experimental proof is provided by the design and synthesis of a series of new Pt(ii) complexes with a delocalization length of 5–9 molecules that emit at 866–960 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 5–12% in solid films. The corresponding near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes emit light with a 930 nm peak wavelength and a high external quantum efficiency up to 2.14% and a radiance of 41.6 W sr−1 m−2. Both theoretical and experimental results confirm the exciton–vibration decoupling strategy, which should be broadly applicable to other well-aligned molecular solids.Pt(ii) complexes allow the fabrication of efficient near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes that operate beyond the 900 nm region.
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FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract
As the third paper in the multiple-part series, we report the statistical properties of radio bursts detected from the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20201124A with the ...Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope during an extremely active episode between the 25th and 28th of September 2021 (UT). We focus on the polarization properties of 536 bright bursts with S/N > 50. We found that the Faraday rotation measures (RMs) monotonically dropped from −579 to −605 rad m
−2
in the 4 day window. The RM values were compatible with the values (−300 to −900 rad m
−2
) reported 4 months ago. However, the RM evolution rate in the current observation window was at least an order of magnitude smaller than the one (∼500 rad m
−2
day
−1
) previously reported during the rapid RM-variation phase, but is still higher than the one (≤1 rad m
−2
day
−1
) during the later RM no-evolution phase. The bursts of FRB 20201124A were highly polarized with the total degree of polarization (circular plus linear) greater than 90% for more than 90% of all bursts. The distribution of linear polarization position angles (PAs), degree of linear polarization (
L
/
I
) and degree of circular polarization (
V
/
I
) can be characterized with unimodal distribution functions. During the observation window, the distributions became wider with time, i.e., with larger scatter, but the centroids of the distribution functions remained nearly constant. For individual bursts, significant PA variations (confidence level 5
σ
) were observed in 33% of all bursts. The polarization of single pulses seems to follow certain complex trajectories on the Poincaré sphere, which may shed light on the radiation mechanism at the source or the plasma properties along the path of FRB propagation.
Previous SRAM-based computing-in-memory (SRAM-CIM) macros suffer small read margins for high-precision operations, large cell array area overhead, and limited compatibility with many input and weight ...configurations. This work presents a 1-to-8-bit configurable SRAM CIM unit-macro using: 1) a hybrid structure combining 6T-SRAM based in-memory binary product-sum (PS) operations with digital near-memory-computing multibit PS accumulation to increase read accuracy and reduce area overhead; 2) column-based place-value-grouped weight mapping and a serial-bit input (SBIN) mapping scheme to facilitate reconfiguration and increase array efficiency under various input and weight configurations; 3) a self-reference multilevel reader (SRMLR) to reduce read-out energy and achieve a sensing margin 2<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\times </tex-math></inline-formula> that of the mid-point reference scheme; and 4) an input-aware bitline voltage compensation scheme to ensure successful read operations across various input-weight patterns. A 4-Kb configurable 6T-SRAM CIM unit-macro was fabricated using a 55-nm CMOS process with foundry 6T-SRAM cells. The resulting macro achieved access times of 3.5 ns per cycle (pipeline) and energy efficiency of 0.6-40.2 TOPS/W under binary to 8-b input/8-b weight precision.
Quasi‐solid‐state electrolytes (QSSEs) based on ionic liquids are recognized as one of the frontrunners of electrolytes for ensuring the safety and high energy density of next‐generation lithium ...batteries. However, the incapacity of such systems to meet the performance demands of batteries is significantly subject to the properties of the electrolyte and the intricacies of related interfacial processes. Recently, we have designed a high‐performing pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Py14TFSI) based QSSE (Py‐Gel), with introducing LiBF4 and LiCl, which served as a system for probing the dynamic Li deposition mechanism. Herein, we focus on understanding the mechanisms of Py‐Gel formation and examining the chemistry and structure as well as the properties of the solid‐electrolyte interphases (SEIs) formed in the Py‐Gel and their influences on Li deposition. Spectroscopic characterizations suggest the existence of a cross‐linked structure in Py‐Gel, for which multiple intermolecular/intramolecular hydrogen bondings and ionic coulumbic interactions among Py cations, TFSI− anions, and Li salts are responsible. The Py‐Gel electrolyte exhibits exceptional electrical properties at room temperature. Different SEIs are prepared in the Py‐Gel via electrochemical protocols to elucidate that the synergy between a well‐featured electrolyte and an outstanding SEI is vital for stable cycling of Li metal anodes in such a QSSE.
An ionic liquid‐based gel electrolyte is developed, showcasing exceptional electrical properties at room temperature. Different SEIs are prepared in this electrolyte via electrochemical protocols to elucidate that the synergy between a well‐featured electrolyte and an outstanding solid‐electrolyte interphase is vital for stable cycling of Li metal anodes in such system.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK