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Recently, resistive random access memory has been continuously investigated in order to replace the flash memory. In this paper, Al/ZnO/Al structured device was fabricated by magnetron sputtering and vacuum thermal evaporation. Systematic study has been conducted to explore the structural, morphological, and the resistive switching properties of ZnO films with Al metal as both bottom and top electrodes. The resistive switching mechanism of Al/ZnO/Al device was analyzed based on the above study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium ytterbium fluorides with predictable crystal phases and architectures, such as KYb3F10 nanoplates, KYb2F7 nanoparticles, sub-microplates, sub-microrods, KYbF4 micropolyhedra, K2YbF5 microprisms, microrods and microspheres have been successfully synthesized by simply tuning the molar ratio of KF to Yb3+via a facile and general solution-based route. The influence of the KF dosage on the phase and morphology evolution of potassium ytterbium fluorides has been systematically investigated and discussed. And the mechanism about how the KF/Yb3+ molar ratio influences the anisotropic growth and the phase and morphology evolution was proposed. Taking K2YbF5 microrods as an example, the possible formation mechanism was presented on the basis of XRD patterns and the corresponding SEM images of the intermediate products obtained at different reaction time intervals. Additionally, the upconversion luminescence properties of Er3+ ion (2 mol%)-doped potassium ytterbium fluorides with different crystalline phases and architectures were studied in detail. Importantly, this study may provide a great opportunity for the systematical study of the general synthesis and luminescence properties of potassium ytterbium fluorides with predictable crystal phases and well-defined morphologies, which can offer a reference for the precisely controlled synthesis of other rare earth fluoride compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy to realize dual-mode luminescence from identical Tb3+ is provided via Gd-sublattice-mediated energy migration and core–shell engineering techniques. By optimizing the structure of a NaGdF4:Yb/Tm@NaGdF4:Ce/Tb nanoarchitecture, both upconversion and downshifting emissions, originating from 5D4→7F6,5,4,3 transitions of Tb3+, are achieved through Yb3+→ Tm3+→ [Gd3+]n→ Tb3+ and Ce3+→ [Gd3+]n→ Tb3+ energy transfer processes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate a novel approach to control the photocatalytic selectivity of TiO2 though different dominant crystal facets. {101}, {111}, and {001} facets exposed nanoscale anatase TiO2 were obtained by a simple hydrothermal route with different ratio of NH4+ and F−, then a calcined progress to clear surface adsorbent atoms. Results reveal that {101} exposed TiO2 has some remain binding N with a mode of unsaturated N3c exhibits selectively photocatalytic degradation of methylene orange ( MO) in a methylene blue ( MB) and methyl orange ( MO) mixed solution, whereas TiO2 with exposed {111} and {001} facets exhibits photocatalytic selectivity for MB. The {111} facets of anatase TiO2 exhibit a better photocatalytic selective ability than {001} facets. It confirms that the photocatalytic selectivity can be affected by different dominant crystal facets. In a deeper analysis, there are many unsaturated O2c on the surface of {001} and {111} facets, which enhances adsorbent selectivity and relevant photocatalytic activity of MB, at the same time, the unsaturated O2c on the surface of {111} facets is much more than that on the surface of {001} facets results in a better photocatalytic selectivity of {111} facets. This research hopes that developing a new strategy for photocatalytic selectivity and providing a deeper understanding of different crystal facets of TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we fabricated /x//+- structures by inserting x interlayer between top electrode (TE) and thin film for non-volatile resistive random access memory (ReRAM) applications. Effects of x interlayer with different thickness on the resistance switching of /x//+- structures were investigated. Conduction behaviors in high and low resistance state (HRS and LRS) fit well with the trap-controlled space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) and Ohmic behavior, respectively. Variations of set and reset voltages and HRS and LRS resistances of /x//+- structures were investigated as a function of x thickness. Switching cycling tests were attempted to evaluate the endurance reliability of /x//+- structures. Additionally, the switching mechanism was analyzed by the filament model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline-earth metal Ca and N codoped TiO2 sheets with exposed {001} facets were obtained through a one-step hydrothermal process. The codoped TiO2 appears as microsheets with length of 1-2 μm and thickness of 100-200 nm. The X-ray diffractometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirm that Ca and N codoped TiO2 has higher crystallinity than N-doped TiO2, as well Ca, N atoms were successfully codoped into TiO2 as interstitial Ca and interstitial N or an O-Ti-N structure, respectively. Compared with N monodoped, further alkaline-earth Ca codoped has little influence on the energy bands of TiO2 except slightly elevating the conduction band edge at a value of 0.02 eV. The hydroxyl radicals (•OH) producing and photocatalytic experiment shows that Ca and N codoped can effectively decrease the generation of recombination centers, and enhance separation efficiency of photo-induced electrons and holes as well as the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The codoped photocatalyst has the highest photocatalytic activity when Ca doped ratio reach 0.48%. Excess Ca doped will weaken the crystallization of anatase TiO2, form charge center, produce new recombination centers and finally reduce the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nano-Bi2WO6/reduced graphene oxide composite obtained by a simple hydrothermal reaction demonstrates a larger specific capacitance of 922 F/g at a charge and discharge currents of 3 A/g with longer cycle life. The As comparison, pristine Bi2WO6 nanoparticles have poor specific capacitance of 574 F/g at a charge and discharge currents of 2 A/g with weak cycle life. Though analyzing the Cyclic voltammetry curves, it is found that there are two oxidation reaction occurring in the materials: oxidation of Bi (III) to Bi (IV) and Bi (III) to Bi (V). The oxidation of Bi (III) to Bi (IV) is reversible while Bi (III) to Bi (V) will cause nonreversible destroy on structure. In this nano-Bi2WO6/reduced graphene oxide composite, graphene with well conductivity will enhance the electrically conducting as charge transfer channel, so that electrons will be transfer much faster in oxidation and most Bi (III) is oxidized to be Bi (IV) which ensure larger specific capacitance and long cycle life. This nano-Bi2WO6/reduced graphene oxide composite has application prospect in high-performance pseudo-capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] N doped rutile TiO2 nano-rods were obtained by a hydrothermal route. [•] N doped rutile TiO2 nano-rods show tunable photocatalytic selectivity. [•] Doped nitrogen replaces surface saturated O3c is considered to be the cause. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: {001} Facets of anatase TiO2 show excellent photocatalytic selectivity which is confirmed by photo-degradation of azo dye molecules. A novel adsorption and degradation competition between dyes on the {001} facets of TiO2 is found. The TiO2 nanosheets with a large percentage of exposed {001} facets show preferential adsorption and photo-degradation of methylene blue than methyl orange and rhodamine B. Instead of charged chemical group adsorption on the surface, the reactive oxygen atoms and separation of photo-induced holes on {001} facets are consider to be key factors for the high photocatalytic selectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Persistent luminescent SrAl 2 O 4 :(Eu 2+ , Dy 3+ ) ceramics were prepared by electron beam bombardment and their photo-stimulated up-conversion property was investigated. It is found that the intensity of photo-stimulated up-conversion emission of SrAl 2 O 4 :(Eu 2+ , Dy 3+ ) decays in the same way as that of the persistent luminescence under the continuous or pulsed excitation at 980 nm, while stable and enhanced photo stimulated up-conversion emission is observed with the background illumination of 475 nm light. A possible model is proposed to illustrate the enhanced photo stimulated up-conversion emission assisted by background illumination. Based on that model, the band gap of SrAl 2 O 4 :(Eu 2+ , Dy 3+ ) is calculated from the excitation spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing novel and highly efficient photodetectors is a significant work as well as full of challenges. Herein, 2D SnSSe (SSS) porous nanoplates (Sn: S: Se=1: 1: 0.5) with atom-level heterojunctions were obtained from optimized hydrothermal synthesis, and a novel SSS-based photoelectrochemical detector was constructed accordingly. The morphology, microstructure, chemical states and light absorption performance of the SSS sample were clearly revealed by various characterization methods. Further analysis showed that there was an internal electric field in the SSS sample, which resulted from no coincide centers of the positive and negative charge. Due to the internal electric field and porous structure, the SSS sample had lower internal resistance (0.3 KΩ), which was conducive to the transmission of internal carriers, and could enhance the photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity eventually. In addition, a possible schematic illustration of the SnSSe-based photodetector was accordingly proposed. This SnSSe-based photodetector exhibited a higher photocurrent density (262.8 μA/cm2) that was 28.9 and 4.8 times of the SnS 2 and SnSe 2 and showed a higher photo-responsivity (0.24 mA/W) with a higher response speed. Moreover, the conduction band position of the SSS sample was higher than the O 2 /•O 2 − and H+/H 2 from band structure analysis, revealing it could also be used as a photocatalyst in photocatalytic degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen production. This pioneering work put forward a new scheme for the preparation of ternary SnSSe and revealed its potential application in the field of photodetection. [Display omitted] • novel atom-level heterojunction 2D SnSSe porous nanoplates were obtained. • The photoelectrochemical activity of the SnSSe-based photodetector is largely enhanced. • The photocurrent of the SnSSe-based photodetector has an enhancement of 28.88 times. • The photo-responsivity and response speed of the SnSSe-based photodetector has a large enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing highly efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of overused levofloxacin (LEV) antibiotics is an important and challenging task. Herein, novel atom-level heterojunction 2D MoSSe nanoplates (MSS) with various S:Se molar ratios were obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. XRD studies indicated lattice constants of these MSS catalysts were intermediate between the values for MoS 2 and MoSe 2 , and their internal lattice distortion energy increased due to the interaction between the two types of lattice structures. Further analysis revealed the appearance of the internal electric fields in MSS catalysts, which appeared as the centers of the positive charge and the negative charge did not coincide. Due to the internal electric field, MSS catalysts had lower internal resistances, which were conducive to the transmission of internal carriers, and eventually enhanced the photoelectrochemical activity. The photocatalytic LEV degradation rate (k) of the MSS1 was 7.5 and 8.1 times superior to that of MoS 2 and MoSe 2 , respectively. The photocurrent densities of MSS1 and MSS4 were 3.5 and 18.2 times higher than that of MoS 2. In addition, the conduction band position of MSS1 shifted to the higher than O 2 /•O 2 − and that of MoS 2 , which could generate •O 2 − for LEV degradation. Moreover, Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) analysis further revealed that the main active species in photocatalytic LEV degradation were photo-generated •O 2 – and •OH that generated from the transformation of the •O 2 −. Finally, a possible photocatalytic mechanism for LEV degradation was proposed. These results confirm the advantage of the developed ternary compound. [Display omitted] • Novel atom-level heterojunction 2D MoSSe nanoplates with tunable S:Se molar ratio were obtained. • The photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of the MoSSe is largely enhanced. • The photocurrent of the MoSSe photocatalyst has an enhancement of 17.26 times. • The photocatalytic activity of the MoSSe photocatalyst has an enhancement of 6.58 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate a novel synthesis of rutile nano-TiO 2 with exposed highly active {1 1 1} facets. This TiO 2 was obtained by a simple one-step hydrothermal route with the assistance of NaF and HCl. In this progress, the Cl − causes the formation of rutile phase while the F − controls the exposure of {1 1 1} facets. With a best mole ratio of Cl − and F − , the percentage of exposed {1 1 1} facets in such rutile nano-TiO 2 can reach 96%. This rutile nano-TiO 2 with exposed {1 1 1} facets has larger specific surface area and as much as 3 times higher photocatalytic activity than rutile TiO 2 nanorods with exposed {1 1 0} facets. This results confirm the {1 1 1} facets have higher photocatalytic activity than {1 1 0} facets. In a deeper analysis, more surface unsaturated O 2c modes on the {1 1 1} facets cause higher adsorption and degradation ability which enhances the photocatalytic activity. The present work shows a further prospect of hydrothermal synthesis for controlling preparation of nano-materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Nanoscale anatase TiO2 with exposed {111} facets was obtained. [•] A one-step hydrothermal progress was employed to synthesize samples. [•] {111} facets have a higher photocatalytic activity than {001} and {101} facets. [•] The highest active of {111} facets is due to the specific surface structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Highly flexible and light-weight MnO2/carbon fiber cloth electrode. [•] Through a direct reduction of permanganate. [•] Excellent mechanical flexibility and high-rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The narrow band gap and low internal resistance of metal selenides make them a promising new type of photocatalysts. Studies have shown that catalysts performance can be greatly improved by a heterojunction constructed by two selenides. We designed a novel ZnSe/SnSe 0D/2D heterostructure by uniformly loading ZnSe nanoparticles on the surface of SnSe nanosheets. Results show that the heterojunction photocatalyst has enhanced photoelectrochemical performance and higher photocatalytic degradation rate. The heterojunction catalyst with a ZnSe loading ratio of 2.5% has the best performance: compared with SnSe, the photocatalytic activity and photoelectrochemical properties of the composite improved by 278% and 164%, respectively. Further analysis showed that the internal resistance of the synthesized catalyst was greatly reduced and the carrier efficiency was largely improved. Further mechanistic analysis shows that in the ZnSe/SnSe heterojunction, photo-induced electrons in the conduction band of ZnSe will flow into that of SnSe to improve the carriers' separation efficiency. The holes induced in the valence band of ZnSe can produce OH•, which acts as active species and achieves dye degradation. This experiment confirmed that SnSe/ZnSe photocatalyst heterojunction is an effective strategy and plays an important role in the development of efficient photocatalysis technology. 0D ZnSe nanoparticles much uniformly loaded on the surface of 2D SnSe nanosheets to construct novel 0D/2D ZnSe/SnSe heterostructure. This 0D/2D ZnSe/SnSe heterostructure shows obvious improvement in photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance for 3.8 times and 2.6 times respectively. [Display omitted] • 0D/2D ZnSe/SnSe heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared. • The photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of the ZnSe/SnSe is largely enhanced. • The photocurrent of the ZnSe/SnSe photocatalyst can reach 22.7 μA/cm2. • The photocatalytic activity of the ZnSe/SnSe photocatalyst has an enhancement of 4 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel 2D/2D face-to-face MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalyst shows largely enhancement in photoelectrochemical performance. [Display omitted] • 2D/2D face-to-face MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared. • The photoelectrochemistry activity of the MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalysts is largely enhanced. • The photocurrent of the MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalyst can reach 26.2 μA/cm2. • The EIS results confirm the internal resistance of MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalyst is much low. A novel 2D/2D face-to-face MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalysts have been successfully obtained from SnSe nanosheets and MoSe 2 nanoplates. These MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalysts show well full spectrum absorption. The XPS results demonstrate obvious peaks shift of Sn 3d and Se 3d which reveals a binding was formed between SnSe and MoSe 2 and MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction can be also confirmed by the TEM images. Pristine SnSe has a high photocurrent of 8.6 μA/cm2 which is much higher than many other metal sulfides and selenides such as SnS 2 (1.5 μA/cm2), In 2 S 3 (1.0 μA/cm2), MnS (1.6 μA/cm2), MoS 2 (0.73 μA/cm2), MoSe 2 (0.58 μA/cm2), ZnSe (0.94 μA/cm2) and FeSe 2 (0.49 μA/cm2) in our previous work. This MoSe 2 /SnSe heterojunction photocatalyst shows excellent photoelectrochemical performance improvement by 3 times than pristine SnSe under a compositing ratio of 5.0% MoSe 2. The photocurrent of the heterojunction photocatalyst can reach 26.2 μA/cm2. The large improvement of photoelectrochemical performance can be ascribed to the 2D/2D face-to-face contact between SnSe nanosheets and MoSe 2 nanoplates. There is carriers' transmission channel between the heterojunction which can improve the separation efficiency. The work develops a potential new energy material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CuSe/MoSe 2 2D/2D face-to-face heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared. • The photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of the CuSe/MoSe 2 photocatalysts is largely enhanced. • The CuSe/MoSe 2 heterojunction show lower internal resistance and higher carrier separation efficiency. Photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry are effective approaches to solve the energy and environmental crises. The suitable catalyst is the key for photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry. Metal selenides have good prospects for their narrow band gap, low internal resistance, and related high photoelectric performance. In this work, a novel CuSe/MoSe 2 2D/2D face-to-face heterojunction photocatalyst was obtained through a simple hydrothermal route. These CuSe/MoSe 2 2D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts show excellent performance in photocatalytic degradation and photoelectrochemistry. With an optimized CuSe loading ratio of 2.5%, the heterojunction photocatalyst displays an improved degradation rate by 4.5 times and increased photocurrent by 7.6 times than the pristine MoSe 2. The large improvement in photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry can be ascribed to the 2D/2D face-to-face contact between MoSe 2 nanoplates and CuSe nanosheets. Given this mode, the interface between CuSe and MoSe 2 can be maximized, and good binding can be obtained. The electrochemical impedance and the fluorescence emission spectroscopic methods confirm that the internal resistance is reduced, whereas the separation efficiency is improved. This work demonstrates the prospect of metal selenides used in environmental treatment and hydrogen energy utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Uniform and transparent P(VDF-TrFE) ferroelectric polymer film was deposited on TiO 2. • The ferroelectric polarization effect of P(VDF-TrFE) can be tuned by external electric field. • The positive polarization increased J ph of TiO 2 /P(VDF-TrFE) with an improvement of 186%. • KPFM measurement presented the effective band structure modulation of P(VDF-TrFE). • This study can be extended to other transparent and flexible devices. Acquiring remarkable light absorption and efficient charge carriers' separation and migration are critical to highly-efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, fast recombination of excitons in bulk electrode materials is still the major challenge for current PEC photoelectrodes deployment. Introducing effective electric field across the interface by ferroelectric polarization holds great promise for anisotropic charge separation. Herein, we present a nano-thick transparent ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) film on semiconducting TiO 2 as a model ferroelectric-PEC hybrid. The positively polarizing of TiO 2 /P(VDF-TrFE) effectively enhance the photocurrent density 186% and 570% compared to that of non-polarized and negatively polarized cases. Such improvement is ascribed to the separation of photogenerated carriers associated with the work function variations of the P(VDF-TrFE) film under polarization, inducing the band re-alignment at the TiO 2 /P(VDF-TrFE) interface. This concept provides a novel approach for optimizing the catalytic characteristics of TiO 2 and can be extended to other transparent and flexible systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjugated polyelectrolyte based on benzotriazole (BT) with tetravalent amine-end side chain and benzothiadiazole (BTz) conjugated alternating repeat units, named PBTBTz-TMAI was initially designed and synthesized. Fullerene- and non-fullerene-based polymer solar cells were fabricated using PBTBTz-TMAI as the cathode interlayer. Consequently, power conversion efficiencies of 8.4% and 10.5% were achieved for the fullerene PTB7:PC 71 BM-based and non-fullerene PBDB-T:ITIC-based single-junction devices, respectively. The enhanced performance is attributed to the appropriate energy level alignment of the active layer with PBTBTz-TMAI and the efficient electron transfer from the active layer to the cathode electrode. Power conversion efficiency of 10.5% was achieved for the non-fullerene PBDB-T:ITIC-based single-junction device with PBTBTz-TMAI interlayer. The enhanced performance is attributed to the appropriate energy level alignment of the active layer with PBTBTz-TMAI and the efficient electron transfer from the active layer to the cathode electrode. Image 1 • 10.5% enhanced efficiency for PBDB-T:ITIC-based device with PBTBTz-TMAI. • Better energy level alignment of active layer with PBTBTz-TMAI. • Efficient electron transfer from active layer to PBTBTz-TMAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, {001} facets exposed TiO 2 nanoplates were loaded with Bi 2 S 3 nanorods. The resulting Bi 2 S 3 /TiO 2 photocatalyst exhibits considerable improvement in photoelectrochemical H 2 generation than pristine TiO 2 nanoplates and Bi 2 S 3 nanorods. The previous research mainly focused on the composite of Bi 2 S 3 nanoparticles with rod-shaped TiO 2 , and utilized the advantage of large surface area of rod-shaped TiO 2 to collect carriers. The advantage of this study is that Bi 2 S 3 is supported on the {001} facets of TiO 2 nanoplates, and the high-energy {001} facets and Bi 2 S 3 are used to construct the heterojunction. The experimental results show that the Bi 2 S 3 /(001)TiO 2 heterojunction has excellent photoelectrochemistry performance, and the photocurrent density of the composite photocatalyst is 20 times larger than that of the original TiO 2 , which is much higher than the 3–4 times of the literature. Experimental results confirm that {001} facets exposed TiO 2 nanoplates are suitable for compositing with Bi 2 S 3 to improve photoelectrochemical performance, which can be ascribed to the photoinduced carriers' synergistic effect between TiO 2 and Bi 2 S 3. Thus, photo-generated electrons shift from the conduction band (CB) of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods to the CB of TiO 2 nanoplates after photo excitation, while photo-generated holes shift from the valence band (VB) of TiO 2 nanoplates to the VB of Bi 2 S 3 nanorods. Here, we demonstrate the significance of semiconductors composites in the improvement of photocatalysts. TiO 2 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets were composited with Bi 2 S 3 nanorods which exhibits excellent photoelectrochemical activity. Image 1 • Bi 2 S 3 nanorods/TiO 2 nanosheets with dominant {001} facets composites were obtained. • The photoelectrochemical activity of the composite is largely enhanced. • There is a carriers transform between the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prepared and investigated the electrical switching behaviors of Cu 3 P/Ag 2 S heterojunction in the absence/presence of light/heat excitation. The structure exhibited bipolar memristor characteristics. The resistive switching mechanism is due to the formation of Ag conductive filaments and phase transition in Cu 3 P. We found that the resistance ratio (R OFF /R ON ) increased by a factor of 1.4/1.8 after light/heat excitation. The underlying mechanism was due to the photoelectric effect/Seebeck effect. Our results are helpful for the understanding of the resistive switching performance of Cu 3 P/Ag 2 S junctions, providing valuable insights into the factors influencing resistive switching performance and a clue for the enhancement of the memristor performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Learning-based multi-view stereo (MVS) has by far centered around 3D convolution on cost volumes. Due to the high computation and memory consumption of 3D CNN, the resolution of output depth is often considerably limited. Different from most existing works dedicated to adaptive refinement of cost volumes, we opt to directly optimize the depth value along each camera ray, mimicking the range (depth) finding of a laser scanner. This reduces the MVS problem to ray-based depth optimization which is much more light-weight than full cost volume optimization. In particular, we propose RayMVSNet which learns sequential prediction of a 1D implicit field along each camera ray with the zero-crossing point indicating scene depth. This sequential modeling, conducted based on transformer features, essentially learns the epipolar line search in traditional multi-view stereo. We devise a multi-task learning for better optimization convergence and depth accuracy. We found the monotonicity property of the SDFs along each ray greatly benefits the depth estimation. Our method ranks top on both the DTU and the Tanks & Temples datasets over all previous learning-based methods, achieving an overall reconstruction score of 0.33 mm on DTU and an F-score of 59.48% on Tanks & Temples. It is able to produce high-quality depth estimation and point cloud reconstruction in challenging scenarios such as objects/scenes with non-textured surface, severe occlusion, and highly varying depth range. Further, we propose RayMVSNet++ to enhance contextual feature aggregation for each ray through designing an attentional gating unit to select semantically relevant neighboring rays within the local frustum around that ray. This improves the performance on datasets with more challenging examples (e.g., low-quality images caused by poor lighting conditions or motion blur). RayMVSNet++ achieves state-of-the-art performance on the ScanNet dataset. In particular, it attains an AbsRel of 0.058m and produces accurate results on the two subsets of textureless regions and large depth variation.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays a key role in the regulation of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals-induced kidney stone formation and deposition. The purpose of this study is to study the effect of lncRNA LINC01197 on CaOx-induced kidney stone formation and the underlying mechanism. Crystal cell adhesion in HK-2 cells was evaluated by analyzing Ca2+ concentration. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The RT-qPCR and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression. Patients with kidneys stones showed down-regulated LINC01197 and SIRT3 expression, and up-regulated miR-516b-5p expression. LINC01197 knockdown promoted CaOx-induced cell adherence and cell apoptosis, increased Bax, decreased Bcl-2 expression. Luciferase reporter assay showed that SIRT3 expression was promoted by LINC01197 competing binds to miR-516b-5p. In addition, LINC01197 expression was promoted by SIRT3/FOXO1 overexpression, and could be reversed by FOXO1 knockdown. In conclusion, the present study revealed that lncRNA LINC01197 inhibited CaOx-induced kidney stones formation by regulating the miR-516b-5p/SIRT3/FOXO1 signaling pathway., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To determine whether the visceral adiposity index (VAI) was linked to the risk of kidney stones (KS) in the representative U.S. adults., Methods: We investigated 59842 participants who joined the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The association between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and KS was identified by logistic regression analysis. Meanwhile, the subgroup analysis as well as the calculation of dose-response curves were also utilized to identify sensitive groups., Results: Data from 29384 participants were available, including 2781 self-reported ever experiencing KS diseases. Overall, the VAI was 0.74 (0.70, 0.78) in the KS group, while 0.55 (0.52, 0.57) in the control group. After adjusting for confounders, the prevalence of KS increased by 13% for each unit of VAI increment (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.19). Moreover, a linear relationship was found between the VAI and the prevalence of KS. By subgroup analysis, we found that a positive correlation between VAI and the risk of KS both in male (OR=1.14, 95%CI:1.07, 1.22) and female (OR=1.14, 95%CI:1.05, 1.24), White (OR=1.20, 95%CI:1.11, 1.28) and other race, all aged subgroups, nonhypertensive (OR=1.06, 95%CI:1.08, 1.25) and nondiabetic subgroups (OR=1.14, 95%CI:1.07, 1.21)., Conclusions: Elevated VAI was strongly associated with KS in representative U.S. adults, which may be a promising indicator for the risk of kidney stones., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hou, Shen, He, Chen, Xu, Chen, Xi and Hao.)

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the proportion of Android to Gynoid ratio and the incidence of kidney stones among US adults., Methods: Participants aged 20-59 years from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database were selected to assess the association between Android to Gynoid ratio and kidney stone prevalence using logistic regression analysis, subgroup analysis and calculation of dose-response curves., Results: This study ultimately included 10858 participants, of whom 859 self-reported a history of kidney stones. And after adjusting for all confounders, an increased Android to Gynoid ratio was associated with an increased prevalence of kidney stones (OR=2.75, 95% CI:1.62-4.88). And subgroup analysis showed an increased prevalence of kidney stones in women (OR=3.55, 95% CI: 1.54-8.22), non-diabetic (OR=2.59, 95% CI: 1.45-4.60), 60 > age ≥ 40 years (OR=3.51, 95% CI: 1.83-6.71), Mexican-American (OR=4.35, 95% CI: 1.40- 13.53) and white (OR=3.86, 95% CI: 1.82-8.18) groups, there was a significant positive association between A/G ratio and kidney stones. In contrast, in the hypertensive subgroup, the A/G ratio was associated with kidney stones in all groups., Conclusions: Higher Android to Gynoid ratio is associated with a high prevalence of kidney stone disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Li, Liang, Hao, Huang, Shen, Chen, Chen, Xi and Hao.)

Pituitary tumor-transforming gene-1 (PTTG1) is a recently identified oncogene involved in the progression of malignant tumors; however, the expression level of PTTG1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and its potential value as a novel prognostic marker for ccRCC remains unclear. In this study, PTTG1 mRNA and protein levels were assessed in 44 paired ccRCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Further immunohistochemical analysis was implemented in 192 samples of ccRCC to evaluate the associations between PTTG1 levels and the clinical characteristics in ccRCC. Reverse transcription qPCR and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the PTTG1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in ccRCC compared to normal tissues. In addition, the PTTG1 protein level in 192 ccRCC samples was found to be significantly correlated with T stage, N classification, metastasis, recurrence and Fuhrman grade, whereas it was not associated with age and gender. Patients with low PTTG1 levels exhibited a better survival outcome compared to those with a higher PTTG1 level. PTTG1 expression and N stage were identified as independent prognostic factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. The results suggested that the overexpression of PTTG1 indicates a poor prognosis in ccRCC patients and, therefore, PTTG1 may serve as a novel prognostic marker for ccRCC.