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• Remote sensing was used to monitor plateau wetland ecological degradation. • A composite wetland degradation index was constructed to assess wetland degradation quantitatively. • We analyzed ecological degradation process with three administrative levels. The Zoige Plateau Wetland is the largest high-altitude swamp wetland in China. It plays a key role in ecological balance and the global change. Climate change and improper utilization have consequently resulted in decreased wetland area, disrupted ecosystem structure, and wetland function degradation and function loss. The Zoige Plateau Wetland thus faces severe ecological degradation problems. In this study, selecting the Zoige Plateau Wetland as the study area, remote sensing was used to track the ecological degradation process during 2000–2015 from three aspects (area degradation, structure degradation and function degradation) and at three administrative levels (study area, county and key township). To assess the wetland degradation quantitatively, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to construct a composite wetland degradation index based on five indicators: wetland area change rate, landscape fractal dimension, landscape fragmentation, vegetation biomass and vegetation coverage. The results showed the following. (1) In terms of area change rate, the total wetland area had continuously decreased during 2000–2015 compared to that in the 1990s, and 2010 was the most significant. The frequency of negative change in the wetland area reached 87.5% in all four counties and across four time periods (2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015), and 85% at the township level. At the spatial scale, Hongyuan County had the smallest wetland area change rate. (2) In terms of structure change, the variations in landscape fractal dimension and landscape fragmentation generally exhibited similar trends at different levels. Specifically, the ecosystem structure was seriously affected in 2000, then gradually recovered in 2005 and 2010, and was again under aggravated interference in 2015. (3) In terms of function change, the above-ground biomass yield in the northeastern region was higher than that in the southern region. A low value was detected in 2000, and then the value increased and remained essentially the same in 2005 and 2010. However, the value decreased in 2015, indicating deteriorated vegetation condition. The vegetation coverage in the study area remained steady, without deterioration in a particular year. (4) In terms of the whole study area, the wetland degradation grades in the four periods were mild (2000), moderate (2005), mild (2010) and mild (2015). In brief, the wetland degradation was the most severe in 2005. Over the 2000–2015 period, the spatial degradation pattern of the Zoige Plateau Wetland progressed from the northeast to the southwest. The model built in this study could be widely applicable. And this study has also some reference value for monitoring and management of wetland degradation by remote sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple cropping is a widespread agricultural practice that can partly reflect cropland use intensity. Previous studies have largely focused on harvest frequencies within an annual (e.g., multiple cropping frequency [MCF]) or multiannual basis. However, the complexity of cropland use intensity, which combines different cropping and fallow strategies, has not been fully investigated. Moreover, such information is particularly lacking at the regional scale. This study proposed a new perspective of multiple cropping system (MCS), and developed a method for mapping stable MCSs for a prolonged time. We selected an agricultural region (Poyang Lake Plain, Jiangxi Province, China) and proposed four stable MCSs in terms of the number of crops (C) grown in a given number of years (Y) defined by the length of crop rotation: Continuous single-cropping system (1C/1Y), continuous double-cropping system (2C/1Y), and two alternating systems (3C/2Y and 5C/3Y). To map MCSs, we first obtained the remote-sensing-observed annual MCF from 2001 to 2018. Second, total harvests, frequency, and continuity were proposed based on multi-year MCF information to classify each pixel as one of the four proposed MCSs. Total harvests were defined as the total number of harvests over the observation period. Frequency was defined as the total number of rotation units over the observation period for a given MCS. We defined continuity as the largest number of consecutive years under a given MCS. Finally, we determined the final type of an MCS using decision rules considering the three indicators. The results showed that the overall accuracy of the MCF maps were > 90%, and the overall accuracy of MCS map was 87.8%. We found that 84.4% of croplands could be characterized as one of the four MCSs: 2C/1Y accounted for the largest area (38.1%), followed by the two alternating systems (together they accounted for 48.6% of the total), and finally 1C/1Y. The results of our study suggest that multiple cropping practices should be characterized from the cropping system perspective. The MCS mapping method has great potential for large-scale crop rotation system mapping, and the MCS mapping results could help explore the combined effects of different cropping systems and further provide strategies for optimizing the spatially adapted practices in agricultural land systems. [Display omitted] • The complexity of cropland use intensity that combines different cropping and fallow strategies has not been fully studied. • Multiple cropping systems (MCSs) depict the fluctuating changes in multiple cropping frequency across years. • We developed a method for mapping MCSs through a case study and using decision rules and indicators. • Almost half of the MCSs alternate single-cropping and double-cropping regularly rather than keeping constant. • Multiple cropping practices should be characterized from the cropping system perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) has great advantages in high salinity wastewater desalination. However, due to the limited adsorption capacity of electrode material, membrane concentration polarization would form and increase energy consumption, and affect the continuity of desalination. In this work, milling technology was used to modify original activated carbon (AC), the obtained ball milled activated carbon (BAC) was used as FCDI electrode material. The milling process modified multiple physical and electrochemical characteristics of original AC. The highest average salt removal rate (ASRR) of BAC was 2.2 times of that of AC, which was attributed to the modified surface properties including more oxygenated functional group, larger electrostatic gravitation characteristics and better hydrophilicity. The reduced concentration polarization during the desalination was responsible for the increased adsorption capacity, which was due to larger electrolyte contact area, enhanced ions capacity by more suitable pore structures, and 5 times higher energy normalized removal salt (ENRS) of BAC flow electrode than that of AC. Because of its simple operation and remarkable modification effect, ball milling technology shows great potential in large scale modification of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use/land cover change (LUCC) is the most direct driving force of landscape pattern change. The Zoige Plateau is a natural ecosystem with the largest high-altitude swamp wetland in China and its land use pattern has undergone great changes in recent years, but how the changes of each land use type affect the landscape pattern is uncertain. Here, we used the object-oriented method to extract land use information in 2015. Then, combined with land use data, the land use change characteristics from 2000 to 2015 were analyzed. We used the correlation analysis method to analyze the effects of land use changes on landscape pattern systematically. Three key conclusions were reached. (1) Land use information for the Zoige Plateau could be extracted with high accuracy by combining the object-oriented method and support vector machine (SVM). The overall accuracy was 93.2% and the Kappa coefficient was 0.889. (2) The comprehensive dynamic degree of land use was the highest from 2010 to 2015. From 2000 to 2015, the wetland area decreased the fastest because 57.05% of the wetlands were transferred out. Construction land increased the fastest, and the transferred in area from grassland and farmland were the main reason. (3) The effects of unused land, farmland, and construction land on the overall landscape pattern were stronger than that of the other types, among which farmland had the most significant impact (with a correlation coefficient of 0.959, p < 0.001). The change of unused land was the most highly significant factor associated with the landscape area pattern, and both the water body and unused land showed strong correlations with landscape shape pattern change. This suggested that the effects of land use types occupying a relatively small area on the landscape pattern were intensified. This study will provide guidance for the environmental management of local land resources and other natural ecosystem areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: palladium catalysis; carbonylation; aryl iodides; alkenylboronic acids; chalcones; enones EN palladium catalysis carbonylation aryl iodides alkenylboronic acids chalcones enones 1280 1284 5 06/19/23 20230704 NES 230704 , -Unsaturated ketones are prevalent structural motifs in natural products that display a wide spectrum of biological activities. In summary, we have developed an operationally simple, efficient, and ligand-free palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of aryl iodides with alkenylboronic acids for the selective synthesis of bioactive chalcones and -branched enones. Palladium catalysis, aryl iodides, carbonylation, chalcones, enones, alkenylboronic acids. [Extracted from the article]

Presented is a unique halftone geometric configuration for color halftone printing with an arbitrary number of colorants. The configuration uses a plurality of halftone screens to produce prints that are moire´ free and possess uniform hexagonal periodic rosettes. Moire´-free N-color halftoning is achieved by selecting halftone frequencies from harmonics of two rosette fundamental frequencies. With such screen configurations, the interference between any halftone frequency components, fundamentals, or higher-order harmonics of different colorants is a linear integer combination of the two rosette fundamental frequencies. The linear integer combination produces a hexagonal grid of frequency components with no components lower than the rosette frequencies other than the zero-frequency component. Thus, no visible interference, or moire´, occurs within the halftone screen combinations. The observed halftone pattern is a visually pleasing, two-dimensionally uniformly repeated hexagonal rosette. The uniform-rosette configurations can be implemented using digital single-cell nonorthogonal halftone screens. The uniform-rosette method can be used with conventional cyan-magenta-yellow-black halftone printing or with printing systems that require a relatively large number of halftone screens. The additional screens can be used for enhanced printing applications, such as printing with high-fidelity colorants, light colorants, or special colorants, such as white, metallic, and fluorescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color printer calibration is the process of deriving correction functions for device signals (e.g., CMYK), so that the device can be maintained with a fixed known characteristic color response. Since the colorimetric response of the printer can be a strong function of the halftone, the calibration process must be repeated for every halftone supported by the printer. The effort involved in the calibration process thus increases linearly with the number of halftoning methods. In the past few years, it has become common for high-end digital color printers to be equipped with a large number of halftones, thus making the calibration process onerous. We propose a halftone independent method for correcting color (CMY or CMYK) printer drift. Our corrections are derived by measuring a small number of halftone independent fundamental binary patterns based on the 2×2 binary printer model by Wang et al. Hence, the required measurements do not increase as more halftoning methods are added. First, we derive a halftone correction factor (HCF) that exploits the knowledge of the relationship between the true printer response and the 2×2-model predicted response for a given halftoning scheme. Therefore, the true color drift can be accurately predicted from halftone-independent measurements and corrected correspondingly. Further, we develop extensions of our proposed color correction framework to the case when the measurements of our fundamental binary patches are acquired by a common desktop scanner. Finally, we exploit the application of the HCF to correct color drift across different media (papers) and for halftone-independent spatial nonuniformity correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum markers have been identified as risk factors for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection, and several noninvasive fibrosis tests based on serum indexes are now used to identify the severity of liver fibrosis. We aimed to identify the relationship between hepatitis B core‐related antigen (HBcrAg) serum levels and liver fibrosis in treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients. A total of 246 treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients were enrolled in this study. All of the patients underwent liver biopsies at baseline. Using the METAVIR fibrosis stages, there were 15, 140, 50, 26 and 15 patients in the F0, F1, F2, F3 and F4 stages (METAVIR scoring system), respectively. The biochemical, serological and virological parameters were measured using standard laboratory procedures. The HBcrAg serum levels of the patients were examined via ELISA. HBcrAg serum levels of F2, F3 and F4 stage patients were significantly higher than those of nonsignificant liver fibrosis patients (METAVIR F0‐F1), but there were no significant differences among F2, F3 and F4 stage patients. Serum HBcrAg (OR, 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–3.16), albumin (ALB) (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.41–0.87), prothrombin activity (PTA) (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40–0.83) and platelet (PLT) counts (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.25–0.57) were associated with significant liver fibrosis (METAVIR F2‐F4). The serum HBcrAg value enabled the correct identification of patients with significant fibrosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.75–0.88). The APRI, FIB‐4 index and ALBI score can identify significant liver fibrosis with an area under the ROC curve of 0.74 (95% CI, 0.66–0.81), 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65–0.80) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.55–0.72), respectively. Compared with these three indexes, the accuracy rate of diagnosis of significant fibrosis based on HBcrAg was higher than that of the FIB‐4 index (p = 0.0479) and ALBI score (p = 0.0030). HBcrAg, ALB, PTA serum levels and PLT counts were associated with significant liver fibrosis in treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients. HBcrAg serum levels enabled the correct identification of patients with significant fibrosis (METAVIR F2–F4), and HBcrAg was more effective than the FIB‐4 index and ALBI score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a stochastically seeded, clustered halftoning method with parametric control of dot shapes as well as seed placement adaption to local image structure. While the literature on other randomly structured screens (blue noise, green noise, and stochastic halftoning) is quite extensive, there is very little discussion on optimization of dot shape for robustness or preferred tile appearance. The parametric control presented here can enable an imaging engineer to optimize robustness for a given printing system. The halftoning method that we introduce defines dot centers as seeds that are placed typically in a random, high spatial frequency configuration. Spot functions are defined about these randomly placed seeds, where the spot function allows control of dot cluster growth, touch points, cluster angle, and eccentricity. The spot function can also be applied to regular and irregular polygonal halftone tiling. The adaptability of the seed placement provided by the halftoning method allows for better edge rendition than conventional isotropic methods and enables the implementation of data-embedding techniques. The resulting monochromatic screens can be seamlessly integrated with novel successive filling techniques in order to provide dot-off-dot vector halftoning capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al/a-Si:H bilayer thin films were deposited on glass substrate by thermal evaporation and plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposition in a specially designed one-chamber deposition apparatus. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to study the morphology, crystallization and the shift of Si2p binding energy, respectively. The crystalline silicon was formed at a low temperature of approximately 250 °C in the Al/a-Si:H bilayer thin film. The intermixed layer of (Al)–(a-Si:H) plays an important role in the crystallization of silicon. The content of crystalline Si, which is related to a dome-like microstructure, increases with increasing thickness of the intermixed layer formed due to the high diffusion rate of Al atoms at high temperature or larger amounts of Al diffused into a-Si:H layer with the increase in thickness of the Al sublayer. The Si2p binding energy of c-Si is approximately 99.23 eV while a-Si:H energy shifts from approximately 98.66 to 98.87 eV in the Al/a-Si:H bilayer thin films with different thickness of the Al sublayer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background & Aims: Nucleotides with add‐on interferon treatment (NUC‐IFN) provide significantly higher rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This study aimed to investigate the sustainability of HBsAg loss and the prevention of clinical relapse. Methods: Patients with CHB who achieved HBsAg loss and HBV DNA levels <20 IU/ml after IFN or NUC‐IFN therapy were enrolled and followed up for 96 weeks. The primary outcome was HBsAg negativity without viremia at week 96. Secondary outcomes included virological or clinical relapse and predictors of relapse. Results: 420 patients were included in intention‐to‐treat analysis with 290 and 130 in the IFN and NUC‐IFN groups respectively. At week 96, the intention‐to‐treat analysis revealed similar outcomes between groups, including HBsAg seroreversion (24.83% vs. 23.08%, P =.70), viremia (16.90% vs 13.08%, P =.32) and clinical relapse (11.38% vs 10.00%, P =.68); the per‐protocol analyses also showed HBsAg seroreversion, viremia and clinical relapse in IFN group (15.50%, 6.59% and 0.39%) did not differ from those in NUC‐IFN group (15.25%, 4.24% and 0.85%, P >.05). These outcomes were similar between patients who received entecavir and those who received telbivudine/lamivudine/adefovir before the combination therapy. In NUC‐IFN‐treated patients, fibrosis regression was observed at week 96. Baseline HBsAb negativity was independent predictors of HBsAg sero‐reversion and recurrence of viremia in IFN treated group. Conclusion: NUC‐IFN and IFN therapies are equally effective in achieving sustained functional cure and fibrosis regression. (ClinicalTrials.gov, Number NCT02336399). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To explore the role of natural killer (NK) cells in the process of hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance and whether their phenotype is related to antiviral treatment outcome in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Method. We performed a single-center prospective cohort study to analyze changes of NK cells at weeks 12 and 24 from baseline in CHB patients who received PEGylated-interferon- (PEG-IFN-) α-2a versus entecavir. The frequencies of NK, CD56bright, CD56dim, IFNAR2+, NKp46+, NKp46bright, and NKp46dim NK cells and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of receptors NKp46 and IFNAR2 on the surface of NK cells were measured. Subgroup analyses were performed by comparing treatment responders versus nonresponders with aforementioned parameters in each group. Results. In PEG-IFN-α-treated patients, posttreatment CD56bright NK cell frequency increased, but CD56dim NK cell frequency decreased. Additionally, receptor NKp46 and IFNAR2 expression enhanced. In entecavir-treated patients, although NK cell frequency increased, CD56bright and CD56dim NK cell frequencies and IFNAR2 expression did not differ between baseline and posttreatment. In subgroup analyses, posttreatment CD56bright NK cell frequency and IFNAR2 expression significantly increased in PEG-IFN-α responders from baseline, while changes were absent in PEG-IFN-α nonresponders and entecavir treatment responders. Among patients with HBV viremia after entecavir therapy, NK cell frequency significantly increased, whereas NKp46bright and IFNAR2+ NK frequency and IFNAR2 MFI significantly decreased at 12 and 24 weeks from baseline. Conclusions. In CHB patients, PEG-IFN-α treatment significantly enhanced NK cell frequency and function when compared to entacavir. Positive treatment responses to either interferon or entecavir were associated with NK cell function improvement. This trial is registered with clinical trial registration no. NCT03208998. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiviral therapy is recommended for patients with immune-active chronic hepatitis B (CHB) to decrease the risk of liver-related complications. However, the outcomes of the pegylated IFN-α (PEG-IFN-α) therapy vary among CHB patients. We aimed to identify factors that can influence the outcomes in CHB patients who received antiviral PEG-IFN-α monotherapy.Methods: Thirty-two CHB patients who received PEG-IFN-α monotherapy were enrolled in this study. All of the patients underwent two liver biopsies at baseline and 6 months after the initiation of the therapy. CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD68+ mononuclear cells, and PD-1 levels in the 64 liver biopsy specimens were examined via immunofluorescence.Results: The overall median frequency of CD8+ T cells in the liver tissues of 32 CHB patients significantly decreased at 6 months after the therapy initiation (p < 0.01). In the FIER (fibrosis and inflammation response with HBeAg seroconversion) group, CD8+PD-1+ T cells significantly decreased at 6 months (p < 0.05), while CD8+PD-1- T cells had no significant difference. On the contrary, in the FIENR (no fibrosis and inflammation response and HBeAg seroconversion) group, CD8+PD-1- T cells significantly decreased after 6 months of PEG-IFN-α treatment (p < 0.05), while CD8+PD-1+ T cells had no significant difference. In addition, the levels of CD68+ mononuclear cells in the FIER group showed an overall increasing trend after treatment (p < 0.05).Conclusions: The changes in the levels of CD8+PD-1+ T cells and CD68+ mononuclear cells may be related to the response to PEG-IFN-α therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to guidelines, antiviral therapy for adults with immune-active chronic hepatitis B (CHB) should be adopted to decrease the risk of liver-related complications. Fibrosis assessment during antiviral treatment is a key step in antiviral therapy evaluation. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing the degree of liver necroinflammation and fibrosis. However, because of its cost and the risk of life-threatening complications, performing a liver biopsy more than once after long-term effective treatment is difficult. In this study, we aimed to evaluate changes in liver fibrosis during 5 years of entecavir (ETV) treatment using noninvasive fibrosis markers in hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-negative treatment-naive CHB patients who require antiviral therapy. A total of 303 HBeAg-negative treatment-naive patients were enrolled in this study. Liver biopsy was performed before initiation of antiviral therapy. The diagnosis of CHB was made according to Chinese guidelines for the management of CHB. Patients requiring antiviral therapy (liver fibrosis stage ≥ F2, METAVIR scoring system) were treated with ETV for at least 5 years. These patients were followed up at 6-month intervals. A clinical and virological evaluation was performed at baseline and again at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months during ETV treatment. Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index were used to assess dynamic changes in liver fibrosis in HBeAg-negative CHB patients after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of ETV treatment. All enrolled patients underwent liver biopsy at baseline. Using the METAVIR fibrosis stages, there were 107, 125, 54, and 17 patients in F1, F2, F3, and F4 stages, respectively. The APRI and FIB-4 indexes enabled the correct identification of patients with severe fibrosis (METAVIR F3–F4), with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72–0.83) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.70–0.82), respectively. The APRI values decreased significantly in F2 and F3 patients after 1 year of ETV therapy (P < 0.01). However, for F4 patients, APRI values decreased significantly at year 3 (P < 0.05). The FIB-4 values of F2, F3, and F4 patients who received ETV treatment were significantly decreased after 1, 3, and 5 years of ETV therapy, respectively (P < 0.05). APRI and FIB-4 values decreased significantly during 5-year ETV treatment in HBeAg-negative CHB patients, indicating that these noninvasive fibrosis tests might be useful for monitoring improvement in liver fibrosis and assessing treatment efficacy during long-term ETV treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium silicide (TiSi2) thin films were prepared on glass substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition using SiH4 and TiCl4 as the precursors. The phase structure of the thin films was identified by x-ray diffractometry. The surface morphology and thickness of the thin films were observed by field emission scannig electron microscopy and the sheet resistance of the thin films was measured using the four point probe method. The results show that the TiSi2 thin films are formed in a face-centered orthorhombic structure. Due to the influence of the amorphous glass substrate, an amorphous layer is initially formed on the substrate and the TiSi2 crystalline phase grows on top of it. As the thickness and content of TiSi2 crystalline phase increase with deposition time, the resistivity of the thin film decreases. Besides, the growth rate and thus the size of TiSi2 crystalline phase increase as the deposition temperature increases. The stack density decreases when the deposition temperature increases above 700 °C because the rapid growth at the higher temperatures causes more irregular shape of crystalline particles. The maximal stack density of the crystalline phase and thus the minimum resistivity of the thin films are obtained at the deposition temperature of 700 °C. The expressions of the stack density of crystalline phase and the resistivity of the thin films as functions of the deposition conditions are theoretically deduced which are well consistent with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver necroinflammation is the indicator for treating patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. However, there is no suitable non‐invasive index for diagnosing liver necroinflammation. This study aimed to create a non‐invasive index to predict liver necroinflammation in patients who lack clear‐cut clinical inflammation parameters. Patients who were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative and underwent liver histological diagnosis, had a normal or minimally increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level were enrolled. Liver necroinflammation was defined as histological active index ≥4. A logistic regression model (LRM) was established based on the parameters independently associated with liver necroinflammation. Of all 550 patients, 36.73% had necroinflammation. In patients with an abnormal ALT level, the rate of necroinflammation was 52.49%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ALT level for predicting necroinflammation was 0.655 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.609‐0.702), and that of the HBV DNA level ≥2000 IU/mL combined with an abnormal ALT level was 0.618. By using the LRM, the AUC improved to 0.769 (95% CI, 0.723‐0.815) with a Youden index of 0.519 and diagnostic accuracy of 75.3%. The cutoff value ≥0.7 in the LRM had a specificity of 97.4% and positive predictive value of 85.0% for predicting necroinflammation. By using the cutoff value <0.15 in the LRM, the presence of necroinflammation could be excluded with a negative predictive value of 90.8%. This study indicated that the LRM can be used to effectively diagnose liver necroinflammation in HBeAg‐negative patients with CHB who have normal or minimally elevated ALT levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is considered a functional cure in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the durability of HBsAg loss after stopping treatment remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the sustained functional cure achieved by interferon therapy in hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)‐negative CHB patients. In this prospective study, 176 HBeAg‐negative CHB patients with functional cure were enrolled for 12 weeks of cessation treatment, and treatment information and baseline data were collected. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) biomarkers and clinical biochemical indicators were evaluated every 3 months; liver imaging examinations were performed every 3‐6 months during the 48‐week follow‐up. The sustained functional cure was evaluated. After the 48‐week follow‐up, the sustained functional cure rate was 86.63%. The cumulative rates of HBsAg reversion and HBV DNA reversion were 12.79% and 2.33%, respectively. Consolidation treatment ≥ 12 weeks after HBsAg loss achieved a significantly higher rate of sustained functional cure and significantly lower rate of HBsAg reversion than consolidation treatment < 12 weeks (76.19% vs 90.00%, P = 0.022 and 23.81% vs 9.23%, P = 0.014, respectively). Patients with hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) had higher rate of sustained functional cure than patients achieving HBsAg loss but without HBsAb (89.86% vs 73.53%, P = 0.012). Consolidation treatment ≥ 12 weeks (odds ratio [OR] 16.478; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.135‐127.151; P = 0.007) and high HBsAb levels (OR 8.312; 95% CI, 1.824‐37.881; P = 0.006) were independent predictors of sustained functional cure. Results suggested that 12 weeks of consolidation therapy after HBsAg clearance and elevated HBsAb levels help to improve functional cure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have documented a high incidence of toxicity in patients with ultra‐central non‐small cell lung cancer (UC‐NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). However, these studies mainly focused on early stage patients and included small sample populations. We reviewed the outcomes and toxicity of SBRT in patients with advanced stage UC‐NSCLC treated at our institution. Methods: Fifty‐one consecutive patients with advanced UC‐NSCLC treated with SBRT using a regular regimen of 35 Gy administered in five fractions between December 2014 and August 2017 were reviewed. UC was defined as tumors abutting or overlapping the trachea or the proximal bronchial tree. We included locally advanced patients who were unfit or unwilling to receive conventional chemoradiotherapy and patients with metastatic or postoperative recurrent disease. Clinical outcomes, dosimetric parameters, and SBRT toxicity were analyzed. Results: The median age was 63 years (range: 35–82), and the median tumor diameter was 6.8 cm (range: 2.1–12.4). The overall median follow‐up duration was 17 months (25.5 months for surviving patients). The median local control was 17 months for stage III patients and 11 months for stage IV or recurrent patients. Grade 3 or higher toxicity was observed in 9.8% of patients: G3 radiation pneumonitis (5.9%) and possible treatment‐related death (3.9%). Conclusion: SBRT with a moderate dose in 4–6 fractions is effective and tolerable for patients with advanced stage UC‐NSCLC. However, caution should be taken considering possible treatment‐related death. Further studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain metastasis (BM) is common in patients with breast cancer. Predicting patient survival is critical for the clinical management of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM). The present study was designed to develop and evaluate a prognostic model for patients with newly diagnosed BCBM. Based on the clinical data of patients with BCBM treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences (Beijing, China) between 2002 and 2014, a nomogram was developed to predict survival using proportional hazards regression analysis. The model was validated internally by bootstrapping, and the concordance index (c-index) was calculated. A calibration curve and c-index were used to evaluate discriminatory and predictive ability, in order to compare the nomogram with widely used models, including recursive partitioning analysis (RPA), graded prognostic assessment (GPA) and breast-graded prognostic assessment (Breast-GPA). A total of 411 patients with BCBM were included in the development of this predictive model. The median overall survival time was 14.1 months. Statistically significant predictors for patient survival included biological subtype, Karnofsky performance score, leptomeningeal metastasis, extracranial metastasis, the number of brain metastases and disease-free survival. A nomogram for predicting 1- and 2-year overall survival rates was constructed, which exhibited good accuracy in predicting overall survival with a concordance index of 0.735. This model outperformed RPA, GPA and Breast-GPA, based on the comparisons of the c-indexes. The nomogram constructed based on a multiple factor analysis was able to more accurately predict the individual survival probability of patients with BCBM, compared with existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are crucial for control of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection. In this study, we evaluated the frequencies of pDCs and expression of functional molecules on pDCs in patients treated with PEG-IFN-α-2a or entecavir (ETV) and investigated changes during treatment. The mean fluorescence intensity of CD86 (CD86MFI) on the surface of pDCs and frequencies of pDCs and CD86+ pDCs in peripheral blood were measured. Compared with baseline, CD86+ pDC% and CD86MFI increased obviously after PEG-IFN-α-2a treatment for 12 and 24 weeks. For patients treated with ETV, only pDC% increased observably after treatment weeks 12 and 24 (P < 0.001) compared with baseline. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) decline was significantly associated with elevated CD86+ pDC% (r = 0.348, P = 0.015) during PEG-IFN-α-2a treatment. In the HBsAg response group, CD86+ pDC% and CD86MFI (P < 0.001) increased observably after PEG-IFN-α-2a therapy, whereas only CD86MFI had a statistically significant difference after therapy compared with baseline (12 weeks versus 0 weeks, P = 0.022; 24 weeks versus 0 weeks, P = 0.015) in the HBsAg nonresponse group. CD86+ pDC% between the 2 groups had statistically significant differences at baseline (P = 0.001) and at the treatment time points of 12 and 24 weeks (P < 0.001), respectively. For patients receiving ETV therapy, pDC% increased observably, but CD86+ pDC% decreased significantly (P < 0.001) in the HBV DNA nonresponse group during early treatment with ETV. In CHB patients, HBsAg response in PEG-IFN-α-2a therapy correlated with the increase of CD86+ pDC% and HBV DNA nonresponse in ETV treatment correlated with the decrease of CD86+ pDC%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead titanate nanostructures with different phases and morphologies, layered hexagonal PbTiO2(CO3)0.3- (NO3)0.35(OH) nanosheets, pyrochlore Pb2Ti2O6 nanodendites, pre-perovskite PbTiO3 nanofibres and perovskite PbTiO3 nanoplates, have been synthesized via a conventional hydrothermal route assisted with different concentrations of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were employed to characterize the phase, morphology and growth behavior of the synthesized samples. The results reveal that at low TMAH concentration the obtained samples are mainly of PbTiO2(CO3)0.3(NO3)0.35(OH) nanosheets. With the TMAH concentration increasing, the obtained samples change to pyrochlore Pb2Ti2O6 nanodendites, pre-perovskite PbTiO3 nanofibres and perovskite PbTiO3 nanoplates in turn. With the basis of the experimental results, the phase- and morphology-evolution mechanism of the lead titanate nanostructures is discussed by combining the analysis of the lattice structure feature and the properties of TMAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li-doped PbTiO 3 perovskite cubic particles were successfully synthesized via a facile and simple hydrothermal method by using lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ) as additives. Due to the Li-doping, not only the particles become smaller but also some Ti 3 + ions and oxygen vacancies are brought about in the lattice of the PbTiO 3 perovskite. In consequence, the Li-doped PbTiO 3 samples exhibit excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance on the degradation of MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodispersed LiFePO 4 [001] nanorods have been successfully synthesized via a conventional hydrothermal route with Li 2 SO 4 , FeSO 4 and KH 2 PO 4 as precursors. Subsequently, in virtue of the good monodispersibility LiFePO 4 @C core-shell [001] nanorods are facilely prepared by employing a carbon coating process on the obtained monodispersed LiFePO 4 [001] nanorods. On the basis of the experimental results, a possible formation mechanism of the monodispersed LiFePO 4 [001] nanorods has been proposed. Due to the full carbon coating, size reducing in [010] and the perfect olivine crystal lattice, the LiFePO 4 @C core-shell [001] nanorods exhibit excellent rate capacity and stable cycle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single mirror interferometric MEMS display is a full-color, daylight-visible, video-rate reflective display with high brightness that consumes power only during content updates. It consists of an array of identical pixels each of which can produce a continuous range of colors through precise analog positioning of one moving element, a mirror. Electrostatic actuation is driven with an integrated active-matrix backplane of indium-gallium–zinc oxide thin-film transistors. Displays of $384\times384$ pixels built on a surface micromachining process on glass substrates have been demonstrated on both 6-in wafers and Gen 4.5 panels (730 mm $\times920$ mm) showing good yield and uniformity. [2016-0206] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Plate-like LiFePO 4 @C nanostructures, in which LiFePO 4 nanocrystallites with a size less than 50 nm embedded in carbon coating matrix, with excellent high rate capacity and cycle performance have been successfully prepared via a conventional hydrothermal route in virtue of the assistance of the triblock copolymer P123. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM, and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to characterize the prepared samples. The adsorption of P123 on the surfaces results in the plate-like LiFePO 4 @P123 nanostructures self-assembled with nanocrystallites. After annealing in inert Ar atmospheres, the plate-like LiFePO 4 @P123 nanostructures transform to plate-like LiFePO 4 @C nanostructures due to the carbonization of the adsorbed P123 film matrix. The plate-like LiFePO 4 @C nanostructures as Li-ion cathode materials deliver excellent high rate capacity and cycle stability, 128 mAh g −1 discharge at 10 C and 98% retention of the initial discharge capacity (151 mAh g −1 ) at 0.1 C after 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-crystal and single-domain PbTiO3 nanoplates are employed as substrates to prepare Ag2O/PbTiO3 composite materials through a photodeposition method. It is revealed that silver oxide nanocrystals with an average size of 63 nm are selectively deposited on the positive polar surface of the ferroelectric substrate. The possible mechanism leading to the formation of silver oxide is that silver ions are first reduced to silver and then oxidized by oxygen generation. The composite shows an efficient photodegradation performance towards rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation. Such highly efficient photoactivity can be attributed to the ferroelectric polarization effect of the substrate, which promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes at the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis a common disease in postmenopausal women which contains significant impact on the living quality of women. With the aging of the population, the number of patients suffer from osteoporosis has shown a significant increase. Given the limitations of clinical drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis, natural extracts with small side effects have a great application prospect in the treatment of osteoporosis. Praeruptorin B (Pra-B), is one of the main components found in the roots of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is no research on the influence of Pra-B on osteoporosis. Here, we showed that Pra-B can dose-dependently suppress osteoclastogenesis without cytotoxicity. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL)-induced the nuclear import of P65 was inhibited by Pra-B, which indicated the suppressive effect of Pra-B on NF-κB signaling. Further, Pra-B enhanced the expression of Glutathione S-transferase Pi 1 (GSTP1) and promoted the S-glutathionylation of IKKβ to inhibit the nuclear translocation of P65. Moreover, in vivo experiments showed that Pra-B considerably attenuated the bone loss in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced mice. Collectively, our studies revealed that Pra-B suppress the NF-κB signaling targeting GSTP1 to rescued RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro and OVX-induced bone loss in vivo, supporting the potential of Pra-B for treating osteoporosis in the future. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures self-assembled with nanobelts were synthesized via a simple ethylene glycol (EG) solvothermal route, in which lithium acetate, manganese acetate and phosphoric acid are used as the reaction precursors. The primary block LiMnPO4 nanobelts are dominated with (010) facets. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and N2-physisorption technique were employed to characterize the microstructure and morphologies of the synthesized samples. On the basis of the experimental results, a possible formation mechanism of the flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures self-assembled with nanobelts has been discussed. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the mesoporous LiMnPO4 nanostructures is further investigated as positive cathodes in Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stamen-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures self-assembled with nanorods along the [001] direction were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure, morphology and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). A possible mechanism for the formation of LiMnPO4 nanorods and the assembly of the stamen-like nanostructures was proposed based on the experimental results. Additionally, the electrochemical performance of the stamen-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries was also investigated through charge–discharge measurements and CV curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The safe prerequisite of hippocampal-sparing whole brain radiotherapy (HS-WBRT) for patients with breast cancer is unclear. This study investigated the risk and relapse of perihippocampal (PH) metastases in breast cancer. Methods Consecutive breast cancer patients with brain metastasis (BM) were reviewed. Metastases and hippocampi were contoured in cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The closest distance from metastasis to hippocampus was calculated. Clinical and radiographic variables were correlated with PH (in or within 5 mm around the hippocampus) metastasis. The risk of post-treatment PH recurrence was estimated. Results Three hundred and fourteen patients with 1678 metastases exhibited a median breast cancer-specific overall survival (OS) and OS after BM (BMOS) of 75.4 and 14.3 months, respectively. Hippocampal metastases were identified in 1.2% of metastases and 4.1% of patients. PH lesions comprised 3.5% of lesions in 11.1% of patients. The number and aggregated volume of BM were associated with PH disease probability (univariate). Only the number of BM significantly correlated with PH disease in the multivariate analysis. The patients with PH lesions exhibited more non-oligometastatic disease, increased tumor volume, and poor BMOS. One hundred and eleven patients without original PH lesions developed intracranial progression post-treatment. The risks of PH metastasis recurrence were 4.6% for WBRT and 6.8% for sub-therapeutic irradiation in the PH region. The increase in the absolute risk of PH recurrence with hippocampal-sparing irradiation was approximately 2%. Conclusions These novel findings indicate that BM from breast cancer exhibits low risks of metastases and relapse within the hippocampal avoidance region. Non-oligometastatic disease is associated with PH metastasis. Thus, HS-WBRT is considered safe and suitable for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures self-assembled with (010) nanosheets were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method by employing MnSO4 and Li2SO4 as raw materials and an EG–H2O mixture as the reaction medium solvent. The flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM. The primary LiMnPO4 nanosheets are about 30 nm in thickness and dominated by (010) facets. In order to understand the formation mechanism of the flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures, a series of time-dependent experiments were adopted. Based on the experimental results, a possible mechanism was proposed for the formation of LiMnPO4 nanosheets and the assembly of the flower-like nanostructures. Additionally, the electrochemical performance of the flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries was also investigated by charge–discharge measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selected trace metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg) and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments of Laizhou Bay were determined, to evaluate their spatial distribution, pollution risk and potential ecological risk. Concentrations of the elements were 0.56-2.07, 0.14-0.38, 12.70-18.40, 0.014-0.094, and 1.13-2.37 μg/L in the seawater and 8.94-32.2, 0.18-0.67, 4.51-30.5, 0.006-0.058, and 5.75-15.3 mg/kg in sediments for Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg and As, respectively. High concentrations of the trace metals and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments were generally observed near the river estuary. The pollution risk result of the elements showed that Cu was the prominent trace metal pollutant in seawater, followed by Hg, Pb, Cd and As. The metal complex pollution index in seawater was at a medium level. The most important trace metal pollutant in sediments was Cd, followed by As, Cu, Pb, and Hg. Our pollution assessment suggests that trace metal pollution in Laizhou Bay sediments was at a low level. The potential ecological risk was also low in surface sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetite Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and uniform hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) oblique hexagonal microdisks, drum-like particles, and spindles have been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal reaction route, in which the mixture solvents of ethylene glycol (EG) and water are used as reaction medium. The phase, size, shape and growth orientation of the synthesized iron oxide crystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. When the reaction medium is almost composed of EG, a lot of Fe 3+ ions reduce to Fe 2+ ions due to the effect of EG, resulting in the magnetite Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. As the volume ratio of EG/water in the reaction medium is lower than 30:10, the reductive ability of EG is too low to reduce the Fe 3+ ions to Fe 2+ ions, leading to the hematite α-Fe 2 O 3 crystals. Moreover, since the adsorption of EG on the crystals, the shape of the obtained hematite α-Fe 2 O 3 crystals evolves from oblique hexagonal microdisks to drum-like particles, and spindles due to the decrease of EG in the mixture reaction medium solvent. The magnetic properties of the magnetite Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and hematite α-Fe 2 O 3 uniform microcrystals were also investigated by measuring the magnetic hysteresis loops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystal TiO2/PbTiO3 nanofiber composites were prepared by a simple hydrothermal synthesis and annealing treatment at 650 °C, where pre-perovskite (PP) PbTiO3 (PTO) and tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) were used as precursors. In the composites, anatase TiO2 nanorods grew on the surface of tetragonal perovskite (TP) PTO nanofibers and formed sharp TiO2/PbTiO3 interfaces, leading to single-crystal heterostructures. The as-synthesized heterostructured nanofiber composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation (λ ＞ 400 nm). Especially, the composites TiO2/PbTiO3 TBOT: 0.4 mL showed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate of MB was 0.02392 min−1. Such photocatalytic activity of the heterostructured nanofiber composites was supposedly attributed to the large-scale formation of the sharp interfaces, which could be critical for the photogenerated charge carrier separation and its transfer from the PTO phase to TiO2. It is suggested that the obtained heterostructured nanofiber composites TiO2/PbTiO3 can be exploited as an alternative visible-light-driven photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A sol–gel–hydrothermal method was developed to prepare single-crystal BaTiO3 (BT) hollow nanoparticles, where acetylacetone (acac) was used as a modifier in TiO2 sol. The products were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM and Nitrogen adsorption. The results show that the monodisperse hollow BT nanoparticles have an average size about 86.7nm in diameter. Based on the results of the time-dependent experiment, a possible formation mechanism was proposed, which involves a pathway that is an aggregation–realignment–fusion process. The synthesized approach and the proposed growth mechanism could provide new insights into the designing and controlled preparation of hollow architectures of other perovskite oxides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polycrystalline fluorine-doped SnO2 thin films with SiC x O y or Si x Sn y O2 barrier layer are deposited on glass substrates by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method. The effect of barrier layer on structure and electrical property of FTO films was investigated. Results show that the inserting of barrier layer, especially the SiC x O y layer, has led to the improved crystallinity and the enhanced preferential orientation along the (200) crystallographic plane. SnO2:F/SiC x O y /Glass films with larger grain size and a columnar growth structure exhibited lower resistivity (~4.9×10−4), higher reflectance in the mid-far-infrared region (~80%) and lower emissivity (0.16), while maintaining high transmittance in the visible range. The SiC x O y film has therefore been considered as a more ideal potential barrier layer for FTO thin film production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Amorphous precursor was used to prepare titanate nanostructure by hydrothermal process. [•] Morphology evolution from nanoparticles to nanosheets and then nanowires was observed. [•] It provides direct evidence to support the dissolution/recrystallization mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, monodispersed LiFePO4 nanopillows have been successfully synthesized via solvothermal route with ethylene glycol (EG) as reaction medium. Subsequently, with the basis of the solvothermally synthesized monodispersed LiFePO4 nanopillows, monodispersed LiFePO4@C core–shell nanostructures are facilely prepared in high yield. Based on the experimental results, the formation mechanism of the monodispersed LiFePO4 nanopillows has been discussed simply. The monodispersed LiFePO4@C core–shell nanostructures exhibit nice capacity retention and high rate capacity due to the full carbon-coating and the well-crystallized nanosized particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were prepared on Si substrates modified with ZnO seeds using a low temperature hydrothermal method. In particular, photoluminescence (PL) properties of the ZnO nanorods can be easily tuned by varying the treatment duration of O2 plasma. Penetration depth of oxygen ions near the surface is suggested to influence the effect of O2 plasma on modification of PL properties for ZnO nanorods with different sizes. O2 plasma-tuned optical quality for ZnO nanorods has been attributed to the change of depletion region width. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Single-crystal-like PZT nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning and calcination. [•] Fiber diameter was precisely controlled by solution viscosity and electrospinning parameters. [•] Pyrolysis is a key factor for fabrication of single-crystal-like structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Hierarchical flower-like ZnO nanospheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal route. [•] A possible formation mechanism of ZnO nanospheres has been proposed. [•] The ZnO nanospheres were studied upon LIBs as anode. [•] The ZnO nanospheres show good in reversible capacities and cycle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile hydrothermal method has been developed to synthesize single-crystal ferroelectric PT nanoplates by using K2Ti6O13 nanowires as synthetic precursor. The PT nanoplates with dominant {001} facets have the side length of 500–700 nm and height of 100–150 nm. Piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) results demonstrated that the PT nanoplates show obvious piezoelectric and ferroelectric activity. Moreover, the crystal growth of the PT nanoplates has been discussed. The results revealed that the gradual dissolution of K2Ti6O13 nanowires in alkali solution and the template of lead oxide are essential to the formation of PT nanoplates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The low-emission glass was prepared via depositing fluorine-doped tin oxide thin film on glass substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition method. The as-deposited low-emission glass was found to present a SnO2:F/SiCxOy/glass sandwich structure via focused ion beam technique and transmission microscopic measurement. After tempering process at ~650°C with varied periods, the electrical and optical properties of the SnO2:F thin film remained stable for less than 10min, but decreased dramatically when the tempering period exceeded 10min, which was mainly due to the oxygen chemisorptions and fluorine ion diffusion. It was observed that the SnO2:F thin films presented uniform polycrystalline nature of cassiterite structure throughout the tempering process. The study has therefore suggested the appropriate tempering conditions for the SnO2:F low-emission glass, and provided a critical guidance for further energy-saving glass applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Single-crystal strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanosheets have been synthesized via a solvothermal reaction route with ethylene glycol (EG) as reaction medium solvent. The as-synthesized SrTiO3 products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that the single-crystal SrTiO3 nanosheets are parallel to the (110) plane and self-assembled by primary nanocrystallites in monolayer. EG as a organic solvent plays an important role in the synthesis of the single-crystal SrTiO3 nanosheets. Based on the experimental results, a possible formation mechanism of the single-crystal SrTiO3 nanosheets has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: a-Si1− x C x :H thin film with adjustable optical band gap and photoluminescence (PL) property has been strongly demanded for various optoelectronic applications. The control of atomic bonding within the film has been considered as a promising approach to address such challenge. In this study, a range of a-Si1− x C x :H thin films prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were annealed at different temperature. It was found that the content of Si–H n group and C–H n group decreased with the increased temperature from 200°C to 600°C, and consequently more Si–C bonds and sp3 hybridized C clusters were formed. Such atomic bonding configuration variation was found to induce enlarged optical band gap. In addition, the PL wavelength was effectively adjusted, and its efficiency was significantly enhanced. The underlying relationship between the atomic bonding characteristics and the optical properties of a-Si1− x C x :H was extensively discussed. This study has therefore been an important step forward to its further advanced applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phase-controlled synthesis of bismuth ferrites has been achieved via hydrothermal route by adjusting the KOH concentration. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. The particle morphologies of the as-prepared powders evolve from nanoflakes, to self-assembled particles, and microparticles when the concentration of KOH was changed from 1.5M, 2.5M, to 3.5M, and 5M. Correspondingly, the main phase of the samples changed from orthorhombic Bi2Fe4O9, both Bi2Fe4O9 and BiFeO3, to pure rhombohedral BiFeO3. On the basis of these experiments, the phase formation and morphology evolution mechanism of the samples are discussed. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was investigated by the photo-degradation of rhodamine-B solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: One-dimensional single-crystal multiferroic composites consisting of PbTiO3 (PTO) nanofiber-CoFe2O4 (CFO) nanodot were prepared using an in situ solid state sintering method, where pre-perovskite PTO nanofibers and CFO nanodots were used as precursors. Structural analyses by using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction determined a epitaxial growth relation between the PTO nanofiber and the CFO nanodot. Ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity of the nanofiber composites were investigated by using vibarting sample magnetometer (VSM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) films were synthesized via different re-crystallization approaches from amorphous silicon (α-Si:H) films deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The microstructure evolution with various annealing conditions was investigated via high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectrometry. It was found that, compared with the conventional solid phase crystallization (SPC) annealing, a rapid thermal process (RTP) pre-annealing at 600°C for 60s can significantly enhance the recrystallization process and the electrical conductivity of nc-Si films. In addition, for the nc-Si films with similar crystal sizes, it was uncovered that the logarithm of conductivity presented a linear relationship with the crystalline volume fraction. This study has therefore been an important step forward to the future synthesis of the nc-Si films with manipulated microstructure and electrical conductivity for further applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]