Visualization of Anion Vacancy Defect Annihilation in CZTSe Solar Cells by Hydrogen-Assisted Selenization with In Operando X-ray Nanoprobe Studies.

The traditional sulfur selenization process in CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) solar cell fabrication often results in the creation of localized anion vacancies ( and ). These vacancies are considered harmful defects as they can trap carriers generated by light, leading to reduced solar cell efficiency. Moreover, concrete evidence has been lacking on the extent of the impact caused by these anion vacancies.

Progress on a Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistor Integrated Circuit: State of the Art, Challenges, and Evolution.

As the traditional silicon-based CMOS technology advances into the nanoscale stage, approaching its physical limits, the Carbon Nanotube Field-effect Transistor (CNTFET) is considered to be the most significant transistor technology beyond Moore's era. The CNTFET has a quasi-one-dimensional structure so that the carrier can realize ballistic transport and has very high mobility. At the same time, a single CNTFET can integrate hundreds of nanowires as the conductive channels, enabling significant current transport capabilities even in low supply voltage, thereby providing a foundational basis for achieving nanoscale ultra-large-scale analog/logic circuits.

A 25 Mbps 15 ns Propagation Delay 150 kV/μs CMTI Configurable Dual-Channel Capacitive Digital Isolation Driver.

Electrical isolation devices are essential components for safeguarding the reliability of electronic systems under harsh conditions. Digital isolators are widely used in low-power circuits due to their high immunity to disturbances. In this paper, a capacitive digital isolator for high-efficiency power supply scenarios is proposed with a high common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) and high data transmission rate.

[Taurine inhibits M2 polarization of macrophages by promoting mitophagy].

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of taurine regulating the polarization of M2 macrophages by mitophagy. Methods THP-1 cells were divided into four groups: M0 group (THP-1 cells were treated by 100 nmol/L phorbol myristate ester for 48 hours to polarize into M0), M2 group (THP-1 cells were induced to polarize into M2 macrophages by 20 ng/mL interferon-4 (IL-4) for 48 hours), M2 combined with taurine groups (added with 40 or 80 mmol/L taurine on the basis of M2 macrophages). The mRNA expression of mannose receptor C type 1(MRC-1), C-C motif chemokine ligand 22(CCL22) and dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3 grabbing non-integrin (CD209) in M2 macrophages were detected by quantitative real-time PCR.

Hepatic leucine carboxyl methyltransferase 1 (LCMT1) contributes to high fat diet-induced glucose intolerance through regulation of glycogen metabolism.

Impaired glucose regulation is one of the most important risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases, which have become a major public health issue worldwide. Dysregulation of carbohydrate metabolism in liver has been shown to play a critical role in the development of glucose intolerance but the molecular mechanism has not yet been fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of hepatic LCMT1 in the regulation of glucose homeostasis using a liver-specific LCMT1 knockout mouse model.

Effect of metformin on outcomes of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape of cancer treatment, but only a fraction of patients responds to treatment, leading to an increasing effort to repurpose clinically approved medications to augment ICI therapy. Metformin has been associated with improved survival outcomes in patients undergoing conventional chemotherapy. However, whether metformin provides survival benefits in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is unknown.

LCMT1 indicates poor prognosis and is essential for cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant type of cancers. Leuci carboxyl methyltransferase 1 (LCMT1) is a protein methyltransferase that plays an improtant regulatory role in both normal and cancer cells. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression pattern and clinical significance of LCMT1 in HCC.

Impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on heart failure and mortality in patients with cancer.

Objectives: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce heart failure (HF) in at-risk patients and may possess antitumour effects. We examined the effect of SGLT2i on HF and mortality among patients with cancer and diabetes.

Methods: This was a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study involving adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed with cancer between January 2010 and December 2021.

A 13 µW Analog Front-End with RRAM-Based Lowpass FIR Filter for EEG Signal Detection.

This brief presents an analog front-end (AFE) for the detection of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The AFE is composed of four sections, chopper-stabilized amplifiers, ripple suppression circuit, RRAM-based lowpass FIR filter, and 8-bit SAR ADC. This is the first time that an RRAM-based lowpass FIR filter has been introduced in an EEG AFE, where the bio-plausible characteristics of RRAM are utilized to analyze signals in the analog domain with high efficiency.

Visible-Light-Assisted Photoelectrochemical Biosensing of Uric Acid Using Metal-Free Graphene Oxide Nanoribbons.

In this study, we demonstrate the visible-light-assisted photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing of uric acid (UA) by using graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) as PEC electrode materials. Specifically, GONRs with controlled properties were synthesized by the microwave-assisted exfoliation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. For the detection of UA, GONRs were adopted to modify either a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) or a glassy carbon electrode (GCE).

Refractive index sensor with alternative high performance using black phosphorus in the all-dielectric configuration.

We theoretically propose a nonplasmonic optical refractive index sensor based on black phosphorus (BP) and other dielectric materials in the infrared band. Due to the anisotropic property of BP, the proposed sensor can achieve alternative sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) in its different crystal directions. The high sensitivity and FOM are attributed to the strong magnetic resonance in the all-dielectric configuration.

Taurine Antagonizes Macrophages M1 Polarization by Mitophagy-Glycolysis Switch Blockage Dragging SAM-PP2Ac Transmethylation.

The excessive M1 polarization of macrophages drives the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases. The reprogramming of macrophages from M1 to M2 can be achieved by targeting metabolic events. Taurine promotes for the balance of energy metabolism and the repair of inflammatory injury, preventing chronic diseases and complications.

Ultrasensitive Magnetic Sensors Enabled by Heterogeneous Integration of Graphene Hall Elements and Silicon Processing Circuits.

Graphene Hall elements (GHEs) have been demonstrated to be promising magnetic field sensors with excellent sensitivity, linearity, temperature stability, and compatibility with complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-integrated circuits (ICs). However, the demonstrated GHEs have still not exhibited a comprehensive advantage in performance over commercial integrated Hall sensors which were implemented in integrated Hall element and CMOS processing ICs. In this work, we develop a technology for the three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous integration of silicon-based CMOS ICs and GHEs, and the fabricated magnetic field sensors outperform commercial high-end integrated Hall sensors.

Enhanced photoluminescence of InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum well with tungsten disulfide quantum dots.

The pristine and diethylenetriamine (DETA)-doped tungsten disulfide quantum dots (WS QDs) with an average lateral size of about 5 nm have been synthesized using pulsed laser ablation (PLA). Introduction of the synthesized WS QDs on the InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) can improve the photoluminescence (PL) of the InGaAs/AlGaAs QW as high as 6 fold. On the basis of the time-resolved PL and Kelvin probe measurements, the PL enhancement is attributed to the carrier transfer from the pristine or DETA-doped WS QDs to the InGaAs/AlGaAs QW.

Raman selection rule for surface optical phonons in ZnS nanobelts.

We report Raman scattering results for high-quality wurtzite ZnS nanobelts (NBs) grown by chemical vapor deposition. In the Raman spectrum, the ensembles of ZnS NBs exhibit first order phonon modes at 274 cm(-1) and 350 cm(-1), corresponding to A1/E1 transverse optical and A1/E1 longitudinal optical phonons, in addition to a strong surface optical (SO) phonon mode at 329 cm(-1). The existence of the SO band is confirmed by its shift with different surrounding dielectric media.

19.2% Efficient InP Heterojunction Solar Cell with Electron-Selective TiO Contact.

We demonstrate an InP heterojunction solar cell employing an ultrathin layer (∼10 nm) of amorphous TiO deposited at 120 °C by atomic layer deposition as the transparent electron-selective contact. The TiO film selectively extracts minority electrons from the conduction band of p-type InP while blocking the majority holes due to the large valence band offset, enabling a high maximum open-circuit voltage of 785 mV. A hydrogen plasma treatment of the InP surface drastically improves the long-wavelength response of the device, resulting in a high short-circuit current density of 30.

Graphene/Si CMOS hybrid hall integrated circuits.

Graphene/silicon CMOS hybrid integrated circuits (ICs) should provide powerful functions which combines the ultra-high carrier mobility of graphene and the sophisticated functions of silicon CMOS ICs. But it is difficult to integrate these two kinds of heterogeneous devices on a single chip. In this work a low temperature process is developed for integrating graphene devices onto silicon CMOS ICs for the first time, and a high performance graphene/CMOS hybrid Hall IC is demonstrated.

Light extraction enhancement with radiation pattern shaping of LEDs by waveguiding nanorods with impedance-matching tips.

Syringe-like ZnO nanorods (NRs) were fabricated on InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) by a hydrothermal method. Without sacrificing the electrical performances of LEDs, syringe-like NRs can enhance light extraction capability by 10.5% at 20 mA and shape the radiation profile with a view angle collimated from 136° to 121°.

Probing surface band bending of surface-engineered metal oxide nanowires.

We in situ probed the surface band bending (SBB) by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) in conjunction with field-effect transistor measurements on the incompletely depleted ZnO nanowires (NWs). The diameter range of the NWs is ca. 150-350 nm.

Supersensitive, ultrafast, and broad-band light-harvesting scheme employing carbon nanotube/TiO2 core-shell nanowire geometry.

We demonstrate a novel, feasible strategy for practical application of one-dimensional photodetectors by integrating a carbon nanotube and TiO(2) in a core-shell fashion for breaking the compromise between the photogain and the response/recovery speed. Radial Schottky barriers between carbon nanotube cores and TiO(2) shells and surface states at TiO(2) shell surface regulate electron transport and also facilitate the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, leading to ultrahigh photogain (G = 1.4 × 10(4)) and the ultrashort response/recovery times (4.

Strain-gated piezotronic transistors based on vertical zinc oxide nanowires.

Strain-gated piezotronic transistors have been fabricated using vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs), which were grown on GaN/sapphire substrates using a vapor-liquid-solid process. The gate electrode of the transistor is replaced by the internal crystal potential generated by strain, and the control over the transported current is at the interface between the nanowire and the top or bottom electrode. The current-voltage characteristics of the devices were studied using conductive atomic force microscopy, and the results show that the current flowing through the ZnO NWs can be tuned/gated by the mechanical force applied to the NWs.

Ultrahigh sensitive piezotronic strain sensors based on a ZnSnO3 nanowire/microwire.

We demonstrated a flexible strain sensor based on ZnSnO(3) nanowires/microwires for the first time. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates that the ZnSnO(3) belongs to a rhombohedral structure with an R3c space group and is grown along the [001] axis. On the basis of our experimental observation and theoretical calculation, the characteristic I-V curves of ZnSnO(3) revealed that our strain sensors had ultrahigh sensitivity, which is attributed to the piezopotential-modulated change in Schottky barrier height (SBH), that is, the piezotronic effect.

Electronic structures of well-aligned Er-doped ZnO nanorod arrays.

Electronic structures of well-aligned Er-doped ZnO (ZnO:Er) nanorod arrays (NRAs) synthesized by a solution-based hydrothermal process were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). HRTEM and angular dependent X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis at O K and Zn L3 edges indicates that the spontaneous polarization is along the [0001] direction. The analysis of Er L3-edge XAFS demonstrates that the local structure around Er in the ZnO:Er NRAs was transformed from O(h) to C(4v), after annealing.