Helical dislocation-driven plasticity and flexible high-performance thermoelectric generator in α-MgBi single crystals.

Inorganic plastic semiconductors play a crucial role in the realm of flexible electronics. In this study, we present a cost-effective plastic thermoelectric semimetal magnesium bismuthide (α-MgBi), exhibiting remarkable thermoelectric performance. Bulk single-crystalline α-MgBi exhibits considerable plastic deformation at room temperature, allowing for the fabrication of intricate shapes such as the letters "SUSTECH" and a flexible chain.

High Thermoelectric Performance of n-type BiTeSe-Based Composites Incorporated with Both Inorganic and Organic Nanoinclusions.

N-type BiTeSe (BTS) alloy has relatively low thermoelectric performance as compared to its p-type counterpart, which restricts its widespread applications. Herein, we designed and prepared a novel composite system, which consists of an n-type BTS matrix incorporated with both inorganic and organic nanoinclusions. The results indicate that the thermopower of the composite samples can be enhanced by more than 19% upon incorporating inorganic nanophase AgBiS (ABS) due to the energy-dependent carrier scattering, which ensures a high power factor.

Attaining High Figure of Merit in the N-Type BiTeSe-AgTe Composite System via Comprehensive Regulation of Its Thermoelectric Properties.

n-Type BiTeSe (BTS) is the state-of-the-art thermoelectric material near room temperature. However, the figure of merit of commercial BTS ingots is still limited and further improvement is imperative for their wide applications. Here, the results show that through dispersion of the AgTe nanophase in BTS, one can not only elevate its power factor (PF) by as high as 14% (at 300 K) but also reduce its thermal conductivity κ to as small as ∼29% (at 300 K).

Simultaneous Enhancement of the Power Factor and Phonon Blocking in Nb-Doped WSe.

Transition-metal dichalcogenide WSe is a potentially good thermoelectric (TE) material due to its high thermopower (). However, the low electrical conductivity (σ), power factor (PF), and relatively large lattice thermal conductivity (κ) of pristine WSe degenerate its TE performance. Here, we show that through proper substitution of Nb for W in WSe, its PF can be increased by ∼10 times, reaching 5.

Theoretical Study of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Point Defects and Their Effects on Thermoelectric Properties of CuSnSe.

Current understanding of the intrinsic point defects and potential extrinsic dopants in p-type CuSnSe is limited, which hinders further improvement of its thermoelectric performance. Here, we show that the dominant intrinsic defects in CuSnSe are Cu and V under different chemical conditions, respectively. The presence of V will damage the hole conduction network and reduce hole mobility.

Levels and Clinical Significance of Regulatory B Cells and T Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy, whose immunological mechanisms are still partially uncovered. Regulatory B cells (Bregs) and CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are subgroups of immunoregulatory cells involved in modulating autoimmunity, inflammation, and transplantation reactions. Herein, by studying the number and function of Breg and Treg cell subsets in patients with AML, we explored their potential role in the pathogenesis of AML.

Identification and characterization of evolutionarily conserved alternative splicing events in a mangrove genus Sonneratia.

Alternative splicing (AS), which produces multiple mRNA transcripts from a single gene, plays crucial roles in plant growth, development and environmental stress responses. Functional significances of conserved AS events among congeneric species have not been well characterized. In this study, we performed transcriptome sequencing to characterize AS events in four common species of Sonneratia, a mangrove genus excellently adaptive to intertidal zones.

The molecular characteristics of avian influenza viruses (H9N2) derived from air samples in live poultry markets.

Objective: To study the molecular characteristics of H9N2-subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) isolated from air samples collected in live poultry markets (LPMs) and explore their sequence identities with AIVs that caused human infection.

Methods: Weekly surveillance of H9N2-subtype AIVs in the air of LPMs was conducted from 2015 to 2016. H9-positive samples were isolated from chicken embryos.

Effects of Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations on mangrove population dynamics: a lesson from Sonneratia alba.

Background: A large-scale systematical investigation of the influence of Pleistocene climate oscillation on mangrove population dynamics could enrich our knowledge about the evolutionary history during times of historical climate change, which in turn may provide important information for their conservation.

Results: In this study, phylogeography of a mangrove tree Sonneratia alba was studied by sequencing three chloroplast fragments and seven nuclear genes. A low level of genetic diversity at the population level was detected across its range, especially at the range margins, which was mainly attributed to the steep sea-level drop and associated climate fluctuations during the Pleistocene glacial periods.

Ancient Geographical Barriers Drive Differentiation among Populations and Recent Divergence from .

Glacial vicariance is thought to influence population dynamics and speciation of many marine organisms. Mangroves, a plant group inhabiting intertidal zones, were also profoundly influenced by Pleistocene glaciations. In this study, we investigated phylogeographic patterns of a widespread mangrove species and a narrowly distributed, closely related species to infer their divergence histories and related it to historical geological events.

Comparative transcriptome analyses of a mangrove tree Sonneratia caseolaris and its non-mangrove relatives, Trapa bispinosa and Duabanga grandiflora.

Mangroves are a group of unique plants anchoring in and well adapting to the extreme intertidal environment with high salinity, hypoxia and high temperature and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Sonneratia caseolaris is a major mangrove tree widely distributed across the West-Indo Pacific region, however the genetic mechanisms of its adaptive evolution are still unclear. In the present study, we performed comparative transcriptome analyses between S.

Transcriptome analysis of the Holly mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius and its terrestrial relative, Acanthus leucostachyus, provides insights into adaptation to intertidal zones.

Background: Acanthus is a unique genus consisting of both true mangrove and terrestrial species; thus, it represents an ideal system for studying the origin and adaptive evolution of mangrove plants to intertidal environments. However, little is known regarding the two respects of mangrove species in Acanthus. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of the pooled roots and leaves tissues for a mangrove species, Acanthus ilicifolius, and its terrestrial congener, A.

De novo assembly of the transcriptomes of two yellow mangroves, Ceriops tagal and C. zippeliana, and one of their terrestrial relatives, Pellacalyx yunnanensis.

Mangroves are dominant woody plants in the intertidal zones and are of both ecological and economic importance. Species of Ceriops, also called yellow mangroves, have many adaptive traits (including vivipary) for coping with the harsh marine environments. However, little is known about the origination and evolutionary history of this genus.