Identification of Novel Proteins Mediating Causal Association Between Smoking and Essential Hypertension: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Smoking is a factor for hypertension. We aim to reveal novel plasma proteins mediating the relationship of smoking with hypertension and identify potential drug targets for hypertension on the basis of Mendelian randomization design.

Methods And Results: Data for smoking were selected from the largest genome-wide association study meta-analysis performed by the Genome-Wide Association Study and Sequencing Consortium of Alcohol and Nicotine Use.

Q-switched Nd:YVO laser operating at 1064 nm with NiPS nanoflakes onto a silica metasurface as saturable absorbers.

In this work, we show that a metasurface can be used to improve the performance of the two-dimensional (2D) material saturable absorber in a Nd:YVO solid-state laser. To our knowledge, the hybrid saturable absorber was fabricated by spraying the NiPS nanoflakes onto a silica metasurface for the first time. It is shown that the optical absorption, modulation depth, saturation intensity, and ultrafast recovery time of the metasurface-NiPS saturable absorber exhibit better performance than the 2D material control device.

Discovery of Self-Assembled 2D Ru/Si Superlattices Boosting Hydrogen Evolution.

2D heterostructuring is a versatile methodology for designing nanoarchitecture catalytic systems that allow for reconstruction and modulation of interfaces and electronic structures. However, catalysts with such structures are extremely scarce due to limited synthetic strategies. Here, a highly ordered 2D Ru/Si/Ru/Si… nano-heterostructures (RSHS) is reported by acid etching of the LaRuSi electride.

Dipole Coupling Accelerated H O Dissociation by Magnesium-Based Intermetallic Catalysts.

The water (H O) dissociation is critical for various H O-associated reactions, including water gas shift, hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrolysis corrosion. While the d-band center concept offers a catalyst design guideline for H O activation, it cannot be applied to intermetallic or main group elements-based systems because Coulomb interaction was not considered. Herein, using hydrolysis corrosion of Mg as an example, we illustrate the critical role of the dipole of the intermetallic catalysts for H O dissociation.

Antisite-Defects Control of Magnetic Properties in MnSbTe.

The intrinsic magnetic topological materials Mn(Sb/Bi)Te have attracted extensive attention due to their topological quantum properties. Although, the Mn-Sb/Bi antisite defects have been frequently reported to exert significant influences on both magnetism and band topology, their formation mechanism and the methods to manipulate their distribution and concentration remain elusive. Here, we present MnSbTe as a typical example and demonstrate that Mn-Sb antisite defects and magnetism can be tuned by controlling the crystal growth conditions.

Application of Raman imaging and scanning electron microscopy techniques for the advanced characterization of geological samples.

Raman is an important tool for diagnosing minerals in geoscience. However, smaller magnification of optical microscope assembled in conventional Raman spectroscopy limits the application of Raman in sub-micro and nano scale. Raman imaging and scanning electron microscopy (RISE) combine the advantage of scanning electron microscope and Raman spectroscopy, which can collect the morphology, composition, and structure information in the same micro region of the geological sample in situ.

Facile Synthesis of TiAC (A = Zn, Al, In, and Ga) MAX Phases by Hydrogen Incorporation into Crystallographic Voids.

While using hydride precursors, such as TiH, can promote the formation of some MAX phases, the mechanism for this stabilization effect by hydrogen has been unsolved. Herein, we report a facile synthesis method of TiAC (A = Zn, Al, In, and Ga) MAX phases using hydrogen as the phase stabilizer at their crystallographic voids. DFT calculations revealed that hydrogen could be incorporated in the center of the TiA (A = Zn, Al, Ga, and In) cages of TiAC MAX phases.