Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells:Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies.However,traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume,current leakage,complex connections,and difficulty in gas sealing.To solve these problems,Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support,resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells(SIS-SOFCs),which achieved higher output voltage.This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures,preparation methods,perform-ances,and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies.Finally,the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed.The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.

COL4A2 enhances thyroid cancer cell proliferation through the AKT pathway

Objectives:Thyroid cancer(THCA)is the most common malignant tumor in endocrine system and the incidence has been increasing worldwide.And the number of patients dying from THCA has also gradually risen because the incidence continues to increase,so the mechanisms related to effective targets is necessary to improve the survival.This study was to preliminarily investigate the effects of the COL4A2 gene on the regulation of thyroid cancer(THCA)cell proliferation and the associated pathways.Methods:Bioinformatics analysis revealed that COL4A2 was closely associated with cancer development.COL4A2 expression in THCA tissues was analyzed using immunohistochemistry,and survival information was determined via Kaplan-Meier curves.The expression of COL4A2 and AKT pathway-related genes were analyzed using qPCR and western blot analyses.Colony formation as well as CCK-8 assays exhibited the cell proliferation level and cell activity,respectively.Downstream of COL4A2 was identified by Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA).The effects of the COL4A2 and AKT pathways on THCA tumor growth in vivo were determined using a mouse model.Results:Bioinformatics analysis exhibited that COL4A2 plays a significant role in cancer and that the AKT pathway is downstream of COL4A2.THCA patients with high COL4A2 expression had shorter recurrence-free survival.Upregulation of COL4A2 gene expression in 2 THCA cell lines promoted tumor cell growth and activity.The use of AKT pathway blockers also restrained the growth and activity of the 2 THCA cell lines.The use of AKT pathway blockers reduced tumor volume and mass and prolonged mouse survival.Conclusions:COL4A2 can promote the growth as well as development of THCA through the AKT pathway and COL4A2 could be used as a target for THCA.

Reinforced Lewis covalent bond by twinborn nitride heterostructure for lithium-sulfur batteries

The practical application of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries,as promising next-generation batteries,is hindered by their shuttle effect and the slow redox kinetics.Herein,a tungsten and molybdenum nitride heterostructure functionalized with hollow metal-organic framework-derived carbon(W_(2)N/Mo_(2)N)was proposed as the sulfur host.The hollow spherical structure provides storage space for sulfur,enhances electrical conductivity,and inhibits volume expansion.The metal atoms in the nitrides bonded with lithium polysulfides(Li PSs)through Lewis covalent bonds,enhancing the high catalytic activity of the nitrides and effectively reducing the energy barrier of Li PSs redox conversion.Moreover,the high intrinsic conductivity of nitrides and the ability of the heterostructure interface to accelerate electron/ion transport improved the Li+transmission.By leveraging the combined properties of strong adsorption and high catalytic activity,the sulfur host effectively inhibited the shuttle effect and accelerated the redox kinetics of Li PSs.High-efficiency Li+transmission,strong adsorption,and the efficient catalytic conversion activities of Li PSs in the heterostructure were experimentally and theoretically verified.The results indicate that the W_(2)N/Mo_(2)N cathode provides stable,and long-term cycling(over 2000 cycles)at 3 C with a low attenuation rate of 0.0196%per cycle.The design strategy of a twinborn nitride heterostructure thus provides a functionalized solution for advanced Li-S batteries.

Effect of electrode Pt-loading and cathode flow-field plate type on the degradation of PEMFC

The electrode Pt-loading has an effect on the number of active sites and the thickness of catalyst layer,which has huge influence on the mass transfer and water management during dynamic process in PEMFCs. In this study, membrane electrode assemblies with different Pt-loadings were prepared, and PEMFCs were assembled using those membrane electrode assemblies with traditional solid plate and water transport plate as cathode flow-field plates, respectively. The performance and electrochemical surface area of cells were characterized to evaluate the membrane electrode assemblies degradation after rapid currentvariation cycles. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope were used to investigate the decay of catalyst layers and Pt/C catalyst. With the increase of Pt-loading, the performance degradation of membrane electrode assemblies will be mitigated. But higher Pt-loading means thicker catalyst layer, which leads to a longer pathway of mass transfer, and it may result in carbon material corrosion in membrane electrode assemblies. The decay of Pt/C catalyst in cathode is mainly caused by the corrosion of carbon support, and the degradation of anode Pt/C catalyst is a consequence of migration and aggregation of Pt particles. And using water transport plate is beneficial to alleviating the age of cathode Pt/C catalyst.

Development of vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy for measuring edge impurity emission in the EAST tokamak

The dominant wavelength range of edge impurity emissions moves from the visible range to the vacuum ultraviolet(VUV)range,as heating power increasing in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).The measurement provided by the existing visible spectroscopies in EAST is not sufficient for impurity transport studies for high-parameters plasmas.Therefore,in this study,a VUV spectroscopy is newly developed to measure edge impurity emissions in EAST.One Seya-Namioka VUV spectrometer(McPherson 234/302)is used in the system,equipped with a concave-corrected holographic grating with groove density of 600 grooves mm-1.Impurity line emissions can be observed in the wavelength range ofλ=50-700 nm,covering VUV,near ultraviolet and visible ranges.The observed vertical range is Z=-350-350 mm.The minimum sampling time can be set to 5 ms under full vertical binning(FVB)mode.VUV spectroscopy has been used to measure the edge impurity emission for the 2019 EAST experimental campaign.Impurity spectra are identified for several impurity species,i.e.,lithium(Li),carbon(C),oxygen(O),and iron(Fe).Several candidates for tungsten(W)lines are also measured but their clear identification is very difficult due to a strong overlap with Fe lines.Time evolutions of impurity carbon emissions of CⅡat 134.5 nm and CⅢat 97.7 nm are analyzed to prove the system capability of time-resolved measurement.The measurements of the VUV spectroscopy are very helpful for edge impurity transport study in the high-parameters plasma in EAST.

A new insight into the stability of nanofiber electrodes used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The nanofiber electrodes have been considered as promising candidates for commercial proton exchange membrane fuel cells due to their high catalyst utilization and enhanced mass transport efficiency.However,for the first time our research determined that the nanofiber electrodes were restricted by the poor chemical stability of the polymer carriers.To gain further insight into the durability of nanofiber electrodes,both cyclic voltammetry aging tests and Fenton’s tests were conducted.Similar to previous reports,our research demonstrated that nanofiber electrodes showed remarkable stability in the cyclic voltammetry aging process.However,Fenton’s tests indicated that nanofibers in the electrodes would decompose easily while being attacked by reactive oxygen species such as HO·or HOO·,which greatly limits their practicability and reliability.The different performances under the two tests also demonstrated that the cyclic voltammetry aging protocols,which have been applied extensively,cannot well mirror the real operating conditions of fuel cells.

Pushing the Electrochemical Performance Limits of Polypyrrole Toward Stable Microelectronic Devices

Conducting polymers have achieved remarkable attentions owing to their exclusive characteristics,for instance,electrical conductivity,high ionic conductivity,visual transparency,and mechanical tractability.Surface and nanostructure engineering of conjugated conducting polymers offers an exceptional pathway to facilitate their implementation in a variety of scientific claims,comprising energy storage and production devices,flexible and wearable optoelectronic devices.A two-step tactic to assemble high-performance polypyrrole(PPy)-based microsupercapacitor(MSC)is utilized by transforming the current collectors to suppress structural pulverization and increase the adhesion of PPy,and then electrochemical co-deposition of PPy-CNT nanostructures on rGO@Au current collectors is performed.The resulting fine patterned MSC conveyed a high areal capacitance of 65.9 mF cm^(−2)(at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^(−2)),an exceptional cycling performance of retaining 79%capacitance after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles at 5 mA cm^(−2).Benefiting from the intermediate graphene,current collector free PPy-CNT@rGO flexible MSC is produced by a facile transfer method on a flexible substrate,which delivered an areal capacitance of 70.25 mF cm^(−2) at 0.1 mA cm^(−2) and retained 46%of the initial capacitance at a current density of 1.0 mA cm^(−2).The flexible MSC is utilized as a skin compatible capacitive micro-strain sensor with excellent electromechanochemical characteristics.

Impacts of environmental and canopy conditions on the nighttime sap flow of larch plantations in the Liupan Mountains,China

Nighttime sap flow(Q_(n))is an important physiological activity under which trees manage drought stress.An in-depth understanding of the characteristics of Q_(n)and its response to environmental and canopy conditions are of significance for arid area forest and water management.This study measured daily sap flow(Q_(s))of a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in the Liupan Mountains,northwest China during the 2017-2019 growing seasons,and separated Q_(s)into daytime sap flow(Qd)and Q_(n).Meteorological conditions(reference evapotranspiration,ETref),canopy structure(leaf area index,LAI),and soil moisture(relative soil water content,RSWC)were considered as the main biophysical factors affecting Q_(n).The structural equation model and upper boundary line method determined the effects of compound and single factors on Q_(n)The daily mean Q_(n)values during the growing seasons in 2017,2018,and 2019 were 0.024,0.026,and 0.030 mm d-1,accounting for 6.2,11.2,and 10.1%of Q_(s),respectively.Q_(n)at different canopy development phases(leaf expanding,LG;leaf expanded,LD;and defoliation,DF)over three years was LD>LG>DF.Q_(n)increased with increasing ETref,whereas the ratio of Q_(n)to Q_(s)decreased.Q_(n)did not show regular variation in the three-year growing seasons under different soil moisture conditions.ETrefand LAI mainly controlled Q_(n)by affecting Qd,whereas RSWC had no significant effect on Q_(n).Q_(n)had a positive and linear relationship with LAI and a quadratic relationship with ETref.Both explained 40%of variation in Q_(n)Meteorological and canopy conditions are important factors affecting Q_(n)on the semi-humid study site.The application of the Q_(n)model coupled with the impact of ETrefand LAI furthers understanding of the impacts of climate and forest structure change on Q_(n).

Evaluation of stress voltage on off-state time-dependent breakdown for GaN MIS-HEMT with SiNx gate dielectric

Stress voltages on time-dependent breakdown characteristics of GaN MIS-HEMTs during negative gate bias stress (with VGS < 0, VD = VS = 0) and off-state stress (VG < VTh, VDS > 0, VS = 0) are investigated. For negative bias stress, the breakdown time distribution (β) decreases with the increasing negative gate voltage, while β is larger for higher drain voltage at off-state stress. Two humps in the time-dependent gate leakage occurred under both breakdown conditions, which can be ascribed to the dielectric breakdown triggered earlier and followed by the GaN layer breakdown. Combining the electric distribution from simulation and long-term monitoring of electric parameter, the peak electric fields under the gate edges at source and drain sides are confirmed as the main formation locations for per-location paths during negative gate voltage stress and off-state stress, respectively.

Normally-off AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors with in-situ AlN gate insulator

AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors(HFETs)with p-GaN cap layer are developed for normally-off operation,in which an in-situ grown AlN layer is utilized as the gate insulator.Compared with the SiNxgate insulator,the AlN/p-GaN interface presents a more obvious energy band bending and a wider depletion region,which helps to positively shift the threshold voltage.In addition,the relatively large conduction band offset of AlN/p-GaN is beneficial to suppress the gate leakage current and enhance the gate breakdown voltage.Owing to the introduction of AlN layer,normally-off p-GaN capped AlGaN/GaN HFET with a threshold voltage of 4 V and a gate swing of 13 V is realized.Furthermore,the field-effect mobility is approximately 1500 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)in the 2DEG channel,implying a good device performance.

Boosting the electrochemical performance and reliability of conducting polyme microelectrode via intermediate graphene for on-chip asymmetric micro-supercapacitor

High-performance anode is hurdle for on-chip planar microsupercapacitor(MSC).Polypyrrole(PPy)is a highly attractive pseudocapacitive material,but its low cycling stability,and low adhesion with current collector hinder its practicability.Herein we propose one-prong generic strategy to boost the cycling stability of PPy.For our strategy,the electrochemical deposition of multilayered reduced graphene oxide(rGO)on micropatterned Au is utilized,and the resultant rGO@Au pattern is then used for growing highly porous PPy nanostructures by facile electrochemical polymerization.The fabricated PPy anode on rGO@Au has quasi rectangular cyclic voltammetry curves up to-0.7 V and exceptional cycling stability,retaining82%of capacitance after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles in 2 M KCl electrolyte.The outstanding reliability of PPy on rGO@Au is due to the flexibility of rGO,accommodating structural pulverization and providing a promising background for the nucleation of highly porous nanostructure.Further,an all-polymer based asymmetric aqueous MSC(AMSC)is constructed with PPy anode and PEDOT cathode,which exhibited excellent electrochemical performance compared with conventional symmetric MSCs based on conducting polymers.The constructed AMSC delivered a maximum areal capacitance of 15.9 m F cm^-2(99.3 F cm^-3),high specific energy and power densities of 4.3μWh cm^-2(27.03 mWh cm^-3)and 0.36 W cm^-2(0.68 W cm^-3)at 1.4 V,respectively.The enhanced electrochemical performances can be illustrated by nucleation mechanism,in which surface topology of r GO generates a promising background for nucleation and electrochemical growth of nanoporous pseudocapacitive conducting polymers with superior interfacial contact and improved surface area.

Changes in neurotransmitter levels,brain structural characteristics,and their correlation with PANSS scores in patients with firstepisode schizophrenia

BACKGROUND In patients with schizophrenia,the brain structure and neurotransmitter levels change,which may be related to the occurrence and progression of this disease.AIM To explore the relationships between changes in neurotransmitters,brain structural characteristics,and the scores of the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale(PANSS)in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.METHODS The case group comprised 97 patients with schizophrenia,who were evaluated using the Canadian Neurological Scale and confirmed by laboratory tests at Ningbo Mental Hospital from January 2020 to July 2022.The control group comprised 100 healthy participants.For all participants,brain structural characteristics were explored by measuring brain dopamine(DA),glutamic acid(Glu),and gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)levels,with magnetic resonance imaging.The case group was divided into negative and positive symptom subgroups using PANSS scores for hierarchical analysis.Linear correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations between neurotransmitters,brain structural character istics,and PANSS scores.RESULTS Patients in the case group had higher levels of DA and lower levels of Glu and GABA,greater vertical and horizontal distances between the corpus callosum and the inferior part of the fornix and larger ventricle area than patients in the control group(P<0.05).Patients with positive schizophrenia symptoms had significantly higher levels of DA,Glu,and GABA than those with negative symptoms(P<0.05).In patients with positive schizophrenia symptoms,PANSS score was significantly positively correlated with DA,vertical and horizontal distances between the corpus callosum and the infrafornix,and ventricular area,and was significantly negatively correlated with Glu and GABA(P<0.05).In patients with negative schizophrenia symptoms,PANSS score was significantly positively correlated with DA,vertical distance between the corpus callosum and the infrafornix,horizontal distance between the corpus callosum and the infrafornix,and ventricular area,and was significantly negatively correlated with Glu and GABA(P<0.05).CONCLUSION In patients with first-episode schizophrenia,DA levels increased,Glu and GABA levels decreased,the thickness of the corpus callosum increased,and these variables were correlated with PANSS scores.

空间站太阳翼振动测量中的无线传感器网络系统

基于中国空间站太阳翼挠性振动测量和动力学参数辨识需求,中国首次在轨成功应用了无线加速度计传感器网络。首先介绍了天和核心舱、问天实验舱上的无线传感器网络架构设计,然后针对挠性辨识多源数据融合需求,提出基于无线时延自主寻优补偿的应答式TCP/IP校时策略和基于无线基准节点的广播式UDP校时策略。针对无线节点通信链路可能被太阳翼阵面遮挡而造成的测量中断问题,提出基于中继代传的自主无线网络拓扑动态管理策略,实现了振动测量数据的高可靠传输。总结了天和舱、问天舱无线加速度计传感器网络在轨应用情况,通过飞行实测数据证明实现了TCP/IP模式下校时精度优于20 ms、UDP模式下校时精度优于70 ms的时间同步能力;以太阳翼180°转角下的主动激振工况实测数据评估了无线网络的高可靠采集能力,满足太阳翼模态辨识要求。最后基于空间站太阳翼振动测量飞行试验情况,对未来无线传感器网络的在轨广泛应用提出了几点启示。

Effect of overdrive voltage on PBTI trapping behavior in GaN MIS-HEMT with LPCVD SiNx gate dielectric

The effect of high overdrive voltage on the positive bias temperature instability(PBTI)trapping behavior is investigated for GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistor(MIS-HEMT)with LPCVD-SiNx gate dielectric.A higher overdrive voltage is more effective to accelerate the electrons trapping process,resulting in a unique trapping behavior,i.e.,a larger threshold voltage shift with a weaker time dependence and a weaker temperature dependence.Combining the degradation of electrical parameters with the frequency–conductance measurements,the unique trapping behavior is ascribed to the defect energy profile inside the gate dielectric changing with stress time,new interface/border traps with a broad distribution above the channel Fermi level are introduced by high overdrive voltage.

Experimental evaluation of interface states during time-dependent dielectric breakdown of GaN-based MIS-HEMTs with LPCVD-SiNχgate dielectric

We experimentally evaluated the interface state density of GaN MIS-HEMTs during time-dependent dielectric breakdown(TDDB).Under a high forward gate bias stress,newly increased traps generate both at the SiNx/AlGaN interface and the SiNx bulk,resulting in the voltage shift and the increase of the voltage hysteresis.When prolonging the stress duration,the defects density generated in the SiNx dielectric becomes dominating,which drastically increases the gate leakage current and causes the catastrophic failure.After recovery by UV light illumination,the negative shift in threshold voltage(compared with the fresh one)confirms the accumulation of positive charge at the SiNx/AlGaN interface and/or in SiNx bulk,which is possibly ascribed to the broken bonds after long-term stress.These results experimentally confirm the role of defects in the TDDB of GaN-based MIS-HEMTs.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the renal pelvis:A case report

BACKGROUND Solitary fibrous tumor(SFT)is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm.SFT derived from the renal pelvis is an exceedingly rare entity.In this study,we report a case of renal pelvis SFT and review the relevant literature on this rare tumor.CASE SUMMARY A 76-year-old man was hospitalized due to right lumbar and abdominal pain.Abdominal computed tomography showed a hypervascular space-occupying renal lesion,sized 2.3 cm×1.8 cm.Based on the computed tomography findings,the patient was diagnosed with right renal pelvis tumor and underwent nephrectomy.Postoperative immunohistochemical results confirmed the diagnosis.As of the 3-year follow-up,there were no signs of recurrence,and the patient has recovered well.CONCLUSION We report a rare case of SFT derived from the renal pelvis and discuss the imaging and histopathological features that distinguish renal pelvis SFT from other renal pelvis tumors.

Tuning of the Magnetic Damping Parameter by Varying Cr Composition in Fe1-xCrx Alloy

We investigate the magnetic damping parameter of Fe 1−x Cr x thin films using the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect technique.It is demonstrated that the overall effective damping parameter is enhanced with the increasing Cr concentration.The effective damping at high fieldα0 is found to be significantly enhanced when increasing the Cr concentration with theα0=0.159 in the Fe 45 Cr 55 enhanced by 562%compared with that ofα0=0.024 in the pure Fe film.This study provides a new approach of controlling the effective damping parameter with a desired magnitude via varying Cr composition.

Value of serum pepsinogenⅠ andⅡ ratio for evaluating the malignant biological behaviors in gastric cancer lesions

Objective:To study the value of serum pepsinogenⅠ andⅡ ratio (PGR) for evaluating the malignant biological behaviors in gastric cancer lesions.Methods:The patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical surgery in 363 Hospital between July 2015 and February 2018 were selected as the gastric cancer group in the study, and the volunteers who had physical examination in 363 Hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. Serum was collected to measure pepsinogenⅠ and pepsinogenⅡ and then calculate the PGR;gastric cancer lesions were collected to measure the expression of oncogenes and angiogenesis genes.Results:Serum PGR level of the gastric cancer group was significantly lower than that of the control group, serum PGR level of the patients with moderately-highly differentiated gastric cancer was significantly higher than that of the patients with lowly differentiated gastric cancer, serum PGR level of the patients with TNM stage III gastric cancer was significantly lower than that of the patients with TNM stage I+II gastric cancer, and serum PGR level of the gastric cancer patients with lymph node metastasis was significantly lower than that of the gastric cancer patients without lymph node metastasis;PGR=3.8 was taken as the cutoff point, and p53 and TXNIP mRNA expression in the lesions of the gastric cancer patients with PGR < 3.8 were significantly lower than those of the gastric cancer patients with PGR > 3.8 while Bcl-2,β-catenin, Survivin, COX-2, HIF-1α, VEGF, c-Met and CNPY2 mRNA expression were significantly higher than those of the gastric cancer patients with PGR > 3.8.Conclusion:The decrease of PGR in serum of patients with gastric cancer is valuable for evaluating the pathological process and malignant biological behaviors.

表面粗糙度对橡塑O形圈往复密封性能的影响

建立三维确定性混合润滑数值仿真模型,该模型采用统一Reynolds方程系统法,耦合了固体力学分析、流体力学分析和接触力学分析;生成非高斯粗糙表面,基于混合润滑模型研究表面粗糙度、自相关长度比值和纹理方向对橡塑O形圈往复密封摩擦力、泄漏率、平均膜厚和接触面积比等密封性能的影响规律。研究表明:低速时随着表面粗糙度的增大,润滑区接触面积比增大,引起摩擦因数增大,平均膜厚先增大后减小,临界接触面积比约为40%;在混合润滑状态时,对于横向纹理粗糙表面,存在合适的自相关长度比值使得密封的摩擦因数和接触面积比最低;当纹理方向θ=π/10时,摩擦因数最小。

Interdigital MnO_(2)/PEDOT Alternating Stacked Microelectrodes for High-Performance On-Chip Microsupercapacitor and Humidity Sensing

For microelectronic devices,the on-chip microsupercapacitors with facile construction and high performance,are attracting researchers'prior consideration due to their high compatibility with modern microsystems.Herein,we proposed interchanging interdigital Au-/MnO_(2)/polyethylene dioxythiophene stacked microsupercapacitor based on a microfabrication process followed by successive electrochemical deposition.The stacked configuration of two pseudocapacitive active microelectrodes meritoriously leads to an enhanced contact area between MnO_(2)and the conductive and electroactive layer of polyethylene dioxythiophene,hence providing excellent electron transport and diffusion pathways of electrolyte ions,resulting in increased pseudocapacitance of MnO_(2)and polyethylene dioxythiophene.The stacked quasi-solid-state microsupercapacitors delivered the maximum specific capacitance of 43 mF cm^(-2)(211.9 F cm^(-3)),an energy density of 3.8μWh cm^(-2)(at a voltage window of 0.8 V)and 5.1μWh cm^(-2)(at a voltage window of 1.0 V)with excellent rate capability(96.6%at 2 mA cm^(-2))and cycling performance of 85.3%retention of initial capacitance after 10000 consecutive cycles at a current density of 5 mA cm^(-2),higher than those of ever reported polyethylene dioxythiophene and MnO_(2)-based planar microsupercapacitors.Benefiting from the favorable morphology,bilayer microsupercapacitor is utilized as a flexible humidity sensor with a response/relaxation time superior to those of some commercially available integrated microsensors.This strategy will be of significance in developing high-performance on-chip integrated microsupercapacitors/microsensors at low cost and environment-friendly routes.