Valence Bands Convergence in p-Type CoSb_(3) through Electronegative Fluorine Filling

Band convergence is considered to be a strategy with clear benefits for thermoelectric performance,generally favoring the co-optimization of conductivity and Seebeck coefficients,and the conventional means include elemental filling to regulate the band.However,the influence of the most electronegative fluorine on the CoSb_(3) band remains unclear.We carry out density-functional-theory calculations and show that the valence band maximum gradually shifts downward with the increase of fluorine filling,lastly the valence band maximum converges to the highly degenerated secondary valence bands in fluorine-filled skutterudites.

Observation of parabolic electron bands on superconductor LaRu_(2)As_(2)

Ru-based superconductor LaRu_(2)As_(2) has been discovered exhibiting the highest critical temperature of ~ 7.8 K among iron-free transition metal pnictides with the ThCr_(2)Si_(2)-type crystal structure. However, microscopic research on this novel superconducting material is still lacking. Here, we utilize scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy to uncover the superconductivity and surface structure of LaRu_(2)As_(2). Two distinct terminating surfaces are identified on the cleaved crystals, namely, the As surface and the La surface. Atomic missing line defects are observed on the La surface. Both surfaces exhibit a superconducting gap of ~ 1.0 me V. By employing quasiparticle interference techniques, we observe standing wave patterns near the line defects on the La atomic plane. These patterns are attributed to quasiparticle scattering from two electron type parabolic bands.

Highly Active Interfacial Sites in SFT-SnO_(2) Heterojunction Electrolyte for Enhanced Fuel Cell Performance via Engineered Energy Bands:Envisioned Theoretically and Experimentally

Extending the ionic conductivity is the pre-requisite of electrolytes in fuel cell technology for high-electrochemical performance.In this regard,the introduction of semiconductor-oxide materials and the approach of heterostructure formation by modulating energy bands to enhance ionic conduction acting as an electrolyte in fuel cell-device.Semiconductor(n-type;SnO_(2))plays a key role by introducing into p-type SrFe_(0.2)Ti_(0.8)O_(3-δ)(SFT)semiconductor perovskite materials to construct p-n heterojunction for high ionic conductivity.Therefore,two different composites of SFT and SnO_(2)are constructed by gluing p-and n-type SFT-SnO_(2),where the optimal composition of SFT-SnO_(2)(6∶4)heterostructure electrolyte-based fuel cell achieved excellent ionic conductivity 0.24 S cm^(-1)with power-output of 1004 mW cm^(-2)and high OCV 1.12 V at a low operational temperature of 500℃.The high power-output and significant ionic conductivity with durable operation of 54 h are accredited to SFT-SnO_(2)heterojunction formation including interfacial conduction assisted by a built-in electric field in fuel cell device.Moreover,the fuel conversion efficiency and considerable Faradaic efficiency reveal the compatibility of SFT-SnO_(2)heterostructure electrolyte and ruled-out short-circuiting issue.Further,the first principle calculation provides sufficient information on structure optimization and energy-band structure modulation of SFT-SnO_(2).This strategy will provide new insight into semiconductor-based fuel cell technology to design novel electrolytes.

Mesoscopic measurement of damage and shear bands of granite residual soil using Micro-CT and digital volume correlation

The mesomechanics of geotechnical materials are closely related to the macromechanical properties,especially the mesoscale evolution of shear bands,which is helpful for understanding the failure mechanism of geotechnical materials.However,there is lack of effective quantitative analysis method for the complex evolution mechanism of threedimensional shear bands.In this work,we used X-ray computed tomography(CT)to reconstruct volume images and used the digital volume correlation(DVC)method to calculate the three-dimensional strain fields of granite residual soil samples at different loading stages.The trend of the failure surface of the shear bands was obtained by the planar fitting method,and the connectivity index was constructed according to the projection characteristics of the shear bands on the failure trend surface.The results support the following findings:the connectivity index of the shear band increases rapidly and then slowly with increasing axial strain,which is characterized by a near'S'curve.As the stress reaches the peak value,the connectivity index of the shear bands almost exceeds 0.7.The contribution of the new shear band volume to the connectivity of the shear bands becomes increasingly small with increasing axial loading.Affected by quartz grains and stress at the initial stage,the dip angle gradually and finally approaches the included angle of the maximum shear stress from the discrete state with increasing axial loading.The tendency and dip angle of the resulting shear bands are dynamic,and the tendency slightly deflects with increasing loading.

Failure transition of shear-to-dilation band of rock salt under triaxial stresses

Great potential of underground gas/energy storage in salt caverns seems to be a promising solution to support renewable energy.In the underground storage method,the operating cycle unfortunately may reach up to daily or even hourly,which generates complicated pressures on the salt cavern.Furthermore,the mechanical behavior of rock salt may change and present distinct failure characteristics under different stress states,which affects the performance of salt cavern during the time period of full service.To reproduce a similar loading condition on the cavern surrounding rock mass,the cyclic triaxial loading/unloading tests are performed on the rock salt to explore the mechanical transition behavior and failure characteristics under different confinement.Experimental results show that the rock salt samples pre-sent a diffused shear failure band with significant bulges at certain locations in low confining pressure conditions(e.g.5 MPa,10 MPa and 15 MPa),which is closely related to crystal misorientation and grain boundary sliding.Under the elevated confinement(e.g.20 MPa,30 MPa and 40 MPa),the dilation band dominates the failure mechanism,where the large-size halite crystals are crushed to be smaller size and new pores are developing.The failure transition mechanism revealed in the paper provides additional insight into the mechanical performance of salt caverns influenced by complicated stress states.

Machine learning of theΓ-point gap and flat bands of twisted bilayer graphene at arbitrary angles

The novel electronic properties of bilayer graphene can be fine-tuned via twisting,which may induce flat bands around the Fermi level with nontrivial topology.In general,the band structure of such twisted bilayer graphene(TBG)can be theoretically obtained by using first-principles calculations,tight-binding method,or continuum model,which are either computationally demanding or parameters dependent.In this work,by using the sure independence screening sparsifying operator method,we propose a physically interpretable three-dimensional(3D)descriptor which can be utilized to readily obtain theΓ-point gap of TBG at arbitrary twist angles and different interlayer spacings.The strong predictive power of the descriptor is demonstrated by a high Pearson coefficient of 99%for both the training and testing data.To go further,we adopt the neural network algorithm to accurately probe the flat bands of TBG at various twist angles,which can accelerate the study of strong correlation physics associated with such a fundamental characteristic,especially for those systems with a larger number of atoms in the unit cell.

Endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding for the treatment of grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids:A prospective,multi-center,randomized study

BACKGROUND Endoscopic rubber band ligation(ERBL)is a nonsurgical technique for the treatment of symptomatic internal hemorrhoids but is limited by recurrence and post-procedural pain.AIM To evaluate satisfaction,long-term recurrence,and post-procedural pain in managing internal hemorrhoids using a combination of polidocanol foam sclerotherapy and ERBL.METHODS This was a prospective,multicenter,randomized study.A total of 195 consecutive patients diagnosed with grade II-III internal hemorrhoids were enrolled from four tertiary hospitals and randomly divided into a cap-assisted endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding(EFSB)or an ERBL group.All patients were followed-up for 12 months.Symptom-based severity and post-procedural pain were assessed using a hemorrhoid severity score(HSS)and a visual analog scale(VAS).Continuous variables were reported as medians and interquartile range.RESULTS One hundred and ninety-five patients were enrolled,with 98 in the EFSB group.HSS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL group at 8 weeks[4.0(3.0-5.0)vs 5.0(4.0-6.0),P=0.003]and 12-month[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-3.0),P<0.001]of follow-up.The prolapse recurrence rate was lower in the EFSB group at 12 months(11.2%vs 21.6%,P=0.038).Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that EFSB treatment[B=-0.915,95%confidence interval(CI):−1.301 to−0.530,P=0.001]and rubber band number(B=0.843,95%CI:0.595-1.092,P<0.001)were negatively and independently associated with the VAS score 24 hours post-procedure.The median VAS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-4.0),P<0.001].CONCLUSION Cap-assisted EFSB provided long-term satisfaction and effective relief from the recurrence of prolapse and pain 24 hours post-procedure.

Realization of^(87)Rb Bose–Einstein Condensates in Higher Bands of a Hexagonal Boron-Nitride Optical Lattice

Ultracold neutral atoms in higher bands of an optical lattice provide a natural avenue to emulate orbital physics in solid state materials.Here,we report the realization of^(87)Rb Bose-Einstein condensates in the fourth and seventh Bloch bands of a hexagonal boron-nitride optical lattice,exhibiting remarkably long coherence time through active cooling.Using band mapping spectroscopy,we observe that atoms condensed at the energy minimum of L point(K_(1)and K_(2)points)in the fourth(seventh)band as sharp Bragg peaks.The lifetime for the condensate in the fourth(seventh)band is about 57.6(4.8)ms,and the phase coherence of atoms in the fourth band persists for a long time larger than 110 ms.Our work thus offers great promise for studying unconventional bosonic superfluidity of neutral atoms in higher bands of optical lattices.

Ultra-wide band gap and wave attenuation mechanism of a novel star-shaped chiral metamaterial

A novel hollow star-shaped chiral metamaterial(SCM)is proposed by incorporating chiral structural properties into the standard hollow star-shaped metamaterial,exhibiting a wide band gap over 1500 Hz.To broaden the band gap,solid single-phase and two-phase SCMs are designed and simulated,which produce two ultra-wide band gaps(approximately 5116 Hz and 6027 Hz,respectively).The main reason for the formation of the ultra-wide band gap is that the rotational vibration of the concave star of two novel SCMs drains the energy of an elastic wave.The impacts of the concave angle of a single-phase SCM and the resonator radius of a two-phase SCM on the band gaps are studied.Decreasing the concave angle leads to an increase in the width of the widest band gap,and the width of the widest band gap increases as the resonator radius of the two-phase SCM increases.Additionally,the study on elastic wave propagation characteristics involves analyzing frequency dispersion surfaces,wave propagation directions,group velocities,and phase velocities.Ultimately,the analysis focuses on the transmission properties of finite periodic structures.The solid single-phase SCM achieves a maximum vibration attenuation over 800,while the width of the band gap is smaller than that of the two-phase SCM.Both metamaterials exhibit high vibration attenuation capabilities,which can be used in wideband vibration reduction to satisfy the requirement of ultra-wide frequencies.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of endoscopic band ligation in the treatment of bleeding from mild to moderate gastric varices type 1

BACKGROUND According to practice guidelines,endoscopic band ligation(EBL)and endoscopic tissue adhesive injection(TAI)are recommended for treating bleeding from esophagogastric varices.However,EBL and TAI are known to cause serious complications,such as hemorrhage from dislodged ligature rings caused by EBL and hemorrhage from operation-related ulcers resulting from TAI.However,the optimal therapy for mild to moderate type 1 gastric variceal hemorrhage(GOV1)has not been determined.Therefore,the aim of this study was to discover an individualized treatment for mild to moderate GOV1.AIM To compare the efficacy,safety and costs of EBL and TAI for the treatment of mild and moderate GOV1.METHODS A clinical analysis of the data retrieved from patients with mild or moderate GOV1 gastric varices who were treated under endoscopy was also conducted.Patients were allocated to an EBL group or an endoscopic TAI group.The differences in the incidence of varicose relief,operative time,operation success rate,mortality rate within 6 wk,rebleeding rate,6-wk operation-related ulcer healing rate,complication rate and average operation cost were compared between the two groups of patients.RESULTS The total effective rate of the two treatments was similar,but the efficacy of EBL(66.7%)was markedly better than that of TAI(39.2%)(P<0.05).The operation success rate in both groups was 100%,and the 6-wk mortality rate in both groups was 0%.The average operative time(26 min)in the EBL group was significantly shorter than that in the TAI group(46 min)(P<0.01).The rate of delayed postoperative rebleeding in the EBL group was significantly lower than that in the TAI group(11.8%vs 45.1%)(P<0.01).At 6 wk after the operation,the healing rate of operation-related ulcers in the EBL group was 80.4%,which was significantly greater than that in the TAI group(35.3%)(P<0.01).The incidence of postoperative complications in the two groups was similar.The average cost and other related economic factors were greater for the EBL than for the TAI(P<0.01).CONCLUSION For mild to moderate GOV1,patients with EBL had a greater one-time varix eradication rate,a greater 6-wk operation-related ulcer healing rate,a lower delayed rebleeding rate and a lower cost than patients with TAI.

Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Spectrum Prediction for Bursty Bands

Spectrum prediction plays an important role for the secondary user(SU)to utilize the shared spectrum resources.However,currently utilized prediction methods are not well applied to spectrum with high burstiness,as parameters of prediction models cannot be adjusted properly.This paper studies the prediction problem of bursty bands.Specifically,we first collect real Wi Fi transmission data in 2.4GHz Industrial,Scientific,Medical(ISM)band which is considered to have bursty characteristics.Feature analysis of the data indicates that the spectrum occupancy law of the data is time-variant,which suggests that the performance of commonly used single prediction model could be restricted.Considering that the match between diverse spectrum states and multiple prediction models may essentially improve the prediction performance,we then propose a deep-reinforcement learning based multilayer perceptron(DRL-MLP)method to address this matching problem.The state space of the method is composed of feature vectors,and each of the vectors contains multi-dimensional feature values.Meanwhile,the action space consists of several multilayer perceptrons(MLPs)that are trained on the basis of multiple classified data sets.We finally conduct experiments with the collected real data and simulations with generated data to verify the performance of the proposed method.The results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms the stateof-the-art methods in terms of the prediction accuracy.

Experimental observation of Fermi-level flat band in novel kagome metal CeNi_(5)

Kagome materials are a class of material with a lattice structure composed of corner-sharing triangles that produce various exotic electronic phenomena,such as Dirac fermions,van Hove singularities,and flat bands.However,most of the known kagome materials have a flat band detached from the Fermi energy,which limits the investigation of the emergent flat band physics.In this work,by combining soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)and the first-principles calculations,the electronic structure is investigated of a novel kagome metal CeNi_(5) with a clear dispersion along the kz direction and a Fermi level flat band in theΓ–K–M–Γplane.Besides,resonant ARPES experimental results indicate that the valence state of Ce ions is close to 4^(+),which is consistent with the transport measurement result.Our results demonstrate the unique electronic properties of CeNi_(5) as a new kagome metal and provide an ideal platform for exploring the flat band physics and the interactions between different types of flat bands by tuning the valence state of Ce ions.

Behavior of exciton in direct−indirect band gap Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As crystal lattice quantum wells

Excitons have significant impacts on the properties of semiconductors.They exhibit significantly different properties when a direct semiconductor turns in to an indirect one by doping.Huybrecht variational method is also found to influence the study of exciton ground state energy and ground state binding energy in Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As semiconductor spherical quantum dots.The Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As is considered to be a direct semiconductor at AI concentration below 0.45,and an indirect one at the concentration above 0.45.With regards to the former,the ground state binding energy increases and decreases with AI concentration and eigenfrequency,respectively;however,while the ground state energy increases with AI concentration,it is marginally influenced by eigenfrequency.On the other hand,considering the latter,while the ground state binding energy increases with AI concentration,it decreases with eigenfrequency;nevertheless,the ground state energy increases both with AI concentration and eigenfrequency.Hence,for the better practical performance of the semiconductors,the properties of the excitons are suggested to vary by adjusting AI concentration and eigenfrequency.

Layered kagome compound Na_(2)Ni_(3)S_(4)with topological flat band

We report structural and electronic properties of Na_(2)Ni_(3)S_(4),a quasi-two-dimensional compound composed of alternating layers of[Ni_(3)S_(4)]^(2-)and Na^(+).The compound features a remarkable Ni-based kagome lattice with a square planar configuration of four surrounding S atoms for each Ni atom.Magnetization and electrical measurements reveal a weak paramagnetic insulator with a gap of about 0.5 eV.Our band structure calculation highlights a set of topological flat bands of the kagome lattice derived from the rotated dxz-orbital with C_(3)+T symmetry in the presence of crystal-field splitting.

Numerical investigation of friction-heating-pressurization and its control parameters in the shear band of high-speed landslides

High-speed sliding often leads to catastrophic landslides,many of which,in the initial sliding phase before disintegration,experience a friction-induced thermal pressurization effect in the bottom shear band,accelerating the movement of the overlying sliding mass.To quantitatively investigate this complex multiphysical phenomenon,we established a set of equations that describe the variations in temperature and excess pore pressure within the shear band,as well as the conservation of momentum equation for the overlying sliding mass.With a simplified landslide model,we investigated the variations of temperature and excess pore pressure within the shear band and their impacts on the velocity of the overlying sliding mass.On this basis,we studied the impact of seven key parameters on the maximum temperature and excess pore pressure in the shear band,as well as the impact on the velocity of the overlying sliding mass.The simulation results of the standard model show that the temperature and excess pore pressure in the shear band are significantly higher than those in the adjacent areas,and reach the maximum values in the center.Within a few seconds after the start,the maximum excess pore pressure in the shear zone is close to the initial stress,and the shear strength loss rate exceeds 90%.The thermal pressurization mechanism significantly increases the velocity of the overlying sliding mass.The results of parameter sensitivity analysis show that the thermal expansion coefficient has the most significant impact on the temperature and excess pore pressure in the shear band,and the sliding surface dip angle has the most significant impact on the velocity of the overlying sliding mass.The results of this study are of great significance for clarifying the mechanism of thermal pressurization-induced high-speed sliding.

Band structures of strained kagome lattices

Materials with kagome lattices have attracted significant research attention due to their nontrivial features in energy bands.We theoretically investigate the evolution of electronic band structures of kagome lattices in response to uniaxial strain using both a tight-binding model and an antidot model based on a periodic muffin-tin potential.It is found that the Dirac points move with applied strain.Furthermore,the flat band of unstrained kagome lattices is found to develop into a highly anisotropic shape under a stretching strain along y direction,forming a partially flat band with a region dispersionless along ky direction while dispersive along kx direction.Our results shed light on the possibility of engineering the electronic band structures of kagome materials by mechanical strain.

Observation of flat-band localized state in a one-dimensional diamond momentum lattice of ultracold atoms

We investigated the one-dimensional diamond ladder in the momentum lattice platform. By inducing multiple twoand four-photon Bragg scatterings among specific momentum states, we achieved a flat band system based on the diamond model, precisely controlling the coupling strength and phase between individual lattice sites. Utilizing two lattice sites couplings, we generated a compact localized state associated with the flat band, which remained localized throughout the entire time evolution. We successfully realized the continuous shift of flat bands by adjusting the corresponding nearest neighbor hopping strength, enabling us to observe the complete localization process. This opens avenues for further exploration of more complex properties within flat-band systems, including investigating the robustness of flat-band localized states in disordered flat-band systems and exploring many-body localization in interacting flat-band systems.

Amniotic Band Syndrome at the Van Norman Clinic in Burundi: A Case Series

Amniotic band syndrome is an acquired embryo-fetopathy. It is rare and is characterized by malformations mainly affecting the limbs but also the skull, face and thoraco-abdominal axis. Its etiopathogenesis remains poorly understood. Its diagnosis is essentially clinical and is classically based on the existence of signs such as furrows, amputations and pseudosyndactyly. To show the importance of antenatal diagnosis in resource-limited countries, we report the case of two newborns, one premature at 31 weeks and the other at term, in whom amniotic band syndrome was discovered incidentally at birth. It involved an amputation of the right leg for both cases. The premature baby was born in a context of neonatal sepsis and will succumb to the latter while the 2nd case was released from the hospital alive. Imaging examinations to search for probable congenital malformations could only be carried out for the 2nd case and no accessible congenital malformation had been identified. And as management of the disease, only psychological support to the parents was provided for the 2 cases. The antenatal discovery of a case of amniotic band syndrome in countries with low technical capacity such as Burundi should push clinicians to think in time about treatment options.

Single crystal growth and transport properties of narrow-bandgap semiconductor RhP_(2)

We report the growth of high-quality single crystals of RhP_(2),and systematically study its structure and physical properties by transport,magnetism,and heat capacity measurements.Single-crystal x-ray diffraction reveals that RhP_(2) adopts a monoclinic structure with the cell parameters a=5.7347(10)A,b=5.7804(11)A,and c=5.8222(11)A,space group P2_(1)/c(No.14).The electrical resistivityρ(T)measurements indicate that RhP_(2) exhibits narrow-bandgap behavior with the activation energies of 223.1 meV and 27.4 meV for two distinct regions,respectively.The temperaturedependent Hall effect measurements show electron domain transport behavior with a low charge carrier concentration.We find that RhP_(2) has a high mobilityμ_(e)~210 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_(e)~3.3×10^(18)cm^(3) at 300 K with a narrow-bandgap feature.The high mobilityμ_(e) reaches the maximum of approximately 340 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_^(e)~2×10^(18)cm^(-3)at 100 K.No magnetic phase transitions are observed from the susceptibilityχ(T)and specific heat C_(p)(T)measurements of RhP_(2).Our results not only provide effective potential as a material platform for studying exotic physical properties and electron band structures but also motivate further exploration of their potential photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications.

Optimal design for rubber concrete layered periodic foundations based on the analytical approximations of band gaps and mapping relations

The seismic performance of rubber concrete-layered periodic foundations are significantly influenced by their design,in which the band gaps play a paramount role.Aiming at providing better designs for these foundations,this study first proposes and validates the analytical formulas to approximate the bounds of the first few band gaps.In addition,the mapping relations linking the frequencies of different band gaps are presented.Furthermore,an optimal design method for these foundations is developed,which is validated through an engineering example.It is demonstrated that ensuring the superstructure’s resonance zones are completely covered by the corresponding periodic foundation’s band gaps can achieve satisfactory vibration attenuation effects,which is a good strategy for the design of rubber concrete layered periodic foundations.