Two-step growth of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) on c-plane sapphire using MOCVD for solar-blind photodetector

In this work,a two-step metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD)method was applied for growingβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) film on c-plane sapphire.Optimized buffer layer growth temperature(T_(B))was found at 700℃ and theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) film with full width at half maximum(FWHM)of 0.66°was achieved.A metal−semiconductor−metal(MSM)solar-blind photodetector(PD)was fabricated based on theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) film.Ultrahigh responsivity of 1422 A/W@254 nm and photo-to-dark current ratio(PDCR)of 10^(6) at 10 V bias were obtained.The detectivity of 2.5×10^(15) Jones proved that the photodetector has outstanding performance in detecting weak signals.Moreover,the photodetector exhibited superior wavelength selectivity with rejection ratio(R_(250 nm)/R_(400 nm))of 105.These results indicate that the two-step method is a promising approach for preparation of high-qualityβ-Ga_(2)O_(3)films for high-performance solar-blind photodetectors.

Two-step strategy—conjunctival flap covering surgery combined with secondary deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty for the treatment of high-risk fungal keratitis

AIM:To investigate whether the two-step strategy[conjunctival flap covering surgery(CFCS)combined with secondary deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty(DALK)]is effective for patients with high-risk fungal keratitis(FK).METHODS:In this noncomparative,retrospective case series,10 subjects(6 males,4 females)with a mean age of 56.5±7.1(range 47-72)y with high-risk FK undergone the two-step strategy were included.Reported outcome measures were healing of the corneal ulcer,recurrence of FK,reject reaction,improvement in best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and relevant complications.RESULTS:The average diameter of corneal infiltrates was 7.50±0.39 mm,ranging from 6.94 to 8.13 mm.The mean depth of corneal infiltrates was 422.4±77.1μm,ranging from 350 to 535μm.The mean corneal thickness was 597.4±117.3μm,ranging from 458 to 851μm.Hypopyon and endothelial plaques were presented in all patients.The period between the two steps was 3.65±0.9(ranging from 3 to 5)mo.The graft diameter was 7.75±0.39 mm.At the last follow-up(average 9.25±3.39,ranging from 5.5 to 17mo),no fungal recurrence or graft rejection appeared,and all patients showed improvement of BCVA.One patient suffered from liver function impairment due to oral voriconazole for 4wk and recovered spontaneously after 1wk of drug withdrawal.CONCLUSION:The two-step strategy is safe and effective in the treatment of high-risk FK by transforming intentional therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty during acute infection to later optical DALK.It is a practical strategy,especially in areas lacking fresh donor corneas and eye bank services.

Intensified shape selectivity and alkylation reaction for the two-step conversion of methanol aromatization to p-xylene

Two-step conversion of methanol to aromatics via light hydrocarbons can significantly improve the conversion stability compared with direct aromatization of methanol,but it remains a challenge to achieve a high p-xylene(PX)selectivity.Herein,silica coating was firstly used to passivate external acid sites of ZSM-5 catalyst for the aromatization of light hydrocarbons by the chemical liquid deposition method.With the increase of SiO_(2) deposition,the density of the external acid sites of the catalyst was decreased from 0.1 to 0.03 mmol·g^(-1),which inhibited the surface secondary reactions and increased the PX/X from 34.6% to 60.0%.In view of the fact that the aromatization process in the second step was partly inhibited as methanol was consumed in advance in the upper methanol-to-light hydrocarbons catalyst layer,part of methanol was directly introduced into the lower aromatization catalyst layer to promote the alkylation process during the aromatization,which decreased the toluene selectivity from 34.5% to 14.3% but increased the xylene selectivity from 40.0%to 55.3%.It was also found that an appropriate external acid density was needed for aromatization catalyst to strengthen the alkylation process and improve the selectivity of xylene under the conditions of methanol introduction.

A two-step correction of a congenital alar cleft in an adult patient:A case report

This report describes a two-step surgical correction of an isolated left-sided congenital alar cleft in a 21-year-old male patient presenting with a 9×6.5 mm^(2)-sized cleft.Malformations of the alar structure and displacement of the lower lateral cartilage were observed.All flaps survived,and the patient was completely satisfied with the surgical results.This surgical treatment is simple and reliable,can greatly improve the nasal appearance of patients with alar clefts,and may be an alternative to the current surgical treatment.

居民消费结构转型升级的碳减排效应研究

降低各地区的碳排放强度对于“双碳”目标的实现具有重要意义。近年来,我国居民消费结构发生了重大变化,居民消费结构转型升级对碳排放强度有显著影响。本文采用2000-2020年我国30个省级地区的空间面板样本数据,利用动态面板模型研究了居民消费结构转型对碳排放强度是否存在非线性影响机制;对产业结构能否充当中介变量进行分析,对东中西部地区的异质性进行了研究;研究表明居民消费结构对碳排放强度能够产生明显的抑制效果,东部地区的影响更为显著,并且产业结构能够作为中介效应影响碳排放强度。本研究结论与政策启示对于居民消费结构转型升级实现“双碳”目标具有一定的现实意义。

Socioeconomic traits and the risk of Barrett’s esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux disease: A Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Previous observational studies have shown that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)and Barrett’s esophagus(BE)is associated with socioeconomic status.However,due to the methodological limitations of traditional observational studies,it is challenging to definitively establish causality.AIM To explore the causal relationship between the prevalence of these conditions and socioeconomic status using Mendelian randomization(MR).METHODS We initially screened single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)to serve as proxies for eight socioeconomic status phenotypes for univariate MR analysis.The inverse variance weighted(IVW)method was used as the primary analytical method to estimate the causal relationship between the eight socioeconomic status phenotypes and the risk of GERD and BE.We then collected combinations of SNPs as composite proxies for the eight socioeconomic phenotypes to perform multivariate MR(MVMR)analyses based on the IVW MVMR model.Furthermore,a two-step MR mediation analysis was used to examine the potential mediation of the associations by body mass index,major depressive disorder(MDD),smoking,alcohol consumption,and sleep duration.RESULTS The study identified three socioeconomic statuses that had a significant impact on GERD.These included household income[odds ratio(OR):0.46;95% confidence interval(95%CI):0.31-0.70],education attainment(OR:0.23;95%CI:0.18-0.29),and the Townsend Deprivation Index at recruitment(OR:1.57;95%CI:1.04-2.37).These factors were found to independently and predominantly influence the genetic causal effect of GERD.Furthermore,the mediating effect of educational attainment on GERD was found to be mediated by MDD(proportion mediated:10.83%).Similarly,the effect of educational attainment on BE was mediated by MDD(proportion mediated:10.58%)and the number of cigarettes smoked per day(proportion mediated:3.50%).Additionally,the mediating effect of household income on GERD was observed to be mediated by sleep duration(proportion mediated:9.75%)CONCLUSION This MR study shed light on the link between socioeconomic status and GERD or BE,providing insights for the prevention of esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions.

A two-step quantum secure direct communication protocol with hyperentanglement

We propose a two-step quantum secure direct communication （QSDC） protocol with hyperentanglement in both the spatial-mode and the polarization degrees of freedom of photon pairs which can in principle be produced with a beta barium borate crystal. The secret message can be encoded on the photon pairs with unitary operations in these two degrees of freedom independently. This QSDC protocol has a higher capacity than the original two-step QSDC protocol as each photon pair can carry 4 bits of information. Compared with the QSDC protocol based on hyperdense coding, this QSDC protocol has the immunity to Trojan horse attack strategies with the process for determining the number of the photons in each quantum signal as it is a one-way quantum communication protocol.

Effects of the two-step ageing treatment on the microstructure and properties of 7B04 alloy pre-stretched thick plates

The effects of the two-step ageing parameters （temperature and time） on the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of 7B04 （A1-Zn-Mg-Cu） pre-stretched thick plates were studied. The results reveal that the initial T1 ageing contributes a major increase of the tensile strength, and the 0.2% proof stress value reaches 482 MPa after ageing for 7 h at 115℃. Behavioral differences in the tensile properties of the alloy after the two-step ageing treatment were less with the first-step ageing at 115~C for different time periods （7, 14, and 21 h）. The effects of the second ageing parameters on the properties and microstructure of the 7B04 alloy were remarkable. TEM analysis of the samples aged at Temper I （7 h at 115℃ ＋ 12 h at 160℃） and Temper II （7 h at 115℃ ＋ 16 h at 165℃） indicates that two kinds of phases, i.e. 11＇ and 11 phases, precipitate from the matrix and efficiently improve the tensile strength of the alloy, and the grain boundary precipitates are coarse and discrete. There are obvious precipitate free zones （PFZs） along the grain boundary in the microstructure of the alloy after the two-step ageing treatment.

Design System of the Two-step Gear Reducer on Case-based Reasoning

The design of the two-step gear reducer is a tedious and time-consuming process. For the purpose of improving the efficiency and intelligence of design process, case-based reasoning（CBR） technology was applied to the design of the two-step gear reducer. Firstly, the current design method for the two-step gear reducer was analyzed and the principle of CBR was described. Secondly, according to the characteristics of the reducer, three key technologies of CBR were studied and the corresponding methods were provided, which are as follows： （a） an object-oriented knowledge representation method, （b） a retrieval method combining the nearest neighbor with the induction indexing, and （c） a case adaptation algorithm combining the revision based on rule with artificial revision. Also, for the purpose of improving the credibility of case retrieval, a new method for determining the weights of characteristics and a similarity formula were presented, which is a combinatorial weighting method with the analytic hierarchy process（AHP） and roughness set theory. Lastly, according to the above analytic results, a design system of the two-step gear reducer on CBR was developed by VC＋＋, UG and Access 2003. A new method for the design of the two-step gear reducer is provided in this study. If the foregoing developed system is applied to design the two-step gear reducer, design efficiency is improved, which enables the designer to release from the tedious design process of the gear reducer so as to put more efforts on innovative design. The study result fully reflects the feasibility and validity of CBR technology in the process of the design of the mechanical parts.

Multi-agent controlled teleportation of multi-qubit quantum information via two-step protocol

Utilizing both the general quantum teleportation and the two-step protocol, a new method is presented by which multi-qubit quantum information can be teleported in a much easier way from a sender Alice to a receiver Bob via the control of many agents in a network than by Yang et al＇s method. In this method, only all the agents collaborate with Bob can the unknown states in Alice＇s qubits be fully reconstructed in Bob＇s qubits. Comparisons between the method and Yang et al＇s method are made. Results show that, in this method, the preparation difficulty of initial states and the identification difficulty of entangled states are considerably reduced, new method is more feasible in technique, and Hadamard operations are not needed at all.

Hydrogen and syngas production from two-step steam reforming of methane using CeO_2 as oxygen carrier

CeO2 oxygen carrier was prepared by precipitation method and tested by two-step steam reforming of methane （SRM）. Two-step SRM for hydrogen and syngas generation is investigated in a fixed-bed reactor. Methane is directly converted to syngas at a H2/CO ratio close to 2 ： 1 at a high temperature （above 750 °C） by the lattice oxygen of CeO2; methane cracking is found when the reduction degree of CeO2 was above 5.0% at 850 °C in methane isothermal reaction. CeO2？δ obtained from methane isothermal reaction can split water to generate CO-free hydrogen and renew its lattice oxygen at 700 °C; simultaneously, deposited carbon is selectively oxidized to CO2 by steam following the reaction （C＋2H2O→CO2＋2H2）. Slight deactivation in terms of amounts of desired products （syngas and hydrogen） is observed in ten repetitive two-step SRM process due to the carbon deposition on CeO2 surface as well as sintering of CeO2.

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence on organic inorganic metal halide perovskite CH3NH3Pb I3-xClx prepared on ZnO/FTO substrates using a two-step method

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence characteristics of organic-inorganic halide perovskite CH3NH3Pb I3-xClx films prepared using a two-step method on ZnO/FTO substrates were investigated. Surface morphology and absorption characteristics of the films were also studied. Scanning electron microscopy revealed large crystals and substrate coverage. The orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition temperature was-140 K. The films＇ exciton binding energy was 77.6 ± 10.9 meV and the energy of optical phonons was 38.8 ± 2.5 meV. These results suggest that perovskite CH3NH3Pb I（3-x）Clx films have excellent optoelectronic characteristics which further suggests their potential usage in perovskitebased optoelectronic devices.

Synthesis of polyurea from 1,6-hexanediamine with CO_2 through a two-step polymerization

Activation and transformation of CO_2 is one of the important issues in the field of green and sustainable chemistry. Herein, CO_2 as a carbonoxygen resource was converted to CO_2-polyurea with 1,6-hexanediamine through a two-step polymerization. The reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure and reaction time were examined; and several kinds of catalysts were screened in the absence and presence of NMP solvent. The formed oligomer and the final polyurea were characterized by FT-IR, VT-DRIFTS, NMR, XRD, AFM and their thermal properties were examined by TGA and DSC. It was confirmed that the final polyurea has a high thermal stability; the melting temperature is 269℃ and the decomposition temperature is above 300℃. It is a brittle polymer with a tensile strength of 18.35 MPa at break length of 1.64%. The polyurea has a stronger solvent resistance due to the ordered hydrogen bond in structure. The average molecular weight should be enhanced in the postpolymerization as the appearance, hydrogen bond intensity, crystallinity, melting point and the thermal stability changed largely compared to the oligomer. The present work provides a new kind of polyurea, it is expected to have a wide application in the field of polymer materials.

Multiple-image encryption by two-step phase-shifting interferometry and spatial multiplexing of smooth compressed signal

A multiple-image encryption method based on two-step phase-shifting interferometry （PSI） and spatial multiplexing of a smooth compressed signal is proposed. In the encoding and encryption process, with the help of four index matrices to store original pixel positions, all the pixels of four secret images are firstly reordered in an ascending order; then, the four reordered images are transformed by five-order Haar wavelet transform and performed sparseness operation. After Arnold transform and pixels sampling operation, one combined image can be grouped with the aid of compressive sensing （CS） and spatial multiplexing techniques. Finally, putting the combined image at the input plane of the PSI encryption scheme, only two interferograms ciphertexts can be obtained. During the decoding and decryption, utilizing all the secret key groups and index matrices keys, all the original secret images can be successfully decrypted by a wave-front retrieval algorithm of two-step PSI, spatial de-multiplexing, inverse Arnold transform, inverse discrete wavelet transform, and pixels reordering operation.

A two-step transient liquid phase diffusion bonding process of T91 steels

In this study, a two-step heating process is introduced for transient liquid phase （ TLP） diffusion bonding fo r sound joints with T91 heat resistant steels. At first, a short-time higher temperature heating step is addressed to melt the interlayer, followed by the second step to complete isothermal solidification at a low temperature. The most critical feature of our new method is producing a non-planar interface at the T9／ heat resistant steels joint. We propose a transitional liquid phase bonding of T91 heat resistant steels by this approach. Since joint microstructures have been studied, we tested the tensile strength to assess joint mechanical property. The result indicates that the solidified bond may contain a primary solid-solution, similar composition to the parent metal and free from precipitates. Joint tensile strength of the joint is not lower than parent materials. Joint bend＇s strengths are enhanced due to the higher metal-to-metal junction producing a non-planar bond lines. Nevertheless, the traditional transient liquid phase diffusion bonding produces planar ones. Bonding parameters of new process are 1 260 °C for 0. 5 min and 1 230 °C fo r 4 min.

Applying the Dynamic Two-Step Method to Forecast Remaining Oil Distribution of Lower Series ,Xiaermen Oilfield

The distribution of remaining oil is often described qualitatively. The remaining oil distributed in the whole reservoir is calculated according to the characteristics of the space distribution of the saturation of remaining oil. Logging data are required to accomplish this. However, many such projects cannot be completed. Since the old study of remaining oil distribution could not be quantified efficiently, the ＂dynamic two-step method＂ is presented. Firstly, the water cut of every flow unit in one well at one time is calculated according to the comprehensive water cut of a single well at one time. Secondly, the remaining oil saturation of the flow unit of the well at one time is calculated based on the water cut of the flow unit at a given time. The results show that ＂dynamic two-step method＂ has characteristics of simplicity and convenience, and is especially suitable for the study of remaining oil distribution at high water-cut stage. The distribution of remaining oil presented banding and potato form, remaining oil was relatively concentrated in faultage neighborhood and imperfect well netting position, and the net thickness of the place was great. This proposal can provide an effective way to forecast remaining oil distribution and enhance oil recovery, especially applied at the high water-cut stage.

Two-Step Synthesis of Sulfur/Graphene Composite Cathode for Rechargeable Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Sulfur/graphene composites with different sulfur contents were prepared by two-step synthesis, where graphene was regarded as a carrier of sulfur active substance. The surface structure and crystal form of the composites obtained were characterized and compared by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It was found that sulfur was partially coated by graphene. The graphene folds provided more nano-pores and electron transport channels for sulfur. From TGA results, the sulfur contents of the sulfur/graphene compositcs measured were about 42.32 wt%, 54.94 wt%, and 65.23 wt%. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that sulfur/graphene composite （x=54.94 wt%） cathode exhibited better capacity retention （40.13%） compared with the pure cathode （20.46%）, where an initial discharge capacity was up to 1 500 mAh.g-t and it remained about 600 mAh·g-1 after 30 cycles. Furthermore, the electrochemical reaction mechanism and the state of reaction interface for Li/S battery were analyzed by cyclic voltammogram and AC-impedance spectra. The results indicated that the sulfur/graphene composite with a sulfur content of 54.94 wt%, based on a two-step synthesis, contributed to improving electrochemical properties of lithium/sulfur battery

Preoperative selective portal vein embolization in two-step hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in injured livers: a preliminary report

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of preoperative selective portal vein embolization (SPVE) in thetwo-step hepatectomy for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in injured livers.METHODS: Twenty-six patients with HCC and cirrhosis who were not suitable for curative hepatectomywere treated by ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic SPVE with a fine needle. The success rate,side-effects and complications of SPVE, serial changes of hepatic lobe volume and rate of two-step curativehepatectomy after SPVE were observed.RESULTS: SPVE was performed in 24 patients (92.3%). In patients whose right portal vein brancheswere embolized, the right hepatic volume decreased but the left hepatic volume increased gradually. Theratio of the right hepatic volume to the total hepatic volume decreased from 64.O% before SPVE to 60.8%after 1 week, 55.1% after 2 weeks and 52.7% after 3 weeks, respectively. The side-effects includeddifferent degree of pain in the liver quandrant (17 patients), lower fever (9), and nausea and vomiting(7). The levels of aspartate alanine transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and total bilirubin(TBIL) increased after SPVE, but returned to the preoperative levels in 1 week. After 2-4 weeks,two-step curative hepatectomy for HCC was performed in 13 patients (54.2%).CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic SPVE with a fine needle is feasible andsafe. It can extend the indications of curative hepatectomy for HCC in injured livers, and increase thesafety of two-step hepatectomy.

The direct synthesis of Ni/SAPO-11 hydroisomerization catalyst via a novel two-step crystallization strategy

The Ni/SAPO-11 catalyst used for n-hexane hydroisomerization was prepared via a novel two-step crystallization strategy.It involves introduction of nickel salt into the pre-crystalized system of SAPO-11 by grinding followed by a second crystallization step.No extra solvent is introduced during the whole synthesis procedure which reduces waste liquid emissions significantly.More importantly,interaction between nickel and support is effectively regulated by the novel method to achieve a well dispersed nickel species and inhibit formation of inert nickel spinel simultaneously.Chemical environments of framework Si are tuned to enhance surface acidity of the Ni/SAPO-11 catalyst.It also shows smaller particle size which favors fast diffusion of reactants and products.Insights into the two-step crystallization indicate that accumulation of SAPO-11 precursors in the pre-crystallization stage,pH regulation by nickel salt and structural directing effect of Ni2+during the second crystallization period account for the rapid crystal growth and smaller particle size of the Ni/SAPO-11 catalyst.All the unique features endow the Ni/SAPO-11 catalyst higher activity and isomers selectivity than the Pt/SAPO-11 catalyst in n-hexane hydroisomerization.

A simulation study comparing the Texas two-step and the multistage consecutive fracturing method

Multistage hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells is a critical technique for developing unconventional oil and gas resources.Stress interactions among neighboring fractures cause immature fracture development.The Texas two-step fracturing(TTSF)method is a new technique that aims to enhance fracture complexity and conductivity.This paper compares the fracture development of consecutive fracturing and the TTSF.The fracturing sequence in the multistage fracturing method has a significant effect on the fracture length,fracture width and injection pres sure.The consecutive fracturing results in relatively uneven fracture length and width.Certain fractures in consecutive fracturing are restrained to be closed due to the strong stress shadowing effect.In contrast,TTSF has considerable potential for alleviating the negative effects of stress interactions and producing a larger stimulated reservoir volume.