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Mg 3 (Sb,Bi) 2 is a promising thermoelectric material suited for electronic cooling, but there is still room to optimize its low-temperature performance. This work realizes >200% enhancement in room-temperature zT by incorporating metallic inclusions (Nb or Ta) into the Mg 3 (Sb,Bi) 2 -based matrix. The electrical conductivity is boosted in the range of 300–450 K, whereas the corresponding Seebeck coefficients remain unchanged, leading to an exceptionally high room-temperature power factor >30 μW cm −1 K −2 ; such an unusual effect originates mainly from the modified interfacial barriers. The reduced interfacial barriers are conducive to carrier transport at low and high temperatures. Furthermore, benefiting from the reduced lattice thermal conductivity, a record-high average zT  > 1.5 and a maximum zT of 2.04 at 798 K are achieved, resulting in a high thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 15%. This work demonstrates an efficient nanocomposite strategy to enhance the wide-temperature-range thermoelectric performance of n-type Mg 3 (Sb,Bi) 2 , broadening their potential for practical applications. The utilization of Mg 3 (Sb,Bi) 2 in thermoelectric devices is hindered by its low performance near room temperature. Here, authors report thermoelectric performance enhancement of Mg 3 (Sb,Bi) 2 within a wide temperature range by incorporating metallic inclusions at grain boundaries. (279 in total)

This study aims to analyze how the built environment influences urban residents’ physical activity in tropical coastal regions, and to identify the relative weights of key environmental factors. Through semi-structured interviews with 31 residents in Hainan, China, and qualitative analysis using NVivo 14, five core categories influencing physical activity were identified. A conceptual model with the built environment as its central node was then developed to elucidate the interrelationships among these categories. To further weight the sub-categories, a follow-up Analytic Hierarchy Process survey was conducted with 12 experts. Integrating the two stages, it was found that the safety and site conditions are prerequisite conditions to ensure residents’ physical activity. On this basis, residents have the strongest perception of the incentive effect of site conditions and landscape. The findings provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for systematically evaluating the impact of the built environment on residents’ health and well-being, and offer guidance for planning and designing health-promoting places in tropical regions.

GeTe is a promising mid-temperature thermoelectric compound but inevitably contains excessive Ge vacancies hindering its performance maximization. This work reveals that significant enhancement in the dimensionless figure of merit ( ZT ) could be realized by defect structure engineering from point defects to line and plane defects of Ge vacancies. The evolved defects including dislocations and nanodomains enhance phonon scattering to reduce lattice thermal conductivity in GeTe. The accumulation of cationic vacancies toward the formation of dislocations and planar defects weakens the scattering against electronic carriers, securing the carrier mobility and power factor. This synergistic effect on electronic and thermal transport properties remarkably increases the quality factor. As a result, a maximum ZT  > 2.3 at 648 K and a record-high average ZT (300-798 K) were obtained for Bi 0.07 Ge 0.90 Te in lead-free GeTe-based compounds. This work demonstrates an important strategy for maximizing the thermoelectric performance of GeTe-based materials by engineering the defect structures, which could also be applied to other thermoelectric materials. The intrinsic high-concentration Ge vacancies in GeTe-based thermoelectric materials hinder their performance maximization. Here, the authors find that defect structure engineering strategy is effective for performance enhancement.

Backgrounds The study was designed to analyze early pregnancy loss rates in first-time fresh embryo transfer cycles in low prognosis patients according to the POSEIDON criteria. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study, including patients with positive human chorionic gonadotropin after first fresh cycles in the Reproductive Center of Henan Province People’s Hospital from June 2018 to February 2023. A total of 2392 cycles were included in this study, which were divided into 4 groups according to the POSEIDON criteria. The general condition, laboratory indexes, and early pregnancy loss rates of patients were compared in each group and the prediction model was constructed in POSEIDON group 4. Results The early pregnancy loss rate ranked from high to low in order of Group D (32.82%), Group B (23.31%), Group C (15.34%), and Group A (13.68%). After adjusting confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the early pregnancy loss rate was significantly higher in groups B and D than in groups A and C (all P  < 0.05). The comparison between Group A and Group C, as well as between Group B and Group D, showed no statistical differences (both P  > 0.05). Group D was randomly divided into training and validation cohorts according to 7:3. The prediction model was constructed based on risk factors. The AUC of the training cohort was 0.761(95% CI: 0.680–0.841), and the AUC of the validation cohort was 0.604(95% CI: 0.440–0.767). Conclusions Patients in POSEIDON group 4 have the highest early pregnancy loss rate, followed by group 2, while patients in groups 3 and 1 have the lowest rate in first-time fresh cycles. The prediction model was successfully established which can predict the occurrence of early pregnancy loss in first-time fresh cycles in POSEIDON group 4.

Organolead halide perovskites, primarily regarded as a high-performance semiconducting component in photovoltaics, have excellent optical and charge-transport characteristics that are advantageous for photocatalysis. However, their moisture-sensitive nature largely hinders their application to water splitting. Here we report a semiconductive organolead iodide layered crystalline material ([Pb 8 I 8 (H 2 O) 3 ] 8+ [ – O 2 C(CH 2 ) 4 CO 2 – ] 4 ) with a bandgap of ~2.74 eV that demonstrates a high robustness over a wide pH range as well as under aqueous boiling conditions. The Earth-abundant material maintains excellent optical characteristics similar to those of perovskites, and includes suitable band positions, excellent carrier diffusion lengths (up to 1.4 μm) and long carrier lifetimes (up to 1.2 μs). When illuminated by sunlight and combined with trace amounts of a Rh co-catalyst, the hybrid iodoplumbate steadily and efficiently produces stoichiometric amounts of hydrogen and oxygen in a recyclable manner. Our findings extend the excellent optoelectronic properties of organolead halide materials from photovoltaics to photocatalytic water splitting. Despite their promising optical properties, organolead halide perovskites are not frequently used in photocatalysis due to their low stability in water. Here, a long-lasting semiconductive organolead iodide layered crystalline material with the ability to perform overall water splitting is introduced.

GeTe is a promising p-type material with increasingly enhanced thermoelectric properties reported in recent years, demonstrating its superiority for mid-temperature applications. In this work, the thermoelectric performance of GeTe is improved by a facile composite approach. We find that incorporating a small amount of boron particles into the Bi-doped GeTe leads to significant enhancement in power factor and simultaneous reduction in thermal conductivity, through which the synergistic modulation of electrical and thermal transport properties is realized. The thermal mismatch between the boron particles and the matrix induces high-density dislocations that effectively scatter the mid-frequency phonons, accounting for a minimum lattice thermal conductivity of 0.43 Wm −1 K −1 at 613 K. Furthermore, the presence of boron/GeTe interfaces modifies the interfacial potential barriers, resulting in increased Seebeck coefficient and hence enhanced power factor (25.4 μWcm −1 K −2 at 300 K). Consequently, we obtain a maximum figure of merit Z max of 4.0 × 10 −3  K −1 at 613 K in the GeTe-based composites, which is the record-high value in GeTe-based thermoelectric materials and also superior to most of thermoelectric systems for mid-temperature applications. This work provides an effective way to further enhance the performance of GeTe-based thermoelectrics. Doping approach is a conventional method to increase ZT values of thermoelectric materials. Here, authors propose a facile strategy to enhance thermoelectric performance by mixing boron particles into GeTe-based thermoelectric materials, leading to a ZT value of 2.45 at 613 K.

Lipid metabolism is critical for male reproduction in plants. Many lipid-metabolic genic male-sterility (GMS) genes function in the anther tapetal endoplasmic reticulum, while little is known about GMS genes involved in de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in the anther tapetal plastid. In this study, we identify a maize male-sterile mutant, enr1 , with early tapetal degradation, defective anther cuticle, and pollen exine. Using genetic mapping, we clone a key GMS gene, ZmENR1 , which encodes a plastid-localized enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase. ZmENR1 interacts with β-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase (ZmHAD1) to enhance the efficiency of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, the ZmENR1/ZmHAD1 complex is regulated by a Maize Male Sterility 1 (ZmMS1)-mediated feedback repression loop to ensure anther cuticle and pollen exine formation by affecting the expression of cutin/wax- and sporopollenin-related genes. Intriguingly, homologous genes of ENR1 from rice and Arabidopsis also regulate male fertility, suggesting that the ENR1-mediated pathway likely represents a conserved regulatory mechanism underlying male reproduction in flowering plants. Authors identify a genic male sterility gene, ZmENR1 , in maize and report that it encodes an enoyl carrier protein reductase that forms heterodimers with ZmHAD1 to ensure maize pollen and anther development through regulating lipid and ROS metabolism.

The future of hypertension management lies in distinguishing disease subtypes for precise control. The underlying drivers and pathology of non-obese hypertension (J-HTN) remain unclear. There is a lack of biomarkers for the early identification of J-HTN. The aim of this study was to identify circulating metabolomic profiles that facilitate the early detection of J-HTN patients, thereby providing valuable insights for more targeted and precision-based therapies. A non-targeted metabolomics approach was used to quantify serum metabolites in 120 patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, and to determine the metabolomic characteristics of J-HTN and two types of obese hypertension (fat-dominant and muscle-dominant). 4 metabolites unique to J-HTN were identified, with lysophosphatidylcholine 22:6 (LysoPC(22:6/0:0)) standing out as the marker showing the most pronounced difference. Using the serum metabolome alone, we were able to distinguish J-HTN from other hypertensive patients. In a secondary validation with an independent cohort of 60 medically treated J-HTN patients, 3 metabolites, including LysoPC(22:6/0:0), remained significantly altered. The serum metabolic profiles identified in this study enable the early detection of J-HTN, with LysoPC(22:6/0:0) emerging as a highly promising biomarker. This metabolite may also correlate with the clinical efficacy of J-HTN treatments.

Three-dimensional lead halide hybrids exhibit excellent photophysical properties but suffer from inherent instability. In contrast, two-dimensional layered lead halides offer enhanced environmental stability, yet their strongly bound excitons restrict efficient charge transport. Here we present a covalent intercalation strategy involving the benchmark photosensitizer [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ into a layered lead halide framework, featuring cationic [Pb 23 X 42 ] 4+ (X −  = Cl − or Br − ) layers pillared by [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ ligands via Pb 2+ -carboxylate coordination. This hybrid material achieves nearly full visible-light absorption and efficient photoinduced charge transfer from [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ to the lead halide layers. This affords efficient CO 2 -to-CO photoreduction with an apparent quantum efficiency of ~3.0% at 500 nm, exceeding the performance of all previously reported organolead halide photocatalysts. Mechanistic studies indicate that the [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ ligands enhance charge transport to Pb 2+ sites, facilitating CO 2 activation and reducing the reaction barrier for the *COOH intermediate. This work establishes a paradigm for intercalation chemistry in robust layered lead halide hybrids. A layered hybrid lead halide intercalated with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ is assembled through Pb 2+ -carboxylate coordination. The material has broad visible light absorption and drives photocatalytic CO 2 reduction to CO with a quantum yield of ~3.0% at 500 nm.

Background Several common retinal diseases that cause blindness are characterised by pathological neovascularisation accompanied by inflammation and neurodegeneration, including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The current treatment strategies for these diseases have limited benefits. Thus, safer and more effective alternative approaches are required. In this study, we loaded small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) with pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), and tested the therapeutic effect of PEDF-loaded sEVs (PEDF-sEVs) using an oxygen induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model, aiming to establish a new therapy strategy for the treatment of retinal pathological angiogenesis. Results We formulated PEDF-loaded sEVs (PEDF-sEVs) containing high concentrations of PEDF and evaluated their effects through in vivo and in vitro experiments. In OIR mice, PEDF-sEVs showed significantly better effects on retinal avascular areas, inflammation, and neuronal degeneration compared with the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug, which may indicate a possible advantage of PEDF-sEVs over anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of pathological neovascularisation. In vitro, PEDF-sEVs greatly inhibited endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration, and tube formation by suppressing the VEGF-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and AKT (also known as Protein Kinase B). All experiments and analyses were performed in triplicate. PEDF-sEVs were more effective than PEDF or sEVs alone, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, to determine the distribution of PEDF-sEVs, we used DiD-labelled sEVs and FITC-labelled PEDF to track the sEVs and PEDF, respectively. We found that PEDF-sEVs effectively reduced the degradation of PEDF. Conclusions Loading PEDF on sEVs effectively enhanced the anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects of PEDF by increasing the stability and penetrability. These results suggest a potential role for PEDF-sEVs in retinal pathological neovascularisation. Graphical Abstract