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Solid-state refrigeration based on the caloric effect is viewed as a promising efficient and clean refrigeration technology. Barocaloric materials were developed rapidly but have since encountered a general obstacle: the prominent caloric effect cannot be utilized reversibly under moderate pressure. Here, we report a mechanism of an emergent large, reversible barocaloric effect (BCE) under low pressure in the hybrid organic–inorganic layered perovskite (CH 3 –(CH 2 ) n −1 –NH 3 ) 2 MnCl 4 ( n  = 9,10), which show the reversible barocaloric entropy change as high as Δ S r ∼ 218, 230 J kg −1  K −1 at 0.08 GPa around the transition temperature ( T s ∼ 294, 311.5 K). To reveal the mechanism, single-crystal (CH 3 –(CH 2 ) n −1 –NH 3 ) 2 MnCl 4 ( n  = 10) was successfully synthesized, and high-resolution single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) was carried out. Then, the underlying mechanism was determined by combining infrared (IR) spectroscopy and density function theory (DFT) calculations. The colossal reversible BCE and the very small hysteresis of 2.6 K (0.1 K/min) and 4.0 K (1 K/min) are closely related to the specific hybrid organic–inorganic structure and single-crystal nature. The drastic transformation of organic chains confined to the metallic frame from ordered rigidity to disordered flexibility is responsible for the large phase-transition entropy comparable to the melting entropy of organic chains. This study provides new insights into the design of novel barocaloric materials by utilizing the advantages of specific organic–inorganic hybrid characteristics. Solid-state coolants: Hybrid crystals deliver big chills at low pressures Materials that can absorb and release heat under low mechanical pressure hold promise for high-efficiency refrigeration technology. Recent studies have shown that significant compression-induced cooling effects at low pressures can be achieved using crystals known as perovskites containing layers of organic chains and metal cations. Yihong Gao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues have now uncovered the mechanism underlying the thermal response of layered perovskites. Using a combination of x-rays, spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, the team discovered how the crystal structure changes at different temperatures. Their experiments revealed a low-energy phase transition where organic chains transform from rigid states to highly flexible conformations held in place by metallic layers. The large entropy change associated with this transition and its reversible nature could aid in the design of other organic–inorganic solid-state coolants. For the emergent colossal, reversible barocaloric effect in organic–inorganic perovskite hybrids (CH 3 –(CH 2 ) n −1 –NH 3 ) 2 MnCl 4 ( n  = 9, 10), we successfully grew a single crystal, and the underlying mechanism was determined by high-resolution SC-XRD, IR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The drastic transformation of organic chains confined to the metallic frame from ordered rigidity to disordered flexibility is responsible for the large phase-transition entropy, which is comparable to the melting entropy of organic chains. The result provides new insights into designing novel barocaloric materials by utilizing the disordering of organic chains of organic–inorganic hybrid materials.

We report the experimental and theoretical studies of a magnetic topological nodal line semimetal candidate HoSbTe. Single crystals of HoSbTe are grown from Sb flux, crystallizing in a tetragonal layered structure (space group: P4/nmm, no.129), in which the Ho-Te bilayer is separated by the square-net Sb layer. The magnetization and specific heat present distinct anomalies at 4 K related to an antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase transition. Meanwhile, with applying magnetic field perpendicular and parallel to the crystallographic c axis, an obvious magnetic anisotropy is observed. Electrical resistivity undergoes a bad-metal-like state below 200 K and reveals a plateau at about 8 K followed by a drop due to the AFM transition. In addition, with the first-principle calculations of band structure, we find that HoSbTe is a topological nodal line semimetal or a weak topological insulator with or without taking the spin-orbit coupling into account, providing a platform to investigate the interplay between magnetic and topological fermionic properties.

We report a detailed and comparative study of the single crystal CeCoInGa\\(_3\\) in both experiment and theory. Resistivity measurements reveal the typical behavior of Kondo lattice with the onset temperature of coherence, \\(T^*\\approx 50\\,\\)K. The magnetic specific heat can be well fitted using a spin-fluctuation model at low temperatures, yielding a large Sommerfeld coefficient, \\(\\gamma\\approx172\\,\\)mJ/mol K\\(^2\\) at 6 K, suggesting that this is a heavy-fermion compound with a pronounced coherence effect. The magnetic susceptibility exhibits a broad field-independent peak at \\(T_{\\chi}\\) and shows an obvious anisotropy within the \\(bc\\) plane, reflecting the anisotropy of the coherence effect at high temperatures. These are compared with strongly correlated calculations combining first-principles band structure calculations and dynamical mean-field theory. Our results confirm the onset of coherence at about 50 K and reveal a similar anisotropy in the hybridization gap, pointing to a close connection between the hybridization strength of the low-temperature Fermi-liquid state and the high-temperature coherence effect.

The nodal line semimetals have attracted much attention due to their unique topological electronic structure and exotic physical properties. A genuine nodal line semimetal is qualified by the presence of Dirac nodes along a line in the momentum space that are protected against the spin-orbit coupling. In addition, it requires that the Dirac points lie close to the Fermi level allowing to dictate the macroscopic physical properties. Although the material realization of nodal line semimetals have been theoretically predicted in numerous compounds, only a few of them have been experimentally verified and the realization of a genuine nodal line semimetal is particularly rare. Here we report the realization of a genuine nodal line semimetal in LaSbTe. We investigated the electronic structure of LaSbTe by band structure calculations and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements. Taking spin-orbit coupling into account, our band structure calculations predict that a nodal line is formed in the boundary surface of the Brillouin zone which is robust and lies close to the Fermi level. The Dirac nodes along the X-R line in momentum space are directly observed in our ARPES measurements and the energies of these Dirac nodes are all close to the Fermi level. These results constitute clear evidence that LaSbTe is a genuine nodal line semimetal,providing a new platform to explore for novel phenomena and possible applications associated with the nodal line semimetals.

Intrinsic Capacity (IC) is a crucial measure of the comprehensive physiological and psychological capabilities of older adults, playing a key role in assessing healthy aging. This systematic review aims to explore the trajectories of IC in older adults, as well as the associated determinants and health outcomes. By searching through PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and Web of Science databases, we identified 13 studies that met our inclusion criteria. To ensure the rigor of the review, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) critical appraisal tool for cohort studies and the Guidelines for Reporting on Latent Trajectory Studies were employed to assess the quality of the studies included. When IC is represented as a single composite value, there are primarily three trajectory types: declining trajectory (characterized by a sharp, moderate, or mild decline from baseline IC), stable trajectory (little change compared to baseline IC), and high trajectory (high baseline IC with an increasing trend). When IC is broken down into individual dimensions, these trajectories primarily reflect the degree of impairment in different domains and changes in IC status. The trajectories can be divided into robust status (no impaired domains, stable IC status), mild impairment (impairment in 1–2 domains, mild IC impairment), and severe impairment (impairment in multiple domains, severe IC impairment). Factors influencing IC trajectories include age, gender, education level, ethnicity, number of chronic diseases, marital status, perceived financial adequacy, economic assistance status, self-assessed health status, and inflammatory biomarkers (such as IL-6, TNFR-1, and GDF-15). Adverse IC trajectory patterns are associated with increased mortality, quality of life, disability, frailty, and fall risk. Future research should focus on changes in IC at the end of life, increase the number of assessment time points, use objective measurement methods, and consider experimental designs to better understand the mechanisms behind IC trajectories, providing a scientific basis for targeted interventions.

Objective Cell‐free circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable and abundantly exist in body fluids. In this study, we aimed to investigate plasma cell‐free circRNAs as a novel class of biomarkers for the diagnosis of breast cancer (BC). Methods Differentially expressed circRNAs from 6 normal and 6 BC plasma samples were detected by microarray. Hsa_circ_0008673 was then screened and validated in the plasma of 102 normal and 378 BC samples. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value. The correlations between hsa_circ_0008673 expression and demographic characteristics, tumor features, and prognosis were analyzed. The effects of hsa_circ_0008673 on BC cell proliferation and metastasis were also measured. Results Of the top ten up‐regulated (hsa_circ_0008673, hsa_circ_0008500, hsa_circ_0005260, hsa_circ_0003423, hsa_circ_0119881, hsa_circ_0000987, hsa_circ_0007386, hsa_circ_0000091, hsa_circ_0016601, and hsa_circ_0008549) and top ten down‐regulated (hsa_circ_0000826, hsa_circ_0072697, hsa_circ_0004587, hsa_circ_0000471, hsa_circ_0007786, hsa_circ_0001417, hsa_circ_0005982, hsa_circ_0001566, hsa_circ_0003823, and hsa_circ_0003823) circRNAs from microarray, hsa_circ_0008673 was the most significantly up‐regulated circRNA in BC, and represented a good diagnostic value. Hsa_circ_0008673 was remarkably down‐regulated after breast mastectomy. Hsa_circ_0008673 expression was associated with larger tumor size, distant metastasis, positive estrogen receptor (ER) status, and positive progesterone receptor (PR) status. Additionally, hsa_circ_0008673 could serve as a prognostic predicator of overall survival (OS) and disease‐specific survival (DSS). Cell assays proved that hsa_circ_0008673 knockdown contributed to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and migration. Conclusion Plasma cell‐free hsa_circ_0008673 was up‐regulated in BC, which was associated with poorer prognosis and promoted tumor proliferation and metastasis. Hsa_circ_0008673 is a promising biomarker for tumor diagnosis and prognostic assessment of BC patients.

Cucurbitaceae plants are of considerable biological and economic importance, and genomes of cucumber, watermelon, and melon have been sequenced. However, a comparative genomics exploration of their genome structures and evolution has not been available. Here, we aimed at performing a hierarchical inference of genomic homology resulted from recursive paleopolyploidizations. Unexpectedly, we found that, shortly after a core-eudicot-common hexaploidy, a cucurbit-common tetraploidization (CCT) occurred, overlooked by previous reports. Moreover, we characterized gene loss (and retention) after these respective events, which were significantly unbalanced between inferred subgenomes, and between plants after their split. The inference of a dominant subgenome and a sensitive one suggested an allotetraploid nature of the CCT. Besides, we found divergent evolutionary rates among cucurbits, and after doing rate correction, we dated the CCT to be 90–102 Ma, likely common to all Cucurbitaceae plants, showing its important role in the establishment of the plant family.

Purpose The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Intrinsic Capacity (IC) as the integration of an individual’s physiological and psychological capacities. Encompassing five dimensions— locomotion, cognitive, vitality, psychological, and sensory function—it plays a central role in the assessment of healthy ageing. This study aimed to evaluate the association between IC and hip fractures among community-dwelling older adults in China. Patients and methods This population-based longitudinal study analyzed data from 3102 community-dwelling residents aged ≥ 60 years in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), with baseline assessments conducted in 2011 and a 4-year follow-up through 2015. IC was assessed across five domains: cognitive, psychology, vitality, locomotion, and sensory function. The outcome measure was self-reported hip fracture, while demographic characteristics and other covariates were analyzed as potential confounders. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The relationship between IC and hip fracture was further evaluated using restricted cubic splines and subgroup analyses. Results A total of 3,102 older adults (57.16% male) with a median age of 65.00 years were included. Over the 4-year follow-up, 96 participants (3.09%) experienced hip fractures. Regarding IC, the total IC score for the entire cohort was 1.56 ± 1.07(range 0–5, a total score of ≥ 2 is defined as IC impairment). The hip fracture group exhibited significantly higher IC scores compared to the non-fracture group (2.14 ± 1.06 vs.1.14 ± 1.06, p  < 0.001). Baseline IC impairment (observed in 48.42% of participants) was associated with a 2.34-fold higher incidence of hip fracture compared to those without impairment (4.39% vs.1.88%). Analysis revealed that each 1-point increase in IC score among individuals aged ≥ 60 years was associated with a 55% elevated risk of hip fracture (adjusted OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.25–1.94, p  < 0.001). When stratified by IC status, the effect was more pronounced with IC-impaired. Compared to without impaired group, individuals with IC impairment had 87% higher risk of fracture (adjusted OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.72–2.98, p  = 0.009). Additionally, a linear relationship was demonstrated between IC and hip fracture risk. Conclusion Among community-dwelling older adults, the composite IC score demonstrated a significant independent association with an elevated risk of hip fracture. Regular monitoring of individual IC scores may serve as an early warning indicator to initiate preventive interventions.

This paper presents a compact dual-arm thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) electro-optic phase modulator fabricated using the photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) technique. The design of the device allows for complete utilization of the microwave electric field, doubling the modulation efficiency compared to single-arm modulators in theory. With a half-wave voltage of approximately 3 V and a modulation length of 1 cm, the device outperforms conventional phase modulators. Furthermore, the phase modulator exhibits low sensitivity to optical wavelengths in the range of 1510-1600 nm and offers a low insertion loss of 2.8 dB. The capability to generate multiple sideband signals for optical frequency comb applications is also demonstrated, producing 29 sideband signals at an input microwave power of 2 W.