Magnetic skyrmions are topological magnetization textures that are characterized by the homotopy group of two dimensional spheres. Despite years of intensive research on skyrmions, the fundamental problem of the inertia of a skyrmion in driven motion remains unresolved. By properly taking into account a direct coupling between skyrmion motion and the correspondingly excited magnons, we identify a dynamical mass for the skyrmion in motion. The direct coupling between skyrmion motion and magnons can be employed to engineer skyrmion dynamics with magnons through ingenious material and geometry design.

Ultrathin and flexible layers containing BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles, graphene oxide (GO) sheets, and carbon nanotube (CNT) films (BTO/GO@CNT) are used to trap solvated polysulfides and alleviate the shuttle effect in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In the functional layers, the CNT films build a conductive framework, and the GO sheets form a support membrane for the uniform dispersion of BTO nanoparticles. BTO nanoparticles without ferroelectricity (nfBTO) can trap polysulfides more effectively by chemical interaction compared to BTO nanoparticles with ferroelectricity (fBTO). A Li-S cell with the nfBTO/GO@CNT functional layer exhibits a reversible capacity of 824.5 mA h g-1 over 100 cycles at 0.2 C. At a high sulfur loading of 5.49 mg cm-2, an electrode with the functional layer shows an areal capacity of 5.15 mA h cm-2 at 0.1 C, demonstrating the nfBTO/GO@CNT functional layer's potential in developing high-performance Li-S batteries.

The formation of a magnetic nanostructure is reported in FeRh thin films showing the antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic (AF-to-FM) transition known from the B2 ordered equiatomic phase. The magnetic nanostructure is formed due to a certain epitaxial strain-adaption process, leading to phase separation into a ferromagnetic and a paramagnetic phase. An additional post-annealing step finally creates the high degree of chemical ordering in the cubic phase needed to establish the AFM ground state and the AF-to-FM transition, as seen by SQUID magnetometry and 57Fe conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Synthesis of hard/soft magnetically exchange-coupled heterostructures is one promising way to design energy-efficient rare-earth-free artificial magnetic materials for application as permanent magnets and in spintronics. As a model system, we experimentally investigate MnGa/FeCo bilayers and simulate their physical behavior in a combined density functional theory and micromagnetic approach. Using high-quality L1(0)-Mn1.5Ga thin films with bulklike magnetic properties, we show that optimal coherent exchange coupling is obtained below a critical soft magnetic layer thickness that depends on the interface structure and composition. In particular, for atomically smooth and matched epitaxial interfaces of L1(0)-Mn1.5Ga to a Co-terminated and Co-rich FeCo layer, coherent exchange coupling is observed for FeCo thicknesses below 2 nm. In optimized bilayers, the magnetic coercivity of MnGa (approximately 6 kOe) can be fully conserved while the overall saturation magnetization is increased beyond 1000 emu/cm(3). Our model correlates interface structure and magnetic exchange coupling, providing guidelines to engineer high-performance exchange-coupled heterostructures for permanent magnets or spintronic devices.

Rational design of a robust carbon matrix has a profound impact on the performance of flexible/wearable lithium/sulfur batteries. Herein, we demonstrate a freestanding three-dimensional super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) matrix reinforced with a multi-functionalized carbon coating for flexible, high-areal sulfur loading cathode. By employing the sulfur/nitrogen co-doped carbon (SNC) “glue”, the joints in the SACNT scaffold are tightly welded together so that the overall mechanical strength of the electrode is significantly enhanced to withstand the repeated bending as well as the volume change during operation. The SNC also shows intriguing catalytic effect that lowers the energy barrier of Li ion transport, propelling a superior redox conversion efficiency. The resulting binder-free and current collector-free sulfur cathode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1,079 mAh·g−1 at 1 C, a high-rate capacity of ∼ 800 mAh·g−1 at 5 C, and an average capacity decay rate of 0.037% per cycle at 2 C for 1,500 cycles. Impressively, a large-areal flexible Li/S pouch cell based on such mechanically robust cathode exhibits excellent capacity retention under arbitrary bending conditions. With a high areal sulfur loading of 7 mg·cm−2, the large-areal flexible cathode delivers an outstanding areal capacity of 6.3 mAh·cm−2 at 0.5 C (5.86 mA·cm−2), showing its promise for realizing practical high energy density flexible Li/S batteries.

To investigate the characteristics of Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI imaging tumor cell apoptosis and the correlation between them in orthotopic rats model of hepatocellular carcinoma after stereotactic radiotherapy. Forty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into model group (n=40) and control group (n=20). When the tumor diameter was ≥1.0cm, the rats in the experimental group underwent single stereotactic radiotherapy with a dose of 15Gy. 40 rats after radiotherapy were randomly divided into 4 groups, 10 in each group. The control group was randomly divided into 4 groups of 5 each, and the above group was added. MR rats were routinely scanned and DWI scans were performed on the 1st, 7th, 14th, and 21st day after radiotherapy. The region of interest (ROI) ADC value and signal intensity (SI) of the tumor and normal life after radiotherapy were measured, and the ratio of ADC to SI (tumor/liver) was calculated. After the end of the scan, the animals were sacrificed, and the liver cell tumor specimens were subjected to DNA nick end labeling (TUNEL) to determine the apoptosis of the tumor cells, and the apoptotic index (apoptotic cells/tumor cells) was calculated. Two independent sample t-tests were used to compare the apoptotic index and ADC ratio between the radiotherapy group and the control group. Comparison of apoptotic index and ADC ratio between the radiotherapy groups was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance; the correlation between the two was performed using the Pearson test. The ADC and SI ratios were statistically significant at 7 days, 14 days and 21 days after radiotherapy (P<0.01=, there was no significant difference at 1 day after radiotherapy (P>0.05). 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, The apoptotic index of the 21-day radiotherapy group was significantly different from that of the control group (P<0.05=. The ADC and SI ratios were positively correlated with the apoptotic index (AI) (P<0.05). The imaging characteristics of Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI can reflect the dynamic changes of apoptosis at different time points after stereotactic radiotherapy in rat liver cancer.

The evolution of crystalline structure induced by heat treatment and high pressure torsion (HPT) deformation and its influence on the magnetic properties of amorphous and partially crystalline Hf2Co11B ribbons were investigated. Slight improvement in thermal stability of the as-quenched sample after deformation was observed as indicated by the shift of the first crystallization peak from 592 to 598 degrees C. Plastic deformation of the initially annealed partially crystalline alloy led to its amorphization, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). However, the presence of small volume fraction of needle-like nanocrystals was indicated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The annealed sample subjected to high pressure torsion was characterized by the reduced coercive field, from 0.7 to 0.2 kOe, while the subsequent reannealing of the deformed sample enhanced the coercivity up to 1.3 kOe. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the existence of nanocrystals with large lattice constant of 8 A characteristic of Hf2Co11 phase. Magnetic measurements also confirmed that some nanocrystals of the hard magnetic phase were present in the sample after deformation, indicating their importance for maximization of coercivity. The isolation of this quite elusive phase is clearly linked to magnetic performance and the method combining severe plastic deformation (SPD) and heat treatment was found to allow tuning of the structure and improving the hard magnetic properties. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrathin and cross-stacked carbon nanotube (CNT) films modified with hafnium oxide (HfO2) by atomic layer deposition are employed as efficient polysulfide barriers for high performance Li-S batteries. A HfO2/CNT interlayer has an ultrathin, flexible structure with a thickness of 1.5 mu m and an areal density of 0.087 mg cm(-2), along with excellent wettability to electrolyte. The highly conductive CNT network and the catalytic surface adsorption of polysulfide species by HfO2 significantly suppress the polysulfides shuttling phenomenon. With high sulfur loadings of up to 75 wt%, electrodes incorporating a HfO2/CNT interlayer show noticeable improvements in various electrochemical properties, including long-term cycling stability (721 mA h g(-1) after 500 cycles at 1 C), high rate performance (800 mA h g(-1) at 5 C), favorable anti-self-discharge capabilities, and suppression of Li anode corrosion. These results suggest a new and efficient polysulfide trapping material and a viable configuration for high-performance Li-S batteries. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Our study aimed to investigate that pyroptosis was associated with hyperandrogen-induced ovarian dysfunction. Furthermore, we would like to provide therapeutic strategies in improving the reproductive function of PCOS patients through exploration of the mechanisms of pyroptosis. The ovary of DHEA-induced PCOS rats were obtainted to analyze gasdermin D-medieted pyroptosis signaling pathway. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated daily with or without DHEA for 28 days. Altogether about 16 rats were included (n=8 in each group). DHEA-exposed rats were hypodermically injected with DHEA daily (6 mg/100 (g·d)). Vehicle control rats were hypodermically injected with oil. Paraffin slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin in order to examine the pathological structures of the rat ovary under an optical microscope. In addition, samples were left to incubate overnight at 4°C with specific antibodies against GSDMD and caspase-1 at a dilution of 1:200 in PBS, and observed under an optical microscope. The expression of androgen receptor (AR), GSDMD, caspase-1 and the proinflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18,TNF-α and IL-6, were measured by western blot and RT-PCR. As expected, ovarian cystic expansion, numbers of multiple immature follicles, granular cell layer thinning and the thickening of theca cell layer, and the vast majority of no corpus luteum formation were observed in the DHEA-induced PCOS rats. Chronic inflammation has recently been considered as important components in the pathophysiology of PCOS1. Pyroptosis is rapidly emerging as a mechanism of extracellular release of the inflammasome-dependent cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, which contributes to autoinflammatory pathology2. In this study, we demonstrated that the GSDMD and caspase-1 were mainly expressed in ovarian granular cells, and had higher expression in DHEA-induced PCOS rats. To determine whether lymphocyte infiltration existed in ovary of PCOS rats, CD3 and CD45 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Our results confirmed that CD3 and CD45 were dramatically up-regulated in DHEA-induced PCOS rats, and mainly expressed in ovarian granular cells. In addition, the mRNA levels of IL-1β and IL-18, and the protein of TNF-α and IL-6 in ovary of PCOS rats were remarkably up-regulated compared with vehicle control. Furthermore, NLRP3 and ASC, as important components in innate immunity, play a central role in regulation of IL-1β and IL-18, and promoting the inflammatory reaction3-4. In this study, mRNA of NLRP3 and ASC in ovary was increased in DHEA-induced PCOS rats compared with vehicle control. Pyroptosis was presented in hyperandrogenic ovary of PCOS rat, and it was mediated by GSDMD. In addition, pyroptosis is a lytic type of programmed cell death that mainly expressed in the ovarian granular cells. It suggested that the thinning granular cell layer was associated with increased inflammasome, which has an essential function on ovarian dysfunction.

Developing hybrid supercapacitor-battery energy storage devices for applications in electric vehicles is attractive because of their high energy density and short charge/discharge time. In this study, flexible MnO2 nanoparticle-coated air-oxidized carbon nanotube (MnO2/aCNT) electrodes are fabricated by the in situ redox reaction of KMnO4 and aCNTs at room temperature. The MnO2 nanoparticles have diameters of similar to 10 nm. There is a strong chemical interaction between the MnO2 active material and aCNTs as a result of the Mn-O-C linkage. The flexible aCNT network can alleviate the strain from the MnO2 volume change and maintain the electrode integrity during rapid charge/discharge. The aCNT framework also provides a continuous and rapid electron pathway and ensures uniform dispersion of the MnO2 nanoparticles. The presence of MnO2 nanoparticles provides short pathways for Li-ion diffusion and allows interfacial capacitive lithium storage for ultrafast and reversible lithium storage. We report the best high-current performance to date for MnO2/C electrodes, of 395.8 mA h g(-1) at 10 A g(-1), and 630.2 mA h g(-1) after 150 cycles at 2 A g(-1). The excellent electrochemical performance, combined with the capacitive dominating process of the electrode, will further the design of high-performance hybrid supercapacitor-battery energy storage devices. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The fabrication of high-performance cathodes with high sulfur content is essential for the practical realization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) systems. The preparation of high-sulfur-content electrodes is currently hindered by poor dispersion of the conductive agents; nonuniformly distributed conductive agents cannot provide sufficient sulfur-loading sites, thereby resulting in aggregation of sulfur/Li2S and severe polarization. To deal with this issue, we prepare CO2 modified carbon nanotube (CNT)-based cathodes for Li-S batteries. CNTs are exposed to CO2 at 900 degrees C, resulting in uniformly distributed negative charges on the external surface of the tubes; the electrostatic repulsion facilitated the dispersion of CNTs. Compared with the previous work on CNTs prepared by air oxidation (denoted as air-CNTs), the dispersions of the CO2-treated CNTs (denoted as CO2-CNTs) are more stable, which allows higher sulfur loading and improves sulfur utilization. A free-standing CO2-CNT&S electrode with a sulfur content of 80 wt% is fabricated through a sonication-assisted method. The excellent dispersion of the CO2-CNT&S network results in little kinetic barriers, low polarization, and fast charge transport at the interface of the electrode and electrolyte. The CO2-CNT&S electrode delivers a lower capacity fading rate and superior rate performance compared with the air-CNT&S electrode. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrathin MnO2/graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (G/M@CNT) interlayers are developed as efficient polysulfide‐trapping shields for high‐performance Li–S batteries. A simple layer‐by‐layer procedure is used to construct a sandwiched vein–membrane interlayer of thickness 2 µm and areal density 0.104 mg cm−2 by loading MnO2 nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO) sheets on superaligned carbon nanotube films. The G/M@CNT interlayer provides a physical shield against both polysulfide shuttling and chemical adsorption of polysulfides by MnO2 nanoparticles and GO sheets. The synergetic effect of the G/M@CNT interlayer enables the production of Li–S cells with high sulfur loadings (60–80 wt%), a low capacity decay rate (−0.029% per cycle over 2500 cycles at 1 C), high rate performance (747 mA h g−1 at a charge rate of 10 C), and a low self‐discharge rate with high capacity retention (93.0% after 20 d rest). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy observations of the Li anodes after cycling confirm the polysulfide‐trapping ability of the G/M@CNT interlayer and show its potential in developing high‐performance Li–S batteries.

Cross-stacked super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) films are promising for use as current collectors in lithium-ion batteries because of their outstanding capability to decrease the weight and thickness of inactive material and strong adhesion to the electrodes. However, the relatively poor conductivity of SACNT films may limit their application to large-size electrodes or at high current rate. Herein, a facile approach is proposed to improve the conductivity of SACNT films by electron-beam deposition of a thin metal film on their surface. Such modification lowers the sheet resistance by three orders of magnitude while keeping the extremely small fraction of SACNT current collectors. The metal-coated SACNT films strongly inhibit polarization during the electrochemical reaction, resulting in improved cell performance compared with that of metal and uncoated CNT current collectors. The improvement in conductivity and cell performance achieved by this approach is so large that the effect of the increase of inactive material is overwhelmed, leading to increased gravimetric energy density.

In article number 1606663, Jiaping Wang and co-workers report on ultrathin MnO2/graphene oxide/carbon nanotube interlayers as efficient polysulfide-trapping shields for high-performance Li–S batteries. The sandwiched interlayer significantly alleviates polysulfide shuttling and improves cycling stability and rate performance. Self-discharge and passivation-layer-formation on the anode are greatly suppressed by the excellent polysulfide-trapping ability of the interlayer.

Radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) is an important limiting factor for dose escalation and/or hypofractionation/SBRT in liver radiation therapy (RT). An essential step toward successful liver RT with mitigated RILD is the establishment of an effective functional imaging strategy capable of determining the extent of liver injury. This work is aimed to investigate the clinical potential of emerging Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI) and to determine the relationship between focal liver reaction (FLR) and the radiation dose in conventional fractionation scheme. Nine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent external beam RT. were enrolled into the pilot imaging study. Post RT EOB-MRI was performed for each of these patients. The median time of imaging from the patients’ RT was 35 days. The hepatobiliary phase of EOB-MRI was fused to the planning CT image overlaid with isodose lines. Correlation of the EOB-MR image intensity distribution and isodose lines was studied. In particular, the threshold doses for focal Liver Reaction (FLR) were derived with consideration of the patients’ pre-treatment liver functional status as given by their Child-Pugh score. Decreased uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA, which was manifested by well-demarcated focal hypodensity of liver parenchyma or FLR to high dose of radiation, was observed in the irradiated areas in all nine patients. The threshold dose (TD) of causing decreased uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA was determined to be 25 to 42 Gy. The TD value correlated significantly with baseline liver function: it was noted that the onset of hypodensity tends to be lower for those patients with poor pre-treatment Child-Pugh score. The media dose corresponding radiation image makers was found to be 35 Gy. EOB-MRI enables visualization of the functional loss of liver parenchyma and provides a valuable tool for therapeutic assessment and adaptive liver therapy with functional feedback.

Effect of CO2 saturation and reactor pressure on H2 (full triangles) and CH4 (circles) productivity at pH = 11.4, T = 65 °C. H2 productivity (empty triangles) at pH 5.5, T = 65 °C. Sample 0.1 wt% Au/P25.

Mesoporous lithium titanate (LTO) nanoclusters are in-situ synthesized in the network of super aligned carbon nanotubes (SACNTs) via a solution-based method followed by heat treatment in air. In the LTO-CNT composite, SACNTs not only serve as the skeleton to support a binder-free electrode, but also render the composite with high conductivity, flexibility, and mechanical strength. The homogeneously dispersed LTO nanoclusters among the SACNTs allow each LTO grain to effectively access the electrolyte and the conductive network, benefiting both ion and electron transport. By the incorporation of LTO into CNT network, mechanical reinforcement is also achieved. When serving as a negative electrode for lithium ion batteries, such robust composite-network architecture provides the electrodes with effective charge transport and structural integrity, leading to high-performance flexible electrodes with high capacity, high rate capability, and excellent cycling stability.