Electrically Robust Single-Crystalline WTe2 Nanobelts for Nanoscale Electrical Interconnects

As the elements of integrated circuits are downsized to the nanoscale, the current Cu-based interconnects are facing limitations due to increased resistivity and decreased current-carrying capacity because of scaling. Here, the bottom-up synthesis of single-crystalline WTe2 nanobelts and low- and high-field electrical characterization of nanoscale interconnect test structures in various ambient conditions are reported. Unlike exfoliated flakes obtained by the top-down approach, the bottom-up growth mode of WTe2 nanobelts allows systemic characterization of the electrical properties of WTe2 single crystals as a function of channel dimensions. Using a 1D heat transport model and a power law, it is determined that the breakdown of WTe2 devices under vacuum and with AlOx capping layer follows an ideal pattern for Joule heating, far from edge scattering. High-field electrical measurements and self-heating modeling demonstrate that the WTe2 nanobelts have a breakdown current density approaching approximate to 100 MA cm(-2), remarkably higher than those of conventional metals and other transition-metal chalcogenides, and sustain the highest electrical power per channel length (approximate to 16.4 W cm(-1)) among the interconnect candidates. The results suggest superior robustness of WTe2 against high-bias sweep and its possible applicability in future nanoelectronics

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Common variants in SOX-2 and congenital cataract genes contribute to age-related nuclear cataract

Nuclear cataract is the most common type of age-related cataract and a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Age-related nuclear cataract is heritable (h2 = 0.48), but little is known about specific genetic factors underlying this condition. Here we report findings from the largest to date multi-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (discovery cohort N = 14,151 and replication N = 5299) of the International Cataract Genetics Consortium. We confirmed the known genetic association of CRYAA (rs7278468, P = 2.8 × 10−16) with nuclear cataract and identified five new loci associated with this disease: SOX2-OT (rs9842371, P = 1.7 × 1

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Identification of Droplet-Flow-Induced Electric Energy on Electrolyte–Insulator–Semiconductor Structure

Recently, various energy transducers driven by the relative motion of solids and liquids have been demonstrated. However, in relation to the energy transducer, a proper understanding of the dynamic behavior of ions remains unclear. Moreover, the energy density is low for practical usage mainly due to structural limitations, a lack of material development stemming from the currently poor understanding of the mechanisms, and the intermittently generated electricity given the characteristics of the water motion (pulsed signals). Here, we verify a hypothesis pertaining to the ion dynamics which govern the operation mechanism of the transducer. In addition, we demonstrate enhanced energy transducer to convert the mechanical energy of flowing water droplets into continuous electrical energy using an electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor structure as a device structure. The output power per droplet mass and the ratio of generated electric energy to the kinetic energy of water drops are 0.149<i>v</i>² mW·g^–1·m^–2·s² and 29.8%, respectively, where <i>v</i> is the speed of the water droplet

Atomic transistors based on seamless lateral metal-semiconductor junctions with a sub-1-nm transfer length

The edge-to-edge connected metal-semiconductor junction (MSJ) for two-dimensional (2D) transistors has the potential to reduce the contact length while improving the performance of the devices. However, typical 2D materials are thermally and chemically unstable, which impedes the reproducible achievement of high-quality edge contacts. Here we present a scalable synthetic strategy to fabricate low-resistance edge contacts to atomic transistors using a thermally stable 2D metal, PtTe2. The use of PtTe2 as an epitaxial template enables the lateral growth of monolayer MoS2 to achieve a PtTe2-MoS2 MSJ with the thinnest possible, seamless atomic interface. The synthesized lateral heterojunction enables the reduced dimensions of Schottky barriers and enhanced carrier injection compared to counterparts composed of a vertical 3D metal contact. Furthermore, facile position-selected growth of PtTe2-MoS2 MSJ arrays using conventional lithography can facilitate the design of device layouts with high processability, while providing low contact resistivity and ultrashort transfer length on wafer scales. Edge-to-edge metal-semiconductor junctions have the potential to improve the performance of 2D transistors. Here, the authors report a synthetic strategy to fabricate monolayer MoS2-PtTe2 heterojunction arrays with sub-1-nm transfer length and enhanced carrier injection compared to vertical 3D metallic contacts.11Nsciescopu

Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Multilayer Membrane as a Sustained Releasing Growth Factor Delivery System for rhTGF-β3 in Articular Cartilage Repair.

Recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-3 (rhTGF-β3) is a key regulator of chondrogenesis in stem cells and cartilage formation. We have developed a novel drug delivery system that continuously releases rhTGF-β3 using a multilayered extracellular matrix (ECM) membrane. We hypothesize that the sustained release of rhTGF-β3 could activate stem cells and result in enhanced repair of cartilage defects. The properties and efficacy of the ECM multilayer-based delivery system (EMLDS) are investigated using rhTGF-β3 as a candidate drug. The bioactivity of the released rhTGF-ß3 was evaluated through chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using western blot and circular dichroism (CD) analyses in vitro. The cartilage reparability was evaluated through implanting EMLDS with endogenous and exogenous MSC in both in vivo and ex vivo models, respectively. In the results, the sustained release of rhTGF-ß3 was clearly observed over a prolonged period of time in vitro and the released rhTGF-β3 maintained its structural stability and biological activity. Successful cartilage repair was also demonstrated when rabbit MSCs were treated with rhTGF-β3-loaded EMLDS ((+) rhTGF-β3 EMLDS) in an in vivo model and when rabbit chondrocytes and MSCs were treated in ex vivo models. Therefore, the multilayer ECM membrane could be a useful drug delivery system for cartilage repair

Design and synthesis of 7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as focal adhesion kinase inhibitors. Part 1.

A series of 2-amino-9-aryl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines were designed and synthesized to target focal adhesion kinase (FAK). A number of these pyrrolopyrimides exhibited low micromolar inhibitory activities against focal adhesion kinase, and their preliminary SAR was established via systematic chemical modifications. The 2-amino-9-aryl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines represent a new class of kinase inhibitors

Design of 2D Layered Catalyst by Coherent Heteroepitaxial Conversion for Robust Hydrogen Generation

The structural engineering of 2D layered materials is emerging as a powerful strategy to design catalysts for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the ultimate test of this technology under typical operating settings lies in the reduced performance and the shortened lifespan of these catalysts. Here, a novel approach is proposed to design efficient and robust HER catalysts through out-of-plane deformation of 2D heterojunction using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. High-yield, single-crystalline WTe2 nanobelts are used as an epitaxial template for their coherent conversion to WS2. During the conversion process, the WTe2/WS2 heterostructure containing both lateral and vertical junctions are achieved by coherent heteroepitaxial stacking despite differences in symmetry. The lattice coherency drives out-of-plane deformation of heteroepitaxially grown WS2. The increase in the effective surface area and decrease in the electron-transfer resistance across the 2D heterojunctions in turn enhances the HER performance as well as the long-term durability of these electrocatalysts