Progressive NO2 Sensors with Rapid Alarm and Persistent Memory-Type Responses for Wide-Range Sensing Using Antimony Triselenide Nanoflakes

Antimony triselenide (Sb₂Se₃) nanoflake-based nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensors exhibit a progressive bifunctional gas-sensing performance, with a rapid alarm for hazardous highly concentrated gases, and an advanced memory-type function for low-concentration (<1 ppm) monitoring repeated under potentially fatal exposure. Rectangular and cuboid shaped Sb₂Se₃ nanoflakes, comprising van der Waals planes with large surface areas and covalent bond planes with small areas, can rapidly detect a wide range of NO₂ gas concentrations from 0.1 to 100 ppm. These Sb₂Se₃ nanoflakes are found to be suitable for physisorption-based gas sensing owing to their anisotropic quasi-2D crystal structure with extremely enlarged van der Waals planes, where they are humidity-insensitive and consequently exhibit an extremely stable baseline current. The Sb₂Se₃ nanoflake sensor exhibits a room-temperature/low-voltage operation, which is noticeable owing to its low energy consumption and rapid response even under a NO₂ gas flow of only 1 ppm. As a result, the Sb₂Se₃ nanoflake sensor is suitable for the development of a rapid alarm system. Furthermore, the persistent gas-sensing conductivity of the sensor with a slow decaying current can enable the development of a progressive memory-type sensor that retains the previous signal under irregular gas injection at low concentrations.     

A Case Report of Germline Compound Heterozygous Mutations in the BRCA1 Gene of an Ovarian and Breast Cancer Patient

The germline carrier of the BRCA1 pathogenic mutation has been well proven to confer an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Despite BRCA1 biallelic pathogenic mutations being extremely rare, they have been reported to be embryonically lethal or to cause Fanconi anemia (FA). Here we describe a patient who was a 48-year-old female identified with biallelic pathogenic mutations of the BRCA1 gene, with no or very subtle FA-features. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and breast cancer at the ages of 43 and 44 and had a strong family history of breast and gynecological cancers.     

Optimization of vacuum casting process parameters to enhance tensile strength of components using design of experiments approach

Vacuum casting is one of the widely used methods for small-volume production of plastic parts. The main challenge of this method is to choose the optimal w     

Multimedia content recommendation in social networks using mood tags and synonyms

Multimedia Systems - The preferences of Web information purchasers are changing. Cost-effectiveness (i.e., an emphasis on performance with respect to price) is becoming less regarded than...     

Core–shell NTC materials with low thermal constant and high resistivity for wide-temperature thermistor ceramics

Core–shell structures have been proposed to improve the electrical properties of negative-temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor ceramics. In this work, Al₂O₃-modified Co_1.5Mn_1.2Ni_0.3O₄ NTC thermistor ceramics with adjustable electrical properties were prepared through citrate-chelation followed by conventional sintering. Co_1.5Mn_1.2Ni_0.3O₄ powder was coated with a thin Al₂O₃ shell layer to form a core–shell structure. Resistivity (ρ) increased rapidly with increasing thickness of the Al₂O₃ layer, and the thermal constant (B) varied moderately between 3706 and 3846 K. In particular, Co_1.5Mn_1.2Ni_0.3O₄@Al₂O₃ ceramic with 0.08 wt% Al₂O₃ showed the increase of ρ double, and the change in its B was less than 140 K. The Co_1.5Mn_1.2Ni_0.3O₄@Al₂O₃ NTC ceramics showed high stability, and their grain size was relatively uniform due to the protection offered by the shell. The aging coefficient of the ceramic was less than 0.2% after aging for 500 hours at 125°C. Taken together, the results indicate that as-prepared Co_1.5Mn_1.2Ni_0.3O₄@Al₂O₃ NTC ceramics with a core–shell structure may be promising candidates for application as wide-temperature NTC thermistor ceramics.     

Choice Behavioral Model of Shared Bicycle: An Empirical Study Based on SEM

Wireless Personal Communications - The purpose of this study is to construct a structural equation model of shared bicycle added psychological factors proceeding from the theory of planned...     

Robotic hand system design for mirror therapy rehabilitation after stroke

Microsystem Technologies - This paper developed a robotics-assisted device for the stroke patients to perform the hand rehabilitation. Not only the system can perform passive range of motion...