Decay Rate Research Articles

Mathematical modeling of meningioma volume change after radiation treatment

ObjectiveMeningiomas are the most common primary central nervous tumor and are often treated with radiation therapy. This study examines the long-term volumetric changes of intracranial meningiomas in response to radiation therapy. The objective is to analyze and model the volumetric changes following treatment. MethodsData from a retrospective single-institution database (2005–2015) were used, with inclusion criteria being patients with a diagnosis of meningiomas, along with additional inclusion criteria consisting of treatment with radiation, having at least three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with one or more before and after radiation treatment, and the patients following up for at least eighteen months. Exclusion criteria consisted of patients less than 18 years old, patients receiving surgery and/or adjuvant chemotherapy following radiation, and patients without any available details regarding radiation treatment parameters. Tumor volumes were measured via T1-weighted post-contrast MRI and calculated using the ABC/2 ellipsoidal approximation, a method allowing for the measurement of non-linear growth volume reduction. ResultsOf 48 meningioma patients considered, 10 % experienced post-radiation growth, while 75 % witnessed a ≥50 % decrease in volume over a follow-up period of 0.3–14.9 years. Median decay rate was 0.81, and within 1.17 years, 90 % achieved the predicted volume reduction. Predicted vs. actual volumes showed a mean difference of 0.009 ± 0.347 cc. Initial tumor volumes strongly correlated (Pearson’s R=0.98, R-squared=0.96) with final asymptotic volumes, which had a median of 1.50 cc, with interquartile range (IQR) = [0.39, 3.67]. Conclusion90 % of patients achieved tumor-volume reduction at 1.17 years post-treatment, reaching a non-zero asymptote strongly correlated with initial tumor volume, and 75 % experienced at least a 50 % volume decrease. Individual volume changes for responsive meningiomas can be modeled and predicted using exponential decay curves.

Enhancing silica scaling resistance of high-pressure reverse osmosis membranes through surface grafting with various sulfonic acid monomers

Silica scaling is a major challenge in the application of high-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. In this work, we modified commercially available RO membranes by grafting different sulfonic acid monomers onto their surface using redox polymerization. We systematically studied the effects of various sulfonic acid monomers on membrane performance. Due to the different grafting abilities of sulfonic acid monomers on the membrane, the modified membranes exhibited different physicochemical properties. Simulated silica scaling experiments revealed that the initial permeate flux and sulfonic acid grafting rate of the membrane played crucial roles in its antifouling performance. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation indicated that the adsorption of silica scale on the membrane was positively correlated with the grafting degree of sulfonic acid monomers. The membrane modified with 3-sulfopropyl potassium methacrylate (SPM) demonstrated a 14 % higher initial flux than the pristine membrane and the highest sulfonic acid grafting rate, resulting in the lowest flux decay rate. Additionally, the SPM modified membrane outperformed the pristine membrane against composite foulants with organic matters and silica. Our research demonstrated that the redox grafting polymerization of sulfonic acid monomers can simultaneously improve the flux and silica scaling resistance of RO membranes without compromising salt rejection. This provides a scalable strategy for preparing RO membranes with enhanced resistance to silica scaling.

Accessing the Characteristics of Nuclear Reactions: A Radioactive Decay and Half-Life Measurement Study

This study investigates the impact of external environmental factors, specifically electromagnetic fields and pressure variations, on the decay constants and half-lives of three radioactive isotopes: 60Co, 137Cs, and 226Ra. By conducting controlled laboratory experiments, the research aimed to quantify the extent to which these factors influence decay rates, challenging the traditional assumption of invariant half-lives. The isotopes were exposed to varying levels of electromagnetic fields (0-100 Gauss) and pressure (1-10 atm), with decay rates measured using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers. The results revealed that while 137Cs exhibited the most significant sensitivity, with a 13.04% increase in decay constant under extreme conditions, 60Co and 226Ra showed moderate and minimal changes, respectively. These findings have important implications for fields such as nuclear medicine, radiometric dating, and nuclear waste management, where precise knowledge of decay rates is crucial. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of nuclear decay processes and highlights the need for further research on the effects of other environmental factors, such as temperature and chemical composition, on radioactive decay.

Long-term Visual Field Variability in Patients with Primary Open-angle Glaucoma

Purpose: To investigate factors associated with variability in the longitudinal visual field (VF) test in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).Methods: This retrospective study enrolled POAG patients with VF ≥ 12 who were followed up for ≥ 6 years. First, 52 total deviation values of VF series for each eye were linearly regressed against time (years), and the root mean square error (RMSE) of the residuals was used to measure long-term pointwise VF variability. The mean deviation (MD) of the VF series for each eye was linearly regressed against time (years), and the RMSE of the residuals was used to measure long-term global VF variability. Using hierarchical clustering, variable clustering was performed to select variables and Spearman’s correlation was used as a similarity index. We fitted a mixed effect linear regression model and evaluated factors associated with the long-term VF variability in each regression model.Results: The study included 246 eyes of 157 patients with POAG. Worse baseline peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, lower baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), lower mean IOP, greater IOP fluctuation, and a faster VF decay rate were associated with increased long-term pointwise VF variability in the RNFL thickness model (all <i>p</i> ≤ 0.037). Worse baseline MD, lower baseline IOP, lower mean IOP, and faster VF decay rate were associated with increased long-term global VF variability in the MD model (all <i>p</i> ≤ 0.035).Conclusions: Lower baseline and mean IOP, greater IOP fluctuation, worse glaucoma severity, and a faster VF decay rate were associated with greater long-term VF variability in patients with POAG. These factors should be considered when evaluating VF progression.

Uncovering and preventing polytellurides dissolution enables stable sodium-ion storage: A case study of SnTe

Metal tellurides (MTes) have emerged as promising candidates for high-specific energy sodium-ion batteries owing to their superior volumetric capacity and exceptional intrinsic conductivity. Nevertheless, their practical application faces challenges associated with pronounced capacity degradation associated with unclear decay mechanisms. In this study, we uncover, for the first time, that the dissolution and shuttling of intermediates (NaxTey) are responsible for the rapid capacity decay in alloy- and conversion-type MTe anodes. Based on this discovery, we propose a novel structural engineering strategy that involves confining ultrafine SnTe nanoparticles within a fibrous carbon matrix, facilitating the smooth immobilization and highly reversible conversion of NaxTey. State-of-the-art in-/ex-situ tests and density functional theory calculations elucidate the evolution and shuttling mechanisms of NaxTey, highlighting the van der Waals barrier of the carbon matrix and the remarkable chemisorption of N and S dopant sites towards Na2Te2 and Na2Te intermediates. Significantly, the chemisorption capacity of NaxTey is enhanced through the optimization of doping content and bonding type of N and S, resulting in excellent stability of SnTe embedded in a high-content N and S co-doped carbon fiber matrix (SnTe@SHNC). The elaborate SnTe@SHNC composites demonstrate exceptional performance, enduring over 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 with an ultraslow capacity decay rate of 0.028 % per cycle. This work provides valuable insight into the pivotal role of controlling NaxTey in the design of durable MTe anodes for advanced SIBs.

1-Methylcyclopropene and Bacillus Treatment Affects Blueberry Storage Quality and Antioxidant Levels

Blueberries are rich in a variety of functional substances and have high nutritional and health values, but they are not resistant to decline during fresh storage. Here, the effects of six Bacillus species on the storage quality of, and antioxidant levels in, the southern highbush blueberry ‘O’Neal’ fruit were investigated. Bacillus treatments reduced the fruit decay rate, slowed fruit quality decline, inhibited malondialdehyde accumulation, and increased superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity levels. Bacillus altitudinis Y-14 had the best effect overall. Furthermore, the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), B. altitudinis Y-14, and 1-MCP + B. altitudinis Y-14 treatments on the storage quality and antioxidant of rabbiteye blueberry ‘Brightwell’ fruit were investigated, and each treatment effectively reduced the decay rate and weight loss of fruit. When stored for 25 days, the decay rate of the 1-MCP + B. altitudinis Y-14 group was only 8.33%, significantly lower than that of the control. The three treatments delayed the decline in fruit quality, inhibited malondialdehyde accumulation, and increased superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity levels. The 1-MCP + B. altitudinis Y-14 treatment was more conducive to prolonging the postharvest storage period of blueberries and had the best effect in delaying the decline in fruit quality. Thus, combined 1-MCP and B. altitudinis Y-14 treatment may be an effective way to improve the storage quality and extend the storage period of blueberries, which provides a new way for storing and transporting blueberries to reduce costs and improve economic benefits.

Activation of the Radical‐Mediated Pathway and Facilitation of the Li2S Conversion by N‐Doped Carbon‐Embedded Ti1–xCoxN Nanowires as a Multifunctional Separator with a High Donor‐Number Solvent toward Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Electrolyte modification with a high donor‐number solvent is necessary to increase sulfur utilization, but it also presents poor compatibility with lithium metal. The amount of the solvent should be optimized to maximize sulfur utilization at the cathode and minimize side reactions with Li metal at the anode. An electrolyte solution comprising 1 vol% N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMA) in a 1,2‐dimethoxyethane (DME)/1,3‐dioxolane (DOL) co‐solvent demonstrated increased discharge capacity and reduced overpotential compared to DME/DOL and DMA/DOL. In addition to electrolyte, modification that creates radical‐mediated pathways from a high donor‐number solvent, long‐cycle performance is achieved by effectively mitigating the shuttling effect and enhancing reaction kinetics with an efficient electrocatalyst. Cobalt doping into TiN introduced an upshift of the d‐band center with ferromagnetic properties that suppressed the shuttling effect, activated radical‐mediated pathways, and facilitated the Li2S conversion. A multifunctional separator fabricated with N‐doped carbon‐embedded cobalt‐doped titanium nitride nanowires (NC‐Ti0.95Co0.05N NWs) under 1 vol% DMA electrolyte achieved a discharge capacity of 464.4 mA h g−1 even after 200 cycles at a decay rate of 0.093% per cycle through the synergistic effects of electrolyte and electrocatalyst modifications. This work highlights the importance of ferromagnetic catalysts with a high donor‐number solvent for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries.

Flavor phenomenology of light dark vectors

Light dark matter with flavor-violating couplings to fermions may be copiously produced in the laboratory as missing energy from decays of SM particles. Here we study the effective Lagrangian of a light dark vector with generic dipole or vector couplings. We calculate the resulting two-body decay rates of mesons, baryons and leptons as a function of the dark vector mass and show that existing experimental limits probe UV scales as large as 1012 GeV. We also derive the general RGEs in order to constrain the flavor-universal UV scenario, where all flavor violation arises radiatively proportional to the CKM matrix.

A spatiotemporally resolved atlas of mRNA decay in the C. elegans embryo reveals differential regulation of mRNA stability across stages and cell types.

During embryonic development, cells undergo dynamic changes in gene expression that are required for appropriate cell fate specification. Although both transcription and mRNA degradation contribute to gene expression dynamics, patterns of mRNA decay are less well-understood. Here we directly measured spatiotemporally resolved mRNA decay rates transcriptome-wide throughout C. elegans embryogenesis by transcription inhibition followed by bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing. This allowed us to calculate mRNA half-lives within specific cell types and developmental stages and identify differentially regulated mRNA decay throughout embryonic development. We identified transcript features that are correlated with mRNA stability and found that mRNA decay rates are associated with distinct peaks in gene expression over time. Moreover, we provide evidence that, on average, mRNA is more stable in the germline compared to in the soma and in later embryonic stages compared to in earlier stages. This work suggests that differential mRNA decay across cell states and time helps to shape developmental gene expression, and it provides a valuable resource for studies of mRNA turnover regulatory mechanisms.

Ten-Year Clinical Outcomes of V4c Implantable Collamer Lens Implantation: Longitudinal Analysis of Visual Acuity, Endothelial Cell Density, and Vault Dynamics

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of V4c Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) implantation for myopia correction over a 10-year period. Retrospective interventional case series METHODS: This retrospective interventional study involved 103 myopic eyes from 54 patients. Visual outcomes, including visual acuity and manifest refraction were assessed. Annual measurements of endothelial cell density (ECD), vault, anterior chamber depth, and intraocular pressure were analyzed using mixed-effects models. At the 10-year follow-up, the mean Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) uncorrected distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were -0.037 ± 0.052 and -0.041 ± 0.046, respectively. The mean efficacy and safety indices were 1.11 ± 0.13 and 1.12 ± 0.12. A loss of one line of CDVA occurred in 2% of cases, while 59% gained one or more lines. Postoperative manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) was within ±0.5 diopters (D) and ±1.0 D in 74% and 99% of cases, respectively, with a mean MRSE of -0.19 ± 0.41 D. Data for ECD and vault fit an exponential decay model, demonstrating a continuous yet gradually slowing decrease over time. Decay rates were 0.012 ± 0.001 per year for ECD and 0.056 ± 0.003 per year for the vault. Notably, ECD lower outliers had significantly lower preoperative ECD values. There were no instances of cataract formation, angle closure, glaucoma, or ICL removal throughout the study. The 10-year outcomes of V4c ICL implantation demonstrate effective and safe visual results. Both ECD and vault exhibit exponential decay patterns over the decade. Patients with lower preoperative ECD values require careful post-implantation monitoring.

Amplitude analysis of the radiative decay Bs0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\ extrm{B}}_{\ extrm{s}}^0 $$\\end{document}→ K+K−γ

A search for radiative decay of Bs0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {B}_s^0 $$\\end{document} mesons to orbitally excited K+K− states is performed using proton proton collisions recorded by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1. The dikaon spectrum in the mass range mKK < 2400 MeV/c2 is dominated by the ϕ(1020) resonance that accounts for almost 70% of the decay rate. Considering the possible contributions of f2(1270), f2′\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {f}_2^{\\prime } $$\\end{document}(1525) and f2(2010) meson states, the overall tensor contribution to the amplitude is measured to beFf2=16.8±0.5stat.±0.7syst.%,\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathcal{F}}_{\\left\\{{f}_2\\right\\}}=16.8\\pm 0.5\\left(\ extrm{stat}.\\right)\\pm 0.7\\left(\ extrm{syst}.\\right)\\%, $$\\end{document}mostly dominated by the f2′\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {f}_2^{\\prime } $$\\end{document}(1525) state. Several statistically equivalent solutions are obtained for the detailed resonant structure depending on whether the smaller amplitudes interfere destructively or constructively with the dominant amplitude. The preferred solution that corresponds to the lowest values of the fit fractions along with constructive interference leads to the relative branching ratio measurementBBs0→f2′γBBs0→ϕγ=19.4−0.8+0.9stat.−0.5+1.4syst.±0.5B%,\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\frac{\\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_s^0\ o {f}_2^{\\prime}\\gamma \\right)}{\\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_s^0\ o \\phi \\gamma \\right)}={19.4}_{-0.8}^{+0.9}{\\left(\ extrm{stat}.\\right)}_{-0.5}^{+1.4}\\left(\ extrm{syst}.\\right)\\pm 0.5\\left(\\mathcal{B}\\right)\\%, $$\\end{document}where the last uncertainty is due to the ratio of measured branching fractions to the K+K− final state. This result represents the first observation of the radiative Bs0→f2′1525γ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {B}_s^0\ o {f}_2^{\\prime }(1525)\\gamma $$\\end{document} decay, which is the second radiative transition observed in the Bs0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {B}_s^0 $$\\end{document} sector.

Measurement of the fluorescence decay rate of 2 PJ3 positronium

The fluorescence decay rate of 2 PJ3 positronium (Ps) atoms [Γfl] has been experimentally determined using a Stark-mixing technique. Ground-state Ps atoms were optically excited in an electric field to states containing both 2 PJ3 and 23S1 components. The relative state populations were controlled via an applied mixing electric field, and a larger, pulsed, electric field was used to induce rapid quenching of the system after a fixed time delay. The dependence of the quenching signal on the mixing field strength was used to determine the relative and populations of the mixed states, whose decay rates are determined by the intrinsic self-annihilation and fluorescence decay rates. The measurements were compared to a trajectory simulation and Stark-mixing model, using the fluorescence decay rate as a free parameter. By finding the best agreement between the data and simulations we obtain Γfl=299±25µs−1, which is consistent with the mean theoretical value of 313.343±0.003µs−1. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

SIMUnet: an open-source tool for simultaneous global fits of EFT Wilson coefficients and PDFs

We present the open-source SIMUnet code, designed to fit Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) Wilson coefficient alongside Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) of the proton. SIMUnet can perform SMEFT global fits, as well as simultaneous fits of the PDFs and of an arbitrarily large number of SMEFT degrees of freedom, by including both PDF-dependent and PDF-independent observables. SIMUnet can also be used to determine whether the effects of any New Physics models can be fitted away in a global fit of PDFs. SIMUnet is built upon the open-source NNPDF code and is released together with documentation, and tutorials. To illustrate the functionalities of the new tool, we present a new global analysis of the SMEFT Wilson coefficients accounting for their interplay with the PDFs. We increment our previous analysis of the LHC Run II top quark data with both (i) the Higgs production and decay rates data from the LHC, and (ii) the precision electroweak and diboson measurements from LEP and the LHC.

Enhanced secondary electron emission properties of sputter-deposited MgO–Au composite film via Cr doping

High and stable secondary electron emission yield (SEY) is essential for thin film materials used for electrical signal amplification in electronic devices. To enhance the secondary electron emission (SEE) capability of MgO–Au composite film, Cr-doped MgO–Au film was prepared by magnetron sputtering and the effect of Cr doping on the SEE properties of MgO–Au film was intensively investigated. It was confirmed that the doped Cr element is distributed through the whole composite film in a form of Cr2O3. Compared to the conventional MgO–Au film, the Cr-doped MgO–Au film with a Cr/(Cr + Mg) atomic ratio of 0.71 % achieves a SEY of 7.1 with a 4.4 % rise at the primary electron energy (Ep) of 300 eV and a maximum SEY of 10.9 with a 10.1 % increase at the Ep of 800 eV, and it also has a reduction of 49.2 % in SEE decay rate under continuous electron bombardment. For this novel composite film, the SEY ascension mainly attributes to the MgO grain enlargement and chemical stability enhancement, and the decreased SEE decay rate is associated with the improvements of resistance to electron bombardment and electric conductivity induced by Cr doping.

Single-atom decorated hollow mesoporous carbon spheres composited with free-standing carbon cloth supported cobalt sulfide nanowire arrays as high-performance sulfur host for lithium-sulfur batteries

BackgroundLithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are a promising next generation electrochemical energy storage device. Its commercialization however is hindered by several technical challenges, particularly shuttling of polysulfides. MethodsA composite sulfur host, coupled with a porous current collector, was developed to mitigate the shuttling problem. Iron single atom (SAFe) decorated hollow mesoporous carbon spheres (HMCS), composited with cobalt sulfide nanowire arrays supported on free-standing carbon cloth (S-Co@CC), were fabricated as a high-performance sulfur host for LSBs. The sulfur host combines the high electrical conductivity and physical confinement capability of HMCS, the excellent polysulfides chemisorption capability of cobalt sulfide nanowire arrays, and the high catalytic efficiency of iron single atoms toward polysulfide conversion reactions, to achieve a high-performance LSB. Significant findingsThe S-Co@CC/SAFe-HMCS based LSB exhibited a high initial specific capacity of 1430 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C. For cycling stability, a specific capacity of 578 mAh g−1 was maintained after a 600-cycle operation at 1 C, achieving an ultralow average capacity decay rate of 0.029 % per cycle. The design of composite sulfur hosts, combining all functional components in one, proves to be an effective strategy to advance the development of high-performance LSBs.

Development and evaluation of a general approach for predicting pathogen decay in surface waters using hierarchical Bayesian modeling

A general approach for predicting indicator and pathogen decay in surface waters was developed using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, a persistence database, and a two-parameter model form. The resulting hierarchical regression describes general persistence behaviors with target-level intercepts and population-level coefficients. Uncertainty factors calculated with the approach suggest fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and pathogenic bacteria persist similarly in surface waters, but median virus and protozoa persistence metrics may be 2–3 times greater than FIB in similar conditions. The two-parameter model underpinning the approach was used to identify drivers of these differences. Virus decay rates were shown to taper off more quickly than FIB, whereas protozoa were associated with longer initial periods of minimal decay. Despite the low accuracy of the hierarchical model compared to models fit to individual datasets, this approach addresses a critical gap for water management decision-making as site-specific and pathogen-specific persistence data are uncommon in water monitoring practices.

Hydrodynamic fluctuations and topological susceptibility in chiral magnetohydrodynamics

Chiral magnetohydrodynamics is devoted to understanding the late-time and long-distance behavior of a system with an Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly at finite temperatures. The non-conservation of the axial charge is determined by the topological density \vec{E} \cdot \vec{B}E→⋅B→; in a classical hydrodynamic description this decay rate can be suppressed by tuning the background magnetic field to zero. However it is in principle possible for thermal fluctuations of \vec{E} \cdot \vec{B}E→⋅B→ to result in a non-conservation of the charge even at vanishing BB-field; this would invalidate the classical hydrodynamic effective theory. We investigate this by computing the real-time susceptibility of the topological density at one-loop level in magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations, relating its low-frequency limit to the decay rate of the axial charge. We find that the frequency-dependence of this susceptibility is sufficiently soft as to leave the axial decay rate unaffected, validating the classical hydrodynamic description. We show that the susceptibility contains non-analytic frequency-dependence which is universally determined by hydrodynamic data. We comment briefly on possible connections to the recent formulation of the ABJ anomaly in terms of non-invertible symmetry.

Ab Initio calculations of Low-Energy Quasiparticle Lifetimes in Bilayer Graphene

Motivated by recent experimental resultswe calculate from first-principles the lifetime of low-energy quasiparticles in bilayer graphene (BLG). We take into account the scattering rate arising from electron-electron interactions within the GW approximation for the electron self-energy and consider several p-type doping levels ranging from 0 to ~ 2.4x1012 holes/cm2. In the undoped case we find that the average inverse lifetime scales linearly with energy away from the charge neutrality point, with values in good agreement with experiments. The decay rate is approximately three times larger than in monolayer graphene, a consequence of the enhanced screening in BLG.In the doped case, the dependence of the inverse lifetime on quasiparticle energy acquires a non-linear component due to the opening of an additional decay channel mediated by acoustic plasmons.This work was supported by the LDRD program at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). SNL is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

Reinforced Poly (dibenzyl-co-terphenyl piperidinium) Membranes for Highly Durable Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Low-cost anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is an attractive technology to solve global energy shortage and environmental problems. However, AEMWE suffers from poor performance and durability, leading to problems associated with the lack of qualified anion exchange membranes (AEMs). In this study, a reinforced membrane using PDTP (Poly(dibenzyl-co-terphenyl Piperidinium)) and PE (Polyethylen) was developed to improve performance and durability. Additionally, the effects of support layer and polymer membrane thickness on water electrolysis were observed. Due to the excellent electrochemical properties of filled PDTP, the prepared reinforced membranes exhibit excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength > 112 MPa, elongation at break > 84%, conductivity (96.3 mS cm−1), and dimensional stability (swelling). ratio < 50% at 80°C). More importantly, the AEMWE based on the reinforced membrane exhibits an outstanding current density of 4.86 A cm−2@2.0 V at 2.0 V and voltage decay rate, while simultaneously exhibiting in-situ durability of less than 1 and 2 A cm−2 for 1000 hours at 60°C. That it can be achieved. 0.02 mV h−1 and 0.1 mV h−1, respectively. This study shows that PDTP reinforced composite membrane can effectively improve AEMWE performance and durability.

Single Atom Catalyst Anchored on Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon As an Effective Sulfur Host for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered highly promising for next-generation energy storage due to their high theoretical specific capacity and energy density. However, challenges such as the insulating nature of sulfur cathodes, the detrimental shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and sluggish conversion kinetics of LiPSs during charge/discharge cycles impede their commercial viability. In this study, we employed a facile ‘dissolution-carbonization’ approach to synthesize nitrogen-coordinated monometallic atomic catalysts anchored on mesoporous carbon to promote surface-mediated reactions of LiPSs. The hierarchical porous carbon support physically confines the sulfur species, while the introduction of single atoms efficiently captures polysulfide intermediates and facilitates their redox conversion kinetics with a lower activation energy barrier. The synergistic effect of the single atom and nitrogen-rich porous carbon (NC) significantly enhances reaction kinetics and sulfur species utilization. Consequently, LSBs incorporating single-atom catalysts (SACs) demonstrate remarkable performance metrics, including high-capacity retention (824.2 mAh g−1), superior Coulombic efficiency (>98.5%), low-capacity decay rate (0.042% per cycle) after 500 cycles at 1 C, and excellent rate capability (776 mA h g–1 at 3 C). This work presents an effective strategy that combines the functions of a nanoporous material host and SACs for lithium-sulfur batteries.