High Figure Research Articles

Integration of Boron Nitride Into Tin‐Enriched SnSe2 for a High‐performance Thermoelectric Nanocomposite with Optimized Electrical Transport and Mechanical Properties

AbstractThermoelectric materials with high figures of merit are essential for efficient energy conversion and cooling applications. This study integrates boron nitride (BN) into tin‐enriched SnSe₂ to form a multi‐phase composite with synergistic thermoelectric and mechanical properties. The incorporation of BN into SnSe2 offers the dual benefit of optimizing both carrier concentration and carrier mobility. Notably, the BN/SnSe2 composite exhibits a significant increase in the Seebeck coefficient, attributed to an increased bandgap and electronic density of states near the Fermi level, as corroborated by density functional theory calculations. Consequently, an impressive power factor of 940 µWm−1K−2 is achieved for the sample with a mere 0.8 wt.% BN content. This power factor enhancement, coupled with a notable ≈37% reduction in lattice thermal conductivity due to increased phonon scattering from lattice strain induced by Se vacancies, contributes to a remarkable ZTmax value of 0.68 at 767 K, exceeding the performance of pristine SnSe2 by ≈76%. Additionally, BN enhances stress distribution and deformation behavior, improving stability and reliability under diverse thermal and mechanical conditions. This study demonstrates an effective approach for advancing SnSe₂ thermoelectric materials and provides a foundation for composite design and energy band engineering to achieve high‐performance thermoelectric devices.

Analisis Laporan Keuangan Perusahaan Sebagai Penilaian Kinerja Perusahaan (Studi Pustaka pada Perusahaan BUMN Sektor Konstruksi yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia 2020-2022)

The development of the business world in an increasingly open economic situation needs to be based on performance assessment facilities and systems that can encourage companies towards increasing efficiency and competitiveness which will strengthen capital and have an impact on the company's performance assessment. So that it is able and survives in the increasingly tight business competition today. Companies can analyze financial reports, especially in conducting performance assessments. In the research conducted by the author using descriptive qualitative methods and Literature Studies on the financial reports of 4 state-owned construction sector companies listed on the Stock Exchange: PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) TBK, PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, PT Adhi Karya Tbk (ADHI), and PT Pembangunan Perumahan (Persero) Tbk. The purpose of this research is to calculate and analyze the Liquidity, Solvency and Profitability of Financial Reports as an assessment of the Company's Performance. The results of the study show that the Liquidity Ratio (current ratio) of PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk has a consistently high current ratio for three consecutive years, with the highest figure in 2020 at 168.89%. This shows the company's ability to meet its short-term obligations better than other companies such as PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk which have lower ratios. The solvency ratio of PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk also stands out with a very high debt to equity ratio, reaching 979.55% in 2022. This indicates that the company is highly dependent on debt in its funding structure. High dependence on debt can increase financial risk, Profitability Ratio, PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) TBK and PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk showed an increase in Net Profit Margin, which indicates an improvement in operational efficiency and management. On the other hand, PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk and PT Pembangunan Perumahan (Persero) Tbk experienced a decline in margin, although they maintained a positive margin. Different receivable turnover ratios also provide an overview of the efficiency of receivables management in these companies. PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk for example, in 2021 had a very high receivables turnover ratio of 790.28%, indicating that this company is able to manage receivables very efficiently, accelerating cash collection from credit sales.

Multi-responsive circularly polarized luminescence micro-patterns with high figure of merit towards multi-dimensional data encoding

Multi-responsive circularly polarized luminescence micro-patterns with high figure of merit towards multi-dimensional data encoding

A Study on the Prediction of Long-Term Carbon Absorption by Applying the Renewal Scenario of Forest in Korea

As global warming has emerged as an essential global solution, the role of carbon neutrality is required to respond to rapidly changing environmental policies. Forests are an important means for achieving carbon neutrality as they act as a key carbon sink, and, among them, forest management called afforestation is emerging as a decisive factor. However, although various studies are being conducted to enhance carbon absorption capacity, there are not many long-term research cases on afforestation. In this study, the cumulative carbon absorption for a total of 90 years from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2100 was set as the baseline. Various changes were made according to the cyclical trend of the species and age classes planted nationwide, and various results were derived through the regeneration scenario. As a result of the study, the difference between the maximum value and the baseline CO2 absorption was approximately 130 million t CO2 when compared with the 90-year cumulative value. When converted into an annual unit, it increased by more than 14 million t CO2. Based on the highest figures, compared with statistics from the Ministry of Environment’s Greenhouse Gas Information Center, it was confirmed that the forest absorption source, which was offset by 6.26 percent in 2019, could be changed by up to 8.74 percent. When analyzing the maximum figures from this study, depending on the method of afforestation, the greenhouse gases emitted by approximately 9.32 million passenger cars per year could be offset. In conclusion, among the carbon neutrality tasks that must be addressed at the national level, it is very important to establish long-term direction decisions and detailed plans for the forest sector, which is the core of carbon sinks, and a strategic approach is essential. Based on this study, it is expected that a more systematic direction can be presented for planning and implementing future afforestation.

Epidemiology of invasive Haemophilus influenzae infections in Belgium: 2018-2022.

Haemophilus influenzae plays a major role in invasive bacterial infections. Resistant strains are emerging, prompting the WHO to include H. influenzae on its list of priority pathogens for research and development of new antibiotics. We aimed to describe the serotypes, demographics and susceptibility profiles of invasive strains collected in Belgium. Data on invasive strains referred to the Belgian National Reference Center for H. influenzae from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 608 invasive strains were included. The number of notifications per year ranged from 85 to 165, with a marked decrease between 2020 and 2021. The highest incidence rate was observed in Brussels (1.56 per 100,000 inhabitants over the five year 2018-2022). Sex and age distribution were in line with global trends, as was the predominance of the non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHI). Beta-lactam resistance varies between molecules: 18.9% for ampicillin, 5.6% for amoxicillin-clavulanate. Mutations in the ftsI gene associated with decreased susceptibility to beta-lactams increased from 11.5 to 17.7% over the period studied. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the epidemiology of invasive H. influenzae infections in Belgium. Demographic analysis identified a significant male predominance among infants, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.57 in patients under one year of age, a high figure not previously reported in the literature. The continued predominance of NTHI underscores the efficacy of Hib vaccination, although the emergence of Hib in patients younger than five years in 2022 suggests an alarming serotype dynamic. The detection of meropenem resistance also highlights the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, while the increase in ftsI gene mutations raises concerns about the efficacy of first-line treatment. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of invasive H. influenzae infections in Belgium, focusing on demographic changes, serotype predominance and antimicrobial resistance trends. Vigilant surveillance and research are essential to address emerging challenges and guide future interventions, including potential vaccine development.

Predictive value of mitotic figure counts in tumor progression of non-invasive high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder: A retrospective study from a single cancer center

Background: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the most common type of bladder malignancy. Although the majority of UC present as non-invasive tumors, a subset of them progress into invasive cancer and cause significant morbidity and mortality. Objective: In this study, we examined the association between tumor mitotic activity associated and the progression of non-invasive high-grade papillary UC of the bladder. Methods: Forty-four cases of tumors that met the selection criteria were retrieved from the Department of Pathology archives, and, for each case, mitotic figures were counted in 10 high-power fields (HPF) by two independent pathologists. Tumor progression was defined as the invasion of the tumor into the subepithelial connective tissue (lamina propria) or beyond during follow-ups. In addition, tumors that later exhibited distant metastases were included in the tumor progression group. Results: Our study revealed that the average mitotic count per 10 HPF in the tumor progression group was significantly higher (p = 0.001) than in the progression-free group. Furthermore, tumors with more than three mitotic counts per HPF in initial biopsies posed a high risk of tumor progression within the 19.5 ± 6.1 months of follow-ups. Conclusion: The findings of our study provided valuable information for further stratification of risk factors among patients with non-invasive high-grade papillary UC of the bladder. Patients with high mitotic figure count in their initial biopsies should be monitored closely or treated earlier to prevent their tumors from progressing into invasive carcinoma.

Fano resonance-boosted topological sensor for next-generation sensing

The rapidly developing field of topological photonics has the potential to revolutionize the design and operation of optical systems. This study presents a novel approach for constructing a resilient sensor based on topological resonance. The coupling of the photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) with the topological corner state (TCS) within the structure forms the proposed sensor. The PCW provides a well-defined propagating mode, while the TCS is a localized mode that is topologically protected against perturbations. The coupling between the two modes contributes growth to a Fano resonance and results in a sharp and narrow spectral feature sensitive to the refractive index variation of the surrounding medium. The proposed sensor possesses a high sensitivity of ∼461.96 nm/RIU with a high Q-factor {10}^{6})$$\\end{document}]]>, high figure of merit {10}^{6}\\:{\ ext{R}\ ext{I}\ ext{U}}^{-1})$$\\end{document}]]>, and has an ideal detection limit value of. The present study gives a new platform for a more productive way of creating highly efficient topological Fano resonance sensors. The proposed sensor is resistant, sensitive, and highly versatile, making it beneficial for different applications.

Concurrently High Thermoelectric and Magnetocaloric Performance of BiSbTe/NiMnIn Composites for All-Solid-State Thermoelectromagnetic Refrigeration.

Materials with both high thermoelectric (TE) performance and excellent magnetocaloric (MC) properties near room temperature are of great importance for all-solid-state TE/MC hybrid refrigeration. A combination of such two critical characteristics, however, is hardly attainable in single phase compounds. Herein we report a composite material that comprises Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric and Ni-Mn-In magnetocaloric components as an innovative thermoelectromagnetic material with dual functionalities. The diffusion mechanism between the two components during solidification is well studied by experimental electron probe microanalyzer tests and theoretical density functional theory calculations. By rationalizing the sintering parameters, the interdiffusion of the two components in the composite material is significantly mitigated. As a consequence, Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3/15 wt % Ni50Mn35In15 composite material demonstrates a high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT = 0.66) together with a large magnetic entropy change (ΔSmax = 3.08 J kg-1 K-1 under a magnetic field of 5 T), both achieved around 300 K. This study suggests that thermoelectromagnetic composite material holds a great promise for all-solid-state TE/MC hybrid cooling.

Screening of primary aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma among patients with hypertension: an Italian nationwide survey.

The delayed or missed diagnosis of secondary hypertension contributes to the poor blood pressure control worldwide. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic approach to primary aldosteronism (PA) and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) among Italian centers associated to European and Italian Societies of Hypertension. Between July and December 2023, a 10-items questionnaire was administered to experts from 82 centers of 14 Italian regions and to cardiologists from the ARCA (Associazioni Regionali Cardiologi Ambulatoriali) Piemonte. Results were stratified for geographical area, specialty, and center category (excellence vs. non-excellence centers). Each center diagnosed an average of 2 cases of PA and 0.2 cases of PHEO annually, with higher figures in excellence centers. PA screening is performed mainly in patients with resistant hypertension (73.2%) or hypertension and spontaneous hypokalemia (84.1%), while only 17.1% and 35.4% of centers screen patients with grade 2-3 hypertension. Screening rate is lower for cardiologists compared to other specialists. The main barriers to wider testing were challenges in interpreting the aldosterone/renin ratio under interfering medications and switching to non-interfering drugs. Clinical scores to predict the likelihood of PA and the definition of Standard Operating Procedures were identified as potential tools to boost screening rates. Testing for PHEO was mostly conducted in patients with typical symptoms (75.6%) and/or hypertensive crisis (74.4%). Only 37.8% of centers screened all patients with adrenal incidentaloma. This study highlights significant gaps in the screening and diagnosis of PA and PHEO across Italian centers and underscores the need for widespread and standardized diagnostic protocols.

Thermoelectrics in alkaline earth metal tellurides of ATe2 type - A first-principles study

Abstract We report an extensive study on the structural and thermoelectric performance of the novel semiconducting binary type ATe2 (A=Mg,Be,Ca,Sr,Ba) earth abundant materials using Density Functional Theory (DFT) and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The PBE-GGA exchange correlation potential method was used for electronic structure calculations within the framework of density functional theory. The structural stability of the materials was confirmed by ground state energy, formation energy and mechanical responses. The calculated lattice constants, energy band structures and density of states explain the nature of the materials and are agreed with previous experimental and theoretical works. According to our calculated results, we revealed a high figure of merit materials are CaTe2 and SrTe2 due to high Seebeck and electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity values. Additionally, Slack's equation was utilized to obtain low lattice thermal conductivity values. Our findings will serve as theoretical guidelines for future experimental and industrial applications both in cooling and heating

Research on High Figure of Merit LRSPR Fiber Optic Sensors

Research on High Figure of Merit LRSPR Fiber Optic Sensors

TiO2 and PbTiO3 assisted SPR biosensor for detection of malignancy in human-liver tissue with high sensitivity and figure of merit

TiO2 and PbTiO3 assisted SPR biosensor for detection of malignancy in human-liver tissue with high sensitivity and figure of merit

Quadruple-band synglisis enables high thermoelectric efficiency in earth-abundant tin sulfide crystals.

Thermoelectrics have been limited by the scarcity of their constituent elements, especially telluride. The earth-abundant, wide-bandgap (Eg ≈ 46 kBT) tin sulfide (SnS) has shown promising performance in its crystal form. We improved the thermoelectric efficiency in SnS crystals by promoting the convergence of energy and momentum of four valance bands, termed quadruple-band synglisis. We introduced more Sn vacancies to activate quadruple-band synglisis and facilitate carrier transport by inducing SnS2 in selenium (Se)-alloyed SnS, leading to a high dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of ~1.0 at 300 kelvin and an average ZT of ~1.3 at 300 to 773 kelvin in p-type SnS crystals. We further obtained an experimental efficiency of ~6.5%, and our fabricated cooler demonstrated a maximum cooling temperature difference of ~48.4 kelvin at 353 kelvin. Our observations should draw interest to earth-abundant SnS crystals for applications of waste-heat recovery and thermoelectric cooling.

Effect of Alloying Metal Elements on the Valence Band of β-Ga2O3: A First-Principles Study.

β-Ga2O3 is a candidate semiconductor material for high-power electronics due to its ultrawide bandgap and high Baliga's figure of merit. However, its p-type doping is extremely difficult because of its low and flat band dispersion at its valence band maximum (VBM). A few reports have predicted that the VBM of β-Ga2O3 can be enhanced via alloying a specific metal (M), which enables p-type conduction. To fully understand the M regulation on the valence band of β-Ga2O3, 49 different M-alloyed β-Ga2O3 i.e., β-(M0.125Ga0.875)2O3, are investigated in this work through first-principles calculations. The alloys' configurations and electronic structures are found dependent more on the group number of M. The β-(M0.125Ga0.875)2O3 members with Ms in groups 3, 9, 13, and 15 and the Ms of Be, Cr, and Fe are semiconductors. The VBMs' energies are enhanced by more than 1 eV in the β-(M0.125Ga0.875)2O3 for the Ms of Rh, Ir, Sb, and Bi because these VBMs are newly formed by the orbital hybridization of the Ms and neighboring oxygen atoms. The band dispersions at VBMs generally become steeper, especially for Ms in groups 13 and 15. The average hole effective mass in β-(Al0.125Ga0.875)2O3 is only 3.43% of that in the β-Ga2O3. It is believed that the reduced hole effective mass and increased VBMs' energies make the p-type doping easier in these alloys and the applications of the alloys wider.

Development of an advanced multimode refractive index plasmonic optical sensor utilizing split ring resonators for brain cancer cell detection

In this paper, we propose and theoretically investigate a novel multimode refractive index (MMRI) plasmonic optical sensor for detecting various brain cancer cells, leveraging the unique capabilities of split ring resonators (SRRs). The sensor, simulated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, exhibits dual resonance modes in its reflection spectrum within the 1500 nm to 3500 nm wavelength range, marking a significant advancement in multimode plasmonic biosensing. Through detailed parametric analysis, we optimize critical dimensional parameters to achieve superior performance. The novelty of this work lies in the dual-mode sensing mechanism, which enables robust detection by exploiting the resonance characteristics of gold, silver, and aluminum. These materials provide tunable and highly sensitive interactions with light, enhancing the sensor’s adaptability for a wide range of applications. The results reveal exceptional sensitivity values of 1778.3 nm/RIU, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.016 RIU, and a high figure of merit (FOM) of 7 RIU−1, along with a quality factor (QF) of 11.7 in the first resonance mode. The findings show that the designed optical biosensor exhibits high sensitivity, a good LOD, and an acceptable FOM in both resonance modes. So, this work paves the way for future research and development of susceptible, multimode optical sensors for medical diagnostics. The results indicate that the proposed sensor operates effectively across a range of temperatures and angles of radiant light, demonstrating its independence from these variables. This reliability in performance underscores its potential for use in diverse environments, making it a dependable tool for detecting biological samples, including brain cancer cells, irrespective of external conditions.

A magneto-thermoelectric with a high figure of merit in topological insulator Bi88Sb12

High thermoelectric performance is generally achieved by synergistically optimizing two or even three of the contradictorily coupled thermoelectric parameters. Here we demonstrate magneto-thermoelectric correlation as a strategy to achieve simultaneous gain in an enhanced Seebeck coefficient and reduced thermal conductivity in topological materials. We report a large magneto-Seebeck effect and high magneto-thermoelectric figure of merit of 1.7 ± 0.2 at 180 K and 0.7 T in a single-crystalline Bi88Sb12 topological insulator. This result fills a gap of a high performance below 300 K and is promising for low-temperature thermoelectric applications. The large magneto-Seebeck response is attributed to the ultrahigh mobility and the Dirac band dispersion. The application of a low magnetic field to achieve a high thermoelectric performance can be extended to topological materials with similar features that are rapidly emerging because it synergistically optimizes the thermoelectric parameters.

Identification planting index of rice using landsat and sentinel 2 time series images with geo-biophysics parameters as classification model base using Google Earth Engine (Study area: Serang Regency, Banten)

Abstract The Limited rice field area is not a dead end that makes Indonesia surrender to the condition. In addition to harvest area and rice production data, planting index of rice (PIR) can assist the policymakers in food security planning. Rice fields with high PIR can be a guide, while rice fields with low PIR can be an object to develop. The classifier model with geo-biophysics parameters (EVI, NDWI, NDBI) is an advanced classification technique that can be used to generate PIR information from optical time series images. During land preparation, the rice fields typically show low EVI, high NDWI, and low NDBI. Rice EVI values continues to increase until the last vegetative stage or 60 days after planting. After that, rice fields will revert to low EVI, low NDWI and high NDBI. The start, end, middle, max, min, range and max position value are variables that represent patterns of EVI, NDWI and NDBI time series. The inclusion of Landsat 9 has significantly improved accuracy, resulting in 84%, whereas without Landsat 9, the accuracy remains at 64%. Furthermore, accuracy can be assessed by comparing the harvest area data from PIR conversion with the reported data from BPS. The comparisons are 8% for 2022, 7.9% for 2021 and 9.5% for 2020. Besides, both the BPS-reported data and this research indicate that the rice harvest area in Serang Regency had the highest figure in 2022 and the lowest figure in 2021. So it can be concluded, this research has yielded good results.

Amorphous-like thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric figure of merit in “π” SnS and SnSe

Using state-of-the-art ab initio modelling, we predict the structurally-complex “π” phases of SnS and SnSe to show glass-like thermal conductivity and a low-temperature figure of merit ZT > 1 if they can be stabilised with heavy n-type doping.

A highly optimized and sensitive bowtie shape-based SPR biosensor for different analyte detection.

With advancements in photonic technologies, photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have become crucial components in developing highly sensitive and efficient biosensors. This paper presents an optimized bowtie-shaped PCF biosensor that leverages surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomena for enhanced refractive index (RI) sensing. The proposed design uses an external sensing mechanism to effectively characterize performance across an RI range of 1.32 to 1.44. Fabrication is simplified by selecting a large pitch and gold layer height, while performance is enhanced by increasing pitch size, improving the gold layer, and optimizing air hole diameter. Simulations performed using the finite element method in COMSOL Multiphysics v5.4 demonstrate an impressive wavelength sensitivity (WS) of 143 000 nm per RIU and an amplitude sensitivity (AS) of 6242 per RIU. The sensor also exhibits a high resolution of 6.99 × 10-7 RIU and maintains excellent full width at half maximum (FWHM) characteristics, resulting in a very high figure of merit (FOM) of 2600, indicating superior performance. These promising results suggest that the optimized bowtie-shaped PCF biosensor can be effectively applied to detect a wide range of biological and chemical substances with high precision and sensitivity.

High-purity La3-xTe4 Material with Superior Thermoelectric Performance Synthesized via Te-vapor Transport and Solid-State Diffusion.

La3-xTe4 is a very promising high-temperature candidate applied in next-generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). Conventional synthesis of such materials is based on the mechanochemical method, which makes the sample difficult to purify due to the high-energy ball milling. In this report, a novel synthetic method is developed, which utilizes Te-vapor transport and solid-phase diffusion to efficiently produce the RE3-xTe4 phases (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd). Notably, this method obviates the requirement for high-energy ball-milling instruments, conventionally indispensable in the mechanochemical syntheses. For as-synthesized La2.74Te4 material, a high figure of merit of 1.5 is achieved at 1073K, owning to the reduced electronic thermal conductivity with metal impurities well eliminated.