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The leader–following consensus of linear heterogeneous multiagent systems is investigated in this paper. To comply with the most practical scenario, the communicating topologies among agents are assumed to switch stochastically and driven by a continuous‐time discrete‐state Markov process, whose state space corresponds to all the possible topologies. A novel distributed adaptive compensator is designed for the followers to reconstruct the exogenous signals without knowing the Laplacian matrix who is regarded as a global information, and sufficient conditions are given to ensure the compensator converges to the dynamic of the leader asymptotically in the mean square sense. Then, based on the compensator, we solved the consensus problem both by distributed state and measurement output feedback control schemes under output regulation framework, which allow followers to have nonidentical state dimensions. Finally, the theoretical results are demonstrated by a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light availability is a primary factor influencing the growth and survival of tree seedlings in the forest understory. The effects of growth irradiance on the growth, photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of an evergreen shrub, Gardenia jasminoides, were investigated with three levels of light: full light, 52.2% light and 18.2% light. The results showed that G. jasminoides grown under 18.2% light attained the lowest plant height and the highest crown diameter. The highest and lowest values of ground diameter were obtained in the 52.2% light and 18.2% light environments, respectively. Leaf area increased in plants grown under shade conditions. G. jasminoides grown under 52.2% light had the greatest leaf biomass, stem biomass and total biomass. Shade resulted in significant reductions in electron transport rate through PSII (ETR), photochemical quenching (qP) and nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). Plants grown under shade conditions had lower heat dissipation in the antenna and higher excess energy. Chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, Chl (a + b) and carotenoids (Car) increased and the Chl a/b ratio decreased in response to shade. Area-based photosynthesis (Aarea), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (E) decreased significantly with decreasing growth irradiance, while there was no significant difference in mass-based photosynthesis (Amass) between full light and 52.2% light. G. jasminoides had the highest whole-plant photosynthesis (Aplant) value in 52.2% light and the lowest value in 18.2% light. The results suggest that approximately 52.2% light is the optimum growth irradiance for G. jasminoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aims at experimentally quantifying the effect of the process, environmental, and geometric conditions on the interlaminar tension stress (ILTS) performance of curved composite laminates. First, an innovative experimental matrix is established considering the material and process variability, environmental conditions, lay-up, thickness, radius-to-thickness ratio, defects, and thermal cycles. Subsequently, four-point bending tests are performed on the L-shaped laminated specimens. The effects of each condition on ILTS are obtained, with an interpretation of the corresponding mechanism. The results demonstrated that the material and process variability for the ILTS is about 24%. The stress of the hygrothermally aged specimens was reduced by 34.84%, but the performance was improved by 64.63% at −55 °C. Moreover, it is worth noting that, among all the design factors, the initial defects resulted in a significant stress reduction of up to 63.94%. Finally, the design allowable values under different environmental conditions were accurately calculated by the proposed method. The experimental results have been compared with corresponding observations reported in the literature, exhibiting a good agreement. Consequently, the conclusions of this study are highly useful for civil aircraft design applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, a detailed experimental and numerical investigation of compression after impact (CAI) behavior of hygrothermal aged T300 985LV carbon/epoxy composites is presented. Rectangular fabric laminates are damaged by low‐velocity impact, and moisture absorption conditioning is carried out. The moisture absorption curves agree with Fick's law, with a moisture equilibrium rate of 0.84% at 1392 h. Then, CAI experiments are carried out on moisture saturated specimens at different temperatures. The effects of hygrothermal environments on CAI strength are obtained with an interpretation of corresponding mechanism. Furthermore, finite element analysis based on hygrothermal mechanics formulation and incremental Newton–Raphson mixed iteration equation is established. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, with an accuracy of up to 92%, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the established numerical model. The results show that the CAI strength of 85 RH% hygroscopic saturated laminates is decreased by approximately 12% at 85°C and 17% at 128°C. Additionally, the allowable compression value of 3546 μɛ is obtained for T300 985LV composite laminates, which is useful for applications in civil aircraft design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the application of distributed generators (DGs), microgrids (MGs) have gained much attention. Combined with the distributed communication of networked systems, we investigates the secondary restoration problem in islanded microgrids. The periodic event-triggered (PET) controllers are designed for voltage restoration and frequency restoration with accurate active power allocation, which can naturally avoid Zeno behavior. By means of a common Lyapunov function, a PET protocol is designed that requires only the information of neighbors for event detection. Both event-checking sampling period and event trigger parameter are taken into account to reduce computation and communication redundancy by choosing appropriate parameters. Furthermore, considering the effect of communication delay, sufficient conditions are given to accomplish the secondary control objectives with allowable delays. Switching topologies are considered in an extra discussion. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed PET control strategies is verified by several MATLAB simulations. • Some distributed secondary periodic event-triggered controllers are designed for islanded microgrids. • Based on periodic event-checking sampling, communication resources and local computation resources are saved. • Switching topologies and communication delays are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the robust mean-square consensus control problem for linear multiagent systems over randomly switching signed interaction topologies. The stochastic process is governed by a time-homogeneous Markov chain with partly unknown transition rates. Sufficient conditions for a consensus in the form of linear matrix inequalities are given via distributed adaptive control based on parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions. The adaptive control protocols require only the neighbor information of the agents, and the algorithm that designs the protocols reduces the influence of the communication topology on the consensus, which can prevent undesirable interaction impacts. Moreover, the disturbance rejection problem is addressed as an extension. Finally, two simulations are utilized to illustrate the effectiveness of the algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of reachable set estimation of multi-agent systems (MASs) is investigated. For the ease of application, balanced communication topology with a directed spanning tree and non-zero initial condition are considered. Based on the Lyapunov method and orthogonal transformation technique, sufficient conditions are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities to guarantee that the reachable set of MASs is bounded by a compact ellipsoid. Moreover, by employing some useful skills from stochastic analysis, the result is then extended to the problem for MASs under Markovian switching topologies. The effectiveness of the obtained results is illustrated by two numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the control system in a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) has uncertainties and disturbances, the switching gain is a key factor in effecting chattering in sliding mode control. An adaptive switching gain is proposed for complementary sliding mode control (CSMC) to regulate the PMSM velocity. The proposed switching gain is designed according to system uncertainties. When the value of the sliding modulus is outside the boundary layer, it is positive, resulting in an increase in the switching gain. Conversely, when it is negative, the gain is decreasing. Further, the proposed law considers an arbitrary small vicinity of the sliding manifold, in which the derivatives of the adaptive switching gains are inversely proportional to the sliding modulus to speed up the gain adjustment process. The proposed gain for complementary sliding mode control is applied to regulate the PMSM velocity; comparisons of experimental results show that the proposed gain has a faster gain adjustment process than CSMC and alleviates chattering, resulting in a greater velocity accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the robust consensus control is investigated for a class of second-order multi-agent systems with time-varying interaction topology and disturbances. Firstly, due to the variation considered being bounded, the topology is modeled as time-varyingly uncertain topology with polytopic type. Then, regarding the uncertain parameters as independent variables and formulating the multi-agent system as a special polynomial system, the robust consensus problem is converted to the robust stability analysis of the error model via stability theory of control systems. Furthermore, the idea is generalized to study the disturbance attenuation problem. Sufficient conditions for the solutions to the robust consensus problems without and with disturbance attenuation are formulated in terms of homogeneous parameter-dependent linear matrix inequalities (HPD-LMIs) which can be solved via semidefinite programming relaxations based on the sum of squares technique. Finally, simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate forecasting of significant wave height (SWH) is crucial for ensuring the safety of marine navigation. To achieve good accuracy, deep learning models need to be trained separately using SWH data from all forecast locations. However, improving the generalizability of SWH prediction models is vital for practical engineering purposes. This paper proposes a training strategy that utilizes multi-point data fusion by using wave data obtained from different locations to construct a training dataset. To verify the feasibility of training strategy, the artificial neural network (ANN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and temporal convolutional network (TCN) models are used to test in China offshore. The RMSE and MAPE of different models with 2h advance forecasts are almost 0.05 and 4%, indicating that the models have good forecasting performance. Additionally, the models exhibit consistency with the model trained solely by single position data, which demonstrates that the training strategy applies to various models. In addition, in sea areas without wave training data, two locations are randomly selected and used in the pre-trained model to predict SWH. The various models demonstrate favorable forecasting results, further demonstrating that the training strategy proposed in this study can enhance the generalizability of models. • The training method based on multi-point data fusion can improve the spatial generalization of the SWH forecasting model. • Using ANN, LSTM, and TCN models for significant wave height forecasting at different locations. • The prediction accuracy of the multi-point data fusion training method and single location training method is the same. • The training method based on multi-point data fusion has good applicability to different deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an extension of diagonal stability for continuous fractional positive linear systems (FPLS) with the fractional order 0 < α < 1 . Based on diagonal stability of Metzler matrix, an extension that involves the combination of a diagonal positive definite matrix and a skew-symmetric anti-diagonal matrix related a Hurwitz and Metzler matrix is established. Combining this extension and the linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) criteria of stability for fractional order systems (FOS), a necessary and sufficient condition for extension diagonal stability of FPLS is presented. A state feedback controller is given, which ensures the stabilization and positivity of the closed-loop systems. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology, photophysics, and device performance of solar cells based on the low bandgap polymer poly[[2,6′-4,8-di(5-ethylhexylthienyl)benzo[1,2- b;3,3- b]dithiophene]3-fluoro-2[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4- b]thiophenediyl (PBDTTT-EFT) (also known as PTB7-Th) blended with different fullerene acceptors: Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM), phenyl-C71 -butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM), or indene-C60 bisadduct (ICBA) are correlated. Compared to PC71 BM-based cells - which achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.4% - cells using ICBA achieve a higher open-circuit voltage ( VOC) of 1.0 V albeit with a lower PCE of 7.1%. To understand the origin of this lower PCE, the morphology and photophysics have been thoroughly characterized. Hard and soft X-ray scattering measurements reveal that the PBDTTT-EFT:ICBA blend has a lower crystallinity, lower domain purity, and smaller domain size compared to the PBDTTT-EFT:PC71BM blend. Incomplete photoluminescence quenching is also found in the ICBA blend with transient absorption measurements showing faster recombination dynamics at short timescales. Transient photovoltage measurements highlight further differences in recombination at longer timeframes due to the more intermixed morphology of the ICBA blend. Interestingly, a mild thermal treatment improves the performance of PBDTTT-EFT:ICBA cells which is exploited in the fabrication of a homo PBDTTT-EFT:ICBA tandem solar cell with PCE of 9.0% and VOC of 1.93 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of solution-processed organometallic lead halide perovskite thin films prepared by the 'gas-assisted' method is investigated with synchrotron-based techniques. Using a combination of GIWAXS and NEXAFS spectroscopy the orientational alignment of CH3NH3PbI3 crystallites and CH3NH3+ cations are separately probed. The GIWAXS results reveal a lack of preferential orientation of CH3NH3PbI3 crystallites in 200-250 nm thick films prepared on both planar TiO2 and mesoporous TiO2. Relatively high efficiencies are observed for device based on such films, with 14.3% achieved for planar devices and 12% for mesoporous devices suggesting that highly oriented crystallites are not crucial for good cell performance. Oriented crystallites however are observed in thinner films (≈60 nm) deposited on planar TiO2 (but not on mesoporous TiO2) indicating that the formation of oriented crystallites is sensitive to the kinetics of solvent evaporation and the underlying TiO2 morphology. NEXAFS measurements on all samples found that CH3NH3+ cations exhibit a random molecular orientation with respect to the substrate. The lack of any NEXAFS dichroism for the thin CH3NH3PbI3 layer deposited on planar TiO2 in particular indicates the absence of any preferential orientation of CH3NH3+ cations within the CH3NH3PbI3 unit cell for as-prepared layers, that is, without any electrical poling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of the polymer PBDTTT-EFT and blends with the fullerene derivative PC71BM that achieve solar conversion efficiencies of over 9% is comprehensively investigated. A combination of synchrotron techniques are employed including surface-sensitive near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy and bulk-sensitive grazing-incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). A preferential 'face-on' orientation of PBDTTT-EFT is observed in the bulk of both pristine and blend thin films, with π-π stacking largely normal to the substrate, which is thought to be beneficial for charge transport. At the surface of the blend, a slight 'edge-on' structure of the polymer is observed with side-chains aligned normal to the substrate. The effect of the solvent additive 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) on solar cell efficiency and film microstructure is also investigated, where the addition of 3 vol% DIO results in an efficiency increase from ≈6.4% to ≈9.5%. GIWAXS studies indicate that the addition of DIO improves the crystallization of the polymer. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy are employed to image surface and bulk morphology revealing that DIO suppresses the formation of large PC71BM aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the robust consensus problem for a class of linear multi-agent systems (MASs) with polytopic uncertainties and external disturbances. The uncertainties appear in both the dynamics of each agent and the topology of the overall network. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, the robust consensus problem is converted to the robust H ∞ stabilization of the error system. With the aid of the homogeneous parameter-dependent (HPD) Lyapunov functions and sum of squares (SOS) technique, the robust consensus problem is further formulated as an SOS programming. Sufficient conditions to achieve robust consensus with disturbance rejection capability are presented in terms of SOS constraints. As an extension, the robust consensus problem for discrete-time MASs is studied in a similar way. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of the electronic and magnetic properties on the atomic arrangements of three different phases (i.e. α, β, and γ phases), of the half-Heusler alloy PdMnBi, is investigated based on spin-polarized density functional theory. For each phase, the optimized lattice constant is determined and the possibility of finding a half-metal is explored. Throughout this study, the bonding features of each phase are not supported by the large electronegativity of Pd given in the public domain. Both α and β phases PdMnBi show half-metallic (HM) properties for a range of lattice constants, and their magnetic moments are consistent with the values given by the modified Slater-Pauling rule. Additionally, the effects of the spin–orbit (S-O) interaction are examined by comparing the relative shifts of the valence bands and the indirect semiconducting gap, with respect to the spin-polarized results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The restoration fertility complex ( RFC) was previously identified in Honglian ( HL)-cytoplasmic male sterility ( CMS) rice ( Oryza sativa), and glycine-rich protein 162 ( GRP162) is responsible for binding to the CMS-associated transcript atp6-orfH79., Here, we engineered a recombinant GRP162 containing the mitochondrial transit peptide, termed Mt- GRP162, as an artificial restorer of fertility ( Rf) gene. Mt- GRP162 was confirmed to bind to CMS-associated RNA and to localize to the mitochondria. The transgenic plants showed restored fertility with partially functional pollen., We found that the expression of ORFH79 decreased in transgenic plants, while the expression of atp6-orfH79 was not changed. These findings indicate that Mt- GRP162 restores fertility by suppressing the expression of the cytotoxic protein ORFH79 at the post-transcriptional level rather than via the cleavage of atp6-orfH79 in the presence of RFC., These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of restoration through diverse pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With comparable transparency, flexibility, but a better conductivity, metal-mesh based PEN film provides an alternative low-cost electrode material to the conventional ITO/PEN film for flexible solar cell system. In this article, counter electrodes (CEs) prepared by coating metal-mesh/PEN with a mixture of PEDOT:PSS and carbon black nanoparticle (200-400 nm) were utilized in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A high efficiency of 5.5 % was achieved with the DSC based on the metal-mesh/PEN CE, rivaling that of the DSC based on ITO/PEN CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In indica rice, the HongLian (HL)-type combination of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and fertility restoration ( Rf) is widely used for the production of commercial hybrid seeds in China, Laos, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. Generally, any member of the gametophytic fertility restoration system, 50% of the pollen in hybrid F plants displays recovered sterility. In this study, however, a HL-type hybrid variety named HongLian You6 had approximately 75% normal (viable) pollen rather than the expected 50%. To resolve this discrepancy, several fertility segregation populations, including F and BCF derived from the HL-CMS line Yuetai A crossed with the restorer line 9311, were constructed and subjected to genetic analysis. A gametophytic restoration model was discovered to involve two non-allelic nuclear restorer genes, Rf5 and Rf6. The Rf5 had been previously identified using a positional clone strategy. The Rf6 gene represents a new restorer gene locus, which was mapped to the short arm of chromosome 8. The hybrid F plants containing one restorer gene, either Rf5 or Rf6, displayed 50% normal pollen grains with I-KI solution; however, those with both Rf5 and Rf6 displayed 75% normal pollens. We also established that the hybrid F plants including both non-allelic restorer genes exhibited an increased stable seed setting when subjected to stress versus the F plants with only one restorer gene. Finally, we discuss the breeding scheme for the plant gametophytic CMS/ Rf system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of new composite material composed of piezoelectric ceramic lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate-lead titanate (PMN)/carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/epoxy resin (EP) were prepared by a resin casting method. The effects of carbon nanofibers on dielectric properties of PMN/CNFs/EP composites were investigated in this paper. The concetration of CNFs had significant effects on dielectric constant, dielectric loss, dielectric frequency dependence and dielectric temperature dependence of PMN/CNFs/EP composites. When the content of CNFs increased from 0 to 0.8 wt% of the epoxy resin, the dielectric constant at 1 kHz increased sharply from 13.6 to 158, and the dielectric loss increased from 0.0524 to 2.59. In plots of the dielectric constant against frequency and dielectric loss against frequency, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss reduced dramatically at lower frequency ranging from zero to about 105 Hz, then approach to be stable at frequency higher than 105 Hz. Moreover, as to the effects of temperature on dielectric constant and dielectric loss of PMN/CNFs/EP composites, the dielectric constant of composite increased ranging from 25°C to 160°C, and the dielectric loss of composite also showed increase besides that with CNFs content 0.8 wt%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to factors that include systematic sensor delay, it is difficult for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite stereo positioning to meet the requirements of large-scale mapping. In traditional stereo positioning methods, ground control points (GCP) are required to eliminate errors. In this study, a method is proposed to improve the stereo positioning accuracy without GCP. First, the factors influencing the Gaofen-3 (GF-3) satellite stereo positioning accuracy were analysed. The errors were divided into systematic fixed errors, spatial and temporal variation errors, and random errors. Subsequently, a systematic geometric error compensation model and a stereo adjustment model were constructed, and a method to improve the multiscene and multimode stereo positioning accuracy without GCP was proposed. Finally, the effects of different intersection angles on the accuracy of stereo positioning were compared and analysed, and the optimal intersection angle of the SAR satellite was quantitatively analysed. The effectiveness and accuracy of this method were verified using GF-3 high-resolution image data. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can improve the SAR satellite stereo positioning accuracy. The plane positioning accuracy improved by 95.1%, and the elevation positioning accuracy improved by 97.9%. In general, the plane and elevation positioning accuracies of the GF-3 satellite were better than 3 m and 2 m, respectively. The stereo-positioning accuracy of the SAR satellite was the best and most stable when the intersection angle was between 40° and 50°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: OsCactinpositively regulates drought tolerance in rice. OsCactin is regulated by OsTRAB1 and interacts with OsDi19 proteins to defend against drought stress. Drought stress significantly limits plant growth and production. Cactin, a CactinC_cactus domain-containing protein encoded by a highly conserved single-copy gene prevalent across the eukaryotic kingdom, is known to play diverse roles in fundamental biological processes. However, its function in rice drought tolerance remains poorly understood. In this study, with its overexpression and knockout rice lines in both a pot drought experiment and a PEG drought-simulation test, OsCactin was found to positively regulate rice drought tolerance during the rice seedling stage. The OsCactin-overexpressing lines presented high tolerance to drought stress, whereas the OsCactin-knockout plants were sensitive to drought stress. OsCactin was localized in the nucleus, and was predominantly expressed in the leaves and panicles at the seedling and booting stages, respectively. Furthermore, OsTRAB1, a drought-responsive TF of the bZIP family, binds to the promoter of OsCactin as a drought-responsive regulator. OsDi19 proteins, the Cys2/His2 (C2H2)-type zinc finger TFs from the drought-induced 19 family, interact with OsCactin both in vitro and in vivo. Our results provide new insights into the intricate mechanisms by which OsCactin regulates the rice drought stress response, which may contribute to the design of molecular breeding methods for rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upscaling the perovskite solar cell (PSC) while avoiding losses in the power conversion efficiency presents a substantial challenge, especially when transitioning from ≤1 cm2 cells to ≥10 cm2 modules. In addition to the fabrication of key functional layers, scalable technologies for surface passivation, considered indispensable for achieving high‐performance PSCs, are urgently required. However, studies on this topic remain limited. In this study, an industry‐ready slot‐die coating method for the effective passivation of perovskite films as a practical alternative is developed to the spin‐coating procedures commonly used in research. The coating conditions and molecular structure of the passivation agent are systematically optimized to achieve high‐quality film morphology and substantially suppress interface recombination. 2‐chloro‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐phenylammonium bromide exhibited the best results, improving the open‐circuit voltage of cells and subcells in a module by 80 ± 4 and 72 ± 10 mV, respectively. Correspondingly, the larger‐area (active area: 10 cm2) modules sustained the highest efficiency of 21.9% under simulated 1‐sun irradiation. The encapsulated devices retained 94% of their initial performances after 750 h of continuous operation. The proposed surface‐passivation slot‐die technology is compatible with high‐throughput processes and is employable for large‐scale PSC fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sol–gel processed zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most widely used electron transport layers (ETLs) in inverted organic solar cells (OSCs). The high annealing temperature (≈200 °C) required for sintering to ensure a high electron mobility however results in severe damage to flexible substrates. Thus, flexible organic solar cells based on sol–gel processed ZnO exhibit significantly lower efficiency than rigid devices. In this paper, an indium‐doping approach is developed to improve the optoelectronic properties of ZnO layers and reduce the required annealing temperature. Inverted OSCs based on In‐doped ZnO (IZO) exhibit a higher efficiency than those based on ZnO for a range of different active layer systems. For the PM6:L8‐BO system, the efficiency increases from 17.0% for the pristine ZnO‐based device to 17.8% for the IZO‐based device. The IZO‐based device with an active layer of PM6:L8‐BO:BTP‐eC9 exhibits an even higher efficiency of up to 18.1%. In addition, a 1.2‐micrometer‐thick inverted ultrathin flexible organic solar cell is fabricated based on the IZO ETL that achieves an efficiency of 17.0% with a power‐per‐weight ratio of 40.4 W g−1, which is one of the highest efficiency for ultrathin (less than 10 micrometers) flexible organic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A known result about the spectral radius of an irreducible nonnegative matrix is extended to all nonnegative matrices. By means of this result, it is shown that the structured singular value and the volumetric singular value of a class of nonnegative matrices can be approximated with arbitrary accuracy by the matrix norm induced by a weighted l2 vector norm and in the simplest case by a weighted lp vector norm for any p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An efficient strategy for generating photocarrier in a metal wrapped semiconductor. • Efficient photoconduction far below the interband threshold at room temperature. • High sensitivity, fast response and superb signal-to-noise ratio. • Higher mobility, intriguing band structure, and by meticulous nanofabrication.. Long wavelength photodetectors, especially for the far-infrared or terahertz detection, have long been of great interest due to their myriad applications in biomedical diagnostic, spectroscopy, communication and sensing, but they still face challenges in room temperature performance. Here, we have established an efficient strategy for generating photocarriers in a sub-wavelength metal wrapped semiconductor or topological insulator layer with detectable wavelength depends only on the structure rather than the bandgap. The photocarriers, which are dislodged from metallic contacts, are ascribed to the trapping mechanism of a localized field-induced potential well (LFPW). When the structure is biased and illuminated, the unidirectional flow of non-equilibrium photocarriers will produce a large photo-condutive gain over several orders of magnitude. Owing to its electromagnetic nature, the photoconduction is still highly efficient even at photon energies far below the inter-band threshold at room temperature. The unique photoelectric mechanism provides high sensitivity, fast response and superb signal-to-noise ratio, facilitating the spectral extension beyond the standard limit of cryogenic cooling, undisputed benefits for addressing targeted application requirement in biomedical, security and fast imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim at the fore and aft asymmetry of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and the loss of linear velocity, a static output feedback (SOF) H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ control method is proposed by the sum of squares (SOS) based on two types of extended bounded real lemmas (EBRL) for heading regulation to guarantee the robustness and improve the rapidity. First, an asymmetric nonlinear heading error model with hydrodynamic parameters is established by the consideration of lack of linear velocity. Second, SOF controller with H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ performance is presented for the asymmetric nonlinear USV model, and it's SOS conditions to solve controller parameters is deduced from EBRL by homogeneous Lyapunov function (HERBL) to maintain the system robustness. Further, the solution of SOF H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ controller relies on the state feedback gain matrix, EBRL is deduced by quadratic Lyapunov function (QEBRL) to obtain the SOS conditions without the addition of an extended matrix to cut computing cost for the solution of the state feedback gain matrix. Finally, the heading control simulations for USV indicate that, QEBRL method takes less time for SOS conditions to solve the state feedback gain matrix, and SOF H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ system of HERBL has a superior performance on the transient response and the robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tris(2,2′-bipyridine)cobalt(ii)/(iii) based polymer gel electrolyte has been successfully applied in conjunction with an organic carbazole dye in the construction of stable dye-sensitized solar cells with an energy conversion efficiencies of 8.7% and 10% at 1 sun and 0.1 sun light intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning nonstationary data streams has been well studied in recent years. However, most of the researches assume that the class imbalance of data streams is relatively balanced. Only a few approaches tackle the joint issue of concept drift and class imbalance due to its complexity. Meanwhile, the existing chunk ensembles for classifying imbalanced nonstationary data streams always need to store previous data, which consumes plenty of memory usage. To overcome these issues, we propose a chunk-based incremental ensemble algorithm called Dynamic Updated Ensemble (DUE) for learning imbalanced data streams with concept drift. Compared to the existing techniques, its merits are five-fold: (1) it learns one chunk at a time without requiring access to previous data; (2) it emphasizes misclassified examples in the model update procedure; (3) it can timely react to multiple kinds of concept drifts; (4) it can adapt to the new condition when switching majority class to minority class; (5) it keeps a limited number of classifiers to ensure high efficiency. Experiments on synthetic and real datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of DUE in learning nonstationary imbalanced data streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the packing feature and film morphology of active layers is the precondition for achieving highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). The growth transition of donors and acceptors from solution to solid films plays an intrinsic role in shaping these features. In this study, two simple additives, cyanobenzene (CNB) and 1,4‐dicyanobenzene (DCNB), are presented to modulate the growth process of active layers to investigate the impact of growth behaviors on molecule packing quality, film morphology, and device performances. Both additives prolong the nucleation and growth period of active layers, resulting in improved molecular packing quality, domain purity, and crystallization. This optimization enhances charge extraction efficiency as well as reduces charge recombination losses. Consequently, devices based on D18:BTP‐eC9‐4F processed with additives obtain a 19.43% power conversion efficiency (PCE). Furthermore, a PCE of 14.35% is achieved for bladed‐coated organic solar modules on 5 cm × 5 cm substrates. These findings underscore the importance of growth processes on film quality and illustrate their fundamental relationship, which promises further advancements in OSC technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Monocyte chemotactic protein–induced protein‐1 (MCPIP1), recognized as a functional ribonuclease (RNase), exacerbates cardiac remodeling and contributes to a range of cardiovascular diseases. However, the involvement of MCPIP1 in atrial fibrosis and development of AF, along with its underlying biological mechanisms, remains poorly understood. This study demonstrated that knockdown of MCPIP1 significantly reduced AF inducibility, decreased left atrial diameter, and ameliorated atrial fibrosis, coinciding with reduced FRAT1/2/Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. Furthermore, the MCPIP1‐D141N mutation attenuated AF vulnerability and atrial remodeling compared to MCPIP1 overexpression in an acetylcholine and calcium chloride (ACh‐CaCl2)–induced rat model of AF. Conversely, overexpression of FRAT1/2 partially reversed the cardioprotective effects of MCPIP1‐D141N mutation. Using H9C2 cell lines, we observed that MCPIP1 may induce a transcriptional effect that downregulates miR‐26a‐5p expression, and luciferase and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays substantiated the direct interaction between miR‐26a‐5p and FRAT1/2. Moreover, overexpression of miR‐26a‐5p countered MCPIP1‐induced atrial remodeling and attenuated the progression of AF. In conclusion, these findings indicate that MCPIP1 facilitates atrial remodeling and the progression of AF by exacerbating miR‐26a‐5p/FRAT/Wnt axis–mediated atrial fibrosis through its RNase activity in an ACh‐CaCl2–induced rat model of AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is acknowledged as a disease continuum. Despite catheter ablation being recommended as a primary therapy for AF, the high recurrence rates have tempered the initial enthusiasm. Insulin resistance (IR) has been established as an independent predictor for the onset of AF. However, the correlation between non-insulin-based IR indices and late AF recurrence in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation remains unknown. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 910 AF patients who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation was included in the analysis. The primary endpoint was late AF recurrence during the follow-up period after a defined blank period. The relationship between non-insulin-based IR indices and the primary endpoint was assessed using multivariate Cox hazards regression models and restricted cubic splines (RCS). Additionally, the net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement index were calculated to further evaluate the additional predictive value of the four IR indices beyond established risk factors for the primary outcome. Results: During a median follow-up period of 12.00 months, 189 patients (20.77%) experienced late AF recurrence, which was more prevalent among patients with higher levels of IR. The multivariate Cox hazards regression analysis revealed a significant association between these IR indices and late AF recurrence. Among the four indices, METS-IR provided the most significant incremental effect on the basic model for predicting late AF recurrence. Multivariable-adjusted RCS curves illustrated a nonlinear correlation between METS-IR and late AF recurrence. In subgroup analysis, METS-IR exhibited a significant correlation with late AF recurrence in patients with diabetes mellitus (HR: 1.697, 95% CI 1.397 − 2.063, P < 0.001). Conclusion: All the four non-insulin-based IR indices were significantly associated with late AF recurrence in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation. Addressing IR could potentially serve as a viable strategy for reducing the late AF recurrence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to be one of the most fatal malignancies with increasing morbidity, and potent therapeutics are urgently required given its insensitivity to traditional treatments. Here, we have developed a microenvironment-responsive FePt probes for the highly efficient Fenton-enhanced radiotherapy (FERT) of HCC. The selective release of Fe2+ in the acidic tumor microenvironment, but not in normal tissue, together with enhanced levels of hydrogen peroxide produced through the Pt radiosensitization effect, facilitates the generation of an enormous amount of hydroxyl radicals through the Fenton reaction, thereby extending the radiotherapeutic cascade and realizing a powerful therapeutic efficacy for HCC. Moreover, the "burst" release of Fe2+ contributes to the T2-to-T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) switching effect, which informs the release of Fe2+, making imaging-guided cancer therapy feasible. This work not only breaks the bottleneck of traditional radiotherapy for HCC while minimally affecting normal tissues, but also provides a new strategy for FERT imaging guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A distributed adaptive control methodology is proposed to solve the mean-square consensus control problem. • Parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions and free-weighting matrix methods are introduced. • The controllers are independent of randomly switching topologies. • The disturbance rejection performance of MASs over switching topologies are also discussed. This paper considers the stochastic consensus problem of high-order linear discrete-time multiagent systems (MASs) with uncertain topologies and external disturbances. The randomly switching interaction signed topologies are governed by a time-homogenous Markov chain with incomplete knowledge of the transition probabilities. Based on Lyapunov function theory and adaptive control strategies, we employ a homogeneous parameter-dependent Lyapunov function to propose sufficient conditions under a set of linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints. A free-weighting matrix method is introduced to give the proposed LMIs extra freedom to search feasible solutions. Furthermore, the adaptive controllers applied in this paper are independent of topologies and fully distributed; i.e., the system achieves robust consensus without continuously updating the controller and dealing with global data. Additionally, we extend the theoretical framework to analyze the disturbance rejection performance of MASs under the stochastic process. Two numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc-ion batteries are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage. The side reactions of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and zinc dendrite growth are major challenges for developing high-performance zinc-ion batteries. In this paper, a supramolecular gel electrolyte (BLO-ILZE) was self-assembled in an ionic liquid (EMIMBF4) with zinc tetrafluoroborate (Zn(BF4)2) on the separator in situ to obtain a gel electrolyte used in zinc-ion batteries. BLO-ILZE is demonstrated to significantly enhance conductivity over a broad temperature range between −70 and 100 °C. Interestingly, through testing and fitting, it is found that the supramolecular gel electrolyte satisfies the liquid state law over a wide temperature range, and even achieves high conductivity (2.12 mS cm−1) at −40 °C. It is equivalent to the conductivity of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZnSO4/H2O) at −10 °C, which is 2.33 mS cm−1. Moreover, the supramolecular gel electrolyte can effectively inhibit the HER, thus exhibiting a longer lifetime in Zn/Zn cells for 3470 h at 1 mA cm−2 compared to the aqueous zinc-ion batteries with the Zn(BF4)2 aqueous electrolyte (400 h at 1 mA cm−2). The assembled V2O5/BLO-ILZE/Zn full cells also showed cycling performance, with 5000 cycles at 0.5 mA g−1 at room temperature, a capacity of 98%, and a coulombic efficiency of about 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies due to their affordability and adaptability. However, upscaling is a critical issue that hinders the commercialization of OSCs. A significant challenge is the lack of cost-effective and facile techniques to modulate the morphology of the active layers. The slow solvent evaporation leads to an unfavorable phase separation, thus resulting in a low power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar modules. Here, a nitrogen-blowing assisted method is developed to fabricate a large-area organic solar module (active area = 12 cm2) utilizing high-boiling-point solvents, achieving a PCE of 15.6%. The device fabricated with a high-boiling-point solvent produces a more uniform and smoother large-area film, and the assistance of nitrogen-blowing accelerates solvent evaporation, resulting in an optimized morphology with proper phase separation and finer aggregates. Moreover, the device fabricated by the nitrogen-blowing assisted method exhibits improved exciton dissociation, balanced carrier mobility, and reduced charge recombination. This work proposes a universal and cost-effective technique for the fabrication of high-efficiency organic solar modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivet connection is one of the most important connection technologies. The main factors affecting the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures are squeezing force, squeezing velocity, and materials of rivets and plates, which significantly impact the damage and failure of riveted holes in riveted structures. This paper provides a detailed study of the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures under different dynamic loads. A theoretical analysis method for the nonlinear dynamic plastic behavior of riveted structures is proposed to predict and investigate the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures under different squeezing forces, velocities, and materials. The proposed theoretical analysis method for the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures is conducted using the explicit dynamics method. Furthermore, the nonlinear dynamic plasticity theory method and nonlinear explicit dynamics model calculation results of riveted structures are compared with measured and Ultra Plus field scanning electron microscope scanning values. The results confirm the accuracy of the nonlinear dynamic plasticity theory method for riveted structures. In addition, the effects of different squeezing forces, velocities, rivet material, and plate material properties on the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures are also studied. This paper proposes a theoretical analysis method for the rivet-forming quality of riveted structures, providing an optimal squeezing force and velocity for rivet hole damage and rivet failure under different rivet and plate materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an inevitable trend for the sustainable development of the global economy, saving energy and reducing emissions are key goals for the entire world. The use of air bubbles to reduce viscous friction is one of the most effective approaches to achieve this goal, as it may significantly reduce the frictional drag of ships. However, the injection of air bubbles will change flow characteristics near the wall due to the significant differences in density and viscosity between air and water. In addition, parameters such as bubble size, bubble surface tension, bubble number and bubble position also affect the flow near the wall, resulting in significant diversity and instability in two-phase flow. To clarify the mechanism of these effects, a two-dimensional channel flow with air bubbles is studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The interactions between bubbles and water and between bubbles and wall are studied, and the detailed characteristics of bubbles moving in fully developed flow are considered. This study shows that the velocity gradient is the main factor influencing wall shear stress, and the presence of bubbles has a marked impact on the local velocity gradient distribution of the nearby flow. It is also found that shorter distance between a bubble and the wall enhances the flow interaction and leads to more significant perturbations of wall shear stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the nonlinear robust H ∞ control is investigated for nonlinear course control systems of unmanned surface vessel (USV) with uncertain parameters and external disturbance. Firstly, we suppose that the part or all of the system parameters are unknown but within some ranges, due to the effect of different conditions such as the loading of ship. Then, the course system is modeled as a polynomial one with time invariant polytopic uncertainty. With the aid of parameter dependent Lyapunov function method and positive polynomial theory, the sufficient conditions are given for stability and stabilization with H ∞ performance. These conditions are formulated in terms of parameter-dependent nonlinear matrix inequalities which can be verified by semidefinite programming relaxations based on the sum of squares technique. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticle-based photothermal ablation (PTA) has been intensively investigated recently. However, the poor biocompatibility of most PTA agents and potential long-term toxicity obstruct their clinical translation. Meanwhile, previous PTA studies are limited to surface tumors because of insufficient light penetration depth of near-infrared (NIR) light for deep abdominal tumors. Therefore, minimally invasive PTA combined with biocompatible agents may pave a promising way to treat deep orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, a multifunctional agent based on superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and new indocyanine green (IR820) was constructed with good biocompatibility. Outstanding fluorescence, photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging capabilities were observed in vitro. Additionally, in vivo results indicated that early-stage HCC (diameter less than 2 mm) could be effectively detected by this agent. Furthermore, for the first time, we developed minimally invasive laparoscopic-assisted photothermal ablation (L-A PTA) method coupled with this agent to completely ablate orthotopic HCC in nude mice model, neither recurrences nor obvious side effects were observed during the experiments. Remarkable shrinkage of primary tumor and disappearance of intrahepatic metastasis were also observed. In summary, minimally invasive L-A PTA is an effective preoperative neoadjuvant treatment for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(t , n) -Threshold secret sharing ((t , n) -SS) scheme is a fundamental cryptographic primitive. As a special (t , n) -SS, a Multi-Level threshold Secret Sharing scheme (MLSS) divides shares into different levels. Shares at higher levels can be used at lower ones but shares of lower levels are invalid at higher ones. However, MLSS is limited in applications and vulnerable to Illegal Participant (IP) attack and t-Share Capture (SC) attack. Therefore, the paper first extends the notion of MLSS to multi-group threshold secret sharing (MGSS) to accommodate wider application scenarios. In order to cope with the 2 attacks, the paper then proposes a tightly coupled MGSS scheme based on Chinese Remainder Theorem. In the scheme, a shareholder, with only one private share, is allowed to participate in secret reconstruction of different groups. Moreover, when sufficient shareholders collaborate to recover the secret in a group, they first form a tightly coupled subgroup by constructing a randomized component each so that the secret can be recovered only if each participant has valid share and actually participates in secret reconstruction. Analyses show that the proposed scheme is capable of thwarting IP and SC attacks. Besides, the scheme is more flexible and popular in applications compared with MLSS scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Today's Android users face a security dilemma: they want to grant permissions to apps for enjoying more abundant functionalities, but also worry that the apps may abuse these permissions to leak their private information without their grants. To optimize users' benefits, we implement a novel privacy-preserving system named AppScalpel to prune undesirable usage of sensitive data in Android applications, on the top of static analysis and outlier detection results. We use static analysis to extract sufficient contextual features of data usage behaviors within applications. To precisely identify undesirable usage of sensitive data, we leverage outlier detection, which solves the problem of lacking labeled behavioral samples. To enforce the privacy-preserving rules within apps, AppScalpel instruments rule enforcers on each undesirable data-flow path respectively by the code instrumentation technique. We aim to block undesirable usage of sensitive data without affecting other user-desired functionalities. Our evaluation demonstrates that AppScalpel precisely identifies undesirable usage of sensitive data and effectively protects users' private information in a fine-grained mode, and the robustness of the instrumented apps is also achieved. Moreover, for the instrumented apps, AppScalpel introduces little space and runtime overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypersonic vehicles encounter hostile service environments of thermal/mechanical/chemical coupling, so thermal protection materials are crucial and essential. Ceramizable composites have recently attracted intensive interest due to their ability to provide large-area thermal protection for hypersonic vehicles. In this work, a novel ceramizable composite of quartz fiber/benzoxazine resin modified with fused SiO2 and h-BN was fabricated using a prepreg compression molding technique. The effects of the fused SiO2 and h-BN contents on the thermal, mechanical, and ablative properties of the ceramizable composite were systematically investigated. The ceramizable composite with an optimized amount of fused SiO2 and h-BN exhibited superb thermal stability, with a peak degradation temperature and residue yield at 1400 °C of 533.2 °C and 71.5%, respectively. Moreover, the modified ceramizable composite exhibited excellent load-bearing capacity with a flexural strength of 402.2 MPa and superior ablation resistance with a linear ablation rate of 0.0147 mm/s at a heat flux of 4.2 MW/m2, which was significantly better than the pristine quartz fiber/benzoxazine resin composite. In addition, possible ablation mechanisms were revealed based on the microstructure analysis, phase transformation, chemical bonding states, and the degree of graphitization of the ceramized products. The readily oxidized pyrolytic carbon (PyC) and the SiO2 with a relatively low melting point were converted in situ into refractory carbide. Thus, a robust thermal protective barrier with SiC as the skeleton and borosilicate glass as the matrix protected the composite from severe thermochemical erosion and thermomechanical denudation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four wide field view (WFV) cameras with 16-m multispectral medium-resolution and a combined swath of 800 km are onboard the Gaofen-1 (GF-1) satellite, which can increase the revisit frequency to less than 4 days and enable large-scale land monitoring. The detection and elimination of WFV camera distortions is key for subsequent applications. Due to the wide swath of WFV images, geometric calibration using either conventional methods based on the ground control field (GCF) or GCF independent methods is problematic. This is predominantly because current GCFs in China fail to cover the whole WFV image and most GCF independent methods are used for close-range photogrammetry or computer vision fields. This study proposes an auto-calibration method using flat terrain to detect nonlinear distortions of GF-1 WFV images. First, a classic geometric calibration model is built for the GF1 WFV camera, and at least two images with an overlap area that cover flat terrain are collected, then the elevation residuals between the real elevation and that calculated by forward intersection are used to solve nonlinear distortion parameters in WFV images. Experiments demonstrate that the orientation accuracy of the proposed method evaluated by GCF CPs is within 0.6 pixel, and residual errors manifest as random errors. Validation using Google Earth CPs further proves the effectiveness of auto-calibration, and the whole scene is undistorted compared to not using calibration parameters. The orientation accuracy of the proposed method and the GCF method is compared. The maximum difference is approximately 0.3 pixel, and the factors behind this discrepancy are analyzed. Generally, this method can effectively compensate for distortions in the GF-1 WFV camera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and nuclear-controlled fertility restoration system is a favorable tool for the utilization of heterosis in plant hybrid breeding. Many restorer-of-fertility (Rf) genes have been characterized in various species over the decades, but more detailed work is needed to investigate the fertility restoration mechanism. Here, we identified an alpha subunit of mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPPA) that is involved in the fertility restoration process in Honglian-CMS rice. MPPA is a mitochondrial localized protein and interacted with the RF6 protein encoded by the Rf6. MPPA indirectly interacted with hexokinase 6, namely another partner of RF6, to form a protein complex with the same molecular weight as the mitochondrial F1F0-ATP synthase in processing the CMS transcript. Loss-of-function of MPPA resulted in a defect in pollen fertility, the mppa+/− heterozygotes showed semi-sterility phenotype and the accumulation of CMS-associated protein ORFH79, showing restrained processing of the CMS-associated atp6-OrfH79 in the mutant plant. Taken together, these results threw new light on the process of fertility restoration by investigating the RF6 fertility restoration complex. They also reveal the connections between signal peptide cleavage and the fertility restoration process in Honglian-CMS rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen metabolism (NM) plays an essential role in response to abiotic stresses for plants. Enzyme activities have been extensively studied for nitrogen metabolism-associated pathways, but the knowledge of nitrogen metabolism-associated genes involved in stress response is still limited, especially for rice. In this study, we performed the genome-wide characterization of the genes putatively involved in nitrogen metabolism. A total of 1110 potential genes were obtained to be involved in nitrogen metabolism from eight species (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., Glycine max (L.) Merr., Brassica napus L., Triticum aestivum L., Sorghum bicolor L., Zea mays L., Oryza sativa L. and Amborella trichopoda Baill.), especially 104 genes in rice. The comparative phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily revealed the complicated divergence of different NM genes. The expression analysis among different tissues in rice indicates the NM genes showed diverse functions in the pathway of nitrogen absorption and assimilation. Distinct expression patterns of NM genes were observed in rice under drought stress, heat stress, and salt stress, indicating that the NM genes play a curial role in response to abiotic stress. Most NM genes showed a down-regulated pattern under heat stress, while complicated expression patterns were observed for different genes under salt stress and drought stress. The function of four representative NM genes (OsGS2, OsGLU, OsGDH2, and OsAMT1;1) was further validated by using qRT-PCR analysis to confirm their responses to these abiotic stresses. Based on the predicted transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), we built a co-expression regulatory network containing transcription factors (TFs) and NM genes, of which the constructed ERF and Dof genes may act as the core genes to respond to abiotic stresses. This study provides novel sights to the interaction between nitrogen metabolism and the response to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite-based solar cells are generally assembled as planar structures comprising a flat organoammonium metal halide perovskite layer, or mesoscopic structures employing a mesoporous metal-oxide scaffold into which the perovskite material is infiltrated. To present, little attention has been directed toward the texturing of the perovskite material itself. Herein, a textured CH3NH3PbI3 morphology formed through a thin mesoporous TiO2 seeding layer and a gas-assisted crystallization method is reported. The textured morphology comprises a multitiered nanostructure, which allows for significant improvements in the light harvesting and charge extraction performance of the solar cells. Due to these improvements, average short-circuit current densities for a batch of 28 devices are in excess of 22 mA cm−2, and the maximum recorded power conversion efficiency is 16.3%. The performance gains concomitant with this textured CH3NH3PbI3 morphology provide further insights into how control of the perovskite microstructure can be used to enhance the cell performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]