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Two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) tin halide perovskites have recently shown promise in solar energy conversion applications owing to their low-toxicity and low-cost processability. However, RP tin halide perovskites typically consist of multiple phases with enormously disordered crystal orientation, lowering their power conversion efficiency. Herein, we show a new method to prepare phase-pure RP tin hybrid perovskite films by fluorinating the conventionally used spacer cation C6H5CH2NH3+ (abbreviated as FBE+). This solvophobic engineering strategy decreases the interaction among spacer cations and solvent molecules to induce the self-assembly of FBE+ cations into micelles. These micelles in the solvent capture tin iodide components, forming crystal nuclei. This "simultaneous" crystallization mode leads to uniformly distributed nuclei and further results in a phase-pure RP perovskite with vertical crystal orientation. The resultant phase pure FBE2FA3Sn4I13 perovskite exhibits an improved carrier mobility and much reduced trap density, which are favourable for solar energy conversion applications. A power conversion efficiency of 9.25% was achieved for the FBE2FA3Sn4I13 perovskite solar cell, which is among the highest efficiencies reported for state-of-the-art two-dimensional RP tin hybrid perovskite cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the construction of super high-rise buildings, building machines (BMs) are increasingly replacing traditional climbing frames. Building machine jacking operation (BMJO) is a high-difficulty and high-risk stage in the construction of the top mold system. To guarantee the operational safety of the BMJO and to enhance its intelligent control level, a digital twin (DT)-based monitoring method for the operation status of the BMJO is proposed. Firstly, a DT framework for monitoring the operation status of the BMJO is presented, taking into account the operational characteristics of the BM and the requirements of real-time monitoring. The functions of each part are then elaborated in detail. Secondly, the virtual twin model is created using Blender's geometric node group function; artificial neural network technology is used to enable online prediction of the structural performance of the BMJO and a motion model is established to realize a real-time state mapping of the BMJO. Finally, taking a BM project as an example, the DT system is established in conjunction with the project to verify the feasibility of the DT framework for monitoring the state of the BMJO. It is proved that the prediction results have high accuracy and fast analysis speed, thus providing a new way of thinking for monitoring and controlling the safe operation of the BMJO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Thrombosis, characterized by blood clot formation within vessels, poses a significant medical challenge. Despite extensive research, the development of effective thrombosis therapies is hindered by substantial costs, lengthy development times, and high failure rates in medication commercialization. Conventional pre-clinical models often oversimplify cardiovascular disease, leading to a disparity between experimental results and human physiological responses. In response, we have engineered a photothrombosis-on-a-chip system. This microfluidic model integrates human endothelium, human whole blood, and blood flow dynamics and employs the photothrombotic method. It enables precise, site-specific thrombus induction through controlled laser irradiation, effectively mimicking both normal and thrombotic physiological conditions on a single chip. Additionally, the system allows for the fine-tuning of thrombus occlusion levels via laser parameter adjustments, offering a flexible thrombus model with varying degrees of obstruction. Additionally, the formation and progression of thrombosis noted on the chip closely resemble the thrombotic conditions observed in mice in previous studies. In the experiments, we perfused recalcified whole blood with Rose Bengal into an endothelialized microchannel and initiated photothrombosis using green laser irradiation. Various imaging methods verified the model's ability to precisely control thrombus formation and occlusion levels. The effectiveness of clinical drugs, including heparin and rt-PA, was assessed, confirming the chip's potential in drug screening applications. In summary, the photothrombosis-on-a-chip system significantly advances human thrombosis modeling. Its precise control over thrombus formation, flexibility in the thrombus severity levels, and capability to simulate dual physiological states on a single platform make it an invaluable tool for targeted drug testing, furthering the development of organ-on-a-chip drug screening techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the best of our knowledge, the spectroscopic and highly efficient tunable multi-wavelength laser properties of Er3+,Yb3+,Pr3+ triple-doped BaLaGa3O7 crystals are demonstrated for the first time in this study. The maximum output power of 0.81 W at ∼2.7 μm was obtained under the absorbed pump power of 3.53 W with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 22.9%. The slope efficiency is 27.0%. The results demonstrate that the triple-doped crystals with the sensitizer Yb3+ and deactivator Pr3+ can not only enhance the pump efficiency effectively but also suppress the self-terminating "bottleneck" effect of Er3+ so that the laser threshold is reduced and the laser efficiency is improved. The Er3+,Yb3+,Pr3+ triple-doped BaLaGa3O7 crystal is a promising candidate for high-efficiency mid-infrared laser devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metaraminol is a sympathomimetic amine vasopressor that can be administrated through a peripheral venous access. However, limited evidence restricts its application in critically ill patients. This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of peripheral metaraminol infusion in patients with neurological conditions. Methods: Patients who received peripheral metaraminol infusion between May 2019 and April 2022 were recruited. Data on baseline characteristics, clinical parameters, and infusion-related complications were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: 273 patients who received metaraminol were enrolled. Of these, 35 (12.8%) patients required central venous catheter insertion due to inability in achieving hemodynamic stability following peripheral metaraminol monotherapy. In 29,574.2 hours of vasopressor infusion, metaraminol infusion resulted achievement of the target blood pressure 73.4% of the time. Meanwhile, adverse events occurred in 5 patients and resolved after local tissue treatment. Discussion: Metaraminol could provide hemodynamic support and avoid complications associated with a central venous catheter and delay in vasopressor administration. Through careful and close monitoring, peripheral metaraminol infusion is safe and feasible for patients with neurological conditions. Future large-scale, prospective, multicenter studies are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of metaraminol infusion through a peripheral intravenous catheter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) This paper, based on the characteristics of complex steel structures as well as difficult points in the process of their detailed design, introduces the product design concept of DfMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) from the manufacturing industry and studies the detailed design method of BIM-FEM model conversion. The BIM software Revit (2020) is used as the basis for the BIM detailed design of the project, which achieves the purpose of rapid modeling and provides a detailed design model basis for finite element analysis. (2) Utilizing the Revit API and C# for secondary development as the technical means, this approach involves converting the geometric entity model described by CSG-Brep into an APDL stream. This creates an interface with the finite element analysis software ANSYS (12.0) to implement the detailed design of BIM-FEM model conversion, optimizing the algorithm for converting complex analysis models that require high precision for special-shaped steel structures. (3) This research addresses issues such as the disconnection between the design, manufacturing, and construction of special-shaped steel structures, providing support for design decisions. Moreover, it enhances the detailed design method by improving the standardization of special-shaped components under the condition of design diversity. (4) These studies provide sustainability for engineering design, manufacturing, and construction projects, enabling the maximization of benefits and product lifecycle management (PLM) through these projects. (5) Finally, a case study analysis was conducted on the Wuhan City New Generation Weather Radar Construction Project, designed by the Central South Architectural Design Institute (CSADI), to verify the detailed design of BIM-FEM model conversion. This proved the scientific validity, practicality, and necessity of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inactivity can lead to muscle atrophy and capillary regression in skeletal muscle. Niacin (NA), known for inducing hypermetabolism, may help prevent this capillary regression. In this study involving adult female Sprague–Dawley rats, the animals were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control (CON), hindlimb unloading (HU), NA, and HU with NA supplementation (HU + NA). For a period of 2 weeks, the rats in the HU and HU + NA groups underwent HU, while those in the NA and HU + NA groups received NA (750 mg/kg) twice daily through oral administration. The results demonstrated that HU lowered capillary number, luminal diameter, and capillary volume, as well as decreased succinate dehydrogenase activity, slow fiber composition, and PGC‐1α expression within the soleus muscle. However, NA supplementation prevented these alterations in capillary structure due to unloading by stimulating PGC‐1α factors and inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, NA supplementation could serve as a potential therapeutic approach for preserving the capillary network and mitochondrial metabolism of muscle fibers during periods of inactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently discovered phosphorus allotrope, violet phosphorus, has predictable ultrafast nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and potential for photonics applications. Here, we examined the ultrafast carrier dynamics and NLO characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) few-layered violet phosphorene (VP) in the near-infrared band. Excited carriers in the 2D VP featured fast relaxation lifetimes on 100 fs timescales and exceptional polarization-dependent saturable absorption properties. The modulation depth varied from 1.18% to 7.35% under different intracavity polarization states. We further demonstrated a 1.5 μm erbium-doped fiber laser using VP nanoflakes as the saturable absorber (SA), generating stable conventional soliton mode-locking pulses with a 765-fs pulse width. The VP SA-based bound soliton molecules with tunable pulse numbers and time separations were also observed for the first time to our knowledge. Our work reveals the immense potential of 2D VP for near-infrared ultrashort pulse modulation and contributes to the understanding of complex soliton dynamics in nonlinear optical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous aerogels with the microscopic nanoscale three-dimensional meshes provide superb platforms for investigating unique physicochemical properties. In order to enhance the physical, thermal and mechanical performances, one efficient and common approach is integrating diverse functional materials. Herein, we report a simple strategy to fabricate the amorphous silicon doped Y2O3 aerogels with the post-gelation method under the N2/EtOH supercritical atmosphere. The impact of Si concentration on the nonlinear optical properties is investigated for the first time. The maximum modulation depth is 1.65 % with a saturation intensity of 0.78 MW cm−2 with the 1-ps laser excitation at 1590 nm. Finally, we incorporated the silicon-doped Y2O3 aerogel based saturable absorber (SA) into an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) and achieved various mode-locking operations at different wavelengths in the super C band, in terms of the conventional soliton, harmonic soliton molecules pulses, and dual-wavelength soliton mode-locking. Overall, this work confirms that amorphous silicon-doped Y2O3 aerogels are good nonlinear optical materials and pave a way for the ultrafast photonic and nonlinear optical applications with amorphous materials in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arterial stiffness has been proved to be an important parameter in the evaluation of cardiovascular diseases, and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is a strong indicator of arterial stiffness. Compared to regional PWV (PWV among different arteries), local PWV (PWV within a single artery) outstands in providing higher precision in indicating arterial properties, as regional PWVs are highly affected by multiple parameters, e.g., variations in blood vessel lengths due to individual differences, and multiple reflection effects on the pulse waveform. However, local PWV is less-developed due to its high dependency on the temporal resolution in synchronized signals with usually low signal-to-noise ratios. This paper presents a method for the noninvasive simultaneous measurement of two local PWVs in both left and right radial arteries based on the Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technique via correlation analysis of the pulse pairs at the fossa cubitalis and at the wrist. Based on the measurements of five male volunteers at the ages of 19 to 21 years old, the average left radial PWV ranged from 9.44 m/s to 12.35 m/s and the average right radial PWV ranged from 11.50 m/s to 14.83 m/s. What is worth mentioning is that a stable difference between the left and right radial PWVs was observed for each volunteer, ranging from 2.27 m/s to 3.04 m/s. This method enables the dynamic analysis of local PWVs and analysis of their features among different arteries, which will benefit the diagnosis of early-stage arterial stiffening and may bring more insights into the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐entropy alloys (HEAs) possess superior mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties, which attract great interest in the fields of photothermal, electrocatalysis, and magnetic applications. Herein, the nonlinear optical properties of FeCoNiAlTi HEA with a large specific surface area for the first time is investigated. Owing to the strong d–d interaction, the interband transition near the Fermi level could be enhanced in HEAs, leading to broadband optical absorption. Excitation with the picosecond laser source, the FeCoNiAlTi HEA possesses saturable absorption with a large modulation depth of 7.61% and 30.47% at 1 and 1.5 µm, respectively. Furthermore, at the higher excitation level at 1.5 µm, the saturable absorber exhibits a typical reverse saturable absorption property. Subsequently, the FeCoNiAlTi HEA on the tapered fiber first serves as the saturable absorber in the Yb‐doped fiber laser and the Er‐doped fiber laser, leading to the noise‐like pulses at 1 µm, and the stable Q‐switching, conventional soliton, and dissipative soliton resonance mode‐locking operations at 1.5 µm. This work confirms that the enhanced saturable absorption in HEAs can endow the high‐performance ultrashort pulse generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we describe a copper‐catalyzed sequential C(sp2)−H/C(sp3)−H annulation of indoles with propargylic alcohols for the synthesis of diversely functionalized hydrobenzo[b]carbazole scaffolds. The reaction involves a Friedel‐Crafts addition, 1,5‐H shift, 6π electrocyclization, and dearomatization‐aromatization cascade. Importantly, this is a report of the use of 2‐(diarylmethyl)indoles as three‐carbon synthons in a (3+3) annulation reaction involving C(sp3)−H indole functionalization under oxidant‐free conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed (3+2) annulation of 2-indolylmethanols with propargylic alcohols is reported. The reaction proceeds via a Friedel–Crafts-type allenylation/5-exo-annulation cascade. In the reaction, 2-indolylmethanol is used as a three-carbon synthon, and propargyl alcohol is used as a two-carbon synthon. This method provides a direct and high-yield pathway for synthetically useful cyclopenta[b]indoles. In general, the method features easily accessible substrates with broad scope and generality, the formation of multiple bonds with high efficiency, and easy scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the continuous development of the construction technology of the main structure of high-rise buildings, traditional construction techniques have been widely used in high-rise building projects. However, these technologies have problems such as low safety, low intelligence, and poor integrity. In order to solve these challenges, the Third Engineering Bureau of China Construction independently developed a new type of construction technology—a high-rise building integrated work construction platform (referred to as a building machine). Building machines has been gradually applied to high-rise building projects due to its intelligence, integration, safety, and other advantages. However, with the increase in the number of high-rise building projects, the traditional way of designing building machine layout programs is inefficient and the design program is complicated to change. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a building machine parametric design and layout and virtual simulation method. This method uses Blender open-source software to model the building machine parametrically and quickly using its visual programming tool Geometry Nodes (GN) and simulates the building machine in the virtual scene through the Unity3D platform. The results show that, compared with the traditional design mode, the method proposed in this paper can quickly complete the scheme design in the design phase of the building machine and display it through the 3D model, which has a better visualization effect, improves the design efficiency, and reduces the design cost, and the Unity simulation platform can also provide the construction personnel with pre-shift education and simulation of the operation of the building machine. This method provides a theoretical basis and guidance for the digital construction of the building machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With strict enforcement of the legal protection for Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in China, the elephant population has steadily increased from 146 elephants in 1976 to over 300 elephants in 2023. More elephants occur in highly fragmented and human‐dominated landscapes, resulting in serious human–elephant conflicts (HEC). We investigated the temporal and spatial aspects of HEC in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, China, from 2011‒2015 and 2016‒2020. We analyzed the characteristics of crop raiding, property damage, and human injury and death by elephants. Then, we employed a multi‐model ensemble forecasting framework to perform a risk assessment, and compared the changes in HEC hotspots to explore the factors influencing conflict. Our data revealed that 91,311 HEC compensations were recorded from 2011‒2020 with a total compensation amount of 127.01 million yuan (17.40 million USD), 89.75% of which was crop compensation. Areas of risk in 2011‒2015 and 2016‒2020 were 2,505 km2 and 3,157 km2, respectively, with an increase in area of 26.01%. The HEC risk areas were mainly distributed in nature reserves and surrounding areas, and >65% of the risk areas were located in land‐use types dominated by artificial planting. Distance to farmland, distance to sparse wood, and slope had the greatest relative importance in the risk model evaluation. The mitigation measures that we recommend include strengthening the monitoring system for Asian elephants in areas with current and potential HEC risks; improving compensation mechanisms, such as determining accurate annual premiums, establishing a shared loss compensation mechanism, and ensuring a fair, transparent, and timely compensation process; and proposing habitat conservation measures, such as restoring suitable habitats for Asian elephants, establishing ecological corridors between nature reserves, and creating a nature reserve system based on the Asian Elephant National Park to enhance the habitat of Asian elephants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Human activities posed an increasing threat to leopard cats' habitats. By utilizing infrared camera trapping, we analyzed the spatial distribution and habitat suitability of the leopard cats on Xinlong, located in the mountains of Southwest China. We also investigated the interaction between leopard cats and human disturbances in high-altitude regions. Our findings indicated that human disturbances had minimal effects on the habitat suitability, landscape structure, and spatial relationships of leopard cats. Their habitat preferences were shaped by competition with small carnivores like yellow-throated martens and environmental factors such as distance to water and terrain roughness index. This limited human impact may be attributed to local wildlife-friendly customs and leopard cat's adaptability. To protect leopard cats and other wildlife, we recommend a conservation strategy that capitalizes on Xinlong's distinctive ecological and cultural dynamics. The habitat plays a crucial role in ensuring the survival of wildlife. However, the increasing disturbances caused by human activities present a substantial threat to habitats, especially for species such as the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), which is a significant small predator. Currently, research on leopard cats predominantly focuses on low-altitude regions within its distribution range, leaving plateau areas understudied. To enhance our understanding of the impact of human disturbances on leopard cat habitats, we undertook a study employing infrared camera trappings to monitor leopard cats' activity in Xinlong of southwestern China between 2015 and 2023. We analyzed the spatial distribution and habitat suitability of the leopard cats by utilizing ensemble species distribution models (ESDMs). Moreover, we employed two-species occupancy models to investigate the spatial interaction between leopard cats and human disturbances. The results indicated that (1) the potential suitable habitat area for leopard cats encompassed approximately 1324.93 km2 (14.3%), primarily located along the banks of Yalong river. (2) The distribution of suitable habitat was predominantly influenced by competitors, specifically the yellow-throated marten (YTM), accounting for 52.4% of the influence, as well as environmental factors such as distance to water (DTW) at 12.0% and terrain roughness index (TRI) at 10.0%. Human interference, including cattle presence (4.6%), distance to road (DTD, 4.9%), and distance to settlement (DTS, 3.5%), had a limited impact on the habitat distribution. (3) Within a 5 km radius, habitat suitability increased with proximity to human settlements. (4) Leopard cats exhibited spatial independence from humans and domestic cattle (species interaction factor (SIF) = 1.00) while avoiding domestic horses (SIF = 0.76 ± 0.03). The relatively minor impact of human disturbances in Xinlong could be attributed to traditional cultural practices safeguarding wildlife and the leopard cat's environmental adaptability. We recommend establishing a novel conservation paradigm based on the living dynamics of wildlife communities in Xinlong, thereby offering a more targeted approach to biodiversity preservation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power conversion efficiency of thin film solar cells using organic–inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskite as an absorber has achieved over 25%. An augment of the output voltage can further increase the efficiency approaching the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limitation, which is highly correlated with charge carrier management at interfaces in perovskite devices. This perspective presents some considerations to improve carrier transfer and reduce recombination loss for highly efficient perovskite solar cells, including primary requests on charge carrier transfer dynamics, reasonable design methodologies of interfacial materials, and tuning interface interaction between perovskite and charge transport layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiband image fusion aims to generate high spatial resolution hyperspectral images by combining hyperspectral, multispectral or panchromatic images. However, fusing multiband images remains a challenge due to the identifiability and tracking of the underlying subspace across varying modalities and resolutions. In this paper, an efficient multiband image fusion model is proposed to investigate the latent structures and intrinsic physical properties of a multiband image, which is characterized by the Riemannian submanifold regularization method, nonnegativity and sum-to-one constraints. An alternating minimization scheme is proposed to recover the latent structures of the subspace via the manifold alternating direction method of multipliers (MADMM). The subproblem with Riemannian submanifold regularization is tackled by the projected Riemannian trust-region method with guaranteed convergence. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated on two multiband image fusion problems: (1) hyperspectral and panchromatic image fusion and (2) hyperspectral, multispectral and panchromatic image fusion. The experimental results confirm that our method demonstrates superior fusion performance with respect to competitive state-of-the-art fusion methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large terrestrial carnivores play a crucial role in the top–down control of terrestrial ecosystems by maintaining ecosystem stability and biodiversity. However, intense interspecific competition typically occurs among large sympatric carnivores, leading to population reduction or extinction. Spatial partitioning through divergent habitat selection mitigates such competition. In this study, we analyzed the main environmental factors influencing the habitat selection and fragmentation of suitable habitats in Xinlong County, Sichuan Province, using 410 infrared cameras from 2015 to 2023. By employing generalized linear and maximum entropy models, we developed an ensemble model to predict the suitable habitat distribution of leopards (Panthera pardus) and wolves (Canis lupus). The results revealed significant disparities in suitable habitat distributions of leopards and wolves as coexisting large carnivores. Leopards prefer understory, whereas wolves prefer high-altitude meadows. Wolves spatially avoid leopards, who secure relatively superior resources and relegate wolves to inferior habitats. Although suitable habitat patches for both species cluster intensely, habitat connectivity remains low owing to pronounced anthropogenic disturbances, which is especially evident in the higher fragmentation of wolf habitats. These results suggest that sympatric large carnivores can reduce spatial competition intensity and promote spatial partitioning by selecting divergently suitable habitats, thereby facilitating species coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinylidenedifluoride (PVDF)‐based microphones are either categorized as piezoelectric (PE) microphones or flexoelectric (FE)‐induced PE microphones. Based on the production of electrostatic charge and higher sensitivity, here, a static charge induced flexoelectric microphone (SCIFEM) is introduced. In this research, two SCIFEM transducers are fabricated, one by sandwiching P(VDF‐TrFE) laminate between pair of two aluminum electrodes wrapped in stretched paper sheets (called Device 1) and the other by sandwiching P(VDF‐TrFE) laminate between a pair of two Al electrodes wrapped in stretched rubber sheets (called Device 2). Devices 1 and 2 are compared with a simple PVDF‐based FE microphone (called Device 0). In this study, Devices 0, 1, and 2 are characterized for flexoelectric (FE) and charge induction (CI) properties. It is observed that despite its poor FE behavior, higher sensitivity of Device 1 is due to its electrostatic charge induced beta phase present at 1170 cm−1 of Fourier transform infrared spectra. The X‐Ray diffraction spectroscopy is also performed in accordance to the polar beta phase. It is reported that due to the enhancement in beta phase and the unique charge induction property represented at 1170 cm−1 of the FTIR spectra, the performance of SCIFEM microphone is much improved at a lower frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) tin-based halide perovskites have attracted intensive attention because of unique properties such as low-toxicity and low-cost processability. However, the uncontrollable crystallization of RP tin-based perovskites from solvents leads to less perfect crystal orientation and thus poor absorber layers with pinholes. Here, we propose an effective method to slow down crystallization kinetics via regulating the competition between intra- and intermolecular interactions in RP tin-based perovskites. Introducing an electron-rich heterocyclic thiophene rather than the traditional benzene ring into bulky spacers (i.e., 2-thiophenemethylammonium cation, abbreviated as TH+) can decrease the intermolecular interaction between iodostannic sheets and spacer cations but increase intramolecular interactions in spacer cations. A weak intermolecular interaction increases the strength of electrostatic repulsion between charged colloids, and thus stabilizes colloids. Such stable colloids could retard sol–gel transition before crystal formation, offering a wider processing window for orderly crystal growth of RP tin-based perovskites. The interlayer heterocyclic spacer interaction induces a subsequently ordered self-assembly of gels to reduce morphological defects. The TH2FA3Sn4I13 perovskite solar cell exhibits a two-fold improvement in power conversion efficiency compared to the control sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic stress exposure increases the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a hub for controlling stress responses through communicating with multiple limbic structures, including the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, considering the complex topographical organization of the mPFC neurons in different subregions (dmPFC vs. vmPFC) and across multiple layers (Layer II/III vs. Layer V), the exact effects of chronic stress on these distinct mPFC output neurons remain largely unknown. Results: We first characterized the topographical organization of mPFC neurons projecting to BLA and NAc. Then, by using a typical mouse model of chronic restraint stress (CRS), we investigated the effects of chronic stress on the synaptic activity and intrinsic properties of the two mPFC neuronal populations. Our results showed that there was limited collateralization of the BLA- and NAc-projecting pyramidal neurons, regardless of the subregion or layer they were situated in. CRS significantly reduced the inhibitory synaptic transmission onto the BLA-projecting neurons in dmPFC layer V without any effect on the excitatory synaptic transmission, thus leading to a shift of the excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance toward excitation. However, CRS did not affect the E-I balance in NAc-projecting neurons in any subregions or layers of mPFC. Moreover, CRS also preferentially increased the intrinsic excitability of the BLA-projecting neurons in dmPFC layer V. By contrast, it even caused a decreasing tendency in the excitability of NAc-projecting neurons in vmPFC layer II/III. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that chronic stress exposure preferentially modulates the activity of the mPFC-BLA circuit in a subregion (dmPFC) and laminar (layer V) -dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovated model‐free interaction screening procedure called the MCVIS is proposed for high dimensional data analysis. Specifically, we adopt the introduced MCV index for quantifying the importance of an interaction effect among predictors. Our proposed method is fully nonparametric and is capable of successfully selecting interactions even if the signal of parental main effects is weak. The MCVIS procedure has many distinctive features: (i) it can work with discrete, categorical and continuous covariates; (ii) it can deal with both categorical and continuous response, even handle the missing response; (iii) it is robust for heavy‐tailed distributions, thus well accommodates heterogeneity typically caused by high dimensionality; (iv) it enjoys the sure screening and ranking consistency properties, therefore achieves dimension reduction without information loss. In another respect, computational feasibility is a top concern in high dimensional data analysis, by transforming our MCV into several variants, the MCVIS procedure is simple and fast to implement. Extensive numerical experiments and comparisons confirm the effectiveness and wide applicability of our MCVIS procedure. We further illustrate the proposed methodology by empirical study of two real datasets. Supplementary materials are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The better thermal stability and extremely high deformation resistance of violet phosphorene make it a great potential candidate to be a new "dream material" better than black phosphorene. Due to the high confinement of 2D materials, violet phosphorene is expected to possess extraordinary optical properties. Herein, the linear and nonlinear optical properties of violet phosphorene are discussed by both theoretical simulation and experimental measurement. The fibrous nature with twofold rotation symmetry tends to the non‐centrosymmetric crystal structure, leading to the lower dipole transition possibility in violet phosphorene, but the intensive flatness of its electronic bands produces a larger joint density of states, finally resulting in better linear absorption than for black phosphorene. In addition, the intrinsic non‐centrosymmetric crystal structure causes the nonlinear second harmonic generation in violet phosphorene, showing its potential in nonlinear optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) layered nanosheets of violet phosphorene (VP) have great potential in optoelectronic applications owing to their unique electronic, mechanical, and optical properties. Herein, the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of liquid-phase-exfoliated (LPE) VP nanosheets based on a side-polished D-shaped fiber (DSF) were experimentally investigated by a homemade dual-balance detection fiber system at the near-infrared band. A strong saturable absorption response was observed. The corresponding modulation depth and saturation intensity were determined as ∼1.57 and ∼68.1 MW/cm2, respectively. As an application, a VP-DSF saturable absorber mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser was realized for the first time, generating ultrashort pulses with a pulse width of 799 fs. Moreover, the stable soliton molecule mode-locking pulses with a pulse width and time interval of 816 fs and 20.5 ps, respectively, were obtained by adjusting the polarization state in the same laser cavity. The experimental results demonstrated the potential use of VP-based nanomaterials in ultrafast photonics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and production of assembled buildings are difficult to standardise, which limits their extensive application. In this paper, the design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) concept is applied to the design of vertical precast concrete (PC) components for assembled buildings. Taking vertical PC components as an example, the rapid modelling and whole life-cycle application of DFMA-oriented PC components for assembled buildings are investigated. Firstly, the modular design method is introduced. By combining parametric design and building information modelling (BIM), we propose a modular, parametric design method and process of PC components based on DFMA. Secondly, the design of standard modules after secondary splitting is introduced for a better DFMA-oriented parametric design of PC components. We explored the secondary development process of DFMA and BIM and the module creation process of the parametric standard based on family templates and DFMA. Thirdly, based on the parametric standard module, the application of the optimised whole life cycle of design, manufacture and assembly of PC components is introduced. Finally, the feasibility of this method is verified by practical cases. The design process for PC components is fast, accurate and standardised. The integrated application of BIM is accelerated, and digital collaboration in assembly construction is strengthened. The study results are conducive to establishing a standardised design and production system for PC components, reducing design costs, improving design efficiency and the comprehensive benefits of assembled buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation is considered as a main pathological mechanism underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rose Bengal (RB) is a synthetic dye used for disease diagnosis, which was reported to inhibit tau toxicity via inhibiting tau aggregation in Drosophila. However, it was unknown if RB could produce anti-AD effects in rodents. Objectives: The research aimed to investigate if and how RB could prevent β-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers-induced tau hyperphosphorylation in rodents. Methods and results: RB was tested in vitro (0.3–1 μM) and prevented Aβ oligomers-induced tau hyperphosphorylation in PC12 cells. Moreover, RB (10–30 mg/kg, i.p.) effectively attenuated cognitive impairments induced by Aβ oligomers in mice. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that RB significantly increased the expression of pSer473-Akt, pSer9-glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and reduced the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) both in vitro and in vivo. Molecular docking analysis suggested that RB might directly interact with GSK3β and CDK5 by acting on ATP binding sites. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis indicated that RB might act on protein phosphorylation pathways to inhibit tau hyperphosphorylation. Conclusions: RB was shown to inhibit tau neurotoxicity at least partially via inhibiting the activity of GSK3β and CDK5, which is a novel neuroprotective mechanism besides the inhibition of tau aggregation. As tau hyperphosphorylation is an important target for AD therapy, this study also provided support for investigating the drug repurposing of RB as an anti-AD drug candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly investigates the exponential stability of switched neural networks (SNNs) with partial state reset and time-varying delays, in which partial state reset means that only a fraction of the states can be reset at each switching instant. Moreover, both stable and unstable subsystems are also taken into account and therefore, switched systems under consideration can take several switched systems as special cases. The comparison principle, the Halanay-like inequality, and the time-dependent switched Lyapunov function approach are used to obtain sufficient conditions to ensure that the considered SNNs with delays and partial state reset are exponentially stable. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the reliability of the developed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive deep brain stimulation has proven to be clinically therapeutic for patients with drug-refractory epilepsy. The aim of this study was to develop a novel transcranial electrical device as a noninvasive stimulation modality for seizure treatment. We fabricated a novel transcranial electrical device and tested it in four swine brains with depth electrodes surgically implanted under neuro-navigation. Stimulation with two high-frequency alternating currents was used to cause an interference envelope. Acute focal epilepsy was induced by a subcortical injection of penicillin and specific anesthesia protocol. The frequency and electric field of the stimulation in the hippocampus were investigated. The two frequencies (2 k and 2.14 kHz) of stimulation successfully caused an envelope of 140 Hz. With 1 mA stimulation, the electric field degraded gradually and induced an in situ electric field of 0.68 mV/mm in the hippocampi. The interference mode transcranial electric stimulation attenuated the originally induced epileptic form discharges. No neuronal or axonal injuries were noted histopathologically after the stimulation. The feasibility and biosafety of our proposed device were preliminarily verified. Future translational research should focus on the electrode deposition and stimulation parameters for a quantitative therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesized monoclinic bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO4) nanoparticles via the sol-gel method. The modulation depths were 20.1% and 8.8% at 1.34 and 2 μ m, respectively. Passively Q-switched bulk lasers with m-BiVO4 saturable absorber were demonstrated operating at 1.34 and 2 μ m. At 1.34 μ m, the shortest pulse duration was 355 ns with a pulse repetition frequency of 242.6 kHz, while in a Tm-doped bulk laser at ∼2 μ m, the minimum pulse width was 540 ns with a pulse repetition rate of 53.7 kHz. Results showed that m-BiVO4 possessed good broadband optical nonlinearities and can be applied for the optical pulse generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystal metal‐free halide perovskites have received great attention in recent years owing to their excellent piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. However, the nanotoxicity and piezoelectricity within the nanoscale of such materials have yet been reported for the demonstration of practical applications. In this work, the observation of intrinsic piezoelectricity in metal‐free perovskite (MDABCO‐NH4I3) films using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is reported. A cytotoxicity test is also performed on MDABCO‐NH4I3 to evaluate its low‐toxic nature. The as‐synthesized MDABCO‐NH4I3 is further integrated into a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG). The MDABCO‐NH4I3‐based PENG (MN‐PENG) exhibits optimal output voltage and current of 15.9 V and 54.5 nA, respectively. In addition, the MN‐PENG can serve as a self‐powered strain sensor for human–machine interface applications or be adopted in in vitro electrical stimulation devices. This work demonstrates a path of perovskite‐based PENG with high performance, low toxicity, and multifunctionality for future advanced wearable sensors and portable therapeutic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical challenges in developing high-performance micromachined pyroelectric infrared detector array and piezoelectric micro/nanosensors lies in obtaining excellent sensing thin films with micron thickness. In this study, high-quality ternary 0.36Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–0.36Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.28PbTiO3 (PIMNT36/36/28) thin films with high-Curie point were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates and dense morphology and remarkable dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties were obtained. Under optimized processing temperature of 650 °C, the remnant polarization of the films reached 19.15 μC/cm2 and large pyroelectric coefficient up to 6.85 × 10–4 C/m2 K was obtained with high figure of merit (Detectivity F d reached 1.96 × 10–5 Pa−1/2 @ 100 Hz for 1 μm-thick PIMNT36/36/28 film). Piezoresponse force microscopy revealed an obvious domain reversal under in situ electric field with "butterfly" shape local piezoelectric response. The superior global performance makes the present PIMNT36/36/28 thin film quite favorable for integrated pyroelectric devices' applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel model‐free interaction screening approach called the hybrid metrics is introduced for high‐dimensional heterogeneous data analysis. The metrics established based on the variation of conditional joint distribution function are measurements of interaction that include both size and direction. They are robust and can work with many types of response variables, including continuous, discrete, and categorical variables. We can apply the hybrid metrics to effective interaction selection for classification, response index models, and Poisson regression, among others. When dealing with classification, the hybrid metrics are capable of capturing both nonlinear category‐general and category‐specific interaction effects, providing us with a comprehensive overview and precise discovery of category information. When faced with a continuous response, the hybrid metrics perform fairly well even if the signal strength is weak, behaving as if the true interactions were known. To facilitate implementation, a fast two‐stage procedure which naturally and efficiently enforces both strong and weak heredity is advocated. We further demonstrate their superior performances over popular competitors by exhaustive simulations and a SRBCT real data example. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endothelial glycocalyx loss is integral to increased pulmonary vascular permeability in sepsis-related acute lung injury. Protectin conjugates in tissue regeneration 1 (PCTR1) is a novel macrophage-derived lipid mediator exhibiting potential anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving benefits.Methods: PCTR1 was administrated intraperitoneally with 100 ng/mouse after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged. Survival rate and lung function were used to evaluate the protective effects of PCTR1. Lung inflammation response was observed by morphology and inflammatory cytokines level. Endothelial glycocalyx and its related key enzymes were measured by immunofluorescence, ELISA, and Western blot. Afterward, related-pathways inhibitors were used to identify the mechanism of endothelial glycocalyx response to PCTR1 in mice and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after LPS administration.Results: In vivo, we show that PCTR1 protects mice against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis, as shown by enhanced the survival and pulmonary function, decreased the inflammatory response in lungs and peripheral levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β. Moreover, PCTR1 restored lung vascular glycocalyx and reduced serum heparin sulphate (HS), syndecan-1 (SDC-1), and hyaluronic acid (HA) levels. Furthermore, we found that PCTR1 downregulated heparanase (HPA) expression to inhibit glycocalyx degradation and upregulated exostosin-1 (EXT-1) protein expression to promote glycocalyx reconstitution. Besides, we observed that BAY11-7082 blocked glycocalyx loss induced by LPS in vivo and in vitro, and BOC-2 (ALX antagonist) or EX527 (SIRT1 inhibitor) abolished the restoration of HS in response to PCTR1.Conclusion: PCTR1 protects endothelial glycocalyx via ALX receptor by regulating SIRT1/NF-κB pathway, suggesting PCTR1 may be a significant therapeutic target for sepsis-related acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Administration of 12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA) has been demonstrated to alleviate infarction following ischemic stroke. Reportedly, the main effect of AUDA is exerting anti-inflammation and neovascularization via the inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase. However, the major contribution of this anti-inflammation and neovascularization effect in the acute phase of stroke is not completely elucidated. To investigate the neuroprotective effects of AUDA in acute ischemic stroke, we combined laser speckle contrast imaging and optical intrinsic signal imaging techniques with the implantation of a lab-designed cranial window. Forepaw stimulation was applied to assess the functional changes via measuring cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) that accompany neural activity. The rats that received AUDA in the acute phase of photothrombotic ischemia stroke showed a 30.5 ± 8.1% reduction in the ischemic core, 42.3 ± 15.1% reduction in the ischemic penumbra (p < 0.05), and 42.1 ± 4.6% increase of CMRO2 in response to forepaw stimulation at post-stroke day 1 (p < 0.05) compared with the control group (N = 10 for each group). Moreover, at post-stroke day 3, increased functional vascular density was observed in AUDA-treated rats (35.9 ± 1.9% higher than that in the control group, p < 0.05). At post-stroke day 7, a 105.4% ± 16.4% increase of astrocytes (p < 0.01), 30.0 ± 10.9% increase of neurons (p < 0.01), and 65.5 ± 15.0% decrease of microglia (p < 0.01) were observed in the penumbra region in AUDA-treated rats (N = 5 for each group). These results suggested that AUDA affects the anti-inflammation at the beginning of ischemic injury and restores neuronal metabolic rate of O2 and tissue viability. The neovascularization triggered by AUDA restored CBF and may contribute to ischemic infarction reduction at post-stroke day 3. Moreover, for long-term neuroprotection, astrocytes in the penumbra region may play an important role in protecting neurons from apoptotic injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐temperature solution‐processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites have emerged as a low‐cost and high‐efficiency thin‐film photovoltaic technology. The reported power conversion efficiency (PCE) of laboratory produced PSCs with an active area of less than 0.1 cm2 has already exceeded 25%, which, however, decreases significantly to about 16% for a large device area of about 100 cm2. Therefore, the scalability has become one of the most significant limits on successful commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics. This includes realizing a homogenous and compact electron transport layer (ETL), facing with issues of defects, energy level mismatch, and high‐temperature annealing requirements. Therefore, an exploration of effective and low‐cost charge transport materials is crucial for scalable fabrication of highly efficient perovskite devices. The 2D materials have drawn wide attention in the PSC community with tunable bandgap and high carrier mobility. So far, the search for a wide range of novel 2D materials for use in PSCs has documented considerable progress; however, a lot remains to be done in this field. This review summarizes recent advancements in the application of emerging 2D materials as effective ETL, thus providing direction for future development toward efficient and large‐scale perovskite devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of falling into local optimum and poor convergence speed in large Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), this paper proposes a Pearson correlation coefficient-based Pheromone refactoring mechanism for multi-colony Ant Colony Optimization (PPACO). First, the dynamic guidance mechanism is introduced to dynamically adjust the pheromone concentration on the path of the maximum and minimum spanning tree, which can effectively balance the diversity and convergence of the algorithm. Secondly, the frequency of communication between colonies is adjusted adaptively according to a criterion based on the similarity between the minimum spanning tree and the optimal solution. Besides, the pheromone matrix of the colony is reconstructed according to the Pearson correlation coefficient or information entropy to help the algorithm jump out of the local optimum, thus improving the accuracy of the solution. These strategies greatly improve the adaptability of the algorithm and ensure the effectiveness of the interaction. Finally, the experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm could improve the solution accuracy and accelerate the convergence speed, especially for large-scale TSP instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms tend to fall into local optimal and have insufficient astringency when applied to solve Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). To address this issue, a novel game-based ACO (NACO) is proposed in this report. NACO consists of two ACOs: Ant Colony System (ACS) and Max-Min Ant System (MMAS). First, an entropy-weighted learning strategy is proposed. By improving diversity adaptively, the optimal solution precision can be optimized. Then, to improve the astringency, a nucleolus game strategy is set for ACS colonies. ACS colonies under cooperation share pheromone distribution and distribute cooperative profits through nucleolus. Finally, to jump out of the local optimum, mean filtering is introduced to process the pheromone distribution when the algorithm stalls. From the experimental results, it is demonstrated that NACO has well performance in terms of both the solution precision and the astringency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid-infrared (MIR) photonics has attracted tremendous interest because of its broad applications at atmospheric windows. In this work, we report high-performance MIR photonics based on large-scale and good-quality monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The open-aperture Z-scan measurement on the nonlinear saturable absorption features shows that the as-grown monolayer MoS2 possesses a modulation depth of 26% and a low saturable intensity of 271 kW/cm2, enabling its application as an excellent saturable absorber for the MIR pulse generation. This is further evident by the measured high effective nonlinear absorption coefficient βeff (−16 cm/MW). In addition, the two-photon absorption coefficient and the nonlinear refractive index of monolayer MoS2 are also determined by the closed-aperture Z-scan technology. As an application, we demonstrate a passively Q-switched Tm,Ho:CaLu0.1Gd0.9AlO4 (Tm,Ho:CLGA) disordered crystal laser at 2.1 μm by using the monolayer MoS2 as the saturable absorber for the first time, producing a minimum pulse width of 765 ns and a pulse repetition rate of 36 kHz. Our results demonstrate that large-scale monolayer MoS2 is a promising candidate for the MIR photonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Recent studies have focused on the special roles of NADPH-oxidase in multiple autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless, the association of genetic variation in NADPH-oxidase genes with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was not extensively studied in a Chinese population. We performed this study to examine the association of NCF2, NCF4, and CYBA gene polymorphisms with RA susceptibility in a Chinese population.Methods: Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (NCF2 rs10911363, NCF4 rs1883112, rs4821544, rs729749, CYBA rs3794624, and rs4673) were genotyped in a cohort composed of 593 RA patients and 596 normal controls. Improved multiple ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) was used for genotyping.Results: We observed that NCF4 rs4821544 CT genotype and C allele frequencies in RA patients were significantly decreased when compared to controls (CT vs. TT: P = 0.043; C vs. T: P = 0.031), and rs4821544 polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased RA risk under the dominant model (TT vs. CT+CC: P = 0.031). Our results also indicated that rs729749 CT genotype frequency was significantly lower in RA patients than that in controls (CT vs. CC: P = 0.033). Moreover, the rs729749 CT genotype frequency was also significantly decreased in RA patients in males (CT vs. CC: P = 0.024). No significant association between NCF2 and CYBA gene polymorphisms and RA susceptibility was observed. There were significant associations between rs4821544 TT genotype and T allele frequencies and anti-CCP in male RA patients.Conclusions: In summary, NCF4 rs4821544 and rs729749 polymorphisms might contribute to RA susceptibility, while NCF2 and CYBA gene polymorphisms were not associated with RA susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]