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Objectives: To assess potential risk factors influencing diet outcomes after reconstruction of subtotal hypopharyngeal defects using free patch‐ or tube‐shaped anterolateral thigh (ALT) fasciocutaneous flaps. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: First‐level referral hospital. Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2020, we studied hypopharyngeal cancer patients who underwent the reconstruction of hypopharyngeal defects using free patch‐ or tube‐shaped ALT fasciocutaneous flaps. The choice between patch‐ or tube‐shaped ALT flaps depended on the defect's nature, favoring patch‐shaped for subtotal defects and tube‐shaped for circumferential defects. A restricted diet was characterized by a history of enterostomy or endoscopic esophageal dilation treatment postreconstruction. We analyzed patients with restricted diets at 1‐ and 3‐year follow‐up visits. Results: Ninety‐eight patients were enrolled; 39 patch‐shaped flaps, and 59 tube‐shaped flaps. No significances were noted in demographics, postoperative radiotherapy (RT) or chemotherapy, rates of free flap reoperation/salvage, or complications. However, a significant difference emerged in diet outcomes at the 1‐year follow‐up (P =.005). The rate of a restricted diet was 6.08 times higher in patients with tube‐shaped flaps compared to patch‐shaped flaps (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.95‐18.94). Stratifying based on postoperative RT revealed a 5.47 times higher rate of a restricted diet in tube‐shaped flap recipients compared to patch‐shaped flap recipients (95% CI: 1.44‐20.48). No significances were observed in 5‐year survival rates. Conclusion: Concerning postoperative RT, patch‐shaped flaps exhibited a lower incidence of a restricted diet compared to tube‐shaped flaps. Preservation of the posterior mucosa may play a crucial role in preventing RT‐induced esophageal stricture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pneumothorax detection is often challenging, particularly when radiographic features are subtle. This study introduces a deep learning model that integrates curriculum learning and ChatGPT to enhance the detection of pneumothorax in chest X-rays. Methods: The model training began with large, easily detectable pneumothoraces, gradually incorporating smaller, more complex cases to prevent performance plateauing. The training dataset comprised 6445 anonymized radiographs, validated across multiple sites, and further tested for generalizability in diverse clinical subgroups. Performance metrics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The model achieved a sensitivity of 0.97 and a specificity of 0.97, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98, demonstrating a performance comparable to that of many FDA-approved devices. Conclusions: This study suggests that a structured approach to training deep learning models, through curriculum learning and enhanced data extraction via natural language processing, can facilitate and improve the training of AI models for pneumothorax detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast optical modulation of nanoplasmonics is fundamental for on-chip integration of all-optical devices. Although various strategies have been proposed for dynamic modulation of surface plasmons, critical issues of device compatibility and extremely low efficiency in the visible spectrum hamper the application of optoplasmonic nanochips. Here we establish an optoplasmonic system based on Au@Cu2–xS hybrid core–shell nanoparticles. The optical excitation of hot electrons and their charge transfer to the semiconductor coating (Cu2–xS) lead to lowered electron density of Au, which results in the red shift of the localized surface plasmon resonance. The hot electrons can also transport through the Cu2–xS layer to the metal substrate, which increases the conductance of the nanogap. As such, the coupled gap plasmon blue-shifts with a magnitude of up to ∼15 nm, depending on the excitation power and the thickness of the coatings, which agrees with numerical simulations. All of this optoelectronic tuning process is highly reversible, controllable and fast with a modulated laser beam, which is highly compatible and sufficiently useful for on-chip integration of nanophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed to develop and validate a deep learning-based Computer Aided Triage (CADt) algorithm for detecting pleural effusion in chest radiographs using an active learning (AL) framework. This is aimed at addressing the critical need for a clinical grade algorithm that can timely diagnose pleural effusion, which affects approximately 1.5 million people annually in the United States. Methods: In this multisite study, 10,599 chest radiographs from 2006 to 2018 were retrospectively collected from an institution in Taiwan to train the deep learning algorithm. The AL framework utilized significantly reduced the need for expert annotations. For external validation, the algorithm was tested on a multisite dataset of 600 chest radiographs from 22 clinical sites in the United States and Taiwan, which were annotated by three U.S. board-certified radiologists. Results: The CADt algorithm demonstrated high effectiveness in identifying pleural effusion, achieving a sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: [0.92, 0.97]) and a specificity of 0.97 (95% CI: [0.95, 0.99]). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.97 (95% DeLong's CI: [0.95, 0.99]). Subgroup analyses showed that the algorithm maintained robust performance across various demographics and clinical settings. Conclusion: This study presents a novel approach in developing clinical grade CADt solutions for the diagnosis of pleural effusion. The AL-based CADt algorithm not only achieved high accuracy in detecting pleural effusion but also significantly reduced the workload required for clinical experts in annotating medical data. This method enhances the feasibility of employing advanced technological solutions for prompt and accurate diagnosis in medical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) is an important freshwater fish species in aquaculture. However, as intensive farming has rapidly expanded, infectious diseases caused by various bacteria, such as Aeromonas hydrophila, have also increased. We conducted a transcriptomic analysis of head kidney from P. fulvidraco stimulated by A. hydrophila strain SHOU. A total of 43,249 unigenes with an average length of 1342 bp were obtained following assembly and annotation. By analyzing GO and KEGG enrichment, many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways related to immunity were identified. Out of the 973 DEGs that were identified, 553 were upregulated and 420 were downregulated. Moreover, KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the innate immune system, including the TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway involved in the defense, is activated against infectious response. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that immune response genes were upregulated in response to A. hydrophila stimulation compared to the control. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the immune defense mechanism of P. fulvidraco and sheds light on the host immune genes involved in the response to bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed tin-lead perovskite solar cells have driven a lot of passion for research because of their vital role in all-perovskite tandem solar cells, which hold the potential for achieving higher efficiencies compared to single-junction counterparts. However, the pronounced disparity in crystallization processes between tin-based perovskites and lead-based perovskites, coupled with the easy Sn2+ oxidation, has long been a dominant factor contributing to high defect densities. In this study, we propose a multidimensional strategy to achieve efficient tin-lead perovskite solar cells by employing a functional N-(carboxypheny)guanidine hydrochloride molecule. The tailored N-(carboxypheny)guanidine hydrochloride molecule plays a pivotal role in manipulating the crystallization and grain growth of tin-lead perovskites, while also serving as a preservative to effectively inhibit Sn2+ oxidation, owing to the strong binding between N-(carboxypheny)guanidine hydrochloride and tin (II) iodide and the elevated energy barriers for oxidation. Consequently, single-junction tin-lead cells exhibit a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 23.11% and can maintain 97.45% of their initial value even after 3500 h of shelf storage in an inert atmosphere without encapsulation. We further integrate tin-lead perovskites into two-terminal monolithic all-perovskite tandem cells, delivering a certified efficiency of 27.35%.The disparity in crystallization processes between tin- and lead-based perovskites has been a dominant factor contributing to high defect densities. Here, authors employ a functional molecule to inhibit tin oxidation, realizing monolithic all-perovskite tandems with certified efficiency over 27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-perovskite tandem solar cells hold great promise in surpassing the Shockley–Queisser limit for single-junction solar cells1–3. However, the practical use of these cells is currently hampered by the subpar performance and stability issues associated with mixed tin–lead (Sn–Pb) narrow-bandgap perovskite subcells in all-perovskite tandems4–7. In this study, we focus on the narrow-bandgap subcells and develop an all-in-one doping strategy for them. We introduce aspartate hydrochloride (AspCl) into both the bottom poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)–poly(styrene sulfonate) and bulk perovskite layers, followed by another AspCl posttreatment. We show that a single AspCl additive can effectively passivate defects, reduce Sn4+ impurities and shift the Fermi energy level. Additionally, the strong molecular bonding of AspCl–Sn/Pb iodide and AspCl–AspCl can strengthen the structure and thereby improve the stability of Sn–Pb perovskites. Ultimately, the implementation of AspCl doping in Sn–Pb perovskite solar cells yielded power conversion efficiencies of 22.46% for single-junction cells and 27.84% (27.62% stabilized and 27.34% certified) for tandems with 95% retention after being stored in an N2-filled glovebox for 2,000 h. These results suggest that all-in-one AspCl doping is a favourable strategy for enhancing the efficiency and stability of single-junction Sn–Pb perovskite solar cells and their tandems.AspCl doping in Sn–Pb perovskite solar cells improves their performance and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Patients with left-sided breast cancer receive a higher mean heart dose (MHD) after radiotherapy, with subsequent risk of ischaemic heart disease. However, the optimum dosimetric predictor among cardiac substructures has not yet been determined. Methods and results This study retrospectively reviewed 2158 women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was a major ischaemic event. The dose–volume parameters of each delineated cardiac substructure were calculated. The risk factors for major ischaemic events and the association between MHD and major ischaemic events were analysed by Cox regression. The optimum dose–volume predictors among cardiac substructures were explored in multivariable models by comparing performance metrics of each model. At a median follow-up of 7.9 years (interquartile range 5.6–10.8 years), 89 patients developed major ischaemic events. The cumulative incidence rate of major ischaemic events was significantly higher in left-sided disease (P = 0.044). Overall, MHD increased the risk of major ischaemic events by 6.2% per Gy (hazard ratio 1.062, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.12; P = 0.012). The model containing the volume of the left ventricle receiving 25 Gy (LV V25) with the cut-point of 4% presented with the best goodness of fit and discrimination performance in left-sided breast cancer. Age, chronic kidney disease, and hyperlipidaemia were also significant risk factors. Conclusion Risk of major ischaemic events exist in the era of modern radiotherapy. LV V25 ≥ 4% appeared to be the optimum parameter and was superior to MHD in predicting major ischaemic events. This dose constraint could aid in achieving better heart protection in breast cancer radiotherapy, though a further validation study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-phase imbalance in low-voltage distribution networks (LVDNs) seriously threatens the security and stability of the power system. At present, a standard solution is automatic phase commutation, but this method has limitations because it does not address the branch imbalance and premature convergence or instability of the commutation algorithm. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel refined regulation commutation system, combined with a modified optimized commutation algorithm, and designs a model and simulation for feasibility verification. The refined regulatory model incorporates branch control units into the traditional commutation system. This effectively disperses the main controller's functions to each branch and collaborates with intelligent fusion terminals for precise adjustment. The commutation algorithm designed in this paper, combined with the above model, adopts strategies such as symbol encoding, cubic chaotic mapping, and adaptive adjustment based on traditional genetic algorithms. In addition, in order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, this paper establishes a mathematical model with the minimum three-phase imbalance and commutation frequency as objectives and establishes a simulation model. The results of the simulation demonstrate that this method can successfully lower the three-phase imbalance of the low-voltage distribution network. It leads to a decrease of the main circuit's three-phase load imbalance rate from 27% to 6% and reduces each branch line's three-phase imbalance ratio to below 10%. After applying the method proposed in this paper, the main and branches circuit three-phase imbalance are both lower than the limit ratio of the LVDNs, which can improve the quality and safety of electricity consumption. Additionally, the results also prove that the commutation algorithm under this method has faster convergence speed, better application effect, and better stability, which has promotion and application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelectins (ITLNs) are a family of calcium-dependent lectins with carbohydrate-binding capacity, are distributed across various vertebrates, and play an important role in the innate immune response against pathogen infection. The yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Siluriformes: Bagridae) is an economically important fish in China. The aim of this study was to quantify the gene expression of ITLN in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) stimulation. Here, the ITLN gene of P. fulvidraco was characterized and named PfITLN. The full-length cDNA of PfITLN was 1132 bp, including a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 140 bp, a 3'-UTR of 110 bp, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 882 bp encoding a polypeptide of 293 amino acids, which contains a signal peptide and two fibrinogen-related domains (FReDs). PfITLN had a molecular weight of 32.39 kDa with a theoretical pI of 5.03. The deduced PfITLN amino acid sequence had 81%, 64%, and 55% homology with Ictalurus furcatus, Danio rerio, and Homo sapiens, respectively. Moreover, the predicted tertiary protein structure of PfITLN was highly similar to that of other animals, and phylogenetic analysis showed that the PfITLN protein was close to those of other Teleostei. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed PfITLN expression in all examined tissues, with the highest abundance seen in the liver, followed by the head kidney, spleen, trunk kidney, and muscle. After PAMP infection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C), the expression levels of PfITLN were significantly upregulated at different time points. These results suggested that PfITLN might be involved in innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electron‐phonon interaction is known as one of the major mechanisms determining electrical and thermal properties. In particular, it alters the carrier transport behaviors and sets fundamental limits to carrier mobility. Establishing how electrons interact with phonons and the resulting impact on the carrier transport property is significant for the development of high‐efficiency electronic devices. Here, carrier transport behavior mediated by the electron‐phonon coupling in BiFeO3 epitaxial thin films is directly observed. Acoustic phonons are generated by the inverse piezoelectric effect and coupled with photocarriers. Via the electron‐phonon coupling, doughnut shape carrier distribution has been observed due to the coupling between hot carriers and phonons. The hot carrier quasi‐ballistic transport length can reach 340 nm within 1 ps. The results suggest an effective approach to investigating the effects of electron‐phonon interactions with temporal and spatial resolutions, which is of great importance for designing and improving electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising service paradigm, cloud computing has attracted lots of enterprises and individuals to outsource big data to public cloud. To facilitate secure data using and sharing, ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) is a suitable solution, which can provide fine-grained access control and encryption functionalities simultaneously. However, some serious challenges are still remaining toward achieving flexible and controllable access policy update in CP-ABE, which essentially impede the powerful access control ability of CP-ABE from long-term and large-scale deployment in real systems. In this work, we propose a novel scheme named policy updatable CP-ABE for encrypted data sharing scenes. The proposed scheme features the following achievements: (i) it supports fine-grained update algorithms with no restriction on update time; (ii) the cloud server can effectively verify update ciphertexts, so the integrity of original data would not be compromised intentionally or accidentally during the update and (iii) most operations of encryption and policy update are securely outsourced to cloud servers, leaving extremely low overheads for data owners and users. We formally define its security model and prove it is adaptively secure. Also, we implement the proposed scheme using the Charm framework. The experiment results demonstrate that it is efficient and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To compare the visual outcomes of astigmatism correction with implantable collamer lens (ICL) surgery with low-to-moderate astigmatism through a steep-meridian corneal relaxing incision (SM–CRI) and non-steep-meridian corneal relaxing incision (NSM–CRI). Methods: Seventy eyes of 70 patients with myopia and myopic astigmatism who underwent ICL V4c implantation were classified into two groups: SM–CRI and NSM–CRI. Refractive outcomes and vector analysis were evaluated preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Results: At the postoperative 6 month visit, all participants in both groups achieved an uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 20/20 or better. The difference vector (DV) showed that the residual astigmatism in the SM–CRI group was much smaller than that in the NSM–CRI group (P = 0.021), and the correction index (CI) was 0.84 ± 0.30 and 0.67 ± 0.35 for the SM–CRI and NSM–CRI groups, respectively, with a significant statistical difference (P = 0.013). Approximately 71% of eyes in the SM–CRI group had an angle of error (AE) within ± 15°, whereas 55% of eyes in the NSM–CRI group were within that range. The absolute mean AE was 10.13 ± 14.57° in the SM–CRI group, compared with 23.88 ± 28.22° in the NSM-CRI group (P = 0.038). Conclusion: SM–CRI can alleviate corneal astigmatism and decrease the cylindrical diopter of the ICL, thus improving postoperative visual quality compared with NSM–CRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid‐air interface offers a platform for the in‐plane growth of free‐standing materials. However, it is rarely used for inorganic perovskites and ultrathin non‐layered perovskites. Herein the liquid‐air interfacial synthesis of inorganic perovskite nanosheets (Cs3Bi2I9, Cs3Sb2I9) is achieved simply by drop‐casting the precursor solution with only the addition of iodine. The products are inaccessible without iodine addition. The thickness and lateral size of these nanosheets can be adjusted through the iodine concentration. The high volatility of the iodine spontaneously drives precursors that normally stay in the liquid to the liquid‐air interface. The iodine also repairs in situ iodine vacancies during perovskite growth, giving enhanced optical and optoelectronic properties. The liquid‐air interfacial growth of ultrathin perovskites provides multi‐degree‐of‐freedom for constructing perovskite‐based heterostructures and devices at atomic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid‐air interface offers a platform for the in‐plane growth of free‐standing materials. However, it is rarely used for inorganic perovskites and ultrathin non‐layered perovskites. Herein the liquid‐air interfacial synthesis of inorganic perovskite nanosheets (Cs3Bi2I9, Cs3Sb2I9) is achieved simply by drop‐casting the precursor solution with only the addition of iodine. The products are inaccessible without iodine addition. The thickness and lateral size of these nanosheets can be adjusted through the iodine concentration. The high volatility of the iodine spontaneously drives precursors that normally stay in the liquid to the liquid‐air interface. The iodine also repairs in situ iodine vacancies during perovskite growth, giving enhanced optical and optoelectronic properties. The liquid‐air interfacial growth of ultrathin perovskites provides multi‐degree‐of‐freedom for constructing perovskite‐based heterostructures and devices at atomic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidation of hot carrier transport and cooling mechanisms at the micro‐/nanoscale is critical for optoelectronics, thermal management, and photocatalysis. Spatiotemporal evolution of hot electrons is usually convoluted with their ultrafast dynamics. Herein, an ultrafast microscopy is employed to directly track the spatiotemporal distribution of photoexcited hot electrons, providing a transformative approach to unravel the competitive relationship of transport and cooling. In the temporal evolution profiles of hot electron distribution, an anomalous contracting stage showing obvious thickness and fluence dependency is observed, with a characteristic end time indicating the completion of electron–phonon (e‐ph) thermalization. Hot electron transport plays a prominent role in the competition with e‐ph coupling, while interfacial heat dissipation dominates nonequilibrium state evolution with thickness below ballistic length. This work significantly enriches the tool kit of ultrafast techniques and provides guidance for rational design and optimization of micro‐/nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) perovskites are promising emitters for near-infrared light-emitting diodes. However, their performance is still limited by defect-assisted nonradiative recombination and band offset-induced carrier aggregation at the interface. Herein, we introduce a couple of cadmium salts with acetate or halide anion into the FAPbI3 perovskite precursors to synergistically passivate the material defects and optimize the device band structure. Particularly, the perovskite analogs, containing zero-dimensional formamidinium cadmium iodide, one-dimensional δ-FAPbI3, two-dimensional FA2FAn-1PbnI3n+1, and three-dimensional α-FAPbI3, can be obtained in one pot and play a pivotal and positive role in energy transfer in the formamidinium iodide-rich lead-based perovskite films. As a result, the near-infrared FAPbI3-based devices deliver a maximum external quantum efficiency of 24.1% together with substantially improved operational stability. Combining our findings on defect passivation and energy transfer, we also achieve near-infrared light communication with device twins of light emitting and unprecedented self-driven detection. Defect-assisted nonradiative recombination and carrier aggregation at the interface hinder the potential of perovskites as emitter for light-emitting diodes. Here, Fang et al. achieve an external quantum efficiency of 24.1% by combining multidimensional perovskite with cascade conduction bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions affects sustainable human development. Agricultural practices are important source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes greatly to farming GHG. It is important to find a potential and practical biological technique that mitigate N2O emissions in an environment friendly way. Methods: N2O-inhibiting fungi were isolated and identified in the lab. The fungi were added into the soil and placed in the incubator and interval gas sampling was analyzed by gas chromatograph. Results: Fungus coding Z17 was identified molecularly with the same evolutionary branch on the phylogenetic tree with Trichoderma asperellum by BLAST comparison on NCBI GenBank. In the lab simulation, the N2O emission flux was decreased by 28.18–47.16% by inoculating Trichoderma asperellum with 106 cfu·g−1, 5 × 106 cfu·g−1 and 107 cfu·g−1 fungal spores in the soil compared to the control. Conclusions: The N2O-inhibiting fungus Z17 was identified as Trichoderma asperellum, capable of suppressing N2O emissions from soil with at least 106 CFU·g−1 soil. The best N2O-inhibiting effect was on day 9 of inoculation into soil because most of the fungal numbers were present in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising service paradigm, cloud computing has attracted lots of enterprises and individuals to outsource big data to public cloud. To facilitate secure data using and sharing, dual-policy attribute-based encryption (DP-ABE) is a suitable solution. It allows two access control mechanisms over encrypted data at the same time: one involves access policies over subjective attributes ascribed to user credentials, and the other involves policies over objective attributes ascribed to data. In this work, we are exploring methods to make DP-ABE more flexible, more efficient, and more secure for deployments in cloud scenes. Our proposal features the following achievements simultaneously: (1) beyond the access control mechanisms of DP-ABE, it also supports two flexible features called encryption and key generation in single-policy modes; (2) most operations of key generation, encryption, and decryption are securely outsourced to cloud servers, leaving extremely low overheads for the PKG, data owners, and users; and (3) it realizes the strongest security notion of public-key encryption schemes, namely, CCA security. We formalize the security definition and formally prove its security in the random oracle model. Moreover, we implement the proposed schemes using the Charm framework. The experiment results demonstrate that our schemes are efficient and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) are splendid cell sources for clinical application in the administration of numerous refractory and relapse diseases. Despite the preferable prospect of serum-free (SF) condition for cell product standardization and pathogenic contamination remission, yet the systematic and detailed impact upon hAMSCs at both cellular and transcriptomic levels is largely obscure. Methods: For the purpose, we preconditioned hAMSCs under serum-containing (SC) and SF medium for 48 h and compared the biological signatures and biofunctions from the view of cell morphology, immunophenotypes, multi-lineage differentiation in vitro, cell vitality, cytokine expression, and immunosuppressive effect upon the subpopulations of T lymphocytes, together with the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling reactivation upon cell vitality. Meanwhile, we took advantage of RNA-SEQ and bioinformatic analyses to verify the gene expression profiling and genetic variation spectrum in the indicated hAMSCs. Results: Compared with those maintained in SC medium, hAMSCs pretreated in SF conditions manifested conservation in cell morphology, immunophenotypes, adipogenic differentiation, and immunosuppressive effect upon the proliferation and activation of most of the T cell subpopulations, but with evaluated cytokine expression (e.g., TGF-β1, IDO1, NOS2) and declined osteogenic differentiation and cell proliferation as well as proapoptotic and apoptotic cells. The declined proliferation in the SF group was efficiently rescued by PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling reactivation. Notably, hAMSCs cultured in SF and SC conditions revealed similarities in gene expression profiling and variations in genetic mutation at the transcriptome level. Instead, based on the differentially expressed genes and variable shear event analyses, we found those genes were mainly involved in DNA synthesis-, protein metabolism-, and cell vitality-associated biological processes and signaling pathways (e.g., P53, KRAS, PI3K-Akt-mTOR). Conclusions: Collectively, our data revealed the multifaceted cellular and molecular properties of hAMSCs under SC and SF conditions, which suggested the feasibility of serum-free culture for the preferable preparation of standardized cell products for hAMSC drug development and clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi‐two‐dimensional (quasi‐2D) perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are considered as one of the most potential candidates in electroluminescence territory owing to their unique quantum confinement effect and excellent thermal stability of the light. Nevertheless, heterogeneous energy domain distribution leads to severe non‐radiative recombination in the process of energy transfer, which enormously hinders the performance and application of PeLEDs. Herein, an ambipolar amino acid, 5‐aminovaleric acid (5AVA), is demonstrated to be able to coordinate lead and halides simultaneously with its carboxyl and amidogen groups. The coordinated ambipolar molecule not only reconstitutes energy domains of perovskites but also minimizes the interfacial defects of PeLEDs. Accordingly, the presence of 5AVA in perovskite precursors leads to dramatic suppression of the n = 1 and n = 2 phases and accelerates energy transfer from wide bandgap domains to narrow bandgap ones. As a result, maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 19.3% (18.20% ± 1.10%) is achieved in quasi‐2D green PeLEDs with current efficiency of 61.7 cd A−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Aim of this retrospective cohort study is to evaluate the prognostic value of tumor volume reduction rate status post-induction chemotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Patients newly diagnosed from year 2007 to 2016 at a single center were included in this retrospective study. All patients had received induction Taxotere, Platinum, Fluorouracil followed by daily definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy for 70 Gy in 35 fractions concurrent with or without cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Tumor volume reduction rate was measured and calculated by contrast-enhanced computed tomography images at diagnosis, and after at least 1 cycle of induction chemotherapy, and analyzed though a univariate and multivariate Cox regression model. Results: Ninety patients of the primary cancer sites at hypopharynx (31/90, 34.4%), oropharynx (29/90, 32.2%), oral cavity (19/90, 21.1%), and larynx (11/90, 12.2%) were included in this study, with a median follow-up time interval of 3.9 years. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the tumor volume reduction rate of the primary tumor (TVRR-T) was also an independently significant prognostic factor for disease-free survival (DFS) (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.97; P -value =.02). Other factors including patient's age at diagnosis, the primary cancer site, and RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors), were not significantly related. At a cutoff value using 50% in Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, the DFS was higher with TVRR-T ≥ 50% group (log-rank test, P =.024), and a trend of improved overall survival. (log-rank test, P =.069). Conclusion: TVRR-T is a probable prognostic factor for DFS. With a cut-off point of 50%, TVRR-T may indicate better DFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising service paradigm, cloud computing has attracted lots of enterprises and individuals to outsource big data to public cloud. To facilitate secure data using and sharing, dual-policy attribute-based encryption (DP-ABE) is a suitable solution. It allows two access control mechanisms over encrypted data at the same time: one involves access policies over subjective attributes ascribed to user credentials, and the other involves policies over objective attributes ascribed to data. In this work, we are exploring methods to make DP-ABE more flexible, more efficient, and more secure for deployments in cloud scenes. Our proposal features the following achievements simultaneously: (1) beyond the access control mechanisms of DP-ABE, it also supports two flexible features called encryption and key generation in single-policy modes; (2) most operations of key generation, encryption, and decryption are securely outsourced to cloud servers, leaving extremely low overheads for the PKG, data owners, and users; and (3) it realizes the strongest security notion of public-key encryption schemes, namely, CCA security. We formalize the security definition and formally prove its security in the random oracle model. Moreover, we implement the proposed schemes using the Charm framework. The experiment results demonstrate that our schemes are efficient and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed‐halide perovskites can undergo a photoinduced phase segregation. Even though many reports have claimed that such a phase segregation process is reversible, what happens after phase segregation and its impact on the performance of perovskite‐based devices are still open questions. Here, the phase transformation of MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 after phase segregation and probe an irreversible phase reconstruction of MAPbBr3 is investigated. The photoluminescence imaging microscopy technique is introduced to in situ record the whole process. It is proposed that the type‐I band alignment of segregated I‐rich and Br‐rich domains can enhance the emission of the I‐rich domains by suppressing the nonradiative recombination channels. At the same time, the charge injection from Br‐rich to I‐rich domains drives the expulsion of iodide from the lattice, and thus triggers the reconstruction of MAPbBr3. The work highlights the significance of ion movements in mixed‐halide perovskites and provides new perspectives to understand the property evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) has emerged as an effective optoelectronics material due to its novel optical properties. Understanding the role of defects in exciton kinetics is crucial for achieving high-efficiency TMD devices. Here, we observe defects induced anomalous power dependence exciton dynamics and spatial distribution in hexagonal heterogeneous WS2. With transient absorption microscopy study, we illustrate that these phenomena originate from the competition between radiative and defect-related non-radiative decays. To understand the physics behind this, a decay model is introduced with two defect-related channels, which demonstrates that more excitons decay through non-radiative channels in the dark region than the bright region. Our work reveals the mechanisms of anomalous exciton kinetics by defects and is instrumental for understanding and exploiting excitonic states in emerging 2D semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed‐halide perovskites can undergo a photoinduced phase segregation. Even though many reports have claimed that such a phase segregation process is reversible, what happens after phase segregation and its impact on the performance of perovskite‐based devices are still open questions. Here, the phase transformation of MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 after phase segregation and probe an irreversible phase reconstruction of MAPbBr3 is investigated. The photoluminescence imaging microscopy technique is introduced to in situ record the whole process. It is proposed that the type‐I band alignment of segregated I‐rich and Br‐rich domains can enhance the emission of the I‐rich domains by suppressing the nonradiative recombination channels. At the same time, the charge injection from Br‐rich to I‐rich domains drives the expulsion of iodide from the lattice, and thus triggers the reconstruction of MAPbBr3. The work highlights the significance of ion movements in mixed‐halide perovskites and provides new perspectives to understand the property evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvent-based post-combustion capture technologies have great potential for CO2 mitigation in traditional coal-fired power plants. Modelling and simulation provide a low-cost opportunity to evaluate performances and guide flexible operation. Composed by a series of partial differential equations, first-principle post-combustion capture models are computationally expensive, which limits their use in real time process simulation and control. In this study, we propose a first-principle approach to develop the basic structure of a reduced-order model and then the dominant factor is used to fit properties and simplify the chemical and physical process, based on which a universal and hybrid post-combustion capture model is established. Model output at steady state and trend at dynamic state are validated using experimental data obtained from the literature. Then, impacts of liquid-to-gas ratio, reboiler power, desorber pressure, tower height and their combination on the absorption and desorption effects are analyzed. Results indicate that tower height should be designed in conjunction with the flue gas flow, and the gas-liquid ratio can be optimized to reduce the reboiler power under a certain capture target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term stability has become the major obstacle for the successful large‐scale application of perovskites devices. Owing to the ionic nature of metal‐halide perovskites, the interfacial ion diffusion can induce irreversible degradation under operational conditions, which presents a great challenge to realize stable perovskite solar modules. Here, a diphenylphosphine oxide compound, ethane‐1,2‐diylbis(diphenylphosphine oxide) (DPPO) is introduced to coordinate with lead iodide and form a cross‐linked 1D Pb3I6‐DPPO (1D‐PbI2) complex. These judiciously designed cross‐linked nonionic low‐dimensional lead halide/organic adducts can passivate the defects of perovskite while acting as a robust ion diffusion barrier, thus significantly improving the electronic quality and intrinsic stability of perovskite films. As a result, high‐performance inverted (p‐i‐n) solar modules with a champion efficiency approaching 19% (a certified stabilized efficiency of 17.8%) for active device areas above 17 cm2 without the use of antisolvents, accompanied by outstanding operational stability under heat stress and continuous illumination are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic perovskites, such as CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I), have attracted attention due to their excellent thermal stabilities and high photoluminescence quantum efficiencies. Here, we report on all-inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including inorganic perovskite emitters (CsPbBr3) based on the heterostructure of n-ZnO/Al2O3/CsPbBr3/p-GaN. The effects of the CsPbBr3 and Al2O3 interlayers on the electroluminescence performance have been systematically investigated. It is observed that the Al2O3 interlayer plays an important role in determining the emission performance. By introducing the Al2O3 layers, the electron–hole recombination can almost be limited within the perovskite. The emission peaks of the heterojunction LEDs change from blue-green to pure green with the increased luminous intensities and decreased leakage currents. It provides an idea for the preparation of all-inorganic perovskite LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anion exchange between MAPbX3 (X = I− or Br−) and MAX salts in a solution environment is investigated. We find that I− can enter MAPbBr3 single crystals (SC) in millimeter scale, while Br− can only penetrate the surface of MAPbI3 SC in a micrometer scale. Due to the lattice variation, the reaction is partially reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printable hole‐conductor‐free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted intensive research attention due to their high stability and simple manufacturing process. However, the cells have suffered severe potential loss in the absence of the hole transporting layer. The dimensionality of the perovskite absorber in the mesoporous carbon electrodes by conducting post‐treatments is reduced. The low‐dimensional perovskites possess wide‐bandgaps and form type‐II band alignment, favoring directional charge transportation and thus enhancing the device performance. For the cells using MAPbI3 (MA = methylammonium) as the light absorber, the open‐circuit voltage (VOC) is significantly enhanced from 0.92 to 0.98 V after posttreatment, delivering an overall efficiency of 16.24%. For the cells based on FAPbI3 (FA = formamadinium), a high efficiency of 17.47% is achieved with VOC of 1.02 V, which are both the highest reported values for printable hole‐conductor‐free PSCs. This strategy provides a facile method for tuning the energy level alignment for mesoscopic perovskite‐based optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the back-side windy condition, the convection and radiation heat transfer characteristics in an iso-flux upward-facing cylindrical cavity were studied by three-dimensional numerical simulation. The impacts of cavity tilt angle, wind incident angle and wind speed on convection and radiation heat transfer Nusselt number Nuc and Nur were analyzed, and the possible explanations for their impacts were presented. Results show that due to the disturbance of wind, the influence of cavity tilt angle becomes more complicated and is related to wind incident angle and wind speed. The variation of Nuc or Nur with wind incident angle is different for different cavity tilt angles. Despite of the changes of cavity tilt angle or wind incident angle, the Nuc increases with the wind speed while the Nur presents a declination with the increasing of wind speed. Hence, compared with cavity tilt angle and wind incident angle, wind speed may be the dominant factor affecting or controlling the convective and radiation heat transfer of cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber physical system (CPS) is consisting of two interdependent networks, i.e., a cyber network embedding into a physical network. Although interdependence makes the system more intelligent, it increases the vulnerability and complexity of the system in the presence of failures and even leads to cascading failures, which may cause the entire system to completely fragment. In this paper, we consider the health status of CPS, and propose (m, k)—survivability and (m, k)—health to evaluate the probability and the expectation that at least k nodes still operate in steady state with the maximum entropy as m nodes are attacked. And both reflect the capability of system to resist the failures. Further, we proved that the health of system decreases with the increase of m or k. Due to the complexity of calculating (m, k)—health parameter, we propose a Monte Carlo algorithm and illustrate an unbiased and uniform estimation of the exact value. The simulation shows that the proposed two parameters describe the health of the system well and the proposed algorithm is efficient and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In photocatalysis, the Schottky barrier in metal–semiconductor hybrids is known to promote charge separation, but a core–shell structure always leads to a charge build‐up and eventually shuts off the photocurrent. Here, we show that Au–Cu2O hybrid nanostructures can be continuously tuned, particularly when the Cu2O domains are single‐crystalline. This is in contrast to the conventional systems, where the hybrid configuration is mainly determined by the choice of materials. The distal separation of the Au–Cu2O domains in Janus nanostructures leads to enhanced charge separation and a large improvement of the photocurrent. The activity of the Au–Cu2O Janus structures is 5 times higher than that of the core–shell structure, and 10 times higher than that of the neat Cu2O nanocubes. The continuous structural tuning allows to study the structure–property relationship and an optimization of the photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In photocatalysis, the Schottky barrier in metal–semiconductor hybrids is known to promote charge separation, but a core–shell structure always leads to a charge build‐up and eventually shuts off the photocurrent. Here, we show that Au–Cu2O hybrid nanostructures can be continuously tuned, particularly when the Cu2O domains are single‐crystalline. This is in contrast to the conventional systems, where the hybrid configuration is mainly determined by the choice of materials. The distal separation of the Au–Cu2O domains in Janus nanostructures leads to enhanced charge separation and a large improvement of the photocurrent. The activity of the Au–Cu2O Janus structures is 5 times higher than that of the core–shell structure, and 10 times higher than that of the neat Cu2O nanocubes. The continuous structural tuning allows to study the structure–property relationship and an optimization of the photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]