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Lead-free Cs3Cu2I5 metal halides have garnered significant attention recently due to their non-toxic properties and deep-blue emission. However, their relatively low photoluminescence quantum efficiency and poor stability have limited their applications. In this work, sodium iodide (NaI) is used to facilitate the synthesis of Cs3Cu2I5 nanocrystals (NCs), demonstrating improved photoluminescence intensity, photoluminescence quantum yield, and stability. Systematic optoelectronic characterizations confirm that Na+ is successfully incorporated into the Cs3Cu2I5 lattice without altering its crystal structure. The improved Photoluminescence Quantum Yield (PLQY) and stability are attributed to the strengthened chemical bonding, which effectively suppresses vacancy defects in the lattice. Additionally, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on 10% NaI-doped Cs3Cu2I5 NCs were assembled, emitting vibrant blue light with a maximum radiant intensity of 82 lux and Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of (0.15, 0.1). This work opens new possibilities for commercial lighting display applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trap-assisted non-radiative recombination is one of the main energy loss pathways in metal halide perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Here in this work, oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4-O) is introduced into the commonly used SnO2 electron transport layer (ETL) as an additive to engineer the traps at the ETL/perovskite interface. The interaction between g-C3N4-O and SnO2 could effectively and simultaneously mitigate the uncoordinated Sn dangling bonds and the –OH groups, which are the two dominant deep-traps at the ETL/perovskite interface. Trap-engineered PVSCs show optimized electrical properties with matched energy band alignment, improved electron transport and extended carrier lifetime. As a result, binary PVSCs modified with g-C3N4-O achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of over 21% and demonstrate high environmental stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The goal of this study was to develop an imaging probe—IRDye-680RD-OX40 mAb—that can be used for noninvasive imaging and optical imaging of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OX40/OX40 ligand (OX40L) interactions have been shown to exert potent costimulatory effects on T cell activation. Detectable change in T cell activation profiles was observed in early RA. Methods: OX40 expression pattern was analyzed by flow cytometry. N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters are used to label proteins selectively on free amino groups of OX40 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Characterization of IRDye-680RD-OX40 mAb was measured and a fluorescence spectrum gathered. Cell binding assay was also performed between activated and naïve murine T cells. Longitudinal near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of the probe was performed on day 8, day 9, day 10, and day 11 of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) mouse model. Paw thickness and body weight were compared between the OX40 mAb and IgG injection groups. Results: NIRF imaging with IRDye-680RD-OX40 mAb revealed strong OX40-positive responses with high specificity. Flow analysis showed that OX40 was specifically expressed on the surface of T cells in RP and spleen of AIA model. The AIA group was significantly differentiated from the control group at all time points with imaging monitoring. The region of interest (ROI) was in line with ex vivo imaging and biodistribution study. This study highlights the potential utility of the OX40 NIRF imaging as a new strategy for RA prediction and T cell monitoring. Conclusion: The results provide evidence that IRDye-680RD-OX40 mAb detects organized T cells activation in early RA. The optical probe was capable of detection of RA pathogenesis. It identified transcriptional responses to RA that mediate its immune functions. Thus, it may be an ideal probe for RA imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots have received much attention due to their unique physicochemical properties and diverse applications in bioimaging, optoelectronic devices, catalysis, and agriculture. Here, in this work, we report a simple hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen and phosphorus−doped carbon dots (N, P−CDs). The optical and physical properties of the synthesized N, P−CDs are analyzed using systematical spectroscopy and electrical characterization. The synthesized N, P−CDs show strong photoluminescence at 626 nm and demonstrate high stability under UV light and other conditions. Moreover, we incorporate the synthesized N, P−CDs into water spinach by root spraying and leaf spraying. It is found that N, P−CDs could effectively promote the growth of water spinach by accelerating the photosynthetic rate, and increasing the content of total phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids in water spinach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead halide perovskite has become a promising candidate for high-performance photodetectors (PDs) due to its attractive optical and electrical properties, such as high optical absorption coefficient, high carrier mobility, and long carrier diffusion length. However, the presence of highly toxic lead in these devices has limited their practical applications and even hindered their progress toward commercialization. Therefore, the scientific community has been committed to searching for low-toxic and stable perovskite-type alternative materials. Lead-free double perovskite, which is still in the preliminary stage of exploration, has achieved inspiring results in recent years. In this review, we mainly focus on two types of lead-free double perovskite based on different Pb substitution strategies, including A2M(I)M(III)X6 and A2M(IV)X6. We review the research progress and prospects of lead-free double perovskite photodetectors in the past three years. More importantly, from the perspective of optimizing the inherent defects in materials and improving device performance, we propose some feasible pathways and make an encouraging perspective for the future development of lead-free double perovskite photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Truck-wash facilities have become popularized globally on construction sites, and the wastewater was frequently treated by three-stage sedimentation basins. The wastewater and bacterial characteristics in three-stage sedimentation basins need to be studied, which might affect the treatment cost and reuse security. In this study, the wastewater characteristics, bacterial communities, and pathogenic bacteria distribution of three-stage sedimentation basins on four construction sites were investigated. Results indicated that truck-wash wastewater contained a high concentration of suspended solids (29–211 mg/L) and bacteria (4.2×103 to 2.7×104 colony forming units/mL). Proteobacteria (mean at 72.3%), Firmicutes (mean at 11.3%), and Bacteroidetes (mean at 10.6%) were the predominant bacterial phyla and Acinetobacter (mean at 18.4%), Chryseomicrobium (mean at 6.3%), and Paracoccus (mean at 6.1%) were the predominant bacterial genera. Truck-wash wastewater contained pathogenic bacteria, identified by the Illumina sequencing method. Acinetobacter, Shigella, or Escherichia (about 0.2%) and Legionella (about 0.2%) were the main pathogenic bacteria and Legionella should be a concern due to the wastewater reuse method. Traditional three-stage sedimentation basins should be simplified and further improved because of the lower suspended solids or pathogenic bacteria removal effect. The practical technology for suspended solids and pathogenic bacteria control in truck-wash wastewater should be further studied, and disinfection facilities should be applied to protect construction workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cs2AgBiBr6, as a benchmark lead‐free double perovskite, has emerged as a promising alternative to lead‐based perovskites because of its high stability, non‐toxicity, exceptional optoelectronic properties, and multifunctionality. To encourage further research on Cs2AgBiBr6 and its broad applications, in this review, its fundamental properties including the structure‐property relation, synthesis, stability, origin of absorption and photoluminescence, electron‐phonon coupling, role of defects, charge carrier dynamics, and bandgap modulation are comprehensively emphasized. The recent progress on the wide applications including solar cells, light/X‐ray detectors, and ferroelectric/magnetic devices are highlighted. Moreover, the challenges of Cs2AgBiBr6 materials and related applications are discussed and perspectives are provided for guiding the future development of this research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a widespread autoimmune disorder of the joints. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to participate in the pathogenesis of RA by serving as competitive endogenous RNAs. LncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 14 (SNHG14) is involved in the development of various diseases. Here, we found that high expression of SNHG14 in RA was closely related to the disease activity. Functional assays indicated that SNHG14 knockdown obviously hampered phorbol myristate acetate‐activated THP‐1 (pTHP‐1) cell proliferation and proinflammatory cytokines production. In mechanism, SNHG14 served as a sponge of microRNA‐17‐5p (miR‐17‐5p), and misshapen like kinase 1 (MINK1) was a target of miR‐17‐5p. SNHG14 depletion‐induced inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and inflammatory response were reversed by MINK1 overexpression in macrophages. Moreover, SNHG14 promoted the jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) signaling via the miR‐17‐5p/MINK1 axis. Overall, SNHG14 boosted the process of RA by MINK1 activating the JNK pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel oxide (NiOx) is desirable hole selective material (HSMs) for perovskite photovoltaics because of the characteristic in stability and low cost. However, they deliver limited open‐circuit voltage (VOC) compared to some organic HSMs. As it is known, the performance of perovskite solar cells is predominantly limited by trap‐assisted non‐radiative recombination at the perovskite/hole‐selective layer interfaces. A typical lithium‐doping strategy leads to the valence‐band maximum shift and the electronic levels of NiOx can be tuned robustly to match perovskite active layer in perovskite solar cells. More critically, carrier dynamics studies demonstrate another critical PN4N interlayer strategy reduced interfacial density of defect sites and trap‐assisted recombination. These merits contribute coordinately to lower energy loss across the perovskite/NiOx interface and facilitate charge transport process through the relevant interface, yielding VOC values increase to 1.14 V and power conversion efficiencies over 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) can be utilized as an ultrasensitive gas detection method. The basic principles of gas detection using PAS are discussed in this paper. First, the basic instrumentation for a PAS gas detection system is introduced focusing on the photoacoustic cell. The discussion includes non-resonant photoacoustic cells and the different types of resonant photoacoustic cells, including the longitudinal photoacoustic cell, the Helmholtz photoacoustic cell, the T-type photoacoustic cell, and the high-frequency resonant photoacoustic cell. The basic working principles of each of these, cells as well as the advantages and disadvantages of photoacoustic cells are discussed, and the development of newer types of photoacoustic cells in recent years is outlined in detail. This review provides detailed reference information and guidance for interested researchers who would like to design and build advanced photoacoustic cells for gas detection. Graphical abstract This is a visual representation of the abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing radiosensitivity of cancer cells can enhance the efficacy of cervical cancer treatment., Objectives: This study evaluated the potential roles and mechanism of baicalein in regulating the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells in vitro., Material and Methods: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to assess miR-183 expression in End1/E6E7 cells, Hela cells and Hela cells irradiated with X-ray (0 Gy, 1 Gy, 3 Gy, 5 Gy, and 10 Gy). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) method measured cell viability of Hela cells after miR-183 regulation, baicalein or RO8191 treatment. Apoptosis rates were detected using flow cytometry. Thereafter, expression of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 RNA was also detected through RT-qPCR. Protein concentrations of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), phospho-JAK2/STAT3, and total Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 STAT3 (JAK2/STAT3) were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. RO8191, a JAK2/STAT3 activator, was used to activate the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway., Results: The miR-183 expression was significantly lower in Hela cells compared to End1/E6E7 cells. Following upregulation of miR-183 in Hela cells, cell viability was inhibited while apoptosis was promoted. Moreover, EMT was inhibited after miR-183 over-expression. X-ray treatment markedly reduced the cell survival rate and increased miR-183 RNA expression. Baicalein treatment severely reduced the cell viability of 10-Gy X-ray-irradiated Hela cells, partially reversing the effect of miR-183, and also increased apoptosis and prevented EMT in irradiated cells. Y1007/8 in JAK2 and tyrosine (Tyr) residue 705 of STAT3 were phosphorylated, resulting in high expression of JAK2/STAT3, which was decreased by irradiation and baicalein treatment. RO8191 activated JAK2/STAT3 signaling, promoted cell viability and EMT, and inhibited cell apoptosis, while baicalein partly reversed the functions of RO8191., Conclusions: Baicalein inhibited cell viability and EMT, and induced cell apoptosis of Hela cells, through upregulating miR-183 via inactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.