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Abstract: The paper reviews the motivation of the shift from form-focused methods to content-based instruction in ESL/EFL settings, and makes a survey of empirical researches about effects of the narrative approach on EFL/ESL learning in different parts of the world. All the researches listed in the paper suggest that the narrative approach is a desirable medium to facilitate learners’ language competence. Meanwhile the paper, considering the English teaching context in China, analyzes the constraints and challenges in applying the approach, and accordingly presents some suggestions and advice for EFL teachers and researchers in China [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To present a case series of the exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC) with isolated ectopic bowel segment (IEBS) with the literature review, highlighting the clinical findings and treatments.Materials and Methods: We present 3 cases of bladder exstrophy (BE) with IEBS in our institute and reviewed the literature in PubMed with the terms "("bladder exstrophy" OR "epispadias") AND ("visceral sequestration" OR "sequestered" OR "ectopic bowel")."Results: There were 2 males and 1 female. The IEBS was detected by physical examination in 2 cases and by ultrasonography in another one. All cases were BE accompanying with lower abdominal mass which adhered to the bladder wall but was separated from the digestive system. All cases underwent the IEBS excision and BE repair simultaneously. Pathological result of IEBS suggested the histological structures of colon. There were totally 13 cases of EEC with IEBS reported in the literature, including 2 (15%) epispadias, 9 (69%) covered BE, 1 (8%) duplicate BE and 1 (8%) classic bladder exstrophy. Although their clinical manifestations were various, IEBS excision were safely conducted in all cases.Conclusion: EEC with IEBS is an extremely rare congenital malformation. Physical and imaging examinations are important for diagnoses. Surgical excision is safe and effective for managing IEBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a lateral CFET comprising of n-type junctionless accumulation mode gate-all-around (JAMGAA) Si-nanowire and p-channel inversion-mode gate-all-around (IMGAA) Si-nanowire FET are proposed. The paper systematically investigates the performance of lateral CFET nanowire for logic applications under three different technology nodes. The performance of the CFET and conventional CMOS is compared and evaluated in terms of voltage transfer characteristics (VTCs), noise margin, voltage gain, transient response, and frequency of a three-stage ring oscillator (RO) using 3D numerical simulation. The results indicate that the n-type JAMGAA has a 6.8% increase in effective driving current compared to the n-type IMGAA, while the effective current is improved by up to 5.5%, due to higher ON-state current of JAMFET. Thanks to such compact structure, the rise time and fall time of the CFET nanowire are improved by up to 21.7% and 25%, respectively, and the frequency of the three-stage RO is improved by up to 4.6% for 3-, 5-, and 7-nm technology nodes. This lateral CFET nanowire improved performance and simplified fabrication, making it a promising candidate in post-moore era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital true diphallia, complete duplicate bladder, bladder exstrophy, and anorectal malformation in a child are uncommon. Here, we present the case of a 3-year-old boy with multiple genitourinary malformation, including true diphallia, complete duplicate bladder, bladder exstrophy, epispadias, and anorectal malformation. Multi-departmental collaborative treatment for complex conditions ultimately achieved an ideal appearance for this patient. All vital signs were stable after the surgery and they remained consistent during follow-up. In such cases, surgical correction is individualized to achieve adequate urinary continence and erection with adequate esthetics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a physics-based ANN assisting method for extracting transient properties of extrinsically triggering photoconductive semiconductor switches (ET-PCSSs) is proposed. It exploits the nonlinear mapping of ANN between transient current (input) and doping concentration (output). According to the basic laws of photoelectric device operating, two types of ANN models are constructed by gaussian and polynomial fitting. The mean absolute error (MAE) of forecasting transient photocurrent can be less than 10 A under low triggering optical powers, which verifies the feasibility of ANN assisting TCAD applied to PCSSs. The results are comparable to computation by Mixed-Mode simulation, yet even thousands of seconds of CPU runtime cost are saved in every period. To improve the robustness of the Poly-ANN predictor, Bayesian optimization (BO) is implemented for minimizing the curl deviation of photocurrent-time curves.

The burgeoning need for extensive data processing has sparked enthusiasm for the development of a novel optical logic gate platform. In this study, junction field-effect phototransistors based on molybdenum disulfide/Germanium (MoS 2 /Ge) heterojunctions are constructed as optical logic units. This device demonstrates a positive photoresponse that is attributed to the photoconductivity effect occurring upon irradiation with visible (Vis) light. Under the illumination of near-infrared (NIR) optics with wavelengths within the communication band, the device shows a negative photoresponse, which is associated with the interlayer Coulomb interactions. The current state of the device can be effectively modulated as different logical states by precisely tuning the wavelength and power density of the optical. Within a 3 × 3 MoS 2 /Ge phototransistor array, five essentially all-optical logic gates ("AND," "OR," "NAND," "NOT," and "NOR") can be achieved in every signal unit. Furthermore, three complex all-optical logical operations are demonstrated by integrating two MoS 2 /Ge phototransistors in series. Compared to electronic designs, these all-optical logic devices offer a significant reduction in transistor number, with savings of 50-94% when implementing the above-mentioned functions. These results present opportunities for the development of photonic chips with low power consumption, high fidelity, and large volumes., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Si-based emitters have been of great interest as an ideal light source for monolithic optical-electronic integrated circuits (MOEICs) on Si substrates. However, the general Si-based material is a diamond structure of cubic lattice with an indirect band gap, which cannot emit light efficiently. Here, hexagonal-Ge (H-Ge) nanostructures within a light-emitting metasurface consisting of a cubic-SiGe nanodisk array are reported. The H-Ge nanostructure is naturally formed within the cubic-Ge epitaxially grown on Si (001) substrates due to the strain-induced nanoscale crystal structure transformation assisted by far-from-equilibrium growth conditions. The direct-bandgap features of H-Ge nanostructures are observed and discussed, including a rather strong and linearly power-dependent photoluminescence (PL) peak around 1562 nm at room temperature and temperature-insensitive PL spectrum near room temperature. Given the direct-bandgap nature, the heterostructure of H-Ge/C-Ge, and the compatibility with the sophisticated Si technology, the H-Ge nanostructure has great potential for innovative light sources and other functional devices, particularly in Si-based MOEICs.

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are spreading at alarming rates, and despite extensive efforts, no new antibiotic class with activity against Gram-negative bacteria has been approved in over 50 years. LepB inhibitors (LepBi) based on the arylomycin class of natural products are a novel class of antibiotics and function by inhibiting the bacterial type I signal peptidase (SPase) in Gram-negative bacteria. One critical aspect of LepBi development involves optimization of the membrane-anchored lipophilic portion of the molecule. We therefore developed an approach that assesses the effect of this portion on the complicated equilibria of plasma protein binding, crossing the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and anchoring in the bacterial inner membrane to facilitate SPase binding. Our findings provide important insights into the development of antibacterial agents where the target is associated with the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): M.F.T.K.Y-C.C., Yuan C., J.J.C. and M.R.D. are employees and shareholders of Genentech, a member of the Roche group. R.I.H., T.C.R. and P.A.S. are shareholders of RQx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (© 2023 American Chemical Society.)

Predicting solubility of small molecules is a very difficult undertaking due to the lack of reliable and consistent experimental solubility data. It is well known that for a molecule in a crystal lattice to be dissolved, it must, first, dissociate from the lattice and then, second, be solvated. The melting point of a compound is proportional to the lattice energy, and the octanol-water partition coefficient (log P ) is a measure of the compound's solvation efficiency. The CCDC's melting point dataset of almost one hundred thousand compounds was utilized to create widely applicable machine learning models of small molecule melting points. Using the general solubility equation, the aqueous thermodynamic solubilities of the same compounds can be predicted. The global model could be easily localized by adding additional melting point measurements for a chemical series of interest.

We propose the design of a composite device structure with germanium-based (Ge-based) waveguide photodetectors integrated with grating couplers on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The finite-difference time-domain method is used to establish simulation models and optimize the design of the waveguide detector and grating coupler. For the grating coupler, by adjusting the size parameters to the optimal value and combining the advantages of the nonuniform grating and the Bragg reflector structure, the peak coupling efficiency reaches 85% at 1550 nm and 75.5% at 2000 nm, which is, respectively, 31.3% and 14.6% higher than that of uniform grating. For the waveguide detector, a germanium-tin (GeSn) alloy was introduced to replace Ge as the active absorption layer at 1550 and 2000 nm, which not only broadened the detection range and significantly improved the light absorption of the detector but also realized the near-complete light absorption of the GeSn alloy when the device length was 10 µm. These results make it possible to miniaturize the device structure of Ge-based waveguide photodetectors.

We propose an infrared-sensitive negative differential transconductance (NDT) phototransistor based on a graphene/WS 2 /Au double junction with a SiO 2 /Ge gate. By changing the drain bias, diverse field-effect characteristics can be achieved. Typical p-type and n-type behavior is obtained under negative and positive drain bias, respectively. And NDT behavior is observed in the transfer curves under positive drain bias. It is believed to originate from competition between the top and bottom channel currents in stepped layers of WS 2 at different gate voltages. Moreover, this phototransistor shows a gate-modulated rectification ratio of 0.03 to 88.3. In optoelectronic experiments, the phototransistor exhibits a responsivity of 2.76 A/W under visible light at 532 nm. By contrast, an interesting negative responsivity of -29.5 µA/W is obtained and the NDT vanishes under illumination by infrared light at 1550 nm. A complementary inverter based on two proposed devices of the same structure is constructed. The maximum voltage gain of the complementary inverter reaches 0.79 at a supply voltage of 1.5 V. These results demonstrate a new method of realizing next-generation two- and three-dimensional electronic and optoelectronic multifunctional devices.

An artificial retina system shows a promising potential to achieve fast response, low power consumption, and high integration density for vision sensing systems. Optoelectronic sensors, which can emulate the neurobiological functionalities of retinal neurons, are crucial in the artificial retina systems. Here, we propose a WSe 2 phototransistor with asymmetrical van der Waals (vdWs) stacking that can be used as an optoelectronic sensor in artificial retina systems. Through the utilization of the gate-tunable self-powered bidirectional photoresponse of this phototransistor, the neurobiological functionalities of both bipolar cells and cone cells, as well as the hierarchical connectivity between these two types of retinal neurons, are successfully mimicked by a single device. This self-powered bidirectional photoresponse is attributed to the asymmetrical vdWs stacking structure, which enables the transition from an n-p to p + -p homojunction in the WSe 2 channel under different polarities of gate bias. Moreover, the detectivity and ON/OFF ratio of this phototransistor reach as high as 1.8 × 10 13 Jones and 5.3 × 10 4 , respectively, and a rise/fall time <80 μs is achieved, as well, which reveals good photodetection performance. The proof of this device provides a pathway for the future development of neuromorphic vision devices and systems.

The two-dimensional/three-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures provide novel optoelectronic properties for the next-generation of information devices. Herein, MoS 2 /Ge heterojunction avalanche photodetectors are readily obtained. The device with an Ag electrode at MoS 2 side exhibits more stable rectification characteristics than that with an Au electrode. The rectification radio greater than 10 3 and a significant avalanche breakdown are observed in the device. The responsivity of 170 and 4 A/W and the maximum gain of 320 and 13 are obtained under 532 and 1550 nm illumination, respectively. Such photoelectric properties are attributed to the carrier multiplication at a Ge/MoS 2 junction due to an avalanche breakdown. The mechanism is confirmed by the Sentaurus TCAD-simulated I-V characteristics.

A Ge metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector covered with asymmetric H f S e 2 contact geometries has been proposed to realize high-performance unbiased photodetection at 1550 nm. At -1 V bias, the responsivity of this device shows a 71% improvement compared to the device without H f S e 2 . Moreover, the responsivity and detectivity of this device at zero bias can reach to 71.2 mA/W and 3.27×10 10 Jones, respectively. Furthermore, the fall time of this device is 2.2 µs and 53% shorter than the device without H f S e 2 . This work provides a feasible way to develop unbiased Ge-based photodetectors in the near-IR communications band.

Here, SiGeSn nanostructures were grown via molecular beam epitaxy on a Si (111) substrate with the assistance of Sn droplets. Owing to the thermal effect and the compressive strain induced by a lattice mismatch, Si and Sn atoms were successfully incorporated into the Ge matrix during the Sn-guided Ge deposition process. A low growth temperature of 350 °C produced a variety of SiGeSn nanostructures of different sizes, attributed to the variation of the initial Sn droplet size. Using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the Sn, Si and Ge contents of a defect-free SiGeSn nanoisland were approximately determined to be 0.05, 0.09 and 0.86, respectively. Furthermore, as the growth temperature increased past 600 °C, the growth direction of the nanostructure was changed thermally from out-of-plane to in-plane. Meanwhile, the stacked SiGeSn nanowires grown along the 〈112〉 direction remained defect-free, though some threading dislocations were observed in the smooth SiGeSn nanowires along the 〈110〉 direction. These results offer a novel method to grow Si-based SiGeSn nanostructures while possessing important implications for fabricating further optoelectronic devices., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Self-assembled Mn 0.06 Ge 0.94 quantum dots (QDs) on a Si substrate or Ge x Si 1-x virtual substrate (VS) were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The Ge x Si 1-x VS of different thicknesses and Ge compositions x were utilized to modulate the ferromagnetic properties of the above QDs. The MnGe QDs on Ge x Si 1-x VS show a significantly enhanced ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature above 220 K. On the basis of the microstructural and magnetization results, the ferromagnetic properties of the QDs on Ge x Si 1-x VS are believed to come from the intrinsic MnGe ferromagnetic phase rather than any intermetallic ferromagnetic compounds of Mn and Ge. At the same time, we found that by increasing the Ge composition x of Ge x Si 1-x VS, the ferromagnetism of QDs grown on VS will markedly increase due to the improvements of hole concentration and Ge composition inside the QDs. These results are fundamentally important in the understanding and especially in the realization of high Curie temperature MnGe diluted magnetic semiconductors.

In this paper, a high-quality sputtered-GeSn layer on Ge (100) with a Sn composition up to 7% was demonstrated. The crystallinity of the GeSn layer was investigated via high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) and the strain relaxation degree of the GeSn layer was evaluated to be approximately 50%. A novel method was also proposed to evaluate the averaged threading dislocation densities (TDDs) in the GeSn layer, which was obtained from the rocking curve of GeSn layer along the (004) plane. The photoluminescence (PL) measurement result shows the significant optical emission (1870 nm) from the deposited high-quality GeSn layer. To verify whether our deposited GeSn can be used for optoelectronic devices, we fabricated the simple vertical p-i-n diode, and the room temperature current-voltage (I-V) characteristic was obtained. Our work paves the way for future sputtered-GeSn optimization, which is critical for optoelectronic applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest

The movement of core-lipopolysaccharide across the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is catalysed by an essential ATP-binding cassette transporter, MsbA. Recent structures of MsbA and related transporters have provided insights into the molecular basis of active lipid transport; however, structural information about their pharmacological modulation remains limited. Here we report the 2.9 Å resolution structure of MsbA in complex with G907, a selective small-molecule antagonist with bactericidal activity, revealing an unprecedented mechanism of ABC transporter inhibition. G907 traps MsbA in an inward-facing, lipopolysaccharide-bound conformation by wedging into an architecturally conserved transmembrane pocket. A second allosteric mechanism of antagonism occurs through structural and functional uncoupling of the nucleotide-binding domains. This study establishes a framework for the selective modulation of ABC transporters and provides rational avenues for the design of new antibiotics and other therapeutics targeting this protein family.

Purpose: Comparison of topical vs general aneasthesia for strabismus surgery., Methods: Preoperative patients (aged 6～12 years) were divided into two study groups: the topical aneasthesia group (n=22), and the general aneasthesia group (n=21). The study groups were compared on the following measures: analgesic effect, surgical correction effect, eye-heart reflex, preoperative preparation time and operation time, using t-tests or X2 tests where appropriate., Results: Compared with the general aneasthesia group, the topical aneasthesia group gained better surgical correction results (P<0.05), had a lower rate of eye-heart reflex (P<0.05), and had a shorter preoperative preparation time (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of the analgesic effect or operation time (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Topical aneasthesia represents a safe and effective alternative to general aneasthesia for strabismus surgery in children.