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Chalcogenide glasses with less optical losses are highly demanded as optical materials for micro lense, waveguide and fiber devices. However, it is still challengeable to reduce the optical losses in infrared chalcogenide glasses with opaque visible light. Herein, an improved 3D distribution of scattering sources is established in this study to test and compare the concentration and distribution of defects in As 38 S 62 , Ge 28 Sb 12 Se 60 and As 40 Se 60 chalcogenide glasses. Furthermore, by comparing the scattering images of serial As 40 Se 60 glass prepared under various melting, quenching and annealing temperatures, the preparation process was optimized to reduce its scattering loss. In addition, this study introduced a scheme that could be widely applied to optimize processing of other infrared glasses and devices glass to reduce their scattering losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plantar warts are common infectious cutaneous growths causing severe physiological and psychological discomforts in patients and heaving global financial burdens. However, paucity of clear‐cut guidelines for plantar warts, selecting appropriate treatments for plantar warts remains challenging. The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of common treatments for plantar warts. Methods: PubMed, EMbase, and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to March 1, 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of plantar warts. The primary outcome (complete response) and secondary outcome (recurrence and pain) were extracted and combined using Bayesian network meta‐analysis (NMA) with random‐effect and fixed‐effect models. Results: Totally, 33 RCTs were included in the systematic review and quantitative NMA. In NMA of complete response, topical application of 1% cantharidin, 20% podophylotoxin, 30% salicylic acid (CPS), microneedles plus bleomycin (MNB), and intralesional bleomycin injection (INB) were the only three treatments significantly superior to no treatment (NT) and CPS was of the highest possibility to be the top‐ranked treatment (SUCRA = 0.9363). However, traditional warts treatments, salicylic acid (SA) and cryotherapy were not superior to NT. Conclusions: The NMA has produced evidence for using CPS, MNB, and INB, which are all topical antimitotic treatments, to improve the management of plantar warts. The classic treatment modalities for plantar warts, including SA and cryotherapy, may play a less important role in the clinical practice of plantar warts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been widely accepted in keratocyte carcinoma and an increasing number of literatures concerning PDT in skin cancer is published. But a detailed examination of publication patterns of PDT in skin cancer has not yet been carried out. Methods: Bibliographies were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection restricted the publication date from January 1, 1985 to December 31, 2021. The search terms were photodynamic therapy and skin cancer. Visualization analysis and statistical analysis were performed by VOSviewer (Version 1.6.13), R software (Version 4.1.2) and Scimago Graphica (Version 1.0.15). Results: 3248 documents were selected for analysis. The results showed that the number of annual publications related to PDT in skin cancer was gradually increased and would continue to increase in the future. The results illustrated that "melanoma", "nanoparticles", "drug‐delivery", "mechanism", "delivery" and "in‐vitro" are newly occurred topics. The most prolific country was the United States and the most productive institution was the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. German researcher Szeimies RM published the most papers related to PDT in skin cancer. British Journal of Dermatology was the most popular journal in this field. Conclusion: The topic that PDT in skin cancer is a heated issue. Our study revealed the bibliometric result of the field, which might provide the prospects for further research. We recommend future investigations focusing on PDT in treating melanoma, innovation of photosensitizer, improvement of drug delivery and the mechanism of PDT in skin cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorine or chlorides are usually used as a dehydrating agent for removing the O‐H or S(Se)‐H in the preparation of high‐purity chalcogenide glasses. However, the residual chlorine in some rare‐earth ions doped chalcogenide glasses was found to have a great negative impact on fluorescence emission. In this work, the effect of residual chlorine on the fluorescence emission of Dy3+ ions in serial (Ge)GaAsSbS glasses was studied quantitatively, and the reasons were discussed. Cl2 gas and SbCl3 were used as the source of chlorine and their residual contents were controlled by the post‐distillation process and added content, respectively. The results can give some suggestions for how to eliminate the negative effects of chlorine and improve the glass' optical gain properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We sought to systematically investigate the effectiveness of secukinumab in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients who previously received TNFs inhibitor (TNFi) treatment and those who were TNFi naïve. Methods Databases (PubMed, EMBase and Cochrane library) and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to 22 May 2020 for randomized control trails and observational studies of secukinumab, with or without a history of previous anti-TNFi treatment, in PsA. Effectiveness data were extracted and combined using a random-effects meta-analysis. The ACR20 and ACR50 (20% and 50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology response criteria) responses were the endpoints. Results Six randomized controlled trials that reported the effectiveness of secukinumab by previous anti-TNFi treatment were included. Among patients exposed to a prior anti-TNFi treatment (n  = 738), 33.7% (249/738) of patients achieved an ACR20 response. In contrast, in the anti-TNFi-naïve group (n  = 1754), 49.8% (873/1754) of patients achieved an ACR20 response. Prior treatment with anti-TNFi was significantly associated with a poorer response to secukinumab compared with the anti-TNFi-naïve group with an effect size of 2.09 (95% CI: 1.69, 2.58). Conclusion Some patients benefit from switching from TNFi to secukinumab, but previous anti-TNFi treatment is associated with poorer effectiveness of secukinumab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By conventional melt‐quenching techniques, a series of Dy3+‐doped (0.1 to 1.0 wt%) Ga5Ge20Sb15S60 bulk glasses were fabricated and their potential for developing mid‐infrared fiber laser beyond 4 μm were evaluated, in which the optimal Dy3+ doping concentration was found to be 0.3 wt% and the largest laser quality factor value (σe × τmea = 2.62 × 10−23 cm2 s) among all of the Dy3+‐doped chalcogenide glass was obtained. On this basis, through using the chemical purification methods with chlorine gas combined with the dynamic distillation process, the high‐purity GGSS glasses with low O–H and S–H absorptions were successfully fabricated, which was confirmed by the optimized mid‐infrared linear transmittance and improved fluorescent lifetimes of Dy3+: 6H13/2, 6H11/2 levels. Furthermore, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the Dy3+‐doped, single‐mode, and double‐cladding chalcogenide fibers with the core/cladding ratios of 125:60:11 and 125:66:11.5 were achieved by a multistage rod‐in‐tube fiber drawing process and extrusion methods, respectively. The GeS2‐based fiber exhibits excellent transmission performance at 1.0‐5.0 μm: 3.0 dB/m at 2.9 μm (O–H), 2.4 dB/m at 4.1 μm (S–H). Combining the advantages of high‐purity, high doping concentration and single‐mode double‐cladding structure, the optimized active fiber should be an ideal efficient and low‐threshold medium toward mid‐infrared fiber laser beyond 4 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop high‐performance magneto‐optical chalcogenide glasses and clarify the mechanisms of the Verdet constant, a series of GeS2–Sb2S3–PbI2 chalcogenide glasses were designed and fabricated, and their Faraday effects were investigated at a wavelength of 980 nm. A new parameter, that is, average polarizability, was proposed, and the results show that the Verdet constant has a good linear relationship with average polarizability, meaning that the Verdet constant of a chalcogenide glass can be directly estimated by its chemical constituents. The Verdet constant is as large as 0.200 min G−1 cm−1 at 980 nm for 22.5GeS2–67.5Sb2S3–10PbI2 composition glass, which is the largest value reported thus far for sulfide glasses; this glass also possesses good thermal and optical properties and therefore might be an attractive candidate for mid‐infrared magneto‐optical device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keloids are benign fibroproliferative tumors that severely diminish the quality of life due to discomfort, dysfunction, and disfigurement. Recently, ultrasound technology as a noninvasive adjuvant therapy is developed to optimize treatment protocols. However, the biophysical mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, it is proposed that piezo‐type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 (Piezo1) plays an important role in low‐frequency sonophoresis (LFS) induced mechanical transduction pathways that trigger downstream cellular signaling processes. It is demonstrated that patient‐derived primary keloid fibroblasts (PKF), NIH 3T3, and HFF‐1 cell migration are inhibited, and PKF apoptosis is significantly increased by LFS stimulation. And the effects of LFS is diminished by the application of GsMTx‐4, the selective inhibitor of Piezo1, and the knockdown of Piezo1. More importantly, the effects of LFS can be imitated by Yoda1, an agonist of Piezo1 channels. Establishing a patient‐derived xenograft keloid implantation mouse model further verified these results, as LFS significantly decreased the volume and weight of the keloids. Moreover, blocking the Piezo1 channel impaired the effectiveness of LFS treatment. These results suggest that LFS inhibits the malignant characteristics of keloids by activating the Piezo1 channel, thus providing a theoretical basis for improving the clinical treatment of keloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • G20Mn5QT's fatigue crack behaviors were investigated. • A simulation model with using two-parameter driving force and damage accumulation. • It was capable to consider the effects of mean-stress and load history. • There was a good simulation results compared to experimental results. • G20Mn5QT's unified equation of fatigue crack growth was given out. Abstract This paper performs a research on fatigue crack growth in G20Mn5QT cast steel using the experimental method and a semi-empirical fatigue crack growth model. The model combines the two-parameter driving force and fatigue damage accumulation. It would take into account the effects of mean stress and load history, and the fatigue crack growth rate curve would only be influenced by the sort of material. Comparing to the experimental results, the proposed model has good simulation results. A unified fatigue crack growth rate equation for G20Mn5QT cast steel has been given out, which is more convenient for engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Faraday effects of Ge-Ga-Sb(In)-S serial chalcogenide glasses were investigated at the wavelengths of 635, 808, 980, and 1319 nm, respectively. The compositional dependences were analyzed and associated influencing factors including the absorption edge, the concentration of Sb3+/In3+ ions, and the wavelength dispersion of refraction index were discussed. 80GeS2·20Sb2S3 composition glass was found to have the largest Verdet constant ( V=0.253, 0.219, 0.149, and 0.065 min·G−1·cm−1 for wavelengths 635, 808, 980, and 1319 nm, respectively) in these glasses, which is larger than that of commercial diamagnetic glasses (Schott, SF 6, V=0.069 min·G−1·cm−1@633 nm, for example). Sb3+ ions with high polarizability possessing s 2 -sp electron jumps involving 1 S 0→ 1 P 1, 3 P 0,1,2 transitions are responsible for large Verdet constant, and Becquerel rule is proved to be an effective guidance for estimating the Verdet constant and further optimizing the compositions in chalcogenide glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A serial (100 − x)Ge 25 Sb 10 S 65 -xI (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 wt%) chalcohalide glasses and ones doped with 0.1 wt% Dy 3 + rare-earth ions were synthesized and their structural, thermal and optical properties were systematically studied. It indicates that addition of I 2 into Ge 25 Sb 10 S 65 glass significantly decreases the connectivity of glass network and average bond energy, and modifies the associated properties. The glass transition temperature and refractive index decrease monotonically, and the density increases almost linearly with the increasing of iodine content in glass. The thermal stability is improved, which has a maximum of ΔT max = 174 °C. While the optical bandgap has a peak value at x = 10 wt%. The absorption spectra and mid-infrared fluorescence spectra of Dy 3 + rare-earth ions doped glasses were investigated together with the Judd-Ofelt analysis. GeS 2 nano-crystals were found in the sample with x ≥ 15 wt%, which is supposed to induce enhancements of mid-infrared fluorescence at 2.95 and 4.32 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of eco-friendly, non-formaldehyde and flame retardant wood adhesives is in high demand for the wood industry, which can help to alleviate environmental stress and human health concerns. Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) can reduce CO 2 emission and increase the value-added utilization of potash industry wastes, making it an ideal alternative to hazardous formaldehyde-based adhesives. However, its practical application usually suffers from poor water resistance and the filtering effect of wood. Inspired by the porous structure of cuttlebone, a facile yet powerful strategy is presented to prepare MOC adhesive with outstanding water resistance, compressive strength and adhesive ability to wood through introducing biochar. The naturally porous structure of biochar can form a protective core-shell structure and encapsulation with hydration products to stabilize phase 5 (5Mg(OH) 2 ·MgCl 2 ·8H 2 O), avoid crack extension and mitigate the filtering effect of wood. Meanwhile, the abundant functional groups of biochar can construct multiple interactions with Mg2+, which contributes to forming an internal network with excellent cohesion strength. Compared with pristine MOC, the obtained MOC/Biochar exhibited 102.33%, 32.33% and 31.45% increases in water resistance, compressive strength and wet adhesion strength, respectively. This work provides a promising strategy in preparing eco-friendly MOC-based adhesive from agricultural and industrial by-products to reduce environmental hazards. [Display omitted] • An eco-friendly, flame retardant and non-formaldehyde wood adhesive was proposed. • Biochar was used to form multiple interactions in magnesium oxychloride cement. • The composite showed integrated water resistance and compressive strength. • Adhesive alleviated the filtering effect of wood and showed good adhesion strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop a strong, tough, water-resistant, and mildew-resistant soy protein film replacing petroleum-based films, in this study, a covalent and hydrogen bond double network structure was constructed in soy protein film using self-synthesized crosslinker triglycidylamine (TGA), soy protein (SPI), and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The covalent bond network from the crosslinking reaction between TGA and SPI as the skeleton structure improved the tensile strength and water resistance of the film. The hydrogen bond network from interaction between PVA and SPI as a sacrificial bond network to improve the toughness of the film. Compared with the SPI film, the tensile strength and the insoluble matter content of the resultant film increased by 261.2% and 22.1%, respectively. The elongation at break of film increased by 106 times and the fracture toughness improved 183 times. Notably, the resultant film has anti-fungal property, which extends the anti-mold time of film to more than two weeks. This double network construction strategy effectively enhanced the soy protein film and can be applied to reinforce other composite materials and bio adhesives. • A covalent and hydrogen bond double network soy protein-based film was prepared. • The tensile strength of the synthetic film was increased by 261.2% to 10.21 MPa. • The elongation at break of the synthetic film was increased by 106 times to 421%. • The water resistance of the synthesized film was significantly improved. • The anti-mildew time of the synthetic film had doubled to more than two weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An organic-inorganic hybrid multiple-bonding structure soy adhesive was developed. • The dry/wet shear strength of plywood prepared by adhesive increased by 46% and 144%. • The fracture toughness of synthetic adhesive increased by 145%. • The mildew resistance of synthetic adhesive increased from 1 d to more than 40 d. • The maximum heat release rate and total heat release of adhesive reduced by 32.5% and 5.8%. It is important but challenging to develop multifunctional soy protein adhesives with high bonding strength to replace toxic formaldehyde-based adhesives used in the wood-based panel fabrication industry. In this study, inspired by arthropod cuticles, the epoxide-crosslinked soy protein isolate (SPI) was used to form the covalently-bonded network, and dopamine-functionalized waste paper fiber (WPF-PDA) was synthesized as the catechol groups donor to form the hydrogen bond network and physically-enhancement, copper hydroxide was used as an inorganic material that chelated with the catechol groups of WPF-PDA to form the ionic bond network. This formed an organic-inorganic hybrid multiple-bonding structure in the soy protein adhesive. The results showed that the dry/wet shear strength of the plywood prepared by the resultant adhesive increased by 46% and 144% to 2.0 and 1.22 MPa, respectively, compared with SPI adhesive. The fracture toughness increased by 145%, and the residual rate of the adhesive increased by 18.6%, indicating that the bonding strength, toughness, and water resistance of the adhesive were significantly improved. In addition, the anti-mildew time of the adhesive increased from 1 d to more than 40 d, while the maximum heat release rate and total heat release decreased by 32.5% and 5.8%, respectively. This strategy provides a potential method to develop high-performance and multifunctional bio-adhesives, composites, and hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performances of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems are significantly varied by the heat source temperature and cold source temperature which are correlated and can be well indexed by dual pinch point temperature difference (PPTD). In this study, multi-objective optimization of net output power, total thermal conductance and expander size parameter of a low temperature cooling water ORC system using thirty-eight working fluids with different PPTDs was investigated and presented. The results show that the PPTD in evaporator is more sensitive to the net output power, total thermal conductance and expander size parameter than the PPTD in condenser. The alkane dry working fluid decane exhibits the best overall performance with net output power of 15.8 kW, total thermal conductance of 41 kW/K and expander size parameter of 0.101 mm, followed by nonane and carbon-11. For the low temperature cooling water ORC system with a heat source temperature of 100 °C, the optimal PPTD in evaporator is in the range of 5–7 °C (the optimal values for most working fluids are 5 °C), and the optimal PPTD in condenser is in the range of 6–9 °C (the optimal values for most working fluids are 6 °C). Schematic diagram of a low temperature cooling water ORC system. [Display omitted] • Multi-objective cooperative optimization of dual PPTDs was conducted. • Thirty-eight working fluids (three thermodynamic models) were considered. • The optimal working fluid (decane) and dual PPTDs (5 °C/6 °C) were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 0.2wt% Dy3+ doped and 0.2wt% Dy3+/0.5wt% Tm3+ co-doped novel GeS2–Ga2S3–PbS–CsI chalcohalide glasses were prepared and their spectroscopic properties were analyzed based on absorption (ranges from 300 to 3000nm) and emission (ranges from 1000 to 4700nm) measurements. Judd–Ofelt analyses were performed to estimate radiative transition parameters for the excited levels. Compositional dependences of near- and mid-infrared luminescences (especially the 1330, 2930 and 4320nm) excited at 808nm were investigated and discussed. These novel chalcohalide glasses may have potential uses in 1.3μm fiber-amplifiers and 2.9 or 4.3μm mid-infrared laser devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 0.2wt.% Dy3+-doped and 0.2wt.% Dy3+, 0.5wt.% Tm3+-codoped (100-x)GeS2 ·xIn2S3 (x=5,10,15,20,25) chalcogenide glasses were prepared. Their spectroscopic properties were analyzed based on absorption (ranges from 500 to 3000nm) and emission (ranges from 1000 to 4700nm) measurements. The Judd–Ofelt strength parameters Ωt (t =2, 4, 6) and the spectroscopy parameters Arad , β and τrad were calculated, and the σemi of the 1330, 2930 and 4320nm fluorescences were estimated. These Dy3+-doped and Dy3+, Tm3+-codoped Ge–In–S chalcogenide glasses are valuable materials for using in 1.3μm fiber-amplifiers and 2–5μm mid-infrared laser devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The properties of Ge–Ga–S–AgI glass with rare earth ions have been reported. [•] We examine quality changes in the glasses with different level of ions content. [•] Strong 4300nm emission is found in the Dy3+/Tm3+ codoped glass. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Direct femtosecond laser writing chalcogenide glass infrared fiber Bragg gratings of high reflectivity and narrow bandwidth. • Discussions and solutions to current problems in chalcogenide glass fiber's fabrication using direct femtosecond laser writing. • Foundation for fabricating FBG with arbitrary periods in ChG fibers obtained. Chalcogenide glass (ChG) fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is one of the key components in monolithic infrared fiber lasers and sensors. However, its effective fabrication using direct femtosecond laser writing is still seldom reported, owing to complications attributable to ChG. In this study, a double-D shaped ChG fiber was used to fabricate FBGs with high reflectivity (a 20.5 dB dip in the transmittance) and narrow 3-dB bandwidth (164 pm) using direct femtosecond laser writing. The high sensitivity to laser powers of the direct writing of the ChG FBG was revealed and understood from the perspective of the low laser-induced damage threshold of ChGs. Lower-order reflectance of the directly written FBGs at the mid-infrared wavelength region were quantitively predicted to have higher reflectivity. These results provide a robust method of writing FBGs with arbitrary periods in ChG fibers, establishing a solid foundation for the development of infrared fiber lasers and fiber sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of traditional wood adhesives relies on petrochemical resources and puts enormous pressure on the ecosystem. Therefore, it is important to use bio-based soy protein adhesives to replace traditional adhesives. However, soy protein adhesives have the problems of low solid content, high viscosity and poor water resistance. In this study, we combined enzymatic hydrolysis with cross-linking modification to reduce the molecular mass of soy protein and increase the solid content of adhesive, constructed a uniform and tight covalent bond cross-linking network in the adhesive. Through this modification strategy, we prepared a soy protein adhesive with high solid content, suitable viscosity and excellent bonding strength. The results showed that compared with 0-SPI adhesive, the viscosity of 4-SPI-18/PA/TA adhesive decreased by 61.6%, reached 21899 mPa·s. Meanwhile, the residual rate of the adhesive increased by 18% (59%), the moisture absorption rate reduced by 7.8% to reach 3.8%. The dry/wet shear strength of modified adhesive increased by 56.1% (1.28 MPa) and 44.3% (0.88 MPa), respectively, and the tensile strain at break increased by 58.1% (14.84%). This is because enzymolysis improved its coating performance, and formed mechanical interlocking with wood. In addition, the amount of SPI increased, and more protein molecules participated in the cross-linking reaction, forming a more uniform and compact cross-linking network structure in the adhesive, effectively improving the bonding strength and toughness. This study provides a novel approach for the preparation of cleaning and tenacious adhesives, aiming to explore a green development model. [Display omitted] • Preparation of soy adhesive by enzymatic hydrolysis and cross-linking modification. • The solid content of modified soy protein adhesive increased by 88.7% to reach 23.4%. • The viscosity of modified soy protein adhesive decreased by 61.6% to 21899 mPa·s. • The dry/wet shear strength of the prepared plywood increased by 56.1% and 44.3%. • The tensile strain at break of the prepared plywood increased by 58.1% to reach 14.81%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional formaldehyde-based adhesives release toxic substances such as formaldehyde and phenol, which pollutes the environment, endangers human health, and relies on petrochemical resources excessively. Developing a strong soy protein adhesive with reasonable viscosity, toughness, and mildew resistance to replace formaldehyde-based adhesive is important and also a challenge for the industry of wood adhesive. In this study, a triple network structure including covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds was built in soy protein adhesive. The results showed that compared with SPI adhesive, the viscosity of resultant adhesive decreased by 94.3% to 9952 mPa s, the dry and wet shear strength of resultant plywood increased by 33.9% (2.57 MPa) and 116% (1.36 MPa), respectively. The fracture strain of plywood increased by 36.4%, and the mildew resistance of adhesive increased from 1 day to more than 15 days. This improvement resulted from the adhesive's water resistance improvement by constructing the covalent network and the toughness increasing by the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds. This work provides a new method for the preparation of eco-friendly and high-performance adhesives and promotes the development of the green adhesive. Image 1 ● An eco-friendly adhesive with triple network structure was design and developed. ● The triple network structure consists of covalent, hydrogen and ionic bonds. ● The viscosity of resultant adhesive decreased by 94.3%. ● The dry/wet shear strength of plywood increased by 33.9% and 116%. ● The mildew resistance of adhesive increased from 1 day to more than 15 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a clean and environmentally-friendly soy protein adhesive to replace formaldehyde-based adhesive is of great significance for sustainable development of resources and human health. Due to the high molecular weight of protein, the resultant soy protein adhesive has a high viscosity and unstable bonding performance, which limit their application on plywood fabrication. Inspiring by theory of molecular recombination enhancing material properties, in this study, bromelain was used to degraded soy protein molecules into small polypeptide chains; a bio-derived cross-linker, triglycidylamine (TGA), was employed to recombine these polypeptide chains to develop a new cleaner soy protein-based adhesive with an excellent and stable bonding performance. The results showed that the molecular weight of soy protein decreased from 10 to 170 KDa to below 25 KDa by adding 0.4% bromelain. Using 3% TGA and 0.1% bromelain, the resultant adhesive viscosity decreased 95% and the wet shear strength increased 76.2% to 1.11 MPa compared with that of the unmodified adhesive. At the same time, the adhesive distribution, bonding stability have been improved significantly. More important, this molecular recombination soy protein adhesive reduced the amount of crosslinker more than 50% compared to other cross-linked modified soy protein adhesives. Image 1 • Bromelain has been used to degrade soy protein molecules into polypeptide chains. • A bio-derived crosslinker recombines polypeptide chains to develop a new adhesive. • The viscosity of resultant adhesive decreased by 95%, forming a uniform bond line. • The wet shear strength of resultant plywood increased by 76.2% to 1.11 MPa. • Molecular recombinant reduces the addition of crosslinker over 50% with a stable bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo is a sustainable, functional and rapidly growing natural material with excellent potential in sustainable building and industrial applications. However, as a structural material, bamboo is hindered by its low mechanical strength and poor mildew resistance. In this study, a simple and sustainable process was developed to partially remove lignin and hemicellulose from bamboo through alkaline pretreatment, combined with thermal mechanical compaction, to convert natural bamboo into a lightweight, high-strength, mildew resistant, and durable multifunctional structural material. The results showed that the comprehensive control effectiveness of the alkaline dense bamboo against Aspergillus niger , Penicillium citricola and Trichoderma viridis was 96.2%, the anti-mildew performance was significantly improved. Compared with natural bamboo, the flexural, tensile, and compressive strength of alkaline dense bamboo increased by 6.9 times, 2.5 times, and 4.6 times, respectively, reaching 578 MPa, 410 MPa, and 145 MPa. Compared with some synthetic structural materials with excellent mechanical properties, the alkaline dense bamboo also exhibited superior specific tensile strength and Shore hardness. The multifunctional alkaline dense bamboo prepared in this study provides the possibility for bamboo resources to be widely used in the field of structural engineering. [Display omitted] • Alkali pretreatment combined with thermomechanical compaction to modify bamboo. • The comprehensive control effect of alkali dense bamboo increased from 0 to 96.2%. • The flexural, tensile and compressive properties of modified bamboo significantly improved. • The specific tensile strength of modified bamboo increased by 2.5 times to 415 MPa·cm−3·g−1. • Alkali dense bamboo exhibited excellent water resistance and dimensional stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, bromelain was used to break soy protein molecules into polypeptide chains, and triglycidylamine (TGA) was added to develop a bio-adhesive. The viscosity, residual rate, functional groups, thermal behavior, and fracture surface of different adhesives were measured. A three-ply plywood was fabricated and evaluated. The results showed that using 0.1 wt% bromelain improved the soy protein isolate (SPI) content of the adhesive from 12 wt% to 18 wt%, with viscosity remaining constant, but reduced the residual rate by 9.6% and the wet shear strength of the resultant plywood by 69.8%. After the addition of 9 wt% TGA, the residual rate of the SPI/bromelain/TGA adhesive improved by 13.7%, and the wet shear strength of the resultant plywood increased by 681.3% relative to that of the SPI/bromelain adhesive. The wet shear strength was 30.2% higher than that of the SPI/TGA adhesive, which was attributed to the breakage of protein molecules into polypeptide chains. This occurrence led to (1) the formation of more interlocks with the wood surface during the curing process of the adhesive and (2) the exposure and reaction of more hydrophilic groups with TGA to produce a denser cross-linked network in the adhesive. This denser network exhibited enhanced thermal stability and created a ductile fracture surface after the enzymatic hydrolysis process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to improve the performance of soy protein isolate (SPI) adhesives using a polyurethane elastomer. Triglycidylamine (TGA), SPI, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), and γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propyltrimethoxysilane (KH-560) were used to develop a novel SPI-based adhesive. The residual rate, functional groups, thermal stability, and fracture surface micrographs of the cured adhesives were characterized. Three-ply plywood was fabricated, and the dry/wet shear strength was determined. The experimental results suggested that introducing 2% TGA improved the residual rate of the SPI/TGA adhesive by 4.1% because of the chemical cross-linking reaction between epoxy groups and protein molecules. Incorporating 7% TPU into the SPI/TGA adhesive, the residual rate of the adhesive increased by 5.2% and the dry/wet shear strength of plywood bonded by SPI/TGA/TPU adhesive increased by 10.7%/67.7%, respectively, compared with that of SPI/TGA adhesive. When using KH-560 and TPU together, the residual rate of the adhesive improved by 0.9% compared with that of SPI/TGA/TPU adhesive. The dry and wet shear strength of the plywood bonded by the SPI/TGA/TPU/KG-560 adhesive further increased by 23.2% and 23.6% respectively when compared with that of SPI/TGA/TPU adhesive. TPU physically combined with the SPI/TGA adhesive to form a interpenetration network and KH-560 acted as a bridge to connect TPU and SPI/TGA to form a joined crosslinking network, which improved the thermo stability/toughness of the adhesive and created a uniform ductile fracture section of the adhesive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glass powder with a relatively complicated composition of 64.02SiO2–10.05B2O3–7.84Na2O–14.07ZnO–4.02Al2O3 (in wt.%) was first synthesized via sol–gel route. The optimal synthesis conditions for the amorphous gel are obtained. The glass transition temperature (T g ) of xerogel was detected as 552 ∘ C and the glass network structure formed by the [SiO4], [BO4] and [AlO4] units were confirmed by the Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The phase structure and morphologies of glass powder were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), the xerogels and sol–gel glasses exhibit amorphous phase when the heat-treatment temperature increases from 3 0 0 ∘ C to 7 0 0 ∘ C. The prepared glass powder with high specific surface areas and a large amount of pores contribute to the synthesis of a composite of glass-mullite- β -eucryptite at a relatively low sintering temperature of 8 0 0 ∘ C, which present a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and high mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary electron emission (SEE) plays a crucial role in the gain performance of devices, such as electron multipliers and microchannel plates (MCPs). Gain performance could be improved by increasing the secondary electron yield (SEY) of device surface. Al2O3 coating is an ideal material for SEE, benefiting from its high SEY. The Al2O3 coating deposited on inner device walls by atomic layer deposition (ALD) can improve the gain performance of devices. In this study, the SEE characteristics of Al2O3 coatings were investigated experimentally. A series of Al2O3 coatings with thicknesses of 1-30 nm were prepared on Si substrate through the ALD method. Then, the SEY of the coatings were quantified as a function of primary electron energy in the range of 100∼1500 eV. Furthermore, an equation describing the true SEY as a function of thickness was established by applying theory of Dionne's SEE model. This work presents potential approach for controlling the SEE level of Al2O3 coatings through thickness adjustment and is crucial for comprehending the SEE of composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasingly prominent contradiction between the supply of and demand for wood, the abundant resource of bamboo can be a good substitute. Bamboo scrimber can effectively improve the utilization rate of bamboo and has good mechanical properties. However, bamboo scrimber has the problem of poor mildew resistance, and does not meet the requirements for outdoor applications. In this study, in order to further improve the mildew resistance and mechanical properties of bamboo scrimber, alkali treatment was used to remove some nutrients from the bamboo bundles and change the pH of the bamboo scrimber. The results showed that nutrients such as hemicellulose, lignin, starch, and sugar were notably removed from bamboo bundles, and the pH of bamboo was slightly alkaline. The anti-mildew effect was significantly enhanced, which could allow use in outdoor environments, and the mechanical properties and dimensional stability were also improved. Among them, TB6 bamboo scrimber showed comprehensively excellent properties. The infection time in the laboratory mildew test increased from 3 days to more than 30 days, and the infection time in the outdoor mildew resistance test increased from 1 week to more than 8 weeks; the static bending intensity of TB6 increased by 62.6% to 150 MPa, and the bending modulus increased by 71.7% to 14.2 GPa; the change rate of water absorption thickness was reduced to 0.58%. This modification method effectively improved the mildew resistance of bamboo scrimber, while maintaining high mechanical strength, and provides a new method for the outdoor application of bamboo scrimber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the uncontrollable swelling ratio and degradation time and insufficient strength of conventional self-degradable temporary plugging agent (CSD-TPA), a controllable self-degradable temporary plugging agent (SD-TPA) was proposed. A series of SD-TPA were prepared with free radical polymerization, and the SD-TPA was synthesized by different mass ratios of acrylamide, acrylic acid, hydrophobic monomer, and modified nanoparticles. The effects of modified nanoparticles content, hydrophobic monomers content, temperature, and salinity on its swelling performance, self-degradable performance, and rheological properties were researched systematically. The plugging and unblocking performance of SD-TPA were studied by a core displacement test. The experimental results showed that SD-TPA can be gelatinization after 4 h at 40 °C. Under the formation condition, SD-TPA had better viscoelasticity, shear resistance, and higher yield stress than CSD-TPA. The core plugging rate increased from 86.44% to 91.41%, and the formation damage rate decreased to 14.11%. This work provides a new temporary plugging material during hydraulic fracturing process and the swelling ratio, degradation time, and insufficient strength of SD-TPA can be adjusted according to the requirement of fracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the population bottleneck of Er3+: 4I 11/2 → 4I 13/2 was overcome for the first time in heavy Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped TeO 2 –BaF 2 –La 2 O 3 –LaF 3 (TBLL) low hydroxyl fluorotellurite glasses. Infrared emission spectra and fluorescence lifetime decay curves reveal that Pr3+ ions could deplete the electrons from the Er3+: 4I 13/2 level faster than those from the Er3+: 4I 11/2 under 980 nm excitation. Specifically, the energy transfer (ET) efficiency of the Er3+: 4I 13/2 → Pr3+: 3F 3,4 process (ET1) reached 96.27%, while that of the Er3+: 4I 11/2 → Pr3+: 1G 4 process (ET2) is only 2.17% in the Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped glass. Additionally, the energy transfer mechanism of Er3+ and Pr3+ ions was investigated using the Dexter theory, where the energy transfer microscopic parameters C D-A are 13.21 × 10−40 cm6/s and 0.89 × 10−40 cm6/s for the ET1 and ET2 processes, respectively. Finally, a numerical simulations laser model was developed to discuss the laser properties of the Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped TBLL fibers. The simulation results indicate that a 2.7 μm laser with a maximum output power of 2.26 W and slope efficiency of 13.89% could be achieved when the fiber background loss is reduced to 0.5 dB/m. The above results suggest that the Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped TBLL glass has great potential applications in mid-infrared fiber lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chalcogenide hollow-core anti-resonance fiber (HC-ARF) filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 3 μm band is designed. The substrate materials are As40S60 and GeAsS, which are used to create the conditions for the formation of SPR, so as to realize the directional energy coupling in the specific polarization direction of the fiber. The effects of core diameter, capillary radius, and capillary wall thickness on the polarization performance of HC-ARF filter are analyzed by full-vector finite element method (FV-FEM). The numerical results show that the confinement loss of x-polarized fundamental mode (FM) reaches 1917.24 dB/m at the wavelength of 3.02 μm, while that of y-polarized FM is 23.11 dB/m. When the fiber length is 8 mm, the bandwidth with extinction ratio (ER) better than 20 dB covers the wavelength range of 320 nm. In addition, the resonance wavelength can be effectively adjusted by changing the capillary wall thickness. The proposed HC-ARF filter has potential applications in biomedicine, scientific research, and atmospheric detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of thermal treatment on the optical properties of NPs dispersions more accurately, dehydrated mixed solvents of DMSO- d /CHBr 2 CHBr 2 was applied to disperse the LaF 3 :Nd nanoparticles (NPs). These solvents contain few quenching groups and possess similar density, solubility and matching refractive index with LaF 3 :Nd NPs, which depressed the influence of solvents on the luminescent properties of NPs dispersions to the greatest extent. The effect of thermal treatment on the optical performance of the LaF 3 :Nd NPs dispersions were characterized by the transmittance, fluorescence spectra and lifetime. An influence model of particle size and relative refractive index on the scattering loss of NPs dispersions was established. An enhancement of lifetime by 60.7% and a suppression of transmittance were observed for the dispersions with LaF 3 :Nd NPs heat-treated at 500 °C. This is verified by the results of the scattering loss calculations based on the Mie scatter theory. These results can offer some constructive suggestions to evaluate the luminescence properties of rare-earth doped NPs in the solvents more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo is expected to be used as a structural material instead of wood because of its rich resources and environmental friendliness. Rational utilization of bamboo resources is of great significance to promote the sustainable development of bamboo processing industry. However, the suboptimal mechanical properties severely limit its construction application prospects. In order to solve this problem and at the same time maximize the development and high-value utilization of bamboo resources, this study optimized natural bamboo as a high-performance structural material using a green and simple process of high temperature and pressurization–densification. The resulting densified bamboo exhibited excellent physical properties, including density, hardness and dimensional stability. Its tensile strength and tensile modulus were 301% and 233% of that of natural bamboo, respectively. Its flexural strength and flexural modulus were 449% and 605% of that of natural bamboo, respectively. In addition, the bamboo materials treated with high temperature, pressurization treatment and densification also show good anti-rebound characteristics, and the water absorption thickness expansion rate and compression deformation recovery rate were 9.6% (± 0.31%) and 5.7% (± 0.35%), respectively. The densified bamboo proposed in this study not only provides a green, simple and sustainable method for promoting the high value-added utilization of bamboo, but also the mechanical properties of densified bamboo after processing have higher specific strength than most structural metals and alloys, which can become an important source of engineering structural materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dual-seed cascaded heavily erbium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier scheme was proposed. • The maximum power of 2.8 μm laser theoretically exceeds 100 W. • There is no excited state absorption at ∼1.675 μm in a heavily erbium-doped fluoride fiber laser. We propose a continuous-wave dual-seed cascaded heavily erbium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier scheme with a 981 nm bi-directional pump configuration for hundred-watt-level power scaling for the first time. When the powers of the 2.8 μm and 1.6 μm seed lasers and the total pump light are 5 W, 20 W, and 300 W, respectively, the 2.8 μm laser theoretically achieves an output power of ∼100 W. The amplifier scheme can also reduce the fiber temperature. Additionally, the results show that there is no excited state absorption at ∼1.675 μm, and thus injecting a 1.675 μm laser to the amplifier is not conducive to the power scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the fiber drawing performances including the anti-crystallization in fiber drawing process and the mechanical properties, the fourth component of antimony (Sb) was introduced into Ga 0.8 As 39.2 S 60 glass, and a serial Ga 0.8 As 39.2-x Sb x S 60 (x = 0, 1, 3,5, 7, 9 and 11) novel chalcogenide glasses doped with 3000 ppmw Dy3+ ions were prepared. The influences of antimony content on the physical properties, spectroscopic properties and fiber forming ability of glass were investigated. The experiment results indicate that the introduction of moderate antimony into glass effectively improves the fiber drawing performance and the spectroscopic properties of Dy3+ ions. The Ga 0.8 As 34.2 Sb 5 S 60 composition glass possesses the best performance and it is recommended a good candidate for mid-infrared laser working medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydopamine (PDA)-modified NaEr0.8Yb0.2 F4nanoparticles were synthesized, with strong NIR-II emission, quantum yield of 29.63%, and excellent photothermal performance. Crystal phases and microstructures are characterized. Optical properties such as absorption, NIR-II emission, and light stability are studied, and the luminescence mechanism is discussed in detail. Key factors in NIR-II imaging were evaluated in fresh pork tissue, including penetration depth, spatial resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A high penetration depth of 5 mm and a high spatial resolution of 1 mm were detected. Mice are imaged in vivo after intravenous injection. Due to the accumulation of nanoparticles in the liver, high image quality with an SNR of 5.2 was detected in the abdomen of KM mice with hair. The photothermal conversion effect of PDA-modified NPs was twice that of the reported material. These NIR-II nanoparticles have superior optical properties, high photothermal efficiency and low cytotoxicity, and are potential fluorescent probes for further disease diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For elucidation of the glass composition’s influence on the spectroscopic properties in the chalcohalide system and the discovery of a new material for applications in mid-infrared fiber-lasers, a serial Pr 3+ -doped (100 − x )(0.8GeS 2 ·0.2Ga 2 S 3 ) x CdI 2 ( x = 5, 10, 15 and 20) chalcohalide glasses were prepared. ∼4.6 μm mid-infrared fluorescence emission from Pr 3+ in the sulfide glass is successfully observed at room temperature excited by a 2.01 μm Tm 3+ :YAG ceramic laser system, and the effective line-width of fluorescence band is 106–227 nm. Intense compositional dependence of mid-infrared emissions is found. The radiative rates of Pr 3+ ions in these glasses were calculated by using the Judd–Ofelt theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multifunctional SPI-based underwater material (USPI-CaO) was developed. • USPI-CaO shows strong underwater adhesion and underwater bonding performance to substrates. • USPI-CaO can be used as underwater 3D printing material. • USPI-CaO shows antibacterial, mildew-resistant, and fire-resistant properties. • USPI-CaO has potential applications in various fields. The use of natural plant proteins to prepare underwater bonding materials with both strong adhesion and bonding performance underwater is a great challenge. Inspired by mussels and oysters, a Soy protein isolate (SPI)-based underwater adhesive (USPI-CaO) was designed and synthesized. First, 1, 2-epoxy-9-decene (A) was grafted onto SPI to obtain ASPI with unsaturated bond by ring-opening reaction. As a natural source of catechol groups, biological urushiol (U) was then grafted onto ASPI by free-radical polymerization to obtain USPI with underwater adhesion performance. Then, calcium oxide (CaO) was mixed with USPI to obtain inorganic-organic hybrid material (USPI-CaO) with underwater curing ability. The resultant USPI-CaO showed strong underwater adhesion and bonding performance to different materials (glass, metal, PVA, acrylic, wood, hogskin, rubber, ceramic etc., respectively) in different aqueous environments (pH = 5 or 9 water, simulated seawater, organic solvent, iron solution, T = 3 ℃ to 90 ℃ water, etc., respectively). Interestingly, USPI-CaO showed good plasticity and machinability in water, demonstrating its application prospects for underwater 3D printing and underwater fine machining. USPI-CaO also exhibited good antibacterial, mildew-resistant, and fire-resistant properties. USPI-CaO can potential be applied in various fields, such as sealing and repairing underwater/wastewater, wound and hemostatic dressings, wearable electronic devices, and submerged structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yb3+/Ho3+ codoped and Yb3+/Er3+/Ho3+ tridoped TeO 2 –BaF 2 –LaF 3 –La 2 O 3 (TBLL) fluorotellurite glasses with low OH− absorption (0.026 cm-1), high glass transition temperature (434 °C) and low phonon energy (784 cm-1) were prepared. Their mid-infrared fluorescence properties and related energy transfer (ET) mechanism were studied under 980 nm excitation. A strong emission at 2.85 μm was realized in Yb3+/Ho3+ codoped tellurite glass, which was attributed to the high-efficiency ET from Yb3+ ions to Ho3+, and the ET efficiency was 91.1%. Further introduction of Er3+ ions induced stronger 2.85 μm emission, and the ET efficiency was improved to 96.2%, ascribed to the establishment of more ET channels and Er3+ ions playing the role of ET bridge between Yb3+ and Ho3+ ions. These results indicate that the Yb3+/Er3+/Ho3+ tridoped tellurite glass could be a hopeful gain medium material for the ∼3 μm fiber laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fabricated Ho3+-doped fluorotellurite glass fiber with a low loss of 0.59 dB/m. • The high-power laser irradiation tolerance of the fluorotellurite fiber was verified. • Achieved a 2085 nm single-mode laser output with 90.4 % slope efficiency. • Discussed the functional relationship between fiber length and laser performance. High-gain Ho3+-doped optical fibers are imperative exigency for > 2 µm single-mode fiber lasers. Here, we have successfully developed and fabricated a low-loss Ho3+-doped fluorotellurite glass fiber. The high-power laser irradiation tolerance of the fiber was verified, and the end face of Ho3+-doped fluorotellurite glass fiber remained undamaged under a ∼ 70 W of 981 nm CW laser irradiation. An unsaturated maximum 6.35 W@2085 nm single-mode laser output with a slope efficiency of 90.4 % was achieved in a 25 cm short fiber by homemade 1976 nm laser in-band pumping. To the best of our knowledge, this is currently the highest slope efficiency reported for Ho3+ doped fluorotellurite fiber lasers to date in a space laser cavity. The effects of the fiber length on the laser threshold, slope efficiency, and output wavelength are further discussed. This work offers valuable insights into prospective candidate materials and scheme designs for the future development of high-efficiency, long-wavelength mid-infrared ∼ 2.1 μm fiber lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Melanoma is widely utilized as a prominent model for the development of immunotherapy, thought an inadequate immune response can occur. Moreover, the development of apoptosis-related therapies and combinations with other therapeutic strategies is impeded by the limited understanding of apoptosis’s role within diverse tumor immune microenvironments (TMEs).Here, we constructed an apoptosis-related tumor microenvironment signature (ATM) and employ multi-dimensional analysis to understand the roles of apoptosis in tumor microenvironment. We further assessed the clinical applications of ATM in nine independent cohorts, and anticipated the impact of ATM on cellular drug response in cultured cells.Our ATM model exhibits robust performance in survival prediction in multiple melanoma cohorts. Different ATM groups exhibited distinct molecular signatures and biological processes. The low ATM group exhibited significant enrichment in B cell activation-related pathways. What’s more, plasma cells showed the lowest ATM score, highlighting their role as pivotal contributors in the ATM model. Mechanistically, the analysis of the interplay between plasma cells and other immune cells elucidated their crucial role in orchestrating an effective anti-tumor immune response. Significantly, the ATM signature exhibited associations with therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and the drug sensitivity of various agents, including FDA-approved and clinically utilized drugs targeting the VEGF signaling pathway. Finally, ATM was associated with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), exhibiting stronger patient stratification ability compared to classical “hot tumors”.Our findings indicate that ATM is a prognostic factor and is associated with the immune response and drug sensitivity in melanoma.Methods: Melanoma is widely utilized as a prominent model for the development of immunotherapy, thought an inadequate immune response can occur. Moreover, the development of apoptosis-related therapies and combinations with other therapeutic strategies is impeded by the limited understanding of apoptosis’s role within diverse tumor immune microenvironments (TMEs).Here, we constructed an apoptosis-related tumor microenvironment signature (ATM) and employ multi-dimensional analysis to understand the roles of apoptosis in tumor microenvironment. We further assessed the clinical applications of ATM in nine independent cohorts, and anticipated the impact of ATM on cellular drug response in cultured cells.Our ATM model exhibits robust performance in survival prediction in multiple melanoma cohorts. Different ATM groups exhibited distinct molecular signatures and biological processes. The low ATM group exhibited significant enrichment in B cell activation-related pathways. What’s more, plasma cells showed the lowest ATM score, highlighting their role as pivotal contributors in the ATM model. Mechanistically, the analysis of the interplay between plasma cells and other immune cells elucidated their crucial role in orchestrating an effective anti-tumor immune response. Significantly, the ATM signature exhibited associations with therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and the drug sensitivity of various agents, including FDA-approved and clinically utilized drugs targeting the VEGF signaling pathway. Finally, ATM was associated with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), exhibiting stronger patient stratification ability compared to classical “hot tumors”.Our findings indicate that ATM is a prognostic factor and is associated with the immune response and drug sensitivity in melanoma.Results: Melanoma is widely utilized as a prominent model for the development of immunotherapy, thought an inadequate immune response can occur. Moreover, the development of apoptosis-related therapies and combinations with other therapeutic strategies is impeded by the limited understanding of apoptosis’s role within diverse tumor immune microenvironments (TMEs).Here, we constructed an apoptosis-related tumor microenvironment signature (ATM) and employ multi-dimensional analysis to understand the roles of apoptosis in tumor microenvironment. We further assessed the clinical applications of ATM in nine independent cohorts, and anticipated the impact of ATM on cellular drug response in cultured cells.Our ATM model exhibits robust performance in survival prediction in multiple melanoma cohorts. Different ATM groups exhibited distinct molecular signatures and biological processes. The low ATM group exhibited significant enrichment in B cell activation-related pathways. What’s more, plasma cells showed the lowest ATM score, highlighting their role as pivotal contributors in the ATM model. Mechanistically, the analysis of the interplay between plasma cells and other immune cells elucidated their crucial role in orchestrating an effective anti-tumor immune response. Significantly, the ATM signature exhibited associations with therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and the drug sensitivity of various agents, including FDA-approved and clinically utilized drugs targeting the VEGF signaling pathway. Finally, ATM was associated with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), exhibiting stronger patient stratification ability compared to classical “hot tumors”.Our findings indicate that ATM is a prognostic factor and is associated with the immune response and drug sensitivity in melanoma.Conclusion: Melanoma is widely utilized as a prominent model for the development of immunotherapy, thought an inadequate immune response can occur. Moreover, the development of apoptosis-related therapies and combinations with other therapeutic strategies is impeded by the limited understanding of apoptosis’s role within diverse tumor immune microenvironments (TMEs).Here, we constructed an apoptosis-related tumor microenvironment signature (ATM) and employ multi-dimensional analysis to understand the roles of apoptosis in tumor microenvironment. We further assessed the clinical applications of ATM in nine independent cohorts, and anticipated the impact of ATM on cellular drug response in cultured cells.Our ATM model exhibits robust performance in survival prediction in multiple melanoma cohorts. Different ATM groups exhibited distinct molecular signatures and biological processes. The low ATM group exhibited significant enrichment in B cell activation-related pathways. What’s more, plasma cells showed the lowest ATM score, highlighting their role as pivotal contributors in the ATM model. Mechanistically, the analysis of the interplay between plasma cells and other immune cells elucidated their crucial role in orchestrating an effective anti-tumor immune response. Significantly, the ATM signature exhibited associations with therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and the drug sensitivity of various agents, including FDA-approved and clinically utilized drugs targeting the VEGF signaling pathway. Finally, ATM was associated with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), exhibiting stronger patient stratification ability compared to classical “hot tumors”.Our findings indicate that ATM is a prognostic factor and is associated with the immune response and drug sensitivity in melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2.85 μm band has garnered significant attention for its wide range of applications in the mid-infrared region, and Ho3+ doped fluorotellurite fiber shows great promise as a gain medium for the 2.85 μm fiber laser. To achieve efficient population inversion for Ho3+ ions at 2.85 μm, Ho3+/Nd3+ co-doped fluorotellurite glasses with low hydroxyl were synthesized. The deactivation effect of Nd3+ ions to Ho3+: 5I 7 levels was investigated through emission spectra and lifetime decay curves under 890 nm excitation. The results show that Nd3+ ions can effectively quench the Ho3+: 2.05 μm emission and help the Ho3+: 5I 6 → 5I 7 transition to overcome the bottleneck of particle population inversion. Ultimately, the particle population inversion corresponding to 2.85 μm luminescence was realized in the Ho3+/Nd3+ co-doped fluorotellurite glass, and indicates that a maximum of 1.64 W laser at 2.85 μm with a slope efficiency of 8.72 % can be realized under 890 nm pump by numerical simulations. • Achieved low hydroxyl absorption in fluorotellurite glass. • Overcoming the population inversion bottleneck of the Ho3+: 5I 6.→ 5I 7 transition • Energy transfer mechanisms between Ho3+ and Nd3+ ions are discussed. • One-watt mid-infrared laser achieved theoretically in Ho3+/Nd3+ co-doped glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the limited space of offshore platform, it is unable to implement large-scale multistage hydraulic fracturing for the horizontal well in Lufeng offshore oilfield. Thus, multistage hydraulic fracturing technology in directional well was researched essentially to solve this problem. Modeling of fracture propagation during multistage fracturing in the directional and horizontal wells in artificial cores was carried out based on a true triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulation experiment system. The effects of horizontal stress difference, stage spacing, perforation depth, and well deviation angle on multifracture propagation were investigated in detail. Through the comparative analysis of the characteristics of postfrac rock and pressure curves, the following conclusions were obtained: (1) multistage fracturing in horizontal wells is conducive to create multiple transverse fractures. Under relatively high horizontal stress difference coefficient (1.0) and small stage spacing conditions, fractures tend to deflect and merge due to the strong stress interference among multiple stages. As a consequence, the initiation pressure for the subsequent stages increases by more than 8%, whereas in large stage spacing conditions, the interference is relatively lower, resulting in the relatively straight fractures. (2) Deepening perforation holes can reduce the initiation pressure and reduce the stress interference among stages. (3) When the projection trace of directional wellbore on horizontal plane is consistent with the direction of the minimum horizontal principal stress, fractures intersecting the wellbore obliquely are easily formed by multistage fracturing. With the decrease of well deviation angle, the angle between fracture surface and wellbore axis decreases, which is not conducive to the uniform distribution of multiple fractures. (4) When there is a certain angle between the projection trace of directional wellbore on horizontal plane and the direction of minimum horizontal principal stress, the growth of multiple fractures is extremely ununiform and the fracture paths are obviously tortuous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs) of Ga 0.8 As 29.2 Sb 10 S 60 glasses doped with gradient Tm3+ concentrations and the effects of laser-induced damage on the glass' luminescence properties were studied in this work. Tm3+ doping in the glass considerably decreased the LIDT, from 3394.8 to 1881.8 mJ/cm2, when the Tm3+ concentration increased from 0 to 5000 ppmw. This was related to the absorption of Tm3+ around the femtosecond laser's wavelength and microstructural changes caused by the Tm3+ doping. On the other hand, the femtosecond laser changed the glass matrix's elemental distribution and microstructure. Although the laser damaged the glass, the luminescence properties were barely affected. Based on the changes, femtosecond laser damage mechanism of chalcogenide glass doped with rare earth element was firstly proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high energy consumption, large CO 2 emission and mass pollutant release during the preparation process of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) promote the development of sustainable magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC), which can increase the potash industrial waste utilization and alleviate ecological problems. However, MOC is limited by the poor water resistance, and integrating high water resistance with compressive strength for the MOC still remains a challenge. Herein, inspired by marine sponge spicules, acid-activated palygorskite (APal) was introduced into MOC to construct the inorganic fiber reinforced structure, thus both the water resistance (enhanced from 0.37 to 0.71 in water resistance coefficient) and compressive strength (37.1% increase) were improved. This improvement can be due to the physical filling, surface complexation, electrostatic adsorption interaction and fiber reinforcement of APal, as well as the transformation to gel-like phase 5. Especially, this strategy offers a new and effective approach to enhance the water resistance of MOC that although phase 5 content exhibit a reduction trend in soaked MOC-APal, the composite still present enhanced water resistance. This may be attributed to the sponge spicules-inspired fibrous structure serving as an effective supporting skeleton to provide a certain mechanical strength for soaked MOC-APal. Unlabelled Image • MOC composites can efficiently utilize the potash industrial hazardous wastes. • APal was incorporated into MOC to construct spicules-inspired enhanced structure. • The compressive strength and water resistance of MOC-APal were both enhanced. • The strategy can fully utilize clay minerals and alleviate environmental issues. • The work provided a new approach to design high-performance cementitious materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth-doped nanoparticles have been widely used in disease diagnosis, drug delivery, tumor therapy, and bioimaging. Among various bioimaging methods, the fluorescence imaging technology based on the rare earth-doped nanoparticles can visually display the cell activity and lesion evolution in living animals, which is a powerful tool in biological technology and has being widely applied in medical and biological fields. Especially in the band of near infrared (700–1700 nm), the emissions show the characteristics of deep penetration due to low absorption, low photon scattering, and low autofluorescence interference. Furthermore, the rare earth-doped nanoparticles can be endowed with the water solubility, biocompatibility, drug-loading ability, and the targeting ability for different tumors by surface functionalization. This confirms its potential in the cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in the application of rare earth-doped nanoparticles in the field of bioimaging and tumor treatment. The luminescent mechanism, properties, and structure design were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Composite phase change material (CPCM) was prepared and characterized. • The thermal diffusivity of CPCM increased with increasing temperature. • CPCM thermal conductivity can be enhanced ≥48% by doping with Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles. • Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles was the optimal additive to improve thermal properties. • CPCMs showed excellent thermal stability over a broad working temperature range. Chloride salts are widely used as thermal energy storage (TES) media for high-temperature solar TES systems. Their thermal properties are crucial for the performance of TES systems. In this study, we prepared and characterized chloride salts/nanoparticles composite phase change materials (CPCMs) for high-temperature thermal energy storage. The ternary chloride salts (MgCl 2 :KCl:NaCl with 51:22:27 molar ratio) were used as base salt and Al 2 O 3 , CuO, and ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed into the base salt at 0.7 wt% to form various composite phase change materials (CPCMs). The thermal properties of the base salt and CPCMs were measured. The results showed that the melting temperature of the CPCMs was very close to that of the base salt. The phase change latent heat of the CPCMs was slightly lower than that of the base salt while the addition of dopant nanoparticles clearly enhanced the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the CPCMs. In particular, the thermal conductivity of the CPCM doped with Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles showed the most obvious enhancement, which increased by more than 48%, compared to that of the base salt. Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles could be considered as an optimal additive to improve the thermal conductivity of chloride salts. Moreover, the CPCM with Al 2 O 3 also exhibited excellent thermal stability. These good thermal characteristics of CPCM with Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles endow it promising applications for high-temperature TES system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The fracture toughness of G20Mn5QT calculated through traditional norm is 465.045 kJ / m 2. • The maximum value and the maximum increase of the AE parameters are unified in time. • The fracture toughness of G20Mn5QT evaluated by analyzing the AE parameters is 345.27 kJ / m 2. • The fracture toughness process of G20Mn5QT can be divided into 4 stages. • The fracture mode of G20Mn5QT belongs to the dimple-microporous aggregate fracture. The fracture toughness process of G20Mn5QT cast steel was monitored by using the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique. The fracture toughness value evaluated by analyzing the AE parameters (345.27 kJ / m 2) is smaller than that computed using traditional standards (465.05 kJ / m 2). The maximum values and increases of the AE parameters are unified in time. Via the synergistic analysis between the AE parameters and the mechanical parameters, the fracture toughness process of G20Mn5QT can be divided into four stages. Based on the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the fracture, the fracture mode of G20Mn5QT exhibits the dimple-microporous aggregation fracture mode of ductile fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is utilized to prepare thin MgO coatings 1–50 nm on Si substrate. In addition, secondary electron emission (SEE) coefficient of MgO/Si double-layered structure is evaluated as a function of coating thickness and primary electron (PE) energy. After neutralizing the surface of test specimen, we have accurately analyzed the relationship between secondary electron yield (SEY) of MgO coating and PE energy. Meanwhile, SEE characteristics of MgO/Si double-layered structure have been systematically analyzed. A maximum SEY value of 6.15 has been achieved at coating thickness of 30 nm and PE energy of 550 eV. Furthermore, theoretical model is established by using Dionne's SEE model to analyze experimentally measured SEY data, demonstrating consistency between experimentally measured and theoretically calculated results. This work demonstrates that SEE level of MgO coating can be optimized by tuning coating thickness and presents novel insights into SEE characteristics of composite materials. Those results can serve as a baseline for further design and fabrication of a wide array of electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A serial of novel fluoro-tellurite glasses with compositions of 60TeO 2 –20BaO–(20-x)ZnO–xZnF 2 ( x = 0, 2, 4, 5 and 6 mol%) were prepared. The compositional dependences of glass structural evaluation, Raman gain coefficient, UV–Vis transmission spectrum, IR transmission spectrum, linear refractive index and third-order nonlinearity were analyzed. The results showed that the addition of 6 mol% ZnF 2 can further improve the Raman gain coefficient to as well as 52 × 10 −11 cm/W and effectively decrease around 73% and 57% absorption coefficients respectively caused by free O H groups (@3.3 μm) and hydrogen-bonded O H groups (@4.5 μm) in glass. Addition of ZnF 2 does not change the UV–Vis absorption edge, optical band gap energy and infrared region cut-off edge almost, while the linear refraction index and ultrafast third-nonlinearity show unmonotonic changes. These novel fluoro-tellurite glasses may be suitable candidates for using in mid-infrared Raman fiber laser and/or amplifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]