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A unique charge‐injection‐narrowing organic photodetector (CIN OPD) is demonstrated for near‐infrared (NIR) range operation. In conventional CIN OPDs, photomultiplication (PM) is achieved within a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) active layer with a donor:acceptor ratio of 100:1. Unfortunately, this approach encounters an issue in which the narrowband detection wavelength is determined solely by an excessive donor quantity. Consequently, the conventional devices face a critical limitation in that their detection range cannot extend to longer wavelengths. However, this limitation has been overcome through a novel mechanism and have fabricated a device that responds at λ = 940 nm. When a perovskite quantum dot interlayer is inserted as the PM‐inducing layer, PM occurs outside the active layer. Therefore, the BHJ active layer is structured with a donor:acceptor ratio of 50:50, resulting in an extension of the detection wavelength to the absorption tail of the narrow‐bandgap acceptor. The device demonstrates a remarkable external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 39 000% with a narrow full‐width at half‐maximum (FWHM) of 98 nm at 60 V. It also has a high specific detectivity and a short response time. The device represents a significant advancement in filter‐free, high‐efficiency photodetectors suitable for optical sensor applications such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene is used as a growth template for van der Waals epitaxy of organic semiconductor (OSC) thin films. During the synthesis and transfer of chemical‐vapor‐deposited graphene on a target substrate, local inhomogeneities in the graphene—in particular, a nonuniform strain field in the graphene template—can easily form, causing poor morphology and crystallinity of the OSC thin films. Moreover, a strain field in graphene introduces a pseudo‐electric field in the graphene. Here, the study investigates how the strain and strain‐induced pseudo‐electric field of a graphene template affect the self‐assembly of π‐conjugated organic molecules on it. Periodically strained graphene templates are fabricated by transferring graphene onto an array of nanospheres and then analyzed the growth and nucleation behavior of C60 thin films on the strained graphene templates. Both experiments and a numerical simulation demonstrated that strained graphene reduced the desorption energy between the graphene and the C60 molecules and thereby suppressed both nucleation and growth of the C60. A mechanism is proposed in which the strain‐induced pseudo‐electric field in graphene modulates the binding energy of organic molecules on the graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although organic solar cells (OSCs) have received increasing attention because of their high device efficiencies, the fundamental mechanism governing their photostability remains elusive. Herein, the effect of the luminescence stability of the acceptor components on the burn‐in voltage loss of binary and ternary OSCs is demonstrated. A systematic characterization reveals that the acceptor component experiences an abnormal decrease in luminescence under photoaging—specifically, photoinduced luminescence quenching—because of a photoinduced conformational change. This phenomenon increases nonradiative recombination in blends and thus causes a substantial nonradiative voltage loss of OSCs. Moreover, an introduction of a third component with high luminescence stability can effectively reduce the burn‐in voltage loss of OSCs. A composition‐dependent photostability study of the resultant ternary OSCs reveals that the reduction in the burn‐in voltage loss of OSCs is mainly driven by the third component distributed in the mixed phase; high luminescence stability of this component effectively prevents the increase in nonradiative voltage loss by photoaging. The results suggest that improving the luminescence stability of the acceptor components can be an effective method for highly stable photovoltaics with greatly reduced burn‐in voltage loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: People with developmental disabilities are exposed to discrimination and it affects their daily life satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to examine the parallel mediating effect of social involvement and self-esteem on the relationship between discrimination and the daily life satisfaction of people with developmental disabilities to improve their daily life satisfaction. Materials and Methods: This study used raw data of participants with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder from a national panel survey of employment for the disabled second-wave fifth survey. First, correlations among variables were identified to determine whether variables are in a relationship, and then PROCESS Macro was conducted to identify the relationship between discrimination and daily life satisfaction and the parallel mediating effect of social involvement and self-esteem. Results: Discrimination had a significant negative effect on daily life satisfaction and it was found that social involvement and self-esteem have a significant mediating effect that lowers the effect size of discrimination on daily life satisfaction. Specifically, it was found that self-esteem had a more mediating effect than social involvement. Conclusions: To increase the daily life satisfaction of people with developmental disabilities, the potential need to not only decrease discrimination but also increase their social involvement and self-esteem should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the marginal and internal fit of zirconia crowns fabricated using conventional and high-speed induction sintering. A typodont mandibular right first molar was prepared and 60 zirconia crowns were fabricated: 30 crowns using conventional sintering and 30 crowns using high-speed sintering. We presented a new evaluation methodology to measure the marginal and internal fit of restorations through digital scanning, aligning the two datasets, and measuring the distance between two arbitrary point sets of the datasets. For the marginal fit, we calculated the maximum values of the shortest distances between the marginal line of the prepared tooth and that of the crown. The calculated values ranged from 359 to 444 μm, with smaller values for the high-speed sintered crowns (P < 0.05). For the internal fit, we employed mesh sampling and computed the geodesic distances between the prepared tooth surface and the crown intaglio surface. The measured values ranged from 177 to 229 μm with smaller values for the high-speed sintered crowns, but no significant difference was found (P > 0.05). Based on our results, the high-speed sintering method can be considered a promising option for single-visit zirconia treatment in dental practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A corona discharge treatment (CDT) is utilized to maximize the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) by injecting extra electrons into the negative tribomaterials. Increased performance of CDT TENGs, however, exhibits rapid degradation due to the electron dissipation by air moisture or thermal emission. To overcome such drawbacks and circumvent such dissipation, the source of charges should be replaced with ionic charges. This study reports a Ag nanowires (NWs)‐embedded laminating structure (AeLS) with a unique fabrication procedure for ionic charge injection by CDT. The injection of ions is achieved by interlayer‐CDT (i‐CDT), in which positive charges are dissipated by Ag NWs, and the opposite negative ions can remain on the outmost surface. The AeLS TENGs with i‐CDT exhibit high performance, long‐term stability, and durability. It shows voltage, current, and maximum power outputs of 380 V, 15 µA, and 827 mW m−2, respectively. As a practical demonstration, rotational TENG integrated with a direct discharge system is realized, and its current and voltage reach 7.4 mA and 7800 V, respectively. This work can pave the way for the design of ion‐based TENGs with high performance and long‐lasting retention of triboelectric charges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As state-of-the-art electronic chips were miniaturized to its limit, many small dimension issues, such as crosstalk noise, parasite capacitance, and tunneling of charges, emerged. Studying such issues shall be of interest to the research and industry field. Here, we studied the electrical behavior of electrons injected in an array of nanostructures embedded on Al2O3 dielectrics. Our multi-stack device comprised Au nanoclusters, tunneling and blocking Al2O3 oxide layers, and a Si substrate. The electrons were injected by applying a bias at the top of the atomic force microscopy tip in contact while grounding the Si substrate. Its retention and diffusion behaviors were observed by measuring the contact potential difference (CPD). The measured CPD data with time were well fitted to the bi-exponential function, which had two time constants τ1 and τ2. It indicated that at least two dominant tunneling mechanisms existed, so it was confirmed with I–V measurement using a simple tunneling device (Pt/Al2O3/Si structure). This work may provide a tool for analysis of charge transportation in a miniaturized nanostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organometal halide perovskite (OHP) solar cells have been intensively studied because of their promising optoelectronic features, which has resulted in high power conversion efficiencies >23 %. Although OHP solar cells exhibit high power conversion efficiencies, their relatively poor stability is a significant obstacle to their practical use. We report that the chemical stability of OHP solar cells with respect to both moisture and heat can be improved by adding a small amount of Ag to the precursor. Ag doping increases the size of the OHP grains and reduces the size of the amorphous intergranular regions at the grain boundaries, and thereby hinders the infiltration of moisture into the OHP films and their thermal degradation. Quantum mechanical simulation reveals that Ag doping increases the energies of both the hydration reaction and heat‐induced vacancy formation in OHP crystals. This procedure also improves the power conversion efficiencies of the resulting solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent transistors are one of state‐of‐the‐art products of semiconductor industry. As it has been required to be minimized to the nanoscale regime, the classical model from the microelectronics is often challenged by its discrepancy. Therefore, understanding the behavior of electrons in such regime is essential for transistor applications in nanoscale. Herein, the charge trapping and anisotropic diffusion behaviors of electrons in multistacked nanostructures composed of a blocking oxide, a charge storage layer of Au nanoclusters (NCs), a tunneling oxide, and silicon substrate are reported. Electrons are injected from the substrate to Au NCs via quantum tunneling effect. The charge retention and diffusion characteristics of the NCs are investigated by measuring surface potential. To explore the spatial dependence, a line‐ and dot‐shaped injection of charges is examined. Both of the accumulated electrons decay following an exponential function of time. However, the injected electrons with a line‐shape in Au NCs are found to have a larger time constant than those with a dot‐shape. This result implies that the initial spatial distribution of electrons plays a role in determining the equilibrium distribution of the charges in the nanostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolomics is the systemic study of the unique fingerprints of metabolites involved in cellular processes and biochemical reactions. The metabolomic approach is useful in diagnosing and predicting the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) and is emerging as a useful tool for identifying disease biomarkers. The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic blueprint of fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from RA and OA patients. Methods: Somatic cells of RA patients (n = 3) and OA patients (n = 3) were isolated, transduced with a lentiviral plasmid, and reprogrammed into iPSCs displaying pluripotency. Metabolic profiling of RA and OA patient–derived FLS cells and iPSCs was performed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and statistical analysis. After normalization by the sum of the peak intensities through LC/MS, 37 metabolites were detected across RA and OA patients. Results: The metabolites of RA and OA were distinguishable according to the PLS-DA analysis. LysoPC (20:4), 4-methoxychalcone, phosphorylcholine, and nicotinamide (NAM) were significantly higher in RA iPSCs than in OA iPSCs (p < 0.05). The NMNAT-3 enzyme, which catalyzes an important step in the biosynthesis of NAD+ from adenosine triphosphate, was also upregulated in RA iPSCs. Interestingly, the proliferation of RA iPSCs was significantly greater than OA iPSC proliferation (p < 0.05). NAM played a critical role in the proliferation of RA iPSCs but not in OA iPSCs. When iPSCs were treated with 100 nM of the NAM inhibitor tannic acid (TA), the proliferation of RA iPSCs was significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The metabolites of RA and OA FLS cells and RA and OA iPSCs were all clearly distinguishable from each other. NAM played a critical role in the proliferation of RA iPSCs but not in OA iPSCs. TA effectively inhibited the expression of NAM in RA iPSCs and is a possible effective treatment for RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve frequency regulation, energy-storage systems (ESSs) are systems that monitor and maintain the grid frequency. In South Korea, the total installed capacity of battery ESSs (BESSs) is 376 MW, and these have been employed to achieve frequency regulation since 2015. When the frequency of a power grid is input, accurately estimating the state of charge (SOC) of a battery is difficult because it charges or discharges quickly according to the frequency regulation algorithm. If the SOC of a battery cannot be estimated, the battery can be used in either a high SOC or low SOC. This makes the battery unstable and reduces the safety of the ESS system. Therefore, it is important to precisely estimate the SOC. This paper proposes a technique to estimate the SOC in the test pattern of a frequency regulation ESS using extended Kalman filters. In addition, unlike the conventional extended Kalman filter input with a fixed-error covariance, the SOC is estimated using an adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) whose error covariance is updated according to the input data. Noise is likely to exist in the environment of frequency regulation ESSs, and this makes battery-state estimation more difficult. Therefore, significant noise has been added to the frequency regulation test pattern, and this study compares and verifies the estimation performance of the proposed AEKF and a conventional extended Kalman filter using measurement data with severe noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (chemo–PDT) has been suggested as an alternative therapy for drug-resistant cancers. In this study, biotin-conjugated PEGylated photosensitizer (PS) self-assembled nanoparticles (meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP)–PEG–biotin SANs) were prepared via a self-assembly process to serve as nanocarriers for chemo-drugs as well as PSs. Electron microscopy results reveal the spherical shape of the nanoparticles (NPs). In the NPs, conjugated biotin plays a key role in selective tumor targeting. In vitro cellular experiments revealed the rapid cellular uptake of the TPP–PEG–biotin conjugates by MCF-7 cells that overexpress the biotin receptor, and verified that the conjugates were much more effective PSs than TPPS used as control in the cytotoxicity test. Interestingly, subcellular localization studies showed that the conjugates and their self-assembled NPs were localized mainly in mitochondria and partially in lysosomes, whereas TPPS was localized only in lysosomes. With the exclusive localization in mitochondria, high-content cell based assay showed that the TPP–PEG–biotin SANs induced rapid mitochondrial membrane potential transition (MPT), leading to cellular apoptosis. The chemo-drug doxorubicin (DOX) was successfully encapsulated in the TPP–PEG–biotin SANs (DOX@TPP–PEG–biotin) and had synergistic effects with enhanced cytotoxicity after PDT action. Collectively, the DOX@TPP–PEG–biotin SANs have promising potential as an effective anticancer agent in targeted combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AKAP12 belongs to A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) family of scaffold proteins and is known as a tumor suppressor in several human cancer types. Its role as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was proposed due to its downregulation and epigenetic modification in human HCC; however, the effect of its deficiency on liver injuries, such as liver fibrosis and cancer has been poorly studied. By analyzing tumor and non-tumor tissues of 15 patients with HCC, it was confirmed that AKAP12 expression was downregulated in human HCC as compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Immunohistochemical staining of mouse liver tissue for AKAP12 revealed that its sinusoidal expression was diminished in capillarized endothelium after 8 weeks of thioacetamide (TAA) administration. AKAP12 deficiency resulted in the promotion of ductular response of biliary epithelial cells, whereas overall fibrosis and myofibroblast activation were comparable between genotypes after short-term TAA treatment. The mRNA expressions of some fibrosis-related genes such as those encoding epithelial cell adhesion molecule, collagen type 1 α1 and elastin were upregulated in liver tissues of AKAP12-knockout mice. Long-term administration of TAA for 26 weeks led to the development of liver tumors; the incidence of tumor development was higher in AKAP12-deficient mice than in wild-type littermates. Together, these results suggest that AKAP12 functions as a tumor suppressor in liver cancer and is associated with the regulation of hepatic non-parenchymal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their discovery in 2006, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have shown promising potential, specifically because of their accessibility and plasticity. Hence, the clinical applicability of iPSCs was investigated in various fields of research. However, only a few iPSC studies pertaining to osteoarthritis (OA) have been performed so far, despite the high prevalence rate of degenerative joint disease. In this review, we discuss some of the most recent applications of iPSCs in disease modeling and the construction of 3D models in various fields, specifically focusing on osteoarthritis and OA-related conditions. Notably, we comprehensively reviewed the successful results of iPSC-derived disease models in recapitulating OA phenotypes for both OA and early-onset OA to encompass their broad etiology. Moreover, the latest publications with protocols that have used iPSCs to construct 3D models in recapitulating various conditions, particularly the OA environment, were further discussed. With the overall optimistic results seen in both fields, iPSCs are expected to be more widely used for OA disease modeling and 3D model construction, which could further expand OA drug screening, risk assessment, and therapeutic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The drug is cost-effective, but sometimes causes hepatotoxicity, requiring a physician's attention. In this study, we simulated hepatotoxicity by treating hepatocytes derived from RA patient–derived induced pluripotent stem cells (RA-iPSCs) with MTX. Methods: RA-iPSCs and healthy control iPSCs (HC-iPSCs) were established successfully. RA-iPSCs were differentiated into hepatocytes in two-dimensional (2D) monolayers and three-dimensional (3D) hepatocyte spheroid cultures; this process required growth factors such as BMP4, bFGF, HGF, and OSM. Immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry were performed to confirm that the mature hepatocytes expressed cytokeratin 18, anti–alpha-1 antitrypsin, and albumin. MTX toxicity was evaluated via monitoring of cell viability, alanine aminotransferase, and mitochondrial status after MTX treatment in 2D and 3D cultures. Results: RA-iPSCs generated from three RA patients suffering from MTX-induced hepatotoxicity differentiated into the endoderm lineage, hepatoblasts, and hepatocytes. In 2D culture, RA-iPSC-derived hepatocytes were more sensitive to MTX than healthy controls. A 3D culture system using hepatocyte spheroids also successfully recapitulated MTX-induced hepatotoxicity. The 3D culture system had several advantages, including longer culture periods under more complex conditions. Conclusions: A patient-derived iPSC platform could recapitulate MTX toxicity. Simulation of drug toxicity in vitro may help clinicians choose safer drugs or less toxic doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The battery energy storage system (BESS) market is growing rapidly around the world. Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese Oxide (LiNiCoMnO2) is attracting attention due to its excellent energy density, high output power, and fast response characteristics. It is being extensively researched and is finding use in many applications, such as in electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage systems (ESS). The performance and lifetime characteristics of a battery change for varying Ni contents. The consideration of these characteristics of a battery allow for a more reliable battery management system (BMS) design. In this study, various experiments and analyses were carried out using a lithium-ion battery (NCM LIB) with differing Ni contents. In particular, the following two combinations were studied: LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2(NCM523) and LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622). Various analyses were performed, such as C-rate (C-rate is the charge-discharge rate of a battery relative to nominal capacity) performance tests, hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC), accelerated deterioration experiments, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), parameter estimations of battery equivalent circuits through alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) impedance, and comparative analyses of battery modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric power output of a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) depends on the various physical parameters of the constituent materials, including the piezoelectric coefficient, Young's modulus, and dielectric constant. Herein, we report the mechanical and electrical properties of a poly(vinylidene fluoride)–BaTiO3 (PVDF–BTO) composite-based PENG. Variation of the BTO nanoparticle (NP) content enabled the systematic tuning of the physical parameters that are related to power generation in the composite. The Young's modulus of the PVDF–BTO composite initially increased, and then eventually decreased, with the increasing BTO content, which was probably due to the clustering effect of the high modulus BTO NPs. The dielectric constant of the composite continuously increased as the BaTiO3 content increased. The piezoelectric outputs were greatly enhanced at 10 wt% of BTO, where the Young's modulus was the highest. These results indicate that the Young's modulus plays an important role in the piezoelectric power generation of the composite-based PENGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]