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This article studies the noncooperative game of distributed quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under task, communication, and physical constraints. Compared to existing works that primarily focus on the flight task of Nash equilibrium seeking without task constraints or only with equality constraints, this study considers a noncooperative game with inequality constraints. To enhance the privacy of quadrotor UAVs communications, Markov jump networks are introduced as communication constraints to increase the stochasticity of the distributed system and all agents can search the Nash equilibrium by sharing virtual information. Furthermore, an effective fault-tolerant algorithm is proposed to address physical constraints, enabling all quadrotor UAVs to reach the generalized Nash equilibrium states subject to actuator faults, uncertain dynamic parameters, and time-varying disturbances. Then, the asymptotic stability of the proposed algorithms is proved by the projected gradient descent methodology and Lyapunov techniques. Finally, some simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the suggested algorithms.

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The precise design and synthesis of active sites to improve catalyst’s performance has emerged as a promising tactic for electrochemistry. However, it is challenging to combine different types of active sites and manipulate them simultaneously at atomic resolution. Here, we present a strategy to synthesize Re atom-doped Cu twin boundaries (TBs), through pulsed electrodeposition and boundary segregation. The Re-doped Cu TBs demonstrate a highly efficient nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) performance. Re-doped Cu TBs showed a turnover frequency of ∼5889 s–1, ∼800 times higher than the pure Cu TB active centers (∼7 s–1). In addition to the “acceptance–donation” activation of N2molecules, theoretical calculations also reveal that the Re–Re dimer on TB can boost the NRR and impede the hydrogen evolution reaction synchronously, rendering Re-doped Cu TB catalysts with high NRR activity and selectivity.

Electronic skins have received increasing attention due to their great application potential in wearable electronics. Meanwhile, tremendous efforts are still needed for the fabrication of multifunctional composite hydrogels with complex structures for electronic skins via simple methods. In this work, a novel three-dimensional (3D) printing composite hydrogel with stretchability, conductivity, and strain-sensing ability is produced using a one-step photocuring method to achieve a dual-signal response of the electronic skin. The composite hydrogel exhibits a triple-network structure composed of silk microfibers (SMF), regenerated silk fibroin (RSF), and polyacrylamide (PAM). The establishment of triple networks is based on the electrostatic interaction between SMF and RSF, as well as the chemically cross-linked RSF and PAM. Thanks to its specific structure and components, the composite hydrogel possesses enhanced mechanical properties (elastic modulus of 140 kPa, compressive stress of 21 MPa, and compression modulus of 600 kPa) and 3D printability while retaining stretchability and flexibility. The interaction between negatively charged SMF and cations in phosphate-buffered saline endows the composite hydrogel with good conductivity and strain-sensing ability after immersion in a low-concentration (10 mM) salt solution. Moreover, the 3D printing composite hydrogel scaffold successfully realizes real-time monitoring. Therefore, the proposed hydrogel-based ionic sensor is promising for skin tissue engineering, real-time monitoring, soft robotics, and human–machine interfaces.

Yao, X, Austerberry, A, Bishop, C, Wilson, L, Chiang, C-Y, and Turner, A. Seasonal variation and positional differences in anthropometry, strength, and power characteristics in English premiership women’s rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res38(5): 924–931, 2024—Women's rugby is a collision sport that relies heavily on body composition and physical characteristics of strength and power to achieve competitive success. Furthermore, the seasonal nature presents a variety of physical challenges that can cause fluctuations in a player's physical development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the differences in anthropometry, strength, and power characteristics between forwards and backs in women's rugby union athletes in England and to identify changes throughout a season. Forty-seven players were recruited from the English premiership women's rugby during the 2020–2021 season. Players were split into forwards and backs and underwent body composition testing by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and strength and power tests (countermovement jump, drop jump [DJ], and isometric midthigh pull) on 3 separate occasions (preseason, midseason, postseason). Overall, forwards had significantly (p< 0.01) higher body mass, fat mass, lean mass [LM], bone mineral content, and take off momentum, and backs had significantly higher (p< 0.01, d> 0.5) jump height, reactive strength, and shorter DJ contact time. When observing seasonal changes, there were statistically significant differences (p< 0.01) or moderate-to-large practical differences (d> 0.5) in LM, reactive strength index modified, time to take-off, and DJ flight time [FT] among forwards when comparing 3 testing time frames. For backs, statistically significant differences (p< 0.01) or moderate-to-large practical differences (d> 0.5) were reported in LM and DJ FT throughout the season. In conclusion, the strength and power testing and characteristics shown in this study could support coaches and junior women's rugby athletes to have a basic understanding of English premiership physical standards.

The influence of aging temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–Mn–Mg– Sc–Zr alloy prepared by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) was systematically studied. The results show that the fabricated alloy was a dense and crack-free piece with a fine grain size of 3.51 μm and a yield strength of (547±3) MPa. When the alloy was subjected to aging at 300 °C, a large amount of highly coherent Al3Sc nanoparticles (2–3 nm) precipitated from the Al matrix. The aged sample exhibited a high yield strength of (616±4) MPa, which can be attributed to precipitation strengthening, solid solution strengthening, and grain boundary strengthening. When the alloy was aged at a temperature higher than 300 °C, part of the dissolved Mn and Zr precipitated in the form of Al6Mn and Al3(Sc,Zr). When the alloy was aged at 500 °C, the Al6Mn and Al3(Sc,Zr) precipitates grew to approximately 600 and 30 nm, respectively, in size. Consequently, the yield strength of the alloy decreased to (372±3) MPa.

Background:: Carbonic anhydrase 1 (CA1) has been found to be involved in osteogenesis and osteoclast in various human diseases, but the molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. In this study, we aim to use siRNA and lentivirus to reduce or increase the expression of CA1 in Dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs), in order to further elucidate the role and mechanism of CA1 in osteogenesis, and provide better osteogenic growth factors and stem cell selection for the application of bone tissue engineering in alveolar bone fracture transplantation. Methods:: The study used RNA interference and lentiviral vectors to manipulate the expression of the CA1 gene in DFSCs during in vitroosteogenic induction. The expression of osteogenic marker genes was evaluated and changes in CA1, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP2) were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB). The osteogenic effect was assessed through Alizarin Red staining. Results:: The mRNA and protein expression levels of CA1, ALP, RUNX2, and BMP2 decreased distinctly in the si-CA1 group than other groups (p&lt; 0.05). In the Lentivirus-CA1 (LV-CA1) group, the mRNA and protein expressions of CA1, ALP, RUNX2, and BMP2 were amplified to varying degrees than other groups (p&lt; 0.05). Apart from CA1, BMP2 (43.01%) and ALP (36.69%) showed significant upregulation (p&lt; 0.05). Alizarin red staining indicated that the LV-CA1 group produced more calcified nodules than other groups, with a higher optical density (p&lt; 0.05), and the osteogenic effect was superior. Conclusions:: CA1 can impact osteogenic differentiation via BMP related signaling pathways, positioning itself upstream in osteogenic signaling pathways, and closely linked to osteoblast calcification and ossification processes.

This article addresses the fully distributed (FD) output feedback full states consensus tracking problem for high-order multiagent systems with general nonlinearities under the directed graph. In each agent, a novel FD estimator is established to estimate the leader’s states, which only needs three variables’ information from each parent agent without considering their orders. Meanwhile, it is independent of the graph’s scale and does not rely on any global information. Then, instead of the backstepping method and based on the constructed compensator, an output-dependent dynamic gain method is used to design the FD output feedback protocol avoiding the repeated derivatives of the nonlinearities. Based on a new lemma, it is proved that using the proposed FD protocol, global full states consensus stability can be guaranteed and the consensus error can converge to zero asymptotically. The proposed method can not only achieve the consensus in FD fashion but also extremely relax the conditions on nonlinearities which satisfy the local Lipschitz condition with a more general incremental rate containing output and compensator states information. Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is used as an alternative to total knee arthroplasty in young patients with knee osteoarthritis. In the conventional HTO, if the distraction distance is large, the osteotomy section will be significantly separated, forming a large bone defect gap, which may lead to delayed healing or even nonunion. We treated a series of 10 patients with medial knee osteoarthritis by a novel M-shaped high tibial osteotomy. This helped to improve greater contact of cortical sections and rapid healing of the osteotomy break. Over a mean follow-up period of 8.5 months (range, 6.0–12.0 months), all patients achieved bone union. None of the patients showed complications such as nonunion or infection. The novel M-shaped HTO procedure can reduce the probability of delayed union/nonunion and avoid the complications associated with bone grafting. Hence, this technique may be an effective alternative for the HTO.

ABSTRACT Magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) incorporated with slag was prepared from the byproduct boron-containing magnesium oxide (B-MgO) from the production of [Li.sub.2]C[O.sub.3] from salt lakes. The influence of the [...]

In this paper, using methyl cinnamate as raw material, the new cinnamic hydroxamic acid collector (CIHA) was synthesized by the hydroxylamine method. The collector performance of hydroxamic acid was investigated for scheelite and gangue calcite, and the flotation separation test of scheelite and calcite was carried out with CIHA as the collector. The interaction mechanism between hydroxamic acid and scheelite minerals has also been investigated through zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments, and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The single mineral flotation test and artificially mixed ore showed that CIHA had an excellent collection effect and selectivity. Zeta potential, FTIR, and XPS showed that CIHA was adsorbed on the scheelite surface by strong chemical adsorption. The active group of CIHA was analyzed through quantum chemical calculation. It was speculated that CO and NO bonds could synthesize a five-membered chelated hydroxamic acid group with Ca element chelate on scheelite surface, changing hydrophobicity and making it more likely to emerge from the pulp.

By studying the evaporated crystallization of 1640 solutions and some protein + salt solutions, we revealed for the first time the onset and dynamic process, the behavior, and general rules of the dendritic crystal growth as a function of temperature, pH value, and the concentrations of their major components (NaCl, KCl, NaHCO₃, and d-glucose). We proposed the crystallization mechanism for each of them at various conditions and indicated the factors that control the formation of dendritic crystals. We showed that at a temperature ranging from 20 to 40 °C, only the solution mixed with crystalline and amorphous substances could form dendritic crystals. The rise in temperature and decreasing pH from the neutral value would reduce the pattern divergence induced by different components and concentrations. Increasing the content of the crystalline substances would make the dendritic crystals thicker and have less branching. The dendritic crystals are mainly composed of the salt with the highest ratio Rof concentration/solubility. The crystal structure of the salt also determines the shape of the dendrites. The amorphous substances mainly distribute at the edge of the dried spot to form a ring and deposit in the gaps between the dendritic crystals or the growing tips of the dendrites. This study suggests that based on the behavior of the dendrite growth, it is possible to use the methods of dendrite formation and pattern analysis to replace analytical instruments for some solution physicochemical tests or grow dendritic crystals with desired patterns for various applications.

The hydroxylamine method involves the synthesis of a new hydroxamic acid collector, i.e., phenylpropyl hydroxamic acid (PHA), from methyl cinnamic hydroxamic acid. Flotation test results show that PHA exhibits good selective collection ability. The adsorption mechanism of PHA is investigated using the zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that PHA formed a new Ca–O bond with Ca2+on the fluorite surface via chemical adsorption. A new five-element chelated hydroxamate group may have formed in Ca on the fluorite surface. The PHA selectivity is fully explained via density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and an adsorption model is established.

Lithium sulfide (Li2S) is a critical material for clean energy technologies, i.e., the cathode material in lithium–sulfur batteries and the raw material for making sulfide solid electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries. However, its practical application at a large scale is hindered by its industrial production method of reducing lithium sulfate with carbon materials at high temperatures, which emits carbon dioxide and is time-consuming. We hereby report a method of synthesizing Li2S by thermally reducing lithium sulfate with aluminum. Compared with the carbothermal method, this aluminothermal approach has several advantages, such as operation at lower temperatures, completion in minutes, no emission of greenhouse gases, and valuable byproducts of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). The home-made Li2S demonstrates competitive performance in battery tests versus the commercial counterpart. Moreover, using the byproduct Al2O3to coat the cathode side of the separator can enhance the battery’s capacity without influencing its rate capability. Thus, this “one stone two birds” method has great potential for practical applications of developing Li–S batteries.

Neural interface is a powerful tool to control the varying neuron activities in the brain, where the performance can directly affect the quality of recording neural signals and the reliability of in vivoconnection between the brain and external equipment. Recent advances in bioelectronic innovation have provided promising pathways to fabricate flexible electrodes by integrating electrodes on bioactive polymer substrates. These bioactive polymer-based electrodes can enable the conformal contact with irregular tissue and result in low inflammation when compared to conventional rigid inorganic electrodes. In this review, we focus on the use of silk fibroin and cellulose biopolymers as well as certain synthetic polymers to offer the desired flexibility for constructing electrode substrates for a conformal neural interface. First, the development of a neural interface is reviewed, and the signal recording methods and tissue response features of the implanted electrodes are discussed in terms of biocompatibility and flexibility of corresponding neural interfaces. Following this, the material selection, structure design and integration of conformal neural interfaces accompanied by their effective applications are described. Finally, we offer our perspectives on the evolution of desired bioactive polymer-enabled neural interfaces, regarding the biocompatibility, electrical properties and mechanical softness.

Polyanionic cathode materials are increasingly used in research because of their good cycling performance, high theoretical capacity, and high operating voltage. However, it exhibits poor performance due to its structure, which prevents it from reaching its full theoretical capacity. In this study, carbon‐coated Li6V3(PO4)5@C cathode materials are constructed under Li3V2(PO4)3research conditions using the sol–gel process and anhydrous citric acid as the carbon source. Several boron doping concentrations are investigated to create Li6V3(PO4)5@BC cathode materials. The electrochemical measurements demonstrate that during the first cycle, at a current density of 0.5 C and a B doping quantity of 2 wt%, the specific discharge capacity of Li6V3(PO4)5@BC reaches 167.43 mAh g−1. The steady discharge specific capacity following 80 cycles of constant‐current charging and discharging is 136.84 mAh g−1. Li6V3(PO4)5@BC‐2 has a specific discharge capacity of 131.1 mAh g−1at 2 C. The material's electrochemical performance greatly improves following the right quantity of B doping, which is primarily attributed to the increase in carbon layer defects brought on by B's entrance. This can increase the rate of lithium‐ion migration and hold more lithium ions. The Li6V3(PO4)5@BC‐2 cathode material prepared by the sol‐gel method exhibits a high initial discharge specific capacity of 167.43 mAh g−1at 0.5 C .

Typically, a coach may follow a process in which they first identify the key performance indicators of their sport, determine the physical attributes that map back to them, and then distribute the development of those capacities over the allocated timeframe. Furthermore, effective training plans are based on a theoretical or biological basis for how we move and adapt to exercise stimuli, coupled with an understanding of how these are best sequenced, such that one stimulus and subsequent adaptation can potentiate the next. Thus, reverse or backward engineering, when appropriately converged with the plans of those devised around nutrition, conditioning, technical, and tactical training, for example, likely gives athletes the best chance of attaining their performance goals. The aim of this article is to describe the application of reverse engineering, exampling it within the context of developing an athlete who can demonstrate a high level of agility.

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B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a target for the treatment of multiple myeloma with cytolytic therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells or T-cell redirecting antibodies. To better understand the potential for “on-target/off-tumor” toxicity caused by BCMA-targeting cytolytic therapies in the brain, we investigated normal brain BCMA expression. An immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay using the E6D7B commercial monoclonal antibody was applied to 107 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain samples (cerebrum, basal ganglia, cerebellum, brainstem; 63 unique donors). Although immunoreactivity was observed in a small number of neurons in brain regions including the striatum, thalamus, midbrain, and medulla, this immunoreactivity was considered nonspecific and not reflective of BCMA expression because it was distinct from the membranous and Golgi-like pattern seen in positive control samples, was not replicated when a different IHC antibody (D6 clone) was used, and was not corroborated by in situ hybridization data. Analysis of RNA-sequencing data from 478 donors in the GTEx and Allen BrainSpan databases demonstrated low levels of BCMA RNA expression in the striatum of young donors with levels becoming negligible beyond 30 years of age. We concluded that BCMA protein is not present in normal adult human brain, and therefore on-target toxicity in the brain is unlikely.

Bismuth (Bi)-based perovskites are promising materials for near-ultraviolet-to-visible light (NUV–vis) detection. However, their practical application has been limited by relatively weak responsivity and detectivity. In this study, we developed a large-area, low-cost, environmentally friendly self-powered NUV–vis photodetector based on a ZnO/Cs3Bi2I9heterojunction through a simple drop-coating method. Leveraging the pyroelectric effect, the device demonstrates a high responsivity of 10.48 mA/W, specific detectivity of 7.69 × 1010Jones, and a fast rise time of 0.9 ms. Moreover, we elucidated the physical mechanism of the self-powered NUV–vis photodetector and systematically analyzed the influence of light power density on photoresponse and response time. This study introduces an effective strategy to enhance the performance of Bi-based perovskite photodetectors under zero voltage bias, leveraging the pyroelectric effect induced in ZnO under ultraviolet illumination and the photovoltaic effect of the Cs3Bi2I9perovskite. The newly designed ultra-fast self-powered NUV–vis photodetector holds significant promise for diverse research and commercial applications.

Impact of an employee's normative commitment on his/her turnover is analyzed with reference to Chinese organizations.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of LAMA5 on palatal development in mice.

Transparent luminescent solar concentrators (TLSCs) have been attracting wide attentions for their applications in transparent photovoltaic (PV) windows, smart greenhouses, and mobile electronics on account of the simple architecture and low-cost preparation. We report a novel strategy to fabricate TLSCs using the heterophase lead-free perovskites. The heterophase nanolayered films which combined CsCu2I3and Cs3Cu2I5were prepared in one step using a dual-source coevaporation technique. The CsCu2I3/Cs3Cu2I5films exhibited UV light absorption, a high average visible transmission (AVT) of 86.70%, and dual-color white emission between 350 and 760 nm. Importantly, the TLSCs incorporated with the CsCu2I3/Cs3Cu2I5films exhibited an impressive optical conversion efficiency of 1.15% under keeping a high AVT of 86.70%. Meanwhile, the TLSCs incorporated with the heterophase films showed considerable stability under ambient conditions. The CIE 1960 color coordinates (0.2082, 0.4680) of the TLSCs incorporated with the CsCu2I3/Cs3Cu2I5films showed excellent aesthetic quality as compared with those of the TLSCs incorporated with lead-based perovskites. Our finding offers a strategy to prepare lead-free metal halides toward high-performance TLSCs and future transparent PV windows.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) continues to cause poor clinical outcomes due to limited advances in sustained treatments for rapid cancer cell proliferation and progression. The transcriptional factor Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) regulates cell proliferation, tumor initiation, and progression in multiple cancer types. However, its biological function and clinical significance in SCLC remain unestablished. Analysis of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and SCLC datasets in the present study disclosed significant upregulation of FOXM1 mRNA in SCLC cell lines and tissues. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that FOXM1 is positively correlated with pathways regulating cell proliferation and DNA damage repair, as evident from sensitization of FOXM1-depleted SCLC cells to chemotherapy. Furthermore, Foxm1 knockout inhibited SCLC formation in the Rb1fl/flTrp53fl/flMycLSL/LSL(RPM) mouse model associated with increased levels of neuroendocrine markers, Ascl1 and Cgrp, and decrease in Yap1. Consistently, FOXM1 depletion in NCI-H1688 SCLC cells reduced migration and enhanced apoptosis and sensitivity to cisplatin and etoposide. SCLC with high FOXM1 expression (N= 30, 57.7%) was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage, extrathoracic metastases, and decrease in overall survival (OS), compared with the low-FOXM1 group (7.90 vs. 12.46 months). Moreover, the high-FOXM1 group showed shorter progression-free survival after standard chemotherapy, compared with the low-FOXM1 group (3.90 vs. 8.69 months). Our collective findings support the utility of FOXM1 as a prognostic biomarker and potential molecular target for SCLC.

The precipitates in welded joint heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal of TP347H stainless steel were observed and analyzed by SEM, TEM and EPMA. The results show that precipitate of NbC can be observed in welded joint HAZ in as-welded, and more NbC precipitate in high temperature service. The size of primary NbC in base metal ranges from tens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers, but only tens of nanometers of the precipitated NbC. The fine precipitate of NbC is mainly distributed in the crystal, however, continuous distribution of NbC is also observed on the grain boundary of the service joint. Cr carbide precipitates at the grain boundary, and some of particles distribute continuously on the grain boundary after service. The fine NbC precipitated in the crystal strengthens the matrix, and the continuous distribution of Nb and Cr carbides on the grain boundary reduces the interfacial bonding strength, then both of which result decrease of the material plasticity.

LiTiOPO4 was prepared by solid-phase combustion method using citric acid as fuel. The LiTiOPO4 materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction test (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The XRD test showed that the synthesized samples were pure phases and the addition of different weight fractions of the combustion agent citric acid did not change the phase structure of the LiTiOPO4. The microscopic observations revealed that the LiTiOPO4 prepared after the addition of citric acid as a combustion agent was a sheet-like stacked structure. The electrochemical test results showed that the rate discharge capacity of LiTiOPO4 anode at 5000 mA g−1 maintains 184.7 mAh g−1 in the voltage range of 0.01–3.0 V and keeps at 147.2 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles. The LiTiOPO4 anode exhibits excellent cycling stability and good reversibility, which is attributed to the high crystallinity of LiTiOPO4 prepared by solid-phase combustion and the lamellar stacked layer structure that facilitates lithium-ion insertion/de-insertion.

Bioelectronics based on biomaterial substrates are advancing toward biomedical applications. As excellent conductors, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and its derivatives have been widely developed in this field. However, it is still a big challenge to obtain a functional layer with a good electroconductive property, transparency, and strong adhesion on the biosubstrate. In this work, poly(hydroxymethyl-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT–OH) was chemically polymerized and deposited on the surface of a regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) film in an aqueous system. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as the surfactant to form micelles which are beneficial to the polymer structure. To overcome the trade-off between transparency and the electroconductive property of the PEDOT–OH coating, a composite oxidant recipe of FeCl3and ammonium persulfate (APS) was developed. Through electrostatic interaction of oppositely charged doping ions, a well-organized conductive nanoscale coating formed and a transparent conductive RSF/PEDOT–OH film was produced, which can hardly be achieved in a traditional single oxidant system. The produced film had a sheet resistance (Rs) of 5.12 × 104Ω/square corresponding to a conductivity of 8.9 × 10–2S/cm and a maximum transmittance above 73% in the visible range. In addition, strong adhesion between PEDOT–OH and RSF and favorable electrochemical stability of the film were demonstrated. Desirable transparency of the film allowed real-time observation of live cells. Furthermore, the PEDOT–OH layer provided an improved environment for adhesion and differentiation of PC12 cells compared to the RSF surface alone. Finally, the feasibility of using the RSF/PEDOT–OH film to electrically stimulate PC12 cells was demonstrated.

Hemorrhoidal disease (HD) is the most common proctological disease, with an estimated prevalence rate of 4.4%, and a peak in individuals between 45 and 65 years of age. This study was done to evaluate whether Lian-Zhi-San (LZS), a clinically used anti-hemorrhoidal ointment could alleviate the inflammatory injury, with its associated changes of inflammatory cytokines and morphology of anorectal tissues, in an experimental model of HD in rats.

In this study, CH3NH3PbI3is blended with solution-processed n-type TiOxnanoparticle as the photoactive layer to balance charge carrier transporting properties for addressing the intrinsic electronic properties of perovskite materials. We found that the CH3NH3PbI3:TiOxbulk heterojunction thin film possesses enhanced and balanced charge carrier mobilities, superior film morphology with enlarged crystal sizes. Moreover, bulk heterojunction perovskite solar cells possess suppressed trap-induced charge recombination as compared with that of planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells.

Cell migration on material surfaces is a fundament issue in the fields of biomaterials, cell biology, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, etc. Herein, we aim to guide cell migration by flat microstripes with significant contrast of cell adhesion and varied geometric features of the adhesive stripes. To this end, we designed and fabricated cell-adhesive arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) microstripes on the nonfouling poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) background and examined the microstripe-guided adhesion and migration of a few cell types. The migration of cell clusters adhering on the RGD regions was found to be significantly affected by the widths and arc radiuses of the guided microstripes. The cells migrated fastest on the straight microstripes with width of about 20 μm, which we defined as single file confined migration (SFCM). We also checked the possible left–right asymmetric bias of cell migration guided by combinatory microstripes with alternative wavy and quasi-straight stripes under a given width, and found that the velocity of CCW (counter clockwise) migration was higher than that of CW (clockwise) migration for primary rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs), whereas no left–right asymmetric bias was observed for NIH3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line) and Hela (human cervix epithelial carcinoma cell line) cells. Comparison of migration of cells on the nanotopological stripe and smooth surfaces further confirmed the importance of cell orientation coherence for guided cell migration and strengthened the superiority of SFCM.

In the past decade, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) were arising as a new generation of low-cost solar technology for renewable energy generation. More than 25% of power conversion efficiency (PCE) was reported from PSCs on the rigid indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass electrode. However, PSCs fabricated on flexible solution-processed transparent electrodes have still been a challenge to date. In this work, we report a solution-processed transparent polymeric thin film as the electrode for flexible solution-processed PSCs. The solution-processed polymeric thin film exhibits superior optical transparency and decent electrical conductivity. As compared with a PCE of 16.60% from PSCs on the ITO/glass substrate, PSCs on the solution-processed transparent polymeric electrode/glass substrate exhibit a PCE of 13.36% and PSCs on the solution-processed transparent polymeric thin-film/polyethylene terephthalate flexible substrate possess a PCE of 10.16%. Systematic studies demonstrate that poor electrical conductivity of the solution-processed transparent polymeric electrode and serious interfacial charge carrier recombination are responsible for low PCEs. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that we provide a facile route to develop flexible PSCs by utilization of solution-processed polymeric thin films as the transparent electrodes.

A 2.5-mm Fe72.5B15.6Si7.8Nb1.7Zr1.7Cu0.7glassy rod was successfully fabricated using copper mold casting. The introduction of Cu resulted in the formation of large quantities of α-Fe nanoparticles embedded in the glassy matrix after isothermal annealing. The Fe72.5B15.6Si7.8Nb1.7Zr1.7Cu0.7nanocrystalline alloy exhibited high saturation magnetization (~ 1.26 T) and a low coercive force (~ 0.8 A/m) after annealing at 833 K for 15 min due to the precipitation of ~ 15-nm-sized α-Fe nanoparticles in the glassy matrix. The structural evolution of the FeBSiNbZrCu amorphous alloy during the annealing process was discussed using a dual-cluster model.

Hybrid perovskite photodetectors, the novel alternative devices transform incident light into electrical signal, have been rapidly developed in the past years. However, intrinsic unbalanced charge carrier transport within hybrid perovskite materials, restricting further boosting device performance of perovskite photodetectors, has rarely been addressed. In this study, we report room temperature–operated solution-processed bulk heterojunction perovskite photodetectors with ultrahigh sensitivity and great photo-gain. It is found that the introduction of Zn2SnO4nanoparticles into CH3NH3PbI2.55Br0.45perovskites results in enlarged photocurrent and suppressed dark current for bulk heterojunction perovskite photodetectors. As a result, a responsivity of over 1500 mAW−1and projected detectivity of approximatively 1014Jones (1 Jones = cm Hz1/2W−1) from 380 to 760 nm are observed from bulk heterojunction perovskite photodetectors. In addition, bulk heterojunction perovskite photodetectors exhibit an excellent linear dynamic range of 124 dB and a great photo-gain of 535. All these results indicate that high-performance perovskite photodetectors could be realized through novel bulk heterojunction device structure.

• By comprehensively taking into account the currently detailed system characteristics and behaviors of more generally nonlinear networked Euler-Lagrange systems with uncertainties and disturbances, this paper develops corresponding event-triggered control algorithms for tackling single- and multi-synchronization control problems to alleviate execution burden, where the categorization of synchronization control problems can further promote the behavior research of systems in a solid manner. • The developed event-triggered control algorithms relax the restrictive requirement of relative velocity information, which can not only significantly alleviate the communication and computation burden but also guarantee satisfactory convergence performances. • This paper further investigates the performance comparisons with other control algorithms by conceiving a performance index named trigger rate, i.e., the specific value of average and total trigger numbers. This paper investigates the single- and multi-synchronization control problems of networked Euler-Lagrange systems subject to parameter uncertainties, time-varying disturbances and scarce control resources in a unified framework. Several novel event-triggered control algorithms are developed without requiring relative velocity information, which is capable of significantly mitigating the cost of unnecessary controller updates, signal transmission and computation, while possessing satisfactory control performances. Additionally, based on the Lyapunov stability techniques, the rigorous sufficient criteria for the asymptotic convergence of the synchronization errors are established, and the positive lower bounds of execution intervals are derived to exclude Zeno behaviors. Finally, by further proposing other comparative control algorithms and conceiving a performance index named trigger rate, numerical examples are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTCAR-T cells therapy can give rise to most common and concerning two side effects – cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. But in our CD19 CAR-T cells therapy clinical trial, we observed 1 out of 17 patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) developed acute myelofibrosis(AMF) after grade IV CRS post to the CD19 CAR-T cells therapy. This finding suggests that the CAR-T cells therapy may have rare and serious AMF, which we should pay important attention to.Trial registration:NCT02968472. Registered 18 November 2016 – Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02968472

Intrigued by relationship between team motivational context and individual characteristics in the organizational reality, we developed and tested a cross‐level model to investigate the interactive effects of team empowerment and individual goal orientations on individual creative performance through the mediating mechanism of an individual's creative self‐efficacy. Using multi‐wave multi‐source data from 63 R&D teams in three ITcompanies, we found that (1) team empowerment, individual learning goal orientation, and individual performance orientation are all positively related to individual creative performance through mediation of creative self‐efficacy; (2) learning orientation and performance approach orientation could both supplement the effects of team empowerment on individual creative self‐efficacy. Our findings point to the importance of individual goal orientation in shaping the effects of team motivation climates and provide insights for both scholars and practitioners. The specific practical implications include but are not limited to (1) individuals with learning and performance approach orientations should be identified during hiring procedures given that they could still thrive in less empowered teams and maintain a relatively high level of creative self‐efficacy and creative outcomes; (2) managers should consider assigning employees who are more learning oriented to more empowering and open‐ended tasks in order to obtain better creative results.

• This paper studies synchronization of MHRSs with communication delays, kinematic and dynamic uncertainties. • The proposed adaptive sliding-mode controllers can relax the constraints on the interaction topologies. • Sufficient conditions on asymptotic stability of systems are obtained with Lyapunov and input-output stability theories. • Simulations are performed to demonstrate the validity and advantages of the theoretical results. This paper investigates synchronization of multiple heterogeneous robotic systems (MHRSs) in the presence of kinematic uncertainties, dynamic uncertainties and communication delays. We develop two classes of adaptive sliding-mode controllers to deal with the aforementioned problem based on directed graphs containing a directed spanning tree, which relaxes the constraints on the interaction topologies. Furthermore, by invoking techniques of Lyapunov and input-output stability theories, we obtain the sufficient conditions on asymptotic stability of MHRSs. Thus, the position and velocity synchronization errors can asymptotically converge to the origin. Finally, numerous simulations are carried out to demonstrate the validity and advantages of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that nonradiative charge carrier recombination in hybrid perovskite materials restricts the device performance of perovskite solar cells. In this study, we report efficient perovskite solar cells through suppressed nonradiative charge carrier recombination by a processing additive, aminopropanoic acid. It is found that aminopropanoic acid not only modulates the crystal growth processes but also minimizes the defects of CH3NH3PbI3thin films. Moreover, the CH3NH3PbI3thin films processed with the addition of aminopropanoic acid exhibit both enhanced photoluminescence and electroluminescence and elongated charge carrier lifetime, indicating that nonradiative charge carrier recombination within the CH3NH3PbI3thin films is drastically suppressed. As a result, perovskite solar cells fabricated using the CH3NH3PbI3thin films processed with the addition of aminopropanoic acid exhibit approximately 15% enhanced efficiency as compared with those made with pristine CH3NH3PbI3thin films. All of these results demonstrate that our findings provide a facile way to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

Efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation in the treatment of chronic steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

The rapid development of wearable intelligent electronics, silk fabric sensors combine strain sensing functionality with comfortable wearability and high stretchability have attracted much attention of wearable electronics. However, common physical loading conductive units on silk fiber/yarn/textile sensor still faced aggregation, structural instablility and poor signal capture yet. Herein, a new preparation method of conductive silk yarn based on multiple chemical covalent bond reactions is presented. Moreover, silk/di-aldehyde cellulose nanocrystals/polypyrrole (SACP) composite yarns as flexible strain sensor was achieved by Schiff-base reaction between amino groups of silk yarn (SY) and aldehyde groups of di-aldehyde cellulose nanocrystals (DACN) and in-situ polymerization of pyrrole on the DACN hydroxyl groups. The best SACP sensor with pyrrole loading of 0.2 g (SACP0.2) showed robust mechanical strength (240 MPa), high conductivity (530 S/m), excellent sensitivity (gauge factor = 27) and outstanding dynamic durability during 12,000 cyclic stretching-releasing process. Especially, it can maintain good sensing performance after repeated rubbing and washing, and be further integrated into textile and clothing as wearable sensor by traditional sewing technology with different shapes. Moreover, SACP0.2sensor were designed and integrated into various multifunctional health warning device for human sleep, college students’ physical fitness test and trapping mosquitoes, demonstating great potential in wearable electronics.

Herein, a facile method with high efficiency is proposed for the separation and regeneration of LiMn2O4(LMO) cathode material for spent lithium‐ion batteries through a simple heat treatment method. At first, the aluminum foil is separated at 450 °C in air, with a separation efficiency as high as 97.95%. Then, separation LMO is regenerated with high crystallinity at 650 °C with an optimum calcination time of 6 h. Importantly, this method allows D‐LMO to exhibit high reversible capacity (133 mAh g−1at 0.1C), high rate performance (101 mAh g−1at 5C), and long lifespan (0.5C, 92.1% capacity retention ratio after 100 cycles). A positive effect of the pyrolysis of polyvinylidene fluoride on D‐LMO is also suggested by the results. Moreover, a detailed investigation of the kinetics of the separation and regeneration is done, and the electrochemical mechanism is explored. Furthermore, this method requires much less energy input and chemical consumption, which would be helpful for environmental protection and green recycling. A facile green method with high efficiency is proposed for the separation and regeneration of LiMn2O4cathode material for spent lithium‐ion batteries through a simple heat treatment method.

Recently, hybrid perovskite materials have emerged as attractive alternatives for realizing cost-effective efficient perovskite solar cells. To date, impressive efficiency has been realized from the state-of-the-art solar cells through generic interface engineering and film morphological manipulation of perovskite active-layer in macroscopic scale. To further boost the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, microscopically tuning optoelectronic properties of hybrid perovskite materials represents a promising direction. In this study, we report efficient perovskite solar cells by a novel hybrid perovskites material that is incorporated with heterovalent neodymium cations (Nd3+). As compared with pristine hybrid perovskite materials, Nd3+-doped hybrid perovskite materials possess superior film quality with highly reduced trap-states, significantly enlarged charge carrier lifetimes, dramatically enhanced and balanced charge carrier mobilities. As a result, planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by Nd3+-doped hybrid perovskite materials exhibit highly reproducible power conversion efficiency of 21.15% and significantly suppressed photocurrent hysteresis. These findings open a new window of tuning the optoelectronic properties of hybrid perovskite materials and boosting the device performance of perovskite solar cells. 21.15% power conversion efficiency and significantly suppressed photocurrent hysteresis were demonstrated from planar heterojunction perovskite solar cell using heterovalent neodymium cation doped hybrid perovskite materials.

Material cues to influence cell proliferation are a fundamental issue in the fields of biomaterials, cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. This paper aims to investigate the proliferation of single mammal cells on micropatterned material surfaces. To this end, we prepared cell-adhesive circular microislands with 20 areas on the nonfouling background and systematically examined adhesion and proliferation behaviors of different kinds of single cells (primary stem and nonstem cells, cancer and normal cell lines) on micropatterns. On the basis of the analysis of experimental data, we found two critical areas about cell proliferation: (1) the critical spreading area of cells from almost no proliferation to confined proliferation, denoted as APand (2) the critical spreading area of cells from confined proliferation to almost free proliferation, denoted as AFP. We further summarized the relative size relationship between these two critical areas and the characteristic areas of cell adhesion on both patterned and nonpatterned surfaces. While proliferation of single primary cells was affected by cell spreading, those cell lines, irrespective of normal and cancer cells, did not exhibit significant cell-spreading effects. As a result, this study reveals that proliferation of single cells is dependent upon spreading area, in particular for primary cells on material surfaces.

Broadband photodetectors have important applications in both scientific and industrial sectors. In this study, we report room-temperature-operated solution-processed photodetectors by PbSe quantum dots (QDs) with spectral response from 350 to 2500 nm. In order to boost both external quantum efficiency (EQE) and projected detectivity (D*), the hole-trap-assisted photomultiplication effect through the EDT-PbSe QD/TABI PbSe QD double-thin-layer thin film, where EDT-PbSe QDs are 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT)-capped PbSe QDs and TABI-PbSe QDs are tetrabutylammonium (TABI)-capped PbSe QDs, is applied. To further enhance D*, a thin layer of the conjugated polyelectrolyte, which offers significant hole injection resistance for suppressing dark current but enhancing photocurrent under illumination due to the photoinduced self-doping process, is applied for reengineering the electron extraction layer in PbSe QD-based photodetectors. As a result, at room temperature, PbSe QD-based photodetectors exhibit over 450% EQE and over ∼1012Jones D* in the visible region and over 120% EQE and D* ∼4 × 1011Jones in the infrared region. These results demonstrate that our studies provide a simple approach to realize room-temperature-operated solution-processed broadband photodetectors.

Cellular responses on a topographic surface are fundamental topics about interfaces and biology. Herein, a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) micropillar array was prepared and found to trigger significant self-deformation of cell nuclei. The time-dependent cell viability and thus cell proliferation was investigated. Despite significant nuclear deformation, all of the examined cell types (Hela, HepG2, MC3T3-E1, and NIH3T3) could survive and proliferate on the micropillar array yet exhibited different proliferation abilities. Compared to the corresponding groups on the smooth surface, the cell proliferation abilities on the micropillar array were decreased for Hela and MC3T3-E1 cells and did not change significantly for HepG2 and NIH3T3 cells. We also found that whether the proliferation ability changed was related to whether the nuclear sizes decreased in the micropillar array, and thus the size deformation of cell nuclei should, besides shape deformation, be taken into consideration in studies of cells on topological surfaces.

High-performance photovoltaic polymers bearing cross-linkable function together with a photorobust conjugated backbone are highly desirable for organic solar cells to achieve both high device efficiency and long-term stability. In this study, a family of such polymers is reported based on poly[(2,5-bis(2-hexyldecyloxy)phenylene)-alt-(5,6-difluoro-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c]-[1,2,5]thiadiazole)] (PPDT2FBT), a high-performance photovoltaic donor–acceptor polymer, with different contents of terminal vinyl-appended side chains for cross-linking. The polymers were named PPDT2FBT-Vxand prepared by varying the feeding ratio (xmol %, x= 0, 5, 10, and 15) of the vinyl-appended monomer in polymerization. It was found that the vinyl integration did not sacrifice the original high photovoltaic performance of the polymers, as evidenced by comparable average power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) (6.95, 7.02, and 7.63%) observed for optimized devices based on PPDT2FBT-V0, PPDT2FBT-V5, and PPDT2FBT-V10, respectively, in blending with [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). Unlike thermal cross-linking that greatly reduced device efficiency, UV cross-linking has proven to be an effective way to achieve both high device efficiency and thermostability for PPDT2FBT-V10solar cells. UV-cross-linked PPDT2FBT-V10solar cells displayed an initial average PCE of 5.28% and almost no decrease upon heat treatment at 120 °C for 40 h. Morphology studies revealed that UV-cross-linking did not only alter initial nanophase separation but also suppressed morphology evolution by aggregation in bulk heterojunction blend films. Photo-cross-linking requires material photostability. It is therefore worthwhile to note that these polymers and their blends with PC71BM were found to be extremely photostable, even upon continuous exposure to concentrated sunlight (up to 200 suns), and UV-cross-linking does not hamper this photostability. Further studies found that the devices fabricated with the UV-cross-linked PPDT2FBT-V10/PC71BM active layer can endure continuous light exposure to a solar simulator without deteriorating their performance.

The development of efficient catalysts for the alkylation of amines with carboxylic acids is attracting much attention. Herein, we would like to report an earth‐abundant iron‐catalyzed protocol for the N‐alkylation of anilines using carboxylic acid as alkyl source and phenylsilane as reducing agent. With Fe2(CO)9as a catalyst, a broad range of primary and secondary anilines are successfully converted to the corresponding tertiary anilines. Furthermore, this N‐alkylation mainly goes through the amide pathway; while the aldehyde pathway can not be ruled out. Show time! An efficient Fe‐catalyzed N‐alkylation of anilines with carboxylic acids was developed as an alternative protocol for C−N bond formation employing earth‐abundant metal catalysis

A series of ZrN-Ag nano-composite films were deposited using the RF magnetron sputtering system. The microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological performances were investigated. The results showed that ZrN-Ag films were composed of face-centered cubic (fcc)-ZrN and face-centered cubic (fcc)-Ag. With the increase of Ag content, the hardness of ZrN-Ag composite film increased rapidly and then decreased rapidly. The maximum hardness value was 22.8 GPa at 6.1at.% Ag. At room temperature, the coefficient of friction (Cof.) of ZrN-Ag films were lower than the ZrN film. During 25-500°C, the Cof. of ZrN-Ag films at 29.16 at.% Ag were lower than ZrN film, while the wear rate were higher than the ZrN film. In summary, the addition of Ag improved the hardness, and decreased the Cof. of the ZrN-Ag during 25-500°C.