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Perovskite photovoltaics, typically based on a solution-processed perovskite layer with a film thickness of a few hundred nanometres, have emerged as a leading thin-film photovoltaic technology. Nevertheless, many critical issues pose challenges to its commercialization progress, including industrial compatibility, stability, scalability and reliability. A thicker perovskite film on a scale of micrometres could mitigate these issues. However, the efficiencies of thick-film perovskite cells lag behind those with nanometre film thickness. With the mechanism remaining elusive, the community has long been under the impression that the limiting factor lies in the short carrier lifetime as a result of defects. Here, by constructing a perovskite system with extraordinarily long carrier lifetime, we rule out the restrictions of carrier lifetime on the device performance. Through this, we unveil the critical role of the ignored lattice strain in thick films. Our results provide insights into the factors limiting the performance of thick-film perovskite devices.

Optically addressable spin defects in three-dimensional (3D) crystals and two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials are revolutionizing nanoscale quantum sensing. Spin defects in one-dimensional (1D) vdW nanotubes will provide unique opportunities due to their small sizes in two dimensions and absence of dangling bonds on side walls. However, optically detected magnetic resonance of localized spin defects in a nanotube has not been observed. Here, we report the observation of single spin color centers in boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) at room temperature. Our findings suggest that these BNNT spin defects possess a spin S = 1/2 ground state without an intrinsic quantization axis, leading to orientation-independent magnetic field sensing. We harness this unique feature to observe anisotropic magnetization of a 2D magnet in magnetic fields along orthogonal directions, a challenge for conventional spin S = 1 defects such as diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers. Additionally, we develop a method to deterministically transfer a BNNT onto a cantilever and use it to demonstrate scanning probe magnetometry. Further refinement of our approach will enable atomic scale quantum sensing of magnetic fields in any direction. Optically addressable spin defects, such as the NV centre in diamond, have enabled the nanoscale measurement of external stimuli. Here, Gao, Vaidya and coauthors observe a single spin colour centres in boron nitride nanotubes, which, due to their spin S = 1/2 ground state, allow for omnidirectional magnetic field sensing. ' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Area detectors have been widely used in X-ray diffraction (XRD) to improve the acquisition speed and data quality. Here, an accurate, high efficiency, low distortion approach with a large angle range for collecting powder X-ray diffraction data is developed which is carried out by rotating a small area detector on the detector arm of the diffractometer. A series of collected images are spliced and converted into one 1D XRD pattern. The calculation of the 2θ value and intensity corresponding to every pixel are shown in detail. The calibration of the detector and experimental geometry was carried out. Finally, the reliability of this method has been demonstrated by the X-ray diffraction measurements of a standard LaB6 powder and Rietveld refinement results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical durability and efficiency of all‐inorganic flexible perovskite solar cells (f‐PSCs) still require enhancement for practical applications. In this study, a creative debridement strategy to improve the mechanical durability and photovoltaic performance of all‐inorganic f‐PSCs by pre‐bending the flexible perovskite film and then depositing the passivation agent 2‐mercaptopyridine is proposed. The pre‐bending process induced the generation of microcracks in the perovskite film surface, and 2‐mercaptopyridine can more effectively penetrate the interior of the film through the microcracks, thereby further passivating deep surface defects. These microcracks and defects can be perfectly repaired by 2‐mercaptopyridine. Bidentate coordination sites of S and N in 2‐mercaptopyridine show stronger binding energy with surface defects. The debridement strategy effectively enhanced the crystallization of the film surface and markedly inhibited crack propagation during the film's bending process. The optimized device achieves a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.74%. The pre‐bent and passivated all‐inorganic f‐PSC shows 104% of its initial PCE after 15 000 bending cycles at a curvature radius of 3 mm. Remarkably, even after undergoing 70 000 bending cycles at a curvature radius of 5 mm, pre‐bent, and passivated f‐PSC can retain over 93% of its initial PCE, exhibiting excellent mechanical durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The senescence of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) leads to the impairment of stemness and osteogenic differentiation capacity. In a previous study, we screened out stearoyl-CoA desaturase 2 (SCD2), the most evidently changed differential gene in lipid metabolism, using combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, and verified that SCD2 could mitigate MSC senescence. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which the rate-limiting enzyme of lipogenesis SCD2 manipulates MSC senescence has not been completely understood. In this study, we demonstrate that SCD2 over-expression alleviates MSC replicative senescence and ameliorates their osteogenic differentiation through the regulation of lipogenesis. Furthermore, SCD2 expression is reduced, whereas miR-200c-3p expression is elevated in replicative senescent MSCs. SCD2 is the direct target gene of miR-200c-3p, which can bind to the 3′-UTR of SCD2. MiR-200c-3p replenishment in young MSCs is able to diminish SCD2 expression levels due to epigenetic modulation. In addition, SCD2-rescued MSC senescence and enhanced osteogenic differentiation can be attenuated by miR-200c-3p repletion via suppressing lipogenesis. Taken together, we reveal the potential mechanism of SCD2 influencing MSC senescence from the perspective of lipid metabolism and epigenetics, which provides both an experimental basis for elucidating the mechanism of stem cell senescence and a novel target for delaying stem cell senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most widely studied adult stem cells, while MSC replicative senescence occurs with serial expansion in vitro. We determined whether miR-34a can regulate MSC senescence by directly targeting glycolytic key enzymes to influence glycolysis. Methods: Detected the effects of miR-34a on MSC senescence and glycolytic metabolism through gene manipulation. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assay were applied to confirm that HK1 is a direct target of miR-34a. The underlying regulatory mechanism of miR-34a targeting HK1 in MSC senescence was further explored by a cellular function recovery experiment. Results: In the current study, we revealed that miR-34a over-expression exacerbated senescence-associated characteristics and impaired glycolytic metabolism. Then we identified hexokinase1 (HK1) as a direct target gene of miR-34a. And HK1 replenishment reversed MSC senescence and reinforced glycolysis. In addition, miR-34a-mediated MSC senescence and lower glycolytic levels were evidently rescued following the co-treatment with HK1 over-expression. Conclusion: The miR-34a-HK1 signal axis can alleviate MSC senescence via enhancing glycolytic metabolism, which possibly provides a novel mechanism for MSC senescence and opens up new possibilities for delaying and suppressing the occurrence and development of aging and age-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐dimensional materials have been widely used to tune the growth and energy‐level alignment of perovskites. However, their incomplete passivation and chaotic usage amounts are not conducive to the preparation of high‐quality perovskite films. Herein, we succeeded in obtaining higher‐quality CsPbBr3 films by introducing large‐area monolayer graphene as a stable physical overlay on top of TiO2 substrates. Benefiting from the inert and atomic smooth graphene surface, the CsPbBr3 film grown on top by the van der Waal epitaxy has higher crystallinity, improved (100) orientation, and an average domain size of up to 1.22 μm. Meanwhile, a strong downward band bending is observed at the graphene/perovskite interface, improving the electron extraction to the electron transport layers (ETL). As a result, perovskite film grown on graphene has lower photoluminescence (PL) intensity, shorter carrier lifetime, and fewer defects. Finally, a photovoltaic device based on epitaxy CsPbBr3 film is fabricated, exhibiting power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 10.64% and stability over 2000 h in the air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article delves into the efficacy of Sampled Softmax (SSM) loss in item recommendation, emphasizing its advantages over conventional pointwise and pairwise losses. It addresses key questions regarding the suitability of SSM loss for recommendation tasks and examines its conceptual benefits. Topics include its ability to mitigate popularity bias, facilitate informative gradient mining, and enhance top-K performance, shedding light on its potential to revolutionize recommendation systems.

Levitated diamond particles in high vacuum with internal spin qubits have been proposed for exploring macroscopic quantum mechanics, quantum gravity, and precision measurements. The coupling between spins and particle rotation can be utilized to study quantum geometric phase, create gyroscopes and rotational matter-wave interferometers. However, previous efforts in levitated diamonds struggled with vacuum level or spin state readouts. To address these gaps, we fabricate an integrated surface ion trap with multiple stabilization electrodes. This facilitates on-chip levitation and, for the first time, optically detected magnetic resonance measurements of a nanodiamond levitated in high vacuum. The internal temperature of our levitated nanodiamond remains moderate at pressures below 10−5 Torr. We have driven a nanodiamond to rotate up to 20 MHz (1.2 × 109 rpm), surpassing typical nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center electron spin dephasing rates. Using these NV spins, we observe the effect of the Berry phase arising from particle rotation. In addition, we demonstrate quantum control of spins in a rotating nanodiamond. These results mark an important development in interfacing mechanical rotation with spin qubits, expanding our capacity to study quantum phenomena. Levitated nanodiamonds containing NV centers promise applications in quantum technologies, but they require experiments in high vacuum. Here the authors report on-chip levitation of nanodiamonds in high vacuum using a surface ion trap, showing spin read-out and fast rotation above NV center spin dephasing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]