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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of low‐intensity, high‐frequency shock waves in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders. Methods: Twenty‐six patients with temporomandibular joint disorder admitted to the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from August 2022 to December 2022 were selected as study subjects and randomly divided into two groups, A and B, with 13 patients each. In Group A, there were 5 males and 8 females with an average age of 38.85 ± 11.03 years. In Group B, there were 4 males and 9 females with an average age of 39.15 ± 11.16 years. Group A was the control group, which received routine treatment (manual massage + transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation + ultrashort wave therapy) plus sham shock wave therapy; Group B was the experimental group, which received routine treatment (manual massage + transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation + ultrashort wave therapy) plus shock wave therapy. The routine treatment was administered once/day, five times per week for a total of 2 weeks of treatment. In addition, shock wave therapy was administered once every 5 days, and the treatment was administered three times. The treatment period was 2 weeks, and the two groups were compared before treatment, at the end of the treatment period, and 4 weeks after treatment. The pain level of the two groups was assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after treatment, and the temporomandibular opening index (TOI) before and after treatment was compared between the two groups. VAS and TOI scores were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U‐test, the Kruskal–Wallis H‐test and two‐way ANOVA. Results: There was no significant difference in the VAS score and temporomandibular opening index between the two groups before treatment (p =.829 and.75, respectively). After 2 weeks of treatment, the VAS score and temporomandibular joint opening index of both groups were significantly improved compared to those before therapy. In addition, the VAS score and temporomandibular joint opening index in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group (p <.001 and <.001, respectively). There was a small increase in scores 4 weeks after the treatment compared to just after the treatment period, but the difference was not significant. Conclusion: This is a preliminary small sample study that demonstrates the positive effect of using low‐intensity, high‐frequency shock waves on the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders and is worthy of clinical promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleation effects of seeds in reactive magnesia cement (RMC) systems have been reported, but this process has never been directly observed. In this study, different types and contents of seeds were introduced in RMC formulations. Results show that seeded RMC samples revealed accelerated hydration/carbonation that led to their more rapid strength development, and the use of magnesite outperformed other seeds given their overall performances, as explained by their more homogenous microstructures. Further, in the model solution, the amount of Mg2+ ions adsorbed onto seeds particles continuously increased with the increment of Mg2+ concentrations, confirming the nucleation effects of seeds in RMC formulations directly, and seeds surfaces revealed a much higher affinity for Mg2+ ions than other ions due to their acid‐base interactions. Therefore, the use of seeds could act as accelerators that shorten the curing period of RMC‐based concrete products on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of primary seminal vesicle spindle cell sarcoma of a 57‐year‐old man who underwent multiple surgical treatment. The first diagnosis of a local hospital was a right seminal vesicle cyst, so only laparoscopic decompression was performed. Postoperatively, the patient gradually developed lower abdominal discomfort, frequent and urgent urination, dysuria and constipation. Digital rectal examination palpated a heterogeneous mass. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a multilocular cystic mass of about 4.5 cm in diameter in the right seminal vesicle, which was diagnosed as a recurrent cyst. The patient underwent a second operation in our hospital, but the tumour could not be completely removed because of severe peripheral adhesions. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was seminal vesicle cystadenoma with spindle cell sarcoma. One month later, a computed tomography scan performed at another hospital showed that the mass had invaded the bladder and sigmoid colon. The pathological diagnosis of re‐examination was spindle cell liposarcoma. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, extended resection of the tumour was performed, and adjuvant chemotherapy was continued after surgery. The total duration of follow‐up was 19 months and 3 months after the third surgery. The patient survived with no recurrence or metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonated cement pastes (CCP) can be used as stable carbon storage. In this work, CCP were systematically investigated as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)‐like components used in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) paste. The fully hydrated cement pastes were pulverized into powders and then exposed to different CO2 pressure conditions (i.e., 1.0, 2.0 and 2.5 MPa) for 24 h. These CCP powders were then mixed with OPC to form a new binder. Various fresh, hardened and microstructural properties of CCP powders and the mixtures were investigated. Initial results show that the CO2 sequestration level of CCP increased with the growth of CO2 pressure, and albeit a pozzolanic reaction occurred inside the mixture, the relatively higher water demand due to the use of 30% replacement of CCP led to the inferior workability and compressive strength than the control group. Finally, a conceptual model relating to the CCP‐OPC paste was proposed, facilitating the comprehension of the hydration behaviours of CCP‐OPC paste. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigate and demonstrate an all‐optical hybrid fiber‐free space optical (FSO)‐fiber communication system based on optical code division multiple access (OCDMA). Under different turbulence effects, the interception probability and interception distance are used as security metrics, and optimal parameters are obtained when the system meets the requirements of reliability and security simultaneously. The interception probability increases with the enhancement of turbulence effect, and decreases as the number of interfering users increases. In the case of strong turbulence, the maximum interception probability is 4.14 × 10−4. The authors design and build a 10 Gb/s all‐optical hybrid fiber‐FSO‐fiber CDMA communication system. It is shown that, under the soft‐decision forward‐error‐correction threshold of 2 × 10−2, this scheme can guarantee physical layer security in the second 20‐km optical fiber link under different turbulence conditions, while the interception distance is 8 km in the first optical fiber link. Under the hard‐decision forward‐error‐correction threshold of 3.38 × 10−3, the whole system can ensure the physical layer security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal nitride materials exhibit unique optical characteristics and have attracted much interest for various applications, including waveguiding, photovoltaics, and nonlinear optical devices. Herein, titanium nitride (TiN), as a typical representative of biocompatible transition metal nitrides, is prepared and modified with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) for promoting the carrier mobility, and the corresponding physical characteristics are systematically characterized. The TiN‐based saturable absorber (SA) on microfiber is fabricated and its nonlinear optical absorption property is also studied experimentally. Furthermore, the TiN‐decorated SA is applied in an ultrafast fiber laser at the communication bands. The fiber laser can generate the stable ultrashort pulses with a pulse width of 1.66 ps, a fundamental repetition rate of 7.49 MHz, and a spectral bandwidth of 2.61 nm. More importantly, the chaotic multiple pulses can be obtained, which is reported for the first time in the fiber laser based on the TiN SA on microfiber as far as it is known. The chaotic multiple pulses show many interesting characteristics, including high average pulse energy, varying pulse separations, and pulse intensities. These results have proved that the TiN shows great potential in many fields, such as advanced optical‐intensity modulator, ultrafast pulse dynamics, and optical fiber communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) was used as the precursor of SiO2 to prepare Cr2O3/SiO2 composite pigments. First, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide to surface modification of the chromium oxide green pigment to make the surface of the particles positively charged. The negatively charged SiO2 sol coats the surface of the pigment particles through electrostatic attraction. Then use HCl solution acid to precipitate SiO2, and finally get Cr2O3/SiO2 composite pigment. The structure of the modified pigment was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size distribution analysis, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. The influence of silica coating on the tinting strength, dispersibility of pigment in water, and hiding power of the chromium oxide green pigment were further investigated. The results demonstrate that SEM, TEM, and particle size analysis shows that this experimental method can obtain a good silica coating. When the coating quantity is 30%, the full coating of chromium oxide green by silica is achieved. According to the XRD analysis before and after the chromium oxide green coating, as the reaction temperature increases, the intensity of the SiO2 diffraction peak becomes larger and the crystallization effect becomes better. In the test of pigment performance, it can be concluded that the coloring power, hiding power, and dispersibility of Cr2O3/SiO2 composite pigments are better than those of uncoated chromium oxide green pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the Al2O3 dust environment on the crack propagation behaviour of 2524‐T3 Al alloy was investigated. The results show that the Al2O3 dust environment reduces the fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) of alloy especially at low ΔK. Many Al2O3 particles are deposited and stuck in the crack during fatigue loading which promotes crack closure, while this effect is gradually weakened with the increase of ΔK. The deposited Al2O3 particles induce the disorderly arranged slip bands (SBs) ahead of the crack tip which deflects the crack path making it more tortuous in the Al2O3 dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin selenide (SnSe) nanosheets, as 2D materials, exhibit many excellent optical and electronic properties and can be widely utilized in various potential applications, such as photodetectors, photovoltaic cells, optical sensors, and nonlinear optical devices. Herein, the 2D SnSe nanosheets are synthesized by the method combining lithium ion intercalation and sonication‐assisted liquid phase exfoliation. The morphology, structures, and chemical composition of as‐prepared 2D SnSe sample are systemically analyzed. Interestingly, the 2D SnSe nanosheets are successfully fabricated as a saturable absorber (SA) by depositing on a microfiber, which shows excellent nonlinear absorption property in a wide band. By incorporating SnSe‐based SA into the fiber lasers, stable mode‐locked pulses can be realized at 1.5 and 2 µm with a pulse duration of 0.542 and 2.12 ps, respectively. Additionally, harmonic mode locking of bound solitons is generated in the 1.5 µm fiber laser. Furthermore, dual‐wavelength mode‐locked pulses at 1897.3 and 1910.5 nm are also obtained in the 2 µm fiber laser. These results validate that 2D SnSe materials show great potential in nonlinear photonic devices for broadband ultrafast photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphdiyne (GDY) is a novel 2D all‐carbon nanomaterial, which has an intransic band gap, strong light–matter interaction, and large optical absorption in the infrared region, indicating that it has great potential in the field of mid‐infrared ultrafast photonics. Here, a Z‐scan method is used to demonstrate the broadband and strong nonlinear optical (NLO) response of GDY, and its performance in the application of mid‐infrared ultrafast photonics is explored for the first time. The experimental results demonstrate that its nonlinear parameters are superior to the current mainstream 2D materials. By using GDY as the saturable absorber, stable mode‐locked and chaotic pulses are obtained at 1.5 µm. In addition, as a mode‐locked device of thulium‐doped fiber laser, high‐power pulse output is obtained at 2 µm band. This work shows that GDY, as a promising NLO material, has opened up a new pathway for the development of near‐ and mid‐infrared photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a rising star of all‐carbon nanomaterial, graphdiyne (GDY) has a direct natural bandgap and features strong light–matter interaction, large optical absorption, superior chemical and optical stability, indicating its broad prospects in the field of photonics and optoelectronics. Herein, the broadband nonlinear absorption and transient absorption characteristics of GDY from visible to infrared region has been studied for the first time, and its promising application in ultrafast photonics has been explored. The large nonlinear absorption coefficient (> −1 cm GW−1), low saturation intensity (<13 GW cm−2), and ultrafast relaxation time (<30 ps) of GDY are demonstrated, which indicates the outstanding potential of GDY in photonics among the emerging novel nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. The GDY is mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to prepare the GDY–PVP nanocomposite, which further improved the stability of GDY. By using the GDY–PVP nanocomposite as saturable absorption material, ultrashort pulse lasers with pulse duration of 385.5 ps and 688 fs are obtained at 1 and 1.5 µm, respectively. This work reveals the excellent nonlinear optical properties of GDY and lays a foundation for its development in advanced nanophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Exploration of ultrastable 2D material‐based optical devices toward all‐optical signal processing is attracting rising interest. As a Group‐VA monoelemental 2D material, antimonene is becoming a promising nonlinear optical material owing to its outstanding optoelectronic advantages with long‐term stability. Herein, all‐optical signal processing based on the high optical nonlinearity of antimonene is first demonstrated. Few‐layer antimonene is fabricated and decorated on the microfiber as an optical device. The device can be applied as an all‐optical Kerr switcher with an extinction ratio as high as ≈12 dB and wavelength conversion of modulated high‐speed signals at a frequency up to 18 GHz. The findings indicate that such a few‐layer antimonene‐based photonics device is applicable in nonlinear optics, which can be potentially developed for the applications of next‐generation high‐speed optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: All‐optical modulators, wherein signal light can be manipulated by another controlling light, have recently emerged as a promising perspective in all‐optical communications, interconnects and signal processing. Herein, by taking advantage of the strong light‐matter interaction and thickness‐dependent direct energy bandgap in few‐layer phosphorene, an all‐fiber all‐optical modulator based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer comprising few‐layer fluorinated phosphorene‐deposited microfiber has been devised and further demonstrated with phase modulation ability. The phase shift of the signal light, capable of being converted into intensity modulation, could be readily controlled by the photothermal effect in phosphorene. A maximal phase shift of 8π is obtained at a control light of 290 mW, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 0.029 π mW−1. The optical information carried by the control light is successfully copied towards the signal light with a modulation depth of 17 dB and a rise time constant of 2.5 ms. Stability under ambient conditions is enhanced significantly thanks to atomistic fluorination in phosphorene that can overcome drawbacks of easy oxidation of intrinsic phosphorene and maintain performance for a long term. This prototypical phosphorene‐based all‐optical phase modulator will have a great potential to be applied in all‐optical information processing and be integrated into optical fiber systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 2D titanium disulfide (TiS2) is recently found to have strong light absorption properties from visible to infrared (IR) region. This feature is highly attractive for applications in nonlinear photonics; however, the mechanism of broadband light–matter interaction is yet to be determined and nonlinear photonic devices are not developed. Here, for the first time, the experimental evidence supporting the mechanism of the broadband nonlinear photoresponse in ultrathin TiS2 nanosheets ranging from 400 nm to 1390 nm is reported through laser Z‐scan measurements. High‐performance nonlinear photonic devices operating in the telecommunication band are also demonstrated. A novel saturable absorber (SA) device is successfully fabricated based on a 2D TiS2‐decorated fiber, which exhibits outstanding ultrashort pulse generation performance with pulse duration of ≈1.04 ps centered at 1569.5 nm. Furthermore, as a stable all‐optical thresholding component, the device can effectively attenuate noise and boost the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the pulse from 1.90 to 10.68 dB. The findings indicate that TiS2‐based SA devices can be developed into excellent highly nonlinear photonic devices, which may advance the development of TiS2‐based optical communication technologies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As the last element in Group VA, bismuthene has garnered substantial interest for its unique electronic and mechanical properties and its enhanced stability. However, the mechanism that drives the light‐bismuthene interaction remains completely unclear. Herein, a sonochemical exfoliation approach is employed to deliver a successful synthesis of few‐layer bismuthene. The corresponding nonlinear optical response at the visible wavelength is investigated. The nonlinear refractive index is ∼10−6 cm2/W and was measured by spatial self‐phase modulation. Thanks to its direct energy band‐gap at 1550 nm, the saturable absorption property of bismuthene is experimentally illustrated at the telecommunication band with an optical modulation depth of ∼2.03% and a saturable intensity of ∼30 MW/cm2. The optimization of the laser parameters resulted in the generation of an ∼652‐femtosecond optical pulse centered at 1559.18 nm. This result indicates that the bismuthene‐based saturable absorber is indeed a new and excellent material for an ultrafast saturable absorber device. Our work highlights the promise of this material in ultrafast photonics and may be considered as an important step towards bismuthene‐based photonics devices (optical modulator, optical switcher, detector, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical signal processing based on 2D materials is a hot topic which has attracted rising interests. As a novel class of 2D material, MXene is becoming a promising nonlinear photonics material. In this contribution, MXene Ti3C2Tx, prepared by liquid acid etching method, is developed as a novel all‐optical device by depositing on a microfiber, which shows an excellent nonlinear optical response at the telecommunication band. The as‐fabricated device is employed as a wavelength converter based on the nonlinear four‐wave mixing effect with a conversion efficiency of –59 dB carrying a 10 GHz signal. The proposed all‐optical wavelength converter based on MXene Ti3C2Tx can play a remarkable role in the future of optical communications and optical information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new member of the IV–V compounds, germanium–phosphorus (Ge–P) compounds, has been shown in experiment and theory to have a tunable bandgap (Eg), excellent chemical stability, strong in‐plane anisotropy, and wide‐range optical absorption, all indicating a promising future in electronic and optoelectronic applications. In this work, the application potential of Ge–P compounds as nonlinear optical (NLO) materials in ultrafast photonics is studied for the first time. The strong light–matter interaction, broad and tunable Ep, and broadband and strong optical response make GeP a likely NLO material for photonics, especially in infrared photonic devices. In addition, 2D GeP nanosheets are mixed with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to obtain a GeP@PVDF composite film, which further improves the stability of the GeP and, for the development of organic photonic devices, helps to slow its degradation. From Z‐scan data and fitting results, it is found that GeP has an excellent broadband NLO response. Moreover, using the GeP@PVDF composite film as a saturable absorber, a high‐stability femtosecond laser with a 722 fs pulse width is obtained in the telecommunications band. Preliminarily, Ge–P compounds display excellent optical properties suggesting that they may be used as NLO materials in advanced photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All‐optical modulators, where one light modulates the parameters of another light (intensity, phase, frequency, etc.) without external electronic control, have drawn extraordinary attention in all‐optical information processing. In this contribution, by taking advantage of the two‐pass structure of Michelson interferometer and the strong photothermal conversion efficiency of MXene nanomaterials, an all‐optical modulator is demonstrated with a modulation depth of >27 dB, a free spectrum range of 16.8 nm and a pump‐induced phase shift slope of 0.043 π mW−1. Moreover, the all‐optical modulator is successfully employed to switch on/off the intensity of the signal light and load information from one channel to another with comparable response time and baudrate. It is believed that the MXene‐based all‐optical modulator will open a door to practical applications of 2D materials‐based all‐optical devices in all‐optical signal processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Q‐switched fiber lasers are of great interest in industrial material processing, nonlinear frequency conversion, spectroscopy etc. However, passive Q‐switching possesses drawbacks of degradation and failure of the saturable absorber and the difficulty in accurate modification of the repetition rate. To overcome these issues, active Q‐switching that can normally modulate the cavity quality‐factor by an externally‐driven Q‐switcher is in high demand. Herein, an actively Q‐switched laser with antimonene‐based all‐optical modulator is devised based on the high photo‐thermal efficiency (48%) and broadband response in antimonene. It is demonstrated that this actively modulated laser represents all‐optically tunable output parameters (e.g., output repetition rate), environmental stability, and easy synchronization. It is anticipated that this actively antimonene‐based all‐optical modulator with advantages of large modulation depth, low energy consumption, and high conversion efficiency has great potential in all‐optical information processing and pulsed laser engineering. An all‐optical, actively Q‐switched fiber laser enabled by an antimonene‐based all‐optical modulator is demonstrated by taking advantage of the high photo‐thermal efficiency and broadband response in antimonene. It is demonstrated that this actively modulated fiber laser represents all‐optically tunable output parameters, environmental stability, and easy synchronization, and has great potentials in information processing and pulsed laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In article number 1800313, Han Zhang and co‐workers demonstrate an all‐optical, actively Q‐switched fiber laser enabled by an antimonene‐based all‐optical modulator. The pulsed pump light is absorbed by the 2D antimonene and induces intensity modulation of the signal light, causing the regulation of the intra‐cavity quality factor and the generation of Q‐switching pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]