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Next generation mobile devices and computing architectures would benefit from ultra-high bandwidth technologies that efficiently transport and process optical signals. Subsurface fabrication can address this challenge by forming volumetric photonic integrated circuits with a more compact aerial footprint than planar on-chip circuits. These 3D optical systems may utilize densely packed low-loss, freeform optical interconnects for high volume data transfer. In this Perspective, we provide a comparative overview of the two main methods for subsurface fabrication, including our recently developed SCRIBE process, and assess the advantages and future directions of each approach. After analyzing the underlying technologies, we provide a roadmap of important steps to transition from laboratory demonstrations of individual elements to industrial-scale production of subsurface volumetric photonic integrated circuits.

Lithium-rich anti-perovskite materials, with their high theoretical Li+ conductivity and relatively low energy barrier for Li+ transport, are highly promising as an electrolyte contender in all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries. Their current performance is however compromised by the grain boundary to result in low Li+ conductivity and high activation energy. Herein, a composite electrolyte is prepared by introducing the glassy Li3BO3 into the Li2OHCl to serve as a bridge to connect the Li2OHCl grains together to lower the impact from the grain boundary. The Li + conductivity of Li2OHCl can be improved by the presence of 10 wt% Li3BO3, and its impact on the lithium metal growth behavior is also investigated. It is found that the lithium-metal battery with Li3BO3/Li2OHCl prefers the deposition of lithium metal particles with larger size than that in the battery with Li2OHCl. Consequently, the lithium-metal symmetric cell with 10 wt% Li3BO3/Li2OHCl is able to display excellent cycling for over 1800 h at 0.1 mA cm−2. The batteries with 10 wt% Li3BO3/Li2OHCl are also able to improve the cycle stability and rate performance. The results of this study provide the direct experimental proof of the effect of grain boundary in Li2OHCl on the battery performance.

The bandgap of two-dimensional (2D) materials plays an important role in their applications to various devices. For instance, the gapless nature of graphene limits the use of this material to semiconductor device applications, whereas the indirect bandgap of molybdenum disulfide is suitable for electrical and photo-device applications. Therefore, predicting the bandgap rapidly and accurately for a given 2D material structure has great scientific significance in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. Compared to the extremely high computation cost of conventional first-principles calculations, machine learning (ML) based on statistics may be a promising alternative to predicting bandgaps. Although ML algorithms have been used to predict the properties of materials, they have rarely been used to predict the properties of 2D materials. In this study, we apply four ML algorithms to predict the bandgaps of 2D materials based on the computational 2D materials database (C2DB). Gradient boosted decision trees and random forests are more effective in predicting bandgaps of 2D materials with an R2 >90% and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ~0.24 eV and 0.27 eV, respectively. By contrast, support vector regression and multi-layer perceptron show that R2 is >70% with RMSE of ~0.41 eV and 0.43 eV, respectively. Finally, when the bandgap calculated without spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is used as a feature, the RMSEs of the four ML models decrease greatly to 0.09 eV, 0.10 eV, 0.17 eV, and 0.12 eV, respectively. The R2 of all the models is >94%. These results show that the properties of 2D materials can be rapidly obtained by ML prediction with high precision.

Previous studies have found that team abusive supervision causes detrimental consequences for team effectiveness. Yet, they have provided little insight regarding what team members can do to allevi...

A method is proposed for extracting building points set from light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) data. This proposed method is based on a strip strategy to filter building points and extract the edge point set rapidly and effectively in large-scale urban building groups. This approach divides the LiDAR data into small strips and classifies each strip of data with an adaptive-weight polynomial in the $x$ - or $y$ -direction. The building edge set can then be extracted by utilizing the regional clustering relationships between points. The results of a series of experiments show that our method can not only filter the LiDAR point cloud, which performs better than existing methods, but also determine the building edge set efficiently, with an average accuracy rate of up to 91.1%.

Obtaining transgenic plants is a common method for analyzing gene function. Unfortunately, stable genetic transformation is difficult to achieve, especially for plants (e.g., soybean), which are recalcitrant to genetic transformation. Transient expression systems, such as Arabidopsis protoplast, Nicotiana leaves, and onion bulb leaves are widely used for gene functional studies. A simple method for obtaining transgenic soybean callus tissues was reported recently. We extend this system with simplified culture conditions to gene functional studies, including promoter analysis, expression and subcellular localization of the target protein, and protein-protein interaction. We also evaluate the plasticity of this system with soybean varieties, different vector constructs, and various Agrobacterium strains. The results indicated that the callus transformation system is efficient and adaptable for gene functional investigation in soybean genotype-, vector-, and Agrobacterium strain-independent modes. We demonstrated an easy set-up and practical homologous strategy for soybean gene functional studies.

Two studies were performed to assess the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum B1 in prevention of pathogenic Escherichia coli K88 gastrointestinal infection in broilers. In an in vitro study, L. plantarum B1 showed resistance to acid and bile and inhibited the growth of E. coli K88. Additionally, L. plantarum B1 exhibited high ability to adhere to broiler embryo ileal epithelium. In an animal trial, 240 broilers at 1 d of age were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatment arms: negative control (NC) broilers fed a basal diet and not challenged; positive control (PC) broilers fed a basal diet and challenged with E. coli K88; L. plantarum (LP) treatment broilers fed a basal diet containing 2 × 109 cfu/kg L. plantarum B1 and challenged with E. coli K88; and antibiotic treatment (Anti) broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with colistin sulfate (20 mg/kg) and challenged with E. coli K88. Broilers fed L. plantarum B1 had greater (P ≤ 0.05) BW than those in the PC treatment on d 14 and 28. Dietary L. plantarum B1 decreased (P < 0.05) E. coli counts in the cecal contents on d 10 and 14, and increased (P < 0.05) cecal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on d 8, 10, 14, and 28 compared with the PC treatment. Dietary supplementation of L. plantarum B1 increased (P < 0.05) the ileal mucosal secretory IgA concentration and reduced (P < 0.05) IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in the ileum. Overall, these results suggest dietary supplementation of L. plantarum B1 promotes growth performance, lowers cecal E. coli counts, and increases the population of cecal LAB, as well as improves intestinal mucosal immunity in E. coli K88-challenged broilers.

Airborne LiDAR technology is a popular technique to quickly acquire high-precision information of the ground and the objects above it. Moreover, filtering the data is one of the necessary core processing steps. In recent years, many algorithms have been derived from traditional filtering algorithms. However, when applied to LiDAR data obtained from mountainous regions, most algorithms generate numerous omissions and errors when attempting to retain steep terrain features and filter vegetation information. This paper aims to quickly and accurately extract the digital terrain model (DTM) in mountainous regions. To accomplish this goal, a filtering algorithm based on a regular mesh generation strategy is proposed. The proposed algorithm initially divides the huge amount of point cloud data into strips and selects the appropriate spacing to subdivide each strip into equidistant grid data. The grid data is used as the input to an iterative polynomial fitting process, after which the point cloud is classified based on a controlled threshold. The experimental results show that the proposed method can quickly and efficiently classify data of mountains with different characteristics while retaining terrain feature information better than other algorithms. The average accuracy of recognition is greater than 92%. In addition, this algorithm also applies to mountains with lush vegetation.

Understanding the shape-dependent superlattices and resultant anisotropies of both structure and property allows for rational design of materials processing and engineering to fabricate transformative materials with useful properties for applications. This work shows the structural evolution from square lattice of two-dimensional (2D) thin film to rhombic lattice of large three-dimensional (3D) assembles of Pt3Co nanocubes (NCs). Synchrotron-based X-ray supercrystallography determines the superlattice of large 3D supercrystal into an obtuse rhombohedral (Rh) symmetry, which holds a long-range coherence of both NC translation and atomic crystallographic orientation. The Rh superlattice has a trigonal cell angle of 104°, and the constitute NCs orient their atomic Pt3Co(111) planes to the superlattice Rh[111] direction. The temperature-dependent in situ small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) measurements reveal a thermally induced superlattice contraction of supercrystal, which maintains translati...

Great progress has been achieved in the research field of topological states of matter during the past decade. Recently, a quasi–1-dimensional bismuth bromide, Bi(4)Br(4), has been predicted to be a rotational symmetry-protected topological crystalline insulator; it would also exhibit more exotic topological properties under pressure. Here, we report a thorough study of phase transitions and superconductivity in a quasihydrostatically pressurized α-Bi(4)Br(4) crystal by performing detailed measurements of electrical resistance, alternating current magnetic susceptibility, and in situ high-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction together with first principles calculations. We find a pressure-induced insulator–metal transition between ∼3.0 and 3.8 GPa where valence and conduction bands cross the Fermi level to form a set of small pockets of holes and electrons. With further increase of pressure, 2 superconductive transitions emerge. One shows a sharp resistance drop to 0 near 6.8 K at 3.8 GPa; the transition temperature gradually lowers with increasing pressure and completely vanishes above 12.0 GPa. Another transition sets in around 9.0 K at 5.5 GPa and persists up to the highest pressure of 45.0 GPa studied in this work. Intriguingly, we find that the first superconducting phase might coexist with a nontrivial rotational symmetry-protected topology in the pressure range of ∼3.8 to 4.3 GPa; the second one is associated with a structural phase transition from monoclinic C2/m to triclinic P-1 symmetry.

Using light as a probe to investigate perturbations with deep subwavelength dimensions in large-scale wafers is challenging because of the diffraction limit and the weak Rayleigh scattering. In this Letter, we report on a nondestructive noninterference far-field imaging method, which is built upon electrodynamic principles (mechanical work and force) of the light-matter interaction, rather than the intrinsic properties of light. We demonstrate sensing of nanoscale perturbations with sub-10 nm features in semiconductor nanopatterns. This framework is implemented using a visible-light bright-field microscope with a broadband source and a through-focus scanning apparatus. This work creates a new paradigm for exploring light-matter interactions at the nanoscale using microscopy that can potentially be extended to many other problems, for example, bioimaging, material analysis, and nanometrology.

In order to more effectively solve complicated geometric constraint problems by applying swarm intelligence technologies, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm based on graph knowledge transfer for geometric constraint solving (GCS) is proposed. By fusing the graph knowledge transfer mechanism into the PSO algorithm to select parameters deciding the algorithm performance, avoiding getting stuck in a local extreme value and then making the algorithm stagnating when solving a practical complicated geometric constraint problem. Empirical results show that using the graph knowledge transfer mechanism to select the parameters of PSO can obtain high-quality parameters of GCS. It improves the efficiency and reliability of GCS and possess better convergence property.

In order to solve the face recognition problem with different factors such as light, human expression and angle of shooting, a nonlinear principal component feature extraction neural network model is used in this paper. Researchers have proposed many algorithms for identifying applications, but the limitations of single algorithms cannot meet the requirements of practical application. By introducing the nonlinear principal component analysis (PCA), the proposed algorithm deletes a large amount of nonlinear data on the premise that a small amount of information can be guaranteed after linear dimensionality reduction. And the computational complexity of the neural network algorithm (BPNN) is large, so we use the nonlinear principal component analysis method to ensure the amount of information of the original data, and combined with the neural network algorithm to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. Empirical results show that PCA method can effectively reduce redundant data and ensure data integrity. Data after dimensionality reduction can improve the computational efficiency of neural network algorithm. The BPNN based PCA model can effectively solve the time consumption and recognition accuracy of the face recognition.

In order to solve the labelling component hotspots of drawings problem with database for power plant, an Optical character recognition (OCR) hot spot recognition model based on template matching (OCRTM) is used in this paper. In our opinion a very important percent of text used to be “OCRed” is coming from labeling components of drawings and realizing the links and matching function according to the method of operating hotspot, thus also encapsulates method of editing hotspot in this component which include the add operation, modify operation and delete operation of hotspot. Empirical results show that the relationship structure can be established from the top floor drawings to the lowest level drawings, and the relationship structure can facilitate users to get drawings information through hot spots. The proposed architecture based on template matching. Performance can effectively solve the recognition hot spots and the relationship between drawing and hot spots problem.

Recovering tiny nanoscale features using a general optical imaging system is challenging because of poor signal to noise ratio. Rayleigh scattering implies that the detectable signal of an object of size d illuminated by light of wavelength λ is proportional to d(6)/λ(4), which may be several orders of magnitude weaker than that of additive and multiplicative perturbations in the background. In this article, we solve this fundamental issue by introducing the regularized pseudo-phase, an observation quantity for polychromatic visible light microscopy that seems to be more sensitive than conventional intensity images for characterizing nanoscale features. We achieve a significant improvement in signal to noise ratio without making any changes to the imaging hardware. In addition, this framework not only retains the advantages of conventional denoising techniques, but also endows this new measurand (i.e., the pseudo-phase) with an explicit physical meaning analogous to optical phase. Experiments on a NIST reference material 8820 sample demonstrate that we can measure nanoscale defects, minute amounts of tilt in patterned samples, and severely noise-polluted nanostructure profiles with the pseudo-phase framework even when using a low-cost bright-field microscope.

Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) is a broadly utilized nanoscale inspection technique capable of imaging wet or insulating samples. It extends the application of conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and has been extensively used to study the behavior of liquid, polymer, and biomaterials by allowing for a gaseous environment. However, the presence of gas in the chamber can severely degrade the image resolution and contrast. This typically limits the ESEM operating pressure below 1000 Pa. The dynamic interactions, which require even-higher sensitivity and resolution, are particularly challenging to resolve at high-pressure conditions. Here, we present an enhanced ESEM technique using phase reconstruction to extend the limits of the ESEM operating pressure while improving the image quality, which is useful for sensing weak scattering from transparent or nanoscale samples. We applied this method to investigate the dynamics of condensing droplets, as an example case, which is of fundamental importance and has many industrial applications. We visualized dynamic processes such as single-droplet growth and droplet coalescence where the operating pressure range was extended from 1000 to 2500 Pa. Moreover, we detected the distribution of nucleation sites on the nanostructured surfaces. Such nanoscale sensing has been challenging previously due to the limitation of resolution and sensitivity. Our work provides a simple approach for high-performance ESEM imaging at high-pressure conditions without changes to the hardware and can be widely applied to investigate a broad range of static and dynamic processes.

We report systematic studies of a new quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) compound, Ba3TiTe5, and the high-pressure induced superconductivity therein. Ba3TiTe5 was synthesized at high pressure and high temperature. It crystallizes into a hexagonal structure (P63/mcm), which consists of infinite face-sharing octahedral TiTe6 chains and Te chains along the c axis, exhibiting a strong 1D characteristic structure. The first-principles calculations demonstrate that Ba3TiTe5 is a well-defined 1D conductor; thus, it can be considered a starting point to explore the exotic physics induced by pressure by enhancing the interchain hopping to move the 1D conductor to a high-dimensional metal. For Ba3TiTe5, high-pressure techniques were employed to study the emerging physics dependent on interchain hopping, such as the Umklapp scattering effect, spin/charge density wave (SDW/CDW), superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behavior. Finally, a complete phase diagram was plotted. The superconductivity emerges at 8.8 GPa, near which the Umklapp gap is mostly suppressed. Tc is enhanced and reaches a maximum of ~6 K at ~36.7 GPa, where the SDW/CDW is completely suppressed, and a non-Fermi liquid behavior appears. Our results suggest that the appearance of superconductivity is associated with the fluctuation due to the suppression of the Umklapp gap and that the enhancement of the Tc is related to the fluctuation of the SDW/CDW. Superconductivity has been observed at high pressure in the material Ba3TiTe5 by researchers in China. Atoms can form conducting chains that run through some crystalline solids. Current flowing along these chains is effectively limited to only a single dimension, which gives these solids properties and effects not seen in conventional three-dimensional materials. Jun Zhang from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Scieneces and colleagues performed studies that indicate that such one-dimensional conductors can occur in the compound Ba3TiTe5, specifically along the tellurium and titanium–tellurium chains of atoms. The team investigated the properties of this material under increasing pressure and observed a transition to a superconducting state. The authors propose that this superconductivity arises as the high pressure increases coupling between the one-dimensional chains. A new quasi 1D compound Ba3TiTe5 was synthesized at high pressure and high temperature, which has been evidenced to be a well-defined 1D conductor. Here, for Ba3TiTe5, in-situ high-pressure techniques were employed to study the emerging physics dependent on interchain hopping, such as the Umklapp scattering effect, SDW/CDW, superconductivity and non-Fermi Liquid behavior. The pressure induced superconductivity was observed. It is suggested that the appearance of superconductivity is associated with the fluctuation due to the suppression of Umklapp gap and the enhancement of Tc is related with the fluctuation of the SDW/CDW.

Two-dimensional Bi2Se3 thin films have attracted widespread attention as an ideal platform of high-performance optoelectronic applications. Understanding the intrinsic optical/electronic properties of Bi2Se3 thin films is vital for Bi2Se3-based optoelectronic applications. Here, the complex optical conductivities of a series of Bi2Se3 thin films with a varying number of quintuple layers are investigated by combining spectroscopic ellipsometry with the classical slab model over a broad spectral range of 0.73–6.43 eV. Results show that the zero-cross point of the imaginary complex optical conductivity exhibits a blueshift trend due to the enhanced coupling between the surface states as the thickness of Bi2Se3 thin film approaches the two-dimensional limit. Five feature peaks (A–E) are identified in the complex optical conductivity spectra, and their center energies exhibit interesting thickness dependencies, which are mainly attributed to the increased surface state gap due to the finite-size effects when the Bi2Se3 thin film gradually approaches the two-dimensional limit. Our work not only gives insights into the tunable optical properties of Bi2Se3 thin films but also reveals its intrinsic physical origin, which are essential and imperative for accurate modeling and design of Bi2Se3-based optoelectronic devices.

Microspheres, microcylinders and more complex dielectric structures can create nanoscale concentrations of directed energy. Thanks to advances in fabrication techniques, these optical jets could soon find their way into applications.

Summary Nucleation site distribution is ubiquitous in many natural and industrial processes, such as liquid-to-vapor phase change, gas-evolving reactions, and solid-state material growth. However, a comprehensive understanding of nucleation site distribution remains elusive. These limitations are due to the challenge of probing micro/nanoscopic nucleation sites and inadequate statistical interpretation of the nucleation process. Here we report direct experimental observation of nucleation site distribution in droplet condensation using phase-enhanced environmental scanning electron microscopy. We also use statistical theory to demonstrate that the population of nucleation sites is governed by the Poisson distribution, whereas the nearest-neighbor distance follows the Rayleigh distribution instead of the commonly used Poisson distribution. We further show the broad applicability of these insights into nucleation site distribution to hydrogen-evolving reactions and chemical vapor deposition. Our platform, combining precise characterization and theory, advances the fundamental understanding of nucleation phenomena and guides designs from materials to devices.

The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) 765G>C polymorphism has been extensively investigated for association with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, results of different studies have been inconsistent. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between the 765G>C polymorphism of the COX-2 gene and susceptibility to AD. We searched all related subjects in PubMed, Embase, SinoMed, and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and identified seven studies that reported a relationship between the COX-2 765G>C polymorphism and AD. A total of 1260 cases and 1112 controls were included in the seven studies. Our data suggest that the COX-2 765G>C polymorphism may decrease the risk of AD in five genetic models. As a result, this meta-analysis suggests the 765G>C polymorphism of the COX-2 gene may be a protective factor for AD. As our sample size was limited, large-scale, well-designed studies are necessary to validate the association between the COX-2 765G>C polymorphism and AD.

Pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) and thermal-driven recrystallization have been observed in many crystalline materials. However, controllable switching between PIA and a metastable phase has not been described yet, due to the challenge to establish feasible switching methods to control the pressure and temperature precisely. Here, we demonstrate a reversible switching between PIA and thermally-driven recrystallization of VO2(B) nanosheets. Comprehensive in situ experiments are performed to establish the precise conditions of the reversible phase transformations, which are normally hindered but occur with stimuli beyond the energy barrier. Spectral evidence and theoretical calculations reveal the pressure–structure relationship and the role of flexible VOx polyhedra in the structural switching process. Anomalous resistivity evolution and the participation of spin in the reversible phase transition are observed for the first time. Our findings have significant implications for the design of phase switching devices and the exploration of hidden amorphous materials., Pressure can either make materials more disordered, like amorphization, or more thermodynamic stable, yet the switching between the two metastable phases has not been described. Wang et al. study it in vanadium oxide nanosheets and highlight the role played by spin and charge during the transition.

Na-rich antiperovskites are recently developed solid electrolytes with enhanced sodium ionic conductivity and show promising functionality as a novel solid electrolyte in an all solid-state battery. In this work, the sodium ionic transport pathways of the parent compound Na3OBr, as well as the modified layered antiperovskite Na4OI2, were studied and compared through temperature-dependent neutron diffraction combined with the maximum entropy method. In the cubic Na3OBr antiperovskite, the nuclear density distribution maps at 500 K indicate that sodium ions hop within and among oxygen octahedra, and Br(-) ions are not involved. In the tetragonal Na4OI2 antiperovskite, Na ions, which connect octahedra in the ab plane, have the lowest activation energy barrier. The transport of sodium ions along the c axis is assisted by I(-) ions.

A comprehensive study of the structural and magnetic properties of the Ni2Mn1.48Sb0.52 compound is presented using neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements. It is found that Mn atoms on 4a and 4b sites are ferrimagnetic coupled in the austenitic phase. At 300 K, the magnetic moments of Mn (4a) and Mn (4b) are determined to be 2.72(3) μB and − 2.67(5) μB, respectively. From 260 K to 4 K, the compound is in martensite phase and the magnetic moments of Mn (2a), Mn (2f), Mn (2b), Mn (2e) at 4 K are 2.2(5) μB, 2.3(5) μB, − 2.1(5) μB, and − 2.6(5) μB, respectively.

Resume Introduction Pour evaluer l’effet possible de la mutation de genes de la polyarthrite rhumatoide (PR), nous avons realise un genotypage en hospitalier, par une etude cas-temoin dans une cohorte chinoise, en correlant le polymorphisme nucleotidique simple (SNP) au microARN (miARN)-146q (rs2910164) a la polyarthrite rhumatoide et nous avons par la suite entrepris une meta-analyse en utilisant la litterature disponible. Methodes Six cent quinze patients et 839 temoins ont ete inclus dans l’etude. Le polymorphisme du gene du miARN-146a (rs2910164) a ete detecte en utilisant un kit custom-by-design 48-Plex SNP scan. De plus, nous avons realise une recherche systematique de la litterature et avons identifie 7 etudes supplementaires avec 1066 cas et 1513 temoins. Resultats Nous n’avons pas retrouve d’association significative entre le polymorphisme miARN-146a et le risque de PR dans notre cohorte. Les resultats des meta-analyses suggerent l’absence d’association entre le polymorphisme miARN-146a et la PR dans tous ses modeles genetiques. Cependant, lorsque des analyses de sous-groupe ont ete realisees, le genotype GG a ete significativement associe a la PR feminines, et l’indice DAS28 pourrait etre influence significativement par le genotype CC. Conclusions Notre etude avait suggere que le polymorphisme miARN-146a pouvait ne pas etre associe a la susceptibilite a la RP ; cependant, le genotype miARN-146 GG pourrait augmenter le risque de PR chez les femmes, et le genotype CC pourrait influencer l’activite de la maladie lorsque celle-ci est evaluee par le DAS28.

High pressure is an effective means for tuning the interparticle distances of nanoparticle (NP) superlattices and thus for modifying their physical properties and functionalities. In this work, we determined the evolution of inter-NP distances of a Pt NP superlattice with increasing pressure using an in situ synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique in a diamond-anvil cell (DAC). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize the microstructures of pre- and post-compression samples. Our results demonstrate that the evolution of Pt NP assemblies with increasing pressure consists of four stages: (1) ligand elastic response, (2) uniform compression, (3) ligand detachment from NP surfaces, and (4) deviatoric compression of ligands between neighboring NPs. By controlling the magnitudes of applied pressure and deviatoric stress, one can sinter NPs into novel architectures such as nanowires and nanoceramics.

Lithium-rich anti-perovskites (LiRAPs), with general formula Li3OX (X = Cl, Br), recently reported as superionic conductors with 3-dimensional Li+ migrating channels, are emerging as promising candidates for solid electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, great challenges remain in the fabrication of pure LiRAPs due to difficulties such as low yield, impurity phases, thermodynamic instabilities, and moisture-sensitivity. In this work, we thoroughly studied the formation mechanism of Li3OCl and Li3OBr using various solid-state reaction routes. Different experimental strategies were developed to improve the syntheses, namely, for the purposes of phase stability, phase purity, and large-scale production. One feasible method is to use the strong reducing agents Li metal or LiH to eliminate the OH species. The results show that LiH is more effective than Li metal, mainly due to negatively charged H− and reaction uniformity. The other successful method employs a solid diffusion approach using Li2O and LiX as the starting reagents, thereby avoiding OH entirely; ball milling of reagents under Ar atmosphere was utilized to decrease initial grain size and increase the reaction rate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analyses, and first-principles calculations were performed to give indications on the reaction pathway.

It has been an increasing interest to develop strategies to improve utilization of fibrous ingredients in swine. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an Aspergillus oryzae prebiotic (AOP, Amaferm®) on in vitro digestibility and fermentability of energy and dry matter using a 3-step in vitro enzymatic digestion and fermentation. Three diets were formulated based on corn-DDGS (DDGS), rice bran (RB), and wheat middlings (WM). During in vitro hydrolysis and fermentation, 0.05% AOP was added to the diets (DDGS+AOP, RB+AOP, and WM+AOP) and sole ingredients. Each 2-g sample was hydrolyzed for 2 h with pepsin and for a subsequent 4 h with pancreatin. Hydrolyzed residues were filtered, washed, dried, weighed, pooled within the same sample, and used for subsequent fermentation using swine fecal inoculum. Volume of gas produced was recorded at 11 time points during 72 h of incubation. Parameters of gas production kinetics were calculated using a nonlinear monophasic model, and differences among treatment groups were compared using a mixed model. Supplementation of AOP increased (P < 0.05) in vitro digestibility of gross energy (IVDGE) and dry matter (IVDDM) in the diets and AOP tended to increase (P = 0.06) dry matter fermentability of the diets. Supplementation of AOP during fermentation did not (P > 0.1) affect maximum gas production in ingredients or diets. AOP decreased the half-time to asymptote (T/2) in the ingredient of DDGS+AOP compared with that of DDGS and increased the fraction rate of degradation at T/2 in the diet of RB+AOP compared with that of RB. In conclusion, supplementation of AOP increased energy and dry matter digestibility of the diets during in vitro hydrolysis and modified gas production kinetics during in vitro fermentation and the effects were dietary- and ingredient-type dependent.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an Aspergillus oryzae prebiotic (AOP, Amaferm®) on nutrient digestibility in growing pigs fed high fiber diets. Eighteen growing barrows (initial BW = 50.60 ± 4.90 kg) were surgically equipped with a T-cannula at the distal ileum. Three diets were formulated by including 29.65% corn-distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), 36.65% rice bran (RB) or 24.59% wheat middlings (WM) in corn and soybean meal-based diets to meet nutrient requirements for 50 to 75 kg growing pigs. Three additional diets were formulated by supplementing 0.05% AOP at the expense of corn in DDGS (DDGS + AOP), RB (RB + AOP), and wheat middlings (WM + AOP) diets. Pigs were allotted randomly to a triplicated 6 × 2 Youden square design with 6 diets and 2 successive periods. Feces and ileal digesta were collected for 2 d after a 21 d adaptation period, and nutrient content was analyzed to calculate apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and apparent ileal digestibility (AID). Standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids was calculated by correcting AID with basal endogenous amino acid losses determined from the same set of pigs. Supplementation of 0.05% AOP increased (P < 0.05) ATTD of DM, GE, CP, NDF, and ash in DDGS, RB, and WM diets. Diet DE was 35 kcal/kg greater (P < 0.05) in pigs fed AOP supplemented diets compared with those fed diets without AOP. Pigs fed DDGS+AOP diet had greater (P < 0.05) AID of ether extract compared to those fed DDGS diet. However, supplementation of AOP did not (P > 0.05) affect AID of GE, DM, CP, NDF, ash or SID of amino acids. In conclusion, supplementation of AOP in high fiber diets containing DDGS, RB, or WM increased total tract energy value and nutrient digestibility.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to predict the modulation of band gap by twisting bilayer MoS2 sheets with different rotation angles. The electronic band structure results show that the rotations can make bilayer MoS2 sheets change from semiconducting to metallic. The band gap decreases from 1.24eV to 0.06eV. These results would open up possibilities for its applications in nanoelectronic devices simply by tuning band gaps of MoS2 with rotation angles.

Density-functional theory (DFT) in combination with the nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism is performed to study the electronic and transport properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons with defects. The results show that the electronic and transport properties vary with different type of defects. The binding energy indicate that single-defect AGNRs are the most stable structure and line-defect AGNRs are the most unstable structure. The transmission spectra show that the defective AGNRs become disorder and the value decreases. The energy gap at the Fermi level become wider. These results would guide the experiments in real applications.

In situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments were conducted in the system Li-O-Br at pressures up to 6.5 GPa and temperatures up to the melting points. The thermal equation of state determined from the P–V–T measurements indicates that crystalline anti-perovskite Li3OBr exhibits similar thermo-elastic properties to common salts. At temperatures that are 50–75 °C below the crystal melting, a pre-melting behavior was inferred based on weakened Bragg intensity and a substantial increase in the diffuse scattering. Concurrent with the onset of pre-melting, an anomalous increase in the lattice volume was observed and is interpreted as anion sublattice disorder. These findings support previous ab initio molecular dynamics simulations based on a simple anion interchange mechanism, indicating that structural disorder below crystal melting temperature can be a main driving force for Li-sublattice melting and superionic transition in the Li3OBr anti-perovskite.

Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) is a powerful technique that enables imaging of diverse specimens (e.g., biomaterials, chemical materials, nanomaterials) in a hydrated or native state while simultaneously maintaining micro‐to‐nanoscale resolution. However, it is difficult to achieve high signal‐to‐noise and artifact‐free secondary electron images in a high‐pressure gaseous environment due to the intensive electron‐gas collisions. In addition, nanotextured substrates can mask the signal from a weakly scattering sample. These drawbacks limit the study of material dynamics under extreme conditions and correspondingly our understanding in many fields. In this work, an imaging framework called Quasi‐Newtonian ESEM is proposed, which introduces the concepts of quasi‐force and quasi‐work by referencing the scattering force in light–matter interactions, to break these barriers without any hardware changes. It is shown that quasi‐force is a more fundamental quantity that has a more significant connection with the sample morphology than intensity in the strongly scattering regime. Experimental and theoretical studies on the dynamics of droplet condensation in a high‐pressure environment (up to 2500 Pa) successfully demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the framework and that the overwhelmed signal of interest in ESEM images can be reconstructed through information stored in the time domain, i.e., frames captured at different moments., This work introduces an electron imaging framework called quasi‐Newtonian environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) that outperforms conventional ESEM in characterizing materials dynamics in high‐pressure gaseous environments.

Will knowledge make CEOs more or less humble? Based on upper echelon theory and humble leadership research, this paper develops and examines a model that explains how the breadth and depth of knowl...

Derived from team leaders’ role modeling effect, aggressive interpersonal norms have been hinted as a key mediating mechanism explaining the negative effects of team abusive supervision on team eff...

Neutron diffraction studies have been carried out on carbon monoxide (CO) in the temperature range of 14–68 K. From the data of the temperature dependent crystal parameters, the volume thermal expansion β (T), C–O bond length, and intermolecular distance of CO have been determined and compared with calculations. The volume evolution of cubic CO solids indicates a normal thermal expansion. However, the bond length of CO molecules contracts with the increase in temperature. Correspondingly, the distance between CO molecules increases much faster with an increase in the temperature. We find that intermolecular and intramolecular interactions account for these abnormal temperature behaviors of CO molecular crystals. The abnormal change observed in the curve β (T), evolution of C–O bond length, and distance between two CO molecules indicate an order–disorder phase transition induced by head-to-tail reorientations of CO dipoles.

Nonuniform depolarization properties of SiO 2 thin film, two-dimensional (2D) Si grating, and three-dimensional Si cylinder grating, were systematically investigated by Lu-Chipman decomposition. We find that introducing surface profiles with dimensions comparable to the detecting wavelengths can lead to obvious nonuniform depolarization, and control of the sample azimuth can manipulate the uniformity of the depolarizer components. The results indicate that the 2D nanostructure shows obvious nonuniform depolarization at 0° and 90° azimuths, while almost uniform depolarization at 45° azimuth. These discovered phenomena may give rise to some potential applications, such as the detection of the existence of nanostructures without a priori information about the sample, and the design of a uniform or nonuniform depolarizer.

Background:Brain structural connectome comprise of a minority of efficiently interconnected rich club nodes that are regarded as ‘high-order regions’. The remission of major depressive disorder (MDD) in response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment could be investigated by the hierarchical structural connectomes’ alterations of subnetworks.Methods:Fifty-five MDD patients who achieved remission underwent diffusion tensors imaging (DTI) scanning from 3 cohorts before and after 8-weeks antidepressant treatment. Five hierarchical subnetworks namely, rich, local, feeder, rich-feeder and feeder-local, were constructed according to the different combinations of connections and nodes as defined by rich club architecture. The critical treatment-related subnetwork pattern was explored by multivariate pattern analysis with support vector machine to differ the pre-/post-treatment patients. Then, relationships between graph metrics of discriminative subnetworks/ nodes and clinical variables were further explored.Results:The feeder-local subnetwork presented the most discriminative power in differing pre-/post- treatment patients, while the rich-feeder subnetwork had the highest discriminative power when comparing pre-treatment patients and controls. Furthermore, based on the feeder connection, which indicates the information transmission between the core and non-core architectures of brain networks, its topological measures were found to be significantly correlated with the reduction rate of 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression.Conclusion:Although pathological lesion on MDD relied on abnormal core organization, disease remission was association with the compensation from non-core organization. These results suggested that the dysfunctions arising from hierarchical subnetworks are compensated by increased information interactions between core brain regions and functionally diverse regions.

Major advances in crop yield are eternally needed to cope with population growth. To balance vegetative and reproductive growth plays an important role in agricultural yield. To extend vegetative phase can increase crop yield, however, this strategy risks loss of yield in the field as crops may not mature in time before winter come. Here, we identified a repression feedback loop between GmFTL/GmFDL and GmGRF5-1 (Glycine-max-Flowering-Locus-T/Glycine-max-FDL and Glycine-max-GROWTH-REGULATING-FACTOR5-1), which functions as a pivotal regulator in balancing vegetative and reproductive phases in soybean. GmFTL/GmFDL and GmGRF5-1 directly repress gene expression each other. Additionally, GmGRF5-1 enhances vegetative growth by directly enhancing expression of photosynthesis- and auxin synthesis-related genes. To modulate the loop, such as fine-tuning GmFTL expression to trade-off vegetative and reproductive growth, increases substantially soybean yield in the field. Our findings not only uncover the mechanism balancing vegetative and reproductive growth, but open a new window to improve crop yield.

ABX3 perovskites, as the largest family of crystalline materials, have attracted tremendous research interest worldwide due to their versatile multifunctionalities and the intriguing scientific principles underlying them. Their counterparts, antiperovskites (X3 BA), are actually electronically inverted perovskite derivatives, but they are not an ignorable family of functional materials. In fact, inheriting the flexible structural features of perovskites while being rich in cations at X sites, antiperovskites exhibit a diverse array of unconventional physical and chemical properties. However, rather less attention has been paid to these "inverse" analogs, and therefore, a comprehensive review is urgently needed to arouse general concern. Recent advances in novel antiperovskite materials and their exceptional functionalities are summarized, including superionic conductivity, superconductivity, giant magnetoresistance, negative thermal expansion, luminescence, and electrochemical energy conversion. In particular, considering the feasibility of the perovskite structure, a universal strategy for enhancing the performance of or generating new phenomena in antiperovskites is discussed from the perspective of solid-state chemistry. With more research enthusiasm, antiperovskites are highly anticipated to become a rising star family of functional materials.