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Without requiring noble metal materials, a novel low-cost \Ni2 \Si/TiO2/\Ni2\Si metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitor processed at 350 ^\circ\C has been developed using nickel fully silicided (Ni-FUSI) amorphous silicon electrodes. A high capacitance density of 17 \fF/\mu\m^2 along with a low top-electrode resistivity of \sim \38\ \mu\Omega \cdot \cm were achieved. At 25 ^\circ\C, this MIM capacitor also displays a good leakage current density of \6.4 \times \10^-6\ \A/cm^2 at -1 MV/cm (-2.5 V) and a quadratic voltage coefficient \alpha of 4110 \ppm/V^2. Schottky emission dominates the leakage current in low negative field (<1 MV/cm), whereas Poole–Frenkel effect appears in high negative field (> 1.4 MV/cm). The Schottky barrier height \PhiB at the \Ni2\Si/TiO2 interface was first extracted to be 0.8 eV, whereas the trap barrier height \Phi t in the \TiO2 film was 0.39 eV. Material characterization further reveals that this structure is highly appropriate for future ultralarge-scale-integration technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lately, carbazole‐based self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) are widely employed as effective hole‐selective layers (HSLs) in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Nevertheless, these SAMs tend to aggregate in solvents due to their amphiphilic nature, hindering the formation of a monolayer on the ITO substrate and impeding effective passivation of deep defects in the perovskites. In this study, a series of new SAMs including DPA‐B‐PY, CBZ‐B‐PY, POZ‐B‐PY, POZ‐PY, POZ‐T‐PY, and POZ‐BT‐PY are synthesized, which are employed as interfacial repairers and coated atop CNph SAM to form a robust CNph SAM@pseudo‐planar monolayer as HSL in efficient inverted PSCs. The CNph SAM@pseudo‐planar monolayer strategy enables a well‐aligned interface with perovskites, synergistically promoting perovskite crystal growth, improving charge extraction/transport, and minimizing nonradiative interfacial recombination loss. As a result, the POZ‐BT‐PY‐modified PSC realizes an impressively enhanced solar efficiency of up to 24.45% together with a fill factor of 82.63%. Furthermore, a wide bandgap PSC achieving over 19% efficiency. Upon treatment with the CNph SAM@pseudo‐planar monolayer, also demonstrates a non‐fullerene organic photovoltaics (OPVs) based on the PM6:BTP‐eC9 blend, which achieves an efficiency of 17.07%. Importantly, these modified PSCs and OPVs all show remarkably improved stability under various testing conditions compared to their control counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correlation between the intrinsic energy and the burst duration of non-repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been reported. If it exists, the correlation could be used to estimate the intrinsic energy from the duration, and thus could provide a new distance measure for cosmology. However, the correlation arose from small-number statistics (68 FRBs) and was not free from contamination by latent repeating populations, which might not have such a correlation. Finding a way to separate/exclude the repeating bursts from the mixture of all different types of FRBs is essential for investigating this property. Using a much larger sample from the new FRB catalogue (containing 536 FRBs) recently released by the CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment)/FRB Project, combined with a new classification method developed based on unsupervised machine learning, we carried out further scrutiny of the relationship. We found that there is a weak correlation between the intrinsic energy and duration for non-repeating FRBs at z < 0.3, with a Kendall τ correlation coefficient of 0.239 and a significance of 0.001 (statistically significant), whose slope looks similar to that of gamma-ray bursts. This correlation becomes weaker and insignificant at higher redshifts (z > 0.3), possibly owing to the lack of faint FRBs at high z and/or the redshift evolution of the correlation. The 'scattering time' in the CHIME/FRB catalogue shows an intriguing trend: it varies along the line obtained from a linear fit on the energy versus duration plane between these two parameters. A possible cosmological application of the relationship must wait for more observations of faint FRBs at high z. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current bottleneck in the development of efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution is the limited availability of high‐performance acceptor units. Over the past nine years, dibenzo[b,d]thiophene sulfone (DBS) has been the preferred choice for the acceptor unit. Despite extensive exploration of alternative structures as potential replacements for DBS, a superior substitute remains elusive. In this study, a symmetry‐breaking strategy was employed on DBS to develop a novel acceptor unit, BBTT‐1SO. The asymmetric structure of BBTT‐1SO proved beneficial for increasing multiple moment and polarizability. BBTT‐1SO‐containing polymers showed higher efficiencies for hydrogen evolution than their DBS‐containing counterparts by up to 166 %. PBBTT‐1SO exhibited an excellent hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 222.03 mmol g−1 h−1 and an apparent quantum yield of 27.5 % at 500 nm. Transient spectroscopic studies indicated that the BBTT‐1SO‐based polymers facilitated electron polaron formation, which explains their superior HERs. PBBTT‐1SO also showed 14 % higher HER in natural seawater splitting than that in deionized water splitting. Molecular dynamics simulations highlighted the enhanced water‐PBBTT‐1SO polymer interactions in salt‐containing solutions. This study presents a pioneering example of a substitute acceptor unit for DBS in the construction of high‐performance photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

14,14′‐Bidibenzo[a,j]anthracenes (BDBAs) were prepared by iridium‐catalyzed annulation of 5,5′‐biterphenylene with alkynes. The molecular geometries of overcrowded BDBAs were verified by X‐ray crystallography. The two dibenzo[a,j]anthryl moieties are connected through the sterically hindered 14 positions, resulting in highly distorted molecular halves. The conformation with a small twist angle between two molecular halves can minimize steric conflicts between the substituents at 1 and 13 positions and the carbon atoms of the central axis, as well as steric clashes between those substituents. One such example is octafluoro‐substituted BDBA, where the interplanar angle between two anthryl moieties is approximately 31° (currently the lowest reported value, cf. 81° in 9,9′‐bianthracene). The intramolecular interactions and electronic couplings between two molecular halves resulted in upfield 1H NMR signals, redshifted absorption and emission bands, and a reduced HOMO–LUMO gap. Photodynamic investigations on BDBAs indicated that the formation of the conventional symmetry‐breaking charge transfer (SBCT) state was suspended by restricted rocking around the central C−C bond. Such a mechanism associated with this highly constrained conformation was examined for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We developed a composite bio-tracer that is thermally stable, environmentally friendly, easy to detect, and suitable for fluid temperatures more than 120 °C. • The overall particle size average of about 52 nm, enabling migration along the reservoir fracture. • The bio-tracer remains detectable for more than 30 days in extreme environments (with temperatures of 120 °C and pH ranging from 1.5 to 13.0). • The bio-tracer has been put into actual geothermal site testing, and recovery reached 83.1 % after 28 days. Tracers are key to acquiring data on fluid transport behavior and hydrological parameters. In particular, in the harnessing of geothermal energy, it is used to determine the connections between production and injection wells, the hydrological parameters of geothermal reservoirs, and the efficiency of thermal recovery. Traditional tracers are expensive and may pollute the environment. In response to these challenges, we developed a composite bio-tracer that is thermally stable, environmentally friendly, easy to detect, inexpensive to produce, and suitable for environments with temperatures more than 120 °C. The composition of our composite bio-tracer includes a specific artificial DNA (Synthetic hybrid-DNA sequence fragments are implanted into the plasmid) that serves as the tracer label, a label-immobilized carrier and is encapsulation in a protective shell. The overall particle size can be controlled average of about 52 nm, enabling migration along the main channels of the reservoir through fluid flow. Laboratory verification indicated that the bio-tracer remains detectable for more than 30 days in extreme environments (geothermal water environments with temperatures of 120 °C and pH ranging from 1.5 to 13.0). The developed composite bio-tracer has been put into actual geothermal site testing and verification, and after 28 days of on-site testing, the tracer recovery reached 83.1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singlet fission (SF) holds great promise for current photovoltaic technologies, where tetracenes, with their relatively high triplet energies, play a major role for application in silicon‐based solar cells. However, the SF efficiencies in tetracene dimers are low due to the unfavorable energetics of their singlet and triplet energy levels. In the solid state, tetracene exhibits high yields of triplet formation through SF, raising great interest about the underlying mechanisms. To address this discrepancy, we designed and prepared a novel molecular system based on a hexaphenylbenzene core decorated with 2 to 6 tetracene chromophores. The spatial arrangement of tetracene units, induced by steric hindrance in the central part, dictates through‐space coupling, making it a relevant model for solid‐state chromophore organization. We then revealed a remarkable increase in SF quantum yield with the number of tetracenes, reaching quantitative (196 %) triplet pair formation in hexamer. We observed a short‐lived correlated triplet pair and limited magnetic effects, indicating ineffective triplet dissociation in these through‐space coupled systems. These findings emphasize the crucial role of the number of chromophores involved and the interchromophore arrangement for the SF efficiency. The insights gained from this study will aid designing more efficient and technology‐compatible SF systems for applications in photovoltaics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of biaryls, bi‐linear‐terphenylenes (BLTPs), were prepared using the tert‐butyllithium‐mediated cyclization as the key synthetic step. The three‐dimensional structures of the studied compounds were verified using X‐ray crystallography and DFT calculations. Tetraaryl(ethynyl)‐substituted BLTPs are highly crowded molecules, and the internal rotation around the central C−C bond is restricted due to a high barrier (>50 kcal/mol). These structures contain several aryl/terphenylenyl/aryl sandwiches, where the through‐space π‐π (TSPP) interactions are strongly reflected in the shielding of 1H NMR chemical shifts, reduction of oxidation potentials, increasing aromaticity of the central six‐membered ring and decreasing antiaromaticity of the four‐membered rings in a terphenylenyl moiety based on NICS(0) and iso‐chemical shielding surfaces. Despite the restricted C−C bond associated intramolecular TSPP interactions for BLTPs in the ground state, to our surprise, the electronic coupling between two linear terphenylenes (LTPs) in BLTPs in the excited state is weak, so that the excited‐state behavior is dominated by the corresponding monomeric LTPs. In other words, all BLTPs undergo ultrafast relaxation dynamics via strong exciton‐vibration coupling, acting as a blue‐light absorber with essentially no emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intractable brittleness and opacity of the crystalline semiconductor restrict the prospect of developing low‐cost imaging systems. Here, infrared visualization technologies are established with large‐area, semi‐transparent organic upconversion devices that bring high‐resolution invisible images into sight without photolithography. To exploit all photoinduced charge carriers, a monolithic device structure is proposed built on the infrared‐selective, single‐component charge generation layer of chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) coupled to two visible light‐emitting layers manipulated with unipolar charges. Transient pump‐probe spectroscopy reveals that the ClAlPc‐based device exhibits an efficient charge dissociation process under forward bias. This process is indicated by the prompt and strong features of electroabsorption screening. Furthermore, by imposing the electric field, the ultrafast excited state dynamic suggests a prolonged charge carrier lifetime from the ClAlPc, which facilitates the charge utilization for upconversion luminance. For the first time, >30% of the infrared photons are utilized without photomultiplication strategies owing to the trivial spectrum overlap between ClAlPc and the emitter. In addition, the device can broadcast the acoustic signal by synchronizing the device frequency with the light source, which enables to operate it in dual audio‐visual mode. The work demonstrates the potential of upconversion devices for affordable infrared imaging in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) offer the advantage of facile interfacial modification, leading to significant improvements in device performance. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a new series of carboxylic acid‐functionalized porphyrin derivatives, namely AC‐1, AC‐3, and AC‐5, and present, for the first time, a strategy to exploit the large π‐moiety of porphyrins as a backbone for interfacing the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and perovskite active layer in an inverted perovskite solar cell (PSC) configuration. The electron‐rich nature of porphyrins facilitates hole transfer and the formation of SAMs, resulting in a dense surface that minimizes defects. Comprehensive spectroscopic and dynamic studies demonstrate that the double‐anchored AC‐3 and AC‐5 enhance SAMs on ITO, passivate the perovskite layer, and function as conduits to facilitate hole transfer, thus significantly boosting the performance of PSCs. The champion inverted PSC employing AC‐5 SAM achieves an impressive solar efficiency of 23.19 % with a high fill factor of 84.05 %. This work presents a novel molecular engineering strategy for functionalizing SAMs to tune the energy levels, molecular dipoles, packing orientations to achieve stable and efficient solar performance. Importantly, our comprehensive investigation has unraveled the associated mechanisms, offering valuable insights for future advancements in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are mysterious bursts in the millisecond time-scale at radio wavelengths. Currently, there is little understanding about the classification of repeating FRBs, based on difference in physics, which is of great importance in understanding their origin. Recent works from the literature focus on using specific parameters to classify FRBs to draw inferences on the possible physical mechanisms or properties of these FRB subtypes. In this study, we use publicly available 1652 repeating FRBs from FRB 121102 detected with the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), and studied them with an unsupervised machine learning model. By fine-tuning the hyperparameters of the model, we found that there is an indication for four clusters from the bursts of FRB 121102 instead of the two clusters ('Classical' and 'Atypical') suggested in the literature. Wherein, the 'Atypical' cluster can be further classified into three sub-clusters with distinct characteristics. Our findings show that the clustering result we obtained is more comprehensive not only because our study produced results which are consistent with those in the literature but also because our work uses more physical parameters to create these clusters. Overall, our methods and analyses produced a more holistic approach in clustering the repeating FRBs of FRB 121102. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although vacuum‐deposited metal halide perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have great promise for use in large‐area high‐color‐gamut displays, the efficiency of vacuum‐sublimed PeLEDs currently lags that of solution‐processed counterparts. In this study, highly efficient vacuum‐deposited PeLEDs are prepared through a process of optimizing the stoichiometric ratio of the sublimed precursors under high vacuum and incorporating ultrathin under‐ and upper‐layers for the perovskite emission layer (EML). In contrast to the situation in most vacuum‐deposited organic light‐emitting devices, the properties of these perovskite EMLs are highly influenced by the presence and nature of the upper‐ and presublimed materials, thereby allowing us to enhance the performance of the resulting devices. By eliminating Pb° formation and passivating defects in the perovskite EMLs, the PeLEDs achieve an outstanding external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.9% when applying a very smooth and flat geometry; it reaches an extraordinarily high value of 21.1% when integrating a light out‐coupling structure, breaking through the 10% EQE milestone of vacuum‐deposited PeLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin B1-catalyzed synthesis of five hydrophilic benzoin-based COPs in quantitative yield was demonstrated. Among these COPs, B-PyTT-COP (D-π-A) showed excellent performance with a hydrogen evolution rate of 233.81 μmol h−1 (77935.10 μmol g−1h−1) and exceptional AQY values of 60.03 %, 61.10 %, and 65.35 % at 420, 460, and 500 nm, respectively, compared to COPs family. The AQY at 500 nm (65.35 %) also surpassed all other materials tested. Furthermore, thin film hydrogen production and oxygen evolution investigations revealed that benzoin-based COPs hold promise as viable candidates for these applications. [Display omitted] • Five new hydrophilic benzoin-based COPs were synthesized using a green strategy. • Benzoin linkage was incorporated for the first time as a new hydrophilic acceptor for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production. • The D-π-A architecture of benzoin-based COPs demonstrated improved charge transfer and increased photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency. • An unprecedented AQY of 65.35 % was displayed for benzoin-based COPs up to 500 nm. • Investigation of oxygen evolution and thin-film hydrogen evolution for benzoin-based COPs was conducted. So far, achieving high apparent quantum yield (AQY) in polymeric photocatalysts at wavelengths up to 500 nm has never been achieved. Covalent organic polymers (COPs) have the advantage of high structure function tunability. However, despite decades of development, COPs still lag in achieving high AQY value, highlighting the need for an optimal COP structural design for efficient photocatalysis. Herein, we present a green synthetic approach to synthesize five hydrophilic and non-conjugated linkage with D-π-A system benzoin-based COPs by self-condensation of multiformly monomers. Charge kinetic carrier and femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TAS) demonstrate the efficient charge transport of benzoin-based COPs. Among the synthesized photocatalysts, B-PyTT-COP (D-π-A) outperforms the COP family, with an excellent HER of 233.81 µmol h−1 (77935 µmol g−1h−1) using Platinum as co-catalyst. Remarkedly, B-PyTT-COP has achieved an exceptional ability to generate a high AQY value at 500 nm (65.35 %), surpassing all other materials examined thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hubble constant (H 0) is a measurement to describe the expansion rate of the Universe in the current era. However, there is a 4.4σ discrepancy between the measurements from the early Universe and the late Universe. In this research, we propose a model-free and distance-free method to constrain H 0. Combining Friedman–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker cosmology with geometrical relation of the proper motion of extragalactic jets, the lower limit (H 0,min) of H 0 can be determined using only three cosmology-free observables: the redshifts of the host galaxies, and the approaching and receding angular velocities of radio jets. Using these, we propose to use the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (K–S test) between cumulative distribution functions of H 0,min to differentiate cosmology. We simulate 100, 200, and 500 extragalactic jets with three levels of accuracy of the proper motion (μa and μr), at 10, 5, and 1 per cent, corresponding to the accuracies of the current and future radio interferometers. We perform K–S tests between the simulated samples as theoretical distributions with different H 0 and power-law index of velocity distribution of jets and mock observational data. Our result suggests increasing sample sizes leads to tighter constraints on both power-law index and the Hubble constant at moderate accuracy (i.e. |$10$| and |$5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠), while at |$1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| accuracy, increasing sample sizes leads to tighter constraints on power-law index more. Improving accuracy results in better constraints in the Hubble constant compared with the power-law index in all cases, but it alleviates the degeneracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Effects caused by the morphology of mesoporous silica on the characterization of protic ionic liquid-based composite membranes for anhydrous proton exchange membrane applications are investigated. Two types of SBA15 materials with platelet and fiberlike morphologies are synthesized and incorporated into a mixture of polymerizable monomers together with an ionic liquid (IL) [1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfone)imide (BMIm-TFSI)] to form new conducting membranes using an in situ photo crosslinking process. Incorporation of a defined amount of fiber-shaped SBA 15 and platelet 15 significantly increases the ionic conductivity to between two and three times that of a plain poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/IL membrane (2.3mScm−1) at 160°C. The protic ionic liquid (PIL) retention ability of the membranes is increased by the capillary forces introduced by the mesoporous silica materials, while ionic conductivity loss after leaching test is retarded. The highest ionic conductivity (5.3mScm−1) is obtained by incorporating 5wt% of P-SBA 15 in the membrane to about six times that of plain PMMA/IL membrane (0.9mScm−1) at 160°C after leaching test. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Liposomes, which encapsulate drugs into an inner aqueous core and demonstrate high drug-loading capacity, have attracted considerable interest in the field of drug delivery. Herein, the encapsulation processes for amphiphilic copolymers within liposomes have been investigated systematically to enhance the encapsulation capacity and optimize the structures using dissipative particle dynamics simulations. The results indicate that the physicochemical properties of lipids, receptors, and amphiphilic copolymers collectively determine the encapsulation behaviors of liposomes. Adjusting the hydrophobic interaction between hydrophobic tails of lipids (receptors) and hydrophobic blocks of copolymers, along with modulating the specific interaction between ligands and the functional head groups of receptors, can lead to various encapsulation capacities. Significantly, a medium hydrophobic interaction strength or a strong specific interaction is conducive to achieving a higher degree of encapsulation for amphiphilic copolymers. Furthermore, varying the key parameters, such as the hydrophobic interaction, the specific interaction, as well as the concentrations of lipids and receptors, can induce seven typical aggregate structures: heterogeneous, fully encapsulated, partially encapsulated, saturated-encapsulated, unsaturated-encapsulated, multilamellar, and column-like structures. The final phase diagrams are also constructed to provide a guideline for designing various structures of liposomes encapsulated with amphiphilic copolymers. These results significantly contribute to the illumination of strategies for the rational construction of the self-assembly system that facilitates the efficient encapsulation of amphiphilic copolymers within the inner aqueous core of liposomes, thereby providing valuable insights into the optimal design of liposome carriers for future biomedical applications.

Objectives: Campylobacter is a significant zoonotic pathogen primarily transmitted through poultry. Our study aimed to assess antimicrobial resistance and genetic relationships among Campylobacter isolates from retail chicken meat and humans in Taiwan., Methods: Campylobacter isolates were analysed using whole-genome sequencing to investigate their antimicrobial resistance, genetic determinants of resistance, and genotypes., Results: Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni accounted for 44.9% and 55.1% of chicken meat isolates, and 11.4% and 88.6% of human isolates, respectively. C. coli displayed significantly higher resistance levels. Furthermore, isolates from chicken meat exhibited higher levels of resistance to most tested antimicrobials compared to isolates from humans. Multidrug resistance was observed in 96.3% of C. coli and 43.3% of C. jejuni isolates from chicken meat and 80.6% of C. coli and 15.8% of C. jejuni isolates from humans. Macrolide resistance was observed in 85.5% of C. coli isolates, primarily attributed to the erm(B) rather than the A2075G mutation in 23S rRNA. Among the 511 genomes, we identified 133 conventional MLST sequence types, indicating significant diversity among Campylobacter strains. Notably, hierarchical Core-genome multilocus sequence typing clustering, including HC0, HC5, and HC10, revealed a significant proportion of closely related isolates from chicken meat and humans., Conclusions: Our research highlights significant associations in antimicrobial resistance and genetic relatedness between Campylobacter isolates from chicken meat and humans in Taiwan. The genetic analysis data suggest that campylobacteriosis outbreaks may occur more frequently in Taiwan than previously assumed. Our study emphasizes the need for strategies to control multidrug-resistant strains and enhance outbreak prevention., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae complex is a significant global healthcare threat, particularly carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter hormaechei (CPEH). From January 2017 to January 2021, twenty-two CPEH isolates from a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan were identified with the carriage of carbapenemase genes bla KPC-2 , bla IMP-8 , and predominantly bla OXA-48 . Over 80% of these CPEH strains clustered into the high-risk ST78 lineage, carrying a bla OXA-48 IncL plasmid (pOXA48-CREH), nearly identical to the endemic plasmid pOXA48-KP in ST11 Klebsiella pneumoniae . This OXA-48-producing ST78 lineage disseminated clonally from 2018 to 2021 and transferred pOXA48-CREH to ST66 and ST90 E. hormaechei . An IMP-8-producing ST78 strain harbouring a bla IMP-8 -carrying pIncHI2 plasmid appeared in 2018, and by late 2020, a KPC-2-producing ST78 strain was identified after acquiring a novel bla KPC-2 -carrying IncFII plasmid. These findings suggest that the high-risk ST78 lineage of E . hormaechei has emerged as the primary driver behind the transmission of CPEH . ST78 has not only acquired various carbapenemase-gene-carrying plasmids but has also facilitated the transfer of pOXA48-CREH to other lineages. Continuous genomic surveillance and targeted interventions are urgently needed to control the spread of emerging CPEH clones in hospital settings.

In pursuing high stability and power conversion efficiency for organic photovoltaics (OPVs), a sequential deposition (SD) approach to fabricate active layers with p-i-n structures (where p, i, and n represent the electron donor, mixed donor:acceptor, and electron acceptor regions, respectively, distinctively different from the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) structure) has emerged. Here, we present a novel approach that by incorporating two polymer donors, PBDBT-DTBT and PTQ-2F , and one small-molecule acceptor, BTP-3-EH-4Cl , into the active layer with sequential deposition, we formed a device with nanometer-scale twin p-i-n structured active layer. The twin p-i-n PBDBT-DTBT:PTQ-2F/BTP-3-EH-4Cl device involved first depositing a PBDBT-DTBT:PTQ-2F blend under layer and then a BTP-3-EH-4Cl top layer and exhibited an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) value of 18.6%, as compared to the 16.4% for the control BHJ PBDBT-DTBT:PTQ-2F:BTP-3-EH-4Cl device or 16.6% for the single p-i-n PBDBT-DTBT/BTP-3-EH-4Cl device. The PCE enhancement resulted mainly from the twin p-i-n active layer's multiple nanoscale charge carrier pathways that contributed to an improved fill factor and faster photocurrent generation based on transient absorption studies. The PBDBT-DTBT:PTQ-2F/BTP-3-EH-4Cl film possessed a vertical twin p-i-n morphology that was revealed through secondary ion mass spectrometry and synchrotron grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering analyses. The thermal stability ( T 80 ) at 85 °C of the twin p-i-n PBDBT-DTBT:PTQ-2F/BTP-3-EH-4Cl device surpassed that of the single p-i-n PBDBT-DTBT/BTP-3-EH-4Cl devices (906 vs 196 h). This approach of providing a twin p-i-n structure in the active layer can lead to substantial enhancements in both the PCE and stability of organic photovoltaics, laying a solid foundation for future commercialization of the organic photovoltaics technology.

Bacterial genotyping through whole-genome sequencing plays a crucial role in disease surveillance and outbreak investigations in public health laboratories. This study assessed the effectiveness of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing in the genotyping of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Our results indicated that ONT sequences, generated with the R10.4.1 flow cell and basecalled using the Dorado 0.5.0 Super Accurate 4.3 model, exhibited comparable accuracy to Illumina sequences, effectively discriminating among bacterial strains from outbreaks. These findings suggest that ONT sequencing has the potential to be a promising tool for rapid whole-genome sequencing of bacterial pathogens in public health laboratories for epidemiological investigations., Importance: This study unveils that Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing, by itself, holds the potential to serve as a whole-genome sequencing-based genotyping tool in public health laboratories, enabling routine subtyping of bacterial isolates for disease surveillance and outbreak investigations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Using a transfer printing technique, we imprint a layer of a designated near-infrared fluorescent dye BTP-eC9 onto a thin layer of Pt(II) complex, both of which are capable of self-assembly. Before integration, the Pt(II) complex layer gives intense deep-red phosphorescence maximized at ~740 nm, while the BTP-eC9 layer shows fluorescence at > 900 nm. Organic light emitting diodes fabricated under the imprinted bilayer architecture harvest most of Pt(II) complex phosphorescence, which undergoes triplet-to-singlet energy transfer to the BTP-eC9 dye, resulting in high-intensity hyperfluorescence at > 900 nm. As a result, devices achieve 925 nm emission with external quantum efficiencies of 2.24% (1.94 ± 0.18%) and maximum radiance of 39.97 W sr -1 m -2 . Comprehensive morphology, spectroscopy and device analyses support the mechanism of interfacial energy transfer, which also is proved successful for BTPV-eC9 dye (1022 nm), making bright and far-reaching the prospective of hyperfluorescent OLEDs in the near-infrared region., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Highly emissive semiconductor nanocrystals, or so-called quantum dots (QDs) possess a variety of applications from displays and biology labeling, to quantum communication and modern security. Though ensembles of QDs have already shown very high photoluminescent quantum yields (PLQYs) and have been widely utilized in current optoelectronic products, QDs that exhibit high absorption cross-section, high emission intensity, and, most important, nonblinking behavior at single-dot level have long been desired and not yet realized at room temperature. In this work, infrared-emissive MAPbI 3 -based halide perovskite QDs is demonstrated. These QDs not only show a ≈100% PLQY at the ensemble level but also, surprisingly, at the single-dot level, display an extra-large absorption cross-section up to 1.80 × 10 -12 cm 2 and non-blinking single photon emission with a high single photon purity of 95.3%, a unique property that is extremely rare among all types of quantum emitters operated at room temperature. An in-depth analysis indicates that neither trion formation nor band-edge carrier trapping is observed in MAPbI 3 QDs, resulting in the suppression of intensity blinking and lifetime blinking. Fluence-dependent transient absorption measurements reveal that the coexistence of non-blinking behavior and high single photon purity in these perovskite QDs results from a significant repulsive exciton-exciton interaction, which suppresses the formation of biexciton, and thus greatly reduces photocharging. The robustness of these QDs is confirmed by their excellent stability under continuous 1 h electron irradiation in high-resolution transmission electron microscope inspection. It is believed that these results mark an important milestone in realizing nonblinking single photon emission in semiconductor QDs., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: Salmonella , a zoonotic pathogen, significantly impacts global human health. Understanding its serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance is crucial for effective control measures and medical interventions., Methods: We collected Salmonella isolates and demographic data from Taiwanese hospitals between 2004 and 2022, analyzing their serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility., Results: Among 40,595 isolates, salmonellosis predominated in children aged 0-4 (61.2%) years and among males (55.2%). Males also showed higher rates of extraintestinal infections (18.1% vs 16.0%, P <0.001), particularly, in the ≥65 years age group (52.4%). The top five serovars were S. Enteritidis (32.8%), S. Typhimurium (21.7%), S. Newport (6.2%), S. Stanley (4.7%), and S. Anatum (4.0%). Notably, S . Enteritidis prevalence increased from 23.9% (2004-2005) to 43.6% (2021-2022). Antimicrobial resistance was high, with a 51.6% multidrug resistance (MDR) rate. Disturbingly, MDR rates exceeded 90% in serovars Albany, Schwarzengrund, Choleraesuis, and Goldcoast. Resistance to key therapeutic agents, azithromycin, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin, exhibited concerning upward trends, and the surge in cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin resistance was closely linked to the emergence and spread of MDR S. Anatum and S. Goldcoast clones., Conclusions: Prioritizing control measures against S . Enteritidis and closely monitoring the prevalence and spread of MDR clones are imperative to mitigate Salmonella infections in Taiwan., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Converting solar energy into hydrogen energy using conjugated polymers (CP) is a promising solution to the energy crisis. Improving water solubility plays one of the critical factors in enhancing the hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of CP photocatalysts. In this study, a novel concept of incorporating hydrophilic side chains to connect the backbones of CPs to improve their HER is proposed. This concept is realized through the polymerization of carbazole units bridged with octane, ethylene glycol, and penta-(ethylene glycol) to form three new side-chain-braided (SCB) CPs: PCz2S-OCt, PCz2S-EG, and PCz2S-PEG. Verified through transient absorption spectra, the enhanced capability of PCz2S-PEG for ultrafast electron transfer and reduced recombination effects has been demonstrated. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) analyses reveal that these three SCB-CPs form cross-linking networks with different mass fractal dimensions (f) in aqueous solution. With the lowest f value of 2.64 and improved water/polymer interfaces, PCz2S-PEG demonstrates the best HER, reaching up to 126.9 µmol h -1 in pure water-based photocatalytic solution. Moreover, PCz2S-PEG exhibits comparable performance in seawater-based photocatalytic solution under natural sunlight. In situ SAXS analysis further reveals nucleation-dominated generation of hydrogen nanoclusters with a size of ≈1.5 nm in the HER of PCz2S-PEG under light illumination., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Designing an organic polymer photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution with visible and near-infrared (NIR) light activity is still a major challenge. Unlike the common behavior of gradually increasing the charge recombination while shrinking the bandgap, we present here a series of polymer nanoparticles (Pdots) based on ITIC and BTIC units with different π-linkers between the acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) repeated moieties of the polymer. These polymers act as an efficient single polymer photocatalyst for H2 evolution under both visible and NIR light, without combining or hybridizing with other materials. Importantly, the difluorothiophene (ThF) π-linker facilitates the charge transfer between acceptors of different repeated moieties (A-D-A-(π-Linker)-A-D-A), leading to the enhancement of charge separation between D and A. As a result, the PITIC-ThF Pdots exhibit superior hydrogen evolution rates of 279 µmol/h and 20.5 µmol/h with visible (>420 nm) and NIR (>780 nm) light irradiation, respectively. Furthermore, PITIC-ThF Pdots exhibit a promising apparent quantum yield (AQY) at 700 nm (4.76%)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Importance: Carbapenem resistance arising from the loss of porins is commonly observed in extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase-producing strains of certain Enterobacteriaceae genera, including Klebsiella pneumoniae , Escherichia coli , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . However, this resistance mechanism is rarely reported in the Salmonella genus. To address this knowledge gap, our study offers genetic evidence demonstrating that the loss of two specific porins (OmpC&#95;378 and OmpD) is crucial for the development of carbapenem resistance in Salmonella ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase-producing strains. Furthermore, our findings reveal that most Salmonella serovars carry seven porin parathologs, with OmpC&#95;378 and OmpD being the key porins involved in the development of carbapenem resistance in Salmonella strains., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Carbapenem-resistant ST11&#95;KL64 Klebsiella pneumoniae emerged as a significant public health concern in Taiwan, peaking between 2013 and 2015, with the majority of isolates exhibiting OXA-48 as the sole carbapenemase. In this study, we employed whole-genome sequencing to investigate the molecular underpinnings of ST11&#95;KL64 isolates collected from 2013 to 2021. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a notable genetic divergence between the ST11&#95;KL64 strains in Taiwan and those in China, suggesting an independent evolutionary trajectory. Our findings indicated that the ST11&#95;KL64&#95;Taiwan lineage originated from the ST11&#95;KL64 lineage in Brazil, with recombination events leading to the integration of ICE Kp11 and a 27-kb fragment at the tRNA ASN sites, shaping its unique genomic landscape. To further elucidate this unique sublineage, we examined the plasmid contents. In contrast to ST11&#95;KL64&#95;Brazil strains, which predominantly carried bla KPC-2 , ST11&#95;KL64&#95;Taiwan strains exhibited the acquisition of an epidemic bla OXA-48 -carrying IncL plasmid. Additionally, ST11&#95;KL64&#95;Taiwan strains consistently harbored a multi-drug resistance IncC plasmid, along with a collection of gene clusters that conferred resistance to heavy metals and the phage shock protein system via various Inc-type plasmids. Although few, there were still rare ST11&#95;KL64&#95;Taiwan strains that have evolved into hypervirulent CRKP through the horizontal acquisition of pLVPK variants. Comprehensive characterization of the high-risk ST11&#95;KL64 lineage in Taiwan not only sheds light on its epidemic success but also provides essential data for ongoing surveillance efforts aimed at tracking the spread and evolution of ST11&#95;KL64 across different geographical regions. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of CRKP evolution is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat its emergence and dissemination., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Li, Wang, Chen, Tang, Chen, Teng, Chiou, Lu and Lai.)

Objectives: We investigated the temporal trends of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) clones in Taiwan from 2004 to 2019, focusing on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), resistance genetic determinants, and plasmid types., Methods: Salmonella isolates were characterized using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), whole-genome sequencing, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Clones were defined using PFGE clustering and the hierarchical cgMLST clustering (HierCC) assignments., Results: Seven major S. Typhimurium clones, HC100&#95;2, 13, 41, 305, 310, 501, and 46261, accounted for 97.6% (8079/8275) of human isolates in Taiwan. Each clone displayed a unique AMR profile, resistance genetic determinants, and plasmid types. Four highly resistant clones (HC100&#95;2, 41, 305, and 310) exhibited multiple resistance in 86.5% to 96.1% of isolates. HC100&#95;305 and HC100&#95;2 were pandemic multidrug-resistant clones, characterized by resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamides, and tetracycline (ACSSuT) and ASSuT, respectively. The prevalence of the ACSSuT clone decreased from 68.7% of S. Typhimurium isolates in 2004 to 1.7% in 2019, while the ASSuT clone emerged in 2007 and became the largest clone after 2010. Several plasmids, including IncHI2-IncHI2A, IncC, IncFIB(K), and IncI1-1(α), carried multiple resistance genes or were associated with the carriage of mph(A), bla CMY-2 , and bla DHA-1 ., Conclusions: Between 2004 and 2019, Taiwan experienced the emergence, prevalence, and subsequent decline of several highly resistant S. Typhimurium clones. The clones defined using the HierCC approach have global comparability. The increasing resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, cephamycins, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin in recent years poses a significant medical concern., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The accuracy of Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing has significantly improved thanks to new flowcells, sequencing kits, and basecalling algorithms. However, novel modification types untrained in the basecalling models can seriously reduce the quality. Here we reports a set of ONT-sequenced genomes with unexpected low quality due to novel modification types. Demodification by whole-genome amplification significantly improved the quality but lost the epigenome. We also developed a reference-based method, Modpolish, for correcting modification-mediated errors while retaining the epigenome when a sufficient number of closely-related genomes is publicly available (default: top 20 genomes with at least 95% identity). Modpolish not only significantly improved the quality of in-house sequenced genomes but also public datasets sequenced by R9.4 and R10.4 (simplex). Our results suggested that novel modifications are prone to ONT systematic errors. Nevertheless, these errors are correctable by nucleotide demodification or Modpolish without prior knowledge of modifications., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

As a leading cause of chronic kidney disease, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) involves insidious but progressive impairments of renal tubules, and is associated with premature renal aging. The underlying pathomechanisms remain elusive. Post hoc analyses of the publicly-available renal transcriptome revealed that TGFβ1 is overexpressed in renal tubulointerstitia in patients with DKD and positively correlated with kidney aging signaling. This finding was validated in kidney biopsy specimens collected from patients with DKD, associated with renal tubular senescence and degenerative changes. In vitro in renal tubular epithelial cells, exposure to a diabetic milieu, stimulated with high ambient glucose and TGFβ1, elicited premature senescence, as evidenced by staining for senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and increased expression of p16 INK4A , and p53. This coincided with Serpin E1 induction, in parallel with increased fibronectin accumulation and reduced expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin, all indicative of degenerative changes. Reminiscent of the action of typical senolytics, a small molecule inhibitor of Serpin E1 substantially mitigated the pro-senescent and degenerating effects of the diabetic milieu, suggesting an essential role of Serpin E1 in mediating renal tubular senescence upon diabetic insult. Moreover, inhibition of Serpin E1 abolished the diabetic insult-triggered paracrine senescence of renal tubular cells. In consistency, in patients with DKD, renal tubular expression of Serpin E1 was upregulated and positively correlated with tubular senescence and fibrosis in renal tubulointerstitia. Collectively, diabetic insult induces renal tubular degeneration and premature senescence via, at least in part, Serpin E1 signaling., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To establish and modify quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based serotyping assays to distinguish 97 pneumococcal serotypes., Methods: A database of capsular polysaccharide ( cps ) loci sequences was generated, covering 97 pneumococcal serotypes. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify the cps loci structure and target genes related to different pneumococcal serotypes with specific SNPs. A total of 27 novel qPCR serotyping assay primers and probes were established based on qPCR, while 27 recombinant plasmids containing serotype-specific DNA sequence fragments were constructed as reference target sequences to examine the specificity and sensitivity of the qPCR assay. A panel of pneumococcal reference strains was employed to evaluate the capability of pneumococcal serotyping., Results: A total of 97 pneumococcal serotyping assays based on qPCR were established and modified, which included 64 serotypes previously reported as well as an additional 33 serotypes. Twenty-seven novel qPCR serotyping target sequences were implemented in the pneumococcal qPCR serotyping system. A total of 97 pneumococcal serotypes, which included 52 individual serotypes and 45 serotypes belonging to 20 serogroups, could not be identified as individual serotypes. The sensitivity of qPCR assays based on 27 target sequences was 1-100 copies/µL. The specificity of the qPCR assays was 100%, which were tested by a panel of 90 serotypes of the pneumococcal reference strains., Conclusion: A total of 27 novel qPCR assays were established and modified to analyze 97 pneumococcal serotypes., (Copyright © 2023 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

The rotation of a C = C bond in an alkene can be efficiently accelerated by creating the high-strain ground state and stabilizing the transition state of the process. Herein, the synthesis, structures, and properties of several highly twisted alkenes are comprehensively explored. A facile and practical synthetic approach to target molecules is developed. The twist angles and lengths of the central C = C bonds in these molecules are 36-58° and 1.40-1.43 Å, respectively, and confirmed by X-ray crystallography and DFT calculations. A quasi-planar molecular half with the π-extended substituents delivers a shallow rotational barrier (down to 2.35 kcal/mol), indicating that the rotation of the C = C bond is as facile as that of the aryl-aryl bond in 2-flourobiphenyl. Other versatile and unique properties of the studied compounds include a broad photoabsorption range (from 250 up to 1100 nm), a reduced HOMO-LUMO gap (1.26-1.68 eV), and a small singlet-triplet energy gap (3.65-5.68 kcal/mol)., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) spectromicroscopy is a powerful technique that enables label-free detection of chemical bonds with high specificity. However, the low Raman cross section due to typical far-electronic resonance excitation seriously restricts the sensitivity and undermines its application to bio-imaging. To address this bottleneck, the electronic preresonance (EPR) SRS technique has been developed to enhance the Raman signals by shifting the excitation frequency toward the molecular absorption. A fundamental weakness of the previous demonstration is the lack of dual-wavelength tunability, making EPR-SRS only applicable to a limited number of species in the proof-of-concept experiment. Here, we demonstrate the EPR-SRS spectromicroscopy using a multiple-plate continuum (MPC) light source able to examine a single vibration mode with independently adjustable pump and Stokes wavelengths. In our experiments, the C═C vibration mode of Alexa 635 is interrogated by continuously scanning the pump-to-absorption frequency detuning throughout the entire EPR region enabled by MPC. The results exhibit 150-fold SRS signal enhancement and good agreement with the Albrecht A-term preresonance model. Signal enhancement is also observed in EPR-SRS images of the whole Drosophila brain stained with Alexa 635. With the improved sensitivity and potential to implement hyperspectral measurement, we envision that MPC-EPR-SRS spectromicroscopy can bring the Raman techniques closer to a routine in bio-imaging.

A CTX-M-65‒producing Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis clone, probably originating in Latin America and initially reported in the United States, has emerged in Taiwan. Chicken meat is the most likely primary carrier. Four of the 9 drug resistance genes have integrated into the chromosome: bla CTX-M-65 , tet(A), sul1, and aadA1.

We identified an erm42 -carrying integrative and conjugative element, ICE&#95;erm42, in 26.4% of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Albany isolates recovered from human salmonellosis between 2014 and 2019 in Taiwan. ICE&#95;erm42-carrying strains displayed high-level resistance to azithromycin and the element could move into the phylogenetically distant Vibrio cholerae via conjugation., (Copyright © 2021 American Society for Microbiology.)

We compared the interspecific differences in leaf nutrient resorption of two dominant understory species ( Lophatherum gracile and Oplimenus unulatifolius ), and analyzed the correlations between the intraspecific efficiency of leaf nutrient resorption and nutrient properties of soil and leaves in Chinese fir plantation. The results showed high soil nutrient heterogeneity in Chinese fir plantation. Soil inorganic nitrogen content and available phosphorus content varied from 8.58 to 65.29 mg·kg -1 and from 2.43 to 15.20 mg·kg -1 in the Chinese fir plantation, respectively. The soil inorganic nitrogen content in O. undulatifolius community was 1.4 times higher than that in L. gra-cile community, but there was no significant difference in soil available phosphorus content between the two communities. Both leaf nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency of O. unulatifolius was significantly lower than that of L. gracile under the three measurement bases of leaf dry weight, leaf area, and lignin content. Resorption efficiency in L. gracile community expressed on leaf dry weight was lower than that expressed on leaf area and lignin content, while resorption efficiency expressed on leaf area was the lowest in O. unulatifolius community. The intraspecific resorption efficiency was significantly correlated with leaf nutrient contents, but was less correlated with soil nutrient content, and only the nitrogen resorption efficiency of L. gracile had significant positive correlation with soil inorganic nitrogen content. The results indicated that there was significant difference in the leaf nutrient resorption efficiency between the two understory species. Soil nutrient heterogeneity exerted a weak effect on the intraspecific nutrient resorption, which might be attributed to high soil nutrient availability and potential disturbance from canopy litter in Chinese fir plantation.