bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Hedging in Facebook Comments: A Sex- and Age-based Approach
Authors: Mugair Sarab kadir , Ibrahim Inst. Atyaf Hasan , Abbas Amthal Mohammed
Published: May 2019

The study investigates the effect of sex and age on the use of hedges in Facebook comments. The sample of the study consists of 300 comments written by native male and female Facebook users as their reflections to the same posts. The procedures followed in this study cover the discussion of the phenomenon and then its relation to world of social media. Then, an analysis of the posts of the sample of the study is tackled. The analysis aims at exploring whether the variables, sex and age, are traceable in reflecting the ways by which male and female language users can give their stances via hedging in Facebook comments. Hyland’s (2005) model is adopted in the process of analysis. The findings uncovered that there are fundamental contrasts with respect to sex and age in the area of hedging; female users make more use of hedges than male do in addition to the idea that the older one grows, the more use of hedges is.
Explicitation by Textual Addition in Parentheses in Translating the Quranic Text into English
Authors: Hawamdeh Mohammad Amin
Published: May 2019

This study aims at exploring new norms as to the textual addition in parentheses (=TAiP) strategy in translating the Quran into English and improving the target text. In such a controversial yet officially approved English version of the Quran as the Hilali-Khan Translation (=HKT), it is to identify binary categories under which the TAiPs can fall and, accordingly, propose a possible corpus-based improvement of the same. Based upon a descriptive approach, this goal mainly concerns itself with the issue of explicitation in pursuance with Klaudy’s (1998/2008) typology. Hypothetically, the TAiPs in such a translation of the Quran are not normatively explicitative, and they only interrupt the flow of attention of a potential TL reader. Six small-sized Surahs/chapters of the Quran in sequence were selected; this sample was to equally represent the Makki and Madani types of Quranic revelation and the whole conceptual story narrated by the Quran. Encountered in the HKT, the TAiPs were classified to be: linguistically explicitative (=LinE) as obligatory or optional, and referentially explicitative (=RefE) as pragmatic or technical. However, they were found to be either filling-out or specifying—or, say, to either continue or interrupt the flow of attention of a reader. Eventually, several binary translational norms of TAiPs were determined and an improved version of the HKT was accordingly proposed.
Theta Roles Assigned to Subject Argument in Arabic and English Passive Voice
Authors: Shamsan Muayad
Published: May 2019

This descriptive study sought to compare and contrast theta roles assigned to the passive voice arguments with special reference to the subject in Arabic and English. The findings of the study showed that both Arabic and English, though they belong to different language families, have close similarities concerning theta roles that could be assigned to the subject of the passive voice. The subject could have various theta roles (theme, patient, experiencer, source, goal, recipient, instrument, beneficiary, or location) in the two languages. The agent theta role could hardly be possible for a passive subject in the two languages. Agentive passive where the agent occurs in a prepositional phrase is more common in English than in Arabic. The study also showed that the recipient is preferably used as a subject of passive sentences with ditransitive verbs in the two languages. On the other hand, there are middle voice constructions in Arabic whose subject has a recipient theta role. The English counterpart for such constructions is passive voice. The study concluded that it is vitally important for Arab EFL learners to know these differences and similarities to help them understand the significance of maintaining the same theta roles of the arguments when they change sentences from active to passive or when they translate from Arabic into English or vice versa.
Outlandish Spelling System Invented by Indonesian Internet Society: The Case of Language Usage in Social Networking Site
Authors: Putra Rizky Anugrah , Triyono Sulis
Published: May 2019

Before having consistent alphabetic writing system, Bahasa Indonesia had encountered several developments in orthographic enhancement. Bahasa Indonesia need to be enhanced for several reasons such as to create national identity and also to provide an ideal spelling system. Orthography system helps the language user to associate the symbol, sound, and meaning. For those reasons, the spelling system is important in written language since most of information and knowledge are preserved in written form. As time passes, there is almost no barrier in human interaction since the distance is narrowed by the technology. To use it efficiently, the language users utilize their language to be shorter but it is easier to understand. However, it creates discrepancy in the orthography system which hinders the interlocutor to get the actual meaning of the written language. This article reveals an issue about orthography system which is made by internet society in which has unusual alphabetic spelling system. The peculiarity is caused by psychological and social factor which revert the spelling model to be identical to children (immature speech).
An Analysis of the Female Ideologies in Bunner Sisters from the Perspective of “Power-Over”
Authors: Xu Yuemeng , Liu Yongjie
Published: May 2019

The idea of patriarchy makes the subordination and oppression of women by men visible and illegitimate. Starhawk labels the dominant and oppressive type of power that reinforces obedience in patriarchy power-over, an exploitative form of power that celebrates and encourages manipulation and a view of the world as mechanistic and disconnected. From the perspective of what Starhawk defines as “power-over”, this paper examines the female ideologies of the Bunner sisters – the passive victims of the patriarchal system – constructed under the influence of the patriarchal system in terms of such key elements as misplaced conception of culture and literacy, the “virtue” of self-abnegation and absolute obedience to and dependence on the authority which are deeply entrenched in the character of the two sisters.
Discourse in Matrix of Power: The Textual Analysis of First Presidential Speech by Donald. J. Trump at White House in the Context of Norman Fairclough’s Modal of Three Levels of Discourse
Authors: Munawar Bushra
Published: May 2019

This research study aims at the analysis of President Donald. J. Trump’s political discourse (his speech) delivered at White House, America on Jan 30, 2018, by discussing it as power discourse. It focuses upon the linguistic and stylistic analysis of president’s political discourse. Hence, the research probes into the detail analysis of how in his speech Donald has used different sentence structures, repetitions, ellipses, parallelism, political jargon, technical vocabulary, figurative language and many other linguistic features. Furthermore, the researcher has also analyzed his speech from the angel of discourse properties his speech exhibits. Since discourses are shaped by power and positioning of the socially conditioned status of the persons, the researcher argues here that his political discourse actually demonstrates Trump’s power position and his ideology as expressed in his speech. Besides, Norman Fairclough’s modal of three levels or dimensions of discourse (Description, interpretation and explanation) has been taken as a theoretical framework of this research study to analyze his speech. The research probes into the detail analysis of how he uses repetitions, ellipses, parallelism, political jargon, anaphoric and anaphoric references in his speech. This is a qualitative research in design and is based on the descriptive analysis. The interpretive analysis as a method has also been adopted to interpret Donald’s speech in framework presented by Fairclough. The significance of the research lies in the fact that it contributes to the field of to the body of Stylistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Political and Visionary Discourse and modern literary theory.
English Learners’ Literary Competence Development through Critical Thinking Tasks in a Colombian EFL Classroom
Authors: Gómez-Rodríguez Luis Fernando
Published: May 2019

Literary competence is still a poor research subject in many EFL (English as a Foreign Language) settings. Therefore, this qualitative case study analyzed how a group of Colombian English learners developed literary competence in the foreign language for the first time in their lives with the support of Numrich’s (2001) Sequence of Critical Thinking Tasks. Data related to English learners’ literary competence development were collected through learners’ transcripts of their oral responses to literature, artifacts (written papers/worksheets), and the teacher-researcher’s field notes. Data were analyzed through grounded approach and content analysis. Although reading and discussing authentic versions of literary texts in the foreign language was challenging for these Colombian English learners, findings revealed that they were able to foster literary competence when they did critical thinking tasks, namely Identifying assumptions about literary content based on the titles of texts, interpreting implicit meanings to discover conflicts and themes, inferring meaning conveyed in images and symbols, and evaluating literary content through inquiring further and analyzing literary language. The research novelty is that EFL Colombian education, as well as other EFL settings worldwide, can foster English learners’ communicative competence and literary competence gradually and more purposely through the Sequence of Critical Thinking Tasks model, encouraging the construction of meaning and at a critical stand through original versions of literary texts.
Radiowave Propagation Ground Effects
Authors: Hill David A.
Published: November 2024

Radiowave propagation plays an important role in modern
communication, radar, and navigation systems. The mathematical
theory of radiowave propagation is based on
Maxwells equations [1], which were formulated by James
Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s [2]. The first free‐space radiowave
transmission experiments between a pair of antennas
were performed by Heinrich Hertz in the 1880s [3]. In
1897 Marconi first patented a wireless telegraphy system
based on long‐distance, radiowave propagation.
Sky Wave Propagation at Low Frequencies
Authors: Johler J. Ralph
Published: November 2024

Although LF sky waves have been used since the earliest days of radio science, vigorous study of these waves occurred mainly between 1950 and 1970. This research was in large measure a consequence of the development of precision pulsed ground‐wave radio navigation and positioning systems. Although the ground wave is very stable with time of day, season, and so on, the ionospheric waves vary with time, and if such waves were not somehow sidestepped, the accuracy and precision of the navigation or positioning system would deteriorate. Thus, from an engineering point of view, LF sky waves were a problem in developing navigation systems such as Loran‐C or Loran‐D. One direct consequence of this research was the development of the wave hop theory of LF sky wave propagation, which will be introduced here.
Negative Resistance
Authors: King Clifford A. , Ng Kwok K.
Published: November 2024

It is understood that the term negative resistance refers to the dynamic characteristic, that is, the slope of the
I–V
curve (
dV/dI
) is negative.

The negative resistance devices originating from
dV/dI
being negative are discussed, followed by their applications. Finally, similar discussions on the transit‐time devices are presented.
Hankel Transforms
Authors: Rahman M.
Published: November 2024

The object of this article is to introduce integral transform of a particular type, called theHankel transform, and to illustrate theuseof this method by means of examples. The treatment is that of a review article and as such is not meant to be exhaustive; its aim is to give a concatenated account of known results rather than present new ones. The emphasis throughout is on those results that are of frequent occurrence in boundary value problems of mathematical physics, but some indication is also given for possible theoretical investigations.
Method of Lines
Authors: Toscano Alessandro , Vegni Lucio
Published: November 2024

In this contribution we present the method of lines for the analysis of the planar passive structures and planar transmission lines that are widely used in microwave and millimeter‐wave integrated circuits.

The method of partial discretization or method of lines is a well‐established technique for the analysis of different microwave structures. The method of lines is regarded as a special finite‐difference method but is more effective with respect to accuracy and computational time than is the regular finite‐difference method. It basically involves discretizing a given differential equation in one or two dimensions while using an analytical solution in the remaining direction. The method of lines has the merits of both the finite‐difference method and the analytical method; it does not yield spurious modes, nor does it have the problem of “relative convergence.”
Active Antennas
Authors: Mickelson Alan
Published: November 2024

An antenna is a structure that converts electromagnetic energy propagating in free space into voltage and current in an electrical circuit and vice versa. In a transceiver system, the antenna is used to both receive and transmit free‐space waves. At minimum, a transceiver then must consist of a signal source that serves to drive the antenna as well as a receiver circuit that reads out the signal from the antenna. Until relatively recently, practically all antenna systems operating in the microwave frequency regime (operation frequencies greater than 1 billion cycles per second, or 1 GHz) went to great lengths to isolate the antenna from the circuitsthat is, to find ways to make system operation independent of the antennas electrical characteristics. In contradistinction, an active antenna is one in which the antenna actually serves as a circuit element of either the driver or readout circuit.
Circular Waveguides
Authors: Balanis Constantine A. , Holzman Eric
Published: November 2024

The electromagnetic features of circular waveguide are described, including the transverse and longitudinal fields, the propagation and attenuation constants, the cutoff frequencies, and wave impedances of all transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes. Practical aspects including mode excitation methods and applications are also reviewed.
Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) Transmission Lines
Authors: Zhu Lei
Published: November 2024

This article gives an overview of various coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines developed to date for promising applications in monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). The article begins with a detailed description of the geometric schematics, transmission behaviors, and design formulas for the three basic CPW with infinite‐ and finite‐ground widths as well as backed conductor. Several improved CPW structures with metallic enclosure, vertical‐layer reallocation or varied conductor configurations are outlined, aiming at effectively reducing unexpected losses caused by a strip conductor, lossy substrate, or radiation in addition to problematic crosstalk effects. Coupled CPW transmission lines with different coupling architectures are briefly investigated in terms of coupling or interaction extent. Next, a variety of periodic CPW transmission lines with series inductive and/or shunt capacitive loading are presented and their slow‐wave characteristics are primarily applied for size miniaturization of CPW devices. In conclusion, guided‐wave propagation characteristics of periodic CPW are thoroughly studied in terms of dispersive and complex per unit length transmission parameters.
Frequency Converters and Mixers
Authors: Angelov Iltcho , Kollberg Erik L. , Zirath Herbert
Published: November 2024

An essential part of most microwave receivers is the frequency converter, a device that converts the frequency of an incoming signal to another frequency. The output frequency may be downconverted, upconverted, multiplied, or divided. Important and common is the mixer, which downconverts a high‐frequency input signal fs to a much lower and more manageable signal fIF, preserving information concerning the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the input signal. The devices used are nonlinear (i.e., the relationship between current and voltage is not linear). The devices may have either two terminals (diodes) or three terminals (transistors).
Microwave Switches
Authors: Caverly Robert H.
Published: November 2024

Modern microwave systems often require the routing of microwave signals to different locations or subsystems. This signal routing is frequently controlled electronically, and strict system requirements often require rapid signal routing. The system component used to control this flow of microwave energy is the microwave switch. Depending on the application, these devices must be able to rapidly switch applications to hundreds of kilowatts in high power radar applications. A variety of microwave switching systems are presented, including those based on ferrite technology and solid‐state and optoelectronic devices.
Rectifying Antennas (Rectennas)
Authors: Strassner Bernd H. , Chang Kai
Published: November 2024

Rectifying antennas, commonly referred to asrectennas, are integral parts of microwave power transmission or wireless power transmission (WPT ) systems. In WPT systems, RF power is transmitted from one location and captured at another location. The term rectenna consists of parts of the words “rectifier” and “antenna” since its function is to absorb incoming radiofrequency (RF ) energy and convert this energy to usable DC power. Advanced concepts for WPT , in which rectennas play a vital role, include the ground–space applications of powering aircraft and high‐altitude platforms remotely as well as space solar power where the sun's energy is transmitted from space in the form of microwaves to Earth's surface. WPT can also be useful in several ground–ground applications, including supplying power to remote locations such as islands where the infrastructure to generate power is either absent or not cost‐effective to build. However, the main future use for WPT is seen in a myriad of space–space applications. These include supplying power to space colonies and space shuttles from nuclear powered satellites. This will enable space explorers to obtain the necessary power needed, at locations far from Earth, to further explore the depths of space.
Transmitters for FM Broadcasting
Authors: Mendenhall Geoffrey N. , Fry P. E. Richard J.
Published: November 2024

The purpose of the FM transmitter is to convert one or more audiofrequency (composite baseband) input signal into a frequency‐modulated, radiofrequency (RF) signal at the desired power output level to feed into the radiating antenna system. In its simplest form, the FM broadcast transmitter can be considered an FM modulator and an RF power amplifier packaged in one unit.
Intermediate‐Frequency Amplifiers
Authors: Walker H. R.
Published: November 2024

Intermediate‐Frequency (IF) amplifiers are used to raise the signal level to a level that can be used by the decisionmaking circuits to properly utilize the received information. While raising the signal level, they must also remove adjacent channel interference and images with filters so that only the desired signal passes. There are many versions of IF amplifiers, most of which are covered here.

The most recent practice is to use integrated circuits and digital signal processing where possible. In many cases, however, this is not possible, and it is necessary to use circuits with the basic component parts in order to accomplish the desired task. The necessary design principles are given.
Double and Higher‐Order Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Control Charts
Authors: Rigdon Steven E.
Published: November 2024

The double exponentially weighted moving average (DEWMA) control chart has been proposed as an alternative to the usual EWMA chart. The DEWMA is a compound chart, in the sense that the output of one charting procedure (the EWMA) is used as input to another charting procedure (again, the EWMA). Triple, and even quadruple, EWMA charts have been proposed. The DEWMA can be written as a weighted average of all previous data and the initial chart statistic. These weights can have the counterintuitive property that they are not monotonically decreasing as the age of the data value increases. In addition, they require additional computations compared to the EWMA. It has been found that the optimal EWMA chart is as good, or nearly as good, as the optimal DEWMA chart. When the DEWMA chart does outperform the EWMA, in the sense of shorter average run lengths for a given process shift, the DEWMA usually performs poorly for shifts other than the one for which it was optimized.
CT‐based whole lung radiomics nomogram to identify middle‐aged and elderly COVID‐19 patients at high risk of progressing to critical disease
Authors: Jiang Xin'ang , Hu Jun , Jiang Qinling , Zhou Taohu , Yao Fei , Sun Yi , Zhou Chao , Ma Qianyun , Zhao Jingyi , Shi Kang , Yang Wen , Zhou Xiuxiu , Wang Yun , Liu Shiyuan , Xin Xiaoyan , Fan Li
Published: November 2024

Background

COVID‐19 remains widespread and poses a threat to people's physical and mental health, especially middle‐aged and elderly individuals. Early identification of COVID‐19 patients at high risk of progressing to critical disease helps improve overall patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.

Purpose

To develop a radiomics nomogram to predict the risk of newly admitted middle‐aged and elderly COVID‐19 patients progressing to critical disease.

Methods

A total of 794 patients (aged 40 years or above) were retrospectively included in the study from two institutions, all of them were with non‐critical COVID‐19 on admission. At follow‐up, patients were divided into non‐critical group and critical group. About 443 patients (384 non‐critical and 59 critical) from the first hospital were randomly assigned to the training (n = 311) and internal validation (n = 132) set in a 7:3 ratio. Additionally, an independent external cohort of 351 patients (292 non‐critical and 59 critical) from another hospital was evaluated. Radiomics signatures and clinical indicators were used to build a radiomics model and a clinical model after computed tomography (CT) image processing, CT whole‐lung segmentation, feature extraction, and feature selection. The radiomics nomogram model integrated radiomics model and clinical model. The receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the performance of the proposed models. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis were used to assess the performance of the radiomics nomogram.

Results

For the training, internal validation, and external validation sets, the AUC values of the radiomic nomogram for the prediction of COVID‐19 progression were 0.916, 0.917, and 0.890, respectively. Calibration curves indicated that there was no significant departure between prediction and observation in three sets. The decision curve image demonstrated the clinical utility of the nomogram model.

Conclusions

Our nomogram model incorporates radiomics features and clinical indicators, it provides a new pathway to increase predictive accuracy or clinical utility, further helping to provide personalized management for middle‐aged and elderly patients with COVID‐19.
Tuning a secondary dose verification software for a CT‐guided online adaptive delivery system
Authors: Zhao Xiaodong , Baur Markus , Wall Phillip D. H. , Laugeman Eric
Published: November 2024

Background

Quality assurance (QA) remains unstandardized for CT‐guided online adaptive radiotherapy (CTgART) platforms (Ethos, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA), as they become more clinically prevalent. A secondary dose calculation software (Mobius3D, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA) is provided for this closed CTgART system. However, the clinical impact of tuning dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) correction values for specific delivery techniques for CTgART secondary dose calculations remains uninvestigated.

Purpose

Tuning the DLG correction value for different delivery techniques of the independent secondary dose verification software for adaptive online QA.

Methods

A total of 31 volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) and 13 fixed‐gantry intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans were selected from representative anatomical sites treated in our clinic. All plans were evaluated on a patient CT dataset and a QA dataset of a solid water phantom with an embedded ion chamber placed at the center in both primary treatment planning systems (TPS) and secondary dose verification software. Primary TPS plan doses were compared with secondary calculation doses on patient CT by calculating 3D gamma passing criteria under different DLG correction values ranging from –2 to 2 mm to determine the optimal DLG correction range. Ion chamber verification measurements were then compared to secondary calculation dose to determine the optimal DLG correction value by minimizing the difference for IMRT and VMAT plans, separately.

Results

The optimal DLG correction values for VMAT and IMRT techniques were –0.3 and 0.4 mm respectively for the selected clinical cohort of patients. The mean gamma passing rate between primary and secondary doses for VMAT and IMRT were 99.0% ± 1.0% and 99.9% ± 0.1% with 3%/2 mm and excluding 10% low dose criteria. The mean ion chamber agreement for VMAT and IMRT were 0.0% ± 2.1% and 0.2% ± 1.4%.

Conclusion

DLG correction value should be tuned for each delivery technique (VMAT and IMRT) separately to maximize the robustness of CTgART online QA programs.
Fluence smoothing evaluation for whole‐breast automatically generated treatment plans
Authors: Zaratim Giulianne Rivelli R. , Oliveira e Silva Luis Felipe , dos Reis Ricardo G. , Mendes Cristiano Jacques M. R. , Gomes Marília Miranda F.
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to identify the fluence smoothing threshold that preserves the dosimetric quality of planning for breast cancer intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Material and methods

We conducted automated treatment planning for 60 breast cancer patients using the Eclipse Scripting Application Programming Interface. The plans included four‐field IMRT, emphasizing smoothing weight combinations while maintaining a 4:3 aspect ratio between the X and Y directions. Four weight sets (40 × 30, 100 × 75, 150 × 115.2, and 200 × 150) were tested, resulting in four plans per patient. A total dose of 40.05 Gy over 15 fractions was prescribed. Optimization weigths were dynamically adjusted based on dosimetric evaluations, with the maximum coverage priority set at 200. Statistical analyses were used to assess the dosimetric data.

Results

The median planning target volume (PTV) coverage varied across smoothing levels, with default smoothing (40 × 30) providing superior median PTV coverage. Lung constraints showed significant differences mainly at higher smoothing levels. Heart constraints exhibited less variation between smoothing levels, with significant differences primarily in the maximum and mean doses for right‐sided patients and between default and higher smoothing levels for left‐sided patients. No significant differences were observed in contralateral breast constraints among all smoothing levels, except at the maximum level for right‐sided patients. Monitor units decreased with increasing smoothing weight, showing significant differences between default and other settings. For right‐sided patients, the median number of monitor units varied from 1346 (40 × 30) to 754 (200 × 150), and for left‐sided patients, from 1333 (40 × 30) to 804 (200 × 150). Chi‐square tests revealed differences in dose constraint adherence between default and maximum smoothing levels, particularly in target coverage.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that using a ratio of smoothing weights to target priorities between 1:1.5 and 1:1.6 leads to a favorable balance between complexity and dosimetric plan quality, with no significant impacts on dose constraint adherence.
Not So Patient Friendly: Patient Education Materials in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine Fall Short of Nationally Recommended Readability Benchmarks in the United States
Authors: Rustomji Yazmin , Nweke Ugochukwu C. , Hassan Sobia , Ahmad Usama , Jolly Meenakshi
Published: November 2024

Objective

Patient education materials (PEMs) can help promote health literacy (HL) among patients. However, their use depends on how easily patients can read and comprehend the information. Several national organizations recommend that text be written at a sixth‐ to eighth‐grade level. Herein, we assess and compare the readability and comprehension (RC) of PEMs for rheumatologic and general medical conditions.

Methods

We used six standardized RC metrics including the well‐known Flesch Kincaid Readability Ease and Flesch Kincaid Grade Level to evaluate the RC of PEMs (n = 175) on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) (n = 86) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (n = 89) websites. Two‐sided t‐tests compared RC between the two resources. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

On all six standardized metrics used, the mean reading level of all PEMs ranged from high school to college level. For example, the mean ± SD of Simple Measure of Gobbledygook was 10.89 ± 1.88, corresponding to a 10th‐grade education, and the mean ± SD of Gunning Fog Score was 14.39 ± 2.49, corresponding to a 14th‐grade education required to understand the text. JAMA PEMs had significantly more difficult RC levels compared to ACR PEMs based on five of the six indices used (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

PEMs available on the ACR and JAMA websites do not align with national organizations’ recommendations for RC levels. To enhance patient understanding and promote HL, existing PEMs must be modified in line with these recommendations.

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A First Truly Hydrocarbon‐Based Electrochromic Molecule Exhibiting Transparent‐to‐Dark Switching and Heavy Atom Effect of Bromine in Color Shifting
Authors: Navya Panichiyil V. , Sampath Srinivasan
Published: November 2024

Electrochromic (EC) materials and devices with potential‐driven optical modulation abilities have open possibilities for creating innovative and adaptive technologies. EC materials that reversibly switch from transmissive to dark or vice versa are beneficial in various applications. Though many EC materials are reported, several key issues exist, such as synthetic complexity, low reproducibility, and residual absorption. An elegant design strategy is reported here to develop a heteroatom‐free, transmissive to dark electrochrome (TBF), overcoming the abovementioned challenges. Furthermore, the effect of heavy atoms on the EC properties is evaluated by substituting the bromide group with the TBF core. The synthesized molecules are electrochemically stable and reversible for 1000 continuous cycles with a coloration efficiency above 200 cm2C−1 and a ∆T% of 65% for TBF and 73% for TBF‐Br. The solid and gel state devices can store the imported energy that can be used to charge electronic gadgets.
Conformation Influences Biological Fates of Peptide‐Based Nanofilaments by Modulating Protein Adsorption and Interfilament Entanglement
Authors: Cai Ying , Xu Tiantian , Zhu Binyu , Chen Junfan , Jiang Linyang , Shan Xiaoting , Rong Rong , Li Yao , Yu Yang , Gao Xin , Zhu Helen He , Zhang Lu , Zhang Pengcheng , Li Yaping
Published: November 2024

Filamentous structures exert biological functions mediated by multivalent interactions with their counterparts in sharp contrast with spherical ones. The physicochemical properties and unique behaviors of nanofilaments that are associated with multivalent interaction with protein are poorly understood. Here, peptide‐based nanofilaments containing different homotetrapeptidic inserts are reported and their protein adsorption and biological fates are tested. By altering the homotetrapeptides, different peptidic conformations are imposed within the nanofilaments, which result in notable differences in the density of the intermolecular hydrogen bond, determining the amount of adsorbed proteins. The adsorbed proteins can further induce interfilament entanglement of different degrees and patterns, which influences biodistribution and phagocytosis. The nanofilaments with tetrahydroxyproline segment exhibit diminish interfilament entanglement, phagocytosis, and improve circulation, biodistribution, and antitumor efficacy. These findings can deepen the understanding of nanofilament‐protein interactions and filament‐filament interactions as in the case of amyloid‐β plaque, and facilitate the rational design of nanofilaments through peptide conformation control for chemical engineering and anticancer drug delivery.
Ultrafast H‐Spillover in Intermetallic PtZn Induced by the Local Disorder for Excellent Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance
Authors: Wang Meiling , Shi Zhengju , Shi Wenwen , Jiang Jingyun , Lan Jianhong , Li Ruizhen , Yan Yuanyuan , Liu Zhenyu , Fu Longyi , Liu Xuguang , Sang Shengbo , Hu Yingjie , Zhou Jiadong
Published: November 2024

Ordered intermetallic Platinum‐Zinc (PtZn) shows potential in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but faces a huge challenge in activity enhancement due to the H‐repulsion properties of Zinc (Zn). Here, local disorder in ordered intermetallic PtZn nanoparticles confined in N‐doped porous carbon (I‐PtZn@NPC) via a confinement‐high‐temperature pyrolysis strategy is realized to boost the HER performance. Experiments and calculations demonstrate that the local substitution of Pt atoms for Zn atoms creates an ultra‐short H‐spillover channel (Pt site→Pt‐Zn bridge site →Zn site). Benefiting from such an ultra‐fast H‐migration from Pt site to Zn site, I‐PtZn@NPC exhibits enhanced intrinsic activity with an ultralow overpotential (η10: 2.3 mV, η100: 24 mV) than commercial Pt black catalyst. Furthermore, a 25 cm2 commercial proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer equipped with I‐PtZn@NPC achieved stable operation at 1.60 Vcell for 200 h at a current density of 1 A cm⁻2. This design of local Zn disorder in the ordered intermetallic PtZn sheds new light on the rational development of efficient Zn‐based alloy HER electrocatalysts.
Magnetic‐Electrical Synergetic Control of Non‐Volatile States in Bilayer Graphene‐CrOCl Heterostructures
Authors: Cao Shimin , Zheng Runjie , Wang Cong , Ma Ning , Chen Mantang , Song Yuanjun , Feng Ya , Hao Tingting , Zhang Yu , Wang Yaning , Gu Pingfan , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Liu Yang , Xie X. C. , Ji Wei , Ye Yu , Han Zheng , Chen Jian‐Hao
Published: November 2024

Anti‐ferromagnetic insulator chromium oxychloride (CrOCl) has shown peculiar charge transfer and correlation‐enhanced emerging properties when interfaced with other van der Waals conductive channels. However, the influence of its spin states to the channel material remains largely unknown. Here, this issue is addressed by directly measuring the density of states in bilayer graphene (BLG) interfaced with CrOCl via a high‐precision capacitance measurement technique and a surprising hysteretic behavior in the charging states of the heterostructure is observed. Such hysteretic behavior depends only on the history of magnetization, but not on the history of electrical gating; it can also be turned off electrically, providing a synergetic control of these non‐volatile states. First‐principles calculations attribute this observation to magnetic field‐controlled charge transfer between BLG and CrOCl during the phase transition of CrOCl from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferrimagnetic‐like (FiM) states. This magnetic‐electrical synergetic control mechanism broadens the scope of proximity effects and opens new possibilities for the design of advanced 2D heterostructures and devices.
An Immunomodulatory Hydrogel Featuring Antibacterial and Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Properties for Treating Periodontitis in Diabetes
Authors: Ge Xinxin , Hu Jiajun , Qi Xiaoliang , Shi Yizuo , Chen Xiaojing , Xiang Yajing , Xu Hangbin , Li Ying , Zhang Yi , Shen Jianliang , Deng Hui
Published: November 2024

Periodontal disease is a multifactorial, bacterially induced inflammatory disorder characterized by progressive destruction of periodontal tissues. Additionally, diabetes mellitus exacerbates periodontitis, resulting in expedited resorption of periodontal bone. However, methods such as mechanical debridement, anti‐inflammatory medications, and surgical approaches often fail to eradicate local infections and inflammation, complicating the reconstruction of periodontal tissue structures. Consequently, there is an urgent need to devise a novel strategy for managing diabetic periodontal conditions. Here, a multifunctional controlled‐release drug delivery system (GOE1) is developed by encapsulating self‐assembled nanoparticles (consisting of chlorhexidine acetate and epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate) into a hydrogel matrix composed of gelatin methacryloyl and oxidized hyaluronic acid. In vitro experiments demonstrate that the GOE1 hydrogel possesses good antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties, and transgenic sequence genomics further illustrates that IL‐17‐producing RAW 264.7 macrophages are critical for mediating M1/M2 macrophage transition and provide favorable immune microenvironment. In addition, in vivo experiments reveal that GOE1 significantly ameliorates periodontal tissue inflammation and reduces the loss of alveolar bone by reducing inflammatory infiltration and collagen destruction. Overall, the GOE1 hydrogel offers a promising therapeutic option for managing diabetic periodontitis.
Realizing 48.5 dB Gain in the E+S Band Using 12 m Bismuth‐Doped Fiber
Authors: Liu Shaokun , Yin Xiaoke , He Le , Li Wenzhen , Chu Yingbo , Dai Nengli , Li Jinyan
Published: November 2024

Bismuth‐doped fibers (BDFs) are renowned in wideband amplification due to their numerous gain bands, such as O, E, S, and U. However, the low amplification coefficient and excessive usage length hinder its further application, how to achieve a high amplification coefficient remains an unresolved challenge. In this study, a high‐efficiency bismuth‐doped germanosilicate fiber (BGDF) for E+S band amplification is developed using modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) combined with the solution doping technique. The BGDF achieves a gain of 48.5 dB using a length of only 12 m. The effects of bismuth active centers (BACs) and unsaturable loss (UL) determined by fiber drawing parameters and bismuth concentrations on amplification properties of the BGDFs are discussed. New observations and analysis are conducted on how variations in oxygen vacancies and the bismuth concentration impact BGDFs' luminescence intensity and lifetime. A successful optimization approach is devised to increase BACs levels and decrease UL by modifying drawing parameters and the bismuth concentration to facilitate the formation of low‐valence bismuth and oxygen vacancies. The results suggest that BGDFs are significant for the future expansion of the gain band to the E+S band.
A New Strategy to Enhance Room Temperature Phosphorescence Performance in Physical Doping Polymer System
Authors: Li Shuting , Qi Yanwen , Li Aisen , Yang Yuqi , Shan Mingda , Yang Kun , Wang Yong , Li Zhen
Published: November 2024

Physical doping is a general and effective strategy to fabricate host‐guest room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) polymer materials. However, some aggregates of phosphors will appear due to their limited solubility and phase separation in polymer matrix, resulting in unstable and/or poor RTP property. In this work, a new strategy, the utilization of cyclodextrins with fit cavity size, is proposed to improve the dispersion of phosphors and enhance RTP performance both in covalent and ionic bond system. The resultant high Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency (ΦFRET) and outstanding RTP performance confirmed that the added cyclodextrins can effectively disperse fluorescence dye (guest) in covalently modified sodium alginate (SA‐R) matrix. Thanks to the introduced “ FRET ruler”, the distance between energy donor and acceptor can be measured, accompanying with the afterglow color of SA‐R films changing from green to red. For SA‐NpC@RhB, the introduction of β‐CD can enhance the ΦFRET up to 57.4%, with corresponding photoluminescence quantum yield (ΦPL) as high as 21.15%. The ΦFRET for SA‐NpC/γ‐CD@SR101 is ≈8.5 times enhanced, with the corresponding ΦPL rising from 0.87% to 19.13%. Besides, this strategy is also successfully applied into ionic bond system (SA/R), and the ΦPL for SA/BDA/γ‐CD@RhB can reach 24.05%. Furthermore, these materials with good RTP performance are applied in multiple information encryption, optical information storage, and anti‐counterfeiting.
Synergetic Dual‐Additive Strategy for Regulating Crystallization and Defect Passivation of Perovskite Nanograin Toward Efficient Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Liang Yue , Zhang Dengliang , Jin Guangrong , Yu Bufan , Duan Xingxing , Chen Kaiwang , Liu Jiacheng , Hong Wei , Wang Lei , Xing Guichuan , Chen Jiangshan , Ma Dongge
Published: November 2024

Perovskite nanograins with a dimension larger than the Bohr exciton diameter have significant advantages in achieving high‐performance light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their bandgap uniformity and strong charge confinement effect. However, perovskite nanograin films prepared by the solution spin‐coating method are prone to produce massive defects due to the fast crystallization rate, leading to severe nonradiative recombination that greatly detracts the performance of LEDs. Therefore, regulating crystallization and minimizing defects plays a crucial role in the development of perovskite nanograins for high‐performance LEDs. Herein, a simple dual‐additive strategy is reported to manipulate the growth of high‐quality CsPbBr3‐based nanograin films. A multifunctional additive 5‐aminovaleric acid (5AVA) is introduced to slow down the crystallization rate of CsPbBr3, followed by the further addition of triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) to achieve effective synergistic passivation of defects, which can significantly enhance radiative recombination rate and reduce defects‐induced nonradiative recombination. Ultimately, based on the 5AVA and TPPO co‐modified CsPbBr3 nanograins, the perovskite LEDs are fabricated achieving a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 20.95% and an average EQE of approaching 20%, demonstrating excellent reproducibility. This work provides new insight into the crystallization regulation and defect passivation of perovskite nanograins and the further improvement of device performance.
Shining Lights on Limits: Optimizing Luminescent Solar Concentrators for Solar Windows
Authors: de Bruin Thomas A. , van Sark Wilfried G. J. H. M.
Published: November 2024

The luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) can function as an electricity‐generating window whose performance is hindered by an inherent trade‐off between power conversion efficiency and visible light transmission. To optimize this trade‐off, a numerical algorithm is used to find the power conversion efficiency of 92 luminophores, ensuring an average visible transmission >55% and a color rendering index >70. Furthermore, double‐ and triple‐stacked LSC configurations and single LSCs with two‐ or three‐embedded luminophores are optimized. All tested LSC configurations are found to be limited to a power conversion efficiency of around 1% for window‐appropriate transparencies.
Slow Metabolism–Driven Amplification of Hepatic PPARγ Agonism Mediates Benzbromarone‐Induced Obesity‐Specific Liver Injury
Authors: Li Guanting , Hu Yourong , Zhao Han , Peng Ziyu , Shang Xin , Zhang Jia , Xie Kunxin , Li Meiwei , Zhou Xiaohang , Zhou Qinyao , Li Kai , Zhou Fang , Wang Heyao , Xu Zhijian , Liu Jiali , Sun Peng
Published: November 2024

Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are established risk factors for drug‐induced liver injury (DILI). The previous study demonstrates that benzbromarone (BBR), a commonly prescribed pharmaceutical agent for managing gout and hyperuricemia, exacerbates hepatic steatosis and liver injury specifically in obese individuals. However, the precise mechanism underpinning this adverse effect remains incompletely elucidated. Given the significance of BBR and its analogs in anti‐gout/hyperuricemia drug discovery, elucidating the mechanism by which BBR exacerbates obesity‐specific DILI warrants further investigation. In this study, through a combined multi‐omics, pharmacological, and pharmacokinetic approaches, it is found that BBR‐induced obesity‐specific DILI is primarily through the potentiation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) signaling pathways. Further in vivo and in vitro pharmacokinetic analyses reveal that obese db/db mice exhibited a diminished capacity to metabolize BBR in their livers. This reduction leads to prolonged retention of BBR, subsequently resulting in chronic and sustained hepatic PPARγ agonism. This study demonstrates that a slow metabolism‐driven amplification of hepatic PPARγ agonism mediates BBR‐induced obesity‐specific hepatic steatosis and subsequent DILI, which also emphasizes the importance of the reduced hepatic drug metabolism capacity in patients with obesity or pre‐existing NAFLD in both clinical practice and drug discovery processes.
Tumor Site‐Specific In Vivo Theranostics Enabled by Microenvironment‐Dependent Chemical Transformation and Self‐Amplifying Effect
Authors: Zuo Yunfei , Li Pei , Wang Wen‐Jin , Xu Changhuo , Xu Shuting , Sung Herman H. Y. , Sun Jianwei , Jin Guorui , Wang Weiping , Kwok Ryan T. K. , Lam Jacky W. Y. , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: November 2024

Precise tumor diagnosis and treatment remain complex challenges. While numerous fluorescent probes have been developed for tumor‐specific imaging and therapy, few exhibit effective function in vivo. Herein, a probe called TQ‐H2 is designed that can realize robust theranostic effects both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, TQ‐H2 specifically targets the lysosome and reacts with hydroxyl radical (·OH) to generate TQ‐HA, which lights up the cells. TQ‐HA generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light irradiation, enabling the simultaneous induction and monitoring of apoptosis and ferroptosis in tumor cells. Remarkably, TQ‐HA also acts as a self‐amplifier, autocatalytically activating TQ‐H2 by generating ·OH under light exposure. This self‐amplification aligns with the tumor microenvironment, where TQ‐H2 undergoes chemical transformation, distinguishing tumors from healthy tissue via near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging. Furthermore, ROS generated by TQ‐HA effectively kills tumor cells and inhibits tumor growth without harming normal cells. This study offers a promising strategy for targeted tumor theranostics using self‐amplifying microenvironment‐responsive fluorescent probes.