240 nm AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet micro-LEDs:size effect versus edge effect

240 nm AlGaN-based micro-LEDs with different sizes are designed and fabricated.Then,the external quantum efficiency(EQE)and light extraction efficiency(LEE)are systematically investigated by comparing size and edge effects.Here,it is revealed that the peak optical output power increases by 81.83%with the size shrinking from 50.0 to 25.0μm.Thereinto,the LEE increases by 26.21%and the LEE enhancement mainly comes from the sidewall light extraction.Most notably,transversemagnetic(TM)mode light intensifies faster as the size shrinks due to the tilted mesa side-wall and Al reflector design.However,when it turns to 12.5μm sized micro-LEDs,the output power is lower than 25.0μm sized ones.The underlying mechanism is that even though protected by SiO2 passivation,the edge effect which leads to current leakage and Shockley-Read-Hall(SRH)recombination deteriorates rapidly with the size further shrinking.Moreover,the ratio of the p-contact area to mesa area is much lower,which deteriorates the p-type current spreading at the mesa edge.These findings show a role of thumb for the design of high efficiency micro-LEDs with wavelength below 250 nm,which will pave the way for wide applications of deep ultraviolet(DUV)micro-LEDs.

Evaluation of the intracellular lipid-lowering effect of polyphenols extract from highland barley in HepG2 cells

Active ingredients from highland barley have received considerable attention as natural products for developing treatments and dietary supplements against obesity.In practical application,the research of food combinations is more significant than a specific food component.This study investigated the lipid-lowering effect of highland barley polyphenols via lipase assay in vitro and HepG2 cells induced by oleic acid(OA).Five indexes,triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(T-CHO),low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),were used to evaluate the lipidlowering effect of highland barley extract.We also preliminary studied the lipid-lowering mechanism by Realtime fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR).The results indicated that highland barley extract contains many components with lipid-lowering effects,such as hyperoside and scoparone.In vitro,the lipase assay showed an 18.4%lipase inhibition rate when the additive contents of highland barley extract were 100μg/m L.The intracellular lipid-lowering effect of highland barley extract was examined using 0.25 mmol/L OA-induced HepG2 cells.The results showed that intracellular TG,LDL-C,and T-CHO content decreased by 34.4%,51.2%,and 18.4%,respectively.ALT and AST decreased by 51.6%and 20.7%compared with the untreated hyperlipidemic HepG2 cells.q PCR results showed that highland barley polyphenols could up-regulation the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes such as PPARγand Fabp4.

Cumulative effects of excess high-normal alanine aminotransferase levels in relation to new-onset metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in China

BACKGROUND Within the normal range,elevated alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels are associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).AIM To investigate the associations between repeated high-normal ALT measurements and the risk of new-onset MAFLD prospectively.METHODS A cohort of 3553 participants followed for four consecutive health examinations over 4 years was selected.The incidence rate,cumulative times,and equally and unequally weighted cumulative effects of excess high-normal ALT levels(ehALT)were measured.Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the association between the cumulative effects of ehALT and the risk of new-onset MAFLD.RESULTS A total of 83.13%of participants with MAFLD had normal ALT levels.The incidence rate of MAFLD showed a linear increasing trend in the cumulative ehALT group.Compared with those in the low-normal ALT group,the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios of the equally and unequally weighted cumulative effects of ehALT were 1.651[95%confidence interval(CI):1.199-2.273]and 1.535(95%CI:1.119-2.106)in the third quartile and 1.616(95%CI:1.162-2.246)and 1.580(95%CI:1.155-2.162)in the fourth quartile,respectively.CONCLUSION Most participants with MAFLD had normal ALT levels.Long-term high-normal ALT levels were associated with a cumulative increased risk of new-onset MAFLD.

Simulation of the Ecosystem Productivity Responses to Aerosol Diffuse Radiation Fertilization Effects over the Pan-Arctic during 2001–19

The pan-Arctic is confronted with air pollution transported from lower latitudes.Observations have shown that aerosols help increase plant photosynthesis through the diffuse radiation fertilization effects(DRFEs).While such DRFEs have been explored at low to middle latitudes,the aerosol impacts on pan-Arctic ecosystems and the contributions by anthropogenic and natural emission sources remain less quantified.Here,we perform regional simulations at 0.2o×0.2ousing a well-validated vegetation model(Yale Interactive terrestrial Biosphere,YIBs)in combination with multi-source of observations to quantify the impacts of aerosol DRFEs on the net primary productivity(NPP)in the pan-Arctic during 2001-19.Results show that aerosol DRFEs increase pan-Arctic NPP by 2.19 Pg C(12.8%)yr^(-1)under clear-sky conditions,in which natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to 8.9% and 3.9%,respectively.Under all-sky conditions,such DRFEs are largely dampened by cloud to only 0.26 Pg C(1.24%)yr^(-1),with contributions of 0.65% by natural and 0.59% by anthropogenic species.Natural aerosols cause a positive NPP trend of 0.022% yr^(-1)following the increased fire activities in the pan-Arctic.In contrast,anthropogenic aerosols induce a negative trend of-0.01% yr^(-1)due to reduced emissions from the middle latitudes.Such trends in aerosol DRFEs show a turning point in the year of 2007 with more positive NPP trends by natural aerosols but negative NPP trends by anthropogenic aerosols thereafter.Though affected by modeling uncertainties,this study suggests a likely increasing impact of aerosols on terrestrial ecosystems in the pan-Arctic under global warming.

Modeling and characterization on electroplastic effect during dynamic deformation of 5182-O aluminum alloy

The coupling effects of electrical pulse,temperature,strain rate,and strain on the flow behavior and plasticity of 5182-O aluminum alloy were investigated and characterized.The isothermal tensile test and electrically-assisted isothermal tensile test were performed at the same temperature,and three typical models were further embedded in ABAQUS/Explicit for numerical simulation to illustrate the electroplastic effect.The results show that electric pulse reduces the deformation resistance but enhances the elongation greatly.The calibration accuracy of the proposed modified Lim−Huh model for highly nonlinear and coupled dynamic hardening behavior is not much improved compared to the modified Kocks−Mecking model.Moreover,the artificial neural network model is very suitable to describe the macromechenical response of materials under the coupling effect of different variables.

Full-domain collaborative deployment method of multiple interference sources and evaluation of its deployment effect

This paper realizes the full-domain collaborative deployment of multiple interference sources of the global satellite navigation system(GNSS)and evaluates the deployment effect to enhance the ability to disturb the attacker and the capability to defend the GNSS during navigation countermeasures.Key evaluation indicators for the jamming effect of GNSS suppressive and deceptive jamming sources are first created,their evaluation models are built,and their detection procedures are sorted out,as the basis for determining the deployment principles.The principles for collaboratively deploying multi-jamming sources are developed to obtain the deployment structures(including the required number,structures in demand,and corresponding positions)of three single interference sources required by collaboratively deploying.Accordingly,simulation and hardware-in-loop testing results are presented to determine a rational configuration of the collaborative deployment of multi-jamming sources in the set situation and further realize the full-domain deployment of an interference network from ground,air to space.Varied evaluation indices for the deployment effect are finally developed to evaluate the deployment effect of the proposed configuration and further verify its reliability and rationality.

Apically guiding electron/mass transfer reaction induced by Ag/FeN_(x)Mott-Schottky effect within a hollow star reactor toward high performance zinc-air batteries

The disparity in the transfer of carriers(electrons/mass)during the reaction in zinc-air batteries(ZABs)results in sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),along with elevated overpotentials,thereby imposing additional constraints on its utilization.Therefore,the pre-design and target-development of inexpensive,high-performance,and long-term stable bifunctional catalysts are urgently needed.In this work,an apically guiding dual-functional electrocatalyst(Ag-FeN_(x)-N-C)was prepared,in which a hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon with three-dimensional(3D)hollow star-shaped structure is used as a substrate and high-conductivity Ag nanoparticles are coupled with iron nitride(FeN_(x))nanoparticles.Theoretical calculations indicate that the Mott-Schottky heterojunction as an inherent electric field comes from the two-phase bound of Ag and FeN_(x),of which electron accumulation in the FeN_(x)phase region and electron depletion in the Ag phase region promote orientated-guiding charge migration.The effective modulation of local electronic structures felicitously reforms the d-band electron-group distribution,and intellectually tunes the masstransfer reaction energy barriers for both ORR/OER.Additionally,the hollow star-s haped hierarchical porous structure provides an apical region for fast mass transfer.Experimental results show that the halfwave potential for ORR is 0.914 V,and the overpotential for OER is only 327 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2).A rechargeable ZAB with Ag-FeN_(x)-N-C as the air cathode demonstrates long-term cycling performance exceeding 1500 cycles(500 h),with a power density of 180 mW cm^(-2).Moreover,when employing AgFeN_(x)-N-C as the air cathode,flexible ZABs demonstrate a notable open-circuit voltage of 1.42 V and achieve a maximum power density of 65.6 mW cm^(-2).Ag-FeN_(x)-N-C shows guiding electron/mass transfer route and apical reaction microenvironment for the electrocatalyst architecture in the exploration prospects of ZABs.

Experimental Proposal on Non-Hermitian Skin Effect by Two-dimensional Quantum Walk with a Single Trapped Ion

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians are widely used in describing open systems with gain and loss,among which a key phenomenon is the non-Hermitian skin effect.Here we report an experimental scheme to realize a twodimensional(2D)discrete-time quantum walk with non-Hermitian skin effect in a single trapped ion.It is shown that the coin and 2D walker states can be labeled in the spin of the ion and the coherent-state lattice of the ion motion,respectively.We numerically observe a directional bulk flow,whose orientations are controlled by dissipative parameters,showing the emergence of the non-Hermitian skin effect.We then discuss an experimental implementation of our scheme in a laser-controlled trapped Ca^(+)ion.Our experimental proposal may be applicable to research of dissipative quantum walk systems and may be able to generalize to other platforms,such as superconducting circuits and atoms in cavity.

Tilted Perpendicular Anisotropy-Induced Spin-Orbit Ratchet Effects

Using micromagnetic simulations, we demonstrate the tilted perpendicular anisotropy-induced spin-orbit ratchet effect. In spin-orbit torque(SOT)-induced magnetization switching, the critical currents required to switch between the two magnetization states(upward and downward magnetization) are asymmetric. In addition, in the nanowire structure, tilted anisotropy induces formation of tilted domain walls(DWs). The tilted DWs exhibit a ratchet behavior during motion. The ratchet effect during switching and DW motions can be tuned by changing the current direction with respect to the tilting direction of anisotropy. The ratchet motion of the DWs can be used to mimic the leaky-integrate-fire function of a biological neuron, especially the asymmetric property of the “potential” and “reset” processes. Our results provide a full understanding of the influence of tilted perpendicular anisotropy on SOT-induced magnetization switching and DW motion, and are beneficial for designs of further SOT-based devices.

Hybrid Skin-Topological Effect Induced by Eight-Site Cells and Arbitrary Adjustment of the Localization of Topological Edge States

Hybrid skin-topological effect(HSTE)in non-Hermitian systems exhibits both the skin effect and topological protection,offering a novel mechanism for localization of topological edge states(TESs)in electrons,circuits,and photons.However,it remains unclear whether the HSTE can be realized in quasicrystals.

Novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis mediates the Warburg effect and proliferation of colon cancer cells via the PI3K/AKT pathway

BACKGROUND Heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A1(hnRNPA1)has been reported to enhance the Warburg effect and promote colon cancer(CC)cell proliferation,but the role and mechanism of the miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis in CC have not yet been elucidated.AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of a novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis in enhancing the Warburg effect and promoting CC cell proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway.METHODS Paraffin-embedded pathological sections from 220 CC patients were collected and subjected to immunohistochemical analysis to determine the expression of hnRNPA1-b.The relationship between the expression values and the clinicopathological features of the patients was investigated.Differences in mRNA expression were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,while differences in protein expression were analyzed using western blot.Cell proliferation was evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine assays,and cell cycle and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometric assays.The targeted binding of miR-490-3p to hnRNPA1-b was validated using a dual luciferase reporter assay.The Warburg effect was evaluated by glucose uptake and lactic acid production assays.RESULTS The expression of hnRNPA1-b was significantly increased in CC tissues and cells compared to normal controls(P<0.05).Immunohistochemical results demonstrated significant variations in the expression of the hnRNPA1-b antigen in different stages of CC,including stage I,II-III,and IV.Furthermore,the clinicopathologic characterization revealed a significant correlation between hnRNPA1-b expression and clinical stage as well as T classification.HnRNPA1-b was found to enhance the Warburg effect through the PI3K/AKT pathway,thereby promoting proliferation of HCT116 and SW620 cells.However,the proliferation of HCT116 and SW620 cells was inhibited when miR-490-3p targeted and bound to hnRNPA1-b,effectively blocking the Warburg effect.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis could provide a new strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of CC.

Exciton-polaritons in a 2D hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite microcavity with the presence of optical Stark effect

This study investigates the properties of exciton-polaritons in a two-dimensional(2D)hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite microcavity in the presence of optical Stark effect.Through both steady and dynamic state analyses,strong coupling between excitons of perovskite and cavity photons is revealed,indicating the formation of polaritons in the perovskite microcavity.Besides,it is found that an external optical Stark pulse can induce energy shifts of excitons proportional to the pulse intensity,which modifies the dispersion characteristics of the polaritons.

Effects of Collocational Congruency,Frequency and L2 Proficiency on the Processing of English Adjective-Noun Collocations

The present study investigates the effects of congruency and frequency on adjective-noun collocational processing for Chinese learners of English at two proficiency levels based on the data obtained in an online acceptability judgment task.The subject pool of this research included 60 English majors studying at a university in China;30 were selected as a higher-proficiency group and 30 as a lower-proficiency group according to their Vocabulary Levels Test(Schmitt et al.,2001)scores and their self-reported proficiency in English.The experimental materials were programmed to E-prime 2.0 and included six types of collocations:(1)15 high-frequency congruent collocations,(2)15 low-frequency congruent collocations,(3)15 high-frequency incongruent collocations,(4)15 low-frequency incongruent collocations,(5)15 Chinese-only items,and(6)75 unrelated items for baseline data.The collected response times(RTs)and accuracy rates data were statistically analyzed by the use of an ANOVA test and pairwise comparisons through SPSS 16.0 software.The results revealed that:(1)the adjective-noun collocational processing of Chinese English learners is influenced by collocational frequency,congruency and L2 proficiency;(2)the processing time is affected by the interaction of congruency and frequency;and(3)the interactive effect of L2 proficiency in conjunction with congruency and frequency also influences the processing quality.

Magnetism, heat capacity, magnetocaloric effect, and magneto-transport properties of heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeGaSi

We synthesize high-quality single crystal of CeGaSi by a Ga self-flux method and investigate its physical properties through magnetic susceptibility,specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements as well as high pressure effect.Magnetic measurements reveal that an antiferromagnetic order develops below T_(m)~10.4 K with magnetic moments orientated in the ab plane.The enhanced electronic specific heat coefficient and the negative logarithmic slope in the resistivity of CeGaSi indicate that the title compound belongs to the family of Kondo system with heavy fermion ground states.The max magnetic entropy change-ΔS_(M)^(max)(μ_(0)H⊥c,μ_(0)H=7 T) around T_(m) is found to reach up to 11.85 J·kg^(-1)·K^(-1).Remarkably,both the antiferromagnetic transition temperature and-ln T behavior increase monotonically with pressure applied to 20 kbar(1 bar=10~5 Pa),indicating that much higher pressure will be needed to reach its quantum critical point.

Intrinsic valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall effect in a two-dimensional germanene/MnI_(2) van der Waals heterostructure

Valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall effect(VQAHE), combined nontrivial band topology with valleytronics,is of importance for both fundamental sciences and emerging applications. However, the experimental realization of this property is challenging. Here, by using first-principles calculations and modal analysis, we predict a mechanism of producing VQAHE in two-dimensional ferromagnetic van der Waals germanene/MnI_(2) heterostructure. This heterostructure exhibits both valley anomalous Hall effect and VQAHE due to the joint effects of magnetic exchange effect and spin–orbital coupling with the aid of anomalous Hall conductance and chiral edge state. Moreover interestingly, through the electrical modulation of ferroelectric polarization state in In_(2)Se_(3), the germanene/Mn I_(2)/In_(2)Se_(3) heterostructure can undergo reversible switching from a semiconductor to a metallic behavior. This work offers a guiding advancement for searching for VQAHE in ferromagnetic van der Waals heterostructures and exploiting energy-efficient devices based on the VQAHE.

Enhanced superelasticity and reversible elastocaloric effect in nano-grained NiTi alloys with low stress hysteresis

Solid-state cooling technologies have been considered as potential alternatives for vapor compression cooling systems.The search for refrigeration materials displaying a unique combination of pronounced caloric effect,low hysteresis,and high reversibility on phase transformation was very active in recent years.Here,we achieved increase in the elastocaloric reversibility and decrease in the friction dissipation of martensite transformations in the superelastic nano-grained NiTi alloys obtained by cold rolling and annealing treatment,with very low stress hysteresis(6.3 MPa)under a large applied strain(5%).Large adiabatic temperature changes(△T_(max)=16.3 K atε=5%)and moderate COP_(mater)values(maximum COP_(mater)=11.8 atε=2%)were achieved.The present nano-grained NiTi alloys exhibited great potential for applications as a highly efficient elastocaloric material.

Effect of Co on Solidification Characteristics and Microstructural Transformation of Non-equilibrium Solidified Cu-Ni Alloys

Non-equilibrium solidification structures of Cu55Ni45 and Cu55Ni43Co2 alloys were prepared by the molten glass purification cycle superheating method.The variation of the recalescence phenomenon with the degree of undercooling in the rapid solidification process was investigated using an infrared thermometer.The addition of the Co element affected the evolution of the recalescence phenomenon in Cu-Ni alloys.The images of the solid-liquid interface migration during the rapid solidification of supercooled melts were captured by using a high-speed camera.The solidification rate of Cu-Ni alloys,with the addition of Co elements,was explored.Finally,the grain refinement structure with low supercooling was characterised using electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).The effect of Co on the microstructural evolution during nonequilibrium solidification of Cu-Ni alloys under conditions of small supercooling is investigated by comparing the microstructures of Cu55Ni45 and Cu55Ni43Co2 alloys.The experimental results show that the addition of a small amount of Co weakens the recalescence behaviour of the Cu55Ni45 alloy and significantly reduces the thermal strain in the rapid solidification phase.In the rapid solidification phase,the thermal strain is greatly reduced,and there is a significant increase in the characteristic undercooling degree.Furthermore,the addition of Co and the reduction of Cu not only result in a lower solidification rate of the alloy,but also contribute to the homogenisation of the grain size.

Experimental investigation on the permeability of gap-graded soil due to horizontal suffusion considering boundary effect

The boundary condition is a crucial factor affecting the permeability variation due to suffusion.An experimental investigation on the permeability of gap-graded soil due to horizontal suffusion considering the boundary effect is conducted,where the hydraulic head difference(DH)varies,and the boundary includes non-loss and soil-loss conditions.Soil samples are filled into seven soil storerooms connected in turn.After evaluation,the variation in content of fine sand(ΔR_(f))and the hydraulic conductivity of soils in each storeroom(C_(i))are analyzed.In the non-loss test,the soil sample filling area is divided into runoff,transited,and accumulated areas according to the negative or positive ΔR_(f) values.ΔR_(f) increases from negative to positive along the seepage path,and Ci decreases from runoff area to transited area and then rebounds in accumulated area.In the soil-loss test,all soil sample filling areas belong to the runoff area,where the gentle-loss,strengthened-loss,and alleviated-loss parts are further divided.ΔR_(f) decreases from the gentle-loss part to the strengthened-loss part and then rebounds in the alleviated-loss part,and C_(i) increases and then decreases along the seepage path.The relationship between ΔR_(f) and Ci is different with the boundary condition.Ci exponentially decreases with ΔR_(f) in the non-loss test and increases with ΔR_(f) generally in the soil-loss test.

Alcohol solvent effect on the self-assembly behaviors of lignin oligomers

The interactions between lignin oligomers and solvents determine the behaviors of lignin oligomers self-assembling into uniform lignin nanoparticles(LNPs).Herein,several alcohol solvents,which readily interact with the lignin oligomers,were adopted to study their effects during solvent shifting process for LNPs’production.The lignin oligomers with widely distributed molecular weight and abundant guaiacyl units were extracted from wood waste(mainly consists of pine wood),exerting outstanding self-assembly capability.Uniform and spherical LNPs were generated in H_(2)O-n-propanol cosolvent,whereas irregular LNPs were obtained in H_(2)O-methanol cosolvent.The unsatisfactory self-assembly performance of the lignin oligomers in H_(2)O-methanol cosolvent could be attributed to two aspects.On one hand,for the initial dissolution state,the distinguishing Hansen solubility parameter and polarity between methanol solvent and lignin oligomers resulted in the poor dispersion of the lignin oligomers.On the other hand,strong hydrogen bonds between methanol solvent and lignin oligomers during solvent shifting process,hindered the interactions among the lignin oligomers for self-assembly.

Stimulatory Effect of Tithonya diversifolia-by Products on Plantain Banana Vivoplants in Nursery (A Review)

Plantain banana is an important cash crop that serves as stable food for millions of people around the world and contributes to income generation. Indeed, they provide a major staple food crop for millions of people and play an important role in the social fabric of many rural communities. Plantain banana cultivation encounters major problem of seedlings unavailability that are essential for the creation of new plantations, as well as parasitic constraints. Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the main pathogen attack constraints of banana plant responsible of black Sigatoka disease, and viruses, which can severely reduce the photosynthetic leaf area, leading to banana production losses of more than 80% in plantations with soil fertility problems. The repeated use of synthetic input is the origin of contamination to the environment, different pollution sources of plants and human health, as well as resistance to some strains of pathogens and plant fertilization problems over time. Recent works carried out in nursery have shown that vivoplants of plantains treated with biostimulants based on natural products notably Tithonia diversifolia biopromote good growth and less susceptibility to M. fijiensis. Indeed, an increase in agromorphological characteristics, good accumulation of growth and defense biomarkers was also observed. In this context, Tithonia diversifolia is shown to be involved in the stimulatory effect mechanism of growth promotion and defensive reaction of plantain vivoplants against various pathogens and it is suggested to be acting as a vital stimulator. This article reviews the current state of knowledge on plantain banana cultivation constraints and on the potential of Tithonia diversifolia in relation with its different stimulatory effects on plantain vivoplants.