Repositioning of ezetimibe for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: We previously identified ezetimibe, an inhibitor of Niemann-Pick C1-like intracellular cholesterol transporter 1 and European Medicines Agency-approved lipid-lowering agent, as a potent autophagy activator. However, its efficacy against pulmonary fibrosis has not yet been evaluated. This study aimed to determine whether ezetimibe has therapeutic potential against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: Primary lung fibroblasts isolated from both humans and mice were employed for mechanistic in vitro experiments. mRNA sequencing of human lung fibroblasts and gene set enrichment analysis were performed to explore the therapeutic mechanism of ezetimibe. A bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model was used to examine in vivo efficacy of the drug. Tandem fluorescent-tagged microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 transgenic mice were used to measure autophagic flux. Finally, the medical records of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from three different hospitals were reviewed retrospectively, and analyses on survival and lung function were conducted to determine the benefits of ezetimibe. RESULTS: Ezetimibe inhibited myofibroblast differentiation by restoring the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1-autophagy axis with fine control of intracellular cholesterol distribution. Serum response factor, a potential autophagic substrate, was identified as a primary downstream effector in this process. Similarly, ezetimibe ameliorated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 activity and increasing autophagic flux, as observed in mouse lung samples. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis who regularly used ezetimibe showed decreased rates of all-cause mortality and lung function decline. CONCLUSION: Our study presents ezetimibe as a potential novel therapeutic for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Establishment of canine mammary gland tumor cell lines harboring PI3K/Akt activation as a therapeutic target.

Canine mammary gland tumors (MGT) have a poor prognosis in intact female canines, posing a clinical challenge. This study aimed to establish novel canine mammary cancer cell lines from primary tumors and characterize their cellular and molecular features to find potential therapeutic drugs. The MGT cell lines demonstrated rapid cell proliferation and colony formation in an anchorage-independent manner. Vimentin and α-SMA levels were significantly elevated in MGT cell lines compared to normal canine kidney (MDCK) cells, while CDH1 expression was either significantly lower or not detected at all, based on quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis revealed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotypes and tumor-associated pathways, particularly the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, were upregulated in MGT cells. BYL719 (Alpelisib), a PI3K inhibitor, was also examined for cytotoxicity on the MGT cell lines. The results show that BYL719 can significantly inhibit the proliferation of MGT cell lines in vitro. Overall, our findings suggest that the MGT cell lines may be valuable for future studies on the development, progression, metastasis, and management of tumors.

Activity of the porcine gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor gene promoter is partially conferred by a distal gonadotrope specific element (GSE) within an upstream enhancing region, two proximal GSEs and a retinoid X receptor binding site.

BACKGROUND: Regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor (GnRHR) numbers on gonadotropes within the anterior pituitary gland represents a critical point for control of reproductive function. Binding of GnRH to its receptor regulates follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) release and levels of this G-protein coupled receptor on the surface of gonadotropes determines their sensitivity to GnRH pulses. While transcriptional regulation of this gene has been studied in mice, rats, humans and sheep, little is known about its regulation in the pig, an important agricultural species and human research model. METHODS: We isolated 5118 bp of 5' flanking sequence for the porcine GnRHR gene and generated luciferase reporter vectors. Deletion and mutation constructs were evaluated in gonadotrope-derived alphaT3-1 cells to determine regions important for gene transcription. Additionally, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) were performed to identify transcription factors binding to the GnRHR promoter. RESULTS: Transient transfections revealed that the GnRHR promoter was functional in alphaT3-1 cells but not in cells of non-gonadotrope origin. Mutation of the highly conserved gonadotrope specific element (GSE) located at -179/-171 of proximal promoter completely ablated luciferase activity, whereas mutation of another GSE at -315/-310 reduced activity by 34%. Consistent with this, EMSAs using alphaT3-1 nuclear extracts and a steroidogenic factor (SF)1 antibody confirmed SF1 binding to both GSEs. EMSAs also demonstrated that a retinoid X receptor (RXR) binding site at -279/-274 binds RXRalpha and RXRbeta and mutation of this site eliminated promoter activity. Transient transfection of alphaT3-1 cells with reporter vectors containing selective removal of 5' flanking region for the porcine GnRHR gene indicated that the -1915/-1431 segment was important for promoter activity. Definition of this region via transfection assays and EMSAs revealed an upstream enhancing region located at -1779/-1667 that increases porcine GnRHR gene expression in alphaT3-1 cells and includes a SF1 binding site at -1760/-1753. CONCLUSIONS: Porcine GnRHR promoter activity in alphaT3-1 cells is partially conferred by a distal GSE, two proximal GSEs and a RXR binding site. Basal gonadotrope expression of the porcine GnRHR gene uniquely involves three GSEs and RXR is newly identified as a regulator of GnRHR promoter activity.

Profiling post-translational modifications of histones in human monocyte-derived macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Histones and their post-translational modifications impact cellular function by acting as key regulators in the maintenance and remodeling of chromatin, thus affecting transcription regulation either positively (activation) or negatively (repression). In this study we describe a comprehensive, bottom-up proteomics approach to profiling post-translational modifications (acetylation, mono-, di- and tri-methylation, phosphorylation, biotinylation, ubiquitination, citrullination and ADP-ribosylation) in human macrophages, which are primary cells of the innate immune system. As our knowledge expands, it becomes more evident that macrophages are a heterogeneous population with potentially subtle differences in their responses to various stimuli driven by highly complex epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. METHODS: To profile post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones in macrophages we used two platforms of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. One platform was based on Sciex5600 TripleTof and the second one was based on VelosPro Orbitrap Elite ETD mass spectrometers. RESULTS: We provide side-by-side comparison of profiling using two mass spectrometric platforms, ion trap and qTOF, coupled with the application of collisional induced and electron transfer dissociation. We show for the first time methylation of a His residue in macrophages and demonstrate differences in histone PTMs between those currently reported for macrophage cell lines and what we identified in primary cells. We have found a relatively low level of histone PTMs in differentiated but resting human primary monocyte derived macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first comprehensive profiling of histone PTMs in primary human MDM. Our study implies that epigenetic regulatory mechanisms operative in transformed cell lines and primary cells are overlapping to a limited extent. Our mass spectrometric approach provides groundwork for the investigation of how histone PTMs contribute to epigenetic regulation in primary human macrophages.

Effect of α″-Ti Martensitic Phase Formation on Plasticity in Ti-Fe-Sn Ultrafine Eutectic Composites.

Extensive research has been conducted on Ti-Fe-Sn ultrafine eutectic composites due to their high yield strength, compared to conventional microcrystalline alloys. The unique microstructure of ultrafine eutectic composites, which consists of the ultrafine-grained lamella matrix with the formation of primary dendrites, leads to high strength and desirable plasticity. A lamellar structure is known for its high strength with limited plasticity, owing to its interface-strengthening effect. Thus, extensive efforts have been conducted to induce the lamellar structure and control the volume fraction of primary dendrites to enhance plasticity by tailoring the compositions. In this study, however, it was found that not only the volume fraction of primary dendrites but also the morphology of dendrites constitute key factors in inducing excellent ductility. We selected three compositions of Ti-Fe-Sn ultrafine eutectic composites, considering the distinct volume fractions and morphologies of ß-Ti dendrites based on the Ti-Fe-Sn ternary phase diagram. As these compositions approach quasi-peritectic reaction points, the α″-Ti martensitic phase forms within the primary ß-Ti dendrites due to under-cooling effects. This pre-formation of the α″-Ti martensitic phase effectively governs the growth direction of ß-Ti dendrites, resulting in the development of round-shaped primary dendrites during the quenching process. These microstructural evolutions of ß-Ti dendrites, in turn, lead to an improvement in ductility without a significant compromise in strength. Hence, we propose that fine-tuning the composition to control the primary dendrite morphology can be a highly effective alloy design strategy, enabling the attainment of greater macroscopic plasticity without the typical ductility and strength trade-off.

Chlorogenic acid attenuates high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and enhances host defense mechanisms in murine sepsis.

Sepsis is a complex, multifactorial, rapidly progressive disease characterized by an overwhelming activation of the immune system and the countervailing antiinflammatory response. In the current study in murine peritoneal macrophages, chlorogenic acid suppressed endotoxin-induced high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release in a concentration-dependent manner. Administration of chlorogenic acid also attenuated systemic HMGB1 accumulation in vivo and prevented mortality induced by endotoxemia and polymicrobial sepsis. The mechanisms of action of chlorogenic acid included attenuation of the increase in toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 expression and suppression of sepsis-induced signaling pathways, such as c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB, which are critical for cytokine release. The protection conferred by chlorogenic acid was achieved through modulation of cytokine and chemokine release, suppression of immune cell apoptosis and augmentation of bacterial elimination. Chlorogenic acid warrants further evaluation as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of sepsis and other potentially fatal systemic inflammatory disorders.

Association between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lung function in adults: three cross-sectional studies from US and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Cholesterol is an irreplaceable nutrient in pulmonary metabolism; however, studies on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels have shown conflicting results regarding lung function. Therefore, we investigated the association between lung function and HDL-C levels in three cross-sectional studies conducted in the USA and South Korea. METHODS: US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, US NHANES 2007-2012, and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) IV-VII performed spirometry and met the American Thoracic Society recommendations. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between serum lipid levels and lung function. The models were adjusted for age, sex, household income, body mass index, smoking pack year, use of lipid-lowering medication and race. Serum HDL-C levels were classified into three groups to assess the dose-response relationship according to the guideline from the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS: The adult participants of the KNHANES (n=31 288), NHANES III (n=12 182) and NHANES 2007-2012 (n=9122) were analysed. Multivariate linear regression analysis of the serum cholesterol profiles revealed that only serum HDL-C was associated with forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in all three studies. A 1 SD increase in the HDL-C level increased the percent predicted FVC by 0.5%-1.5% p, and the per cent predicted FEV1 by 0.5%-1.7% p. In terms of HDL-C levels, correlations between the HDL-C groups and the per cent predicted FVC and FEV1 showed dose-response relationships. Compared with the normal group, high HDL-C levels increased FVC by 0.75%-1.79% p and FEV1 by 0.55%-1.90% p, while low levels led to 0.74%-2.19% p and 0.86%-2.68% p reductions in FVC and FEV1, respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed weaker associations in females from KNHANES and NHANES III. CONCLUSION: In the three nationwide cross-sectional studies, high HDL-C levels were associated with improved FVC and FEV1. However, future studies are needed to confirm this correlation and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Ablation of the deubiquitinase USP15 ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs due to the accumulation of fat in the liver, leading to fatal liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying NAFLD is critical for its prevention and therapy. Here, we observed that deubiquitinase USP15 expression was upregulated in the livers of mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and liver biopsies of patients with NAFLD or NASH. USP15 interacts with lipid-accumulating proteins such as FABPs and perilipins to reduce ubiquitination and increase their protein stability. Furthermore, the severity of NAFLD induced by an HFD and NASH induced by a fructose/palmitate/cholesterol/trans-fat (FPC) diet was significantly ameliorated in hepatocyte-specific USP15 knockout mice. Thus, our findings reveal an unrecognized function of USP15 in the lipid accumulation of livers, which exacerbates NAFLD to NASH by overriding nutrients and inducing inflammation. Therefore, targeting USP15 can be used in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD and NASH.

Digital Healthcare for Airway Diseases from Personal Environmental Exposure.

Digital technologies have emerged in various dimensions of human life, ranging from education to professional services to well-being. In particular, health products and services have expanded by the use and development of artificial intelligence, mobile health applications, and wearable electronic devices. Such advancements have enabled accurate and updated tracking and modeling of health conditions. For instance, digital health technologies are capable of measuring environmental pollution and predicting its adverse health effects. Several health conditions, including chronic airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, can be exacerbated by pollution. These diseases impose substantial health burdens with high morbidity and mortality. Recently, efforts have been made to develop digital technologies to alleviate such conditions. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated the application of telemedicine and telemonitoring for patients with chronic airway diseases. This article reviews current trends and studies in digital technology utilization for investigating and managing environmental exposure and chronic airway diseases. First, we discussed the recent progression of digital technologies in general environmental healthcare. Then, we summarized the capacity of digital technologies in predicting exacerbation and self-management of airway diseases. Concluding these reviews, we provided suggestions to improve digital health technologies' abilities to reduce the adverse effects of environmental exposure in chronic airway diseases, based on personal exposure-response modeling.

A Novel Approach on Deep Learning-Based Decision Support System Applying Multiple Output LSTM-Autoencoder: Focusing on Identifying Variations by PHSMs' Effect over COVID-19 Pandemic.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued emergence of major variant viruses has caused enormous damage worldwide by generating social and economic ripple effects, and the importance of PHSMs (Public Health and Social Measures) is being highlighted to cope with this severe situation. Accordingly, there has also been an increase in research related to a decision support system based on simulation approaches used as a basis for PHSMs. However, previous studies showed limitations impeding utilization as a decision support system for policy establishment and implementation, such as the failure to reflect changes in the effectiveness of PHSMs and the restriction to short-term forecasts. Therefore, this study proposes an LSTM-Autoencoder-based decision support system for establishing and implementing PHSMs. To overcome the limitations of existing studies, the proposed decision support system used a methodology for predicting the number of daily confirmed cases over multiple periods based on multiple output strategies and a methodology for rapidly identifying varies in policy effects based on anomaly detection. It was confirmed that the proposed decision support system demonstrated excellent performance compared to models used for time series analysis such as statistical models and deep learning models. In addition, we endeavored to increase the usability of the proposed decision support system by suggesting a transfer learning-based methodology that can efficiently reflect variations in policy effects. Finally, the decision support system proposed in this study provides a methodology that provides multi-period forecasts, identifying variations in policy effects, and efficiently reflects the effects of variation policies. It was intended to provide reasonable and realistic information for the establishment and implementation of PHSMs and, through this, to yield information expected to be highly useful, which had not been provided in the decision support systems presented in previous studies.

Biocompatibility of NbTaTiVZr with Surface Modifications for Osteoblasts.

We report a potential biomedical material, NbTaTiVZr, and the impact of surface roughness on the osteoblast culture and later behavior based on in vitro tests of preosteoblasts. Cell activities such as adhesion, viability, and typical protein activity on NbTaTiVZr showed comparable results with that of commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti). In addition, NbTaTiVZr with a smooth surface exhibits better cell adhesion, viability, and typical protein activity which shows that surface modification can improve the biocompatibility of NbTaTiVZr. This supports the biological evidence and shows that NbTaTiVZr can potentially be evaluated as a biomedical material for clinical use.

Hemicellulose-based hydrogels for advanced applications.

Hemicellulose-based hydrogels are three-dimensional networked hydrophilic polymer with high water retention, good biocompatibility, and mechanical properties, which have attracted much attention in the field of soft materials. Herein, recent advances and developments in hemicellulose-based hydrogels were reviewed. The preparation method, formation mechanism and properties of hemicellulose-based hydrogels were introduced from the aspects of chemical cross-linking and physical cross-linking. The differences of different initiation systems such as light, enzymes, microwave radiation, and glow discharge electrolytic plasma were summarized. The advanced applications and developments of hemicellulose-based hydrogels in the fields of controlled drug release, wound dressings, high-efficiency adsorption, and sensors were summarized. Finally, the challenges faced in the field of hemicellulose-based hydrogels were summarized and prospected.

A Coiled Carbon Nanotube Yarn-Integrated Surface Electromyography System To Monitor Isotonic and Isometric Movements.

A surface electromyogram (sEMG) electrode collects electrical currents generated by neuromuscular activity by a noninvasive technique on the skin. It is particularly attractive for wearable systems for various human activities and health care monitoring. However, it remains challenging to discriminate EMG signals from isotonic (concentric/eccentric) and isometric movements. By applying nanotechnology, we provide a coiled carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn-integrated sEMG device to overcome sEMG-based motion recognition. When the arm was contracted at different angles, the sEMG-derived root mean square amplitude signals were constant regardless of the angle of the moving arm. However, the coiled CNT yarn-derived open circuit voltage (OCV) signals proportionally increased when the arm's angle increased, and presented negative and positive values depending on the moving direction of the arm. Moreover, isometric contraction is characterized by the onset of EMG signals without an OCV signal, and isotonic contraction is determined by both EMG signals and OCV signals. Taken together, the integration of EMG and coiled CNT yarn electrodes provides complementary information, including the strength, direction, and degree of muscle movement. Therefore, we suggest that our system has high potential as a wearable system to monitor human motions in industrial and human system applications.

Implementation of a Collaborated Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Unit-driven Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Program for COVID-19 at an NYC Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the processes and clinical outcomes of a joint collaboration between Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) unit for delivery of monoclonal antibody therapy for mild-to-moderate COVID-19. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective, interim analysis of our COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy program. Outcomes included clinical response, incidence of hospitalization, and adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 175 patients (casirivimab-imdevimab, n = 130; bamlanivimab, n = 45) were treated between December 2020 and March 1, 2021. The median time from symptom onset was 6 (IQR 4, 8) days at time of treatment. Of 135 patients available for follow-up, 71.9% and 85.9% of patients reported symptom improvement within 3 and 7 days of treatment, respectively. A total of 9 (6.7%) patients required COVID-19-related hospitalization for progression of symptoms, all within 14 days of treatment. A total of 7 (4%) patients experienced an infusion-related reaction. CONCLUSIONS: ASP-OPAT collaboration is a novel approach to implement an efficient and safe monoclonal antibody therapy program for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

Chronic administration of udenafil, a selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, promotes erectile function recovery in an animal model of bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury.

INTRODUCTION: Preservation of the cavernous nerves (CNs) during radical prostatectomy is crucial for the patient's erectile function. Despite advances in operative technique, the majority of men report compromised erectile function postprostatectomy or complete loss of potency due to CN trauma even with nerve-sparing modifications. AIM: This study was designed to investigate whether repeated dosing of udenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, helps to improve erectile function after CN injury. METHODS: Using the CN crush injury model, 8-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the following groups; sham-operated group, bilateral CN crush injury exposed to either no udenafil (vehicle) or udenafil (5, 20 mg/kg) daily for two different durations (4 and 8 weeks, p.o.). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: At both time points, CN electrical stimulation was used to assess erectile function by measuring the intracavernous pressure. The expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß1), nerve growth factor (NGF), endothelin B receptor (ET(B) ), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH) in penile tissue were examined. Immunohistochemical antibody staining was performed for NGF, eNOS, nNOS, CD31, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Additionally, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling assay was performed to quantify apoptosis and the tissue slides were stained for Masson's trichrome to assess the smooth muscle/collagen ratio. RESULTS: Udenafil improved erectile function in a dose- and time-dependent manner with the maximum erectile function recovery achieved by 20 mg/kg udenafil at an 8-week time point. CN injury increased the expression of HIF-1α, TGF-ß1, NGF, and ET(B) , however, decreased the expression of eNOS, nNOS, and SHH. Udenafil significantly suppressed these alterations. The results from the histological analyses show that udenafil markedly reduces apoptosis induced by CN injury and augments the smooth muscle/collagen ratio. CONCLUSIONS: CN injury induces significantly impaired erectile function and altered gene/protein expression. Chronic administration of udenafil preserves erectile function and has a beneficial role against the pathophysiological consequences of CN injury.

Reversibility of electrowetting on hydrophobic surfaces and dielectrics under continuous applied DC voltage.

Various properties of electrowetting such as reversibility, reproducibility and mobility have been investigated experimentally. A conductive water drop on a thin hydrophobic film of amorphous fluropolymers coated on the counter electrode showed unexpectedly the poor reversibility under the discontinuous voltage, so called the contact angle hysteresis. The hysteresis could not been completely suppressed by inserting additionally a thick parylene-C film which has the high dielectric constant and no pinholes. However, both the reversibility and the reproducibility have been enhanced under the continuous voltage starting from the highest absolute electric potential.

Deep Dichromatic Model Estimation Under AC Light Sources.

The dichromatic reflection model has been popularly exploited for computer vison tasks, such as color constancy and highlight removal. However, dichromatic model estimation is an severely ill-posed problem. Thus, several assumptions have been commonly made to estimate the dichromatic model, such as white-light (highlight removal) and the existence of highlight regions (color constancy). In this paper, we propose a spatio-temporal deep network to estimate the dichromatic parameters under AC light sources. The minute illumination variations can be captured with high-speed camera. The proposed network is composed of two sub-network branches. From high-speed video frames, each branch generates chromaticity and coefficient matrices, which correspond to the dichromatic image model. These two separate branches are jointly learned by spatio-temporal regularization. As far as we know, this is the first work that aims to estimate all dichromatic parameters in computer vision. To validate the model estimation accuracy, it is applied to color constancy and highlight removal. Both experimental results show that the dichromatic model can be estimated accurately via the proposed deep network.

Development of Precipitation-Strengthened Al0.8NbTiVM (M = Co, Ni) Light-Weight Refractory High-Entropy Alloys.

Single-phase solid-solution refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) have been receiving significant attention due to their excellent mechanical properties and phase stability at elevated temperatures. Recently, many studies have been reported regarding the precipitation-enhanced alloy design strategy to further improve the mechanical properties of RHEAs at elevated temperatures. In this study, we attempted to develop precipitation-hardened light-weight RHEAs via addition of Ni or Co into Al0.8NbTiV HEA. The added elements were selected due to their smaller atomic radius and larger mixing enthalpy, which is known to stimulate the formation of precipitates. The addition of the Ni or Co leads to the formation of the sigma precipitates with homogeneous distribution. The formation and homogeneous distribution of sigma particles plays a critical role in improvement of yield strength. Furthermore, the Al0.8NbTiVM0.2 (M = Co, Ni) HEAs show excellent specific yield strength compared to single-phase AlNbTiV and NbTiVZr RHEA alloys and conventional Ni-based superalloy (Inconel 718) at elevated temperatures.

Visible and infrared dual-band imaging via Ge/MoS2 van der Waals heterostructure.

Multispectral photodetectors are emerging devices capable of detecting photons in multiple wavelength ranges, such as visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR), etc. Image data acquired with these photodetectors can be used for effective object identification and navigations owing to additional information beyond human vision, including thermal image and night vision. However, these capabilities are hindered by the structural complexity arising from the integration of multiple heterojunctions and selective absorbers. In this paper, we demonstrate a Ge/MoS2 van der Waals heterojunction photodetector for VIS- and IR-selective detection capability under near-photovoltaic and photoconductive modes. The simplified single-polarity bias operation using single pixel could considerably reduce structural complexity and minimize peripheral circuitry for multispectral selective detection. The proposed multispectral photodetector provides a potential pathway for the integration of VIS/NIR vision for application in self-driving, surveillance, computer vision, and biomedical imaging.

Strength can be controlled by edge dislocations in refractory high-entropy alloys.

Energy efficiency is motivating the search for new high-temperature (high-T) metals. Some new body-centered-cubic (BCC) random multicomponent "high-entropy alloys (HEAs)" based on refractory elements (Cr-Mo-Nb-Ta-V-W-Hf-Ti-Zr) possess exceptional strengths at high temperatures but the physical origins of this outstanding behavior are not known. Here we show, using integrated in-situ neutron-diffraction (ND), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and recent theory, that the high strength and strength retention of a NbTaTiV alloy and a high-strength/low-density CrMoNbV alloy are attributable to edge dislocations. This finding is surprising because plastic flows in BCC elemental metals and dilute alloys are generally controlled by screw dislocations. We use the insight and theory to perform a computationally-guided search over 107 BCC HEAs and identify over 106 possible ultra-strong high-T alloy compositions for future exploration.