High luminous efficiency and high saturation threshold in highly transparent LuAG:Ce phosphor ceramics for laser diodes lighting.

Lu3Al5O12:Ce (LuAG:Ce) phosphor ceramics (PCs) with the excellent thermal stability and high saturation threshold are considered as the best green-fluorescent converters for high-power laser diodes (LDs) lighting. In this study, the effects of sintering additives and sintering processes on the transmittance and microstructure of LuAG:Ce PCs were systematically studied, and the luminescence performance of ceramics with different transmittance was compared. LuAG:Ce PCs with the transmittance of 80% (@800 nm, 1.5 mm) were obtained by using 0.1 wt.% MgO and 0.5 wt.% TEOS as sintering additives, combined with optimized vacuum pre-sintering and hot isostatic pressing. Compared to the non-HIP samples, the transmittance had increased by 11%. The microstructure of ceramics indicated that high transparency was closely related to the decrease in intergranular pores. Notably, the luminous efficiency of 253 lm/W and its saturation thresholds of > 46 W/mm2 were obtained simultaneously in green-emitting LDs devices. Moreover, under 3W laser irradiation, highly transparent ceramics had the low surface temperature of 66.4 °C, indicating the good heat dissipation performance. The observed high luminous efficiency and high saturation threshold of LuAG:Ce PCs were attributed to fewer pores and oxygen vacancies. Therefore, this work proves that highly transparent LuAG:Ce PCs are promising green-fluorescent converters for high-power LDs lighting.

Risk of heavy metal(loid) compositions in fine particulate matter on acute cardiovascular mortality: a poisson analysis in Anyang, China.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Associations between PM2.5 compositions and cardiovascular disease are a point of special interest but inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the cardiovascular effects of heavy metal(loid) compositions in PM2.5. Data for mortality, air pollutants and meteorological factors in Anyang, China from 2017 to 2021 were collected. Heavy metal(loid) in PM2.5 were monitored and examined monthly. A Case-crossover design was applied to the estimated data set. The interquartile range increase in cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) at lag 1 was associated with increment of 8.1% (95% CI: 3.3, 13.2), 4.8% (95% CI: 0.2, 9.5) and 3.5% (95% CI: 1.1, 6.0) cardiovascular mortality. Selenium in lag 2 was inversely associated with cerebrovascular mortality (RR = 0.920 95% CI: 0.862, 0.983). Current-day exposure of aluminum was positively associated with mortality from ischemic heart disease (RR = 1.083 95% CI: 1.001, 1.172). Stratified analysis indicated sex, age and season modified the cardiovascular effects of As (P < 0.05). Our study reveals that heavy metal(loid) play key roles in adverse effects of PM2.5. Cd, Sb and As were significant risk factors of cardiovascular mortality. These findings have potential implications for accurate air pollutants control and management to improve public health benefits.

Laminated structural Al2O3/YAG:Ce composite ceramic phosphor with high front light emission for transmissive laser lighting.

The realization of high front light emission in laser lighting under transmissive modes is heavily constrained by low thermal stability and light extraction efficiency of color converter materials. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the heat dissipation capacity and light utilization efficiency of the color converter through appropriate microstructural adjustments. In this study, what we believe to be a novel laminated structure consisting of Al2O3 and YAG:Ce was designed and fabricated for transmissive laser lighting. Through this design, it was possible to change the phosphor emission angle, overcoming the limitations of total internal reflection and enabling maximal emission of yellow phosphor from the ceramic surface. This laminated structure enhanced the front light emission efficiency by 24.4% compared to composite ceramic phosphor. In addition, the thermal conduction area between the phosphor layer and the heat dissipation layer have been effectively enhanced. Ultimately, under a high-power density of 47.6 W/mm2, all ceramics showed no luminous saturation threshold. A high-brightness front light with a luminous flux of 651 lm, a luminous efficiency of 144 lm/W, a correlated color temperature of 6419 K and the operating temperature as low as 84.9 °C was obtained. These results suggest that laminated structural Al2O3/YAG:Ce composite ceramic is a promising candidate for transmissive mode laser lighting.

Efficient Binary Weight Convolutional Network Accelerator for Speech Recognition.

Speech recognition has progressed tremendously in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the performance of the real-time offline Chinese speech recognition neural network accelerator for edge AI needs to be improved. This paper proposes a configurable convolutional neural network accelerator based on a lightweight speech recognition model, which can dramatically reduce hardware resource consumption while guaranteeing an acceptable error rate. For convolutional layers, the weights are binarized to reduce the number of model parameters and improve computational and storage efficiency. A multichannel shared computation (MCSC) architecture is proposed to maximize the reuse of weight and feature map data. The binary weight-sharing processing engine (PE) is designed to avoid limiting the number of multipliers. A custom instruction set is established according to the variable length of voice input to configure parameters for adapting to different network structures. Finally, the ping-pong storage method is used when the feature map is an input. We implemented this accelerator on Xilinx ZYNQ XC7Z035 under the working frequency of 150 MHz. The processing time for 2.24 s and 8 s of speech was 69.8 ms and 189.51 ms, respectively, and the convolution performance reached 35.66 GOPS/W. Compared with other computing platforms, accelerators perform better in terms of energy efficiency, power consumption and hardware resource consumption.

Visible Near-Infrared Photodetection Based on Ta2NiSe5/WSe2 van der Waals Heterostructures.

The increasing interest in two-dimensional materials with unique crystal structures and novel band characteristics has provided numerous new strategies and paradigms in the field of photodetection. However, as the demand for wide-spectrum detection increases, the size of integrated systems and the limitations of mission modules pose significant challenges to existing devices. In this paper, we present a van der Waals heterostructure photodetector based on Ta2NiSe5/WSe2, leveraging the inherent characteristics of heterostructures. Our results demonstrate that this detector exhibits excellent broad-spectrum detection ability from the visible to the infrared bands at room temperature, achieving an extremely high on/off ratio, without the need for an external bias voltage. Furthermore, compared to a pure material detector, it exhibits a fast response and low dark currents (~3.6 pA), with rise and fall times of 278 µs and 283 µs for the response rate, respectively. Our findings provide a promising method for wide-spectrum detection and enrich the diversity of room-temperature photoelectric detection.

Ultrafast visible-infrared photodetector based on the SnSe2/Bi2Se3 heterostructure.

Using the inherent properties of a heterostructure, ultrafast photodetectors with high sensitivity can be progressively developed that have the potential to carve a niche among the optoelectronic devices. In this Letter, a heterojunction photodetector based on SnSe2/Bi2Se3 is constructed, and a visible-infrared photoresponse with good sensitivity at room temperature is obtained. The SnSe2/Bi2Se3 photodetector demonstrates a high Iph/Id ratio of 1.2 × 104 at 0 V. Moreover, the high responsivity of 2.3 A/W, detectivity of 1.6 × 1011 Jones, and fast response time of 40 µs are simultaneously achieved. The presented results offer an alternative route for ultrafast photodetectors with high sensitivity.

The type of previous abortion modifies the association between air pollution and the risk of preterm birth.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution and previous abortion have been reported to be related to preterm birth (PTB). But rare study examined the effect of air pollution on PTB risk among mothers with previous abortion. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of air pollution on PTB and the potential effect modification of previous abortion on such an association in rural part of Henan province (China). METHOD: Based on National Free Preconception Health Examination Project (NFPHEP), information from the medical records of 57,337 mothers with previous abortion were obtained. An inverse distance-weighted model was used to estimate exposure levels of air pollutants. The effect of air pollution on the risk of PTB was estimated with a multiple logistic regression model. Stratified and interaction analyses were undertaken to explore the potential effect modification of previous abortion on this association. RESULTS: The risk of PTB was positively associated with exposure to levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2; OR: 1.03; 95%CI: 1.02-1.04)], and sulfur dioxide (SO2; 1.04; 1.02-1.07), and negatively associated with ozone (O3) exposure (0.97; 0.97-0.98) during the entire pregnancy. Besides, we observed a positive effect of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure during the third trimester of pregnancy on PTB (1.14; 1.01-1.29). The type of previous abortion could modify the effect of air pollution on the PTB risk (P-interaction < 0.05). Compared with mothers with previous induced abortion, mothers with previous spontaneous abortion carried a higher risk of PTB induced by NO2, CO, and O3. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of PTB was positively associated with levels of NO2, SO2 and CO, and negatively associated with the O3 level. The types of previous abortion could modify the effect of air pollution on PTB. Mothers who had an abortion previously, especially spontaneous abortion, should avoid exposure to air pollution to improve their pregnancy outcome.

Enhanced terahertz shielding by adding rare Ag nanoparticles to Ti3C2TxMXene fiber membranes.

Polyacrylonitrile/Ti3C2TxMXene/silver nanoparticles fiber membranes with different silver nanoparticles contents and thickness of porous structure have been successfully prepared by electrospinning. Through the measurement of terahertz time domain spectrum, the shielding effect of the fiber membrane with 1% silver nanoparticles content can reach up to 12 dB. Moreover, the thickness of the spinning fiber membranes is controlled by adjusting the spinning time, so as to better analyze the influence of the thickness of the shielding performance in terahertz band. We attribute this excellent phenomenon to porous structure of the spun fiber membrane and combination of Ti3C2TxMXene with few-layers and silver nanoparticles to increase the absorption and conductivity of the fiber membrane, thereby enhancing the shielding effect in terahertz range. Meanwhile, the prepared polyacrylonitrile/Ti3C2TxMXene/silver nanoparticles fiber membranes show good stability and little change in terahertz shielding effect after high temperature annealing. This may provide potential ideas about the development of high-performance terahertz shielding materials, which are of great significance of terahertz electromagnetic shielding.

Phylogeny of split-footed lacewings (Neuroptera, Nymphidae), with descriptions of new Cretaceous fossil species from China.

A phylogeny of the lacewing family Nymphidae based on morphology and DNA sequences is presented including representatives of all living genera and selected fossil genera. Widely distributed Jurassic and Cretaceous genera gave rise to recent taxa now restricted to Australasia. Two previously defined clades (i.e. Nymphinae and Myiodactylinae) were recovered and reflect the diverging adult and larval morphology of members of these two subfamilies. From Chinese Cretaceous deposits, a new genus (Spilonymphes gen. nov.) is described with one new species, as well as new species described in the genera Baissoleon Makarkin and Sialium Westwood.

New findings of dipteromantispids (Insecta: Neuroptera) from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber.

A new genus and two new species, Tholimantispa zuoae gen. et sp. nov. and Mantispidipterella curvis sp. nov. are described from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Myanmar amber collected in 2015. Tholimantispa zuoae gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by its distinct pterostigma, broad costal space, bifurcate humeral veinlets, and so forth, and Mantispidipterella curvis sp. nov. is different from Mantispidipterella longissima Liu, Lu et Zhang, 2017 in its ScP (subcosta posterior) distinctly curved at fusing point with RA (radius anterior), RP (radius posterior) abruptly and angularly curved at ra-rp (crossvein between RA and RP), AA3 (third branches of the anterior anal vein) present. The new fossil species enrich the diversity of Dipteromantispidae in the Cretaceous.

One New Genus and Four New Species of Beaded Lacewings (Neuroptera: Berothidae) from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar Amber.

In recent years, as more and more fossil species of berothids from Myanmar have been reported, the species and morphological diversity of Berothidae continues to increase. Herein, one new species of Berothidae, Aggregataberotha paucipunctata sp. nov., and one new genus, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., with three new species (Sejunctaberotha sphaerica gen. et sp. nov., Sejunctaberotha tenuis gen. et sp. nov. and Sejunctaberotha transversa gen. et sp. nov.) are described from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. A. paucipunctata sp. nov. is assigned to Aggregataberotha Wang, Huang & Wang, 2022, based on the characteristics of the similar female terminalia and wing venation, but can be different from A. punctate regarding the pale pterostigma and a few detailed features of wing venation. Additionally, representatives of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. are remarkably different from the representatives of the other genera within Berothidae in the configuration of wing venation. For example, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. has simple subcostal veinlets, obviously free Sc and RA at the apex present both in fore- and hindwings, a single ra-rp crossvein connecting the RA with RP3, a single rp-m crossvein locating before the origin of the MP, a simple CuP and no gradate veins. Interestingly, in one of the specimens of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., a pair of spherical bulges was found at the end of the antennae. The new genus Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. suggests that Berothidae had a higher potential diversification during the Mesozoic Era.

Exploring the intentional unsafe behavior of workers in prefabricated construction based on structural equation modeling.

Compared with traditional onsite construction, prefabricated construction has a more complex working environment, resulting in more safety risks. While cognitive failure has been identified as a primary cause of intentional unsafe behaviors, there remains a lack of knowledge on the formation mechanism underlying intentional unsafe behaviors among workers in precast construction. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the risk preference variable, this study constructs a theoretical model for intentional unsafe behaviors of precast construction workers. Data related to precast construction and safety management activities is collected from 208 frontline workers. Structural Equation Modeling is used to test and modify the theoretical model in order to identify the formation mechanism and pathway underlying intentional unsafe behaviors. The findings show that: (1) workers' perceptual behavior control, behavior and attitude, risk preference, and subjective norms influence their intention to engage in unsafe behavior and subsequently lead to intentional unsafe behavior; (2) the effect of personal risk preference on intentional unsafe behaviors is significant, contributing 7.71% to overall intentional unsafe behavior; and (3) the effects of the observed variables are more evident than the initial theoretical model. The most prominent of these are the effects of task intensity (IBC1), safety equipment (IBC2), worker behavior (IOW1), historical behavior (IBC3), and behavioral belief (BAA3). Finally, comprehensive measures to control the intentional unsafe behaviors of precast construction workers are recommended. The results of this study are useful for reducing the occurrence of intentional unsafe behaviors by workers and reducing the incidence of accidents in a complex manufacturing-oriented construction environment.

Room-Temperature Band-Aligned Infrared Heterostructures for Integrable Sensing and Communication.

The demand for miniaturized and integrated multifunctional devices drives the progression of high-performance infrared photodetectors for diverse applications, including remote sensing, air defense, and communications, among others. Nonetheless, infrared photodetectors that rely solely on single low-dimensional materials often face challenges due to the limited absorption cross-section and suboptimal carrier mobility, which can impair sensitivity and prolong response times. Here, through experimental validation is demonstrated, precise control over energy band alignment in a type-II van der Waals heterojunction, comprising vertically stacked 2D Ta2NiSe5 and the topological insulator Bi2Se3, where the configuration enables polarization-sensitive, wide-spectral-range photodetection. Experimental evaluations at room temperature reveal that the device exhibits a self-powered responsivity of 0.48 A·W-1, a specific directivity of 3.8 × 1011 cm·Hz1/2·W-1, a response time of 151 µs, and a polarization ratio of 2.83. The stable and rapid photoresponse of the device underpins the utility in infrared-coded communication and dual-channel imaging, showing the substantial potential of the detector. These findings articulate a systematic approach to developing miniaturized, multifunctional room-temperature infrared detectors with superior performance metrics and enhanced capabilities for multi-information acquisition.

New species of Nymphites Haase (Neuroptera: Nymphidae) from the Middle Jurassic of China, with a redescription of the type species of the genus.

Nymphites priscus (Weyenbergh, 1869) from the Late Jurassic of Solnhofen (Germany), type species of the genus Nymphites Haase, 1890, is redescribed. The genus is assigned to the Nymphidae. The taxon Nymphitidae is not valid; it is an artificial aggregation of fossil genera. Two species new to science, one named, of Nymphites from the Middle Jurassic locality of Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, China) are described.

The associated evolution of raptorial foreleg and mantispid diversification during 200 million years.

Mantispidae have developed multidimensional specializations of predation that are leveraged by trade-offs involving attack properties, which is revealed by interdisciplinary analyses of phylogeny, morphometrics, and mechanical modeling. The lineage diversification was stimulated by its raptorial foreleg evolution, and was influenced by the ecosystem of corresponding periods, involving biotic and physical factors.

Genome-wide exploration of a pyroptosis-related gene module along with immune cell infiltration patterns in bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Pyroptosis plays a crucial role in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and is associated with various lung injury illnesses. However, the function of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in BPD remains poorly understood. The gene expression omnibus (GEO) database was searched for information on genes associated with BPD. Twenty-five BPD-related DE-PRGs were identified, all of which were closely associated with pyroptosis regulation and immunological response. LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms identified CHMP7, NLRC4, NLRP2, NLRP6, and NLRP9 among the 25 differentially expressed PRGs as marker genes with acceptable diagnostic capabilities. Using these five genes, we also generated a nomogram with excellent predictive power. Annotation enrichment analyses revealed that these five genes may be implicated in BPD and numerous BPD-related pathways. In addition, the ceRNA network showed an intricate regulatory link based on the marker genes. In addition, CIBERSORT-based studies revealed that alterations in the immunological microenvironment of BPD patients may be associated with the marker genes. We constructed a diagnostic nomogram and gave insight into the mechanism of BPD. Its diagnostic value for BPD must be evaluated in further research before it can be used in clinical practice.

Early specializations for mimicry and defense in a Jurassic stick insect.

Mimicry and secondary defense are staples among predator-prey interactions. Among insects, the stick and leaf insects are masters of camouflage. Nonetheless, a meager understanding of their origin and early mimetic evolution persists. Here, we report the earliest mimetic and defensive strategies of a stick insect from the Middle Jurassic of China, Aclistophasma echinulatum gen. et sp. nov., exquisitely preserving abdominal extensions and femoral spines. The distribution of these characteristics mapped onto the phylogeny of Phasmatodea reveals that abdominal extensions and femoral spines developed multiple times during the evolution of stick insects, and indicates that the origin of abdominal extensions predates other modifications, while tergal extensions predate other expansions of the body, such as those of the sterna and pleura, as well as defensive femoral spines. The new fossil provides clues into early antipredator defensive strategies, allows inferences as to the potential environment and predators, and reveals the mimetic and defensive mechanisms of stick insects from 165 million years ago.

A new genus and species of berothids (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Late Cretaceous Myanmar amber.

A new genus and species of Berothidae is described from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Myanmar amber. Ansoberothajiewenae gen. et sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other berothid genera by the long antenna, the scape with ca. 100 flagellomeres, the forewing with four ra-rp, MPand CuA are pectinately branched, and the hind wing with one oblique cua-cup between CuA stem and the distal branch of CuP.

A new genus of giant lacewing (Insecta, Neuroptera, Ithonidae) from the Middle Jurassic of China.

A new genus and species of Ithonidae, Puripolystoechotes pumilus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. The new genus is distinguished by possessing a hind wing with a simple humeral vein, only three ra-rp crossveins, M forked slightly distal to origin of RP1, and wing membrane without color pattern. This is the third ithonid genus from this locality, showing interesting morphological similarity with the other ithonids from the same locality and period.

Enhancement of immunotherapeutic effects of HPV16E7 on cervical cancer by fusion with CTLA4 extracellular region.

Cervical cancer is caused by infection by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV16. Limitations in current treatments of cervical cancers call for the development of new and improved immunotherapies. This study aims at investigating the efficacy of a novel vaccine consisting of modified HPV 16E7 fused with human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4). The regions in HPV16 E7 gene associated with its transformation and CTL-enhanced response were modified; the resultant HPV16mE7 was fused with extracellular region of CTLA4 to generate HPVml6E7-eCTLA4 fusion protein. Binding of this fusion protein to B7 molecules expressed on antigen presenting-cells (APCs) was demonstrated. C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice immunized with low dose of the fusion protein (10 microg) produced higher titer antibody and stronger specific CTL response, and expressed higher levels of IFN-gamma and IL-12, compared with those immunized with HPVml6E7 only or admixture of HPVml6E7 and CTLA4, or PBS; and were protected from lethal dose tumor challenge. Tumor growth was retarded and survival prolonged in mouse models with the fusion protein treatment. Our results demonstrate that fusion of HPV16 E7 with eCTLA4 targeting APCs resulted in enhanced immunity, and that this fusion protein may be useful for improving the efficacy of immunotherapeutic treatments of cervical cancer and other HPV16 infection-associated tumors.