Browse Articles

Memantine treatment improves opioid-induced hyperalgesia symptoms: randomize clinical trial

Stability evaluation of high-bench dumps considering the effects of disordered particle arrangements

A scenario based analysis of bidirectional electric vehicle-building integration for energy optimization and carbon emission reduction

Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation to Aldehyde Through Direct Dehydrogenation Mechanism Using a High‐Performance Pt/Co ₃ O ₄ Catalyst

Abstract The electrocatalytic upgrading of low‐value carbon sources has been widely regarded as a green approach for synthesizing diverse chemicals and promising route to attain carbon neutrality goals. However, according to the prevailing reactive oxygen species‐mediated mechanism (ROSMM), these reactions suffer from harsh reaction conditions (strong basic electrolyte) and high energy costs (high reaction potential, especially under neutral conditions). Here, a novel electrochemical direct dehydrogenation mechanism (DDM) has been proposed. As proof‐of‐the‐concept, Pt/Co 3 O 4 /CC catalyst has been developed to accelerate the dehydrogenation reaction for efficient upgrading of ethylene glycol to glycolaldehyde dimer. Impressively, an ultralow potential of 0.4 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) at a current density of 3.7 mA cm −2 , a Faradaic efficiency of ∼100.0%, a selectivity of 99.0% and an extra‐high productivity of 204.9 µmol h −1 cm −2 in neutral electrolyte have been obtained, which are among the highest of the state‐of‐the‐art catalysts ever reported. Various value‐added aldehydes can be obtained by similar approach. The proposed direct dehydrogenation mechanism offers novel perspectives for electrocatalyst design, reaction pathway modulation, and energy consumption reduction in the syntheses of high‐value chemicals by electrocatalytic upgrading reactions.

Neural evidence for a bilingual advantage in conflict monitoring among Dai bilinguals

Abstract Research on the bilingual advantage in cognitive control has yielded mixed results, particularly across diverse populations. This study examined whether Dai bilinguals in China demonstrate enhanced cognitive control compared to monolinguals. Participants completed a classic Eriksen Flanker task while both behavioral responses and EEG data were recorded. Analyses focused on reaction times, conflict effects, congruency sequence effects, and the ERP components N2 (associated with conflict monitoring) and P3 (associated with attentional allocation). Although no significant group differences emerged in behavioral performance, bilinguals showed reduced N2 and increased P3 amplitudes relative to monolinguals, indicating group differences in neural correlates of conflict monitoring. No differences were observed in conflict or congruency sequence effects between the groups. These findings suggest a bilingual experience may be associated with differences in the neural dynamics of conflict monitoring, even in the absence of behavioral differences. The effects were not lateralized. This highlights the value of combining behavioral and ERP measures to investigate bilingual cognitive processing in non-Indo-European language contexts.

Chiral Plasmonic Sensors: Fundamentals and Emerging Applications

Abstract Chiral plasmonic sensors have emerged as powerful tools for the enantioselective detection of biomolecules, addressing key limitations of conventional techniques such as circular dichroism (CD), chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In this review, we introduce a unifying framework based on physical and chemical chiral imprinting strategies to design nanostructures with tailored chiroptical activity. We explore the fabrication of both discrete and assembled plasmonic architectures through methods including top‐down lithography, DNA‐guided assembly, soft templates, and chiral molecule‐directed growth. These platforms have enabled highly sensitive chiral sensing via localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)‐based CD, colorimetry, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), photoluminescence (PL), and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). We describe the underlying sensing mechanisms, detection limits, and the influence of nanostructure geometry and composition on chiral signal generation. Recent applications in biosensing, disease diagnostics, and asymmetric catalysis monitoring are also highlighted. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future directions for integrating chiral plasmonic sensors into practical analytical systems, offering a comprehensive overview of their conceptual foundations, fabrication strategies (with emphasis on chiral imprinting), and application landscape.

Matrix-based pagerank control in hypergraphs for semantic text summaries

Unbalanced power anomaly detection model based on improved transformer and countermeasure encoder

Correction: Long term health related quality of life among individuals after COVID-19 recovery in a multicentric community-based study

Gender dynamics and remittances in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Nepal

Antimalarial potential of curcumin derivatives evaluated through experimental and computational approaches

Development of PBAT films reinforced with SiC/g-C3N4 nanohybrids for enhanced biocompatibility and antibacterial performance

Delayed, transient, lateralized deficits in pattern separation and pattern completion after focal hippocampal irradiation in humans

Hemi‐Indigiosin: A pH and Red‐Light Responsive Transmembrane HCl Transporter

Abstract Synthetic anion transporters have emerged as promising therapeutic agents. However, their targeting ability is still low. Herein, we present hemi‐indigiosin, which is structurally related to prodigiosin—a well‐studied natural product exhibiting a wide range of biological activities. Our hemi‐indigiosin is shown to have similar HCl transport selectivity and pH‐dependent activity as prodigiosin, while in addition it can be deactivated by irradiation with visible light. This deactivation is effective due to high photoconversion from the active chloride‐binding Z ‐isomer to the inactive E ‐isomer, not exposing a chloride‐binding site. Transport activity is thus controlled by both pH change and light, which will allow improved targeting of pathological sites and prevent ecological impact after drug excretion into the environment.

Fabrication of robust suspended structures using tilted e-beam lithography

We report a technique for fabricating suspended structures using tilted electron beam lithography. This technique enables the formation of beveled anchor profiles, which significantly increase structural integrity compared to previous techniques. We demonstrate the technique by fabricating a suspended top gate over a graphene device, achieving a breakdown electric field of up to 1.5 V/nm, and induced carrier densities of ∼ 7 × 1012 cm−2, both representing more than 10-fold increase from previous methods. This technique provides a pathway to robust suspended electronic structures capable of withstanding large electrostatic forces common in two-dimensional material systems and nanoelectromechanical devices.

Tetrachromatic optoelectronic transistor with multi-dimensional information processing functionality for in-sensor motion perception

Bio-inspired visuomorphic vision integrates multi-dimensional information (spectrum, spatial, temporal, and so on), providing an effective computational paradigm for sensing a visual scene in the physical world. Using photosensors with multi-dimensional information processing functionality to split complex optical information into visible and ultraviolet channels for separate perception and processing is the basis for constructing tetrachromatic vision systems. Here, by modulating the transport dynamics of photogenerated excitons between pentacene and ZnO thin films, both wavelength-dependent volatile positive photoconductance and non-volatile negative photoconductance characteristics are coupled into a single optoelectronic transistor. Utilizing the optoelectronic transistor as the tetrachromatic sensor, the constructed in-sensor computing system can effectively extract and identify the types of visible objects (99%) and the motion direction of ultraviolet objects (97%). This work provides a foundational hardware platform for intelligent artificial vision systems.

Valley manipulation in 2D multiferroic TiInSe3: Doping-induced valley polarization and stacking-engineered effects

The ability to control spin and valley degrees of freedom in two-dimensional materials offers promising prospects for next-generation electronic and spintronic devices. However, achieving tunable valley polarization and intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) within a single material system without an external magnetic or optical field remains challenging. Here, we present two complementary mechanisms to realize robust valley polarization control in TiInSe3. In the monolayer, electron doping modifies the magnetic easy axis, inducing spontaneous valley polarization. More importantly, in bilayers with specific stacking configurations, intrinsic interlayer charge transfer breaks inversion symmetry, enabling spontaneous valley polarization and a switchable layer-resolved AHE even in the absence of doping. These findings establish fundamental strategies to manipulate spin and valley degrees of freedom through doping and stacking engineering.

Dirac edge states as signature of two-dimensional altermagnetic topological crystalline phase

Two-dimensional (2D) metallic altermagnets present exciting opportunities for both fundamental research and practical innovations. Their ability to enhance tunneling magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions, combined with the direct control of spin currents via electric fields, makes them highly promising for spintronic devices. Moreover, the rich electronic structure of altermagnets can host nontrivial topological phases. In particular, topological crystalline insulators are compounds where the topological states are protected by both crystalline and time-reversal symmetries. Furthermore, manipulating the state of a system between topological and trivial phases through external parameters unlocks new possibilities for quantum materials and advanced electronics. We show the edge states of a 2D metallic compound that displays signatures of an underlying altermagnetic topological crystalline phase, using as a representative example Cr2BAl, a 2D MBene metallic altermagnet with a dx2−y2 altermagnetic ordering. We find that the system can host an altermagnetic phase with extremely large “weak ferrimagnetism” which is sizeable also with light atoms, only with an in-plane component of the Néel vector. The electronic structure of Cr2BAl presents multiple crossings in the vicinity of the Fermi level along [100]- and [010]-directions. When the spin–orbit coupling interaction is included, with the Néel vector along [001]-direction, this results in a pronounced peak in the spin Hall conductivity. The simulated Cr–B terminated [100] edge-projected band structure reveals Dirac dispersions at the bulk crossings, which are absent in Cr–Al terminations.

Measurement of multiple mechanical properties from multi-dimensional signals in nanosecond laser ablation via PINN

Accurate evaluation of mechanical properties in steels under ageing or service conditions remains a major challenge. We propose a thermo-mechanical coupling framework for nanosecond laser ablation based on energy conservation, which is embedded into a physics-informed neural network (PINN) to enable simultaneous inversion of multiple mechanical properties. A thermo-mechanical coupling coefficient is defined to uniformly describe the dynamic allocation of input laser energy among thermal diffusion, mechanical work, and plasma shielding across different deformation stages under laser irradiation. Furthermore, hard-to-measure physical characteristics in the coupled equation are replaced with experimentally accessible features obtained through the simultaneous acquisition of spectroscopic, shockwave, and surface-wave signals. Using 210 experimental datasets, the framework simultaneously recovers Young's modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and micro-Vickers hardness with high accuracy (R2 = 0.9927, 0.9912, 0.9916, and 0.9959, respectively), significantly outperforming the baseline method (ultrasonic velocity regression for E, R2 = 0.0012). Comparisons with linear normalization and unconstrained neural networks demonstrate that PINN achieves near-unity accuracy through the embedding of conservation-law constraints. Partial dependency analysis further uncovers the nonlinear coupling laws between input features and mechanical properties. The proposed paradigm, integrating conservation laws, measurable features, and physics-informed learning, offers a universal approach for non-contact, high-precision, and physically consistent multi-to-multi inversion of multiple material properties under nanosecond laser ablation conditions.

Printed organic electronic sensors for glucose detection in human saliva

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition which is approaching epidemic levels globally. Sufferers of diabetes require regular monitoring of their blood glucose levels for successful treatment and the current widely used methods are invasive and painful. There is therefore an urgent need for simple, noninvasive methods of blood glucose concentration monitoring. Saliva is a medium whose glucose concentration correlates well with that of glucose in blood, while readily allowing noninvasive and pain-free sampling. Here, we demonstrate organic enzymatic glucose sensors fabricated at pilot-scale and at low cost, which show high sensitivity to glucose in human saliva for biologically relevant concentrations (up to 0.2 mM) and a limit of detection of 0.029 mM. Additionally, we show that the devices are highly selective for glucose in the presence of key interferents such as ascorbic acid and uric acid.