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In Situ Cation Exchange Enables Air‐Processed Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with over 25% Efficiency and Enhanced Stability
Abstract The scalable fabrication of inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs) in humid air with an antisolvent‐free process is essential for future industrial applications. However, high humidity poses significant challenges for achieving high‐quality perovskite films, making it difficult to attain efficient IPSCs under ambient conditions. Here, we present an in situ cation exchange strategy to create a compact and uniform PbI₂ shell on the perovskite surface by using ZnI₂ in acetonitrile (ACN), where Zn 2+ replaces Pb 2+ . This transformation is attributed to the surface defects of the perovskite, which undergo a cation exchange reaction in humid air, forming a compact PbI₂ shell. The n‐type PbI₂ shell effectively encapsulates the perovskite films, minimizing air exposure while optimizing energy level alignment, thereby enhancing electron transport and extraction. As a result, we demonstrate IPSCs with efficiencies of 25.2% under ambient conditions (25°–30 °C, 60% ± 10% relative humidity [RH]), on par with state‐of‐the‐art devices fabricated in inert atmospheres. The devices demonstrated remarkable stability, enduring aging tests under the International Summit on Organic Photovoltaic Stability (ISOS) protocols ISOS‐D‐1I and ISOS‐D‐2I for over 4770 and 2000 h, respectively.
Confounders, Effect Modifiers, and Mediators: Dealing With “Third Variables” in Cardiovascular Epidemiology
Insights Into Recovery From Acute Fulminant Myocarditis Following Successful Treatment With Ruxolitinib by Comprehensive Single-Cell Profiling
Structure of the virulence-associated <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> filamentous bacteriophage MDAΦ
Neisseria meningitidis is a human commensal bacterium that can opportunistically invade the bloodstream and cross the blood–brain barrier, where it can cause septicemia and meningitis. These diseases, if left untreated, can be lethal within hours. Hyperinvasive N. meningitidis strains often express a genomically encoded filamentous bacteriophage called MDAΦ, which promotes colonization of mucosal host surfaces to facilitate bacterial invasion. How this phage is organized and how it promotes biofilm formation and infection at the molecular level is unclear. Here, we present an electron cryomicroscopy structure of the MDA phage, showing that MDAΦ is a class I filamentous inovirus, with the major capsid protein (MCP) arranged within the phage as a highly curved and densely packed α-helix. Comparison with other filamentous bacteriophages offers clues about inoviral genome encapsidation mechanisms, providing a framework for understanding the evolutionary diversity of inoviruses. A disordered, N-terminal segment in the MCP presents hydrophobic patches on the surface of assembled phage particles, which, together with electron cryotomography data of phage bundles, furnishes a structural rationale for phage–phage interactions that were seen previously in an epithelium adhesion infection model of N. meningitidis . Taken together, our results shed light on the structure, organization, and higher-order assembly of a biomedically relevant phage encoded in the genome of a human pathogen. Molecular insights gleaned from this study increase our understanding of phage evolution, phage-mediated bacterial adhesion, and pathogenicity.
Correction to: 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association
Participation bias in the estimation of heritability and genetic correlation
It is increasingly recognized that participation bias can pose problems for genetic studies. Recently, to overcome the challenge that genetic information of nonparticipants is unavailable, it is shown that by comparing the IBD (identity by descent) shared and not-shared segments between participating relative pairs, one can estimate the genetic component underlying participation. That, however, does not directly address how to adjust estimates of heritability and genetic correlation for phenotypes correlated with participation. Here, we demonstrate a way to do so by adopting a statistical framework that separates the genetic and nongenetic correlations between participation and these phenotypes. Crucially, our method avoids making the assumption that the effect of the genetic component underlying participation is manifested entirely through these other phenotypes. Applying the method to 12 UK Biobank phenotypes, we found eight that have significant genetic correlations with participation, including body mass index, educational attainment, and smoking status. For most of these phenotypes, without adjustments, estimates of heritability and the absolute value of genetic correlation would have underestimation biases.
Nonculprit Vulnerable Plaques and Prognosis in Myocardial Infarction With Versus Without ST-Segment Elevation: A PROSPECT II Substudy
BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend different revascularization strategies for nonculprit lesions in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) versus non-STEMI (NSTEMI). Whether the prevalence of untreated high-risk vulnerable plaques differs in STEMI and NSTEMI and affects their outcomes is unknown. METHODS: In PROSPECT II (Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree II), a multicenter, prospective natural history study, patients with recent myocardial infarction underwent 3-vessel coronary angiography with coregistered near-infrared spectroscopy and intravascular ultrasound after successful percutaneous coronary intervention of obstructive lesions from 2014 through 2017. Two-feature high-risk plaques were defined as those with both plaque burden ≥70% and maximum lipid core burden index over any 4-mm segment ≥324.7. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular events arising from untreated nonculprit lesions during a median 3.7-year follow-up. RESULTS: Of 898 patients, 199 (22.2%) with 849 nonculprit lesions had STEMI and 699 (77.8%) with 2784 nonculprit lesions had NSTEMI. By intravascular ultrasound, the median nonculprit lesion length was 17.4 mm (interquartile range, 16.3–18.5) in STEMI and 17.7 mm (interquartile range, 17.1–18.4) in NSTEMI ( P =0.63), and the median minimal lumen area was 5.5 mm 2 (interquartile range, 5.3–5.7 mm 2 ) in STEMI and 5.5 mm 2 (interquartile range, 5.3–5.6 mm 2 ) in NSTEMI ( P =0.99). At the lesion level, the prevalence of 2-feature high-risk nonobstructive nonculprit plaques was slightly higher in patients with STEMI than in patients with NSTEMI (12.8% versus 10.1%; P =0.03). At the patient level, however, the prevalence of 2-feature high-risk plaques was similar in STEMI versus NSTEMI (38.8% versus 32.7%; P =0.11). The prevalence of patients with 1 or more lesions meeting at least 1 high-risk plaque criterion was also similar (plaque burden ≥70%, 63.3% versus 57.8% [ P =0.16]; maximum lipid core burden index over any 4-mm segment ≥324.7, 63.3% versus 57.6% [ P =0.15]). The 4-year rates of nonculprit lesion–related major adverse cardiovascular events were similar in STEMI versus NSTEMI (8.6% versus 7.8%; hazard ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.57–1.81]; P =0.95), as were the rates of all major adverse cardiovascular events (14.2% versus 13.0%; hazard ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.68–1.64]; P =0.80). CONCLUSIONS: In the PROSPECT II study, the per-patient prevalence of high-risk vulnerable plaques was comparable in STEMI versus NSTEMI, as was the overall long-term incidence of nonculprit lesion–related and all major adverse cardiovascular events. These results support a similar revascularization strategy for nonculprit lesions in patients with STEMI or NSTEMI after culprit lesion management. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02171065.
Diffusion-limited settling of highly porous particles in density-stratified fluids
The vertical transport of solid material in a stratified medium is fundamental to a number of environmental applications, with implications for the carbon cycle and nutrient transport in marine ecosystems. In this work, we study the diffusion-limited settling of highly porous particles in a density-stratified fluid through a combination of experiment, analysis, and numerical simulation. By delineating and appealing to the diffusion-limited regime wherein buoyancy effects due to mass adaptation dominate hydrodynamic drag, we derive a simple expression for the steady settling velocity of a sphere as a function of the density, size, and diffusivity of the solid, as well as the density gradient of the background fluid. In this regime, smaller particles settle faster, in contrast with most conventional hydrodynamic drag mechanisms. Furthermore, we outline a general mathematical framework for computing the steady settling speed of a body of arbitrary shape in this regime and compute exact results for the case of general ellipsoids. Using hydrogels as a highly porous model system, we validate the predictions with laboratory experiments in linear stratification for a wide range of parameters. Last, we show how the predictions can be applied to arbitrary slowly varying background density profiles and demonstrate how a measured particle position over time can be used to reconstruct the background density profile.
Correction to: 2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association
Synergetic hydrogen-bond network of functionalized graphene and cations for enhanced atmospheric water capture
Water molecules at the solid–liquid interface display intricate behaviors sensitive to small changes. The presence of different interfacial components, such as cations or functional groups, shapes the physical and chemical properties of the hydrogen-bond network. Understanding such interfacial hydrogen-bond networks is essential for a large range of applications and scientific questions. To probe the interfacial hydrogen-bond network, atmospheric water capture is a powerful tool. Here, we experimentally observe that a calcium ion on a calcium-intercalated graphene oxide aerogel (Ca-GOA) surface captures 3.2 times more water molecules than in its freestanding state. From experimental Van’t Hoff estimation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we uncover the synergistically enhanced hydrogen-bond network of the calcium ion–epoxide complex due to significantly larger polarizations and hydrogen bond enthalpies. This study reveals valuable insights into the interfacial water hydrogen-bond network on functionalized carbon–cation complexed surfaces and potential pathways for future atmospheric water generation technologies.
Tuning Multi‐Active Sites in Cu Catalyst via Ag/Ni Doping for Enhanced CO <sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to C <sub>2+</sub> Products
Abstract Electrochemical CO 2 reduction (ECR) to C 2+ products is a promising sustainable carbon conversion pathway, yet simultaneously achieving high Faradaic efficiency (FE) and current density remains a challenge. Herein, we found that creating Cu‐Ag‐Ni multi‐metal sites could effectively modulate the adsorption energies of *H and *CO on the catalyst surface, thereby achieving highly efficient ECR to synthesize C 2+ products. In situ measurements coupling theoretical calculations indicated that by systematically altering the spatial arrangement and distribution of active sites in Cu‐Ag‐Ni catalysts, the electronic structure and the local *CO coverage on the Cu surface could be tuned, consequently steering the ECR to C 2+ pathway. In particular, Cu‐Ag‐Ni catalyst with dispersed multi‐sites (Cu x AgNi DNPs) could more effectively reduce the energy barrier for C─C coupling than Cu‐Ag‐Ni catalyst with phase‐separated multi‐sites (Cu x AgNi PNPs). As a result, the Cu 40 AgNi DNPs catalyst with dispersed multi‐sites yielded C 2+ products with a FE of 93.2% and a current density up to 818.1 mA cm −2 at −1.38 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE), which are higher than most reported up to date for C 2+ production. This work provides a methodology for designing robust multi‐metallic ECR catalysts with tailored multi‐active site configurations.
Response by Duan and Lin to Letter Regarding Article, “Bone Morphogenetic Protein 9 Protects Against Myocardial Infarction by Improving Lymphatic Drainage Function and Triggering DECR1-Mediated Mitochondrial Bioenergetics”
Gut microbiome and host TOR pathway interact to regulate predator-induced aversive memory in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>
The gut microbiome has emerged as a key factor influencing a wide range of host physiological processes and behaviors, though the mechanisms behind these effects remain only partially understood. In this study, we explored the role of the gut microbiome in memory regulation using a parasitoid wasp-induced oviposition depression paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster . Our findings show that flies with depleted gut microbiota, either through axenic culture or antibiotic treatment, exhibited significant memory impairments. However, reintroducing the commensal bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum alone was sufficient to restore memory, while coinoculation with Acetobacter pomorum further enhanced memory performance. Hemolymph metabolomic analyses revealed reduced amino acid levels in antibiotic-treated flies, which were linked to impaired Drosophila target of rapamycin (dTOR) signaling. Additionally, genetic manipulation of dTOR or dietary supplementation with branched-chain amino acids either mimicked or rescued the memory deficits caused by antibiotic treatments. These results suggest that the gut microbiome is essential for regulating memory function by maintaining amino acid homeostasis and proper dTOR signaling, with profound implications for advancing knowledge of cognitive regulation.
Photocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction for Ammonia Synthesis Accelerated by Overcoming Photo‐Dember Effect
Abstract During photocatalytic nitrogen fixation for ammonia synthesis, the photo‐Dember effect causes direct transmission of photogenerated electrons from the illuminated surface to the bottom of photocatalyst, thus significantly reducing the number of charge carriers migrating on the surface and nitrogen fixation efficiency. Herein, a bismuth oxychloride material with largely exposed (101) crystal plane and rich oxygen vacancies (BOC (101) ‐OVs) is synthesized, exhibiting a high NH 3 yield of 591.94 µmol g −1 h −1 ) after photocatalytic N 2 reduction under simulated solar light irradiation. The designed (101)/(001) interface in BOC (101) ‐OVs generates a self‐built electric field ( E self ) on the material surface due to different atomic arrangements. Therefore, the newly developed material achieved >95% of photogenerated electrons changing the transfer path, i.e., from bulk phase transfer to surface lateral transfer path, thus escaping confinement by the photo‐Dember effect. Meanwhile, after OVs construction, each adsorbed N 2 molecule simultaneously bonds with three Bi atoms of material through N 2p–Bi 6p bonding, accelerating the filling of high‐energy electrons into the π* orbital of N 2 , leading to a new nitrogen reduction path with combined alternating hydrogenation and terminal hydrogenation. This study greatly advances the beneficial effect of charge carrier migration through overcoming the photo‐Dember effect for ammonia synthesis.
Large language models show amplified cognitive biases in moral decision-making
As large language models (LLMs) become more widely used, people increasingly rely on them to make or advise on moral decisions. Some researchers even propose using LLMs as participants in psychology experiments. It is, therefore, important to understand how well LLMs make moral decisions and how they compare to humans. We investigated these questions by asking a range of LLMs to emulate or advise on people’s decisions in realistic moral dilemmas. In Study 1, we compared LLM responses to those of a representative U.S. sample ( N = 285) for 22 dilemmas, including both collective action problems that pitted self-interest against the greater good, and moral dilemmas that pitted utilitarian cost–benefit reasoning against deontological rules. In collective action problems, LLMs were more altruistic than participants. In moral dilemmas, LLMs exhibited stronger omission bias than participants: They usually endorsed inaction over action. In Study 2 ( N = 474, preregistered), we replicated this omission bias and documented an additional bias: Unlike humans, most LLMs were biased toward answering “no” in moral dilemmas, thus flipping their decision/advice depending on how the question is worded. In Study 3 ( N = 491, preregistered), we replicated these biases in LLMs using everyday moral dilemmas adapted from forum posts on Reddit. In Study 4, we investigated the sources of these biases by comparing models with and without fine-tuning, showing that they likely arise from fine-tuning models for chatbot applications. Our findings suggest that uncritical reliance on LLMs’ moral decisions and advice could amplify human biases and introduce potentially problematic biases.
AI assessment changes human behavior
AI is increasingly replacing human decision-makers across domains. AI-based tools have become particularly common in assessment decisions, such as when recruiting employees or admitting students. Calls for transparency and new legislation require organizations to disclose the use of AI assessment tools, thus making people under assessment aware of its use. We investigate whether this shift from human to AI assessment affects people’s behavior during the assessment. We propose that people emphasize their analytical characteristics and downplay their intuitive and emotional ones under AI (vs. human) assessment, a phenomenon we label “the AI assessment effect.” Twelve studies (eight in text and four in the Supporting Information; N = 13,342) document the AI assessment effect and its underlying mechanism: the lay belief that AI prioritizes analytical characteristics in its assessment. Whereas prior work has studied perceptions of AI assessment tools and their productivity gains, the current research demonstrates systematic behavioral changes because of AI assessment. The findings offer theoretical contributions to the psychology of AI and practical insights for organizations using AI assessment.
Titanium‐Mediated Rearrangement of Bis(alkynyl)boranes: B─C Activation versus C─H Activation
Abstract Reactions between Rosenthal's titanocene (Cp 2 Ti) and decamethyltitanocene (Cp* 2 Ti) synthons with various bis(alkynyl)boranes were investigated. A series of titanium‐fused boracyclobutenes were obtained through the reaction of the Cp* 2 Ti synthon with (Me 3 Si) 2 NB(CCR) 2 or PhB(CCPh) 2 . This represents the first realization of approaching this structural motif via the rearrangement of bis(alkynyl)boranes within the coordination sphere of a d ‐block metal. These findings break the previous limitation that the boron substituent must be an amino group. Furthermore, the reaction of the Cp* 2 Ti synthon with (Me 3 Si)PhNB(CCPh) 2 or (Mes 2 B)PhNB(CCPh) 2 (Mes = 2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl) led to the formation of novel tethered metallocene complexes, in which the titanacyclopentadiene structure is linked to one of the cyclopentadienyl groups via a ─CH 2 ─BR─ bridge. Both experimental and theoretical studies provided insights into an unprecedented reaction mechanism. The process involves the initial formation of an η 2 ‐coordinated bis(alkynyl)borane intermediate, which was detected and analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. This intermediate subsequently undergoes either B─C alkynyl bond activation or C Me ─H activation of the Cp* ligand, leading to the formation of two distinct types of products.
A norm about harvest division is maintained by a desire to follow tradition, not by social policing
Determining how people behave in contexts governed by social norms can clarify both how norms influence human behavior and how norms evolve. We examined cooperative farming harvest division among the Derung, a Tibeto-Burman-speaking horticultural society in southwestern China. In the village of Dizhengdang, the norm dictates that cofarming harvests should be divided equally among participating households. This contrasts with an alternative norm followed in some other Derung villages that holds that harvests should be divided equally among participating laborers. Rational choice theory and evolutionary models of norm-based cooperation assume that individuals weigh the material and social payoffs of different actions and follow norms because doing so maximizes their payoff. However, the behavior of the Derung in Dizhengdang is not consistent with payoff maximization. Using interviews on co-farming behaviors and attitudes, along with an ultimatum game experiment framed as co-farming harvest division, we found that most respondents preferred divisions based on labor contribution. They also accurately guessed that others shared this preference and would approve of such divisions. Nonetheless, they still followed the prevailing norm of dividing by household. Their self-reported explanation for this behavior was that they desired to follow their traditional practices. Such a normative decision-making algorithm can allow individually consequential norms to persist without costly policing by other group members.
Multistage nucleation pathway in LiF molten salt mirrors the crystal–melt interface structure
Despite over a century of studies, fundamental questions remain about the processes governing crystal nucleation from melts or solutions. Research over the past three decades has presented mounting evidence for kinetic pathways of crystal nucleation that are more complex than envisioned by the simplest forms of classical theory. Such observations have been presented for colloidal and elemental systems with covalent and metallic bonding. Despite the technological and geochemical importance of molten salts, similar studies for these ionically bonded systems are currently lacking. Here we develop a machine learning interatomic potential for a model ionic system: LiF. The potential features quantum-level accuracy for both liquid and multiple solid polymorphs over wide temperature and pressure ranges and accurately reproduces experimentally measured properties. Thanks to the efficiency of the potential, which enables microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations, induction times for nucleation of LiF solids from their melts are computed over a range of undercoolings. With the aid of a set of robust local order parameters established here, the simulations reveal that homogeneous crystal nucleation in undercooled melts preferentially initiates from liquid regions showing slow dynamics and high bond orientational order simultaneously, and the second-shell order of both precritical nuclei and the surface of postcritical nuclei is dominated by hexagonal close packing and body-centered cubic local structure, even though the nucleus core is dominated by face-centered cubic structure corresponding to the stable rocksalt crystal structure. Finally, we establish a connection between the crystallization pathway and the equilibrium crystal–melt interface structure.
Beyond additive genetic effects: Explaining family resemblance in school performance across millions of pairs of Norwegian relatives
We investigate the hypothesis that family resemblance on school performance can be fully explained by additive genetic effects and assortative mating. Our sample consists of all schoolchildren who took Norwegian national standardized tests between 2007 and 2019 (N = 936,708). These tests measure aptitude in math and reading comprehension, and are taken the years children turn 10, 13, and 14 y old. We identify millions of pairs of relatives within our sample (82 different kinds, in total), including not only conventional biological relatives such as siblings and cousins, but also relatives-in-law, relatives through adoption, twins, and relatives connected through twins. When fitting models which assume that family resemblance arises solely from additive genetic effects and assortative mating, we find that they describe much of our data well, but that they systematically underestimate the similarity of close relatives (particularly monozygotic twins), maternal relatives, relatives-in-law, and relatives through adoption. We discuss potential explanations for these deviations, including shared-environmental effects, nonadditive genetic effects, and gene–environment interplay.