Amorphous nitride semiconductors with highly tunable optical and electronic properties: the benefits of disorder in Ca-Zn-N thin films.

Semiconducting ternary nitrides are a promising class of materials that have received increasing attention in recent years, but often show high free electron concentrations due to the low defect formation energies of nitrogen vacancies and substitutional oxygen, leading to degenerate n-type doping. To achieve non-degenerate behavior, we now investigate a family of amorphous calcium-zinc nitride (Ca-Zn-N) thin films. By adjusting the metal cation ratios, we demonstrate band gap tunability between 1.

Quality Assurance of Depression Ratings in Psychiatric Clinical Trials.

Background: Extensive experience with antidepressant clinical trials indicates that interrater reliability (IRR) must be maintained to achieve reliable clinical trial results. Contract research organizations have generally accepted 6 points of rating disparity between study site raters and central "master raters" as concordant, in part because of the personnel turnover and variability within many contract research organizations. We developed and tested an "insourced" model using a small, dedicated team of rater program managers (RPMs), to determine whether 3 points of disparity could successfully be demonstrated as a feasible standard for rating concordance.

Broad Range Tuning of InAs Quantum Dot Emission for Nanophotonic Devices in the Telecommunication Bands.

InAs semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) emitting in the near-infrared are promising platforms for on-demand single-photon sources and spin-photon interfaces. However, the realization of quantum-photonic nanodevices emitting in the telecom windows with similar performance remains an open challenge. In particular, nanophotonic devices incorporating quantum light emitting diodes in the telecom C-band based on GaAs substrates are still lacking due to the relaxation of the lattice constant along the InGaAs graded layer which makes the implementation of electrically contacted devices challenging.

Exploring the diversity of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) in South Africa: host plants, distribution, and DNA barcoding analysis, with the description of nine new species.

Despite relatively extensive historical exploration being carried out on Lepidopteran fauna of South Africa, leaf-mining micromoths of the family Gracillariidae remain a source of discovery, with many new species awaiting description. In the present work, 32 gracillariid species from South Africa are treated. For each species, hostplant and distribution information is provided, supplemented by taxonomic and molecular analysis where necessary.

Ligand-Tuned AgBiS Planar Heterojunctions Enable Efficient Ultrathin Solar Cells.

AgBiS quantum dots (ABS QDs) have emerged as highly promising candidates for photovoltaic applications due to their strong sunlight absorption, nontoxicity, and elemental availability. Nevertheless, the efficiencies of ABS solar cells currently fall far short of their thermodynamic limits due in large part to sluggish charge transport characteristics in nanocrystal-derived films. In this study, we overcome this limitation by tuning the surfaces of ABS semiconductor QDs via a solvent-induced ligand exchange (SILE) strategy and provide key insights into the role of surface composition on both - and -type charge transfer doping, as well as long-range charge transport.

Contextual cuing survives an interruption from an endogenous cue for attention.

Three experiments explored how the repetition of a visual search display guides search during contextual cuing under conditions in which the search process is interrupted by an instructional (endogenous) cue for attention. In Experiment 1, participants readily learned about repeated configurations of visual search, before being presented with an endogenous cue for attention towards the target on every trial. Participants used this cue to improve search times, but the repeated contexts continued to guide attention.

Photoluminescence modal splitting strong coupling in hybrid Au/WS/GaP nanoparticle-on-mirror cavities.

By integrating dielectric and metallic components, hybrid nanophotonic devices present promising opportunities for manipulating nanoscale light-matter interactions. Here, we investigate hybrid nanoparticle-on-mirror optical cavities, where semiconductor WS monolayers are positioned between gallium phosphide (GaP) nanoantennas and a gold mirror, thereby establishing extreme confinement of optical fields. Prior to integration of the mirror, we observe an intermediate coupling regime from GaP nanoantennas covered with WS monolayers.

Zirconium Oxynitride Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Transition metal oxynitrides are a promising class of functional materials for photoelectrochemical (PEC) applications. Although these compounds are most commonly synthesized via ammonolysis of oxide precursors, such synthetic routes often lead to poorly controlled oxygen-to-nitrogen anion ratios, and the harsh nitridation conditions are incompatible with many substrates, including transparent conductive oxides. Here, we report direct reactive sputter deposition of a family of zirconium oxynitride thin films and the comprehensive characterization of their tunable structural, optical, and functional PEC properties.

Diamond-lattice photonic crystals assembled from DNA origami.

Colloidal self-assembly allows rational design of structures on the micrometer and submicrometer scale. One architecture that can generate complete three-dimensional photonic bandgaps is the diamond cubic lattice, which has remained difficult to realize at length scales comparable with the wavelength of visible or ultraviolet light. In this work, we demonstrate three-dimensional photonic crystals self-assembled from DNA origami that act as precisely programmable patchy colloids.

Nanostructured Black Silicon as a Stable and Surface-Sensitive Platform for Time-Resolved In Situ Electrochemical Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy.

Attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) is a powerful method for probing interfacial chemical processes. However, SEIRAS-active nanostructured metallic thin films for the in situ analysis of electrochemical phenomena are often unstable under biased aqueous conditions. In this work, we present a surface-enhancing structure based on etched black Si internal reflection elements with Au-coatings for in situ electrochemical ATR-SEIRAS.

Tuning Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction Selectivity of Bi Single-Atom Electrocatalysts with Controlled Coordination Environments.

Control over product selectivity of the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) is a crucial challenge for the sustainable production of carbon-based chemical feedstocks. In this regard, single-atom catalysts (SACs) are promising materials due to their tunable coordination environments, which could enable tailored catalytic activities and selectivities, as well as new insights into structure-activity relationships. However, direct evidence for selectivity control via systematic tuning of the SAC coordination environment is scarce.

Methods of assessment of urogenital atrophy and the implication of these in estimated prevalence rates: A review of the literature.

Background: Urogenital atrophy is caused by lack of estrogen, most commonly due to the menopause. Symptoms frequently experienced include vaginal dryness, itching, burning, sexual difficulties and urinary problems, all of which can have a significant adverse effect on quality of life. Effective treatments are available for women with a confirmed diagnosis.

Bright circularly polarized photoluminescence in chiral layered hybrid lead-halide perovskites.

Hybrid perovskite semiconductor materials are predicted to lock chirality into place and encode asymmetry into their electronic states, while softness of their crystal lattice accommodates lattice strain to maintain high crystal quality with low defect densities, necessary for high luminescence yields. We report photoluminescence quantum efficiencies as high as 39% and degrees of circularly polarized photoluminescence of up to 52%, at room temperature, in the chiral layered hybrid lead-halide perovskites (R/S/Rac)-3BrMBAPbI [3BrMBA = 1-(3-bromphenyl)-ethylamine]. Using transient chiroptical spectroscopy, we explain the excellent photoluminescence yields from suppression of nonradiative loss channels and high rates of radiative recombination.

An innovative analysis of nasolabial dynamics of surgically managed adult patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate using 3D facial motion capture.

Aim: To compare dynamic nasolabial movement between end-of-treatment cleft and a matched non-cleft group in adult patients.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen treated adult participants with unilateral cleft lip and palate had images taken using a facial motion capture system performing a maximum smile. Seventeen landmarks were automatically tracked.

Conversion of a 3D printer for versatile automation of dip coating processes.

The necessity of increased sample throughput has led to increased usage of robotic systems and automation of sample preparation processes. Many devices, especially for dip coating applications, are mechanically simple but, nevertheless, require large financial investments. Here, a low-cost alternative to commercial dip coaters based on a readily available 3D printer is presented and resulting films are compared to those obtained from an exemplary commercial device.

Solution-Processed NiPS Thin Films from Liquid Exfoliated Inks with Long-Lived Spin-Entangled Excitons.

Antiferromagnets are promising materials for future opto-spintronic applications since they show spin dynamics in the THz range and no net magnetization. Recently, layered van der Waals (vdW) antiferromagnets have been reported, which combine low-dimensional excitonic properties with complex spin-structure. While various methods for the fabrication of vdW 2D crystals exist, formation of large area and continuous thin films is challenging because of either limited scalability, synthetic complexity, or low opto-spintronic quality of the final material.

Elucidating the Roles of Nafion/Solvent Formulations in Copper-Catalyzed CO Electrolysis.

Nafion ionomer, composed of hydrophobic perfluorocarbon backbones and hydrophilic sulfonic acid side chains, is the most widely used additive for preparing catalyst layers (CLs) for electrochemical CO reduction, but its impact on the performance of CO electrolysis remains poorly understood. Here, we systematically investigate the role of the catalyst ink formulation on CO electrolysis using commercial CuO nanoparticles as the model pre-catalyst. We find that the presence of Nafion is essential for achieving stable product distributions due to its ability to stabilize the catalyst morphology under reaction conditions.

Justifying the implementation of intraoperative computed tomography for midface fracture treatment in improving outcomes.

Intraoperative CT scanning is the international standard for treating midface fractures as it allows intraoperative assessment of reduction and fixation. To our knowledge, no NHS hospital in the UK has this facility yet due to the financial and logistical burden of its implementation. The aim of this study was to determine if complications including the requirement for a return to theatre (RTT) could have been predicted from the post-fixation CT scan.

The spatial distribution of cobalt phthalocyanine and copper nanocubes controls the selectivity towards C products in tandem electrocatalytic CO reduction.

The coupling of CO-generating molecular catalysts with copper electrodes in tandem schemes is a promising strategy to boost the formation of multi-carbon products in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO. While the spatial distribution of the two components is important, this aspect remains underexplored for molecular-based tandem systems. Herein, we address this knowledge gap by studying tandem catalysts comprising Co-phthalocyanine (CoPc) and Cu nanocubes (Cu).

Tandem electrocatalytic CO reduction with Fe-porphyrins and Cu nanocubes enhances ethylene production.

Copper-based tandem schemes have emerged as promising strategies to promote the formation of multi-carbon products in the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction. In such approaches, the CO-generating component of the tandem catalyst increases the local concentration of CO and thereby enhances the intrinsic carbon-carbon (C-C) coupling on copper. However, the optimal characteristics of the CO-generating catalyst for maximizing the C production are currently unknown.