Plasmonic Au nanorods stabilized within anodic aluminum oxide pore channels against high-temperature treatment.

Au nanorods (Au NRs) are promising candidates for sensing applications due to their tunable localized surface plasmon resonance wavelength. At temperatures above 250 °C, however, these structures are morphologically unstable and tend to evaporate. We herein report a novel refractory plasmonic nanocomposite system comprising Au NRs entrapped in anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) scaffolds that are stable up to 800 °C.

Remarkable long-term stability of nanoconfined metal-halide perovskite crystals against degradation and polymorph transitions.

Metal-halide perovskites are promising candidates to advance optoelectronic devices but are known to suffer from rapid material degradation. Here we demonstrate that nanoconfinement is an effective strategy for the long-term stabilization of metal-halide perovskite MAPbI3 crystals against humidity-induced degradation and temperature-induced polymorph transitions. Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns of MAPbI3 films reveal an unprecedented air-stability of up to 594 days in non-chemically modified, non-passivated MAPbI3 films deposited on substrates imposing complete 2D confinement on the tens of nanometers length scale.

Examining Summer Laboratory Research Apprenticeships for High School Students as a Factor in Entry to MD/PhD Programs at Matriculation.

Do summer laboratory research apprenticeships during high school have an impact on entry into MD/PhD programs? Apart from the nearly decade-long span of time between high school and matriculation into an MD/PhD program, young people have many life-shaping experiences that presumably impact their education and career trajectories. This quantitative study ( = 236,432) examines the connection between early laboratory research apprenticeship experiences at the high school level and matriculation into one of the more rigorous educational programs for scientific research training. The span of time covered by this analysis reaches across more than a decade, examining the potential importance of research experiences during the precollege years in the educational trajectory of young people.

How Do Interaction Experiences Influence Doctoral Students' Academic Pursuits in Biomedical Research?

This exploratory qualitative study investigated how doctoral students reported their personal and professional interaction experiences that they believed might facilitate or impede their academic pursuits in biomedical research. We collected 19 in-depth interviews with doctoral students in biomedical research from eight universities, and we based our qualitative analytic approach on the work of Miles and Huberman. The results indicated that among different sources and types of interaction, academic and emotional interactions from family and teachers in various stages essentially affected students' persistence in the biomedical science field.