The enhancement of the functional properties of materials at reduced dimensions is crucial for continuous advancements in nanoelectronic applications. Here, we report that the scale reduction leads ...to the emergence of an important functional property, ferroelectricity, challenging the long-standing notion that ferroelectricity is inevitably suppressed at the scale of a few nanometers. A combination of theoretical calculations, electrical measurements, and structural analyses provides evidence of room-temperature ferroelectricity in strain-free epitaxial nanometer-thick films of otherwise nonferroelectric strontium titanate (SrTiO3). We show that electrically induced alignment of naturally existing polar nanoregions is responsible for the appearance of a stable net ferroelectric polarization in these films. This finding can be useful for the development of low-dimensional material systems with enhanced functional properties relevant to emerging nanoelectronic devices.
We present the first experimental evidence supported by simulations of kinetic effects launched in the interpenetration layer between the laser-driven hohlraum plasma bubbles and the corona plasma of ...the compressed pellet at the Shenguang-III prototype laser facility. Solid plastic capsules were coated with carbon-deuterium layers; as the implosion neutron yield is quenched, DD fusion yield from the corona plasma provides a direct measure of the kinetic effects inside the hohlraum. An anomalous large energy spread of the DD neutron signal (∼282 keV) and anomalous scaling of the neutron yield with the thickness of the carbon-deuterium layers cannot be explained by the hydrodynamic mechanisms. Instead, these results can be attributed to kinetic shocks that arise in the hohlraum-wall-ablator interpenetration region, which result in efficient acceleration of the deuterons (∼28.8 J, 0.45% of the total input laser energy). These studies provide novel insight into the interactions and dynamics of a vacuum hohlraum and near-vacuum hohlraum.
One of the most promising approaches to reach a high gain in inertial confinement fusion is the fast ignition scheme. In this scheme, a relativistic electron beam is generated; this passes through ...the imploded plasma and deposits parts of its energy in the core. However, the large angular spread of the relativistic electron beam and the poorly controlled compression of the target affect realization of the fast ignition technique. Here, we demonstrate that indirectly driven (that is, driven by X-rays generated inside a gold hohlraum) implosions with a ‘high-foot’ and a short-coast time of less than 200 ps allow us to tightly compress the shell. Furthermore, we show the ability to optimize the symmetry of the imploding shell by changing the hohlraum length, successfully tuning a suitable tube-shaped shell to compensate for the large angular spread of the relativistic electron beam and to enhance the electron-to-core coupling efficiency via resistive magnetic fields. Benefiting from those experimental techniques, a significant enhancement in neutron yield was achieved in our indirectly driven fast ignition experiments. These results pave the way towards high-coupling fast ignition experiments with indirectly driven targets similar to those at the National Ignition Facility.Experiments realizing the indirect-drive fast ignition scheme for inertial confinement fusion are reported. Enabled by a tightly compressed target, an increase of neutron yield is observed.
Single-crystal micro- and nanomaterials often exhibit higher yield strength than their bulk counterparts. This enhancement is widely recognized in structural materials but is rarely exploited to ...probe fundamental physics of electronic materials. Vanadium dioxide exhibits coupled electronic and structural phase transitions that involve different structures existing at different strain states. Full understanding of the driving mechanism of these coupled transitions necessitates concurrent structural and electrical measurements over a wide phase space. Taking advantages of the superior mechanical property of micro/nanocrystals of VO2, we map and explore its stress-temperature phase diagram over a phase space that is more than an order of magnitude broader than previously attained. New structural and electronic aspects were observed crossing phase boundaries at high-strain states. Our work shows that the actively tuning strain in micro/nanoscale electronic materials provides an effective route to investigate their fundamental properties beyond what can be accessed in their bulk counterpart.
Magnetic field plays a crucial role in shaping molecular clouds and regulating star formation, yet the complete information on the magnetic field is not well constrained owing to the limitations in ...observations. We study the magnetic field in the massive infrared dark cloud G035.39-00.33 from dust continuum polarization observations at 850 m with SCUBA-2/POL-2 at JCMT for the first time. The magnetic field tends to be perpendicular to the densest part of the main filament (FM), whereas it has a less defined relative orientation in the rest of the structure, where it tends to be parallel to some diffuse regions. A mean plane-of-the-sky magnetic field strength of ∼50 G for FM is obtained using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. Based on 13CO (1-0) line observations, we suggest a formation scenario of FM due to large-scale (∼10 pc) cloud-cloud collision. Using additional NH3 line data, we estimate that FM will be gravitationally unstable if it is only supported by thermal pressure and turbulence. The northern part of FM, however, can be stabilized by a modest additional support from the local magnetic field. The middle and southern parts of FM are likely unstable even if the magnetic field support is taken into account. We claim that the clumps in FM may be supported by turbulence and magnetic fields against gravitational collapse. Finally, we identified for the first time a massive (∼200 M ), collapsing starless clump candidate, "c8," in G035.39-00.33. The magnetic field surrounding "c8" is likely pinched, hinting at an accretion flow along the filament.
Molecular-scale pore structures, called nanopores, can be assembled by protein ion channels through genetic engineering or be artificially fabricated on solid substrates using fashion nanotechnology. ...When target molecules interact with the functionalized lumen of a nanopore, they characteristically block the ion pathway. The resulting conductance changes allow for identification of single molecules and quantification of target species in the mixture. In this review, we first overview nanopore-based sensory techniques that have been created for the detection of myriad biomedical targets, from metal ions, drug compounds, and cellular second messengers to proteins and DNA. Then we introduce our recent discoveries in nanopore single molecule detection: (1) using the protein nanopore to study folding/unfolding of the G-quadruplex aptamer; (2) creating a portable and durable biochip that is integrated with a single-protein pore sensor (this chip is compared with recently developed protein pore sensors based on stabilized bilayers on glass nanopore membranes and droplet interface bilayer); and (3) creating a glass nanopore-terminated probe for single-molecule DNA detection, chiral enantiomer discrimination, and identification of the bioterrorist agent ricin with an aptamer-encoded nanopore.
Spatially resolved transcriptomic technologies are promising tools to study complex biological processes such as mammalian embryogenesis. However, the imbalance between resolution, gene capture, and ...field of view of current methodologies precludes their systematic application to analyze relatively large and three-dimensional mid- and late-gestation embryos. Here, we combined DNA nanoball (DNB)-patterned arrays and in situ RNA capture to create spatial enhanced resolution omics-sequencing (Stereo-seq). We applied Stereo-seq to generate the mouse organogenesis spatiotemporal transcriptomic atlas (MOSTA), which maps with single-cell resolution and high sensitivity the kinetics and directionality of transcriptional variation during mouse organogenesis. We used this information to gain insight into the molecular basis of spatial cell heterogeneity and cell fate specification in developing tissues such as the dorsal midbrain. Our panoramic atlas will facilitate in-depth investigation of longstanding questions concerning normal and abnormal mammalian development.
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•Stereo-seq enables large field-of-view spatial transcriptomics at cellular resolution•Stereo-seq reveals the spatial cell-type heterogeneity of mouse embryonic tissues•Stereo-seq maps the spatiotemporal transcriptomic dynamics during mouse organogenesis•Stereo-seq defines the spatiotemporal window of developmental disease vulnerability
Stereo-seq combines DNA nanoball-patterned arrays and tissue RNA capture to achieve large field-of-view spatial transcriptomics at cellular resolution, enabling the dissection of spatial cell-type heterogeneity of mouse embryonic tissues.
Aim To explore the optimal vascular diameter and blood flow measured by ultrasound to predict fistula maturity in Chinese patients. Materials and methods One hundred and thirty-two patients were ...enrolled in the study. The blood flow and the diameters of the brachial artery, radial artery, and cephalic vein were analysed according to clinical outcomes. The performances of blood flow, cephalic vein diameter, and the two factors combined in predicting fistula maturity were evaluated and the optimal cut-off values for Chinese patients were determined. Results During a 6 month follow-up, 113 fistulas were classified as mature and 19 fistulas were classified as failure. In both groups, the diameters of the brachial and radial arteries increased gradually within 2 weeks post-surgery ( p< 0.05), and cephalic vein diameter and blood flow increased within 4 weeks post-surgery ( p< 0.05). The blood flow of the failure group was significantly lower than that of the mature group from the first day after creation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.95 (529 ml/min, the optimal cut-off value) for blood flow, 0.83 (5.2 mm) for cephalic vein diameter, and 0.96 for the two factors combined in predicting fistula maturity. Conclusions For Chinese patients, blood flow >529 ml/min could be used to predict fistula maturity and cephalic vein diameter >5.2 mm could be a supplement when necessary.
A search for light sterile neutrino mixing was performed with the first 217 days of data from the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Experiment. The experiment's unique configuration of multiple baselines ...from six 2.9 GW(th) nuclear reactors to six antineutrino detectors deployed in two near (effective baselines 512 m and 561 m) and one far (1579 m) underground experimental halls makes it possible to test for oscillations to a fourth (sterile) neutrino in the 10(-3) eV(2)<|Δm(41)(2) |< 0.3 eV(2) range. The relative spectral distortion due to the disappearance of electron antineutrinos was found to be consistent with that of the three-flavor oscillation model. The derived limits on sin(2) 2θ(14) cover the 10(-3) eV(2) ≲ |Δm(41)(2)| ≲ 0.1 eV(2) region, which was largely unexplored.
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