Moderate Thickness Research Articles

Local nonlinearity engineering of evanescent-field-interaction fiber devices embedding in black phosphorus quantum dots

Abstract Tapered fiber (TF) and D-shaped fiber (DF) are two types of widely investigated devices in facilitating evanescent-field interactions with external materials. Although they have been found to be particularly useful in various ultrafast regimes, to date there is still no clear or systematic investigation on their local nonlinearities as well as the exerted influences on ultrafast behaviors. Herein, we present such thorough investigation through local nonlinearity engineering on TF and then in contrast with a DF as a reference. Optically deposited black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) are used for saturable absorption. The nanometer-scale extremely small sizes of the BPQDs helpfully eliminate size-induced uncertainties or distortions during both device fabrication and the latter light–matter interaction. For the TF, in the experiment, it is found that the local nonlinear effect starts to be rather appreciable as the TF shrinks to a moderate thickness. Remarkably in comparison, the local nonlinearity of the DF itself can even be neglected reasonably, but after coating with BPQDs, it possesses a much larger modulation depth than any of the used BPQDs-coated TFs with different thicknesses/lengths. Further, we theoretically analyze the related locally nonlinear effects and reveal, for the first time, the direct origin of saturable absorption with evanescent-field-based general structures.

Characterization of reservoir sands using 3D seismic attributes in the coastal swamp area of Niger Delta Basin

Hydrocarbon accumulation and production within the Niger Delta Basin are controlled by varieties of geologic features guided by the depositional environment and tectonic history across the basin. In this study, multiple seismic attribute transforms were applied to three-dimensional (3D) seismic data obtained from “Reigh” Field, Onshore Niger Delta to delineate and characterize geologic features capable of harboring hydrocarbon and identifying hydrocarbon productivity areas within the field. Two (2) sand units were delineated from borehole log data and their corresponding horizons were mapped on seismic data, using appropriate check-shot data of the boreholes. Petrophysical summary of the sand units revealed that the area is characterized by high sand/shale ratio, effective porosity ranged from 16 to 36% and hydrocarbon saturation between 72 and 92%. By extracting attribute maps of coherence, instantaneous frequency, instantaneous amplitude and RMS amplitude, characterization of the sand units in terms of reservoir geomorphological features, facies distribution and hydrocarbon potential was achieved. Seismic attribute results revealed (1) characteristic patterns of varying frequency and amplitude areas, (2) major control of hydrocarbon accumulation being structural, in terms of fault, (3) prospective stratigraphic pinch-out, lenticular thick hydrocarbon sand, mounded sand deposit and barrier bar deposit. Seismic Attributes analysis together with seismic structural interpretation revealed prospective structurally high zones with high sand percentage, moderate thickness and high porosity anomaly at the center of the field. The integration of different seismic attribute transforms and results from the study has improved our understanding of mapped sand units and enhanced the delineation of drillable locations which are not recognized on conventional seismic interpretations.

Moderate alcohol consumption and carotid intima-media thickness in type 2 diabetes.

Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a risk predictor for myocardial infarction and stroke. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at higher risk for such conditions. The association of alcohol consumption with IMT is still controversial. We undertook a cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology at Zhoushan Hospital from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2015. Patients with a past medical history of cerebrovascular events, acute myocardial ischemia or unable to provide a detailed alcohol consumption history were excluded. Carotid IMT, together with blood biochemical examinations were collected. Data were analyzed using least significant difference t test, Tamhane's T2 test, Levene test, χ2-test and binary logistic regression model. 281 patients were enrolled in the study. The number of patients with elevated carotid IMT in moderate alcohol consumers was apparently less than alcohol non/heavy-consumers. In addition, the number of participants with elevated carotid IMT in liqueur consumers was higher than alcohol non-consumers and rice wine/beer consumers. Systolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, glycosylated hemoglobin, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, uric acid, cholesterol and creatinine levels were higher in elevated IMT patients, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol level was levels were significantly lower (p value<0.05). Moderate alcohol consumption has a protective effect on atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, requiring consideration to dietary intake and physical activity, among other influences. Inflammation theory and lipid metabolism could be involved in such prophylaxis effects.

Shell-thickness-dependent Pd@PtNi core–shell nanosheets for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Platinum-based ultrathin core–shell nanosheets catalyst with moderate shell thickness have great potential to solve the problems of highly active catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) within proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, three kinds of Pd/PtNi core–shell nanosheets (Pd@PtNi NSs) catalyst under different shell thickness were developed by a synthetic strategy of depositing platinum-nickel (Pt-Ni) precursors on palladium nanosheets (Pd NSs). The ORR electrocatalytic performance of Pd@PtNi NSs–1, Pd@PtNi NSs–2 and Pd@PtNi NSs–3 catalysts were investigated using commercial Pt/C catalyst for comparison reasons. It is found that the Pd@PtNi NSs–2 catalyst with moderate shell thickness showed excellent ORR performance. Under 0.9 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), Pd@PtNi NSs–2 (1.038 A mg-1Pt+Pd) achieved mass activity (MA) 6.25 times of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Superior performance of Pd@PtNi NSs–2 was mainly attributed to: i) the ultrathin layer structure, ii) the core–shell structure, iii) the maximum coverage of Pd core, and iv) the maximum surface alloying by surface atomic diffusion.

Evolution of the interface microstructure of short-period Cr/Ti multilayers with increase in number of bi-layers

Evolution of interface microstructure with addition of more number of layers has been investigated on Cr/Ti multilayer which is important for application as a mirror or monochromator in the “water window” soft X-ray spectral regime. Two sets of Cr/Ti multilayers at moderate and low bi-layer thickness regime have been prepared for this purpose using Ion Beam Sputtering technique. In one set, Cr/Ti multilayer with 25, 50, 60 and 100 numbers of bilayers with moderate bi-layer thickness of 3.8 nm have been deposited. In another set, four samples each having low bilayer thickness of 2.4 nm with 25, 50, 75 and 100 number of bi-layers have been prepared and the multilayers have subsequently been characterized with Specular X-ray reflectivity and diffuse X-ray scattering measurements at grazing incidence with hard X-rays. It is observed that cumulative effect of interface imperfections became more pronounced with increasing number of bilayers resulting in continuous increase in the interface width in both the thickness regimes; however, its evolution is not exactly same for the two sets of samples. Diffuse X-ray scattering result reveals that for the first set of samples, interface imperfections are dominated by interface roughness with no change in the interface diffusion with increase in number of layers, while for the second set, both interface roughness as well as interface diffusion contribute towards the cumulative accumulation of interface imperfections which is also confirmed by cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy. Finally, performance of the multilayers in water window regime has been checked by soft X-ray reflectivity measurements using synchrotron radiation. The above results have direct implication in utilisation of these multilayers over a wide bi-layer thickness regime required to cover the full ‘water-window’ spectrum.

The relationship of the main root-shoot morphological characteristics and biomass allocation of Saussurea salsa under different habitat conditions in Sugan lake wetland on the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The response analysis of plant morphological characteristics and biomass allocation in salt marsh wetland to heterogeneous habitats is helpful to explore the internal correlation between plant morphological plasticity mechanism and biomass allocation, which is of great significance for the in-depth understanding of habitat stress tolerance strategies of salt marsh plants. However, the relationship between the main root-shoot morphological indexes and biomass allocation of inland alpine arid area salt marsh plant is still unclear. According to the difference of the habitat conditions of Saussurea salsa, 3 test sample were set up, plot I (the Inland salt marsh area, 200–500 m from the lakeshore), plot II (the Oasis Wetland area, 500–1000 m from the lakeshore), plot III (the Seasonal river wetland area, 1000–1500 m from the lakeshore). The relationship between the main root-shoot morphological characteristics and biomass allocation of Saussurea salsa in the Sugan Lake salt marsh was studied in response to heterogeneous habitats. The results showed that Saussurea salsa tended to form the large and thick leaf pattern, the root morphological construction pattern with moderate root diameter (RD) and specific root length (SRL), and the root-shoot ratio (RSR) with minimum biomass allocation strategy in plot I. In plot II, the thin-leaf pattern with the largest specific leaf area (SLA) and the smallest thickness (LT) was formed. Meanwhile, the slender root morphology pattern with the smallest RD, the largest SRL and the moderate RSR was preferred. In plot III, a lobular pattern with minimum leaf area (LA) and SLA, and moderate thickness was formed. At the same time, a thick root pattern with maximum RD and minimum root length, and a maximum RSR were formed. Moreover, there was a highly significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) between SLA and RD at three plots. Besides, there appeared a less significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between LA and LT, shoot biomass at three plots. Through the synergistic changes of morphological characteristics of aboveground and underground organs and biomass allocation strategies, the inland salt marsh plant population can maintain normal survival, growth and reproduction under harsh environment, which reflects its morphological plasticity and stress resistance mechanism under heterogeneous environment.

Electrodeposition of nanostructured bilayer CuI@CuSCN as hole transport material for highly efficient inverted perovskite solar cells

In this article, we implemented a new two-step electrodeposition method for preparing bilayer CuI@CuSCN thin films. The film thickness and optical transparency are controlled by varying electrochemical potential and time. The inverted perovskite solar cells are fabricated using electrodeposited bilayer CuI@CuSCN thin films as a hole transport material (HTM) and carbon as a back electrode. The best performing device showed short circuit current (Jsc) of 20.26 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage(Voc) of 1.10 V, fill factor (FF) of 0.78 and power conversion efficiency of 20.35% with 2 min grown bilayer CuI@CuSCN HTMs. The electrodeposited bilayer CuI@CuSCN thin films showed a 7.6% enhancement in power conversion efficiency than the previously reported CuI/CuSCN composites. From the observed results, moderate film thickness and uniform morphology of bilayer CuI@CuSCN HTMs provide better photovoltaic performance. The robust nanoclusters of bilayer CuI@CuSCN and used carbon back electrode provides remarkable device stability and charge extraction.

Theoretical analysis of transverse and planar vibrations for the piezoceramic disk based on Mindlin plate theory

In this paper, the out-of-plane and in-plane displacements coupled behavior of the transverse and planar vibration characteristics for piezoceramic disks under fully-clamped and traction-free boundary conditions are investigated theoretically base on the Mindlin's and Kirchhoff's plate models. By varying the radius-to-thickness ratios, the piezoceramic disks with moderate and thin thickness are considered in the analysis. It is verified that Mindlin's plate theory with first-order shear deformation hypothesis provides sufficient accuracy for transverse vibration analysis in comparison with Kirchhoff's model; however, this circumstance does not occur for planar vibration analysis. With the aid of theoretical analysis, both the resonant frequency and the corresponding mode shape are obtained for piezoceramic disks with various radius-to-thickness ratios. In addition, maximum normalized displacement components in three directions are also explored to identify the coupled vibration modes. Numerical calculations using the finite element method (FEM) are performed and the results are compared with the theoretical analysis. Excellent consistence between the theoretical and numerical results are found for the three-dimensional coupled vibration characteristics of piezoceramic disks.

Flammability Limits of Flat Materials with Moderate Thickness in Microgravity

The flammability limits of flat materials with different moderate thickness in opposed flow were investigated to clarify the effect of sample thickness on flammability limit. Thin poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) sheets and polycarbonate (PC) sheets were used as samples. The thickness was varied as 0.2 mm, 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm for PMMA, and 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm for PC. The limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) of each sample was obtained by 20 s parabolic flight experiments in mild and low flow velocity condition, and by blow-off tests on ground in high flow velocity condition. The flight experiments showed that there existed significant difference in LOC according to the sample thickness especially in mild flow condition; the thicker the sample was, the larger the LOC became. We applied a hypothesis of heat penetration zone shape into the heat balance equation around the preheat zone to account the effect of sample thickness on quenching phenomena. Although the hypothesis was not confirmed by experimentally, the obtained empirical model based on the hypothesis well represented the trend of the change of LOC when the sample thickness varied not only for the PMMA and PC samples, but also for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) samples with relatively thick thickness. The modified model states that increase in the sample thickness has equivalent effect to increase in the radiative heat loss and such thickness effect is amplified when the pyrolysis temperature of the material is high.

Optimizing the moderator geometry and thickness for a reactor-based slow positron source

Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations were used to calculate the slow positron yields from tungsten foil positron moderators at a reactor-based slow positron source. The slow positron generation rates were coupled to a simple electrostatic extraction model to estimate the yield of extractable slow positrons from the source. These calculations were used to optimize the foil thicknesses, length, pitch, and extraction voltages.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Mg/Al composite sheets containing trapezoidal shaped intermediate layer

In the present study, the Al 6061/Mg ZK60/Al 6061 composite sheets with the trapezoidal shaped intermediate layer were successfully obtained by multi-pass hot roll bonding. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite sheets under different rolling passes were investigated. The results demonstrated that the interface of the composite sheets achieved the strong interface metallurgy bonding, without discernible voids, cracks, and other defects. The introduction of the three-dimensional (3D) interface layer significantly improved the interface bond strength of the composite sheets. The interface layer composed of Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17 was observed at the interface of the composite sheets. The thickness of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layer varied with the position of the interface, and the IMCs layer was the thinnest near the center of the sheet. The IMCs layer was continuously coarsening and fragmenting with the increase of rolling deformation, and stress concentration was easily generated at the interface between the Mg layer and the Al layer, so the crystal grains were more refined than that inside of the component sheets, which made the actual strength of the composite sheets higher than the theoretical strength. With the proceeding of the rolling process, the internal grain size of the component sheet gradually increased, and the interface products were coarsened and fragmented, which reduced the tensile properties of the composite sheets. The interface layer with moderate thickness and intact interface layer in the composite sheets appeared uniformly broken when it was under tensile stress, and the direction of microcracks generated was perpendicular to the tensile direction, which hindered the crack propagation and delayed the fracture of the composite materials and thereby enhanced the elongation of the composite sheets. Simultaneously, the trapezoidal shaped intermediate layer made the cracks deflect along the interface, which was conducive to the strengthening and toughening of the interface area, to improve the plasticity of the composite sheets.

The Thermo‐Chemical Evolution of Mars With a Strongly Stratified Mantle

AbstractThe Martian mantle probably experienced an early global magma ocean stage. The crystallization and the fractionation and overturn of such a magma ocean likely led to the formation of a compositionally distinct layer at the bottom of the mantle. This layer would have been heavily enriched in iron and in heat‐producing elements (HPE). The significant iron enrichment can lead to long‐term stability with little mixing between the layer and the overlying mantle. We studied the influence of such an enriched basal layer on the thermal and chemical evolution of the Martian mantle using both 2‐D finite‐volume modeling at mantle scale, and a parameterized convection approach at the entire planetary scale. The basal layer is most likely stably stratified because of its moderate thickness and/or its gradual enrichment in iron with depth that prevents the development of convection in this region. We explored a wide parameter space in our parameterized models, including the layer thickness and the mantle rheology. We show that the presence of an enriched basal layer has a dramatic influence on the thermo‐chemical evolution of Mars, strongly delaying deep cooling, and significantly affecting nearly all present‐day characteristics of the planet (heat flux, thermal state, crustal and lithospheric thickness, Love number and tidal dissipation). In particular, the enrichment of the layer in iron and HPE generates large volumes of stable melt near the core‐mantle boundary. Due to their intrinsic low viscosity and seismic velocities, these regions of silicate melt could be erroneously interpreted as core material.

Enhanced wetting and properties of Carbon/Copper composites by Cu-Fe alloying

ABSTRACT Using Fe reaction products to overcome the poor wettability between copper and carbon, C/Cu-Fe composites with excellent properties were prepared by gas pressure infiltration technique. The elemental Fe, being distributed between carbon and Cu, reacted with carbon to form Fe3C layer and effectively improved the wettability of the C/Cu system. The contact angle decreased from 124° to 21°. Compared to composites without Fe doping, the C/Cu-Fe composites exhibit significantly higher compressive and flexural strengths, as well as electrical resistivity reaching six times better than the industry standard requirement. Microstructure analysis indicates that the continuous tight Fe3C interlayer with moderate thickness at the C/Cu interface has a bridge effect on the interfacial bonding enhancement.

Gingival phenotype assessment methods and classifications revisited: a preclinical study

ObjectiveTo compare gingival phenotype assessment methods based on soft tissue transparency on different backgrounds and assessor experience levels.MethodsFor this purpose, 24 gingival specimens were retrieved from pig jaws with tissue thicknesses from 0.2 to 1.25 mm. Three methods were assessed: periodontal probe PCP12 (thin/thick), double-ended periodontal probe DBS12 (thin/moderate/thick) and colour-based phenotype probe CBP (thin/moderate/thick/very thick). Each sample was photographed with each probe underneath and categorized whether the probe was visible or not using different coloured backgrounds. To measure experience level influence, dentists, dental undergraduate students and laypersons (n = 10/group) performed the evaluation.ResultsPCP12 probe showed a threshold between 0.4 and 0.5 mm. To distinct between thin and moderate thick gingiva, a comparable range for DBS12 was found while moderate thickness was between 0.5 and 0.8 mm and for thick above 0.8 mm. CBP also showed a comparable threshold of 0.5 mm for thin versus moderate as compared with the other methods; above 0.8 mm, predominantly a very thick tissue was measured. In general, the background colour had a minor impact on PCP12 and DBS12, and investigator experience showed no clear influence on GP assessment.ConclusionBased on probe transparency and within the limitation of a preclinical study, we suggest GP differentiation into three entities: thin (< 0.5 mm; high risk), moderate (0.5–0.8 mm; medium risk) and thick (> 0.8 mm; low risk).Clinical relevanceAll three GP assessment methods are easy to perform and seem to have a high predictive value with a three entities classification for DBS12 and CBP.

Nanostructured bilayer CuSCN@CuI thin films as efficient inorganic hole transport material for inverted perovskite solar cells

In this work, the development of bilayer CuSCN@CuI inorganic hole transport material by a simple electrochemical approach is demonstrated. The thickness and the morphology of the bilayer thin films are controlled by electrochemical potential and deposition time. Uniformly distributed triangle-shaped CuI nanosheets formation is observed at 2 min deposition time. Inverted perovskite solar cells are fabricated using electrochemically grown CuSCN@CuI bilayer and tested its photovoltaic performance. The maximum short circuit current density of 18.24 mA/cm2 and open-circuit voltage of 1080 mV is achieved for uniformly distributed triangle-shaped CuI nanosheets grown at 2 min deposition time. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.58% is achieved with 1400 h of stability. The moderate thickness (~180–230 nm) of bilayer CuSCN@CuI nanostructures showed better charge transport and photovoltaic performance. The favourable band alignment of the designed CuSCN@CuI/perovskite/PC61BM/Carbon delivers stable open-circuit voltage than the earlier reports. The optimized bilayer CuSCN@CuI nanostructure with carbon back contact showed improved device stability.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with moderate septal thickness and mitral regurgitation: long-term surgical results.

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of different surgical strategies in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) with septal thickness ≤18 mm and systolic anterior motion (SAM)-related moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Seventy-six HOCM patients with septal thickness 17 [16; 18] mm, resting left ventricle outflow tract gradient 60 [41; 85] mmHg and SAM-related MR ≥2+/4+, underwent septal myectomy alone (54%) or mitral valve (MV) surgery ± myectomy (46%). No hospital death and no ventricular septal defect occurred. Patients undergoing MV surgery ± myectomy had longer cardiopulmonary bypass and X-clamp times (77 [60-106] vs 51 [44-62] min, P < 0.001 and 56 [45-77] vs 32 [28-41] min, P < 0.001) and higher incidence of low output syndrome (11% vs 0%, P = 0.04). Follow-up was 98.6% complete, median 8 years [3-11]. There were no statistically significant differences in overall survival (P = 0.069) with survival rates at 9 years of 96 ± 4% in the myectomy alone group and 81 ± 8% in the MV surgery ± myectomy one. At 9 years, cumulative incidence function of cardiac death was 12 ± 6% in the MV surgery ± myectomy group vs 0% in the myectomy one, P = 0.06. Multivariable analysis identified age and previous septal alcoholization as predictors of cardiac death (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.1, P = 0.004 and HR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.0-8.3, P = 0.042). The 9-year cumulative incidence function of recurrence of MR ≥2+, with death as competing risk, was 3 ± 2.8% in the MV surgery ± myectomy group vs 25 ± 6.9% in the myectomy one, P = 0.005. In HOCM patients with moderate septal thickness and SAM-related MR, as the degree of septal hypertrophy decreases, addressing the abnormalities of the MV apparatus may become necessary to provide a durable resolution of left ventricle outflow tract obstruction and SAM-related MR. However, performing myectomy alone, whenever possible, seems to be associated to a better postoperative course and a trend towards lower cardiac mortality at follow-up, despite a higher rate of residual moderate MR.

Evaluating European directives impacts on residential buildings' energy performance: a case study of Spanish detached houses

Spain has a high level of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in detached houses, being the lack of an adequate insulation level and efficient energy systems the main causes. The Spanish Government has been performing modifications on its Building Technical Code (BTC) to address this issue, following European Directives. An assessment of the development of the Spanish BTC from its first 2006 version has been conducted in this work. A standard Spanish detached house was placed in the different Spanish climatic zones, designed with the minimum requirements of the 2006 and 2013 BTCs, and was then analyzed using the software Cerma. The results show that energy demand is reduced and the energy rating is improved with the stricter requirements introduced in the 2013 BTC. Although energy demand and CO2 emissions vary significantly among the 13 different climatic zones studied, the BTC modifications allow to reach a minimum energy rating independently of the climatic zone where the house is located. Opaque enclosures and internal loads were found to be the main contributors to building-related emissions. Additionally, possible actions to improve energy rating in detached houses are evaluated, finding that a moderate insulation thickness increase and the installation of heat pumps allow to reach the highest energy rating, being the improvement more apparent in northern and central regions. The results of this work may be extrapolated to other countries with similar climatic conditions to the studied zones, providing guidelines to fulfill energy saving regulations, evaluate emission sources and improve building energy efficiency.

Design and simulation of high efficiency lead-free heterostructure perovskite solar cell using SCAPS-1D

Perovskite materials still show a great interest in solar cell applications due to their promising performance. One of the prime candidates that have been widely investigated by several studies is CH3NH3PbI3. However, the toxicity of the lead used in this class of material limits its applications in large-scale perovskite solar cells industry, and force to search on alternative lead-free perovskite materials. In this paper, we designed and simulated a lead-free p-i-n type heterostructure perovskite solar cell formed from CH3NH3SnI3 as a i- and p-layer and CH3NH3SnCl3 as an n layer by employing the one-dimensional solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D). The results show that a moderate thickness of 200 nm of the absorber layer is necessary for achieving a good cell efficiency. The simulations showed that high-doping concentration in the absorber layer is not desirable due to its influence in reducing the efficiency, and increasing the defect density in the absorber layer leads to deterioration in the device performance. In addition, a significant efficiency decrease was observed upon increasing the operating device temperature. Careful optimization of the device parameters has resulted in a significant improvement of the performance parameters and the optimal performance of the solar cell was obtained at PCE of 24.81 %, JSC of 28.11 mA/cm2, VOC of 1.00 V, and FF of 87.69 %. The simulated model concludes a great potential toward the fabrication of high-efficiency solar cell devices using lead-free perovskite materials.

Harnessing the tunable cavity of nanoceria for enhancing Y-27632-mediated alleviation of ocular hypertension.

Background: Y-27632 is a potent ophthalmic drug for the treatment of ocular hypertension, a globally prevalent eye disease. However, the sustained delivery of Y-27632 by a therapeutic carrier to lesion sites located in the inner segments of the eye for effectively treating the ocular disorder still remains challenging.Methods: To realize the goal, a strategy based on solvothermal-assisted deposition/infiltration in combination with surface modification is utilized to synthesize hollow mesoporous ceria nanoparticles (HMCNs) with tailorable shell thicknesses and drug release profiles. The shell thickness of HMCNs is rationally exploited for achieving sustained drug release and advanced therapeutic benefits.Results: The shell thickness can regulate release profiles of Y-27632, displaying that thick and thin (~40 nm and ~10 nm) shelled HMCNs reveal burst release characteristics (within 2 days) or limited drug loading content (~10% for the 40 nm thick). As a compromise, the HMCNs with moderate shell thickness (~20 nm) possess the most sustained drug release over a period of 10 days. In a rabbit model of glaucoma, a single instillation of the optimized Y-27632-loaded HMCNs can effectively treat glaucoma for 10 days via simultaneously repairing the defected cornea (recovery of ~93% ATP1A1 mRNA levels), restoring the reduced thickness of outer nuclear layer to normal (~64 µm), and restoring ~86% of the impaired photoreceptor cells.Conclusion: A comprehensive study on the importance of HMCN shell thickness in developing long-acting nano eye drops for the efficient management of glaucoma is proposed. The findings suggest a central role of nanobiomaterial structural engineering in developing the long-life eye drops for pharmacological treatment of intraocular diseases.

Effect of Increasing Temperature on 1.5 μm Spectroscopic Emission of Er&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3+&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; Ions Activated Phospho-silicate Thin Film

Different concentrations of Er³⁺ ions- embedded nano-composite phospho-silicate ranging from 1 up to 3.5 mol % in thin film, symbolic as (S20P), (S20P1Er)T, (S20P2.5Er)T and (S20P3.5Er)T, respectively were prepared as advanced materials for planar waveguide application. Spin coating sol gel technique will be used to prepare the thin films. The prepared thin films optical and spectroscopic assessments were performed using transmittance, absorption, Raman, photoluminescence and refractive index (n) calculations. The observed transmittance T (%) and reflectance R (%) spectra were measured using Jasco V-570 spectrophotometer, in wavelength range (0.2-2.5 µm), confirmed good transparency for the prepared films, where the T (%) was higher than 92% and S20P1ErT was the most transparent one. The mentioned higher transparency presence was considered as a big challenge, especially after doping the silica gel with such higher phosphorus molar percent up to 20 mol %. Such challenge confirmed that the prepared thin films were suitable for the low losses and active planar waveguide fabrication. The room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) quenching was observed at lower temperature 100°C for (S20P3.5Er)T. Emission at 1.5 µm upon excitation at 514.5 nm was detected and characteristic to the ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 erbium ions intra-4F transition for all prepared samples. The morphology of the prepared thin films was examined by using the Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), while the measured film thickness obtained from cross section view from the (FESEM) give rise to 1.791 µm value for (S20P3.5Er)T. The bigger moderate thickness than 1 µm was an adequate parameter for supporting planar optical wave guide applications.