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Studying placental functions is crucial for understanding pregnancy complications. However, imaging placenta is challenging due to its depth, volume, and motion distortions. In this study, we have developed an implantable placenta window in mice that enables high-resolution photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging of placental development throughout the pregnancy. The placenta window exhibits excellent transparency for light and sound. By combining the placenta window with ultrafast functional photoacoustic microscopy, we were able to investigate the placental development during the entire mouse pregnancy, providing unprecedented spatiotemporal details. Consequently, we examined the acute responses of the placenta to alcohol consumption and cardiac arrest, as well as chronic abnormalities in an inflammation model. We have also observed viral gene delivery at the single-cell level and chemical diffusion through the placenta by using fluorescence imaging. Our results demonstrate that intravital imaging through the placenta window can be a powerful tool for studying placenta functions and understanding the placental origins of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

 

Gamma-prime strengthened Co–Al–W-based superalloys offer a unique combination of weldability, mechanical strength, creep resistance, and environmental resistance at temperature—leading many to consider the system as an alternative to nickel-base superalloys for future generation turbine engine hardware. However, little information exists regarding the deformation processing required to turn these novel alloys into useable product forms with appropriate microstructure refinement. Supersolvus thermomechanical processing sequences were successfully demonstrated using right-cylindrical upset specimens for two wrought γ′-strengthened cobalt-base superalloys at industrially relevant temperatures and deformation rates. Hot flow behavior and microstructure evolution were quantitatively characterized and compared to available information on a legacy nickel-base system, Waspaloy. Further, density functional theory was used to explore the compositional dependency of the intrinsic material properties influencing single-phase hot working behavior of model Ni–Al binary and Co–Al–W ternary systems. The apparent similarity in the supersolvus thermomechanical processing behavior of Co–Al–W-base systems and their two-phase γ–γ′ Ni-base counterparts suggests conventional pathways, models, and equipment may be leveraged to speed transition and implementation of wrought Co–Al–W-base alloys for components where their properties may be advantageous.