Integrative bioinformatics approach yields a novel gene expression risk model for prognosis and progression prediction in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa), a prevalent malignancy among elderly males, exhibits a notable rate of advancement, even when subjected to conventional androgen deprivation therapy or chemotherapy. An effective progression prediction model would prove invaluable in identifying patients with a higher progression risk. Using bioinformatics strategies, we integrated diverse data sets of PCa to construct a novel risk model predicated on gene expression and progression-free survival (PFS). The accuracy of the model was assessed through validation using an independent data set. Eight genes were discerned as independent prognostic factors and included in the prediction model. Patients assigned to the high-risk cohort demonstrated a diminished PFS, and the areas under the curve of our model in the validation set for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year PFS were 0.9325, 0.9041 and 0.9070, respectively. Additionally, through the application of single-cell RNA sequencing to two castration-related prostate cancer (CRPC) samples and two hormone-related prostate cancer (HSPC) samples, we discovered that luminal cells within CRPC exhibited an elevated risk score. Subsequent molecular biology experiments corroborated our findings, illustrating heightened SYK expression levels within tumour tissues and its contribution to cancer cell migration. We found that the knockdown of SYK could inhibit migration in PCa cells. Our progression-related risk model demonstrated the potential prognostic value of SYK and indicated its potential as a target for future diagnosis and treatment strategies in PCa management.

Effective surface passivation of GaAs nanowire photodetectors by a thin ZnO capping.

The III-V nanowire (NW) structure is a good candidate for developing photodetectors. However, high-density surface states caused by the large surface-to-volume ratio severely limit their performance, which is difficult to solve in conventional ways. Here, a robust surface passivation method, using a thin layer of ZnO capping, is developed for promoting NW photodetector performance. 11 cycles of ZnO, grown on pure zinc blende high-quality GaAs NWs by atomic layer deposition, significantly alleviates the undesirable effect of the surface states, without noticeable degradation in NW morphology. An average 20-fold increase in micro-photoluminescence intensity is observed for passivated NWs, which leads to the development of detectors with high responsivity, specific detectivity, and optical gain of 9.46 × 105 A W-1, 3.93 × 1014 Jones, and 2.2 × 108 %, respectively, under low-intensity 532 nm illumination. Passivated NW detectors outperform their counterparts treated by conventional methods, so far as we know, which shows the potential and effectiveness of thin ZnO surface passivation on NW devices.

Tumor Cell-Targeting and Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Nanoplatforms for the Multimodal Imaging-Guided Photodynamic/Photothermal/Chemodynamic Treatment of Cervical Cancer.

Purpose: Phototherapy, known for its high selectivity, few side effects, strong controllability, and synergistic enhancement of combined treatments, is widely used in treating diseases like cervical cancer. Methods: In this study, hollow mesoporous manganese dioxide was used as a carrier to construct positively charged, poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-modified nanoparticles (NPs). The NP was efficiently loaded with the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) via the addition of hydrogen phosphate ions to produce a counterion aggregation effect. HeLa cell membrane encapsulation was performed to achieve the final M-HMnO2@ICG NP. In this structure, the HMnO2 carrier responsively degrades to release ICG in the tumor microenvironment, self-generates O2 for sensitization to ICG-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT), and consumes GSH to expand the oxidative stress therapeutic effect [chemodynamic therapy (CDT) + PDT]. The ICG accumulated in tumor tissues exerts a synergistic PDT/photothermal therapy (PTT) effect through single laser irradiation, improving efficiency and reducing side effects. The cell membrane encapsulation increases nanomedicine accumulation in tumor tissues and confers an immune evasion ability. In addition, high local temperatures induced by PTT can enhance CDT. These properties of the NP enable full achievement of PTT/PDT/CDT and targeted effects. Results: Mn2+ can serve as a magnetic resonance imaging agent to guide therapy, and ICG can be used for photothermal and fluorescence imaging. After its intravenous injection, M-HMnO2@ICG accumulated effectively at mouse tumor sites; the optimal timing of in-vivo laser treatment could be verified by near-infrared fluorescence, magnetic resonance, and photothermal imaging. The M-HMnO2@ICG NPs had the best antitumor effects among treatment groups under near-infrared light conditions, and showed good biocompatibility. Conclusion: In this study, we designed a nano-biomimetic delivery system that improves hypoxia, responds to the tumor microenvironment, and efficiently loads ICG. It provides a new economical and convenient strategy for synergistic phototherapy and CDT for cervical cancer.

The impact of metabolic disorders on management of periodontal health in children.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by plaque biofilm which shares risk factors with systemic chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. Many studies have found increased prevalence and rate of progression of periodontal disease in children with common metabolic disorders. Although the causal relationship and specific mechanism between them has not been determined yet. The aim of this paper is to progress on the impact of metabolic disorders on periodontal health in children and the underlying mechanisms, which provides new evidences for the prevention and intervention of metabolic disorders and periodontitis in children.

Developing cellulose-based hydrophobic/hydrophilic composites for efficient adsorption of oils and heavy metals from water.

The oily wastewater and heavy metal ions have been increasingly discharged into water environment, posting a serious threat to ecosystems and human health. However, it remains challenging to use single separation technology to effectively remove oil and heavy metal ions in oil-water mixtures simultaneously. Herein, novel hydrophobic/hydrophilic composites (HHC) were successfully prepared by using A4 paper-derived hydrophilic cellulose as the modified matrix, modifying the polydopamine layer and in-situ growth nanoscale zero-valent iron as active adsorption materials, combined with oleic acid-modified hydrophobic magnetic hollow carbon microspheres, which were used to efficiently and rapidly adsorb heavy metals and oil in oil-water mixtures. Under the optimal adsorption conditions, the adsorption amounts of As(III), As(V), Pb(II) and Cu(II) were 289.6 mg/g, 341.9 mg/g, 241.2 mg/g and 277.5 mg/g, respectively, and the mass transfer rate of HHC to the target ions is fast. The HHC have efficient separation performance for layered oil-water mixtures and emulsified oil-water mixtures, with separation efficiency of 97 % and 92 %. At the same time, due to the abundant adsorption sites, the HHC also exhibit splendid regeneration performance for the four ions after multiple adsorption utilization. Our work designed a approach to achieving promising oil and heavy metal adsorbents with higher adsorption capacity and better regenerative properties.

Loss of AR-regulated AFF3 contributes to prostate cancer progression and reduces ferroptosis sensitivity by downregulating ACSL4 based on single-cell sequencing analysis.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers affecting the health of men worldwide. Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the advanced and refractory phase of prostate cancer, has multiple mechanisms of resistance to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) such as AR mutations, aberrant androgen synthase, and abnormal expression of AR-related genes. Based on the research of the AR pathway, new drugs for the treatment of CRPC have been developed in clinical practice, such as Abiraterone and enzalutamide. However, many areas in this pathway are still worth exploring. In this study, single-cell sequencing analysis was utilized to scrutinize significant genes in the androgen receptor (AR) pathway related to CRPC. Our analysis of single-cell sequencing combined with bulk-cell sequencing revealed a substantial downregulation of AR-regulated AFF3 in CRPC. Overexpression of AFF3 restricted the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells whilst also increasing their sensitivity towards enzalutamide, while knockdown of AFF3 had the opposite effect. To elucidate the mechanism of tumor inhibition by AFF3, we applied GSVA and GSEA to investigate the metabolic pathways related to AFF3 and revealed that AFF3 had an impact on fatty acids metabolism and ferroptosis through the regulation of ACSL4 protein expression. Based on correlation analysis and flow cytometry, we can speculate that AFF3 can impact the sensitivity of the CRPC cell lines to the ferroptosis inducer (RSL3) by regulating ACSL4. Therefore, our findings may provide new insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance in CRPC, and AFF3 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer.

Feasibility study to assess lesion repair in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled pilot clinical trial of domperidone add-on treatment.

BACKGROUND: Identification of therapies to promote repair in multiple sclerosis is challenged by the lack of an accepted trial model and associated outcome measures. The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of a new trial model that enrolls disease modifying therapy (DMT)-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) participants who have enhancing lesions on clinically indicated brain MRI, and to explore estimates of lesion repair using MRI. METHODS: This was a single site randomized controlled clinical trial. Recruitment took place between November 2015 and January 2019, with final follow-up in February 2019. DMT-treated RRMS participants aged 18-60 years with at least one gadolinium-enhancing lesion on clinically indicated brain MRI were included. Participants were randomized 2:1 to oral domperidone add-on 10-mg three times daily for 16 weeks or no add-on treatment (control). The primary outcomes were feasibility of the model pre-defined as recruitment of 24 participants within 36 months with a 79 % completion rate, and MRI outcomes of lesion repair measured at 16 and 32 weeks using texture analysis, magnetization transfer imaging (MTI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The impact of domperidone on serum prolactin at 6 and 16 weeks was also evaluated. RESULTS: Of 237 RRMS participants screened, 17 (14 women) were randomized: 12 to domperidone add-on and 5 to control. All completed the study. Median (range) age was 38.9 (26.7-55.9) years; EDSS was 1.5 (1.0-3.5); and disease duration was 12.9 (2.9-23.3) years. Both groups showed improvement in MRI texture and diffusion fractional anisotropy (FA) at 32 weeks, and the domperidone group demonstrated additional recovery at 16 weeks in both texture and FA. There was no significant group difference in any MRI outcome. Of the 12 domperidone participants, 7 had ≥4x higher serum prolactin than normal. There were no serious adverse events. CONCLUSION: The recruitment target was not met and therefore the trial model was not feasible despite a full completion rate. The imaging techniques performed well, especially MRI texture analysis, suggesting the sample size being sufficient for estimating lesion repair. The main challenge of this trial model may be recruiting gadolinium-enhancing lesions in DMT-treated RRMS participants. Prolactin is safe and may hold promise as a remyelination therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02493049.

Quorum sensing N-acyl homoserine lactones-SdiA enhances the biofilm formation of E. coli by regulating sRNA CsrB expression.

As an important virulence phenotype of Escherichia coli, the regulation mechanism of biofilm by non-coding RNA and quorum sensing system has not been clarified. Here, by transcriptome sequencing and RT-PCR analysis, we found CsrB, a non-coding RNA of the carbon storage regulation system, was positively regulated by the LuxR protein SdiA. Furthermore, ß-galactosidase reporter assays showed that SdiA enhanced promoter transcriptional activity of csrB. The consistent dynamic expression levels of SdiA and CsrB during Escherichia coli growth were also detected. Moreover, curli assays and biofilm assays showed sdiA deficiency in Escherichia coli SM10λπ or BW25113 led to a decreased formation of biofilm, and was significantly restored by over-expression of CsrB. Interestingly, the regulations of SdiA on CsrB in biofilm formation were enhanced by quorum sensing signal molecules AHLs. In conclusion, SdiA plays a crucial role in Escherichia coli biofilm formation by regulating the expression of non-coding RNA CsrB. Our study provides new insights into SdiA-non-coding RNA regulatory network involved in Escherichia coli biofilm formation.

Distinct characteristics and severity of brain magnetic resonance imaging lesions in women and men with multiple sclerosis assessed using verified texture analysis measures.

Background and goal: In vivo characterization of brain lesion types in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been an ongoing challenge. Based on verified texture analysis measures from clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this study aimed to develop a method to identify two extremes of brain MS lesions that were approximately severely demyelinated (sDEM) and highly remyelinated (hREM), and compare them in terms of common clinical variables. Method: Texture analysis used an optimized gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) method based on FLAIR MRI from 200 relapsing-remitting MS participants. Two top-performing metrics were calculated: texture contrast and dissimilarity. Lesion identification applied a percentile approach according to texture values calculated: ≤ 25 percentile for hREM and ≥75 percentile for sDEM. Results: The sDEM had a greater total normalized volume yet smaller average size, and worse MRI texture than hREM. In lesion distribution mapping, the two lesion types appeared to overlap largely in location and were present the most in the corpus callosum and periventricular regions. Further, in sDEM, the normalized volume was greater and in hREM, the average size was smaller in men than women. There were no other significant results in clinical variable-associated analyses. Conclusion: Percentile statistics of competitive MRI texture measures may be a promising method for probing select types of brain MS lesion pathology. Associated findings can provide another useful dimension for improved measurement and monitoring of disease activity in MS. The different characteristics of sDEM and hREM between men and women likely adds new information to the literature, deserving further confirmation.

Function, drug resistance and prognostic effect of AKR1C2 in human cancer.

Aldo-keto reductases (ARKs), a group of reductases that rely on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to catalyze carbonyl, are widely found in various organisms, which play an important role in the physiological and pathological processes of human. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C2 (AKR1C2) as a member of the human ARKs family, can regulate steroid hormones and is abnormally expressed in many cancers. According to whether the tumor can be affected by hormones, we divide malignancies into hormone-dependent and hormone-independent types. Studies have shown that AKR1C2 is involved in regulating tumor invasion, migration, and other malignant phenotypes, eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS), promoting chemotherapy resistance of tumor cells, and has prognostic value in some cancers. Here, we focus on the role and clinical significance of AKR1C2 in different types of tumors.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospital attendance of patients with primary cervical cancer in Heilongjiang, China.

Information regarding the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on cervical cancer in mainland China is lacking. We explored its impact on the hospital attendance of patients with primary cervical cancer. We included 1918 patients with primary cervical cancer who initially attended Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital between January 23, 2019, and January 23, 2021. Attendance decreased by 31%, from 1135 in 2019 to 783 in 2020, mainly from January to June (𝜒2 = 73.362, P < .001). The percentage of patients detected by screening decreased from 12.1% in January-June 2019 to 5.8% in January-June 2020 (𝜒2 = 7.187, P = .007). Patients with stage I accounted for 28.4% in 2020 significantly lower than 36.6% in 2019 (𝜒2 = 14.085, P < .001), and patients with stage III accounted for 27.1% in 2020 significantly higher than 20.5% in 2019 (𝜒2 = 11.145, P < .001). Waiting time for treatment was extended from 8 days (median) in January-June and July-December 2019 to 16 days in January-June (𝜒2 = 74.674, P < .001) and 12 days in July-December 2020 (𝜒2 = 37.916, P < .001). Of the 179 patients who delayed treatment, 164 (91.6%) were for the reasons of the healthcare providers. Compared to 2019, the number of patients in Harbin or non-Harbin in Heilongjiang Province and outside the province decreased, and cross-regional medical treatment has been hindered. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted cervical cancer patient attendance at the initial phase. These results are solid evidence that a strategy and mechanism for the effective attendance of cervical cancer patients in response to public health emergencies is urgently needed.

Seroprevalence rates in children aged 3-6 years after implementing a two-dose varicella vaccination: A observational study.

The study evaluates the outcomes of including varicella vaccines (VarV) in the local expanded programme on immunization (EPI) on the seropositivity rates and corresponding protective effects for children aged 3-6 years in Suzhou. The study is observational. Varicella prevalence in children was assessed based on data from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention (CISDCP) and the Jiangsu Province Vaccination Integrated Service Management Information System (JPVISMIS). Seropositivity was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 2,873 children aged 3-6 years were enrolled in this study. The seropositivity rates were 95.31% and 86.89% for children with and without the strategy, respectively. The difference in seropositivity rate in children using the different strategies was statistically significant (Trend χ2 = 0.397, P = .255). It is therefore suggested that Suzhou had a high rate of occult infection before the inclusion of varicella vaccine in the EPI. The difference in seroprevalence rate between children with no history of varicella vaccination and those with a history of varicella vaccination was statistically different (χ2 = 51.362, P < .001). The positive rates of antibodies increased with increasing doses of vaccination (χ2 = 56.252, P < .001). For the protective effect of one-dose and two-dose, it was found that the protection rates of one-dose were 72.98% and 100.00%, respectively. The varicella vaccine is an effective method to prevent varicella disease, which can increase serum seroprevalence levels and block the transmission of varicella disease.

Initialization of Nanowire or Cluster Growth Critically Controlled by the Effective V/III Ratio at the Early Nucleation Stage.

For self-catalyzed nanowires (NWs), reports on how the catalytic droplet initiates successful NW growth are still lacking, making it difficult to control the yield and often accompanying a high density of clusters. Here, we have performed a systematic study on this issue, which reveals that the effective V/III ratio at the initial growth stage is a critical factor that governs the NW growth yield. To initiate NW growth, the ratio should be high enough to allow the nucleation to extend to the entire contact area between the droplet and substrate, which can elevate the droplet off of the substrate, but it should not be too high in order to keep the droplet. This study also reveals that the cluster growth between NWs is also initiated from large droplets. This study provides a new angle from the growth condition to explain the cluster formation mechanism, which can guide high-yield NW growth.

Concurrently Fabricating Precision Meso- and Microscale Cross-Scale Arrayed Metal Features and Components by Using Wire-Anode Scanning Electroforming Technique.

In order to improve the thickness uniformity of the electroformed metal layer and components, a new electroforming technique is proposed-wire-anode scanning electroforming (WAS-EF). WAS-EF uses an ultrafine inert anode so that the interelectrode voltage/current is superimposed upon a very narrow ribbon-shaped area at the cathode, thus ensuring better localization of the electric field. The anode of WAS-EF is in constant motion, which reduces the effect of the current edge effect. The stirring paddle of WAS-EF can affect the fluid flow in the microstructure, and improve the mass transfer effect inside the structure. The simulation results show that, when the depth-to-width ratio decreases from 1 to 0.23, the depth of fluid flow in the microstructure can increase from 30% to 100%. Experimental results show that. Compared with the traditional electroforming method, the single metal feature and arrayed metal components prepared by WAS-EF are respectively improved by 15.5% and 11.4%.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that HSD17B2 in cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes the development and progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) responds poorly to existing therapy and appears as the lethal consequence of prostate cancer (PCa) progression. The tumour microenvironment (TME) has been thought to play a crucial role in CRPC progression. Here, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing analysis on two CRPC and two hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) samples to reveal potential leading roles in castration resistance. We described the single-cell transcriptional landscape of PCa. Higher cancer heterogeneity was explored in CRPC, with stronger cell cycling status and heavier copy number variant burden of luminal cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which are one of the most critical components of TME, demonstrated unique expression and cell-cell communication features in CRPC. A CAFs subtype with high expression of HSD17B2 in CRPC was identified with inflammatory features. HSD17B2 catalyses the conversion of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone to their less active forms, which was associated with steroid hormone metabolism in PCa tumour cells. However, the characteristics of HSD17B2 in PCa fibroblasts remained unknown. We found that HSD17B2 knockdown in CRPC-CAFs could inhibit migration, invasion, and castration resistance of PCa cells in vitro. Further study showed that HSD17B2 could regulate CAFs functions and promote PCa migration through the AR/ITGBL1 axis. Overall, our study revealed the important role of CAFs in the formation of CRPC. HSD17B2 in CAFs regulated AR activation and subsequent ITGBL1 secretion to promote the malignant behaviour of PCa cells. HSD17B2 in CAFs could serve as a promising therapeutic target for CRPC.

Neural network algorithms predict new diffusion MRI data for multi-compartmental analysis of brain microstructure in a clinical setting.

High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) is a promising method for advanced analysis of brain microstructure. However, comprehensive HARDI analysis requires multiple acquisitions of diffusion images (multi-shell HARDI), which is time consuming and often impractical in clinical settings. This study aimed to establish neural network models that can predict new diffusion datasets from clinically feasible brain diffusion MRI for multi-shell HARDI. The development included 2 algorithms: multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and convolutional neural network (CNN). Both followed a voxel-based approach for model training (70%), validation (15%), and testing (15%). The investigations involved 2 multi-shell HARDI datasets: 1) 11 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP); and 2) 10 local subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS). To assess outcomes, we conducted neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging using both predicted and original data and compared their orientation dispersion index (ODI) and neurite density index (NDI) in different brain tissues with 2 measures: peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). Results showed that both models achieved robust predictions, which provided competitive ODI and NDI, especially in brain white matter. The CNN outperformed MLP with the HCP data on both PSNR (p < 0.001) and SSIM (p < 0.01). With the MS data, the models performed similarly. Overall, the optimized neural networks can help generate non-acquired brain diffusion MRI, which will make advanced HARDI analysis possible in clinical practice following further validation. Enabling detailed characterization of brain microstructure will allow enhanced understanding of brain function in both health and disease.

Phylogeny and Systematics of Sassafras (Lauraceae), an Interesting Genus with Disjunct Distributions in Eastern North America and East Asia.

The Lauraceae is a family of the order Laurales, with 2500-3000 species comprising 50 genera, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. Up to two decades ago, the systematic classification of the Lauraceae was based on floral morphology, but molecular phylogenetic approaches have made tremendous advances in elucidating tribe- and genus-level relationships within the family in recent decades. Our review focused on the phylogeny and systematics of Sassafras, a genus of three species with highly disjunct distributions in eastern North America and East Asia, whose tribe affiliation within the Lauraceae has long been controversial. By synthesizing information on the floral biology and molecular phylogeny of Sassafras, this review aimed to explore the position of Sassafras within the Lauraceae, and to provide suggestions and implications for future phylogenetic studies. Our synthesis highlighted Sassafras as a transitional type between Cinnamomeae and Laureae with a closer genetic relationship with Cinnamomeae, as revealed by molecular phylogenetic evidence, while it shares many similar characteristics with Laureae in morphology. We therefore discovered that several molecular and morphological methods should be concurrently considered to illuminate the phylogeny and systematics of Sassafras in Lauraceae.

Large pneumothorax following thoracic and lumbar tumor surgery: Risk factors and management strategies.

Objective: Large pneumothorax is a rare but dangerous complication following thoracic and lumbar tumor surgery. There is little discussion about the features of large pneumothorax following spinal tumor surgery. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of postoperative pneumothorax, identify factors related to large pneumothorax, and propose a management algorithm for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: Included in this retrospective study were 118 patients who developed pneumothorax after receiving thoracic and lumbar tumor surgery between January 2015 and October 2021. A measurement of lung compression ≥20% on chest CT or x-ray was defined as large pneumothorax, and potential risk factors for large pneumothorax were identified by univariate analysis. Results: Spinal tumor history and intraoperative blood loss were risk factors for large pneumothorax. The common symptoms of postoperative pneumothorax were chest pain, chest tightness and dyspnea. The mean longest transverse diameter of tumors was 6.63 ± 2.4 cm. En bloc resection was performed in 70 patients, with a mean operation time of 6.9 ± 2.5 h and mean intraoperative blood loss of 1771 ± 1387 ml. The most common pathologies were chondrosarcoma, giant cell tumors of bone, and neurogenic tumors. Conclusion: During surgery, an artificial dura mater patch and a prolene suture can be used to repair the pleural and lung defects. We recommend chest CT as the preferred method for identifying postoperative pneumothorax. If a patient presents severe dyspnea, a large pneumothorax or concurrent pleural effusion, application of chest drainage is strongly recommended.

Improving Quantum Well Tube Homogeneity Using Strained Nanowire Heterostructures.

Bottom-up grown nanostructures often suffer from significant dimensional inhomogeneity, and for quantum confined heterostructures, this can lead to a corresponding large variation in electronic properties. A high-throughput characterization methodology is applied to >15,000 nanoskived sections of highly strained GaAsP/GaAs radial core/shell quantum well heterostructures revealing high emission uniformity. While scanning electron microscopy shows a wide nanowire diameter spread of 540-60+60 nm, photoluminescence reveals a tightly bounded band-to-band transition energy of 1546-3+4 meV. A highly strained core/shell nanowire design is shown to reduce the dependence of emission on the quantum well width variation significantly more than in the unstrained case.

Non-〈111〉-oriented semiconductor nanowires: growth, properties, and applications.

In recent years, non-〈111〉-oriented semiconductor nanowires have attracted increasing interest in terms of fundamental research and promising applications due to their outstanding crystal quality and distinctive physical properties. Here, a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the study of non-〈111〉-oriented semiconductor nanowires is presented. We start by introducing various growth techniques for obtaining nanowires with certain orientations, for which the growth energetics and kinetics are discussed. Attention is then given to the physical properties of non-〈111〉 nanowires, as predicted by theoretical calculations or demonstrated experimentally. After that, we review the advantages and challenges of non-〈111〉 nanowires as building blocks for electronic and optoelectronic devices. Finally, we discuss the possible challenges and opportunities in the research field of non-〈111〉 semiconductor nanowires.