Relationship of digit ratio with sexual steroid hormone receptor related genes - single nucleotide polymorphisms in a sample from Northern China.

BACKGROUND: Digit ratio, especially 2D:4D, is hypothesised as a potential biological marker of exposure to intrauterine sex hormones. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between 10 SNPs of sex steroid hormone receptor (SSHR) related genes and 2D:4D. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 814 college students were randomly selected as research participants. After taking pictures of both hands of the participants, Image Pro Plus (IPP) software was used to measure 2D:4D. ESR1 (rs2228480 and rs3798758), ESR2 (rs944459, rs8006145, rs928554, and rs8018687), GPER1 (rs10269151 and rs12702047), and PGR (rs1042839 and rs500760) were genotyped using multiplex PCR. RESULTS: Females had significantly higher 2D:4D in both hands than male students (p < 0.05), and the R2D:4D of the Han population was significantly higher than that of the Hui population (p < 0.05). The number of females carrying the GPER1 G allele of rs12702047 was significantly higher than that of males (p < 0.05). The L2D:4D in males was significantly different in rs1042839, and the R2D:4D in the Han ethnicity was significantly different in rs3798758. Logistic regression analysis showed that rs12702047 was significantly associated with 2D:4D in both hands (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GPER1 rs12702047 may be involved in the formation of digit ratio by affecting phalanx development in the Chinese population.

Effects of gravel on the water infiltration process and hydraulic parameters of stony soil in the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain, China.

The investigation into the impact of gravel on water infiltration process and hydraulic parameters in stony soil could offer a theoretical basis to enhance water availability in rocky mountain area. A one-dimensional vertical infiltration experiment was used in this study. Six groups of gravel content of 0% (CK), 10% (W1), 20% (W2), 30% (W3), 40% (W4) and 50% (W5) were established to explore the changes in the wetting front, cumulative infiltration volume and infiltration rate. Then the accuracy of four infiltration models in simulating soil water infiltration processes was evaluated. Finally, Hydrus-1D was used to perform numerical inversion of the soil water content after infiltration. The findings revealed that: (1) When the infiltration time reached 300 min, the wetting front of the W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5 treatments was 11.00%, 17.00%, 32.25%, 38.75% and 54.50% lower than CK, the cumulative infiltration volume was 29.80%, 38.97%, 45.62%, 54.74% and 73.17% lower than CK, and the stable infiltration rate was 50.98%, 52.94%, 66.67%, 68.63% and 86.27% lower than CK. (2) The soil-water infiltration processes were accurately described by the Horton model, the coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.935. (3) The simulation results of Hydrus-1D showed that with the increase of gravel content, the values of the retention water content (θr), saturated water content (θs), shape coefficient (n) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) were decreased, the values of the reciprocal of air-entry (α) were increased. The value of R2 was more than 0.894, the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were less than 2%, which demonstrated that the Hydrus-1D model exhibited superior capability in simulating the changes of water content in stony soil in rocky mountain area. The findings of this study demonstrated that gravel could decrease the water infiltration process and affect the water availability. It could provide data support for the water movement process of stony soil and rational utilization of limited water resources in mountainous area.

A facile synthesis of a copper(I) thiourea sulphate complex and its application for highly efficient chalcopyrite solar cells.

The precursor compound plays a crucial role in the development of low-cost chalcogenide thin-film solar cells via a solution approach. In this work, we report on the synthesis of a new complex [Cu((NH2)2CS)3]2SO4·H2O through a simple redox reaction between inexpensive Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O and thiourea (TU) in water. Using this complex as a copper source, a stable dimethylformamide solution was made and copper indium sulfoselenide CuIn(S,Se)2 thin film solar cells with a high efficiency of 12.2% have been demonstrated.

Identification and Clinical Correlation Analysis of IFI44 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Combined with Bioinformatics and Immune Infiltration Analysis.

Purpose: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause systemic damage to multiple organs. This study aims to analyze the value and function of IFI44 in the diagnosis and pathology of SLE by bioinformatics and immune infiltration analysis. Patients and Methods: GSE49454 and GSE65391 of SLE were obtained from the GEO dataset, and R software was employed to identify DEGs and investigate their functions. The PPI network was utilized to identify hub genes associated with SLE. CIBERSORT was used to assess differences in immune cell infiltration in SLE patients and controls. ROC curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of IFI44 in SLE. The expression of IFI44 in PBMCs was detected by RT-qPCR, and the correlation between IFI44 expression and SLE-related clinical indicators was analyzed. Results: A total of 65 DEGs were identified from the GSE49454 and GSE65391 databases. Through PPI analysis, IFI44 and RSAD2 were identified as significantly aberrantly expressed in SLE patients. SLE patients and controls showed a significant difference in the proportion of immune cell infiltration. IFI44 expression was positively correlated with activated DCs, monocytes, PCs, neutrophils, and activated memory CD4+T cells, while negatively correlated with M0 and CD8+T cells. The expression of IFI44 was significantly higher in SLE patients (P<0.01), especially in male patients (P=0.0376). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that IFI44 had a high diagnostic value for SLE. Correlation analysis indicated that IFI44 expression was correlated with levels of RBC, HGB, HCT, IgA, ESR, UPRO, C3, C4, and ENA in SLE patients. Conclusion: IFI44 may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE by influencing the immune microenvironment of SLE patients, and thus has the potential to serve as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for SLE.

Gradient-band-gap strategy for efficient solid-state PbS quantum-dot sensitized solar cells.

To improve charge separation and enhance open-circuit voltage (Voc) in solid-state quantum-dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs), gradient-band-gap PbS quantum-dots were first and easily constructed by two-step spin-coating the Pb(NO3)2 solution and the mixed solution of Na2S and 1,2-ethanedithiol via successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR). The fabricated solid-state gradient-band-gap PbS QDSCs exhibited a Voc of 0.70 V, a short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 9.65 mA·cm-2, a fill factor (FF) of 0.60, and a photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.08%, while the inverse gradient-band-gap PbS QDSCs showed a Voc of 0.59 V, a Jsc of 5.86 mA·cm-2, an FF of 0.49 and a PCE of 1.69%. By optimization, the best solid-state gradient-band-gap PbS QDSCs achieved a Voc of 0.65 V and a PCE of 6.29% under 1 sun, and a Voc of 0.60 V and a PCE of 7.21% under 0.5 sun. The Voc of 0.65 V was relatively high, and the PCE of 6.29% was the highest value among solid-state QDSCs constructed using SILAR.