High-Temperature Stable FAPbBr3 Single Crystals for Sensitive X-ray and Visible Light Detection toward Space.

Organolead trihalide perovskite single crystals (SCs) offer unprecedented opportunity for X-ray and visible light detection. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to keep simultaneous high-performance and stability at a high-temperature working mode. Herein, formamidinium lead bromide (FAPbBr3) SCs are developed to successfully address these issues. Low-temperature crystallized induced FAPbBr3 SCs possess an excellent mobility-lifetime product and an ultralow surface charge recombination velocity, thus exhibiting an X-ray dose rate as low as 0.3 µGyair s-1 as a sensitive radiation detector. Furthermore, it also contributes a specific detectivity as high as 3.5 × 1012 cm Hz1/2 W-1, keeping stable at high-temperature of 460 K as a photodetector. A prototype of an imaging system with diffuse reflection mode is constructed using detectors as receivers, enabling defined scanning images in a high temperature environment. The bifunctional FAPbBr3 SC detectors will motivate new strategies for stable detection in an extreme space environment.

Fast Response Organic Tandem Photodetector for Visible and Near-Infrared Digital Optical Communications.

Organic photodetectors (OPDs), which usually work as photodiodes, photoconductors, or phototransistors, have emerged as candidates for next-generation light sensing. However, low response speed caused by low carrier mobility and resistance-capacitance (RC) time constant, severely hinders the commercialization of OPDs. Herein, the authors demonstrate a state-of-the-art OPD with a record response speed of 146.8 ns by employing tandem structure to simultaneously reduce both the carrier transit time and RC time constant of the device, which is faster than that of previously reported OPDs as far as they know. Moreover, benefitting from the multi-level barrier enhancement and voltage division engendered by tandem structure, an ultralow noise current of 7.82 × 10-14 A Hz-1/2 is obtained, as well as a wide detection range in 300-1000 nm. In addition, the tandem OPDs are successfully integrated into the optical communication system as signal receivers, demonstrating the precise digital signal communication from visible to near-infrared light. It is believed that tandem OPDs have promising application potential in the wireless transmission system.

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of MKK and MAPK Gene Families in Brassica Species and Response to Stress in Brassica napus.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are common and conserved signal transduction pathways and play important roles in various biotic and abiotic stress responses and growth and developmental processes in plants. With the advancement of sequencing technology, more systematic genetic information is being explored. The work presented here focuses on two protein families in Brassica species: MAPK kinases (MKKs) and their phosphorylation substrates MAPKs. Forty-seven MKKs and ninety-two MAPKs were identified and extensively analyzed from two tetraploid (B. juncea and B. napus) and three diploid (B. nigra, B. oleracea, and B. rapa) Brassica species. Phylogenetic relationships clearly distinguished both MKK and MAPK families into four groups, labeled A-D, which were also supported by gene structure and conserved protein motif analysis. Furthermore, their spatial and temporal expression patterns and response to stresses (cold, drought, heat, and shading) were analyzed, indicating that BnaMKK and BnaMAPK transcript levels were generally modulated by growth, development, and stress signals. In addition, several protein interaction pairs between BnaMKKs and C group BnaMAPKs were detected by yeast two-hybrid assays, in which BnaMKK3 and BnaMKK9 showed strong interactions with BnaMAPK1/2/7, suggesting that interaction between BnaMKKs and C group BnaMAPKs play key roles in the crosstalk between growth and development processes and abiotic stresses. Taken together, our data provide a deeper foundation for the evolutionary and functional characterization of MKK and MAPK gene families in Brassica species, paving the way for unraveling the biological roles of these important signaling molecules in plants.

Relationship betweentemporal distribution of air pollution exposure and glucose homeostasis during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence has demonstrated that air pollution exposure is associated with the increased prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the long-term exposure effect and the time window of the maximum effect of these air pollutants on GDM and glucose homeostasis during pregnancy are unclear. METHODS: We conducted this study on 5427 nondiabetic pregnant women who were admitted from three hospitals in Hefei City, China, between 2015 and 2018. The data regarding the average exposure to particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were estimated in a fixed monitoring station in Hefei. We used logistic regression and multiple linear regression to assess the effects of air pollutants on GDM and glucose homeostasis. RESULTS: Of the 5427 participants, 1119 (20.6%) had GDM. We found prepregnancy exposure to air pollutants was associated with the risk of GDM in the single pollutant model [odds and 95% confidence interval (CI) of GDM for an interquartile range (IQR) increase was 1.24 (1.06-1.45) for PM2.5, 1.42 (1.26-1.59) for PM10, 1.21 (1.10-1.33) for SO2 and1.19 (1.08-1.31) for O3]. The risk of GDM before pregnancy was higher with long-term exposure to high-concentration pollutants compared with the risk in pregnant women who were not exposed to high-concentration pollutants (χ2 = 41.52, p for trend <0.0001); the ORs and 95% CI values for the exposure times of 1, 2, and 3 months were 1.28 (0.96-1.72), 1.52 (1.06-2.19), and 1.69 (1.11-2.57), respectively. The results showed a positive effect of exposure to higher-concentration air pollutants 1 year before pregnancy on glucose homeostasis during pregnancy. The time windows of the maximum effect of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and O3 on GDM were different. The time windows of the maximum effect of PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 were 6 months, 5 months, and 1 month before the last menstrual period (LMP) and 3 months after the LMP, respectively. The time windows of the maximum effect of air pollution on glucose homeostasis indicators from the 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were similar to the abovementioned results. CONCLUSIONS: Prepregnancy long-term air pollution exposure was associated with a higher risk of developing GDM by affecting glucose metabolism. The time window of the maximum effect of PM on GDM and glucose metabolism indicators was observed earlier than that of SO2 and O3.

[Effect of vitamin D supplementation on gestational diabetes mellitus:a Meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: This Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial( RCT) was conducted to summarize the preventive and therapeutic effects of vitamin D supplementation on gestational diabetes mellitus( GDM). METHODS: The electronic database( CNKI, CBM, VIP, PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science) were systematically searched from inception to February 2018, using the keywords vitamin D and gestational diabetes to identify Meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 16 RCTs were included. A total of 6 RCTs were included for the prevention of GDM by vitamin D supplementation. Meta-analysis indicated that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the level of fasting plasma glucose( FPG)( SMD =-1. 87, 95% CI-3. 39--0. 35) and the incidence of GDM( OR = 0. 42, 95% CI 0. 30-0. 60) in pregnant women. Ten RCTs were included for the treatment of GDM by vitamin D supplementation. Meta-analysis indicated that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the level of fasting plasma glucose( FPG)( SMD =-0. 29, 95% CI-0. 56--0. 02) and Fasting Insulin( FINS)( SMD =-0. 42, 95% CI-0. 69--0. 15), also improved the homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance( HOMA-IR)( SMD =-0. 53, 95% CI-0. 89--0. 17) and the homeostasis model of assessment-estimated B cell function( HOMA-ß)( SMD =-0. 39, 95% CI-0. 61--0. 18), and increased the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index( QUICKI)( SMD = 0. 87, 95% CI 0. 41-1. 32) in GDM patients. CONCLUSION: supplementation may prevent and treat GDM by an improvement in HOMA-IR, HOMA-IR and QUICKI.

Semitransparent polymer solar cells with simultaneously improved efficiency and color rendering index.

Herein, we demonstrate a kind of high performance semi-transparent polymer solar cell (STPSC) with a significantly improved color rendering index (CRI) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) by introducing one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPCs), which are intentionally designed to strongly reflect the pristine weak absorbed light to flatten the concavo-convex transmittance spectrum of STPSCs. The transmitted light from the STPSC device with 4 pairs of 1DPCs under AM 1.5G illumination shows extraordinary color rendering capacities, which contribute an increased CRI from 79 to 91, combined with an enhanced PCE from 4.14% to 5.01% compared to devices without 1DPCs. The simultaneously improved optical and electrical performance suggests that STPSCs can provide a unique feature, which is suitable for building integrated photovoltaic applications.

High-quality faba bean reference transcripts generated using PacBio and Illumina RNA-seq data.

The genome of faba bean was first published in 2023. To promote future molecular breeding studies, we improved the quality of the faba genome based on high-density genetic maps and the Illumina and Pacbio RNA-seq datasets. Two high-density genetic maps were used to conduct the scaffold ordering and orientation of faba bean, culminating in an increased length (i.e., 14.28 Mbp) of chromosomes and a decrease in the number of scaffolds by 45. In gene model mining and optimisation, the PacBio and Illumina RNA-seq datasets from 37 samples allowed for the identification and correction 121,606 transcripts, and the data facilitated a prediction of 15,640 alternative splicing events, 2,148 lncRNAs, and 1,752 fusion transcripts, thus allowing for a clearer understanding of the gene structures underlying the faba genome. Moreover, a total of 38,850 new genes including 56,188 transcripts were identified compared with the reference genome. Finally, the genetic data of the reference genome was integrated and a comprehensive and complete faba bean transcriptome sequence of 103,267 transcripts derived from 54,753 uni-genes was formed.

Construction of a high-density genetic map for faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and quantitative trait loci mapping of seed-related traits.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a valuable legume crop and data on its seed-related traits is required for yield and quality improvements. However, basic research on faba bean is lagging compared to that of other major crops. In this study, an F2 faba bean population, including 121 plants derived from the cross WY7×TCX7, was genotyped using the Faba_bean_130 K targeted next-generation sequencing genotyping platform. The data were used to construct the first ultra-dense faba bean genetic map consisting of 12,023 single nucleotide polymorphisms markers covering 1,182.65 cM with an average distance of 0.098 cM. The map consisted of 6 linkage groups, which is consistent with the 6 faba bean chromosome pairs. A total of 65 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seed-related traits were identified (3 for 100-seed weight, 28 for seed shape, 12 for seed coat color, and 22 for nutritional quality). Furthermore, 333 candidate genes that are likely to participate in the regulation of seed-related traits were also identified. Our research findings can provide a basis for future faba bean marker-assisted breeding and be helpful to further modify and improve the reference genome.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 Enhances Shading Tolerance by Regulating the Photosynthesis Capability of Photosystem II.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is the third-largest source of vegetable oil in the world with an edible, medicinal, and ornamental value. However, insufficient light or high planting density directly affects its growth, development, yield, and quality. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are serine/threonine protein kinases that play key roles in regulating the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this study, we found that the promoter of BnaMAPK1 contained several light-responsive elements (including the AT1-motif, G-Box, and TCT-motif), consistent with its shading stress-induced upregulation. Compared with the wild type under shading stress, BnaMAPK1-overexpressing plants showed higher light capture efficiency and carbon assimilation capacity, enhancing their shading tolerance. Using RNA sequencing, we systematically investigated the function of BnaMAPK1 in shading stress on photosynthetic structure, Calvin cycle, and light-driven electron transport. Notably, numerous genes encoding light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins (BnaLHCBs) in photosystem II-light-harvesting complex (LHC) II supercomplex were significantly downregulated in the BnaMAPK1-overexpressing lines relative to the wild type under shading stress. Combining RNA sequencing and yeast library screening, a candidate interaction partner of BnaMAPK1 regulating in shading stress, BnaLHCB3, was obtained. Moreover, yeast two-hybrid and split-luciferase complementation assays confirmed the physical interaction relationship between BnaLHCB3 and BnaMAPK1, suggesting that BnaMAPK1 may involve in stabilizing the photosystem II-LHC II supercomplex. Taken together, our results demonstrate that BnaMAPK1 positively regulates photosynthesis capability to respond to shading stress in rapeseed, possibly by controlling antenna proteins complex in photosystem II, and could provide valuable information for further breeding for rapeseed stress tolerance.

A retrospective study of electroencephalography burst suppression in children undergoing general anesthesia.

IMPORTANCE: In children, anesthesia dosages are based on population pharmacokinetics and patient hemodynamics rather than patient-specific brain activity. Brain function is highly susceptible to the effects of anesthetics. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this retrospective pilot study was to assess the prevalence of electroencephalography (EEG) burst suppression-a sign of deep anesthesia-in children undergoing general anesthesia. METHODS: We analyzed EEG in patients aged 1-36 months who received sevoflurane or propofol as the primary anesthetic. Patient enrollment was stratified into two age groups: 1-12 months and 13-36 months. Burst suppression (voltage ≤ 5.0 mV, lasting > 0.5 seconds) was characterized by occurrence over anesthesia time. Associations with patient demographics and anesthetics were determined. RESULTS: In total, 54 patients (33 males and 21 females) were included in the study [age 11.0 (5.0-19.5) months; weight 9.2 (6.5-11.0) kg]. The total prevalence of burst suppression was 56% (30/54). Thirty-three percent of patients experienced burst suppression during the surgical phase. The greatest proportion of burst suppression occurred during the induction phase. More burst suppression event occurrences (18/30) were observed in the patient under sevoflurane anesthesia (P = 0.024). Virtually all patients who received propofol boluses had burst suppression (P = 0.033). More burst suppression occurred in patients with hypotension (P < 0.001). During the surgical phase, a younger age was associated with more burst suppression (P = 0.002). INTERPRETATION: EEG burst suppression was associated with younger age, inhalation anesthetics, propofol bolus, and lower arterial pressure.

Vitamin D status affects the relationship between lipid profile and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

BACKGROUND: The biological pathways through which vitamin D is involved in the regulation of systemic inflammation remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of vitamin D status on the relationship between lipid profile and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in pregnant women. DESIGN: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), hs-CRP, and indicators of lipid profiles (total cholesterol, TC; triglyceride, TG; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C), were measured in 2479 pregnant women during the second trimester. Potential confounding including maternal sociodemographic characteristics, perinatal health status, diet, and lifestyle was prospectively collected. Multiple regression models and cubic models were used to evaluate the associations. RESULTS: There was a significant non-linear relationship between lipid profile (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C) and hs-CRP (P < 0.05). Increased serum 25(OH)D was significantly associated with decreasing TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and hs-CRP levels. Compared with medium levels of lipids group, pregnant women with higher levels of TC or TG have higher levels of hs-CRP, and pregnant women with lower levels of TC, HDL-C or LDL-C also have higher levels of hs-CRP in the vitamin D deficient group, and there was a significant correlation between low levels of TG and decreased hs-CRP (adjusted ß for TG: -0.063, 95%CI: - 0.120,-0.007) in the non-vitamin D deficient group. Mediators that had appreciable shares of the associations between 25(OH)D and hs-CRP was TG (10.2% of the association; ß = - 0.011; total indirect effect: 95% CI: - 0.019, - 0.002). The cubic model suggested that a steep increase in the adjusted regression coefficient of lipid with hs-CRP up to 50 nmol/L of 25(OH)D, and the highest adjusted regression coefficients were observed in pregnant women with 25(OH)D above 50 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may improve lipid profile levels and inhibit elevated hs-CRP induced by high lipid metabolism.

Color and transparency-switchable semitransparent polymer solar cells towards smart windows.

Semitransparent polymer solar cells (ST-PSCs) have attracted worldwide attention owing to unique superiority in multiple utilization of incident light. However, the color of ST-PSCs is relatively uniform after fabrication, cannot be dynamically tuned in terms of application requirement. Herein, we demonstrate a high-efficiency ST-PSCs as a smart window, which can be reversibly switched on and off by a gasochromic tungsten trioxide/platinum (WO3/Pt) back reflector layer. The ST-PSCs can be switchable between colored and bleached states with fast response speed of sub-second during hydrogen exposure. Meanwhile, the color and transparency-switching enable light trapping enhancement in long wavelength range, which can systematically improve power conversion efficiency (PCE). As a result, the ST-PSCs contribute a PCE of 10.2% and 9.1% as well as corresponding average visible transmission (AVT) of 25.4% and 33.8% at colored state and bleached state, respectively, which can meet the visual aesthetics requirement well in building integrated photovoltaics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example for ST-PSCs that achieve both color-switching and light trapping. Furthermore, the smart windows facing to automobile sunroof are proposed to prove a practical application towards commercialization. We believe that smart windows with gasochromic functions can promise potential opportunities and directions for the future development of ST-PSCs.

The association of vitamin D status and supplementation during pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus: a Chinese prospective birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown conflicting findings regarding the relation of vitamin D status and supplementation during pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Most of these studies hypothesized that 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were associated with GDM risk and glucose metabolism based on linear association models. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to estimate the associations of 25(OH)D concentrations and vitamin D supplementation with GDM risk and glucose metabolism and determine the threshold concentrations of 25(OH)D that could significantly affect glucose metabolism and GDM risk. METHODS: In a prospective birth cohort study, we collected information about sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and lifestyle from 4984 pregnant women. Vitamin D supplementation and 25(OH)D concentrations were assessed in the second trimester. Data from the 75-g oral-glucose-tolerance test were obtained at 24-28 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: A total of 922 (18.5%) women were diagnosed with GDM. Compared with women with 25(OH)D concentrations <25 nmol/L, the GDM risk was significantly lower in women with 25(OH)D concentrations ranging from 50 to 75 nmol/L (RR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.95) and >75 nmol/L (RR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.70). The curve-fitting models suggested a significant large reduction in GDM risk, fasting plasma glucose, and area under the curve of glucose with increasing 25(OH)D concentrations only for concentrations >50 nmol/L. Consistently, GDM risk was significantly reduced only in women who took 400-600 IU vitamin D/d (RR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.97) with a mean 25(OH)D concentration of 50 nmol/L but not in women taking vitamin D sometimes with a mean 25(OH)D concentration of 40 nmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: GDM risk was significantly reduced only in pregnant women with 25(OH)D concentrations >50 nmol/L. Pregnant women taking 400-600 IU vitamin D/d with mean 25(OH)D concentrations of 50 nmol/L had a lower risk of GDM.

Performance Improvement of Polymer Solar Cells by Surface-Energy-Induced Dual Plasmon Resonance.

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) is effectively applied on polymer solar cells (PSCs) to improve power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, universality of the reported results mainly focused on utilizing single type of MNPs to enhance light absorption only in specific narrow wavelength range. Herein, a surface-energy-induced dual MNP plasmon resonance by thermally evaporating method was presented to achieve the absorption enhancement in wider range. The differences of surface energy between silver (Ag), gold (Au), and tungsten trioxide (WO3) compared by contact angle images enable Ag and Au prefer to respectively aggregate into isolated islands rather than films at the initial stage of the evaporation process, which was clearly demonstrated in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement. The sum of plasmon-enhanced wavelength range induced by both Ag NPs (350-450 nm) and Au NPs (450-600 nm) almost cover the whole absorption spectra of active layers, which compatibly contribute a significant efficiency improvement from 4.57 ± 0.16 to 6.55 ± 0.12% compared to the one without MNPs. Besides, steady state photoluminescence (PL) measurements provide strong evidence that the SPR induced by the Ag-Au NPs increase the intensity of light absorption. Finally, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) reveals that doping Au and Ag causes upper shift of both the work function and valence band of WO3, which is directly related to hole collection ability. We believe the surface-energy-induced dual plasmon resonance enhancement by simple thermally evaporating technique might pave the way toward higher-efficiency PSCs.

Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Polymer Solar Cells by Thermally Evaporating Au into Buffer Layer.

Generally, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of metal nanoparticles is widely applied on polymer solar cells (PSCs) to improve device performance by doping method into solution. Herein, a diameter-controlled thermally evaporation method was used to realize Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) doping into WO3 anode buffer layer in inverted PSCs. The surface energy differences between Au and WO3 inevitably lead to Au growing up through the process from nucleation, isolated island, aggregation of metal islands to continuous films along with the process of evaporation. The atom force microscopy (AFM) images indicate that critical thickness of Au film formation is 8 nm, which is in accordance with current density-voltage (J-V) and incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurement results of optimal device performance. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) with 8 nm Au is dramatically improved from 4.67 ± 0.13% to 6.63 ± 0.17% compared to the one without Au. Moreover, the optical absorption enhancement is demonstrated by steady state photoluminescence (PL), which agrees well with transmission spectrum. The optical and electrical improvement all suggest that thermal evaporation is the appropriate method to further enhance device performance.

Highly efficient low-bandgap polymer solar cells with solution-processed and annealing-free phosphomolybdic acid as hole-transport layers.

We demonstrate a novel solution-processed method to fabricate a stable anode buffer layer without any annealing process. As we know, buffer layers in polymer solar cells (PSCs) are always prepared by the traditional high-vacuum thermal evaporation or annealing-treated spin-coating methods, but the fabricating processes are complicated and time-consuming. Here, a solution method without any annealing to fabricate phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) as anode buffers is presented, which brings an obvious improvement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 1.75% to 6.57% by optimizing the PMA concentrations and interface pretreatment with device structure shown as ITO/TiO2/PCDTBT:PC70BM/PMA/Ag. The improvement is ascribed to the fine energy-level matching and perfect surface modification. This annealing-free method greatly simplifies the device fabrication process and supplies a wide way to achieve a large area fabrication for PSCs.