Engineering an Almost All-Waterborne System for Transparent yet Superhydrophobic Surfaces with High Liquid Impalement Resistance.

Realistically, green manufacturing of transparent superhydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) and high liquid impalement resistance for outdoor engineering are very necessary but pretty challenging. To address this, an almost all-waterborne system composed of synthesized partially open-cage fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane bearing a pair of -OH (poc-FPOSS-2OH), silica sol, and resin precursor is engineered. The transparent SHSs facilely formed by this system are featured with the exclusive presence of wrapped silica nanoparticle (SiNP) dendritic networks at solid-gas interfaces. The wrapped SiNP dendritic networks have a small aggregation size and low distribution depth, making SHSs highly transparent. The Si-O polymeric wrappers render mechanical flexibility to SiNP dendritic networks and thus enable transparent SHSs to resist high-speed water jet impinging with a Weber number of ≥19 800 in conjunction with the extremely low-surface-energy poc-FPOSS-2OH, which is the highest liquid impalement resistance so far among waterborne SHSs, and can rival the state-of-the-art solventborne SHSs.

[Dose-response relationship between age and Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination coverage in kindergarten children]. / 幼儿园儿童年龄与肺炎链球菌疫苗覆盖率间的剂量-ååº”å ³ç³».

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential relationship between age and Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination coverage in kindergarten children, and to provide a basis for guiding vaccination and developing new protein vaccines. METHODS: The stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 1 830 healthy children from six kindergartens in Shunde District, Foshan City, China, and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected for the isolation and identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The logistic regression model based on restricted cubic spline was used to analyze the dose-response relationship between age and Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination coverage. RESULTS: The rate of nasal Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage was 22.46% (411/1 830) among the kindergarten children, with the predominant serotypes of 6B, 19F, 15A, 23A, 34, and 23F. The coverage rates of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) were 53.0% and 57.9%, respectively, and there was a significant non-linear dose-response relationship between age and the coverage rates of PCV10 and PCV13 (P<0.05), with a higher coverage rate of PCV10 (88.0%) and PCV13 (91.1%) in the children aged 2 years. There was a significant non-linear dose-response relationship between age and the coverage rates of pilus islet 1 (PI-1) and pilus islet 2 (PI-2) (P<0.05), with a lower vaccination coverage rate for PI-1 (37.7%) and PI-2 (16.1%). The coverage rates of PI-1 (13.0%-58.5%) and PI-2 (6.0%-29.4%) were lower in all age groups. The virulence genes lytA (99.5%) and ply (99.0%) associated with candidate protein vaccines showed higher vaccination coverage rates. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant non-linear dose-response relationship between the age of kindergarten children and the coverage rates of PCV10 and PCV13 serotypes, and kindergarten children aged 2 years have a relatively high coverage rate of PCV. The high prevalence of the virulence genes lytA and ply shows that they are expected to become candidate virulence factors for the development of a new generation of recombinant protein vaccines.

[Screening of pathogenic molecular markers of Staphylococcus aureus in children based on whole genome sequencing technology]. / åŸºäºŽå ¨åŸºå› ç»„æµ‹åºæŠ€æœ¯ç­›é€‰å„¿ç«¥é‡‘é»„è‰²è‘¡è„çƒèŒçš„è‡´ç— ç›¸å ³åˆ†å­æ ‡å¿—ç‰©.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in children, and to compare the molecular characteristics of different types of strains (infection and colonization strains) so as to reveal pathogenic molecular markers of S. aureus. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct nasopharyngeal swab sampling from healthy children in the community and clinical samples from infected children in the hospital. Whole genome sequencing was used to detect antibiotic resistance genes and virulence genes. A random forest method to used to screen pathogenic markers. RESULTS: A total of 512 S. aureus strains were detected, including 272 infection strains and 240 colonization strains. For virulence genes, the carrying rates of enterotoxin genes (seb and sep), extracellular enzyme coding genes (splA, splB, splE and edinC), leukocytotoxin genes (lukD, lukE, lukF-PV and lukS-PV) and epidermal exfoliating genes (eta and etb) in infection strains were higher than those in colonization strains. But the carrying rates of enterotoxin genes (sec, sec3, seg, seh, sei, sel, sem, sen, seo and seu) were lower in infection strains than in colonization strains (P<0.05). For antibiotic resistance genes, the carrying rates of lnuA, lnuG, aadD, tetK and dfrG were significantly higher in infection strains than in colonization strains (P<0.05). The accuracy of cross-validation of the random forest model for screening pathogenic markers of S. aureus before and after screening was 69% and 68%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.75 and 0.70, respectively. The random forest model finally screened out 16 pathogenic markers (sem, etb, splE, sep, ser, mecA, lnuA, sea, blaZ, cat(pC233), blaTEm-1A, aph(3')-III, ermB, ermA, ant(9)-Ia and ant(6)-Ia). The top five variables in the variable importance ranking were sem (OR=0.40), etb (OR=3.95), splE (OR=1.68), sep (OR=3.97), and ser (OR=1.68). CONCLUSIONS: The random forest model can screen out pathogenic markers of S. aureus and exhibits a superior predictive performance, providing genetic evidence for tracing highly pathogenic S. aureus and conducting precise targeted interventions.

Activation of locus coeruleus-spinal cord noradrenergic neurons alleviates neuropathic pain in mice via reducing neuroinflammation from astrocytes and microglia in spinal dorsal horn.

BACKGROUND: The noradrenergic neurons of locus coeruleus (LC) project to the spinal dorsal horn (SDH), and release norepinephrine (NE) to inhibit pain transmission. However, its effect on pathological pain and the cellular mechanism in the SDH remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the analgesic effects and the anti-neuroinflammation mechanism of LC-spinal cord noradrenergic pathway (LC:SC) in neuropathic pain (NP) mice with sciatic chronic constriction injury. METHODS: The Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) was used to selectively activate LC:SC. Noradrenergic neuron-specific retro-adeno-associated virus was injected to the spinal cord. Pain threshold, LC and wide dynamic range (WDR) neuron firing, neuroinflammation (microglia and astrocyte activation, cytokine expression), and α2AR expression in SDH were evaluated. RESULTS: Activation of LC:SC with DREADD increased the mechanical and thermal nociceptive thresholds and reduced the WDR neuron firing. LC:SC activation (daily, 7 days) downregulated TNF-α and IL-1ß expression, upregulated IL-4 and IL-10 expression in SDH, and inhibited microglia and astrocytes activation in NP mice. Immunofluorescence double staining confirmed that LC:SC activation decreased the expression of cytokines in microglia of the SDH. In addition, the effects of LC:SC activation could be reversed by intrathecal injection of yohimbine. Immunofluorescence of SDH showed that NE receptor α2B-AR was highly expressed in microglia in CCI mice. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that selective activation of LC:SC alleviates NP in mice by increasing the release of NE and reducing neuroinflammation of astrocytes and microglia in SDH.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome in five unrelated Chinese families.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) also called the eczema-thrombocytopenia-immunodeficiency syndrome is a primary immunodeficiency disease with X-linked recessive inheritance caused by mutations in the WAS protein (WASp) gene and characterized by thrombocytopenia with reduced platelet volume, eczema, immunodeficiency, and increased risk of malignant tumours. The mutations will lead to separate WAS severity which can be typical severe 'classical' WAS or less severe 'non-classical' WAS. This article will review and analyse clinical and immune characteristics of five unrelated Chinese families harbouring classical and non-classical WAS. The expression of WASp was detected in the peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) by flow cytometry, and five mutations were found by WAS gene sequencing, one of which had not been reported in the literature, namely frameshift mutation c.1240_1247delCCACTCCC (p. P414Sfs*41).

Multivariate Strategy Preparation of Nanoscale Ru-Doped Metal-Organic Frameworks with Boosted Photoactivity for Bioimaging and Reactive Oxygen Species Generation.

How to incorporate chromophores into MOFs is a key for the development of multifunctional photoactive systems. The poor internalization by cancer cells and low efficiency of ROS generation hamper the potential clinic application of Ru-based molecular agents. In this work, a nanoscale Ru-doped metal-organic framework Hf-UiO-Ru (Hf-Ru) with framework-boosted photoactivities was prepared via a multivariate strategy for use in bioimaging and ROS generation. The as-synthesized Hf-Ru nanocrystals not only maintain the well regular morphology and crystal structure in comparison with that of the Hf-UiO-66 prototype but also give an oxygen-independent emission with a much longer lifetime, higher quantum yield, and stronger ROS generation than molecular Ru(dcbpy)3. Additionally, the enhanced cellular uptake and high brightness in fluorescence and CT imaging of Hf-Ru nanocrystals have also been well studied in vitro. This multivariate strategy may be utilized as a general paradigm to develop a photoactive nanosystem for bioimaging and cancer treatment.

Nasopharyngeal aspirates in children with severe community-acquired pneumonia collected within 3 days before bronchoscopy can partially reflect the pathogens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids.

BACKGROUND: There is little evidence about consistency between nasopharyngeal and pulmonary pathogens in children with severe pneumonia. This study aims to compare the difference of pathogens between nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) collected before bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) in children with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP). METHODS: NPAs and BALFs were collected form pediatric SCAP cases hospitalized from January 2018 to March 2019. NPAs were colleced within 3 days before bronchoscopy. Samples were detected by direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) for seven respiratory viruses and by routine bacterial culture in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Adenovirus (ADV), Influenza virus types A, B (IV-A and IV-B), Parainfluenza virus 1-3 (PIV1-3) were detected with a commercial assay. The virological and bacteriological detention results of NPAs were compared with the results of BALFs. RESULTS: In total 204 cases with mean age of 3.4 ± 2.8 years (IQR, 1 month-14 years) were included in the study. Both NPA and BALF were collected from those cases. The positive rates of pathogen in NPAs and BALFs were 25.0% (51/204) and 36.7% (75/204), respectively (x2 = 6.614, P = 0.010). Respiratory viruses were found in 16.1% (33/204) from NPAs and 32.3% (66/204) from BALFs (x2 = 14.524, P < 0.001). RSV and ADV were the two most frequent detected viruses in NPAs and BALFs. High consistentcy of pathogens between NPAs and BALFs was observed, and 96.9% (32/33) viruses detected in NPAs were also found in BALFs. While bacteria were isolated from 12.7% (26/204) and 10.7% (22/204) of the two kinds of samples, respectively (x2 = 0.378, P = 0.539). In addition, Haemophilus influenzae (HI) was the dominant germ in both samples. CONCLUSION: The DFA method used to detect seven respiratory viruses from NPAs collected within 3 days before bronchoscopy can partially reflect the pathogens in the lungs in children with SCAP.

Co-carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis among preschool children and its influencing factors. / å­¦é¾„å‰å„¿ç«¥è‚ºç‚Žé“¾çƒèŒå’Œå¡ä»–èŽ«æ‹‰èŒæºå¸¦çŠ¶æ€åŠå½±å“å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the carriage status of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) and Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis) in preschool children and the influencing factors for the carriage status. METHODS: The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 2 031 healthy children from seven kindergartens in Shunde District of Foshan in Guangdong, China. Nasal swabs were collected from all children for the isolation and identification of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis. The carriage status of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis was analyzed in terms of its association with demographic features and hospital- and community-related factors. RESULTS: The carriage rates of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis were 21.81% and 52.44%, respectively among the children. The co-carriage rate of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis was 14.87%. The correspondence analysis showed that the factors such as lower grade, non-local registered residence, living in rural areas, small living area, history of respiratory tract infection but no history of antibiotic use, allergic skin diseases, and no hospital-related exposure history were significantly associated with the co-carriage of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis among the children (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Co-carriage of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis can be observed in preschool children. Young age, poor living environment, a history of respiratory tract infection but no history of antibiotic use, allergic skin diseases, and no hospital-related exposure history are important risk factors for the co-carriage of S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis in preschool children.

Defect Engineering of Nanoscale Hf-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient Iodine Capture.

With the rapid development of the nuclear industry, how to deal with radioactive iodine waste in a timely and effective manner has become an important issue to be solved urgently. Herein, the defect-engineering strategy has been applied to develop a metal-organic framework (MOF)-based solid adsorbent by using the classical UiO-type Hf-UiO-66 as an example. After simple acid treatment, the produced defect-containing Hf-UiO-66 (DHUN) not only retains its topological structure, high crystallization, and regular shape but also shows a great increase in the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller value and pore size in comparison with the original Hf-UiO (HUN). These formed defects within DHUN have been demonstrated to be important for the great enhancement of the iodine capture and following application in computed tomography imaging in vitro. This present work gives a new insight into the control and formation of defect sites, and this simple and efficient defect-engineering strategy also shows great promise for the development of novel solid adsorbents and other functional MOF materials.

Matrine Suppresses Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Mediated MKKs/p38-Induced Inflammation in Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-Stimulated Macrophages.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to study the anti-inflammatory effect and possibly involved molecular mechanisms of matrine on oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-exposed macrophages. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cultured human macrophages (THP-1 cell line) were exposed to ox-LDL at final concentrations of 0, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL. Several cells were then treated with matrine at serial diluted concentrations. 2,7-Dichlorodi-hydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining was used to evaluate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production; a colorimetric method was used to determine the cellular antioxidant capacity; production of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)18 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and immunoblot assay was used to assess the relative protein phosphorylation and expression. RESULTS ox-LDL exposure significantly elevated intracellular ROS level and supernatant IL18 and TNFalpha concentrations, but impaired total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of macrophages. The relative phosphorylations of MAPK kinase kinases (MKK)6, MKK3, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) were increased by ox-LDL exposure. The expression levels of IL18 and TNFalpha were also increased in ox-LDL-treated macrophages. The matrine treatment reduced intracellular ROS level and supernatant IL18 and TNFalpha concentrations and increased TAC in a concentration- dependent manner. The relative phosphorylations of MKK6, MKK3, and p38 MAPK were reduced after matrine administration. Moreover, the expression levels of IL18 and TNFalpha were also decreased by matrine treatment, in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS ox-LDL increases inflammatory response in macrophages by activating the ROS-mediated MKKs/p38 MAPK-induced inflammatory signaling pathway. Matrine suppresses ox-LDL-induced inflammatory by inhibiting the MKKs/p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Construction of a male sterility system for hybrid rice breeding and seed production using a nuclear male sterility gene.

The breeding and large-scale adoption of hybrid seeds is an important achievement in agriculture. Rice hybrid seed production uses cytoplasmic male sterile lines or photoperiod/thermo-sensitive genic male sterile lines (PTGMS) as female parent. Cytoplasmic male sterile lines are propagated via cross-pollination by corresponding maintainer lines, whereas PTGMS lines are propagated via self-pollination under environmental conditions restoring male fertility. Despite huge successes, both systems have their intrinsic drawbacks. Here, we constructed a rice male sterility system using a nuclear gene named Oryza sativa No Pollen 1 (OsNP1). OsNP1 encodes a putative glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase regulating tapetum degeneration and pollen exine formation; it is specifically expressed in the tapetum and miscrospores. The osnp1 mutant plant displays normal vegetative growth but complete male sterility insensitive to environmental conditions. OsNP1 was coupled with an α-amylase gene to devitalize transgenic pollen and the red fluorescence protein (DsRed) gene to mark transgenic seed and transformed into the osnp1 mutant. Self-pollination of the transgenic plant carrying a single hemizygous transgene produced nontransgenic male sterile and transgenic fertile seeds in 1:1 ratio that can be sorted out based on the red fluorescence coded by DsRed Cross-pollination of the fertile transgenic plants to the nontransgenic male sterile plants propagated the male sterile seeds of high purity. The male sterile line was crossed with ∼1,200 individual rice germplasms available. Approximately 85% of the F1s outperformed their parents in per plant yield, and 10% out-yielded the best local cultivars, indicating that the technology is promising in hybrid rice breeding and production.

Exposure and ecological risk of phthalate esters in the Taihu Lake basin, China.

The environmental spatial distribution and exposure risk of 6 phthalate esters (PAEs) including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), in surface water and sediment of Taihu Lake basin, China, were investigated at 65 sites. The exposure concentrations of 6 PAEs (∑6PAEs) detected in the samples spanned a range of 0.740-13.0 µg/L in surface water and 5.15-20.9 mg/kg in sediment. DBP and DEHP were the predominant compounds in surface water, with mean concentrations of 1.59 µg/L and 1.29 µg/L, respectively. DnOP was the predominant compound in sediment with mean concentration of 7.41 mg/kg. Ecological risk assessment was conducted by the hazard quotient method in which the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) was derived from the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curve. The results showed that DEHP in water phase posed a higher environmental risk than the other PAEs, while the DEP in sediment posed a high risk to the aquatic system. The study contributed to better understanding the presence of PAEs in Taihu Lake basin and provided valuable information for managing and controlling PAEs pollution.

A large meta-analysis of the global prevalence rates of S. aureus and MRSA contamination of milk.

Past reports have indicated a high prevalence of milk contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but the pooled prevalence rates of S. aureus and MRSA in pasteurized and boiled cow's milk, raw cow's milk, and raw Caprinae milk (raw sheep's milk and raw goat's milk) and across different periods, continents, economic conditions and purchase locations remain inconsistent. We searched relevant articles published in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science before July 2016. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement was used to evaluate the quality of 93 included studies. We observed that the pooled prevalence rates of S. aureus contamination in pasteurized and boiled cow's milk, raw cow's milk, and raw Caprinae milk were 15.4% (95% CI, 6.1-27.5%), 33.5% (95% CI, 29.5-37.7%) and 25.8% (95% CI, 17.5-35.0%), respectively. The pooled prevalence rates of MRSA contamination were 4.9% (95% CI, 0.0-15.7%), 2.3% (95% CI, 1.3-3.6%), and 1.1% (95% CI, 0.5-1.8%), respectively. The prevalence of S. aureus contamination in raw cow's milk increased over time. However, the pooled prevalence of raw cow's milk contaminated with S. aureus was lowest in European studies. These findings give an indication of the consequence of better milk regulation in Europe. High S. aureus prevalence rates in raw milk collected from farms and processing companies pose a potential threat to consumers. The implementation of good hygiene practices, appropriate health knowledge, and food safety principles at the farm level, as well as the prudent use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine and heat treatment before drinking, are necessary to reduce the potential risk of S. aureus and MRSA contamination.

Hybrid photoacoustic and electrophysiological recording of neurovascular communications in freely-moving rats.

Uncovering the relationships between neural activities and capillary-level hemodynamics such as blood flow and concentration of hemoglobin in the brain plays an important role in the study of animal behaviors and brain disorders. Here, we developed a miniature probe integrating a photoacoustic sensor and micro-electrodes to simultaneously record the dynamics of blood flow and total hemoglobin inside a single capillary and the activities of surrounding neurons with high spatiotemporal resolution in freely-moving rats. In the somatosensory cortex of rats, we observed: 1) early hemodynamic response prior to the changes in local field potential during pentylenetetrazol-induced localized and generalized seizure onsets in both freely-moving and anesthetized rats; and 2) different hemodynamic and neural responses to generalized seizure onsets between freely-moving and anaesthetized rats. These findings suggest that this high-resolution hybrid technique will enable a wide range of new studies of behaviors and brain disorders in small animals.

pH-dependent ecological risk assessment of pentachlorophenol in Taihu Lake and Liaohe River.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been reported toxic to aquatic organisms, and it frequently occurs at relatively high concentrations in most Chinese waters due to the re-emergence of schistosomiasis since 2003. Several studies about Water Quality Criteria (WQC) for PCP had been performed to protect the aquatic ecosystem, but in most of these studies the toxicity data were not properly analyzed (e.g. screening and processing methods). Moreover, little study was carried out on the ecological risk assessment (ERA) based on environmental factors. In this study, through collecting published native toxicity data of PCP along with relationships between toxicity and pH, pH-dependent WQC was established using a standardized scientific statistical method in China. The Criterion Maximum Concentration (CMC) and Criterion Continuous Concentration (CCC) were expressed as a function of pH. These were (1) CMC = exp(1.361×pH-8.034) and (2) CCC = exp(1.361×pH-10.434). At pH 7.8, the derived CMC and CCC were 13.21 and 1.20µg/L, respectively. In addition, four tiers of the ERA were conducted based on pH for different waterbodies at different seasons. In tiered 1, 2, 3 and 4 ERA, PCP exposure concentrations were standardized to that at pH 7.8. Results showed that all levels of ERA method in the tiered framework were consistent with each other, and the risks of PCP in Liaohe river of wet season, Taihu lake and Liaohe river of dry season increased successively. The Hazard quotient (HQ) method indicated that small fluctuations in pH would lead to misleading hazard results. PCP concentrations of 8.66µg/L at pH 7.37 in one site posed more risk than PCP of 9.57µg/L at pH 7.93 in another site. The joint probability suggested that ecological risks may exist 11.84% in the dry season and 1.51% in the wet season in Liaohe River, and 4.98% in Taihu Lake, respectively while 5% thresholds (HC5) were set up to protect aquatic organisms. We hope this work could provide more information to manage and control PCP pollution in Taihe Lake and Liaohe River.

Efficient charge transfer and utilization of near-infrared solar spectrum by ytterbium and thulium codoped gadolinium molybdate (Gd2(MoO4)3:Yb/Tm) nanophosphor in hybrid solar cells.

In this work, thulium and ytterbium codoped gadolinium molybdate (Gd2(MoO4)3:Yb/Tm) nanophosphors (NPs) have been synthesized, followed by being incorporated into a photo-catalytic titania (TiO2) nanoparticle layer. In detail, morphology and phase identification of the prepared NPs are first characterized and then the up-conversion of the Gd2(MoO4)3:Yb/Tm NPs is studied. Electron transfer dynamics after interfacing with bare or NP-doped electron donor TiO2 and the corresponding photovoltaic performance of solar cells are explored. The results show that Gd2(MoO4)3:Yb/Tm NPs excited at 976 nm exhibit intense blue (460-498 nm) and weak red (627-669 nm) emissions. The lifetime of electron transfer is shortened from 817 to 316 ps after incorporating NPs and correspondingly the electron transfer rate outstrips by 3 times that of the bare TiO2. Consequently, a notable power conversion efficiency of 4.15% is achieved as compared to 3.17% of pure TiO2/PTB7. This work demonstrates that the co-doping of robust rare earth ions with different unique functions can widen the harvesting range of the solar spectrum, boost electron transfer rate and eventually strengthen device performance, without complicated interfacial and structural engineering.

Ytterbium-erbium ion doped strontium molybdate (SrMoO4): synthesis, characterization, photophysical properties and application in solar cells.

In this work, ytterbium-erbium co-doped strontium molybdate (SrMoO4, SMO) nanophosphors (NPs), denoted as SMO:Yb/Er, have been successfully prepared. These NPs were then incorporated into TiO2 acceptor films in hybrid solar cells to enhance light harvesting by virtue of an up-conversion process where low energy photons can be converted into high energy photons through multi-photon processes. The results showed that the SMO:Yb/Er single crystal NPs are capable of turning near infrared photons into visible ones that can be easily captured by poly(thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene/benzodithiophene) (PTB7). The results indicate that the electron transfer rate at the PTB7/TiO2 donor/acceptor interface has been boosted sharply from 0.59 to 1.35 × 109 s-1. Consequently, a hybrid solar cell based on SMO:Yb/Er NP-doped TiO2/PTB7 delivers a high power conversion efficiency of up to 3.61%, thus leading to an efficiency enhancement of around 28% as compared to that of the neat PTB7/TiO2 counterpart (2.81%). This work demonstrates a promising approach to engineering efficient photovoltaic devices by taking advantage of the versatility of rare-earth ion doped oxides that function by modifying light in the solar spectrum.

In vivo imaging of epileptic foci in rats using a miniature probe integrating diffuse optical tomography and electroencephalographic source localization.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this work is to establish a new dual-modal brain-mapping technique based on diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and electroencephalographic source localization (ESL) that can chronically/intracranially record optical/electroencephalography (EEG) data to precisely map seizures and localize the seizure-onset zone and associated epileptic brain network. METHODS: The dual-modal imaging system was employed to image seizures in an experimental acute bicuculline methiodide rat model of focal epilepsy. Depth information derived from DOT was used as constraint in ESL to enhance the image reconstruction. Groups of animals were compared based on localization of seizure foci, either at different positions or at different depths. RESULTS: This novel imaging technique successfully localized the seizure-onset zone in rat induced by bicuculline methiodide injected at a depth of 1, 2, and 3 mm, respectively. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of the depth information from DOT into the ESL image reconstruction resulted in more accurate and reliable ESL images. Although the ESL images showed a horizontal shift of the source localization, the DOT identified the seizure focus accurately. In one case, when the bicuculline methiodide (BMI) was injected at a site outside the field of view (FOV) of the DOT/ESL interface, ESL gave false-positive detection of the focus, while DOT showed negative detection. SIGNIFICANCE: This study represents the first to identify seizure-onset zone using implantable DOT. In addition, the combination of DOT/ESL has never been documented in neuroscience and epilepsy imaging. This technology will enable us to precisely measure the neural activity and hemodynamic response at exactly the same tissue site and at both cortical and subcortical levels.

[Relationship between genotypes and clinical phenotypes in patients from 7 hemophilia A families].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mutation types of factor VIII (FVIII) gene in patients from 7 hemophilia A (HA) families and the relationship between FVIII gene mutations and clinical phenotypes. METHODS: A total of 8 patients from 7 HA families were recruited. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and factor VIII coagulant activity (VIII:C) in these patients were measured. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to analyze FVIII gene intron 1 and 22 inversions. For patients without the FVIII intron inversions, direct sequencing was performed to determine their mutation types and other related members of their families were also tested by PCR and sequencing to analyze the corresponding mutation sites. RESULTS: The ranges of APTT and VIII:C of the 8 patients were 91.6-131 seconds and 0.8%-2%, respectively. FVIII gene intron 22 inversion was not detected, while intron 1 inversion was detected in one patient. There were 5 types of mutations in FVIII gene detected in the remaining 7 patients, including 6 patients with mutations in exon 14 and 1 patient with mutation in exon 23; all of the 5 types of mutations were single nucleotide mutations. Among the detected mutations in FVIII gene, p.His1202LeufsX16 (c.3666delA) detected in one patient was found to be a previously unreported mutation in FVIII gene. CONCLUSIONS: FVIII gene exon 14 is a hot-spot mutation region and p.His1202LeufsX16 is found to be a novel mutation in FVIII gene.

Coordinated regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana development by light and gibberellins.

Light and gibberellins (GAs) mediate many essential and partially overlapping plant developmental processes. DELLA proteins are GA-signalling repressors that block GA-induced development. GA induces degradation of DELLA proteins via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, but light promotes accumulation of DELLA proteins by reducing GA levels. It was proposed that DELLA proteins restrain plant growth largely through their effect on gene expression. However, the precise mechanism of their function in coordinating GA signalling and gene expression remains unknown. Here we characterize a nuclear protein interaction cascade mediating transduction of GA signals to the activity regulation of a light-responsive transcription factor. In the absence of GA, nuclear-localized DELLA proteins accumulate to higher levels, interact with phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (PIF3, a bHLH-type transcription factor) and prevent PIF3 from binding to its target gene promoters and regulating gene expression, and therefore abrogate PIF3-mediated light control of hypocotyl elongation. In the presence of GA, GID1 proteins (GA receptors) elevate their direct interaction with DELLA proteins in the nucleus, trigger DELLA protein's ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation, and thus release PIF3 from the negative effect of DELLA proteins.