Multivalent anions as universal latent electron donors.

Electrodes with low work functions are required to efficiently inject electrons into semiconductor devices. However, when the work function drops below about 4 electronvolts, the electrode suffers oxidation in air, which prevents its fabrication in ambient conditions. Here we show that multivalent anions such as oxalate, carbonate and sulfite can act as powerful latent electron donors when dispersed as small ion clusters in a matrix, while retaining their ability to be processed in solution in ambient conditions. The anions in these clusters can even n-dope the semiconductor core of π-conjugated polyelectrolytes that have low electron affinities, through a ground-state doping mechanism that is further amplified by a hole-sensitized or photosensitized mechanism in the device. A theoretical analysis of donor levels of these anions reveals that they are favourably upshifted from ionic lattices by a decrease in the Coulomb stabilization of small ion clusters, and by irreversibility effects. We attain an ultralow effective work function of 2.4 electronvolts with the polyfluorene core. We realize high-performance, solution-processed, white-light-emitting diodes and organic solar cells using polymer electron injection layers with these universal anion donors, demonstrating a general approach to chemically designed and ambient-processed Ohmic electron contacts for semiconductor devices.

An Unusual Macrocyclic Hexamer of an Iso-Tellurazole N-Oxide Featuring CTe O Chalcogen Bonds is Formed by κ6 -O Complexation to Fe(II) and Ni(II).

Studies of the supramolecular chemistry of iso-tellurazole N-oxides have been confined to non-polar media until now. To overcome that limitation, an iso-tellurazole N-oxide was derivatized with a primary alcohol group; the compound is soluble in polar solvents and stable in acidic to neutral aqueous media. Nickel (II) and iron (II) form macrocyclic complexes with six molecules of that iso-tellurazole N-oxide in a hitherto not-observed macrocyclic arrangement defined by CTe⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonds and κ6 -O bound to the metal ion. This behaviour is in sharp contrast with the κn -Te (n=1,2,4) complexes formed by soft metal ions.

Doped polymer semiconductors with ultrahigh and ultralow work functions for ohmic contacts.

To make high-performance semiconductor devices, a good ohmic contact between the electrode and the semiconductor layer is required to inject the maximum current density across the contact. Achieving ohmic contacts requires electrodes with high and low work functions to inject holes and electrons respectively, where the work function is the minimum energy required to remove an electron from the Fermi level of the electrode to the vacuum level. However, it is challenging to produce electrically conducting films with sufficiently high or low work functions, especially for solution-processed semiconductor devices. Hole-doped polymer organic semiconductors are available in a limited work-function range, but hole-doped materials with ultrahigh work functions and, especially, electron-doped materials with low to ultralow work functions are not yet available. The key challenges are stabilizing the thin films against de-doping and suppressing dopant migration. Here we report a general strategy to overcome these limitations and achieve solution-processed doped films over a wide range of work functions (3.0-5.8 electronvolts), by charge-doping of conjugated polyelectrolytes and then internal ion-exchange to give self-compensated heavily doped polymers. Mobile carriers on the polymer backbone in these materials are compensated by covalently bonded counter-ions. Although our self-compensated doped polymers superficially resemble self-doped polymers, they are generated by separate charge-carrier doping and compensation steps, which enables the use of strong dopants to access extreme work functions. We demonstrate solution-processed ohmic contacts for high-performance organic light-emitting diodes, solar cells, photodiodes and transistors, including ohmic injection of both carrier types into polyfluorene-the benchmark wide-bandgap blue-light-emitting polymer organic semiconductor. We also show that metal electrodes can be transformed into highly efficient hole- and electron-injection contacts via the self-assembly of these doped polyelectrolytes. This consequently allows ambipolar field-effect transistors to be transformed into high-performance p- and n-channel transistors. Our strategy provides a method for producing ohmic contacts not only for organic semiconductors, but potentially for other advanced semiconductors as well, including perovskites, quantum dots, nanotubes and two-dimensional materials.

Competing Effects of Chlorination on the Strength of Te⋠⋠⋠O Chalcogen Bonds Select the Structure of Mixed Supramolecular Macrocyclic Aggregates of Iso-Tellurazole N-Oxides.

Chlorination of 3-methyl-5-phenyl-1,2-tellurazole-2-oxide yielded the λ4 Te dichloro derivative. Its crystal structure demonstrates that the heterocycle retains its ability to autoassociate by chalcogen bonding (ChB) forming macrocyclic tetramers. The corresponding Te⋅⋅⋅O ChB distances are 2.062 Å, the shortest observed to date in aggregates of this type. DFT-D3 calculations indicate that while the halogenated molecule is stronger as a ChB donor it also is a weaker ChB acceptor; the overall effect is that the ChBs in the chlorinated homotetramer are not significantly stronger. However, partial halogenation or scrambling selectively yield the 2 : 2 heterotetramer with alternating λ4 Te and λ2 Te centers, which calculations identified as the thermodynamically preferred arrangement.

Iso-Tellurazolium-N-Phenoxides: A Family of Te···O Chalcogen-Bonding Supramolecular Building Blocks.

Formal substitution of the oxygen atom of an iso-tellurazole N-oxide with deprotonated (ortho, meta, and para)-hydroxyphenyl groups generated molecules that readily aggregate through Te···O chalcogen bonding (ChB) interactions. The molecules undergo autoassociation in solution, as shown by variable temperature (VT) 1H NMR experiments and paralleling the behavior of iso-tellurazole N-oxides. Judicious adjustment of crystallization conditions enabled the isolation of either polymeric or macrocyclic aggregates. Among the latter, the ortho compound assembled a calixarene-like trimer, while the para isomer built a macrocyclic tetramer akin to a molecular square. The Te···O ChB distances in these structures range from 2.13 to 2.17 Å, comparable to those in the structures of iso-tellurazole N-oxides. DFT calculations estimate that the corresponding Te···O ChB energies are between -122 and -195 kJ mol-1 in model dimers and suggest that macrocyclic aggregation enhances these interactions.

Tazemetostat, an EZH2 inhibitor, in relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and advanced solid tumours: a first-in-human, open-label, phase 1 study.

BACKGROUND: Activating enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) mutations or aberrations of the switch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex (eg, mutations or deletions of the subunits INI1 or SMARCA4) can lead to aberrant histone methylation, oncogenic transformation, and a proliferative dependency on EZH2 activity. In this first-in-human study, we aimed to investigate the safety, clinical activity, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of tazemetostat, a first-in-class selective inhibitor of EZH2. METHODS: We did an open-label, multicentre, dose-escalation, phase 1 study using a 3 + 3 design with planned cohort expansion at the two highest doses below the maximally tolerated dose. The study was done at two centres in France: Institut Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, Val de Marne) and Institut Bergonié (Bordeaux, Gironde). Eligible patients had relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma or an advanced solid tumour and were older than 18 years, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and adequate end-organ function. Tazemetostat was administered orally from 100 mg twice daily to 1600 mg twice daily in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was to establish the maximum tolerated dose or recommended phase 2 dose of tazemetostat, as determined by dose-limiting toxicities, laboratory values, and other safety or pharmacokinetic measures in cycle one according to local investigator assessment. Safety was assessed in patients who received at least one dose of tazemetostat; antitumour activity was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01897571. The phase 1 part of the study is complete, and phase 2 is ongoing. FINDINGS: Between June 13, 2013, and Sept 21, 2016, 64 patients (21 with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and 43 with advanced solid tumours) received doses of tazemetostat. The most common treatment-related adverse events, regardless of attribution, were asthenia (21 [33%] of 64 treatment-related events), anaemia (nine [14%]), anorexia (four [6%]), muscle spasms (nine [14%]), nausea (13 [20%]), and vomiting (six [9%]), usually grade 1 or 2 in severity. A single dose-limiting toxicity of grade 4 thrombocytopenia was identified at the highest dose of 1600 mg twice daily. No treatment-related deaths occurred; seven (11%) patients had non-treatment-related deaths (one at 200 mg twice daily, four at 400 mg twice daily, and two at 1600 mg twice daily). The recommended phase 2 dose was determined to be 800 mg twice daily. Durable objective responses, including complete responses, were observed in eight (38%) of 21 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and two (5%) of 43 patients with solid tumours. INTERPRETATION: Tazemetostat showed a favourable safety profile and antitumour activity in patients with refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and advanced solid tumours, including epithelioid sarcoma. Further clinical investigation of tazemetostat monotherapy is ongoing in phase 2 studies in adults and a phase 1 study for children, which are currently enrolling patients who have B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and INI1-negative or SMARCA4-negative tumours. FUNDING: Epizyme and Eisai.

Comparison of blueberry powder produced via foam-mat freeze-drying versus spray-drying: evaluation of foam and powder properties.

BACKGROUND: Blueberry juice powder was developed via foam-mat freeze-drying (FMFD) and spray-drying (SD) via addition of maltodextrin (MD) and whey protein isolate (WPI) at weight ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4 to 3.2 (with a fixed solids content of 5 wt% for FMFD and 10 wt% for SD). Feed rates of 180 and 360 mL h-1 were tested in SD. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the drying methods and carrier agents on the physical properties of the corresponding blueberry powders and reconstituted products. RESULTS: Ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4, 1.0 and 1.6 produced highly stable foams most suitable for FMFD. FMFD gave high yields and low bulk density powders with flake-like particles of large size that were also dark purple with high red values. SD gave low powder recoveries. The powders had higher bulk density and faster rehydration times, consisting of smooth, spherical and smaller particles than in FMFD powders. The SD powders were bright purple but less red than FMFD powders. Solubility was greater than 95% for both FMFD and SD powders. CONCLUSION: The FMFD method is a feasible method of producing blueberry juice powder and gives products retaining more characteristics of the original juice than SD. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Increased Intestinal Permeability in Relatives of Patients With Crohn's Disease Is Not Associated With Small Bowel Ulcerations.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Many first-degree relatives of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) have increased intestinal permeability. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is the most sensitive imaging test to identify small bowel mucosal lesions that could indicate subclinical CD. We aimed to estimate the association of increased intestinal permeability with small bowel ulcerations detectable by VCE in healthy first-degree relatives of patients with CD. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 223 healthy, asymptomatic first-degree relatives of patients with CD (parents, siblings, and children; 9-45 years old) enrolled at the University of Alberta between 2009 and 2012. Patients were given the lactulose and mannitol test to measure small bowel permeability; we used high-performance liquid chromatography to measure concentrations of lactulose and mannitol in urine samples (increased permeability defined as a ratio of lactulose/mannitol 0.025 or greater). Patients with increased permeability (n = 39) and randomly selected subjects with normal permeability (n = 59) were then examined by VCE for signs of small bowel inflammation and subclinical CD. The prevalence of small bowel lesions was compared among groups. We performed logistic regression analyses to estimate odds ratios for the association of small bowel ulcerations with intestinal permeability. RESULTS: Among 223 first-degree relatives of patients with CD, 30% were found to have increased intestinal permeability; VCE examination found 24% of subjects to have 3 or more small bowel ulcers. Three or more small bowel ulcers were detected in 28% of patients with increased intestinal permeability and 20% of patients with normal intestinal permeability (P = .37). The adjusted odds ratio for the association of 3 or more small bowel ulcers with increased intestinal permeability was 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.6-3.8; P = .46). CONCLUSIONS: Thirty percent of healthy, asymptomatic first-degree relatives of patients with CD have increased intestinal permeability. However, a strong association of small bowel ulceration seen on VCE with increased intestinal permeability was not observed.

Building new discrete supramolecular assemblies through the interaction of iso-tellurazole N-oxides with Lewis acids and bases.

The supramolecular macrocycles spontaneously assembled by iso-tellurazole N-oxides are stable towards Lewis bases as strong as N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) but readily react with Lewis acids such as BR3 (R = Ph, F). The electron acceptor ability of the tellurium atom is greatly enhanced in the resulting O-bonded adducts, which consequently enables binding to a variety of Lewis bases that includes acetonitrile, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, 4,4'-bipyridine, triphenyl phosphine, a N-heterocyclic carbene and a second molecule of iso-tellurazole N-oxide.

Development and validation of a quality assessment tool to assess online nutrition information.

Setting: The internet is an important source of health information but is unregulated. Little research has focused on the assessment of digital information related to nutrition. Aim: To develop and validate a novel online quality assessment tool (OQAT) for quality assessment of online nutrition information. Method: The OQAT was developed and validated in six distinct stages. After reviewing the literature, a framework and criteria were developed and formalised. Next, the quality assessment criteria were piloted on a subset of data and criteria refined. The established criteria were then validated against a previously validated assessment tool, and reliability was tested. Finally, the validated OQAT was used to assess the quality of articles from a 24-h collection period, 19 April 2021. Results: The final OQAT consisted of 10 key questions. Twenty-six news articles were assessed independently by two raters. Comparison of scores found moderate internal consistency (α = 0.382). Cohen's Kappa coefficient demonstrated high interrater agreement (k = 0.653, p < 0.001). The OQAT was tested on 291 relevant Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), which were determined to be either poor 3% (n = 9), satisfactory 49% (n = 144), or high-quality 48% (n = 139) articles. There was a statistically significant difference in OQAT scores between blogs, news articles, and press releases, χ2(2) = 23.22, p < 0.001, with a mean rank OQAT score of 138.2 for blogs, 216.6 for news articles, and 188.7 for press releases. Conclusion: This novel tool provides a reliable and objective method for assessing the quality of nutrition content online. It could potentially be used by researchers to assess the quality of online information in different settings and by organisations to inform readers of the quality of information being accessed.

Feasibility of a Community Healthy Eating and Cooking Intervention Featuring Traditional African Caribbean Foods from Participant and Staff Perspectives.

Culturally appropriate healthy eating resources are intended to help people from different ethnic backgrounds consume diets reflecting government dietary recommendations, yet evidence on use in the target groups is lacking. This study evaluated the feasibility of a new brief culturally appropriate community intervention that aimed to introduce food-based healthy eating and recipe resources featuring African Caribbean foods, which were recently co-developed with people from these ethnic backgrounds. Working with a community organization in the UK, a single-arm study was used to collect verbal data from participants and staff on the acceptability of intervention whilst knowledge, skills and behaviours related to healthy eating were evaluated using pre-, post- and follow-up questionnaires. A total of 30 participants were recruited, and 22 completed all three questionnaires; who were mostly female aged 55 years+ (n = 17) and of African Caribbean ethnicity (45%, n = 10), with 32% (n = 7) reporting no educational attainment. At post-intervention and follow-up, most participants reported high satisfaction (n = 21, 95%) with the intervention sessions and high levels of confidence in using the resources at home within budget. The number of participants who were familiar with the healthy eating guidance featuring Caribbean foods increased from pre- (36%, n = 8) to post-intervention/follow-up (n = 22, 100%) (p < 0.05). Findings suggest the intervention is feasible in a community setting and could help increase awareness and use of culturally appropriate healthy eating guidance amongst a diverse group.

Water binding and hygroscopicity in π-conjugated polyelectrolytes.

The presence of water strongly influences structure, dynamics and properties of ion-containing soft matter. Yet, the hydration of such matter is not well understood. Here, we show through a large study of monovalent π-conjugated polyelectrolytes that their reversible hydration, up to several water molecules per ion pair, occurs chiefly at the interface between the ion clusters and the hydrophobic matrix without disrupting ion packing. This establishes the appropriate model to be surface hydration, not the often-assumed internal hydration of the ion clusters. Through detailed analysis of desorption energies and O-H vibrational frequencies, together with OPLS4 and DFT calculations, we have elucidated key binding motifs of the sorbed water. Type-I water, which desorbs below 50 °C, corresponds to hydrogen-bonded water clusters constituting secondary hydration. Type-II water, which typically desorbs over 50-150 °C, corresponds to water bound to the anion under the influence of a proximal cation, or to a cation‒anion pair, at the cluster surface. This constitutes primary hydration. Type-III water, which irreversibly desorbs beyond 150 °C, corresponds to water kinetically trapped between ions. Its amount varies strongly with processing and heat treatment. As a consequence, hygroscopicity-which is the water sorption capacity per ion pair-depends not only on the ions, but also their cluster morphology.

Risk factors for hospitalisation in Welsh infants with a congenital anomaly.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate risk factor associated with hospitalisation of infants with a congenital anomaly in Wales, UK. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study. SETTING: Data from the Welsh Congenital Anomaly Register and Information Service linked to the Patient Episode Database for Wales and livebirths and deaths from the Office for National Statistics. PATIENTS: All livebirths between 1999 and 2015 with a diagnosis of a congenital anomaly, which was defined as a structural, metabolic, endocrine or genetic defect, as well as rare diseases of hereditary origin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adjusted OR (aOR) associated with 1 or 2+ hospital admissions in infancy versus no admissions were estimated for sociodemographic, maternal and infant factors using multinomial logistic regression for the subgroups of all, isolated, multiple and cardiovascular anomalies. RESULTS: 25 523 infants affected by congenital anomalies experienced a total of 50 705 admissions in infancy. Risk factors for ≥2 admissions were younger maternal age ≤24 years (aOR: 1.17; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.30), maternal smoking (aOR: 1.20; 1.10 to 1.31), preterm birth (aOR: 2.52; 2.25 to 2.83) and moderately severe congenital heart defects (aOR: 6.25; 4.47 to 8.74). Girls had an overall decreased risk of 2+ admissions (aOR: 0.84; 0.78 to 0.91). Preterm birth was a significant risk factor for admissions in all anomaly subgroups but the effect of the other characteristics varied according to anomaly subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Over two-thirds of infants with an anomaly are admitted to hospital during infancy. Our findings identified sociodemographic and clinical characteristics contributing to an increased risk of hospitalisation of infants with congenital anomalies.

Double-type-I charge-injection heterostructure for quantum-dot light-emitting diodes.

Enforcing balanced electron-hole injection into the emitter layer of quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) remains key to maximizing the quantum efficiency over a wide current density range. This was previously thought not possible for quantum dot (QD) emitters because of their very deep energy bands. Here, we show using Mesolight® blue-emitting CdZnSeS/ZnS QDs as a model that its valence levels are in fact considerably shallower than the corresponding band maximum of the bulk semiconductor, which makes the ideal double-type-I injection/confinement heterostructure accessible using a variety of polymer organic semiconductors as transport and injection layers. We demonstrate flat external quantum efficiency characteristics that indicate near perfect recombination within the QD layer over several decades of current density from the onset of device turn-on of about 10 µA cm-2, for both normal and inverted QLED architectures. We also demonstrate that these organic semiconductors do not chemically degrade the QDs, unlike the usual ZnMgO nanoparticles. However, these more efficient injection heterostructures expose a new vulnerability of the QDs to in device electrochemical degradation. The work here opens a clear path towards next-generation ultra-high-performance, all-solution-processed QLEDs.

Role of Linker Functionality in Polymers Exhibiting Main-Chain Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence.

Excellent performance has been reported for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on small molecule emitters that exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence. However, the necessary vacuum processing makes the fabrication of large-area devices based on these emitters cumbersome and expensive. Here, the authors present high performance OLEDs, based on novel, TADF polymers that can be readily processed from a solution. These polymers are based on the acridine-benzophenone donor-acceptor motif as main-chain TADF chromophores, linked by various conjugated and non-conjugated spacer moieties. The authors' extensive spectroscopic and electronic analysis shows that in particular in case of alkyl spacers, the properties and performance of the monomeric TADF chromophores are virtually left unaffected by the polymerization. They present efficient solution-processed OLEDs based on these TADF polymers, diluted in oligostyrene as a host. The devices based on the alkyl spacer-based TADF polymers exhibit external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) ≈12%, without any outcoupling-enhancing measures. What's more, the EQE of these devices does not drop substantially upon diluting the polymer down to only ten weight percent of active material. In contrast, the EQE of devices based on the monomeric chromophore show significant losses upon dilution due to loss of charge percolation.

High-performance polymer semiconducting heterostructure devices by nitrene-mediated photocrosslinking of alkyl side chains.

Heterostructures are central to the efficient manipulation of charge carriers, excitons and photons for high-performance semiconductor devices. Although these can be formed by stepwise evaporation of molecular semiconductors, they are a considerable challenge for polymers owing to re-dissolution of the underlying layers. Here we demonstrate a simple and versatile photocrosslinking methodology based on sterically hindered bis(fluorophenyl azide)s. The photocrosslinking efficiency is high and dominated by alkyl side-chain insertion reactions, which do not degrade semiconductor properties. We demonstrate two new back-infiltrated and contiguous interpenetrating donor-acceptor heterostructures for photovoltaic applications that inherently overcome internal recombination losses by ensuring path continuity to give high carrier-collection efficiency. This provides the appropriate morphology for high-efficiency polymer-based photovoltaics. We also demonstrate photopatternable polymer-based field-effect transistors and light-emitting diodes, and highly efficient separate-confinement-heterostructure light-emitting diodes. These results open the way to the general development of high-performance polymer semiconductor heterostructures that have not previously been thought possible.

A phase I study of ispinesib, a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor, administered weekly for three consecutive weeks of a 28-day cycle in patients with solid tumors.

PURPOSE: To establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), safety, and pharmacokinetic profile of ispinesib when administered as a 1-h intravenous infusion weekly for three consecutive weeks of a 28 day treatment period to patients with advanced solid tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Thirty patients were enrolled using an initial accelerated dose-escalation phase followed by a standard dose-escalation phase at doses ranging from 1-8 mg/m(2)/week. Pharmacokinetic samples, skin punch biopsies, and tumor biopsies (in patients with accessible tumor) were obtained during cycle 1 of treatment. Disease assessment was performed every two treatment cycles. RESULTS: The MTD was defined as 7 mg/m(2) administered as a 1-h infusion weekly for three consecutive weeks of a 28 day schedule. The MTD was exceeded at 8 mg/m(2) due to DLTs of grade 2 (one patient) and grade 3 neutropenia (one patient) that resulted in the inability to administer the Day 15 dose in Cycle 1. The neutrophil nadir occurred at approximately Day 8 with a 3-7 day recovery period. The most common toxicities were nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and neutropenia. Alopecia, mucositis, and neuropathy were not observed. Stable disease was reported as the best response to treatment in nine patients. CONCLUSION: The recommended dose of ispinesib is 7 mg/m(2) over 1 h weekly for three consecutive weeks of a 28 day treatment cycle.

General observation of n-type field-effect behaviour in organic semiconductors.

Organic semiconductors have been the subject of active research for over a decade now, with applications emerging in light-emitting displays and printable electronic circuits. One characteristic feature of these materials is the strong trapping of electrons but not holes: organic field-effect transistors (FETs) typically show p-type, but not n-type, conduction even with the appropriate low-work-function electrodes, except for a few special high-electron-affinity or low-bandgap organic semiconductors. Here we demonstrate that the use of an appropriate hydroxyl-free gate dielectric--such as a divinyltetramethylsiloxane-bis(benzocyclobutene) derivative (BCB; ref. 6)--can yield n-channel FET conduction in most conjugated polymers. The FET electron mobilities thus obtained reveal that electrons are considerably more mobile in these materials than previously thought. Electron mobilities of the order of 10(-3) to 10(-2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) have been measured in a number of polyfluorene copolymers and in a dialkyl-substituted poly(p-phenylenevinylene), all in the unaligned state. We further show that the reason why n-type behaviour has previously been so elusive is the trapping of electrons at the semiconductor-dielectric interface by hydroxyl groups, present in the form of silanols in the case of the commonly used SiO2 dielectric. These findings should therefore open up new opportunities for organic complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits, in which both p-type and n-type behaviours are harnessed.

A proposal: a comprehensive platform to characterize tumors in Chinese and improve success in cancer drug discovery and development.

Cancer is a collection of complex diseases in which cell proliferation and apoptosis are dysregulated due to the acquisition of genetic changes in cancer cells. These genetic changes, combined with the interrelated physiologic adaptations of neo-angiogenesis, recruitment of stromal support tissues, and suppression of immune recognition, are measurable characteristics in tumor gene expression profiles and biochemical pathways. These measures can lead to identification of disease drivers and, ultimately, can be used to assign therapy. With advances in RNA sequencing technologies, the ability to simultaneously measure all genetic and gene expression changes with a single technology is now possible. The ability to create a comprehensive catalog of genotypic and phenotypic changes in a collection of histologically similar but otherwise distinct tumors should allow for a more precise positioning of existing targeted therapies and identification of new targets for intervention.

Benefits of Bt cotton counterbalanced by secondary pests? Perceptions of ecological change in China.

In the past, scientific research has predicted a decrease in the effectiveness of Bt cotton due to the rise of secondary and other sucking pests. It is suspected that once the primary pest is brought under control, secondary pests have a chance to emerge due to the lower pesticide applications in Bt cotton cultivars. Studies on this phenomenon are scarce. This article furnishes empirical evidence that farmers in China perceive a substantial increase in secondary pests after the introduction of Bt cotton. The research is based on a survey of 1,000 randomly selected farm households in five provinces in China. We found that the reduction in pesticide use in Bt cotton cultivars is significantly lower than that reported in research elsewhere. This is consistent with the hypothesis suggested by recent studies that more pesticide sprayings are needed over time to control emerging secondary pests, such as aphids, spider mites, and lygus bugs. Apart from farmers' perceptions of secondary pests, we also assessed their basic knowledge of Bt cotton and their perceptions of Bt cotton in terms of its strengths and shortcomings (e.g., effectiveness, productivity, price, and pesticide use) in comparison with non-transgenic cotton.