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Abstract Background Prioritizing genes that underlie complex brain disorders poses a considerable challenge. Despite previous studies have found that they shared symptoms and heterogeneity, it remained difficult to systematically identify the risk genes associated with them. Methods By using the CAGE (Cap Analysis of Gene Expression) read alignment files for 439 human cell and tissue types (including primary cells, tissues and cell lines) from FANTOM5 project, we predicted enhancer-promoter interactions (EPIs) of 439 cell and tissue types in human, and examined their reliability. Then we evaluated the genetic heritability of 17 diverse brain disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes in each neural cell type, brain region, and developmental stage. Furthermore, we prioritized genes associated with brain disorders and phenotypes by leveraging the EPIs in each neural cell and tissue type, and analyzed their pleiotropy and functionality for different categories of disorders and phenotypes. Finally, we characterized the spatiotemporal expression dynamics of these associated genes in cells and tissues. Results We found that identified EPIs showed activity specificity and network aggregation in cell and tissue types, and enriched TF binding in neural cells played key roles in synaptic plasticity and nerve cell development, i.e., EGR1 and SOX family. We also discovered that most neurological disorders exhibit heritability enrichment in neural stem cells and astrocytes, while psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes exhibit enrichment in neurons. Furthermore, our identified genes recapitulated well-known risk genes, which exhibited widespread pleiotropy between psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes (i.e., FOXP2), and indicated expression specificity in neural cell types, brain regions, and developmental stages associated with disorders and phenotypes. Importantly, we showed the potential associations of brain disorders with brain regions and developmental stages that have not been well studied. Conclusions Overall, our study characterized the gene-enhancer regulatory networks and genetic mechanisms in the human neural cells and tissues, and illustrated the value of reanalysis of publicly available genomic datasets.

BackgroundThe use of low-dose aspirin for women with twin pregnancies remains controversial. This study was to describe the frequency of preeclampsia and aspirin use in twin pregnancies in real practice.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study based on real-world data was conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University between 2013 and 2020. Women with twin pregnancies who received prenatal care before 20 weeks of gestational age were included. They were divided into those using low-dose aspirin (LDA group) and those not using aspirin group (N-LDA group). The primary outcome was the frequency of preeclampsia, and secondary outcomes included early-onset and preterm mild and severe preeclampsia.ResultsA total of 2,946 women had twin pregnancies, and 241 were excluded due to missing information. Of 2,705 eligible women, 291 (10.75%) were administered aspirin and the other 2,414 (89.25%) did not. The patients in the LDA group were significantly more likely to be older, have a higher rate of use of ART, have a previous history of hypertension, and have gestational diabetes (p < 0.05). In the LDA group, aspirin compliance ≥50% was relatively low (14.43%, 42/291). Preeclampsia occurred in 106 of 291 participants (36.43%) in the LDA group, as compared to 449 of 2,411 (18.62%) in the N-LDA group (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.62–2.82; p < 0.01). The association was confirmed (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.26–2.4; p < 0.01) in the 1:2 case-matched analysis. Higher odds of ratio in the LDA group were demonstrated (aORs > 1, p < 0.01), except for early-onset and preterm mild preeclampsia (p > 0.05). This association was confirmed in a subgroup analysis of methods of conception (aORs ≥ 1, p > 0.05).ConclusionAspirin prescription of 75 to 100 mg in twin pregnancies was associated with no significant reduction of preeclampsia, which may be due to poor compliance with the aspirin used. Further randomized controlled or prospective cohort studies are required.

Purified desulphated glucosinolates (GSLs) were subjected to thermal treatment in model systems without interference to investigate the formation of volatile components derived from GSLs only. Desulphated progoitrin (PRO), desulphated gluconapin (GNA), and desulphated glucobrassicanapin (GBN) were isolated from rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Their structures were identified via spectroscopic data. According to the final thermal degradation compounds of the desulphated GSLs, the thermal degradation pathways of the GSLs identified herein in rapeseed during roasting were speculated. PRO degradation formed 2,4-pentadienenitrile by eliminating the hydroxyl group of the R group to generate the double bond at C-2. GNA degradation produced 4-isothiocyanato-1-butene. Two degradation pathways were possibly involved in the degradation of GNA and GBN. The main precursors that produce the pungent flavour of rapeseed oil were obtained by exploring the relationship between the degradation of the GSLs and the volatile flavour of this vegetable oil during roasting.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients’ peripheral blood have been demonstrated to be a significant biomarker for metastasis detection, disease prognosis, and therapy response. Due to their extremely low concentrations, efficient enrichment and non-destructive release are needed. Herein, an FTO chip modified with multifunctional gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) was designed for the specific capture and non-destructive release of CTCs. These nanoparticles share a similar dimension with the microvilli and pseudopodium of the cellular surface; thus, they can enhance adhesion to CTCs, and then GNPs can be degraded by the enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9), gently releasing the captured cells. In addition, the transparency of the chip makes it possible for fluorescence immunoassay identification in situ under a microscope. Our chip attained a high capture efficiency of 89.27%, a release efficiency of 91.98%, and an excellent cellular viability of 96.91% when the concentration of MMP-9 was 0.2 mg/mL. Moreover, we successfully identified CTCs from cancer patients’ blood samples. This simple-to-operate, low-cost chip exhibits great potential for clinical application.

Abstract The utilization of an inorganic hole‐transport layer (HTL) is one of the most effective methods to improve the stability and reduce the cost of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, achieving high‐quality inorganic HTL films, especially HTL films in n‐i‐p structures, via solution processes remains a big challenge. Here, a simple surface modification strategy for low‐cost and stable cuprous oxide (Cu2O) quantum dots is proposed, which utilizes a silane coupling agent. The modified Cu2O can be directly deposited on the perovskite film as the top HTL without decomposing the perovskite to maintain an n‐i‐p structure. The efficiency (18.9%) of PSCs with surface‐modified Cu2O as the HTL is significantly higher than that (11.9%) of PSCs with unmodified Cu2O, which is also the record efficiency for a Cu2O‐based perovskite solar cell in n‐i‐p structure. The enhanced performance of PSCs is attributed to the remarkably enhanced film properties achieved through surface modification. Moreover, because of the dopant‐free technology and hydrophobic surface, the Cu2O‐based PSCs have distinctly better stability than 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis[N,N‐di(4‐methoxyphenyl)amino]‐9,9′‐spiro‐bifluorene‐based PSCs.

Root hair elongation relies on polarized cell expansion at the growing tip. As a major osmotically active ion, potassium is expected to be continuously assimilated to maintain cell turgor during hair tip growth. However, due to the lack of practicable detection methods, the dynamics and physiological role of K+ in hair growth are still unclear. In this report, we apply the small-molecule fluorescent K+ sensor NK3 in Arabidopsis root hairs for the first time. By employing NK3, oscillating cytoplasmic K+ dynamics can be resolved at the tip of growing root hairs, similar to the growth oscillation pattern. Cross-correlation analysis indicates that K+ oscillation leads the growth oscillations by approximately 1.5 s. Artificially increasing cytoplasmic K+ level showed no significant influence on hair growth rate, but led to the formation of swelling structures at the tip, an increase of cytosolic Ca2+ level and microfilament depolymerization, implying the involvement of antagonistic regulatory factors (e.g., Ca2+ signaling) in the causality between cytoplasmic K+ and hair growth. These results suggest that, in each round of oscillating root hair elongation, the oscillatory cell expansion accelerates on the heels of cytosolic K+ increment, and decelerates with the activation of antagonistic regulators, thus forming a negative feedback loop which ensures the normal growth of root hairs.

In this study, we developed fluorescent dual pH and oxygen sensors loaded in multi-well plates for in-situ and high-throughput monitoring of oxygen respiration and extracellular acidification during microbial cell growth for understanding metabolism. Biocompatible PHEMA-co-PAM materials were used as the hydrogel matrix. A polymerizable oxygen probe (OS2) derived from PtTFPP and a polymerizable pH probe (S2) derived from fluorescein were chemically conjugated into the matrix to solve the problem of the probe leaching from the matrix. Gels were allowed to cure directly on the bottom of 96-well plates at room-temperature via redox polymerization. The influence of matrix’s composition on the sensing behaviors was investigated to optimize hydrogels with enough robustness for repeatable use with good sensitivity. Responses of the dual sensing hydrogels to dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were studied. These dual oxygen-pH sensing plates were successfully used for microbial cell-based screening assays, which are based on the measurement of fluorescence intensity changes induced by cellular oxygen consumption and pH changes during microbial growth. This method may provide a real-time monitoring of cellular respiration, acidification, and a rapid kinetic assessment of multiple samples for cell viability as well as high-throughput drug screening. All of these assays can be carried out by a conventional plate reader.

An epoxy-based photoresist, SU-8, is introduced as the acoustical matching layer between silicon and water for lab-on-chip applications integrating acoustic characterization. A monolayer nanocomposite with the necessary impedance for acoustical matching between silicon and water is made by using SU-8 and Ti[O.sub.2] nanoparticles.

The microstructure and chemical bonding states of pure and Ce-doped BiFe[O.sub.3] (BFO) films are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectrum. The enhanced magnetic properties for the [Bi.sub.1-x][Ce.sub.x]Fe[O.sub.3] (BCFO) films are attributed to the presence of [Fe.sup.2+] caused by oxygen vacancies, the suppressed spiral spin structure, and/or the increase canting angle induced by Ce doping.

Magnetron sputtering is used for the fabrication of platinum/titanium bilayer counterelectrodes and the effect of thickness of both platinum and titanium layers on their structural, electrical and electrochemical properties is examined. The studies have shown that the as-prepared titanium layer is almost amorphous and intermetallic phase is formed between platinum and titanium layers.

The fabrication and electrical properties of p-poly(9,9-diethylfluorene)/n-silicon nanowire (SiNW) heterojunctions by using spin coating p-type conductive organic polymer on as-prepared n-SiNWs are described. The hybrid nanowire heterojunction has displayed good photovoltaic properties and good sensitivity toward visible light and responsivity under reverse bias.

A microfluidic flow sensor based on aligned piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers has been developed. The flow sensor is able to linearly measure low flow rates ranging from 13 μl/h to 301 μl/h with a sensitivity of 0.36 mV per 1 μl/h, and the highest voltage difference of 120 mV at a flow rate of 451 μl/h. Moreover, the viscosity of the ethylene glycol aqueous solution ranging from 1 mPa·s to 16.1 mPa·s at 25 °C can be detected in dynamic flow with a stable output. These findings highlight the potential of piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers in multiferroic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) driving electroluminescence were obtained from isotype heterojunction (n-i-n: n-ZnO/i-HfO2/n-GaN) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated by a pulsed laser deposition system. The n-ZnO film maintained the same growth orientation as the n-GaN film and was of high crystalline quality even on a polycrystalline high-k HfO2 thin film. The as-produced n-i-n LEDs can emit strong visible light or dominant ultraviolet light at ~392 nm, depending on the polarity of the applied DC voltages. The individual spectrum under either forward or reverse bias can be integrated to one spectrum by applying 50 Hz AC driving voltages (sinusoidal signals). More importantly, near white-light can be obtained by tuning the symmetric driving AC sinusoidal signals to the asymmetric ones. This simple and facile method only by applying AC asymmetric signals to achieve white light emission on one single chip may provide an easy route for the white-light solid-state lighting industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atomic-scale oxide growth dynamics are directly revealed by in situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy during the oxidation of Mg surface. The oxidation process is characterized by the layer-by-layer growth of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanocrystal via the adatom process. Consistently, the nucleated MgO crystals exhibit faceted surface morphology as enclosed by {200} lattice planes. It is believed that the relatively lower surface energies of {200} lattice planes should play important roles, governing the growth mechanism. These results facilitate the understanding of the nanoscale oxide growth mechanism that will have an important impact on the development of magnesium or magnesium alloys with improved resistance to oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to improve the conversion efficiency and the stability of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are two major problems. Furthermore, reduction of the manufacturing cost of DSSCs and large-scale manufacture are also very important factors. As a raw material, commercial P25 would be used for large-scale manufacture of TiO2 paste with simple preparation procedure. However, there are several drawbacks for P25 such as the low surface area of P25 powder and the poor connectivity among particles in film using tradition P25 paste without modification. In this paper, we introduced a simple modified method by adding high surface area anatase TiO2 into pure P25 paste. The photoelectric conversion performances of DSSCs based on these photo-electrodes were tested. The results show that the open-circuit voltage, the fill factor and the energy conversion efficiency of the modified electrode were increased. It is found that the modified P25 films have fast electron transportation and a slow charge recombination. We conclude that through adding the anatase TiO2 nanoparticles to the P25 paste with high surface area, it can not only improve the particles connectivity among inside the films, but also enhance the efficiency of DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel strain sensor based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate)–polyvinyl alcohol (PEDOT:PSS–PVA) nanofibers has been fabricated on Kapton substrate by electrospinning, and fully packaged by encapsulating with a polydimethylsioxane layer. Viacontrolling the concentration of the additive dimethylsulfoxide, the electrical conductivity of the as-spun PEDOT:PSS–PVA nanofiber network can be tuned over a wide rang from 4.8 × 10−8to 1.7 × 10−5S cm−1. This kind of strain sensor has excellent stability, fast response, and a high gauge factor of up to about 396. In the meantime, the device could be driven by solar cells, and could detect tiny and quick human actions, for example bending of a finger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bi1− xEu xFeO3 ( x=0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.30) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates, and the effects of Eu content on the structure and multiferroic properties were investigated. A structural transition from rhombohedral R3 c to orthorhombic Pbnm occurred in the film with x=0.15 due to the increase of the Eu content. Superior multiferroic properties were obtained in the film with x=0.10, giving a remanent polarization Pr=74 μC/cm2 and a coercive field Ec=250 kV/cm at an applied electric field E=560 kV/cm, a good antifatigue property, and a saturated magnetization Ms=3.5 emu/cm3. These significantly improved ferroelectric properties could be attributed to the appropriate lattice distortion and the lower leakage current due to the doping, while the enhanced ferromagnetism might be ascribed to the substitution-induced suppression of the spiral spin modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dye sensitized photoanode is modified by the bifunctional 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). The attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the UV-IR spectroscopy, the dye adsorption amount, and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were carried out to examine the modification effect. The experiments indicated that the APTS with amino endgroup and triethoxysilane group deprotonated the surface of the dye sensitized photoanode and formed a Si[Single_Bond]O[Single_Bond]Si network at the dye sensitized photoanode/redox electrolyte interface. The treading time and concentration of APTS ethanol solution to the performance of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were checked. The Voc was improved by APTS ethanol solution modification, which was ascribed to the negative movement of the conduction band potential and reduced electron recombination from the TiO2 conduction band to the redox electrolyte. Jsc was impaired by large amounts of APTS modification, which indicated that the excessive APTS modification blocked the charge transport in the DSSC. With moderate concentration of APTS ethanol solution (0.05 mM) modification, the performance of the DSSC was optimized to 7.04% [Jsc=14.8 mA cm-2, Voc=0.666 V, and fill factor (FF)=0.642] compared with the performance of 5.23% (Jsc=11.84 mA cm-2, Voc=0.595 V, and FF=0.67) of the original DSSC at 0.9 sun and AM 1.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Bi1−x Ce x FeO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.20) (BCFO) thin films were deposited on Pt/TiN/Si3N4/Si substrates by sol–gel technique. Crystal structures, surface chemical compositions and bonding states of BCFO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Compared to BiFeO3 (BFO) counterparts, the fitted XPS narrow-scan spectra of Bi 4f7/2, Bi 4f5/2, Fe 2p3/2, Fe 2p1/2 and O 1s peaks for Bi0.8Ce0.2FeO3 film shift towards higher binding energy regions by amounts of 0.33, 0.29, 0.43, 0.58 and 0.49 eV, respectively. Dielectric constants and loss tangents of the BCFO (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2) film capacitors are 159, 131, 116, 0.048, 0.041 and 0.035 at 1 MHz, respectively. Bi0.8Ce0.2FeO3 film has a higher remnant polarization (P r = 2.04 μC/cm2) than that of the BFO (P r = 1.08 μC/cm2) at 388 kV/cm. Leakage current density of the Bi0.8Ce0.2FeO3 capacitor is 1.47 × 10−4 A/cm2 at 388 kV/cm, which is about two orders of magnitude lower than that of the BFO counterpart. Furthermore, Ce cations are feasibly substituted for Bi3+ in the Bi0.8Ce0.2FeO3 matrix, possibly resulting in the enhanced ferroelectric properties for the decreased grain sizes and the reduced oxygen vacancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel technology, ultrasonic irradiation was applied to modify the PEO/P(VDF-HFP)/TiO2 nanoparticle composite polymer electrolyte for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The ultrasonic irradiation effectively changes the rheology and the glass transition temperature and the crystallinity of the composite polymer. The experiments showed that 20 min moderate ultrasonic irradiation resulted in better penetration of the polymer electrolyte into the TiO2 nanoporous photo-anode, and the ionic conductivity was improved to 0.956 ms cm-1 compared with 0.386 ms cm-1 of the original polymer electrolyte. The DSSC fabricated with 20 min ultrasonic irradiation modified polymer electrolyte exhibited an improved solar energy conversion efficiency of 4.39% compared with the 3.6% of the unmodified polymer electrolyte DSSC at 30.2 mWcm-2 light intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An n-ZnO/n-GaN heterojunction has been fabricated by depositing n-ZnO film onto an n-GaN/sapphire sub strate. A bifunctional photovoltaic (PV) and violet electroluminescent device based on n-ZnO/n-GaN heterojunction was obtained. As a PV cell, the device exhibits a clear PV behavior under AM 1.5 G simulated illumination (100 mW cm-2). The power conversion efficiency is 0.57%. The open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current are 1.12 V and 12.3 μA, respectively. As a light emitting diode, the device exhibits a violet emission peak centered at ~433 nm under a bias voltage, and the apparent violet light is easily observed with the naked eyes. The mechanism for the dual function heterojunction device has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copper oxide (CuxO) thin films were grown on SiO2/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition under different substrate temperatures. Top-gate CuxO semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated with high-κ HfON as gate dielectric. The performance of Cu2O TFTs was improved due to increased Hall mobility resulting from the decreased scattering of both the ionized defects and the grain boundary for Cu2O channel films. The p-channel pure polycrystalline Cu2O TFTs (W/L = 500 µm/20 µm) exhibited a low threshold voltage of -0.8 V, an on-off current ratio of 3 x 106, a saturation mobility of 4.3 cm²/V s, and a subthreshold swing of 0.18 V/decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes based on simple n-ZnO/n-GaN isotype heterojunction have been fabricated using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. Ultraviolet emission peaking around ∼368 nm with a full-width at half maximum of ∼7 nm was observed at room temperature when the devices were under sufficient forward bias. With the presence of an i-MgO layer inserted between the ZnO and GaN layers, the ultraviolet emission intensity and output power have been much enhanced, while the threshold voltage drops down to 2.5 V. The electroluminescence mechanisms in these devices were discussed in terms of the band diagrams of the heterojunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on the field emission from controlled selective grown zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays by hydrothermal reaction. With the combined effect from a ZnO seed layer and a passivation layer for nanorod growth, ZnO nanorods could only grow on the edge of a 4 μm diameter circle. The ZnO nanorods hollow arrays present excellent electron emission characteristics duo to its typical morphology which can significantly diminish the screen effect. By calculating the electrostatic field distribution, it was found that the electrostatic field of the ZnO nanorods hollow arrays is significantly higher than that of the solid arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]