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We successfully deposited In2Se3 films on the interdigital electrode (IDE) substrates using the radio frequency (RF)-magnetron sputtering method with optimized parameters. The formation of high-quality $\gamma $ -In2Se3 using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) is explored. Subsequently, we fabricated $\gamma $ -In2Se3-based photodetectors on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated IDE using optimized parameters. The detailed investigation focused on the influence of IDE spacing, bias voltage, and light intensity on the photodetector properties. The photodetector fabricated with an IDE spacing of $335~\mu $ m exhibited outstanding properties, including the highest photoresponsivity of $14.8~\mu $ A/W and detectivity of $31.3 \times 10^{{7}}$ Jones. It also demonstrated a fast rise time of 99 ms and a decay time of 61 ms. In the bias voltage variation study, the $\gamma $ -In2Se3-based photodetectors exhibited a linear relationship between the change in current and the bias potential, indicating the formation of ohmic contact between $\gamma $ -In2Se3 and ITO electrodes. Examining light intensity photoresponse, we varied the power density of light from 5 to 30 mW/cm2. We observed a direct proportionality between the generated photocurrent and the incident light intensity. However, at higher light intensities, there was a decrease in photodetectivity from $3.97\times 10^{{8}}$ to $1.16 \times 10^{{8}}$ Jones and a reduction in photoresponsivity from 33.36 to $9.73~\mu $ A/W for the $\gamma $ -In2Se3-based photodetectors. In conclusion, the photodetector properties of $\gamma $ -In2Se3-based devices are critically influenced by IDE spacing, bias voltage, and light intensity.

Metal chalcogenide indium selenide (In2Se3) is attracting increasing research interest for photodetector applications due to its excellent photoresponse and superior stability under ambient conditions. However, the temperature-dependent performance of In2Se3-based photodetectors has rarely been reported. Here, $\gamma $ -In2Se3 thin films were prepared at various deposition pressures using the RF magnetron sputtering for photodetector applications. The formation of single-phase $\gamma $ -In2Se3 films has been confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman analyses. Binding energies and elemental composition of $\gamma $ -In2Se3 films were examined by XPS analysis. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images show that the prepared $\gamma $ -In2Se3 films were crack- and pore-free, dense, compact, smooth, and have small grains. The optical energy bandgap decreases from 2.2 to 1.7 eV with an increase in deposition pressure. Then, the photoresponse of $\gamma $ -In2Se3-based photodetectors was investigated. The photodetector fabricated with $\gamma $ -In2Se3 at 5 Pa on an ITO-coated interdigital electrode (IDE) exhibited excellent photoresponsivity ( $2.82~\mu \text{A}$ /W) and detectivity ( $7.06\times 10^{{7}}$ Jones) with a fast rise time of 0.26 s and a decay time of 0.32 s. Finally, the temperature-dependent photoresponse of the photodetector fabricated with $\gamma $ -In2Se3 at 5 Pa is meticulously investigated. We found that the photodetector properties of a photodetector critically depend on the operating temperature.

The increasing demand for portable energy storage devices has prompted a considerable exploration into advanced anode material with higher Li-ion battery capacities. Quaternary chalcopyrite semiconductors have generated significant attention as promising materials in applications such as optoelectronic devices, energy conversion, and energy storage devices. In this paper, Cu2FeSnS4(CFTS) nanoparticles were prepared through a colloidal hot injection method (HIM). The structural analysis indicates that the CFTS nanoparticles exhibit a pure tetragonal structure characterized by high crystallinity. The morphological and elemental analysis shows the stoichiometric synthesis of CFTS nanoparticles with significant agglomeration of crystallites, accompanied by variation in size. The CFTS nanoparticles, employed as an anode material for Li-ion batteries, demonstrated significant performance characterized by high reversible capacity and stability at ambient temperature. The initial discharge capacity is achieved at 1181 mAhg−1and retains 528 mAhg−1during charge-discharge cycles within the voltage range of 0.005 to 3.0 V (versus Li/Li+) after 5 cycles. The CFTS nanoparticle performance findings indicate its promising implementation as an anode electrode in Li-ion batteries.

Plasmonic Ag−Au/ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) based photo‐anodes were synthesized using a simple electrochemical route and were then evaluated for photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity. The amalgamation of Ag and Au nanoclusters broadens the UV‐Vis light absorption in the range of 400 nm to 650 nm. Ag−Au/ZNRs photo‐anodes had shown photocurrent density of ∼1.4 mA cm−2, at a bias of 0.75 V/SCE, which is ∼3.1 times of bare ZNRs photo‐anode. Bi‐metallic Ag−Au/ZNRs based photo‐anode shows the maximum photo‐conversion efficiency of 0.77 % at 0.5 V/SCE, under one sun illumination. Formation of hot electrons in Ag−Au/ZNRs photo‐anodes can be partly held responsible for the enhanced PEC activity. Au/Ag core/shell morphology evolves when a thin layer of Ag is loaded on Au nanoparticles. For an in‐depth analysis on Ag−Au incorporated ZNRs based photo‐anodes and its PEC activity, a detailed characterization was carried out using physico‐chemical, spectral and microscopy techniques. The analysis shows that Au in direct contact with ZnO interacts mainly with oxygen vacancies present on surface of ZnO and Ag interacts with Au for an effective electron‐hole segregation process at their interface and electron storage occurs in metal nanoparticles. The results suggest bi‐metal incorporated ZNRs based photo‐anodes can be a prospective candidate for PEC water splitting application. • Influence of Ag and Au over ZnO nanorods array is discussed in detail. • Ag−Au embedded ZnO nanorods exhibit enhanced visible light absorption and PEC activity. • ZnO nanorods loaded with Ag and Au on top surface exhibit remarkably enhanced PEC performance (∼1.4 mA/cm2at a bias of 0.75 V). • Ag−Au‐ZNRs photo‐anode exhibited effectual charge segregation and generation.

This protocol describes a method for the dissection of egg chambers from intact Drosophila females and culture conditions that permit live imaging of them, with a particular emphasis on stage 9. This stage of development is characterized by oocyte growth and patterning, outer follicle cell rearrangement and migration of border cells. Although in vitro culture of egg chambers of later developmental stages has long been possible, until recently stage 9 egg chambers could only be kept alive for short periods, did not develop normally, and border cell migration failed entirely. We have established culture conditions that support overall egg chamber development including border cell migration in vitro. This protocol makes possible direct observation of molecular and cellular dynamics in both wild-type and mutant egg chambers, and opens the door to testing of pharmacological inhibitors and the use of biosensors. The entire protocol takes ∼24 h while the preparation of egg chambers for live imaging requires only 15–20 min.

The mechanisms controlling the generation of cell diversity in the central nervous system belong to the major unsolved problems in developmental biology. The fly Drosophila melanogaster is a suitable model system to examine these mechanisms at the level of individually identifiable cells. Recently, we have provided evidence that CyclinE – largely independent of its role in cell proliferation – plays a critical role in the specification of neural stem cells (neuroblasts). CycE specifies neuronal fate within neuroblast lineages by acting upstream of glial factors (prospero and glial cell missing), whereby levels of CycE are controlled by homeotic genes, the master control genes regulating segment specific development. Considering the general relevance of CycE and homeotic genes in developing organisms, it seems likely that this mechanism has been conserved among species to contribute to regional diversification in the CNS.

In the third thoracic segment of Drosophila, wing development is suppressed by the homeotic selector gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx)in order to mediate haltere development. Previously, we have shown thatUbx represses dorsoventral (DV) signaling to specify haltere fate. Here we examine the mechanism of Ubx-mediated downregulation of DV signaling. We show that Wingless (Wg) and Vestigial (Vg) are differentially regulated in wing and haltere discs. In wing discs, although Vg expression in non-DV cells is dependent on DV boundary function of Wg, it maintains its expression by autoregulation. Thus, overexpression of Vg in non-DV cells can bypass the requirement for Wg signaling from the DV boundary. Ubxfunctions, at least, at two levels to repress Vestigial expression in non-DV cells of haltere discs. At the DV boundary, it functions downstream of Shaggy/GSK3β to enhance the degradation of Armadillo (Arm), which causes downregulation of Wg signaling. In non-DV cells, Ubx inhibits event(s) downstream of Arm, but upstream of Vg autoregulation. Repression of Vg at multiple levels appears to be crucial for Ubx-mediated specification of the haltere fate. Overexpression of Vg in haltere discs is enough to override Ubx function and cause haltere-to-wing homeotic transformations.

By considering all orderings of the input samples, which are discrete-time continuous-valued, it is shown here that a weighted median (WM) filter of spanN can be specified unambiguously by 2N-1 consistent linear inequalities relating the weights. This specification is identical to that of a self-dual threshold function with the same weights. It is also shown that WM filters with symmetric weights can be specified by ternary threshold functions. Based on these inequalities, properties of WM filters which can be used to check equivalence of some WM filters are derived.

A network of chaperones and ubiquitin ligases sustain intracellular proteostasis, and is integral in preventing aggregation of misfolded proteins associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. Using cell-based studies of polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases: Spinocerebellar ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) and Huntington's disease (HD), we aimed to identify crucial ubiquitin ligases that protect against polyQ aggregation. We report here that Praja1 (PJA1), a Ring-H2 ubiquitin ligase abundantly expressed in the brain is diminished when polyQ repeat proteins (Ataxin-3/Huntingtin) are expressed in cells. PJA1 interacts with polyQ proteins and enhances their degradation resulting in reduced aggregate formation. Down-regulation of PJA1 in neuronal cells increases polyQ protein levels vis-a-vis their aggregates rendering the cells vulnerable to cytotoxic stress. Finally, PJA1 suppresses polyQ toxicity in yeast and rescues eye degeneration in transgenic Drosophilamodel of SCA3. Thus, our findings establish PJA1 as a robust ubiquitin ligase of polyQ proteins and induction of which might serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy in handling cytotoxic polyglutamine aggregates.

In the present work, lead bismuth selenide (PbBi2Se4) nano‐flowers are synthesized by using a simple solvothermal method. Humidity sensor and photodetector based on PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers are fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates and their sensing properties are investigated. Formation of PbBi2Se4is confirmed by XRD, EDS, and XPS whereas formation of nano‐flowers is confirmed by SEM and TEM analysis. XRD analysis reveals the hexagonal crystal structure of PbBi2Se4phase with a= b= 4.22 Å, and c= 17.42 Å. The surface morphology of PbBi2Se4clearly shows the formation of well‐organized flower‐like nanostructures which closely resembles the shape of Dahlia. The elemental mapping of chemical constituents obtained from SEM‐EDS analysis shows uniform distribution of chemical constituents for the Pb, Bi, and Se in PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers. The PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers‐based humidity sensor has a typical response time of ≈65 s and recovery time of ≈75 s. In case of PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers‐based photodetector, the response and recovery time are observed ≈121 and ≈123 s, respectively, under visible light illumination with photoresponsivity (5 × 10−6), photosensitivity (2.16%), and quantum efficiency (1.5 × 104). The obtained results demonstrate the potential applications of solvothermally grown PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers‐based devices for humidity sensors and photodetectors. The ease of the present work is to develop novel material to obtain device quality humidity sensors and photodetectors. A simple solvothermal methodis used to synthesize lead bismuth selenide (PbBi2Se4) nano‐flowers. PbBi2Se4nano‐flowers‐based humidity sensor has a typical response and recovery time of ≈65 and ≈75 s, respectively. For photodetector, the response and recovery time is ≈121 and ≈123 s under visible light with photoresponsivity (5 × 10−6), photosensitivity (2.16%), and quantum efficiency (1.5 × 104).

Mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII) is a recessively inherited lysosomal storage disorder caused by β-glucuronidase enzyme deficiency. The disease is characterized by widespread accumulation of non-degraded or partially degraded glycosaminoglycans, leading to cellular and multiple tissue dysfunctions. The patients exhibit diverse clinical symptoms, and eventually succumb to premature death. The only possible remedy is the recently approved enzyme replacement therapy, which is an expensive, invasive and lifelong treatment procedure. Small-molecule therapeutics for MPS VII have so far remained elusive primarily due to lack of molecular insights into the disease pathogenesis and unavailability of a suitable animal model that can be used for rapid drug screening. To address these issues, we developed a Drosophila model of MPS VII by knocking out the CG2135 gene, the fly β-glucuronidase orthologue. The CG2135−/− fly recapitulated cardinal features of MPS VII, such as reduced lifespan, progressive motor impairment and neuropathological abnormalities. Loss of dopaminergic neurons and muscle degeneration due to extensive apoptosis was implicated as the basis of locomotor deficit in this fly. Such hitherto unknown mechanistic links have considerably advanced our understanding of the MPS VII pathophysiology and warrant leveraging this genetically tractable model for deeper enquiry about the disease progression. We were also prompted to test whether phenotypic abnormalities in the CG2135−/− fly can be attenuated by resveratrol, a natural polyphenol with potential health benefits. Indeed, resveratrol treatment significantly ameliorated neuromuscular pathology and restored normal motor function in the CG2135−/− fly. This intriguing finding merits further preclinical studies for developing an alternative therapy for MPS VII. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.