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An effective and simple approach for gate-recessed normally-off GaN-based MISFETs is proposed to suppress the high temperature induced degradation during low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) in gate-recessed normally off GaN-based MISFET. After a N2O plasma treatment on GaN channel prior to LPCVD SiN, the LPCVD SiN/GaN MISFET exhibits a maximum drain current of 607 mA/mm, 3 times higher than that without N2O plasma pretreatment, a threshold voltage of +1.2 V at ID = 0.1 mA/mm, off-state hard-breakdown voltage of 1348 V with LGD = 20 μm, and gate leakage current below 15 nA/mm in the whole gate swing to +20 V. The interface states characterization in MISFETs show that about 3 times lower interface trap density was achieved in MISFET with N2O plasma pretreatment compared to that in SiNx/GaN transistor without such surface treatment.

The convergence between amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its β-secretase β-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a prerequisite for the generation of β-amyloid peptide, a key pathogenic agent for Alzheimer's disease. Yet the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating their convergence remain unclear. Here, we show that the polarity protein partitioning-defective 3 (Par3) regulates the polarized convergence between APP and BACE1 in hippocampal neurons. Par3 forms a complex with BACE1 through its first PDZ domain, which is important for regulating BACE1 endosome-to-TGN trafficking. In the absence of Par3, there is an increase in the convergence between internalized APP and BACE1. In hippocampal neurons, loss of Par3 leads to increased APP and BACE1 convergence in axons but not in dendrites. This polarized convergence mainly occurs in retrograde or stalled axonal late endocytic organelles and is likely due to compartment-specific regulation of APP trafficking by Par3. Together, our data show a novel function for Par3 in regulating polarized convergence between APP and BACE1 in hippocampal neurons.

High performance zinc-air batteries (ZABs) demand highly active bifunctional catalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER). Herein, we report a FeCo-Co bifunctional catalyst with well-engineered interfaces between FeCo nanoalloy and metallic Co, via an alloying-degree control strategy. The FeCo-Co architecture can be obtained by manipulating the alloying degree through proper introduction of Fe, while the stacked carbon nanosheet morphology inherited from the precursor can fully expose the active sites facilitating the ion transfer. FeCo-Co interface structure enables FeCo@Co/N-C-8 catalyst to exhibit an excellent half-wave potential (0.870 V) superior to Pt/C (0.846 V) for ORR and suppressed overpotential (312 mV) than IrO2 (321 mV) for OER. The as prepared rechargeable ZAB based on FeCo@Co/N-C-8 catalyst displays an excellent peak power density of 148 mW cm-2 and an ultrahigh open circuit voltage of 1.52 V. This research provides an innovative technique in construction of bifunctional catalysts for ZABs through alloying degree control strategies.

The last decade or so has seen a mushrooming of new sovereign debt databases covering long time spans for several countries. This represents an important breakthrough for economists who have long sought to, but been unable to tackle, first-order questions such as why countries have differential debt tolerance, and how debt levels affect the scope for countercyclical policy in recessions and financial crises. This paper backdrops these recent data efforts, identifying both the key innovations, as well as caveats that users should be aware of. A Directory of existing publicly-available sovereign debt databases, featuring compilations by institutions and individual researchers, is also included.

The thermal-oxidation/wet-etching gate-recess mask using low-pressure-chemical-vapor-deposition (LPCVD) SiN/atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) AlN combined with high-quality LPCVD-SiN/ALD-SiO2 gate dielectric has been developed for the fabrication of normally-off GaN MISFETs by the self-terminated gate recess etching technique. The experimental results showed that the SiN/AlN layer could effectively hinder the formation of surface oxide on GaN cap, and ALD grown SiO2 could effectively protect the GaN channel from high-temperature damages by the following LPCVD. As a result, the fabricated devices exhibit a small on-resistance degradation, 200 mV hysteresis @ Vth = 2.4 V

The cDNA of a Schistosoma japonicum myophilin-like protein was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombined protein (rSj myophilin-like protein), and the protein was purified by affinity chromatography. The deduced amino acid sequences of the Sj myophilin-like protein showed significant homology to myophilin, calponin, Np22 and Mp20. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyzes revealed expression of the Sj myophilin-like protein mRNA in eggs, sporocysts, cercariae, hepatic schistosomula and adult worms. Confocal fluorescence microscopy localized the native protein to the muscle of the adult worm. In schistosome-infected rabbits, the rSj myophilin-like protein antibody level, assessed by ELISA, was elevated after infection but was reduced after praziquantel treatment. In humans, the myophilin-like protein antibody level was evaluated by ELISA in sera from 33 non-infected humans and 61 schistosomiasis patients; the results showed a highly significant difference between the two groups with a sensitivity of 57.4%. Taken together, the myophilin-like protein may prove useful for monitoring the therapeutic effect of praziquantel rather than in serodiagnosis of schistosomiasis.