Search

Light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in lighting and display applications. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which have high biocompatibility, high resistance to photobleaching, and full‐spectrum luminescence, have inherent advantages as fluorescent materials for LED devices. Herein, multicolor CQDs are prepared by a new reagent engineering strategy due to the difference of effective conjugate length and the surface electron‐withdrawing groups of CQDs. White CQDs are realized by mixing blue, green, and red CQDs proportionally. Then, the aggregation‐caused quenching phenomenon of CQDs is suppressed through the hydrogen‐bonding network of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). Multicolor fluorescent films are prepared from CQDs and CNFs by simple mixing and casting methods. Finally, thin‐film encapsulation based on the photosensitive resin ABPE‐10 coating can be realized and rapidly assembles into fluorescent films with different light‐emitting colors into LED devices, leading to have superior thermal performance compared with conventional LEDs. White LEDs have excellent white‐light illumination performance, with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage color coordinates of (0.33, 0.37), a correlated color temperature of 5688 K, and a color rendering index of 86. This strategy provides a convenient and scalable pathway for low‐cost, environmentally friendly, and high‐performance CQDs‐based LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuropathic pain remains a formidable challenge for modern medicine. The first‐line pharmacological therapies exhibit limited efficacy and unfavorable side effect profiles, highlighting an unmet need for effective therapeutic medications. The past decades have witnessed an explosion in efforts to translate epigenetic concepts into pain therapy and shed light on epigenetics as a promising avenue for pain research. Recently, the aberrant activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC) has emerged as a key mechanism contributing to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Aims: In this review, we highlight the distinctive role of specific HDAC subtypes in a cell‐specific manner in pain nociception, and outline the recent experimental evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of HDACi in neuropathic pain. Methods: We have summarized studies of HDAC in neuropathic pain in Pubmed. Results: HDACs, widely distributed in the neuronal and non‐neuronal cells of the dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord, regulate gene expression by deacetylation of histone or non‐histone proteins and involving in increased neuronal excitability and neuroinflammation, thus promoting peripheral and central sensitization. Importantly, pharmacological manipulation of aberrant acetylation using HDAC‐targeted inhibitors (HDACi) has shown promising pain‐relieving properties in various preclinical models of neuropathic pain. Yet, many of which exhibit low‐specificity that may induce off‐target toxicities, underscoring the necessity for the development of isoform‐selective HDACi in pain management. Conclusions: Abnormally elevated HDACs promote neuronal excitability and neuroinflammation by epigenetically modulating pivotal gene expression in neuronal and immune cells, contributing to peripheral and central sensitization in the progression of neuropathic pain, and HDACi showed significant efficacy and great potential for alleviating neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMOLED (Active‐matrix organic light‐emitting diode) is a new type of display technology, mainly used in the field of smartphones. Temperature is an important environmental factor for AMOLED displays on their function and performance. Temperature difference can cause changes in the material characteristics of AMOLED displays. It will occur touch failure and inability to respond to users' operations. In order to reduce the adverse effects caused by temperature difference on touch, this paper studied the stability and reliability of different module materials in different temperature environments. The results showed that the module materials had a close relationship with the touch pattern during temperature changed. This paper further explored the pattern design parameter indicators to improve the touch performance of AMOLED through simulation experiments. This study provided a theoretical basis for optimizing the touch function and performance of AMOLED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion doping is an effective strategy for achieving high‐performance flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells by defect regulations. Here, a Li&Na co‐doped strategy is applied to synergistically regulate defects in CZTSSe bulks. The quality absorbers with the uniformly distributed Li and Na elements are obtained using the solution method, where the acetates (LiAc and NaAc) are as additives. The concentration of the harmful CuZn anti‐site defects is decreased by 8.13% after Li incorporation, and that of the benign NaZn defects is increased by 36.91% after Na incorporation. Synergistic Li&Na co‐doping enhances the carrier concentration and reduces the interfacial defects concentration by one order of magnitude. As a result, the flexible CZTSSe solar cell achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.53% with certified 10.12%. Because of the high PCE and the homogeneous property, the Li&Na co‐doped device is fabricated to a large area (2.38 cm2) and obtains 9.41% PCE. The co‐doping investigation to synergistically regulate defects provides a new perspective for efficient flexible CZTSSe solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuropathic pain is a prevalent and highly debilitating condition that impacts millions of individuals globally. Neuroinflammation is considered a key factor in the development of neuropathic pain. Accumulating evidence suggests that protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) plays a crucial role in regulating neuroinflammation. Nevertheless, the specific involvement of PTP1B in neuropathic pain remains largely unknown. This study aims to examine the impact of PTP1B on neuropathic pain and unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms implicated. Methods: In the current study, we evaluated the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) of male rats following spared nerve injury (SNI) to assess the presence of neuropathic pain. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy techniques were employed. Results: Our results showed that SNI significantly elevated PTP1B levels, which was accompanied by an increase in the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers (BIP, p‐PERK, p‐IRE1α, and ATF6) and phosphorylated NF‐κB in the spinal dorsal horn. SNI‐induced mechanical allodynia was impaired by the treatment of intrathecal injection of PTP1B siRNA or PTP1B‐IN‐1, a specific inhibitor of PTP1B. Moreover, the intrathecal administration of PTP1B‐IN‐1 effectively suppressed the expression of ER stress markers (BIP, p‐PERK/p‐eIF2α, p‐IRE1α, and ATF6), leading to the inhibition of NF‐κB, microglia, and astrocytes activation, as well as a decrease in pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐1β. However, these effects were reversed by intrathecal administration of tunicamycin (Tm, an inducer of ER stress). Additionally, intrathecal administration of Tm in healthy rats resulted in the development of mechanical allodynia and the activation of NF‐κB‐mediated neuroinflammatory signaling. Conclusions: The upregulation of PTP1B induced by SNI facilitates the activation of NF‐κB and glial cells via ER stress in the spinal dorsal horn. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, thereby contributing to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Therefore, targeting PTP1B could be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) with a 1D molecular structure has strong bending characteristics, showing great application potential in flexible devices. Herein, the flexible substrate-structured Sb2S3 solar cells is developed and improve device performances by the back interface selenization. The high-quality Sb2S3 film with an optimal thickness of 1.8 μm, ensuring efficient spectra utilization, is deposited on flexible Mo foils by the rapid thermal evaporation technique. To solve the issues of back interfacial recombination and charge transport, the 20 nm MoSe2 layer between Sb2S3 film and Mo foil is fabricated by substrate selenization in the tube furnace. Further investigations indicate that the MoSe2 layer improves the interfacial energy band alignments and induces the [hk1] orientation of Sb2S3 film, thereby passivating defects and enhancing the carrier transport capacity. The flexible solar cell in the structure of Mo foil/MoSe2/Sb2S3/CdS/ITO/Ag, exhibiting good flexibility to stand thousands of bending, achieves an efficiency of 3.75%, which is the highest for Sb2S3 devices in substrate configuration. The presented flexible structure and back interfacial selenization study will provide new prospects for inorganic Sb2S3 thin film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells have the advantages of nontoxicity and low cost, showing great commercial potential in wearable devices, indoor photovoltaics, and building‐integrated photovoltaics. Currently, the performances of flexible CZTSSe devices still faces a huge gap on the commercialization level. Herein, the development of flexible CZTSSe devices to provide the challenges is summarized and possible strategies are explored. During the past ten years of research, flexible CZTSSe devices' efficiency has increased to 11.19% through studies of flexible substrates, residual stress, deposition processes, and physics. However, the improvement of efficiency is facing large challenges in severe open‐circuit voltage loss and low fill factor. After solving the issues by the strategies of deep‐level defect passivation and interface optimization, the efficiency of flexible CZTSSe solar cells is expected to reach the commercial level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The buffer layer plays a critical role in high‐performance flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cell. The conventional CdS buffer layer causes the photoelectric performance loss and the pollution of toxic Cd. Herein, the ultrathin CdS and Zn0.8Sn0.2O (ZTO) buffer layer engineering is proposed to reduce interface recombination and Cd content. An ultrathin CdS layer acts as the interface passivation layer to protect the CZTSSe layer and passivate its surface defects. To solve the problems of decreased carrier collection capacity caused by thinning the CdS layer, the ZTO layer with low resistivity and high carrier concentration is obtained by doping Sn into the ZnO layer. The systematic study indicates that the ultrathin CdS and ZTO buffer layers‐based solar cells realize high‐quality interface and band matching. Ultimately, 9.3% efficiency of the ultrathin CdS and ZTO‐based solar cell with 448 mV open‐circuit voltage is obtained, which is higher than that of the standard CdS buffer layer‐based device (8.5% with 419 mV). The study provides a new idea for achieving efficient flexible CZTSSe solar cells through heterojunction interface management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent lubricating materials can control the coefficient of friction between interfaces in response to external stimuli. Considering that mechanical transmission parts are mostly used in oil‐based lubrication environments, the lubrication performance and electrical regulation mechanism of poly‐α‐olefin‐50 (PAO50), a lubricating oil, containing 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([OMIm]PF6), an ionic liquid (IL), are investigated in this study. Friction tests on a universal micro‐tribometer under current stimulation show that ionic lubricating oil has an excellent lubrication performance and electrical responsiveness. By changing the current strength, ion content, and the load, the reasons behind the change in the coefficient of friction are investigated. Ion aggregation results in an increase in the viscosity of the lubricating oil film, which leads to an increase in the coefficient of friction. Moreover, the real‐time resistance value of the oil film is obtained through a self‐built voltage acquisition device. The mechanism of the electronic control of friction is verified by analyzing the influence of the change in ion distribution on the resistance of the oil film. There is a correlation between the resistance and viscosity of the oil film. The results of this study may be significant in guiding research on the intelligent control of friction under oil‐based lubrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb2S3 has emerged as a promising light‐absorbing material due to its nontoxicity, low cost, high stability, and absorption coefficient. However, the absorption spectrum ranges and back‐contact barrier between Sb2S3 and Au strongly limit the device performance. p‐type Sb2Se3 has a similar lattice structure and properties as Sb2S3, obtaining absorption expansion and ohmic back contact. Herein, efficient all‐inorganic planar Sb2S3 solar cells with the addition of Sb2Se3 layers are fabricated. The functions of Sb2Se3 as cooperative absorber (400 nm) and hole transport layers (HTL, 80 nm) are further explored. Systematic characterizations indicate that the junction quality and depletion widths of the device with the addition of Sb2Se3 are improved by forming a p–i–n structure. As a result, the all‐inorganic Sb2S3 solar cell with a Sb2Se3 HTL greatly increases the power conversion efficiency from 2.7% to 5.8% and the fill factor from 40% to 55.4%. The additional Sb2Se3/Au interface with matched energy‐level alignments reduces the back‐contact barrier and facilitates hole transport and collection. The present design and methods promote the development of Sb2S3 solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triplet excitons have both longer lifetimes and diffusion lengths than singlet excitons due to the nature of triplet excitons, which is expected to increase the photocurrent and further improve the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the working mechanism of triplet excitons in OSCs is not clearly clarified. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new triplet acceptors for in‐depth understanding. Herein, a series of acceptors (BTn‐4Cl) are synthesized by fine‐tuning of the side‐chain branch positions. The generation of triplet excitons of BTn‐4Cl is confirmed by the time‐resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectra, magnetophotocurrent (MPC) experiment, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The effects of side‐chain engineering on the optoelectronic properties, packing behaviors, energy losses, charge transport properties, spin lifetimes of triplet polarons, and blend film morphologies are systematically studied. These results show that D18:BT3‐4Cl‐based OSCs possess the best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.31% due to lower energy losses, less recombination losses, more balanced charge carrier mobilities, longer spin–lattice (T1) relaxation time, and more favorable morphology. This work enhances the understanding of the structure–property relationship for high‐performance triplet acceptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique feature of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) is their strong photoabsorption capability at longer wavelengths and electrostatic potentials (ESPs), which is expected to increase the photocurrent density (J) for bulk heterojunction (BHJ)‐based semitransparent organic solar cells (ST‐OSCs). Indeed, the interior spin‐optoelectronic phenomena are incredibly rich, and it remains challenging to correlate them with a complete photovoltaic process. Here, a prototypical PTB7‐Th: IEICO‐4F‐based ST‐OSC, with an average visible transmittance (AVT) of ≈26.8%, is fabricated for studying the issue (PTB7‐Th: poly[4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thiophen‐2‐yl)benzo[1,2‐b;4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl‐alt‐(4‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐3‐fluorothieno[3,4‐b]thiophene‐)‐2‐carboxylate‐2‐6‐diyl)]; IEICO‐4F: 2,2′‐((2Z,2′Z)‐(((4,4,9,9‐tetrakis(4‐hexylphenyl)‐4,9‐dihydro‐sindaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene‐2,7‐diyl)bis(4‐((2‐ethylhexyl)oxy)thiophene‐5,2‐diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6‐difluoro‐3‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐indene‐2,1‐diylidene))dimalononitrile). Spin‐dependent electron–hole dissociation and charge transport dynamics are systematically studied in the dark condition, the short‐circuit current density (Jsc) condition, and some intermediate stages by the nondestructive in situ magnetophotocurrent (magneto‐J) technique. Some intriguing mechanisms such as the Coulomb blockade–based bipolaron, the spin‐dependent polaron pair dissociation at charge transfer states (CTSs), and the triplet‐polaron reaction are extensively explored in the study. Despite these, the monochromatic light‐induced polarizability is validated to have a remarkable impact on the magnitude of the open circuit voltage (Voc). This work is completely devoted to the spin‐optoelectronic phenomena of the NFA‐based ST‐OSC in working condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common clinical condition that results in apoptosis and oxidative stress injury. Thyroid hormone was previously reported to elicit cardiac myocyte hypertrophy and promote cardiac function after cardiac injury. We used an in vivo mouse model of I/R injury and in vitro primary cardiomyocyte culture assays to investigate the effects of thyroid hormone on cardiomyocytes during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury. The results showed that T3 pretreatment in vivo significantly improved left ventricular function after I/R injury. In vitro, T3 pretreatment decreased cell apoptosis rate, inhibited caspase‐3 activity and decreased the Bax/Bcl‐2 ration induced by H/R injury. T3 pretreatment significantly attenuated the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, it was observed that T3 diminished the expression of NCX1 protein and decreased SERCA2a protein expression in H/R‐induced cardiomyocytes, and T3 prevented intracellular Ca2+ increase during H/R injury. Also, T3 increased the expression of IGF‐1, and PI3K/Akt signalling in cardiomyocytes under H/R‐induced injury, and that the protective effect of T3 against H/R‐induced injury was blocked by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. IGF‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) inhibitor GSK1904529A significantly inhibited the expression of IGF‐1R and PI3K/Akt signalling. In summary, T3 pretreatment protects cardiomyocytes against H/R‐induced injury by activating the IGF‐1‐mediated PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient electrochemical oxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) requires the superior synergism of platinum (Pt) based composites, which depends on the formation of effective interface between the components. In this paper, Pt loaded on co‐supporter of TiN and N‐doped reduced graphene oxide (Pt/TiN @ N‐rGO) composite is obtained by an in situ calcination of TiN @ N‐rGO followed with the targeted growth of Pt nanoparticles at the junction of TiN|N‐rGO. As a result, Pt/TiN @ N‐rGO electrode with medium molar ratio of urea to TiCl4 (R =10) and the ideal ternary interface of Pt|few layered N‐rGO|TiN exhibited exceptionally high catalytic mass activity (343.9 mA mg−1 Pt) and long‐term durability (117 mA mg−1 Pt after continuous 1200 min operation) for EG oxidation in acid, compared to other Pt/TiN @ N‐rGO composites and commercial Pt/C (41.1 mA mg−1 Pt). The promoted performance is attributed to the synergies at ternary interface, involving the highest electrochemically active surface areas due to more exposed active sites of Pt nanoparticles, the best electrical conductivity ascribed to the incorporation of few layered N‐rGO, and excellent CO tolerance with the assistance of TiN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short‐chain acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD), encoded by the Acads gene, functions in the mitochondrial β‐oxidation of saturated short‐chain fatty acids. SCAD deficiency results in mitochondrial dysfunction, which is one underlying biological mechanism of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis. In this case–control study, we aimed to examine the effects of Acads gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility to COPD. A total of 16 tagging single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Acads gene region was identified and genotyped in 646 unrelated ethnic Chinese Han individuals including 279 patients with COPD and 367 healthy controls, their allelic and genotypic associations with COPD were determined by different genetic models. Furthermore, we estimated the linkage disequilibrium and haplotypes from these tested variants and determined the effects of haplotypes on the risk of COPD. The allelic and genotypic frequencies of SNPs rs2239686 and rs487915 in Acads gene were significantly different between COPD patients and controls, no statistically significant results were observed for other SNPs. Minor alleles A of rs2239686 and T of rs487915 were associated with a decreased pulmonary function and an increased COPD risk in a dominant manner. Functional analysis indicated that the risk allele A of rs2239686 could increase Acads expressions and the intracellular reactive oxygen species content. Haplotype analysis revealed that the haplotypes CTCCT in block 2 (rs3794216‐rs3794215‐rs34491494‐rs558314‐rs7312316) as well as GC in block 3 (rs2239686‐rs487915) were protective against COPD, while haplotypes CTCGC in block 2 and AT in block 3 exhibited significant associations with the increased susceptibility to COPD. Our results suggest that Acads gene could potentially be a risk factor of COPD and thus its genetic variants might be as genetic biomarkers to predict the COPD susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early embryonic arrest is one of the major causes of recurrent assisted reproduction failure. It is characterized by delayed embryonic development and failure to form viable eight‐cell stage embryos on day 3 of an assisted reproduction cycle. A recent study reported that biallelic mutations in NLRP5 can cause early embryonic arrest. NLRP5 is a member of subcortical maternal complex, which plays a significant role in embryogenesis. In this study, we described a female in a consanguineous Chinese family who displayed clinical features of early embryonic arrest and identified a novel homozygous variant c.1061C>T (p.Pro354Leu) in NLRP5. This is the second report of the biallelic NLRP5 variant that associates with early embryonic arrest in humans, further confirming the role of NLRP5 variants in early embryonic arrest and expanding the spectrum of known pathogenic variants in NLRP5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been recently demonstrated that the superlubricity behavior of polyalkylene glycol (PAG) aqueous solutions can be achieved in a wide variety of applied conditions. However, certain parameters are expected to be adjusted further to achieve a more controllable superlubricity system. Herein, it is demonstrated that an ultralow friction coefficient can be obtained by concentrated PAG aqueous solutions (80 wt% HB‐260) as the contact pressure becomes relatively low (37 MPa). Meanwhile, the superlubricity state can be adjusted in a timely manner by adjusting the relative sliding speed. Here, the viscosity of the PAG aqueous solution (determined by its concentration and molecular weight) and applied conditions, including contact pressure and relative sliding speed, are considered as critical parameters influencing the lubricating performance. According to the theoretical analysis, the superlubricity state is confirmed and a fitted superlubricity region is proposed, which provides a comprehensive guide for achieving controllable superlubricity in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The record of the Holocene millennial‐scale climate variations from the aeolian deposit around the monsoonal boundary zone in northern China is poorly understood because the desert sediments are usually scattered and geological archives are discontinuous. Here, we conducted magnetic, sedimentological, and geochemical analyses of the palaeosol‐aeolian sand sequence from the eastern Horqin dune field in northeastern China, which documented the detailed history of climatic variations during the past 7.0 ka. The results indicate that the climate became more humid around 7.0−5.0 ka and approached an optimal humid condition around 5.0–3.6 cal ka BP. Afterward, the moisture condition clearly declined in 3.6–1.3 cal ka BP and was replaced by dry climate at the end. Additionally, we discovered that 10 periodically dry events that punctuated the overall pattern of climatic variations in the region, with times of more than 7.0, 5.7–5.5, 5.5–5.0, 4.6–4.2, 4.2–3.7, 3.6, 3.5–3.3, and 1.3 cal ka BP. These intervals were not only very consistent with the dry/cold events in the monsoonal boundary zone of northern China, owing to weak summer monsoonal strength forced by solar radiation, but were also accordant with the increased Asian winter monsoon strengths induced by environment variations of the high latitude area. This phenomenon probably implies the antiphase relationship between Asian summer and winter monsoons on the Holocene millennial‐scale around the monsoonal boundary zone of northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are suspected to be a contributing factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we assess the altered expression of miRNAs and the effects of miR‐124 in astrocytic differentiation in neural stem cells of ALS transgenic mice. Differentially expressed miRNA‐positive cells (including miR‐124, miR‐181a, miR‐22, miR‐26b, miR‐34a, miR‐146a, miR‐219, miR‐21, miR‐200a, and miR‐320) were detected by in situ hybridization and qRT‐PCR in the spinal cord and the brainstem. Our results demonstrated that miR‐124 was down‐regulated in the spinal cord and brainstem. In vitro, miR‐124 was down‐regulated in neural stem cells and up‐regulated in differentiated neural stem cells in G93A‐superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mice compared with WT mice by qRT‐PCR. Meanwhile, Sox2 and Sox9 protein levels showed converse change with miR‐124 in vivo and vitro. After over‐expression or knockdown of miR‐124 in motor neuron‐like hybrid (NSC34) cells of mouse, Sox2 and Sox9 proteins were noticeably down‐regulated or up‐regulated, whereas Sox2 and Sox9 mRNAs remained virtually unchanged. Moreover, immunofluorescence results indicated that the number of double‐positive cells of Sox2/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Sox9/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was higher in G93A‐SOD1 mice compared with WT mice. We also found that many Sox2‐ and Sox9‐positive cells were nestin positive in G93A‐SOD1 mice, but not in WT mice. Furthermore, differentiated neural stem cells from G93A‐SOD1 mice generated a greater proportion of astrocytes and lower proportion of neurons than those from WT mice. MiR‐124 may play an important role in astrocytic differentiation by targeting Sox2 and Sox9 in ALS transgenic mice. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14171. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material components and geochemical behaviour of desert deposits are closely related with the level and degree of the desertification. In this research, we systematically carried out a grain size and geochemical study of the surface sediments from fixed, semi-fixed, semi-mobile and mobile sand dunes and discussed their link with the desertification in the Mu Us Desert, northern China. Grain size results indicated that the main components of the different sandy sediments were predominantly 200-300-µm coarse grain size. Along with the stronger desertification, the fine material content (clay and silt) and mean grain size (Φ) became lessened, while the coarse particle is remarkably increased due to the repeated wind sorting during that process. These sandy deposits were mainly transported by saltation and creep; the increased creep and decreased saltation and suspended components were probably a response to the lessened fixation degree of the dunes. Geochemical analysis demonstrated that the surface sandy deposits were mainly composed of SiO2, Al2O3 and Na2O, which was very similar to the geochemical constituents of the other deserts in northern China. These sandy surface sediments, with their relatively high Ca and Na content, incur little or no geochemical weathering, which is probably attributable to the arid conditions and the lack of effective weathering. Additionally, an A-CNK-FM diagram indicated that decreased Fe and Mg contents were possibly related to the stronger abrasion and sorting during the desertification process. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the third-generation normalized difference vegetation index and a multiple-timescale drought index [standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index (SPEI)], the relationships between vegetation activity in the growing season and drought occurrences during various seasons and at different timescales were investigated in northern China. Although poorly understood previously, knowledge of these relationships is crucial for climate, vegetation and hydrological studies. Our results show that over the past three decades, vegetation activity during the growing season was significantly correlated ( p < 0⋅05) with drought occurrences over 78⋅5% of northern China and highly significantly correlated ( p < 0⋅001) in semi-arid regions. In addition, there were spatially variable responses of vegetation activity to the seasonality of drought events across northern China. When drought events occurred in pre-season in the northern part of Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, parts of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the western part of Xinjiang, they appear to have impacted vegetation activity, as indicated by the short and medium timescales of the drought indices (SPEI-3 and SPEI-6, with 3 and 6 months of accumulation, respectively). In the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, eastern part of Gansu and Qinghai, and southern parts of Ningxia, droughts during the growing season played a key role in vegetation growth, as recorded by the drought indices at all four timescales (SPEI-3, SPEI-6, SPEI-12 and SPEI-24). In addition, we also observed spatial variations in the responses of vegetation activity to droughts in northern China. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palaeosol-loess-aeolian sand sequence in the eastern Gonghe Basin, which is located at the convergence of the Asian summer monsoon, winter monsoon and the westerlies, reveals detailed moisture changes in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (NETP) during the last 17 ka. Analysis of magnetic susceptibility (MS), total organic carbon, carbonate content, grain size and geochemical parameters indicate that the region was dominated by an extremely dry climate during ~17.0-15.82 ka, accompanying large-scale desert expansion in the last glacial maximum (LGM). Subsequently, the climate became generally dry during 15.82-14.6 ka, an interval in which loess rapidly accumulated. Enhanced humidity occurred at 14.6 ka, probably associated with increased strength of the East Asian summer monsoon. The region experienced slightly decreased moisture at around 6.5 and 5.8 ka. After 2.7 ka, the climate became wetter. This interpretation correlates with climatic records from lacustrine and aeolian deposits in the NETP during the LGM, the last deglaciation and the early-middle Holocene. High climatic moisture in the Late Holocene facilitated the formation of a well-developed palaeosol in the NETP. The effective moisture change in the Gonghe Basin is not simply ascribed to the influences of Asian summer monsoons; instead, it was possibly influenced by the interaction of evaporation and monsoonal precipitation forced by solar insolation variation. The balance between these variables was very influential on the effective moisture change in the closed inland basin of the NETP. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the wind-energy environment between AD 1359 and 2010 in the Taklimakan Desert (central Asia) are recorded by the evolution of Chinese tamarisk ( Tamarix taklamakanensis) nebkhas. The carbonate component and sedimentological properties of the nebkha excavated during the study, together with AMS 14 C dating control, indicate that significant regional environmental changes have occurred in the central Taklimakan Desert during the last 700 years. The nebkha data presented show that in the periods of AD c. 1480-1560, c. 1640-1690, c. 1760-1820, c. 1860-1930 and c. 1970-1980 the Taklimakan Desert was a relatively high wind-energy environment. Although changes in the wind-energy regime in the desert were mainly in phase with fluctuations of the Siberian High, the wind systems and the variations in wind energy exhibit slight differences when compared with the Tarim Basin. Nebkhas that develop in this region originate from the surfaces of mobile dunes or sand sheets, which differs from the origins of nebkhas found in other arid regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myofibrillogenesis regulator‐1 (MR‐1) has been characterized as a tumor promoter in many cancers. However, its mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that MR‐1 is overexpressed in human breast cancer cells and participates in tumor promotion in human breast cancer MCF7 cells by activating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. MR‐1 interacts with MEK1/2 and ERK1, and its N‐terminal sequence plays a major role in promoting the MEK/ERK cascade. Furthermore, six phosphorylation sites of MR‐1 were identified, and phosphorylation at S46 was shown to be critical for the activation of MEK/ERK. Therefore, our findings suggest that MR‐1 functions as a tumor promoter in MCF7 cells by activating the MEK/ERK signaling.MR‐1 is overexpressed in breast cancer cells and tissues. MR‐1 plays a tumor‐promoting role in MCF7 cells by activating the MEK/ERK cascade. MR‐1 interacts with MEK1/2 and ERK1. Six phosphorylation sites of MR‐1 were identified by LC–MS/MS. Phosphorylation of MR‐1 at S46 is crucial for its function in activating the MEK/ERK cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between soy food consumption and breast cancer risk has been inconsistent. A hospital-based case–control study was conducted to assess the relationship between soy food intake and breast cancer risk according to the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) status of breast cancer in Chinese women residing in Guangdong province from June 2007 to August 2008. A total of 438 consecutively recruited cases with primary breast cancer were frequency matched to 438 controls by age (5-year interval) and residence (rural/urban). Dietary intake was assessed by face-to-face interviews using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by using multiple unconditional logistic regression adjusted for the potential confounders. We observed a statistically significant inverse association between soy isoflavone and soy protein intake with breast cancer risk. The multivariate ORs (95% CIs) of breast cancer risk for the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile were 0.54 (0.34–0.84) for soy isoflavone and 0.62 (0.40–0.96) for soy protein, respectively. A preventive effect of soy food was found for all subtypes of ER and/or PR status of breast cancer. The inverse association was more evident among premenopausal women. This study suggests that consumption of soy food, soy isoflavone, is inversely associated with the risk of breast cancer. The protective effects of soy did not seem to differ by ER and PR breast cancer status. ( Cancer Sci 2009) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial cation substitution is an effective way to inhibit defects and carrier recombination, which can improve the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. Herein, flexible Cu2Zn1−xCdxSn(S,Se)4 (x = 0–15%) solar cells are fabricated on Mo foils with partial Cd substitution for Zn via a green solution‐process. The best device performance can be achieved when Cd/(Zn + Cd) = 8%, with an efficiency up to 6.49% and a significantly improved device repeatability. The EU decreases from 24 to 15 meV, indicating that antisite defects and band tailings are effectively suppressed. C–V data reveal that Wd and Vbi are enhanced after doping Cd, resulting in a stronger built‐in electric field which facilitates Fermi‐level splitting and hence increases band bending of the absorber toward the junction interface. Furthermore, the mechanism of current shunting is studied using an equivalent circuit model with three parallel current pathways to fit J–V curves. The key parameters for the solar cell diode such as A, J0, and Rsh are significantly improved by partially substituting Zn with Cd, demonstrating that current shunting loss is suppressed and the junction quality is improved, resulting in a significant improvement in device repeatability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: magnetoresistance; Ni/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx hybrid interfaces; optospintronics; organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites; spinterfaces Both anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and spin-valve based magnetoresistance (MR) are highly decided by the formations of the spinterfaces. Magnetoresistance, Ni/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx hybrid interfaces, optospintronics, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, spinterfaces. [Extracted from the article]

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have been explosively investigated mainly due to their potential applications in optoelectronics. Despite the electronic charge transport, phenomena regarding the spin‐polarized electronic transport in OIHPs‐based spintronic devices and the role of ferromagnet/OIHP spinterfaces remain unclear. In this work, the spin injection, accumulation, transport, and detection at room temperature for a vertical perovskite spin valve (PeSV) consisting of Ni/CH3NH3PbI3−xClx/Ni is reported. An in‐plane anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and a PeSV related magnetoresistance (MR) show remarkable magnetic switching behaviors due to the formation of Ni/CH3NH3PbI3−xClx spinterfaces, and the ferromagnetic coupling between two spin quantization axes of the spinterfaces. With assists of capacitance–frequency (C − − f) measurements under magnetic fields, the spin accumulation that occurs at the Ni/CH3NH3PbI3−xClx interface can be detected at the spin parallel (↑↑) and antiparallel (↑↓) configurations. Owing to a strong orbital interaction at the Ni/CH3NH3PbI3−xClx hybrid interface, the spin‐sensitive electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR) reveals significant change of the magnetic moment (µ). It is believed that the solution processed CH3NH3PbI3−xClx and the formation of the Ni/CH3NH3PbI3−xClx spinterface may hold an exceptionally important role for future hybrid optospintronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]