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The Si(111)-5×2-Au surface is increasingly of interest because it is one of the rare atomic chain systems with quasi-one-dimensional properties. For the deposition of 0.7 monolayers of Au, these chains are metallic. Upon the evaporation of an additional submonolayer amount of gold, the surface becomes insulating but keeps the 5×2 symmetry. This metal-to-insulator transition was in situ monitored based on the infrared plasmonic signal change with coverage. The phase transition is theoretically explained by total-energy and band-structure calculations. Accordingly, it can be understood in terms of the occupation of the originally half-filled one-dimensional band at the Fermi level. By annealing the system, the additional gold is removed from the surface and the plasmonic signal is recovered, which underlines the stability of the metallic structure. So, recent results on the infrared plasmonic signals of the Si(111)-5 × 2-Au surface are supported. The understanding of potential one-dimensional electrical interconnects is improved.

This review describes the development history of group-III nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for over 30 years, which has achieved brilliant achievements and changed people′s lifestyles. The development process of group-III nitride LEDs is the sum of challenges and solutions constantly encountered with shrinking size. Therefore, this paper uses these challenges and solutions as clues for review. It begins with reviewing the development of group-III nitride materials and substrates. On this basis, some key technological breakthroughs in the development of group-III nitride LEDs are reviewed, mainly including substrate pretreatment and p-type doping in material growth, the proposal of new device structures such as nano-LED and quantum dot (QD) LED, and the improvement in luminous efficiency, from the initial challenge of high-efficiency blue luminescence to current challenge of high-efficiency ultraviolet (UV) and red luminescence. Then, the development of micro-LEDs based on group-III nitride LEDs is reviewed in detail. As a new type of display device, micro-LED has drawn a great deal of attention and has become a research hotspot in the current international display area. Finally, based on micro-LEDs, the development trend of nano-LEDs is proposed, which is greener and energy-saving and is expected to become a new star in the future display field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the generation of photocurrent in the visible and ultraviolet range from planar devices built from the Ge nanocrystals grown on a heavy n-doped Si(001) substrate covered with 5 nm thick thermally grown SiO2. These Ge nanostructures/SiO2/n(+)-Si devices are shown to generate photocurrent with an Incident-Photon-to-electron Conversion Efficiency (IPCE) spectral range depending on the Ge nanocrystals size. The increase of the IPCE value of our devices in the 350-600 nm range correlates well with the absorbance of Ge.

The recent test translation of Te Paipera Tapu (the Bible in the Māori language) has aroused considerable debate for its use in Genesis 1 of the names of atua Māori (Māori divine beings). These names of atua have been used instead of names of features of the natural world, which stands in contrast to the use of other kupu Māori (Māori words) in the earlier translation and its revisions. In this paper, I outline relevant members of the Māori pantheon and of some ancient Near Eastern pantheons, which are not identical. I then discuss the Hebrew text of Genesis 1 in its ancient literary context, making proposals about the use of the names of atua Māori in translations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 50% of patients with hematologic malignancies relapse after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell treatment; mechanisms of failure include loss of CAR T persistence and tumor resistance to apoptosis. We hypothesized that both of these challenges could potentially be overcome by overexpressing one or more of the Bcl-2 family proteins in CAR T cells to reduce their susceptibility to apoptosis, both alone and in the presence of BH3 mimetics, which can be used to activate apoptotic machinery in malignant cells. We comprehensively investigated overexpression of different Bcl-2 family proteins in CAR T cells with different signaling domains as well as in different tumor types. We found that Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 overexpression in CAR T cells bearing a 4-1BB costimulatory domain resulted in increased expansion and antitumor activity, reduced exhaustion, and decreased apoptotic priming. In addition, CAR T cells expressing either Bcl-xL or a venetoclax-resistant Bcl-2 variant led to enhanced antitumor efficacy and survival in murine xenograft models of lymphoma and leukemia in the presence or absence of the BH3 mimetic venetoclax, a clinically approved BH3 mimetic. In this setting, Bcl-xL overexpression had stronger effects than overexpression of Bcl-2 or the Bcl-2(G101V) variant. These findings suggest that CAR T cells could be optimally engineered by overexpressing Bcl-xL to enhance their persistence while opening a therapeutic window for combination with BH3 mimetics to prime tumors for apoptosis. Editor's summary: A major issue with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is poor persistence of the CAR T cells. To address this, Korell et al. developed CAR T cells overexpressing members of the Bcl-2 family, proteins involved in protection from apoptosis. The authors found that overexpression of Bcl-xL in particular improved CAR T cell persistence and function in vivo and could be combined with the BH3 mimetic venetoclax to further improve tumor control in mice. Together, these data highlight a potential strategy to improve CAR T cell therapies as well as suggest a combination therapy with BH3 mimetics. —Courtney Malo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following study looks at a well-known story from the Book of Genesis. Jacob is a central figure in the narratives describing the traditions of early Israel. The relevant text (Gen 29–31) tells the progenitor’s enrichment and growth from a solitary figure into an extensive clan. Our paper draws on the conceptual framework of the social dynamics of ancient Near Eastern nomadism to analyse some of the narrative’s features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review article, Philippe Clancier's recent monograph on the history of the overlooked Late Bronze and Early Iron-age polity of Sūḫu lying on the Middle Euphrates is examined. It is demonstrated that the central contention of two identically named polities of Sūḫu ("Eastern" and "Western Sūḫu" respectively), ruled by two competing dynasties with differing political relationships to Assyria, is not supported by the textual record. As a corrective, a new comprehensive political history of Sūḫu in the early first millennium BC is presented here, as a basis for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]