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Interfacial passivation engineering plays a crucial role in the explosive development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, previous studies on passivation layers mainly focused on the defect-passivation mechanism rather than the interfacial charge transport efficiency. Here, by precisely tuning the interplanar spacing of the ammonium iodide passivation layer, we elucidate the promoting effect of the reduced interplanar spacing of the passivation layer on the photogenerated hole tunneling efficiency at the interface of the hole transport layer and perovskite. Compared with the commonly used phenethylammonium iodide passivation layer with a wider interplanar spacing, 2-chlorobenzylammonium iodide with a narrower interplanar spacing can help break through the thickness limitation of the passivation layer, thus showing a better comprehensive passivation effect. Therefore, we demonstrate photovoltaic devices with an enhanced fill factor (FF) and open-circuit voltage ( V OC ), which yield a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 23.1%. We thus identify an efficient scheme to achieve optimal passivation conditions for high-performance PSCs.

Mitochondrial homeostasis plays essential role for the proper functioning of the kidney. NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit V1 (NDUFV1) is an enzyme in the complex I of electron transport chain (ETC) in mitochondria. In the present study, we examined the effects of NDUFV1 on renal function in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model mice. Our data showed that increased expression of NDUFV1 improves kidney function as evidenced by the decreases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine in UUO mice. Moreover, NDUFV1 also maintains renal structures and alleviates renal fibrosis induced by UUO surgery. Mechanistically, NDUFV1 mitigates the increased oxidative stress in the kidney in UUO model mice. Meanwhile, increased expression of NDUFV1 in the kidney improves the integrity of the complex I and potentiates the complex I activity. Overall, these results indicate that the ETC complex I plays a beneficial role against renal dysfunction induced by acute kidney injury such as UUO. Therefore, NDUFV1 might be a druggable target for developing agents for dealing with disabled mitochondria-associated renal diseases., (© 2021 International Federation for Cell Biology.)

The genome exists as an organized, three-dimensional (3D) dynamic architecture, and each cell type has a unique 3D genome organization that determines its cell identity. An unresolved question is how cell type-specific 3D genome structures are established during development. Here, we analyzed 3D genome structures in muscle cells from mice lacking the muscle lineage transcription factor (TF), MyoD, versus wild-type mice. We show that MyoD functions as a "genome organizer" that specifies 3D genome architecture unique to muscle cell development, and that H3K27ac is insufficient for the establishment of MyoD-induced chromatin loops in muscle cells. Moreover, we present evidence that other cell lineage-specific TFs might also exert functional roles in orchestrating lineage-specific 3D genome organization during development., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In this contribution, we fabricated a composite consisting of two polymorphs of FeS 2 , pyrite (P-FeS 2 ) and marcasite (M-FeS 2 ), for high-performance Li-FeS 2 battery. A series of electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic characterizations indicate that the introduction of metastable M-FeS 2 into P-FeS 2 enables the four-electron reduction between FeS 2 and lithium to generate Fe and Li 2 S, providing a high specific capacity of 894 mAh/g with specific energy over 1300 Wh/kg. Moreover, it is verified that the electrochemical irreversibility of this composite toward lithium storage is mainly rooted in the shuttle effect, caused by the elemental sulfur which is inevitably produced during the oxidation process of Li 2 S and Fe. To tackle this issue, copper (Cu) current collector is adopted to chemically immobilize the soluble lithium polysulfides and fundamentally alter the reaction pathway. It is shown that compared with Fe, Li 2 S prefers to react with Cu current collector to generate Cu 2 S through the thermodynamically facile displacement reaction mechanism benefiting from the similar lattice framework between Cu 2 S and Li 2 S. Such displacement reaction without lattice reconstruction renders the composite superior rate capability (∼730 mAh/g@2 A/g) and long lifespan (89.7% capacity retention after 3200 cycles). Present work allows for the fabrication of high-performance electrodes based on metal chalcogenides.

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + )-dependent deacetylase belonging to class III histone deacetylases. Previous studies have shown that SIRT1 is involved in kidney physiology regulation and protects the kidney from various pathological factors. However, the underlying mechanisms behind its function have yet to be fully elucidated. In our study, we found that ablation of Sirt1 in renal interstitial cells resulted in more severe renal damage and fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model mice. We also observed that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α expression was increased in Sirt1 conditional knockout mice, suggesting that HIF-2α might be a substrate of SIRT1, mediating its renoprotective roles. Therefore, we bred Hif2a deficient mice and subjected them to renal trauma through UUO surgery, ultimately finding that Hif2a ablation attenuated renal fibrogenesis induced by UUO injury. Moreover, in cultured NRK-49F cells, activation of SIRT1 decreased HIF-2α and fibrotic gene expressions, and inhibition of SIRT1 stimulated HIF-2α and fibrotic gene expressions. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that SIRT1 directly interacted with and deacetylated HIF-2α. Together, our data indicate that SIRT1 plays a protective role in renal damage and fibrosis, which is likely due to inhibition of HIF-2α.

It is difficult to control the recurrence and metastasis of malignant tumors; furthermore, anesthesia is considered one of the main influencing factors. There has been increasing clinical attention on the effects of anesthetic drugs and methods on postoperative tumor growth and metastasis. We reviewed the effects of anesthesia on tumor recurrence and metastasis; specifically, the effects of anesthetic agents, anesthesia methods, and related factors during the perioperative period on the tumor growth and metastasis were analyzed. This study can provide reference standards for rational anesthesia formulations and cancer-related pain analgesia protocols for surgical procedures in patients with malignant tumors. Moreover, it contributes toward an experimental basis for the improvement and development of novel anesthetic agents and methods., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests for this work., (© 2020 Fan et al.)

Carrot (Daucus carota L.), which is one of the 10 most important vegetable crops worldwide, is an edible root vegetable desired for its taste as well as its medicinal uses. However, a fungus isolated from carrot seeds was observed to substantially decrease the germination rate. The isolate was identified as Alternaria alternata based on morphological and molecular characteristics as well as a phylogenetic tree. The maximum seed infection rate of selected carrot cultivars was approximately 60%, with the main infection site just underneath the seed shell. Additionally, the germination rate of infected seeds decreased by 28.7%. However, the seed infection rate varied among the examined carrot cultivars. Regarding the effects of chemical fungicides, the optimal treatment involved immersing seeds in amistar top suspension concentrate (SC) (effective concentration of 0.65 g/L) for 6 h, which effectively killed the fungi inside the carrot seeds. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the development of efficient methods for preventing the infection of carrot seeds by specific fungi and increasing the germination rate and vigour index.

Recently, nonaqueous potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) are attracting because of increasing interest due to the abundance of potassium resources, but the systematic study about the effects of electrolyte's salt on the electrochemical performance of electrode materials is still insufficient. Here, it is shown that the capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency of commercial micrometric MoS 2 can be remarkably improved by simply using potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) over potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF 6 ) dissolved in ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate as the electrolyte. By constructing various cell configurations, it is discovered that the degradation of MoS 2 ||K half-cells in KPF 6 -containing electrolyte originates from the failure of the MoS 2 electrode. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed on MoS 2 during cycling was systematically investigated by using a series of characterizations. It is found that a stable, protective, and KF-rich SEI layer is formed on MoS 2 in the KFSI-containing electrolyte, while an unstable, KF-deficient, and organic species-rich SEI layer is formed in the KPF 6 -containing electrolyte. Finally, the origins of such differences are discussed, which will provide new insights into further exploration of novel electrolytes for KIBs.

Objective: This study aims to describe the administration of propofol in combination with remifentanil for the induction of general anesthesia during cesarean section (CS). Our aim was to evaluate its impact on the drug concentrations of the maternal and neonatal blood at different induction of anesthesia to delivery (I-D) intervals as well as its effect on newborns., Materials and Methods: In this double-blind randomized controlled study, patients undergoing elective CS were administered anesthesia at short (n = 20) or long (n = 20) I-D intervals. Anesthesia was induced with 1 mg/kg propofol and 1 μg/kg remifentanil and maintained by continuous infusion of 3 mg/kg/h propofol and 7 μg/kg/h remifentanil., Results: The mean plasma propofol concentrations at delivery in the maternal arterial (MA) blood and the fetal umbilical arterial (UA) and venous (UV) blood in the short I-D interval group were 1.91, 1.17, and 0.51 μg/mL, respectively, while those in the long I-D interval group were 1.57, 1.07, and 0.61 μg/mL, respectively. The mean plasma remifentanil concentrations at delivery in the MA, UA, and UV in the short I-D interval group were 2.25, 1.43, and 0.65 ng/mL, respectively, and those in the long I-D interval group were 1.96, 1.25, and 0.75 ng/mL, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the neonatal Apgar scores and neurological adaptive capacity scores between the two groups., Conclusions: It is safe to administer propofol in combination with remifentanil by continuous infusion after the bolus dose for the induction of anesthesia during cesarean section. Prolonging the I-D interval within a certain limit will not have any significant influence on the fetus., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To analyze the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in liver transplant recipients., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 3 patients who developed AIHA following orthotopic liver transplantation. The results of hemolysis tests and examinations of hemoglobin, white blood cells, platelets, total bilirubin, and alanine aminotransferase before and after treatments were reviewed., Results: These 3 patients developed AIHA following the transplantation possibly in association with the use of immunosuppressive agents, and the condition was effectively controlled after corresponding treatments., Conclusion: AIHA is a uncommon complication after liver transplantation and can be cured after a definitive diagnosis with corresponding treatments.

Secondary metabolites are produced during the growth and development of plants along with the adaptation of outer environment, as a rule they are the main active ingredients in medicinal plants and ensure the quality of crude drugs. Since biogenesis is quite complex, the production and accumulation of secondary metabolites are influenced by various biotic and abiotic factors either from gene or environments, the complexity may affect quality control of crude drugs and utilization of the active ingredients. The thought and approach adopted in systems biology is a powerful tool to explore biology fully, along with the development of modern molecular biology and information biology, omics integration like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics will bring new opportunities for the study of secondary metabolites of medicinal plant. It has great significance to apply this holistic and systematic method in researches on biosynthetic pathway, signal transduction, ecological environment and metabolic engineering of the formation of the secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, and in building secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene expression and regulation system model, in order to explain the origin of the active ingredients of medicinal plants, formation mechanism of the Chinese herbs, metabolic engineering effecting active ingredients of medicinal plants, and the rational exploitation and utilization of resources of medicinal plants systematically.

The stylus of an atomic force microscope is used to scribe herringbone patterns of various wavelengths into a polyimide-coated substrate. The patterns serve as a template for alignment of the liquid crystal octyloxycyanobiphenyl and impose a bend distortion in the liquid crystal in the vicinity of the herringbone apexes. The pretransitional behavior of the liquid crystal is observed by polarized microscopy as it is cooled through the nematic-smectic- A phase transition, facilitating direct visualization of the extrapolation length, which is related to the trade-off between elastic and anchoring forces. Just above the phase transition temperature the expulsion of bend deformation is observed and is shown to be in good quantitative agreement with continuum theory. Very close to the transition temperature a weak threshold behavior is observed, wherein the smectic- A phase forms a monodomain for short period herringbones, but breaks into multiple domains when the patterned period is large.

Using an atomic force microscope to nanopattern a substrate for liquid crystal alignment, a bend distortion is imposed on a liquid crystal. In regions of large bend the smectic-A phase melts into the nematic phase, and the width of the melted region is measured as a function of temperature. The results are consistent with type-I superconducting (nematic-smectic-A) behavior, wherein a large magnetic field (bend or twist distortion) induces an order to disorder transition. A model that accounts for non-mean-field behavior is presented.