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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease among aging males. We obtained BPH transcriptional signatures by high-throughput RNA sequencing analysis. Accordingly, we determined the differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs) between BPH tissues and normal prostate tissues. WebGestalt and R package (clusterprofiler) was used to enrichment analysis. Clinical correlations were analyzed using Spearman's coefficient. TargetScan, ENCORI, miRNet, and miRDB databases were used to predict targets' relationships in ceRNA networks. Immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR analyses were performed to validate the findings. Microarray analysis of the datasets showed 369 DElncRNAs, 122 DEpseudogenes, 6 DEmiRNAs and 1358 DEmRNAs. DEmRNAs were particularly enriched in the autophagy-related pathways. Following the screening of DEmRNAs and autophagy-related genes (ARGs), 50 DEARGs were selected. MCODE analysis on Cytoscape was performed for the 50 DEARGs, and 3 hub genes (ATF4, XBP1, and PPP1R15A) were obtained. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the mRNA expression of XBP1 correlated positively with age, total score, and storage score, but negatively with the maximum flow rate. Subsequently, the pseudogene/lncRNA- hsa-miR-222-3p-XBP1 pathway was identified. Our findings elucidate that the pseudogene/lncRNA-hsa-miR-222-3p-XBP1 pathway may play a regulatory role in the occurrence of BPH through autophagy.

Due to the wind resistance which acts on the main reflector of large rotary mesh antenna, the correct balancing result of satellite antenna is difficult to be gotten in the ground dynamic balancing test. In order to solve this problem, the dynamic balance method of large rotary mesh antenna which is under the influence of wind resistance in both low pressure environment and standard atmospheric pressure environment on the ground is studied. Based on the theoretical analysis and the experimental data of two-dimensional flow around circular cylinder, a new method of the large rotary mesh antenna wind resistance calculation is proposed, according to the CFD analysis of the three dimensional flow field. Through the dynamic equivalent method, the distributed wind resistance acted on the main reflector of the mesh antenna in the rotating state is equivalent to the principal vector and principal moment of the action point in each quadrant, and then transformed into the eccentric mass on the distribution plane. It provides a feasible and innovative way to estimate the influence of wind resistance on the dynamic balance accuracy of large mesh antenna, so as to compensate the wind resistance effect. Combined with the ground dynamic balancing requirements of a certain type of satellite mesh antenna, the whole finite element model of the mesh antenna is established, the simulation of ground dynamic balancing test is carried out, and the influence of wind resistance on the ground dynamic balancing results of the antenna is analyzed in this study, which provides important data for compensating the influence of wind resistance and ensuring the on-orbit balancing accuracy of the antenna.

To improve energy conversion efficiency (Eff) of silicon solar cells, luminescent down-conversion (DC) is an effective approach to adjust solar spectrum by converting ultraviolet light to visible and near-infrared light. In this paper, Tb3+- Yb3+ co-doped NaYF4 phosphors (DCNPs) were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method. It was confirmed from the strong photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and photoluminescence (PL) emission peaks that the energy transfer occured between Tb3+ and Yb3+ ions. The DCNPs were added in the SiO2 sol-gel to prepare anti-reflection coatings with DC performance, enhancing the visible and near-infrared region transmittance which matched with the band gap of silicon. An optimized short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 33.39 mA/cm2 and a relatively enhanced Eff of 6.74% were achieved in the silicon solar cells with the bi-functional film. These results indicated the availability of anti-reflection coating with DCNPs for improving energy conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells.

The fabrication of silicon hierarchical structures with both superior light trapping and efficient carrier collection is significant for improving the efficiency of c-Si solar cells. Here, we present a simple method to fabricate a novel hierarchical structure composed of inverted pyramid (IP) with different sizes by varying nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) ratio ([NaF]:[H2O2]) during NSR treatment of silicon nanostructures containing Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), followed by a systematic investigation of the underlying mechanism behind the structure formation. The silicon nanostructure is obtained through a well-known Ag assisted chemical etching method. Independent of NSR ratio, large-size IP with AgNPs fixed at the vertex can always form by carefully modulating NSR duration. Interestingly, by changing NSR ratio to 1:2, 1:4 and 1:6, it is found that the dissolution rate of AgNPs at the vertex during NSR process rises accompanied with increasing the number of etching points by AgNPs redeposition on the IP side walls, forming hierarchical structures composed of IP with different sizes. Moreover, the weakening of masking effect of AgNPs is demonstrated with the increase of AgNPs dissolution, rendering the IP vertex from flat to sharp. By adopting the best hierarchical structure for light trapping, the corresponding Al back surface field (Al-BSF) c-Si cell can reach a high efficiency of 19.80% with a Voc of 644 mV, Jsc of 38.77 mA/cm2, FF of 79.32%, which is 0.20% and 0.27% absolute higher than that of conventional random IP and micro pyramid (MP) based cell, respectively.

The importance of efficient carrier selective transport at the backside contact significantly increases with thickness reduction of c-Si solar cells. Here, MoOx backside hole-transporting layer is fabricated on TiOx electron-transporting layer-based ultrathin c-Si solar cell with a final configuration of Ag/ITO/Mg/TiOx/45 μm p-type c-Si/MoOx/Ag by reactive magnetron sputtering method at room temperature. The effects of oxygen ratio and sputtering power on the film phase, bandgap, and surface roughness are investigated. Moreover, the contact performance between Ag and p-type c-Si is systematically studied and optimized by MoOx insertion. Based on the optimized MoOx thin film, the obtained totally dopant-free cell shows an enhancement of all cell parameters with a resultant high efficiency of 12.81%, which is about 12.8% relatively higher than that of conventional backside p+-based one (11.36%). In the combination of experiment and simulation processes, better performance of MoOx-based cell can be ascribed to the improvement of both electrical and optical performances of the device. The realization of MoOx-based contact at room temperature enables the solar cell fabrication under planar state possible, which can greatly avoid the bowing effect and reduce the yield losses and energy consumption during the fabrication of ultrathin c-Si solar cells.

Efficient up/down conversion (UC/DC) thin films with high transmittance were prepared by an anisole dissolved polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) solution mixed with β-NaYF4: 5% Er, 10% Yb (UCNPs) and β-NaYF4: 10% Tb, 1% Yb (DCNPs) nanocrystals, which required no postdeposition heat treatment. The full embedment of nanoparticles in the PMMA matrix was confirmed by atomic force microscopy, and the films were dense and uniform with high transmittance. Both UCNPs and as-prepared films exhibited strong UC emission bands in the green and red region. The relative intensities of green to red emissions in the films were enhanced compared with UCNPs because of the surface passivation by PMMA. Under excitation of 355 nm laser, both DCNPs and as-prepared films exhibited down conversion luminescence and no obvious intensity difference was observed between nanoparticles and the films. By tape test, the conversion films were proved with a strong adhesion due to the protection of PMMA. The results suggested that PMMA is a good matrix for fabrication of efficient UC/DC films with high transmittance and good adhesion.

In this work, random inverted nanopyramids (INPs) are fabricated as light trapping structures on ultrathin c-Si through a simple and cost-effective wet chemical method, followed by a systematic investigation of the photo-capturing properties of INPs combining experiments and simulations. In comprehensive consideration of thickness loss and light trapping performance, random INPs are applied onto 45 μm ultrathin c-Si solar cell and a high short-current density (Jsc) (36.6 mA/cm2) and energy-conversion efficiency (17.0%) are achieved, which are 0.3 mA/cm2 and 0.13% respectively higher than that in micro pyramid textured one, and our electrical simulation also demonstrates that the advantages of INPs are more obvious on thinner c-Si compared with conventional micro pyramids. Finally, through electrical simulation, INPs textured 45 μm c-Si solar cell is expected to have a large improvement room for efficiency by controlling the front and rear surface recombination velocity. All the findings not only offer additional insight into the light-trapping mechanism in the random INPs but also provide controllable and efficient broadband light harvesters for next-generation cost effective flexible photovoltaics.

NaY(WO4)2 phosphors with different Er3+ doping and Er3+/Li+ co-doping concentrations were prepared via high temperature solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction measurement demonstrated the presence of tetragonal-phase NaY(WO4)2, and no impurity phase was found in Er3+/Li+ co-doped samples. Well-crystallized NaY(WO4)2 phosphors showed a fine morphology with particle sizes of 1–6 μm determined by scanning electron microscope. Under excitation at 980 nm, the origins of three emission peaks located at 527 nm (green emission 1), 549 nm (green emission 2) and 665 nm (red emission), respectively, were identified. By introducing Li+, the up-converted (UC) emission intensity was enhanced by 0.5 times and 2 times in green and red emission region, respectively. The enhanced luminescence was attributed to the distortion of the local symmetry around Er3+ due to Li+ incorporation in the lattices. The 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 (green emission 1) and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 (green emission 2) transitions of the Er3+ ion presented a temperature dependent behavior from 300 to 30 K and were proposed for temperature sensing (optical thermometry) by using the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) method. The FIR data obtained by experiment was well fitted with a theoretical function. A higher maximum value of sensitivity (0.0061 K-1) was obtained in 5% Er3+, 0% Li+ doped sample at 300 K. However, due to the distortion of local crystal field around Er3+ ions caused by the introduction of Li+, the sensitivity value of 5% Er3+ and 1% Li+ co-doped sample was higher than that of Li+ free sample below 270 K, which indicated that appropriate Li+ co-doping could optimize the temperature sensing behaviors of Er3+ doped NaY(WO4)2 phosphors.

The involvement of histone modifications in cartilage development, pathology and regeneration is becoming increasingly evident. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and consequences of histone modification enzymes in cartilage development, homeostasis and pathology provides fundamental and precise perspectives to interpret the biological behavior of chondrocytes during skeletal development and the pathogenesis of various cartilage related diseases. Candidate molecules or drugs that target histone modifying proteins have shown promising therapeutic potential in the treatment of cartilage lesions associated with joint degeneration and other chondropathies. In this review, we summarized the advances in the understanding of histone modifications in the regulation of chondrocyte fate, cartilage development and pathology, particularly the molecular writers, erasers and readers involved. In addition, we have highlighted recent studies on the use of small molecules and drugs to manipulate histone signals to regulate chondrocyte functions or treat cartilage lesions, in particular osteoarthritis (OA), and discussed their potential therapeutic benefits and limitations in preventing articular cartilage degeneration or promoting its repair or regeneration.

Realizing flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cell with high efficiency and excellent mechanical durability has always been a challenging task in green demanded era. In this work, Cu2CdxZn1-xSn(S,Se)4 (CCZTSSe) absorber was synthesized by selenizing Cd2+ treated CZTS precursor. Due to the powerful ability of Cd2+ soaking in boosting grain growth, the grain size of CCZTSSe was remarkably increased from nano to micron level. Cd atom actually act entering into the lattice and replaces Zn location in the post-selenization process. The band gap of CCZTSSe exhibits a decreasing trend (1.37 eV–1.29 eV) as x increases from 0 to 0.13. In comparison to CZTSSe absorber without Cd2+ soaking treatment, Cu2CdxZn1-xSn(S,Se)4 (x = 0.03, 0.07 and 0.13) can establish the heterojunction with better matching effect with CdS buffer layer, demonstrating an enhanced conduction band offset (CBO). The improved heterojunction characteristic substantially prevents carrier recombination caused by interface state defects, which can be the crucial reason of the enhanced device performance. Finally, for x = 0.07, the device efficiency was optimized to 4.38%. This systematic work offers a novel solution for vital problems encountered in flexible CZTSSe thin film solar cells, which can lead to prospective applications in wearable devices.

Ultrathin c-Si solar cells with light trapping nanostructures attract tremendous research interest for their flexibility and high specific power density. However, the performance of the ultrathin c-Si solar cell is limited by a big light absorption loss due to the reduced thickness. Here, we report a novel ultrathin c-Si solar cell through the direct deposition of TiO2 electron transporting layer and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with ultrathin low workfunction (WF) metal subsequently onto random inverted nanopyramids (INPs) texture. The random INPs are fabricated through the well-known two-step Ag assisted chemical etching method followed by a post nanostructure rebuilding process. The TiO2 thickness, deposition temperature and metal layer thickness are changed to optimize cell performance. With the optimized parameters, a high short-current density (Jsc) (30.66 mA/cm2) and energy-conversion efficiency (11.36%) are achieved on random INPs based 45 μm ultrathin c-Si solar cell by choosing 2 nm Mg layer as the modifying ultrathin metal layer, which are 37.65% and 36.4% respectively higher than that in planar one. All the findings not only offer additional insight into the mechanism of TiO2 electron transporting layer based ultrathin c-Si solar cell but also introduce a promising new approach for next-generation cost effective flexible photovoltaics.

The fluorescence-based temperature sensor using temperature-dependent fluorescence properties is a great candidate to replace traditional temperature-measurement detector like thermocouple, because the latter is inaccessible to conquer some special circumstances such as a corrosive environment. In this study, the nano-sized Er3+ doped NaY(WO4)2 phosphors were synthesized by solvothermal method. The origins of three emission peaks located at 527 nm, 549 nm and 665 nm were identified. The 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 (green emission 1) and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 (green emission 2) transitions of the Er3+ ion possessed a temperature dependent behavior over the range of 300–30 K and it was proposed for temperature sensing (optical thermometry) using the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) method. The FIR value of nano-sized phosphors decreased with the decrease of temperature, and the experimental data were well fitted with a theoretical function. A large energy difference (1048.5) was obtained from the fitting curve, which indicate that the sensitivity of nano-sized NaY(WO4)2: Er is higher than that of micro-sized one prepared by high temperature solid state reaction. Particularly, at temperatures below 150 K, the sensitivity of nano-sized UC phosphors was enhanced obviously. The results suggested that this nano-sized phosphor could be a splendid option for next generation luminescence-based temperature sensing devices in cryogenic region.

Since challenges still exist in size control fabrication of inverted pyramids (IPs) on c-Si substrate, size difference of IPs among reported literatures still can not be explained reasonably. Here, formation mechanism of IPs from sub-micro scale to micro scale for light trapping on c-Si substrate is reported based on metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) temperature control for the first time. The formation of the IPs is realized through a mask-less Ag assisted wet chemical etching method followed by a post nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) process. It is found that the etching directions on (1 0 0) Si can be influenced by the MACE temperature due to the shrink of Ag nanoparticles at high MACE temperature, leaving behind few pore channels in the deepest region of black silicon layer as nucleation sites. Thus large IPs can be formed during the following NSR process. It is believed that the elucidation of the fundamental formation will speed up the fabrication of wafer-scale c-Si IPs for application in bulk and ultrathin c-Si solar cells.

Ultrathin c-Si solar cells (≤50 μm) are believed to be applied in military, aerospace and other special circumstances in the future due to their flexibility and high specific power density, and thus has attracted a great deal of research interest. However, until now, lacking fabrication means of high-quality ultrathin c-Si materials accompanied with their inefficient absorption of near-infrared light greatly limits their further application. In this work, we present a simple and novel method to realize rapid thinning and texturing of bulk c-Si at room temperature by varying the ρ ([HF]/([HF] + [H2O2])) values during the one-step Cu-assisted chemical etching process, followed by a systematic investigation of the formation mechanism of the surface structures. It is found that the sizes of surface structures accompanied with the etching rate increase with increasing the ρ values from 40% to 95% during the double sided etching process, and a high etching rate of 29.6 µm/min is obtained under the ρ value of 95%. For rapid thinning and efficient absorption of near-infrared light, 45 µm c-Si solar cell with asymmetric front and back light trapping structures is rapidly fabricated by directly immersing as-sawn bulk c-Si substrate into the thinning (ρ = 95%) and texturing (ρ = 60%) solution successively for only a few minutes. A high short-current density (Jsc) (36.12 mA/cm2) and energy-conversion efficiency (17.3%) are achieved, which are 1.09 mA/cm2 and 0.4% higher respectively than that in 45 µm c-Si with flat back surface. Based on the absorption spectra, it is demonstrated that the 45 µm c-Si cell with our asymmetric structures yields a high theoretical Jsc of 42.47 mA/cm2, which nearly approaches the Yablonovitch limit of 42.56 mA/cm2. All the findings offer additional insight into the structure formation mechanism and pave a rapid and novel way for exploration of next-generation flexible photovoltaics.

In this paper, a simple and cost-effective wet chemical method is presented to form quasi-inverted pyramids (QIP) on ultrathin c -Si for efficient light trapping and sufficient wettability. The QIP is fabricated by a well-known two-step Ag assisted chemical etching method followed by a post nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) process. The variation of [Ag + ] realizes the modulation of QIP size from sub-micro scale to micro scale. The comparable average absorptance value of 50 µm c -Si with double-sided QIP fabricated under 0.5 mM [Ag + ] (QIP-50) to that of 182 µm c -Si with double-sided conventional micro-scale pyramid in the spectral range of 300 – 1100 nm demonstrates an over 3.6-fold reduction in material usage. In comparison with nanopores-structured light-trapping configuration, the QIP-50 possesses much smaller specific surface area of ~2.39, which alleviates the surface recombination losses. After wet oxidation treatment, the water contact angle (WCA) of QIP-50 (35.73°) can achieve a comparable value to that of wet oxidized polished wafer (33.30°), demonstrating sufficient wettability of the QIP for high efficiency ultrathin c -Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The finding of QIP with both efficient light trapping and superior wettability provides a new opportunity to improve the performance of ultrathin c -Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells with a simple process at low cost.

In this paper, flexible, robustly adhesive, surface smooth and oxide-resistive AgNWs/AZO composite transparent conductive films (TCFs) were prepared by spin-coating solvothermal derived AgNWs followed by magnetron sputtering AZO protective layer, after which, annealing treatment at 200 ℃ for 20 min was adopted to further increase the performance of the composite film. The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scan electron microscopy, scanning probe microscope, UV–Vis spectrophotometer and four point probe. The best result of AgNWs/AZO composite films was the one with a transmittance of 85% at 550 nm accompanied with a low sheet resistance of 19 Ω/□ by controlling the spin-coating times fixed at three. The figure of merit for the composite TCFs was 10.4, which was larger than the value of 8.8 for commercial ITO film. These amazing results would render the AgNWs /AZO composite TCFs an ideal candidate to replace conventional ITO for its potential application in flexible devices including OPV and OLED.

Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin films were prepared by a low-cost, simple and environmental-friendly hybrid ink method. The hybrid ink was prepared by mixing nanoparticle ink with molecular solution. Compared with nanoparticle ink or molecular solution-based CZTSSe thin film, hybrid ink-based CZTSSe thin film was better in terms of crystalline, uniform, compact and crack-free. The hybrid ink-derived solar cell with an efficiency of 6.39% was obtained.

In this paper, Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite was obtained by a hydrothermal treatment of the mixture of CZTS and graphene oxide (GO). The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scan electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and Brunauer–Emmmett–Teller (BET) test. The electrochemical performance of CZTS particles and CZTS/RGO composite used as supercapacitor electrodes was tested for the very first time. The electrochemical measurement demonstrated that the specific capacitance for CZTS/RGO in 3 M KOH aqueous electrolyte was as high as 591 F/g at a current density of 0.25 A/g which was four times larger than that of pure CZTS (138 F/g). Increasing the current density to 1 A/g, the specific capacitance of CZTS/RGO composite was kept as high as 248.5 F/g. After 1000 cycles, the capacity retention was still maintained at 80.6%. It was concluded that the high conductivity and large surface area of RGO resulted in the lower charge transfer and ion diffusion resistance in CZTS/RGO composite, which synergistically enhanced the capacitive performance of composite material.

Effects of sulfurization pressure on structural and electrical property of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin film prepared by sulfurizing co-sputtered Cu–Zn–Sn–S precursor were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectra confirmed the shrinkage of lattice and compressive stress forming in low pressure sulfurized CZTS thin film, which prevented the overgrowing of grains along vertical direction. In addition, low pressure sulfurization could reduce the number of small grains in film. Thus CZTS solar cell based on low pressure sulfurized CZTS thin film obtained a 124 % enhancement in conversion efficiency. Temperature-dependent conductivity measurement revealed the mechanism of the improvement in CZTS solar cell by low pressure sulfurization, which was due to the promotion of VCu forming and the removal of localized states in defect band.

The Cd x Zn 1− x S thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition in a solution containing cadmium chloride, zinc chloride, thiourea, sodium citrate and ammonia. It was found Cd x Zn 1− x S thin films could be successfully prepared at different CdCl 2 concentrations from 0.04 M to 0.01 M. The morphological, structural, optical properties of Cd x Zn 1− x S films fabricated by different Cd source concentrations were investigated by XRD, SEM and UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy, respectively. The Cd x Zn 1− x S films prepared at 0.03 M and 0.02 M CdCl 2 showed uniform, dense surface morphology and good crystallinity. With the concentration of CdCl 2 in solution decreasing from 0.04 M to 0.01 M, the zinc content increased. Accordingly, the optical band gap increased from 2.45 eV to 3.07 eV. The photo-current response properties were mainly discussed. All the films showed obvious photoconductive phenomenon. The Cd x Zn 1− x S film prepared at 0.02 M CdCl 2 showed a best photo-current response, which presented fastest raise-up and fall-down photo-current when the light was turned on and off.

Quaternary Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were prepared by a low-cost, simple and environmentally-friendly ink method. By depositing molecular solution on the nanoparticle thin film, the quality of as-prepared CZTS thin films was greatly improved (e.g. reduction of fine grain layer formation and improved crystallinity). The effect of the number of spin-coated layers from molecular solution on solar cell performance was investigated. The results indicated that the CZTS thin film had the best performance when 5 layers were spin-coated from molecular solution on the nanoparticle thin film. The crystallinity of the as-prepared CZTS thin film and the interface at Mo/CZTS was found to be obviously enhanced by addition of a molecular solution layer. Finally, a CZTS thin film solar cell with an efficiency of 4.92% has been fabricated.

In this paper, we report quasi-inverted nanopyramids (QIP) for light-trapping in ultrathin c-Si by a cost-effective wet chemical method. The QIP is fabricated by a well-known two-step Ag assisted chemical etching method followed by a post nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) process, lowering the surface area to ∼3.0 times for suppressing surface recombination losses. The comparable average absorptance value of 43 μm c-Si with double-sided QIP to that of 182 μm c-Si with double-sided conventional pyramid in the spectral range of 300–1100 nm demonstrates an over 4.2-fold reduction in material usage. Finally, a simulation model is proposed to explain the superiority of our QIP compared with the periodic inverted pyramid (IP) structure of the same size, presenting a promising method to the mass production of high-efficiency ultrathin c-Si HIT solar cells.

Flexible ultrathin c-Si (U-Si) solar cell is widely researched for its potential usage in places with various shapes and sizes. However, light incident angle (θ) varies with positions on the same cell accompanied with the easy crack of cell due to surface textures when the U-Si cell is under bending. Therefore, the fabrication of efficient antireflectance structures with both quasi-omnidirectional performance and superior mechanical performance is greatly required. Here, size control of inverted pyramid (IP) from nano to micro scale as antireflectance structures is realized by altering ρ ([HF]/[HF] + [H2O2]) values at room temperature. The IP is obtained through the nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) treatment of Ag assisted chemical etched nanostructures. In comprehensive consideration of optical and mechanical performances, IP-60 (ρ = 60%) textured 40 µm U-Si cell is successfully fabricated with a short-current density of 34.8 mA/cm2 and energy-conversion efficiency of 17.44%, showing an 0.2 mA/cm2 and 0.13% improvement respectively compared with that of the micro pyramids (MP) based one. Moreover, the quasi-omnidirectional characteristics of IP-60 based 40 μm cell over 0–60° is demonstrated by experiment and simulation. The above finding makes it possible to broaden the application scope of U-Si cells into some new areas like stratospheric airships and wearable electronics.

NaY(WO4)2: Er3+ phosphors with various doping concentrations of [Er3+]/([Er3+]+[Y3+]) (0, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15%) were successfully synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement demonstrated the presence of tetragonal-phase NaY(WO4)2 phosphors and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra showed a strong υ3 stretching vibration mode of WO42−, indicating the good crystallization of the phosphors. Well-crystallized phosphors showed a fine morphology with particle sizes of 0.8–10 µm by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Under excitation of 980 nm laser, Er3+-doped phosphors exhibited strong green emissions centered at 527 and 549 nm in addition to a 665 nm emission band in the red region, which were assigned to the 2H11/2, 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 and 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transitions, respectively. When the doping concentration was 10%, the intensities of green and red emissions reached their maximum values, stronger than that in 5% Er3+ doped one by 13 times. The double-logarithm plot of the upconversion (UC) emission intensity to the excitation power for different Er3+ doping concentrations depicted that at least two infrared photons were involved for every emitted green and red photon. UC emission intensity changing with temperature displayed different trends for the phosphors with different Er3+ concentrations. The enhancement for green emission band centered on 549 nm could reach 50 times at 30 K in sample with 5% Er3+ concentration. Under excitation by 355 nm laser, all the phosphors showed a strong PL emission band at 430 nm, while green luminescence band locating from 540 to 570 nm was only observed in 7, 10, and 12% Er3+-doped phosphors, which was ascribed to 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transition.

WO3–TiO2–ZnO composite films were successfully prepared on glass substrates via a sol–gel method using polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400) as an organic additive. The influence of PEG-400 on microstructure and photochromic properties of the composite films was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis–NIR spectrophotometer. The addition of PEG-400 could increase the amount of the adsorbed water in the WO3–TiO2–ZnO composite films, which plays a vital role in the photochromic process. SEM observation indicated that the aggregation of the particles in the films became serious when the addition amount of PEG-400 was above 0.5 g, for which a molecular ratio of WO3 and PEG-400 was 117:1. The photochromic property of the composite film firstly increased and then decreased with increasing amount of PEG-400. The WO3–TiO2–ZnO composite film with 0.5 g PEG-400 addition presented a best photochromism, which showed saturated photochromism in 60 s and bleached back to initial state in 10 h.

In this paper, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles were synthesized by applying ultrasound and microwave irradiation simultaneously. The effects of solution temperature on properties of CZTS nanoparticles were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The results showed that as-synthesized CZTS nanoparticles had a single phase and stoichiometric composition, when solution temperature was kept at 180 °C. However, when solution temperature was low, the as-prepared nanoparticles contained Cu2−xS, Cu2SnS3 and ZnS secondary phases according to the results of XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, TEM showed that the rod-like and hexagonal plate-like nanoparticles formed at low solution temperature. The crystallinity of as-prepared nanoparticles increased with the increasing solution temperature. Moreover, the band gap of CZTS nanoparticles obtained at 180 °C was 1.58 eV, and that obtained at low temperature was large due to secondary phases.

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were fabricated by a low-cost nanoparticle ink method. The eco-friendly hydrophilic CZTS nanoparticles were mixed with low-cost n-propanol to form nanoparticle ink. To improve crystallinity and remove oxygen element, the CZTS thin films were sulfurized further. The effects of sulfurization temperature on the structure, morphologies, and photovoltaic performances of CZTS thin films were investigated. The results showed that the crystallinity of CZTS thin film was improved with increasing sulfurization temperature. The surface morphology studies demonstrated the formation of compact and homogenous CZTS thin film at a sulfurization temperature of 600 °C. By optimizing thickness of CZTS thin film, the CZTS thin-film solar cell with an optimal efficiency of 2.1% was obtained.

Cu2FeSnS4 nanocrystals were rapidly fabricated by ultrasound-assisted microwave irradiation using thioacetamide as a sulfur source. The phase structure, shape and composition of Cu2FeSnS4 nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. The results showed that the phase of as-obtained Cu2FeSnS4 nanocrystals was stannite and the average size was about 5 nm. UV–vis absorption spectrum showed that the band gap of Cu2FeSnS4 nanocrystals was about 1.35 eV.

MicroRNA (miR)-92 expression is often aberrant in human cancers. However, its expression in gastric carcinoma and its relation to clinicopathological features and prognosis are unclear.Tissue microarrays were constructed from 180 patients with gastric cancer (GC), who were undergoing radical resection. MiR-92a expression was detected using miRNA-locked nucleic acid in situ hybridization, and its correlation with clinicopathological features and overall survival was analyzed. MiR-92a expression was decreased in 13.9 % (25/180) of GC, increased in 81.1 % (146/180), and unchanged in 5.0 % (9/180), compared with paracancerous normal tissue (P