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Self‐driven broadband photodetectors have wide applications in the fields of biomedicine, remote sensing, rescue, and mineral exploration with advantages of energy conservation and multiband detection. However, most present broadband photodetectors are suffering from a fast degradation of photoresponsivity in ultraviolet (UV) region. To resolve it, a self‐driven broadband photodetector is proposed based on mixed‐dimensional 2D PtSe2/3D amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) heterojunction considering the high UV responsivity of a‐Ga2O3 thin film. 2D PtSe2 is obtained on a‐Ga2O3 thin film by a simple selenization method directly. The responsivity of the completed device in UV region is about 14 and 172 times higher than that in visible and NIR regions, respectively. In addition, benefiting from the excellent built‐in electric field at the heterojunction and high carrier mobility of 2D PtSe2, photogenerated electron–hole pairs can be rapidly separated. As a result, its rise time (9.36 ms) and decay time (11.27 ms) are much faster than those of the current a‐Ga2O3‐based self‐driven photodetectors (≈100–1000 ms). This work provides a novel building block via a facile strategy for the further development of high‐performance, low‐cost, and energy‐efficient broadband photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have found conflicting results concerning the left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation properties in patients with normally functioning bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs). Whether the remodeling process of LV occurs independently in patients with BAV is a matter of debate. Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Web of Science for cohort studies aiming to assess LV function in adults with isolated BAV compared with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) controls. Standard mean difference (SMD) was calculated from random‐effects meta‐analyses. Results: Eight cohort studies were included. There were significantly lower global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS) in BAV than in TAV controls (GLS: SMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.92, P <.0001; GRS: SMD = −0.71, 95% CI: −1.09 to −0.32, P =.0003; GCS: SMD = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.98, P <.00001) and significantly higher left atrial volume index (LAVI) and E/e' in BAV than in TAV controls (LAVI: SMD = 0.50, 95% Cl: 0.12 to 0.88, P =.01; E/e': SMD = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.77, P <.00001). There was significantly higher Left ventricular mass index（LVMI） in BAV than in TAV controls (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.79, P =.0003). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between BAV patients and TAV controls (SMD = 0.05, 95% CI: −0.16 to 0.26, P =.63). Conclusion: The impairment of LV myocardial mechanics, including LV systolic, diastolic dysfunction and LV hypertrophy, is present in patients with normally functioning BAV. This might support the hypothesis that BAV is not only a valvular disease but also a myocardial disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InGaZnO high-voltage thin-film transistors (HV-TFTs) with vertical dual-active-layer structure and lateral offset design were fabricated at low temperature. The TFT features such as sub-threshold swing, threshold voltage, and hysteresis voltage are similar to those of the normal devices; furthermore, they are independent of the offset length. The blocking voltage of HV-TFTs with an offset of 10 μm is 406 ± 17 V while the ON/OFF ratio reaches 109 at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports an integrated flexible deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetection system hosting an amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) photodetector (PD) and an energy harvesting component including a receiving electrode and a full‐wave rectifier. An alternating signal is induced by the coupling of human body with environmental electromagnetic radiation through human hand's contact with the receiving electrode. The signal is subsequently converted into direct current (DC) by the rectifier which is composed of four thin‐film diodes with high rectification ratio (≈106) and fast response time (rising time ≈240 µs and falling time ≈680 µs). Driven by the DC output, the a‐Ga2O3 PD achieves a photoresponsivity of 0.10 A W−1 and a detectivity of 2.24 × 1011 Jones under 254 nm UV illumination. The integrated flexible a‐Ga2O3 UV PD manifests a repeatable and pleasurable response behavior with a bending radius of 15 mm, providing a new paradigm for utilizing the environmental energy as the power source in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have wide applications both in civil and military fields. Many materials have been explored to realize deep UV photodetection. Amorphous gallium oxide (a‐GaOx), as a member of transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors (TAOSs), has attracted a great deal of attention due to its ultrawide bandgap and scalable synthesis at room temperature. Plenty of researches have been focused on this topic in recent years. Herein, the latest progresses in the preparation methods of a‐GaOx using radio‐frequency sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, atomic layer deposition, and other deposition techniques are summarized. Dependence of the stoichiometry, crystallinity, optical, electrical, and morphological properties on different preparation parameters and doping/alloying elements is tentatively discussed, as well as those deep UV photodetectors based on a‐GaOx and related thin films. Finally, a short summary with further possible investigations is provided for a better understanding and development of a‐GaOx materials and photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three‐terminal thin‐film transistor (TFT) architecture is essential for photodetectors to reach a good balance between high responsivity and fast response speed. Bottom‐gate amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) TFTs are fabricated to boost their UV photodetection properties. During the device fabrication process, a simple chemical‐etching solution with the advantages of easy operation, low cost, and compatibility with traditional lithography process, is developed to selectively etch a‐Ga2O3 films. The a‐Ga2O3 channel etched device on Si manifests an effective suppression of the commonly observed gate leakage current. Meanwhile, a patterned a‐Ga2O3 TFT on quartz shows an excellent n‐type TFT performance with an on/off ratio as high as ≈107. It is further applied as a phototransistor, to diminish the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect while keeping a high responsivity (R) as well. Under the 254 nm UV illumination, the a‐Ga2O3 phototransistor demonstrates a high light‐to‐dark ratio of 5 × 107, a high responsivity of 5.67 × 103 A W−1, and a high detectivity of 1.87 × 1015 Jones. Remarkably, the PPC phenomenon in a‐Ga2O3 UV phototransistors is effectively suppressed by applying a positive gate pulse, which greatly shortens the decay time to 5 ms and offers a‐Ga2O3 possible inroads into imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, donkey meat in the market shows an imbalance between supply and demand, and there is an urgent need to cultivate a meat-type Dezhou donkey breed. On the one hand, it can improve the imbalance in the market, and on the other hand, it can promote the rapid development of the donkey industry. This study aimed to reveal significant genetic variation in the NK1 homeobox 2 gene (NKX1-2) of Dezhou donkeys and investigate the association between genotype and body size in Dezhou donkeys. Results: In this study, a SNP (g.54704925 A > G) was identified at the exon4 by high-depth resequencing of the Dezhou donkey NKX1-2 gene. The AA genotype is the dominant genotype. The g.54704925 A > G site was significantly associated with body length, thoracic girth, and hide weight (P < 0.05), while it was highly significantly associated with body height and carcass weight (P < 0.01) in Dezhou donkeys. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study showed that the NKX1-2 gene could be a candidate gene for breeding meat-type Dezhou donkeys, and the g.54704925 A > G locus could be used as a marker locus for selection and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of oxides with Si opens promising opportunities for novel multifunctional devices and new applications. To optimize the device performances through the hybrid integration, keeping the oxide/Si interface abrupt is critically important and challenging due to the seemingly unavoidable formation of amorphous SiO x or silicide interfacial layers. Here, we report an interface-engineering approach to this issue by molecular beam epitaxy. A BeO thin layer (∼5 nm) was deposited on Si (111) surface using a two-step process of Be deposition and oxidation. The initially formed BeO served as a template for subsequent homo-epitaxial growth of a 10-nm crystalline BeO layer. The well-defined interface between BeO and Si is clearly discerned by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, implying the role of crystalline BeO as a barrier layer against oxygen atoms' diffusion. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further confirmed that the combined BeO layers sufficiently protect the Si surface from oxidation. A bottom-gate enhancement-mode thin film transistor was established on a ZnO (130 nm)/BeO (70 nm)/Si architecture, where BeO was functionalized both as a diffusion barrier and as a high- k gate insulator. It indicates that this methodology can be potentially extended to hybrid integration of other technologically important crystalline oxides with Si infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PDMS surface is wrinkled by using an rf-sputtered ZnO sacrificial layer. • The optimal power density of wrinkle TENG increases by 78.5 times than the flat one. • The simulation proves the wrinkled surface can promote TENGs' output performance. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) can convert mechanical energy to electricity. Its conversion efficiency strongly depends on the contact area of the triboelectric materials. Here, a simple strategy is developed to wrinkle the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by using an rf-sputtered ZnO sacrificial layer. The resulting TENG device demonstrates improved triboelectric performance in contrast to its counterpart fabricated on a flat PDMS. The optimal open circuit voltage (V OC), short circuit current (I SC) and pulse output power density with matched external load are 170 V, 8.7 × 10-7 A and 189 μW/cm2, which are 8.9, 2.2 and 78.5 times higher than those of the flat device, respectively. This simple and efficient method may hopefully promote the application of TENG in the field of flexible wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the intrinsically wide bandgap and high uniformity, amorphous Ga2O3 (a-Ga2O3) has been illustrating a great industrial potential for large-area deep ultraviolet (UV) photosensor arrays. However, a seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between high responsivity and long persistent photoconductivity has hampered the growing pace of such devices. In this work, three-terminal InGaZnO (IGZO)/a-Ga2O3 dual-active-layer (DAL) transistors were developed to realize the ability of a-Ga2O3 as the active layer both in switching and sensing. Benefitting from the introduction of ultrathin IGZO electron reservoir and defect control of a-Ga2O3, the DAL device demonstrates more stable and superior gate-control capability with promising performance including high on/off ratio and field-effect mobility of ∼108 and 8.3 cm2/V⋅s, respectively, as well as a small sub-threshold swing (SS) of 0.36 V/dec. Under 254 nm UV illumination, the DAL device manifests a light-to-dark ratio of ∼108, a responsivity of 4.8 × 103 A W−1, a detectivity of 8 × 1015 Jones, and a UV/visible rejection ratio (R254/R400) of 64. The simultaneous achievement of deep UV photo-detection and transistor's switching performance in a-Ga2O3 material offers excellent potential for the construction of large-area active-matrix UV photosensor arrays with the simple and low-cost fabrication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CuI thin films have been synthesized in iodine solution at room temperature. • An apparent NBE peak can be recognized both in PL and XEL spectra. • Iodine-rich condition is beneficial to improve the XEL yield of CuI thin films. CuI is considered as a potential candidate for fast scintillator material due to the fast decay time. However, the ever-reported CuI scintillator usually demonstrates a more intensive deep-level emission with the decay time as long as 2.82 μs, which is unfavorable for the application as a fast scintillator material. In present work, γ-phase CuI were synthesized by iodizing Cu thin films in iodine solution at room temperature. An apparent near band-edge emission (NBE) is observed both in photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence spectra. By analyzing the variation of the relative intensity ratio of the sub-peaks composing NBE against different fabrication conditions, it can be deduced that Cu vacancy and surface chemisorbed iodine are responsible for the above luminescence behavior. It is hoped that these findings may boost the exploration of CuI thin films as fast scintillator materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of alkalinity addition with different strategies on the start‐up, performance, and microbial community of completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) were investigated over 450 days. In phase I, the alkalinity was increased gradually from 300 to 2,000 mg/L to obtain the optimal range. In phase II, the reactor was restarted to verify the appropriate alkalinity value of 1,600 mg/L. The fact that it only took 90 days (phase I: 170 days) to complete the start‐up of CANON in phase II demonstrated that an alkalinity value of 1,600 mg/L was suitable when the influent NH4+‐N concentration was 200 mg/L (alkalinity/NH4+‐N = 8:1). The slope (k = 2.00) of NH4+‐N concentration decrease in phase II during the start‐up process was significantly higher than that in phase I (k = 1.50). High removal efficiencies of NH4+‐N (98%) and TN (80%) were attained in both phases. Specific anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) activity tests showed that the anammox activity of the two phases reached 3.31 and 5.31 mg TN/(g VSS·h), respectively. High‐throughput sequencing analysis revealed that appropriate alkalinity could promote the enrichment of Candidatus Brocadia, C. Jettenia, and C. Kuenenia (total abundance of 31.96%) while effectively inhibiting Nitrospira (abundance of less than 0.50%). Practitioner Points: An alkalinity/NH4+‐N ratio of 8 promoted the rapid start‐up and stable performance of CANON.NH4+‐N and TN removal efficiencies of 98% and 80%, respectively, were obtained.High alkalinity promoted the enrichment of Candidatus Brocadia, Candidatus Jettenia, Candidatus Kuenenia and inhibited Nitrospira.Nitrogen concentration of influent and effluent in Phase Ⅰ and Ⅱ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigates the impact of DNA methylation on collagen deposition in the skin of Dezhou donkeys, a breed valued for its thick, flexible skin with medicinal properties. Utilizing whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), the research analyzes the epigenetic landscape and gene expression profiles across three developmental stages of Dezhou donkeys. The study identifies numerous differentially methylated genes related to collagen deposition, such as COL1A1, COL1A2, and MMPs, highlighting an inverse relationship between gene expression and DNA methylation near transcription start sites. The findings of our study reveal the significant regulatory role of DNA methylation in skin collagen deposition, offering insights for genetic improvement and selective breeding to enhance skin quality in Dezhou donkeys. Our current research adds to the foundational knowledge of collagen deposition mechanisms, contributing to the fields of molecular biology and animal husbandry. DNA methylation represents a predominant epigenetic modification with broad implications in various biological functions. Its role is particularly significant in the process of collagen deposition, a fundamental aspect of dermal development in donkeys. Despite its critical involvement, the mechanistic insights into how DNA methylation influences collagen deposition in donkey skin remain limited. In this study, we employed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate the epigenetic landscape and gene expression profiles in the dorsal skin tissues of Dezhou donkeys across three developmental stages: embryonic (YD), juvenile (2-year-old, MD), and mature (8-year-old, OD). Our analysis identified numerous differentially methylated genes that play pivotal roles in skin collagen deposition and overall skin maturation, including but not limited to COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL4A1, COL4A2, GLUL, SFRP2, FOSL1, SERPINE1, MMP1, MMP2, MMP9, and MMP13. Notably, we observed an inverse relationship between gene expression and DNA methylation proximal to transcription start sites (TSSs), whereas a direct correlation was detected in regions close to transcription termination sites (TTSs). Detailed bisulfite sequencing analyses of the COL1A1 promoter region revealed a low methylation status during the embryonic stage, correlating with elevated transcriptional activity and gene expression levels. Collectively, our findings elucidate key genetic markers associated with collagen deposition in the skin of Dezhou donkeys, underscoring the significant regulatory role of DNA methylation. This research work contributes to the foundational knowledge necessary for the genetic improvement and selective breeding of Dezhou donkeys, aiming to enhance skin quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic‐inorganic hybrid perovskites are promising candidates for direct X‐ray detection and imaging. The relatively high dark current in perovskite single crystals (SCs) is a major limiting factor hindering the pursuit of performance and stability enhancement. In this study, the contribution of dark current is disentangled from electronic (σe) and ionic conductivity (σi) and shows that the high σi dominates the dark current of MAPbBr3 SCs. A multilayer heterojunctions passivation strategy is developed that suppresses not only the σi by two orders of magnitude but also σe by a factor of 1.6. The multilayer heterojunctions passivate the halide vacancy defects and increase the electron and hole injection barrier by inducing surface p‐type doping of MAPbBr3. This enables the MAPbBr3 SC X‐ray detectors to obtain a high sensitivity of 19 370 µC Gyair−1 cm−2 under a high electric field of 100 V cm−1, a record high sensitivity for bromine self‐powered devices, and a low detection limit of 42.3 nGyair s−1. The unencapsulated detectors demonstrate a stable baseline after storage for 210 days and outstanding operational stability upon irradiation with an accumulated dose of up to 1944 mGyair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycling is closely associated with precipitation and crucial to ecosystem, which has been receiving great concerns at the backdrop of global climate change. In addition to modern investigations, paleo record of N cycling may provide valuable clues about how ecosystem N responds to climate change. Here we measured soil organic nitrogen (TON) and its isotope value (δ15N org) in two loess-paleosol sequences (LPS), i.e. the Yuanbao (YB) and Luochuan (LC) sequences, on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) accumulated during the glacial-interglacial cycles. Both sequences showed higher magnetic susceptibility in paleosol and lower in loess, but with overall higher values in the wetter site of LC, suggesting higher precipitation during warm periods for both sites, as well as higher precipitation at site LC than at site YB. TON increased with increase of paleo-precipitation in both sequences, but the fraction of microbial derived ON, estimated from (C/N) org , increased faster than plant-derived ON at site YB but slower at site LC. δ15N org was used to estimate microbial mediated gaseous N loss, showing greater losses at higher paleo-precipitation at site YB and a reverse trend at site LC. Thereby, both (C/N) org and δ15N org suggest a quicker response of microbes than plants to precipitation at the drier site YB but conversely at the wetter site LC. Such a spatially different responses of nitrogen processing to precipitation would be a reference for projection of future terrestrial ecosystem response to climate change. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Two loess-paleosol profiles on the Chinese Loess Plateau were studied. • The C/N and δ15N of soil total organic matter change regularly with precipitation. • Microbes and plants respond differently to precipitation due to competition for N. • The records are beneficial to predict N loss in future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The annual shortage of donkey hides is significant in China. Therefore, to meet the market demand, it is important to improve donkey hide production through molecular breeding. In this study, one SNP was identified in intron 1 of the LCORL gene, and polymorphism information content (PIC) was moderate in the population. The association analysis of g.112558859 A > G with body height, body length, chest circumference and hide weight was conducted and found to be significantly associated with these traits. The hide weight of donkeys with the GG genotype was 1.07 Kg heavier than those with AA genotype. This provides the foundation for breeding large donkey breeds with high hide production. Several studies have shown the association between the ligand-dependent nuclear receptor compression-like protein (LCORL) gene and body size in horses, pigs and donkeys. Based on previous studies, the LCORL gene was hypothesized to be associated with growth traits and hide weight in Dezhou donkeys. In this study, we aimed to reveal the variation of the LCORL gene in the Dezhou donkey and explore whether the gene is associated with hide weight and body size. In this study, genetic polymorphisms in the LCORL gene of the Dezhou donkey were studied using targeted sequencing technology, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the LCORL gene were analyzed for association with hide weight and body size in Dezhou donkeys. The results showed that there was an SNP locus situated in intron 1 of the LCORL gene. Association analysis revealed that individuals with the GG genotype had significantly higher body height, body length, chest circumference and hide weight than those with the AA genotype (p < 0.05). Therefore, the g.112558859 A > G locus can be used as a potential candidate marker affecting body size and hide weight. This study provides the foundation for breeding high-quality donkeys with high hide yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the work described on this paper, the inhibitory effect of 10 flavonoids on pepsin and the interactions between them were investigated by a combination of spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. The results indicated that all flavonoids could bind with pepsin to form flavonoid–pepsin complexes. The binding parameters obtained from the data at different temperatures revealed that flavonoids could spontaneously interact with pepsin mainly through electrostatic forces and hydrophobic interactions with one binding site. According to synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra and molecular docking results, all flavonoids bound directly into the enzyme cavity site and the binding influenced the microenvironment and conformation of the pepsin activity site which resulted in the reduced enzyme activity. The present study provides direct evidence at a molecular level to understand the mechanism of digestion caused by flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the formation of interstitial Na (Nai) self-compensating defects has been a long-term physics problem for effective Na doping in ZnO. Herein, we present an experimental approach to the suppression of Nai defects in ZnO via Na and F codoping under an oxygen-rich condition during the molecular beam epitaxy growth process. It is found that the incorporation of such large numbers of Na and F dopants (∼1020 cm−3) does not cause an obvious influence on the lattice parameters. Hall-effect measurements demonstrate that F doping efficiently raises the Fermi level (EF) of ZnO films, which is expected to make the formation energy of Nai and NaZn increase and decrease, respectively. Most of the Na atoms occupy the substitutional Zn sites, and the formation of Nai is suppressed consequently. Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements reveal that F and Na atoms are tightly bonded together due to their strong Coulomb interaction. The enhanced deep level emission (DLE) in ZnO:Na-F is ascribed to the considerable amount of isolated Zn vacancy (VZn) defects induced by the elevated EF and the formation of neutral F O + − N a Zn − 0 complexes. On the other hand, formation of F O + − V Zn 2 − − complexes in ZnO:F exhausts most of the isolated Zn vacancies, leading to the disappearance of the DLE band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the possible sites that beryllium atoms can occupy in BeZnO alloy films by a comparative study. The epitaxial BexZn1−xO (x = 0, 0.06, 0.1, 1) films were prepared by a molecular beam epitaxy technique, and their structural properties were characterized with x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while the Be composition, x, was measured with time of flight elastic recoil detection analysis. When x is 6%, substitutional and interstitial Be atoms are revealed to be co-existing in BexZn1−xO films. Furthermore, phase segregation of BeO is observed when x increases to 10% due to the huge difference of the bond length between Be–O and Zn–O. In this case, most of the Be atoms are found to form BeO particles, rather than a BeZnO alloy, so as to reduce the formation energy. The incorporation of Be atoms in the ZnO lattice consequently decreases in Be0.1Zn0.9O, resulting in a smaller bandgap than that of Be0.06Zn0.94O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of postannealing on Ti/Au-MgZnO contact and n-MgZnO/p-Si heterojunction ultraviolet-B photodetector's performance are investigated. It is found that the out diffusion of oxygen from MgZnO and its bonding with Ti at the interface have significant influences on the properties of Ti/MgZnO interface and photodetector. The persistent photocurrent observed in the annealed device is attributed to the oxygen vacancies near the interface, consistent with the theoretical calculations. It is revealed that the reaction at metal/MgZnO interface possibly plays a key role and even dominates the MgZnO p-n heterojunction ultraviolet detectors' performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sericin is a natural protein component of silks of silkworm and has potential utility in multiple areas such as pharmacological, cosmetics, and biotechnological industries. However, the understanding of its toxicological safety is still limited. This study evaluated the safety of water-extract sericin from silkworm (Bombyx mori) cocoons using different model approaches, including three genotoxicity studies (the bacterial reverse mutation test, the mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus test, and the mouse spermatogonia chromosomal aberration test) and a 90-day subchronic toxicity study in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The results of this study showed that water-extract sericin was nonmutagenic and nongenotoxic both in vitro and in vivo. Sericin did not induce significant changes in the body and organ weight, food intake, blood hematology and serum biochemistry, urine index, and histopathology in rats. The NOAEL of sericin was determined to be 1 g/kg/day for male and female rats. These results indicated that water-extract sericin was of low toxicity in the experimental conditions of the current study and had the potential for application in food-related products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative drain currents under positive drain-to-gate voltage were found in the OFF-state transfer curves of thin-film transistors (TFTs). A dynamic model was developed, by accounting for capacitances, to interpret the phenomenon. The capacitor discharging during gate voltage sweeping leads to the negative currents. Test conditions and intrinsic device parameters affect the existence of this phenomenon, which is verified by our experimental results of InGaZnO TFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication of flexible and transparent InGaZnO thin-film transistors on muscovite mica substrates. The mica substrate is compatible with four-step photolithographic processes as well as high-temperature processes. The field-effect mobility, subthreshold swing, ON/OFF ratio, threshold voltage, and hysteresis voltage are improved after annealing both at 300° C and 400° C in nitrogen. The device demonstrates more stable performance under positive gate bias stress when annealed at 400° C than at 300° C. The electrical performances are stable when exposed to tensile bending cycles up to 10 000 times. The mica with devices shows small optical loss in the visible region, where the average transmittance is as high as 86.75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We report the realization of flexible fully-transparent high-voltage (HV) inverters composed with a high-voltage thin film transistor (HVTFT) drive and an on-chip high-voltage thin film diode (HVTFD) load. The overall fabrication temperatures are decreased as low as 75 °C to minimize the built-in strain caused by the large thermal expansion mismatch. High on/off ratio of 1010, rectification ratio of 109 and voltage gain of 8.5 are achieved in the flexible HVTFT, HVTFD and HV inverter, respectively. In addition, the flexible HV devices are fabricated with a novel self-aligned photolithography technology, and the fabrication procedure and working principle are depicted in this letter. This work combines HV electronics with the upsurging flexible transparent electronics, and will initiate interdisciplinary researches between the two fields. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A self-aligned photolithography process is presented. • The mechanism of the process is studied with TCAD simulation. • High performance high-voltage devices are achieved with this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication of flexible ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) on the 25- $\mu \text{m}$ -thick copper substrate. The Cu substrate compatible with high-temperature processes was deposited by electroplating, which led to a smooth surface. The ZnO layer was deposited at room temperature, and a thermal annealing process was conducted at 300 °C in the air after the fabrication of TFTs. The threshold voltage, hysteresis voltage, and contact resistance are improved after annealing, whereas the mobility, subthreshold swing, and ON/OFF ratio are barely changed. The stabilities of ZnO TFTs are also enhanced, evidenced by the smaller threshold voltage shifts induced by positive and negative gate bias stresses. The field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and subthreshold swing are stable even when exposed to a mechanical tensile strain up to 1.25% and 10 000 bending cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the optical properties of defects coupled with surface plasmons (SPs) in gallium‐doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been explored. The photoluminescence intensity is enhanced by up to 4.9 times as a result of SPs coupling by decorating the sample with silver nanospheres (Ag NSs), with a fast plasmonic decay lifetime of 0.1 ns compared with the defect‐assisted carrier recombination lifetime of 3.77 ns in the as‐grown sample. The enhanced emission intensity depends on the plasmonic modes determined by the diameter of Ag NSs, verified by power‐dependent photoluminescence measurements. Confocal mapping reveals that the plasmonic “hot‐spots”, that is, enhanced emission around the Ag NSs, exhibit a highly optical stability with reduced photoluminescence blinking. This work demonstrates that a defect coupled with SPs in ZnO is a promising high‐efficiency emitter for applications in nanophotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a high-responsivity ultraviolet photodetector fabricated from fluorine doped Mg 0.4 Zn 0.6 O thin film grown by molecular beam expitaxy. The doped epitaxial film demonstrates a low resistivity with a carrier concentration of 2.18 × 10 17 cm − 3 and mobility of 2.67 cm 2 /V s − 1 by Van der Pauw Hall measurements. With a further study of a single Ti/Au-MgZnO:F Schottky junction, it is found the device has a lowered barrier height of 0.59–0.64 eV compared with the calculated value. Our photodetector configured with a metal-semiconductor-metal structure with Ti/Au interdigital electrodes exhibits a high photoresonsivity of 80 A/W, nearly 800 times larger than that of undoped sample. This record-high value is attributed to the lowered Schottky barrier as well as reduced barrier thickness thanks to the effective fluorine doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylans are present naturally in various plants and have important uses in nutrition, food, novel material and biotechnology; however, to date, data regarding their systemic toxicity and safety evaluation is still limited. This study investigated the potential toxicity of xylan from sugarcane bagasse by a subchronic toxicity study in rats. A total of 80 male and female rats were fed with diets containing 10%, 5%, 2.5% and 0% (control) xylan for 90 days. A toxicological assessment was performed including mortality, body and organ weights, food consumption, blood biochemistry, hematology, urinalysis, gross necropsy and histopathological examinations. There were no signs of toxicity and treatment-related changes in rats treated with xylan. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAEL) of xylan were 9.0 g kg −1 bw for males and 10.6 g kg −1 bw for females of rats under this experimental condition, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a bottom-gate and enhancement-mode ZnO/Mg0.5Zn0.5O heterojunction field effect transistor (HFET) on Si. This new heterostructure which is grown by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) reduces interface defects and traps. By tailoring Mg composition (x) in the MgxZn1−xO barrier layer up to 50%, the Mg0.5Zn0.5O exhibits insulating properties and the resultant HFET works in an enhancement mode with a field effective mobility of μFE = 21cm2 V−1 s−1, transconductance of gm = 44mSmm−1, on/off ratio of 1 × 105 and off current ∼1.33 × 10−8 Amm−1. The device shows good ambient stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain induced nanoscale structural transformation is demonstrated in this paper to have the ability of triggering polarity flipping in a wide bandgap system of MgxZn1−xO/MgO/Al2O3. Relaxation dynamics of semiconductor components under large compressive pressures up to 13.7 GPa were studied by a combination of theoretical analysis and experimental characterizations including in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The gigantic force between MgZnO and ultrathin-MgO/Al2O3 delayed the structural transformation of MgZnO from six-fold cubic to four-fold wurtzite into the second monolayer, and consequently flipped the polarity of the film deposited on relaxed MgO. Additionally, dislocation-induced strain relaxation was suggested to happen around 1 nm thick cubic MgO grown on Al2O3, instead of the previous well-accepted concept that wurtzite structures can be inherited from the oxygen sub-lattice of sapphire substrates below the critical thickness. Finally, the structural transformation method employing an ultrathin-MgO interfacial layer was demonstrated to be a suitable technique for accommodating the large lattice mismatch comparing with the dislocation-relaxation mechanism achieving a UV photodetector with four orders of rejection ratio of the UV-to-visible photoresponse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A potentially fatal microsporidial infection targeting the skeletal muscles of the tiger barb Puntius tetrazona was described. Ultrastructural and molecular analyses of infected tissues confirmed that the causative parasite was Pleistophora hyphessobryconis. Compared to P. hyphessobryconis observed in other hosts, those infecting tiger barb demonstrated differences in ultrastructure that may be related to host adaptation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that classifications based on different methods of analysis (molecular, morphologic, or developmental) do not always coincide, and suggesting that the genetic relationships between Pleistophora and Ovipleistophora may need to be redefined. Transparent mutants of tiger barb can be artificially infected by P. hyphessobryconis, and the dynamic process and spatial distribution of P. hyphessobryconis infection can be observed in real time. These transparent fish mutants are a valuable model to study microsporidial infection in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new kind of metal-organic hybrid materials composed of the nickel ions and poly(p-phenylenediamine) have been synthesized in aqueous solution. Long hybrid rods and large nanosheets have been obtained by using the different ratios of the initial reactants. The synthesized rods and nanosheets have been characterized by SEM, TEM, AFM and XPS. The synthesized rods have been found to have porous polymeric structures. The nanosheets are made up of many small nanoparticles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Oxidized nickel nanoparticles ranging from 2 to 3 nm have been grown on a DNA template. The synthesized products have been characterized by AFM and XPS. The results showed that uniformly oxidized nickel nanoparticles can be grown and assembled on a DNA template. These assembled small NiO nanostructures may have some potential application as catalysts, magnetic materials or electrochromic films. Theoretically, this synthetic method can be applied to fabricate other metals on a DNA template. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flexible transparent ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) have gained momentum during the last decade because of the increasingly emerging demands in flexible transparent displays and wearable electronics industry. However, the instability issue regarding a deviation of turn-on voltage under gate bias stress has remained unsettled, greatly impeding the progress towards practical applications. Here we present a solution to this problem by adopting a new dual-source device architecture to self-diagnose and pull back the deviated turn-on voltage. The dual-source TFTs were fabricated on PEN substrate by conventional UV photolithography with ZnO channel prepared by magnetron sputtering technique. By combining the presented device architecture with a rapid correction process, the turn-on voltage shift was reduced to 0.1 V under −15 V gate voltage bias stress of 5000 s, which favors low power consumption circuits by preventing the TFTs drifting from enhancement to depletion mode. To illustrate its unique working mechanism, device physics simulation, square-law model deduction and circuit current analysis were carried out. The methodology we developed enhances the stability of flexible transparent oxide TFTs and can be adapted in other microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. • Flexible fully transparent thin-film transistors are fabricated. • Novel dual-source transistor structure is presented. • The gate bias instability problem can be readily solved. • TCAD device simulation is conducted to study the working principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discovered a technical solution of such outstanding importance that it can trigger new approaches in silicon wet etching processing and, in particular, photovoltaic cell manufacturing. The so called inverted pyramid arrays, outperforming conventional pyramid textures and black silicon because of their superior light-trapping and structure characteristics, can currently only be achieved using more complex techniques involving lithography, laser processing, etc. Importantly, our data demonstrate a feasibility of inverted pyramidal texturization of silicon by maskless Cu-nanoparticles assisted etching in Cu(NO3)2 / HF / H2O2 / H2O solutions and as such may have significant impacts on communities of fellow researchers and industrialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]