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In this letter, we report a mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) planar photodetector based on InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattices (T2SLs) that has a cut-off wavelength of 4.3 μm at 77 K. The superlattice for the device was grown by molecular beam epitaxy while the planar device structure was achieved by Zinc diffusion process in a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. At 77 K, the peak responsivity and the corresponding quantum efficiency had the value of 1.42 A/W and 48% respectively at 3.7 μm under −20 mV for the MWIR planar photodetector. At 77 K, the MWIR planar photodetector exhibits a dark current density of 2.0 × 10−5 A/cm2 and the R0A value of ~3.0 × 102 Ω∙cm2 under −20 mV, which yielded a specific detectivity of 4.0 × 1011 cm·Hz1/2/W at 3.7 μm. At 150 K, the planar device showed a dark current density of 6.4 × 10−5 A/cm2 and a quantum efficiency of 49% at ~3.7 μm under −20 mV, which yielded a specific detectivity of 2.0 × 1011 cm·Hz1/2/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sundry superhydrophobic filtrating materials have been extensively exploited for remediating water pollution arising from frequent oil spills and oily wastewater emission, the expensive reagents, rigorous reaction conditions, and poor durability severely restrict their water purification performance in practical applications. Herein, we present a facile and cost-effective method to fabricate highly hydrophobic onion-like candle soot (CS)-coated mesh for versatile oil/water separation with excellent reusability and durability. Benefiting from a superglue acting as a binder, the sub-micron CS coating composed of interconnected and intrinsic hydrophobic carbon nanoparticles stably anchors on the surface of porous substrates, which enables the mesh to be highly hydrophobic (146.8 ± 0.5°)/superoleophilic and resist the harsh environmental conditions, including acid, alkali, and salt solutions, and even ultrasonic wear. The as-prepared mesh can efficiently separate light or heavy oil/water mixtures with high separation efficiency (>99.95%), among which all the water content in filtrates is below 75 ppm. Besides, such mesh retains excellent separation performance and high hydrophobicity even after 20 cyclic tests, demonstrating its superior reusability and durability. Overall, this work not only makes the CS-coated mesh promising for durable oil/water separation, but also develops an eco-friendly approach to construct robust superhydrophobic surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This prospective observational study aimed to clinically describe voriconazole administrations and trough concentrations in patients with Child–Pugh class C and to investigate the variability of trough concentration. A total of 144 voriconazole trough concentrations from 43 Child–Pugh class C patients were analyzed. The majority of patients (62.8%) received adjustments. The repeated measured trough concentration was higher than the first and final ones generally (median, 4.33 vs. 2.99, 3.90 mg/L). Eight patients with ideal initial concentrations later got supratherapeutic with no adjusted daily dose, implying accumulation. There was a significant difference in concentrations among the six groups by daily dose (p = 0.006). The bivariate correlation analysis showed that sex, CYP2C19 genotyping, daily dose, prothrombin time activity, international normalized ratio, platelet, and Model for end-stage liver disease score were significant factors for concentration. Subsequently, the first four factors mentioned above entered into a stepwise multiple linear regression model (variance inflation factor <5), implying that CYP2C19 testing makes sense for precision medicine of Child–Pugh class C cirrhosis patients. The equation fits well and explains the 34.8% variety of concentrations (R2 = 0.348). In conclusion, it needs more cautious administration clinically due to no recommendation for Child–Pugh class C patients in the medication label. The adjustment of the administration regimen should be mainly based on the results of repeated therapeutic drug monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate low noise short wavelength infrared (SWIR) Sb-based type II superlattice (T2SL) avalanche photodiodes (APDs). The SWIR GaSb/(AlAsSb/GaSb) APD structure was designed based on impact ionization engineering and grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaSb substrate. At room temperature, the device exhibits a 50% cut-off wavelength of 1.74 µm. The device was revealed to have an electron-dominated avalanching mechanism with a gain value of 48 at room temperature. The electron and hole impact ionization coefficients were calculated and compared to give a better prospect of the performance of the device. Low excess noise, as characterized by a carrier ionization ratio of ~0.07, has been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we report the demonstration of a pBn planar mid-wavelength infrared photodetectors based on type-II InAs/InAs1−xSbx superlattices, using silicon ion-implantation to isolate the devices. At 77 K the photodetectors exhibited peak responsivity of 0.76 A/W at 3.8 µm, corresponding to a quantum efficiency, without anti-reflection coating, of 21.5% under an applied bias of +40 mV with a 100% cut-off wavelength of 4.6 µm. With a dark current density of 5.21 × 10−6 A/cm2, under +40 mV applied bias and at 77 K, the photodetector exhibited a specific detectivity of 4.95 × 1011 cm·Hz1/2/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been extensively explored over the past decade, including mice and humans. However, their impact on the transdifferentiation of canine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (cBMSCs) into insulin-producing cells (IPCs) is largely unknown. In this study, we used a three-step induction procedure to induce cBMSCs into IPCs, and samples (two biological replicates each) were obtained after each step; the samples consisted of "BMSCs" (B), "stage 1" (S1), "stage 2" (S2), "stage 3" (S3), and "islets" (I). After sequencing, 15,091 lncRNAs were identified, and we screened 110, 41, 23, and 686 differentially expressed lncRNAs (padjusted < 0.05) in B vs. S1, S1 vs. S2, S2 vs. S3, and I vs. S3 pairwise comparisons, respectively. In lncRNA target prediction, there were 166,623 colocalized targets and 2,976,362 correlated targets. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that binding represented the main molecular functions of both the cis- and trans-modes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis suggested that the insulin signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway, tight junctions, MAPK signaling pathway, and cell cycle were enriched for these relative genes. The expression of lncRNAs was verified using qRT-PCR. This study provides a lncRNA catalog for future research concerning the mechanism of the transdifferentiation of cBMSCs into IPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fluorescent Zn²⁺ chemosensor (P1) based on a functionalized porphyrin was synthesized and characterized. P1 displayed dramatic ratiometric variations in absorption and fluorescent emission spectra upon exposure to Zn²⁺ due to the formation of a 1:1 Zn²⁺/P1 complex. The sensor also exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward Zn²⁺ over other common metal ions in the physiological pH range with a detection limit of 1.8 mM. The sensor showed fast response times and excellent reproducibility, thus confirming its potential applicability as a fluorescent sensor for Zn²⁺ sensing.