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Aspergillus fumigatusis a notorious pathogenic fungus responsible for various harmful, sometimes lethal, diseases known as aspergilloses. Understanding the gene regulatory networks that specify the expression programs underlying this fungus’ diverse phenotypes can shed mechanistic insight into its growth, development, and determinants of pathogenicity. We used eighteen RNA-seq datasets (seventeen publicly available and one previously unpublished) ofAspergillus fumigatusto construct a comprehensive gene regulatory network resource. Our resource, named GRAsp (GeneRegulation ofAspergillus fumigatus), was able to recapitulate known regulatory pathways such as response to hypoxia, iron and zinc homeostasis, and secondary metabolite synthesis. Further, GRAsp was experimentally validated in two cases: one in which GRAsp accurately identified an uncharacterized transcription factor negatively regulating the production of the virulence factor gliotoxin and another where GRAsp revealed the bZip protein, AtfA, as required for fungal responses to microbial signals known as lipo-chitooligosaccharides. Our work showcases the strength of using network-based approaches to generate new hypotheses about regulatory relationships inAspergillus fumigatus. We also unveil an online, user-friendly version of GRAsp available to theAspergillusresearch community.

The depth dependent UV-light absorption profile of GaN nanorods with different lattice arrays and filling factors was studied using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods. By comparing to the results from Lambert-Beer's law with Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory, we identified the quantitative contribution from nano-scattering effect on the light absorption in the nanorod arrays. The FDTD study of graphical 3D profile of light absorption and electric field intensity was parallelly conducted to investigate the origin of the nano-scattering. We found that the coupled electric field in the gap regions led to the larger absorption cross-section of the nanorod arrays, which is attributed to the distorted depth profile of the light absorption.

Background: Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) plays a significant role in cancer development and progression. We investigated the association between variants in expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) within ATF3 binding regions and the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery. Methods: A total of 772 patients with NSCLC who underwent curative surgery were enrolled. Using a public database (http://galaxyproject.org), we selected 104 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eQTLs in the ATF3 binding regions. The association of those SNPs with disease-free survival (DFS) was evaluated. Results: Among those SNPs, HAX1 rs11265425T>G was associated with significantly worse DFS (aHR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.00–1.69, p = 0.05), and ME3 rs10400291C>A was associated with significantly better DFS (aHR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.46–0.95, p = 0.03). Regarding HAX1 rs11265425T>G, the significant association remained only in adenocarcinoma, and the association was significant only in squamous cell carcinoma regarding ME3 rs10400291C>A. ChIP-qPCR assays showed that the two variants reside in active enhancers where H3K27Ac and ATF3 binding occurs. Promoter assays showed that rs11265425 G allele had significantly higher HAX1 promoter activity than T allele. HAX1 RNA expression was significantly higher in tumor than in normal lung, and higher in rs11265425 TG+GG genotypes than in TT genotype. Conversely, ME3 expression was significantly lower in tumor than in normal lung, and higher in rs10400291 AA genotype than in CC+CA genotypes. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study shows that the functional polymorphisms in ATF3 binding sites, HAX1 rs11265425T>G and ME3 rs10400291C>A are associated with the clinical outcomes of patients in surgically resected NSCLC.

The TiOX thin films were grown on the glass substrate for the low-e film applications by direct-current magnetron sputtering methods. The composite nature of dielectric and metallic phases including Ti2O3, TiO2 and amorphous TiOx were identified from the comparative study of x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The coalescent nanocolumnar structure revealed from scanning electron microscopy is believed to be responsible for the absence of the interference in the transmission. Most interestingly, the narrow transmittance bands from the films were observed in the visible region, especially in the violet-blue-green color portion, which could be ideal for the applications of narrow band-pass filters or red/infrared reflectors.

BACKGROUND: Due to a shortage of donor kidneys, many centers have utilized graft kidneys from brain-dead donors with expanded criteria. Kidney transplantation (KT) from donors on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been identified as a successful way of expanding donor pools. However, there are currently no guidelines or recommendations that guarantee successful KT from donors undergoing ECMO treatment. Therefore, acceptance of appropriate allografts from those donors is solely based on clinician decision. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of successful KT from a brain-dead donor supported by ECMO for the longest duration to date. A 69-year-old male received a KT from a 63-year-old brain-dead donor who had been on therapeutic ECMO treatment for the previous three weeks. The recipient experienced slow recovery of graft function after surgery but was discharged home on post-operative day 17 free from hemodialysis. Allograft function gradually improved thereafter and was comparatively acceptable up to the 12 mo follow-up, with serum creatinine level of 1.67 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that donation even after long-term ECMO treatment could provide successful KT to suitable candidates.

An excessive cholesterol level can lead to cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, hypertension, and myocardial infarction. A non-invasive, painless method of determining the cholesterol level in blood would improve the user's convenience. To provide rapid and accurate determination of cholesterol, we have developed a simple, disposable, enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that can detect salivary cholesterol. It is possible to detect low concentrations of cholesterol in saliva using the optimized vertical structure of the platinum nano-cluster (Pt-NC) and the immobilization of a proper volume of an enzyme. The biosensor exhibited a linear range from 2 to 486 μM, the limit of detection was about 2 μM, and the sensitivity of the sensor was calculated to be 132 μA mM-1 cm-2. It also showed good specificity for ascorbic acid, uric acid, dopamine, glucose, and lactate. In a test with an actual sample, the performance of the biosensor was confirmed by measuring total cholesterol in the saliva of a patient with hyperlipidemia. The cholesterol levels measured in the saliva of three patients with hyperlipidemia were 520, 460, and 290 μM. Therefore, the Pt-NC based enzyme sensor is a promising candidate for the detection of cholesterol in human saliva.

Imidazole- and N-methylimidazole carboxylate have been introduced to serve as ancillary ligands in heteroleptic Ir(III) complexes containing 2-phenylpyridine-based main ligands, with consideration of the frontier orbital energy levels. Complexes Ir1–Ir4 were synthesized and found to have LUMO levels higher than that of the corresponding Ir(III) complex containing pyridyl carboxylate. All the synthesized Ir(III) complexes exhibited blue phosphorescence emission maxima in the region of 465–467 nm at room temperature. Phosphorescent quantum efficiencies were increased by a factor of 1.8–6.7 by blocking the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the imidazole carboxylate ligands of neighboring Ir(III) complexes, which was achieved by N-methylation of the imidazole carboxylate ancillary ligand. The organic light-emitting diodes fabricated using Ir3 and Ir4 as dopant materials in the emissive layers were found to emit blue emission with peaks at 469 and 471 nm and maximum external quantum efficiencies of 20.0 and 22.4%, respectively. Moreover, all the fabricated devices with Ir3 and Ir4 exhibited low efficiency roll-off, indicating excellent stability of the materials.

In this study, we developed an ultrasound-assisted fractional precipitation for the purification of poorly water-soluble anticancer agent paclitaxel. The effects of ultrasound power (80, 180, 250, and 380 W) were investigated in samples of different purity (20.4, 63.6, and 92.7%) for precipitation. Higher precipitation rate and shorter precipitation time were found with ultrasound treated solutions than with those without ultrasound. When the experimental data were applied to the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Komolgorov (JMAK) equation, the rate constant increased to 200–500-fold for 20.4% of sample purity, 150–250-fold for 63.6% of sample purity, and 60–120-fold for 92.7% of sample purity by treatment with ultrasound. In addition, the lower the purity of the sample, the greater was the decrease in activation energy compared with the control, which means that the lower the sample purity, the more effective the fractional precipitation using ultrasound.

Ji Eun Park,1,* Mi Jeong Hong,2,3,* Shin Yup Lee,1,4 Jang Hyuck Lee,2,4 Jin Eun Choi,2,3 Hyo-Gyoung Kang,2,3 Sook Kyung Do,2,3 Ji Yun Jeong,5 Kyung Min Shin,6 Won Kee Lee,7 Sun Ha Choi,1 Yong Hoon Lee,1 Hye won Seo,1 Seung Soo Yoo,1 Jaehee Lee,1 Seung Ick Cha,1 Chang Ho Kim,1 Jae Yong Park1,2 1Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 3Cell and Matrix Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 4BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 5Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 6Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 7Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shin Yup Lee; Jae Yong ParkDepartment of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of KoreaTel +82-53-200-2632Fax +82-53-200-2027Email shinyup@knu.ac.kr; jaeyong@knu.ac.krIntroduction: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have represented the prototype of targeted therapy in NSCLC. Patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma extract an extraordinary clinical benefit from EGFR-TKIs. However, the extent and duration of these responses are heterogeneous, suggesting the existence of genetic modifiers affecting an individual’s response to TKIs. We investigated whether genetic variants in miRNA binding sites are associated with the clinical outcome of EGFR-TKIs in lung adenocarcinoma patients.Methods: One hundred SNPs at miRNA binding sites in cancer-related genes were selected for the analysis using the crosslinking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) and CancerGenes database. qRT-PCR and luciferase assays were conducted to evaluate the functional relevance of the SNPs.Results: NUP62 rs9523A>G were significantly associated with worse response to EGFR-TKIs, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). The other three SNPs (DVL2 rs2074216G>A, ARF1 rs11541557G>T, and UHRF1 rs2261988C>A) were significantly associated with worse OS and PFS. The rs9523A>G was significantly associated with decreased NUP62 expression in tumor tissues. In addition, a significantly decreased luciferase activity was noted in NUP62 rs9523 G allele compared to A allele.Conclusion: Genetic variants in miRNA binding sites, especially NUP62 rs9523A>G, may be useful in predicting the clinical outcomes of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.Keywords: lung adenocarcinoma, EGFR-TKI, clinical outcome, miRNA binding site, polymorphism

We investigated the association between genetic variants in the histone modification regions and the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma after curative surgery. Potentially functional SNPs were selected using integrated analysis of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq. The SNPs were analyzed in a discovery set (n=166) and a validation set (n=238). The associations of the SNPs with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. A total of 279 SNPs were selected for genotyping. Among these, CAPN1 rs17583C>T was significantly associated with better OS and DFS (P = 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively), and LINC00959 rs4751162A>G was significantly associated with worse DFS (P = 0.008). Luciferase assays showed a significantly lower promoter activity of CAPN1 in the rs17583 T allele than C allele (P = 0.008), and consistently the CT+TT genotypes had significantly lower CAPN1 expression than CC genotype (P = 0.01) in clinical samples. The rs4751162 G allele had higher promoter activity of GLRX3 than A allele (P = 0.05). The motif analyses and ChIP-qPCR confirmed that the variants are located in the active promoter/enhancer regions where transcription factor binding occurs. This study showed that genetic variants in the histone modification regions could predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma after surgery.

Modifying the physical, chemical structures of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) to improve its optoelectronic properties is the most efficient way to meet a high photoactivity for clean and sustainable energy production. Herein, a higher monomeric precursor for synthesizing improved micro-and electronic structure possessing g-CN was prepared by high-concentrated sulfuric acid (SA) treatment of bulk type g-CN (BCN). Several structural analyses show that after the SA treatment of BCN, the polymeric melon-based structure is torn down to cyameluric or cyanuric acid-based material. After re-polycondensation of this material as a precursor, the resulting g-CN has more condensed microstructure, carbon and oxygen contents than BCN, indicating that C, O co-doping by corrosive acid of SA. This g-CN shows a much better visible light absorption and diminished radiative charge recombination by the charge localization effect induced by heteroatoms. As a result, this condensed C, O co-doped g-CN shows the enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 4.57 µmol/h from water under the visible light (>420 nm) by almost two times higher than that of BCN (2.37 µmol/h). This study highlights the enhanced photocatalytic water splitting performance as well as the provision of the higher monomeric precursor for improved g-CN.

Large particulate photocatalysts allow efficient recovery or installation into the substrate, while limiting possible light-catalyst interaction or mass/charge-transfer. In this study, we developed monodisperse organic single-crystal monoliths with controllable dimensions in the range of 10–100 μm. These were prepared on a 10-g scale by a solution-processed molecular cooperative assembly between melamine (M) and trithiocyanuric acid (TCA) and then transformed into the corresponding g-CN (MTCA-CN) by thermal polycondensation. Molecular precursors that are tightly bound in the crystal undergo polycondensation without losing their macroscopic properties depending on the dimensions of MTCA, thereby changing the microstructure, electronic structure, and photocatalytic activity. Such dimensional tunability enables the fulfillment of various catalytic requirements such as particle size, light absorption, charge separation, band edge potential, and mass transfer. As a proof-of-concept, it was shown that MTCA-CN is tailored to have a high rate of evolution of hydrogen (3.19 μmol/h) from glucose via photoreforming under AM1.5G by using MTCA-100 crystals, leading to the formation of g-CN with the more positive highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level. This study highlights the possibility of developing photocatalysts for practical use and obtaining value-added products (VAPs) without losing the photocatalytic activity relevant for wastewater treatment.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that necroptosis, or programmed necrotic cell death, may play a significant role in cancer. We evaluated the expression of key molecules in necroptosis and their association with clinical features and prognosis in NSCLC. Methods: A total of 253 NSCLC patients (96 squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] cases and 157 adenocarcinoma [AC] cases) who underwent curative resection were included. Tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues were investigated for relative mRNA expression levels of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL. Difference in disease free survival (DFS) was analyzed according to the expression levels of these molecules in tumor tissues. Results: NSCLC tissues had significantly lower expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL than normal tissues (P = 1 x 10-4, P = 8 x 10-6, and P = 4 x 10-8, respectively). In subgroup analysis, SCCs had significantly lower RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL expression (P = 5 x 10-4, P = 3 x 10-15, P = 1 x 10-5, respectively), and ACs had significantly lower RIPK1 and MLKL expression (P = 0.01 and P = 6 x 10-4, respectively) than normal tissues. Low expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL in tumors was associated with a worse DFS (HR = 1.71, P = 0.01; HR = 1.53, P = 0.04; and HR = 1.53, P = 0.04, respectively) in a multivariate analysis. In SCC, none of the RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL expression was significantly associated with DFS. However, in AC, low expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL was significantly associated with worse DFS (HR = 1.67, P = 0.03; HR = 1.70, P = 0.03; and HR = 1.81, P = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions: Key regulatory genes in necroptosis, RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL, were downregulated in NSCLC, and their lower expression in NSCLC may be used to predict early recurrence after curative resection, especially in AC.

The etiology of pleural effusions often remained unknown notwithstanding surgical pleural biopsy and further clinical observation. A better understanding of clinical characteristics of patients with idiopathic pleural effusion (IPE) may improve the ability to differentiate between IPEs and cytology-negative malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) and facilitate the identification of patients requiring invasive investigation. However, little is known about the clinical factors that can help distinguish patients with IPE from those with cytology-negative MPE.Patients who were diagnosed with IPE or cytology-negative MPE between 2010 and 2017 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Clinical, laboratory and radiologic characteristics were compared between patients with IPE and cytology-negative MPE. Diagnostic performances of predictors for IPE were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves.Of 146 patients undergoing pleural biopsy owing to cytology-negative pleural effusion of uncertain cause, MPE was confirmed in 54 patients. IPE was ultimately diagnosed in 22 patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a minimal amount of pleural effusion (odds ratio [OR] = 12.41, P = 0.039), presence of pleural nodularity (OR = 0.01, P0.001) and pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen levels less than 14 ng/mL (OR = 87.59, P = 0.002) were independent factors for distinguishing IPEs from cytology-negative MPEs. A combination of the absence of pleural nodularity with pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen levels less than 14 ng/mL yielded an area under the curve of 0.94 (sensitivity = 91% and specificity = 96%).Using these readily available parameters to identify IPE in patients with cytology-negative exudative effusion of unknown cause can help guide decision-making when choosing to perform an invasive pleural biopsy or to take a conservative approach.

Novel physical properties not seen in their individual layers are obtained from stacked layers of materials. In this report, using the first-principles calculations, we study the electronic band structures of heterostructures composed of graphitic (graphene-like) bilayers of g-ZnO/ZnX (X = S, Se, and Te) semiconductors. The g-ZnO layer is largely planar, but the ZnX layer is somewhat corrugated. Our calculations reveal on the stable formations of a type-II band alignment in bilayers with an AB stacking order of OZnO-ZnZnX and ZnZnO-XZnX. The optical bandgaps are much lowered as compared to the monolayers of ZnO and ZnX constituents, with the conduction band contributed by g-ZnO and valence band by ZnX. There is a quadratic dependence of the bandgap on the external electric biases applied in perpendicular to the interface. This nonlinearity manifests an superposed effect of an interlayer orbital hybridization and associated charge transferring, along with the coexistence of an electric dipole and a quadrupole. There is an overall charge transfer of valence electrons from the ZnX layer to the g-ZnO layer, leading to a pair of highly charge polarized surfaces along with a large built-in potential. The already lowered bandgaps further change with the external bias. This tunability of Eg for g-ZnO/ZnX bilayer heterostructures holds promises for optoelectronic applications covering a wider spectral range of the solar spectrum.

Peritoneal trophoblastic implant can occur after treatment of ectopic pregnancy. Similarly, after termination of intrauterine pregnancy, trophoblastic implants are rare but can be a complication of perforation during dilatation and curettage. We report an extremely rare case of trophoblastic implant on the myometrium, ovarian surface, and peritoneal wall 4 months after uncomplicated dilatation and curettage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of peritoneal trophoblastic implant following dilatation and curettage without uterine perforation. Knowledge of this case is useful for the management of patients with persistent low-level elevation of serum human chorionic gonadotropin after termination of pregnancy.

We have grown nanocolumnar titanium oxide thin films on glass substrates for heat mirror applications using direct-current magnetron sputtering methods. By varying the plasma power from 100 to 200 W in the film growth, we have controlled the population and energy of plasma species, mainly titanium, in order to regulate the crystal properties and geometric structures. The titanium sesquioxide phase has developed, along with suppression of the dioxide phase, and the lateral/longitudinal dimension of the nanocolumns was enlarged by elevated plasma power. The best performance in terms of infrared reflectance, ~ 60 % at 2300 nm, was observed from the films grown at the highest plasma power. Furthermore, the dependence on the plasma power of the heat mirror characteristics with reference to the aspect of surface plasmon resonance phenomena was investigated.

In2O3 epitaxial thin films with heavy Nb doping have been investigated in expectation of achieving higher doping efficiency per doping atom than what has been achieved by Sn-doping because Nb has one more available valence electron. The films were deposited by co-sputtering of Nb and In2O3 on (001) YSZ substrates, and are found to follow the epitaxial relations of [001]In2O3||[001]YSZ and [110]In2O3||[110]YSZ aligned within Δω∼0.31–0.41° of full rocking width at half maximum (FWHM). The doped thin films present optical transparencies of 97–99 % with electrical resistivities down to 10−4 Ω cm, 100 times lower than the as-deposited pristine thin films of no intentional doping. Optimal doping efficiency of ηmax∼1 charge carrier per Nb-atom added, not the hoped 2, suggests an effective ionization state of Nb·In, much like Nb·Sn, rather than the anticipated Nb··In. This singly-charged state is associated with the formation of Nb2O4 molecules by drawing extra interstitial Oi atoms to gather around the substitutional NbIn sites, as confirmed by XPS based on the chemical-shift of the X-ray photoelectron energy that measures the binding energy of core–shell electrons. Plasma oscillation analysis by FTIR optical spectroscopy shows an anomalously-high effective mass, about 10 times larger than the reported m⁎=0.35me. A dual-band model is proposed to reconcile with the findings.

Efficient conversion of photon energy into electricity is a crucial step toward a sustainable solar-energy economy. Likewise, solid-state lighting devices are gaining prominence because of benefits such as reduced energy consumption and reduced toxicity. Among the various semiconductors investigated, InxGa1–xN alloys or superlattices are fervently pursued because of their large range of bandgaps between 0.65 eV and 3.4 eV. This paper reports on the fabrication of multiple quantum wells on LiGaO2 (001) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Metal modulated epitaxy was utilized to prevent formation of metal droplets during the growth. Streaky patterns, seen in reflection high-energy electron diffraction, indicate two-dimensional growth throughout the device. Postdeposition characterization using scanning electron microscopy also showed smooth surfaces, while high-resolution x-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirm the epitaxial nature of the overall quantum well structure.

Nano-composites of silver particles embedded in silicon matrix were fabricated by 50-kV ion implantation using a high-beam-current metal vapor vacuum arc ion source. A dynamic model accounting for the implantation and associated sputtering process reaching a steady state was introduced to analyze the depth profile of the Ag in Si. Upon annealing at an elevated temperature, the Ag nanoparticles were found to recrystallize and grow larger in size, although they were mostly amorphous when first implanted. Heating to 400 °C resulted in out-diffusion Ag atoms and formation of Ag nanoparticles at the Si surface. A primitive pn-diode was fabricated by solid phase epitaxy that converts the amorphized n-type Si into crystalline p-type Si aluminum.

We have grown amorphous titanium dioxide thin films by reactive DC sputtering method using a different argon/oxygen partial pressure at a room temperature. The plasma dynamics of the process, reactive and sputtered gas particles was investigated via optical emission spectroscopy. We then studied the correlations between the plasma states and the structural/optical properties of the films. The growth rate and morphology of the titanium dioxide thin films turned out to be contingent with the population and the energy profile of Ar, O, and TiO plasma. In particular, the films grown under energetic TiO plasma have shown a direct band-to-band transition with an optical energy band gap up to ~4.2 eV.

We have fabricated M doped (M = Al, Co, Fe, Ga, Ni and Zn) PrBa2Cu3O7(PBCO), i.e. PrBa2(Cu1−xMx)3O7. The doping levels x are 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20. X-ray data indicated no significant second phase for substituting Cu by Al, Co, Fe and Ga up to 20%. However impurity phases were detected for Ni and Zn substituted samples with doping levels equal to and higher than 15%. At 77 K the electrical resistivity of these compounds is orders in magnitude higher than that of PBCO. We also found that although the lattice parameters in the doped samples differ from PBCO, all samples remain orthorhombic. The lattice parameters of the doped sample are very close to those of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) and PBCO. For this reason these compounds are better materials to be used as the I-layer for YBCO SIS junctions. Results of structural and transport studies on 2000 \0A thick PrBa2[Cu0.80G0.2]3O7 (PBCGO) and YBCO/PBCGO multilayers are presented in this paper.

RegulomeDB is a new tool that can predict regulatory functions of genetic variants. We investigated the association between putative functional variants selected using RegulomeDB and survival outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via two independent cohort study. Total 244 variants with category 1a, which have the most confident evidence of variants affecting gene expression using RegulomeDB, were genotyped. Fourteen variants associated with overall survival ( P T) was validated. In a combined analysis, patients with rs2257609 CT or TT genotype exhibited a worse overall survival and disease free survival than those with rs2257609 CC genotype (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 – 2.48, P = 2.0 × 10 -5 and HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.16 – 1.79, P = 0.001, respectively). DRG2 expression, which was predicted to be affected by rs2257609, was significantly higher in tumor tissues than non-malignant lung tissues ( P = 0.001) and was different according to the rs2257609 genotype ( P trend = 0.03). ). Luciferase assay also revealed higher promoter activity of DRG2 with rs2257609 T allele ( P = 0.03). These results suggest that the rs2257609 C>T may affect DRG2 expression and can be used as prognostic marker in early-stage NSCLC patients.

Periodic arrays of GaN nanostructures are fabricated by MBE growth on self-implanted (111) Si substrates. Nanocapillary condensation is found to be an effective catalytic process fostering the formation of epitaxially aligned GaN nanorods in company with the thin film matrix. Changes of Si substrate surface morphology prior to deposition as a result of ion bombardments are responsible for the enhanced nanorod growth. This is attributed to the nanocapillary condensation of Ga droplets that serve as a medium to the vapor-liquid-solid growth of nanorods out of its supporting matrix.

Mixed oxide TiO2∕SiO2 dielectrics have been deposited at room temperature by microwave excited plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from SiH4 and TiCl4 precursor gases. The low frequency dielectric constant and the refractive index at 632.8 nm are observed to increase linearly with increasing Ti concentration. No anomalous enhancement of the dielectric constant at low Ti concentrations is observed, consistent with the conclusion that the Ti ion replaces the Si ion directly in fourfold coordination. A compound dielectric constant of 25 can be achieved for a concentration ∼50% Ti where it is anticipated the optical band gap would be ∼6.25eV.

Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula is rare congenital anomaly that resulted by failure of the tracheoesophageal septum to successfully partition the foregut into the esophagus and trachea. Anesthesiologists must recognize comorbid anomaly, maturity and pulmonary compliance. Anesthetic goals are adequate oxygenation and ventilation, prevention of aspiration, avoidance of gastric distension and maintenance of body temperature. This report describes the anesthetic experience of esophageal atresia repair in 3-day-old neonate.

The effects of extra H2O-modulated oxidation are reported on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of nonpolar m-plane ZnO thin films grown on m-plane Al2O3 substrates by atomic layer deposition. Films without modulation, one modulated layer, and two modulated layers are compared. Structural properties studied using x-ray reflectivity, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy show that all the films have a largely similar thickness and epitaxial relations with their substrates, but the rocking curves grow broader as the number of modulations increases. However, the extra layer of water modulation reduces the surface roughness drastically and also improves the electrical properties as compared to the unmodulated ZnO films. Water modulation is believed to serve as a source of atomic oxygen that promotes compensation of the pre-existing oxygen vacancies. The films tend to exhibit larger mosaicity around the a-axis as compared to that around the c-axis.

We have shown that the Si/Si interface produced by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of Si on a Si substrate can significantly enhance the efficiency of ion cutting. MBE growth is performed at 650 °C. Samples are then implanted at room temperature by 62 keV H− to a dose of 7 × 1016 ions/cm2. The implantation energy locates H-peak in the vicinity of the Si/Si interface, which is 600 nm below the Si surface. Scanning electron microscopy shows that, after post-implantation annealing at 300 °C for 50 min, the H implanted MBE Si has bubbles formed with an average diameters of 33 μm, which is around one order of magnitude larger than that observed in the control bulk silicon sample. It is also observed that the area covered with blisters is a factor of 2 larger for the MBE samples, a trend that is systematically observed for anneals carried out in the range of 300–550 °C.

Si wafers of (100), (110) and (111) orientations were bombarded by gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) of 3000 Ar-atoms/cluster on average at a series of angles. Similar surface morphology ripples developed in different nanoscales. A simple scaling functional satisfactorily describe the roughness and wavelength of the ripple patterns as a function of dosage and angle of incidence. The ripples are formed orthogonal to the incident cluster-ions at large off-normal angles. An ellipsoidal pattern was created by two consecutive irradiations incident in mutually orthogonal directions with unequal exposure times between each irradiation, from 7:1 to 10:1, beyond which the original ripple imprints would be over-written. This work was inspired by use of the ripples to seed growth of controlled nanostructures without patterning by lithography or predeposition of catalysts.

We have grown n-type InGaN nanorods directly on p-type Si substrates with a varying group III flux, by using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy technique. The crystal structure was studied by measuring reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns while the morphological and optical properties of the InGaN nanorods were investigated by using scanning electron microscope images and room temperature photoluminescence spectra. The photoluminescence band-to-band peak was shifted to a lower energy position by increasing group-III flux due to increased In concentration in the InGaN nanorod structure. Under optimal growth conditions, uniform indium concentration up to 36% was achieved without any evidence of phase separation, In droplet or optically observed defects.

Low-leakage pin diodes based on ZnO-i-Si are realized by redox reaction of aluminum with the native oxide SiOx into AlOx and by proper selection of annealing conditions. The main sources of electric leakage was found to arise from charge carrier tunneling via mid-gap states in the semiconductors or lowered tunneling barriers. Less mid-gap states in n-ZnO and high tunneling barrier of the i-layer are key to lowering the leakage. Proper post-annealing of pin diodes effectively heal the mid-gap defects, while maintaining the integrity of the tunneling layers, thus lowering the leakage currents to reach a rectification ratio of 2400, surpassing most similarly benchmarked devices reported in literature. Excessive annealing causes some part of the i-layer to transform into to ZnAl2O4 and Al:ZnO. High Al-doping and lowered potential barrier provided by ZnAl2O4 are responsible for high leakage currents in devices so fabricated.