Investigation on Photovoltaic Performance based on Matchstick-Like Cu2S–In2S3Heterostructure Nanocrystals and Polymer

In this paper, we synthesized a novel type II cuprous sulfide (Cu2S)–indium sulfide (In2S3) heterostructure nanocrystals with matchstick-like morphology in pure dodecanethiol. The photovoltaic properties of the heterostructure nanocrystals were investigated based on the blends of the nanocrystals and poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexoxy)-p-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV). In comparison with the photovoltaic properties of the blends of Cu2S or In2S3nanocrystals alone and MEH-PPV, the power conversion efficiency of the hybrid device based on blend of Cu2S–In2S3and MEH-PPV is enhanced by ~3–5 times. This improvement is consistent with the improved exciton dissociation or separation and better charge transport abilities in type II heterostructure nanocrystals

Frequency of alcohol consumption in humans; the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors and downstream signaling pathways

Rodent models implicate metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and downstream signaling pathways in addictive behaviors through metaplasticity. One way mGluRs can influence synaptic plasticity is by regulating the local translation of AMPA receptor trafficking proteins via eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). However, genetic variation in this pathway has not been examined with human alcohol use phenotypes. Among a sample of adults living in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Neighborhood Health Study; n=788; 83% African American), 206 genetic variants across the mGluR–eEF2–AMPAR pathway (including GRM1, GRM5, HOMER1, HOMER2, EEF2K, MTOR, EIF4E, EEF2, CAMK2A, ARC, GRIA1 and GRIA4) were found to predict number of drinking days per month (corrected P-value <0.01) when considered as a set (set-based linear regression conducted in PLINK). In addition, a CpG site located in the 3′-untranslated region on the north shore of EEF2 (cg12255298) was hypermethylated in those who drank more frequently (P<0.05). Importantly, the association between several genetic variants within the mGluR–eEF2–AMPAR pathway and alcohol use behavior (i.e., consumption and alcohol-related problems) replicated in the Grady Trauma Project (GTP), an independent sample of adults living in Atlanta, Georgia (n=1034; 95% African American), including individual variants in GRM1, GRM5, EEF2, MTOR, GRIA1, GRIA4 and HOMER2 (P<0.05). Gene-based analyses conducted in the GTP indicated that GRM1 (empirical P<0.05) and EEF2 (empirical P<0.01) withstood multiple test corrections and predicted increased alcohol consumption and related problems. In conclusion, insights from rodent studies enabled the identification of novel human alcohol candidate genes within the mGluR–eEF2–AMPAR pathway

Layer-by-layer fabrication of an anatase titania multilayer with gradual sponge-like morphology

We present here a systematic analysis of the Diospyros kaki expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generated from development stage-specific libraries. A total of 2,529 putative tentative unigenes were identified in the MF library whereas the OYF library displayed 3,775 tentative unigenes. Among the two cDNA libraries, 325 EST-Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in 296 putative unigenes were detected in the MF library showing an occurrence of 11.7% with a frequency of 1 SSR/3.16 kb whereas the OYF library had an EST-SSRs occurrence of 10.8% with 407 EST-SSRs in the 352 putative unigenes with a frequency of 1 SSR/2.92 kb. We observed a higher frequency of SNPs and indels in the OYF library (20.94 SNPs/indels per 100 bp) in comparison to MF library showed a relatively lower frequency (0.74 SNPs/indels per 100 bp). A combined homology and secondary structure analysis approach identified a potential miRNA precursor, an ortholog of miR159, and potential miR159 targets, in the development-specific ESTs of D. kaki. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-011-0005-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users