Efficient inverted polymer solar cells with thermal-evaporated and solution-processed small molecular electron extraction layer

Efficient inverted polymer solar cell is reported upon by integrating with a small molecular 1,3,5-tri(phenyl-2-benzimi-dazolyl)-benzene (TPBi) electron extraction layer (EEL) at low processing temperature with thermal-evaporation and solution-process, resulting in the power conversion efficiencies of 3.70 and 3.47, respectively. The potential of TPBi as an efficient EEL is associated with its suitable electronic energy level for electron extraction and hole blocking from the active layer to the indium tin oxide cathode. © 2013 American Institute of Physics

Adapting a generic tuberculosis control operational guideline and scaling it up in China: a qualitative case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The TB operational guideline (the <it>deskguide</it>) is a detailed action guide for county TB doctors aiming to improve the quality of DOTS, while the China national TB policy guide is a guide to TB control that is comprehensive but lacks operational usability for frontline TB doctors. This study reports the process of deskguide adaptation, its scale-up and lessons learnt for policy implications.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The deskguide was translated, reviewed, and revised in a working group process. Details of the eight adaptation steps are reported here. An operational study was embedded in the adaptation process. Two comparable prefectures were chosen as pilot and control sites in each of two participating provinces. In the pilot sites, the deskguide was used with the national policy guide in routine in-service training and supervisory trips; while in the control sites, only the national policy guide was used. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with 16 county TB doctors, 16 township doctors, 17 village doctors, 63 TB patients and 57 patient family members. Following piloting, the deskguide was incorporated into the national TB guidelines for county TB dispensary use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Qualitative research identified that the deskguide was useful in the daily practice of county TB doctors. Patients in the pilot sites had a better knowledge of TB and better treatment support compared with those in the control sites.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The adaptation process highlighted a number of general strategies to adapt generic guidelines into country specific ones: 1) local policy-makers and practitioners should have a leading role; 2) a systematic working process should be employed with capable focal persons; and 3) the guideline should be embedded within the current programmes so it is sustainable and replicable for further scale-up.</p

Slx8 removes Pli1-dependent protein-SUMO conjugates including SUMOylated Topoisomerase I to promote genome stability

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Expression of a Serine Protease Gene prC Is Up-Regulated by Oxidative Stress in the Fungus Clonostachys rosea: Implications for Fungal Survival

BACKGROUND: Soil fungi face a variety of environmental stresses such as UV light, high temperature, and heavy metals. Adaptation of gene expression through transcriptional regulation is a key mechanism in fungal response to environmental stress. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transcription factors Msn2/4 induce stress-mediated gene expression by binding to the stress response element. Previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of extracellular proteases is up-regulated in response to heat shock in fungi. However, the physiological significance of regulation of these extracellular proteases by heat shock remains unclear. The nematophagous fungus Clonostachys rosea can secret an extracellular serine protease PrC during the infection of nematodes. Since the promoter of prC has three copies of the stress response element, we investigated the effect of environmental stress on the expression of prC. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results demonstrated that the expression of prC was up-regulated by oxidants (H(2)O(2) or menadione) and heat shock, most likely through the stress response element. After oxidant treatment or heat shock, the germination of conidia in the wild type strain was significantly higher than that in the prC mutant strain in the presence of nematode cuticle. Interestingly, the addition of nematode cuticle significantly attenuated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by oxidants and heat shock in the wild type strain, but not in prC mutant strain. Moreover, low molecule weight (<3 kD) degradation products of nematode cuticle suppressed the inhibitory effect of conidial germination induced by oxidants and heat shock. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results indicate that PrC plays a protective role in oxidative stress in C. rosea. PrC degrades the nematode cuticle to produce degradation products, which in turn offer a protective effect against oxidative stress by scavenging ROS. Our study reveals a novel strategy for fungi to adapt to environmental stress

Mid-infrared passively switched pulsed dual wavelength Ho3+ -doped fluoride fiber laser at 3 μm and 2 μm

Cascade transitions of rare earth ions involved in infrared host fiber provide the potential to generate dual or multiple wavelength lasing at mid-infrared region. In addition, the fast development of saturable absorber (SA) towards the long wavelengths motivates the realization of passively switched mid-infrared pulsed lasers. In this work, by combing the above two techniques, a new phenomenon of passively Q-switched ~3 μm and gain-switched ~2 μm pulses in a shared cavity was demonstrated with a Ho3+-doped fluoride fiber and a specifically designed semiconductor saturable absorber (SESAM) as the SA. The repetition rate of ~2 μm pulses can be tuned between half and same as that of ~3 μm pulses by changing the pump power. The proposed method here will add new capabilities and more flexibility for generating mid-infrared multiple wavelength pulses simultaneously that has important potential applications for laser surgery, material processing, laser radar, and free-space communications, and other areas

Novel Evolved Immunoglobulin (Ig)-Binding Molecules Enhance the Detection of IgM against Hepatitis C Virus

Detection of specific antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most widely available test for viral diagnosis and monitoring of HCV infections. However, narrowing the serologic window of anti-HCV detection by enhancing anti-HCV IgM detection has remained to be a problem. Herein, we used LD5, a novel evolved immunoglobulin-binding molecule (NEIBM) with a high affinity for IgM, to develop a new anti-HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using horseradish peroxidase-labeled LD5 (HRP-LD5) as the conjugated enzyme complex. The HRP-LD5 assay showed detection efficacy that is comparable with two kinds of domestic diagnostic kits and the Abbott 3.0 kit when tested against the national reference panel. Moreover, the HRP-LD5 assay showed a higher detection rate (55.9%, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 0.489, 0.629) than that of a domestic diagnostic ELISA kit (Chang Zheng) (53.3%, 95% CI 0.463, 0.603) in 195 hemodialysis patient serum samples. Five serum samples that were positive using the HRP-LD5 assay and negative with the conventional anti-HCV diagnostic ELISA kits were all positive for HCV RNA, and 4 of them had detectable antibodies when tested with the established anti-HCV IgM assay. An IgM confirmation study revealed the IgM reaction nature of these five serum samples. These results demonstrate that HRP-LD5 improved anti-HCV detection by enhancing the detection of anti-HCV IgM, which may have potential value for the early diagnosis and screening of hepatitis C and other infectious diseases

Resveratrol Inhibits Inflammatory Responses via the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway in Cultured LPS-Stimulated Microglial Cells

Resveratrol have been known to possess many pharmacological properties including antioxidant, cardioprotective and anticancer effects. Although current studies indicate that resveratrol produces neuroprotection against neurological disorders, the precise mechanisms for its beneficial effects are still not fully understood. We investigate the effect of anti-inflammatory and mechamisms of resveratrol by using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine microglial BV-2 cells.BV-2 cells were treated with resveratrol (25, 50, and 100 µM) and/or LPS (1 µg/ml). Nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were measured by Griess reagent and ELISA. The mRNA and protein levels of proinflammatory proteins and cytokines were analysed by RT-PCR and double immunofluorescence labeling, respectively. Phosphorylation levels of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10), Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) cascades, inhibitor κB-α (IκB-α) and cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) were measured by western blot. Resveratrol significantly attenuated the LPS-induced expression of NO, PGE2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in BV-2 cells. Resveratrol increased PTEN, Akt and mTOR phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner or a time-dependent manner. Rapamycin (10 nM), a specific mTOR inhibitor, blocked the effects of resveratrol on LPS-induced microglial activation. In addition, mTOR inhibition partially abolished the inhibitory effect of resveratrol on the phosphorylation of IκB-α, CREB, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK).This study indicates that resveratrol inhibited LPS-induced proinflammatory enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines via down-regulation phosphorylation of NF-κB, CREB and MAPKs family in a mTOR-dependent manner. These findings reveal, in part, the molecular basis underlying the anti-inflammatory properties of resveratrol

Identification of Novel Human Damage Response Proteins Targeted through Yeast Orthology

Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae show that many proteins influence cellular survival upon exposure to DNA damaging agents. We hypothesized that human orthologs of these S. cerevisiae proteins would also be required for cellular survival after treatment with DNA damaging agents. For this purpose, human homologs of S. cerevisiae proteins were identified and mapped onto the human protein-protein interaction network. The resulting human network was highly modular and a series of selection rules were implemented to identify 45 candidates for human toxicity-modulating proteins. The corresponding transcripts were targeted by RNA interference in human cells. The cell lines with depleted target expression were challenged with three DNA damaging agents: the alkylating agents MMS and 4-NQO, and the oxidizing agent t-BuOOH. A comparison of the survival revealed that the majority (74%) of proteins conferred either sensitivity or resistance. The identified human toxicity-modulating proteins represent a variety of biological functions: autophagy, chromatin modifications, RNA and protein metabolism, and telomere maintenance. Further studies revealed that MMS-induced autophagy increase the survival of cells treated with DNA damaging agents. In summary, we show that damage recovery proteins in humans can be identified through homology to S. cerevisiae and that many of the same pathways are represented among the toxicity modulators