Theoretical insight into faceted ZnS nanowires and nanotubes from interatomic potential and first-principles calculations

The geometric, energetic, and electronic structures of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanowires (NWs) and nanotubes (NTs) with hexagonal cross sections were explored using interatomic potential (IP) and first-principles calculations. The size-dependent surface structures, energetic evolution, and electronic properties of these nanomaterials were addressed. The formation energy of the NWs with respect to wurtzite ZnS crystal decreases monotonously with the increase in wire radius, whereas that of the multiwalled ZnS-NTs decreases with the increasing wall thickness, irrespective of the tube radius. The faceted ZnS-NTs with thick walls have energetic superiority over the cylindrical tubes built analogously to the boron nitride (BN) nanotubes. Both the ZnSNWs and NTs are wide-band gap semiconductors with a direct band gap at ¡ point. The results provide vital information for the fabrication and utilization of ZnS nanomaterials, for example, for building nanoscale optical and photonic devices

Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height

Height is a highly heritable, classic polygenic trait with approximately 700 common associated variants identified through genome-wide association studies so far. Here, we report 83 height-associated coding variants with lower minor-allele frequencies (in the range of 0.1-4.8%) and effects of up to 2 centimetres per allele (such as those in IHH, STC2, AR and CRISPLD2), greater than ten times the average effect of common variants. In functional follow-up studies, rare height-increasing alleles of STC2 (giving an increase of 1-2 centimetres per allele) compromised proteolytic inhibition of PAPP-A and increased cleavage of