Barrier Designs in Perovskite Solar Cells for Long‐Term Stability

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted much attention in the past decade and their power conversion efficiency has been rapidly increasing to 25.2%, which is comparable with commercialized solar cells. Currently, the long‐term stability of PSCs remains as a major bottleneck impeding their future commercial applications. Beyond strengthening the perovskite layer itself and developing robust external device encapsulation/packaging technology, integration of effective barriers into PSCs has been recognized to be of equal importance to improve the whole device’s long‐term stability. These barriers can not only shield the critical perovskite layer and other functional layers from external detrimental factors such as heat, light, and H₂O/O₂, but also prevent the undesired ion/molecular diffusion/volatilization from perovskite. In addition, some delicate barrier designs can simultaneously improve the efficiency and stability. In this review article, the research progress on barrier designs in PSCs for improving their long‐term stability is reviewed in terms of the barrier functions, locations in PSCs, and material characteristics. Regarding specific barriers, their preparation methods, chemical/photoelectronic/mechanical properties, and their role in device stability, are further discussed. On the basis of these accumulative efforts, predictions for the further development of effective barriers in PSCs are provided at the end of this review.     

let-7 microRNAs induce tamoxifen sensitivity by downregulation of estrogen receptor α signaling in breast cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important regulatory role in breast tumorigenesis. Previously, we found that let-7 miRNAs were downregulated significantly in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer tissues. In this study, we further found that endogenous levels of let-7b and let-7i miRNAs are inversely correlated with levels of estrogen receptor (ER)-a36, a new variant of ER-α66, in the FFPE tissue set. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that ER-α36 may be another target of let-7 miRNAs. To test this hypothesis, cotransfection of let-7 mimics or inhibitors together with full-length or a fragment of ER-α36 3'UTR luciferase construct was performed, and we found that let-7b and let-7i mimics suppressed the activity of reporter gene significantly, which was enhanced remarkably by let-7b and let-7i inhibitors. Both mRNA and protein expression of ER-α36 were inhibited by let-7 mimics and enhanced by let-7 inhibitors. Furthermore, ER-α36 mediated nongenomic MAPK and Akt pathways were weakened by let-7b and let-7i mimics in triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The reverse correlation between let-7 miRNAs and ER-α36 also exists in Tamoxifen (Tam)-resistant MCF7 cell line. Transfection of let-7 mimics to Tam-resistant MCF7 cells downregulated ER-α36 expression and enhanced the sensitivity of MCF7 cells to Tam in estrogen-free medium, which could be restored by overexpression of ER-α36 constructs without 3'UTR. Our results suggested a novel regulatory mechanism of let-7 miRNAs on ER-α36 mediated nongenomic estrogen signal pathways and Tam resistance.     

Dominant negative pleiotrophin induces tetraploidy and aneuploidy in U87MG human glioblastoma cells

Pleiotrophin (PTN, Ptn) is an 18kDa secretory cytokine that is expressed in many human cancers, including glioblastoma. In previous experiments, interruption of the constitutive PTN signaling in human U87MG glioblastoma cells that inappropriately express endogenous Ptn reversed their rapid growth in vitro and their malignant phenotype in vivo. To seek a mechanism for the effect of the dominant-negative PTN, flow cytometry was used to compare the profiles of U87MG cells and four clones of U87MG cells that express the dominant-negative PTN (U87MG/PTN1-40 cells); here, we report that the dominant-negative PTN in U87MG cells induces tetraploidy and aneuploidy and arrests the tetraploid and aneuploid cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The data suggest that PTN signaling may have a critical role in chromosomal segregation and cell cycle progression; the data suggest induction of tetraploidy and aneuploidy in U87MG glioblastoma cells may be an important mechanism that contributes to the loss of the malignant phenotype of U87MG cells.     

吉林省中西部平原区土壤线虫群落生态特征

于 2 0 0 3年 7月和 9月 ,在吉林省中西部平原区进行土壤线虫取样 ,10个采样区 2 8个调查样地 2次共捕获线虫 10 2 2 0只 ,个体密度平均 182 5 0只 /m2 ,分别隶属于线形动物门 2纲 7目 2 0科 32属。真滑刃属、短体属和垫刃属为优势类群 ,是吉林省中西部平原区土壤线虫群落最重要的类群 ,稀有类群个体数量尽管很少 ,但分布的范围并不狭小 ,线虫各类群空间分布的广狭与个体数量的多寡在吉林省中西部平原区并末呈现出明显的一致性。土壤线虫群落垂直分布 ,受人类活动扰动的生境土壤线虫类群数和个体密度表聚性较差 ,土壤线虫向土壤下层移动明显 ;水平分布 ,天然林和受人类活动扰动生境土壤线虫类群数和个体密度差异显著 ;农田土地利用方式对土壤线虫群落特征影响总体是负面的 ,而居民点园地可能增加土壤线虫的类群数和生物多样性。 PPI/MI值对于不同人类活动对土壤生态环境的变化反映更敏感     

长春市不同土地利用生境土壤螨类群落结构特征

2003年7月和9月对长春市郊区天然次生林、农田、防护林和市区公园绿地等典型土地利用生境进行土壤螨类调查,Tullgren法提取土壤螨类,应用个体密度、类群数量、群落多样性、丰富度和均匀度、甲螨群落MGP分析和捕食性螨类MI等指数,研究土壤螨类的群落生态结构特征,了解土地利用差异对土壤螨类群落结构的影响。研究区共捕获土壤螨类3亚目92属8703只,其中隐气门亚目（Cryptostigmata）54属5091只,前气门亚目（Prostigmata）17属1582只,中气门亚目21属2030只。研究结果表明：长春市土地利用差异对土壤螨类群落结构特征影响明显,其中地表凋落物的移除和耕作活动是影响螨类群落结构的主要因素,地表凋落物的移除显著减少螨类群落的类群数、个体密度、群落多样性和丰富度,耕作活动促进螨类个体向土壤剖面下层移动,而地表植物群落类型对土壤螨类群落生态结构特征影响差异不显著。     

Genomic,molecular evolution,and expression analysis of NOX genes in soybean (Glycine max)

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are versatile signaling molecules in sensing stresses and play critical roles in signaling and development. Plasma membrane NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are key producers of ROS, and play important roles in the regulation of plant-pathogen interactions. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the NOX gene family in the soybean genome (Glycine max) and 17 NOX (GmNOX) genes were identified. Structural analysis revealed that the GmNOX proteins in soybean were as conserved as those in other plants. 8 duplicated gene pairs were formed by a Glycine-specific whole-genome duplication (WGD) event approximately 13 million years ago (Mya). The Ka/Ks ratios of GmNOX genes ranged from 0.04 to 0.28, suggesting that the GmNOX family had undergone purifying selection in soybean. Gene expression patterns showed different expression of these duplicate genes, suggesting that the GmNOXs were retained by substantial subfunctionalization during the soybean evolutionary processes. Subsequently, the expression of GmNOXs in response to drought and phytohormones were characterized via qPCR. Importantly, four GmNOXs showed strong expression in nodules, pointing to their probable involvement in nodulation. Thus, our results shed light on the evolutionary history of this family in soybean and contribute to the functional characterization of GmNOX genes in soybean.     

Prenylflavone derivatives from Broussonetia papyrifera,inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Two new prenylflavones 5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxy-3-methoxy-8-geranylflavone (1) and 5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxy-3-methoxy-8,5′-diprenylflavone (2), as well as four known ones, uralenol (3), papyriflavonol A (4), broussoflavonol B (5) and broussochalcone A (6) were isolated and purified from an ethyl acetate-soluble extract of the barks of Broussonetia papyrifera. Their structures were determined with the spectroscopic methods including HR-EI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR. We found that compounds 2–6 showed potent anti-proliferation effects on ER-positive breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro. The IC₅₀ values of compounds 2 and 5 were 4.41 and 4.19 μM respectively after the treatment of 72 h. We also found that compounds 2 and 5 strongly down-regulated expression concentrations of estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) and were able to inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft model of the human breast cancer line BCAP-37 in vivo. Our results demonstrated that prenylflavones from B. Papyrifera exhibit potent anti-tumor activity.     

Disruption of nucleobase stacking to restore reactivity

Strong intermolecular interaction can prevent an organic molecule from dissolving in a reaction solution, thereby jeopardizing its reactivity and usefulness. Nucleobases and nucleosides (especially many purines and their derivatives) are notoriously difficult to dissolve in most organic solvents, generally attributed to their strong intermolecular interactions caused by the aromaticity, polarity and hydrogen-bonding. Guided by our computational study and prediction, to address this challenge, we have found that by doping the reaction solution with toluene (an inert aromatic compound), the added solvent molecules are capable of generating the stacking interaction with the solute molecules (e.g., purine derivatives) and disrupting the intermolecular stacking of the solute molecules. Thus, this inert doping can successfully address the insoluble challenge, dissolve the poorly soluble reactants (such as purine phosphoramidites), and restore the amidite reactivity for oligonucleotide synthesis. Our research has offered a simple strategy to efficiently synthesize labile oligonucleotides, via disrupting stacking interaction with inert aromatic molecules.