Hippo effectors YAP and TAZ control cell fate and survival through various mechanisms, including transcriptional regulation of key genes. However, much of this research has been marked by conflicting ...results, as well as controversy over whether YAP and TAZ are redundant. A substantial portion of the discordance stems from their contradictory roles in stem cell self-renewal vs. differentiation and cancer cell survival vs. apoptosis. In this review, we present an overview of the multiple context-dependent functions of YAP and TAZ in regulating cell fate decisions in stem cells and organoids, as well as their mechanisms of controlling programmed cell death pathways in cancer.
The efficient conversion of an electrical signal to an optical signal in nanophotonics enables solid state integration of electronics and photonics. The combination of graphene with photonic crystals ...is promising for electro-optic modulation. In this paper, we demonstrate that by electrostatic gating a single layer of graphene on top of a photonic crystal cavity, the cavity resonance can be changed significantly. A ∼2 nm change in the cavity resonance line width and almost 400% (6 dB) change in resonance reflectivity is observed. In addition, our analysis shows that a graphene–photonic crystal device can potentially be useful for a high speed and low power absorptive and refractive modulator, while maintaining a small physical footprint.
Coulomb attraction between electrons and holes in a narrow-gap semiconductor or a semimetal is predicted to lead to an elusive phase of matter dubbed excitonic insulator. However, direct observation ...of such electronic instability remains extremely rare. Here, we report the observation of incipient divergence in the static excitonic susceptibility of the candidate material Ta2NiSe5 using Raman spectroscopy. Critical fluctuations of the excitonic order parameter give rise to quasi-elastic scattering of B2g symmetry, whose intensity grows inversely with temperature toward the Weiss temperature of TW ≈ 241 K, which is arrested by a structural phase transition driven by an acoustic phonon of the same symmetry at TC = 325 K. Concurrently, a B2g optical phonon becomes heavily damped to the extent that its trace is almost invisible around TC, which manifests a strong electron-phonon coupling that has obscured the identification of the low-temperature phase as an excitonic insulator for more than a decade. Our results unambiguously reveal the electronic origin of the phase transition.Concominant structural and electronic phase transitions in the excitonic insulator candidate Ta2NiSe5 make the identification of the driving mechanism of the transition challenging. Here, the authors report evidence for electronically-driven transition via Raman susceptibility measurements.
Van der Waals heterostructures have recently emerged as a new class of materials, where quantum coupling between stacked atomically thin two-dimensional layers, including graphene, hexagonal-boron ...nitride and transition-metal dichalcogenides (MX2), give rise to fascinating new phenomena. MX2 heterostructures are particularly exciting for novel optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications, because two-dimensional MX2 monolayers can have an optical bandgap in the near-infrared to visible spectral range and exhibit extremely strong light-matter interactions. Theory predicts that many stacked MX2 heterostructures form type II semiconductor heterojunctions that facilitate efficient electron-hole separation for light detection and harvesting. Here, we report the first experimental observation of ultrafast charge transfer in photoexcited MoS2/WS2 heterostructures using both photoluminescence mapping and femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. We show that hole transfer from the MoS2 layer to the WS2 layer takes place within 50 fs after optical excitation, a remarkable rate for van der Waals coupled two-dimensional layers. Such ultrafast charge transfer in van der Waals heterostructures can enable novel two-dimensional devices for optoelectronics and light harvesting.
This study examines whether the performance of a business unit affects the likelihood of employees’ promotion in an organization and explores potential moderators of the relationship. Using a sample ...of 4,657 executive-years in Samsung Group affiliates, it finds that promotions are more likely with good organizational performance, as measured in terms of employment growth and return on assets (ROA). The main finding is robust to alternatively specified ROA variables. The results reveal that the association (i) exists only for rank promotions with a substantial increase in compensation but not for function promotions involving substantial job changes, (ii) is significant only for executives at relatively lower ranks, and (iii) is stronger in business units that allow more frequent internal transfers. The findings from the conglomerate suggest practical enabling mechanisms by which large, decentralized, and growth-decelerating firms can overcome a tradeoff between the maximization of promotion-based incentives and the efficient operation of a hierarchy.
Phosphorene, a single atomic layer of black phosphorus, has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional (2D) material that holds promise for electronic and photonic technologies. Here we experimentally ...demonstrate that the electronic structure of few-layer phosphorene varies significantly with the number of layers, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The interband optical transitions cover a wide, technologically important spectral range from the visible to the mid-infrared. In addition, we observe strong photoluminescence in few-layer phosphorene at energies that closely match the absorption edge, indicating that they are direct bandgap semiconductors. The strongly layer-dependent electronic structure of phosphorene, in combination with its high electrical mobility, gives it distinct advantages over other 2D materials in electronic and opto-electronic applications.
Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) layered materials, including graphene, boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), can exhibit novel phenomena distinct from their bulk ...counterparts and hold great promise for novel electronic and optoelectronic applications. Controlled growth of such 2D materials with different thickness, composition, and symmetry are of central importance to realize their potential. In particular, the ability to control the symmetry of TMD layers is highly desirable because breaking the inversion symmetry can lead to intriguing valley physics, nonlinear optical properties, and piezoelectric responses. Here we report the first chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of spirals of layered MoS2 with atomically thin helical periodicity, which exhibits a chiral structure and breaks the three-dimensional (3D) inversion symmetry explicitly. The spirals composed of tens of connected MoS2 layers with decreasing areas: each basal plane has a triangular shape and shrinks gradually to the summit when spiraling up. All the layers in the spiral assume an AA lattice stacking, which is in contrast to the centrosymmetric AB stacking in natural MoS2 crystals. We show that the noncentrosymmetric MoS2 spiral leads to a strong bulk second-order optical nonlinearity. In addition, we found that the growth of spirals involves a dislocation mechanism, which can be generally applicable to other 2D TMD materials.
Td-WTe2 (non-centrosymmetric and orthorhombic), a type-II Weyl semimetal, is expected to have higher-order topological phases with topologically protected, helical one-dimensional hinge states when ...its Weyl points are annihilated. However, the detection of these hinge states is difficult due to the semimetallic behaviour of the bulk. In this study, we have spatially resolved the hinge states by analysing the magnetic field interference of the supercurrent in Nb–WTe2–Nb proximity Josephson junctions. The Josephson current along the a axis of the WTe2 crystal, but not along the b axis, showed a sharp enhancement at the edges of the junction, and the amount of enhanced Josephson current was comparable to the upper limits of a single one-dimensional helical channel. Our experimental observations suggest a higher-order topological phase in WTe2 and its corresponding anisotropic topological hinge states, in agreement with theoretical calculations. Our work paves the way for the study of hinge states in topological transition-metal dichalcogenides and analogous phases.Transport measurements and calculations show that WTe2 may be a higher-order topological insulator with topological hinge states.
Much attention has focused on a small set of transcription factors that maintain human or mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells in a pluripotent state. To gain a more complete understanding of the ...regulatory network that maintains this state, we identified target promoters of nine transcription factors, including somatic cell reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc) and others (Nanog, Dax1, Rex1, Zpf281, and Nac1), on a global scale in mouse ES cells. We found that target genes fall into two classes: promoters bound by few factors tend to be inactive or repressed, whereas promoters bound by more than four factors are largely active in the pluripotent state and become repressed upon differentiation. Furthermore, we propose a transcriptional hierarchy for reprogramming factors and broadly distinguish targets of c-Myc versus other factors. Our data provide a resource for exploration of the complex network maintaining pluripotency.
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