The ability to induce an energy band gap in bilayer graphene is an important development in graphene science and opens up potential applications in electronics and photonics. Here we report the ...emergence of permanent electronic and optical band gaps in bilayer graphene upon adsorption of π electron containing molecules. Adsorption of n- or p-type dopant molecules on one layer results in an asymmetric charge distribution between the top and bottom layers and in the formation of an energy gap. The resultant band gap scales linearly with induced carrier density though a slight asymmetry is found between n-type dopants, where the band gap varies as 47 meV/1013 cm–2, and p-type dopants where it varies as 40 meV/1013 cm–2. Decamethylcobaltocene (DMC, n-type) and 3,6-difluoro-2,5,7,7,8,8-hexacyano-quinodimethane (F2-HCNQ, p-type) are found to be the best molecules at inducing the largest electronic band gaps up to 0.15 eV. Optical adsorption transitions in the 2.8–4 μm region of the spectrum can result between states that are not Pauli blocked. Comparison is made between the band gaps calculated from adsorbate-induced electric fields and from average displacement fields found in dual gate bilayer graphene devices. A key advantage of using molecular adsorption with π electron containing molecules is that the high binding energy can induce a permanent band gap and open up possible uses of bilayer graphene in mid-infrared photonic or electronic device applications.
Two-dimensional materials are one of the most active areas of nanomaterials research. Here we report the structural stability, electronic and vibrational properties of different monolayer ...configurations of the group IV elemental materials silicene and germanene. The structure of the stable configuration is calculated and for planar and low (<1 Å) atomic buckling configurations, analysis of the electronic band structure reveals linear band dispersion giving rise to massless Dirac Fermions with a Fermi velocity about two-thirds that of graphene. Monolayer stability is shown to be directly attributed to the phonons present with the instability being driven by the out-of-plane ZA and ZO phonon modes. Long momentum relaxation lengths and high carrier mobilities are predicted for silicene and germanene based devices as carrier relaxation via phonon scattering is found to be inhibited as the electron–optical phonon coupling matrix elements are calculated to be small, being about a factor of 25 times smaller than in graphene. The consequences for phonon scattering, high energy electrical transport and integration of elemental monolayers into electronic devices are further discussed.
Higher-than-normal levels of circulating triglycerides are a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease. Activation of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that is inhibited by angiopoietin-like 4 ...(ANGPTL4), has been shown to reduce levels of circulating triglycerides.
We sequenced the exons of ANGPTL4 in samples obtain from 42,930 participants of predominantly European ancestry in the DiscovEHR human genetics study. We performed tests of association between lipid levels and the missense E40K variant (which has been associated with reduced plasma triglyceride levels) and other inactivating mutations. We then tested for associations between coronary artery disease and the E40K variant and other inactivating mutations in 10,552 participants with coronary artery disease and 29,223 controls. We also tested the effect of a human monoclonal antibody against ANGPTL4 on lipid levels in mice and monkeys.
We identified 1661 heterozygotes and 17 homozygotes for the E40K variant and 75 participants who had 13 other monoallelic inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4. The levels of triglycerides were 13% lower and the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were 7% higher among carriers of the E40K variant than among noncarriers. Carriers of the E40K variant were also significantly less likely than noncarriers to have coronary artery disease (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70 to 0.92; P=0.002). K40 homozygotes had markedly lower levels of triglycerides and higher levels of HDL cholesterol than did heterozygotes. Carriers of other inactivating mutations also had lower triglyceride levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels and were less likely to have coronary artery disease than were noncarriers. Monoclonal antibody inhibition of Angptl4 in mice and monkeys reduced triglyceride levels.
Carriers of E40K and other inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4 had lower levels of triglycerides and a lower risk of coronary artery disease than did noncarriers. The inhibition of Angptl4 in mice and monkeys also resulted in corresponding reductions in these values. (Funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.).
Future generation local communication systems will need to employ THz frequency bands capable of transferring sizable amounts of data. Current THz technology via electrical excitation is limited by ...the upper limits of device cutoff frequencies and by the lower limits of optical transitions in quantum confined structures. Current metallic THz antennas require high power to overcome scattering losses and tend to have low antenna efficiency. It is shown here via calculation and simulation that graphene can sustain electromagnetic propagation at THz frequencies via engineering the intra‐ and interband contributions to the dynamical conductivity to produce a variable surface impedance microstrip antenna with a several hundred GHz bandwidth. The optimization of a circular graphene microstrip patch antenna on silicon with an optimized return loss of −26 dB, a −10 dB bandwidth of 504 GHz, and an antenna efficiency of −3.4 dB operating at a frequency of 2 THz is reported. An improved antenna efficiency of −0.36 dB can be found at 3.5 THz but is accompanied by a lower bandwidth of about 200 GHz. Such large bandwidths and antenna efficiencies offer significant hope for graphene‐based flexible directional antennas that can be employed for future THz local device‐to‐device communications.
Graphene is shown to sustain electromagnetic wave propagation at THz frequencies and leads to ultrawide band antennas of several hundred GHz bandwidth and is a route to bridge the so‐called THz gap. Such a technology will open up the possibility of efficient data transfer at high rates for local device‐to‐device communications on flexible and conformal substrates.
Geisinger Health System (GHS) provides an ideal platform for Precision Medicine. Key elements are the integrated health system, stable patient population, and electronic health record (EHR) ...infrastructure. In 2007, Geisinger launched MyCode, a system-wide biobanking program to link samples and EHR data for broad research use.
Patient-centered input into MyCode was obtained using participant focus groups. Participation in MyCode is based on opt-in informed consent and allows recontact, which facilitates collection of data not in the EHR and, since 2013, the return of clinically actionable results to participants. MyCode leverages Geisinger's technology and clinical infrastructure for participant tracking and sample collection.
MyCode has a consent rate of >85%, with more than 90,000 participants currently and with ongoing enrollment of ~4,000 per month. MyCode samples have been used to generate molecular data, including high-density genotype and exome sequence data. Genotype and EHR-derived phenotype data replicate previously reported genetic associations.
The MyCode project has created resources that enable a new model for translational research that is faster, more flexible, and more cost-effective than traditional clinical research approaches. The new model is scalable and will increase in value as these resources grow and are adopted across multiple research platforms.Genet Med 18 9, 906-913.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver illness with a genetically heterogeneous background that can be accompanied by considerable morbidity and attendant health care ...costs. The pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD is complex with many unanswered questions. We conducted genome-wide association studies (GWASs) using both adult and pediatric participants from the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network to identify novel genetic contributors to this condition.
First, a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm was developed, tested, and deployed at each site to identify 1106 NAFLD cases and 8571 controls and histological data from liver tissue in 235 available participants. These include 1242 pediatric participants (396 cases, 846 controls). The algorithm included billing codes, text queries, laboratory values, and medication records. Next, GWASs were performed on NAFLD cases and controls and case-only analyses using histologic scores and liver function tests adjusting for age, sex, site, ancestry, PC, and body mass index (BMI).
Consistent with previous results, a robust association was detected for the PNPLA3 gene cluster in participants with European ancestry. At the PNPLA3-SAMM50 region, three SNPs, rs738409, rs738408, and rs3747207, showed strongest association (best SNP rs738409 p = 1.70 × 10
). This effect was consistent in both pediatric (p = 9.92 × 10
) and adult (p = 9.73 × 10
) cohorts. Additionally, this variant was also associated with disease severity and NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) (p = 3.94 × 10
, beta = 0.85). PheWAS analysis link this locus to a spectrum of liver diseases beyond NAFLD with a novel negative correlation with gout (p = 1.09 × 10
). We also identified novel loci for NAFLD disease severity, including one novel locus for NAS score near IL17RA (rs5748926, p = 3.80 × 10
), and another near ZFP90-CDH1 for fibrosis (rs698718, p = 2.74 × 10
). Post-GWAS and gene-based analyses identified more than 300 genes that were used for functional and pathway enrichment analyses.
In summary, this study demonstrates clear confirmation of a previously described NAFLD risk locus and several novel associations. Further collaborative studies including an ethnically diverse population with well-characterized liver histologic features of NAFLD are needed to further validate the novel findings.
The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network is a National Human Genome Research Institute–funded consortium engaged in the development of methods and best practices for using the electronic ...medical record as a tool for genomic research. Now in its sixth year and second funding cycle, and comprising nine research groups and a coordinating center, the network has played a major role in validating the concept that clinical data derived from electronic medical records can be used successfully for genomic research. Current work is advancing knowledge in multiple disciplines at the intersection of genomics and health-care informatics, particularly for electronic phenotyping, genome-wide association studies, genomic medicine implementation, and the ethical and regulatory issues associated with genomics research and returning results to study participants. Here, we describe the evolution, accomplishments, opportunities, and challenges of the network from its inception as a five-group consortium focused on genotype–phenotype associations for genomic discovery to its current form as a nine-group consortium pivoting toward the implementation of genomic medicine.
Genet Med15 10, 761–771.
The UK Biobank is a prospective study of 502,543 individuals, combining extensive phenotypic and genotypic data with streamlined access for researchers around the world
. Here we describe the release ...of exome-sequence data for the first 49,960 study participants, revealing approximately 4 million coding variants (of which around 98.6% have a frequency of less than 1%). The data include 198,269 autosomal predicted loss-of-function (LOF) variants, a more than 14-fold increase compared to the imputed sequence. Nearly all genes (more than 97%) had at least one carrier with a LOF variant, and most genes (more than 69%) had at least ten carriers with a LOF variant. We illustrate the power of characterizing LOF variants in this population through association analyses across 1,730 phenotypes. In addition to replicating established associations, we found novel LOF variants with large effects on disease traits, including PIEZO1 on varicose veins, COL6A1 on corneal resistance, MEPE on bone density, and IQGAP2 and GMPR on blood cell traits. We further demonstrate the value of exome sequencing by surveying the prevalence of pathogenic variants of clinical importance, and show that 2% of this population has a medically actionable variant. Furthermore, we characterize the penetrance of cancer in carriers of pathogenic BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants. Exome sequences from the first 49,960 participants highlight the promise of genome sequencing in large population-based studies and are now accessible to the scientific community.
Ultrasonication is widely used to exfoliate two dimensional (2D) van der Waals layered materials such as graphene. Its fundamental mechanism, inertial cavitation, is poorly understood and often ...ignored in ultrasonication strategies resulting in low exfoliation rates, low material yields and wide flake size distributions, making the graphene dispersions produced by ultrasonication less economically viable. Here we report that few-layer graphene yields of up to 18% in three hours can be achieved by optimising inertial cavitation dose during ultrasonication. We demonstrate that inertial cavitation preferentially exfoliates larger flakes and that the graphene exfoliation rate and flake dimensions are strongly correlated with, and therefore can be controlled by, inertial cavitation dose. Furthermore, inertial cavitation is shown to preferentially exfoliate larger graphene flakes which causes the exfoliation rate to decrease as a function of sonication time. This study demonstrates that measurement and control of inertial cavitation is critical in optimising the high yield sonication-assisted aqueous liquid phase exfoliation of size-selected nanomaterials. Future development of this method should lead to the development of high volume flow cell production of 2D van der Waals layered nanomaterials.
To identify genetic variation underlying atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, we performed a genome-wide association study of >1,000,000 people, including 60,620 atrial ...fibrillation cases and 970,216 controls. We identified 142 independent risk variants at 111 loci and prioritized 151 functional candidate genes likely to be involved in atrial fibrillation. Many of the identified risk variants fall near genes where more deleterious mutations have been reported to cause serious heart defects in humans (GATA4, MYH6, NKX2-5, PITX2, TBX5)
, or near genes important for striated muscle function and integrity (for example, CFL2, MYH7, PKP2, RBM20, SGCG, SSPN). Pathway and functional enrichment analyses also suggested that many of the putative atrial fibrillation genes act via cardiac structural remodeling, potentially in the form of an 'atrial cardiomyopathy'
, either during fetal heart development or as a response to stress in the adult heart.
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