Abstract
The control of the in-plane domain evolution in ferroelectric thin films is not only critical to understanding ferroelectric phenomena but also to enabling functional device fabrication. ...However, in-plane polarized ferroelectric thin films typically exhibit complicated multi-domain states, not desirable for optoelectronic device performance. Here we report a strategy combining interfacial symmetry engineering and anisotropic strain to design single-domain, in-plane polarized ferroelectric BaTiO
3
thin films. Theoretical calculations predict the key role of the BaTiO
3
/PrScO
3
$${({{{\boldsymbol{110}}})}_{{{\bf{O}}}$$
(
110
)
O
substrate interfacial environment, where anisotropic strain, monoclinic distortions, and interfacial electrostatic potential stabilize a single-variant spontaneous polarization. A combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, ferroelectric hysteresis loop measurements, and second harmonic generation measurements directly reveals the stabilization of the in-plane quasi-single-domain polarization state. This work offers design principles for engineering in-plane domains of ferroelectric oxide thin films, which is a prerequisite for high performance optoelectronic devices.
The greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus) is a member of the Family Lemuridae that is unique in their dependency on bamboo as a primary food source. This Critically Endangered species lives in small ...forest patches in eastern Madagascar, occupying a fraction of its historical range. Here we sequence the genome of the greater bamboo lemur for the first time, and provide genome resources for future studies of this species that can be applied across its distribution.
Following whole genome sequencing of five individuals we identified over 152,000 polymorphic single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and evaluated geographic structuring across nearly 19 k SNVs. We characterized a stronger signal associated with a north-south divide than across elevations for our limited samples. We also evaluated the demographic history of this species, and infer a dramatic population crash. This species had the largest effective population size (estimated between ~ 900,000 to one million individuals) between approximately 60,000-90,000 years before present (ybp), during a time in which global climate change affected terrestrial mammals worldwide. We also note the single sample from the northern portion of the extant range had the largest effective population size around 35,000 ybp.
From our whole genome sequencing we recovered an average genomic heterozygosity of 0.0037%, comparable to other lemurs. Our demographic history reconstructions recovered a probable climate-related decline (60-90,000 ybp), followed by a second population decrease following human colonization, which has reduced the species to a census size of approximately 1000 individuals. The historical distribution was likely a vast portion of Madagascar, minimally estimated at 44,259 km
, while the contemporary distribution is only ~ 1700 km
. The decline in effective population size of 89-99.9% corresponded to a vast range retraction. Conservation management of this species is crucial to retain genetic diversity across the remaining isolated populations.
Some primate populations include both trichromatic and dichromatic (red–green colour blind) individuals due to allelic variation at the X-linked opsin locus. This polymorphic trichromacy is well ...described in day-active New World monkeys. Less is known about colour vision in Malagasy lemurs, but, unlike New World monkeys, only some day-active lemurs are polymorphic, while others are dichromatic. The evolutionary pressures underlying these differences in lemurs are unknown, but aspects of species ecology, including variation in activity pattern, are hypothesized to play a role. Limited data on X-linked opsin variation in lemurs make such hypotheses difficult to evaluate. We provide the first detailed examination of X-linked opsin variation across a lemur clade (Indriidae). We sequenced the X-linked opsin in the most strictly diurnal and largest extant lemur, Indri indri, and nine species of smaller, generally diurnal indriids (Propithecus). Although nocturnal Avahi (sister taxon to Propithecus) lacks a polymorphism, at least eight species of diurnal indriids have two or more X-linked opsin alleles. Four rainforest-living taxa—I. indri and the three largest Propithecus species—have alleles not previously documented in lemurs. Moreover, we identified at least three opsin alleles in Indri with peak spectral sensitivities similar to some New World monkeys.
To elucidate the magnetic structure and the origin of the nematicity in FeSe, we perform a high-pressure ^{77}Se NMR study on FeSe single crystals. We find a suppression of the structural transition ...temperature with pressure up to about 2 GPa from the anisotropy of the Knight shift. Above 2 GPa, a stripe-order antiferromagnetism that breaks the spatial fourfold rotational symmetry is determined by the NMR spectra under different field orientations and with temperatures down to 50 mK. The magnetic phase transition is revealed to be first-order type, implying the existence of a concomitant structural transition via a spin-lattice coupling. Stripe-type spin fluctuations are observed at high temperatures, and remain strong with pressure. These results provide clear evidence for strong coupling between nematicity and magnetism in FeSe, and therefore support a universal scenario of magnetic driven nematicity in iron-based superconductors.
Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is an essential cell-cycle regulator that is frequently overexpressed in various human cancers. To determine whether Plk1 overexpression drives tumorigenesis, we established ...transgenic mouse lines that ubiquitously express increased levels of Plk1. High Plk1 levels were a driving force for different types of spontaneous tumors. Increased Plk1 levels resulted in multiple defects in mitosis and cytokinesis, supernumerary centrosomes, and compromised cell-cycle checkpoints, allowing accumulation of chromosomal instability (CIN), which resulted in aneuploidy and tumor formation. Clinically, higher expression of PLK1 positively associated with an increase in genome-wide copy-number alterations in multiple human cancers. This study provides
evidence that aberrant expression of PLK1 triggers CIN and tumorigenesis and highlights potential therapeutic opportunities for CIN-positive cancers. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings establish roles for PLK1 as a potent proto-oncogene and a CIN gene and provide insights for the development of effective treatment regimens across PLK1-overexpressing and CIN-positive cancers.
The degradation characteristics of MOCVD grown InGaAsP/InGaAs dual junction solar cells, irradiated by 1 MeV electron, 3 MeV and 10 MeV proton, have been investigated. Main electrical and optical ...properties of solar cell degraded seriously with the increase of irradiation fluences due to the irradiation induced defects which are acting as non-radiative recombination centers in the active layers of the solar cell. The remaining factor of Pmax is 0.67, 0.53 and 0.51 for 1 MeV electron, 10 MeV proton, and 3 MeV proton irradiation, respectively, when the displacement damage dose (DDD) is 3.16×1010 MeV/g. The degradation of external quantum efficiency (EQE) of each subcell mainly occurred in the long wavelength region, the integrated current density Jsc of InGaAsP and InGaAs subcells degraded more seriously upon 3 MeV and 10 MeV proton irradiation comparing to 1 MeV electron irradiation. The InGaAsP subcell turned out to be the current limiting unit due to the lower Jsc before and post irradiation. By applying equivalent displacement damage dose model, the relative damage coefficient for 3 MeV proton to 10 MeV proton and 1 MeV electron to 10 MeV proton have been calculated.
•InGaAsP/InGaAs solar cells are studied upon electron and proton irradiation.•Degradation characteristics of solar cell properties are studied.•Simulation results are applied for analysing irradiation induced defects.•Relative damage coefficient for electron to proton irradiation are calculated.
Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th ...century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.
A new welding protective clothing system has been proposed to enhance the protective performance, comfort, and safety of welding protective clothing, considering the hazards associated with welding ...processes. The structure and fabric of the protective clothing carrier were redesigned, and a safety and protection system based on Internet of Things technology was developed. Objective tests and subjective evaluations were conducted on the protective clothing system. The results of objective tests showed that compared to regular welding protective clothing, the new protective clothing exhibited significant improvements in flame resistance, light resistance, and mechanical performance, with relatively lower vapor resistance. In subjective evaluations, the subjective evaluation scores (on a 5-point scale) of the new welding protective clothing were 26.46% and 27.95% higher than those of regular welding protective clothing, respectively (p ≤ .05). Furthermore, the protective clothing system demonstrated a highly sensitive monitoring and feedback mechanism during testing, which can enhance workers’ ability to withstand risks and improve their psychological safety. The research on welding protective clothing with safety functions not only provides reference for innovative design of traditional welding protective clothing, but also lays a theoretical foundation for further research on other types of protective clothing.
Tumor-specific immune tolerance limits the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. In addition, tumor vaccines alone have a limited potential for the treatment of measurable tumor burdens. This highlights ...the importance of identifying more potent cancer vaccine strategies for clinical testing. We tested immune-modulating doses of chemotherapy in combination with a granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting, HER-2/neu (neu)-expressing whole-cell vaccine as a means to treat existing mammary tumors in antigen-specific tolerized neu transgenic mice. Earlier studies have shown that neu transgenic mice exhibit immune tolerance to the neu-expressing tumors similar to what is observed in patients with cancer. We found that cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin, when given in a defined sequence with a GM-CSF-secreting, neu-expressing whole-cell vaccine, enhanced the vaccine's potential to delay tumor growth in neu transgenic mice. In addition, we showed that these drugs mediate their effects by enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine rather than via a direct cytolytic effect on cancer cells. Furthermore, paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide appear to amplify the T helper 1 neu-specific T-cell response. These findings suggest that the combined treatment with immune-modulating doses of chemotherapy and the GM-CSF-secreting neu vaccine can overcome immune tolerance and induce an antigen-specific antitumor immune response. These data provide the immunological rationale for testing immune-modulating doses of chemotherapy in combination with tumor vaccines in patients with cancer.
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