ITO‐free polymer solar cells with efficiencies as high as 6.6% and 5.8% are fabricated on glass and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) by using TeO2 to enhance the in‐coupling of light in an Ag–Ag ...microcavity. These cells exhibit higher performance, selective microcavity resonance as a function of the thickness of TeO2, and better bending stability than flexible devices made with ITO.
mRNA accumulation is tightly regulated by diverse molecular pathways. The identification and characterization of enzymes and regulatory proteins involved in controlling the fate of mRNA offers the ...possibility to broaden our understanding of posttranscriptional gene regulation. Processing bodies (P bodies, PB) are cytoplasmic protein complexes involved in degradation and translational arrest of mRNA. Composition and dynamics of these subcellular structures have been studied in animal systems, yeasts and in the model plant Arabidopsis. Their assembly implies the aggregation of specific factors related to decapping, deadenylation, and exoribonucleases that operate synchronously to regulate certain mRNA targets during development and adaptation to stress. Although the general function of PB along with the flow of genetic information is understood, several questions still remain open. This review summarizes data on the composition, potential molecular roles, and biological significance of PB and potentially related proteins in Arabidopsis.
Summary
Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are key signalling modules of plant defence responses to pathogen‐associated molecular patterns PAMPs; e.g. the bacterial peptide flagellin ...(flg22). Tandem zinc finger protein 9 (TZF9) is a RNA‐binding protein that is phosphorylated by two PAMP‐responsive MAPKs, MPK3 and MPK6. We mapped the major phosphosites in TZF9 and showed their importance for controlling in vitro RNA‐binding activity, in vivo flg22‐induced rapid disappearance of TZF9‐labelled processing body‐like structures and TZF9 protein turnover. Microarray analysis showed a strong discordance between transcriptome (total mRNA) and translatome (polysome‐associated mRNA) in the tzf9 mutant, with more mRNAs associated with ribosomes in the absence of TZF9. This suggests that TZF9 may sequester and inhibit the translation of subsets of mRNAs. Fittingly, TZF9 physically interacts with poly(A)‐binding protein 2 (PAB2), a hallmark constituent of stress granules – sites for stress‐induced translational stalling/arrest. TZF9 even promotes the assembly of stress granules in the absence of stress. Hence, MAPKs may control defence gene expression post‐transcriptionally through release from translation arrest within TZF9–PAB2‐containing RNA granules or by perturbing the function of PAB2 in translation control (e.g. in the mRNA closed‐loop model of translation).
Significance Statement
The zinc finger protein TZF9 determines defence gene expression through translational arrest of mRNAs, with its localization in RNA granules, protein stability and RNA‐binding properties controlled by mitogen‐activated protein kinase‐mediated phosphorylation.
Renewable energy projects have been launched throughout Mexico in order to deliver clean and affordable energy worldwide. The aims of this research are: (i) to know the current status of electricity ...generation through solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower in Mexico, (ii) to determine the renewable energy potential in Mexico and its generation schemes, and (iii) to analyze the social and environmental challenges that these technologies are going to face in Mexico. This paper highlights for the first time a comprehensive review of the current status of renewable energy projects for electricity generation in Mexico and the potential impact of these technologies in the social and environmental areas. The results presented are based on a critical review of the energy policy and regulation, as well as statistical data on electricity generation in Mexico. It was found that in Mexico 62GWh/year were generated by solar photovoltaic technology of which 49GWh/year were produced by 6 private projects and 13GWh/year by 2 generating plants of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). There is a proven potential to generate 16,351GWh/year through solar energy. Although the proven potential for wind power generation in Mexico is 19,805GWh/year, wind power is exploited by onshore technology, with a generation of 7675GWh/year of which the CFE produced 220GWh/year through 3 generating plants, while 27 private producers generated 7455GWh/year. In Mexico, the main renewable technologies used to generate electricity are hydropower, onshore wind farms, and geothermal. Mexico has a great potential to generate electricity from renewable sources, however the government must encourage its use through the appropriate mechanisms in order to achieve its proposed goals of generating 35% of total electricity from clean sources by 2025, improve the social welfare, and shape a sustainable future.
carbo‐Benzene is an aromatic molecule devised by inserting C2 units within each C−C bond of the benzene molecule. By integrating the corresponding carbo‐quinoid core as bridging unit in a π‐extended ...tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF), it is shown that a carbo‐benzene ring can be reversibly formed by electrochemical reduction or oxidation. The so‐called carbo‐exTTF molecule was thus experimentally prepared and studied by UV–visible absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, as well as by X‐ray crystallography and by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on a surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The molecule and its oxidized and reduced forms were subjected to a computational study at the density functional theory (DFT) level, supporting carbo‐aromaticity as a driving force for the formation of the dication, radical cation, and radical anion. By allowing co‐planarity of the dithiolylidene rings and carbo‐quinoidal core, carbo‐exTTFs present a promising new class of redox‐active systems.
Outreach: The family of extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) molecules is expanded to core‐carbo‐meric versions through a carbo‐p‐quinoidal representative, whose redox pro‐aromatic C18 core is shown to be compatible with stability, supramolecular 2D assembly, and reversible redox properties.
Marine bacteria are considered as promising sources for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds. In this study, samples of sediment, invertebrate and algae were collected from the ...Providencia and Santa Catalina coral reef (Colombian Caribbean Sea) with the aim of isolating Actinobateria-like strain able to produce antimicrobial and quorum quenching compounds against pathogens. Several approaches were used to select actinobacterial isolates, obtaining 203 strains from all samples. According to their 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a total of 24 strains was classified within Actinobacteria represented by three genera: Streptomyces, Micromonospora, and Gordonia. In order to assess their metabolic profiles, the actinobacterial strains were grown in liquid cultures, and LC-MS-based analyses from ethyl acetate fractions were performed. Based on taxonomical classification, screening information of activity against phytopathogenic strains and quorum quenching activity, as well as metabolic profiling, six out of the 24 isolates were selected for follow-up with chemical isolation and structure identification analyses of putative metabolites involved in antimicrobial activities.
•Synthesis of molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles (NPs) for photovoltaic applications.•Organic solar cells (OSCs): doped active layer NPs and non-evaporated top electrode.•Molybdenum disulfide ...nanospheres at 1 % doping enhances efficiency in 11.2 %.•Localized surface plasmonic resonance, one reason for improved efficiency in OSCs.
Herein, MoS2 nanostructures were synthetized and characterized, as well as PM6:Y7 based organic solar cells (OSCs) were fabricated, tested, and modelled through SCAPS-1D software. Devices were assembled and tested under regular atmosphere conditions including the top electrode Field's Metal (FM), which is a eutectic alloy of Bi, In and Sn easily deposited by melting it at ∼ 95 °C. The modelled binary OSCs through SCAPS-1D achieved a PCE of 14.2%. The active layer was doped with MoS2 nanoparticles at two different concentrations, 1 and 2% v/v, the reached experimental average PCE values were 9.1%, 10.2% and 9.3% for control devices, and for the two doping concentrations, respectively; it means a PCE percentage enhancement of 11.2% when doping at 1% of MoS2. The enhanced experimental PCE value could be partially explained because of the light absorption into the active layer through the localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) phenomenon induced by the nanostructures, among other optical phenomena such as light reflection and interference effects.
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Here is presented the use of two graphene derivatives in organic solar cells (OSCs) based on PTB7:70PCBM active layer. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as hole transport layer (HTL). Also, ...solution-processable functionalized graphene (SPFG) was incorporated as a third component in the active layer. Furthermore, the top electrode was either Field’s metal (FM): Bi/In/Sn or BS: Bi/Sn, eutectic alloys that melt at 62 and 138 °C, respectively; they are vacuum-free deposited by drop coating under normal atmosphere conditions. For OSCs with rGO as HTL, thin films were prepared by reiterative spin-deposition and thermal reduction of GO after each deposition. The best results were achieved for 6-rGO with a PCE = 5.50%, similar to that reached in control devices, i.e., PEDOT:PSS as HTL. On the other hand, ternary active layers were prepared by blending SPFG, at different weight ratios: 0, 2, 4, and 6 wt. %, with PTB7:70PCBM. An increment in PCE (6.73%) for OSCs with 4 wt. % of SPFG was found, which is 22% larger than that of the reference devices. Finally, PCEs of 5.52% and 5.31% were reached in OSCs fabricated and tested under normal room conditions with FM and BS, respectively.
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In this work, scanning probe microscopies (SPMs) are used for the analysis of PBDB-T, ITIC, and PBDB-T:ITIC layers of solar cells (OSCs). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of PBDB-T reveal ...that thin films (<1 nm) tend to form worm-like pattern (amorphous type) domains with an average chain-to-chain distance of 950 pm; likewise, STM images of ITIC show that side arms form chain-like patterns. STM images of PBDB-T:ITIC blend suggest why PBDB-T domains could facilitate charge dissociation. Further, a strong interchain π–π interaction of the ITIC molecules could promote self-organization, and under the mutual interaction with the PBDB-T polymer, it could influence the pathway formation for electron transport. Moreover, when correlating electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) and photoconductive atomic force microscopy (pc-AFM), the blend morphology and its electrical/electronic properties are determined; the ideal domain size of PBDB-T:ITIC blend phases for maximizing the generated photocurrent is 15–35 nm. Furthermore, phase contrast and surface electric potential characteristics with Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) are measured to examine additional details about the surface and potential changes due to the domain differences in the active layer. OSCs based on the nonfullerene PBDB-T:ITIC active layer reach an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.1% (best 9.2%).
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