| 1. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 2. |
- Zhang, Ben, et al.
(författare)
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Rapid solidification for green-solvent-processed large-area organic solar modules with >16% efficiency
- 2024
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Ingår i: Energy & Environmental Science. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1754-5692 .- 1754-5706.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Enabling green-solvent-processed large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) is of great significance to their industrialization. However, precisely controlling the temperature-dependent fluid mechanics and evaporation behavior of green solvents with high-boiling points is challenging. Controlling these parameters is essential to prevent the non-uniform distribution of active layer components and severe molecule aggregation, which collectively degrade the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of large-scale devices. In this study, we revealed that the temperature gradient distribution across a wet film is the root of the notorious Marangoni effect, which leads to the formation of a severely non-uniform active layer on a large scale. Thus, a rapid solidification strategy was proposed to accelerate the evaporation of toluene, a green solvent, at room temperature. This strategy simultaneously inhibits the Marangoni effect and suppresses molecular aggregation in the wet film, allowing the formation of a nano-scale phase separation active layer with uniform morphology. The resultant toluene-processed 15.64-cm2 large-area OSC module achieves an outstanding PCE of 16.03% (certified: 15.69%), which represents the highest reported PCE of green-solvent-processed OSC modules. Notably, this strategy also exhibits a weak scale dependence on the PCE, and we successfully achieved a state-of-the-art PCE of 14.45% for a 72.00-cm2 OSC module. A rapid solidification strategy was developed for simultaneously avoiding the Marangoni effect and suppressing molecular aggregation. The resultant 15.64 cm2 large-area OSC module exhibited a record power conversion efficiency of 16.03%.
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| 3. |
- Chen, Haiyang, et al.
(författare)
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A guest-assisted molecular-organization approach for >17% efficiency organic solar cells using environmentally friendly solvents
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546. ; 6:11, s. 1045-1053
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of laboratory-sized organic solar cells (OSCs), usually processed from low-boiling-point and toxic solvents, have reached high values of over 18%. However, there is usually a notable drop of the PCEs when green solvents are used, limiting practical development of OSCs. Herein, we obtain certificated PCEs over 17% in OSCs processed from a green solvent paraxylene (PX) by a guest-assisted assembly strategy, where a third component (guest) is employed to manipulate the molecular interaction of the binary blend. In addition, the high-boiling-point green solvent PX also enables us to deposit a uniform large-area module (36 cm(2)) with a high efficiency of over 14%. The strong molecular interaction between the host and guest molecules also enhances the operational stability of the devices. Our guest-assisted assembly strategy provides a unique approach to develop large-area and high-efficiency OSCs processed from green solvents, paving the way for industrial development of OSCs. Organic solar cells processed from green solvents are easier to implement in manufacturing yet their efficiency is low. Chen et al. devise a guest molecule to improve the molecular packing, enabling devices with over 17% efficiency.
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| 4. |
- Chen, Haiyang, et al.
(författare)
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Heterogeneous Nucleating Agent for High-Boiling-Point Nonhalogenated Solvent-Processed Organic Solar Cells and Modules
- 2024
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-boiling-point nonhalogenated solvents are superior solvents to produce large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) in industry because of their wide processing window and low toxicity; while, these solvents with slow evaporation kinetics will lead excessive aggregation of state-of-the-art small molecule acceptors (e.g. L8-BO), delivering serious efficiency losses. Here, a heterogeneous nucleating agent strategy is developed by grafting oligo (ethylene glycol) side-chains on L8-BO (BTO-BO). The formation energy of the obtained BTO-BO; while, changing from liquid in a solvent to a crystalline phase, is lower than that of L8-BO irrespective of the solvent type. When BTO-BO is added as the third component into the active layer (e.g. PM6:L8-BO), it easily assembles to form numerous seed crystals, which serve as nucleation sites to trigger heterogeneous nucleation and increase nucleation density of L8-BO through strong hydrogen bonding interactions even in high-boiling-point nonhalogenated solvents. Therefore, it can effectively suppress excessive aggregation during growth, achieving ideal phase-separation active layer with small domain sizes and high crystallinity. The resultant toluene-processed OSCs exhibit a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.42% (certificated 19.12%) with excellent operational stability. The strategy also has superior advantages in large-scale devices, showing a 15.03-cm2 module with a record PCE of 16.35% (certificated 15.97%). The heterogeneous nucleating agent (BTO-BO) is developed to suppress the excessive aggregation of L8-BO in high-boiling-point nonhalogenated solvents processing, achieving the active layer with high crystallinity and nano-scaled phase separation morphology. The resultant OSCs achieve record power conversion efficiencies of 19.42% (0.062-cm2) and 16.35% (15. 03-cm2) with excellent operational stabilities. image
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| 5. |
- Hu, Kaibo, et al.
(författare)
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Highly selective recovery of rare earth elements from mine wastewater by modifying kaolin with phosphoric acid
- 2023
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Ingår i: Separation and Purification Technology. - : Elsevier. - 1383-5866 .- 1873-3794. ; 309
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from mine wastewater is essential for maintaining rare earth reserves and sustainable application of REEs. In the present study, we prepared a phosphoric acid modified kaolin (P-K) adsorbent by a simple mechanochemical process for the selective recovery of REEs from rare earth wastewater. The impacts of phosphoric acid dosage, milling duration, initial pH, temperature, initial ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage on the selective adsorption of REEs were investigated. The findings demonstrate that the adsorption of REEs by P-K follows pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, and is dominated by chemical adsorption, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 19.82 mg/g at 50 ℃. Additionally, in an original mine wastewater, the recovery rate of REEs can reach more than 90%, whereas the adsorption rates of calcium, magnesium and, ammonia nitrogen (whose concentration is 18 times that of REEs) are nearly zero, indicating that P-K has extremely high selectivity for REEs. Furthermore, the feedstock solution containing 40 mg/L of REEs may be concentrated to 3510 mg/L following enrichment treatment, and 99.9% of the REEs are eluted using a low concentration of hydrochloric acid. The findings illustrate that P-K has a wide range of potential applications in the treatment of rare earth industrial effluents.
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| 6. |
- Qin, Ning, et al.
(författare)
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Increased CO 2 fixation enables high carbon-yield production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid in yeast
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - 2041-1723 .- 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CO2 fixation plays a key role to make biobased production cost competitive. Here, we use 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) to showcase how CO2 fixation enables approaching theoretical-yield production. Using genome-scale metabolic models to calculate the production envelope, we demonstrate that the provision of bicarbonate, formed from CO2, restricts previous attempts for high yield production of 3-HP. We thus develop multiple strategies for bicarbonate uptake, including the identification of Sul1 as a potential bicarbonate transporter, domain swapping of malonyl-CoA reductase, identification of Esbp6 as a potential 3-HP exporter, and deletion of Uga1 to prevent 3-HP degradation. The combined rational engineering increases 3-HP production from 0.14 g/L to 11.25 g/L in shake flask using 20 g/L glucose, approaching the maximum theoretical yield with concurrent biomass formation. The engineered yeast forms the basis for commercialization of bio-acrylic acid, while our CO2 fixation strategies pave the way for CO2 being used as the sole carbon source.
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| 7. |
- Yang, Heyi, et al.
(författare)
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Composition-Conditioning Agent for Doped Spiro-OMeTAD to Realize Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
- 2022
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Ingår i: Advanced Energy Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1614-6832 .- 1614-6840. ; 12:44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The doped Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer (HTL) formed using the lithium bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonimide salt and 4-tert-butylpyridine with phenethylammonium iodide surface treatment on a perovskite film has continuously dominated the record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (pero-SCs). However, unstable HTL compositions and iodide salts can cause severe device degradation. In this study, an HTL composition-conditioning agent (CCA), Spiro-BD-2OEG, is designed, which contains a Spiro-OMeTAD-like backbone, functional pyridine units, and oligo (ethylene glycol) chains. This finely designed CCA presents good miscibility with Spiro-OMeTAD and its dopants and acts as a conditioning agent through weak bond interactions. As a result, the CCA-regulated HTL shows a pinhole-free and smooth morphology with enhanced Spiro-OMeTAD ordering and improves dopant stability. In addition, the gradient-distributed CCA in the HTL can narrow the energy level offset with the valence band of the perovskite. The resultant pero-SCs exhibit an excellent PCE of 24.19% without any interface treatment and weak size dependence. A remarkable PCE of 22.63% is obtained even for a 1.004-cm(2) device. Importantly, the strategy shows good universality and significantly promotes the long-term stability of the pero-SCs based on the classical doped Spiro-OMeTAD.
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| 8. |
- Elfer, Katherine, et al.
(författare)
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Reproducible Reporting of the Collection and Evaluation of Annotations for Artificial Intelligence Models
- 2024
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Ingår i: Modern Pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc. - 1530-0285. ; 37:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This work advances and demonstrates the utility of a reporting framework for collecting and evaluating annotations of medical images used for training and testing artificial intelligence (AI) models in assisting detection and diagnosis. AI has unique reporting requirements, as shown by the AI extensions to the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) and SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) checklists and the proposed AI extensions to the STARD (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy) and TRIPOD (Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis) checklists. AI for detection and/or diagnostic image analysis requires complete, reproducible, and transparent reporting of the annotations and metadata used in training and testing datasets. Prior work by Wahab et al. proposed an annotation workflow and quality checklist for computational pathology annotations. In this manuscript, we operationalize this workflow into an evaluable quality checklist that applies to any reader-interpreted medical images, and we demonstrate its use for an annotation effort in digital pathology. We refer to this quality framework as CLEARR-AI: The Collection and Evaluation of Annotations for Reproducible Reporting of Artificial Intelligence.
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| 9. |
- Guo, Shilong, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation on bluff-body and swirl stabilized flames near lean blowoff with PIV/PLIF measurements and LES modelling
- 2019
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Ingår i: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311. ; 160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lean premixed combustion (LPC) is a promising technology for low-NOx emission, while it increases the risk of blowoff at the same time. Experiments and Large Eddy Simulations (LES) on swirl stratified lean-premixed CH4/air flames were performed to study the differences between the stable and near blowoff flame. The flow fields and instantaneous flame structures were measured by simultaneous Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (OH-PLIF). The Thickened Flame (TF) model coupled with a two-step reduced chemical mechanism was used in LES modelling. The non-dynamic formulation of sub-grid flame wrinkling model is performed well for stable condition while it cannot predict the near lean blowoff flame reasonable. Compared with the stable flame, several significant differences can be observed in the near lean blowoff flame. The height of high-temperature-zone is relatively low and the heat loss of flame attachment can be easily enhanced by the low temperature spot induced by flame-vortex interaction. The flame attachment is subject to higher excess strain rate and turbulence fluctuation. Meanwhile, a Processing Vortex Core (PVC) appears downstream of the centerline. It is concluded that lean blowoff is the result of interactions between the fuel/air mixture ignition, PVC instability and flame attachment lift-off.
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| 10. |
- Hua, Shugui, et al.
(författare)
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An Efficient Implementation of the Generalized Energy-Based Fragmentation Approach for General Large Molecules
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 114:31, s. 8126-8134
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An efficient implementation of the generalized energy-based fragmentation (GEBF) approach (Li, W.; Li, S.; Jiang, Y. J Phys. Chem. A 2007, 111, 2193) for treating a wide range of large molecules is presented. In this implementation, the fragmentation process can be automatically done for a general molecule, with only some functional groups defined by users. A new and fast scheme is designed for the generation of various subsystems and the derivation of their coefficients. The newly implemented GEBF approach has been applied to several large molecules including proteins, nucleic acids, and supermolecules with fused aromatic rings. Test calculations within the Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) framework demonstrate that the GEBF approach can provide reasonably accurate ground-state energies and optimized structures, which are in good agreement with those from conventional HF or DFT calculations. The GEBF approach implemented in this work can now be employed by nonexpert users to compute energies, optimized structures, and some molecular properties at various ab initio levels for a broad range of large molecules on ordinary PC workstations.
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| 11. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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Fe L-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectra of Fe(II) Polypyridyl Spin Crossover Complexes from Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 117:51, s. 14075-14085
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- L-edge near-edge X-ray fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) has become a powerful tool to study the electronic structure and dynamics of metallo-organic and biological compounds in solution. Here, we present a series of density functional theory calculations of Fe L-edge NEXAFS for spin crossover (SCO) complexes within the time-dependent framework. Several key factors that control the L-edge excitations have been carefully examined using an Fe(II) polypyridyl complex [Fe(tren(py)(3))](2+) (where tren(py)(3) = tris(2-pyridylmethyliminoethyl)amine) as a model system. It is found that the electronic spectra of the low-spin (LS, singlet), intermediate-spin (IS, triplet), and high-spin (HS, quintet) states have distinct profiles. The relative energy positions, but not the spectral profiles, of different spin states are sensitive to the choice of the functionals. The inclusion of the vibronic coupling leads to almost no visible change in the resulting NEXAFS spectra because it is governed only by low-frequency modes of less than 500 cm(-1). With the help of the molecular dynamics sampling in acetonitrile at 300 K, our calculations reveal that the thermal motion can lead to a noticeable broadening of the spectra. The main peak position is strongly associated with the length of the Fe-N bond.
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| 12. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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Refinement of DNA Structures through Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Analysis : Applications on Guanine and Cytosine Nucleobases, Nucleosides, and Nucleotides
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 114:41, s. 13214-13222
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work we highlight the potential of NEXAFS-near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure-analysis to perform refinements of hydrogen-bond structure in DNA. For this purpose we have carried out first-principle calculations of the N1s NEXAFS spectra of the guanine and cytosine nucleobases and their tautomers, nucleosides, and nucleotides in the gas phase, as well as for five crystal structures of guanine, cytosine, or guanosine. The spectra all clearly show imine (pi*(1)) and amine (pi*(2)) nitrogen absorption bands with a characteristic energy difference (Delta). Among all of the intramolecule covalent connections, the tautomerism of hydrogens makes the largest influence, around +/- 0.4-0.5 eV change of Delta, to the spectra due to a switch of single-double bonds. Deoxyribose and ribose sugars can cause at most 0.2 eV narrowing of Delta, while the phosphate groups have nearly negligible effects on the spectra. Two kinds of intermolecule interactions are analyzed, the hydrogen bonds and the stacking effect, by comparing "compressed" and "expanded" models. or by comparing models including or excluding the nearest stacking molecules. The shortening of hydrogen-bond length by 0.2-0.3 angstrom can result in the reduction of Delta by 0.2-0.8 eV. This is because the hydrogen bonds make the electrons more delocalized, and the amine and imine nitrogens become less distinguishable. Moreover, the hydrogen bond has a different ability to influence the spectra of different crystals, with guanine crystals as the largest (change by 0.8 eV) and the guanosine crystal as the smallest (change by 0.2 eV). The stacking has negligible effects on the spectra in all studied systems. A comparison of guanosine to guanine crystals shows that the sugars in the crystal could create "blocks" in the pi-and hydrogen bonds network of bases and thus makes the imine and amine nitrogens More distinguishable with a larger Delta. Our theoretical calculations offer a good match with experimental findings and explain earlier discrepancies in the NEXAFS analysis.
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| 13. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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Systematic Study of Soft X-ray Spectra of Poly(Dg)center dot Poly(Dc) and Poly(Da)center dot Poly(Dt) DNA Duplexes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 114:20, s. 7016-7021
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present work, we have undertaken a combined experimental and theoretical study of X-ray spectroscopies for DNA base pairs, more precisely near-edge X-ray absorption, X-ray emission, and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering applied to poly(dG)center dot poly(dC) and poly(dA)center dot poly(dT) DNA duplexes. We have derived several conclusions on the nature of these X-ray spectra: the stacking of pairs has very little influence on the spectra; the spectra of a DNA composed of mixed Watson-Crick base pairs are well reproduced by linear combinations of GC and AT base pairs involved; the amine and imine nitrogens show noticeable differences as building blocks in the absorption, emission, and resonant emission spectra. The calculated spectra are in good agreement with experimental results. The ramifications of these conclusions for the use of X-ray spectroscopy for DNA are discussed.
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| 14. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding the Influence of Guest-Host Interactions on the Conformation of Short Peptides in a Hydrophobic Cavity : A Computational Study
- 2011
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Ingår i: ChemPhysChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-4235 .- 1439-7641. ; 12:7, s. 1325-1333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We performed a computational investigation to understand the conformational preferences of four short peptides in a self-assembled cage based on the experimental work by Y. Hatakeyama et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 8695). For this purpose, we combined molecular dynamics simulations, Monte Carlo simulations, and quantum mechanical calculations to obtain energies and structures for several low-lying conformers of four peptides and the corresponding peptide-cage inclusion complexes. Our calculations at both B3LYP and MP2 levels show that for each peptide, the corresponding conformation within the host (as revealed by the crystal structure) does not represent the lowest-energy conformation of this peptide in vacuum. By comparing some low-lying conformers in vacuum and in the cavity (for the same peptide), we found that the cage has a significant influence on the conformational propensities of peptides. First, one carbonyl oxygen of each peptide tends to bind to one Zn (II) atom of the cage, forming a Zn-O bond. The formation of this bond leads to significant charge transfer from the cage to the peptide. Second, this Zn-O bond causes the peptide to go through some local conformational changes. For larger peptides, such as penta-and hexapeptides, our calculations also show that some of their conformers must undergo significant structural changes, due to the confinement of the host. This computational study reveals the noticeable influence of the guest-host interaction on the conformational preferences of short peptides.
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| 15. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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X-ray absorption spectra of graphene from first-principles simulations
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 82:15, s. 155433-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Near edge x-ray absorption fine-structure spectra of graphenes are calculated using hybrid density-functional theory with the equivalent core hole approximation, aiming to resolve the ongoing debate on the interpretation of corresponding experimental spectra. Effects of size, stacking, edges, and defects on the spectra have been analyzed in detail for both C 1s-pi* and C 1s-sigma* transitions. The infinite graphene sheet has been modeled by graphene nanoribbons of different size. The size dependence and convergence of the spectra have been revealed. It is found that the pi-pi interaction between layers have mainly effects on the C 1s-pi* transitions in two different energy regions. The stacking effect smears out the double-peaks structure of the first main pi* peak around 285 eV and results in blueshift of the second pi* structure by almost 2 eV. The calculations show that the pi spectrum of hydrogen saturated edge carbons is redshifted with respect to the central ones and that a new weak sigma* peak around 288 eV appears. The presence of defects can also introduce new spectral features in both pi and sigma regions.
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| 16. |
- Hua, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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X-ray spectroscopy of blocked alanine in water solution from supermolecular and supermolecular-continuum solvation models : a first-principles study
- 2012
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 14:27, s. 9666-9675
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The N1s near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray emission spectra (XES) of blocked alanine in water solution have been investigated at the first-principles level based on cluster models constructed from classical molecular dynamics simulations. The bulk solvent has been described by both supermolecular and combined supermolecular-continuum models. With the former model we show that NEXAFS spectra convergent with respect to system size require at least the inclusion of the second solvation shell and that averaged spectra over several hundreds of snapshots can well represent the statistical effect of different instantaneous configurations of the solvation shells. With the combined model we demonstrate that calculations of a medium-sized peptide-water supermolecule qualitatively predict the NEXAFS spectrum of the solvated peptide even considering a single geometry. Furthermore, sampling over hundreds of snapshots by the combined model, the explicit inclusion of even a few waters yields an averaged spectrum in good quantitative agreement with the discrete model results. In comparison, the XES spectra show little dependence on the structures
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| 17. |
- Huang, Yuting, et al.
(författare)
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Host-Guest Strategy Enabling Nonhalogenated Solvent Processing for High-Performance All-Polymer Hosted Solar Cells
- 2023
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Ingår i: Chinese journal of chemistry. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1001-604X .- 1614-7065. ; 41:9, s. 1066-1074
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), usually processed from low-boiling-point and toxic solvents, have reached high values of 18%. However, poor miscibility and uncontrollable crystallinity in polymer blends lead to a notable drop in the PCEs when using green solvents, limiting the practical development of all-PSCs. Herein, a third component (guest) BTO was employed to optimize the miscibility and enhance the crystallinity of PM6/PY2Se-F host film processed from green solvent toluene (TL), which can effectively suppress the excessive aggregation of PY2Se-F and facilitate a nano-scale interpenetrating network morphology for exciton dissociation and charge transport. As a result, TL-processed all-polymer hosted solar cells (all-PHSCs) exhibited an impressive PCE of 17.01%. Moreover, the strong molecular interaction between the host and guest molecules also enhances the thermal stability of the devices. Our host-guest strategy provides a unique approach to developing high-efficiency and stable all-PHSCs processed from green solvents, paving the way for the industrial development of all-PHSCs.
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| 18. |
- Li, Hongbao, et al.
(författare)
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First-Principles Study on Core-Level Spectroscopy of Arginine in Gas and Solid Phases
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 116:42, s. 12641-12650
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- First-principles simulations have been performed for near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectra of neutral arginine at different K-edges in the solid phase as well as X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of neutral, deprotonated, and protonated arginines in the gas phase. Influences of the intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds (HBs) and different charge states have been carefully examined to obtain useful structure-property relationships. Our calculations show a noticeable difference in the NEXAFS/XPS spectra of the canonical and zwitterionic species that can be used for unambiguously identifying the dominant form in the gas phase. It is found that the deprotonation/protonation always results in red/blue shifts of several electronvolts for the core binding energies (BEs) at all edges. The normal hydrogen bond Y-H center dot center dot center dot X (X, Y = N, O) can cause a blue/red shift of ca. 1 eV to the core BEs of the proton acceptor X/donor Y, while the weak C-H center dot center dot center dot Y hydrogen bond may also lead to a weak red shift (less than 1 eV) of the C1s BEs. Moreover, the influence of intermolecular interactions in the solid state is reflected as a broadening in the sigma* region of the NEXAFS spectra at each edge, while in the pi* region, these interactions lead to a strengthening or weakening of individual transitions from different carbons, although no evident visual change is found in the resolved total spectra. Our results provide a better understanding of the influences of the intra- and intermolecular forces on the electronic structure of arginine.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Li, Xin, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of domain size on x-ray absorption spectra of boron nitride doped graphenes
- 2016
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 109:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Doping is an efficient way to open the zero band gap of graphene. The control of the dopant domain size allows us to tailor the electronic structure and the properties of the graphene. We have studied the electronic structure of boron nitride doped graphenes with different domain sizes by simulating their near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra at the N K-edge. Six different doping configurations (five quantum dot type and one phase-separated zigzag-edged type) were chosen, and N K-edge NEXAFS spectra were calculated with large truncated cluster models by using the density functional theory with hybrid functional and the equivalent core hole approximation. The opening of the band gap as a function of the domain size is revealed. We found that nitrogens in the dopant boundary contribute a weaker, red-shifted pi* peak in the spectra as compared to those in the dopant domain center. The shift is related to the fact that these interfacial nitrogens dominate the lowest conduction band of the system. Upon increasing the domain size, the ratio of interfacial atom decreases, which leads to a blue shift of the pi* peak in the total NEXAFS spectra. The spectral evolution agrees well with experiments measured at different BN-dopant concentrations and approaches to that of a pristine h-BN sheet.
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| 21. |
- Li, Xin, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic Structure of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene in the Ground and Core-Excited States from First-Principles Simulations
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 119:29, s. 16660-16666
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have calculated the N 1s near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of nitrogen-doped monolayer graphene (NG) using density functional theory (DFT) with the equivalent core hole approximation. The hexavacancy (6V) defect and its dependence on the nitrogen-doping concentration have been analyzed in detail via both N 1s -> pi* and N 1s -> sigma* transitions. The NEXAFS spectra are sensitive to the doping concentration of N in the pi* region: diluted doping weakens the main pi* peak and smears the oscillations in this region. The vacancy defect leads to a red-shift in both the pi and sigma spectra. A pyridinic nitrogen at the 6V defect center exhibits a sharp pi* peak at 398.4 eV, which agrees well with the experimental pre-edge structure at 398.6 eV. The sigma* peak is split in two, which can serve as the fingerprint to reveal the nature of the defect. A structural change from pyridinic to pyrrolic NG results in a distinctive difference in the spectral shape. The ground-state band structure has also been simulated at the DFT level with periodic boundary conditions. Similar profiles are found in the N 2p projected density of states above the Fermi level and in the N 1s NEXAFS spectra.
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| 22. |
- Wang, Mengmeng, et al.
(författare)
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Statistical analysis of whistler precursors upstream of foreshock transient shocks : MMS observations
- 2024
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 51:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using the high-time-resolution data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, precursor waves upstream of foreshock transient (FT) shocks are statistically investigated using the four-spacecraft timing method. The wave frequencies and wave vectors determined in the plasma rest frame (PRF) are shown to follow the cold plasma dispersion relation for whistler waves. Combining with the feature of the right-hand polarization in the PRF, the precursors are identified as whistler-mode waves around the lower hybrid frequency. The occurrence of whistler precursors is independent of the Alfvén Mach number and the FT shock normal angle. More importantly, all the whistler precursors have group velocities pointing upstream in the shock frame, suggesting the dispersive radiation to be a possible generation mechanism. The study improves the understanding of not only the whistler precursors but also the overall FT shock dynamics.
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| 23. |
- Wu, Hongwei, et al.
(författare)
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Crystal Multi-Conformational Control Through Deformable Carbon-Sulfur Bond for Singlet-Triplet Emissive Tuning
- 2019
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 58:13, s. 4328-4333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crystal-state luminophores have been of great interest in optoelectronics for years, whereas the excited state regulation at the crystal level is still restricted by the lack of control ways. We report that the singlet-triplet emissive property can be profoundly regulated by crystal conformational distortions. Employing fluoro-substituted tetrakis(arylthio)benzene luminophores as prototype, we found that couples of molecular conformations formed during different crystallizations. The deformable carbon-sulphur bond essentially drove the distortion of the molecular conformation and varied the stacking mode, together with diverse non-covalent interactions, leading to the proportional adjustment of the fluorescence and phosphorescence bands. This intrinsic strategy was further applied for solid-state multicolor emissive conversion and mechanoluminescence, probably offering new insights for design of smart crystal luminescent materials.
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| 24. |
- Zhang, Ting, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructure evolution and deformation mechanism of alpha plus beta dual-phase Ti-xNb-yTa-2Zr alloys with high performance
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Science & Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1005-0302. ; 131, s. 68-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biomedical beta-phase Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr alloys usually exhibit low elastic modulus with inadequate strength. In the present work, a series of newly developed dual-phase Ti-xNb-yTa-2Zr (wt.%) alloys with high performance were investigated in which the stability of beta-phase was reduced under the guidelines of ab initio calculations and d-electronic theory. The effects of Nb and Ta contents on the microstructure, compressive and tensile properties were investigated. Results demonstrate that the designed Ti-xNb-yTa-2Zr alloys exhibit typical characteristics of alpha+beta dual-phase microstructure. The microstructure of the alloys is more sensitive to Nb rather than Ta. The as-cast alloys exhibit needle-like alpha' martensite at a lower Nb content of 3 wt.% and lamellar alpha' martensite at an Nb content of 5 wt.%. Among the alloys, the Ti-3Nb-13Ta-2Zr alloy shows the highest compressive strength (2270 +/- 10 MPa) and compressive strain (74.3% +/- 0.4%). This superior performance is due to the combination of alpha+beta dual-phase microstructure and stress-induced alpha '' martensite. Besides, lattice distortion caused by Ta element also contributes to the compressive properties. Nb and Ta contents of the alloys strongly affect Young's modulus and tensile properties after rolling. The as-rolled Ti-3Nb-13Ta-2Zr alloy exhibits much lower modulus due to lower Nb content as well as more alpha '' martensite and beta phase with a good combination of low modulus and high strength among all the designed alloys. Atom probe tomography analysis reveals the element partitioning between the a and beta phases in which Ta concentration is higher than Nb in the alpha phase. Also, the concentration of Ta is lower than that of Nb in the beta phase, indicating that the beta-stability of Nb is higher than that of Ta. This work proposes modern alpha+beta dual-phase Ti-xNb-yTa-2Zr alloys as a new concept to design novel biomedical Ti alloys with high performance.
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| 25. |
- Zhao, Weijie, et al.
(författare)
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The nature of self-assembled octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) layers on copper substrates
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Academic Press Inc.. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 581, s. 816-825
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hypothesis: The self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules onto solid substrates can result both in the formation of monolayers and multilayers. However, on oxidized and non-oxidized copper (Cu), only monolayer formation was reported for phosphonic acids possessing one phosphate head group. Here, the adsorption of octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) on Cu substrates through a self-assembly process was investigated with the initial hypothesis of monolayer formation. Experiments: The relative amount of ODPA adsorbed on a Cu substrate was determined by infrared reflection/absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and by atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations before and after ODPA deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with sputtering was used to characterize the nature of the layers. Findings: The results show that the thickness of the ODPA layer increased with deposition time, and after 1 h a multilayer film with a thickness of some tens of nm was formed. The film was robust and required long-time sonication for removal. The origin of the film robustness was attributed to the release of Cu ions, resulting in the formation of Cu-ODPA complexes with Cu ions in the form of Cu(I). Preadsorbing a monolayer of octadecylthiol (ODT) onto the Cu resulted in no ODPA adsorption, since the release of Cu(I) ions was abolished.
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