31. |
- Kim, Byeong Jo, et al.
(author)
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High-Efficiency Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by an Ultrafast Room-Temperature Reactive Ion Etching Process
- 2020
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In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 12:6, s. 7125-7134
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which have surprisingly emerged in recent years, are now aiming at commercialization. Rapid, low-temperature, and continuous fabrication processes that can produce high-efficiency PSCs with a reduced fabrication cost and shortened energy payback time are important challenges on the way to commercialization. Herein, we report a reactive ion etching (RIE) method, which is an ultrafast room-temperature technique, to fabricate mesoporous TiO2 (mp-TiO2) as an electron transport layer for high-efficiency PSCs. Replacing the conventional high-temperature annealing process by RIE reduces the total processing time for fabricating 20 PSCs by 40%. Additionally, the RIE-processed mp-TiO2 exhibits enhanced electron extraction, whereupon the optimized RIE-mp-TiO2-based PSC exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.60% without J–V hysteresis, when the devices were optimized with a TiCl4 surface treatment process. Finally, a flexible PSC employing RIE-mp-TiO2 is demonstrated with 17.29% PCE. Considering that the RIE process has been actively used in the semiconductor industry, including for the fabrication of silicon photovoltaic modules, the process developed in this work could be easily applied toward faster, simpler, and cheaper manufacturing of PSC modules.
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32. |
- Kim, Chan-Hee, et al.
(author)
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A three-step proteolytic cascade mediates the activation of the peptidoglycan-induced toll pathway in an insect
- 2008
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 283:12, s. 7599-7607
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The recognition of lysine-type peptidoglycans (PG) by the PG recognition complex has been suggested to cause activation of the serine protease cascade leading to the processing of Spätzle and subsequent activation of the Toll signaling pathway. So far, two serine proteases involved in the lysine-type PG Toll signaling pathway have been identified. One is a modular serine protease functioning as an initial enzyme to be recruited into the lysine-type PG recognition complex. The other is the Drosophila Spätzle processing enzyme (SPE), a terminal enzyme that converts Spätzle pro-protein to its processed form capable of binding to the Toll receptor. However, it remains unclear how the initial PG recognition signal is transferred to Spätzle resulting in Toll pathway activation. Also, the biochemical characteristics and mechanism of action of a serine protease linking the modular serine protease and SPE have not been investigated. Here, we purified and cloned a novel upstream serine protease of SPE that we named SAE, SPE-activating enzyme, from the hemolymph of a large beetle, Tenebrio molitor larvae. This enzyme was activated by Tenebrio modular serine protease and in turn activated the Tenebrio SPE. The biochemical ordered functions of these three serine proteases were determined in vitro, suggesting that the activation of a three-step proteolytic cascade is necessary and sufficient for lysine-type PG recognition signaling. The processed Spätzle by this cascade induced antibacterial activity in vivo. These results demonstrate that the three-step proteolytic cascade linking the PG recognition complex and Spätzle processing is essential for the PG-dependent Toll signaling pathway.
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33. |
- Kim, Sun-Woo, et al.
(author)
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Contrasting interedge superexchange interactions of graphene nanoribbons embedded in h-BN and graphane
- 2015
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In: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 92:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on first-principles density-functional theory calculations, we present a comparative study of the electronic structures of ultranarrow zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) embedded in a hexagonal boron nitride (BN) sheet and fully hydrogenated graphene (graphane) as a function of their width N (the number of zigzag C chains composing the ZGNRs). We find that ZGNRs/BN have the nonmagnetic ground state except at N = 5 and 6 that weakly stabilize as a half-semimetallic state, whereas ZGNRs/graphane with N >= 2 exhibit a strong antiferromagnetic coupling between ferromagnetically ordered edge states on each edge. It is revealed that the disparate magnetic properties of the two classes of ZGNRs are attributed to the contrasting interedge superexchange interactions arising from different interface structures: that is, the asymmetric interface structure of ZGNRs/BN gives a relatively short-range and weak superexchange interaction between the two inequivalent edge states, while the symmetric interface structure of ZGNRs/graphane gives a long-range, strong interedge superexchange interaction.
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34. |
- Lee, Dong Geon, et al.
(author)
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Effect of Metal Electrodes on Aging-Induced Performance Recovery in Perovskite Solar Cells
- 2019
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In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 11:51, s. 48497-48504
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), it is important to substitute the alternative electrode for Au to decrease the unit cost. From the early stage, Ag exhibits a potential to be a good counter electrode in PSCs; however, there is an abnormal s-shaped J-V curve with the Ag electrode, and it is recovered as time passes. The perception of the aging-induced recovery process and refutation of the raised stability issues are required for commercial application of Ag electrodes. Herein, we compared the aging effect of PSCs with Ag and Au electrodes and found that only devices with Ag electrodes have a dramatical aging-induced recovery process. We observed the change of photoelectronic properties only in the devices with Ag electrodes as time passes, which mainly contributes to recovery of the s-shaped J-V curve. We verified the work function change of an aged Ag electrode and its mechanism by photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. By comparing the light stability under 1 sun intensity illumination, we can assure the practical stability of Ag electrodes in case of being encapsulated. This work suggests the profound understanding of the aging-induced recovery process of PSCs and the possibility of commercial application of Ag electrodes.
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35. |
- Lee, Yun-Bin, et al.
(author)
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Super-resolution proximity labeling reveals anti-viral protein network and its structural changes against SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins
- 2023
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In: Cell Reports. - : CELL PRESS. - 2211-1247. ; 42:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replicates in human cells by interacting with host factors following infection. To understand the virus and host interactome proximity, we introduce a super-resolution proximity labeling (SR-PL) method with a "plug-and-playable"PL enzyme, TurboID-GBP (GFP-binding nanobody protein), and we apply it for interactome mapping of SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a and mem-brane protein (M), which generates highly perturbed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structures. Through SR-PL analysis of the biotinylated interactome, 224 and 272 peptides are robustly identified as ORF3a and M inter-actomes, respectively. Within the ORF3a interactome, RNF5 co-localizes with ORF3a and generates ubiquitin modifications of ORF3a that can be involved in protein degradation. We also observe that the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate is efficiently reduced by the overexpression of RNF5 in host cells. The interactome data ob-tained using the SR-PL method are presented at https://sarscov2.spatiomics.org. We hope that our method will contribute to revealing virus-host interactions of other viruses in an efficient manner.
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36. |
- Lu, Yingchang, et al.
(author)
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Identification of Novel Loci and New Risk Variant in Known Loci for Colorectal Cancer Risk in East Asians
- 2020
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In: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 29:2, s. 477-486
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Risk variants identified so far for colorectal cancer explain only a small proportion of milial risk of this cancer, particularly in Asians.Methods: We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of colorectal cancer in East Asians, cluding 23,572 colorectal cancer cases and 48,700 controls. To identify novel risk loci, we selected 60 omising risk variants for replication using data from 58,131 colorectal cancer cases and 67,347 controls European descent. To identify additional risk variants in known colorectal cancer loci, we performed nditional analyses in East Asians.Results: An indel variant, rs67052019 at 1p13.3, was found to be associated with colorectal cancer risk P = 3.9 x 10(-8) in Asians (OR per allele deletion = 1.13, 95% confidence interval = 1.08-1.18). This sociation was replicated in European descendants using a variant (rs2938616) in complete linkage sequilibrium with rs67052019 (P = 7.7 x 10(-3)). Of the remaining 59 variants, 12 showed an association P < 0.05 in the European-ancestry study, including rs11108175 and rs9634162 at P < 5 x 10(-8) and o variants with an association near the genome-wide significance level (rs60911071, P = 5.8 x 10(-8); 62558833, P = 7.5 x 10(-8)) in the combined analyses of Asian- and European-ancestry data. In addition, ing data from East Asians, we identified 13 new risk variants at 11 loci reported from previous GWAS.Conclusions: In this large GWAS, we identified three novel risk loci and two highly suggestive loci for lorectal cancer risk and provided evidence for potential roles of multiple genes and pathways in the iology of colorectal cancer. In addition, we showed that additional risk variants exist in many colorectal ncer risk loci identified previously.Impact: Our study provides novel data to improve the understanding of the genetic basis for colorectal ncer risk.
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37. |
- Magnusson, Rasmus, et al.
(author)
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RNA-sequencing and mass-spectrometry proteomic time-series analysis of T-cell differentiation identified multiple splice variants models that predicted validated protein biomarkers in inflammatory diseases
- 2022
-
In: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-889X. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Profiling of mRNA expression is an important method to identify biomarkers but complicated by limited correlations between mRNA expression and protein abundance. We hypothesised that these correlations could be improved by mathematical models based on measuring splice variants and time delay in protein translation. We characterised time-series of primary human naive CD4(+) T cells during early T helper type 1 differentiation with RNA-sequencing and mass-spectrometry proteomics. We performed computational time-series analysis in this system and in two other key human and murine immune cell types. Linear mathematical mixed time delayed splice variant models were used to predict protein abundances, and the models were validated using out-of-sample predictions. Lastly, we re-analysed RNA-seq datasets to evaluate biomarker discovery in five T-cell associated diseases, further validating the findings for multiple sclerosis (MS) and asthma. The new models significantly out-performing models not including the usage of multiple splice variants and time delays, as shown in cross-validation tests. Our mathematical models provided more differentially expressed proteins between patients and controls in all five diseases. Moreover, analysis of these proteins in asthma and MS supported their relevance. One marker, sCD27, was validated in MS using two independent cohorts for evaluating response to treatment and disease prognosis. In summary, our splice variant and time delay models substantially improved the prediction of protein abundance from mRNA expression in three different immune cell types. The models provided valuable biomarker candidates, which were further validated in MS and asthma.
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38. |
- Park, So Yeon, et al.
(author)
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Sustainable lead management in halide perovskite solar cells
- 2020
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In: Nature Sustainability. - : NATURE RESEARCH. - 2398-9629. ; 3:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The most-efficient solar cells use Pb-based halide perovskites; however, their toxicity poses environmental and health risks. Here, the authors report an adsorbent that allows for sustainable Pb management in these devices. Despite the rapid development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) toward commercialization, the toxic lead (Pb) ions in PSCs pose a potential threat to the environment, health and safety. Managing Pb via recycling represents a promising approach to mitigating its toxicity. However, managing Pb from commonly used organic solvents has been challenging due to the lack of suitable Pb adsorbents. Here, we report a new adsorbent for both separation and recovery of Pb from PSC pollutants. The synthesized iron-incorporated hydroxyapatite possesses a strongly negatively charged surface that improves electrostatic interaction through surface-charge delocalization, thus leading to enhanced Pb adsorption. We demonstrate the feasibility of a complete Pb management process, including the purification of Pb-containing non-aqueous solvents below 15 parts per 10(9), a level compliant with the standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency, as well as recycling of 99.97% of Pb ions by forming lead iodide.
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39. |
- Shu, Xiang, et al.
(author)
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Large-scale Integrated Analysis of Genetics and Metabolomic Data Reveals Potential Links Between Lipids and Colorectal Cancer Risk
- 2022
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In: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 31:6, s. 1216-1226
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The etiology of colorectal cancer is not fully understood.Methods: Using genetic variants and metabolomics data including 217 metabolites from the Framingham Heart Study (n = 1,357), we built genetic prediction models for circulating metabolites. Models with prediction R2 > 0.01 (Nmetabolite = 58) were applied to predict levels of metabolites in two large consortia with a combined sample size of approximately 46,300 cases and 59,200 controls of European and approximately 21,700 cases and 47,400 controls of East Asian (EA) descent. Genetically predicted levels of metabolites were evaluated for their associations with colorectal cancer risk in logistic regressions within each racial group, after which the results were combined by meta-analysis.Results: Of the 58 metabolites tested, 24 metabolites were significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk [Benjamini-Hochberg FDR (BH-FDR) < 0.05] in the European population (ORs ranged from 0.91 to 1.06; P values ranged from 0.02 to 6.4 × 10-8). Twenty one of the 24 associations were replicated in the EA population (ORs ranged from 0.26 to 1.69, BH-FDR < 0.05). In addition, the genetically predicted levels of C16:0 cholesteryl ester was significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk in the EA population only (OREA: 1.94, 95% CI, 1.60−2.36, P = 2.6 × 10-11; OREUR: 1.01, 95% CI, 0.99−1.04, P = 0.3). Nineteen of the 25 metabolites were glycerophospholipids and triacylglycerols (TAG). Eighteen associations exhibited significant heterogeneity between the two racial groups (PEUR-EA-Het < 0.005), which were more strongly associated in the EA population. This integrative study suggested a potential role of lipids, especially certain glycerophospholipids and TAGs, in the etiology of colorectal cancer.Conclusions: This study identified potential novel risk biomarkers for colorectal cancer by integrating genetics and circulating metabolomics data.Impact: The identified metabolites could be developed into new tools for risk assessment of colorectal cancer in both European and EA populations.
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40. |
- Song, Woo Jung, et al.
(author)
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Consensus goals and standards for specialist cough clinics: the NEUROCOUGH international Delphi study
- 2023
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In: ERJ Open Research. - 2312-0541. ; 9:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Current guidelines on the management of chronic cough do not provide recommendations for the operation of specialist cough clinics. The objective of the present study was to develop expert consensus on goals and standard procedures for specialist cough clinics. Methods We undertook a modified Delphi process, whereby initial statements proposed by experts were categorised and presented back to panellists over two ranking rounds using an 11-point Likert scale to identify consensus. Results An international panel of 57 experts from 19 countries participated, with consensus reached on 15 out of 16 statements, covering the aims, roles and standard procedures of specialist cough clinics. Panellists agreed that specialist cough clinics offer optimal care for patients with chronic cough. They also agreed that history taking should enquire as to cough triggers, cough severity rating scales should be routinely used, and a minimum of chest radiography, spirometry and measurements of type 2 inflammatory markers should be undertaken in newly referred patients. The importance of specialist cough clinics in promoting clinical research and cough specialty training was acknowledged. Variability in healthcare resources and clinical needs between geographical regions was noted. Conclusions The Delphi exercise provides a platform and guidance for both established cough clinics and those in planning stages.
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