Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homogeneous Na incorporation for industrial‐scale application of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 solar cells

We achieve large‐area (1602 × 902 mm2) doping uniformity without layer peel‐offs, based on a dual Na source, ie, partial Na out‐diffusion from soda‐lime glass and a homogeneously sputtered CuGa:NaF layer as an auxiliary source. We systematically investigate the optoelectronic, microstructural, and compositional characteristics of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 solar cells and analyze the underlying mechanism in detail. Na out‐diffusion from soda‐lime glass initially improves the cell performance according to the defect passivation and Na doping effects; further Na incorporation using the Na‐doped layer enhances JSC, FF, and film conductivity, which is likely due to the enhanced cell homogeneity and the alleviation of carrier transport‐limited characteristics. Excessive Na incorporation triggers the possible generation of layer peel‐offs, which is closely related to the reduced adhesion force, void generation, decrease in S/(S + Se) ratio, Ga redistribution, bandgap reduction, and increase in the low‐energy photoluminescence. These results indicate that the voids are created via Kirkendal mechanism based on the variability in atomic diffusion rates following compositional changes, resulting from the insufficiency in Na consumption or sulfurization. It is noted that an in‐line codeposition technique enables realization of high‐level Na doping as well as void‐free interface state by suppressing the defect generation, which yields high‐efficiency commercial‐scale Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 modules without layer peel‐off problems.
Networks, Property, and the Division of Labor

We use a simulation-based method to consider the effect of different network structures on the propensity for economic producers to develop a complementary division of labor. We use a graph-coloring game, in which nodes are given incentives to find a color that does not match their nearest neighbors, to represent the interdependent coordination problems inherent to the division of labor. We find that a decentralized development of a division of labor is difficult, particularly when too many specializations are chosen. Counterintuitively, a division of labor is more likely to evolve when the ability of agents to specialize is more constrained. The ability to store property also facilitates the development of a division of labor.
Quantitative assessment of xylan distribution across the secondary cell wall layers of Eucalyptus dissolving pulp fibres

Abstract A quantitative method has been developed for assessment of the distribution of xylan across the secondary cell wall layers of Eucalyptus dissolving pulp fibres by means of a carbohydrate binding module (CBM), CtCBM6, in combination with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To ensure reproducibility and to minimise non-specific labelling, various parameters were optimised, namely the size of the gold colloid marker, CtCBM6 concentration, and the selection of buffer solutions. The method was replicated on processed Eucalyptus fibres containing different xylan contents. Reproducible xylan counts and distributions across the secondary cell wall layers were obtained for unbleached and bleached Eucalyptus fibres. The xylan distribution pattern across the cell wall layers S1, S2 and S3 was similar, but the S1 and S3 layers contained after bleaching more xylan than the S2 layer. The technique has a wide range of applications in basic wood research as well as in the analysis of technological processes.
Clock genes Period 1 and Period 2 in the hippocampal CA1 mediate depression-like behaviors and rapid antidepressant response

Accumulated reports have indicated that circadian rhythm is closely related to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Recently, adenosine has been identified to modulate circadian clock via adenosine A1 and A2A receptor signaling pathways. Cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB) is a convergent point that plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of depression and is a downstream molecule of adenosine A1 receptor signaling pathway as an endpoint that can regulate the expression of circadian genes Period1 (Per1) and Period2 (Per2). However, whether Per mediates the development of MDD via CREB has not been elucidated. We used chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) to induce depression-like behaviors and found that it could induce decrease in p-CREB and PER1 levels in the hippocampal CA1 region in rats. Both depression-like behaviors and the decreased protein levels could be rapidly rescued by the administration of adenosine A1 receptor agonist 2-Choro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA). Furthermore, knockdown of Per1 in hippocampal CA1 region could also induce depression-like behaviors, which could also be rescued by CCPA. Interestingly, Per2 knockdown in hippocampal CA1 region resulted in potential antidepressant-like effect. In addition, knockout of CRE sequence in the promoter regions of either Per1 or Per2 led to depression-like behaviors, which could not be rescued by CCPA. These results indicated that clock genes Per1 and Per2 play critical roles in the pathophysiology of depression and CRE sequences in the promoter regions of Per1 and Per2 may be a critical antidepressant target. Highlights CUS induces both depression-like behaviors and decreases in the expression of p-CREB and PER1 levels in the hippocampal CA1 region in rats, which can be rapidly rescued by 2-Choro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA). Knockdown of clock gene Per1 in the hippocampal CA1 brain region leads to depression-like behaviors in rats, which can be also rescued by CCPA. Knockdown of clock gene Per2 in the hippocampal CA1 brain region may have potential antidepressant-like effect. Knockout of the CRE sequence on the promoter region of the clock genes Per1 and Per2 produces depression-like behaviors, which cannot be rescued by CCPA.
Analysis of genetic dominance in the UK Biobank

Classical statistical genetic theory defines dominance as a deviation from a purely additive effect. Dominance is well documented in model organisms and plant/animal breeding; outside of rare monogenic traits, however, evidence in humans is limited. We evaluated dominance effects in >1,000 phenotypes in the UK Biobank through GWAS, identifying 175 genome-wide significant loci (P < 4.7 × 10−11). Power to detect non-additive loci is low: we estimate a 20-30 fold increase in sample size is required to detect dominance loci to significance levels observed at additive loci. By deriving a new dominance form of LD-score regression, we found no evidence of a dominance contribution to phenotypic variance tagged by common variation genome-wide (median fraction 5.73 × 10−4). We introduce dominance fine-mapping to explore whether the more rapid decay of dominance linkage disequilibrium can be leveraged to find causal variants. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of dominance trait variation in humans to date.
Respiratory alkalosis provokes spike-wave discharges in seizure-prone rats

Hyperventilation reliably provokes seizures in patients diagnosed with absence epilepsy. Despite this predictable patient response, the mechanisms that enable hyperventilation to powerfully activate absence seizure-generating circuits remain entirely unknown. Using the WAG/Rij rat, an established rodent model of absence epilepsy, we demonstrate that absence seizures are highly sensitive to arterial carbon dioxide, suggesting that seizure-generating circuits are sensitive to pH. Moreover, hyperventilation consistently activated neurons within the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus, a structure implicated in seizure generation. We show that intralaminar thalamus also contains pH-sensitive neurons. Collectively, these observations suggest that hyperventilation activates pH-sensitive neurons of the intralaminar nuclei to provoke absence seizures.
Can foot placement during gait be trained? Adaptations in stability control when ankle moments are constrained

Accurate coordination of mediolateral foot placement, relative to the center of mass kinematic state, is one of the mechanisms which ensures mediolateral stability during human walking. Previously, we found that shoes constraining ankle moments decreased the degree of foot placement control with respect to the center of mass kinematic state. As such, ankle moment constraints can be seen as a perturbation of foot placement. Direct mechanical perturbations of the swing leg trajectory can improve the degree of foot placement control as an after-effect. Here, we asked whether constrained ankle moments could have a similar effect. If confirmed, this would offer a simple training tool for individuals with impaired foot placement control. Participants walked in three conditions; normal (baseline) while wearing shoes constraining ankle moments (training) and normal again (after-effects). The degree of foot placement control was calculated as the percentage of variance in foot placement that could be predicted based on the center of mass kinematic state in the preceding swing phase. During training, the degree of foot placement control decreased initially compared to baseline, but it gradually improved over time. In the after-effect condition, it was higher than during baseline, yet not significantly so. During training, we observed increased step width, decreased stride time and reduced local dynamic stability. In conclusion, constraining ankle moment control deteriorates the degree of foot placement control. A non-significant trend towards an improved degree of foot placement control after prolonged exposure to constrained ankle moments, allows for speculation on a training potential.
Polycistronic Expression System for Pichia pastoris Composed of Chitino- and Chitosanolytic Enzymes

Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers. Due to its recalcitrant nature and insolubility in accessible solvents, it is often considered waste and not a bioresource. The products of chitin modification such as chitosan and chitooligosaccharides are highly sought, but their preparation is a challenging process, typically performed with thermochemical methods that lack specificities and generate hazardous waste. Enzymatic treatment is a promising alternative to these methods, but the preparation of multiple biocatalysts is costly. In this manuscript, we biochemically characterised chitin deacetylases of Mucor circinelloides IBT-83 and utilised one of them for the construction of the first eukaryotic, polycistronic expression system employing self-processing 2A sequences. The three chitin-processing enzymes; chitin deacetylase of M. circinelloides IBT-83, chitinase from Thermomyces lanuginosus, and chitosanase from Aspergillus fumigatus were expressed under the control of the same promoter in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and characterised for their synergistic action towards their respective substrates.
Multi-Trait Multi-Environment Genomic Prediction of Agronomic Traits in Advanced Breeding Lines of Winter Wheat

Genomic prediction is a promising approach for accelerating the genetic gain of complex traits in wheat breeding. However, increasing the prediction accuracy (PA) of genomic prediction (GP) models remains a challenge in the successful implementation of this approach. Multivariate models have shown promise when evaluated using diverse panels of unrelated accessions; however, limited information is available on their performance in advanced breeding trials. Here, we used multivariate GP models to predict multiple agronomic traits using 314 advanced and elite breeding lines of winter wheat evaluated in 10 site-year environments. We evaluated a multi-trait (MT) model with two cross-validation schemes representing different breeding scenarios (CV1, prediction of completely unphenotyped lines; and CV2, prediction of partially phenotyped lines for correlated traits). Moreover, extensive data from multi-environment trials (METs) were used to cross-validate a Bayesian multi-trait multi-environment (MTME) model that integrates the analysis of multiple-traits, such as G × E interaction. The MT-CV2 model outperformed all the other models for predicting grain yield with significant improvement in PA over the single-trait (ST-CV1) model. The MTME model performed better for all traits, with average improvement over the ST-CV1 reaching up to 19, 71, 17, 48, and 51% for grain yield, grain protein content, test weight, plant height, and days to heading, respectively. Overall, the empirical analyses elucidate the potential of both the MT-CV2 and MTME models when advanced breeding lines are used as a training population to predict related preliminary breeding lines. Further, we evaluated the practical application of the MTME model in the breeding program to reduce phenotyping cost using a sparse testing design. This showed that complementing METs with GP can substantially enhance resource efficiency. Our results demonstrate that multivariate GS models have a great potential in implementing GS in breeding programs.
Multi-Responsive Wrinkling Patterns by the Photoswitchable Supramolecular Network

Multiresponsive reversible wrinkling patterns provide an effective approach to dynamically tuning the properties of surface on-demand to realize a smart surface; however, their fabrication remains challenging. In this study, we report a simple yet robust method to fabricate multiresponsive wrinkles based on a supramolecular polymer network composed of copolymer (P4VP-PS-PnBA) and carboxyl containing anthracene (AN-COOH), which can be cross-linked dynamically through reversible photodimerization of anthracene (AN) and the hydrogen bond between carboxyl and pyridine groups. The wrinkle pattern can be generated and erased selectively by UV radiation of different wavelengths due to reversible dimerization of AN. The resulting wrinkles have an extremely sensitive response to hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas and can be erased by HCl with a concentration of 5 ppm in the atmosphere. The generation/elimination process responsive to light and HCl could be cycled many times without damaging characteristic wrinkles, which.
CRISPR Toolbox for Genome Editing in Dictyostelium

The development of new techniques to create gene knockouts and knock-ins is essential for successful investigation of gene functions and elucidation of the causes of diseases and their associated fundamental cellular processes. In the biomedical model organism Dictyostelium discoideum, the methodology for gene targeting with homologous recombination to generate mutants is well-established. Recently, we have applied CRISPR/Cas9-mediated approaches in Dictyostelium, allowing the rapid generation of mutants by transiently expressing sgRNA and Cas9 using an all-in-one vector. CRISPR/Cas9 techniques not only provide an alternative to homologous recombination-based gene knockouts but also enable the creation of mutants that were technically unfeasible previously. Herein, we provide a detailed protocol for the CRISPR/Cas9-based method in Dictyostelium. We also describe new tools, including double knockouts using a single CRISPR vector, drug-inducible knockouts, and gene knockdown using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We demonstrate the use of these tools for some candidate genes. Our data indicate that more suitable mutants can be rapidly generated using CRISPR/Cas9-based techniques to study gene function in Dictyostelium.
Short-Term Effects of a Multidisciplinary Residential Rehabilitation Program on Perceived Risks, Confidence Toward Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment, and Self-Efficacy in a Sample of Individuals Affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome. However, optimizing adherence to CPAP therapy of individuals remains very challenging for clinicians because of the role played by the psychological components. In this study, we verified the changes in cognitions and beliefs of individuals after a four-week multidisciplinary residential rehabilitation program targeting the adaptation to CPAP therapy for OSA syndrome. We assessed the components of perceived risks, confidence toward the treatment, and self-efficacy through the self-report questionnaire, namely the Self-Efficacy Measure for Sleep Apnea (SEMSA) questionnaire. We also explored the role played by the temperamental traits on the changes registered in these components after the treatment. Forty-five participants completed the rehabilitation program, showing a higher level of adherence to the treatment. Significant changes were observed in terms of confidence toward the treatment, although no change was reported in terms of perceived risks and self-efficacy. Moreover, those individuals with a higher persistent temperamental trait reported a significant improvement in perceived risks, in the absence of other significant results. After the rehabilitation treatment, our participants were more prone to consider the effect of CPAP treatment on health outcomes. This was in line with the educational aim of the rehabilitation treatment. The temperament seemed to play only a marginal role in the global changes reported by our participants. We discussed the need for behavioral interventions, in addition to education, in improving self-efficacy.
How Adolescents and Adults Learn About Changes in the Trustworthiness of Others Through Dynamic Interaction

Whether to trust or distrust another individual is a complex interpersonal challenge, especially when such individuals behave inconsistently. It is still unclear as to how individuals learn and adapt to fluctuations in the trustworthiness of others and how this process changes from adolescence to adulthood. To address these issues, we implemented repeated rounds of a trust game within the context of a complicated and changeable interpersonal environment. Specifically, adolescents and adults played the role of trustors who had to decide whether to invest money in two anonymous partners carrying the risk of no reciprocation. Unbeknownst to participants, these two partners had different trustworthiness profiles: one partner initially yielded a higher initial return rate (70%) while the other initially yielded a lower initial return rate (30%). Crucially, over repeated rounds, these two partners gradually changed their responses to the point where, finally, return rates were both neutral (50%). Results indicated that all participants showed less updating in the negative direction in response to good-to-neutral partners while more updating in the positive direction in response to the bad-to-neutral partner. Compared to adults, this behavioral disparity in responses to good-to-neutral and bad-to-neutral partners was less pronounced in adolescents. Based on the computational modeling approach, the potential mechanisms underlying their behavioral patterns were revealed: the higher learning rate promoted flexible adaptions in participants to untrustworthy trustees as they changed to neutral. The less pronounced distinction between good-to-neutral and bad-to-neutral partners in adolescents was related to their lower learning rate. Overall, our study extends the understanding of trust behavior to a fluctuating social context and highlights the role of social learning in social emotion and interaction.
Restoration of Visual Function and Cortical Connectivity After Ischemic Injury Through NeuroD1-Mediated Gene Therapy

Neural circuits underlying brain functions are vulnerable to damage, including ischemic injury, leading to neuronal loss and gliosis. Recent technology of direct conversion of endogenous astrocytes into neurons in situ can simultaneously replenish the neuronal population and reverse the glial scar. However, whether these newly reprogrammed neurons undergo normal development, integrate into the existing neuronal circuit, and acquire functional properties specific for this circuit is not known. We investigated the effect of NeuroD1-mediated in vivo direct reprogramming on visual cortical circuit integration and functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemic injury. After performing electrophysiological extracellular recordings and two-photon calcium imaging of reprogrammed cells in vivo and mapping the synaptic connections formed onto these cells ex vivo, we discovered that NeuroD1 reprogrammed neurons were integrated into the cortical microcircuit and acquired direct visual responses. Furthermore, following visual experience, the reprogrammed neurons demonstrated maturation of orientation selectivity and functional connectivity. Our results show that NeuroD1-reprogrammed neurons can successfully develop and integrate into the visual cortical circuit leading to vision recovery after ischemic injury.
Meaning Making in a Retirement Migrant Community: Religion, Spirituality, and Social Practices of Daily Lives

Meaning in life has also been seen as crucial to well-being, and especially, in later life. This study focused on the social complexity of meaning making processes and the role of religion and spirituality in them, by finding out the following: (1) How are meaning-making practices connected with religion and spirituality for Finnish retirement migrants of the boomer generation? (2) What does the role of religion and spirituality in meaning-making practices teach us about the relationship between individual and social aspects of meaning making? This was done by examining a particular group of older persons: Finnish retirement migrants aged 60 or over in Costa del Sol, Spain. The material for this study consists of 58 texts (written correspondence, dataset 1, year 2009), 10 semi-structured interviews (dataset 2, year 2011), and 30 completed online surveys with open-ended questions (dataset 3, year 2019). Key findings include that religion and spirituality are present in the lives of our informants in a variety of ways, playing a significant role in their meaning making, and that they appear as intertwined and not so easy to separate. A variety of religious and non-religious forms of spirituality exist in this population, and all of these forms can be relevant factors in meaning making. Also, the engagement in meaning making, contrary to what has been suggested in some of the literature about meaning in later life, not only occurs in response to confrontations with health issues, death, or other major life events. Instead, we found that meaning making occurs as a process that is often inherent to daily activities which may seem “trivial,” but in fact turn out to be important sources of purpose, values, and connectedness. Contrary to the dominant modern ideal of the authentic, self-sufficient human agent, which is based on a problematically atomistic and individualistic anthropology, for our respondents, their authentic subject position is embedded in the social practices of their daily lives, which nourish their individual spirituality and are vital to making meaning.