Ultraviolet–ozone (UV/O3) treatment was adopted to the fabrication of solution-processed amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O thin-film transistors (TFTs), with metal composition of In:Ga:Zn = 1:1:1 represented by InGaZnO4. By applying UV/O3 treatment In–Ga–Zn–O gel films, their condensation was notably enhanced through decomposition of organic- and hydrogen-based elements, which drastically improved the quality of the amorphous InGaZnO4 films. As a result, high TFT performance, with values of on/off ratio, 108; subthreshold swing, 150 mV/decade; threshold voltage, 9.2 V; and field-effect mobility, 5.1 cm2 V−1 s−1, was achieved.

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In this study, we perform density functional calculations to investigate the interplay between single-wall carbon nanotube ͑SWNT͒ supports and adsorbed Pt atoms. We found that adsorption of Pt atoms on SWNTs is found to depend heavily on the curvature of SWNTs. The supporting SWNTs mediate and enhance the range of interactions between Pt adatoms. The long-range interactions originate from the structural deformation of the tube and the complex electronic states formed during the adsorption. Furthermore, these SWNT-mediated interactions significantly modify the diffusion barriers of Pt adatoms on the tube surface.

We present a cluster model for the active site of oxidized azurin, and investigate the electronic structure of the active site of oxidized azurin by using density functional calculations with polarizable continuum model. The singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) and spin density in the model widely distribute around the Cu 3d x 2 −y 2 and S(Cys112) 3p orbitals. The dependency of electronic properties such as partial charge density and spin density on the dielectric constant is discussed. We find that partial spin density and charge density on the copper ion become larger, when the dielectric constant increases.

In the fabrication of amorphous oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) by all-solution process, an ultraviolet–ozone (UV/O3) treatment and solution materials were adopted. By applying the UV/O3 treatment for solution-processed In2− x Ga x ZnO4 channel layers, enhancement of TFT characteristics was achieved. In particular, the most appropriate metal composition for the In2− x Ga x ZnO4 system with UV/O3 treatment was found to be x = 1.0. In addition to the channel layers, solution-processed LaNiO3, Bi–Nb–O/La–Ta–O stacked layer, and ITO films were formed as the gate electrode, gate insulator, and source and drain electrodes, respectively, for TFT fabrication. Using UV/O3 treatment and solution materials, all-solution-processed amorphous oxide TFTs were successfully fabricated, and superior TFT properties, including an on–off current ratio of 107, a threshold voltage of 1.6 V, a subthreshold swing of 200 mV/decade, and a field-effect mobility of 0.49 cm2 V−1 s−1, were achieved.

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BackgroundCELF/Bruno-like proteins play multiple roles, including the regulation of alternative splicing and translation. These RNA-binding proteins contain two RNA recognition motif (RRM) domains at the N-terminus and another RRM at the C-terminus. CUGBP2 is a member of this family of proteins that possesses several alternatively spliced exons.ResultsThe present study investigated the expression of exon 14, which is an alternatively spliced exon and encodes the first half of the third RRM of CUGBP2. The ratio of exon 14 skipping product (R3δ) to its inclusion was reduced in neuronal cells induced from P19 cells and in the brain. Although full length CUGBP2 and the CUGBP2 R3δ isoforms showed a similar effect on the inclusion of the smooth muscle (SM) exon of the ACTN1 gene, these isoforms showed an opposite effect on the skipping of exon 11 in the insulin receptor gene. In addition, examination of structural changes in these isoforms by molecular dynamics simulation and NMR spectrometry suggested that the third RRM of R3δ isoform was flexible and did not form an RRM structure.ConclusionOur results suggest that CUGBP2 regulates the splicing of ACTN1 and insulin receptor by different mechanisms. Alternative splicing of CUGBP2 exon 14 contributes to the regulation of the splicing of the insulin receptor. The present findings specifically show how alternative splicing events that result in three-dimensional structural changes in CUGBP2 can lead to changes in its biological activity.

ABSTRACT:We present two cluster models of the active site of azurin. These models are determined by two stable configurations during our molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In MD simulation, we find two stable configurations connected by the "jump motion" of Met121. One configuration is similar to the crystal structure by X-ray analysis, and the other is not the same. We perform density functional calculations for these two models and investigate physical properties such as total energy, singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO), and spin density for each model. We find the difference in the shape of SOMO each other. We also estimate the reduction potential for each model and discuss the reduction potential and solvent effect of each model in relation to the electron transfer, which is one of the functionality of azurin.