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Quasi-2D perovskite phases are controlled by excess cations and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, improving the light-emitting performance and device stability.

It is a matter of debate whether increased brain iron levels are the cause or only the consequence of neurodegenerative process in degenerative parkinsonism. The aim of this study is to characterize disease-related changes in volumes and iron-related R2 values of basal ganglia and thalamus. 13 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 15 with a parkinsonian variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-p), 29 with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 21 age-matched controls underwent 3-Tesla MRI. The R2 values and volumes were calculated for the selected subcortical structures (caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, and thalamus) using an automated region-based analysis. Voxel-based analysis was also performed to visualize a topographical correlation of R2 value and volume. The PSP group had significantly higher R2 values in globus pallidus and caudate nucleus (p < 0.05), whereas the MSA-p group had higher R2 values in putamen (p < 0.001) than PD and controls. The globus pallidus in PSP and the putamen in MSA-p were the most significant areas of atrophy to differentiate PSP, MSA-p and PD (AUC = 0.856, 0.832, respectively, p < 0.001). The R2 values in both structures increased in parallel with the extent of atrophy. They were negatively correlated with volumes in putamen (r = -0.777, p < 0.001) and globus pallidus (r = -0.409, p = 0.025) of MSA-p, and globus pallidus (r = -0.4, p = 0.043) of PSP. Voxel-based analysis identified higher R2 values in more severely atrophic sub-regions in these structures. We observed topographical differences of iron deposition as well as atrophy between MSA-p and PSP. Increased iron levels were related to the structural atrophy in basal ganglia. Our results imply that iron accumulation is likely an epiphenomenon of the degenerative process.

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BackgroundThe common long-arm octopus (Octopus minor) is found in mudflats of subtidal zones and faces numerous environmental challenges. The ability to adapt its morphology and behavioral repertoire to diverse environmental conditions makes the species a promising model for understanding genomic adaptation and evolution in cephalopods.FindingsThe final genome assembly of O. minor is 5.09 Gb, with a contig N50 size of 197 kb and longest size of 3.027 Mb, from a total of 419 Gb raw reads generated using the Pacific Biosciences RS II platform. We identified 30,010 genes; 44.43% of the genome is composed of repeat elements. The genome-wide phylogenetic tree indicated the divergence time between O. minor and Octopus bimaculoides was estimated to be 43 million years ago based on single-copy orthologous genes. In total, 178 gene families are expanded in O. minor in the 14 bilaterian species.ConclusionsWe found that the O. minor genome was larger than that of closely related O. bimaculoides, and this difference could be explained by enlarged introns and recently diversified transposable elements. The high-quality O. minor genome assembly provides a valuable resource for understanding octopus genome evolution and the molecular basis of adaptations to mudflats.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful not only for the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) itself, but also to distinguish between different clinical subtypes. This study aimed to investigate whether there are differences in the progression of subcortical atrophy and iron deposition between two variants of MSA. Two serial MRIs at baseline and follow-up were analyzed in eight patients with the parkinsonian variant MSA (MSA-P), nine patients with cerebellar variant MSA (MSA-C), and fifteen patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The R2* values and volumes were calculated for the selected subcortical structures (caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, and thalamus) using an automated region-based analysis. In both volume and R2*, a higher rate of progression was identified in MSA-P patients. Volumetric analysis showed significantly more rapid progression of putamen and caudate nucleus in MSA-P than in MSA-C. With regard to R2* changes, a significant increase at follow-up and a higher rate of progression were identified in the putamen of MSA-P group compared to MSA-C and PD groups. This longitudinal study revealed different progression rates of MRI markers between MSA-P and MSA-C. Iron-related degeneration in the putamen may be more specific for MSA-P.

High-quality heterojunctions between p-type diamond single-crystalline films and highly oriented n-type ZnO films were fabricated by depositing the p-type diamond single-crystal films on the Io-type diamond single crystal using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition, and later growing a highly oriented n-type ZnO film on the p-type diamond single-crystal film by magnetron sputtering. Interestingly, anomalously high ideality factors (n≫2.0) in the prepared ZnO/diamond p–n junction diode in the interim bias voltage range were measured. For this, detailed electronic characterizations of the fabricated p–n junction were conducted, and a theoretical model was proposed to clarify the much higher ideality factors of the special heterojunction diode.