Efficiency Improvement of HIT Solar Cells on p-Type Si Wafers

Single crystal silicon solar cells are still predominant in the market due to the abundance of silicon on earth and their acceptable efficiency. Different solar-cell structures of single crystalline Si have been investigated to boost efficiency; the heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) structure is currently the leading technology. The record efficiency values of state-of-the art HIT solar cells have always been based on n-type single-crystalline Si wafers. Improving the efficiency of cells based on p-type single-crystalline Si wafers could provide broader options for the development of HIT solar cells. In this study, we varied the thickness of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous Si layer to improve the efficiency of HIT solar cells on p-type Si wafers.     

Melatonin impedes Tet1‐dependent mGluR5 promoter demethylation to relieve pain

Melatonin (N‐acetyl‐5‐methoxytryptamine)/MT2 receptor‐dependent epigenetic modification represents a novel pathway in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Because spinal ten‐eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (Tet1)‐dependent epigenetic demethylation has recently been linked to pain hypersensitivity, we hypothesized that melatonin/MT2‐dependent analgesia involves spinal Tet1‐dependent demethylation. Here, we showed that spinal Tet1 gene transfer by intrathecal delivery of Tet1‐encoding vectors to naïve rats produced profound and long‐lasting nociceptive hypersensitivity. In addition, enhanced Tet1 expression, Tet1‐metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) promoter coupling, demethylation at the mGluR5 promoter, and mGluR5 expression in dorsal horn neurons were observed. Rats subjected to spinal nerve ligation and intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant injection displayed tactile allodynia and behavioral hyperalgesia associated with similar changes in the dorsal horn. Notably, intrathecal melatonin injection reversed the protein expression, protein‐promoter coupling, promoter demethylation, and pain hypersensitivity induced by Tet1 gene transfer, spinal nerve ligation, and intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant injection. All the effects caused by melatonin were blocked by pretreatment with a MT2 receptor‐selective antagonist. In conclusion, melatonin relieves pain by impeding Tet1‐dependent demethylation of mGluR5 in dorsal horn neurons through the MT2 receptor. Our findings link melatonin/MT2 signaling to Tet1‐dependent epigenetic demethylation of nociceptive genes for the first time and suggest melatonin as a promising therapy for the treatment of pain.     

Rapid and Efficient Enrichment of Snake Venoms from Human Plasma Using a Strong Cation Exchange Tip Column to Improve Snakebite Diagnosis

Snake envenomation is a serious public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries. Accurate diagnosis and immediate antivenom treatment are critical for effective management. However, the venom concentration in the victims’ plasma is usually low, representing one of the bottlenecks in developing clinically applicable assays for venom detection and snakebite diagnosis. In this study, we attempted to develop a simple method for rapid enrichment of venom proteins from human plasma to facilitate detection. Our experiments showed that several major protein components of both Naja atra (N. atra) and Bungarus multicinctus (B. multicinctus) venoms have higher isoelectric point (pI) values relative to high-abundance human plasma proteins and could be separated via strong cation exchange–high-performance liquid chromatography (SCX-HPLC). Based on this principle, we developed an SCX tip column-based protocol for rapid enrichment of N. atra and B. multicinctus venom proteins from human plasma. Application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) led to the identification of cytotoxin and beta-bungarotoxin as the major proteins enriched by the SCX tip column in each venom sample. The entire process of venom enrichment could be completed within 10–15 min. Combination of this method with our previously developed lateral flow strip assays (rapid test) significantly enhanced the sensitivity of the rapid test, mainly via depletion of the plasma protein background, as well as increase in venom protein concentration. Notably, the SCX tip column-based enrichment method has the potential to efficiently enrich other Elapidae snake venoms containing proteins with higher pI values, thereby facilitating venom detection with other assays. This simple and rapid sample preparation method should aid in improving the clinical utility of diagnostic assays for snakebite.