Pioneer (Japan)

A novel π-conjugated starburst molecule, 4,4′,4″-tris(3-methylphenylphenylamino)triphenylamine (m-MTDATA), which forms a stable amorphous glass, functions as an excellent hole transport material for organic electroluminescent devices. An electroluminescent device consisting of double hole transport layers of m-MTDATA and 4,4′-bis(3-methylphenylphenylamino)biphenyl and an emitting layer of tris(8-quinolinolato)aluminum exhibits a high luminance efficiency and significant durability.

A group III, nitride based, separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) single quantum well (SQW) structure, with an active layer thickness as small as 1.5 nm, was fabricated. It shows the shortest lasing from semiconductor lasers by current injection at room temperature to date. Line width is as little as 0.15 nm.

A cap-specific m 6 A writer N 6 ,2′- O -dimethyladenosine (m 6 Am) is present at the transcription start nucleotide of capped mRNAs in vertebrates. Akichika et al. quantified the abundance of this modification in the transcriptome and identified the writer protein, cap-specific adenosine methyltransferase (CAPAM), needed for this modification. CAPAM contains a unique structure that recognizes cap-specific N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) as the substrate. The protein interacts with RNA polymerase II, suggesting that the modification occurs cotranscriptionally. The m 6 Am promotes the translation of capped mRNAs in a eIF4E-independent fashion. Science , this issue p. eaav0080

Mitochondria generate most cellular energy via oxidative phosphorylation. Twenty-two species of mitochondrial (mt-)tRNAs encoded in mtDNA translate essential subunits of the respiratory chain complexes. mt-tRNAs contain post-transcriptional modifications introduced by nuclear-encoded tRNA-modifying enzymes. They are required for deciphering genetic code accurately, as well as stabilizing tRNA. Loss of tRNA modifications frequently results in severe pathological consequences. Here, we perform a comprehensive analysis of post-transcriptional modifications of all human mt-tRNAs, including 14 previously-uncharacterized species. In total, we find 18 kinds of RNA modifications at 137 positions (8.7% in 1575 nucleobases) in 22 species of human mt-tRNAs. An up-to-date list of 34 genes responsible for mt-tRNA modifications are provided. We identify two genes required for queuosine (Q) formation in mt-tRNAs. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the decoding system and could help to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of human mitochondrial diseases caused by aberrant tRNA modifications.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) displays using plastic substrate have many attractive features. They are ultrathin and light, in addition, it will be realized the flexible display to utilize the flexibility of the substrate. The key issue in achieving such displays is how to protect OLEDs from moisture and oxygen. We developed a barrier film on a plastic substrate and a passivation film on the OLED device itself. As a result, the device showed good emission characteristics after storage, and its characteristics were almost the same as those of a device fabricated on a glass substrate. We also developed a 3-in full-color flexible OLED display.

Modern cartilaginous fishes are divided into elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates) and chimaeras, and the lack of established whole-genome sequences for the former has prevented our understanding of early vertebrate evolution and the unique phenotypes of elasmobranchs. Here we present de novo whole-genome assemblies of brownbanded bamboo shark and cloudy catshark and an improved assembly of the whale shark genome. These relatively large genomes (3.8-6.7 Gbp) contain sparse distributions of coding genes and regulatory elements and exhibit reduced molecular evolutionary rates. Our thorough genome annotation revealed Hox C genes previously hypothesized to have been lost, as well as distinct gene repertories of opsins and olfactory receptors that would be associated with adaptation to unique underwater niches. We also show the early establishment of the genetic machinery governing mammalian homoeostasis and reproduction at the jawed vertebrate ancestor. This study, supported by genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic resources, provides a foundation for the comprehensive, molecular exploration of phenotypes unique to sharks and insights into the evolutionary origins of vertebrates.

Temperature dependences of the hole concentration and Hall mobility in Mg-doped GaN and Al0.08Ga0.92N grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy were measured by the van der Pauw method over a wide temperature range from 100 to 500 K. Assuming that the effective mass of holes in Al0.08Ga0.92N is equal to that of GaN, the activation energy of the Mg shallow acceptor in Al0.08Ga0.92N is estimated to be about 35 meV deeper than that in GaN.

Abstract We present new ALMA observations and physical properties of a Lyman break galaxy at z = 7.15. Our target, B14-65666, has a bright ultra-violet (UV) absolute magnitude, MUV ≈ −22.4, and has been spectroscopically identified in Lyα with a small rest-frame equivalent width of ≈4 Å. A previous Hubble Space TElescope (HST) image has shown that the target is composed of two spatially separated clumps in the rest-frame UV. With ALMA, we have newly detected spatially resolved [O iii] 88 μm, [C ii] 158 μm, and their underlying dust continuum emission. In the whole system of B14-65666, the [O iii] and [C ii] lines have consistent redshifts of 7.1520 ± 0.0003, and the [O iii] luminosity, (34.4 ± 4.1) × 108 L⊙, is about three times higher than the [C ii] luminosity, (11.0 ± 1.4) × 108 L⊙. With our two continuum flux densities, the dust temperature is constrained to be Td ≈ 50–60 K under the assumption of a dust emissivity index of βd = 2.0–1.5, leading to a large total infrared luminosity of LTIR ≈ 1 × 1012 L⊙. Owing to our high spatial resolution data, we show that the [O iii] and [C ii] emission can be spatially decomposed into two clumps associated with the two rest-frame UV clumps whose spectra are kinematically separated by ≈200 km s−1. We also find these two clumps have comparable UV, infrared, [O iii], and [C ii] luminosities. Based on these results, we argue that B14-65666 is a starburst galaxy induced by a major merger. The merger interpretation is also supported by the large specific star formation rate (defined as the star formation rate per unit stellar mass), sSFR $= 260^{+119}_{-57}\:$Gyr−1, inferred from our SED fitting. Probably, a strong UV radiation field caused by intense star formation contributes to its high dust temperature and the [O iii]-to-[C ii] luminosity ratio.

CRISPR-based nucleic-acid detection is an emerging technology for molecular diagnostics. However, these methods generally require several hours and could cause amplification errors, due to the pre-amplification of target nucleic acids to enhance the detection sensitivity. Here, we developed a platform that allows "CRISPR-based amplification-free digital RNA detection (SATORI)", by combining CRISPR-Cas13-based RNA detection and microchamber-array technologies. SATORI detected single-stranded RNA targets with maximal sensitivity of ~10 fM in <5 min, with high specificity. Furthermore, the simultaneous use of multiple different guide RNAs enhanced the sensitivity, thereby enabling the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 N-gene RNA at ~5 fM levels. Therefore, we hope SATORI will serve as a powerful class of accurate and rapid diagnostics.

Quantum well structures composed of GaInN well and GaN barrier were fabricated. Room-temperature stimulated emission by pulsed current injection is observed from group III nitride using the very thin active layer, for the first time.

A versatile method for converting various fluorescent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) excimer dyes with high glum and ΦFL values is reported. This method involves the functionalization of a chiral quaternaphthyl with six fluorophores via ester linkages in the last step of the synthesis. The usefulness of this approach was demonstrated for 1-, 2-, and 4-pyrenyl, 2- and 3-perylenyl, and 2-anthryl dyes. Most of them are the first or rare examples of CPL dyes. In the ground state, the fluorophores are tightly arranged by cumulative steric and electronic effects. In the excited state, the fluorophores form a twist excimer that maintains the ground-state conformations. The local chiral excimer directly affected the CPL properties. The systematic study on the signs of the CPLs allowed us to find a rule called the excimer chirality rule: right- and left-handed excimers exhibit (+)- and (−)-CPL, respectively.

Abstract We present the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array detection of the [O iii ] 88 μ m line and rest-frame 90 μ m dust continuum emission in a Y -dropout Lyman break galaxy (LBG), MACS0416_Y1 lying behind the Frontier Field cluster MACS J0416.1−2403. This [O iii ] detection confirms the LBG with a spectroscopic redshift of z = 8.3118 ± 0.0003, making this object one of the farthest galaxies ever identified spectroscopically. The observed 850 μ m flux density of 137 ± 26 μ Jy corresponds to a de-lensed total infrared (IR) luminosity of if assuming a dust temperature of T dust = 50 K and an emissivity index of β = 1.5, yielding a large dust mass of . The ultraviolet-to-far-IR spectral energy distribution modeling where the [O iii ] emissivity model is incorporated suggests the presence of a young ( τ age ≈ 4 Myr), star-forming ( yr −1 ), moderately metal-polluted ( Z ≈ 0.2 Z ⊙ ) stellar component with a mass of M star = 3 × 10 8 M ⊙ . An analytic dust mass evolution model with a single episode of star formation does not reproduce the metallicity and dust mass in τ age ≈ 4 Myr, suggesting a pre-existing evolved stellar component with M star ∼ 3 × 10 9 M ☉ and τ age ∼ 0.3 Gyr as the origin of the dust mass.

Self-healing materials are of fundamental interest and practical importance. Herein we report the synthesis of a new class of self-healing materials, formed by the copolymerization of ethylene and anisyl-substituted propylenes using a sterically demanding half-sandwich scandium catalyst. The copolymerization proceeded in a controlled fashion, affording unique multi-block copolymers composed of relatively long alternating ethylene-alt-anisylpropylene sequences and short ethylene–ethylene units. By controlling the molecular weight and varying the anisyl substituents, a series of copolymers that show a wide range of glass-transition temperatures (Tg) and mechanical properties have been obtained. The copolymers with Tg below room temperature showed high elastic modulus, high toughness, and remarkable self-healability, being able to autonomously self-heal upon mechanical damage not only in a dry environment but also in water and aqueous acid and alkaline solutions, while those with Tg around or above room temperature exhibited excellent shape-memory property. The unique mechanical properties may be ascribed to the phase separation of the crystalline ethylene–ethylene nanodomains from the ethylene-alt-anisylpropylene matrix.

Epigenetic modifiers such as erasers, readers, writers, and recruiters control abiotic stress response in flowering plants.

Effective models are constructed for a newly discovered superconductor (Nd,Sr)NiO_{2}, which has been considered as a possible nickelate analog of the cuprates. Estimation of the effective interaction, which turns out to require a multiorbital model that takes account of all the orbitals involved on the Fermi surface, shows that the effective interactions are significantly larger than in the cuprates. A fluctuation exchange study suggests occurrence of d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}-wave superconductivity, where the transition temperature should be lowered from the cuprates due to the larger interaction.

The authors investigated heterojunction organic solar cells composed of different metal phthalocyanines (MPcs, M=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and H2)/fullerene (C60) and compared the solar cell characteristics with the field-effect hole mobilities (μh) and exciton diffusion length (Lex) of the different MPcs. They observed that the short circuit current (JSC) is linearly dependent on the μh of the MPcs, except for ZnPc. They also estimated the Lex of the MPcs by creating a line of best fit using the action spectra of the external quantum efficiency in the solar cells and found that JSC is closely correlated with the Lex of the MPcs.

Protein constituents of the postsynaptic density (PSD) fraction were analysed using an integrated liquid chromatography (LC)-based protein identification system, which was constructed by coupling microscale two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2DLC) with electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and an automated data analysis system. The PSD fraction prepared from rat forebrain was solubilized in 6 m guanidium hydrochloride, and the proteins were digested with trypsin after S-carbamoylmethylation under reducing conditions. The tryptic peptide mixture was then analysed with the 2DLC-MS/MS system in a data-dependent mode, and the resultant spectral data were automatically processed to search a genome sequence database for protein identification. In triplicate analyses, the system allowed assignments of 5264 peptides, which could finally be attributed to 492 proteins. The PSD contained various proteins involved in signalling transduction, including receptors, ion channel proteins, protein kinases and phosphatases, G-protein and related proteins, scaffold proteins, and adaptor proteins. Structural proteins, including membrane proteins involved in cell adhesion and cell-cell interaction, proteins involved in endocytosis, motor proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins were also abundant. These results provide basic data on a major protein set associated with the PSD and a basis for future functional studies of this important neural machinery.

Considering the recent breakthroughs in the synthesis of novel two-dimensional (2D) materials from layered bulk structures, ternary layered transition metal borides, known as MAB phases, have come under scrutiny as a means of obtaining novel 2D transition metal borides, the so-called MBenes. Here, based on a set of phonon calculations, we show the dynamic stability of many Al-containing MAB phases, MAlB (M = Ti, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc), M2AlB2 (Sc, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Fe, Rh, Ni), M3Al2B2 (M = Sc, T, Zr, Hf, Cr, Mn, Tc, Fe, Ru, Ni), M3AlB4 (M = Sc, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe), and M4AlB6 (M = Sc, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo). By comparing the formation energies of these MAB phases with those of their available competing binary M-B and M-Al, and ternary M-Al-B phases, we find that some of the Sc-, Ti-, V-, Cr-, Mo-, W-, Mn-, Tc-, and Fe-based MAB phases could be favorably synthesized under appropriate experimental conditions. In addition, by examining the strengths of various bonds in MAB phases via crystal orbital Hamilton population and spring constant calculations, we find that the B-B and then M-B bonds are stiffer than the M-Al and Al-B bonds. The different strengths between these bonds imply the etching possibility of Al atoms from MAB phases, consequently forming various 2D MB, M2B3, and M3B4 MBenes. Furthermore, we employ the nudged elastic band method to investigate the possibility of the structural phase transformation of the 2D MB MBenes into graphene-like boron sheets sandwiched between transition metals and find that the energy barrier of the transformation is less than 0.4 eV per atom.

Ribosome movement is not always smooth and is rather often impeded. For ribosome pauses, fundamental issues remain to be addressed, including where ribosomes pause on mRNAs, what kind of RNA/amino acid sequence causes this pause, and the physiological significance of this attenuation of protein synthesis. Here, we survey the positions of ribosome collisions caused by ribosome pauses in humans and zebrafish using modified ribosome profiling. Collided ribosomes, i.e., disomes, emerge at various sites: Pro-Pro/Gly/Asp motifs; Arg-X-Lys motifs; stop codons; and 3' untranslated regions. The electrostatic interaction between the charged nascent chain and the ribosome exit tunnel determines the eIF5A-mediated disome rescue at the Pro-Pro sites. In particular, XBP1u, a precursor of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress-responsive transcription factor, shows striking queues of collided ribosomes and thus acts as a degradation substrate by ribosome-associated quality control. Our results provide insight into the causes and consequences of ribosome pause by dissecting collided ribosomes.

Multilayer organic light-emitting devices with phosphorescent guest emitter, tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium doped in a host 4,4 ′ -N,N ′ -dicarbazol-biphenyl layer were prepared. The device with the 6.5 wt% guest emitter exhibited external quantum efficiency and power luminous efficiency of 13.7% and 38.3 lm/W, respectively at the luminance of 105 cd/m 2 driven at the voltage of 4.0 V and current density of 0.215 mA/cm 2 . The half decay lifetime under continuous constant-current driving for the initial luminance of 500 cd/m 2 was 170 h.