Strongly enhanced shift current at exciton resonances in a noncentrosymmetric wide-gap semiconductor.

Excitons are fundamental quasiparticles that are ubiquitous in photoexcited semiconductors and insulators. Despite causing a sharp and strong photoabsorption near the interband absorption edge, charge-neutral excitons do not yield photocurrent in conventional photovoltaic processes unless dissociated into free charge carriers. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that excitons can directly contribute to photocurrent generation through a nonlinear light-matter interaction in a noncentrosymmetric semiconductor CuI.

Superconducting diode effect under time-reversal symmetry.

In noncentrosymmetric superconductors, superconducting and normal conductions can interchange on the basis of the current flow direction. This effect is termed a superconducting diode effect (SDE), which is a focal point of recent research. The broken inversion and time-reversal symmetry is believed to be the requirements of SDE, but their intrinsic role has remained elusive.

Chromic properties of dibenzo[,]fluoranthenes exhibiting different resonance contributions.

Chromic molecules change colour in response to external stimuli and are utilized in applications such as food additive detection, light dimmers, and biological probes. One of the common design strategies for organic chromic molecules is based on changes in the π-conjugation. We have hypothesized that non-alternant polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) skeletons can be used as backbones for chromic molecules.

Extremely stable system of 1-haloselanyl-anthraquinones: experimental and theoretical investigations.

Highly stable selanyl halides, 1-ATQSeX (X = I (1), Br (2) and Cl (3)), were prepared. The structures of 1, 2, 6 (1-ATQSeX: X = Me) and 7 (1-ATQBr) were determined. QC calculations were performed on 1-3, 4 (X = F), 5 (X = H), 6, 7 and 8 (X = SeATQ-1).

Morphology of the pterothoracic musculature in Paraneoptera and its phylogenetic implication (Insecta: Neoptera).

Although the monophyly of Paraneoptera (=hemipteroid orders or Acercaria, composed of Psocodea, Thysanoptera and Hemiptera) has been widely accepted morphologically, the results from molecular phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses contradict this hypothesis. In particular, phylogenomic analyses provide strong bootstrap support for the sister group relationship between Psocodea and Holometabola, that is, paraphyly of Paraneoptera. Here, we examined the pterothoracic musculature of Paraneoptera, as well as a wide range of other neopterous insect orders, and analysed its phylogenetic implication.

Giant Modulation of the Second Harmonic Generation by Magnetoelectricity in Two-Dimensional Multiferroic CuCrPS.

Multiferroic materials have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique magnetoelectric or magnetooptical properties. The recent discovery of few-layer van der Waals multiferroic crystals provides a new research direction for controlling the multiferroic properties in the atomic layer limit. However, research on few-layer multiferroic crystals is limited and the effect of thickness-dependent symmetries on those properties is less explored.

Silicone-based highly stretchable multifunctional fiber pumps.

Recent advancements on electrohydrodynamic (EHD) soft pumps demonstrate their applicability to various fluid-driven systems such as soft robots, wearable devices, and stretchable electronics. In particular, fiber type EHD pumps reported more recently is a promising pumping element thanks to their versatile fibrous structure. Yet existing EHD fiber pumps are less stretchable and require sophisticated, complex fabrication equipment, implying opportunity for technology advancement.

Optimization Efforts for Identification of Novel Highly Potent Keap1-Nrf2 Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitors.

In research focused on protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibitors, the optimization process to achieve both high inhibitory activity and favorable physicochemical properties remains challenging. Our previous study reported the discovery of novel and bioavailable Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitor which exhibited moderate in vivo activity in rats. In this work, we present our subsequent efforts to optimize this compound.

Artificially controlled nanoscale chemical reduction in VO through electron beam illumination.

Chemical reduction in oxides plays a crucial role in engineering the material properties through structural transformation and electron filling. Controlling the reduction at nanoscale forms a promising pathway to harvest functionalities, which however is of great challenge for conventional methods (e.g.

Methyl and Fluorine Effects in Novel Orally Bioavailable Keap1-Nrf2 PPI Inhibitor.

Oxidative stress is one of the causes of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Activation of the antioxidant protein regulator Nrf2 by inhibition of the Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction (PPI) is of interest as a potential treatment for CKD. We report the identification of the novel and weak PPI inhibitor with good physical properties by a high throughput screening (HTS) campaign, followed by structural and computational analysis.

Polyvinyl chloride-added dibutyl adipate for high-performance electrohydrodynamic pumps.

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumps are a promising driving source for various fluid-driven systems owing to features such as simple structure and silent operation. The performance of EHD pumps depends on the properties of the working fluid, such as conductivity, viscosity, and permittivity. This implies that the tuning of these parameters in a working fluid can enhance the EHD performance.

Peristaltic micropump using polyvinyl chloride gels with micropatterned surface.

This paper presents a pump using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel. PVC gels are compliant, have a simple structure, and exhibit large deformation at voltages in the range of 100-1000 V, which make them suitable for micropumps. In this study, a PVC gel sheet with a surface pattern that enhances active deformation in the thickness direction was employed for the fabrication of a pump.

Giant bulk piezophotovoltaic effect in 3R-MoS.

Given its innate coupling with wavefunction geometry in solids and its potential to boost the solar energy conversion efficiency, the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) has been of considerable interest in the past decade. Initially discovered and developed in ferroelectric oxide materials, the BPVE has now been explored in a wide range of emerging materials, such as Weyl semimetals, van der Waals nanomaterials, oxide superlattices, halide perovskites, organics, bulk Rashba semiconductors and others. However, a feasible experimental approach to optimize the photovoltaic performance is lacking.

[Administration Period of Olanzapine as an Antiemetic Drug for Patients on FEC Therapy-A Survey].

Olanzapine(OLZ)is a multi-acting receptor-targeted antipsychotic drug approved in Japan in December 2017 for the treatment of anticancer drug-induced nausea and vomiting. However, the recommended doses and administration periods of OLZ in the literature and guidelines are varied. Reports on the efficacy and safety of OLZ combined with perioperative chemotherapy for breast cancer in Japanese patients are few.

Probiotic-derived heptelidic acid exerts antitumor effects on extraintestinal melanoma through glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity control.

Background: Several microorganisms inhabit the mammalian gastrointestinal tract and are associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancer. Recent studies have indicated that several probiotics produce antitumor molecules and inhibit host tumor progression. We demonstrated that heptelidic acid (HA), a sesquiterpene lactone derived from the probiotic Aspergillus oryzae, exerts antitumor effects against pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Photovoltaic effect by soft phonon excitation.

SignificanceThe quantum-mechanical geometric phase of electrons provides various phenomena such as the dissipationless photocurrent generation through the shift current mechanism. So far, the photocurrent generations are limited to above or near the band-gap photon energy, which contradicts the increasing demand of the low-energy photonic functionality. We demonstrate the photocurrent through the optical phonon excitations in ferroelectric BaTiO by using the terahertz light with photon energy far below the band gap.

Ellagic Acid Combined with Tacrolimus Showed Synergistic Cell Growth Inhibition in Fission Yeast.

Calcineurin (CN) is a conserved Ca-calmodulin activated protein phosphatase, which plays important roles in immune regulation, cardiac hypertrophy, and apoptosis in humans. In pathogenic fungi, CN is essential for stress survival, sexual development, and virulence. The immunosuppressant tacrolimus (FK506) is a specific inhibitor of CN in humans and fungi including nonpathogenic fission yeast.