Academia Sinica

About: Academia Sinica is a facility organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 52086 authors who have published 65998 publications receiving 1728114 citations. The organization is also known as: Central Research Academy.

Tunable photoluminescence from graphene oxide.

Abstract: Graphene oxide (GO) is a graphene sheet modified with oxygen functional groups in the form of epoxy and hydroxy groups on the basal plane and various other types at the edges. It exhibits interesting steady-state photoluminescence (PL) properties. For example, low-energy fluorescence in red to near infrared (NIR) wavelengths (from 600– 1100 nm) has been detected for suspensions and solid thin films of as-synthesized GO. 3] In addition, broad luminescence from 400 to 800 nm from oxygen plasma-treated, mechanically exfoliated, single-layer graphene sheet has been reported. Blue fluorescence with a relatively narrow bandwidth when excited with UV irradiation has also been detected from chemically reduced GO (rGO) and graphene quantum dots. 6] Recently, chemically modified GO or rGO with n-butylamine or Mn has also demonstrated PL emission at a range of energies. 10] A detailed explanation of the origin of such variable energy PL in GO has yet to be elucidated. This is partly because the sample preparation and reduction methods varied, making it difficult to compare the results. Herein, we have prepared GO suspensions that exhibit virtually all of the PL features observed by different groups, through careful and gradual reduction of the GO. The systematic evolution of the electronic structure and comprehensive analysis of steady-state and transient PL along with photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy measurements indicate that two different types of electronically excited states are responsible for the observed emission characteristics. GO was synthesized using the modified Hummers method, the details of which have been reported. GO usually contains a large fraction of sp hybridized carbon atoms bound to oxygen functional groups, which makes it an insulator. Reduction can be achieved chemically (e.g. hydrazine exposure) or by thermal annealing in inert environments. Photothermal reduction of GO can be achieved by exposing GO samples to a Xenon flash in ambient conditions. In this study, we prepared aqueous GO solutions and subjected them to steady-state Xe lamp irradiation (500 W) with different exposure times of up to three hours. In contrast to reduction by an instantaneous flash, this method provides a controllable, gradual transformation from GO to rGO, allowing exploration of the PL evolution and emission mechanisms from as-synthesized GO to rGO. The deoxygenation of GO after reduction was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as shown in Figure 1. The C 1s signals of the original GO can be deconvoluted into signals for the C=C bond in aromatic rings (284.6 eV), C O bond (286.1 eV), C=O bond (287.5 eV), and C(=O) OH bond (289.2 eV), in agreement with previous assignments. Increased sp carbon bonding with increased reduction time can be clearly measured, which

Wafer-Scale MoS2 Thin Layers Prepared by MoO3 Sulfurization

Abstract: Atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) layers have attracted great interest due to their direct-gap property and potential applications in optoelectronics and energy harvesting. Meanwhile, they are extremely bendable, promising for applications in flexible electronics. However, the synthetic approach to obtain large-area MoS2 atomic thin layers is still lacking. Here we report that wafer-scale MoS2 thin layers can be obtained using MoO3 thin films as a starting material followed by a two-step thermal process, reduction of MoO3 at 500 °C in hydrogen and sulfurization at 1000 °C in the presence of sulfur. Spectroscopic, optical and electrical characterizations reveal that these films are polycrystalline and with semiconductor properties. The obtained MoS2 films are uniform in thickness and easily transferable to arbitrary substrates, which make such films suitable for flexible electronics or optoelectronics.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies eight new loci for type 2 diabetes in east Asians

Abstract: We conducted a three-stage genetic study to identify susceptibility loci for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in east Asian populations. We followed our stage 1 meta-analysis of eight T2D genome-wide association studies (6,952 cases with T2D and 11,865 controls) with a stage 2 in silico replication analysis (5,843 cases and 4,574 controls) and a stage 3 de novo replication analysis (12,284 cases and 13,172 controls). The combined analysis identified eight new T2D loci reaching genome-wide significance, which mapped in or near GLIS3, PEPD, FITM2-R3HDML-HNF4A, KCNK16, MAEA, GCC1-PAX4, PSMD6 and ZFAND3. GLIS3, which is involved in pancreatic beta cell development and insulin gene expression, is known for its association with fasting glucose levels. The evidence of an association with T2D for PEPD and HNF4A has been shown in previous studies. KCNK16 may regulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion in the pancreas. These findings, derived from an east Asian population, provide new perspectives on the etiology of T2D.

Pattern of Marine Mass Extinction Near the Permian-Triassic Boundary in South China

Abstract: The Meishan section across the Permian-Triassic boundary in South China is the most thoroughly investigated in the world. A statistical analysis of the occurrences of 162 genera and 333 species confirms a sudden extinction event at 251.4 million years ago, coincident with a dramatic depletion of δ13Ccarbonate and an increase in microspherules.

Suppression of inducible cyclooxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase by apigenin and related flavonoids in mouse macrophages.

Abstract: Prostaglandins biosynthesis and nitric oxide production have been implicated in the process of carcinogenesis and inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effect of various flavonoids and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate on the activities of inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Apigenin, genistein and kaempferol were markedly active inhibitors of transcriptional activation of COX-2, with IC(50) < 15 microM. In addition, apigenin and kaempferol were also markedly active inhibitors of transcriptional activation of iNOS, with IC(50) < 15 microM. Of those compounds tested, apigenin was the most potent inhibitor of transcriptional activation of both COX-2 and iNOS. Western and northern blot analyses demonstrated that apigenin significantly blocked protein and mRNA expression of COX-2 and iNOS in LPS-activated macrophages. Transient transfection experiments showed that LPS caused an approximately 4-fold increase in both COX-2 and iNOS promoter activities, these increments were suppressed by apigenin. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) experiments indicated that apigenin blocked the LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB). The inhibition of NF-kB activation occurs through the prevention of inhibitor kB (IkB) degradation. Transient transfection experiments also showed that apigenin inhibited NF-kB-dependent transcriptional activity. Finally, we showed that apigenin could inhibit the IkB kinase activity induced by LPS or interferon-gamma. The results of further studies suggest that suppression of transcriptional activation of COX-2 and iNOS by apigenin might mainly be mediated through inhibition of IkB kinase activity. This study suggests that modulation of COX-2 and iNOS by apigenin and related flavonoids may be important in the prevention of carcinogenesis and inflammation.