Investigations of ZnO thin films deposited by a reactive pulsed laser ablation

Highly transparent ZnO thin films were deposited at different substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition in an oxygen atmosphere.The thin films were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,optical absorption,and photoluminescence.We demonstrated that oriented wurtzite ZnO thin films could be deposited at room temperature using a high purity zinc target.Variable temperature photoluminescence revealed new characteristics in the band edge emission.The...     

Genome-wide association study of prostate cancer identifies a second risk locus at 8q24

Recently, common variants on human chromosome 8q24 were found to be associated with prostate cancer risk. While conducting a genome-wide association study in the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility project with 550,000 SNPs in a nested case-control study (1,172 cases and 1,157 controls of European origin), we identified a new association at 8q24 with an independent effect on prostate cancer susceptibility. The most significant signal is 70 kb centromeric to the previously reported SNP, rs1447295, but shows little evidence of linkage disequilibrium with it. A combined analysis with four additional studies (total: 4,296 cases and 4,299 controls) confirms association with prostate cancer for rs6983267 in the centromeric locus (P = 9.42 x 10(-13); heterozygote odds ratio (OR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (c.i.): 1.13-1.41; homozygote OR: 1.58, 95% c.i.: 1.40-1.78). Each SNP remained significant in a joint analysis after adjusting for the other (rs1447295 P = 1.41 x 10(-11); rs6983267 P = 6.62 x 10(-10)). These observations, combined with compelling evidence for a recombination hotspot between the two markers, indicate the presence of at least two independent loci within 8q24 that contribute to prostate cancer in men of European ancestry. We estimate that the population attributable risk of the new locus, marked by rs6983267, is higher than the locus marked by rs1447295 (21% versus 9%).     

FDTD计算功率变换器近场到近/远场的转换

从理论上分析了利用时间有限差分法由近场到近场或远场转换的频域和时域两种方法，并选择时域的方法计算在FDTD计算范围内一给定点的电场值，与直接利用FDTD法得到的结果相比较，两者非常一致；最后利用该方法计算了功率变换器FDTD计算范围外一给定点的电磁场时间响应．     

Common variants of FUT2 are associated with plasma vitamin B12 levels

We identified a strong association (P = 5.36 x 10(-17)) between rs492602 in FUT2 and plasma vitamin B(12) levels in a genome-wide scan (n = 1,658) and an independent replication sample (n = 1,059) from the Nurses' Health Study. Women homozygous for the rs492602[G] allele had higher B(12) levels. This allele is in strong linkage disequilibrium with the FUT2 nonsecretor variant encoding W143X, suggesting a plausible mechanism for altered B(12) absorption and plasma levels.     

Identification of mutations in CUL7 in 3-M syndrome

Intrauterine growth retardation is caused by maternal, fetal or placental factors that result in impaired endovascular trophoblast invasion and reduced placental perfusion. Although various causes of intrauterine growth retardation have been identified, most cases remain unexplained. Studying 29 families with 3-M syndrome (OMIM 273750), an autosomal recessive condition characterized by severe pre- and postnatal growth retardation, we first mapped the underlying gene to chromosome 6p21.1 and then identified 25 distinct mutations in the gene cullin 7 (CUL7). CUL7 assembles an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex containing Skp1, Fbx29 (also called Fbw8) and ROC1 and promotes ubiquitination. Using deletion analysis, we found that CUL7 uses its central region to interact with the Skp1-Fbx29 heterodimer. Functional studies indicated that the 3-M-associated CUL7 nonsense and missense mutations R1445X and H1464P, respectively, render CUL7 deficient in recruiting ROC1. These results suggest that impaired ubiquitination may have a role in the pathogenesis of intrauterine growth retardation in humans.