After more than three decades of molecular and carbon-based electronics, the creation of airand thermally stable n-type materials remains a challenge in the development of future p/n junction devices such as solar cells and thermoelectric modules. Here we report a series of ordinary salts such as sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) with crown ethers as new doping reagents for converting single-walled carbon nanotubes to stable n-type materials. Thermoelectric analyses revealed that these new n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes displayed remarkable air stability even at 100 o C for more than one month. Their thermoelectric properties with a dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT) of 0.1 make these new n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes a most promising candidate for future n-type carbon-based thermoelectric materials.

Congenital macrothrombocytopenia (CMTP) is a heterogeneous group of rare platelet disorders characterized by a congenital reduction of platelet counts and abnormally large platelets, for which CMTP-causing mutations are only found in approximately half the cases. We herein performed whole-exome sequencing and targeted Sanger sequencing to identify mutations that cause CMTP, in which a dominant mode of transmission had been suspected but for which no known responsible mutations have been documented. In 13 Japanese CMTP-affected pedigrees, we identified six (46%) affected by ACTN1 variants cosegregating with CMTP. In the entire cohort, ACNT1 variants accounted for 5.5% of the dominant forms of CMTP cases and represented the fourth most common cause in Japanese individuals. Individuals with ACTN1 variants presented with moderate macrothrombocytopenia with anisocytosis but were either asymptomatic or had only a modest bleeding tendency. ACTN1 encodes α-actinin-1, a member of the actin-crosslinking protein superfamily that participates in the organization of the cytoskeleton. In vitro transfection experiments in Chinese hamster ovary cells demonstrated that altered α-actinin-1 disrupted the normal actin-based cytoskeletal structure. Moreover, transduction of mouse fetal liver-derived megakaryocytes with disease-associated ACTN1 variants caused a disorganized actin-based cytoskeleton in megakaryocytes, resulting in the production of abnormally large proplatelet tips, which were reduced in number. Our findings provide an insight into the pathogenesis of CMTP.

Although this multicenter RCT was conducted in a strict setting, extended lymphadenectomy in radical PD did not benefit long-term survival in patients with resectable pancreatic head cancer and led to levels of morbidity, mortality and quality of life comparable to those found after standard lymphadenectomy.

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