TY - JOUR A1 - Weissenberger, Manuel A1 - Weissenberger, Manuela H. A1 - Wagenbrenner, Mike A1 - Heinz, Tizian A1 - Reboredo, Jenny A1 - Holzapfel, Boris M. A1 - Rudert, Maximilian A1 - Groll, Jürgen A1 - Evans, Christopher H. A1 - Steinert, Andre F. T1 - Different types of cartilage neotissue fabricated from collagen hydrogels and mesenchymal stromal cells via SOX9, TGFB1 or BMP2 gene transfer JF - PLoS One N2 - Objective As native cartilage consists of different phenotypical zones, this study aims to fabricate different types of neocartilage constructs from collagen hydrogels and human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) genetically modified to express different chondrogenic factors. Design Human MSCs derived from bone-marrow of osteoarthritis (OA) hips were genetically modified using adenoviral vectors encoding sex-determining region Y-type high-mobility-group-box (SOX)9,transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) 1or bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 2cDNA, placed in type I collagen hydrogels and maintained in serum-free chondrogenic media for three weeks. Control constructs contained unmodified MSCs or MSCs expressing GFP. The respective constructs were analyzed histologically, immunohistochemically, biochemically, and by qRT-PCR for chondrogenesis and hypertrophy. Results Chondrogenesis in MSCs was consistently and strongly induced in collagen I hydrogels by the transgenesSOX9,TGFB1andBMP2as evidenced by positive staining for proteoglycans, chondroitin-4-sulfate (CS4) and collagen (COL) type II, increased levels of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis, and expression of mRNAs associated with chondrogenesis. The control groups were entirely non-chondrogenic. The levels of hypertrophy, as judged by expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and COL X on both the protein and mRNA levels revealed different stages of hypertrophy within the chondrogenic groups (BMP2>TGFB1>SOX9). Conclusions Different types of neocartilage with varying levels of hypertrophy could be generated from human MSCs in collagen hydrogels by transfer of genes encoding the chondrogenic factorsSOX9,TGFB1andBMP2. This technology may be harnessed for regeneration of specific zones of native cartilage upon damage. KW - stem cells KW - in vitro KW - chondrogenic differentiation KW - repair KW - chondrocytes KW - transplantation KW - stimulation KW - scaffolds KW - defects KW - therapy Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230494 VL - 15 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kiermasch, David A1 - Fischer, Mathias A1 - Gil-Escrig, Lidón A1 - Baumann, Andreas A1 - Bolink, Henk J. A1 - Dyakonov, Vladimir A1 - Tvingstedt, Kristofer T1 - Reduced Recombination Losses in Evaporated Perovskite Solar Cells by Postfabrication Treatment JF - Solar RRL N2 - The photovoltaic perovskite research community has now developed a large set of tools and techniques to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE). One such arcane trick is to allow the finished devices to dwell in time, and the PCE often improves. Herein, a mild postannealing procedure is implemented on coevaporated perovskite solar cells confirming a substantial PCE improvement, mainly attributed to an increased open-circuit voltage (V\(_{OC}\)). From a V\(_{OC}\) of around 1.11 V directly after preparation, the voltage improves to more than 1.18 V by temporal and thermal annealing. To clarify the origin of this annealing effect, an in-depth device experimental and simulation characterization is conducted. A simultaneous reduction of the dark saturation current, the ideality factor (n\(_{id}\)), and the leakage current is revealed, signifying a substantial impact of the postannealing procedure on recombination losses. To investigate the carrier dynamics in more detail, a set of transient optoelectrical methods is first evaluated, ascertaining that the bulk carrier lifetime is increased with device annealing. Second, a drift-diffusion simulation is used, confirming that the beneficial effect of the annealing has its origin in effective bulk trap passivation that accordingly leads to a reduction of Shockley–Read–Hall recombination rates. KW - defects KW - heating KW - lifetimes KW - passivation KW - perovskite solar cells KW - recombination KW - Shockley–Read–Hall Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258003 VL - 5 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fuchs, F. A1 - Stender, B. A1 - Trupke, M. A1 - Simin, D. A1 - Pflaum, J. A1 - Dyakonov, V. A1 - Astakhov, G.V. T1 - Engineering near-infrared single-photon emitters with optically active spins in ultrapure silicon carbide JF - Nature Communications N2 - Vacancy-related centres in silicon carbide are attracting growing attention because of their appealing optical and spin properties. These atomic-scale defects can be created using electron or neutron irradiation; however, their precise engineering has not been demonstrated yet. Here, silicon vacancies are generated in a nuclear reactor and their density is controlled over eight orders of magnitude within an accuracy down to a single vacancy level. An isolated silicon vacancy serves as a near-infrared photostable single-photon emitter, operating even at room temperature. The vacancy spins can be manipulated using an optically detected magnetic resonance technique, and we determine the transition rates and absorption cross-section, describing the intensity-dependent photophysics of these emitters. The on-demand engineering of optically active spins in technologically friendly materials is a crucial step toward implementation of both maser amplifiers, requiring high-density spin ensembles, and qubits based on single spins. KW - nuclear magnetic resonance KW - coherent control KW - 4H KW - phosphorus KW - qubits KW - defects KW - entanglement KW - room temperature KW - vacancy Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148502 VL - 6 IS - 7578 ER -