Slot‐die coating is recognized as the most compatible method for the roll‐to‐roll (R2R) processing of large‐area flexible organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the photovoltaic performance of ...large‐area flexible OSC lags significantly behind that of traditional spin‐coating devices. In this work, two acceptors, Qx‐1 and Qx‐2, show quite different film‐formation kinetics in the slot‐die coating process. In situ absorption spectroscopy indicates that the excessive crystallinity of Qx‐2 provides early phase separation and early aggregation, resulting in oversized crystal domains. Consequently, the PM6:Qx‐1‐based 1 cm2 flexible device exhibits an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.70%, which is the best performance among the slot‐die‐coated flexible devices; in contrast, the PM6:Qx‐2 blend shows a pretty poor efficiency, which is lower than 1%. Moreover, the 30 cm2 modules based on PM6:Qx‐1, containing six 5 cm2 sub‐cells, exhibit a PCE of 12.20%. After being stored in a glove box for over 6000 h, the PCE remains at 103% of its initial values, indicating excellent shelf stability. Therefore, these results show a promising future strategy for the upscaling fabrication of flexible large‐area OSCs.
In situ absorption measurement is used to investigate the aggregation behavior of acceptors during slot‐die‐coating. The 1 cm2 flexible device can reach a power conversion efficiency of 13.70%, with excellent shelf stability and upscaling ability. The connected modules (180 cm2) can effectively power a smartphone, showing great potential for future applications.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Driven by the persisting poor understanding of the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt in alkaline media, a direct correlation of the interfacial water structure and ...activity is still yet to be established. Herein, using Pt and Pt–Ni nanoparticles we first demonstrate a strong dependence of the proton donor structure on the HER activity and pH. The structure of the first layer changes from the proton acceptors to the donors with increasing pH. In the base, the reactivity of the interfacial water varied its structure, and the activation energies of water dissociation increased in the sequence: the dangling O−H bonds < the trihedrally coordinated water < the tetrahedrally coordinated water. Moreover, optimizing the adsorption of H and OH intermediates can re‐orientate the interfacial water molecules with their H atoms pointing towards the electrode surface, thereby enhancing the kinetics of HER. Our results clarified the dynamic role of the water structure at the electrode–electrolyte interface during HER and the design of highly efficient HER catalysts.
On nickel–platinum alloy nanoparticles under alkaline conditions, the reactivity of interfacial water varies with its structure and the order of water dissociation. The inclusion of nickel re‐orientates interfacial water molecules with their hydrogen atoms pointing towards the electrode surface, thereby enhancing the kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Bacteria from the genus Sulfitobacter are distributed across various marine habitats and play a significant role in sulfur cycling. However, the metabolic features of Sulfitobacter inhabiting marine ...biofilms are still not well understood. Here, complete genomes and paired metatranscriptomes of eight Sulfitobacter strains, isolated from biofilms on subtidal stones, have been analyzed to explore their central energy metabolism and potential of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Based on average nucleotide identity and phylogenetic analysis, the eight strains were classified into six novel species and two novel strains. The reconstruction of the metabolic pathways indicated that all strains had a complete Entner–Doudoroff pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, and diverse pathways for amino acid metabolism, suggesting the presence of an optimized central carbon metabolism. Pangenome analysis further revealed the differences between the gene cluster distribution patterns among the eight strains, suggesting significant functional variation. Moreover, a total of 47 biosynthetic gene clusters were discovered, which were further classified into 37 gene cluster families that showed low similarity with previously documented clusters. Furthermore, metatranscriptomic analysis revealed the expressions of key functional genes involved in the biosynthesis of ribosomal peptides in in situ marine biofilms. Overall, this study sheds new light on the metabolic features, adaptive strategies, and value of genome mining in this group of biofilm-associated Sulfitobacter bacteria.
The insulin/insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have crucial tasks in the growth, differentiation, and proliferation of healthy and pernicious cells. They are involved in coordinated complexes, ...including receptors, ligands, binding proteins, and proteases. However, the systems can become dysregulated in tumorigenesis. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) is a protein belonging to the IGFBP superfamily (also termed GFBP-related proteins). Numerous studies have provided evidence that IGFBP3 and IGFBP7 are involved in a variety of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), breast cancer, gastroesophageal cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, among many others. Still, very few suggest an interaction between these two molecules. In studying several cancer types in our laboratories, we found that both proteins share some crucial signaling pathways. The objective of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the relationship between IGFBP7 and cancer, as well as highlighting IGFBP3 crosstalk with IGFBP7 reported in recent studies.
Introduction
Clearance of damaged cells and debris is beneficial for the functional recovery after ischemic brain injury. However, the specific phagocytic receptor that mediates microglial ...phagocytosis after ischemic stroke is unknown.
Aim
To investigate whether P2Y6 receptor‐mediated microglial phagocytosis is beneficial for the debris clearance and functional recovery after ischemic stroke.
Results
The expression of the P2Y6 receptor in microglia increased within 3 days after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Inhibition of microglial phagocytosis by the selective inhibitor MRS2578 enlarged the brain atrophy and edema volume after ischemic stroke, subsequently aggravated neurological function as measured by modified neurological severity scores and Grid walking test. MRS2578 treatment had no effect on the expression of IL‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, TGF‐β, and MPO after ischemic stroke. Finally, we found that the expression of myosin light chain kinase decreased after microglial phagocytosis inhibition in the ischemic mouse brain, which suggested that myosin light chain kinase was involved in P2Y6 receptor‐mediated phagocytosis.
Conclusion
Our results indicate that P2Y6 receptor‐mediated microglial phagocytosis plays a beneficial role during the acute stage of ischemic stroke, which can be a therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The adsorption of active polymers on an attractive nanoparticle (NP) is studied using Langevin dynamics simulations. The active polymers consist of an active Brownian particle (ABP) at the head and a ...subsequent passive polymer chain. The ABP experiences an active force of magnitude
F
a
. The interactions between the active polymer and NP are modeled as Lennard-Jones potential with a strength
pn
. We find the critical adsorption point
pn
* increases with increasing the active force
F
a
. The increment of
pn
*, denoted as Δ
pn
*, due to
F
a
can be expressed approximately as Δ
pn
* ∝
F
a
2.5
for the restricted rotating active polymer (RRAP) where the rotation of the head ABP is restricted and Δ
pn
* ∝
F
a
1.7
for the freely rotating active polymer (FRAP) where the ABP rotates freely. Meanwhile, the conformation of the adsorbed polymer, such as adsorbed trains on NP and the tail near the ABP, are also dependent on
F
a
. When the tail near the ABP is short, the adsorption is significantly affected by the active force. However, when the tail is long, the whole polymer can be viewed as a long tail stretched by the active force and unperturbed adsorption monomers. Simulation results show that the active force has a direct and significant effect on
pn
* and the structure of the adsorbed active polymers.
The critical attraction strength for the adsorption of active polymers on nanoparticles increases with the active force. It becomes more sensitive to the length of the polymers under the action of active force.
Abstract Objective The incidence of recurrent hernia after radical resection of prostate cancer is high, so this article discusses the incidence and risk factors of inguinal hernia after radical ...resection of prostate cancer. Methods This case control study was conducted in The First People’s Hospital of Huzhou clinical data of 251 cases underwent radical resection of prostate cancer in this hospital from March 2019 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the occurrence of inguinal hernia, the subjects were divided into study group and control group, and the clinical data of each group were statistically analyzed, Multivariate Logistic analysis was performed to find independent influencing factors for predicting the occurrence of inguinal hernia. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn according to the occurrence and time of inguinal hernia. Results The overall incidence of inguinal hernia after prostate cancer surgery was 14.7% (37/251), and the mean time was 8.58 ± 4.12 months. The average time of inguinal hernia in patients who received lymph node dissection was 7.61 ± 4.05 (month), and that in patients who did not receive lymph node dissection was 9.16 ± 4.15 (month), and there was no significant difference between them ( P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of inguinal hernia with age, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, PSA, previous abdominal operations and operative approach ( P > 0.05), but there were statistically significant differences with surgical method and pelvic lymph node dissection ( P < 0.05). The incidence of pelvic lymph node dissection in the inguinal hernia group was 24.3% (14/57), which was significantly higher than that in the control group 11.8% (23/194). Logistic regression analysis showed that pelvic lymph node dissection was a risk factor for inguinal hernia after prostate cancer surgery (OR = 0.413, 95%Cl: 0.196–0.869, P = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the rate of inguinal hernia in the group receiving pelvic lymph node dissection was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Pelvic lymph node dissection is a risk factor for inguinal hernia after radical resection of prostate cancer.
Flight, an active fear response to imminent threat, is dependent on the rapid risk assessment of sensory information processed by the cortex. The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) filters information ...between the cortex and the thalamus, but whether it participates in the regulation of flight behavior remains largely unknown. Here, we report that activation of parvalbumin-expressing neurons in the limbic TRN, but not those in the sensory TRN, mediates flight. Glutamatergic inputs from the cingulate cortex (Cg) selectively activate the limbic TRN, which in turn inhibits the intermediodorsal thalamic nucleus (IMD). Activation of this Cg→limbic TRN→IMD circuit results in inhibition of the IMD and produces flight behavior. Conversely, removal of inhibition onto the IMD results in more freezing and less flight, suggesting that the IMD may function as a pro-freeze center. Overall, these findings reveal a novel corticothalamic circuit through the TRN that controls the flight response.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Pain is a source of substantial discomfort. Abnormal activity in both the zona incerta (ZI) and posterior complex of the thalamus (Po) are implicated in neuropathic pain, but their exact roles remain ...unclear. In particular, the precise cell types and molecular mechanisms of the ZI-Po circuit that regulate nociception are largely uncharacterized. Here, we found that parvalbumin (PV)-positive neuronal projections from the ventral ZI (ZIv) to the Po (ZIv-Po) are critical for promoting nocifensive behaviors, whereas selectively inhibiting ZIv-Po activity reduces nocifensive withdrawal responses. Furthermore, cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1Rs) are expressed specifically at ZIv-Po axon terminals in this circuit, and cannabinoids attenuate nocifensive responses through presynaptic inhibition. Selective inhibition of the ZIv-Po circuit or administration of cannabinoids into the Po are sufficient to ameliorate pathological pain. These findings identify the critical role of the ZIv-Po circuit and its modulation by endocannabinoids in controlling nocifensive behaviors.
•ZIv parvalbumin-positive neurons participate in nocifensive behaviors•ZIv-Po pathway bi-directionally regulates nocifensive behaviors•CB1Rs express at the circuit terminals and control nocifensive behaviors•ZIv-Po circuit and cannabinoids regulate pathological pain
Wang et al. identify the critical role of ZIv parvalbumin-positive neurons and the ZIv-Po circuit that regulate the nocifensive responses, revealing the pathway modulation by endocannabinoids for controlling nocifensive behaviors and pathological pain.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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