Defect states play an important role in the photovoltaic performance of metal halide perovskites. Particularly, the passivation of surface defects has made great contributions to high‐performance ...perovskite photovoltaics. This highlights the importance of understanding the surface defects from a fundamental level by developing more accurate and operando characterization techniques. Herein, a strategy to enable the surface carriers and photocurrent distributions on perovskite films to be visualized in the horizontal direction is put forward. The visual image of photocurrent distribution is realized by combining the static local distribution of carriers provided by scanning near‐field optical microscopy with the dynamic transporting of carriers achieved via a scanning photocurrent measurement system. Taking a surface passivated molecule as an example, a comprehensive defect scene including static and dynamic as well as local and entire conditions is obtained using this strategy. The comprehensive analysis of the trap states in perovskite films is pioneered vertically and horizontally, which will powerfully promote the deep understanding of defect mechanisms and carrier behavior for the goal of fabricating high‐performance perovskite optoelectronic devices.
A strategy which makes collected electrical signals visualized in form of mapping by a scanning photocurrent measurement system is proposed. The surface photocurrent distribution of perovskite films is visualized in the horizontal direction vividly. It provides a brand‐new viewpoint of in‐depth understanding on the surface defect states for developing high‐performance perovskite solar cells.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate complications, clinical outcomes, and radiographic results following Coflex implantation.
Methods
We retrospectively studied 66 patients who had ...decompressive surgery combined with Coflex implantation to treat lumbar spinal stenosis. All imaging data were collected and examined for imaging changes. Clinical outcomes, included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), back and leg visual analog scale (VAS) scores, were evaluated before surgery, six months after surgery and at the last follow-up. The number of complications occurring after five years of follow-up was counted. All reoperation cases were meticulously recorded.
Results
66 patients were followed up for 5–14 years. The VAS and ODI scores were significantly improved compared with baseline. Heterotopic Ossification (HO) was detectable in 59 (89.4%). 26 (39.4%) patients had osteolysis at the contact site of Coflex with the spinous process. Coflex loosening was detected in 39 (60%) patients. Spinous process anastomosis was found in 34 (51.5%) patients. There was a statistically significant difference in the VAS score of back pain between patients with and without spinous process anastomosis. Nine cases of lumbar spinal restenosis were observed, and prosthesis fracture was observed in one case.
Conclusion
Our study identified various imaging changes after Coflex implantation, and majority of them did not affect clinical outcomes. The majority of patients had HO, but osteolysis and Coflex loosening were relatively rare. The VAS score for back pain of these patients was higher if they have spinous process anastomosis. After five-year follow-up, we found lumbar spinal restenosis and prosthesis fracture cases.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Exploring active and stable electrocatalysts for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is necessary to broaden the practical applications of proton exchange membrane electrolyzers. ...Unfortunately, the active sites of electrocatalysts for the acidic OER, which are the most powerful tool for designing and optimizing OER electrocatalysts, still remain ambiguous. Herein, we synthesize Ag doped Co3O4 with different atomic ratios of Co2+/Co3+ and investigate the effect of preferential exposure of Co2+ in Co3O4 on the acidic OER through systematic experiments for the first time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to probe the atomic ratio of Co2+/Co3+ on the surface of Co3O4. The results demonstrate that Co3O4 richer in Co2+ shows the best acidic OER performance, and affords a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 470 mV along with having a satisfactory stability in H2SO4 solution. Moreover, low-temperature calcination treatment is found to be an effective method to aid preferential growth of Co2+ on the surface of Co3O4, further making our synthesis process more practical and universal. Therefore, this work provides some insight into designing non-precious electrocatalysts for the acidic OER, by identifying active sites and offering a versatile modulation strategy on the preferential growth of real active sites.
Low‐concentration ethane capture is crucial for environmental protection and natural gas purification. The ideal physisorbent with strong C2H6 interaction and large C2H6 uptake at low‐concentration ...level has rarely been reported, due to the large pKa value and small quadrupole moment of C2H6. Herein, we demonstrate the perfectly size matching between the ultramicropore (pore size of 4.6 Å) and ethane (kinetic diameter of 4.4 Å) in a nickel pyridine‐4‐carboxylate metal–organic framework (IISERP‐MOF2), which enables the record‐breaking performance for low concentration C2H6 capture. IISERP‐MOF2 exhibits the large C2H6 adsorption enthalpy of 56.7 kJ/mol, and record‐high C2H6 uptake at low pressure of 0.01–0.1 bar and 298 K (1.8 mmol/g at 0.01 bar). Molecule simulations and C2H6‐loading crystal structure analysis revealed that the maximized interaction sites in IISERP‐MOF2 with ethane molecule originates the strong C2H6 adsorption. The dynamic breakthrough experiments for gas mixtures of C2H6/N2(1/999, v/v) and C2H6/CH4 (5/95, v/v) proved the excellent low‐concentration C2H6 capture performance.
Recorded C2H6adsorption at low concentration was achieved by precisely size matching in an ultramicroporous metal–organic framework. Low‐Concentration Ethane Capture Enabled by Size Matching in the Ultramicropore (Chen et al.).
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of age and sex on the taste functions of healthy Taiwanese. Subjects were divided into groups based on their sex and age: 20-39 years, 40-59 ...years, or greater than or equal to 60 years. We evaluated the taste functions of subjects using the whole mouth suprathreshold taste test and the taste quad test. For the whole-mouth test, subjects were instructed to sip and swish sweet, sour, salty, and bitter solutions, each at 5 different suprathreshold concentrations. Each subject was required to indicate the taste quality, and to rate the intensity and unpleasantness/pleasantness of each taste of the solutions. For the quad test, the 4 quadrants of the tongue surface were tested by applying a drop of one concentration of sweet, sour, salty, or bitter solutions 6 times. Subjects then indicated the taste quality and rated the intensity of the solution. We found that in the whole mouth test, the total correct identification score dropped with age, but the ability to identify sweet and salty qualities was not affected by age. No differences were found between males and females, except women scored better than men for sweetness in the 40-59 years age group. The intensity rating scores were higher in the 20-39 years age group, regardless of sex. With regard to the pleasantness of tastants, female subjects in the 20-39 years age group found sweet solution more pleasant than the older subjects did. In the quad test, the total correct identification score decreased with age, but there were no differences between males and females. Thus, our findings showed that both age and sex affected the taste functions of healthy Taiwanese to some extent, and differences were dependent on tongue region and taste quality.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The Tibetan Plateau (TP) region experiences strong land‐atmosphere interactions, and as an elevated heating source, significantly influences the formation of the Asian monsoon. Those interactions are ...not well represented in current land‐surface models (LSMs), partly due to difficulties in representing heterogeneities in soil structures in LSM. Simulations using the Noah with multiparameterization options (Noah‐MP) LSM are employed to assess the relative importance of parameterizing vertical soil heterogeneity, organic matter, and soil rhizosphere and their impacts on seasonal evolution of soil temperature, soil moisture, and surface energy and water budgets at the sparsely vegetated Amdo site located in central TP. The LSM spin‐up time at the central TP depends on the complexity of the model physics, ranging from 4 years with simplest soil physics to 30 years with the addition of organic matter and spare to dense rhizosphere parameterization in Noah‐MP. Representing layered soil texture and organic matter does not improve low biases in topsoil moisture. Reducing the saturated conductivity from the mucilage in the rhizosphere produces better results. Surface sensible and latent heat fluxes are better simulated in the monsoon season as well. Adding layered soil texture and organic matter in Noah‐MP retard the thawing in deep soil layers, and the rhizosphere effect delays thawing even more in the transient season. Uncertainties in soil initialization significantly affect deep‐soil temperature and moisture, but uncertainties in atmospheric forcing conditions mainly affect topsoil variables and consequently the surface energy fluxes. Differing land‐surface physics cause 36% uncertainty in the accumulated evapotranspiration and subsurface runoff.
Key Points
The LSM spin‐up time depends on the complexity of the model physics
Adding impacts from the mucilage in the rhizosphere produces better results
Uncertainties in soil initialization and forcing conditions are discussed
Lipotoxicity leads to numerous metabolic disorders such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Luteolin, apigenin, and chrysin are three flavones with known antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties, ...but whether they inhibit lipotoxicity‐mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation was unclear. To address this question, we used J774A.1 macrophages and Kupffer cells stimulated with 100 μM palmitate (PA) in the presence or absence of 20 μM of each flavone. PA increased p‐PERK, p‐IRE1α, p‐JNK1/2, CHOP, and TXNIP as well as p62 and LC3‐II expression and induced autophagic flux damage. Caspase‐1 activation and IL‐1β release were also noted after 24 h of exposure to PA. In the presence of the PERK inhibitor GSK2656157, PA‐induced CHOP and TXNIP expression and caspase‐1 activation were mitigated. Compared with PA treatment alone, Bcl‐2 coupled to beclin‐1 was elevated and autophagy was reversed by the JNK inhibitor SP600125. With luteolin, apigenin, and chrysin treatment, PA‐induced ROS production, ER stress, TXNIP expression, autophagic flux damage, and apoptosis were ameliorated. Moreover, TXNIP binding to NLRP3 and IL‐1β release in response to LPS/PA challenge were reduced. These results suggest that luteolin, apigenin, and chrysin protect hepatic macrophages against PA‐induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and autophagy damage by attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Malignant cancers employ diverse and intricate immune evasion strategies, which lead to inadequately effective responses of many clinical cancer therapies. However, emerging data suggest that ...activation of the tolerant innate immune system in cancer patients is able, at least partially, to counteract tumor-induced immunosuppression, which indicates triggering of the innate immune response as a novel immunotherapeutic strategy may result in improved therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients. The promising innate immune targets include Toll-like Receptors (TLRs), RIG-I-like Receptors (RLRs), and Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING). This review discusses the antitumor properties of TLRs, RLRs, and STING-mediated innate immune pathways, as well as the promising innate immune targets for potential application in cancer immunotherapy.
Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and oxidative stress is part of the process that causes MI. Calycosin, a naturally occurring substance with cardioprotective ...properties, is one of the major active constituents in Radix Astragali. In this study, effect of Calycosin was investigated in vivo and in vitro to determine whether it could alleviate oxidative stress and oxidative stress‐induced cardiac apoptosis in neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCMs) via activation of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). Calycosin protected against oxidative stress and oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis in NCMs. Molecular docking revealed that the ALDH2‐Calycosin complex had a binding energy of −9.885 kcal/mol. In addition, molecular docking simulations demonstrated that the ALDH2‐Calycosin complex was stable. Using BLI assays, we confirmed that Calycosin could interact with ALDH2 (KD = 1.9 × 10−4 M). Furthermore, an ALDH2 kinase activity test revealed that Calycosin increased ALDH2 activity, exhibiting an EC50 of 91.79 μM. Pre‐incubation with ALDH2 inhibitor (CVT‐10216 or disulfiram) reduced the cardio‐protective properties Calycosin. In mice with MI, Calycosin therapy substantially reduced myocardial apoptosis, oxidative stress, and activated ALDH2. Collectively, our findings clearly suggest that Calycosin reduces oxidative stress and oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis via the regulation of ALDH2 signaling, which supports potential therapeutic use in MI.
Oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor 1 (OSGIN1), a tumor suppressor, inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell death. N-6 and n-3 PUFAs protect against breast cancer, but the molecular ...mechanisms of this effect are not clear. We investigated the effect of n-6 and n-3 PUFAs on OSGIN1 expression and whether OSGIN1 is involved in PUFA-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. We used 100 μM of n-6 PUFAs including arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and gamma-linolenic acid and n-3 PUFAs including alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Only DHA significantly induced OSGIN1 protein and mRNA expression. DHA triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and nuclear translocation of Nrf2. LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, suppressed DHA-induced OSGIN1 protein expression and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2. Nrf2 knockdown attenuated DHA-induced OSGIN1 expression. N-Acetyl-l-cysteine, a ROS scavenger, abrogated the DHA-induced increases in Akt phosphorylation, Nrf2 nuclear accumulation, and OSGIN1 expression. DHA induced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial accumulation of OSGIN1 and p53, and cytochrome c release; knockdown of OSGIN1 diminished these effects. In conclusion, induction of OSGIN1 by DHA is at least partially associated with increased ROS production, which activates PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling. Induction of OSGIN1 may be involved in DHA-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
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•DHA up-regulates the oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor 1 (OSGIN1) in breast cancer cells but not normal cells.•Induction of OSGIN1 is accompanied by elevation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial p53 accumulation and cytochrome c release.•Induction of OSGIN1 appears to be involved in DHA-induced onset of apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
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