Because the visible and the infrared (IR) regions take up ∼47% and ∼51% of the energy in the solar spectrum (AM 1.5G standard), respectively, utilizing the visible light for plant growth and the IR ...light for power generation is potentially extremely exciting. IR-absorbing organic semiconductors, with localized IR absorption and visible-light transmittance, would be promising materials for this purpose. Here, flexible transparent organic photovoltaics (TOPVs) based on IR-absorbing organic materials were proposed, which can be a simple, low-cost, and promising way to utilize the IR light for electricity generation, and the penetrated visible light will be utilized for photosynthesis in plants. A power-conversion efficiency of ∼10% with an average visible transmittance of 34% was achieved for TOPV devices. Meanwhile, the side-by-side comparison showed that plants grown under the TOPVs filtered light, and those under normal sunlight yielded very similar results. These outcomes demonstrated the results from TOPV devices beyond simple photovoltaic applications.
The development of alcohol-associated diseases is multifactorial, mechanism of which involves metabolic alteration, dysregulated immune response, and a perturbed intestinal host-environment ...interface. Emerging evidence has pinpointed the critical role of the intestinal host-microbiota interaction in alcohol-induced injuries, suggesting its contribution to disease initiation and development. To maintain homeostasis in the gut, the intestinal mucosa serves as the first-line defense against exogenous factors in the gastrointestinal tract, including dietary contents and the commensal microbiota. The gut-epithelial barrier comprises a physical barrier lined with a single layer of intestinal epithelial cells and a chemical barrier with mucus trapping host regulatory factors and gut commensal bacteria. In this article, we review recent studies pertaining to the disrupted gut-epithelial barrier upon alcohol exposure and examine how alcohol and its metabolism can affect the regulatory ability of intestinal epithelium.
The visible‐light‐enhanced catalytic activation of aryl chlorides for Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling (SMC) reactions is highly challenging because of the strength of the C−Cl bond. In this work, ...palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were grown on a conjugated nanoporous polycarbazole (CNP), named Pd/CNP. The hybrid material Pd/CNP could catalyze the SMC reactions of aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids in water under blue LED irradiation at room temperature with high efficiency. This protocol exhibited good functional group tolerance and the catalyst could be recycled without significant loss of its catalytic activity. CNP not only provided photogenerated electrons to enrich the electron density of the Pd NPs but also generated holes for the activation of the arylboronic acids.
Shine a light: Induced by visible light, recyclable conjugated nanoporous polycarbazole‐supported Pd nanoparticles catalyze Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions of aryl chlorides in water at room temperature.
Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of vitamin B2 in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Vitamin B2 intake has been postulated to modulate the screening rate for PCa ...by altering the concentration of prostate-specific antigen(PSA). However, the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA remains indeterminate. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database.
From a pool of 20,371 participants in the NHANES survey conducted between 2003 and 2010, a cohort of 2,323 participants was selected for the present study. The male participants were classified into four distinct groups based on their levels of vitamin B2 intake. We employed a multiple linear regression model and a non-parametric regression method to investigate the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA levels.
The study cohort comprised of 2,323 participants with a mean age of 54.95 years (± 11.73). Our findings revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between vitamin B2 intake (mg) and PSA levels, with a reduction of 0.13 ng/ml PSA concentration for every unit increase in vitamin B2 intake. Furthermore, we employed a fully adjusted model to construct a smooth curve to explore the possible linear relationship between vitamin B2 intake and PSA concentration.
Our study in American men has unveiled a notable inverse association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, potentially posing a challenge for the identification of asymptomatic prostate cancer. Specifically, our findings suggest that individuals with higher vitamin B2 intake may be at a greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in the future, possibly indicating a detection bias. These results may offer a novel explanation for the observed positive correlation between vitamin B2 intake and prostate cancer.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Single-mode VCSEL technology has advanced significantly in the past few years. The advantages of single-mode VCSELs lie primarily on the narrower linewidth, lower numerical aperture, and smaller spot ...size compared to multimode VCSELs. They are suitable for transmitting over both multimode fibers and few-mode fibers. For multimode fiber systems, the narrow linewidth can reduce the chromatic dispersion penalty and increase the system reach. A single-mode VCSEL also allows the coupling into graded-index single-mode fiber, which is few-mode around 850 nm with high bandwidth, for few-mode transmission. We review recent progress and present new experimental results and modeling analyses of single-mode VCSEL transmission over both types of fibers. The experiments and analyses shed new light on how single-mode VCSELs can be used with multimode fibers and graded-index single-mode fibers and relative merits between 850 nm single-mode VCSELs versus 980 nm and 1060 nm single-mode VCSELs to address the needs of various applications.
•Coating damages can be in-situ repaired underwater by photothermal solid-to-liquid transition.•A bicontinuous coating structure forms through the thermally induced phase separation.•The ...polypropylene network confines the flow of molten paraffin wax during repairing.
Designated repairing of a damaged anti-corrosion coating underwater remains a big challenge because of the requirements on both fluidity and stability of the coating in water during repairing, as well as the water resistance for corrosion prevention. Herein, we develop a novel composite coating by confining the paraffin wax (PW) within a polypropylene (PP) network fabricated through thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). Integrating with the carbon-based photothermal agents, PW experiences a solid-to-liquid transition at an elevated temperature caused by photothermal effect and flows across the PP network to the damaged region. The PP network plays a crucial role in preventing the detachment of molten PW from the substrate by reserving it through capillary and hydrophobic interactions. Such a bicontinuous structure enables fast, designated and repeatable in-situ repairing underwater under a near-infrared (NIR) laser, and the coating exhibits outstanding corrosion resistance before damage and after repairing.
Geological CO2 storage is an emerging topic in energy and environmental community, which is, as a commonly accepted sense, considered as the most promising and powerful approach to mitigate the ...global carbon emissions during the transition to net‐zero. Of the geological media which initially considered cover the saline aquifers, oil and gas reservoirs, coal beds, and potentially basalts, up to now only the first two choices have been proven to be the most capable storage sites and successfully implemented at pilot/commercial scales. Here, two tandem papers propose novel strategies for the first time, by synthesizing and utilizing new high‐dryness CO2 foam, to enhance geological CO2 storage capacity in saline aquifer and oil and gas reservoirs. In this paper, a new high‐dryness CO2 foam is synthesized and injected into the saline aquifers to explore the storage capacity enhancement, with the unique foam‐induced advantages of sweep area expansion and storage efficiency improvement. Such a new idea is specifically evaluated and validated through a series of static analytical and dynamic performance experiments. With the optimum surfactant concentration of 0.5 wt%, the foaming volume and quality are determined to be 521 mL and 80.81%, respectively, which also shows excellent salt tolerance with 45,000 ppm Na+, 25,000 ppm Ca2+, and 25,000 ppm Mg2+. Moreover, the water consumption for CO2 storage decreases from 464.31 g/mol at 25% foam quality to 67.38 g/mol at 85% foam quality by using the new CO2 foam. Overall, the newly synthesized CO2 foam could effectively enhance geological CO2 storage capacity and concurrently diminish water consumption, therefore realizing the win‐win environment and economic benefits.
Plain Language Summary
Geological CO2 storage is an emerging topic in energy and environmental community, which is, as a commonly accepted sense, considered as the most promising and powerful approach to mitigate global carbon emissions amid the transition to net‐zero. The geological CO2 storage options initially included ocean storage, surface mineral carbonation, and geological storage, but currently only refer to the storage in geological media. Of the geological media which initially considered cover the saline aquifers, oil and gas reservoirs, coal beds, and potentially basalts, up to now only the first two choices have been proven to be the most capable storage sites and successfully implemented at pilot/commercial scales. Here, a paper proposes novel strategies for the first time, by synthesizing and utilizing new high‐dryness CO2 foam, to enhance geological CO2 storage capacity in saline aquifer and oil and gas reservoirs. Novel strategies, which effectively enhance geological CO2 storage capacity, are specifically evaluated and validated through a series of static analytical and dynamic performance experiments. Qualitative and quantitative analyses fill the knowledge gap or enhancing geological CO2 storage in saline aquifer and oil and gas reservoirs. Also, solid scientific analyses/supports are provided for future academic research and practical geological CO2 utilization and storage.
Key Points
Novel strategies for the first time, by synthesizing and utilizing new high‐dryness CO2 foam, to enhance geological CO2 storage capacity in saline aquifer
Qualitative and quantitative analyses fill the knowledge gap of enhancing the geological CO2 storage in saline aquifer
Solid scientific analyses/supports are provided for future academic research and practical geological CO2 utilization and storage
Supported metal clusters containing only a few atoms are of great interest. Progress has been made in synthesis of metal single-atom catalysts. However, precise synthesis of metal dimers on ...high-surface area support remains a grand challenge. Here, we show that Pt
dimers can be fabricated with a bottom-up approach on graphene using atomic layer deposition, through proper nucleation sites creation, Pt
single-atom deposition and attaching a secondary Pt atom selectively on the preliminary one. Scanning transmission electron microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations suggest that the Pt
dimers are likely in the oxidized form of Pt
O
. In hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane, Pt
dimers exhibit a high specific rate of 2800 mol
mol
min
at room temperature, ~17- and 45-fold higher than graphene supported Pt single atoms and nanoparticles, respectively. These findings open an avenue to bottom-up fabrication of supported atomically precise ultrafine metal clusters for practical applications.
Psychobiotics are a group of probiotics that affect the central nervous system (CNS) related functions and behaviors mediated by the gut-brain-axis (GBA) via immune, humoral, neural, and metabolic ...pathways to improve not only the gastrointestinal (GI) function but also the antidepressant and anxiolytic capacity. As a novel class of probiotics, the application of psychobiotics has led researchers to focus on a new area in neuroscience. In the past five years, some psychobiotics strains were reported to inhibit inflammation and decreased cortisol levels, resulting in an amelioration of the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Psychobiotics are efficacious in improving neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Use of psychobiotics can improve GI function, ASD symptoms, motor functions of patients with PD and cognition in patients with AD. However, the evidence for the effects of psychobiotics on mental and neurological conditions/disorders remains limited. Further studies of psychobiotics are needed in order to determine into their effectiveness and mechanism as treatments for various psychiatric disorders in the future.
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•A brief review of the effects of psychobiotics on human mental, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.•Clinical studies of the effects psychobiotics on autism spectrum disorder are summarized.•Psychobiotic supplements show promise as an alternative therapy for human diseases.
This work presents a novel photo‐electrochemical architecture based on the 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junctions. Overcoming the conventional transfer technique by which only planar ...graphene/Si Schottky junctions are currently available, this work demonstrates the 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photocathode, which greatly enhances light harvesting efficiency and exhibits promising photo‐electrochemical performance for hydrogen generation. The formation of 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junctions exhibits enhanced electrochemical activity and promotes charge separation efficiency compared with the bare pyramid Si surface without graphene. The inherent chemical inertness of graphene significantly improves the operational stability of 3D graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photo‐electrochemical cells. The 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photocathode delivers an onset potential of 0.41 V and a saturated photocurrent density of −32.5 mA cm−2 at 0 V (vs RHE) with excellent stability comparable to values reported for textured or nanostructured p‐Si photocathodes coated with ultrathin oxide layers by the conventional atomic layer deposition technique. These results suggest that the formation of graphene/Si Schottky junctions with a 3D architecture is a promising approach to improve the performance and durability of Si‐based photo‐electrochemical systems for water splitting or solar‐to‐fuel conversion.
This work demonstrates a novel 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photocathode for H2 production based on the unique advantages of excellent carrier transport, high transparency, and superior corrosion protection of graphene. The formation of graphene/Si Schottky junctions with 3D architecture is a promising approach to improve the performance and durability of Si‐based photo‐electrochemical systems for water splitting or solar‐to‐fuel conversion.
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