Simultaneous enhancement of out-coupling efficiency, internal quantum efficiency, and color purity in thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters is highly desired for the practical ...application of these materials. We designed and synthesized two isomeric TADF emitters, 2DPyM-mDTC and 3DPyM-pDTC, based on di(pyridinyl)methanone (DPyM) cores as the new electron-accepting units and di(tert-butyl)carbazole (DTC) as the electron-donating units. 3DPyM-pDTC, which is structurally nearly planar with a very small ΔE ST, shows higher color purity, horizontal ratio, and quantum yield than 2DPyM-mDTC, which has a more flexible structure. An electroluminescence device based on 3DPyM-pDTC as the dopant emitter can reach an extremely high external quantum efficiency of 31.9% with a pure blue emission. This work also demonstrates a way to design materials with a high portion of horizontal molecular orientation to realize a highly efficient pure-blue device based on TADF emitters.
The murine maternal immune activation (MIA) offspring model enables longitudinal studies to explore aberrant social behaviors similar to those observed in humans. High levels of cytokines, chemokines ...and cell adhesion molecules (CAM) have been found in the plasma and/or brains of psychiatric patients. We hypothesized that upregulation of the systemic or brain immune response has an augmenting effect by potentially increasing the interplay between the neuronal and immune systems during the growth of the MIA offspring. In this study, a C57BL/6j MIA female offspring model exhibiting social deficits was established. The expression of fetal interferon (IFN)‐stimulated (gbp3, irgm1, ifi44), adolescent immunodevelopmental transcription factor (eg, r2, tfap2b), hormone (pomc, hcrt), adult selectin (sell, selp) and neuroligin (nlgn2) genes was altered. Systemic upregulation of endogenous IL‐10 occurred at the adult stage, while both IL‐1β and IL‐6 were increased and persisted in the sera throughout the growth of the MIA offspring. The cerebral IL‐6 levels were endogenously upregulated, but both MCP‐1 (macrophage inflammatory protein‐1) and L‐selectin levels were downregulated at the adolescent and/or adult stages. However, the MIA offspring were susceptible to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. After reinjecting the MIA offspring with LPS in adulthood, a variety of sera and cerebral cytokines, chemokines and CAMs were increased. Particularly, both MCP‐1 and L‐selectin showed relatively high expression in the brain compared with the expression levels in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS)‐treated offspring injected with LPS. Potentially, MCP‐1 was attracted to the L‐selectin‐mediated immune cells due to augmentation of the immune response following stimulation in MIA female offspring.
Blended learning combines online digital resources with traditional classroom activities and enables students to attain higher learning performance through well-defined interactive strategies ...involving online and traditional learning activities. Learning analytics is a conceptual framework and as a part of our Precision education used to analyze and predict students' performance and provide timely interventions based on student learning profiles. This study applied learning analytics and educational big data approaches for the early prediction of students' final academic performance in a blended Calculus course. Real data with 21 variables were collected from the proposed course, consisting of video-viewing behaviors, out-of-class practice behaviors, homework and quiz scores, and after-school tutoring. This study applied principal component regression to predict students' final academic performance. The experimental results show that students' final academic performance could be predicted when only one-third of the semester had elapsed. In addition, we identified seven critical factors that affect students' academic performance, consisting of four online factors and three traditional factors. The results showed that the blended data set combining online and traditional critical factors had the highest predictive performance.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We report results on the searches of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with sub-GeV masses (mχ) via WIMP-nucleus spin-independent scattering with Migdal effect incorporated. Analysis on ...time-integrated (TI) and annual modulation (AM) effects on CDEX-1B data are performed, with 737.1 kg day exposure and 160 eVee threshold for TI analysis, and 1107.5 kg day exposure and 250 eVee threshold for AM analysis. The sensitive windows in mχ are expanded by an order of magnitude to lower DM masses with Migdal effect incorporated. New limits on σχNSI at 90% confidence level are derived as 2×10−32∼7×10−35 cm2 for TI analysis at mχ∼50–180 MeV/c2, and 3×10−32∼9×10−38 cm2 for AM analysis at mχ∼75 MeV/c2–3.0 GeV/c2.
Background and purpose
Painful sensations are recently reported to be a non‐motor feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). The non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug ibuprofen is a common painkiller and ...was reported to be associated with a decreased risk of PD. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship amongst preceding pain symptoms, use of ibuprofen and risk of PD in a nationwide population‐based cohort.
Methods
The data of participants who were free of PD at baseline were obtained from two large National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) in Taiwan, conducted in 2001 and 2005. The information regarding pain status included severity and location of pain. Information regarding pain status, use of ibuprofen, comorbidity of depression and PD‐associated risk/protective behaviors was adjusted using proportional hazards models.
Results
Amongst 33 388 participants, 32 cases of incident PD were identified after a mean follow‐up of 3 years. After adjusting for the use of ibuprofen and other PD risk factors, subjects with preceding pain symptoms had a higher incidence of PD than those without pain at baseline, and the hazard ratio was 1.79 (95% CI: 0.71–4.51, P = 0.21) for mild pain and 2.88 (95% CI: 1.05–7.86, P = 0.04) for moderate or severe pain. The PD risk increased by 34% with each additional increment in pain score hazard ratio = 1.34 (1.03–1.75), P = 0.03, showing a dose–response relationship.
Conclusions
These findings support the hypothesis that pain is associated with PD in the pre‐motor stage of the disease. Further research is needed to clarify the role of sensory system involvement in the pre‐motor phase of PD.
Summary
Bone mineral density (BMD) may be increased due to vertebral compression fractures (VCF). Our study showed trabecular bone scores (TBS) was less affected than BMD by fractured vertebrae. The ...TBS of most compression fractures, including old and recent VCF with mild or moderate deformity and old VCF with severe deformity, could still be used in predicting fracture risk.
Introduction
Trabecular bone score (TBS), a noninvasive tool estimating bone microarchitecture, provides complementary information to lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD). Lumbar spine BMD might be increased due to both degenerative disease and vertebral compression fractures (VCF). Lumbar spine TBS has been confirmed not influenced by osteoarthrosis, but the effects of VCF are still not been well evaluated. This study aimed to investigate whether lumbar spine TBS was affected by fractured vertebrae.
Methods
We studied postmenopausal women and men above 50 years old who underwent DXA between January 1, 2017, and May 31, 2019. By calculating the difference of BMD and TBS between L1 and the mean of L2-3, the study compared the difference of values between the control group and fracture group to determine the effects of fractured vertebrae on BMD and TBS.
Results
A total of 377 participants were enrolled with 202 in the control group (157 females; age: 68.06 ± 6.47 years) and 175 in the fracture group (147 females; age: 71.71 ± 9.44 years). The mean BMD of the L1 vertebrae in the fracture group was significantly higher than that in the control group (
p
< 0.0001). There was no significant difference between the mean differences of TBS between L1 and the means of L2-3 vertebrae in the control group and the most compression fractures, including old and recent VCF with mild or moderate deformity and old VCF with severe deformity.
Conclusion
Lumbar spine TBS, unlike BMD, is less affected by fractured vertebrae. The TBS of most compression fractures, including old and recent VCF with mild or moderate deformity and old VCF with severe deformity, could still be used in predicting fracture risk.
Objective
We investigated the risk of dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes with or without prior hypoglycaemic episodes.
Subjects and Setting
One million subjects randomly selected from the ...National Health Insurance Research Database, Taiwan.
Results
A total of 15 404 diabetic subjects without prior dementia and a mean age of 64.2 years were enrolled in the study. About 2% (n = 289) of participants had at least one episode of hypoglycaemia in a 3‐year period; these subjects were older and more likely to be women and also had higher rates of insulin use and comorbidities compared to those without hypoglycaemia. During a total of 7 years of follow‐up (mean and median follow‐up, 3.8 and 4.8 years, respectively), 1106 patients with diabetes (7.2%) developed dementia. The incidence rate of dementia was higher in diabetic subjects with 29.9 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI 22.1–39.2) compared to those without 11.1 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI 10.3–11.8) hypoglycaemic episodes. The crude rate ratio (RR) and age‐ and gender‐adjusted RR values for dementia were 2.76 (95% CI 2.06–3.70, P < 0.001) and 1.60 (95% CI 1.19–2.14, P = 0.002), respectively, in diabetic subjects with hypoglycaemia compared to those without hypoglycaemia. Results of Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that hypoglycaemia, older age, female gender and insulin use were independent predictors of dementia.
Conclusion
Adult diabetic patients with prior hypoglycaemia had a significantly increased risk of dementia. The influence of hypoglycaemic episodes on brain function warrants further investigation.
Objective
PANSS‐8 and PANSS‐6 are derived from the 30‐item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS‐30). We investigate whether PANSS‐8 or PANSS‐6 is a reliable, valid, sensitive to change ...measure, and scalable, and whether early improvement using them can predict response/remission.
Method
Data were from 3 trials for 270 schizophrenia inpatients receiving antipsychotics. Internal consistency, validity, sensitivity to change, and scalability using PANSS‐30, PANSS‐8, and PANSS‐6 at each assessment were examined. Early improvement was defined as at least 20% reduction of PANSS‐30, PANSS‐8, or PANSS‐6 scores at week 2. Response was defined as at least 40% reduction of PANSS‐30 and remission as a score of PANSS‐8 ≤ 3 on each item at endpoint. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine which rating scale had better discriminative capacity.
Results
PANSS‐8 and PANSS‐6 showed acceptable internal consistency, were highly correlated with PANSS‐30, and had sensitivity to change. PANSS‐8 and PANSS‐6 were scalable at each assessment, except for PANSS‐6 at baseline. Early improvement using PANSS‐8 or PANSS‐6 had comparable predictive values with that of PANSS‐30 for response/remission.
Conclusion
PANSS‐8 and PANSS‐6 are clinically useful measures. Early improvement, regardless of whether PANSS‐30, PANSS‐8, or PANSS‐6 is used, is a statistically significant predictor of response/remission.
We report on the highest energy photons from the Crab Nebula observed by the Tibet air shower array with the underground water-Cherenkov-type muon detector array. Based on the criterion of a muon ...number measured in an air shower, we successfully suppress 99.92% of the cosmic-ray background events with energies E>100 TeV. As a result, we observed 24 photonlike events with E>100 TeV against 5.5 background events, which corresponds to a 5.6σ statistical significance. This is the first detection of photons with E>100 TeV from an astrophysical source.
Summary
Background and Aims: The use of herbs and dietary supplements (HDS) alone or concomitantly with medications can potentially increase the risk of adverse events experienced by the patients. ...This review aims to evaluate the documented HDS‐drug interactions and contraindications.
Methods: A structured literature review was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, tertiary literature and Internet.
Results: While 85 primary literatures, six books and two web sites were reviewed for a total of 1,491 unique pairs of HDS‐drug interactions, 213 HDS entities and 509 medications were involved. HDS products containing St. John’s Wort, magnesium, calcium, iron, ginkgo had the greatest number of documented interactions with medications. Warfarin, insulin, aspirin, digoxin, and ticlopidine had the greatest number of reported interactions with HDS. Medications affecting the central nervous system or cardiovascular system had more documented interactions with HDS. Of the 882 HDS‐drug interactions being described its mechanism and severity, 42.3% were due to altered pharmacokinetics and 240 were described as major interactions. Of the 152 identified HDS contraindications, the most frequent involved gastrointestinal (16.4%), neurological (14.5%), and renal/genitourinary diseases (12.5%). Flaxseed, echinacea, and yohimbe had the largest number of documented contraindications.
Conclusions: Although HDS‐drug interactions and contraindications primarily concerned a relatively small subset of commonly used medications and HDS entities, this review provides the summary to identify patients, HDS products, and medications that are more susceptible to HDS‐drug interactions and contraindications. The findings would facilitate the health‐care professionals to communicate these documented interactions and contraindications to their patients and/or caregivers thereby preventing serious adverse events and improving desired therapeutic outcomes.
Linked Comment: Ernst. Int J Clin Pract 2012; 66: 1019‐20.
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