In this article, the effect of hole transport layer (HTL) on the thermal stability of inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) consisting of the blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl-C60 ...butyric acid methyl ester fullerene derivative (PCBM) as active layer (AL) is investigated. The two conventional HTLs, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and MoO3, were used in this study to demonstrate the effect of HTLs on the thermal stability of PSCs. The inverted devices were heated at 80–110 °C as accelerated test for different time intervals to illustrate the temporal variation of performance. The different temporal behaviors during (1) metastable period and (2) thermally unstable period are described here. Moreover, the effect of photoactive film thickness on the thermal stability of devices based on the two HTLs was considered. This study shows that the spin- and spray-coated devices exhibit different characteristics of thermal stability for the PSCs with MoO3 and PEDOT:PSS as HTLs, respectively. The temporal behavior caused by the effect of HTL during the thermally-unstable period is quantitatively studied. This study could provide vital information required to develop high durability in commercial PSCs.
Highlights • This study aimed to assess the benefit of adding physical function evaluations and interventions to routine elderly health examination. • The intervention included functional ...evaluations, exercise instruction, and nutrition education. • Adding functional evaluations and interventions to the annual elderly health examination appeared to benefit the health of adults aged 70 years and older.
Regarding a Stirling engine's heat source and heat sink, most of the studies in the literature focus only on the magnitude of temperature difference between them. However, different Stirling engines ...adopt very different heat-source and heat-sink configurations. This study is aimed at understanding the effects of different displacer-cylinder-wall thermal conditions on engine performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Results include p-V diagrams, heat flux distributions, temperature variations, and effects of three displacer-cylinder-wall parameters on indicated power and efficiency. It is found that the thermal conditions on the displacer-cylinder-circumferential wall (DCCW) impose significant effects on engine performance. Within the ranges of parameters investigated in this study, extending the coverage of heat source and heat sink on this wall improves up to 28% in indicated power at the cost of losing about 10% in efficiency, proving the significance of DCCW conditions on engine performance.
Breast and prostate cancer patients may experience physical and psychological distress, and a possible decrease in sleep quality. Subjective and objective methods measure different aspects of sleep ...quality. Our study attempted to determine differences between objective and subjective measurements of sleep quality using bivariate and Pearson's correlation data analysis. Forty breast (
= 20) and prostate (
= 20) cancer patients were recruited in this observational study. Participants were given an actigraphy device (ACT) and asked to continuously wear it for seven consecutive days, for objective data collection. Following this period, they filled out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI) to collect subjective data on sleep quality. The correlation results showed that, for breast cancer patients, PSQI sleep duration was moderately correlated with ACT total sleeping time (TST) (r = -0.534,
< 0.05), and PSQI daytime dysfunction was related to ACT efficiency (r = 0.521,
< 0.05). For prostate cancer patients, PSQI sleep disturbances were related to ACT TST (r = 0.626,
< 0.05). Both objective and subjective measurements are important in validating and determining details of sleep quality, with combined results being more insightful, and can also help in personalized care to further improve quality of life among cancer patients.
Despite the huge investment in health care, there is still a lack of precise and easily accessible screening systems. With proven associations to many systemic diseases, the eye could potentially ...provide a credible perspective as a novel screening tool. This systematic review aims to summarize the current applications of ocular image-based artificial intelligence on the detection of systemic diseases and suggest future trends for systemic disease screening.
A systematic search was conducted on September 1, 2021, using 3 databases-PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science library. Date restrictions were not imposed and search terms covering ocular images, systemic diseases, and artificial intelligence aspects were used.
Thirty-three papers were included in this systematic review. A spectrum of target diseases was observed, and this included but was not limited to cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, central nervous system diseases, renal dysfunctions, and hepatological diseases. Additionally, one- third of the papers included risk factor predictions for the respective systemic diseases.
Ocular image - based artificial intelligence possesses potential diagnostic power to screen various systemic diseases and has also demonstrated the ability to detect Alzheimer and chronic kidney diseases at early stages. Further research is needed to validate these models for real-world implementation.
Abstract
Catechins, a family of polyphenols found in tea, evoke various responses, including cell death. However, the side effects of these compounds, particularly those on embryonic development, ...have not been characterized in detail. A previous study by our group showed that (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin highly abundant in green tea, induces different cell-death modes in MCF-7 cells, depending on the treatment dosage. In the current study, we examined the effects of EGCG on mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage, subsequent embryonic attachment and outgrowth in vitro and in vivo implantation by embryo transfer. Blastocysts treated with 25-50 μM of EGCG exhibited a significant increase in apoptosis and a corresponding decrease in total cell number. Notably, the implantation success rate of blastocysts pretreated with EGCG was lower than that of their control counterparts. Moreover, in vitro treatment with 25-50 μM of EGCG led to increased resorption of postimplantation embryos and decreased fetal weight. EGCG appeared to induce injury in mouse blastocysts through intrinsic apoptotic signaling processes to impair sequent embryonic development. These results collectively highlight the potential of EGCG to induce embryonic cytotoxicity.
Multiple chronic conditions and low skeletal muscle mass are common features of aging that are detrimental to physical performance. This study evaluates the simultaneous impact of these conditions on ...physical performance in older adults.
Five studies from 2003 to 2012 were pooled to include 2,398 adults aged ≥65 years with diagnosed chronic diseases measured by self-administered questionnaire. Low muscle mass was defined as an appendicular skeletal muscle mass index less than that of the sex-specific lowest quintile in the population of older adults. Poor physical performances were defined as the lowest quintile of grip strength and gait speed in the population of older adults and the slowest sex-specific 20% of Timed Up and Go (TUG) test at each study site. Chi-squared and logistic regression tests were applied for data analysis.
Mean age of the study participants, of whom approximately 50% were men, was 74.3 years. Slow gait speed was nearly three times more likely to occur in the presence of low muscle mass coupled with chronic disease than in the absence of both factors after adjustment for study site, age, sex, education, marital status, body mass index, tobacco and alcohol use, and comorbidities. The independent effect of low muscle mass was generally stronger than that of each disease. Participants with more than two chronic diseases and low muscle mass were significantly more likely to perform poorly than those with no risk factors (odds ratio OR = 2.51 in patients with low grip strength, OR = 3.89 in patients with low gait speed, and OR = 3.67 in patients with poor TUG test scores, all P < 0 .05) after adjustment.
The combined association of chronic disease and low skeletal mass with physical performance was stronger than the effect of either factor alone.
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