•An alternative of organic-inorganic and Pb based perovskites.•Absorption in visible region increase their potential for solar cells.•Minimum optical loss and reflectivity.•High value of thermodymic ...and structural stability.•Low thermal conductivity and high figure of merit.
The double perovskites are emerging materials for renewable energy and potential alternatives to the organic and lead-based solar cells. In the present work, we have elaborated on the optoelectronic, thermoelectric, and thermodynamic properties of new double perovskites Rb2TeX6 (X = Cl, Br, and I). The tolerance factor and enthalpy of formation have been reported for structural and thermodynamic stability. The Passion and Pugh's ratio has been calculated from elastic constants to distinguish the brittle and ductile character. Furthermore, the highly precise Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential exchange-correlation potential is executed to elaborate the band gaps. The band gaps exhibit from ultraviolet to visible region (3.2 eV–1.80), which increases the performance of these double perovskites for optoelectronic devices and solar cell applications. The optical behavior has been elucidated by the absorption of photon energy, polarization, and optical losses. The absorption is shifted to lower energy due to tuning of the band gap by the replacement Cl with Br and I ions. Thermoelectric behavior has been described by electrical and thermal conductivities, Seebeck coefficient, and figure of merit, while thermodynamic performance is attributed by Debye temperature and Navier sound velocities.
Background
Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for rectal cancer has emerged as an alternative to the traditional abdominal approach. However, concerns have been raised about local ...recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate local recurrence after TaTME. Secondary aims included postoperative mortality, anastomotic leak and stoma rates.
Methods
Data on all patients who underwent TaTME were recorded and compared with those from national cohorts in the Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Registry (NCCR) and the Norwegian Registry for Gastrointestinal Surgery (NoRGast). Kaplan–Meier estimates were used to compare local recurrence.
Results
In Norway, 157 patients underwent TaTME for rectal cancer between October 2014 and October 2018. Three of seven hospitals abandoned TaTME after a total of five procedures. The local recurrence rate was 12 of 157 (7·6 per cent); eight local recurrences were multifocal or extensive. The estimated local recurrence rate at 2·4 years was 11·6 (95 per cent c.i. 6·6 to 19·9) per cent after TaTME compared with 2·4 (1·4 to 4·3) per cent in the NCCR (P < 0·001). The adjusted hazard ratio was 6·71 (95 per cent c.i. 2·94 to 15·32). Anastomotic leaks resulting in reoperation occurred in 8·4 per cent of patients in the TaTME cohort compared with 4·5 per cent in NoRGast (P = 0·047). Fifty‐six patients (35·7 per cent) had a stoma at latest follow‐up; 39 (24·8 per cent) were permanent.
Conclusion
Anastomotic leak rates after TaTME were higher than national rates; local recurrence rates and growth patterns were unfavourable.
Antecedentes
La resección total del mesorrecto transanal (transanal total mesorectal excision, TaTME) para el cáncer de recto se ha propuesto como una alternativa al abordaje abdominal tradicional. Sin embargo, la recidiva local (local recurrence, LR) después de este procedimiento es motivo de preocupación. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la LR en pacientes operados mediante TaTME. Los objetivos secundarios incluyeron la mortalidad postoperatoria, las fugas anastomóticas y el porcentaje de estomas.
Métodos
Se registraron los datos de todos los pacientes operados mediante TaTME y se compararon con las cohortes nacionales del Registro Noruego de Cáncer Colorrectal (Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Registry, NCCR) y del Registro Noruego de Cirugía Gastrointestinal (Norwegian Registry for Gastrointestinal Surgery, NoRGast) utilizando estimaciones de Kaplan‐Meier y la prueba de log‐rank para comparar curvas de LR.
Resultados
En Noruega, 157 pacientes se sometieron a TaTME por cáncer de recto entre octubre de 2014 y octubre de 2018. Tres de siete hospitales abandonaron el TaTME después de un total de cinco procedimientos. La LR observada fue 12/157 (7,6%), siendo ocho de ellas multifocales o extensas. La tasa estimada de LR a 2,4 años fue de 11,6 % (i.c. del 95% 6,6 a 19,9) versus 2,4 % (1,4 a 4,3) en el NCCR (log rank P < 0,001). El cociente de riesgos instantáneos (hazard ratio, HR) ajustado fue 6,7 (i.c. del 95% 2,9 a 15,3). Las fugas anastomóticas que precisaron una reintervención después de TaTME ocurrieron en un 8,4% versus 4,5% en el registro NoRGast (P = 0,047). Cincuenta y seis pacientes (35,7%) tenían un estoma en el último seguimiento; 39 (24,8%) eran permanentes.
Conclusión
Las tasas de fuga anastomótica tras una TaTME fueron más altas que los datos nacionales con tasas de LR y patrones de crecimiento desfavorables.
The local recurrence rate after transanal total mesorectal excision was high. The adjusted estimated hazard ratio compared with the national cohort after 2·4 years was 6·71. The anastomotic leak rate and the rate of permanent stomas were unfavourable.
Worrying results
While the functionality and healthy food value of red rice have increased its popularity, such that market demand for it is expected to rise, most strains suffer from low grain yield. To perform ...diversity and population structure analyses of red rice germplasm, therefore, becomes essential for improving yields for commercial production. In this study, fifty red rice germplasm from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) genebank were characterized both morphologically and genetically using fifty simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Overall, 162 alleles were detected by the markers with the detected allele number varying from two to seven. Additionally, 22 unique alleles were identified for use as a germplasm diagnostic tool. The highest and lowest polymorphic information content (PIC) indices were 0.75 and 0.04 found in markers RM282 and RM304, respectively, and genetic diversity was moderate, varying from 0.05 to 0.78 (average: 0.35). While phylogenetic cluster analysis of the fifteen distance-based agro-morphological traits divided the germplasm into five clusters (I, II, III, IV and V), a similar SSR analysis yielded only three major groups (I, II, and III), and a model-based population structure analysis yielded four (A, B, C and D). Both principal component and neighbors joining tree analysis from the population structure method showed the tested germplasm as highly diverse in structure. Moreover, an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), as well as a pairwise FST analysis, both indicated significant differentiation (ranging from 0.108 to 0.207) among all pairs of populations, suggesting that all four population structure groups differed significantly. Populations A and D were the most differentiated from each other by FST. Findings from this study suggest that the diverse germplasm and polymorphic trait-linked SSR markers of red rice are suitable for the detection of economically desirable trait loci/genes for use in future molecular breeding programs.
The objective of this study was to figure out the prevalence and probable causes of repeat breeding (RB) in dairy cows. Hence, a cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 265 dairy ...farms in Sirajganj, Bogura, Rangpur, Satkhira, and Munshiganj districts of Bangladesh from December 2018 to February 2019. Data were collected through a direct interview method using a survey questionnaire. The reproductive organs of repeat breeder cows were examined for pathological, infectious, and functional reasons, and genital tract abnormalities. Additionally, the influence of nutrition, season, and age on the frequency of RB was recorded. The prevalence of RB was 28% among the 3824 cows investigated. Among the total repeat breeder cases, 72.54% of RB cases were found in Holstein–Friesian crossbred, 23.90% in Jersey crossbred, 1.50% in Sahiwal crossbred, and 2.06% in indigenous cows. The prevalence of RB was significantly highest (
P
< 0.01) in Satkhira (44.35%) and lowest in the Munshiganj district (15.87%). Data indicated that a major proportion of cows significantly (
P
< 0.05) faced RB problems due to functional causes (34.18%), followed by pathological causes (28.01%), genital tract abnormalities (21.32%), and infectious causes (16.49%). Furthermore, the cows were remarkably (
P
< 0.001) affected in RB during the summer season and nutritional deficient diseases like milk fever (70%). Age (3–7 years) had a significant (
P
< 0.001) effect on the RB occurrence (90%) in crossbred cows. However, particular focus should be given to systematic breeding, balanced nutrition, artificial inseminator efficiency, and hygienic inseminating tools to reduce RB incidence in high-yielding crossbred cows.
We report a study of the processes of e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and K^{+}D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} based on e^{+}e^{-} annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five ...center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb^{-1}. An excess of events over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} mass thresholds in the K^{+} recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at sqrts=4.681 GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as (3982.5_{-2.6}^{+1.8}±2.1) MeV/c^{2} and (12.8_{-4.4}^{+5.3}±3.0) MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3 σ over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate for a charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0}. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics.
To evaluate the effects of conservation agriculture (CA) on SOC pools and their lability, field experiments (2015-2020) were conducted on contrasting soils under subtropical climates. The experiment ...on non-calcareous soils, was comprised of tillage (minimum MT vs. conventional CT) in main plots, cropping systems (Wheat Triticum aestivum-Aus and Aman rice Oryza sativa L., WRR; Lentil Lens culinaris-Aus and Aman rice, LRR; and Mustard Brassica nigra- Boro and Aman rice, MRR) in the sub-plots, and crop residue (with or without 20% residue) in the sub-sub plots. The experiment on calcareous soils, was comprised of tillage (strip-till, ST; no-till, NT; and CT) and crop residue (high residue, HR at 50% by height vs. low residue, LR at 15%). Results showed that the MT had higher SOC contents by 18.8% than the CT in non-calcareous soils. Likewise, SOC was 12.5% and 6.7% higher in the NT and ST, respectively, than in the CT in calcareous soils. Significantly higher particulate organic (POC), permanganate oxidizable (POXC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were observed in the MT, NT, and ST than in the CT at both locations. Reduced tillage with residue retention under LRR had a higher SOC, including labile C pools compared to WRR and MRR systems. Similarly, carbon management index (1.2-1.5 and 1.0-1.2) in both soils had significant positive correlations with SOC lability via POXC, POC, and MBC pools, indicating a SOC sequestration potential. In conclusion, our results showed positive effects of CA on SOC and its lability across soils.
The growing demand for electricity and the reconstruction of poor areas in Africa require an effective and reliable energy supply system. The construction of reliable, clean, and inexpensive ...microgrids, whether isolated or connected to the main grid, has great importance in solving energy supply problems in remote desert areas. It is a complex interaction between the level of reliability, economical operation, and reduced emissions. This paper investigates the establishment of an efficient and cost-effective microgrid in a remote area located in the Djado Plateau, which lies in the Sahara Ténéré desert in northeastern Niger. Three cases are presented and compared to find the best one in terms of low costs. In case 1, the residential area is supplied by PVs and a battery energy storage system (BESS), while in the second case, PVs, a BESS, and a diesel generator (DG) are utilized to supply the load. In the third case, the grid will take on load-feeding responsibilities alongside PVs, a BESS, and a DG (used only in scenario 1 during the 2 h grid outage). The central objective is to lower the cost of the proposed microgrid. Among the three cases, case 3, scenario 2 has the lowest LCC, but implementing it is difficult because of the nature of the site. The results show that case 2 is the best in terms of total life cycle cost (LCC) and no grid dependency, as the annual total LCC reaches about $2,362,997. In this second case, the LCC is 11.19% lower compared to the first case and 5.664% lower compared to the third case, scenario 1.
A quantitative assessment was attempted to determine concentrations of total arsenic (As) in farmer′s field soils and fruits of brinjal collected from two famous brinjals producing Upazila′s, namely ...Melandaha and Islampur of Jamalpur district, Bangladesh. The study also evaluated cancer and non-cancer health risks for both males and females caused by dermal exposure of soils and dietary intake of brinjal grown in farmers′ fields and sold at different markets of four country districts. The study findings revealed that 75% of soil sampling locations had enrichment factor (EFc) values > 1.5, indicating the anthropogenic sources of As, and 50% of the sites possessed EFc values within the range of 2.0–5.0 indicated moderate enrichment of As. The mean concentrations of As in brinjal grown in farmers′ fields and retailers of different markets of four districts were 0.18 and 0.39 µg g
−1
, respectively. The soils of the study area exhibited negligible risk in terms of the calculated hazard quotient, hazard index and incremental lifetiame cancer risk (ILCR) values for As due to dermal and ingestion exposures. In contrast, the same values for As due to the dietary intake of brinjal were thousands of times greater than the threshold level in 40% of farmers′ field and all retailers′ levels samples. Compared to the producer/farmers′ field samples, the calculated average non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were more than twice in samples collected from different retailers. The present study suggests further pinpoint investigation of potential entry routes of As in the supply chain through future traceability studies.
In our ongoing study, we explore the concepts of I3-Cauchy and I3-Cauchy for triple sequences in the context of random 2-normed spaces (RTNS). Moreover, we introduce and analyze the notions of ...I3-convergence, I3-convergence, I3-limit points, and I3-cluster points for random 2-normed triple sequences. Significantly, we establish a notable finding that elucidates the connection between I3-convergence and I3-convergence within the framework of random 2-normed spaces, highlighting their interrelation. Additionally, we provide an illuminating example that demonstrates how I3-convergence in a random 2-normed space might not necessarily imply I3-convergence. Our observations underscore the importance of condition (AP3) when examining summability using ideals. Furthermore, we thoroughly investigate the relationship between the properties (AP) and (AP3), illustrating through an example how the latter represents a less strict condition compared to the former.
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•Flocculation agent alum is used as novel multifunctional co-adsorbent in DSSCs.•Alum dissolution increased acidity and carboxyl group (COOH) of dye sensitizer.•Alum as a flocculation ...agent purified the dye sensitizer solution to create floc.•Alum increased the capacity and concentration of dye adsorbed to photoelectrode.•Alum multifunctional impacts improved the co-adsorbed cells to 0.58% efficiency.
This study investigates how utilizing an environmentally friendly alum dye co-adsorbent impacts the overall performances of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Various alum concentrations were added to anthocyanin-based blackberry dye solutions during the 24-hour dye immersion process. It was discovered that the alum dissolution process increased acidity, intensified the amount of hydroxyl group, and improved TiO2/dye interconnection through the effect of the Al(OH)3 mediator. As an added benefit, alum improved the purity of the dye solution by flocculating the crude impurities apart. Due to these multifunctional features, the photocurrent density (JSC) and the overall power conversion efficiency of the 6-ATDS cell have increased to 9.48 mA/cm−2 and 0.58%, respectively.
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