Solution‐processed transition metal oxides (TMOs) prepared from complex ion precursors are developed as promising scalable interfacial layers for non‐fullerene organic photovoltaics (OPVs); however, ...challenges remain in achieving defect‐free and highly oriented metal‐oxygen networks without post‐deposition treatments due to the presence of residual organic metal‐binding ligands in films. Herein, the novel strategy that the problematic organic metal‐binding ligands in TMO precursors can be successfully eliminated by an anion‐induced catalytic reaction (ACR) at room temperature is demonstrated, in which the low‐level anions induce electron redistribution and instability of TMO precursors, expediting binding ligand removal during the hydrolysis reaction. The subsequent condensation process facilitates a dimensionally confined and continuous metal‐oxygen network with a 20‐fold increase in electrical conductivity (from 8.4 × 10−4 to 1.8 × 10−2 S m−1) and superior work function tunability (from 5.1 to 5.3 eV) compared to the pristine film. The ACR‐derived TMO thin film on top of a ternary PBDB‐TF:Y6:PC71BM photoactive layer enables an inverted device configuration with improved efficiency of 17.6%, as well as enhanced stability over 70% of the initial efficiency for up to 100 h AM 1.5G illumination.
A room temperature sol‐gel processed MoOx is developed for highly efficient and stable inverted organic photovoltaics via an anion‐induced catalytic reaction (ACR). The ACR‐derived MoOx thin film exhibits a defect‐free and highly oriented metal‐oxygen network without post‐treatment, enabling outstanding physical and electrical properties on top of the organic photoactive layer.
Waning humoral immunity in coronavirus disease patients has raised concern over usefulness of serologic testing. We investigated antibody responses of 58 persons 8 months after asymptomatic or mildly ...symptomatic infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. For 3 of 4 immunoassays used, seropositivity rates were high (69.0%-91.4%).
Developing an effective and efficient recycling process for marine debris (MD) is one of the most urgent issues to maintain environmental sustainability on Earth. However, restricted storage ...capacities and secondary pollution (e.g., microbial adhesion, putrefaction) limit the proper MD recycling. Here, we proposed a complete eco-friendly low-temperature MD pulverizing system that utilizes excessive liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold energy (LCE) in an LNG propulsion ship to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of MD recycling. The prototype design of the low-temperature pulverization (LTP) system showed that consumable refrigerant (liquid nitrogen) up to 2831 kg per hour could be substituted. Furthermore, with a 20% ship output, 1250 kg of MD could be treated with 363 kg of additional refrigerant. In addition, LTP systems utilizing LCE could increase the storage capacity by more than 10 times compared to bulk MD while minimizing the required energy consumption. To determine the feasibility of LTP for MD recycling, four types of plastics obtained from actual MD from a coastal area in Busan, Korea were classified and tested.
We investigated the kinetics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibodies in 7 asymptomatic persons and 11 patients with pneumonia. The geometric mean titer of ...neutralizing antibodies declined from 219.4 at 2 months to 143.7 at 5 months after infection, indicating a waning antibody response.
Anithiactin D (
), a 2-phenylthiazole class of natural products, was isolated from marine mudflat-derived actinomycetes
sp. 10A085. The chemical structure of
was elucidated based on the ...interpretation of NMR and MS data. The absolute configuration of
was determined by comparing the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectral data. Anithiactin D (
) significantly decreased cancer cell migration and invasion activities at a concentration of 5 μM via downregulation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in A549, AGS, and Caco-2 cell lines. Moreover,
inhibited the activity of Rho GTPases, including Rac1 and RhoA in the A549 cell line, suppressed RhoA in AGS and Caco-2 cell lines, and decreased the mRNA expression levels of some matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in AGS and Caco-2 cell lines. Thus
, which is a new entity of the 2-phenylthiazole class of natural products with a unique aniline-indole fused moiety, is a potent inhibitor of the motility of cancer cells.
Silver nanowires (AgNWs) have been successfully demonstrated to function as next-generation transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) in organic semiconductor devices owing to their figures of merit, ...including high optical transmittance, low sheet resistance, flexibility, and low-cost processing. In this article, high-quality, solution-processed AgNWs with an excellent optical transmittance of 96.5% at 450 nm and a low sheet resistance of 11.7 Ω/sq were demonstrated as TCEs in inorganic III-nitride LEDs. The transmission line model applied to the AgNW contact to p-GaN showed that near ohmic contact with a specific contact resistance of ~10(-3) Ωcm(2) was obtained. The contact resistance had a strong bias-voltage (or current-density) dependence: namely, field-enhanced ohmic contact. LEDs fabricated with AgNW electrodes exhibited a 56% reduction in series resistance, 56.5% brighter output power, a 67.5% reduction in efficiency droop, and a approximately 30% longer current spreading length compared to LEDs fabricated with reference TCEs. In addition to the cost reduction, the observed improvements in device performance suggest that the AgNWs are promising for application as next-generation TCEs, to realise brighter, larger-area, cost-competitive inorganic III-nitride light emitters.
Although recent dramatic advances in power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) have resulted in values over 19%, the poor photostability of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has been a serious bottleneck to ...their commercialization. The photocatalytic effect, which is caused by incident ultraviolet-A (UV-A, 320–400 nm) light in the most commonly used zinc oxide (ZnO X ) electron transport layer (ETL), significantly deteriorates the photostability of OPVs. In this work, we develop a new and facile method to enhance the photostability of nonfullerene acceptor-based OPVs by introducing UV-A-insensitive titanium suboxide (TiO X ) ETL. Through an in-depth analysis of mass information at the interface between the ETL and photoactive layer, we confirm that the UV-A-insensitive TiO X suppresses the photocatalytic effect. The resulting device employing the TiO X ETL shows excellent photostability, obtaining 80% of the initial PCE for up to 200 h under 1 sun illumination, which is 10 times longer than that of the conventional ZnO X system (19 h).
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. It is produced naturally in the body and is used to treat patients with anemia. Recombinant EPO (rEPO) is ...used illicitly in sports to improve performance by increasing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. The World Anti-Doping Agency has therefore prohibited the use of rEPO. In this study, we developed a bottom-up mass spectrometric method for profiling the site-specific N-glycosylation of rEPO. We revealed that intact glycopeptides have a site-specific tetra-sialic glycan structure. Using this structure as an exogenous marker, we developed a method for use in doping studies. The profiling of rEPO N-glycopeptides revealed the presence of tri- and tetra-sialylated N-glycopeptides. By selecting a peptide with a tetra-sialic acid structure as the target, its limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be < 500 pg/mL. Furthermore, we confirmed the detection of the target rEPO glycopeptide using three other rEPO products. We additionally validated the linearity, carryover, selectivity, matrix effect, LOD, and intraday precision of this method. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a doping analysis using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-based detection of the rEPO glycopeptide with a tetra-sialic acid structure in human urine samples.
To evaluate the current status of emotional exhaustion and peritraumatic distress of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify factors associated with their mental health ...status.
An online survey involving 1068 of consented HCWs that included nurses, physicians, and public health officers was conducted in May 2020. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analyses were performed on the collected data.
Although no significant difference in peritraumatic distress was observed among the surveyed HCWs, the workers' experience of emotional exhaustion varied according to work characteristics. Respondents who were female, older, living with a spouse, and/or full-time workers reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Public health officers and other medical personnel who did not have direct contact with confirmed patients and full-time workers had a higher level of peritraumatic distress. Forced involvement in work related to COVID-19, worry about stigma, worry about becoming infected, and perceived sufficiency of organizational support negatively predict emotional exhaustion and peritraumatic distress.
Job-related and emotional stress of HCWs should not be neglected. Evidence-based interventions and supports are required to protect HCWs from mental illness and to promote mental health of those involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chiral supramolecules have great potential for use in chiral recognition, sensing, and catalysis. Particularly, chiral supramolecular biocoordination polymers (SBCPs) provide a versatile platform for ...characterizing biorelated processes such as chirality transcription. Here, we selectively synthesize homochiral and heterochiral SBCPs, composed of chiral naphthalene diimide ligands and Zn ions, from enantiomeric and mixed R-ligands and S-ligands, respectively. Notably, we find that the chiral self-sorted SBCPs exhibit multifunctional properties, including photochromic, photoluminescent, photoconductive, and chemiresistive characteristics, thus can be used for various sensors. Specifically, these materials can be used for detecting hazardous amine materials due to the electron transfer from the amine to the SBCP surface and for enantioselectively sensing a chiral species naproxen due to the different binding energies with regard to their chirality. These results provide guidelines for the synthesis of chiral SBCPs and demonstrate their versatility and feasibility for use in various sensors covering photoactive, chemiresistive, and chiral sensors.
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