Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted intensive attention of the researchers and industry due to their high efficiency, low material cost, and simple solution-based fabrication process. Along ...with the development of device configurations, materials, and fabrication techniques, the efficiency has rapidly increased from the initial 3.8 to recent 22.7%. However, fundamental studies on PSCs are usually yielded through lab-scale procedures and carried out on small-area (≤1 cm2) devices. Recently, various deposition methods, such as screen printing, slot-die coating, soft-cover coating, spraying coating, etc., have been developed to enlarge the device area from the millimeters to hundreds of centimeters scale. Herein, we discuss the advances of up-scaling of PSCs and outline the fabrication methods from lab-scale to industrial-scale. Screen printing and slot-die coating have been regarded as the most promising methods toward the mass production of PSCs, and more emerging techniques are also anticipated in this enterprise.
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved high power conversion efficiency on the lab scale, rivaling the other commercialized photovoltaic technologies. However, stability issues have made it ...difficult for PSCs to achieve comparable or practical lifetimes in outdoor applications. Here, three different types of hot melt films (polyurethane, PU; polyolefin, POE; and ethylene vinyl acetate, EVA) together with glass sheets are employed to encapsulate printable PSCs. The influence of thermal stress and the encapsulation (lamination) process on cell performance is investigated. It is found that POE and EVA, which are the typical encapsulants for silicon and thin film solar cells, are not suitable for the encapsulation of PSCs due to a high laminating temperature (>130 °C) or corrosion of the perovskite absorber. By contrast, encapsulation with PU can be carried out at a relatively mild temperature of 80 °C, and significantly enhance the thermal stability of the cells. When this encapsulation method is applied to large‐area (substrate area 100 cm2) printable PSC submodules, the submodules can maintain 97.52% of the initial efficiency after 2136 h under outdoor conditions (location: 39°19′48″N 114°37′26″E). This work demonstrates the potential of industrially relevant encapsulation techniques to enable the commercial viability of PSCs.
Encapsulation enables long‐term outdoor stability in real operating environments for printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells toward potential commercialization.
•In vivo brain metabolism and Mn deposition were explored in Mn-exposed workers.•Two occupational settings were compared: smelting and welding.•The frontal cortex shows the most pronounced metabolic ...changes.•The results suggest that welders are more susceptible to Mn-induced neurotoxicity.
Increased manganese (Mn) exposure is known to cause cognitive, psychiatric and motor deficits. Mn exposure occurs in different occupational settings, where the airborne Mn level and the size of respirable particulates may vary considerably. Recently the importance of the role of the cerebral cortex in Mn toxicity has been highlighted, especially in Mn-induced neuropsychological effects. In this study we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate brain Mn accumulation using T1 signal intensity indices and to examine changes in brain iron content using T2* contrast, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure exposure-induced metabolite changes non-invasively in cortical and deep brain regions in Mn-exposed welders, Mn-exposed smelter workers and control factory workers with no measurable exposure to Mn. MRS data as well as T1 signal intensity indices and T2* values were acquired from the frontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. Smelters were exposed to higher air Mn levels and had a longer duration of exposure, which was reflected in higher Mn levels in erythrocytes and urine than in welders. Nonetheless, welders had more significant metabolic differences compared to controls than did the smelter workers, especially in the frontal cortex. T1 hyperintensities in the globus pallidus were observed in both Mn-exposed groups, but only welders showed significantly higher thalamic and hippocampal T1 hyperintensities, as well as significantly reduced T2* values in the frontal cortex. Our results indicate that (1) the cerebral cortex, in particular the frontal cortex, is clearly involved in Mn neurotoxic effects and (2) in spite of the lower air Mn levels and shorter duration of exposure, welders exhibit more extensive neuroimaging changes compared to controls than smelters, including measurable deposition of Mn in more brain areas. These results indicate that the type of exposure (particulate sizes, dust versus fume) and route of exposure play an important role in the extent of Mn-induced toxic effects on the brain.
The additive‐free 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of isatin‐derived azomethine ylides with α‐cyano‐α,β‐unsaturated compounds was developed, which enabled diversity‐oriented synthesis of a series ...of novel and structurally complex 3,3′‐pyrrolidinyl‐spirooxindoles derivatives containing four contiguous and two quaternary stereogenic centers in high yields (up to 92%) and excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >25:1 dr). The reaction displays switchable regioselectivity depending on the steric effect of the substrates.
Comprehensive Summary
In the present study, nine new cembrane‐type diterpenoids, namely ximaonanolobatins A—I (1—9), together with six related known analogs (10—15) and four known tetraprenylated ...alkaloids malonganenones D, E, H, and K (16—19) were isolated from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata collected off the Ximao Island in the South China Sea. The structures of 1—9 were robustly established by a combination of detailed spectroscopic analyses, chemical reactions, quantum mechanical (QM)‐NMR methods, biogenetic consideration, and the comparison with those literature data. The absolute configuration of 1 was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction analysis, and the absolute configuration of 2 was determined by QM‐NMR calculations and chemical transformation. In addition, the absolute configuration of 3 was determined using the modified Mosher's method. All these isolates were evaluated for their anti‐inflammatory and anti‐tumor activities. The results showed that only compound 15 exhibited potential anti‐inflammatory effect against LPS‐induced TNF‐α release in RAW264.7 macrophages with an IC50 value of 12.6 μmol/L.
Exosomes are bilayer membrane vesicles with cargos that contain a variety of surface proteins, markers, lipids, nucleic acids, and noncoding RNAs. Exosomes from different cardiac cells participate in ...the processes of cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, hypertrophy, and regeneration, as well as angiogenesis and enhanced cardiac function, which accelerate cardiac repair. In this article, we mainly focused on the exosomes from six main types of cardiac cells, i.e., fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, cardiac progenitor cells, adipocytes, and cardiac telocytes. This may be the first article to describe the commonalities and differences in regard to the function and underlying mechanisms of exosomes among six cardiac cell types in cardiovascular disease.
(-)-Naringenin 4',7-dimethyl ether ((-)-NRG-DM) was isolated for the first time by our lab from
DC, a traditional medicinal plant frequently used to attenuate pain in Asia. As a natural derivative of ...analgesic, the current study was designed to test the potential analgesic activity of (-)-NRG-DM and its implicated mechanism. The analgesic activity of (-)-NRG-DM was assessed in a formalin-induced mouse inflammatory pain model and mustard oil-induced mouse colorectal pain model, in which the mice were intraperitoneally administrated with vehicle or (-)-NRG-DM (30 or 50 mg/kg) (
= 10 for each group). Our data showed that (-)-NRG-DM can dose dependently (30~50 mg/kg) relieve the pain behaviors. Notably, (-)-NRG-DM did not affect motor coordination in mice evaluated by the rotarod test, in which the animals were intraperitoneally injected with vehicle or (-)-NRG-DM (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg) (
= 10 for each group). In acutely isolated mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons, (-)-NRG-DM (1~30 μM) potently dampened the stimulated firing, reduced the action potential threshold and amplitude. In addition, the neuronal delayed rectifier potassium currents (I
) and voltage-gated sodium currents (I
) were significantly suppressed. Consistently, (-)-NRG-DM dramatically inhibited heterologously expressed Kv2.1 and Nav1.8 channels which represent the major components of the endogenous I
and I
. A pharmacokinetic study revealed the plasma concentration of (-)-NRG-DM is around 7 µM, which was higher than the effective concentrations for the I
and I
. Taken together, our study showed that (-)-NRG-DM is a potential analgesic candidate with inhibition of multiple neuronal channels (mediating I
and I
).
Litchi (
Litchi chinensis
Sonn.) and longan (
Dimocarpus longan
Lour.) fruits have a succulent and white aril with a brown seed and are becoming popular worldwide. The two fruits have been used in ...traditional Chinese medicine as popular herbs in the treatment of neural pain, swelling, and cardiovascular disease. The pericarp and seed portions as the by-products of litchi and longan fruits are estimated to be approximately 30% of the dry weight of the whole fruit and are rich in bioactive constituents. In the recent years, many biological activities, such as tyrosinase inhibitory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-glycated, and anti-cancer activities, as well as memory-increasing effects, have been reported for the litchi and longan pericarp and seed extracts, indicating a potentially significant contribution to human health. With the increasing production of litchi and longan fruits, enhanced utilization of the two fruit by-products for their inherent bioactive constituents in relation to pharmacological effects is urgently needed. This paper reviews the current advances in the extraction, processing, identification, and biological and pharmacological activities of constituents from litchi and longan by-products. Potential utilization of litchi and longan pericarps and seeds in relation to further research is also discussed.
The solvent-free reaction of 4-alkylidene pyrazolones with amidines can furnish 4,5′-imidazolinyl spiropyrazolones in good to excellent yields when promoted by N-iodosuccinimide under solvent-free ...ball-milling conditions, whereas it almost exclusively affords 4,4′-imidazolinyl spiropyrazolones if mediated by N-bromosuccinimide in heated toluene. On the basis of this switchable cyclization strategy, a powerful metal-free method for regioselective and diastereoselective synthesis of structurally diverse 4,5′- and 4,4′-imidazolinyl spiropyrazolones has been successfully developed.
Xiexin decoction, a herbal therapeutic agent commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, is recognized for its beneficial effects on diabetic nephropathy exerted through the combined action of ...multiple components, including Rhizoma Coptidis alkaloids (A), Radix et Rhizoma Rhei polysaccharides (P), and Radix Scutellaria flavones (F). Our previous studies have shown that a combination of A, P, and F (APF) exhibits renoprotective effects against diabetic nephropathy. This study was aimed at determining the effects of APF on renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy and elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. To evaluate the effects of APF, in vivo, db/db diabetic mice were orally administered a low or high dose of APF (300 or 600 mg/kg, respectively) once a day for 8 weeks. We evaluated the blood and urine indices of metabolic and renal function, renal tissue histopathology, renal inflammation, and fibrosis. APF treatment significantly ameliorated glucose and lipid metabolism dysfunction, decreased urinary albumin excretion, normalized creatinine clearance, and reduced the morphological changes in renal tissue. Additionally, APF administration in db/db diabetic mice reduced the elevated levels of renal inflammation mediators such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and active nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). APF treatment also reduced type I and IV collagen, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and TGF-β1 type II receptor expression levels, and decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 in the kidneys of db/db diabetic mice. These results suggest that APF reduces renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy through the NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathways. In vitro, APF treatment reduced cell proliferation and protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I, TGF-β1 and NF-κB in mesangial cells cultured with high glucose concentrations. Our findings indicate that treatment with multi-component herbal therapeutic formulations may be a useful approach for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
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