Dye-sensitized solar cells based on titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) are promising low-cost alternatives to conventional solid-state photovoltaic devices based on materials such as Si, CdTe and ...CuIn(1-x)Ga(x)Se(2) (refs 1, 2). Despite offering relatively high conversion efficiencies for solar energy, typical dye-sensitized solar cells suffer from durability problems that result from their use of organic liquid electrolytes containing the iodide/tri-iodide redox couple, which causes serious problems such as electrode corrosion and electrolyte leakage. Replacements for iodine-based liquid electrolytes have been extensively studied, but the efficiencies of the resulting devices remain low. Here we show that the solution-processable p-type direct bandgap semiconductor CsSnI(3) can be used for hole conduction in lieu of a liquid electrolyte. The resulting solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells consist of CsSnI(2.95)F(0.05) doped with SnF(2), nanoporous TiO(2) and the dye N719, and show conversion efficiencies of up to 10.2 per cent (8.51 per cent with a mask). With a bandgap of 1.3 electronvolts, CsSnI(3) enhances visible light absorption on the red side of the spectrum to outperform the typical dye-sensitized solar cells in this spectral region.
Lead-free solution-processed solid-state photovoltaic devices based on methylammonium tin iodide (CH3 NH3 SnI3 ) perovskite semiconductor as the light harvester are reported. Featuring an optical ...bandgap of 1.3 eV, the CH3 NH3 SnI3 perovskite material can be incorporated into devices with the organic hole-transport layer spiro-OMeTAD and show an absorption onset at 950 nm, which is significantly redshifted compared with the benchmark CH3 NH3 PbI3 counterpart (1.55 eV). Bandgap engineering was implemented by chemical substitution in the form of CH3 NH3 SnI3-x Brx solid solutions, which can be controllably tuned to cover much of the visible spectrum, thus enabling the realization of lead-free solar cells with an initial power conversion efficiency of 5.73% under simulated full sunlight. Further efficiency enhancements are expected following optimization and a better fundamental understanding of the internal electron dynamics and corresponding interfacial engineering. The reported CH3 NH3 SnI3-x Brx perovskite solar cells represent a step towards the realization of low-cost, environmentally friendly solid-state solar cells.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genome sequences of eight Aspergillus flavus and seven Aspergillus oryzae strains were extracted with Mauve, a multiple‐genome alignment programme. A ...phylogenetic analysis with sequences comprised of concatenated total SNPs by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) of MAFFT adequately separated them into three groups, A. flavus S‐morphotype, A. flavus L‐morphotype and A. oryzae. Divergence time inferred for A. flavus NRRL21882, the active agent of the biocontrol product Afla‐Guard®, and S‐morphotype was about 5·1 mya. Another biocontrol strain, A. flavus AF36, diverged from aflatoxigenic L‐morphotype about 2·6–3·0 mya. Despite the close relatedness of A. oryzae to A. flavus, A. oryzae strains likely evolved from aflatoxigenic Aspergillus aflatoxiformans (=A. parvisclerotigenus). A survey of A. flavus populations implies that prior Afla‐Guard® applications are associated with prevalence of NRRL21882‐type isolates in Mississippi fields. In addition, a few NRRL21882 relatives were identified. A. flavus Og0222, a biocontrol ingredient of Aflasafe™, was verified as a NRRL21882‐type strain, having identical sequence breakpoints that led to deletion of aflatoxin and cyclopiazonic acid gene clusters. A similar UPGMA analysis suggests that the occurrence of NRRL21882‐type strains is a more recent event.
Significance and Impact of the Study: Toxigenic Aspergillus flavus infects crops and produces aflatoxin, which is a great threat to human and animal health. On the contrary, nonaflatoxigenic A. flavus is currently being used as a biocontrol agent. Their close relative, Aspergillus oryzae, has been widely used in food fermentation for centuries. This study provides a better understanding of genome similarity and dissimilarity between these two species. It also reveals the evolutionary origin of a particular biocontrol strain, NRRL21882, and the presence of its close relatives in field A. flavus populations. Information obtained should assist selection and characterization of nonaflatoxigenic A. flavus strains for effective biocontrol.
To compare the efficacy and safety of Technosphere insulin (TI) and insulin aspart in patients with type 1 diabetes.
This open-label noninferiority trial compared the change in HbA1c from baseline to ...week 24 of prandial TI (n = 174) with that of subcutaneous aspart (n = 171), both with basal insulin, in patients with type 1 diabetes and HbA1c 7.5-10.0% (56.8-86.0 mmol/mol).
Mean change in HbA1c in TI patients (-0.21% -2.3 mmol/mol) from baseline (7.94% 63.3 mmol/mol) was noninferior to that in aspart patients (-0.40% -4.4 mmol/mol) from baseline (7.92% 63.1 mmol/mol). The between-group difference was 0.19% (2.1 mmol/mol) (95% CI 0.02-0.36), satisfying the noninferiority margin of 0.4%. However, more aspart patients achieved HbA1c <7.0% (53.0 mmol/mol) (30.7% vs. 18.3%). TI patients had a small weight loss (-0.4 kg) compared with a gain (+0.9 kg) for aspart patients (P = 0.0102). TI patients had a lower hypoglycemia event rate than aspart patients (9.8 vs. 14.0 events/patient-month, P < 0.0001). Cough (generally mild) was the most frequent adverse event (31.6% with TI, 2.3% with aspart), leading to discontinuation in 5.7% of patients. Treatment group difference for mean change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s was small (40 mL) and disappeared upon TI discontinuation.
In patients with type 1 diabetes receiving basal insulin, HbA1c reduction with TI was noninferior to that of aspart, with less hypoglycemia and less weight gain but increased incidence of cough.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenecity by regulating specific oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, and their roles in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are becoming apparent. Distinct from ...the CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) sub-population, we have isolated a novel PROCR(+)/ESA(+) BCSC sub-population. To explore miRNA-regulatory mechanisms in this sub-population, we performed miRNA expression profiling and found miR-495 as the most highly upegulated miRNA in PROCR(+)/ESA(+) cells. Coincidently, high upregulation of miR-495 was also found in CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) BCSCs, reflecting its potential importance in maintaining common BCSC properties. Ectopic expression of miR-495 in breast cancer cells promoted their colony formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in mice. miR-495 directly suppressed E-cadherin expression to promote cell invasion and inhibited REDD1 expression to enhance cell proliferation in hypoxia through post-transcriptional mechanism. miR-495 expression was directly modulated by transcription factor E12/E47, which itself is highly expressed in BCSCs. These findings reveal a novel regulatory pathway centered on miR-495 that contributes to BCSC properties and hypoxia resistance.
Chronic pain is recognized as a public health problem that affects the general population physically, psychologically, and socially. However, there is little knowledge about the associated factors of ...chronic pain, such as the influence of weather, family structure, daily exercise, and work status.
This survey had three aims: 1) to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain in Japan, 2) to analyze these associated factors, and 3) to evaluate the social burden due to chronic pain.
We conducted a cross-sectional postal survey in a sample of 6000 adults aged ≥20 years. The response rate was 43.8%.
The mean age of the respondents was 57.7 years (range 20-99 years); 39.3% met the criteria for chronic pain (lasting ≥3 months). Approximately a quarter of the respondents reported that their chronic pain was adversely influenced by bad weather and also oncoming bad weather. Risk factors for chronic pain, as determined by a logistic regression model, included being an older female, being unemployed, living alone, and no daily exercise. Individuals with chronic pain showed significantly lower quality of life and significantly higher psychological distress scores than those without chronic pain. The mean annual duration of absence from work of working-age respondents was 9.6 days (range 1-365 days).
Our findings revealed that high prevalence and severity of chronic pain, associated factors, and significant impact on quality of life in the adult Japanese population. A detailed understanding of factors associated with chronic pain is essential for establishing a management strategy for primary care.
This paper focuses on changes in food consumption that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its objective is to map changes at individual consumer level and identify the influence of different ...factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic on changes in individual food consumption. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among 2,680 residents of Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), and Slovenia (SI) using quota sampling for gender, age and regional distribution. Data on consumption frequencies before and during the pandemic were collected with a food frequency questionnaire in the spring of 2020 (during the first lockdown period) for important types of fresh food and non-perishable food. Our results showed that, depending on the type of food, 15-42% of study participants changed their consumption frequency during the pandemic, compared to before. In all the study countries, the food categories with the highest rates of change were frozen food, canned food, and cake and biscuits; among the food categories with lower rates of change were bread, alcoholic drinks, and dairy products. People across all three countries shopped less frequently during lockdown and there was an overall reduction in the consumption of fresh foods, but an increase in the consumption of food with a longer shelf life in Denmark and Germany. Interestingly though, we observed diverging trends in all food categories analyzed, with some people decreasing and others increasing their consumption frequencies, demonstrating that the pandemic had different impacts on people's lifestyles and food consumption patterns. Using the method of multinomial regression analysis, we identified factors significantly (
< 0.01,
< 0.05,
< 0.1) related to increases and decrease in individuals' consumption frequencies in different food categories. The factors include restrictions put in place in response to the pandemic (i.e., closure of physical workplaces, canteens, cafés and restaurants, schools, and childcare institutions), changes in households' grocery shopping frequency, individuals' perceived risk of COVID-19, income losses due to the pandemic, and socio-demographic factors. Interesting differences between the countries were detected, allowing insights into the different food cultures. Conclusions include implications for policy-makers and actors in the food supply chain on the issues of healthy diets, food system resilience, and behavior change.
To improve indoor air quality and to protect public health, Taiwan has enacted the “Indoor Air Quality Act (IAQ Act)” in 2012. For the general public, the indoor air quality in hair salons is ...important because it is a popular location that people will often visit for hair treatments. However, only a few exposure assessments regarding air pollutants have previously been performed in hair salons. To assess the air quality of hairdressing environments in Taipei, ten hairdressing salons were included for a walk‐through survey in this study. In addition, the airborne concentrations of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2, and phthalate esters were also determined in 5 salons. Charcoal, XAD‐2, and OVS‐Tenax tubes were used for the air sampling, while the samples were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. It was found that the products used in hair salons contained various chemicals. In fact, from the walk‐through survey, a total of 387 different ingredients were found on 129 hair product labels. The hair salons were not well ventilated, with CO2 levels of 600 to 3576 ppm. The formaldehyde concentrations determined in this study ranged from 12.40 to 1.04 × 103 μg m−3, and the maximum level was above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (US OSHA). Additionally, 83% of the samples were with levels higher than the standard regulated by Taiwan's IAQ Act. The concentrations of VOCs and phthalate esters were below the occupational exposure limits (OELs), but higher than what was found in general residential environments. The hair products were considered as the major source of air pollutants because significantly higher concentrations were found around the working areas. The number of perming treatments, the number of workers, and the frequency of using formaldehyde releasing products, were found to be associated with the levels of formaldehyde. This study indicates that efforts are needed to improve the indoor air quality in hairdressing salons in Taipei.
A series of In2O3 thin films, ranging from X-ray diffraction amorphous to highly crystalline, were grown on amorphous silica substrates using pulsed laser deposition by varying the film growth ...temperature. The amorphous-to-crystalline transition and the structure of amorphous In2O3 were investigated by grazing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Hall transport measurement, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) liquid-quench simulation. On the basis of excellent agreement between the EXAFS and MD results, a model of the amorphous oxide structure as a network of InO x polyhedra was constructed. Mechanisms for the transport properties observed in the crystalline, amorphous-to-crystalline, and amorphous deposition regions are presented, highlighting a unique structure–property relationship.
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