•Recyclable solar cells on cellulose nanocrystal substrates are fabricated.•Conducting polymer top electrode is prepared by film-transfer lamination.•The dry process of top electrode avoids swelling ...damage to the cellulose substrate.•Solar cells exhibit a power conversion efficiency of 4.0%.
We report on efficient solar cells on recyclable cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates with a new device structure wherein polyethylenimine-modified Ag is used as the bottom electron-collecting electrode and high-conductivity poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS, PH1000) is used as the semitransparent top hole-collecting electrode. The PEDOT:PSS top electrode is deposited by a film-transfer lamination technique. This dry process avoids swelling damage to the CNC substrate, which is observed when PEDOT:PSS is directly spin-coated from an aqueous solution. Solar cells on recyclable CNC substrates exhibit a maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.0% with a large fill factor of 0.64±0.02 when illuminated through the top semitransparent PEDOT:PSS electrode. The performance of solar cells on CNC substrates is comparable to that of reference solar cells on polyethersulfone substrates.
T cell activation induces ER stress and upregulates Inositol Requiring Enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α), an activator of the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway. Inhibition of IRE1α RNase activity in ...activated CD4
splenocytes from naïve mice, via treatment of the cells with the commercially available drug 4μ8c upon activation, results in the reduction of the secretion of proteins IL-5, IL-4, and IL-13. Prior to this work, it was unknown if 4μ8c could inhibit TH2 cytokines in established TH2 cells, cells that are crucial in promoting disease in severe asthma.
Treatment of a mouse T helper (TH)2 cell line and differentiated human TH2 cells with 4μ8c resulted in inhibition of IL-5, but not IL-4, as measured by ELISA. The reduced cytokine expression was not due to differences in mRNA stability or mRNA levels; it appears to be due to a defect in secretion, as the cells produce cytokines IL-5 as measured by flow cytometry and western blot.
These data suggest that the inhibition of IL-5 was due to post-translational processes. IL-5 promotes chronic, inflammatory asthma, and 4μ8c blocks its expression in T cells in vitro. Future studies will determine if 4μ8c treatment can ameliorate the effects of the cytokine IL-5 in a disease model.
Abstract
We aimed to examine the retention of Hispanics/Latinos participating in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective cohort study of 16,415 adults in 4 US ...cities who were enrolled between 2008 and 2011. We summarized retention strategies and examined contact, response, and participation rates over 5 years of annual follow-up interviews. We then evaluated motivations for participation and satisfaction with retention efforts among participants who completed a second in-person interview approximately 6 years after their baseline interview. Finally, we conducted logistic regression analyses estimating associations of demographic, health, and interview characteristics at study visit 1 (baseline) with participation, high motivation, and high satisfaction at visit 2. Across 5 years, the HCHS/SOL maintained contact, response, and participation rates over 80%. The most difficult Hispanic/Latino populations to retain included young, single, US-born males with less than a high school education. At visit 2, we found high rates of motivation and satisfaction. HCHS/SOL participants primarily sought to help their community and learn more about their health. High rates of retention of Hispanics/Latinos can be facilitated through the employment of bilingual/bicultural staff and the development of culturally tailored retention materials.
Central memory T (T
) cells patrol lymph nodes and perform conventional memory responses on restimulation: proliferation, migration and differentiation into diverse T cell subsets while also ...self-renewing. Resident memory T (T
) cells are parked within single organs, share properties with terminal effectors and contribute to rapid host protection. We observed that reactivated T
cells rejoined the circulating pool. Epigenetic analyses revealed that T
cells align closely with conventional memory T cell populations, bearing little resemblance to recently activated effectors. Fully differentiated T
cells isolated from small intestine epithelium exhibited the potential to differentiate into T
cells, effector memory T cells and T
cells on recall. Ex-T
cells, former intestinal T
cells that rejoined the circulating pool, heritably maintained a predilection for homing back to their tissue of origin on subsequent reactivation and a heightened capacity to redifferentiate into T
cells. Thus, T
cells can rejoin the circulation but are advantaged to re-form local T
when called on.
•A new method for identifying and differentiating levels of sedation in dogs.•A concentration-response relationship was determined for propofol and a neuroactive steroid anesthetic.•The canine ...sedation scoring method identified four levels of consciousness.•The utility of the canine sedation scoring method was comparable to that reported in humans.•SGE-746 has a more gradual exposure-response relationship than propofol.
Different levels of consciousness are required in order to perform different medical procedures. Sedation scales established to objectively define various levels of sedation in humans have not been thoroughly characterized in non-human species. Postural changes in rats or dogs are useful as gross measures of sedation but are inadequate for quantitative assessment since graded levels of sedation are difficult to delineate and obscured by movement abnormalities.
A new canine sedation scoring (CSS) method was developed based on the modified observer’s assessment of alertness and sedation score (MOAA/S) used in humans. The method employed a combination of physical, auditory and somatosensory stimuli of increasing intensity. Cardiovascular, respiratory, and a neurophysiological measure of sedation (bispectral index: BIS) data were recorded. Validation studies were performed following intravenous loading and constant rate infusion of propofol or a novel synthetic neuroactive steroid (SGE-746).
Four levels of consciousness were identified: 1) Awake, 2) Moderate Sedation (MS), 3) Deep Sedation (DS) and 4) General Anesthesia (GA). Cardiorespiratory measurements obtained after bolus administration of propofol and SGE-746 and at the end of each CRI remained within normal limits. Canine sedation scores correlated with BIS for SGE-746. SGE-746 exhibited a more gradual exposure-response relationship than propofol. Larger increases in the plasma concentration from awake values were required to achieve different levels of sedation with SGE-746 compared to propofol.
No other canine sedation scoring methods are widely accepted.
A CSS method, based on the human MOAA/S scale defined four levels of consciousness in dogs and provided better resolution of sedation depth than BIS alone.
•VOCs and SVOCs were emitted into the air at five steam-CIPP installation sites.•PIDs did not accurately reflect styrene concentrations.•1.0–2.2 wt% of volatile material was found for each newly ...installed CIPP.•Hazardous air pollutants, known and suspected carcinogens were emitted.•Contractor practices and resin composition influenced the chemicals emitted.
Cured-in-place-pipes (CIPP) are plastic liners chemically manufactured inside existing damaged sewer pipes. They are gaining popularity in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Volatile and semi-volatile organic compound (VOC/SVOC) emissions from storm sewer CIPP installations were investigated at a dedicated outdoor research site. Tedlar bag, sorbent tube, and photoionization detector (PID) air sampling was conducted for five steam-CIPP installations and was coupled with composite characterizations. New CIPPs contained up to 2.21 wt% volatile material and only 6–31% chemical mass extracted per CIPP was identified. Each 6.1 m 20 ft liner contained an estimated 5–10 kg 11–22 lbs of residual chemical. Extracted chemicals included hazardous air pollutants and suspected and known carcinogens that were not reported by others. These included monomers, monomer oxidation products, antioxidants, initiator degradation products, and a plasticizer. PID signals did not accurately represent styrene air concentration differing sometimes by 10s- to 1000s-fold. Multiple VOCs found in air samples likely affected PID responses. Styrene (>86.4 ppmv) and methylene chloride (>1.56 ppmv) air concentrations were likely greater onsite and phenol was also detected. Additional studies are needed to examine pollutant emissions so process monitoring can be improved, and environment impacts and associated human exposures can be minimized.
•Two differently orientated CNC films were prepared and tested in LIB system.•Optical birefringence and 2D-XRD studies were conducted to characterize the orientation of each CNC film.•Different ...orientation induces different ionic, thermal, and electric conductivity of CNC film.•Aligned CNC film showed higher conductive properties.•With the aid of these properties, electrochemical performances of aligned CNC were improved.
To satisfy the technical requirements of advanced energy storage systems with high energy density, high power density and reliable battery life time, significant efforts have been devoted to material optimization by designing novel metal/carbon composites or metal alloy materials. Different from the previous approaches mainly focused on the composition of active materials, herein, we studied how the structural orientation of carbon precursors can influence the electrochemical kinetics and stability of lithium ion batteries (LiBs). Two differently aligned cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films – aligned CNC (aCNC) and chiral nematic CNC (nCNC) films) – were fabricated, carbonized and evaluated as anode electrodes for LiBs. The architecture of carbonized aCNC (c-aCNC) provides a favorable pathway for ion/electron transport, resulting in excellent rate retention (40% at 200 mA g−1) in comparison with the carbonized nCNC (c-nCNC) (20% at 200 mA g−1). In addition, c-aCNC exhibited a more stable cycle performance (92% capacity retention over 450 cycles) than c-nCNC (48% capacity over 450 cycles), owing to the better electrochemical reactions and heat dispersion of c-aCNC than those of c-nCNC. The proposed concept has clearly demonstrated that the electrochemical behaviors of LiBs can be affected by the structural orientation of electrodes. It would possibly bring up more relevant battery researches for follow-up works in the future.
Supratentorial non-skull base meningiomas are the most common primary central nervous system tumor subtype. An understanding of their pathophysiology, imaging characteristics, and clinical management ...options will prove of substantial value to the multi-disciplinary team which may be involved in their care. Extensive review of the broad literature on the topic is conducted. Narrowing the scope to meningiomas located in the supratentorial non-skull base anatomic location highlights nuances specific to this tumor subtype. Advances in our understanding of the natural history of the disease and how findings from both molecular pathology and neuroimaging have impacted our understanding are discussed. Clinical management and the rationale underlying specific approaches including observation, surgery, radiation, and investigational systemic therapies is covered in detail. Future directions for probable advances in the near and intermediate term are reviewed.
Birefringence, based on the crystal orientation of a cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) film, has been investigated for the determination of crystal orientation. The prime focus of our study is to establish ...a simple and low-cost experimental technique using a standard UV–Vis spectrometer to determine the order parameter (S) for both isotropic and anisotropic configurations. Self-standing CNC films of various order parameters (S: 0–0.95) were prepared using shear flow with varying shear rates. The transmitted light intensity of CNC films between cross polarizers for the bright and dark fields were measured to determine the linear dichroitic ratio, which were used to calculate the order parameters of different crystalline arrangements. Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction results were compared to the birefringence technique to explore the presence of short-range amorphous order, which is significant in higher order parameter (S > 0.60) specimens. Thus, the new birefringence technique was shown to obtain a more accurate measurement of order parameter with an easier method using more common and lower cost equipment.
We present the first results of our ongoing project conducting simultaneous multiwavelength observations of flares on nearby active M dwarfs. We acquired data of the nearby dM3.5e star EV Lac using ...five different observatories: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), NASA's Neutron Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope (UH88), and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network. During the ∼25 days of TESS observations, we acquired three simultaneous UV/X-ray observations using Swift that total ∼18 ks, 21 simultaneous epochs totaling ∼98 ks of X-ray data using NICER, one observation (∼3 hr) with UH88, and one observation (∼3 hr) with LCOGT. We identified 56 flares in the TESS light curve with estimated energies in the range log E(T) (erg) = (30.5–33.2), nine flares in the Swift UVM2 light curve with estimated energies in the range log E(UV) (erg) = (29.3–31.1), 14 flares in the NICER light curve with estimated minimum energies in the range log E(N) (erg) = (30.5–32.3), and 1 flare in the LCOGT light curve with log E(L) (erg) = 31.6. We find that the flare frequency distributions (FFDs) of TESS and NICER flares have comparable slopes, β(T) = −0.67 ± 0.09 and β(N) = − 0.65 ± 0.19, and the FFD of UVOT flares has a shallower slope (β(U) = −0.38 ± 0.13). Furthermore, we do not find conclusive evidence for either the first ionization potential (FIP) or the inverse FIP effect during coronal flares on EV Lac.
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