Performance improvement of MXene-based perovskite solar cells upon property transition from metallic to semiconductive by oxidation of Ti₃C₂Tₓ in air

The unique properties of MXenes that arise from terminating functional groups and oxidation of MXenes make them attractive for application in photovoltaic devices like perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, oxidation of Ti3C2Tx hydrocolloid was carried out to tune its properties desirable for an electron transport layer (ETL) in low-temperature processed PSCs. The calculations of the energy levels were carried out using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) code based on density functional theory (DFT). Oxidation of Ti_{3}C_{2}T_{x} can generate Ti–O bonds and effectively reduce the macroscopic defects of the film fabricated by spin-coating, while a transition from metallic material to semiconductor occurred after heavy oxidation. A better matching of energy levels between perovskite and ETL layer in the case of a hybrid of oxidized and pristine Ti_{3}C_{2}T_{x} renders a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.29%. The improvement in PCE can be attributed to the increased electron mobility in the ETL, which promotes electron transport and reduces the electron–hole recombination. Hence, by presenting a simple method for high performance in PSCs by MXene-derived materials, this work demonstrates the great potential of these materials for applications in low-temperature processed PSCs and other photovoltaic technologies

Edge computing to secure iot data ownership and trade with the ethereum blockchain

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. With an increasing penetration of ubiquitous connectivity, the amount of data describing the actions of end-users has been increasing dramatically, both within the domain of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other smart devices. This has led to more awareness of users in terms of protecting personal data. Within the IoT, there is a growing number of peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions, increasing the exposure to security vulnerabilities, and the risk of cyberattacks. Blockchain technology has been explored as middleware in P2P transactions, but existing solutions have mainly focused on providing a safe environment for data trade without considering potential changes in interaction topologies. we present EdgeBoT, a proof-of-concept smart contracts based platform for the IoT built on top of the ethereum blockchain. With the Blockchain of Things (BoT) at the edge of the network, EdgeBoT enables a wider variety of interaction topologies between nodes in the network and external services while guaranteeing ownership of data and end users’ privacy. in EdgeBoT, edge devices trade their data directly with third parties and without the need of intermediaries. This opens the door to new interaction modalities, in which data producers at the edge grant access to batches of their data to different third parties. Leveraging the immutability properties of blockchains, together with the distributed nature of smart contracts, data owners can audit and are aware of all transactions that have occurred with their data. we report initial results demonstrating the potential of EdgeBoT within the IoT. we show that integrating our solutions on top of existing IoT systems has a relatively small footprint in terms of computational resource usage, but a significant impact on the protection of data ownership and management of data trade

Edge Computing to Secure IoT Data Ownership and Trade with the Ethereum Blockchain

With an increasing penetration of ubiquitous connectivity, the amount of data describing the actions of end-users has been increasing dramatically, both within the domain of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other smart devices. This has led to more awareness of users in terms of protecting personal data. Within the IoT, there is a growing number of peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions, increasing the exposure to security vulnerabilities, and the risk of cyberattacks. Blockchain technology has been explored as middleware in P2P transactions, but existing solutions have mainly focused on providing a safe environment for data trade without considering potential changes in interaction topologies. we present EdgeBoT, a proof-of-concept smart contracts based platform for the IoT built on top of the ethereum blockchain. With the Blockchain of Things (BoT) at the edge of the network, EdgeBoT enables a wider variety of interaction topologies between nodes in the network and external services while guaranteeing ownership of data and end users' privacy. in EdgeBoT, edge devices trade their data directly with third parties and without the need of intermediaries. This opens the door to new interaction modalities, in which data producers at the edge grant access to batches of their data to different third parties. Leveraging the immutability properties of blockchains, together with the distributed nature of smart contracts, data owners can audit and are aware of all transactions that have occurred with their data. we report initial results demonstrating the potential of EdgeBoT within the IoT. we show that integrating our solutions on top of existing IoT systems has a relatively small footprint in terms of computational resource usage, but a significant impact on the protection of data ownership and management of data trade

Increased CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, and IL-1β cytokine concentration in piriform cortex, hippocampus, and neocortex after pilocarpine-induced seizures

BACKGROUND: Cytokines and chemokines play an important role in the neuroinflammatory response to an initial precipitating injury such as status epilepticus (SE). These signaling molecules participate in recruitment of immune cells, including brain macrophages (microglia), as well as neuroplastic changes, deterioration of damaged tissue, and epileptogenesis. This study describes the temporal and brain region pattern expression of numerous cytokines, including chemokines, after pilocarpine-induced seizures and discusses them in the larger context of their potential involvement in the changes that precede the development of epilepsy. FINDINGS: Adult rats received pilocarpine to induce SE and 90 min after seizure onset were treated with diazepam to mitigate seizures. Rats were subsequently deeply anesthetized and brain regions (hippocampus, piriform cortex, neocortex, and cerebellum) were freshly dissected at 2, 6, and 24 h or 5 days after seizures. Using methodology identical to our previous studies, simultaneous assay of multiple cytokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, interleukin IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α)), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was performed and compared to control rats. These proteins were selected based on existing evidence implicating them in the epileptogenic progression. A robust increase in CCL2 and CCL3 concentrations in the hippocampus, piriform cortex, and neocortex was observed at all time-points. The concentrations peaked with a ~200-fold increase 24 h after seizures and were two orders of magnitude greater than the significant increases observed for CCL5 and IL-1β in the same brain structures. TNF-α levels were altered in the piriform cortex and neocortex (24 h) and in the hippocampus (5 days) after SE. CONCLUSIONS: Pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus causes a rapid increase of multiple cytokines in limbic and neocortical regions. Understanding the precise spatial and temporal pattern of cytokines and chemokine changes could provide more viable therapeutic targets to reduce, reverse, or prevent the development of epilepsy following a precipitating injury

The comparison of urodynamic findings ?n women with various types of urinary ?ncontinence

PurposeWe aimed to determine the differences of the urodynamic findings of mix urinary incontinence (MUI), urge urinary incontinence (UUI), and stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and to evaluate the urodynamic findings in different groups by using bladder sensitivity index (BSI).Materials and MethodsThe data of 99 patients who underwent urodynamic testing related to the suspicion of SUI, UUI or MUI were analysed. This analysis included a retrospective evaluation of patients’ cards, voiding diaries, and urodynamic reports. At filling cystometry, the parameters of first sensation of bladder filling (FSBF), first desire to void (FDV), strong desire to void (SDV), and bladder capacity (Vmax), which were related to the bladder sensation, were determined. Subsequently, uroflowmetric findings were recorded during bladder emptying. BSI was defined as the ratio of Vmax/FDV. These results were statistically compared among the goups.ResultsThe sample included 35(35.5%) MUI, 33(33.3%) UUI and 31 (31.1%) SUI. The mean ages were similar in all groups (P = 0.868). The mean FSBF, FDV, SDV and Vmax values were significantly different among groups (p = 0.004, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 respectively). Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference among the mean daily voiding accounts (P = 0.005). Although the mean maximum flow rate (Qmax) values were similar (P = 0.428), the mean maximum detrusor pressure (Pdetmax) values were significantly different (P = 0.021). The mean BSI values showed no significant differences (P = 0.097).ConclusionsIt was concluded that while the use of urodynamic testing could contribute to the management of urinary incontinence, the indexes including BSI requere more detailed and comprehensive studies

Binding of Gemini Bisbenzimidazole Drugs with Human Telomeric G-Quadruplex Dimers: Effect of the Spacer in the Design of Potent Telomerase Inhibitors

The study of anticancer agents that act via stabilization of telomeric G-quadruplex DNA (G4DNA) is important because such agents often inhibit telomerase activity. Several types of G4DNA binding ligands are known. In these studies, the target structures often involve a single G4 DNA unit formed by short DNA telomeric sequences. However, the 3′-terminal single-stranded human telomeric DNA can form higher-order structures by clustering consecutive quadruplex units (dimers or n-mers). Herein, we present new synthetic gemini (twin) bisbenzimidazole ligands, in which the oligo-oxyethylene spacers join the two bisbenzimidazole units for the recognition of both monomeric and dimeric G4DNA, derived from d(T2AG3)4 and d(T2AG3)8 human telomeric DNA, respectively. The spacer between the two bisbenzimidazoles in the geminis plays a critical role in the G4DNA stability. We report here (i) synthesis of new effective gemini anticancer agents that are selectively more toxic towards the cancer cells than the corresponding normal cells; (ii) formation and characterization of G4DNA dimers in solution as well as computational construction of the dimeric G4DNA structures. The gemini ligands direct the folding of the single-stranded DNA into an unusually stable parallel-stranded G4DNA when it was formed in presence of the ligands in KCl solution and the gemini ligands show spacer length dependent potent telomerase inhibition properties

Mental Health Problems among Children One-Year after Sichuan Earthquake in China: A Follow-up Study

Background: On May 12, 2008, a destructive earthquake registering 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan Province, southwest China. Beichuan County was the epicenter which was one of the areas nearly completely destroyed by the earthquake. In Beichuan, about 15000 people died and 3000 people were missing. Specially, the earthquake took 1587 students&#39; and 214 teachers&#39; lives from the elementary and middle schools there. The main purpose of the study was to provide a better understanding of mental health problems and associated risk factors among children after earthquake

A study of alternative splicing in the pig

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since at least half of the genes in mammalian genomes are subjected to alternative splicing, alternative pre-mRNA splicing plays an important contribution to the complexity of the mammalian proteome. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) provide evidence of a great number of possible alternative isoforms. With the EST resource for the domestic pig now containing more than one million porcine ESTs, it is possible to identify alternative splice forms of the individual transcripts in this species from the EST data with some confidence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The pig EST data generated by the Sino-Danish Pig Genome project has been assembled with publicly available ESTs and made available in the PigEST database. Using the Distiller package 2,515 EST clusters with candidate alternative isoforms were identified in the EST data with high confidence. In agreement with general observations in human and mouse, we find putative splice variants in about 30% of the contigs with more than 50 ESTs. Based on the criteria that a minimum of two EST sequences confirmed each splice event, a list of 100 genes with the most distinct tissue-specific alternative splice events was generated from the list of candidates. To confirm the tissue specificity of the splice events, 10 genes with functional annotation were randomly selected from which 16 individual splice events were chosen for experimental verification by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Six genes were shown to have tissue specific alternatively spliced transcripts with expression patterns matching those of the EST data. The remaining four genes had tissue-restricted expression of alternative spliced transcripts. Five out of the 16 splice events that were experimentally verified were found to be putative pig specific.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In accordance with human and rodent studies we estimate that approximately 30% of the porcine genes undergo alternative splicing. We found a good correlation between EST predicted tissue-specificity and experimentally validated splice events in different porcine tissue. This study indicates that a cluster size of around 50 ESTs is optimal for <it>in silico </it>detection of alternative splicing. Although based on a limited number of splice events, the study supports the notion that alternative splicing could have an important impact on species differentiation since 31% of the splice events studied appears to be species specific.</p

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

SummaryBackground The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 provides an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence for risk factor exposure and the attributable burden of disease. By providing national and subnational assessments spanning the past 25 years, this study can inform debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. Methods We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate attributable deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and trends in exposure by age group, sex, year, and geography for 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2015. This study included 388 risk-outcome pairs that met World Cancer Research Fund-defined criteria for convincing or probable evidence. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. We developed a metric that allows comparisons of exposure across risk factors—the summary exposure value. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk level, we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We decomposed trends in attributable burden into contributions from population growth, population age structure, risk exposure, and risk-deleted cause-specific DALY rates. We characterised risk exposure in relation to a Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Findings Between 1990 and 2015, global exposure to unsafe sanitation, household air pollution, childhood underweight, childhood stunting, and smoking each decreased by more than 25%. Global exposure for several occupational risks, high body-mass index (BMI), and drug use increased by more than 25% over the same period. All risks jointly evaluated in 2015 accounted for 57·8% (95% CI 56·6–58·8) of global deaths and 41·2% (39·8–42·8) of DALYs. In 2015, the ten largest contributors to global DALYs among Level 3 risks were high systolic blood pressure (211·8 million [192·7 million to 231·1 million] global DALYs), smoking (148·6 million [134·2 million to 163·1 million]), high fasting plasma glucose (143·1 million [125·1 million to 163·5 million]), high BMI (120·1 million [83·8 million to 158·4 million]), childhood undernutrition (113·3 million [103·9 million to 123·4 million]), ambient particulate matter (103·1 million [90·8 million to 115·1 million]), high total cholesterol (88·7 million [74·6 million to 105·7 million]), household air pollution (85·6 million [66·7 million to 106·1 million]), alcohol use (85·0 million [77·2 million to 93·0 million]), and diets high in sodium (83·0 million [49·3 million to 127·5 million]). From 1990 to 2015, attributable DALYs declined for micronutrient deficiencies, childhood undernutrition, unsafe sanitation and water, and household air pollution; reductions in risk-deleted DALY rates rather than reductions in exposure drove these declines. Rising exposure contributed to notable increases in attributable DALYs from high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, occupational carcinogens, and drug use. Environmental risks and childhood undernutrition declined steadily with SDI; low physical activity, high BMI, and high fasting plasma glucose increased with SDI. In 119 countries, metabolic risks, such as high BMI and fasting plasma glucose, contributed the most attributable DALYs in 2015. Regionally, smoking still ranked among the leading five risk factors for attributable DALYs in 109 countries; childhood underweight and unsafe sex remained primary drivers of early death and disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Interpretation Declines in some key environmental risks have contributed to declines in critical infectious diseases. Some risks appear to be invariant to SDI. Increasing risks, including high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, drug use, and some occupational exposures, contribute to rising burden from some conditions, but also provide opportunities for intervention. Some highly preventable risks, such as smoking, remain major causes of attributable DALYs, even as exposure is declining. Public policy makers need to pay attention to the risks that are increasingly major contributors to global burden. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Indoor solid fuel use and tuberculosis in China: a matched case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>China ranks second among the 22 high burden countries for tuberculosis. A modeling exercise showed that reduction of indoor air pollution could help advance tuberculosis control in China. However, the association between indoor air pollution and tuberculosis is not yet well established. A case control study was conducted in Anhui, China to investigate whether use of solid fuel is associated with tuberculosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cases were new sputum smear positive tuberculosis patients. Two controls were selected from the neighborhood of each case matched by age and sex using a pre-determined procedure. A questionnaire containing demographic information, smoking habits and use of solid fuel for cooking or heating was used for interview. Solid fuel (coal and biomass) included coal/lignite, charcoal, wood, straw/shrubs/grass, animal dung, and agricultural crop residue. A household that used solid fuel either for cooking and (/or) heating was classified as exposure to combustion of solid fuel (indoor air pollution). Odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence limits for categorical variables were determined by Mantel-Haenszel estimate and multivariate conditional logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 202 new smear positive tuberculosis cases and 404 neighborhood controls enrolled in this study. The proportion of participants who used solid fuels for cooking was high (73.8% among cases and 72.5% among controls). The majority reported using a griddle stove (85.2% among cases and 86.7% among controls), had smoke removed by a hood or chimney (92.0% among cases and 92.8% among controls), and cooked in a separate room (24.8% among cases and 28.0% among controls) or a separate building (67.8% among cases and 67.6% among controls). Neither using solid fuel for cooking (odds ratio (OR) 1.08, 95% CI 0.62-1.87) nor using solid fuel for heating (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.54-2.02) was significantly associated with tuberculosis. Determinants significantly associated with tuberculosis were household tuberculosis contact (adjusted OR, 27.23, 95% CI 8.19-90.58) and ever smoking tobacco (adjusted OR 1.64, 96% CI 1.01-2.66).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In a population where the majority had proper ventilation in cooking places, the association between use of solid fuel for cooking or for heating and tuberculosis was not statistically significant.</p