Analysis of transcriptional response to heat stress in Rhazya stricta

Clusters of assembled transcripts of R. stricta SRA in mature leaves (A5-L8) at different time points of the day (A, morning; F-H, midday & L, dusk). Grey lines indicate expression patterns of individual transcripts in a given cluster. Blue lines indicate overall expression pattern across different transcripts of a given cluster. (PDF 397 kb

Hybrid effects in graphene oxide/carbon nanotube-supported Layered Double Hydroxides: Enhancing the CO₂ sorption properties

Graphene oxide (GO) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have been previously used independently as active supports for Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH), and found to enhance the intrinsic CO₂ sorption capacity of the adsorbents. However, the long-term stability of the materials subjected to temperature-swing adsorption (TSA) cycles still requires improvement. In this contribution, GO and MWCNT are hybridized to produce mixed substrates with improved surface area and compatibility for the deposition of LDH platelets, compared to either phase alone. The incorporation of a robust and thoroughly hybridized carbon network considerably enhances the thermal stability of activated, promoted LDH over twenty cycles of gas adsorption-desorption (96% of retention of the initial sorption capacity at the 20th cycle), dramatically reducing the sintering previously observed when either GO or MWCNT were added separately. Detailed characterization of the morphology of the supported LDH, at several stages of the multicycle adsorption process, shows that the initial morphology of the adsorbents is more strongly retained when supported on the robust hybrid GO/MWCNT network; the CO₂ adsorption performance correlates closely with the specific surface area of the adsorbents, with both maximized at small loadings of a 1:1 ratio of GO:MWCNT substrate

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

CoP Nanosheet Arrays Supported on a Ti Plate: An Efficient Cathode for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

CoP Nanosheet Arrays Supported on a Ti Plate: An Efficient Cathode for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolutio

Experimental and Theoretical Study of O-Substituent Effect on the Fluorescence of 8-Hydroxyquinoline

The synthesis and characterization of different ether and ester derivatives of 8-hydroxyquinoline have been made. UV-visible and fluorescence spectra of these compounds have revealed spectral dependence on both solvent and O-substituent. The fluorescence intensity of ether derivatives revealed higher intensity for 8-octyloxyquinoline compared with 8-methoxyquinoline, whereas those of ester derivatives had less fluorescence than 8-hydroxyquinoline. Theoretical calculations based on Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) were carried out for the quinolin-8-yl benzoate (8-OateQ) compound to understand the effect of O-substituent on the electronic absorption of 8-hydroxyquinaline (8-HQ). The calculations revealed comparable results with those obtained from the experimental data. Optimized geometrical structure was calculated with DFT at B3LYP/6-311++G** level of theory. The results indicated that 8-OateQ is not a coplanar structure. The absorption spectra of the compound were computed in gas-phase and solvent using B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP methods with 6-311++G ** basis set. The agreement between calculated and experimental wavelengths was very good at CAM-B3LYP/6-311++G** level of theory

Synthesis, spectroscopic (UV-vis and GIAO NMR), crystallographic and theoretical studies of triazine heterocyclic derivatives

This work presents the synthesis and characterization of triazine heterocyclic derivatives. The spectroscopic properties like nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR, (1H and 13C)] were recorded in CDCl3 solution and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) absorption spectrums of compounds, 5,6-diphenyl-[1,2,4]triazin-3-ylamine (1), (5,6-diphenyl-[1,2,4]triazin-3-yl)-hydrazine (2) and 5,6-diphenyl-4H-[1,2,4] triazine-3-thione (3), were recorded in the range of 200-800 nm, using chloroform as base solvent. Molecular geometry of compounds with triazine heterocyclic derivative in the ground state have been calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) with 6-31G(d,p) basis set and compared with the X-ray experimental data. The calculated results show that the optimized geometry can well reproduce the crystal structures. Total static dipole moment (?), the average linear polarizability (?) and the first hyperpolarizability (?) values of the investigated molecules have been computed using the same methods. The energetic behavior of compounds in solvent media has been examined using B3LYP method with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set by applying the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The total energy of compounds decreases with increasing polarity of the solvent. Frontier molecular orbitals and the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR of three triazine derivatives were investigated using theoretical calculations. The linear polarizabilities and first hyperpolarizabilities of the studied molecules indicate that the compounds 1-3 can be used as a good nonlinear optical material (NLO). Isotropic chemical shifts were calculated using the gauge-invariant atomic orbital (GIAO) method. Comparison of the NMR chemical shifts, absorption wavelengths with the experimental values revealed that DFT and time dependent-density functional theory (TD-DFT) method produce generally closer to good results

A single-source precursor approach to solution processed indium arsenide thin films

This paper reports the synthesis of the novel single-source precursor, [{(MeInAs(t)Bu)(3)}(2)(Me(2)InAs((t)Bu)H)(2)] and the subsequent first report of aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition of InAs thin films. Owing to the use of the single-source precursor, highly crystalline and stoichiometric films were grown at a relatively low deposition temperature of 450 °C. Core level XPS depth profiling studies showed some partial oxidation of the film surface, however this was self-limiting and disappeared on etch profiles. Valence band XPS analysis matched well with the simulated density of state spectrum. Hall effect measurements performed on the films showed that the films were n-type with promising resistivity (3.6 × 10(–3) Ω cm) and carrier mobility (410 cm(2) V(–1) s(–1)) values despite growth on amorphous glass substrates