Manipulating nanoscale structure to control functionality in printed organic photovoltaic, transistor and bioelectronic devices.

Printed electronics is simultaneously one of the most intensely studied emerging research areas in science and technology and one of the fastest growing commercial markets in the world today. For the past decade the potential for organic electronic (OE) materials to revolutionize this printed electronics space has been widely promoted. Such conviction in the potential of these carbon-based semiconducting materials arises from their ability to be dissolved in solution, and thus the exciting possibility of simply printing a range of multifunctional devices onto flexible substrates at high speeds for very low cost using standard roll-to-roll printing techniques. However, the transition from promising laboratory innovations to large scale prototypes requires precise control of nanoscale material and device structure across large areas during printing fabrication. Maintaining this nanoscale material control during printing presents a significant new challenge that demands the coupling of OE materials and devices with clever nanoscience fabrication approaches that are adapted to the limited thermodynamic levers available. In this review we present an update on the strategies and capabilities that are required in order to manipulate the nanoscale structure of large area printed organic photovoltaic (OPV), transistor and bioelectronics devices in order to control their device functionality. This discussion covers a range of efforts to manipulate the electroactive ink materials and their nanostructured assembly into devices, and also device processing strategies to tune the nanoscale material properties and assembly routes through printing fabrication. The review finishes by highlighting progress in printed OE devices that provide a feedback loop between laboratory nanoscience innovations and their feasibility in adapting to large scale printing fabrication. The ability to control material properties on the nanoscale whilst simultaneously printing functional devices on the square metre scale is prompting innovative developments in the targeted nanoscience required for OPV, transistor and biofunctional devices

Transforming tradition: performances of Jingju ('Beijing Opera') in the UK

Jingju (‘Beijing opera’) is China's most iconic traditional theatre, marketed as a global signifier of Chinese theatre and national identity. Although troupes from mainland China regularly tour Europe, audiences in the UK have also had access to Jingju via two indigenous organizations: the UK Beijing Opera Society (now defunct) and the London Jing Kun Opera Association (now in its ninth year). These organizations consist of Chinese, overseas Chinese and Western performers performing both Jingju and Kunju (‘Kun opera’). Where there is a mix of ethnicity, can ‘traditional Chinese theatre’ still be conceived of as ‘traditional’? How is Jingju mapped onto non-Chinese bodies? Can Jingju performances by ethnically white performers reflect diasporic identities? Drawing on the theories of Judith Butler and Homi Bhabha, this article argues that by highlighting the performativity of identity, the performance of Jingju by non-Chinese performers challenges the notion of Jingju as a global signifier of ‘authentic traditional Chinese theatre’

Impact of turbulence-induced asymmetric propagators on the accuracy of phase-contrast velocimetry

Phase-contrast magnetic resonance velocimetry (PC-MRI) has been widely used to investigate flow properties in numerous systems. In a horizontal cylindrical pipe (3mm diameter), we investigated the accuracy of PC-MRI as the flow transitioned from laminar to turbulent flow (Reynolds number 352 to 2708). We focus primarily on velocimetry errors introduced by skewed intra-voxel displacement distributions, a consequence of PC-MRI theory assuming symmetric distributions. We demonstrated how rapid fluctuations in the velocity field, can produce broad asymmetric intravoxel displacement distributions near the wall. Depending on the shape of the distribution, this resulted in PC-MRI measurements under-estimating (positive skewness) or over-estimating (negative skewness) the true mean intravoxel velocity, which could have particular importance to clinical wall shear stress measurements. The magnitude of these velocity errors was shown to increase with the variance and decrease with the kurtosis of the intravoxel displacement distribution. These experimental results confirm our previous theoretical analysis, which gives a relationship for PC-MRI velocimetry errors, as a function of the higher moments of the intravoxel displacement distribution (skewness, variance, and kurtosis) and the experimental parameters q and Δ. This suggests that PC-MRI errors in such unsteady/turbulent flow conditions can potentially be reduced by employing lower q values or shorter observation times Δ

Association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease: Mendelian randomisation analysis based on individual participant data

Lista completa dos Autores: Holmes MV, Dale CE, Zuccolo L, Silverwood RJ, Guo Y, Ye Z, Prieto-Merino D, Dehghan A, Trompet S, Wong A, Cavadino A, Drogan D, Padmanabhan S, Li S, Yesupriya A, Leusink M, Sundstrom J, Hubacek JA, Pikhart H, Swerdlow DI, Panayiotou AG, Borinskaya SA, Finan C, Shah S, Kuchenbaecker KB, Shah T, Engmann J, Folkersen L, Eriksson P, Ricceri F, Melander O, Sacerdote C, Gamble DM, Rayaprolu S, Ross OA, McLachlan S, Vikhireva O, Sluijs I, Scott RA, Adamkova V, Flicker L, Bockxmeer FM, Power C, Marques-Vidal P, Meade T, Marmot MG, Ferro JM, Paulos-Pinheiro S, Humphries SE, Talmud PJ, Mateo Leach I, Verweij N, Linneberg A, Skaaby T, Doevendans PA, Cramer MJ, van der Harst P, Klungel OH, Dowling NF, Dominiczak AF, Kumari M, Nicolaides AN, Weikert C, Boeing H, Ebrahim S, Gaunt TR, Price JF, Lannfelt L, Peasey A, Kubinova R, Pajak A, Malyutina S, Voevoda MI, Tamosiunas A, Maitland-van der Zee AH, Norman PE, Hankey GJ, Bergmann MM, Hofman A, Franco OH, Cooper J, Palmen J, Spiering W, de Jong PA, Kuh D, Hardy R, Uitterlinden AG, Ikram MA, Ford I, Hyppönen E, Almeida OP, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT, Hamsten A, Husemoen LL, Tjønneland A, Tolstrup JS, Rimm E, Beulens JW, Verschuren WM, Onland-Moret NC, Hofker MH, Wannamethee SG, Whincup PH, Morris R, Vicente AM, Watkins H, Farrall M, Jukema JW, Meschia J, Cupples LA, Sharp SJ, Fornage M, Kooperberg C, LaCroix AZ, Dai JY, Lanktree MB, Siscovick DS, Jorgenson E, Spring B, Coresh J, Li YR, Buxbaum SG, Schreiner PJ, Ellison RC, Tsai MY, Patel SR, Redline S, Johnson AD, Hoogeveen RC, Hakonarson H, Rotter JI, Boerwinkle E, de Bakker PI, Kivimaki M, Asselbergs FW, Sattar N, Lawlor DA, Whittaker J, Davey Smith G, Mukamal K, Psaty BM, Wilson JG, Lange LA, Hamidovic A, Hingorani AD, Nordestgaard BG, Bobak M, Leon DA, Langenberg C, Palmer TM, Reiner AP, Keating BJ, Dudbridge F, Casas JP; InterAct Consortium.To use the rs1229984 variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) as an instrument to investigate the causal role of alcohol in cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis of 56 epidemiological studies

Zika virus spreads through infection of lymph node-resident macrophages

To disseminate through the body, Zika virus (ZIKV) is thought to exploit the mobility of myeloid cells, in particular monocytes and dendritic cells. However, the timing and mechanisms underlying shuttling of the virus by immune cells remains unclear. To understand the early steps in ZIKV transit from the skin, at different time points, we spatially mapped ZIKV infection in lymph nodes (LNs), an intermediary site en route to the blood. Contrary to prevailing hypotheses, migratory immune cells are not required for the virus to reach the LNs or blood. Instead, ZIKV rapidly infects a subset of sessile CD16

Mechanical circulatory support in patients with severe aortic stenosis and left ventricular dysfunction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Management of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with aortic stenosis and severe left ventricular dysfunction is challenging. Mechanical circulatory support at the time of percutaneous coronary interventions may be necessary in these extreme-risk patients. We present a case in which the TandemHeart was used to support a patient with severe aortic stenosis, severe protected left main and circumflex disease, and severe cardiomyopathy and review the literature on this subject

Using Bluetooth Low Energy devices to monitor visitor activity in remote amenity spaces

Tracking of pedestrian behaviour, particularly route selection and temporal behaviours, can be difficult to undertake. This is especially true of studies at a community or campus level where the anonymity of pedestrians can be difficult to protect. The introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations 2016 (GDPR) has increased the complexity of this challenge. Advances in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology in recent years have increased the potential to monitor human behaviour by tracking and triangulating pedestrians. This paper describes an experiment undertaken along The Great South Wall at the Port of Dublin, which is considered a leading amenity location. Monitoring of visitor behaviour in places of this type can provide valuable information about the use of this and other public resources. The aims of this study were to test two prototypes to: i) determine the direction of participants carrying BLE devices, ii) determine the capabilities of two BLE scanning prototypes, (ESP32 & Raspberry Pi3), iii) test the ability of detecting a small number of BLE devices simultaneously while minimising interference or loss of passers-by data, iv) to investigate the use of a hash encoding scheme to anonymise BLE device identifiers. The findings show that the direction of the visitors to the pier can be detected by correlating the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) from multiple Bluetooth scanning devices and this can work where scanning devices are as close as 10m apart. The locations of the BLE scanners has a slight effect on detecting the RSSI from different distances and the distance between scanners needs to be considered to facilitate accurate measurement of direction. As a pier like the South Wall has only one entrance and exit point, this approach can also be used to determine the length of time spent on the pier. The technical performance of the two BLE scanners was also reviewed and the ESP32 was shown to have significantly lower power consumption with only a slight decrease in performance. Finally, it was shown that the BLE scanners can detect multiple carried BLE devices successfully without interference or loss of data as long as those devices are within range of the BLE scanners

Acute inhibition of MEK suppresses congenital melanocytic nevus syndrome in a murine model driven by activated NRAS and Wnt signaling

Congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) syndrome is the association of pigmented melanocytic nevi with extra-cutaneous features, classically melanotic cells within the central nervous system, most frequently caused by a mutation of NRAS codon 61. This condition is currently untreatable and carries a significant risk of melanoma within the skin, brain, or leptomeninges. We have previously proposed a key role for Wnt signaling in the formation of melanocytic nevi, suggesting that activated Wnt signaling may be synergistic with activated NRAS in the pathogenesis of CMN syndrome. Some familial pre-disposition suggests a germ-line contribution to CMN syndrome, as does variability of neurological phenotypes in individuals with similar cutaneous phenotypes. Accordingly, we performed exome sequencing of germ-line DNA from patients with CMN to reveal rare or undescribed Wnt-signaling alterations. A murine model harboring activated NRASQ61K and Wnt signaling in melanocytes exhibited striking features of CMN syndrome, in particular neurological involvement. In the first model of treatment for this condition, these congenital, and previously assumed permanent, features were profoundly suppressed by acute post-natal treatment with a MEK inhibitor. These data suggest that activated NRAS and aberrant Wnt signaling conspire to drive CMN syndrome. Post-natal MEK inhibition is a potential candidate therapy for patients with this debilitating condition