Fully 3D Printed Tin Selenide (SnSe) Thermoelectric Generators with Alternating n-Type and p-Type Legs

Tin selenide (SnSe) has attracted much attention in the field of thermoelectrics since the discovery of the record figure of merit (zT) of 2.6 ± 0.3. While there have been many publications on p-type SnSe, to manufacture efficient SnSe thermoelectric generators, ann-type is also required. Publications on n-type SnSe, however, are limited. This paper reports a pseudo-3D-printing technique to fabricate bulk n-type SnSe elements, by utilizing Bi as a dopant. Various Bi doping levels are investigated and characterized over a wide range of temperatures and through multiple thermal cycles. Stable n-type SnSe elements are then combined with printed p-type SnSe elements to fabricate a fully printed alternating n- and p-type thermoelectric generator, which is shown to produce 145 μW at 774 K

Rapid Printing of Pseudo-3D Printed SnSe Thermoelectric Generators Utilizing an Inorganic Binder

There has been much interest in tin selenide (SnSe) in the thermoelectric community since the discovery of the record zT in the material in 2014. Manufacturing techniques used to produce SnSe are largely energy-intensive (e.g., spark plasma sintering); however, recently, in previous work, SnSe has been shown to be produced via a low embodied energy printing technique, resulting in 3D samples with high zT values (up to 1.7). Due to the additive manufacturing technique, the manufacturing time required was substantial. In this work, 3D samples were printed using the inorganic binder sodium metasilicate and reusable molds. This facilitated a single-step printing process that substantially reduced the manufacturing time. The printed samples were thermally stable through multiple thermal cycles, and a peak zT of 0.751 at 823 K was observed with the optimum binder concentration. A proof-of-concept thermoelectric generator produced the highest power output of any reported printed Se-based TEG to date

Integration in European Retail Banking : Evidence from savings and lending rates to non-financial corporations

The aim of this paper is to investigate the integration process in the European Union retail banking sector during the period 1995-2008, by analysing deposit and lending rates to nonfinancial corporations which represent one of the main constituents of retail banking. An important contribution of the paper is the application of the recently developed Phillips and Sul (2007a) panel convergence methodology which has not hitherto been employed in this area. This method analyses the degree as well as the speed of convergence, identifies the presence of club formation, and measures the behaviour of each country’s transition path relative to the panel average. The results obtained point to the presence of close convergence in all deposit rates and in the short-term lending rates to non-financial corporations. However, we also detect the presence of heterogeneity in the European retail banking sector with notably some diverse convergence patterns observed for the transition paths for the deposit and lending rates with longer maturities.Submitted Versio

Using Drug Development Methodology to Improve Survivorship and Supportive Care Intervention Trials.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Howells, L., Hulbert-Williams, N. J. & Blagden, S. P. (2019). Using drug development methodology to improve survivorship and supportive care intervention trials (Invited Editorial). Psycho-Oncology, 28(7), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5100. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingN/

Primary care consultations and pain medicine prescriptions: a comparison between patients with and without chronic pain after total knee replacement

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of patients experience chronic pain after total knee replacement (TKR). The impact of chronic pain after TKR on primary care services in the UK is currently unknown. The aim of this study was to compare primary care consultations and pain medicine prescriptions between patients with and without chronic pain after TKR. METHODS: Data from 5,055 patients who received TKR between 2009 and 2016 with anonymised linked data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold (CPRD) and English Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) programme were analysed. The exposure time was from 10 years pre-operative to eight years post-operative. Patients with a score ≤ 14 on the Oxford Knee Score pain component scale at 6 months post-operative were classified as having chronic pain after TKR. Primary care consultations and prescribed pain medicines were quantified, and costs calculated based on national cost data. RESULTS: 721 patients (14%) had chronic pain after TKR. The prevalence and costs of primary care consultations and pain medicine prescriptions per year were consistently higher for patients with chronic pain after TKR compared with those without chronic pain after TKR; these differences were observed both before and after surgery. There was a substantial and sustained increase in the cost of opioid prescriptions after surgery for patients with chronic pain after TKR, peaking at seven years post-operative. CONCLUSIONS: Increased primary care consultations and pain medicine prescriptions associated with chronic pain after TKR represent a considerable financial cost to primary care services. Evaluation of interventions to reduce the risk of developing this pain condition and improve the early management of pain after TKR are needed to improve outcomes for patients and reduce costs to healthcare services. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05492-6

Repair of Torn Avascular Meniscal Cartilage Using Undifferentiated Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells:From In Vitro Optimization to a First-in-Human Study

Meniscal cartilage tears are common and predispose to osteoarthritis (OA). Most occur in the avascular portion of the meniscus where current repair techniques usually fail. We described previously the use of undifferentiated autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded onto a collagen scaffold (MSC/collagen-scaffold) to integrate meniscal tissues in vitro. Our objective was to translate this method into a cell therapy for patients with torn meniscus, with the long-term goal of delaying or preventing the onset of OA. After in vitro optimization, we tested an ovine-MSC/collagen-scaffold in a sheep meniscal cartilage tear model with promising results after 13 weeks, although repair was not sustained over 6 months. We then conducted a single center, prospective, open-label first-in-human safety study of patients with an avascular meniscal tear. Autologous MSCs were isolated from an iliac crest bone marrow biopsy, expanded and seeded into the collagen scaffold. The resulting human-MSC/collagen-scaffold implant was placed into the meniscal tear prior to repair with vertical mattress sutures and the patients were followed for 2 years. Five patients were treated and there was significant clinical improvement on repeated measures analysis. Three were asymptomatic at 24 months with no magnetic resonance imaging evidence of recurrent tear and clinical improvement in knee function scores. Two required subsequent meniscectomy due to retear or nonhealing of the meniscal tear at approximately 15 months after implantation. No other adverse events occurred. We conclude that undifferentiated MSCs could provide a safe way to augment avascular meniscal repair in some patients. Registration: EU Clinical Trials Register, 2010-024162-22. © Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2016

A quasi-elastic light scattering study of smooth muscle myosin in the presence of ATP

We have investigated the hydrodynamic properties of turkey gizzard smooth muscle myosin in solution using quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS). The effects of ionic strength (0.05–0.5 M KCl) and light chain phosphorylation on the conformational transition of myosin were examined in the presence of ATP at 20 degrees C. Cumulant analysis and light scattering models were used to describe the myosin system in solution. A nonlinear least squares fitting procedure was used to determine the model that best fits the data. The conformational transition of the myosin monomer from a folded form to an extended form was clearly demonstrated in a salt concentration range of 0.15–0.3 M KCl. Light chain phosphorylation regulates the transition and promotes unfolding of the myosin. These results agree with the findings obtained using sedimentation velocity and electron microscopy (Onishi and Wakabayashi, 1982; Trybus et al., 1982; Trybus and Lowey, 1984). In addition, we present evidence for polymeric myosin coexisting with the two monomeric myosin species over a salt concentration range from 0.05 to 0.5 M KCl. The size of the polymeric myosin varied with salt concentration. This observation supports the hypothesis that, in solution, a dynamic equilibrium exists between the two conformations of myosin monomer and filaments

Evaluating the impact of COVID‐19 on supportive care needs, psychological distress and quality of life in UK cancer survivors and their support network

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-30, rev-recd 2021-02-12, accepted 2021-03-03, pub-electronic 2021-03-25, pub-print 2021-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedAbstract: Objectives: The COVID‐19 pandemic is having considerable impact on cancer care, including restricted access to hospital‐based care, treatment and psychosocial support. We investigated the impact on unmet needs and psychosocial well‐being. Methods: One hundred and forty four participants (77% female), including people with cancer and their support networks, were recruited. The most prevalent diagnosis was breast cancer. Forty‐one participants recruited pre‐pandemic were compared with 103 participants recruited during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We measured participants' unmet supportive care needs, psychological distress and quality of life. Results: Half of our patient respondents reported unexpected changes to treatment following pandemic onset, with widespread confusion about their longer‐term consequences. Although overall need levels have not increased, specific needs have changed in prominence. People with cancer reported significantly reduced anxiety (p = 0.049) and improved quality of life (p = 0.032) following pandemic onset, but support network participants reported reduced quality of life (p = 0.009), and non‐significantly elevated anxiety, stress and depression. Conclusion: Psychological well‐being of people with cancer has not been detrimentally affected by pandemic onset. Reliance on home‐based support to compensate for the lost availability of structured healthcare pathways may, however, explain significant and detrimental effects on the well‐being and quality of life of people in their support and informal care networks