Temperature Dependent Optical and Morphological Properties of Sb2Te3 Thin Films

Sb2Te3 thin films of different temperature ranging from room temperature to 200°C were prepared on glass substrate by thermal evaporation method. The effects of temperature on optical and morphological properties of thin films were studied. AFM images indicated crystalline nature of Sb2Te3. The optical properties exhibited a decreasing trend of band gap from 1.24eV to 1.06eV with increase in temperature. Transmittance decreased as the temperature was increased and displayed no transmittance in the visible range at 200°C. Surface roughness decreased up to 150°C after which it increased

Optimization of thickness of Sb2Te3 thin film as back contact for CdTe thin film solar cells

Sb2Te3 thin films of different thickness ranging from 100 to 500 nm were prepd. on glass substrate by thermal evapn. method. The effects of thickness on structural, optical and elec. properties of thin films were studied. XRD revealed that grain size increases from 1.1nm to 98.7 nm with increase in film thickness. The internal strain and dislocation d. decreased with increase in film thickness. The optical band gap decreases from 1.3 to 0.9 eV with increase in film thickness. AFM images indicated cryst. nature of Sb2Te3. Surface roughness increased up to 400nm after which it decreased. The resistivity decreases with increase in thickness at room temp. ranging from 2.9×10-​3 to 1.35×10-​4 Ωcm. The work function and barrier height decreases as the film thickness increases from 5.45 to 5.05eV and barrier height from 0.3 to -​0.1eV. The results elucidate that Sb2Te3 back contact of 400 nm thickness is ideal and efficient to be used in CdTe solar cell

Pair density wave order from electron repulsion

A pair density wave (PDW) is a superconductor whose order parameter is a periodic function of space, without an accompanying spatially-uniform component. Since PDWs are not the outcome of a weak-coupling instability of a Fermi liquid, a generic pairing mechanism for PDW order has remained elusive. We describe and solve models having robust PDW phases. To access the intermediate coupling limit, we invoke large $N$ limits of Fermi liquids with repulsive BCS interactions that admit saddle point solutions. We show that the requirements for long range PDW order are that the repulsive BCS couplings must be non-monotonic in space and that their strength must exceed a threshold value. We obtain a phase diagram with both finite temperature transitions to PDW order, and a $T=0$ quantum critical point, where non-Fermi liquid behavior occurs.Comment: 10 pages including supplementary materials + 4 fig

A co-pillar[5]arene sensor for linear biogenic amines

A thiolated co-pillar[5]arene was attached to the surface of a goldelectrode and shown to give an analyte-selective voltammetricresponse to linear biogenic amines

Optical and structural properties of CdS​/ZnSe bi-​layer thin films prepared by e-​beam technique

Single- and bi-​layer thin films of Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) and Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) were prepd. on glass and ITO​/Glass substrates by e-​beam technique. Spectral transmittance of bi-​layer thin film showed red shift with prolonged interference effect. The decrease in Urbach tail of bi-​layer thin film signifies the decreased band gap with increased grain size. Single layer CdS film has prominent (002) hexagonal peak where as bi-​layer thin film confirm with (002) hexagonal and (111) cubic peaks of CdS and ZnSe resp. CdS grain size was found to be 14.5, 17.1, and 33.1 nm on glass, ITO​/Glass and ZnSe​/ITO​/Glass substrates resp

Abaca Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites: Evaluation of Impact Strength

This study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of untreated, alkali treated, acrylated, benzene diazonium chloride treated, and permanganate treated abaca fiber reinforced epoxy composites

Understanding the feasibility of chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic targets against non-small cell lung cancers: an update of resistant responses and recent combinatorial therapies

Despite consistent progress in prompt diagnosis and curative therapies in the last decade, lung cancer (LC) continues to threaten mankind, accounting for nearly twice the casualties compared to prostate, breast, and other cancers. Statistics associate ~25% of 2021 cancer-related deaths with LC, more than 80% of which are explicitly caused by tobacco smoking. Prevailing as small and non-small cell pathologies, with respective occurring frequency of nearly 15% and 80–85%, non-small cell LCs (NSCLCs) are prominently distinguished into lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), subtypes. Since the first use of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor gefitinib for NSCLC treatment in 2002, immense progress has been made for targeted therapies with the next generation of drugs spanning across the chronological generations of small molecule inhibitors. The last two years have overseen the clinical approval of more than 10 therapeutic agents as first-line NSCLC medications. However, uncertain mutational aberrations as well as systemic resistant responses, and abysmal overall survival curtail the combating efficacies. Of late, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) against various molecules including programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) have been demonstrated as reliable LC treatment targets. Keeping these aspects in mind, this review article discusses the success of NSCLC chemo and immunotherapies with their characteristic effectiveness and future perspectives

Measuring sedentary behaviours in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using wrist-worn accelerometers

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients suffer increasing functional limitation with disease worsening disease. Increasing time in sedentary behaviour has been associated with poorer quality of life. Determining thresholds for activity in patients with respiratory disease is difficult due to variable cardiorespiratory limitations between individuals. Measuring sedentary behaviour is not confounded by this limitation and may be a better measurement of activity in patients with respiratory disease. Objectives: To measure sedentary time in patients with IPF using wrist-worn accelerometers. Methods: 39 IPF patients wore a GENEActiv actiwatch continually for 7 days. Participants underwent measurement of forced vital capacity, diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide and 6 minute walk distance. Results: Valid data was captured from 35 of 39 participants (89.7%). Mean acceleration intensity recorded in the most active 5 hours of each day (in milli-g) were 43.8milli-g and sedentary time was 551.7 minutes per day. Daily sedentary time correlated moderately with M5 values (Pearson correlation -0.366, p=0.030). Only M5 values predicted sedentary time. No variability in sedentary time was seen by day of the week. There was a trend towards higher one and two-year mortality with increasing sedentary time. Conclusions: Wrist-worn accelerometers reliably collected data and were well tolerated. IPF patients spent long periods of time in sedentary behaviours. Of the standard clinical measures used, 6MWD predicted daily activity but not sedentary time; no clinical measures predicted sedentary time. Increased sedentary time may be associated with poorer outcomes in IPF patients

Effect of ambulatory oxygen on quality of life for patients with fibrotic lung disease (AmbOx): a prospective, open-label, mixed-method, crossover randomised controlled trial

Background: In fibrotic interstitial lung diseases, exertional breathlessness is strongly linked to health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Breathlessness is often associated with oxygen desaturation, but few data about the use of ambulatory oxygen in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease are available. We aimed to assess the effects of ambulatory oxygen on HRQOL in patients with interstitial lung disease with isolated exertional hypoxia. Methods: AmbOx was a prospective, open-label, mixed-method, crossover randomised controlled clinical trial done at three centres for interstitial lung disease in the UK. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, had fibrotic interstitial lung disease, were not hypoxic at rest but had a fall in transcutaneous arterial oxygen saturation to 88% or less on a screening visit 6-min walk test (6MWT), and had self-reported stable respiratory symptoms in the previous 2 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either oxygen treatment or no oxygen treatment for 2 weeks, followed by crossover for another 2 weeks. Randomisation was by a computer-generated sequence of treatments randomly permuted in blocks of constant size (fixed size of ten). The primary outcome, which was assessed by intention to treat, was the change in total score on the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease questionnaire (K-BILD) after 2 weeks on oxygen compared with 2 weeks of no treatment. General linear models with treatment sequence as a fixed effect were used for analysis. Patient views were explored through semi-structured topic-guided interviews in a subgroup of participants. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02286063, and is closed to new participants with all follow-up completed. Findings: Between Sept 10, 2014, and Oct 5, 2016, 84 patients were randomly assigned, 41 randomised to ambulatory oxygen first and 43 to no oxygen. 76 participants completed the trial. Compared with no oxygen, ambulatory oxygen was associated with significant improvements in total K-BILD scores (mean 55·5 [SD 13·8] on oxygen vs 51·8 [13·6] on no oxygen, mean difference adjusted for order of treatment 3·7 [95% CI 1·8 to 5·6]; p<0·0001), and scores in breathlessness and activity (mean difference 8·6 [95% CI 4·7 to 12·5]; p<0·0001) and chest symptoms (7·6 [1·9 to 13·2]; p=0·009) subdomains. However, the effect on the psychological subdomain was not significant (2·4 [–0·6 to 5·5]; p=0·12). The most common adverse events were upper respiratory tract infections (three in the oxygen group and one in the no-treatment group). Five serious adverse events, including two deaths (one in each group) occurred, but none were considered to be related to treatment. Interpretation: Ambulatory oxygen seemed to be associated with improved HRQOL in patients with interstitial lung disease with isolated exertional hypoxia and could be an effective intervention in this patient group, who have few therapeutic options. However, further studies are needed to confirm this finding

Novel insights into the cardio-protective effects of FGF21 in lean and obese rat hearts

Aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hepatic metabolic regulator with pleotropic actions. Its plasma concentrations are increased in obesity and diabetes; states associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. We therefore investigated the direct effect of FGF21 on cardio-protection in obese and lean hearts in response to ischemia. Methods and Results: FGF21, FGF21-receptor 1 (FGFR1) and beta-Klotho (βKlotho) were expressed in rodent, human hearts and primary rat cardiomyocytes. Cardiac FGF21 was expressed and secreted (real time RT-PCR/western blot and ELISA) in an autocrine-paracrine manner, in response to obesity and hypoxia, involving FGFR1-βKlotho components. Cardiac-FGF21 expression and secretion were increased in response to global ischemia. In contrast βKlotho was reduced in obese hearts. In isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes, FGF21 activated PI3K/Akt (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt), ERK1/2(extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) pathways. In Langendorff perfused rat [adult male wild-type wistar] hearts, FGF21 administration induced significant cardio-protection and restoration of function following global ischemia. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt, AMPK, ERK1/2 and ROR-α (retinoic-acid receptor alpha) pathway led to significant decrease of FGF21 induced cardio-protection and restoration of cardiac function in response to global ischemia. More importantly, this cardio-protective response induced by FGF21 was reduced in obesity, although the cardiac expression profiles and circulating FGF21 levels were increased. Conclusion: In an ex vivo Langendorff system, we show that FGF21 induced cardiac protection and restoration of cardiac function involving autocrine-paracrine pathways, with reduced effect in obesity. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into FGF21-induced cardiac effects in obesity and ischemia