Improved Charge Separation and Photovoltaic Performance of BiI3 Absorber Layers by Use of an In Situ Formed BiSI Interlayer

Stable and nontoxic bismuth iodide (BiI3) is emerging as a promising absorber material for solar cell applications as it possesses favorable optical properties such as a narrow bandgap (1.7 eV) and a high absorption coefficient (105 cm–1) in the visible region. Despite these promising features, solar cells employing this material have only achieved power conversion efficiencies in the region of 1% as of yet, which is distant from the theoretical efficiency limit of 28%. It is reasonable to suppose that the relatively low performance of BiI3-based solar cells may originate from very short carrier lifetimes (180–240 ps) in BiI3, which makes efficient separation of mobile charges a crucial factor for the improvement of the photovoltaic performance of this material. Herein, transient optical spectroscopy is employed to show that the use of a bismuth sulfide iodide interlayer between the electron transport layer (ETL) and the bismuth iodide absorber promotes efficient charge separation. On the basis of this knowledge, we report BiI3 solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 1.21% using a solar cell architecture comprised of ITO/SnO2/BiSI/BiI3/organic HTM/Au

Sorghum cobalt analysis on not determined wave length with atomic absorption spectrophotometer on background correction mode

This study was to know the better wave length on measuring cobalt content in forage sorghum hybrid (Sorghum bicolor) with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The analysis was on background correction mode with three wave lengths; 240.8, 240.7 (determined wave length or recommended wave length) and 240.6 nm, respectively. The larger absorbance value on the 240.7 nm, apparently, it might be considered as a good wave length but the smaller background value was a more important factor for the analysis as was shown on 240.6 nm. Correlation coefficients between the values on 240.7 nm: 240.6 nm and between them (240.8 nm: 240.6 nm) were higher and this common 240.6 nm was considered the better wave length.Key words: Atomic absorption spectrophotometer; background correction mode, cobalt analysis, forage sorghum, not determined wave lengths

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) Regulates Dysbindin Function by Enhancing Its Stability

Dysbindin and DISC1 are schizophrenia susceptibility factors playing roles in neuronal development. Here we show that the physical interaction between dysbindin and DISCI is critical for the stability of dysbindin and for the process of neurite outgrowth. We found that DISCI forms a complex with dysbindin and increases its stability in association with a reduction in ubiquitylation. Furthermore, knockdown of DISCI or expression of a deletion mutant, DISCI lacking amino acid residues 403-504 of DISC1 (DISC1(Delta 403-504)), effectively decreased levels of endogenous dysbindin. Finally, the neurite outgrowth defect induced by knockdown of DISCI was partially reversed by coexpression of dysbindin. Taken together, these results indicate that dysbindin and DISC1 form a physiologically functional complex that is essential for normal neurite outgrowth.X111211Ysciescopu

Placental Growth Factor-1 and -2 Induce Hyperplasia and Invasiveness of Primary Rheumatoid Synoviocytes

Inflammation-mediated oncogenesis has been implicated in a variety of cancer types. Rheumatoid synovial tissues can be viewed as a tumor-like mass, consisting of hyperplastic fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). FLSs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have promigratory and invasive characteristics, which may be caused by chronic exposure to genotoxic stimuli, including hypoxia and growth factors. We tested whether a transformed phenotype of RA-FLSs is associated with placental growth factor (PlGF), a representative angiogenic growth factor induced by hypoxia. In this study, we identified PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 as the major PlGF isoforms in RA-FLSs. Global gene expression profiling revealed that cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and cell migration were mainly represented by differentially expressed genes in RA-FLSs transfected with small interfering RNA for PlGF. Indeed, PlGF-deficient RA-FLSs showed a decrease in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but an increase in apoptotic death in vitro. PlGF gene overexpression resulted in the opposite effects. Moreover, exogeneous PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 increased survival, migration, and invasiveness of RA-FLSs by binding their receptors, Flt-1 and neuropilin-1, and upregulating the expression of antiapoptotic molecules, pErk and Bcl2. Knockdown of PlGF transcripts reduced RA-FLS proliferation in a xenotransplantation model. Collectively, in addition to their role for neovascularization, PlGF-1 and -2 promote proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion of RA-FLSs in an autocrine and paracrine manner. These results demonstrated how primary cells of mesenchymal origin acquired an aggressive and transformed phenotype. PlGF and its receptors thus offer new targets for anti-FLS therapy.1177Ysciescopu

We know DAAs work, so now what?:Simplifying models of care to enhance the hepatitis C cascade

Globally, some 71 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Marginalised populations, particularly people who inject drugs (PWID), have low testing, linkage-to-care and treatment rates for HCV. Several models of care (MoCs) and service delivery interventions have the potential to improve outcomes across the HCV cascade of care, but much of the relevant research was carried out when interferon-based treatment was the standard of care. Often it was not practical to scale up these earlier models and interventions because the clinical care needs of patients taking interferon-based regimens imposed too much of a financial and human resource burden on health systems. Despite the adoption of highly effective, all-oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies in recent years, approaches to HCV testing and treatment have evolved slowly and often remain rooted in earlier paradigms. The effectiveness of DAAs allows for simpler approaches and has encouraged countries where the drugs are widely available to set their sights on the ambitious World Health Organization (WHO) HCV elimination targets. Since a large proportion of chronically HCV-infected people are not currently accessing treatment, there is an urgent need to identify and implement existing simplified MoCs that speak to specific populations' needs. This article aims to: 1) review the evidence on MoCs for HCV; and 2) distil the findings into recommendations for how stakeholders can simplify the path taken by chronically HCV-infected individuals from testing to cure and subsequent care and monitoring

A Case of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery Arising from the Superior Mesenteric Artery in a Korean Woman

Anatomical variations of the inferior mesenteric artery are extremely uncommon, since the inferior mesenteric artery is regularly diverged at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. We found a rare case in which the inferior mesenteric artery arose from the superior mesenteric artery. The findings were made during a routine dissection of the cadaver of an 82-yr-old Korean woman. This is the tenth report on this anomaly, the second female and the first Korean. The superior mesenteric artery normally arising from abdominal aorta sent the inferior mesenteric artery as the second branch. The longitudinal anastomosis vessels between the superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery survived to form the common mesenteric artery. This anatomical variation concerning the common mesenteric artery is of clinical importance, performing procedures containing the superior mesenteric artery

Oxygen-deficient triple perovskites as highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen electrode reactions

Highly active and durable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts have been of pivotal importance for renewable energy conversion and storage devices, such as unitized regenerative fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Perovskite-based oxygen electrocatalysts have emerged as promising nonprecious metal bifunctional electrocatalysts, yet their catalytic activity and stability still remain to be improved. We report a high-performance oxygen electrocatalyst based on a triple perovskite, Nd1.5Ba1.5CoFeMnO9-delta (NBCFM), which shows superior activity and durability for oxygen electrode reactions to single and double perovskites. When hybridized with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO), the resulting NBCFM/N-rGO catalyst shows further boosted bifunctional oxygen electrode activity (0.698 V), which surpasses that of Pt/C (0.801 V) and Ir/C (0.769 V) catalysts and which, among the perovskite-based electrocatalysts, is the best activity reported to date. The superior catalytic performances of NBCFM could be correlated to its oxygen defect rich structure, lower charge transfer resistance, and smaller hybridization strength between O 2p and Co 3d orbitals

Iron content in forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) measured on different slit widths with atomic absorption spectrometry

Our objective was to know the right slit width for iron (Fe) concentration of forage sorghum, sorghum hybrid (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), and also to discern which water treatment sludge (WTS) were good for ruminant's health with the feeding sorghum on the present study. The present experiment was carried out on a randomized block design with four treatments; Control, alum sludge compost, alum sludge + NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers), alum sludge compost + NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers). Sorghum hybrid was harvested, and iron content of it was analyzed with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer on background correction (BGC) mode. In order to analyze the iron (Fe) content of the sorghum with the spectrophotometer, three different slit widths conditions were used; 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 nm. Absorbance and background values were obtained during the Fe analyses with the apparatus. When the background value is small, it is preferred for some trace metals’ analyses. Both (AM/BS) ratio (mean of the absorbance values<AM> to the standard deviation of back ground values<BS>) and (AS<standard deviation of the absorbance values>/BS) ratio, were larger on 0.25 nm slit than those on 0.15 and 0.20 nm slit, and, from our experiment, the condition seemed better on the 0.25 nm slit for the iron analysis with the spectrophotometer. Therefore, the sorghum hybrid grown on (Alum+NPK) and on (Compost only) might be dangerous for ruminants because of their higher values than 200 mg Fe/kg DM (dry matter).Key words: Absorbance, alum sludge, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, background, forage sorghum hybrid, iron, slit

Differential Regulation of Protrusion and Polarity by PI(3)K during Neutrophil Motility in Live Zebrafish

Cell polarity is crucial for directed migration. Here we show that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI(3)K) mediates neutrophil migration in vivo by differentially regulating cell protrusion and polarity. The dynamics of PI(3)K products PI(3,4,5)P3-PI(3,4)P2 during neutrophil migration were visualized in living zebrafish, revealing that PI(3)K activation at the leading edge is critical for neutrophil motility in intact tissues. A genetically encoded photoactivatable Rac was used to demonstrate that localized activation of Rac is sufficient to direct migration with precise temporal and spatial control in vivo. Similar stimulation of PI(3)K-inhibited cells did not direct migration. Localized Rac activation rescued membrane protrusion but not anteroposterior polarization of F-actin dynamics of PI(3)K-inhibited cells. Uncoupling Rac-mediated protrusion and polarization suggests a paradigm of two-tiered PI(3)K-mediated regulation of cell motility. This work provides new insight into how cell signaling at the front and back of the cell is coordinated during polarized cell migration in intact tissues within a multicellular organism