A ternary PEDOT-TiO2-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for supercapacitor applications

A ternary composite of PEDOT was prepared with TiO2 via emulsion polymerization method adjusting various weight ratios of TiO2 to PEDOT and synthesized rGO was then blended with this composite. The FTIR, UV–Vis and XRD analysis displayed characteristic features of PEDOT and TiO2. The morphology of the nano-hybrid structure was additionally investigated by SEM analysis. Pore size and surface area analysis of particles were characterized by BET method. The electrochemical analysis showed that the specific capacitance (Csp) for PEDOT-TiO2-15-rGO was 18.9 F.cm-2 at 0.1 mA g-1 current density

Fructan and its relationship to abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Numerous studies have been published that attempted to correlate fructan concentrations with freezing and drought tolerance. Studies investigating the effect of fructan on liposomes indicated that a direct interaction between membranes and fructan was possible. This new area of research began to move fructan and its association with stress beyond mere correlation by confirming that fructan has the capacity to stabilize membranes during drying by inserting at least part of the polysaccharide into the lipid headgroup region of the membrane. This helps prevent leakage when water is removed from the system either during freezing or drought. When plants were transformed with the ability to synthesize fructan, a concomitant increase in drought and/or freezing tolerance was confirmed. These experiments indicate that besides an indirect effect of supplying tissues with hexose sugars, fructan has a direct protective effect that can be demonstrated by both model systems and genetic transformation

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Mechanisms of potentiation by calcium-calmodulin kinase II of postsynaptic sensitivity in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons

Mechanisms of potentiation by calcium-calmodulin kinase II of postsynaptic sensitivity in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2682-2692, 1997. Preactivated recombinant alpha-calcium-calmodulin dependent multifunctional protein kinase II (CaMKII*) was perfused internally into CA1 hippocampal slice neurons to test the effect on synaptic transmission and responses to exogenous application of glutamate analogues. After measurement of baseline transmission, internal perfusion of CaMKII* increased synaptic strength in rat hippocampal neurons and diminished the fraction of synaptic failures. After measurement of baseline responses to applied transmitter, CaMKII* perfusion potentiated responses to kainate but not responses to N-methyl--aspartate. Internal perfusion of CaMKII*potentiated the maximal effect of kainate. Potentiation by CaMKII* did not change the time course of responses to kainate, whereas increasing response size by pharmacologically manipulating desensitization or deactivation rate constants significantly altered the time course of responses. Nonstationary fluctuation analysis of responses to kainate showed a decrease in the coefficient of variation after potentiation by CaMKII*. These data support the hypothesis that CaMKII increases postsynaptic responsiveness by increasing the available number of active alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid/kainate channels and suggests that a similar process may occur during the expression of long-term potentiation

Measuring the impact of probabilistic transmission on neuronal output

We have investigated the impact of stochastic transmission on the input-output relations of neurons in hippocampal slices. A synaptic input that fires a cell has a significant trial-to-trial variability in amplitude, reflecting the probabilistic release of transmitter. By measuring miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, we estimate that synchronous release of a few vesicles can fire a CA1 cell. The firing threshold and variability can be physiologically modulated. Different cell types have distinct firing thresholds and variabilities. Long-term potentiation (LTP) decreases trial-to-trial variability. If after LTP, the stimulus is reduced to produce a threshold response, the variability returns to that observed before LTP. Thus, for a threshold input, the trial-to-trial variability is maintained with LTP. This may be important for the proper functioning of a plastic nervous system

Nanostructured ZrO2 Thick Film Resistors as H2-Gas Sensors Operable at Room Temperature

Nanostructured ZrO2 powder was synthesized by microwave assisted sol-gel method. The material was characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. X-Ray diffraction studies confirm that a combination of tetragonal and monoclinic zirconia nanoparticles is obtained by using microwave-assisted method. The nanopowder was calcined at an optimized temperature of 400 °C for 3 h. The prepared powder had crystalline size about 25 nm. Thick films of synthesized ZrO2 powder were prepared by screen printing technique. The gas sensing performances of these films for various gases were tested. Films showed highest response to H2 (50 ppm) gas at room temperature with poor responses to others (1000 ppm). The quick response and fast recovery are the main features of this sensor. The effects of microstructure, operating temperature and gas concentration on the gas response, selectivity, response time and recovery time of the sensor in the presence of H2 gas and others were studied and discussed