Controlled growth of CH3_3NH3_3PbI3_3 nanowires in arrays of open nanofluidic channels

Spatial positioning of nanocrystal building blocks on a solid surface is a prerequisite for assembling individual nanoparticles into functional devices. Here, we report on the graphoepitaxial liquid-solid growth of nanowires of the photovoltaic compound CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$ in open nanofluidic channels. The guided growth, visualized in real-time with a simple optical microscope, undergoes through a metastable solvatomorph formation in polar aprotic solvents. The presently discovered crystallization leads to the fabrication of mm2-sized surfaces composed of perovskite nanowires having controlled sizes, cross-sectional shapes, aspect ratios and orientation which have not been achieved thus far by other deposition methods. The automation of this general strategy paves the way towards fabrication of wafer-scale perovskite nanowire thin films well-suited for various optoelectronic devices, e.g. solar cells, lasers, light-emitting diodes and photodetectors

Zelotes erebeus (Thorell, 1871) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Poland and its distribution in Europe

Zelotes erebeus (Thorell, 1871) is a thermophilic species occurring in southern, western and central Europe. It was excluded from the checklist of Polish spiders because of synonymization issues. This paper corrects the published data and lists new localities in western and central Poland. The sites of Z. erebeus discovered near Swinoujscie, Czarnków and Torun, move northwards the northern range limit of this thermophilous species in Europe. Data on the distribution of this species in eastern Europe and the Caucasus are also corrected - these records relate to the closely related species Z. khostensis Kovblyuk & Ponomarev, 2008. Figures of female and male genitalia of Z. erebeus are presented

Phytochemical screening of Pulsatilla species and investigation of their biological activities

© 2019, The Author(s). We previously demonstrated that extracts from Echinacea purpurea material varied substantially in their ability to activate macrophages in vitro and that this variation was due to differences in their content of bacterial components. The purpose of the current study was to identify soil conditions (organic matter, nitrogen, and moisture content) that alter the macrophage activation potential of E. purpurea and determine whether these changes in activity correspond to shifts in the plant-associated microbiome. Increased levels of soil organic matter significantly enhanced macrophage activation exhibited by the root extracts of E. purpurea (p \u3c 0.0001). A change in soil organic matter content from 5.6% to 67.4% led to a 4.2-fold increase in the macrophage activation potential of extracts from E. purpurea. Bacterial communities also differed significantly between root materials cultivated in soils with different levels of organic matter (p \u3c 0.001). These results indicate that the level of soil organic matter is an agricultural factor that can alter the bacterial microbiome, and thereby the activity, of E. purpurea roots. Since ingestion of bacterial preparation (e.g., probiotics) is reported to impact human health, it is likely that the medicinal value of Echinacea is influenced by cultivation conditions that alter its associated bacterial community

Sprawność funkcjonalna pacjentów w podeszłym wieku hospitalizowanych w oddziałach neurologicznych

Wstęp. Sprawność funkcjonalna osób starszych może być określana jako zdolność do wykonywania normalnych codziennych życiowych zadań bezpiecznie i samodzielnie.Cel. Celem pracy było określenie sprawności funkcjonalnej pacjentów w podeszłym wieku hospitalizowanych w oddziałach neurologicznych.Materiał i metody. Badania przeprowadzono w grupie 113 pacjentów w podeszłym wieku przebywających w oddziałach neurologicznych szpitali na terenie miasta Lublina. Materiał badawczy zebrano za pomocą dwóch standaryzowanych narzędzi: skali Barthel i skali Katza (ADL).Wyniki. Dokonując oceny pacjentów skalą Barthel stwierdzono, że 38,00% to pacjenci w I kategorii, 52,20% znalazło się w kategorii II a 9,80% zakwalifikowano do kategorii III. W ocenie skalą ADL 68,10% badanych były to osoby sprawne, 12,40% osoby umiarkowanie sprawne i 19,50% były to osoby niesprawne.Wnioski. Badana grupa pacjentów starszych w oddziałach neurologicznych wykazywała umiarkowaną niesprawność funkcjonalną. Wiek istotnie różnicował sprawność funkcjonalną badanych pacjentów. Wykształcenie wpływało na stopień samodzielności pacjentów neurologicznych. (PNN 2017;6(3):102–106)Introduction. Functional efficiency of the elderly can be defined as the ability to perform ordinary daily life tasks safely and independently.Aim. The research aims at determining the functional efficiency of elderly patients hospitalized in neurological departments.Material and Methods. The study was performed in 113 elderly patients hospitalized in neurological departments of hospitals in the city of Lublin. The research material was collected using two standardized tools: the Barthel index and the Katz index (ADL).Results. When evaluating patients with the Barthel index, 38.00% of patients were assigned to category I; 52.20% to category II and 9.80% to category III. In the ADL scale, 68.10% of the respondents were fully functioning, 12.40% were moderately functioning, and 19.50% were disabled.Conclusions. The study group of elderly patients in neurological departments exhibited moderate functional impairment. Age significantly differentiated the functional abilities of the research group. Education influenced the degree of independence in neurological patients. (JNNN 2017;6(3):102–106

Analysis and comparison of three Coleoptera families in organic and conventional orchards within the Etna Regional Park (Catania, Sicily)

The objective of this work was to compare two agricultural management systems, organic and conventional, in the Etna Regional Park. The influence in both spatial and temporal dimensions, that natural habitats adjacent to these two different managed agricultural systems have on Coleoptera biocoenosis in orchards was also studied. This comparison was done through standardised data and multivariate analysis using a multi-taxa approach. Specifically, three families of the Order Coleoptera, namely Carabidae, Tenebrionidae and Staphylinidae (excluding Aleocharinae and Scydmaeninae) were studied.peer-reviewe

A novel synthetic approach of cerium oxide nanoparticles with improved biomedical activity

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) are novel synthetic antioxidant agents proposed for treating oxidative stress-related diseases. The synthesis of high-quality CNPs for biomedical applications remains a challenging task. A major concern for a safe use of CNPs as pharmacological agents is their tendency to agglomerate. Herein we present a simple direct precipitation approach, exploiting ethylene glycol as synthesis co-factor, to synthesize at room temperature nanocrystalline sub-10 nm CNPs, followed by a surface silanization approach to improve nanoparticle dispersibility in biological fluids. CNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1-NMR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. CNP redox activity was studied in abiotic systems using electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements, and in vitro on human cell models. In-situ silanization improved CNP colloidal stability, in comparison with non-functionalized particles, and allowed at the same time improving their original biological activity, yielding thus functionalized CNPs suitable for biomedical applications