Performance Enhancement of Tin-Based Perovskite Photodetectors through Bifunctional Cesium Fluoride Engineering.

Tin halide perovskites are rising as promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronic materials due to their good optoelectronic properties and relatively low toxicity. However, the high defect density and the easy oxidation of Sn2+ have limited their optoelectronic performance. Herein, we report the treatment of the FASnI3 (formamidinium tin, FA) perovskite film by a bifunctional cesium fluoride (CsF) additive, which improves the film quality and significantly enhances the photoelectric performance. The responsivity of the perovskite-based photodetector (PD) with an optimal CsF concentration of 15% is over 60 times larger than that of the PD without CsF. It indicates that both the Cs substitution and the fluoride anion additive from CsF inhibit the oxidation of Sn2+, optimize the crystal growth, and passivate the defects, demonstrating the dual roles of the CsF additive in improving the photoelectric performance. This work offers valuable insights into the additive selection for developing high-quality tin-based perovskite films and devices.

Effect of optical fiber end face scratches on laser-induced damage threshold.

The scratches on the fiber end face can enhance the local electrical field, which lowers the damage threshold. The damage mechanism of a high-energy laser is investigated. The effect of scratches on the electric field is simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) solution. The results show that the depth of the scratch has a greater ability to influence the electric field than the width, and multiple scratches have a stronger modulation than a single scratch. In calculation, the damage threshold of the scratch-free end face is 0.456J/c m 2 when the incident light electric field intensity is 50M V/c m, compared to 0.345J/c m 2 in the presence of the scratch on the end face.

PPARG is a potential target of Tanshinone IIA in prostate cancer treatment: a combination study of molecular docking and dynamic simulation based on transcriptomic bioinformatics.

Tanshinone IIA is a lipophilic organic compound from the root of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and is one of the most well-known Tanshinone molecules by pharmacologists. In recent years, in addition to effects of anti-cardiovascular and neurological diseases, Tanshinone IIA has also shown some degrees of anti-prostate cancer potential. Although they do have some studies focusing on the molecular mechanism of Tanshinone IIA's anti-prostate cancer effects, a further understanding on the transcriptomic and structural level is still lacking. In this study, transcriptomic sequencing technology and computer technology were employed to illustrate the effects of Tanshinone IIA on prostate cancer through bioinformatic analysis and molecular dynamics simulation, and PPARG was considered to be one of the targets for Tanshinone IIA according to docking scoring and dynamic calculation. Our study provides a novel direction to further understand the mechanism of the effects of Tanshinone IIA on prostate cancer, and further molecular biological studies need to be carried on to further investigate the molecular mechanism of Tanshinone IIA's anti-prostate cancer effect through PPARG.

Chinese herbal medicine combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy for avoidant paruresis: a controlled trial.

Background: Avoidant paruresis is a common clinical condition in urology and psychosomatic medicine. However, it has limited treatment options that are safe and effective with few side effects. Aims: Our study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of the Chinese herbal Yangxin Tongquan decoction combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for avoidant paruresis. Methods: Sixty-eight patients with avoidant paruresis were divided into a treatment group (33 patients) and a control group (35 patients). The control group was assigned 10 weeks of CBT and systematic desensitisation. In addition to CBT and systematic desensitisation, the treatment group was given the Chinese herbal Yangxin Tongquan decoction during the 10-week study. The Shy Bladder Syndrome Scale (SBS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administered before and after treatment to measure any change. Results: The overall efficacy in the treatment group (n=30) was 80.0% vs 62.5% in the control group (n=33). Comparing pretreatment and post-treatment measures, both groups showed improvement in SBS scores and SAS scores (treatment group: t(SBS) =8.397, p(SBS) <0.001, t(SAS) =8.216, p(SAS)<0.001; control group: t(SBS) =6.802, p(SBS) <0.001, t(SAS)=5.171, p(SAS) <0.001). Moreover, both groups' SBS and SAS scores changed significantly over time (SBS scores: Ftime =118.299, p<0.001; SAS scores: Ftime =92.114, p<0.001). However, the treatment group performed better than the control group (SBS scores: Ftime*group =5.709, p=0.020; SAS scores: Ftime*group =7.235, p=0.009). Conclusions: The Chinese herbal Yangxin Tongquan decoction combined with cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy positively affects the treatment of avoidant paruresis without significant adverse effects.

Electrospun Fe3O4-chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous film for improved capture and elimination of foodborne pathogens.

This study developed a new "capture and killing" antibacterial approach for efficient elimination of foodborne pathogens. Fe3O4-Chitosan (CS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous films with improved antibacterial and mechanical properties were fabricated by a simple, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective electrospinning technique. The relationship between the physical properties (viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity) and spinnability of CS/PVA as fiber forming matrix was explored. Electrospun Fe3O4-CS/PVA films (0.03-0.12 mm) with smooth and bead-free nanofibrous structures (145-169 nm) were successfully obtained. Compared with the film electrospun from neat CS/PVA, incorporating Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) (1.25-5 wt%) in CS/PVA nanofibrous film promoted bacterial attachment and increased the final inactivated efficiency, showing a difference with Fe3O4 loading and bacterial strain, which had the highest value against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphyloccus aureus (S. aureus) being 90 % and 66.30 %, respectively. The tensile strength and elongation at break of Fe3O4-CS/PVA films enhanced by 46-192 % and 92-141 %, respectively. Results of the cytotoxicity test indicated that the resulting films had high biocompatibility. These promising findings provide a novel strategy for effective foodborne pathogens elimination, which could apply to sterilizing and food packaging to extend the shelf life of liquid food.

Bias control approach based on VMD and LIA demodulation of a lithium niobate polarization controller.

A bias control approach is an automatic lock working point algorithm based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) and lock-in amplification (LIA) demodulation for a lithium niobate polarization controller (LNPC). Commonly, the dither voltage applied to the LNPC is much smaller than the bias voltage to avoid the influence of the dither signal on the output light, which reduces the polarization control accuracy of the LNPC. In this paper, we use VMD and LIA, with which the polarization control accuracy of LNPC can be improved, to extract and amplify the dither signal to compensate the drift half-wave of LNPC. The light intensity fluctuations of the output polarized light in vertical or horizontal directions are less than 0.017%.

The number of retrieved oocytes is correlated to sperm DNA fragmentation when predicting pregnancy outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the correlation between age and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and determine whether the number of eggs retrieved from the female partner was associated with the impact of sperm DFI on clinical pregnancy rates. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 896 couples aged 19-58 years who were treated at our hospital between 2019 and 2021 was performed to analyse male semen parameters and to investigate the correlation between male age, semen parameters and DFI. In total, data from 330 cycles of assisted reproduction in couples over 40 years of age were analyzed, including 66 cycles with a normal DFI (≤ 15) and 264 cycles with an abnormal DFI (> 15), so as to correlate clinical outcomes based on the number of eggs retrieved per woman and DFI. In order to identify factors associated with clinical outcomes, logistic regression analysis was carried out. RESULTS: There was no significant decrease in semen parameters (motility and concentration) with increasing age of the male partner (P > 0.05). DFI was positively correlated with male age and was significantly higher when age was ≥ 40 years (P = 0.002). A lower number of eggs retrieved (< 4) led to a reduced clinical pregnancy rate; with similar outcomes being found for a reduction in DFI. CONCLUSION: When male partner age exceeded 40 years, both the DFI and the number of eggs retrieved affected the clinical pregnancy rate.

Beyond well-mixed: A simple probabilistic model of airborne disease transmission in indoor spaces.

We develop a simple model for assessing risk of airborne disease transmission that accounts for non-uniform mixing in indoor spaces and is compatible with existing epidemiological models. A database containing 174 high-resolution simulations of airflow in classrooms, lecture halls, and buses is generated and used to quantify the spatial distribution of expiratory droplet nuclei for a wide range of ventilation rates, exposure times, and room configurations. Imperfect mixing due to obstructions, buoyancy, and turbulent dispersion results in concentration fields with significant variance. The spatial non-uniformity is found to be accurately described by a shifted lognormal distribution. A well-mixed mass balance model is used to predict the mean, and the standard deviation is parameterized based on ventilation rate and room geometry. When employed in a dose-response function risk model, infection probability can be estimated considering spatial heterogeneity that contributes to both short- and long-range transmission.

A facile ultrasensitive detection of MC-LR toxin via a real-time assembled aptasensor of plasmonic graphene oxide.

Real time controllable assembling/aptasensing approach via plasmonic graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites has been firstly proven to simultaneously give tuning of micro-nano structure of plasmonic GO and ultrasensitive detection of MC-LR toxin. In order to fabricate the assembly, a high-quality hollow triangular nanoplate AgClAu:p-GO (HTNP AgClAu:p-GO) can act as a template; furthermore, we combine DNA-hybridization with biotin-strepavidin binding protocol for tuning the HTNP AgClAu:p-GO assemblies from networks to laminar structure, and simultaneously loading Raman reporters into the assemblies. The dynamic assembling process can be utilized as a real time SERS aptasensor for detecting MC-LR due to ratiometric introduction of MC-LR toxin inhibiting formation of plasmonic p-GO assembly via toxin/aptamer bioconjugation and causing reverse alteration of SERS signal for giving ultrasensitive SERS detection of MC-LR. A detection limit of 6.3pM with a wide linear range from 10pM to 5 nM can be achieved. When the aptasensor has been applied in real samples, the real time assembling/aptasensing approach shows recoveries from 98% to 103% with relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 3%, expecting that one-step nanofabrication and sensing strategy can be extended to in-field test of environmental contaminants.

Assembling of anisotropic plasmonic sheet-core-satellites for simultaneous ultrasensitive detection of MC-LR toxin.

An anisotropic plasmonic sheet-core-satellite (PSCS) superstructure can be controlled via competitive binding between aptamer/MC-LR conjugation and aptamer-ssDNA hybridization. SERS nanotags can be incorporated into anisotropic plasmonic sheet-cores, e.g., pGO/nanorods, or pGO/hollow AgCl : Au nanoplates so as to fabricate an aptasensor for "ON-OFF" detection of MC-LR toxin. Preparing a PSCS superstructure and detection of toxin can be simultaneously completed so as to simplify the detection procedure of MC-LR toxin. Detection sensitivity of MC-LR toxin can be optimized by controlling aspect ratios or hollow interiors of plasmonic core nanoparticles. Herein, a limit of detection (0.635 pM) with a wide linear range from 1 pM to 10 nM can be obtained via optimized PSCS of pGO/nanorod/dotnanotags. When the aptasensor was tested in real samples, the PSCS shows excellent recoveries from 96.6% to 104.5% with relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 2.89% in spiked reservoir samples. It can be predicted that a one-step facile nanofabrication/aptasensing approach would be extensively applied for rapid detection of some other environmental contaminants.

Highly sensitive Mach-Zehnder interferometric micromagnetic field sensor based on 3D printing technology.

A two-photon 3D printed polymer magnetic sensing device based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed. One arm of the MZI contains a hollow cavity and two connecting open channels that can be filled with magnetic fluids (MFs) and sealed by the UV curable adhesive, forming a magneto-optical component of the interferometer. As the magnetic field changes, the refractive index (RI) of the MF changes, and the effective RI of the guiding mode of the waveguide changes accordingly, which results in a change in the phase of the MZI. The interferometric spectra can be used to evaluate the sensing sensitivity. The MZI structure with a hollow length of 40 µm is fabricated, and the microstructure is encapsulated with MF, demonstrating a highly sensitive magnetic field device. The experimental results show that the magnetic field sensitivity of the fabricated magnetic field device is -1.675nm/Oe. For a spectrometer with a resolution of 1 pm, the minimal detectable magnetic field resolution of the sensor is up to 59.7 nT with good stability.

On the utility of a well-mixed model for predicting disease transmission on an urban bus.

The transport of virus-laden aerosols from a host to a susceptible person is governed by complex turbulent airflow and physics related to breathing, coughing and sneezing, mechanical and passive ventilation, thermal buoyancy effects, surface deposition, masks, and air filtration. In this paper, we study the infection risk via airborne transmission on an urban bus using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and a passive-scalar model of the virus-laden aerosol concentration. Results from these simulations are directly compared to the widely used well-mixed model and show significant differences in the concentration field and number of inhaled particles. Specifically, in the limit of low mechanical ventilation rates, the well-mixed model will overpredict the concentration far from the infected passenger and substantially underpredict the concentration near the infected passenger. The results reported herein also apply to other enclosed spaces.

Green extraction of proteins, umami and other free amino acids from brown macroalgae Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus.

Seaweeds are a valuable potential source of protein, as well as free amino acids (FAAs) with umami flavour which are in high demand by the food industry. The most commonly used flavouring agents in the food industry are chemically synthesised and therefore are subject to concerns regarding their safety and associated consumer resistance. This study focuses on the effects of extraction time (1 and 2 h) and solvents (0.1 M HCl, 1% citric acid and deionised water) on the extraction of protein and FAAs including umami FAAs from Irish brown seaweeds (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus). Extraction yields were influenced by both the extraction solvent and time, and also varied according to the seaweed used. Both seaweeds investigated were found to be good sources of protein, FAAs including umami FAAs, demonstrating potential application as flavouring agents in the food industry. Overall, the use of green solvents (deionised water and citric acid) resulted in higher recoveries of compounds compared to HCl. The results of this study will facilitate the use of more sustainable solvents in industry for the extraction of proteins and flavouring agents from seaweed.

Ultrasound processing of coffee silver skin, brewer's spent grain and potato peel wastes for phenolic compounds and amino acids: a comparative study.

Awareness towards utilizing food-processing by-products are increasing in health as well as environmental purview. Coffee silver skin (CSS), potato peel (PP) and brewer's spent grain (BSG) are voluminous by-products in their respective processing industries. The present study compared these three by-products for their prospective utilization in producing polyphenols-rich aqueous extracts by using ultrasound-assisted extractions (UAE). A probe-type sonicator was used for ultrasound treatments. The total phenolic contents in the extracts were assessed by Folin-Ciocalteu assay, while the phenolic profiles of the extract was characterized by LC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry. The microstructure of the samples after UAE was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ultrasound treatment enhanced the rate of extraction and recovered 2.79, 2.12 and 0.66 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of TPC from CSS, PP and BSG, respectively in 30 min, which correspond to recoveries of 97.6%, 84.5% and 84.6%, respectively, compared to conventional solid-liquid extractions carried out for 24 h. The extraction yield was dependent on the particle size of the raw materials and the highest yield was obtained from the materials with 100-250 µm particle size. The SEM imaging revealed that ultrasound treatment caused prominent tissue damage. Extracts contained mainly hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives of phenolic acids. PP and CSS had the highest amounts of umami free amino acids (0.13 mg/g in each), while BSG contained the highest amount of essential amino acids (92 mg/g). The present work shows that CSS, PP and BSG are good sources of polyphenols and UAE can be employed to enhance the extraction efficiency as means of a green approach.

Disease transmission through expiratory aerosols on an urban bus.

Airborne respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 pose significant challenges to public transportation. Several recent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 indicate the high risk of transmission among passengers on public buses if special precautions are not taken. This study presents a combined experimental and numerical analysis to identify transmission mechanisms on an urban bus and assess strategies to reduce risk. The effects of the ventilation and air-conditioning systems, opening windows and doors, and wearing masks are analyzed. Specific attention is paid to the transport of submicron- and micron-sized particles relevant to typical respiratory droplets. High-resolution instrumentation was used to measure size distribution and aerosol response time on a campus bus of the University of Michigan under these different conditions. Computational fluid dynamics was employed to measure the airflow within the bus and evaluate risk. A risk metric was adopted based on the number of particles exposed to susceptible passengers. The flow that carries these aerosols is predominantly controlled by the ventilation system, which acts to uniformly distribute the aerosol concentration throughout the bus while simultaneously diluting it with fresh air. The opening of doors and windows was found to reduce the concentration by approximately one half, albeit its benefit does not uniformly impact all passengers on the bus due to the recirculation of airflow caused by entrainment through windows. Finally, it was found that well fitted surgical masks, when worn by both infected and susceptible passengers, can nearly eliminate the transmission of the disease.

Novel postharvest processing strategies for value-added applications of marine algae.

Marine algae are regarded as a promising nutrients resource in future as they can be sustainably cultured without land and high investment. These macroalgae are now widely processed into food and beverages, fertilizers and animal feed. Furthermore, bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides and polyphenols in seaweeds have proven to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties that can be utilized in cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. As a key procedure in seaweed production, the postharvest process not only requires more laboured and energy but also affect the quality of the final product significantly. This article reviewed all current postharvest processes and technologies of seaweed and addressed potential postharvest strategies for seaweed production. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Applications of ultrasound to enhance fluidized bed drying of Ascophyllum Nodosum: Drying kinetics and product quality assessment.

In this study, ultrasound either as a pretreatment technique or as an integrated technique was employed to enhance fluidized bed drying of Ascophyllum nodosum, and drying kinetics and dried product quality were assessed. In order to compare technology efficiency and dried product qualities, oven drying and fluidized bed drying (FBD) were employed. The novel drying methods included airborne ultrasound-assisted fluidized bed drying (AUA), ultrasound pre-treatment followed by FBD (USP), and hot water blanching pre-treatment followed byFBD (HWB). Six drying kinetics models were used to describe the drying curves, among which the Page model was the best in fitting USP and AUA. Model by Millidi et al. was employed to describe HWB. Airborne ultrasound in AUA did not reduce energy consumption or drying time, but retained total phenolic content (TPC) as well as colour, and exhibited the highest yield among the novel drying methods. USP and HWB showed lower energy consumption and drying time considerably, but the TPC was the lowest among the studied methods. At the same time, USP dried product exhibited the lowest aw, followed by HWB and then AUA. This studyalso demonstrated that FBD could be a very practical drying method on Irish brown seaweed, and ultrasound-assisted drying methods may have potential developments in Irish brown seaweed drying process.

Study on the combination of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy with Viagra in the treatment of non-organic ED.

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) has gradually become an important issue that seriously affects the quality of life of Chinese men. In addition to classic oral medications, psychotherapeutic interventions are increasingly being used in the treatment of ED. AIM: This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPP) plus Viagra in the treatment of non-organic ED. METHODS: We initiated this study via a controlled, prospective experimental design with initial optimal efficiency standard greater than 10%. On the standard, 63 patients were enrolled who were assigned to control or treatment group. The control group (including 33 cases) received Viagra treatment for 2 months, and the treatment group (including 30 cases) was cured with BPP plus Viagra. After the treatments, the clinical efficacy was assessed using the International Erectile Function Index (IIEF-5) score, the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Sexual Satisfaction (SS) score and Erection Hardness Score (EHS). RESULTS: In the comparison of efficacy, pretreatment and post-treatment within each group, the two groups showed improvements in IIEF, SAS scores, SS, and EHS (treatment group: PIIEF<0.001, PSAS<0.001, PSS<0.001, PEHS<0.001; control group: PIIEF<0.001, PSAS<0.001, PSS<0.001, PEHS<0.001). Furthermore, the treatment group presented better performances in IIEF (p=0.040), SAS (p=0.006), SS scores (p=0.045) and EHS (p=0.041) than the control group. CONCLUSION: The combination of BPP with Viagra has positive effect on the treatment of non-organic ED.

Naturally occurring glycyrrhizin triterpene exerts anticancer effects on colorectal cancer cells via induction of apoptosis and autophagy and suppression of cell migration and invasion by targeting MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression.

PURPOSE: The main aim of the current study was to investigate the anticancer properties of naturally occurring triterpene - glycyrrhizin - against human colorectal carcinoma cells along with evaluation of its effects on cells apoptosis, autophagy and cell migration and invasion. METHODS: Cell viability was evaluated by CellTiter95® Aqueous One Solution cell viability assay, while the effects on cell apoptosis were observed by fluorescence microscopy using DAPI staining. Effects on autophagy were detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) along with western blot method. Transwell assay was performed to monitor the effects on cell migration and invasion. RESULTS: Glycyrrhizin induced selective and dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth in SW48 human colorectal carcinoma cells with lesser cytotoxicity in normal colon cells (CCD-18Co). Glycyrrhizin also led to cell apoptotic effects manifested by chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation as evidenced by brighter fluorescence. Apoptosis was confirmed by western blot which showed increase in Bax expression and decrease in Bcl-2 expression. TEM analysis showed that glycyrrhizin-treated cells at 12 µM showed autophagosomes indicating onset of autophagy. Western blot assay confirmed the autophagy results which showed glycyrrhizin-treated cells indicated increased expression of Beclin-1, LC3B-I and LC3B-II in a dose-dependent manner. Glycyrrhizin treatment also led to inhibition of both cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSION: The results of this study reveal that glycyrrhizin can be developed as a potent anticancer agent against colorectal cancer provided further studied are performed, especially on its toxicity to humans.