Effects of baffle position in serpentine flow channel on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

This study used a three-dimensional numerical model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with five types of channels:a smooth channel(Case 1);eight rectangular baffles were arranged in the upstream(Case 2),midstream(Case 3),downstream(Case 4),and the entire cathode flow channel(Case 5)to study the effects of baffle position on mass transport,power density,net power,etc.Moreover,the effects of back pressure and humidity on the voltage were investigated.Results showed that compared to smooth channels,the oxygen and water transport facilitation at the diffusion layer-channel interface were added 11.53%-20.60%and 7.81%-9.80%at 1.68 A·cm^(-2)by adding baffles.The closer the baffles were to upstream,the higher the total oxygen flux,but the lower the flux uniformity the worse the water removal.The oxygen flux of upstream baffles was 8.14%higher than that of downstream baffles,but oxygen flux uniformity decreased by 18.96%at 1.68 A·cm^(-2).The order of water removal and voltage improvement was Case 4>Case 5>Case 3>Case 2>Case 1.Net power of Case 4 was 9.87%higher than that of the smooth channel.To the Case 4,when the cell worked under low back pressure or high humidity,the voltage increments were higher.The potential increment for the back pressure of 0 atm was 0.9%higher than that of 2 atm(1 atm=101.325 kPa).The potential increment for the humidity of 100%was 7.89%higher than that of 50%.

Peripheral CD4^(+)CD8^(+) double positive T cells:A potential marker to evaluate renal impairment susceptibility during systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus nephritis(LN) has a high incidence in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) patients, but there is a lack of sensitive predictive markers. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between the CD4^(+)CD8^(+)double positive T(DPT) lymphocytes and LN. The study included patients with SLE without renal impairment(SLE-NRI), LN, nephritic syndrome(NS), or nephritis. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. Biochemical measurements were performed with peripheral blood in accordance with the recommendations proposed by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories. The proportions of DPT cells in the LN group were significantly higher than that in the SLE-NRI group(t=4.012, P<0.001), NS group(t=3.240,P=0.001), and nephritis group(t=2.57, P=0.011). In the LN group, the risk of renal impairment increased significantly in a DPT cells proportion-dependent manner. The risk of LN was 5.136 times(95% confidence interval, 2.115–12.473) higher in cases with a high proportion of DPT cells than those whose proportion of DPT cells within the normal range. These findings indicated that the proportion of DPT cells could be a potential marker to evaluate LN susceptibility, and the interference of NS and nephritis could be effectively excluded when assessing the risk of renal impairment during SLE with DPT cell proportion.

Single-cell transcriptome profiling of sepsis identifies HLA-DR^(low)S100A^(high)monocytes with immunosuppressive function

Background Sustained yet intractable immunosuppression is commonly observed in septic patients,resulting in aggravated clinical outcomes.However,due to the substantial heterogeneity within septic patients,precise indicators in deciphering clinical trajectories and immunological alterations for septic patients remain largely lacking.Methods We adopted cross-species,single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)analysis based on two published datasets containing circulating immune cell profile of septic patients as well as immune cell atlas of murine model of sepsis.Flow cytometry,laser scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM)imaging and Western blotting were applied to identify the presence of S100A9^(+)monocytes at protein level.To interrogate the immunosuppressive function of this subset,splenic monocytes isolated from septic wild-type or S100a9^(–/–)mice were co-cultured with naive CD4^(+)T cells,followed by proliferative assay.Pharmacological inhibition of S100A9 was implemented using Paquinimod via oral gavage.Results scRNA-seq analysis of human sepsis revealed substantial heterogeneity in monocyte compartments following the onset of sepsis,for which distinct monocyte subsets were enriched in disparate subclusters of septic patients.We identified a unique monocyte subset characterized by high expression of S100A family genes and low expression of human leukocyte antigen DR(HLA-DR),which were prominently enriched in septic patients and might exert immunosuppressive function.By combining single-cell transcriptomics of murine model of sepsis with in vivo experiments,we uncovered a similar subtype of monocyte significantly associated with late sepsis and immunocompromised status of septic mice,corresponding to HLA-DR^(low)S100A^(high)monocytes in human sepsis.Moreover,we found that S100A9^(+)monocytes exhibited profound immunosuppressive function on CD4^(+)T cell immune response and blockade of S100A9 using Paquinimod could partially reverse sepsis-induced immunosuppression.Conclusions This study identifies HLA-DR^(low)S100A^(high)monocytes correlated with immunosuppressive state upon septic challenge,inhibition of which can markedly mitigate sepsis-induced immune depression,thereby providing a novel therapeutic strategy for the management of sepsis.

Different distributions of interstitial cells of Cajal and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α positive cells in colonic smooth muscle cell/interstitial cell of Cajal/plateletderived growth factor receptor-α positive cell syncytium in mice

AIM To investigate the distribution and function of interstitialcells of Cajal(ICCs) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α positive(PDGFRα+) cells in the proximal and distal colon.METHODS The comparison of colonic transit in the proximal and distal ends was performed by colonic migrating motor complexes(CMMCs). The tension of the colonic smooth muscle was examined by smooth muscle spontaneous contractile experiments with both ends of the smooth muscle strip tied with a silk thread. Intracellular recordings were used to assess electrical field stimulation(EFS)-induced inhibitory junction potentials(IJP) on the colonic smooth muscle. Western blot analysis was used to examine the expression levels of ICCs and PDGFRα in the colonic smooth muscle.RESULTS Treatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride(L-NAME) significantly increased the CMMC frequency and spontaneous contractions, especially in the proximal colon, while treatment with MRS2500 increased only distal CMMC activity and smooth muscle contractions. Both CMMCs and spontaneous contractions were markedly inhibited by NPPB, especially in the proximal colon. Accordingly, CyPPA sharply inhibited the distal contraction of both CMMCs and spontaneous contractions. Additionally, the amplitude of stimulationinduced nitric oxide(NO)/ICC-dependent slow IJPs(sIJPs) by intracellular recordings from the smooth muscles in the proximal colon was larger than that in the distal colon, while the amplitude of electric field stimulationinduced purinergic/PDGFRα-dependent fast IJPs(fIJPs) in the distal colon was larger than that in the proximal colon. Consistently, protein expression levels of c-Kit and anoctamin-1(ANO1) in the proximal colon were much higher, while protein expression levels of PDGFRα and small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel 3(SK3) in the distal colon were much higher.CONCLUSION The ICCs are mainly distributed in the proximal colon and there are more PDGFRα+ cells are in the distal colon, which generates a pressure gradient between the two ends of the colon to propel the feces to the anus.

Development and validation of prognostic nomogram based on log odds of positive lymph nodes for patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma

Objective: Our aims were to establish novel nomogram models, which directly targeted patients with signet ring cell carcinoma(SRC), for individualized prediction of overall survival(OS) rate and cancer-specific survival(CSS).Methods: We selected 1,365 SRC patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2015 from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results(SEER) database, and then randomly partitioned them into a training cohort and a validation cohort.Independent predicted indicators, which were identified by using univariate testing and multivariate analyses, were used to construct our prognostic nomogram models. Three methods, Harrell concordance index(C-index), receiver operating characteristics(ROC) curve and calibration curve, were used to assess the ability of discrimination and predictive accuracy. Integrated discrimination improvement(IDI), net reclassification improvement(NRI) and decision curve analysis(DCA) were used to assess clinical utility of our nomogram models.Results: Six independent predicted indicators, age, race, log odds of positive lymph nodes(LODDS), T stage, M stage and tumor size, were associated with OS rate. Nevertheless, only five independent predicted indicators were associated with CSS except race. The developed nomograms based on those independent predicted factors showed reliable discrimination. C-index of our nomogram for OS and CSS was 0.760 and 0.763, which were higher than American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC) 8 th edition tumor-node-metastasis(TNM) staging system(0.734 and 0.741, respectively). C-index of validation cohort for OS was 0.757 and for CSS was 0.773. The calibration curves also performed good consistency. IDI, NRI and DCA showed the nomograms for both OS and CSS had a comparable clinical utility than the TNM staging system.Conclusions: The novel nomogram models based on LODDS provided satisfying predictive ability of SRC both in OS and CSS than AJCC 8 th edition TNM staging system alone.

Log odds of positive lymph nodes is a better prognostic factor for oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma than N stage

BACKGROUND Signet ring cell carcinoma is a rare type of oesophageal cancer,and we hypothesized that log odds of positive lymph nodes(LODDS)is a better prognostic factor for oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma.AIM To explore a novel prognostic factor for oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma by comparing two lymph node-related prognostic factors,log odds of positive LODDS and N stage.METHODS A total of 259 cases of oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma after oesophagectomy were obtained from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database between 2006 and 2016.The prognostic value of LODDS and N stage for oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.The Akaike information criterion and Harrell’s C-index were used to assess the value of two prediction models based on lymph nodes.External validation was performed to further confirm the conclusion.RESULTS The 5-year cancer-specific survival(CSS)and 5-year overall survival(OS)rates of all the cases were 41.3%and 27.0%,respectively.The Kaplan-Meier method showed that LODDS had a higher score of log rank chi-squared(OS:46.162,CSS:41.178)than N stage(OS:36.215,CSS:31.583).Univariate analyses showed that insurance,race,T stage,M stage,TNM stage,radiation therapy,N stage,and LODDS were potential prognostic factors for OS(P<0.1).The multivariate Cox regression model showed that LODDS was an significant independent prognostic factor for oesophageal signet ring carcinoma patients after surgical resection(P<0.05),while N stage was not considered to be a significant prognostic factor(P=0.122).Model 2(LODDS)had a higher degree of discrimination and fit than Model 1(N stage)(LODDS vs N stage,Harell’s C-index 0.673 vs 0.656,P<0.001;Akaike information criterion 1688.824 vs 1697.519,P<0.001).The results of external validation were consistent with those in the study cohort.CONCLUSION LODDS is a superior prognostic factor to N stage for patients with oesophageal signet ring cell carcinoma after oesophagectomy.

The Effects of the Geometry of a Current Collector with an Equal Open Ratio on Output Power of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

The open ratio of a current collector has a great impact on direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC)performance.Although a number of studies have investigated the influence of the open ratio of DMFC current collectors,far too little attention has been given to how geometry(including the shape and feature size of the flow field)affects a current collector with an equal open ratio.In this paper,perforated and parallel current collectors with an equal open ratio of 50%and different feature sizes are designed,and the corresponding experimental results are shown to explain the geometry effects on the output power of the DMFC.The results indicate that the optimal feature sizes are between 2 and 2.5 mm for both perforated and parallel flow field in the current collectors with an equal open ratio of 50%.This means that for passive methanol fuel cells,to achieve the highest output power,the optimal feature size of the flow field in both anode and cathode current collectors is between 2 and 2.5 mm under the operating mode of this experiment.The effects of rib and channel position are also investigated,and the results indicate that the optimum pattern depends on the feature sizes of the flow field.

Separation of CD34 Positive Cells and Determination of Surface Homing Antigen

To study the differences in homing potential between bone marrow cells and umbilical blood cells, CD34 positive cells were obtained from bone marrow (BM) and umbilical blood (UB) by the direct cell separation with domestic immunomagnetic beads. The expression of the two adhesion molecules CD11a/CD18 and CD44 were examined. After separation, CD34 positive cells accounted for 51 %-82 % of the harvested cells and dye-resistance rate was 82 %-88 %. The expression of CD11a/CD18 and CD44 on the surfaces of UB cells was 49. 6 % 1 10. 2 % and 37. 7 % ± 10. 3 % respectively. On BM cells they were 50. 2 % ± 6. 2 % and 34 % ± 13. 3 % respectively. There were no significant differences in the expression of these two molecules. It was concluded .that the cell separation method with domestic immunomagnetic beads was effective and the stem cells from UB could serve as an alternative source for transplantation.

Five-Year Survivors of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Positive Pleural Lavage Cytology

Background: The pleural lavage cytology (PLC) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has been reported as a significant prognostic factor. The aim of this study is to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of 5-year survivors of patients with positive PLC. Methods: Among 401 resected NSCLC patients, 30 (7.48%) patients with positive PLC were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Only 7 of 30 patients (23.3%) survived more than 5-year. There were no differences in age, gender, histology, pT status and pN status between 5-year survivors and non-survivors. On the other hand, the serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was significantly higher in non-survivors. Among these 5-year survivors, 4 of 7 patients died of NSCLC recurrences more than 5 years after surgery. Remaining 3 patients survived without cancer recurrences. Interestingly these 3 survivors had not received any adjuvant therapies after surgery. Conclusion: None of the 5-year survivor with positive PLC had high serum CEA level. Furthermore 5-year survival did not equal to cure in NSCLC patients with positive PLC.

Immunohistochemical Studies of Macrophages and MHC Class Ⅱ -positive Cells in the Iris and Ciliary Body of Lewis Rats

Purpose:To investigate the density, distribution and morphology of macrophages and MHC class II -positive dendritic cells in the iris and ciliary body of lewis rats. Methods:Immunohistochemistry was performed using monoclonal antibodies specific to monocytes and macrophages (ED1,ED2) and MHC class II -positive cells (OX6) on wholemounts of the iris-ciliary body complex isolated form normal lewis rats.Results:A well developed network of macrophages was present in the iris and ciliary body of normal lewis rats. These cells, morphologically displaying dendriti-form or pleiomorphic appearance, were more densely arranged in mid-iris (950 + 189 cells/mm2) than in iris base (482 ± 78 cells/mm2) and pupil margin (595 ± 92 cells/mm2). A similar network of MHC class II -positive cells with a cell density 452 ± 78 cells/mm2 was almost uniformly distributed in the iris of normal lewis rats.Conclusions : A network of macrophages and MHC class II -positive cells was established in the iris and ciliary body of

3-53 Genistein Suppresses Radiaiton-induced Metastatic Potential of DNA-PKcs Positive Cells

The DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) plays a major role in DNA damage signaling and repair, and is also frequently over-expressed in tumor metastasis. We used isogenic cell lines expressing different levels of DNA-PKcs to investigate the role of DNA-PKcs in metastatic development. Interestingly, our results showed that X-ray irradiation induced the metastasis of DNA-PKcs positive (M059K) but not negative (M059J)cells; however, genistein could suppress the radiation-induced metastatic potential of M059K cells (Fig. 1). The concrete mechanisms underlying this phenomenon will be investigated next year.

Subgroups of peripheral immune effector cells in cervical cancer patients are more sensitive to radiation therapy than chemotherapy

Background:CD8 positive T lymphocytes and natural killer(NK)cells in the peripheral blood of cervical cancer patients exhibit varying sensitivities to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.Methods:A total of 50 healthy peoples and 60 cervical cancer patients were recruited.The patients with cervical cancer were separated into two groups:radiation and chemotherapy,and blood sample were collected before and after treatment.Data on the proportion of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells were gathered for analytical evaluation.Results:Compared to healthy individuals,patients with cervical cancer exhibit a reduced proportion of CD8 positive T cells within their peripheral blood.And for patients with cervical cancer,radiation therapy has been found to be more effective than chemotherapy in increasing the proportion of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells.Conclusions:These results suggest that radiation therapy increases the levels of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells within the peripheral blood of patients with cervical cancer.The study hypothesis that the changes in the percentage of CD8 positive T lymphocytes may serve as a potential indicator for predicting treatment efficacy.

Phosphatidylserine-positive particles in the apical domain of sensory hair cells

Apical membrane recycling has been proposed to be important for normal hair cell function. The current study reports an in vitro work that demonstrates the presence of phosphatidylserine (PS) and PS-positive vesicles labeled by Annexin V in the apical portion of hair cells. The following characteristics of the PS-positive vesicles were noticed using scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy:(1) variable sizes around 200 nm; (2) variable distribution patterns (either uniformly along individual stereocilia in the hair bundle or irregular) in the stereocilia from cell to cell; (3) variable sizes and numbers at locations along the border of the cuticular plate (CP), with a large number of them located at the vestigal kinocilial location; (4) motility with some of the vesicles during the observation period; (5) increase in PS labeling and the number of PS-positive vesicles after loud sound stimulation; and (6) decreased PS labeling and PS-positive vesicle numbers following treatment with LY-294002, a PI3 -kinase inhibitor. These results suggest that the presence of PS-positive vesicles at the apical area of hair cells may be indicative of vesicle shedding or transportation of a protein or rafts.

HLA-DRB1^(*)11:01与HCV感染的病毒选择压力及与CD4+T细胞表位的关系探讨

目的我们前期研究显示,无论在汉族人群还是黎族人群中,HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01均是与机体自发清除HCV相关联的HLA-Ⅱ类基因,因此,本研究的目的是探讨HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01基因与HCV感染的病毒选择压力及与CD4+T细胞表位的关系。方法对广东地区常见的HCV 6a慢性感染者HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阳性组和阴性组的E1E2和NS3基因进行病毒选择压力以及病毒群体扩张的分析。采用覆盖我国常见HCV基因型保守区的CD4+T细胞表位的重叠肽段刺激HCV自发清除组和慢性感染组,通过ELISPT实验,根据每孔的斑点形成细胞数以及在不同组出现的频次评估HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01基因与CD4+T细胞表位的关系。结果广东地区常见的HCV 6a感染者HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阴性组E1E2和NS3的阳性选择位点以及位于CD4+T细胞表位的位点数均大于HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阳性组;两组HCV 6a感染者在广东地区均具有群体扩张趋势,且HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阴性组的扩张趋势明显高于HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阳性组。HCV自发清除组对其中5条肽段(C-52 E2691-707、C-119 NS31545-1560、C-134 NS4A1669-1684、C-154 NS4B1912-1927和C-159 NS4B1929-1944)刺激的应答率较高,HCV慢性感染组对其中的2条肽段(C-111 NS31497-1512和C-130 NS31650-1665)刺激的应答率较高。当考虑HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01分型时,在慢性感染组和自发清除组HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阳性和HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01阴性PBMCs产生的HCV特异性免疫应答均无统计学差异。结论研究揭示了HLA-Ⅱ类基因HLA-DRB1^(*)11∶01与HCV感染的病毒选择压力及与CD4+T细胞表位的关系,同时,获得HCV泛基因型CD4+T细胞抗原候选表位,为研发适合HCV泛基因型的T细胞疫苗提供基础数据。

The study of special killing effect of CD3AK on anti-CEA-positive tumor enhanced by DC loaded with CEA-rV

Objective： To survey the special killing activity of CD3AK on anti-CEA-positive tumor enhanced by umbilical cord blood dendritic cell （DC） loaded with CEA recombinant vaccinia virus （CEA-rV）. Methods： Freshly isolated umbilical blood mononuclear calls （UBMC） were cultivated for 3 h. Suspension cells and attached calls were used to induce CD3AK calls and DC separately. DC was loaded with CEA-rV on the 3rd day to prepare CEA-rV＋DC. CD3AK cells were co-cultured with CEA- rV＋DC on the 8th day, to prepare CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK. The killing activity of each effector＇s cell, which included UBMC, CD3AK, DC＋CD3AK and CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK, was measured respectively by MTT reduction assay. Results： （1） 4 target cells were con- firmed by CEA monoclonal antibody of rabbit anti-human. Lovo and A549 were really CEA positive cell lines, while Bel-7402 and K562 were CEA negative cell lines. （2） It was showed by flow-cytometry that the mature DC cultured at 10th day expressed MHC I, II molecules such as CD86, CDS0, CD83 and CD40 highly, but CD123 lowly. The expression rates of CD86, CDS0, CD83 and CD40 was 82.7%, 51.1%, 57.5% and 69.4%, respectively. The appearances and intra-cellular structures of DC were observed through light and electron microscope. The diameter of mature DC was 15-20 μm presented the irregular morphologic appearanca, much prominences and pseudopodium. There were abundant mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in DC endochylema. （3） The rates of CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD28 in CD3AK cells group were 2 folds higher than that in UBMC group by FACS. It was said that the numbers of the mature T lymphocyte in CD3AK cells group were much greater than that in UBMC group. （4） The killing activities to 4 target cells of 3 effector＇s cells, which included CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK, DC＋CD3AK and CD3AK, were much greater than that of UBMC （P〈0.01）. Moreover, comparing with the killing activities of 4 effector＇s： CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK group 〉 DC＋CD3AK group 〉 CD3AK group 〉 UBMC group. It showed that, cytokine, DC and CEA-rV could efficiently elevate the killing activity of UBMC on broad-spectrum tumor cells. （5） Comparing with the killing activities of CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK and CD3AK cells to CEA positive and negative cells, the killing activities of CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK to CEA positive tumor calls, Lovo and A549 calls （P〈0.01） were remarkably better than that to CEA negative tumor cells BEL-7402 and K562 cells （P〈0.05）. It was said that the CEA-rV＋DC could obviously enhance the killing activity of CD3AK on CEA positive tumor cells. Comparing with the killing activities of CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK and DC＋CD3AK cells, the killing activity of CD3AK on CEA negative tumor cells was no statistical difference （P〉0.05）. However, the killing activity to CEA positive cells of CEA-rV＋DC＋CD3AK group was notably higher than that of DC＋CD3AK group. Namely, CEA-rV could distinctly promote the special killing activity to CEA positive tumor cells of CD3AK, but could not do it to CEA negative tumor cells. Conclusion： CEA-rV＋DC could obviously enhance the special killing activity of CD3AK on CEA positive tumor cell lines, while the DC only couldn＇t. The results indicated that the CEA-rV played an important role during the special killing activity of CD3AK cells to CEA positive tumor cells.

A comparative study on the reactivity of charged Ni-rich and Ni-poor positive electrodes with electrolyte at elevated temperatures using accelerating rate calorimetry

The reactivity between charged Li(Li_(0.115)Mn_(0.529)Ni_(0.339)Al_(0.017))O_(2)(Li-rich),single crystal Li(Ni_(0.8)Mn_(0.1)Co_(0.1))O_(2)(SC-NMC811),LiFePO_(4)(LFP) and LiMn_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)PO_(4)(LMFP) positive electrodes at different states of charge(SOCs) and traditional carbonate-based electrolyte at elevated temperatures is systematically studied using accelerating rate calorimetry(ARC).The results show that the SOC greatly affects the thermal stability of the Li-rich and SC-NMC811 when traditional carbonate-based electrolyte is used.Although an increase in the SOC increases the energy density of lithium-ion cells,it also increases the reactivity between charged Li-rich and SC-NMC811 samples with electrolyte at elevated temperatures.In comparison with SC-NMC811,the Li-rich samples are much more stable at elevated temperatures,and the latter have higher specific capacity.SC-NMC811 samples are less reactive than traditional polycrystalline NMC811.Both LFP and LMFP samples show excellent thermal stability at elevated temperatures.The substitution of Fe by Mn in the olivine series positive materials does not impact the reactivity with electrolyte.

C≡N-based carbazole-arylamine hole transporting materials for perovskite solar cells: Substitution position matters

Hole transporting materials(HTMs)containing passivating groups for perovskite materials have attracted much attention for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Among them,C≡N-based molecules have been proved as efficient HTMs.Herein,a series of novel C≡N functionalized carbazole-arylamine derivatives with variable C≡N substitution positions(para,meta,and ortho)on benzene-carbazole skeleton(on the adjacent benzene of carbazole)were synthesized(p-HTM,m-HTM and o-HTM).The experimental results exhibit that the substitution positions of the Ctriple bondN unit on HTMs have minor difference on the HOMO energy level and hydrophobicity.m-HTM has a relatively lower glass transition temperature compared with that of p-HTM and o-HTM.The functional theory calculations show that the C≡N located on meta position exposed very well,and the exposure direction is also the same with the methoxy.Upon applying these molecules as HTMs in PSCs,their device performance is found to sensitively depend on the substitution position of the C≡N unit on the molecule skeleton.The devices using m-HTM and o-HTM exhibit better performance than that of p-HTM.Moreover,m-HTM-based devices exhibit better light-soaking performance and long-term stability,which could be resulted from better interaction with the perovskite according to DFT results.Moreover,we further prepared a HTM with two C≡N units on the symmetrical meta position of molecular skeleton(2m-HTM).Interestingly,2m-HTM-based devices exhibit relatively inferior performance compared with that of the m-HTM,which could be resulted from weak negative electrical character of C≡N unit on 2m-HTM.The results give some new insights for designing ideal HTM for efficient and stable PSCs.

Fluorine substitution position effects on spiro(fluorene-9,9’-xanthene) cored hole transporting materials for high-performance planar perovskite solar cells

Fluorine substitution in molecular design has become an effective strategy for improving the overall performance of organic photovoltaics.In this study,three low-cost small molecules of spiro-linked hole transporting materials(SFX-O-2 F,SFX-m-2 F,and SFX-p-2 F) endowed with two-armed t rip he ny la mine moieties were synthesized via tuning of the fluorine substitution position,and they were employed for use in highly efficient perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Despite the fluorine substitution position playing a negligible role in the optical and electrochemical properties of the resulting small molecules,the photovoltaic performance thereof was observed to vary significantly.The planar n-i-p PSCs based on SFX-m-2 F demonstrated superior performance(18.86%) when compared to that of the corresponding SFX-o-2 F(9.7%) and SFX-p-2 F(16.33%) under 100 mW cm^(-2) AM1.5 G solar illumination,which is competitive with the performance of the benchmark spiro-OMeTAD-based device(18.98%).Moreover,the SFX-m-2 Fbased PSCs were observed to be more stable than the spiro-OMeTAD-based devices under ambient conditions.The improved performance of SFX-m-2 F is primarily associated with improved morphology,more efficient hole transport,and extraction characteristics at the perovskite/HTM interface.This work demonstrated the application of fluorination engineering to the tuning of material film morphology and charge transfer properties,showing the promising potential of fluorinated SM-HTMs for the construction of low-cost,high-efficiency PSCs.

The Need for a National Guideline for the Management of NSCLC ALK-Positive Lung Cancer in the UK: Results of Patient-Driven Surveys

Introduction: There are currently no national guidelines specifically for the management of NSCLC ALK-positive lung cancer in the UK. National guidelines exist for lung cancer in general and reference is made to ALK-positive lung cancer. However, the generic nature of these guidelines is not sufficient for the optimal management of this specific type of lung cancer, with its unique disease management requirements. Method: In 2021, members of the charity ALK POSITIVE LUNG CANCER (UK) completed anonymised surveys to gather real-world data about their treatment. Results: Data were gathered on the prescribing of blood thinners (n = 127);frequency of brain MRI scans (n = 123);prescribing bone strengthening medication (n = 127);frequency of CT scans (n = 123);mental health (n = 132). There was significant variation in each of these five aspects of treatment. Conclusions: The findings, from a representative population of ALK-positive patients, provide new information on the significant disparities in the treatment that patients receive. This health inequality is likely to have a detrimental effect on the survival outcomes for some of these patients. It would improve patient outcomes and overall survival if ALK-positive lung cancer disease management national guidelines were established and utilised across the NHS in the UK. The evidence presented.

Anal Cancer in a HIV Sero-Positive Bisexual Bachelor—A Case Report and Literature Review

Anal cancer, especially squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) variety, is evolving with rising incidence globally. This is due to the increasing adoption of risky life styles and social habits even in populations with rare occurrences previously. This case report aims to expose risk factors exhibited by a patient recently managed for anal cancer in our facility before his demise. Early exposure to bisexual orientation, receptive anal intercourse and multiple sexual partners, are notable high risk factors for the development of anal SCC. The permissive role of smoking, illicit drug and alcohol use enhances the disease occurrence. Acquisition of human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) sero-positive status further reduces the body’s immune competence and enhances early age of onset as well as accelerates development of anal SCC. Proper history exploring the risk factors, physical/anorectal examination and histological analysis, are vital for proper diagnosis and staging which guides appropriate treatment with chemo-radiation as mainstay.