Influence of Ancillary Ligand on the Photosensitization and Photophysical Properties of Red Luminescent Tri-fluorinated Β-diketonate Eu(III) Complexes.

Highly emissive ternary Eu(III) complexes were synthesized with a tri-fluorinated ß-diketone as principal ligand and heterocyclic aromatic compounds as ancillary ligands to assess their utility as an illuminating material for display devices and other optoelectronics. The general characterizations, regarding the coordinating facets of complexes were accomplished via various spectroscopic techniques. Thermal stability was investigated via TGA/DTA. Photophysical analysis was accomplished by PL studies, Band gap value, color parameters and J-O analysis. DFT calculations were performed adopting geometrically optimized structure of complexes. Superb thermal stability has been achieved in complexes, which decides their concrete candidature for display devices. The bright red luminescence of complexes is ascribed to 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu(III) ion. Colorimetric parameters unlocked the applicability of complexes as warm light source and J-O parameters adequately summarized the coordinating surrounding around the metal ion. Various radiative properties were also evaluated which suggested the prospective use of complexes in lasers and other optoelectronic devices. The band gap and Urbach band tail, procured from absorption spectra, revealed the semiconducting behavior of synthesized complexes. DFT studies rendered the energies of FMO and various other molecular parameters. It can be summarized from the photophysical and optical analysis of synthesized complexes that these complexes are virtuous luminescent materials and possess potentiality to be used in diverse domain of display devices.

A Nearly Packaging-Free Design Paradigm for Light, Powerful, and Energy-Dense Primary Microbatteries.

Billions of internet connected devices used for medicine, wearables, and robotics require microbattery power sources, but the conflicting scaling laws between electronics and energy storage have led to inadequate power sources that severely limit the performance of these physically small devices. Reported here is a new design paradigm for primary microbatteries that drastically improves energy and power density by eliminating the vast majority of the packaging and through the use of high-energy-density anode and cathode materials. These light (50-80 mg) and small (20-40 µL) microbatteries are enabled though the electroplating of 130 µm-thick 94% dense additive-free and crystallographically oriented LiCoO2 onto thin metal foils, which also act as the encapsulation layer. These devices have 430 Wh kg-1 and 1050 Wh L-1 energy densities, 4 times the energy density of previous similarly sized microbatteries, opening up the potential to power otherwise unpowerable microdevices.

Localised Grey Matter Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis and Clinically Isolated Syndrome-A Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis, Meta-Analysis of Networks, and Meta-Regression of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies.

BACKGROUND: Atrophy of grey matter (GM) is observed in the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is associated with cognitive decline and physical disability. Localised GM atrophy in MS can be explored and better understood using magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). However, results are difficult to interpret due to methodological differences between studies. METHODS: Coordinate-based analysis is a way to find the reliably observable results across multiple independent VBM studies. This work uses coordinate-based meta-analysis, meta-analysis of networks, and meta-regression to summarise the evidence from voxel-based morphometry of regional GM hanges in patients with MS and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and whether these measured changes are relatable to clinical features. RESULTS: Thirty-four published articles reporting forty-four independent experiments using VBM for the assessment of GM atrophy between MS or CIS patients and healthy controls were identified. Analysis identified eight clusters of consistent cross-study reporting of localised GM atrophy involving both cortical and subcortical regions. Meta-network analysis identified a network-like pattern indicating that GM loss occurs with some symmetry between hemispheres. Meta-regression analysis indicates a relationship between disease duration or age and the magnitude of reported statistical effect in some deep GM structures. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest consistency in MRI-detectible regional GM loss across multiple MS studies, and the estimated effect sizes and symmetries can help design prospective studies to test specific hypotheses.

Hookworm Treatment for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Importance: Studies suggest gut worms induce immune responses that can protect against multiple sclerosis (MS). To our knowledge, there are no controlled treatment trials with helminth in MS. Objective: To determine whether hookworm treatment has effects on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity and T regulatory cells in relapsing MS. Design, Setting, and Participants: This 9-month double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between September 2012 and March 2016 in a modified intention-to-treat population (the data were analyzed June 2018) at the University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, a single tertiary referral center. Patients aged 18 to 61 years with relapsing MS without disease-modifying treatment were recruited from the MS clinic. Seventy-three patients were screened; of these, 71 were recruited (2 ineligible/declined). Interventions: Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive either 25 Necator americanus larvae transcutaneously or placebo. The MRI scans were performed monthly during months 3 to 9 and 3 months posttreatment. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was the cumulative number of new/enlarging T2/new enhancing T1 lesions at month 9. The secondary end point was the percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD) 4+CD25highCD127negT regulatory cells in peripheral blood. Results: Patients (mean [SD] age, 45 [9.5] years; 50 women [71%]) were randomized to receive hookworm (35 [49.3%]) or placebo (36 [50.7%]). Sixty-six patients (93.0%) completed the trial. The median cumulative numbers of new/enlarging/enhancing lesions were not significantly different between the groups by preplanned Mann-Whitney U tests, which lose power with tied data (high number of zeroactivity MRIs in the hookworm group, 18/35 [51.4%] vs 10/36 [27.8%] in the placebo group). The percentage of CD4+CD25highCD127negT cells increased at month 9 in the hookworm group (hookworm, 32 [4.4%]; placebo, 34 [3.9%]; P = .01). No patients withdrew because of adverse effects. There were no differences in adverse events between groups except more application-site skin discomfort in the hookworm group (82% vs 28%). There were 5 relapses (14.3%) in the hookworm group vs 11 (30.6%) receiving placebo. Conclusions and Relevance: Treatment with hookworm was safe and well tolerated. The primary outcome did not reach significance, likely because of a low level of disease activity. Hookworm infection increased T regulatory cells, suggesting an immunobiological effect of hookworm. It appears that a living organism can precipitate immunoregulatory changes that may affect MS disease activity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01470521.