A Rigid Multiple Resonance Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Core Toward Stable Electroluminescence and Lasing.

The investigation of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic laser devices with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules is emerging due to the potential of harnessing triplets. In this work, a boron/nitrogen multiple-resonance TADF polycyclic framework fusing carbazole units (CzBNPh) was proposed. CzBNPh exhibited a narrowband emission (<30 nm), a unity photoluminescence quantum yield, and a fast radiative rate. Consequently, CzBNPh demonstrated a low distributed feedback (DFB) lasing threshold of 0.68 µJ cm-2 . Furthermore, the stimulated emission zone of CzBNPh was effectively separated from its singlet and triplet absorption, thereby minimizing the singlet-triplet annihilation under long-pulsed excitation ranging from 20 µs to 2.5 ms. Significantly, the enhanced rigid molecular conformation, thermal stability, and photo-stability resulted in improved lasing and electroluminescence stability compared to that of 5,9-diphenyl-5,9-diaza-13b-boranaphtho[3,2,1-de]anthracene (DABNA)-core. These findings indicate the potential of CzBN-core as a promising framework for achieving long-pulsed wave and electrically-pumped lasing in the future.

Sequential Multiple Borylation Toward an Ultrapure Green Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Material.

Multiple-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters have emerged as an important component of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) because of their narrowband emission and high exciton utilization efficiency. However, the chemical space of MR-TADF emitters remains mostly unexplored because of the lack of suitable synthetic protocols. Herein, we demonstrate a sequential multiple borylation reaction that provides new synthetically accessible chemical space. ω-DABNA, the proof-of-concept material, exhibited narrowband green TADF with a full width at half-maximum of 22 nm and a small singlet-triplet energy gap of 13 meV. The OLED employing it as an emitter exhibited electroluminescence at 512 nm, with Commission International de l'Éclairage coordinates of (0.13, 0.73) and a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 31.1%. Moreover, the device showed minimum efficiency roll-off, with an EQE of 29.4% at 1000 cd m-2.

Association between early care and education centres policies and practices and children's healthy behaviours.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of nutritional and physical activity (PA) policies and practices at early care and education centres on behavioural changes among children ages 2-5. METHODS: The study population included 586 children from 25 education centres throughout the state of Georgia. Policies and practices were measured using the Georgia Nutrition and PA Assessment at the start of school year in Fall 2017. Survey data were collected at the beginning of school year September/October 2017 and at the end of school year April/May 2018 to measure changes in children's nutritional and PA behaviour over the school year. We used generalised estimating equations to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Children at centres with a high nutrition assessment score had higher odds of increasing vegetable consumption (OR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.0) while the odds of increasing fruit (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.8, 2.4) and water (OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.5, 2.7) consumption increased non-significantly. The odds of improving PA were similar between children at centres with a high versus a low PA assessment score. CONCLUSION: The results, though insignificant, indicate that policies and practices could influence children's health behaviours. Further research is warranted to examine whether improvements in policies and practices could explain changes in children's health behaviours, the impact of educator's knowledge on children's health behaviours and the implementation of and adherence to policy and practice improvement plans.

miR-4286 is Involved in Connections Between IGF-1 and TGF-ß Signaling for the Mesenchymal Transition and Invasion by Glioblastomas.

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß signal pathways are both recognized as important in regulating cancer prognosis, such as the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell invasion. However, cross-talk between these two signal pathways in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is still unclear. In the present study, by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE) 4412, GBM patients with higher IGF-1 levels exhibited poorer survival. Genes positively correlated with IGF-1 were enriched in EMT and TGF-ß signal pathways. IGF-1 treatment enhanced mesenchymal marker expressions and GBM cell invasion. A significant positive correlation was observed for IGF-1 with TGF-ß1 (TGFB1) or TGF-ß receptor 2 (TGFBR2), both of which participate in TGF-ß signaling and are risk genes in the GBM process. IGF-1 stimulation promoted both TGFB1 and TGFBR2 expressions. LY2157299, a TGF-ß signaling inhibitor, attenuated IGF-1-enhanced GBM cell invasion and mesenchymal transition. By analyzing IGF-1-regulated microRNA (miR) profiles, miR-4286 was found to be significantly downregulated in IGF-1-treated cells and could be targeted to both TGFB1 and TGFBR2. Overexpression of miR-4286 significantly attenuated expressions of the IGF-1-mediated mesenchymal markers, TGFB1 and TGFBR2. Using kinase inhibitors, only U0126 treatment showed an inhibitory effect on IGF-1-reduced miR-4286 and IGF-1-induced TGFB1/TGFBR2 expressions, suggesting that MEK/ERK signaling is involved in the IGF-1/miR-4286/TGF-ß signaling axis. Finally, our results suggested that miR-4286 might act as a tumor suppressive microRNA in inhibiting IGF-1-enhanced GBM cell invasion. In conclusion, IGF-1 is connected to TGF-ß signaling in regulating the mesenchymal transition and cell invasion of GBM through inhibition of miR-4286. Our findings provide new directions and mechanisms for exploring GBM progression.

Stellettin B-Induced Oral Cancer Cell Death via Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mitochondrial Apoptotic and Autophagic Signaling Pathway.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) affects tens of thousands of people worldwide. Despite advances in cancer treatment, the 5-year survival rate of patients with late-stage OSCC is low at 50-60%. Therefore, the development of anti-OSCC therapy is necessary. We evaluated the effects of marine-derived triterpene stellettin B in human OC2 and SCC4 cells. Stellettin B dose-dependently decreased the viability of both cell lines, with a significant reduction in OC2 cells at ≥0.1 µM at 24 and 48 h, and in SCC4 cells at ≥1 µM at 24 and 48 h. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells were significantly observed at 20 µM of stellettin B at 48 h, with the overexpression of cleaved caspase3 and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Moreover, mitochondrial respiratory functions were ablated by stellettin B. Autophagy-related LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and Beclin-1 proteins were increased, whereas p62 was decreased. At 20 µM at 48 h, the expression levels of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress biomarkers calnexin and BiP/GRP78 were significantly increased and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were activated. Further investigation using the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) demonstrated that it alleviated stellettin B-induced cell death and autophagy. Overall, our findings show that stellettin B induces the ER stress, mitochondrial stress, apoptosis, and autophagy, causing cell death of OSCC cells.

Glycolysis-associated lncRNAs identify a subgroup of cancer patients with poor prognoses and a high-infiltration immune microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding (lnc)RNAs and glycolysis are both recognized as key regulators of cancers. Some lncRNAs are also reportedly involved in regulating glycolysis metabolism. However, glycolysis-associated lncRNA signatures and their clinical relevance in cancers remain unclear. We investigated the roles of glycolysis-associated lncRNAs in cancers. METHODS: Glycolysis scores and glycolysis-associated lncRNA signatures were established using a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of The Cancer Genome Atlas pan-cancer data. Consensus clustering assays and genomic classifiers were used to stratify patient subtypes and for validation. Fisher's exact test was performed to investigate genomic mutations and molecular subtypes. A differentially expressed gene analysis, with GSEA, transcription factor (TF) activity scoring, cellular distributions, and immune cell infiltration, was conducted to explore the functions of glycolysis-associated lncRNAs. RESULTS: Glycolysis-associated lncRNA signatures across 33 cancer types were generated and used to stratify patients into distinct clusters. Patients in cluster 3 had high glycolysis scores and poor survival, especially in bladder carcinoma, low-grade gliomas, mesotheliomas, pancreatic adenocarcinomas, and uveal melanomas. The clinical significance of lncRNA-defined groups was validated using external datasets and genomic classifiers. Gene mutations, molecular subtypes associated with poor prognoses, TFs, oncogenic signaling such as the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and high immune cell infiltration demonstrated significant associations with cluster 3 patients. Furthermore, five lncRNAs, namely MIR4435-2HG, AC078846.1, AL157392.3, AP001273.1, and RAD51-AS1, exhibited significant correlations with glycolysis across the five cancers. Except MIR4435-2HG, the lncRNAs were distributed in nuclei. MIR4435-2HG was connected to glycolysis, EMT, and immune infiltrations in cancers. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a subgroup of cancer patients stratified by glycolysis-associated lncRNAs with poor prognoses, high immune infiltration, and EMT activation, thus providing new directions for cancer therapy.

Associations of alcohol consumption status with activities of daily living among older adults in China.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid growth of the elderly population and public health challenges in China, concerns arise related to disability associated with activities of daily living (ADLs) and alcohol consumption status. This study assesses the relationships of alcohol consumption status with basic daily activities among Chinese older adults. METHODS: A total of 5,133 participants aged 60 years or above from three waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2009, 2012, and 2014) were analyzed. Independent ADL items included bathing, dressing, toileting, indoor moving, continence, and feeding (without others' assistance). Multilevel ordered logistic regression model estimation was used to examine the results of total scores based on the Katz index. Multilevel logistic regression models also were estimated to study each index item separately to examine differences across each of the six ADLs. Additional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the validity of the index. RESULTS: Preliminary CFA showed that most items had good factor loadings (>0.700), except for continence (0.256) and feeding (0.481). Based on the ordered regression model, former (AOR = 0.412, 95% CI: 0.294, 0.579, p < 0.001) and non-alcohol consumption (AOR = 0.598, 95% CI: 0.447, 0.800, p < 0.001) were negatively associated with the total score. Non-alcohol consumption status was negatively associated with ADL items separately (all ps < 0.05), with the exceptions of continence and feeding. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption may be associated with Chinese older adults' better ADLs. However, further clinical or experimental trials are needed to examine the impact of alcohol consumption on older adults' ADLs.

Tetrabenzo[a,c]phenazine Backbone for Highly Efficient Orange-Red Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence with Completely Horizontal Molecular Orientation.

Three thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules, namely PQ1, PQ2, and PQ3, are composed of electron-accepting (A) tetrabenzo[a,c]phenazine (TBPZ) and electron-donating (D) phenoxazine (PXZ) units are designed and characterized. The combined effects of planar acceptor manipulation and high steric hindrance between D and A units endow high molecular rigidity that suppresses nonradiative decay of the excitons with improved photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs). Particularly, the well-aligned excited states involving a singlet and a triplet charge-transfer excited states and a localized excited triplet state in PQ3 enhances the reverse intersystem crossing rate constant (kRISC ) with a short delay lifetime (τd ). The orange-red OLED based on PQ3 displays a maximum external EL quantum efficiency (EQE) of 27.4 % with a well-suppressed EL efficiency roll-off owing to a completely horizontal orientation of the transition dipole moment in the film state.

Characterizing the Conformational Distribution in an Amorphous Film of an Organic Emitter and Its Application in a "Self-Doping" Organic Light-Emitting Diode.

The conformational distribution and mutual interconversion of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters significantly affect the exciton utilization. However, their influence on the photophysics in amorphous film states is still not known due to the lack of a suitable quantitative analysis method. Herein, we used temperature-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy to quantitatively measure the relative populations of the conformations of a TADF emitter for the first time. We further propose a new concept of "self-doping" for realizing high-efficiency nondoped OLEDs. Interestingly, this "compositionally" pure film actually behaves as a film with a dopant (quasi-equatorial form) in a matrix (quasi-axial form). The concentration-induced quenching that may occur at high concentrations is thus expected to be effectively relieved. The "self-doping" OLED prepared with the newly developed TADF emitter TP2P-PXZ as a neat emitting layer realizes a high maximum external quantum efficiency of 25.4 % and neglectable efficiency roll-off.

Briarenols Q-T: Briaranes from A Cultured Octocoral Briareum stechei (Kükenthal, 1908).

Our continuous chemical study of a cultured octocoral Briareum stechei led to the isolation of four new briarane diterpenoids, briarenols Q-T (1-4). The structures of new metabolites 1-4 were established by spectroscopic methods, and compounds 3 and 4 were found to inhibit the generation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) from RAW 264.7 stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS).

Are older adults' home exposures to secondhand smoking during earlier life stages associated with current health status and life satisfaction in China? A multilevel approach.

Secondhand smoking (SHS) has become a critical challenge in Chinese society, and progress on SHS prevention remains unknown. There is little knowledge targeting Chinese older adults generally to investigate the associations between SHS exposure experiences during earlier life stages and health-related measurements. Using cross-sectional data from a nationally representative data set, the 2014 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (n = 4,414), multilevel logistic regression models with random effects for Chinese provinces were used for analyses. Two health-related measurements included self-reported health status and life satisfaction. All regression models included the same set of predictors and covariates with socioeconomic factors and basic biological information. Approximately 40% and 47% of older adults reported SHS exposure in childhood and in younger adulthood at home, respectively. Older adults with SHS exposure in childhood had lower odds of reporting better health status, compared with those who did not have such exposure (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.69, 95% CI [0.55, 0.86], p < .01). However, life satisfaction was not associated with any SHS exposure experiences. Policy makers and public health practitioners should continue to investigate the long-term effect of SHS exposure on human health, including older adults. Policy regarding SHS prevention should be enhanced.

Contrast-Variation Time-Resolved Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Analysis of Oil-Exchange Kinetics Between Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Anionic Surfactants.

Contrast-variation time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (CV-SANS) was used to examine oil-exchange kinetics between identical mixtures of hydrogenated/deuterated hexadecane emulsion systems. Oil-exchange rates were estimated by transforming recorded scattering profiles to a relaxation function and by fitting to exponential decay models. We find that the oil-exchange process was accelerated when the droplets were stabilized by anionic surfactants even at concentrations well below the surfactant critical micelle concentration. Moreover, the exchange rate was not significantly accelerated when surfactant micelles were present. This suggests that micellar-mediated transport mechanisms do not play the dominant role in these systems. Screening electrostatic repulsion by increasing the ionic strength of the medium also had a negligible effect on oil-exchange kinetics. In contrast, the use of oils with shorter alkane chain lengths (e.g., dodecane), having a higher solubility in water, significantly accelerated rates of oil transport between droplets. Oil-transport rates for hexadecane were also found to increase with temperature and to follow Arrhenius behavior. These results were rationalized as an increase in the droplet-collision frequency due to Brownian motion that results in direct oil transport without irreversible coalescence. Thus, primary mechanisms for oil exchange in insoluble anionic surfactant-stabilized emulsion systems are hypothesized to be through direct emulsion contact, reversible coalescence, and/or direct oil permeation through thin liquid films. CV-SANS is also demonstrated as a powerful technique for the study of transport kinetics in all kinds of emulsion systems.

Kinetic Analysis of Ultrasound-Induced Oil Exchange in Oil-in-Water Emulsions through Contrast Variation Time-Resolved Small-Angle Neutron Scattering.

Ultrasound is one of the most commonly used methods for synthesizing and processing emulsion systems. In this study, the kinetics of acoustically induced emulsion oil exchange was examined using contrast variation time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (CV-SANS). A custom-built sample environment was used to deliver acoustic forces while simultaneously performing CV-SANS experiments. It was observed that the oil exchange rate was significantly accelerated when sonicating at high acoustic pressures, where violent cavitation events can induce droplet coalescence and breakup. No significant oil exchange occurred at acoustic pressures below the cavitation threshold within the short time scales of the experiments. It was also observed that the oil exchange kinetics was deterred when emulsions were stabilized by surfactants. In addition, oil exchange rates varied nonlinearly with the concentration of surfactant, and exchange was slowest when the emulsions were stabilized by an intermediate concentration. It is hypothesized that emulsion size, electrostatic repulsion, and Gibbs elasticity of the oil-water interface play significant roles in the observed trends. The observed trends in oil exchange rates versus surfactant concentration coincide well with theoretical models for the fluctuation of the elasticity of the interface. Acoustically induced oil exchange was most inefficient when the interfacial elasticity was at its maximum value.

Is Taiwan's National Health Insurance a perfect system? Problems related to health care utilization of the aboriginal population in rural townships.

National Health Insurance (NHI) was implemented in Taiwan in 1995, and has significantly increased coverage to 99% of the population. The implementation of NHI has had large impacts on health disparities. Despite that, the NHI faces multiple challenges, including the condition of "coverage without access" among the Taiwanese aboriginal population, mostly residing in mountainous townships and experiencing lower socioeconomic status, decreased health outcomes, and limited access to adequate high-quality health care services. This paper summarizes the persistent health gap and the differences in health care utilization and health outcomes between the aboriginal population in rural townships and urban populations in Taiwan. Mountainous townships face challenges including lack of access to high-quality health care services and limited medical resources. Further policy recommendations and current progress are highlighted and discussed.

A small-angle scattering environment for in situ ultrasound studies.

Ultrasonic devices are common tools in laboratory and industrial settings to produce cavitation events for cleaning, emulsification, cell lysis and other materials applications. Effects of sonication at the macroscopic scale can be visible while effects at the molecular and nano-scales are not easily probed and, therefore, not fully understood. We present a new small angle scattering sample environment designed specifically to study structural changes occurring in various types of dispersions at the nano-scale due to ultrasonic acoustic waves. The sample environment features two face-to-face high-intensity focused ultrasound transducers coaxially aligned and normal to the neutron/X-ray beam propagation direction. A third broadband transducer is fixed beneath the scattering volume to acoustically monitor for cavitation events. By correlating acoustic data to scattering data, measured structural changes can be correlated to changes in parameters such as frequency, acoustic pressure, or cavitation pressure threshold. Several example applications of colloidal systems effectively influenced by ultrasound fields are also presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the device and to motivate future work on in situ scattering analysis of ultrasound materials processing methods.

A novel depth estimation algorithm of chest compression for feedback of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation based on a smartwatch.

INTRODUCTION: High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a key factor affecting cardiac arrest survival. Accurate monitoring and real-time feedback are emphasized to improve CPR quality. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel depth estimation algorithm based on a smartwatch equipped with a built-in accelerometer for feedback instructions during CPR. METHODS: For data collection and model building, researchers wore an Android Wear smartwatch and performed chest compression-only CPR on a Resusci Anne QCPR training manikin. We developed an algorithm based on the assumptions that (1) maximal acceleration measured by the smartwatch accelerometer and the chest compression depth (CCD) are positively correlated and (2) the magnitude of acceleration at a specific time point and interval is correlated with its neighboring points. We defined a statistic value M as a function of time and the magnitude of maximal acceleration. We labeled and processed collected data and determined the relationship between M value, compression rate and CCD. We built a model accordingly, and developed a smartwatch app capable of detecting CCD. For validation, researchers wore a smartwatch with the preinstalled app and performed chest compression-only CPR on the manikin at target sessions. We compared the CCD results given by the smartwatch and the reference using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test (WSRT), and used Bland-Altman (BA) analysis to assess the agreement between the two methods. RESULTS: We analyzed a total of 3978 compressions that covered the target rate of 80-140/min and CCD of 4-7 cm. WSRT showed that there was no significant difference between the two methods (P = 0.084). By BA analysis the mean of differences was 0.003 and the bias between the two methods was not significant (95% CI: -0.079 to 0.085). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the algorithm developed for estimating CCD based on a smartwatch with a built-in accelerometer is promising. Further studies will be conducted to evaluate its application for CPR training and clinical practice.

SimCP3-An Advanced Homologue of SimCP2 as a Solution-Processed Small Molecular Host Material for Blue Phosphorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

We have overcome the synthetic difficulty of 9,9',9'',9''',9'''',9'''''-((phenylsilanetriyl)tris(benzene-5,3,1-triyl))hexakis(9H-carbazole) (SimCP3) an advanced homologue of previously known SimCP2 as a solution-processed, high triplet gap energy host material for a blue phosphorescence dopant. A series of organic light-emitting diodes based on blue phosphorescence dopant iridium (III) bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato)picolate, FIrpic, were fabricated and tested to demonstrate the validity of solution-processed SimCP3 in the device fabrication.