Size-Controlled Cu3VSe4 Nanocrystals as Cathode Material in Platinum-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

In this work, we report the first single-step, size-controlled synthesis of Cu3VSe4 cuboidal nanocrystals, with the longest dimension ranging from 9 to 36 nm, and their use in replacing the platinum counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. Cu3VSe4, a ternary semiconductor from the class of sulvanites, is theoretically predicted to have good hole mobility, making it a promising candidate for charge transport in solar photovoltaic devices. The identity and crystalline purity of the Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals were validated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The particle size was determined from the XRD data using the Williamson-Hall equation and was found in agreement with the transmission electron microscopy imaging. Based on the electrochemical activity of the Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals, studied by cyclic voltammetry, the nanomaterials were further employed for fabricating counter electrodes (CEs) in Pt-free dye-sensitized solar cells. The counter electrodes were prepared from Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals as thin films, and the charge transfer kinetics were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The work demonstrates that Cu3VSe4 counter electrodes successfully replace platinum in DSSCs. CEs fabricated with the Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals having an average particle size of 31.6 nm outperformed Pt, leading to DSSCs with the highest power conversion efficiency (5.93%) when compared with those fabricated with the Pt CE (5.85%).

A Closer Look at Indirect Causes of Death After Hurricane Maria Using a Semiparametric Model.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as well as other recent natural emergencies have put the spotlight on emergency planning. One important aspect is that natural disasters or emergencies often lead to indirect deaths, and studying the behavior of indirect deaths during emergencies can guide emergency planning. While many studies have suggested many indirect deaths in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria; the specific causes of these deaths have not been carefully studied. METHODS: In this study, we use a semiparametric model and mortality data to evaluate cause of death trends. Our model adjusts for cause of death effect potentially varying over time while also inferring on how long excess deaths occurred. RESULTS: From September 2017 to March 2018, after adjusting for intra-annual variability and population displacement, we find evidence of significant excess deaths due to Alzheimer's/Parkinson, heart disease, sepsis, diabetes, renal failure, and pneumonia and influenza. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast, for the same time period we find no evidence of significant excess deaths due to cancer, hypertension, respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular disease, suicide, homicide, falling accidents, and traffic accidents.

PCL/PEO Polymer Membrane Prevents Biofouling in Wearable Detection Sensors.

Technological advances in biosensing offer extraordinary opportunities to transfer technologies from a laboratory setting to clinical point-of-care applications. Recent developments in the field have focused on electrochemical and optical biosensing platforms. Unfortunately, these platforms offer relatively poor sensitivity for most of the clinically relevant targets that can be measured on the skin. In addition, the non-specific adsorption of biomolecules (biofouling) has proven to be a limiting factor compromising the longevity and performance of these detection systems. Research from our laboratory seeks to capitalize on analyte selective properties of biomaterials to achieve enhanced analyte adsorption, enrichment, and detection. Our goal is to develop a functional membrane integrated into a microfluidic sampling interface and an electrochemical sensing unit. The membrane was manufactured from a blend of Polycaprolactone (PCL) and Polyethylene oxide (PEO) through a solvent casting evaporation method. A microfluidic flow cell was developed with a micropore array that allows liquid to exit from all pores simultaneously, thereby imitating human perspiration. The electrochemical sensing unit consisted of planar gold electrodes for the monitoring of nonspecific adsorption of proteins utilizing Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The solvent casting evaporation technique proved to be an effective method to produce membranes with the desired physical properties (surface properties and wettability profile) and a highly porous and interconnected structure. Permeability data from the membrane sandwiched in the flow cell showed excellent permeation and media transfer efficiency with uniform pore activation for both active and passive sweat rates. Biofouling experiments exhibited a decrease in the extent of biofouling of electrodes protected with the PCL/PEO membrane, corroborating the capacity of our material to mitigate the effects of biofouling.

Complexes of vertebrate TMC1/2 and CIB2/3 proteins form hair-cell mechanotransduction cation channels.

Calcium and integrin-binding protein 2 (CIB2) and CIB3 bind to transmembrane channel-like 1 (TMC1) and TMC2, the pore-forming subunits of the inner-ear mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) apparatus. Whether these interactions are functionally relevant across mechanosensory organs and vertebrate species is unclear. Here we show that both CIB2 and CIB3 can form heteromeric complexes with TMC1 and TMC2 and are integral for MET function in mouse cochlea and vestibular end organs as well as in zebrafish inner ear and lateral line. Our AlphaFold 2 models suggest that vertebrate CIB proteins can simultaneously interact with at least two cytoplasmic domains of TMC1 and TMC2 as validated using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of TMC1 fragments interacting with CIB2 and CIB3. Molecular dynamics simulations of TMC1/2 complexes with CIB2/3 predict that TMCs are structurally stabilized by CIB proteins to form cation channels. Overall, our work demonstrates that intact CIB2/3 and TMC1/2 complexes are integral to hair-cell MET function in vertebrate mechanosensory epithelia.

High mercury concentrations in steelhead/rainbow trout, sculpin, and terrestrial invertebrates in a stream-riparian food web in coastal California.

Stream and riparian food webs are connected by cross-habitat exchanges of invertebrate prey that can transfer contaminants including mercury. Marine fog has been identified as a source of methylmercury (MeHg) to some terrestrial food webs in coastal California, suggesting that terrestrial invertebrates might have elevated MeHg relative to stream invertebrates and might lead to higher mercury exposure in fish that consume terrestrial subsidies. As an initial step to examine this possibility, we analyzed mercury concentrations in terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and two fish species, steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus), in a small watershed. Mean MeHg and total mercury (THg) concentrations in terrestrial invertebrates were three to four times higher than in aquatic invertebrates of the same trophic level. MeHg was >1000 ng/g dw in some individual centipede and scorpion samples, and also relatively high (100-300 ng/g dw) in some terrestrial detritivores, including non-native isopods. Mean THg in age 0 trout was 400 ng/g dw compared to 1200-1300 ng/g dw in age 1+ trout and sculpin, and the largest trout sampled had THg >3500 ng/g dw. However, the similar mercury concentrations between age 1+ trout and sculpin, despite different diet types, indicated that Hg concentrations in fish were not related simply to differences in consumption of terrestrial invertebrates. The high mercury concentrations we found in terrestrial invertebrates and fish suggest that further research on the sources and bioaccumulation of mercury is warranted in this region where O. mykiss populations are threatened.

Colloidal Synthesis and Photocatalytic Properties of Cu3NbS4 and Cu3NbSe4 Sulvanite Nanocrystals.

Niobium sulvanites Cu3NbX4 (X = S, Se) have been theoretically predicted as promising candidates for solar photovoltaics and photocatalytic water splitting. This report outlines the first synthesis of Cu3NbS4 and Cu3NbSe4 in a nanocrystalline form. The crystal structures were investigated by X-ray diffraction, identity was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and the optoelectronic properties and morphology of Cu3NbS4 and Cu3NbSe4 nanocrystals were examined by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. To gain insight into the Cu3NbX4 formation, a mechanistic study was conducted for Cu3NbSe4 monitoring the nanoparticles' formation as a function of reaction time. Methylene blue photodegradation tests were conducted to evaluate the photoactivity of Cu3NbS4 and Cu3NbSe4. The degradation rates, 2.81 × 10-2 min-1 and 1.22 × 10-2 min-1 proved the photocatalysts' potential of nanoscale Cu3NbX4.

An Unusual Case of Kidney Injury in a Young Woman with a Connective Tissue Disease.

A 32-year-old female was admitted to our institution with thrombocytopenia, fever, serositis, hepatosplenomegaly, diffuse lymphadenopathy, and renal insufficiency. A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was made. Due to recalcitrant thrombocytopenia, serositis, and renal insufficiency methylprednisolone was prescribed in high doses. In addition to proteinuria and hematuria, she was found to have uric acid crystals in her urinalysis. A serum uric acid was found elevated at 18 mg/dL. Rasburicase infusions were started. Within 5 days of commencing rasburicase and continuing high-dose methylprednisolone, her serum creatinine normalized and proteinuria resolved. The microhematuria disappeared within 2 weeks of beginning rasburicase. The rapid reversal of renal insufficiency and all urinary abnormalities after the start of rasburicase infusions suggests that the renal injury was most likely due to uric acid-mediated renal injury and not lupus nephritis. Our case illustrates the co-occurrence of 2 distinct clinical entities, one common for the patient's age, sex, and foremost clinical findings, while the other uncommon and unexpected, but both associated to kidney injury. Clinicians must be aware that careful evaluation of symptoms and laboratory tests is needed to make a thorough differential diagnosis and provide the right treatment at the most opportune moment.

Exploring Blob Detection to Determine Atomic Column Positions and Intensities in Time-Resolved TEM Images with Ultra-Low Signal-to-Noise.

Spatially resolved in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), equipped with direct electron detection systems, is a suitable technique to record information about the atom-scale dynamics with millisecond temporal resolution from materials. However, characterizing dynamics or fluxional behavior requires processing short time exposure images which usually have severely degraded signal-to-noise ratios. The poor signal-to-noise associated with high temporal resolution makes it challenging to determine the position and intensity of atomic columns in materials undergoing structural dynamics. To address this challenge, we propose a noise-robust, processing approach based on blob detection, which has been previously established for identifying objects in images in the community of computer vision. In particular, a blob detection algorithm has been tailored to deal with noisy TEM image series from nanoparticle systems. In the presence of high noise content, our blob detection approach is demonstrated to outperform the results of other algorithms, enabling the determination of atomic column position and its intensity with a higher degree of precision.

Timeliness of provisional United States mortality data releases during the COVID-19 pandemic: delays associated with electronic death registration system and weekly mortality.

All-cause mortality counts allow public health authorities to identify populations experiencing excess deaths from pandemics, natural disasters, and other emergencies. Delays in the completeness of mortality counts may contribute to misinformation because death counts take weeks to become accurate. We estimate the timeliness of all-cause mortality releases during the COVID-19 pandemic for the dates 3 April to 5 September 2020 by estimating the number of weekly data releases of the NCHS Fluview Mortality Surveillance System until mortality comes within 99% of the counts in the 19 March 19 2021 provisional mortality data release. States' mortality counts take 5 weeks at median (interquartile range 4-7 weeks) to completion. The fastest states were Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii. States that had not adopted the electronic death registration system (EDRS) were 4.8 weeks slower to achieve complete mortality counts, and each weekly death per 10^8 was associated with a 0.8 week delay. Emergency planning should improve the timeliness of mortality data by improving state vital statistics digital infrastructure.

Sulvanites: The Promise at the Nanoscale.

The class of ternary copper chalcogenides Cu3MX4 (M = V, Nb, Ta; X = S, Se, Te), also known as the sulvanite family, has attracted attention in the past decade as featuring promising materials for optoelectronic devices, including solar photovoltaics. Experimental and theoretical studies of these semiconductors have provided much insight into their properties, both in bulk and at the nanoscale. The recent realization of sulvanites at the nanoscale opens new avenues for the compounds toward printable electronics. This review is aimed at the consideration of synthesis methods, relevant properties and the recent developments of the most important sulvanites.

Epitope of dengue virus E protein detect human antibodies associated with mild disease: a potential peptide for vaccine development

ABSTRACT The antigenic potential of seven immunogenic peptides of the dengue virus was evaluated in the sera of patients with dengue confirmed by IgM/IgG serology. Antibodies IgM and IgG against dengue virus peptides were analyzed by ELISA in 31 dengue sero-positive and 20 sero-negative patients. The P5 peptide showed significant IgG immunoreactivity mostly in the sera of patients with dengue without warning signs in comparison with patients with dengue with warning signs, correlating with mild disease. This finding suggests that the low antibody response against P5 epitope could be a risk factor for higher susceptibility to dengue virus infection with warning signs, and that P5 could be a potential antigen for vaccine development.

Epitope of dengue virus E protein detect human antibodies associated with mild disease: a potential peptide for vaccine development.

The antigenic potential of seven immunogenic peptides of the dengue virus was evaluated in the sera of patients with dengue confirmed by IgM/IgG serology. Antibodies IgM and IgG against dengue virus peptides were analyzed by ELISA in 31 dengue sero-positive and 20 sero-negative patients. The P5 peptide showed significant IgG immunoreactivity mostly in the sera of patients with dengue without warning signs in comparison with patients with dengue with warning signs, correlating with mild disease. This finding suggests that the low antibody response against P5 epitope could be a risk factor for higher susceptibility to dengue virus infection with warning signs, and that P5 could be a potential antigen for vaccine development.

Modeling excess deaths after a natural disaster with application to Hurricane Maria.

Estimation of excess deaths due to a natural disaster is an important public health problem. The CDC provides guidelines to fill death certificates to help determine the death toll of such events. But, even when followed by medical examiners, the guidelines cannot guarantee a precise calculation of excess deaths. We propose two models to estimate excess deaths due to an emergency. The first model is simple, permitting excess death estimation with little data through a profile likelihood method. The second model is more flexible, incorporating temporal variation, covariates, and possible population displacement while allowing inference on how the emergency's effect changes with time. The models are implemented to build confidence intervals estimating Hurricane Maria's death toll.

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats.

The present article provides a guide for the conduction and analysis of three conditioning-based protocols to evaluate impulsivity in rats. Impulsivity is a meaningful concept because it is associated with psychiatric conditions in humans and with maladaptive behavior in non-human animals. It is believed that impulsivity is composed of separate factors. There are laboratory protocols devised to assess each of these factors using standardized automated equipment. Delay discounting is associated with the incapacity to be motivated by delayed outcomes. This factor is evaluated through intertemporal choice protocols, which consist of presenting the individual with a choice situation involving an immediate reward and a larger but delayed reward. Response inhibition deficit is associated with the incapacity to withhold prepotent responses. Differential reinforcement of low rates (DLR) and feature-negative discrimination protocols assess the response inhibition deficit factor of impulsivity. The former imposes a condition to a motivated individual in which most wait a minimum period of time for a response to be rewarded. The latter evaluates the capacity of individuals to refrain from food seeking responses when a signal of the absence of food is presented. The purpose of these protocols is to construct an objective quantitative measure of impulsivity, which serves to make cross-species comparisons, allowing the possibility of translational research. The advantages of these particular protocols include their easy set-up and application, which stems from the relatively small amount of equipment needed and the automated nature of these protocols.

Cytokine profile as diagnostic and prognostic factor in neonatal sepsis.

Antecedents: The serum levels of some cytokines can be useful in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis; the prognostic value of a cytokine profile has not, to our knowledge, been explored in this disease. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of the serum levels of cytokines IL-1, -2, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -10, -12, -13, and -17, TNF, IFNγ, G-CSF, GM-CSF, MCP1, and MIP1ß in neonates with high risk of developing sepsis. Methods: Sepsis was evaluated in 96 high-risk neonates. We assessed cytokine levels on hospital admission and during or not during sepsis. Results: Fifty (52%) presented sepsis (26 early and 24 late). Sepsis was associated with high levels of IL-6, IL-10, G-CSF, and MCP1 and low levels of IFNγ, early sepsis with high levels of IL-6 and G-CSF, severe sepsis with high levels of IL-6 and IL-10, while deaths or sequelae was associated with low levels of IL-4, IL-12, IFNγ, and high levels of GM-CSF. IL-6 values of ≥40.1 pg/mL were associated with the development of any type of sepsis (relative risk [RR]: 1.70; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.18-2.24; p = .01), while IL-6 values of ≥44.9 pg/mL were associated with early sepsis (RR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.29-4.56; p = .01). Conclusion: In neonates with high risk for the development of sepsis, there is an association between levels of IL-6, IL-10, and G-SCF and the disease development/outcome.

Healthcare delay in breast cancer patients: a case study in a low-density population region from Mexico.

AIM: To describe delay intervals, their impact on clinical stage and initiation of first oncologic treatment, and evaluate associated factors in breast cancer patients in Yucatan, Mexico, a low-density population region. PATIENTS & METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done of 92 medical records, and bivariate and multivariate models applied to identify associations between healthcare delay and several factors. RESULTS: System delay accounted for most of the delay (median: 86 days; 61% of delay). Socioeconomic status and delivery to tertiary-care hospital predicted delay. Clinical stage determined initiation of first oncologic treatment. CONCLUSION: Delay in treatment was largely due to system delay. Only a few variables explained this delay. Clinical stage had the strongest effect on initiation of first oncologic treatment.

Relationship between periodontal disease and asthma among overweight/obese adults.

AIM: To assess the relationship between oral health and asthma. METHODS: Data from 1315 overweight or obese individuals, aged 40-65 years were used. Asthma was self-reported, whereas periodontitis, bleeding on probing (BOP) and plaque index were determined by clinical examinations. RESULTS: Using logistic regression adjusting for gender, smoking status, age, body mass index, family history of asthma and income level, revealed that the odds ratio (OR) of asthma for a participant with severe periodontitis was 0.44 (95% confidence interval: 0.27, 0.70) that of a participant with none/mild periodontitis. On the other hand, proportion of BOP sites and plaque index were not statistically significant. For a participant with severe periodontitis, the OR of taking asthma medication was 0.20 (95% confidence interval: 0.09, 0.43) that of a participant with none/mild periodontitis. Moreover, proportion of BOP sites was statistically associated with use of asthma medication, whereas plaque index still remained non-significant. CONCLUSION: Participants with severe periodontitis were less likely to have asthma. Stronger evidence of an inverse association was found when using asthma medication as outcome.

Serum levels of IFN-ß are associated with days of evolution but not with severity of dengue.

The serum levels of beta interferon (IFN-ß) were evaluated in clinical samples taken in the acute phase of dengue fever for 107 patients during the 2011 dengue outbreak in Yucatán, México. Dengue diagnoses were confirmed by NS1 or IgM/IgG serology in all patients. Average serum IFN-ß levels in patients with dengue fever without warning signs (n = 53) were 140 pg/ml, and 105 pg/ml for patients with warning signs (n = 54). There was no statistically significant difference between IFN-ß levels for the two groups (Mann-Whitney U Test P > 0.05) and no association with warning or mild signs (OR: 0.57; 95%CI: 0.26-1.22) was indicated. Thrombocytopenia was the most prevalent warning sign (91%) in one group of patients (49) with mean 113 pg/ml IFN-ß levels. In contrast, the patients without thrombocytopenia (50) had 126 pg/ml of IFN-ß, but this level was not statistically significant (Mann-Whitney U Test P > 0.05). The average levels of IFN-ß were also found to have statistically similar results, using the 1997 WHO classification system. The amount of IFN-ß at 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 days after onset of illness, however, did show significant differences (ANOVA P = 0.038) between patients for the 1-3 and 4-6 days pair (Scheffe post-hoc P = 0.043). These results suggest that serum levels of IFN-ß do not correlate well with the severity of dengue illness, but there is a clear association between changes in IFN-ß levels and the days of evolution during the acute phase of the disease.

Functional Brain Imaging in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: Case Report and Literature review.

Functional brain imaging with brain single photon emission computer tomography (Brain SPECT) has been used for many years in the evaluation of multiple neuro-degenerative and neuro-developmental disorders. Brain SPECT is a nuclear medicine tomographic study performed with a lipophilic radiopharmaceutical labeled with 99mTc-pertechnetate. It is a cerebral perfusion agent that depicts the global and regional perfusion patterns in the cortical gray matter and subcortical structures. Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a rare neuro-developmental and genetic condition, associated to several malformations. There are a limited number of cases reported in the medical literature and few of them report neuro-radiological and/or neuro-pathologic abnormalities. We report a case of a 15 year old patient, clinically diagnosed at birth with CdLS, who presents limited anatomical findings on Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the Brain SPECT findings in this syndrome.

Intestinal parasites and genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in children: first report of genotype B in isolates from human clinical samples in Mexico

Giardia duodenalis is one of the most prevalent enteroparasites in children. This parasite produces several clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of genotypes of G. duodenalis causing infection in a region of southeastern Mexico. G. duodenalis cysts were isolated (33/429) from stool samples of children and molecular genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, targeting the triosephosphate isomerase ( tpi ) and glutamate dehydrogenase ( gdh ) genes. The tpi gene was amplified in all of the cyst samples, either for assemblage A (27 samples) or assemblage B (6 samples). RFLP analysis classified the 27 tpi -A amplicons in assemblage A, subgenotype I. Samples classified as assemblage B were further analysed using PCR-RFLP of the gdh gene and identified as assemblage B, subgenotype III. To our knowledge, this is the first report of assemblage B of G. duodenalis in human clinical samples from Mexico.