Phosphorus-Doped Nickel Oxide Micro-Supercapacitor: Unleashing the Power of Energy Storage for Miniaturized Electronic Devices.

For an uninterrupted self-powered network, the requirement of miniaturized energy storage device is of utmost importance. This study explores the potential utilization of phosphorus-doped nickel oxide (P-NiO) to design highly efficient durable micro-supercapacitors. The introduction of P as a dopant serves to enhance the electrical conductivity of bare NiO, leading to 11-fold augmentation in volumetric capacitance to 841.92 Fcm-3 followed by significant enhancement of energy and power density from 6.71 to 42.096 mWhcm-3 and 0.47 to 1.046 Wcm-3, respectively. Theoretical calculations used to determine the adsorption energy of OH- ions, revealing higher in case of bare NiO (1.52 eV) as compared to phosphorus-doped NiO (0.64 eV) leading to high electrochemical energy storage performance. The as-designed micro-supercapacitor (MSC) device demonstrates a facile integration with the photovoltaic system for renewable energy storage and smooth transfer to external loads for enlightening the blue LED for ≈1 min. The choice of P-NiO/Ni not only contributes to cost reduction but also ensures minimal lattice mismatch at the interface facilitating high durability up to 15 K cycles along with capacitive retention of ≈100% and coulombic efficiency of 93%. Thus, the heterostructure unveils the possibilities of exploring miniaturized energy storage devices for portable electronics.

Harvesting Green Hydrogen from the Deep Blue: Seawater-Compatible SnSe-P Decorated Graphene-CNTs Based Electrocatalyst Under Universal pH.

Fabrication of cost-effective and robust metal-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) across the entire pH range has garnered significant attention in harvesting renewable energy. Herein, the fabrication of 3D high-surface Ni Foam-Graphene-Carbon Nanotubes (NGC) decorated with phosphorous-inserted tin selenide (SnSe-P) showcases unprecedented HER activity with minimal overpotentials across all pH ranges (52 mV in acidic, 93 mV in basic, and 198 mV in neutral conditions@10 mA cm-2) and stability at 1 A cm-2 for 72 h. The as-designed catalyst shows a low overpotential of 122 mV@10 mA cm-2 in alkaline seawater, achieved through controlled electronic distribution on Sn site after incorporation of P in NGC-SnSe-P. A stable cell voltage of 1.56 V@10 mA cm⁻2 is achieved for prolonged time in 1 m KOH toward overall water electrolysis. Experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the insertion of P in layered SnSe enables s orbitals of H* and p orbitals of Sn to interact, favoring the adsorption of the H* intermediate. A renewable approach is adopted by using silicon solar cells (η = 10.66%) to power up the electrolyzer, yielding a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of 7.70% in 1 m KOH and 5.65% in alkaline seawater, aiming toward green hydrogen production.

Porous Carbon Template Decorated with MOF-Driven Bimetallic Phosphide: A Suitable Heterostructure for the Production of Uninterrupted Green Hydrogen via Renewable Energy Storage Device.

Water splitting via an uninterrupted electrochemical process through hybrid energy storage devices generating continuous hydrogen is cost-effective and green approach to address the looming energy and environmental crisis toward constant supply of hydrogen fuel in fuel cell driven automobile sector. The high surface area metal-organic framework (MOF) driven bimetallic phosphides (ZnP2 @CoP) on top of CNT-carbon cloth matrix is utilized as positive and negative electrodes in energy storage devices and overall water splitting. The as-prepared positive electrode exhibits excellent specific capacitances/capacity of 1600 F g-1 /800 C g-1 @ 1A g-1 and the corresponding hybrid device reveals an energy density of 83.03 Wh kg-1 at power density of 749.9 W kg-1 . Simultaneously, the electrocatalytic performance of heterostructure shows overpotentials of 90 mV@HER and 204 mV@OER at current density of 10 and 20 mA cm-2 , respectively in alkaline electrocatalyzer. Undoubtedly, it shows overall water splitting with low cell voltage of 1.53 V@10 mA cm-2 having faradic and solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 98.81% and 9.94%, respectively. In addition, the real phase demonstration of the overall water-splitting is performed where the electrocatalyzer is connected with a series of hybrid supercapacitor devices powered up by the 6 V standard silicon solar panel to produce uninterrupted green H2 .

Chemical peel as an adjuvant treatment in pigmented contact dermatitis: a case series.

A chemical peel is chemexfoliation, a process of application of a chemical substance to the skin that causes controlled chemical destruction of the epidermis with or without part of the dermis leading to skin regeneration and remodeling. It can be classified depending upon the depth of penetration into superficial, medium, and deep peels. Among various indications, peels can be used to enhance treatment within a variety of conditions including skin- rejuvenation, inflammatory disorders like acne, rosacea, acne scar, and pigmentary disorders like melasma, freckles, lentigens, dyschromia, and post-inflammatory pigmentation. We did a chemical peel for six patients with facial melanosis, diagnosed with Riehl melanosis. All patients had visible clinical improvement. Detailed history and informed consent were taken both for photographs and procedures from all patients.

Assessing the impacts of Amphan cyclone over West Bengal, India: a multi-sensor approach.

Landfall of the Amphan (very severe cyclonic storm) occurred at 1730 hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) on May 20, 2020, near the West Bengal (W.B.) coast of India. High wind speed, storm surge, and torrential rainfall-induced flooding caused devastation in W.B. The present study aims to analyse the impacts of Amphan cyclone on land use/land cover (LULC) such as built-up area, cropland, brick-kiln industries and vegetation cover of nine districts of W.B. namely, Barddhaman, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Haora, and Kolkata. Flood extent has been mapped using Sentinel-1A and B interferometric wide swath (IW) ground range detected (GRD) VV polarisation images dated May 22, 2020. The total actual flooded area covers 488 km2 of the study area. For the pre-cyclone period, LULC classification and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) have been done using Sentinel-2B multispectral instrument (MSI) images dated May 14, 2020. Post-cyclone NDVI has been computed using Sentinel-2B MSI images dated June 3, 2020. Flood-affected cropland covers a large chunk (88.2%) of the total actual flooded area. Mean NDVI values of non-flooded and flooded cropland and vegetation cover have been reduced between May 14, 2020, and June 3, 2020. District, block and pixel-wise changes in pre- and post-cyclone NDVI values have also been analysed. This study helps planners and policy makers to understand the district-wise flooding behavior, severity of damage to cropland and vegetation cover and to plan restriction on high-value land use in flooded low-lying areas.

Aberrant ETS-1 signalling impedes the expression of cell adhesion molecules and matrix metalloproteinases in non-segmental vitiligo.

Cell adhesion is a complex process that involves multiple molecules on the cell surface (ie cell adhesion molecules [CAMs]), surrounding cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). Repigmentation in vitiligo is dependent on the ECM remodelling and cellular migration, primarily attributed to the transcriptional activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the role of ETS-1 signalling in the regulation of MMPs and CAMs. Therefore, we studied the expression of ETS-1, MMPs (MMP-2, MMP-9) and CAMs including E-cadherin, ITGA-1 and ICAM-1 in vitiligo (both active and stable) ex vivo. Further, we compared melanocyte morphology and their adhesion towards collagen IV and laminin between control and vitiligo groups in vitro. Also, we silenced ETS-1 in melanocytes cultured from control skin and observed post-silencing effect on above-mentioned MMPs and CAMs. We perceived absent ETS-1 and significantly reduced CAMs and MMPs in vitiligo compared with normal skin. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a translucent material surrounding individual melanocytes in stable vitiligo and controls, whereas active vitiligo melanocytes demonstrated loss of this extracellular substance. Adhesion assays revealed significantly decreased binding of cultured melanocytes to collagen IV and laminin V plates in both stable and active vitiligo. Importantly, ETS-1 silencing resulted in significantly reduced expression of CAMs and MMPs. In conclusion, absent ETS-1 expression in both stable and active non-segmental vitiligo seems to impede the expression of CAMs, apart from MMPs, probably leading to progressive depigmentation in active disease and absence of spontaneous repigmentation in stable disease.

Epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa: A rare entity which responded well to thalidomide.

Epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa is an unusual clinical variant of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa characterized by sublamina densa blistering and intense pruritus leading to hypertrophic lichenoid nodules, plaques, milia, and variable presence of albopapuloid lesions. Most cases are sporadic but a few cases have autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance. Treatment has been quite disappointing and failed to produce satisfactory or sustained results. We report a case of 39-years-old male with epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa and its response to thalidomide.

Increased systemic and epidermal levels of IL-17A and IL-1ß promotes progression of non-segmental vitiligo.

BACKGROUND: Non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) results from autoimmune destruction of melanocytes. The altered levels of various cytokines have been proposed in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. However, the exact immune mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of epidermal and systemic cytokines in active and stable NSV patients. METHODS: Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were checked in 42 active and 30 stable NSV patients with 30 controls. The lesional, perilesional and normal skin sections were subjected to H&E staining. The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines and their respective receptors were assessed by quantitative PCR in lesional skin of both active and stable NSV skin. The MITF and IL-17A were immunolocalized in lesional, perilesional and normal skin tissue. RESULTS: Significant increase in the expression of inflammatory cytokines, IL-17A, IL-1ß and TGF-ß was observed in active patients, whereas no change was observed in stable patients. A marked reduction in epidermal thickness was observed in lesional skin sections. Significant increase in IL-17A and significant decrease in microphthalmia associated transcription factor (MITF) expression was observed in lesional and perilesional skin sections. Moreover, qPCR analysis showed significant alterations in the mRNA levels of IL-17A, IL-1ß, IFN-γ, TGF-ß and their respective receptors in active and stable vitiligo patient samples. CONCLUSION: Increased levels of IL-17A and IL-1ß cytokines and decreased expression of MITF suggested a possible role of these cytokines in dysregulation of melanocytic activity in the lesional skin and hence might be responsible for the progression of active vitiligo.

Glycolic acid peel in disseminated facial verrucae.

Facial warts are a common cause of cosmetic concern and also affect the self-esteem of the affected patients. These are benign skin papillomas caused by human papillomavirus infections. Warts affecting the face are mainly due to HPV-3 and HPV-10. Destructive and caustic agents used for the treatment can produce scarring at these site, hence should be used with care. Earlier, glycolic acid alone as well as in combination with salicylic acid in gel base formulation have been used to treat facial recalcitrant wart with good results. We used glycolic acid peel in aqueous base with dramatic improvement.

Phenoloxidase activity acts as a mosquito innate immune response against infection with Semliki Forest virus.

Several components of the mosquito immune system including the RNA interference (RNAi), JAK/STAT, Toll and IMD pathways have previously been implicated in controlling arbovirus infections. In contrast, the role of the phenoloxidase (PO) cascade in mosquito antiviral immunity is unknown. Here we show that conditioned medium from the Aedes albopictus-derived U4.4 cell line contains a functional PO cascade, which is activated by the bacterium Escherichia coli and the arbovirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) (Togaviridae; Alphavirus). Production of recombinant SFV expressing the PO cascade inhibitor Egf1.0 blocked PO activity in U4.4 cell- conditioned medium, which resulted in enhanced spread of SFV. Infection of adult female Aedes aegypti by feeding mosquitoes a bloodmeal containing Egf1.0-expressing SFV increased virus replication and mosquito mortality. Collectively, these results suggest the PO cascade of mosquitoes plays an important role in immune defence against arboviruses.

Evaluating Sleep Challenges in Hospitalized Youth.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize sleep quality and sleep disruptions among youth hospitalized outside of the intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were eligible for the survey-based study if they were 8-17 years old, English-speaking, hospitalized for ≥3 days outside of the ICU, and developmentally able to understand surveys. Survey administration included a sleep diary, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale for Children and Adolescents (ESS-CHAD), and a study-specific Inpatient Sleep Disruptors Questionnaire. The chart review provided additional clinical information. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed to assess the association between overnight clinical monitoring and daytime sleepiness. RESULTS: Forty-five participants (mean age 13.4 years, 60% female), recruited between May and December 2022, were included in the study. Mean total sleep time (8.2 ± 1.7 hours) and ESS-CHAD score (8.6 ± 4.3) were normal with 79% reporting fair to good sleep the previous night. Participants rated alarms on equipment, vital signs, and noise as most disruptive to sleep. Participants with vital signs every four hours showed higher levels of daytime sleepiness compared with participants with vitals measured every shift (9.3 vs. 6.3; p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Most participants reported normal sleep, although there was wide variability with a portion with impaired sleep quality and elevated daytime sleepiness. Alarms on equipment, vital signs, and noise were most disruptive, and increased vital sign frequency was also associated with increased daytime sleepiness. In clinically stable pediatric patients, a reduction in vital sign monitoring overnight may be an important change to improve patient sleep.

Harnessing Environmental Sensitivity in SnSe-Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Devices: Unveiling Negative Photoconductivity for Enhanced Photodetector Performance and Humidity Sensing.

The extreme sensitivity of 2D-layered materials to environmental adsorbates, which is typically seen as a challenge, is harnessed in this study to fine-tune the material properties. This work investigates the impact of environmental adsorbates on electrical properties by studying metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) devices fabricated on CVD-synthesized SnSe flakes. The freshly prepared devices exhibit positive photoconductivity (PPC), whereas they gradually develop negative photoconductivity (NPC) after being exposed to an ambient environment for ∼1 day. While the photodetectors based on positive photoconductivity exhibit a responsivity and detectivity of 6.1 A/W and 5.06 × 108 Jones, the same for the negative photoconductivity-based photodetector reaches up to 36.3 A/W and 1.49 × 109 Jones, respectively. In addition, the noise-equivalent power of the NPC photodetector decreases by 300 times as compared to the PPC device, which implies a prominent detection capability of the NPC device against weak photo signals. To substantiate the hypothesis that negative photoconductivity stems from the photodesorption of water and oxygen molecules on the dangling bonds of SnSe flakes, the flakes are etched along the most active planes (010) with a focused laser beam in an inert environment, which enhances responsivity by 43%, supporting negative photoconductivity linked to photodesorption. Furthermore, the humidity-dependent dark current variation of the NPC photodetectors is used to design a humidity sensor for human respiration monitoring with faster response and recovery times of 0.72 and 0.68 s, respectively. These findings open up the possibility of tuning the photoelectrical response of layered materials in a facile manner to develop future sensors and optoelectronic multifunctional devices.

Differential expression of extracellular matrix proteins in the lesional skin of vitiligo patients.

Skin pigmentation is regulated by intricate interaction of the dermis and epidermis. The extracellular components present in the dermis play a very important role in the maintenance of skin homeostasis. Therefore, our objective was to check the expression of various ECM components secreted by the dermal fibroblasts in the lesional skin and non-lesional skin of vitiligo patients. For this study, skin punch biopsies (4 mm) were collected from lesional skin (n = 12), non-lesional skin (n = 6) of non-segmental vitiligo patient's (NSV) and healthy control skin (n = 10). Masson's trichrome staining was performed to check the collagen fibre. The expression of collagen type 1, IV, elastin, fibronectin, E-cadherin and integrin ß1 was checked by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. In this study, we demonstrated an increased expression of collagen type 1 in the lesional skin of vitiligo patients. The expression of collagen type IV, fibronectin, elastin and adhesion components such as E-cadherin and integrin ß1 was observed to be significantly decreased in the lesional skin of NSV patients as compared to healthy control, whereas insignificant difference was observed between non-lesional and control skin. Increased expression of collagen type 1 in the lesional skin of vitiligo patients might be inhibiting the migration of melanocytes, whereas the decreased expression of elastin, collagen type IV, fibronectin, E-cadherins and integrins in the lesional skin may inhibit adhesion, migration, growth and differentiation of cells.

Daytime Sleepiness in Children With Asthma: Examining Respiratory and Non-respiratory Factors.

Objective Daytime sleepiness is common in youth with asthma (YWA). Treatments designed to mitigate daytime sleepiness in YWA require an understanding of the primary causes of this problem. We examined respiratory- and non-respiratory-related factors associated with daytime sleepiness in YWA. Methods One hundred YWA (eight to 17 years old) were included in a cross-sectional study. Daytime sleepiness, quality of life, anxiety, bedtime cellphone use, and respiratory symptoms were self-reported. Asthma severity, lung function, and the number of prescribed medications were obtained from electronic medical records. Multivariable regression models identifying variables associated with daytime sleepiness were generated. Results Participants were 54% male and 45% Black, with a mean age of 12.1 years. The multivariable regression model showed decreased quality of life (b = -0.328, p = 0.004) and increased bedtime cellphone use (b = 0.300, p = 0.004)were significantly related to daytime sleepiness, while anxiety (b = 0.213, p = 0.05), prescribed asthma medications (b = 0.173, p = 0.05), and worse lung function (b = -0.173, p = 0.05)were marginally related to daytime sleepiness. Conclusions In addition to optimizing asthma control, strategies targeting anxiety, quality of life, and nocturnal cellphone use are important to mitigate daytime sleepiness in YWA.

Myricetin: a potential plant-derived anticancer bioactive compound-an updated overview.

The globe is currently confronting a global fight against the deadliest cancer sickness. Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, surgery, and radiation therapy are among cancer treatment options. Still, these treatments can induce patient side effects, including recurrence, multidrug resistance, fever, and weakness. As a result, the scientific community is always working on natural phytochemical substances. Numerous phytochemical compounds, including taxol analogues, vinca alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine, and podophyllotoxin analogues, are currently undergoing testing and have shown promising results against a number of the deadliest diseases, as well as considerable advantages due to their safety and low cost. According to research, secondary plant metabolites such as myricetin, a flavonoid in berries, herbs, and walnuts, have emerged as valuable bio-agents for cancer prevention. Myricetin and its derivatives have antiinflammatory, anticancer, apoptosis-inducing, and anticarcinogenic properties and can prevent cancer cell proliferation. Multiple studies have found that myricetin has anticancer characteristics in various malignancies, including colon, breast, prostate, bladder, and pancreatic cancers. Current knowledge of the anticancer effects of myricetin reveals its promise as a potentially bioactive chemical produced from plants for the prevention and treatment of cancer. This review aimed to study the numerous bioactivities, mode of action, and modification of several cellular processes that myricetin possesses to impede the spread of cancer cells. This review also addresses the challenges and future prospects of using myricetin as a anticancer drug.