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HighlightsA facile and effective surface passivation strategy was demonstrated to improve the optical and stability of CsPbI3 nanocrystals by using guanidinium iodide post-treatment.Guanidinium cations was shown to be compatible with CsPbI3 perovskite, leading to significantly improved surface properties of CsPbI3 nanocrystals.Performance of the CsPbI3 nanocrystal-based light-emitting device was enhanced by 3.6 folds.The remarkable evolution of metal halide perovskites in the past decade makes them promise for next-generation optoelectronic material. In particular, nanocrystals (NCs) of inorganic perovskites have demonstrated excellent performance for light-emitting and display applications. However, the presence of surface defects on the NCs negatively impacts their performance in devices. Herein, we report a compatible facial post-treatment of CsPbI3 nanocrystals using guanidinium iodide (GuI). It is found that the GuI treatment effectively passivated the halide vacancy defects on the surface of the NCs while offering effective surface protection and exciton confinement thanks to the beneficial contribution of iodide and guanidinium cation. As a consequence, the film of treated CsPbI3 nanocrystals exhibited significantly enhanced luminescence and charge transport properties, leading to high-performance light-emitting diode with maximum external quantum efficiency of 13.8% with high brightness (peak luminance of 7039 cd m−2 and a peak current density of 10.8 cd A−1). The EQE is over threefold higher than performance of untreated device (EQE: 3.8%). The operational half-lifetime of the treated devices also was significantly improved with T50 of 20 min (at current density of 25 mA cm−2), outperforming the untreated devices (T50 ~ 6 min).

HighlightsA rational design of metal halide perovskites for achieving efficient CO2 reduction reaction was demonstrated.The stability of CsPbI3 perovskite nanocrystal (NCs) in aqueous electrolyte was improved by compositing with reduced graphene oxide (rGO).The CsPbI3/rGO catalyst exhibited > 92% Faradaic efficiency toward formate production with high current density which was associated with the synergistic effects between the CsPbI3 NCs and rGO.Transformation of greenhouse gas (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels is a promising route to address the global issues of climate change and the energy crisis. Metal halide perovskite catalysts have shown their potential in promoting CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), however, their low phase stability has limited their application perspective. Herein, we present a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) wrapped CsPbI3 perovskite nanocrystal (NC) CO2RR catalyst (CsPbI3/rGO), demonstrating enhanced stability in the aqueous electrolyte. The CsPbI3/rGO catalyst exhibited > 92% Faradaic efficiency toward formate production at a CO2RR current density of ~ 12.7 mA cm−2. Comprehensive characterizations revealed the superior performance of the CsPbI3/rGO catalyst originated from the synergistic effects between the CsPbI3 NCs and rGO, i.e., rGO stabilized the α-CsPbI3 phase and tuned the charge distribution, thus lowered the energy barrier for the protonation process and the formation of *HCOO intermediate, which resulted in high CO2RR selectivity toward formate. This work shows a promising strategy to rationally design robust metal halide perovskites for achieving efficient CO2RR toward valuable fuels.

The effect of temperature variation on the growth of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) using Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition (TCVD) is presented. Nickel and Cobalt (Ni-Co) thin films on Silicon (Si) substrates were used as catalysts in TCVD technique. Acetylene gas was used in the CNTs growth process at the controlled temperature ranges from 850-1000 °C. Catalysts and CNTs characterization were carried out using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the CNTs diameters increased with the temperature. The CNTs diameters were continually increased from 70 nm to 180 nm in the temperature range. In addition, the degree of crystallinity of the grown CNTs decreased.

Anal fissure is a common painful problem, affecting all age groups. Its pathophysiology is based on high sphincter pressures and reduced blood supplying and treatments which means that it generally reduces anal pressures and increases anodermal blood flow. Since each of the anal fissure’s routine therapies has some limitations such as definite risk of permanent fecal incontinence and high recurrence rate, we tried to find a more effective and less invasive procedure. In this pilot study which was implemented on 25 male and female patients aged 20–75 years, diagnosed clinically with chronic anal fissure, the Carbon Dioxide Laser Fractional was used to treat patients. In order to first remove fibrotic and granulation tissues, the base and the edges of the fissure were laser beamed. Eight spots were made on the sphincter by the laser on its continuous mode; somehow, they were passed through the full thickness of sphincter without interrupting its continuance. Afterwards, the area around the fissure ulcer was irradiated by deep fractional mode of the laser to stimulate the submucosa to regenerate and rejuvenate. After going through this procedure, patients were followed up within 6 months to 1 year. Pain, bleeding, and constipation were significantly improved. None of the patients had recurrence after a 1-year follow-up, and none of them had fecal incontinence and/or inability to control the passage of gas too. This study revealed that this new laser-based surgery is a simple, safe, and effective procedure to treat the anal fissure that can be performed with local anesthesia in an outpatient clinic with minimal postoperative morbidity.

Purpose: Paclitaxel (PTX) has transpired as a significant agent in the treatment of breast cancer. Meanwhile, polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) are able to increase the anticancer effect of the PTX in the blood. Methods: Nano-precipitation was used to prepare the PLGA-PTX-VitD3 co-delivery NPs. Drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release profile, cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and bcl2 expression of NPs were evaluated. Results: The average size of co-delivery NPs was 231 ± 46 nm. Observed was a controlled release of the PTX and vitamin D3 from co-delivery NPs between 0.5 and 240 hours. MTT showed the ability of 8 μg.mL-1 of co-delivery NPs to kill 50 % of the MCF-7; likewise, the co-delivery NPs prevented MCF-7 migration. The co-delivery NPs led 46.35 % MCF-7 to enter primary apoptosis. 60.8% of MCF-7 in the control group were able to enter the G (1) phase of the cell cycle. The co-delivery NPs increased expression of bax. In addition to its higher toxicity against MCF-7 than that of PTX, co-delivery NPs were able to release drugs continuously for a long period, which indeed increased the efficiency of the drugs. Conclusion: The effect of co-delivery NPs on MCF-7 cell viability was different from that in other drugs. In fact, the co-deliver NPs were able to release drugs continuously for a long time, this could induce primary apoptosis in the MCF-7 and decrease the metastasis and toxicity of drugs.

The main purpose of the current study is to identify Iranian higher education faculties’ action research skills. The study population was all Engineering faculty members in the University of Kashan (113 members). A random sample of 88 of these faculty members was recruited for this study. The instrument used in the present paper was a researcher-made action research questionnaire. The questionnaire assesses the faculties’ action research skills in four major catigories (recognition of problems, attitude towards action research, data collection skills, and practical research actions). The overall reliability of the questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha was 0.852, which showed the high reliability and internal consistency of the research instrument. This study clearly revealed that a considerable portion of faculty members are totally unaware of action research as one of the strategies for impoving the quality of education. Further analysis showed no major differences in the educational behavior of faculty memebrs who were either aware or unaware of the concept of action research. The most instresting finding of the current research is that all faculty members recognize educational problems or topics very well (recognition of problems) and are always involved and obsessed with educational issues (attitude towards action research) but are not skillful enough to deal with problems and practical decision-making (data collection skills and practical research actions).

This article published in Cell J (Yakhteh), Vol 20, No 2, Jul-Sep 2018, on pages 267-277, four affiliations (1, 4, 5, and 10) were changed based on authors request.

The regenerative potential of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) and CD133+ stem cells in the heart varies in terms of their pro-angiogenic effects. This phase II/III, multicenter and double-blind trial is designed to compare the functional effects of intramyocardial autologous transplantation of both cell types and placebo in patients with recent myocardial infarction (RMI) post-coronary artery bypass graft. This was a phase II/III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial COMPARE CPM-RMI (CD133, Placebo, MNCs - recent myocardial infarction) conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki that assessed the safety and efficacy of CD133 and MNCs compared to placebo in patients with RMI. We randomly assigned 77 eligible RMI patients selected from 5 hospitals to receive CD133+ cells, MNC, or a placebo. Patients underwent gated single photon emission computed tomography assessments at 6 and 18 months post-intramyocardial transplantation. We tested the normally distributed efficacy outcomes with a mixed analysis of variance model that used the entire data set of baseline and between-group comparisons as well as within subject (time) and group×time interaction terms. There were no related serious adverse events reported. The intramyocardial transplantation of both cell types increased left ventricular ejection fraction by 9% [95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.14% to 15.78%, P=0.01] and improved decreased systolic wall thickening by -3.7 (95% CI: -7.07 to -0.42, P=0.03). The CD133 group showed significantly decreased non-viable segments by 75% (P=0.001) compared to the placebo and 60% (P=0.01) compared to the MNC group. We observed this improvement at both the 6- and 18-month time points. Intramyocardial injections of CD133+ cells or MNCs appeared to be safe and efficient with superiority of CD133+ cells for patients with RMI. Although the sample size precluded a definitive statement about clinical outcomes, these results have provided the basis for larger studies to confirm definitive evidence about the efficacy of these cell types (Registration Number: NCT01167751).

This article published in Cell J (Yakhteh), Vol 20, No 2, Jul-Sep 2018, on pages 267-277, four affiliations (1, 4, 5, and 10) were changed based on authors request.This article published in Cell J (Yakhteh), Vol 20, No 2, Jul-Sep 2018, on pages 267-277, four affiliations (1, 4, 5, and 10) were changed based on authors request.

Objective: The regenerative potential of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) and CD133+ stem cells in the heart varies in terms of their pro-angiogenic effects. This phase II/III, multicenter and double-blind trial is designed to compare the functional effects of intramyocardial autologous transplantation of both cell types and placebo in patients with recent myocardial infarction (RMI) post-coronary artery bypass graft. Materials and Methods: This was a phase II/III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial COMPARE CPM-RMI (CD133, Placebo, MNCs - recent myocardial infarction) conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki that assessed the safety and efficacy of CD133 and MNCs compared to placebo in patients with RMI. We randomly assigned 77 eligible RMI patients selected from 5 hospitals to receive CD133+ cells, MNC, or a placebo. Patients underwent gated single photon emission computed tomography assessments at 6 and 18 months post-intramyocardial transplantation. We tested the normally distributed efficacy outcomes with a mixed analysis of variance model that used the entire data set of baseline and between-group comparisons as well as within subject (time) and group×time interaction terms. Results: There were no related serious adverse events reported. The intramyocardial transplantation of both cell types increased left ventricular ejection fraction by 9% [95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.14% to 15.78%, P=0.01] and improved decreased systolic wall thickening by -3.7 (95% CI: -7.07 to -0.42, P=0.03). The CD133 group showed significantly decreased non-viable segments by 75% (P=0.001) compared to the placebo and 60% (P=0.01) compared to the MNC group. We observed this improvement at both the 6- and 18-month time points. Conclusion: Intramyocardial injections of CD133+ cells or MNCs appeared to be safe and efficient with superiority of CD133+ cells for patients with RMI. Although the sample size precluded a definitive statement about clinical outcomes, these results have provided the basis for larger studies to confirm definitive evidence about the efficacy of these cell types (Registration Number: NCT01167751).