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Perovskite solar cells have made significant strides in recent years. However, there are still challenges in terms of photoelectric conversion efficiency and long-term stability associated with perovskite solar cells. The presence of defects in perovskite materials is one of the important influencing factors leading to subpar film quality. Adopting additives to passivate defects within perovskite materials is an effective approach. Therefore, we first discuss the types of defects that occur in perovskite materials and the mechanisms of their effect on performance. Then, several types of additives used in perovskite solar cells are discussed, including ionic compounds, organic molecules, polymers, etc. This review provides guidance for the future development of more sustainable and effective additives to improve the performance of solar cells.

Background The fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been extensively studied for its role in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients; however, existing findings are conflicting. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to identify the significance of FAR in predicting BC prognosis. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases until May 25, 2024. The value of FAR for predicting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in BC was examined by calculating the combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Correlations between FAR and clinicopathological factors were analyzed using combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results Eight studies involving 4094 patients were included in this work. As shown by our combined data, increased FAR significantly predicted poor OS (HR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.83–4.39, p  < 0.001) and poor DFS (HR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.66–3.58, p  < 0.001) of BC. Moreover, the combined data showed that increased FAR was significantly correlated with age ≥ 50 years (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.37–3.04, p  < 0.001), stage III cancer (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.04–2.27, p  = 0.033), and the presence of lymph node metastases (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.11–1.61, p  = 0.002). Nonetheless, FAR was not significantly associated with tumor size, ER/PR/HER-2 status, or lymphovascular invasion in patients with BC. Conclusion In this meta-analysis, higher FAR was significantly associated with unfavorable OS and DFS in patients with BC and significantly correlated with several features predictive of cancer development in BC.

Background Streptococcus pneumoniae ( S. pneumoniae ) remains a major cause of community acquired pneumonia (CAP), particularly among older adults. In China, pneumococcal infections pose a substantial disease burden, with rising antibiotic resistance. Although vaccines have effectively reduced disease worldwide, data on adult serotype distribution and resistance in China are scarce. This study investigates serotype patterns and antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pneumoniae among Chinese adults. Methods We collected a total of 474 S. pneumoniae isolates from adult patients diagnosed with pneumococcal infections in 14 cities across five geographic regions of China between 2018 and 2019. Clinical specimens included sputum, blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pharyngeal and nasal swabs, and middle ear fluid. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobial agents were determined using the agar dilution method. Pneumococcal serotyping was performed using the Pneumotest-Latex kit and type-specific antisera. Results Serotype 19F was the most prevalent across all age groups, specimen types, and regions. 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) is expected to provide the highest serotype coverage (69.4%) among all vaccines evaluated. Multidrug resistance was detected in over 94% of isolates, with high resistance to macrolides, tetracycline, and clindamycin. β-lactam resistance varied by syndrome and region. Non-invasive isolates showed slightly higher resistance than invasive ones. Serotypes covered by higher-valency vaccines were more likely to be antibiotic-resistant, although fluoroquinolone and vancomycin resistance remained low. Conclusions Our findings highlight a high burden of antimicrobial resistance and predominance of specific serotypes, particularly 19F, among adult S. pneumoniae isolates in China. The broad serotype coverage of PCV20 suggests its potential advantage in future adult immunization strategies. Continued surveillance of serotype distribution and resistance patterns is essential to inform vaccine policy and guide effective antibiotic use.

The reverse electrodialysis heat engine (REDHE) represents a transformative innovation that converts low-grade thermal energy into salinity gradient energy (SGE). This crucial form of energy powers reverse electrodialysis (RED) reactors, significantly changing wastewater treatment paradigms. This comprehensive review explores the forefront of this emerging field, offering a critical synthesis of key discoveries and theoretical foundations. This review begins with a summary of various oxidation degradation methods, including cathodic and anodic degradation processes, that can be integrated with RED technology. The degradation principles and characteristics of different RED wastewater treatment systems are also discussed. Then, this review examines the impact of several key operational parameters, degradation circulation modes, and multi-stage series systems on wastewater degradation performance and energy conversion efficiency in RED reactors. The analysis highlights the economic feasibility of using SGE derived from low-grade heat to power RED technology for wastewater treatment, offering the dual benefits of waste heat recovery and effective wastewater processing.

Host immunity involves various immune cells working in concert to achieve balanced immune response. Host immunity interacts with tumorigenic process impacting disease outcome. Clusters of different immune cells may reveal unique host immunity in relation to breast cancer progression. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to estimate relative abundances of 22 immune cell types in 3 datasets, METABRIC, TCGA, and our study. The cell type data in METABRIC were analyzed for cluster using unsupervised hierarchical clustering (UHC). The UHC results were employed to train machine learning models. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression survival analyses were performed to assess cell clusters in association with relapse-free and overall survival. Differentially expressed genes by clusters were interrogated with IPA for molecular signatures. UHC analysis identified two distinct immune cell clusters, clusters A (83.2%) and B (16.8%). Memory B cells, plasma cells, CD8 positive T cells, resting memory CD4 T cells, activated NK cells, monocytes, M1 macrophages, and resting mast cells were more abundant in clusters A than B, whereas regulatory T cells and M0 and M2 macrophages were more in clusters B than A. Patients in cluster A had favorable survival. Similar survival associations were also observed in other independent studies. IPA analysis showed that pathogen-induced cytokine storm signaling pathway, phagosome formation, and T cell receptor signaling were related to the cell type clusters. Our finding suggests that different immune cell clusters may indicate distinct immune responses to tumor growth, suggesting their potential for disease management.

Background Ceftazidime-avibactam was approved in China in 2019 for treating complicated intra-abdominal infections, hospital-acquired pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and infections caused by Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for which treatment options are limited. However, no currently available commercial systems have been approved for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of ceftazidime-avibactam in China. Here, we evaluated the Etest and disk diffusion method for detecting the activity of ceftazidime-avibactam against Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa in China. Results In total, 194 Enterobacterales and 77 P. aeruginosa isolates, which were divided into a random selection group (140 Enterobacterales and 46 P. aeruginosa isolates) and stock group (54 Enterobacterales and 31 P. aeruginosa isolates), were assessed by the Etest, disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Minimum inhibitory concentrations and zone diameters were interpreted according to the CLSI supplement M100 30th edition. For all 271 tested isolates, no very major errors were found by using Etest, whereas the overall major error rate was 2.0% (4/203). The overall categorical agreement rates of Etest for Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa were 99.5% (193/194) and 96.1% (74/77), respectively, and the essential agreement rates were 95.9% (186/194) and 94.8% (73/77), respectively. The disk diffusion method showed that the very major error and major error rates were 1.5% (3/204) and 2.5% (5/203), respectively. Overall categorical agreement rates values of the disk diffusion method for Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa were 98.5% (191/194) and 93.5% (72/77) compared with broth microdilution, respectively. Conclusions For Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa , both the Etest and disk diffusion method showed acceptable performance as alternatives to the standard broth microdilution method for clinical treatment interpretation. Application of the disk diffusion method in Enterobacterales was slightly better than that in P. aeruginosa .

To investigate the biologic relevance and clinical implication of genes involved in multiple gene expression signatures for breast cancer prognosis, we identified 16 published gene expression signatures, and selected two genes, MAD2L1 and BUB1. These genes appeared in 5 signatures and were involved in cell-cycle regulation. We analyzed the expression of these genes in relation to tumor features and disease outcomes. In vitro experiments were also performed in two breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468, to assess cell proliferation, migration and invasion after knocking down the expression of these genes. High expression of these genes was found to be associated with aggressive tumors and poor disease-free survival of 203 breast cancer patients in our study, and the association with survival was confirmed in an online database consisting of 914 patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that lowering the expression of these genes by siRNAs reduced tumor cell growth and inhibited cell migration and invasion. Our investigation suggests that MAD2L1 and BUB1 may play important roles in breast cancer progression, and measuring the expression of these genes may assist the prediction of breast cancer prognosis.

Recently, the IMO has completed the guidelines on the life cycle greenhouse gas intensity of marine fuels to accelerate the application of alternative fuels. Low-carbon fuels may persist for decades and have become a key transitional phase in replacing marine fuels. A more comprehensive methodology for evaluating the carbon emission levels of marine fuels was explored, and the carbon emissions and environmental impacts of a 150,000-ton shuttle tanker under 19 dual-fuel power scenarios were evaluated using the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The results show that liquefied natural gas (LNG) has a higher carbon control potential level compared to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and methanol (MeOH), while LPG is superior to MeOH based on EEDI evaluation. LCA analysis results show that MeOH (biomass) has the best carbon control potential considering the carbon emissions of the well-to-tank phase of the fuel, followed by LNG, LPG, MeOH (natural gas, NG), and MeOH (coal). However, MeOH (NG) and MeOH (coal) had greater negative environmental impacts. This study provides method support and a direction toward improvement for revising related technical specifications and regulations for dual-fuel vessel performance evaluation, considering the limitations of various maritime regulations.

•The hourly solar radiation prediction models are developed using XGBoost algorithm.•The models consider the effect of fog-haze on hourly solar radiation.•The prediction models considering AQI are improved compared with other models. Hourly global solar radiation data is an important factor for solar energy utilization. Due to the lack of solar radiation observation stations in many areas, some hourly solar radiation models are proposed to predict hourly solar radiation. However, the existing models perform poorly in heavy fog-haze areas because the weakening effect of fog-haze on solar radiation is not considered. Thus, in this paper, hourly global solar radiation prediction models are developed considering air quality index (AQI) using XGBoost algorithm. The results show a general improvement in the accuracy of models with AQI as an additional input (Model B1-B6) compared to models that do not consider AQI (Model A1-A6). Compared to Model A, Model B have an increase in R value from 0.927 to 0.948, a decrease in RMSE value from 0.300 to 0.282 and a decrease in MAPE value from 0.159 to 0.145. In addition, for hourly solar radiation prediction, the six most important inputs are the day of the year, air temperature difference, surface temperature difference, hour, AQI, and total cloud cover. [Display omitted]

Among human genetic diseases, Fanconi Anemia (FA) tops all with its largest number of health complications in nearly all human organ systems, suggesting the significant roles played by FA genes in the maintenance of human health. With the accumulated research on FA, the encoded protein products by FA genes have been building up to the biggest cell defense signaling network, composed of not only 22+ FA proteins but also ATM, ATR, and many other non-FA proteins. The FA D2 group protein (FANCD2) and its paralog form the focal point of FA signaling to converge the effects of its upstream players in response to a variety of cellular insults and simultaneously with downstream players to protect humans from contracting diseases, including aging and cancer. In this review, we update and discuss how the FA signaling crucially eases cellular stresses through understanding its focal point.