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Extrapolating data from early DCD (donation after circulatory death) kidney transplantation, pancreas transplants from DCD grafts were feared to have worse metabolic outcomes. Hence, we aimed to address the question of pancreas transplant alone (PTA) from DCD donors–are our concerns justified? A UK transplant registry analysis of 185 PTA performed between 2005 and 2018 was done. All early graft losses (1c, weight gain and incidence of secondary diabetic macrovascular complications). The aim was to compare the metabolic outcomes, rejection rates (including the need for steroids), patient and graft survival between DBD (Donation after brainstem death) and DCD groups. After excluding early graft losses, data from 162 PTA (DBD = 114 and DCD = 48) were analyzed. Body mass index of the donor was less in DCD group (DBD = 23.40 vs. DCD = 22.25, p = 0.006) and the rest of the baseline transplant characteristics were comparable. There were no significant differences in the HbA1c, weight gain, rejection rate, and incidence of secondary diabetic macrovascular complications post-transplant between DBD and DCD recipients. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year patient and graft survival were similar in both the groups. PTA from DCD donors have equivalent metabolic outcomes and survival (patient/graft) as that of DBD donors.

A simple one step activation method is used to achieve an ultra-high specific surface area of 2943 m2 g−1, and abundant pore volume of 1.83 cm3 g−1 with a rational micro/meso/macro pore size distributed activated carbon nanosheets from Prosopis Juliflora wood carbon waste blocks. A superior electrochemical performance has been achieved with a specific capacitance of 588 F g-1 at 0.5 A g−1 with an excellent stability (retention 92.5% after 6000 cycles) in 6 M KOH electrolyte for a three-electrode approach. The assembled symmetric supercapacitor device outperformed in a neutral aqueous electrolyte compared to an alkaline electrolyte, such as with a gravimetric capacitance of 403 and 426 F g−1 and superior energy density of 32.9 W h kg−1 (at 172.7 W kg−1) and 56.7 W h kg−1 (at 248.8 W kg−1), and a large electrochemical window of 0–1.4 V in 6 M KOH and 0–2 V in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte, respectively. The electrochemical performance has been enhanced by the degree of graphitization, surface functional groups, surface area and pore structure/volume. This work provides a trustworthy approach to produce higher energy density devices from renewable biomass carbon wastes for various energy storage applications.

Introduction There are limited data pertaining to comparative outcomes of remaining on dialysis versus kidney transplantation as the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains. In this study we delineate the differential risks involved using serologic methods to help define exposure rates. Methods From a cohort of 1433 patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), we analyzed COVID-19 infection rates and outcomes in 299 waitlist patients compared with 237 transplant recipients within their first year post-transplant. Patients were followed over a 68-day period from the time our transplant program closed due to COVID-19. Results The overall mortality rates in waitlist and transplant populations were equivalent (P = 0.69). However, COVID-19 infection was more commonly diagnosed in the waitlist patients (P = 0.001), who were more likely to be tested by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (P = 0.0004). Once infection was confirmed, mortality risk was higher in the transplant patients (P = 0.015). The seroprevalence in dialysis and transplant patients with undetected infection was 18.3% and 4.6%, respectively (P = 0.0001). After adjusting for potential screening bias, the relative risk of death after a diagnosis of COVID-19 remained higher in transplant recipients (hazard ratio = 3.36 [95% confidence interval = 1.19–9.50], P = 0.022). Conclusions Although COVID-19 infection was more common in the waitlist patients, a higher COVID-19‒associated mortality rate was seen in the transplant recipients, resulting in comparable overall mortality rates.

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) showed enormous growth in the last few years. In comparison with the other RES, solar power has become the most feasible source because of its unique properties such as clean, noiseless, eco-friendly nature, etc. During the extraction of electric power, the DC–DC converters were given the prominent interest because of their extensive use in various applications. Photovoltaic (PV) systems generally suffer from less energy conversion efficiency along with improper stability and intermittent properties. Hence, there is a necessity of the Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to ensure the maximum power available that can be harnessed from the solar PV. In this paper, the most important features of the DC/DC converters along with the MPPT techniques are reviewed and analyzed. A detailed comprehensive analysis is made on different converter topologies of both non-isolated and isolated DC/DC converters. Then, the modulation strategies, comparative performance evaluation are addressed systematically. At the end, recent advances and future trends are described briefly and considered for the next-generation converter’s design and applications. This review work will provide a useful structure and reference point on the DC/DC converters for researchers and designers working in the field of solar PV applications.

We review the most common topology of multi-level inverters. As is known, the conventional inverters are utilized to create an alternating current (AC) source from a direct current (DC) source. The two-level inverter provides various output voltages [(Vdc/2) and (−Vdc/2)] of the load. It is a successive method, but it makes the harmonic distortion of the output side, Electromagnetic interference (EMI), and high dv/dt. We solve this problem by constructing the sinusoidal voltage waveform. This is achieved by a “multilevel inverter” (MLI). The multilevel inverter creates the output voltage with multiple DC voltages as inputs. Many voltage levels are combined to produce a smoother waveform. During the last decade, the multilevel inverter has become very popular in medium and high-power applications with some advantages, such as the reduced power dissipation of switching elements, low harmonics, and low EMIs. We introduce the information about several multilevel inverters such as the diode-clamped multilevel inverter (DC-MLI), cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (CHB-MLI), and flying-capacitor multilevel inverter (FC-MLI) with Power systems CAD (PSCAD) simulation. It is shown that THD is 28.88% in three level FC-MLI while THD is 18.56% in five level topology. Therefore, we can decrease the total harmonic distortion adopting the higher-level topology.

Objective: To signify the economic importance of molluscan-gastropod food by estimating its biochemical composition. Methods: Samples were collected from the trawl net bycatch at the fish landing center of Mandapam coast of the Gulf of Mannar region. The total protein, carbohydrate, lipid, ash and moisture contents were estimated from nine gastropods i.e. Phalium glaucum, Tonna dolium, Hemifusus pugilinus, Babylonia spirata, Xancus pyrum, Chicoreus ramosus, Harpa articularis, Ficus ficus and Babylonia zeylanica. Results: The percentages of protein (41.2%), carbohydrate (17.5%) and lipid (6.6%) contents were found highest in Babylonia spirata, followed by other gastropods. The maximum ash content was observed in Chicoreus ramosus (1.21%) and the maximum moisture content was observed in Phalium glaucum (83.71%). Conclusions: The results show that all the nine gastropods contain good sources of protein and other biochemical constituents and can be used for edible purposes to prevent starvation.

In the present study, we report CuO and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized through biological route using Camellia japonica plant leaf extract and their efficiency detection of cysteine and dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in addition to their antimicrobial properties. Changes in absorption peak intensity in the presence of cysteine or NADH was assessed by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The spectrometric detection limit for the cysteine and NADH was found to be 5 and 10 μM, respectively, for both CuO and ZnO NPs. Good linear relationships with R2 = 0.9727 for CuO and 0.9862 for ZnO NPs were obtained when plotting the absorbance as a function of cysteine and NADH concentrations at 290 and 301 nm, respectively. The present metal oxide (CuO and ZnO) NPs sensors were found to be useful for the detection of two biomolecules; namely cysteine and NADH. Furthermore, the CuO and ZnO NPs were found to be highly effective against gram positive (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis) and gram negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium) bacterial pathogens as well as fungal strains of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigates, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. A minimum inhibition concentration of 100 μg/mL was observed for both NPs against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Consequently, the present investigation offers an environmentally friendly approach to synthesize CuO and ZnO NPs for biomolecule detection as well as antimicrobial and antifungal applications.

Delayed graft function after deceased-donor transplant remains a significant clinical problem. The conventional definition of delayed graft function is the requirement of dialysis within the first week after transplant, but this criterion has many problems that have led to many controversies including those of incidence and significance. Therefore, we sought to identify the possible risk factors of delayed graft function and to investigate their effect on short-term graft survival, according to a composite criterion.We reviewed the records of 94 renal transplants obtained from heart-beating deceased donors done at our center during a 2-year period. Variables related to the donor, recipient, and graft were retrospectively collected. Follow-up was 12 months. Delayed graft function was defined as the need for dialysis or the failure of the creatinine level to fall by 10% during the first 24 hours after transplant. To confirm suspected rejection, protocol biopsies were done, irrespective of graft function, on the seventh and 28th days after transplant, or when indicated to confirm suspected rejection.The overall incidence of delayed graft function was 31.9%. Multivariate analysis showed donor age as a significant independent predictor of delayed graft function (OR=1.05, P = .03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.09), whereas donor hypotension was the only independent risk factor associated with a worse 1-year graft survival rate (OR=4.6, P = .021, 95% CI: 1.3-16.5). No association could be established between delayed graft function, acute rejection, and graft survival.Advanced donor age is a predictor of delayed graft function defined as the need for dialysis or the failure of creatinine to fall by 10% during the first 24 hours after transplant. Preventing hemodynamic instability should be an important aspect of donor care.