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Abstract Halide perovskites exhibit exceptional optoelectronic properties for photoelectrochemical production of solar fuels and chemicals but their instability in aqueous electrolytes hampers their application. Here we present ultrastable perovskite CsPbBr3-based photoanodes achieved with both multifunctional glassy carbon and boron-doped diamond sheets coated with Ni nanopyramids and NiFeOOH. These perovskite photoanodes achieve record operational stability in aqueous electrolytes, preserving 95% of their initial photocurrent density for 168 h of continuous operation with the glassy carbon sheets and 97% for 210 h with the boron-doped diamond sheets, due to the excellent mechanical and chemical stability of glassy carbon, boron-doped diamond, and nickel metal. Moreover, these photoanodes reach a low water-oxidation onset potential close to +0.4 VRHE and photocurrent densities close to 8 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE, owing to the high conductivity of glassy carbon and boron-doped diamond and the catalytic activity of NiFeOOH. The applied catalytic, protective sheets employ only earth-abundant elements and straightforward fabrication methods, engineering a solution for the success of halide perovskites in stable photoelectrochemical cells.

Abstract Among the various photoanode materials investigated for photoelectrochemical water splitting cells, TiO2 stands out due to its abundance, stability, and favorable valence band edge for water oxidation. In this study, the importance of introducing and combining oxygen and titanium vacancy point defects in anatase TiO2 photoanodes to improve their performance is unveiled, achieving a photocurrent density of 0.73 (±0.015) mA cm−2 at +1.23 VRHE under 100 mW cm−2 of simulated sunlight or 26.4 mA cm−2 at +1.23 VRHE under 100 mW cm−2 of 365 nm light. The characterization by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface photovoltage, and electron paramagnetic resonance demonstrates that these oxygen and titanium vacancies can have both collective and localized positive effects on the material, leading to a narrowing of the bandgap, an increase in donor density, and an increase in hydroxyl groups on the surface of TiO2. These result in enhanced light absorption, conductivity, and photovoltage, as well as a more negative flat‐band potential and increase in hole flux to the semiconductor–electrolyte interface. These findings provide valuable insights into the role of point defects in modulating the properties of TiO2 and have important implications for the development of high‐performance TiO2‐based devices.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) rely on high triplet energy interlayers to confine excitons, which results in reduced performance. Here, the authors report high-performance blue TADF-OLEDs with below bandgap electroluminescence.

Groundwater contamination is an ever-growing environmental issue that has attracted much and undiminished attention for the past half century. Groundwater contamination may originate from both anthropogenic (e.g., hydrocarbons) and natural compounds (e.g., nitrate and arsenic); to tackle the removal of these contaminants, different technologies have been developed and implemented. Recently, bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged as a potential treatment for groundwater contamination, with reported in situ applications that showed promising results. Nitrate and hydrocarbons (toluene, phenanthrene, benzene, BTEX and light PAHs) have been successfully removed, due to the interaction of microbial metabolism with poised electrodes, in addition to physical migration due to the electric field generated in a BES. The selection of proper BESs relies on several factors and problems, such as the complexity of groundwater and subsoil environment, scale-up issues, and energy requirements that need to be accounted for. Modeling efforts could help predict case scenarios and select a proper design and approach, while BES-based biosensing could help monitoring remediation processes. In this review, we critically analyze in situ BES applications for groundwater remediation, focusing in particular on different proposed setups, and we identify and discuss the existing research gaps in the field. Keywords: Bioelectrochemical systems, In situ treatment, Groundwater remediation, Bioelectroremediation, Denitrification, Microbial electrochemical technologies

Aggregation is sequence-specific and nucleated by short aggregating protein segments (APR). Here authors use a multidisciplinary approach to show that in E.coli some frequently occurring APRs lead to protein aggregation and ultimately bacterial cell death, which could serve as antibacterial strategy.

Soil conditions leading to high levels of available aluminum are detrimental to plant growth, but data are limited on genotypic differences in tolerance to aluminum stress in some crops. The aim of this study was to examine the morphological, biochemical, and physiological changes in roots and shoots of 25 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars (Pinto market class) under aluminum (Al) treatment. Additionally, this study aimed to assess the range of responses amongst the common bean cultivars relative to their Al toxicity tolerance and sensitivity. Plants were grown hydroponically using a simplified nutrient solution with or without 20 µM AlCl3. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were measured to establish the effects of Al treatment on the plants. In addition, growth parameters such as shoot and root dry weight, root-to-shoot ratio, root elongation, and root volume changes were also investigated. The cultivar effect was significant for all the measured parameters, except for shoot dry weight. Inhibition of the root and shoot dry weight for selected common bean cultivars shows that the response of common bean to Al stress is genotype-specific. Additionally, Al-induced root elongation inhibition and root volume changes varied among the cultivars. Most cultivars had significantly higher SOD activity (20 of 25 cultivars) and POD activity (12 cultivars) under AlCl3 treatment compared to the controls. A positive significant correlation was observed between MDA and ROS, showing that Al stress induced the accumulation of ROS along with an increase in lipid peroxidation. According to the results of this study, Arapaho and AC Island cultivars could potentially be used in the future production of common beans under Al stress. Therefore, these two cultivars could also be included in Al tolerance breeding programs.

The main goal of this research was to investigate the effects of corn smut (Ustilago maydis DC. Corda) infection on the morphological (plant height, and stem diameter), and biochemical parameters of Zea mays L. plants. The biochemical parameters included changes in the relative chlorophyll, malondialdehyde (MDA), and photosynthesis pigments’ contents, as well as the activities of antioxidant enzymes—ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The second aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of phytohormones (auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, and ethylene) on corn smut-infected plants. The parameters were measured 7 and 11 days after corn smut infection (DACSI). Two hybrids were grown in a greenhouse, one fodder (Armagnac) and one a sweet corn (Desszert 73). The relative and the absolute amount of photosynthetic pigments were significantly lower in the infected plants in both hybrids 11 DACSI. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes and MDA content were higher in both infected hybrids. Auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellin application diminished the negative effects of the corn smut infection (CSI) in the sweet corn hybrid. Phytohormones i.e., auxin, gibberellin, and cytokinin can be a new method in protection against corn smut.

Despite the tremendous advances in laser cooling of neutral atoms and positive ions, no negatively charged ion has been directly laser cooled. The negative ion of lanthanum, La-, has been proposed as the best candidate for laser cooling of any atomic anion [S. M. O' Malley and D. R. Beck,, Phys. Rev. A 81, 032503 (2010)]. Tunable infrared laser photodetachment spectroscopy is used to measure the bound-state structure of La-, revealing a spectrum of unprecedented richness with multiple bound-bound electric dipole transitions. The potential laser-cooling transition (³F2e→³D1o) is identified and its excitation energy is measured. The results confirm that La- is a very promising negative ion for laser-cooling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cladribine, a selective immune reconstitution therapy, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with highly active multiple sclerosis (MS)., Objectives: Provide experience with cladribine therapy in a real-world setting., Methods: This is a registry-based retrospective observational cohort study. First, using data from the Czech nationwide registry ReMuS, we analysed patients who initiated cladribine from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021. Second, we analysed a subgroup of patients who initiated cladribine between September 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020, thus possessing a follow-up period of at least 2 years. We evaluated demographic and MS characteristics including disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before and after cladribine administration, relapses, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and adherence., Results: In total, 617 patients (335 with follow-up of at least 2 years) started cladribine therapy in the study period (mean age 37.0, mean disease duration 8.4 years, 74.1% females). In most cases, cladribine was administered as a second-line drug, a total of 80.7% had been escalated from a platform DMT. During 2 years before cladribine initiation, the average annualised relapse rate (ARR) was .67. Following cladribine initiation, the ARR decreased to .28 in the first year and .22 in the second year. Overall, across the entire two-year treatment period, 69.0% of patients were relapse-free and the average ARR was .25. As for EDSS development, the median baseline EDSS was 2.5 and remained stable even after 24 months. The adherence to treatment ranged of around 90%., Conclusion: This nationwide study confirms the efficacy of cladribine in real-world settings, especially in patients who are not treatment-naïve. In addition, the study shows an exceptionally high adherence rate, a finding that underscores the invaluable role of cladribine, but also the value of registry-based studies in capturing real-world clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declared potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article as following: PP received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme. JD has nothing to disclose. DH received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. MP received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. AM has nothing to disclose. DM has nothing to disclose. ZP received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. MV received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. ER received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. IS received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. JL received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. JM received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. PS received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. MG received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. AM received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. JA received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. PH received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. RA received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. MD received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. EKH received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag. DS received compensations for travel, speaker honoraria and consultant fees from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Merck Serono, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva and Janssen Cilag., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged an array of democratic institutions in complex and unprecedented ways. Little academic work, however, has considered the pandemic's impact on Canada's courts. This article aims to partially fill that gap by exploring the Canadian court system's response to COVID-19 and the prospects for administering justice amid disasters, all through the lens of resilience. After taking a forensic look at how the court system has managed the challenges brought on by COVID-19, we argue that features of resilience such as self-organization, flexibility, learning, and reflexive planning can contribute to the administration of justice during future shocks. We propose that the business of judging during shocks can become more integral to the business as usual of court systems. Imagining such a resilient court can be a way to step from COVID-19 to the future of Canada's court system., (© Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de politiques.)

Law is acknowledged as playing an important role in the growing field of disaster resilience. Still, a detailed inquiry into the possible relationships between law and disaster resilience remains largely absent from the discourse. This paper explores how legal thinking, approaches, and instruments can act as 'tools' in altering the nature and conditions of disaster risks. It looks at how state institutions can wield them and non-state actors employ them to participate in processes of change. Moving beyond a resilience literature that has tended to focus on law in terms of statutes, regulations, and human rights, this paper examines the ways in which legal reasoning, procedure, and substantive law can be instrumentalised to resist shocks, provoke incremental adjustments, or even foment transformational shifts in underlying risk conditions. It concludes by suggesting that law can offer both a breadth of insights for reconceptualising how power influences resilience and a number of instruments for challenging these power structures., (© 2020 The Author Disasters © 2020 Overseas Development Institute.)

Resilience is a ubiquitous term in disaster risk management and is an increasingly prominent concept in early discussions focused on elaborating the post-2015 international policy landscape. Riddled with competing meanings and diverse policy implications, however, it is a concept caught between the abstract and operational. This paper provides a review of the rise to prominence of the concept of resilience and advances an elaboration of the related concepts of resistance, incremental adjustment and transformation. We argue that these concepts can contribute to decision-making by offering three distinct options for risk management policy. In order to deliberately and effectively choose among these options, we suggest that critical reflexivity is a prerequisite, necessitating improved decision-making capacity if varied perspectives (including those of the most vulnerable) are to be involved in the selection of the best approach to risk management., (© 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.)

While final rules clarify many "gray" areas of statutory interpretation under Stark I, some questions of interpretation under this law will remain largely unanswered until further Stark II regulations are issued. Thus, the health care industry is without definitive guidance on many issues. It must continue to make "best guesses" in interpreting the intent of the statute. However, bad guesses could mean imposition of severe penalties, including recoupment and substantial civil money penalties for making prohibited referrals. Moreover, the regulations confirm the Department of Health and Human Services' position that no advisory opinions are available. Because the final regulations were not issued until after the effective dates of the Stark Law, yet another round of restructuring may be required to effect regulatory compliance and avoid imposition of penalties. "Health Law" is a regular feature of Physician Executive from the Washington, D.C., law firm Epstein Becker & Green. Mark Lutes of that law firm serves as editor of the column.