The photopolymerization-induced microphase separation (photo-PIMS) process involving a reactive polymer block was implemented to fabricate nanostructured quasi-solid polymer electrolytes (QSPEs) for use in lithium metal batteries (LMBs). This innovative one-pot fabrication enhances interfacial properties in LMBs by enabling nanostructuring of QSPE directly onto the electrodes. This process also allows for customization of QSPE structural dimensions by tweaking the architecture and molar mass of poly[(oligo ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate--styrene] (P(OEGMA--S)) macromolecular chain transfer agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The Constant-Murley Score (CMS) uses universal goniometry (UG), and the Shoulder Functional Reach Score (SFRS) uses visual estimation (VE). The CMS has validity challenges, and the SFRS has been critiqued for using VE. This study sought to determine the reliability and concurrent validity of VE when compared to the UG for shoulder flexion and abduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
April 2024
Lead is an established neurotoxicant, and it has known associations with adverse neurodevelopmental and reproductive outcomes. Exposure to lead at any level is unsafe, and the United States (US) has enacted various federal and state legislations to regulate lead levels in drinking water in K-12 schools and childcare facilities; however, no regulations exist for higher education settings. Upon the discovery of lead in drinking water fixtures in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) campus, a cross-campus water testing network and sampling plan was developed and deployed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndividuals born preterm have shorter lifespans and elevated rates of chronic illness that contribute to mortality risk when compared to individuals born at term. Emerging evidence suggests that individuals born preterm or of low birthweight also exhibit physiologic and cellular biomarkers of accelerated aging. It is unclear whether, and to what extent, accelerated aging contributes to a higher risk of chronic illness and mortality among individuals born preterm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Secondary infection is a frequent complication after bites by Bothrops atroxin French Guiana or B. lanceolatus in Martinique. Knowledge of the bacteria present in snake mouths is a valuable aid for determining probabilistic antibiotherapy after Bothrops bite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring 2019-2020, a chikungunya outbreak occurred in Djibouti City, Djibouti, while dengue virus and malaria parasites were cocirculating. We used blotting paper to detect arbovirus emergence and confirm that it is a robust method for detecting and monitoring arbovirus outbreaks remotely.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStar block copolymer electrolytes with a lithium-ion conducting phase are investigated in the present work to assess the influence of this complex architecture compared to that of the linear one, on both, bulk morphology and ionic conductivity. For that purpose, the controlled synthesis of a series of poly(styrene--benzyl methacrylate)--poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate] [P(S--BzMA)--POEGA] block copolymers (BCPs) by reversible addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization was performed from either a monofunctional or a tetrafunctional chain transfer agent containing trithiocarbonate groups. We emphasized how a small amount of styrene (6 mol %) drastically improved the control of the RAFT polymerization of benzyl methacrylate mediated by the tetrafunctional chain transfer agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetallic bismuth and Bi-oxyfluoride nanoparticles (NPs) are successfully synthesized by non-reactive and reactive sputtering of a Bi target onto 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoro-methylsulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][TFSI]) ionic liquid (IL). Non-reactive sputtering is realized in pure Ar plasma, where isotropic, well crystallized and dispersed Bi NPs of 3-7 nm are obtained. The diameter and the size distribution of these NPs do not significantly vary with the power, gas pressure, and sputtering time; but these sputtering parameters seem to influence the NP concentration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough tocilizumab treatment in severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients has proven its efficacy at the clinical level, there is little evidence supporting the effect of short-term use of interleukin-6 receptor blocking therapy on the B cell sub-populations and the cross-neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants in convalescent COVID-19 patients. We performed immunological profiling of 69 tocilizumab-treated and non-treated convalescent COVID-19 patients in total. We observed that SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG1 titers depended on disease severity but not on tocilizumab treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoupling polymer and ionic liquids with electrodes for catalysis is a promising tool for optimization of electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR). Here, block copolymer ionic liquids BCPILs were synthesized controlled radical polymerization and nucleophilic post-substitution to introduce imidazole moieties. We show that, thanks to these PIL functionalities, the BCPIL/Re@HPC/GDL electrode can keep the selectivity toward CO when a higher amount of water is present in the electrolyte than the raw Re@HPC/GDL system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Clinical expression of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is numerous and depends on the immune status of the host. In immunocompromised patients, CMV disease corresponds to reactivation of the virus with tissue damage responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. In immunocompetent adults, primary CMV infection is usually asymptomatic but may rarely result in severe organ damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface integration of molecular catalysts inspired from the active sites of hydrogenase enzymes represents a promising route towards developing noble metal-free and sustainable technologies for H production. Efficient and stable catalyst anchoring is a key aspect to enable this approach. Herein, we report the preparation and electrochemical characterization of an original diironhexacarbonyl complex including two pyrene groups per catalytic unit in order to allow for its smooth integration, through π-interactions, onto multiwalled carbon nanotube-based electrodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe compared ID Now™ and Hologic® Panther Aptima™ for the detection of SARS-COV-2. ID Now™ showed a positive and negative percent agreement of 86.9% and 99.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccurate epidemiological models are necessary for governments, organizations, and individuals to respond appropriately to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. One informative metric epidemiological models provide is the basic reproduction number ([Formula: see text]), which can describe if the infected population is growing ([Formula: see text]) or shrinking ([Formula: see text]). We introduce a novel algorithm that incorporates the susceptible-infected-recovered-dead model (SIRD model) with the long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network that allows for real-time forecasting and time-dependent parameter estimates, including the contact rate, [Formula: see text], and deceased rate, [Formula: see text].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Some patients in palliative care units request euthanasia regardless of legislation. Although studies have explored the reasons for these requests, little is known about the subjective, relational, and contextual repercussions for the patient.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to understand the purpose of euthanasia requests from the patient's viewpoint and their personal and practical impact.
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis
October 2021
Molecular diagnosis on nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) is the current standard for COVID-19 diagnosis, but saliva may be an alternative specimen to facilitate access to diagnosis. We compared analytic performances, feasibility and acceptability of NPS, saliva, and oral-self sampling swab for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A prospective, multicenter study was conducted in military hospitals in France among adult outpatients attending COVID-19 diagnosis centers or hospitalized patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the leading cause of common colds. With the development of new molecular methods since the 2000s, HRVs have been increasingly involved among severe clinical infections. Recent knowledge of the HRV genetic characteristics has also improved the understanding of their pathogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of carbon neutral and sustainable energy sources should be considered as a top priority solution for the growing worldwide energy demand. Photovoltaics are a strong candidate, more specifically, organic photovoltaics (OPV), enabling the design of flexible, lightweight, semitransparent, and low-cost solar cells. However, the active layer of OPV is, for now, mainly deposited from chlorinated solvents, harmful for the environment and for human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we report the selective functionalization of nano-domains obtained by the self-assembly of a polystyrene-block-poly(vinyl benzyl azide) PS-b-PVBN copolymer synthesized in three steps. First, a polystyrene macro-initiator was synthesized, and then extended with vinyl benzyl chloride by nitroxide mediated polymerization to form polystyrene-block-poly(vinyl benzyl chloride) PS-b-PVBC. Nucleophilic substitution of vinyl benzyl chloride into a vinyl benzyl azide moiety is finally performed to obtain PS-b-PVBN which self-assembled into nano-domains of vinyl benzyl azide PVBN.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: While the molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum-b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli is well known in Europe due to effective surveillance networks and substantial literature, data for Africa are less available, especially in Djibouti.
Methodology: We studied 31 isolates of ESBL-producing E.
This paper demonstrates a broadband and wide-temperature-range thermal emitter with super-hydrophobicity based on an oxidized high-entropy film. The annealed (NiCuCrFeSi)O high-entropy film can serve as a mid-infrared emitter due to its three characteristics: (i) high blackbody-like emission in a broadband mid-infrared region from 2.5 to 20 μm; (ii) high emittance (more than 90%) in a wide temperature range from 300 to 1000 K; (iii) super-hydrophobicity with a high contact angle of 151° and low tilt angle of 5°.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF