Photophysics of a single quantum emitter based on vanadium phthalocyanine molecules.

Single quantum emitters play a fundamental role in the development of quantum technologies such as quantum repeaters, and quantum information processing. Isolating individual molecules with stable optical emission is an essential step for these applications, especially for those molecules that present large coherence times at room temperature. Among them, vanadium-oxide phthalocyanine (VOPc) molecules stand out as promising candidates due to the large coherence times of their ground state electronic spin, which are on the order of microseconds when measured in the ensemble.

Electron Diffusion Length Effect on Direction of Irradiance in Transparent FAPbBr Perovskite Solar Cells.

Transparent photovoltaics for building integration represent a promising approach for renewable energy deployment. These devices require transparent electrodes to manage transmittance and to ensure proper cell operation. In this study, transparent FAPbBr-based perovskite solar cells optimized via a passivation treatment were demonstrated with average visible transmittance values above 60% and light utilization efficiencies up to 5.

NiO Passivation in Perovskite Solar Cells: From Surface Reactivity to Device Performance.

Nonstoichiometric nickel oxide (NiO) is one of the very few metal oxides successfully used as hole extraction layer in p-i-n type perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Its favorable optoelectronic properties and facile large-scale preparation methods are potentially relevant for future commercialization of PSCs, though currently low operational stability of PSCs is reported when a NiO hole extraction layer is used in direct contact with the perovskite absorber. Poorly understood degradation reactions at this interface are seen as cause for the inferior stability, and a variety of interface passivation approaches have been shown to be effective in improving the overall solar cell performance.

Methods to Assess Autophagic Activity in Dictyostelium.

Autophagy is an intracellular clearance and recycling pathway that delivers different types of cargos to lysosomes for degradation. In recent years, autophagy has attracted considerable medical interest, and many different techniques are being developed to study this process in experimental models such as Dictyostelium. Here we describe the use of different autophagic markers in confocal microscopy, in vivo and also in fixed cells.

Rescue Stenting for Inadvertent Branch Vessel Occlusion Following Cerebral Aneurysm Embolization With the Woven EndoBridge Device.

Intrasaccular flow modification with devices like the Woven EndoBridge (WEB, MicroVention, Inc., Aliso Viejo, California, US) is an increasingly utilized endovascular treatment for bifurcation aneurysms. Among the potential complications of the procedure is branch vessel occlusion.

Smoother: a unified and modular framework for incorporating structural dependency in spatial omics data.

Spatial omics technologies can help identify spatially organized biological processes, but existing computational approaches often overlook structural dependencies in the data. Here, we introduce Smoother, a unified framework that integrates positional information into non-spatial models via modular priors and losses. In simulated and real datasets, Smoother enables accurate data imputation, cell-type deconvolution, and dimensionality reduction with remarkable efficiency.

Coiled-coil-mediated dimerization of Atg16 is required for binding to the PROPPIN Atg21.

PROPPINs/WIPIs are β-propeller proteins that bind phosphoinositides and contribute to the recruitment of protein complexes involved in membrane remodelling processes such as autophagosome formation and endosomal trafficking. Yeast Atg21 and mammalian WIPI2 interact with Atg16/ATG16L1 to mediate recruitment of the lipidation machinery to the autophagosomal membrane. Here, we used the reverse double two-hybrid method (RD2H) to identify residues in Atg21 and Atg16 critical for protein-protein binding.

A burning question from the first international BPAN symposium: is restoration of autophagy a promising therapeutic strategy for BPAN?

Beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) is a rare neurodegenerative disease associated with severe cognitive and motor deficits. BPAN pathophysiology and phenotypic spectrum are still emerging due to the fact that mutations in the (WD repeat domain 45) gene, a regulator of macroautophagy/autophagy, were only identified a decade ago. In the first international symposium dedicated to BPAN, which was held in Lyon, France, a panel of international speakers, including several researchers from the autophagy community, presented their work on human patients, cellular and animal models, carrying mutations and their homologs.

Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment classification, CODA score and fecal calprotectin in clinical assessment of patients with diverticular disease: A decision curve analysis.

Background And Aims: The Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) classification and the Combined Overview on Diverticular Assessment (CODA) were found to be effective in predicting the outcomes of Diverticular Disease (DD). We ascertain whether fecal calprotectin (FC) can further aid in improving risk stratification.

Methods: A three-year international, multicentre, prospective cohort study was conducted involving 43 Gastroenterology and Endoscopy centres.

"Something very taboo": a qualitative exploration of beliefs, barriers, and recommendations for improving mental health care and access for Hispanic adults in the Paso del Norte U.S.-Mexico border region.

Background: Hispanic adults with mental health conditions in the United States experience disproportionate access to and utilization of professional mental health treatment. This is believed to be in part due to systemic barriers and challenges, difficulty accessing care, cultural factors, and stigma. Studies to date have failed to examine these specific factors within the unique context of the Paso del Norte U.

Effect of rapamycin on lysosomal accumulation in a CRISPR/Cas9-based cellular model of VPS13A deficiency.

VPS13A is a lipid transfer protein localized at different membrane contact sites between organelles, and mutations in the corresponding gene produce a rare neurodegenerative disease called chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc). Previous studies showed that VPS13A depletion in HeLa cells results in an accumulation of endosomal and lysosomal markers, suggesting a defect in lysosomal degradation capacity leading to partial autophagic dysfunction. Our goal was to determine whether compounds that modulate the endo-lysosomal pathway could be beneficial in the treatment of ChAc.

The association of lipid transfer protein VPS13A with endosomes is mediated by sorting nexin SNX5.

Human VPS13 proteins are implicated in severe neurological diseases. These proteins play an important role in lipid transport at membrane contact sites between different organelles. Identification of adaptors that regulate the subcellular localization of these proteins at specific membrane contact sites is essential to understand their function and role in disease.

Impact of fluvoxamine on outpatient treatment of COVID-19 in Honduras in a prospective observational real-world study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted millions of lives globally. While COVID-19 did not discriminate against developed or developing nations, it has been a significant challenge for third world countries like Honduras to have widespread availability of advanced therapies. The concept of early treatment was almost unheard of when early outpatient treatments utilizing repurposed drugs in Latin American countries began showing promising results.

Influence of Redox Couple on the Performance of ZnO Dye Solar Cells and Minimodules with Benzothiadiazole-Based Photosensitizers.

ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells exhibit lower efficiencies than TiO-based systems despite advantageous charge transport dynamics and versatility in terms of synthesis methods, which can be primarily ascribed to compatibility issues of ZnO with the dyes and the redox couples originally optimized for TiO. We evaluate the performance of solar cells based on ZnO nanomaterial prepared by microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis, using three fully organic benzothiadiazole-based dyes YKP-88, YKP-137, and MG-207, and alternative electrolyte solutions with the I/I , Co(bpy) , and Cu(dmp) redox couples. The best cell performance is achieved for the dye-redox couple combination YKP-88 and Co(bpy) , reaching an average efficiency of 4.

Prognostic performance of the 'DICA' endoscopic classification and the 'CODA' score in predicting clinical outcomes of diverticular disease: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) classification and to develop and validate a combined endoscopic-clinical score predicting clinical outcomes of diverticulosis, named Combined Overview on Diverticular Assessment (CODA).

Design: A multicentre, prospective, international cohort study.

Setting: 43 gastroenterology and endoscopy centres located in Europe and South America.

Characterization of Photochromic Dye Solar Cells Using Small-Signal Perturbation Techniques.

Photochromic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are novel semi-transparent photovoltaic devices that self-adjust their optical properties to the irradiation conditions, a feature that makes them especially suitable for building integrated photovoltaics. These novel solar cells have already achieved efficiencies above 4%, and there are multiple pathways to improve the performance. In this work, we conduct a full characterization of DSSCs with the photochromic dye NPI, combining electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS).

The Gene Family and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights From Yeast and Models.

WIPIs are a conserved family of proteins with a characteristic 7-bladed β-propeller structure. They play a prominent role in autophagy, but also in other membrane trafficking processes. Mutations in human cause several neurodegenerative diseases.

Proteins in Autophagic Machinery.

Autophagy is a conserved self-degradation process that is activated under a wide variety of stresses and physiological conditions [...

A conserved ATG2 binding site in WIPI4 and yeast Hsv2 is disrupted by mutations causing β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration.

PROPPINs are phosphoinositide-binding β-propeller proteins that mediate membrane recruitment of other proteins and are involved in different membrane remodeling processes. The main role of PROPPINs is their function in autophagy, where they act at different steps in phagophore formation. The human PROPPIN WIPI4 (WDR45) forms a complex with ATG2 involved in phagophore elongation, and mutations in this gene cause β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN).

A Dictyostelium model for BPAN disease reveals a functional relationship between the WDR45/WIPI4 homolog Wdr45l and Vmp1 in the regulation of autophagy-associated PtdIns3P and ER stress.

PROPPINs are conserved PtdIns3P-binding proteins required for autophagosome biogenesis that fold into a characteristic group of seven-bladed beta-propellers. Mutations in WDR45/WIPI4, a human member of this family, lead to BPAN, a rare form of neurodegeneration. We have generated mutants for the two PROPPIN proteins present in the model system (Atg18 and Wdr45l) and characterized their function.