Granulicatella species are rare, nutritionally variant streptococci that cause infective endocarditis. Their clinical and microbiological characteristics remain unknown. We reviewed five years of Granulicatella cases in our hospital database (Jan 2017-Jun 2022), finding 6 Granulicatella adiacens cases and 1 Granulicatella elegans case.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we report an extended-gate-type organic field-effect transistor (OFET) sensor for oxytocin. The fabricated OFET-based immunosensor has successfully detected oxytocin at a ppt level in human saliva with high recovery rates (96-102%). We believe our sensor would pave the way for the realization of portable sensors for healthcare monitoring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough ascites leakage to the skin is the most frequent complication after abdominal paracentesis, leakage to the subcutaneous space has not been reported. Here, we report a subcutaneous effusion after paracentesis suggesting ascites leakage. We should be aware of this rare complication due to the potential risk of dissemination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn all-solid-state quantum-dot-based photon-to-current conversion device is demonstrated that selectively detects the generation of hot electrons. Photoexcitation of Mn-doped CdS quantum dots embedded in the device is followed by efficient picosecond energy transfer to Mn with a long-lived (millisecond) excited-state lifetime. Electrons injected into the QDs under applied bias then capture this energy via Auger de-excitation, generating hot electrons that possess sufficient energy to escape over a ZnS blocking layer, thereby producing current.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigate zirconium (Zr) incorporation into the titanium dioxide (TiO2) electron-transporting layer used in organometal halide perovskite photovoltaics. Compared to Zr-free controls, solar cells employing electrodes containing Zr exhibit increased power conversion efficiency (PCE) and decreased hysteresis. We use transient photovoltage and photocurrent extraction to measure carrier lifetimes and densities and observe longer carrier lifetimes and higher charge densities in devices on Zr-containing electrodes at microsecond times as well as longer persistent photovoltages extending from ∼milliseconds to tens of seconds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe remarkable performance of hybrid perovskite photovoltaics is attributed to their long carrier lifetimes and high photoluminescence (PL) efficiencies. High-quality films are associated with slower PL decays, and it has been claimed that grain boundaries have a negligible impact on performance. We used confocal fluorescence microscopy correlated with scanning electron microscopy to spatially resolve the PL decay dynamics from films of nonstoichiometric organic-inorganic perovskites, CH3NH3PbI3(Cl).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBecause current homogeneous immunoassays show some limitations, particularly low sensitivity, we developed a new immunoassay to overcome these limitations. The approach was based on magnetic nanoparticles with a thermoresponsive polymer layer, a negatively charged polymer, and streptavidin-biotin-based antibody-antigen detection and yielded higher sensitivity than commonly used heterogeneous immunoassays. Because no special equipment is needed, it can be applied to currently available absorbance-based systems for high-throughput assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMucor circinelloides and Mortierella isabellina hydroxylated dehydroabietic acid (DehA). DehA was converted regio- and stereo-selectively by whole cells of Mr. circinelloides to give 2alpha-hydroxydehydroabietic acid in a 75% molar conversion yield (11 mM from 14.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF