Comparing the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 across age groups considering sampling biases - use of testing data of autumn 2021 in Belgium.

Background: To design efficient mitigation measures against COVID-19, understanding the transmission dynamics between different age groups was crucial. The role of children in the pandemic has been intensely debated and involves both scientific and ethical questions. To design efficient age-targeted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), a good view of the incidence of the different age groups was needed.

Infrared Spectra of the Water-CO Complex in the 4.3-3.6 μm Region and Determination of the Ground State Tunneling Splitting for HDO-CO.

Spectra of water─CO dimers are studied using a tunable mid-infrared source to probe a pulsed slit jet supersonic expansion. HO-CO and DO-CO are observed in the CO ν fundamental region (≈2350 cm), DO-CO is also observed in the DO ν fundamental region (≈2790 cm), and HDO-CO is observed in the HDO O-D stretch fundamental region (≈2720 cm), all for the first time in these regions. Analysis of the spectra yields excited state rotational parameters and vibrational shifts.

A Greener Pathway to Enantiopurity: Mechanochemical Deracemization through Abrasive Grinding.

We report the first case of mechanochemical deracemization by using liquid-assisted abrasive grinding. The target molecule is a precursor of Paclobutrazol, an important fungicide and plant growth inhibitor. Using mechanochemical deracemization, we are even able to transform a 10 % ee scalemic mixture of this latter in an enantioenriched product of 97 % ee in a couple of hours.

Constraint Release Rouse Mechanisms in Bidisperse Linear Polymers: Investigation of the Release Time of a Short-Long Entanglement.

Despite a wide set of experimental data and a large number of studies, the quantitative description of the relaxation mechanisms involved in the disorientation process of bidisperse blends is still under discussion. In particular, while it has been shown that the relaxation of self-unentangled long chains diluted in a short chain matrix is well approximated by a Constraint Release Rouse (CRR) mechanism, there is no consensus on the value of the average release time of their entanglements, τobs, which fixes the timescale of the CRR relaxation. Therefore, the first objective of the present work is to discuss the different approaches proposed to determine this time and compare them to a large set of experimental viscoelastic data, either newly measured (poly(methyl-)methacrylate and 1,4-polybutadiene blends) or coming from the literature (polystyrene and polyisoprene blends).

Quantifying the local mechanical properties of twisted double bilayer graphene.

Nanomechanical measurements of minimally twisted van der Waals materials remained elusive despite their fundamental importance for device realisation. Here, we use Ultrasonic Force Microscopy (UFM) to locally quantify the variation of out-of-plane Young's modulus in minimally twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). We reveal a softening of the Young's modulus by 7% and 17% along single and double domain walls, respectively.

Phase behavior of medium-length hydrophobically associating PEO-PPO multiblock copolymers in aqueous media.

Hypothesis: The micellization of block copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) is driven by the dehydration of PPO at elevated temperatures. At low concentrations, a viscous solution of isolated micelles is obtained, whereas at higher concentrations, crowding of micelles results in an elastic gel. Alternating PEO-PPO multiblock copolymers are expected to exhibit different phase behavior, with altered phase boundaries and thermodynamics, as compared to PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers (Pluronics®) with equal hydrophobicity, thereby proving the pivotal role of copolymer architecture and molecular weight.

Memristive and Tunneling Effects in 3D Interconnected Silver Nanowires.

A network of silver nanowires (Ag-NWs) is grown by electrodeposition in a nanoporous membrane with interconnected nanopores. This bottom-up approach fabrication method gives a conducting network with a 3D architecture and a high density of Ag-NWs. The network is then functionalized during the etching process, which leads to a high initial resistance as well as memristive behavior.

Key Parameters Impacting the Crystal Formation in Antisolvent Membrane-Assisted Crystallization.

Antisolvent crystallization is commonly used in the formation of heat-sensitive compounds as it is the case for most active pharmaceutical ingredients. Membranes have the ability to control the antisolvent mass transfer to the reaction medium, providing excellent mixing that inhibits the formation of local supersaturations responsible for the undesired properties of the resulting crystals. Still, optimization of the operating conditions is required.

A New Osteogenic Membrane to Enhance Bone Healing: At the Crossroads between the Periosteum, the Induced Membrane, and the Diamond Concept.

The lack of viability of massive bone allografts for critical-size bone defect treatment remains a challenge in orthopedic surgery. The literature has reviewed the advantages of a multi-combined treatment with the synergy of an osteoconductive extracellular matrix (ECM), osteogenic stem cells, and growth factors (GFs). Questions are still open about the need for ECM components, the influence of the decellularization process on the latter, the related potential loss of function, and the necessity of using pre-differentiated cells.

Iron oxide/hydroxide-nitrogen doped graphene-like visible-light active photocatalytic layers for antibiotics removal from wastewater.

Hybrid layers consisting of Fe oxide, Fe hydroxide, and nitrogen doped graphene-like platelets have been synthesized by an eco-friendly laser-based method for photocatalytic applications. The complex composite layers show high photodecomposition efficiency towards degradation of antibiotic molecules under visible light irradiation. The photodecomposition efficiency was investigated as a function of relative concentrations of base materials, Fe oxide nanoparticles and graphene oxide platelets used for the preparation of target dispersions submitted to laser irradiation.

Structural insight into the magnesium borohydride - ethylenediamine solid-state Mg-ion electrolyte system.

A highly complex crystal structure of stoichiometric Mg()(BH) was solved from single crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction and confirmed by neutron powder diffraction (NPD) on isotopically substituted Mg()(BD). We highlight the role of the amorphous Mg(BH) in the reactivity of the Mg(BH)- system and characterized a previously overlooked phase, Mg()(BH).

High Yield Autoclave Synthesis of pure MBH (M = Na, K).

Metal dodecaborates (MBH) are a versatile class of materials used in polymer chemistry and cancer treatment and are promising candidates as electrolytes for solid-state batteries. However, a general and scalable approach has not yet been developed for producing high-purity BH derivatives. In this work, we report a simple, efficient, and environmentally benign solvothermal method to prepare diffraction and B NMR pure NaBH (85% yield) and KBH (84% yield).

In-Capillary Photodeposition of Glyphosate-Containing Polyacrylamide Nanometer-Thick Films.

The present research reports on in-water, site-specific photodeposition of glyphosate (GLP)-containing polyacrylamide (PAA-GLP) nanometer-thick films (nanofilms) on an inner surface of fused silica (fused quartz) microcapillaries presilanized with trimethoxy(octen-7-yl)silane (TMOS). TMOS was chosen because of the vinyl group presence in its structure, enabling its participation in the (UV light)-activated free-radical polymerization (UV-FRP) after its immobilization on a fused silica surface. The photodeposition was conducted in an aqueous (HO/ACN; 3:1, /) solution, using UV-FRP (λ = 365 nm) of the acrylamide (AA) functional monomer, the ,'-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAA) cross-linking monomer, GLP, and the azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) UV-FRP initiator.

Solids that are also liquids: elastic tensors of superionic materials.

Superionics are fascinating materials displaying both solid- and liquid-like characteristics: as solids, they respond elastically to shear stress; as liquids, they display fast-ion diffusion at normal conditions. In addition to such scientific interest, superionics are technologically relevant for energy, electronics, and sensing applications. Characterizing and understanding their elastic properties is, e.

Global Vertical Distribution of Water Vapor on Mars: Results From 3.5 Years of ExoMars-TGO/NOMAD Science Operations.

We present water vapor vertical distributions on Mars retrieved from 3.5 years of solar occultation measurements by Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which reveal a strong contrast between aphelion and perihelion water climates. In equinox periods, most of water vapor is confined into the low-middle latitudes.

An Organic Redox Mediator with a Defense-Donor for Lithium Anode in Lithium-Oxygen Batteries.

Lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) suffer from large charge overpotential and unstable Li metal interface, which can be attributed to the inefficient charge transport at the insulating Li O /cathode interface and the severe oxygen corrosion issue on the Li anode surface. The use of soluble redox mediators (RMs) can effectively enhance the charge transport between Li O and cathode, thus greatly reducing the charge overpotential. However, oxidized RMs will also shuttle to the anode side and react with the Li metal, which not only results in the loss of both the RMs and the electrical energy efficiency but also exacerbates the Li anode corrosion.

Topochemical Design of Cellulose-Based Carriers for Immobilization of Endoxylanase.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) gained much attention for their use in food and animal feed, attributed to their prebiotic function. These short-chained carbohydrates can be enzymatically produced from xylan, one of the most prevalent forms of hemicellulose. In this work, endo-1,4-β-xylanase from was immobilized on cellulose-based beads with the goal of producing xylooligosaccharides with degrees of polymerization (DPs) in the range of 4-6 monomeric units.

Boron Nitride-Doped Polyphenylenic Organogels.

Herein, we describe the synthesis of the first boron nitride-doped polyphenylenic material obtained through a [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between a triethynyl borazine unit and a biscyclopentadienone derivative, which undergoes organogel formation in chlorinated solvents (the critical jellification concentration is 4% w/w in CHCl). The polymer has been characterized extensively by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, solid-state C NMR, solid-state B NMR, and by comparison with the isolated monomeric unit. Furthermore, the polymer gels formed in chlorinated solvents have been thoroughly characterized and studied, showing rheological properties comparable to those of polyacrylamide gels with a low crosslinker percentage.

Characterising different molecular landscapes in dynamic covalent networks.

Dynamic covalent networks present a unique opportunity to exert molecular-level control on macroscopic material properties, by linking their thermal behaviour to the thermodynamics and kinetics of the underlying chemistry. Yet, existing methods do not allow for the extraction and analysis of the influence of local differences in chemical reactivity caused by available reactants, catalysts, or additives. In this context, we present a rheological paradigm that allows us to correlate the composition of a reactive polymer segment to a faster or slower rate of network rearrangement.

Lecithin-based nanocapsule loading sucupira () oil effects in experimental mucositis.

Intestinal mucositis (IM) is a frequent adverse effect in anticancer therapy without standard treatment. The oil obtained from sucupira (Pterodon emarginatus) has anti-inflammatory properties, and the soybean lecithin reduces the intestinal toxicity of several xenobiotics. However, their water insolubility impairs the in vivo application.

Multicomponent Chiral Quantification with Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy: Ternary and Quaternary Phase Diagrams of Levetiracetam.

Chiral molecules are challenging for the pharmaceutical industry because although physical properties of the enantiomers are the same in achiral systems, they exhibit different effects in chiral systems, such as the human body. The separation of enantiomers is desired but complex, as enantiomers crystallize most often as racemic compounds. A technique to enable the chiral separation of racemic compounds is to create an asymmetry in the thermodynamic system by generating chiral cocrystal(s) using a chiral coformer and using the solubility differences to enable separation through crystallization from solution.

Integrated Approach to Eco-Friendly Thermoplastic Composites Based on Chemically Recycled PET Co-Polymers Reinforced with Treated Banana Fibres.

A major societal issue of disposal and environmental pollution is raised by the enormous and fast-growing production of single-use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, especially in developing countries. To contribute to the problem solution, an original route to recycle PET in the form of value-added environmentally friendly thermoplastic composites with banana fibres () has been developed at the laboratory scale. Banana fibres are a so far undervalued by-product of banana crops with great potential as polymer reinforcement.

Discovery of Mitochondrial Complex I Inhibitors as Anticancer and Radiosensitizer Drugs Based on Compensatory Stimulation of Lactate Release.

Cancer cells may stimulate glycolytic flux when O becomes insufficient. Increase in L-lactate release therefore appears as an escape mechanism to drugs targeting mitochondrial respiration but also represents a response that may be exploited to screen for compounds blocking either mitochondrial carriers of oxidizable substrates or the electron transport chain. Here, we developed a screening procedure based on the capacity of cancer cells to release L-lactate to gain insights on the development of mitochondrial complex I inhibitors.

Periosteum and fascia lata: Are they so different?

The human fascia lata (HFL) is used widely in reconstructive surgery in indications other than fracture repair. The goal of this study was to compare microscopic, molecular, and mechanical properties of HFL and periosteum (HP) from a bone tissue engineering perspective. Cadaveric HP and HFL ( = 4 each) microscopic morphology was characterized using histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the extracellular matrix (ECM) ultrastructure assessed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Advances in Nanomaterials for Photovoltaic Applications.

The development of novel nanomaterials became a subject of intensive research, due to high market needs for innovative applications in virtually all aspects of life [...