Bias against research on gender bias

The bias against women in academia is a documented phenomenon that has had detrimental consequences, not only for women, but also for the quality of science. First, gender bias in academia affects female scientists, resulting in their underrepresentation in academic institutions, particularly in higher ranks. The second type of gender bias in science relates to some findings applying only to male participants, which produces biased knowledge. Here, we identify a third potentially powerful source of gender bias in academia: the bias against research on gender bias. In a bibliometric investigation covering a broad range of social sciences, we analyzed published articles on gender bias and race bias and established that articles on gender bias are funded less often and published in journals with a lower Impact Factor than articles on comparable instances of social discrimination. This result suggests the possibility of an underappreciation of the phenomenon of gender bias and related research within the academic community. Addressing this meta-bias is crucial for the further examination of gender inequality, which severely affects many women across the world.     

Mesoporous drug carrier systems for enhanced delivery rate of poorly water-soluble drug: nimodipine

Journal of Porous Materials - Two mesoporous silica materials: MCM-41 and SBA-15 were applied as potential nanocarriers for poorly soluble drug—nimodipine. Drug incorporation was performed...     

System performance analysis of cooperative multihop relaying network applying approximation to dual‐hop relaying network

In this paper, the closed‐form expressions for outage probability, channel capacity, and average symbol error probability are derived for amplify‐and‐forward multihop relay network. Based on approximation of multihop relay by dual‐hop relay systems, the analytical expressions are obtained for the case when maximal ratio combining technique is employed at each relay while destination node uses selection combining technique. The impact of system and channel parameters on the system performances is investigated, and numerical results are graphically presented. The derived analytical expressions are verified by numerical simulation.     

Unraveling the Crystallization Kinetics of 2D Perovskites with Sandwich-Type Structure for High-Performance Photovoltaics

2D perovskite solar cells with high stability and high efficiency have attracted significant attention. A systematical static and dynamic structure investigation is carried out to show the details of 2D morphology evolution. A dual additive approach is used, where the synergy between an alkali metal cation and a polar solvent leads to high-quality 2D perovskite films with sandwich-type structures and vertical phase segregation. Such novel structure can induce high-quality 2D slab growth and reduce internal and surface defects, resulting in a high device efficiency of 16.48% with enhanced continuous illumination stability and improved moisture (55–60%) and thermal (85 °C) tolerances. Transient absorption spectra reveal the carrier migration from low n to high n species with different kinetics. An [PbI₆]⁴⁻ octagon coalescence transformation mechanism coupled with metal and organic cations wrapped is proposed. By solvent vapor annealing, a recrystallization and reorientation of the 2D perovskite slabs occurs to form an ideal structure with improved device performance and stability.     

Dopant‐Free Small‐Molecule Hole‐Transporting Material for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency Exceeding 21%

Hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) play a critical role in realizing efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Considering their capability of enabling PVSCs with good device reproducibility and long‐term stability, high‐performance dopant‐free small‐molecule HTMs (SM‐HTMs) are greatly desired. However, such dopant‐free SM‐HTMs are highly elusive, limiting the current record efficiencies of inverted PVSCs to around 19%. Here, two novel donor–acceptor‐type SM‐HTMs (MPA‐BTI and MPA‐BTTI) are devised, which synergistically integrate several design principles for high‐performance HTMs, and exhibit comparable optoelectronic properties but distinct molecular configuration and film properties. Consequently, the dopant‐free MPA‐BTTI‐based inverted PVSCs achieve a remarkable efficiency of 21.17% with negligible hysteresis and superior thermal stability and long‐term stability under illumination, which breaks the long‐time standing bottleneck in the development of dopant‐free SM‐HTMs for highly efficient inverted PVSCs. Such a breakthrough is attributed to the well‐aligned energy levels, appropriate hole mobility, and most importantly, the excellent film morphology of the MPA‐BTTI. The results underscore the effectiveness of the design tactics, providing a new avenue for developing high‐performance dopant‐free SM‐HTMs in PVSCs.     

Impact of particle morphology on structure,crystallization kinetics,and properties of PCL composites with TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-based particles

Crystallization kinetics of polycaprolactone (PCL) filled with TiO₂-based particles (TiX) was shown to depend on the TiX particle type and concentration, which were associated with a slight polymer matrix degradation. The partially degraded, shorter, and more mobile polymer chains increased the overall crystallization rate at the initial stage of crystallization, while at the later stages, the non-nucleating TiX particles acted as a sterical hindrance, slowing down the crystallization process. The PCL/TiX composites were prepared by melt-mixing and contained 2.5 and 5 wt% of the filler. The investigated TiX particles included isometric anatase microparticles (mTiO₂) and titanate nanotubes with high-aspect ratio (TiNT). Light and electron microscopy showed very homogeneous dispersion of the mTiO₂ particles in the PCL matrix, while the TiNT formed large agglomerates. In situ polarized light microscopy displayed faster isothermal crystallization of all PCL/TiX composites, but the micrographs indicated that the TiX particles did not act as nucleation centres. Isothermal DSC experiments, evaluated in terms of Avrami theory, confirmed the PLM results and showed that the overall rate of isothermal crystallization increased in the following order: PCL <PCL/TiNT <PCL/mTiO₂. Non-isothermal DSC and rheological measurements revealed the correlation between the crystallization rate and the polymer matrix degradation—the well-dispersed mTiO₂ particles with high specific surface caused the highest PCL degradation and, consequently, the earliest start of non-isothermal crystallization as well as the fastest isothermal crystallization. Microindentation hardness measurements confirmed that the partial degradation of the polymer matrix did not have a significant impact on the mechanical performance of PCL/mTiO₂ composites.     

From Primary MSC Culture of Adipose Tissue to Immortalized Cell Line Producing Cytokines for Potential Use in Regenerative Medicine Therapy or Immunotherapy

For twenty-five years, attempts have been made to use MSCs in the treatment of various diseases due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. However, the results are not satisfactory. Assuming that MSCs can be replaced in some therapies by the active factors they produce, the immortalized MSCs line was established from human adipose tissue (HATMSC1) to produce conditioned media and test its regenerative potential in vitro in terms of possible clinical application. The production of biologically active factors by primary MSCs was lower compared to the HATMSC1 cell line and several factors were produced only by the cell line. It has been shown that an HATMSC1-conditioned medium increases the proliferation of various cell types, augments the adhesion of cells and improves endothelial cell function. It was found that hypoxia during culture resulted in an augmentation in the pro-angiogenic factors production, such as VEGF, IL-8, Angiogenin and MCP-1. The immunomodulatory factors caused an increase in the production of GM-CSF, IL-5, IL-6, MCP-1, RANTES and IL-8. These data suggest that these factors, produced under different culture conditions, could be used for different medical conditions, such as in regenerative medicine, when an increased concentration of pro-angiogenic factors may be beneficial, or in inflammatory diseases with conditioned media with a high concentration of immunomodulatory factors.     

Novel Biomolecules in the Pathogenesis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common metabolic diseases in pregnant women. Its early diagnosis seems to have a significant impact on the developing fetus, the course of delivery, and the neonatal period. It may also affect the later stages of child development and subsequent complications in the mother. Therefore, the crux of the matter is to find a biopredictor capable of singling out women at risk of developing GDM as early as the very start of pregnancy. Apart from the well-known molecules with a proven and clear-cut role in the pathogenesis of GDM, e.g., adiponectin and leptin, a potential role of newer biomolecules is also emphasized. Less popular and less known factors with different mechanisms of action include: galectins, growth differentiation factor-15, chemerin, omentin-1, osteocalcin, resistin, visfatin, vaspin, irisin, apelin, fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), fibroblast growth factor 21, and lipocalin-2. The aim of this review is to present the potential and significance of these 13 less known biomolecules in the pathogenesis of GDM. It seems that high levels of FABP4, low levels of irisin, and high levels of under-carboxylated osteocalcin in the serum of pregnant women can be used as predictive markers in the diagnosis of GDM. Hopefully, future clinical trials will be able to determine which biomolecules have the most potential to predict GDM.     

Cationic Peptides and Their Cu(II) and Ni(II) Complexes: Coordination and Biological Characteristics

Antimicrobial peptides are a promising group of compounds used for the treatment of infections. In some cases, metal ions are essential to activate these molecules. Examples of metalloantibiotics are, for instance, bleomycin and dermcidin. This study is focused on three new pseudopeptides with potential biological activity. The coordination behavior of all ligands with Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions has been examined. Various analytical methods such as potentiometric titration, UV-Vis and CD spectroscopies, and mass spectrometry were used. All compounds are convenient chelators for metal ion-binding. Two of the ligands tested have histidine residues. Surprisingly, imidazole nitrogen is not involved in the coordination of the metal ion. The N-terminal amino group, Dab side chains, and amide nitrogen atoms of the peptide bonds coordinated Cu(II) and Ni(II) in all the complexes formed. The cytotoxicity of three pseudopeptides and their complexes was evaluated. Moreover, their other model allowed for assessing the attenuation of LPS-induced cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activities were also evaluated, the results of which revealed to be very promising.