Spray pressure variation effect on the properties of CdS thin films for photodetector applications

Herein, we report the photosensing property of CdS thin films. CdS thin films were coated onto glass substrates via a spray pyrolysis method using different spray pressures. Prepared films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical and photoluminescence spectroscopy. XRD analysis demonstrated the growth of crystalline CdS films with crystallite sizes varying from 26 to 29 nm depending on the pressure. The SEM and EDAX analyses revealed nearly-stoichiometric CdS films with smooth surfaces and slight variation in grain morphology due to pressure changes. Optical measurements showed a direct bandgap varying from 2.37 eV to 2.42 eV due to pressure changes. A photodetector was also fabricated using the grown CdS films; the fabricated photodetector exhibited good performance depending on the spray pressure. A spray pressure of 1.5 GPa resulted in high photoresponsivity and external quantum efficiency.     

Photoluminescence of Gallate Glass-Ceramics: Al2O3 Influence

Glass and Ceramics - The influence of Al2O3 as an additive and the heat-treatment regime on the luminescence spectra of gallate glass-ceramics was investigated. It is shown that its luminescence...     

A Case Report of Germline Compound Heterozygous Mutations in the BRCA1 Gene of an Ovarian and Breast Cancer Patient

The germline carrier of the BRCA1 pathogenic mutation has been well proven to confer an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Despite BRCA1 biallelic pathogenic mutations being extremely rare, they have been reported to be embryonically lethal or to cause Fanconi anemia (FA). Here we describe a patient who was a 48-year-old female identified with biallelic pathogenic mutations of the BRCA1 gene, with no or very subtle FA-features. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and breast cancer at the ages of 43 and 44 and had a strong family history of breast and gynecological cancers.     

Current Status of Angiogenic Cell Therapy and Related Strategies Applied in Critical Limb Ischemia

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) constitutes the most severe form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), it is characterized by progressive blockade of arterial vessels, commonly correlated to atherosclerosis. Currently, revascularization strategies (bypass grafting, angioplasty) remain the first option for CLI patients, although less than 45% of them are eligible for surgical intervention mainly due to associated comorbidities. Moreover, patients usually require amputation in the short-term. Angiogenic cell therapy has arisen as a promising alternative for these “no-option” patients, with many studies demonstrating the potential of stem cells to enhance revascularization by promoting vessel formation and blood flow recovery in ischemic tissues. Herein, we provide an overview of studies focused on the use of angiogenic cell therapies in CLI in the last years, from approaches testing different cell types in animal/pre-clinical models of CLI, to the clinical trials currently under evaluation. Furthermore, recent alternatives related to stem cell therapies such as the use of secretomes, exosomes, or even microRNA, will be also described.     

Unsupervised Segmentation of Stereoscopic Video Objects: Constrained Segmentation Fusion Versus Greedy Active Contours

In this paper, we present a novel memory access reduction scheme (MARS) for two-dimension fast cosine transform (2-D FCT). It targets programmable DSPs with high memory-access latency. It reduces the number of memory accesses by: 1) reducing the number of weighting factors and 2) combining butterflies in vector-radix 2-D FCT pruning diagram from two stages to one stage with an efficient structure. Hardware platform based on general purpose processor is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method for vector-radix 2-D FCT pruning implementation. Experimental results validate the benefits of the proposed method with reduced memory access, less clock cycle and fewer memory space compared with the conventional implementation.     

Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

Linear correlation between pH value of stimulated beef and electrical current intensity

The aim of the present study was to determine mathematical relationships between pH changes in beef 24 h post-slaughter and changes in the intensity of electrical current flowing through bull and heifer carcasses during high-voltage electrical stimulation. The electrical stimulation was applied 40 min postmortem for 120 s. The pH values of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum were analyzed in the function of electrical current intensity changes and its change during electrical stimulation. Mathematical linear correlations of the y = ax ± b type were demonstrated between pH values at 2, 6, and 24 h postmortem and the initial (I_i) and ultimate (I_u) electrical current intensity values, the difference between them and the initial pH values determined before electrical stimulation. High multiple correlation coefficients (R² = 0.416, α ≤ 0.001) between I_u and pH values 24 h post-slaughter enabled concluding that there is a possibility to predict a pH value of stimulated carcass with high accuracy, and thus also beef quality, based merely on the ultimate electrical current intensity values.