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Scientific Reports Jun 2024Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of adult blindness in the United States. Although studies applying traditional statistical methods have revealed...
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of adult blindness in the United States. Although studies applying traditional statistical methods have revealed that heavy metals may be essential environmental risk factors for diabetic retinopathy, there is a lack of analyses based on machine learning (ML) methods to adequately explain the complex relationship between heavy metals and DR and the interactions between variables. Based on characteristic variables of participants with and without DR and heavy metal exposure data obtained from the NHANES database (2003-2010), a ML model was developed for effective prediction of DR. The best predictive model for DR was selected from 11 models by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Further permutation feature importance (PFI) analysis, partial dependence plots (PDP) analysis, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis were used to assess the model capability and key influencing factors. A total of 1042 eligible individuals were randomly assigned to two groups for training and testing set of the prediction model. ROC analysis showed that the k-nearest neighbour (KNN) model had the highest prediction performance, achieving close to 100% accuracy in the testing set. Urinary Sb level was identified as the critical heavy metal affecting the predicted risk of DR, with a contribution weight of 1.730632 ± 1.791722, which was much higher than that of other heavy metals and baseline variables. The results of the PDP analysis and the SHAP analysis also indicated that antimony (Sb) had a more significant effect on DR. The interaction between age and Sb was more significant compared to other variables and metal pairs. We found that Sb could serve as a potential predictor of DR and that Sb may influence the development of DR by mediating cellular and systemic senescence. The study revealed that monitoring urinary Sb levels can be useful for early non-invasive screening and intervention in DR development, and also highlighted the important role of constructed ML models in explaining the effects of heavy metal exposure on DR.
Topics: Humans; Machine Learning; Metals, Heavy; Diabetic Retinopathy; Female; Male; Middle Aged; ROC Curve; Adult; Risk Factors; Aged; Environmental Exposure
PubMed: 38844504
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63916-w -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Sep 2023Phase-change random-access memory (PCRAM) devices suffer from pronounced resistance drift originating from considerable structural relaxation of phase-change materials...
Phase-change random-access memory (PCRAM) devices suffer from pronounced resistance drift originating from considerable structural relaxation of phase-change materials (PCMs), which hinders current developments of high-capacity memory and high-parallelism computing that both need reliable multibit programming. This work realizes that compositional simplification and geometrical miniaturization of traditional GeSbTe-like PCMs are feasible routes to suppress relaxation. While to date, the aging mechanisms of the simplest PCM, Sb, at nanoscale, have not yet been unveiled. Here, this work demonstrates that in an optimal thickness of only 4 nm, the thin Sb film can enable a precise multilevel programming with ultralow resistance drift coefficients, in a regime of ≈10 -10 . This advancement is mainly owed to the slightly changed Peierls distortion in Sb and the less-distorted octahedral-like atomic configurations across the Sb/SiO interfaces. This work highlights a new indispensable approach, interfacial regulation of nanoscale PCMs, for pursuing ultimately reliable resistance control in aggressively-miniaturized PCRAM devices, to boost the storage and computing efficiencies substantially.
PubMed: 37377084
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202301043 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2023Antimony (Sb) is a potential candidate anode for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity. However; in the process of potassium alloying...
Antimony (Sb) is a potential candidate anode for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity. However; in the process of potassium alloying reaction; the huge volume expansion (about 407%) leads to pulverization of active substance as well as loss of electrical contact resulting in rapidly declining capacity. Herein; uniformly dispersed Sb-Nanodot in carbon frameworks (Sb-ND@C) were constructed by in situ confined polymerization of ionic liquids. Attributed to the uniformly dispersed Sb-ND and confinement effect of carbon frameworks; as anode for PIBs; Sb-ND@C delivered a superior rate capability (320.1 mA h g at 5 A g) and an outstanding cycling stability (486 mA h g after 1000 cycles; achieving 89.8% capacity retention). This work offers a facile route to prepare highly dispersed metal-Nanodot via the in situ polymerization of ionic liquid for high-performance metal-ion batteries.
Topics: Ionic Liquids; Polymerization; Carbon; Potassium
PubMed: 37446874
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28135212 -
ArXiv Aug 2023SBcoyote is an open-source cross-platform biochemical reaction viewer and editor released under the liberal MIT license. It is written in Python and uses wxPython to...
SBcoyote is an open-source cross-platform biochemical reaction viewer and editor released under the liberal MIT license. It is written in Python and uses wxPython to implement the GUI and the drawing canvas. It supports the visualization and editing of compartments, species, and reactions. It includes many options to stylize each of these components. For instance, species can be in different colors and shapes. Other core features include the ability to create alias nodes, alignment of groups of nodes, network zooming, as well as an interactive bird-eye view of the network to allow easy navigation on large networks. A unique feature of the tool is the extensive Python plugin API, where third-party developers can include new functionality. To assist third-party plugin developers, we provide a variety of sample plugins, including, random network generation, a simple auto layout tool, export to Antimony, export SBML, import SBML, etc. Of particular interest are the export and import SBML plugins since these support the SBML level 3 layout and render standard, which is exchangeable with other software packages. Plugins are stored in a GitHub repository, and an included plugin manager can retrieve and install new plugins from the repository on demand. Plugins have version metadata associated with them to make it install plugin updates. Availability: https://github.com/sys-bio/SBcoyote.
PubMed: 37645048
DOI: No ID Found -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023A composite film that features bismuth-antimony alloy nanoparticles uniformly embedded in a 3D hierarchical porous carbon skeleton is synthesized by the...
A composite film that features bismuth-antimony alloy nanoparticles uniformly embedded in a 3D hierarchical porous carbon skeleton is synthesized by the polyacrylonitrile-spreading method. The dissolved polystyrene is used as a soft template. The average diameter of the bismuth-antimony alloy nanoparticles is ~34.5 nm. The content of the Bi-Sb alloy has an impact on the electrochemical performance of the composite film. When the content of the bismuth-antimony alloy is 45.27%, the reversible capacity and cycling stability of the composite film are the best. Importantly, the composite film outperforms the bismuth-antimony alloy nanoparticles embedded in dense carbon film and the cube carbon nanobox in terms of specific capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability. The composite film can provide a discharge capacity of 322 mAh g after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g, 292 mAh g after 500 cycles at 1 A g, and 185 mAh g after 2000 cycles at 10 A g. The carbon film prepared by the spreading method presents a unique integrated composite structure that significantly improves the structural stability and electronic conductivity of Bi-Sb alloy nanoparticles. The 3D hierarchical porous carbon skeleton structure further enhances electrolyte accessibility, promotes Na transport, increases reaction kinetics, and buffers internal stress.
PubMed: 37764240
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28186464 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Jan 2024The emerging antimony chalcogenide (Sb (S Se ) , 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) semiconductors are featured as quasi-1D structures comprising (Sb S(e) ) ribbons, this structural... (Review)
Review
The emerging antimony chalcogenide (Sb (S Se ) , 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) semiconductors are featured as quasi-1D structures comprising (Sb S(e) ) ribbons, this structural characteristic generates facet-dependent properties such as directional charge transfer and trap states. In terms of carrier transport, proper control over the crystal nucleation and growth conditions can promote preferentially oriented growth of favorable crystal planes, thus enabling efficient electron transport along (Sb S(e) ) ribbons. Furthermore, an in-depth understanding of the origin and impact of the crystal orientation of Sb (S Se ) films on the performance of corresponding photovoltaic devices is expected to lead to a breakthrough in power conversion efficiency. In fact, there are many studies on the orientation control of Sb (S Se ) colloidal nanomaterials. However, the synthesis of Sb (S Se ) thin films with controlled facets has recently been a focus in optoelectronic device applications. This work summarizes methodologies that are applied in the fabrication of preferentially oriented Sb (S Se ) films, including treatment strategies developed for crystal orientation engineering in each process. The mechanisms in the orientation control are thoroughly analyzed. An outlook on perspectives for the future development of Sb (S Se ) solar cells based on recent research and issues on orientation control is finally provided.
PubMed: 37939308
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304963 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Aug 2023Arsenic contamination of groundwater is among one of the biggest health threats affecting millions of people in the world. There is an urgent need for efficient arsenic...
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is among one of the biggest health threats affecting millions of people in the world. There is an urgent need for efficient arsenic biosensors where the use of arsenic metabolizing enzymes can be explored. In this work, we have solved four crystal structures of arsenite oxidase (Aio) in complex with arsenic and antimony oxyanions and the structures determined correspond to intermediate states of the enzymatic mechanism. These structural data were complemented with density-functional theory calculations providing a unique view of the molybdenum active site at different time points that, together with mutagenesis data, enabled to clarify the enzymatic mechanism and the molecular determinants for the oxidation of As(III) to the less toxic As(V) species.
Topics: Humans; Antimony; Arsenic; Arsenites; Oxidation-Reduction
PubMed: 37442232
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105036 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Infrared radiation thermometers (IRTs) overcome many of the limitations of thermocouples, particularly responsiveness and calibration drift. The main challenge with...
Infrared radiation thermometers (IRTs) overcome many of the limitations of thermocouples, particularly responsiveness and calibration drift. The main challenge with radiation thermometry is the fast and reliable measurement of temperatures close to room temperature. A new IRT which is sensitive to wavelengths between 3 μm and 11 μm was developed and tested in a laboratory setting. It is based on an uncooled indium arsenide antimony (InAsSb) photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier, and a silver halogenide fibre optic cable transmissive in the mid- to long-wave infrared region. The prototype IRT was capable of measuring temperatures between 35 °C and 100 °C at an integration time of 5 ms and a temperature range between 40 °C and 100 °C at an integration time of 1 ms, with a root mean square (RMS) noise level of less than 0.5 °C. The thermometer was calibrated against Planck's law using a five-point calibration, leading to a measurement uncertainty within ±1.5 °C over the aforementioned temperature range. The thermometer was tested against a thermocouple during drilling operations of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) plastic to measure the temperature of the drill bit during the material removal process. Future versions of the thermometer are intended to be used as a thermocouple replacement in high-speed, near-ambient temperature measurement applications, such as electric motor condition monitoring; battery protection; and machining of polymers and composite materials, such as carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP).
PubMed: 38067887
DOI: 10.3390/s23239514 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2024In recent years, antimony sulfide (SbS) has been investigated as a photovoltaic absorber material due to its suitable absorber coefficient, direct band gap, extinction...
In recent years, antimony sulfide (SbS) has been investigated as a photovoltaic absorber material due to its suitable absorber coefficient, direct band gap, extinction coefficient, earth-abundant, and environmentally friendly constituents. Therefore, this work proposes SbS film preparation by an effective two-step process using a new graphite box design and sulfur distribution, which has a high repeatability level and can be scalable. First, an Sb thin film was deposited using the RF-Sputtering technique, and after that, the samples were annealed with elemental sulfur into a graphite box, varying the sulfurization time from 20 to 50 min. The structural, optical, morphological, and chemical characteristics of the resulting thin films were analyzed. Results reveal the method's effectivity and the best properties were obtained for the sample sulfurized during 40 min. This SbS thin film presents an orthorhombic crystalline structure, elongated grains, a band gap of 1.69 eV, a crystallite size of 15.25 Å, and a nearly stoichiometric composition. In addition, the formation of a was achieved by depositing silver back contact on the Glass/FTO/CdS/SbS structure. Therefore, the graphite box design has been demonstrated to be functional to obtain SbS by a two-step process.
PubMed: 38612169
DOI: 10.3390/ma17071656 -
RSC Advances Aug 2023Double halide perovskites have received massive attention due to their low toxicity, tunable bandgap, structural flexibility, and stability as compared to conventional...
Double halide perovskites have received massive attention due to their low toxicity, tunable bandgap, structural flexibility, and stability as compared to conventional 3D lead halide perovskites. Particularly, newly discovered formamidinium germanium-antimony halide (FAGeSbCl) double perovskites offer an excellent bandgap (∼1.3 eV) for solar cell (SC) applications. Therefore, in this study, for the first time, we have simulated FTO/TiO/FAGeSbCl/CuO/Au planar SCs using SCAPS-1D, showing a maximum power conversion efficiency of 22.5% with = 34.52 mA cm, = 0.76 V, and FF = 85.1%. The results show that the variation in valence and conduction band offsets (-0.4 to +0.2 eV and -0.4 to +0.57 eV) at the ETL/absorber and absorber/HTL interfaces dominate the SC performance. Also, different absorber defect densities (1 × 10-1 × 10 cm) and thicknesses (200-3000 nm) effectively influence the PCE. Moreover, simulated impedance spectroscopy (IS) data (through SCAPS-1D) were fitted using equivalent electrical circuits to extract relevant parameters, including , , and , allowing us to better discuss the physics of the device. The fitted IS results strongly revealed that enhanced SC performance is associated with higher recombination resistance and a larger recombination lifetime. Likewise, a slight variation in the (0 to 2.5 Ω cm) highly impacts the PCE (22.5% to 19.7%). Furthermore, a tandem cell is designed by combining the top cell of ethylenediammonium-FASnI perovskite with the FAGeSbCl bottom cell using a filtered spectrum strategy, which opens the door for multi-junction SC applications. These findings firmly reveal that the appropriate energy level alignment at interfaces with suitable material properties is the key to boosting SC performance.
PubMed: 37636501
DOI: 10.1039/d3ra03102k