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Electroluminescence efficiency and operating stability of solution‐processed perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are limited by luminescence quenching induced by indium or tin released from indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode upon deposition of highly acidic conventional hole injection layer (HIL) (i.e., poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)) and inefficient hole injection into perovskite emitting layer. Here, a synergistic molecular strategy to develop a neutralized gradient HIL, which possesses low acidity and high work function (WF) simultaneously, is proposed. First, it is shown that aniline with relatively low basicity and dipole moment efficiently neutralizes HIL while maintaining its original confirmation and high WF. Both acidity‐neutralizing aniline and WF‐modifying agent (perfluorinated ionomer) are incorporated into PEDOT:PSS to achieve high pH ≈ 6 and WF > 5.8 eV, which suppresses etching of underlying ITO and luminescence quenching while maintaining efficient hole injection into perovskite emitting layer. With this synergetic molecular engineering, high current efficiency = 52.55 cd A−1 with extended operating lifetime is achieved in PeLEDs that use colloidal formamidinium lead bromide nanoparticle films. This result provides a simple and efficient way to develop efficient and stable PeLEDs in industrial displays and solid‐state lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoclinic scheelite bismuth vanadate is an efficient photocatalyst for water splitting. In this paper, we perform DFT + U calculations to investigate the structural, electronic, and optical properties, water adsorption and the oxygen evolution reaction processes on BiVO4 (001) and BiVO4 (110) surfaces in acidic medium both in the gas and solution (water) phases. The structural, electronic, optical, and water adsorption properties reveal that BiVO4 (001) surface is energetically more stable than BiVO4 (110) surface in vacuum. On other hand, the water oxidation mechanisms reveal that BiVO4 (110) surface in water and in strained form in vacuum is energetically more stable than BiVO4 (001) surface in water and in strained form in vacuum both U = 0 and 2.1 V. The free energy of adsorption for all systems at U = 2.1 V reduce about 2 times than that at U = 0 V. Such analyzes provide important insights into the role of different facets on BiVO4 surface for photocatalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to reduce the toxic effects of microplastics (MPs) on the environment have increased globally in recent years. However, the existing models used for the simulation of contaminant transport in groundwater are meant for dissolved substances, which is not suitable for studying MPs. Therefore, in this study, the transport of MPs in a saturated porous medium was modeled by establishing governing equations. Simulations were performed using the finite element method to examine the effects of the parameters of the governing equations on the transport of MPs. The results suggest that it is necessary to reduce the diffusivity of MPs and increase the water flow velocity, porosity, and first-order attachment coefficient to effectively contain this environmental hazard. From the simulation results, it can be derived that a combination of low diffusivity, fast water flow velocity, and high soil porosity may reduce the amount of MPs that are leaked into groundwater environments. The modeling and simulations performed in this study provide a clear understanding of the transport phenomena of MPs with applications in combating water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to study the adsorption behavior of ionic liquids (ILs) on 15th group nanosheets including phosphorene (BP), arsenene (As), and antimonene (Sb). Three ILs based on 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ([EMIM]+), tetramethylammonium ([TMA]+), and N‐methylpyridinium ([MPI]+) cations paired with tetrafluoroborate ([BF4]−) anion were selected as adsorbates on different 2D nanosheets to explore the interfacial behavior. The calculated structural, energy, charge transfer, and electronic properties of the adsorption systems for ILs/nanosheets exhibit combination by non‐covalent interaction. Adsorption of ILs induces a very small reduction of band gap for BP, As, and Sb nanosheets, and the electronic properties of nanosheets are nearly unchanged. These results increase understanding of the experimental mechanism for IL dispersion 2D materials and suggest that ILs can be used to functionalize elemental 15th group nanosheets for further applications in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemiological characteristics of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have gained little attention as the numbers are small compared with men living with HIV in the Republic of Korea. However, these data are important to achieve effective HIV infection control and to consider the influence of socioeconomic status on HIV transmission. This study utilized the claims database of the Korean National Health Insurance system to analyze women with a newly diagnosed HIV infection during the period 2009–2016. Adherence to antiretroviral agents was calculated using the medication possession ratio. Among 677 women with a newly diagnosed HIV infection, 219 (32.4%) were over 50 years of age; 291 (43.0%) were identified as having acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). A total of 99 women (14.6%) were National Medical Aid beneficiaries. Optimal medical adherence >95% was found in 62.2% of subjects. Teenage years (odds ratio(OR) 14.9, 95% confidence interval (95CI) 4.9-44.8), AIDS (OR 1.7, 95CI 1.2-2.3), and low economic status requiring National Medical Aid (OR 3.0, 95CI 2.0-4.6) were associated to adherence. Diagnosis prior to 2012 was also associated with poor adherence. In women, particularly young patients with low economic status, extra attention is required to enhance adherence to prescribed medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufficiently strong molecular magnets are used in small modern electronic and spintronic devices. Diradical organic magnetic molecules (OMMs) are promising options due to their lightness, flexibility, and the low energy required for their synthesis. In this field, the coupler is a dominating component, though acetylene, the shortest coupler, has not been studied for this use. In this study, we conceptualize several model systems using an acetylene link to couple different monoradicals. We simulated their magnetic strength using the broken symmetry method via density functional theory calculations. Our results show that the acetylene (–C≡C–) coupler gives much larger J values than the ethylene (–C＝C–) coupler. Acetylene coupling a phenoxyl (PO) and a nitronyl nitroxide (NN) diradical is the strongest ferromagnetic diradical OMM, and acetylene coupling a PO bisradical is the strongest anti-ferromagnetic diradical OMM. Moreover, we found that the magnetic strength is dependent on the coupler length and torsion, but is independent of the bending. Since only a very small energy barrier is needed, it is feasible to use torsion to tune a diradical OMM's magnetic strength. Our results are also beneficial for the rational design and synthesis of diradical OMMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of ΔK280 tau mutant resulting in neurotoxic oligomeric aggregates is an important but yet mysterious procedure in Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. Recently, we proposed a histidine tautomerization hypothesis of tau fibrillogenesis for the pathobiology of AD and other neuro diseases. However, the influence of neutral histidine tautomeric states on tau mutation is still unclear. Herein, we performed replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations to characterize structural features as well as the mode of toxic action of the ΔK280 tau mutant in the presence of histidine tautomerism. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results show that the δε tautomeric isomer (having a distinct global energy minimum) had the highest β-sheet structure, which adopts a sheet-rich conformer and may have significant influence on the structural behaviors of ΔK280 tau monomers. Furthermore, clustering, residual contact map, mobility and structural analysis exhibited that the presence of β-strand interactions between stable lysine 8 (K8)–asparagine 13 (N13) and valine 39 (V39)–tyrosine 43 (Y43) residues plus K31–histidine 32 (H32) and K8–N13 (strand-loop-strand [β-meander] structure) helped δε to form toxic aggregates. Moreover, H299 played a more critical role in the conformational instability of the δε than H268. Overall, the results obtained from this study may be used to arrest neurodegeneration in ΔK280 tau mutation carriers as well as increase the understanding of AD-related tau pathogenesis and strengthen the histidine tautomerism hypothesis of misfolded peptide accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging data suggest that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and psoriasis are associated, sharing common genetic predispositions and immunological mechanisms. However, concrete data on psoriasis risk in IBD patients compared to the general population are limited. Objective: We investigated the risk of developing psoriasis in IBD patients compared to controls without IBD. Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Database, patients diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) between 2005 and 2008 were age- and sex-matched 1:4 to non-IBD subjects from 2003 to 2018. IBD patients were defined by combining the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision code and at least one prescription of IBD-specific medications. Disease phenotypes, including psoriasis severity and psoriatic arthritis, were also identified. We investigated newly diagnosed psoriasis from 2009 to 2018. Incidence rates and risk of psoriasis were assessed with multivariate Cox regression models. Subgroup analyses for age and sex, and sensitivity analysis involving tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor-naïve patients were performed. Results: During nearly a decade of follow-up, 20,152 IBD patients were identified (14,619 [72.54%] UC and 5,533 [27.46%] CD). Among them, 439 patients were newly diagnosed with psoriasis (incidence rate of 217.68 per 100,000 person-years and 228.62 per 100,000 person-years for UC and CD, respectively). The psoriasis risk was higher in IBD patients than in the matched controls (adjusted hazard ratio, aHR, 2.95, 95% confidence interval, CI, 2.60–3.33). Moreover, IBD patients aged <30 years were at an increased risk (aHR 3.35, 95% CI 2.58–4.35), a trend that was unchanged across all psoriasis phenotypes. Sensitivity analysis of TNF inhibitor-naïve patients revealed consistent results. Conclusions: IBD patients were more likely to develop psoriasis compared to non-IBD subjects, including younger patients at an elevated risk regardless of TNF inhibitor use. This advocates the interplay between IBD and psoriasis; thus, inspection of cutaneous manifestation and dermatological consultation may be helpful in IBD patients at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite standardization efforts, vendors still use specific proprietary software algorithms for echocardiographic strain measurements, which result in high inter-vendor variability. Using vendor-independent software could be one solution. Little is known, however, how vendor specific image characteristics can influence tracking results of such software. We therefore investigated the reproducibility, accuracy, and scar detection ability of strain measurements on images from different vendors by using a vendor-independent software. A vendor-independent software (TomTec Image Arena) was used to analyse datasets of 63 patients which were obtained on machines from four different ultrasound machine vendors (GE, Philips, Siemens, Toshiba). We measured the tracking feasibility, inter-vendor bias, the relative test-re-test variability and scar discrimination ability of strain measurements. Cardiac magnetic resonance delayed enhancement images were used as the reference standard of scar definition. Tracking feasibility on vendor datasets were significantly different (p < 0.001). Variability of global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements was similar among the vendors whereas variability of segmental longitudinal strain (SLS) showed modest difference. Relative test-re-test variability of GLS and SLS showed no relevant differences. No significant difference in scar detection capability was observed. Average GLS and SLS values were similar among vendors. Reproducibility of GLS measurements showed no difference among vendors and was in acceptable range. SLS reproducibility was high but similar for all vendors. No relevant difference was found for identifying regional dysfunction. Tracking feasibility showed a substantial difference among images from different vendors. Our findings demonstrate that tracking results depend mainly on the software used and show little influence from vendor specific image characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare quality assessment is being conducted in many countries. Although improving health equity is one of the major objectives of medical quality assessment, it is not clear whether different socio-economic statuses show the same health outcomes even in the same medical quality hospitals. No study has directly compared the health outcomes of different socio-economic statuses in the same hospitals nationwide.Objective: To determine whether the mortality rate of acute stroke patients differs according to socioeconomic status.Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational study of patients who were subject to acute stroke quality assessment in 2013. A total of 10 399 stroke cases were included in the study. When evaluating the mortality rate, the researchers analysed 10 228 cases, after excluding 171 cases that were measured twice for the same person. The levels of socio-economic status were divided according to the use of medical benefits, either National Health Insurance (NHI) for general population or Medical Aid (MA) for the vulnerable. The primary outcomes measured according to socio-economic status were in-hospital mortality rate and 1-year follow-up mortality rate of stroke patients. The secondary outcome was the composite performance score.Results: MA recipients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (12.5 vs. 8.3%, P < 0.001) and 1-year follow-up mortality rate (14.9 vs. 10.8%, P < 0.001) than NHI subscribers. MA recipients had slightly lower scores than NHI subscribers (83.2 vs. 84.4, P = 0.02). In hospitals of the same grade, MA recipients had lower performance scores than NHI subscribers, although the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusions: There is a difference in mortality and healthcare performance according to socio-economic status in stroke patients in Korea. Efforts to improve equity are needed, including the development and monitoring of equality indicators and developing policies for healthcare equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents with various extraintestinal manifestations. As part of them, various skin diseases are suggested to be related to IBD. We aimed to identify the epidemiology and risk of developing skin manifestations in patients with IBD. We used Korean insurance claims data and selected patients with IBD and age/sex‐matched non‐IBD subjects between 2013 and 2017 using the diagnosis code and prescription records of IBD‐specific medications. The prevalence and risk of concurrent skin diseases were estimated. We identified 64 837 patients with IBD. Reactive skin eruptions including pyoderma gangrenosum and erythema nodosum were associated with IBD with highest odds ratios among three categories of reactive, inflammatory, and autoimmune skin diseases. Inflammatory skin diseases including rosacea, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and acne conglobata were significantly associated with IBD, but the association was less marked compared to reactive skin eruptions. The patients with IBD also had a higher risk of autoimmune skin diseases including vitiligo and alopecia areata than non‐IBD subjects. We determined that IBD was related to various skin diseases including reactive, inflammatory, and autoimmune skin diseases. Considering these relationships can allow better management of patients with IBD and comorbid skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) remains a challenge. Demonstrated here is a NiSn atomic‐pair electrocatalyst (NiSn‐APC) on a hierarchical integrated electrode, which exhibits a synergistic effect in simultaneously promoting the activity and selectivity of the CO2RR to formate. The NiSn atomic pair consists of adjacent Ni and Sn, each coordinated with four nitrogen atoms (N4‐Ni‐Sn‐N4). The as‐prepared NiSn‐APC displays exceptional activity for the CO2RR to formate with a turnover frequency of 4752 h−1, a formate productivity of 36.7 mol h−1 gSn−1 and an utilization degree of active sites (57.9 %), which are superior to previously reported single‐atomic catalysts. Both experimental data and density‐functional theory calculations verify the electron redistribution of Sn imposed by adjacent Ni, which reduces the energy barrier of the *OCHO intermediate and makes this potential‐determining step thermodynamically spontaneous. This synergistic catalysis provides a successful paradigm for rational design and preparation of atomic‐pair electrocatalysts with enhanced performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen doped carbon functionalized CoSe2 nanowires (CoSe2@N–C NWs), which act as potential oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts with a large current density and high stability have been reported. Owing to the collaborative optimization of electrical conductivity, free adsorption energy and binding strength of OER intermediates, the prepared CoSe2@N–C NWs exhibit an enhanced 6.61-fold catalytic activity compared to the pristine CoSe2 NW electrode in 1.0 M KOH solution at the overpotential of 340 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen/fluorine doping of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) serves to play an important role with regard to visible light absorption and charge carrier dynamics. However, it is largely unknown how nitrogen/fluorine doping retards electron–hole recombination. We carried out density functional theory and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics to demonstrate that the dopant levels, formation energies, and charge carrier dynamics depend strongly on the doping site. N-doping introduces both a hole and an electron trap without the presence of oxygen vacancies, while F-doping introduces only an electron trap. Quantum dynamics simulations show that holes are trapped within several picoseconds; N-doped NPs requires longer hole-trapping time than F-doped NPs due to the presence of an extra hole trap originating from the N 2p state. Electrons are trapped at a longer time scale than holes. F-doped NPs required longer electron-trapping time due to more strongly localized electron densities than N-doped TiO2 NPs. In general, Nitrogen and fluorine doping suppressed electron–hole recombination compared to pristine NP. NPs doped at the tip domain showed different charge recombination pathways by passing several hole traps (N-doping) or by dual channel routes (F-doping). NPs doped at edge domains showed relatively shorter excited state lifetime due to greater electronic coupling between trapped holes and electrons. NPs with doping at the inside domain effectively suppressed charge recombination due to a moderate energy gap and a reduced propensity to electron/hole localization. The diverse charge recombination scenarios revealed by nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations provided guidelines for the rational design of nanoscale metal oxides for solar energy harvesting and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a clinically approved intervention for cancer, photodynamic therapy (PDT) still suffers from limitations. Prime among these is a therapeutic response that is mostly oxygen dependent. This limits the utility of PDT in treating hypoxic tumors since lower levels of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in regions of low oxygen tension. Glutathione‐pi (GST‐pi) is a key enzyme that militates against ROS‐mediated apoptosis. We report herein a new construct, EA‐BPS, that contains both a brominated BODIPY photosensitizer (BPS) and an ethacrynic acid (EA) GST‐pi inhibitor. Photoirradiation of EA‐BPS induces a synergistic antitumor effect that results from the combination of ROS production and GST‐pi inhibition. Relative to BPS alone, an enhanced cell‐killing effect is seen under hypoxic conditions both in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that by making better use of the available oxygen in tumor environments, improved therapeutic PDT outcomes should be achievable even under hypoxic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ir- and Pt-based blue phosphorescent materials were theoretically investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to improve their chemical stability in the excited state. High energy splitting between the lowest triplet state (T1 state), generally a metal-to-ligand charge transfer state (3MLCT), and the triplet metal-centred state (3MC) can prohibit ligand dissociation and suppress the decomposition reaction from the 3MC state to the dissociated S0. Here, we suggest a new design strategy to improve the chemical stability of blue phosphorescent materials in the excited state. Introducing inter- and intra-ligand interactions in Ir and Pt complexes can dramatically increase the ΔE(3MC-T1) because attractive or repulsive couplings arising from intra- or inter-ligand interactions can effectively prevent the out-of-plane bending vibrational mode in Ir complexes and the ring deformation vibrational mode in Pt complexes. A ΔE(3MC-T1) values of 18.62 kcal mol−1 for an Ir complex and 22.86 kcal mol−1 for a Pt complex from the T1 energy were obtained while the T1 energy was maintained in the blue region. To the best of our knowledge, these are the highest ΔE(3MC-T1) values reported to date. We believe that the present research provides profound insights into the excited state chemical stability of deep blue phosphorescent materials that could be implemented to improve device lifetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microfluidic chip integrated with a microelectrode and a cathodic photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of non-small cell lung cancer cytokeratin fragments based on a signal amplification strategy was designed. The mechanism for signal amplification is developed based on the p–n junction of AgI/Bi2Ga4O9, with dissolved O2 as an electron acceptor to produce the superoxide anion radical (˙O2−) as the working microelectrode. By combining this with a novel superoxide-dismutase-loaded honeycomb manganese oxide nanostructure (SOD@hMnO2) as the co-catalyst signal amplification label, ˙O2− can be catalyzed by SOD via a disproportionation reaction to produce O2 and H2O2; then, hMnO2 is able to trigger the decomposition of H2O2 to generate O2 and H2O. Therefore, the increased O2 promotes the separation of electron–hole pairs via consuming more electrons, leading to an effective enhancement of the cathodic PEC behavior. Under optimum conditions, with the cytokeratin 19 fragments 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1) as the targeted detection objects, the microfluidic cathodic PEC biosensor chip exhibited excellent linearity from 0.1 pg mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.026 pg mL−1 (S/N = 3). The exciting thing that this work offers is a new strategy for the detection of other important cancer biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental contaminant that causes renal toxicity. We have previously demonstrated that Cd induces renal toxicity by altering transcriptional activities. In this study, we show that Cd markedly inhibited the activity of transcription factor MEF2A in HK‐2 human proximal tubule cells, which generated significant cytotoxicity in the cells. This reduction in the nuclear levels of MEF2A protein may be involved in the Cd‐induced inhibition of MEF2A activity. We also demonstrate that one of the glucose transporters, GLUT4, was downregulated not only by Cd treatment but also by MEF2A knockdown. Knockdown of SLC2A4, encoding GLUT4, eliminated both cell viability and Cd toxicity. Cd treatment or SLC2A4 deficiency reduced the cellular concentration of glucose. Therefore, the suppression of SLC2A4 expression, which mediates the reduction in cellular glucose, is involved in Cd toxicity. The Cd toxicity induced by the reduction in GLUT4 may be associated with a reduction of cellular ATP levels in HK‐2 cells. The levels of Slc2a4 mRNA in the kidney of mice exposed to Cd for 6 or 12 months were significantly lower than those in the control group. These results demonstrate that Cd exerts its cytotoxicity through the suppression in SLC2A4 expression and the subsequent inhibition of MEF2A transcriptional activity. Cd‐induced suppression of SLC2A4 expression also reduces cellular ATP levels, partly by reducing glucose levels. This study suggests that the glucose transporter plays an important role in the renal toxicity of Cd, and provides a crucial breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanism of Cd toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the hyporheic exchange driven by a single peak flood‐induced water level fluctuation (i.e., flood wave), a method combining numerical simulation with theoretical derivation was proposed based on the Inbuk Stream, Korea, where flooding occurs frequently. The hyporheic exchanges induced by different flood waves were investigated by varying amplitude (A), duration (T), wave type parameter (r), and rising duration (tp), which were adopted from the real‐time stream stage fluctuations. Additionally, the idea of constant upstream flood volume (CUFV) condition for flood waves was put forward, and the effects of "Botan" (T/A) and peak number (N) on hyporheic exchange were studied. The results showed that the hyporheic exchange flux (q) was controlled by the water level h (sine‐type) and its change rate v (cosine‐type), and was proportional to the polynomial of them q∝ (ω∙h + v), where ω is the angular frequency of the flood wave. Based on this mechanism, the influence principles on hyporheic exchanges of the typical flood wave parameters (A, T, r and tp) as well as T/A and N under CUFV condition were clarified. The main characteristic variables of hyporheic exchange, which were maximum aquifer storage and residence time, were positively correlated. They also had positive relations to the integral of the flood wave over time, which increased when the wave became higher, wider, rounder and less skewed. However, when CUFV condition was imposed, the residence time was positively correlated with T/A, whereas the maximum aquifer storage was negatively correlated with T/A. With the increase in N, water exchanged more frequently and some water returned to the stream early, leading to the slight decrease in maximum aquifer storage and residence time. These findings enriched the theory of hyporheic exchange driven by surface water fluctuation and be of great significance to enhance pollutant degradation in the hyporheic zone downstream of reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-resolved circular dichroism signals (TRCD) in the X-ray regime can directly probe the magnitude and the direction of ring currents in molecules. The electronic ring currents in Mg-porphyrin, generated by a coherent superposition of electronic states induced by a circularly polarized UV pulse, are tracked by a time-delayed circularly polarized attosecond X-ray pulse. The signals are calculated using the minimal coupling Hamiltonian, which directly makes use of transition current densities. The TRCD signals obtained from the left and right circularly polarized light pump have opposite signs, revealing the direction of the ring current. Molecular aromaticity and its role in photochemical reactions such as ring opening or closure can be studied using this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a temperature‐responsive nanoemulsion film (NEF) system is introduced with spinodal decomposition for in situ thermoset curing. The NEFs, fabricated by alternate layering of nanoemulsion droplets with bacterial cellulose nanofibrils (BCFs) and polyelectrolytes through the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) deposition, show ≈32% increase in Young's modulus compared with those fabricated with polyelectrolytes only. It is determined that such reinforcement stemmed from the presence of BCFs that form fibrillary layers in the NEF matrix. The BCF‐reinforced NEFs show the unprecedented spinodal decomposition behavior; nanoemulsion droplets uniformly dispersed in the NEF network and readily interdiffused to produce microscale oil domains with controlled phase separation rate as well as oil domain size. The insight gained from the thin film‐based microphase separation behavior confirms that NEFs layered with epoxy resin nanoemulsions are materials with promising temperature‐responsive in situ thermoset curing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is no general agreement on underlying pathophysiology explaining the high burden of cardiovascular disease on people at low socioeconomic status (SES). This study was conducted to investigate the association between healthcare systems and arterial stiffness. Methods A total of 8,929 subjects (60 years old and 55% were male) who underwent brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8,237 National Health Insurance (NHI) beneficiaries (92.2%) and 692 medical aid (MA) beneficiaries (7.8%). The median value of baPWV was 1,540 cm/s. Results Subjects with higher baPWV values (≥1,540 cm/s) were older, and more frequently had cardiovascular risk factors and unfavorable laboratory findings than those with lower values baPWV (<1,540 cm/s). The baPWV values were significantly higher in MA beneficiaries than in NHI beneficiaries (1,966 ± 495 vs. 1,582 ± 346 cm/s, P < 0.001). The proportion of MA beneficiaries was significantly higher in subjects with higher baPWV than those with lower baPWV (13.1% vs. 2.3%, P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, MA beneficiaries were significantly associated with higher baPWV values even after controlling for potential confounders (odds ratio, 5.41; 95% confidence intervals, 4.02–7.27; P < 0.001). Conclusions The baPWV values were significantly higher in MA beneficiaries than in NHI beneficiaries. The result of this study provides additional evidence on the association between low SES and arterial stiffening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]