• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• NL close
• CA close
• University of Toronto close

Overexpression of the inducible isoform of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been associated to pathological processes in the kidney. Ethanol consumption induces the renal expression of iNOS; however, the contribution of this enzyme to the deleterious effects of ethanol in the kidney remains elusive. We examined whether iNOS plays a role in the renal dysfunction and oxidative stress induced by ethanol consumption. With this purpose, male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) or iNOS-deficient (iNOS–/–) mice were treated with ethanol (20% v/v) for 10 weeks. Treatment with ethanol increased the expression of Nox4 as well as the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and the levels of tumor necrosis factor α in the renal cortex of WT but not iNOS–/– mice. Augmented serum levels of creatinine and increased systolic blood pressure were found in WT and iNOS–/– mice treated with ethanol. WT mice treated with ethanol showed increased production of reactive oxygen species and myeloperoxidase activity, but these responses were attenuated in iNOS–/– mice. We concluded that iNOS played a role in ethanol-induced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the kidney. These are mechanisms that may contribute to the renal toxicity induced by ethanol.

The energy landscape of reduced-dimensional perovskites (RDPs) can be tailored by adjusting their layer width (n). Recently, two/three-dimensional (2D/3D) heterostructures containing n = 1 and 2 RDPs have produced perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with >25% power conversion efficiency (PCE). Unfortunately, this method does not translate to inverted PSCs due to electron blocking at the 2D/3D interface. Here we report a method to increase the layer width of RDPs in 2D/3D heterostructures to address this problem. We discover that bulkier organics form 2D heterostructures more slowly, resulting in wider RDPs; and that small modifications to ligand design induce preferential growth of n ≥ 3 RDPs. Leveraging these insights, we developed efficient inverted PSCs (with a certified quasi-steady-state PCE of 23.91%). Unencapsulated devices operate at room temperature and around 50% relative humidity for over 1,000 h without loss of PCE; and, when subjected to ISOS-L3 accelerated ageing, encapsulated devices retain 92% of initial PCE after 500 h. ; This research was made possible by the US Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research Grant (N00014-20-1-2572). This work was supported in part by the Ontario Research Fund-Research Excellence program (ORF7-Ministry of Research and Innovation, Ontario Research Fund-Research Excellence Round 7). We appreciate the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (beamline 14B and 16B) and X. Gao and Z. Su for their help with GIWAXS characterization. Z.N. is grateful for support by the National Key Research Program (2021YFA0715502, 2016YFA0204000) and the National Science Fund of China (61935016). S.M.P., H.R.A. and K.R.G. acknowledge the US Department of Energy under Grant DE-SC0018208 for supporting the UPS and IPES measurements. T.F. and T.C. acknowledge the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) for KPFM measurements. ; F.L and Y.G. were funded by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of ...

Abstract With the stupendous latent of microscale and nanoscale technologies in energy conversion and utilization, the design and analysis of porous dielectric materials with open cells have required a more accurate calculation of the radiative thermal conductivity. This work introduces a mathematical model to accurately calculate the radiative thermal conductivity of micro/nanoscale porous open cell structures. Due to the limitations of the existing radiative thermal conductivity models, a full-scale method based on the Rosseland diffusion equation is proposed. Combining this full-scale Rosseland diffusion equation and fractal thermal conduction methods, the predicted total thermal conductivity values were well matched with the experimental results for various microscale and nanoscale porous open cell dielectric materials, with less than 15% error. Besides, seven influential factors on the thermal conductivity including cell size, porosity, cellular pore shape, volume specific surface area, temperature, refractive index, and extinction index were extensively investigated. The results show that the thermal conductivity of porous open cell materials mainly decreased with an increase in extinction index and/or the porous structure's volume specific surface area but increased with increase in temperature. This certainly indicated the potential of the full-scale Rosseland diffusion method for use in the design of specific micro/nanoscale porous dielectric structures like polymer foam in the personal energy management device or the silica aerogel in radiative cooling system.

Abstract The fungal kingdom represents an extraordinary diversity of organisms with profound impacts across animal, plant, and ecosystem health. Fungi simultaneously support life, by forming beneficial symbioses with plants and producing life-saving medicines, and bring death, by causing devastating diseases in humans, plants, and animals. With climate change, increased antimicrobial resistance, global trade, environmental degradation, and novel viruses altering the impact of fungi on health and disease, developing new approaches is now more crucial than ever to combat the threats posed by fungi and to harness their extraordinary potential for applications in human health, food supply, and environmental remediation. To address this aim, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund convened a workshop to unite leading experts on fungal biology from academia and industry to strategize innovative solutions to global challenges and fungal threats. This report provides recommendations to accelerate fungal research and highlights the major research advances and ideas discussed at the meeting pertaining to 5 major topics: (1) Connections between fungi and climate change and ways to avert climate catastrophe; (2) Fungal threats to humans and ways to mitigate them; (3) Fungal threats to agriculture and food security and approaches to ensure a robust global food supply; (4) Fungal threats to animals and approaches to avoid species collapse and extinction; and (5) Opportunities presented by the fungal kingdom, including novel medicines and enzymes.

This article explores the complex, “contact zone” nature of museums within the context of the current environmental crisis threatening our planet. Historically and even today, museums have engaged in a practice of “monocultural” thinking which is mired in a pretext to neutrality that has advanced the patriarchal capitalist neoliberal status quo and maintained a vision of a human/non-human binary of power, dominance, and control. However, there is also growing evidence that museums are shifting their approaches. Focusing on examples from Canada, we discuss how museums are using exhibitions and pedagogical and community outreach strategies to render visible deeply problematic and global “technofossil” practices, encourage activism through aesthetic engagement, encourage dialogue between community and industry as well as engage in imaginative decolonising initiatives that remap our understandings of who we are and where we need to go. We argue that in taking up environmental issues in politically intentional ways, museums create “oppositional views” that act as pedagogical sites of resistance.

AbstractEarth's deep continental subsurface is a prime setting to study the limits of life's relationship with environmental conditions and habitability. In Precambrian crystalline rocks worldwide, deep ancient groundwaters in fracture networks are typically oligotrophic, highly saline, and locally inhabited by low‐biomass communities in which chemolithotrophic microorganisms may dominate. Periodic opening of new fractures can lead to penetration of surface water and/or migration of fracture fluids, both of which may trigger changes in subsurface microbial composition and activity. These hydrogeological processes and their impacts on subsurface communities may play a significant role in global cycles of key elements in the crust. However, to date, considerable uncertainty remains on how subsurface microbial communities may respond to these changes in hydrogeochemical conditions. To address this uncertainty, the biogeochemistry of Thompson mine (Manitoba, Canada) was investigated. Compositional and isotopic analyses of fracture waters collected here at ~1 km below land surface revealed different extents of mixing between subsurface brine and (paleo)meteoric waters. To investigate the effects this mixing may have had on microbial communities, the Most Probable Number technique was applied to test community response for a total of 13 different metabolisms. The results showed that all fracture waters were dominated by viable heterotrophic microorganisms which can utilize organic materials associated with aerobic/facultative anaerobic processes, sulfate reduction, or fermentation. Where mixing between subsurface brines and (paleo)meteoric waters occurs, the communities demonstrate higher cell densities and increased viable functional potentials, compared to the most saline sample. This study therefore highlights the connection between hydrogeologic heterogeneity and the heterogeneity of subsurface ecosystems in the crystalline rocks, and suggests that hydrogeology can have a considerable impact on the scope and scale of subsurface microbial communities on Earth and potentially beyond.

Background: Lemborexant is a dual orexin receptor antagonist approved to treat insomnia in adults in several countries including the USA, Canada, and Japan. Aims: This study was conducted to investigate effects of lemborexant and alcohol coadministration on postural stability, cognitive performance, and the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of lemborexant. Methods: This was a Phase 1, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-period crossover study in 32 healthy adults. Individuals were randomized into one of four treatment sequences to receive single doses of placebo, lemborexant 10 mg (LEM10), alcohol (males, 0.7 g/kg; females, 0.6 g/kg), and LEM10 plus alcohol, each separated by a 14-day washout. Postural stability (body sway) was measured by ataxiameter and a cognitive performance assessment battery evaluated four domains of attention and memory. Results: Pharmacodynamic outcomes were analyzed for the 18 participants who completed all four treatments. Change from baseline in body sway showed no significant differences between lemborexant plus alcohol versus alcohol alone. Compared with alcohol alone, coadministration of lemborexant with alcohol showed additive negative effects on cognitive performance domains, corresponding approximately with peak plasma lemborexant concentrations (median = 1.5 h). Cognitive performance was also impaired with lemborexant alone at 0.5 and 2 h in this experimental paradigm with morning dosing. Alcohol increased plasma lemborexant exposure by 70% based on area under the curve to 72 h, and increased peak plasma lemborexant concentrations by 35%. The most commonly reported treatment–emergent adverse event was somnolence. Conclusion: Coadministration of lemborexant with alcohol showed additive negative effects on cognitive measures, but not on postural stability, compared with alcohol alone. Lemborexant exposure was increased with alcohol. Lemborexant alone or with alcohol was well tolerated. Patients are advised not to consume alcohol with lemborexant.