HIGHLIGHTS Low LCOE is achieved due to extreme low cost of perovskites in tandem PVs Further improving tandem module lifetime and efficiency reduces LCOE LCOE decrease rates are used to measure the research efforts

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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known to play important roles in extracellular matrix remodeling during the process of tumor invasion and metastasis. However, little is known about their role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in ESCC was detected in our research. Tissue microarray chip was prepared, consisting of 58 cases of ESCC and corresponding esophageal epithelium tissues. MMP-2 and MMP-9 were examined by immunohistochemistry. Overexpression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was found in ESCC (42.1 and 60.3%, respectively), compared with paired distal normal esophageal tissues (22.9 and 8.9%, respectively). Expression of MMP-2 in ESCC was significantly associated with the tumor invasion depth, tumor-node-metastasis stages, and lymph node metastasis. MMP-2 and MMP-9 may play important roles in carcinogenesis, and MMP-2 may act as a biological marker of invasion and lymph node metastasis in ESCC.

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Highly efficient and stable low-temperature-processed inorganic perovskite solar cells via solvent engineering with enhanced mass transport.

Perovskite solar cells have attracted significant attention in just the past few years in solar cell research fields, where the power conversion efficiency was beyond 22.1%. Now, the most important challenge for perovskite solar cells in practical applications is the stability issue. In this mini-review, we will summarize the degradation mechanism of perovskite solar cells, including the perovskite material itself and also the interfaces. While we also provide our opinion on improving the stability of perovskite solar cells.

In this study, biodegradable poly(butylenes succinate) (PBS) fiber mats containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by the electrospinning process. Small AgNPs (<10 nm) were simply synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone as the capping agent as well as the reductant. The morphology of the PBS-AgNPs fiber mats and the distribution of the AgNPs were well characterized by TEM and SEM. The release of Ag from the PBS fiber mats was quantitively determined by ICP. The PBS fiber mats with 0.29 % AgNPs content showed strong antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli with the efficacy as high as 99 %. The effective bactericidal activity on E. coli was demonstrated for a short contacting time with the PBS-AgNPs fiber mats. In addition, the long-term release performance of Ag from the fiber mats can keep inhibiting the bacterial growth in the mats over a long period of time.

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