CsI‐Antisolvent Adduct Formation in All‐Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites

The excellent optoelectronic properties demonstrated by hybrid organic/inorganic metal halide perovskites are all predicated on precisely controlling the exact nucleation and crystallization dynamics that occur during film formation. In general, high‐performance thin films are obtained by a method commonly called solvent engineering (or antisolvent quench) processing. The solvent engineering method removes excess solvent, but importantly leaves behind solvent that forms chemical adducts with the lead‐halide precursor salts. These adduct‐based precursor phases control nucleation and the growth of the polycrystalline domains. There has not yet been a comprehensive study comparing the various antisolvents used in different perovskite compositions containing cesium. In addition, there have been no reports of solvent engineering for high efficiency in all‐inorganic perovskites such as CsPbI3. In this work, inorganic perovskite composition CsPbI3 is specifically targeted and unique adducts formed between CsI and precursor solvents and antisolvents are found that have not been observed for other A‐site cation salts. These CsI adducts control nucleation more so than the PbI2–dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) adduct and demonstrate how the A‐site plays a significant role in crystallization. The use of methyl acetate (MeOAc) in this solvent engineering approach dictates crystallization through the formation of a CsI–MeOAc adduct and results in solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 14.4%.It is found that unique adducts form between CsI and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and certain antisolvents, such as methyl acetate, during film formation of the all‐inorganic perovskite CsPbI3. These adducts significantly influence crystallization and the power conversion efficiency of the resulting solar cells.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/1/aenm201903365-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/2/aenm201903365.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/3/aenm201903365_am.pd

CsI‐Antisolvent Adduct Formation in All‐Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites

The excellent optoelectronic properties demonstrated by hybrid organic/inorganic metal halide perovskites are all predicated on precisely controlling the exact nucleation and crystallization dynamics that occur during film formation. In general, high‐performance thin films are obtained by a method commonly called solvent engineering (or antisolvent quench) processing. The solvent engineering method removes excess solvent, but importantly leaves behind solvent that forms chemical adducts with the lead‐halide precursor salts. These adduct‐based precursor phases control nucleation and the growth of the polycrystalline domains. There has not yet been a comprehensive study comparing the various antisolvents used in different perovskite compositions containing cesium. In addition, there have been no reports of solvent engineering for high efficiency in all‐inorganic perovskites such as CsPbI3. In this work, inorganic perovskite composition CsPbI3 is specifically targeted and unique adducts formed between CsI and precursor solvents and antisolvents are found that have not been observed for other A‐site cation salts. These CsI adducts control nucleation more so than the PbI2–dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) adduct and demonstrate how the A‐site plays a significant role in crystallization. The use of methyl acetate (MeOAc) in this solvent engineering approach dictates crystallization through the formation of a CsI–MeOAc adduct and results in solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 14.4%.It is found that unique adducts form between CsI and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and certain antisolvents, such as methyl acetate, during film formation of the all‐inorganic perovskite CsPbI3. These adducts significantly influence crystallization and the power conversion efficiency of the resulting solar cells.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/1/aenm201903365-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/2/aenm201903365.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154525/3/aenm201903365_am.pd

A stakeholder co-design approach for developing a community pharmacy service to enhance screening and management of atrial fibrillation

The authors would like to thank all participants in this research for their valuable input into the co-design process.Background: Community pharmacies provide a suitable setting to promote self-screening programs aimed at enhancing the early detection of atrial fibrillation (AF). Developing and implementing novel community pharmacy services (CPSs) is a complex and acknowledged challenge, which requires comprehensive planning and the participation of relevant stakeholders. Co-design processes are participatory research approaches that can enhance the development, evaluation and implementation of health services. The aim of this study was to co-design a pharmacist-led CPS aimed at enhancing self-monitoring/screening of AF. Methods: A 3-step co-design process was conducted using qualitative methods: (1) interviews and focus group with potential service users (n = 8) to identify key needs and concerns; (2) focus group with a mixed group of stakeholders (n = 8) to generate a preliminary model of the service; and (3) focus group with community pharmacy owners and managers (n = 4) to explore the feasibility and appropriateness of the model. Data were analysed qualitatively to identify themes and intersections between themes. The JeMa2 model to conceptualize pharmacybased health programs was used to build a theoretical model of the service. Results: Stakeholders delineated: a clear target population (i.e., individuals ≥65 years old, with hypertension, with or without previous AF or stroke); the components of the service (i.e., patient education; self-monitoring at home; results evaluation, referral and follow-up); and a set of circumstances that may influence the implementation of the service (e.g., quality of the service, competency of the pharmacist, inter-professional relationships, etc.). A number of strategies were recommended to enable implementation (e.g.,. endorsement by leading cardiovascular organizations, appropriate communication methods and channels between the pharmacy and the general medical practice settings, etc.). Conclusion: A novel and preliminary model of a CPS aimed at enhancing the management of AF was generated from this participatory process. This model can be used to inform decision making processes aimed at adopting and piloting of the service. It is expected the co-designed service has been adapted to suit existing needs of patients and current care practices, which, in turn, may increase the feasibility and acceptance of the service when it is implemented into a real setting.This work was funded by Covidien Pty Ltd. (Medtronic Australasia Pty Ltd) [UTS Project code: PRO16–0688], which is the company that has the rights to distribute the device Microlife BP A200 AFIB in Australia. Also, funding for this research has been provided by a UTS Chancellor’s postdoctoral fellowship awarded to the first author of this article (ID number: 2013001605)

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Barrier Design to Prevent Metal-Induced Degradation and Improve Thermal Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells

Metal-contact-induced degradation and escape of volatile species from perovskite solar cells necessitate excellent diffusion barrier layers. We show that metal-induced degradation limits thermal stability in several perovskite chemistries with Au, Cu, and Ag gridlines even when the metal is separated from the perovskite by a layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). Channels in a sputtered ITO layer that align with perovskite grain boundaries are pathways for metal and halide diffusion into or out of the perovskite. Planarizing the perovskite morphology with a spin-cast organic charge-transport layer results in a subsequently deposited ITO layer that is uniform and impermeable. We show that it is critical to seal the edges of the active layers to prevent escape of volatile species. We demonstrate 1000 h thermal stability at 85 °C in CH₃NH₃PbI₃ solar cells with complete-coverage silver contacts. Our barrier layer design enables long-term thermal stability of perovskite solar cells, a critical step to commercialization

Common variants in left/right asymmetry genes and pathways are associated with relative hand skill

This work was supported by the University of St Andrews, the UK Medical Research Council (grant number G0800523/86473 to SP), the Max Plank Society, and the the EU (Neurodys, 018696). Genotyping at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics was supported by the Wellcome Trust (090532/Z/ 09/Z) and a Medical Research Council Hub Grant (G0900747 91070). Core support for ALSPAC was provided by the UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust (092731) and the University of Bristol. SP is a Royal Society University Research Fellow. CW is also funded by the UK Medical Research Funding and the EU (GENCODYS, 241995). APMor was supported by the Wellcome Trust (grant numbers WT075491, WT090532, and WT098017). WMB is the recipient of a Nuffield Department of Medicine Prize Studentship. JPK is funded by a Wellcome Trust PhD studentship (WT083431MA).Humans display structural and functional asymmetries in brain organization, strikingly with respect to language and handedness. The molecular basis of these asymmetries is unknown. We report a genome-wide association study meta-analysis for a quantitative measure of relative hand skill in individuals with dyslexia [reading disability (RD)] (n = 728). The most strongly associated variant, rs7182874 (P = 8.68×10−9), is located in PCSK6, further supporting an association we previously reported. We also confirmed the specificity of this association in individuals with RD; the same locus was not associated with relative hand skill in a general population cohort (n = 2,666). As PCSK6 is known to regulate NODAL in the development of left/right (LR) asymmetry in mice, we developed a novel approach to GWAS pathway analysis, using gene-set enrichment to test for an over-representation of highly associated variants within the orthologs of genes whose disruption in mice yields LR asymmetry phenotypes. Four out of 15 LR asymmetry phenotypes showed an over-representation (FDR≤5%). We replicated three of these phenotypes; situs inversus, heterotaxia, and double outlet right ventricle, in the general population cohort (FDR≤5%). Our findings lead us to propose that handedness is a polygenic trait controlled in part by the molecular mechanisms that establish LR body asymmetry early in development.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe