Constructing Heterostructure through Bidentate Coordination toward Operationally Stable Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

It has been reported that one of the influencing factors leading to stability issues in iodine-containing perovskite solar cells is the iodine loss from the perovskite layer. Herein, bidentate coordination is used with undercoordinated I− of the perovskite surface to construct the stable perovskite-based heterostructure. This strong halogen bonding effectively inhibits interfacial migration of I− into functional layers such as C60 and Ag. Moreover, passivation of the undercoordinated I− suppresses the release of I2 and further delays the formation of voids at the perovskite surface. The resulting inverted perovskite solar cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 22.59% and the unencapsulated device maintains 96.15% of its initial value after continuous operation for 500 h under illumination.journal articl

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Site- and enantioselective cross-coupling of saturated N-heterocycles with carboxylic acids by cooperative Ni/photoredox catalysis

Chiral α-acylated N-heterocycles are commonly found in pharmaceutical drugs, natural products, and catalysts for asymmetric synthesis. Here, the authors describe a cooperative nickel/photoredox catalysis strategy for the site- and enantioselective cross-coupling of saturated azacycles and carboxylic acids to access such valuable heterocyclic molecules

Requirements for essential micronutrients during caloric restriction and fasting

Caloric restriction (CR) or energy restriction, when carefully designed, monitored, and implemented in self-motivated and compliant individuals, proves to be a viable non-pharmacologic strategy for human weight control and obesity management. Beyond its role in weight management, CR has the potential to impede responses involved not only in the pathogenesis of various diseases but also in the aging process in adults, thereby being proposed to promote a healthier and longer life. The core objective of implementing caloric restriction is to establish a balance between energy intake and expenditure, typically involving a reduction in intake and an increase in expenditure—a negative balance at least initially. It may transition toward and maintain a more desired equilibrium over time. However, it is essential to note that CR may lead to a proportional reduction in micronutrient intake unless corresponding supplementation is provided. Historical human case reports on CR have consistently maintained adequate intakes (AI) or recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for essential micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Similarly, longevity studies involving non-human primates have upheld micronutrient consumption levels comparable to control groups or baseline measures. Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have also endorsed daily supplementation of multivitamins and minerals to meet micronutrient needs. However, aside from these human case reports, limited human trials, and primate experiments, there remains a notable gap in human research specifically addressing precise micronutrient requirements during CR. While adhering to AI or RDA for minerals and vitamins appears sensible in the current practice, it’s important to recognize that these guidelines are formulated for generally healthy populations under standard circumstances. The adequacy of these guidelines in the setting of prolonged and profound negative energy balance remains unclear. From perspectives of evidence-based medicine and precision nutrition, this field necessitates comprehensive exploration to uncover the intricacies of absorption, utilization, and metabolism and the requirement of each hydrophilic and lipophilic vitamin and mineral during these special periods. Such investigations are crucial to determine whether existing daily dietary recommendations for micronutrients are quantitatively inadequate, excessive, or appropriate when energy balance remains negative over extended durations

Viscosity calculation of 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ionic liquids based on three-body potential hydrogen bond model

In this study, we have developed an all-atom force field with three-body hydrogen bond model for 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ([Emim][Cl], predicted the experimental dynamic viscosity successfully and calculated the relationship between dynamic properties and ion pair (IP) structures relaxation time. The partial atom charges and parameters of Lennard-Jones and hydrogen bond model are derived from ab initio molecular dynamic (AIMD) simulations. The strategy is that charges are fitted by AIMD structures and parameters are adjusted to make structure consistent between molecular dynamic (MD) and AIMD. The dynamic viscosities were calculated by Green-Kubo (GK) relation and were in excellent agreement with experiments results. Structure of ionic liquids was studied by using several distribution functions and IP time response was calculated. The calculated IP lifetime was found in linear correlation with viscosity and self-dynamic coefficient. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</p

Advanced weight graph transformation matching algorithm

An efficient and accurate point matching algorithm named advanced weight graph transformation matching (AWGTM) is proposed in this study. Instead of relying only on the elimination of dubious matches, the method iteratively reserve correspondences which have a small angular distance between two nearest‐neighbour graphs. The proposed algorithm is compared against weight graph transformation matching (WGTM) and graph transformation matching (GTM). Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance in eliminating outliers and reserving inliers of AWGTM algorithm under various conditions for images, such as duplication of patterns and non‐rigid deformation of objects. An execution time comparison is also presented, where AWGTM shows the best results for high outlier rates

Rice canopy temperature is affected by nitrogen fertilizer

Canopy temperature strongly influences crop yield formation and is closely related to plant physiological traits. However, the effects of nitrogen treatment on canopy temperature and rice growth have yet to be comprehensively examined. We conducted a two-year field experiment with three rice varieties (HD-5, NJ-9108, and YJ-805) and three nitrogen treatments (zero-N control (CK), 200 kg ha−1 (MN), and 300 kg ha−1 (HN)). We measured canopy temperature using a drone equipped with a high-precision camera at the six stages of the growth period. Generally, canopy temperature was significantly higher for CK than for MN and HN during the tillering, jointing, booting, and heading stages. The temperature was not significantly different among the nitrogen treatments between the milky and waxy stages. The canopy temperature of different rice varieties was found to follow the order: HD-5>NJ-9108>YJ-805, but the difference was not significant. The canopy temperature of rice was mainly related to plant traits, such as shoot fresh weight (correlation coefficient r=–0.895), plant water content (–0.912), net photosynthesis (–0.84), stomatal conductance (–0.91), transpiration rate (–0.90), and leaf stomatal area (–0.83). A structural equation model (SEM) showed that nitrogen fertilizer was an important factor affecting the rice canopy temperature. Our study revealed: (1) A suite of plant traits was associated with the nitrogen effects on canopy temperature, (2) the heading stage was the best time to observe rice canopy temperature, and (3) at that stage, canopy temperature was negatively correlated with rice yield, panicle number, and grain number per panicle. This study suggests that canopy temperature can be a convenient and accurate indicator of rice growth and yield prediction