Precision excimer laser annealed Ga-doped ZnO electron transport layers for perovskite solar cells

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) continue to attract considerable attention due to their excellent photovoltaic performance and low cost. In order to realize the fabrication of PSCs on temperature-sensitive substrates, low-temperature processing of all the components in the device is required, however, the majority of the high-performance PSCs rely on the electron transport layers (ETLs) processed at high temperatures. Herein, we apply excimer laser annealing (ELA) to treat ETLs (Ga-doped ZnO, GZO) at room temperature. A synergetic improvement in optical transparency and electrical conductivity is achieved after ELA treatment, which in turn improves light absorption, enhances electron injection, and depresses charge recombination. Devices fabricated with ELA treated GZO ETL acheived a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.68%, higher than that of the PSCs utilizing GZO with conventional high-temperature annealing (12.96%). Thus, ELA is a promising technique for annealing ETLs at room temperature to produce efficient PSCs on both rigid and flexible substrates

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

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

Return volatility, correlation, and hedging of green and brown stocks : is there a role for climate risk factors?

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.We examine the effects of three monthly climate risk factors, climate policy uncertainty (CPU), climate change news (CCN), and negative climate change news (NCCN), on the long-run volatilities and correlation of daily green and brown energy stock returns, and perform a hedging analysis. Given that our dataset combines daily and monthly data, we apply mixed data sampling models such as GARCH-MIDAS and DCC-MIDAS. To deal with volatility clustering, asymmetric effects, and negative skewness in innovations, which characterize our dataset, we use those models in asymmetric form with a bivariate skew-t distribution. Firstly, the GARCH-MIDAS models indicate that climate risk has a significant impact on the long-run volatility of brown energy stocks. Secondly, the DCC-MIDAS models reveal that the long-run correlation of green-brown stock returns decreases with the climate risk, suggesting a negative effect and hedging opportunities. Thirdly, the hedging analysis shows that incorporating a climate risk factor, especially NCCN, into the long-run component of dynamic correlation significantly improves the hedging performance between green and brown energy stock indices. The results are robust to an out-of-sample analysis under various refitting window sizes. They matter to portfolio and risk managers for energy transition and portfolio decarbonization.The National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro2024-06-08hj2023Economic

Enhancement or Impediment? How University Teachers’ Use of Smart Classrooms Might Impact Interaction Quality

Technology’s involvement in teaching and learning is identified as an opportunity to bolster sustainable development in education. However, how it influences teaching quality and classroom interaction is a hotly debated subject, and the variations in interactions, by different technologies, between students and teachers in Smart Classrooms, particularly the ways in which interactions are impacted, are rarely discussed in existing research. The present study examines the effects of various degrees of technology on the quality of interactions in university-based Smart Classrooms based on an analysis of 38 courses, which were recorded and analysed over a three-year period. Also, an instrument to analyse interaction quality in a university Smart Classroom (USCIQAS) was developed. The results showed that advanced technological applications increase the quality of classroom interactions, particularly those involving student–teacher (ST) interactions, although it has a lower effect on the social–emotional outcomes of student–student (SS) interactions. Based on these findings, in order to maximize the potential of Smart Classrooms to improve classroom interactions, both teachers and students should be encouraged and trained to use technology. Teachers may also need to improve their pedagogy and technology use in tandem to avoid the risk of lower social–emotional outcomes of SS interaction

Does global economic uncertainty matter for the volatility and hedging effectiveness of Bitcoin?

We assess whether the long-run volatilities of Bitcoin, global equities, commodities, and bonds are affected by global economic policy uncertainty. Empirical results provide evidence supporting this hypothesis, except in the case of bonds. For Bitcoin investors, the results imply the ability to use information about the state of global economic uncertainty to enhance the predictions of Bitcoin volatility. We further examine whether the correlation between Bitcoin and global equities, commodities, and bonds are affected by global economic policy uncertainty. Empirical results reveal that global economic policy uncertainty has a negative significant impact on the Bitcoin-bonds correlation and a positive impact on both Bitcoin-equities and Bitcoin-commodities correlations, suggesting the possibility of Bitcoin acting as a hedge under specific economic uncertainty conditions. Interestingly, the hedging effectiveness of Bitcoin for both global equities and global bonds enhances slightly after considering the level of global economic policy uncertainty. Such a weak effect of the state of global economic uncertainty on the hedging ability of Bitcoin implies that investors cannot substantially enhance the hedging performance of Bitcoin under different economic uncertainty conditions.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/irfa2020-01-01hj2019Economic

The role of global economic policy uncertainty in long-run volatilities and correlations of U.S. industry-level stock returns and crude oil

<div><p>We investigate how Global Economic Policy Uncertainty (GEPU) drives the long-run components of volatilities and correlations in crude oil and U.S. industry-level stock markets. Using the modified generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity mixed data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) and dynamic conditional correlation mixed data sampling (DCC-MIDAS) specifications, we find that GEPU is positively related to the long-run volatility of Financials and Consumer Discretionary industries; however, it is negatively related to Information Technology, Materials, Telecommunication Services and Energy. Unlike the mixed role of GEPU in the long-run volatilities, the long-run correlations are all positively related to GEPU across the industries. Additionally, the rankings of the correlations of Energy and Materials are time-invariant and classified as high, with the little exception of the latter. The Consumer Staples industry is time-invariant in the low-ranking group. Our results are helpful to policy makers and investors with long-term concerns.</p></div