Inclusion of 2d transition metal dichalcogenides in perovskite inks and their influence on solar cell performance

Funding Information: Acknowledgments: V.N. wishes to thank the support from the ERC 3D2DPrint CoG Grant. The authors gratefully acknowledge the project Best4U—“Tecnologia per celle solari bifacciali ad alta Efficienza a 4 terminali per utility scale”. The authors are grateful to the “Progetto Tecnopolo per la Medicina di precisione, Deliberazione della Giunta Regionale n. 2117 del 21 November 2018”.Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite materials have raised great interest in recent years due to their excellent optoelectronic properties, which promise stunning improvements in photovoltaic technologies. Moreover, two-dimensional layered materials such as graphene, its derivatives, and transition metal dichalcogenides have been extensively investigated for a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic applications and have recently shown a synergistic effect in combination with hybrid perovskite materials. Here, we report on the inclusion of liquid-phase exfoliated molybdenum disulfide nanosheets into different perovskite precursor solutions, exploring their influence on final device performance. We compared the effect of such additives upon the growth of diverse perovskites, namely CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3 ) and triple-cation with mixed halides Csx (MA0.17FA0.83 )(1−x)Pb (I0.83Br0.17 )3 perovskite. We show how for the referential MAPbI3 materials the addition of the MoS2 additive leads to the formation of larger, highly crystalline grains, which result in a remarkable 15% relative improvement in power conversion efficiency. On the other hand, for the mixed cation– halide perovskite no improvements were observed, confirming that the nucleation process for the two materials is differently influenced by the presence of MoS2 .publishersversionpublishe

Detection of Interstellar Ortho-D2H+ with SOFIA

We report on the detection of the ground-state rotational line of ortho-D2H+ at 1.477 THz (203 mu m) using the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies (GREAT) on. board the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The line is seen in absorption against. far-infrared continuum from the protostellar binary IRAS 16293-2422 in Ophiuchus. The para-D2H+ line at 691.7 GHz was not detected with the APEX telescope toward this position. These D2H+ observations complement our previous detections of para-H2D+ and ortho-H2D+ using SOFIA and APEX. By modeling chemistry and radiative transfer in the dense core surrounding the protostars, we find that the ortho-D2H+ and para-H2D+ absorption features mainly originate in the cool (T <18 K) outer envelope of the core. In contrast, the ortho-H2D+ emission from the core is significantly absorbed by the ambient molecular cloud. Analyses of the combined D2H+ and H2D+ data result in an age estimate of similar to 5. x. 10(5) yr for the core, with an uncertainty of similar to 2. x. 10(5) yr. The core material has probably been pre-processed for another 5. x. 10(5) years in conditions corresponding to those in the ambient molecular cloud. The inferred timescale is more than 10 times the age of the embedded protobinary. The D2H+ and H2D+ ions have large and nearly equal total (ortho+ para) fractional abundances of similar to 10(-9) in the outer envelope. This confirms the central role of H-3 + in the deuterium chemistry in cool, dense gas, and adds support to the prediction of chemistry models that also D-3(+) should be abundant in these conditions.Peer reviewe

Silver nanocolloid generation using dynamic laser ablation synthesis in solution system and drop-casting

Conductive inks allow for low cost and scalable deposition of conductive tracks and patterns for printed electronics. Metal nanoparticle colloids are a novel form for producing conductive inks. Laser Ablation Synthesis in Solution (LASiS) is a “green” method for the production of metal nanoparticle colloids without the need for environmentally hazardous chemicals, however the method has typically been limited by its low production rates. This study reports on the generation of an additive free silver nanocolloid with maximized productivity using a flow-based LASiS system and its characterization using dynamic light scattering, UV–VIS, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The productivity of the LASiS silver nanoparticle (size 34 ± 5 nm) was 0.9 mg mL−1. While the flow-based system achieves high laser ablation rates in the mass of nanomaterial generated per unit time, the volume of liquid required for the flow leads to relatively low concentrations. Therefore, in this work, LASiS concentrated ink was formulated via a centrifugal method, which was then drop-cast and heat treated to produce a conductive silver layer. Centrifuging to concentrate the ink was shown to be a necessary step to achieve good results, with the lowest resistance across the drop-cast material of 60.2 after annealing

A silicon-based mems vibrating mesh nebulizer for inhaled drug delivery

This paper presents a silicon-based MEMS vibrating mesh nebulizer capable of producing micro droplets for inhaled drug delivery. The device concept, design, fabrication, and measurements are presented. The core element of the nebulizer (vibrating mesh) was fabricated using silicon process and consists of 1000 tapered micro-sized apertures. During operation the mesh vibrates at high frequency with the bending profile corresponding to the 02 resonance mode. The droplet diameter measured at the device output is 3.75 mu m and a typical output rate is 0.45 ml / min

Braincharts for the human lifespan

Over the past 25 years, neuroimaging has become a ubiquitous tool in basic research and clinical studies of the human brain. However, there are no reference standards against which to anchor measures of individual differences in brain morphology, in contrast to growth charts for traits such as height and weight. Here, we built an interactive online resource (www.brainchart.io) to quantify individual differences in brain structure from any current or future magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, against models of expected age-related trends. With the goal of basing these on the largest and most inclusive dataset, we aggregated MRI data spanning 115 days post-conception through 100 postnatal years, totaling 122,123 scans from 100,071 individuals in over 100 studies across 6 continents. When quantified as centile scores relative to the reference models, individual differences show high validity with non-MRI brain growth estimates and high stability across longitudinal assessment. Centile scores helped identify previously unreported brain developmental milestones and demonstrated increased genetic heritability compared to non-centiled MRI phenotypes. Crucially for the study of brain disorders, centile scores provide a standardised and interpretable measure of deviation that reveals new patterns of neuroanatomical differences across neurological and psychiatric disorders emerging during development and ageing. In sum, brain charts for the human lifespan are an essential first step towards robust, standardised quantification of individual variation and for characterizing deviation from age-related trends. Our global collaborative study

A longitudinal resource for population neuroscience of school-age children and adolescents in China

During the past decade, cognitive neuroscience has been calling for population diversity to address the challenge of validity and generalizability, ushering in a new era of population neuroscience. The developing Chinese Color Nest Project (devCCNP, 2013-2022), the first ten-year stage of the lifespan CCNP (2013-2032), is a two-stages project focusing on brain-mind development. The project aims to create and share a large-scale, longitudinal and multimodal dataset of typically developing children and adolescents (ages 6.0-17.9 at enrolment) in the Chinese population. The devCCNP houses not only phenotypes measured by demographic, biophysical, psychological and behavioural, cognitive, affective, and ocular-tracking assessments but also neurotypes measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain morphometry, resting-state function, naturalistic viewing function and diffusion structure. This Data Descriptor introduces the first data release of devCCNP including a total of 864 visits from 479 participants. Herein, we provided details of the experimental design, sampling strategies, and technical validation of the devCCNP resource. We demonstrate and discuss the potential of a multicohort longitudinal design to depict normative brain growth curves from the perspective of developmental population neuroscience. The devCCNP resource is shared as part of the "Chinese Data-sharing Warehouse for In-vivo Imaging Brain" in the Chinese Color Nest Project (CCNP) - Lifespan Brain-Mind Development Data Community (https://ccnp.scidb.cn) at the Science Data Bank

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit