Long-range order enabled stability in quantum dot light-emitting diodes.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have produced external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of more than 25% with narrowband emission1,2, but these LEDs have limited operating lifetimes. We posit that poor long-range ordering in perovskite QD films-variations in dot size, surface ligand density and dot-to-dot stacking-inhibits carrier injection, resulting in inferior operating stability because of the large bias required to produce emission in these LEDs. Here we report a chemical treatment to improve the long-range order of perovskite QD films: the diffraction intensity from the repeating QD units increases three-fold compared with that of controls. We achieve this using a synergistic dual-ligand approach: an iodide-rich agent (aniline hydroiodide) for anion exchange and a chemically reactive agent (bromotrimethylsilane) that produces a strong acid that in situ dissolves smaller QDs to regulate size and more effectively removes less conductive ligands to enable compact, uniform and defect-free films. These films exhibit high conductivity (4 × 10-4 S m-1), which is 2.5-fold higher than that of the control, and represents the highest conductivity recorded so far among perovskite QDs. The high conductivity ensures efficient charge transportation, enabling red perovskite QD-LEDs that generate a luminance of 1,000 cd m-2 at a record-low voltage of 2.8 V. The EQE at this luminance is more than 20%. Furthermore, the stability of the operating device is 100 times better than previous red perovskite LEDs at EQEs of more than 20%.

AGAMOUS regulates various target genes via cell cycle-coupled H3K27me3 dilution in floral meristems and stamens.

The MADS domain transcription factor AGAMOUS (AG) regulates floral meristem termination by preventing maintenance of the histone modification lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3) along the KNUCKLES (KNU) coding sequence. At 2 d after AG binding, cell division has diluted the repressive mark H3K27me3, allowing activation of KNU transcription prior to floral meristem termination. However, how many other downstream genes are temporally regulated by this intrinsic epigenetic timer and what their functions are remain unknown. Here, we identify direct AG targets regulated through cell cycle-coupled H3K27me3 dilution in Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression of the targets KNU, AT HOOK MOTIF NUCLEAR LOCALIZED PROTEIN18 (AHL18), and PLATZ10 occurred later in plants with longer H3K27me3-marked regions. We established a mathematical model to predict timing of gene expression and manipulated temporal gene expression using the H3K27me3-marked del region from the KNU coding sequence. Increasing the number of del copies delayed and reduced KNU expression in a polycomb repressive complex 2- and cell cycle-dependent manner. Furthermore, AHL18 was specifically expressed in stamens and caused developmental defects when misexpressed. Finally, AHL18 bound to genes important for stamen growth. Our results suggest that AG controls the timing of expression of various target genes via cell cycle-coupled dilution of H3K27me3 for proper floral meristem termination and stamen development.

Interactions between nonfullerene acceptors lead to unstable ternary organic photovoltaic cells.

For organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices to achieve consistent performance and long operational lifetimes, organic semiconductors must be processed with precise control over their purity, composition, and structure. This is particularly important for high volume solar cell manufacturing where control of materials quality has a direct impact on yield and cost. Ternary-blend OPVs containing two acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-type nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) and a donor have proven to be an effective strategy to improve solar spectral coverage and reduce energy losses beyond that of binary-blend OPVs. Here, we show that the purity of such a ternary is compromised during blending to form a homogeneously mixed bulk heterojunction thin film. We find that the impurities originate from end-capping C=C/C=C exchange reactions of A-D-A-type NFAs, and that their presence influences both device reproducibility and long-term reliability. The end-capping exchange results in generation of up to four impurity constituents with strong dipolar character that interfere with the photoinduced charge transfer process, leading to reduced charge generation efficiency, morphological instabilities, and an increased vulnerability to photodegradation. As a consequence, the OPV efficiency falls to less than 65% of its initial value within 265 h when exposed to up to 10 suns intensity illumination. We propose potential molecular design strategies critical to enhancing the reproducibility as well as reliability of ternary OPVs by avoiding end-capping reactions.

Polarity-Mediated Antisolvent Control Enables Efficient Lanthanide-Based near-Infrared Perovskite LEDs.

Alloying lanthanide ions (Yb3+) into perovskite quantum dots (Yb3+:CsPb(Cl1-xBrx)3) is an effective method to achieve efficient near-infrared (NIR) luminescence (>950 nm). Increasing the Yb3+ alloying ratio in the perovskite matrix enhances the luminescence intensity of Yb3+ emission at 990 nm. However, high Yb3+ alloying (>15%) results in vacancy-induced inferior material stability. In this work, we developed a polarity-mediated antisolvent manipulation strategy to resolve the incompatibility between a high Yb3+ alloying ratio and inferior stability of Yb3+:CsPb(Cl1-xBrx)3. Precise control of solution polarity enables increased uniformity of the perovskite matrix with fewer trap densities. Employing this strategy, we obtain Yb3+:CsPb(Cl1-xBrx)3 with the highest Yb3+ alloying ratio of 30.2% and a 2-fold higher electroluminescence intensity at 990 nm. We lever the engineered Yb3+:CsPb(Cl1-xBrx)3 to fabricate NIR-LEDs, achieving a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 8.5% at 990 nm: this represents the highest among perovskite NIR-LEDs with an emission wavelength above 950 nm.

A new electrochemical method that mimics phosphorylation of the core tau peptide K18 enables kinetic and structural analysis of intermediates and assembly.

Tau protein's reversible assembly and binding of microtubules in brain neurons are regulated by charge-neutralizing phosphorylation, while its hyperphosphorylation drives the irreversible formation of cytotoxic filaments associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, the structural changes that facilitate these diverse functions are unclear. Here, we analyzed K18, a core peptide of tau, using newly developed spectroelectrochemical instrumentation that enables electroreduction as a surrogate for charge neutralization by phosphorylation, with simultaneous, real-time quantitative analyses of the resulting conformational transitions and assembly. We observed a tipping point between behaviors that paralleled the transition between tau's physiologically required, reversible folding and assembly and the irreversibility of assemblies. The resulting rapidly electroassembled structures represent the first fibrillar tangles of K18 that have been formed in vitro at room temperature without using heparin or other charge-complementary anionic partners. These methods make it possible to (i) trigger and analyze in real time the early stages of conformational transitions and assembly without the need for preformed seeds, heterogenous coacervation, or crowding; (ii) kinetically resolve and potentially isolate never-before-seen early intermediates in these processes; and (iii) develop assays for additional factors and mechanisms that can direct the trajectory of assembly from physiologically benign and reversible to potentially pathological and irreversible structures. We anticipate wide applicability of these methods to other amyloidogenic systems and beyond.

Customizable Organic Charge-Transfer Cocrystals for the Dual-Mode Optoelectronics in the NIR (II) Window.

Organic molecules have been regarded as ideal candidates for near-infrared (NIR) optoelectronic active materials due to their customizability and ease of large-scale production. However, constrained by the intricate molecular design and severe energy gap law, the realization of optoelectronic devices in the second near-infrared (NIR (II)) region with required narrow band gaps presents more challenges. Herein, we have originally proposed a cocrystal strategy that utilizes intermolecular charge-transfer interaction to drive the redshift of absorption and emission spectra of a series BFXTQ (X = 0, 1, 2, 4) cocrystals, resulting in the spectra located at NIR (II) window and reducing the optical bandgap to ∼0.98 eV. Significantly, these BFXTQ-based optoelectronic devices can exhibit dual-mode optoelectronic characteristics. An investigation of a series of BFXTQ-based photodetectors exhibits detectivity (D*) surpassing 1013 Jones at 375 to 1064 nm with a maximum of 1.76 × 1014 Jones at 1064 nm. Moreover, the radiative transition of CT excitons within the cocrystals triggers NIR emission over 1000 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of ∼4.6% as well as optical waveguide behavior with a low optical-loss coefficient of 0.0097 dB/µm at 950 nm. These results promote the advancement of an emerging cocrystal approach in micro/nanoscale NIR multifunctional optoelectronics.

Reliability and Variability of Ki-67 Digital Image Analysis Methods for Clinical Diagnostics in Breast Cancer.

Ki-67 is a nuclear protein associated with proliferation, and a strong potential biomarker in breast cancer, but is not routinely measured in current clinical management owing to a lack of standardization. Digital image analysis (DIA) is a promising technology that could allow high-throughput analysis and standardization. There is a dearth of data on the clinical reliability as well as intra- and interalgorithmic variability of different DIA methods. In this study, we scored and compared a set of breast cancer cases in which manually counted Ki-67 has already been demonstrated to have prognostic value (n = 278) to 5 DIA methods, namely Aperio ePathology (Lieca Biosystems), Definiens Tissue Studio (Definiens AG), Qupath, an unsupervised immunohistochemical color histogram algorithm, and a deep-learning pipeline piNET. The piNET system achieved high agreement (interclass correlation coefficient: 0.850) and correlation (R = 0.85) with the reference score. The Qupath algorithm exhibited a high degree of reproducibility among all rater instances (interclass correlation coefficient: 0.889). Although piNET performed well against absolute manual counts, none of the tested DIA methods classified common Ki-67 cutoffs with high agreement or reached the clinically relevant Cohen's κ of at least 0.8. The highest agreement achieved was a Cohen's κ statistic of 0.73 for cutoffs 20% and 25% by the piNET system. The main contributors to interalgorithmic variation and poor cutoff characterization included heterogeneous tumor biology, varying algorithm implementation, and setting assignments. It appears that image segmentation is the primary explanation for semiautomated intra-algorithmic variation, which involves significant manual intervention to correct. Automated pipelines, such as piNET, may be crucial in developing robust and reproducible unbiased DIA approaches to accurately quantify Ki-67 for clinical diagnosis in the future.

Bilateral Production Shield Enabling Highly Efficient Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Enhancing the intrinsic stability of perovskite and through encapsulation to isolate water, oxygen, and UV-induced decomposition are currently common and most effective strategies in perovskite solar cells. Here, the atomic layer deposition process is employed to deposit a nanoscale (≈100 nm), uniform, and dense Al2O3 film on the front side of perovskite devices, effectively isolating them from the erosion caused by water and oxygen in the humid air. Simultaneously, nanoscale (≈100 nm) TiO2 films are also deposited on the glass surface to efficiently filter out the ultraviolet (UV) light in the light source, which induces degradation in perovskite. Ultimately, throughthe collaborative effects of both aspects, the stability of the devices is significantly improved under conditions of humid air and illumination. As a result, after storing the devices in ambient air for 1000 h, the efficiency only declines to 95%, and even after 662 h of UV exposure, the efficiency remains at 88%, far surpassing the performance of comparison devices. These results strongly indicate that the adopted Al2O3 and TiO2 thin films play a significant role in enhancing the stability of perovskite solar cells, demonstrating substantial potential for widespread industrial applications.

Virtual draw of microstructured optical fiber based on physics-informed neural networks.

The implementation of microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) with novel micro-structures and perfect performance is challenging due to the complex fabrication processes. Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) offer what we believe to be a new approach to solving complex partial differential equations within the virtual fabrication model of MOFs. This study, for what appears to be the first time, integrates the complex partial differential equations and boundary conditions describing the fiber drawing process into the loss function of a neural network. To more accurately solve the free boundary of the fiber's inner and outer diameters, we additionally construct a neural network to describe the free boundary conditions. This model not only captures the evolution of the fiber's inner and outer diameters but also provides the velocity distribution and pressure distribution within the molten glass, thus laying the foundation for a quantitative analysis of capillary collapse. Furthermore, results indicate that the trends in the effects of temperature, feed speed, and draw speed on the fiber drawing process align with actual fabrication conditions, validating the feasibility of the model. The methodology proposed in this study offers what we believe to be a novel approach to simulating the fiber drawing process and holds promise for advancing the practical applications of MOFs.

Hypoxia-induced ZEB1 promotes cervical cancer immune evasion by strengthening the CD47-SIRPα axis.

BACKGROUND: The dynamic interaction between cancer cells and tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the hypoxic tumour microenvironment (TME) is an active barrier to the effector arm of the antitumour immune response. Cancer-secreted exosomes are emerging mediators of this cancer-stromal cross-talk in the TME; however, the mechanisms underlying this interaction remain unclear. METHODS: Exosomes were isolated with ExoQuick exosome precipitation solution. The polarizing effect of TAMs was evaluated by flow cytometry, western blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining and in vitro phagocytosis assays. Clinical cervical cancer specimens and an in vivo xenograft model were also employed. RESULTS: Our previous study showed that hypoxia increased the expression of ZEB1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) cells, which resulted in increased infiltration of TAMs. Here, we found that hypoxia-induced ZEB1 expression is closely correlated with CD47-SIRPα axis activity in CSCC, which enables cancer cells to evade phagocytosis by macrophages and promotes tumour progression. ZEB1 was found to directly activate the transcription of the CD47 gene in hypoxic CSCC cells. We further showed that endogenous ZEB1 was characteristically enriched in hypoxic CSCC cell-derived exosomes and transferred into macrophages via these exosomes to promote SIRPα+ TAM polarization. Intriguingly, exosomal ZEB1 retained transcriptional activity and reprogrammed SIRPα+ TAMs via activation of the STAT3 signalling pathway in vitro and in vivo. STAT3 inhibition reduced the polarizing effect induced by exosomal ZEB1. Knockdown of ZEB1 increased the phagocytosis of CSCC cells by macrophages via decreasing CD47 and SIRPα expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that hypoxia-induced ZEB1 promotes immune evasion in CSCC by strengthening the CD47-SIRPα axis. ZEB1-targeted therapy in combination with CD47-SIRPα checkpoint immunotherapy may improve the outcomes of CSCC patients in part by disinhibiting innate immunity.

High-throughput virtual screening of organic second-order nonlinear optical chromophores within the donor-π-bridge-acceptor framework.

In view of the theoretical importance and huge application potential of second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, it is of great significance to conduct high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) on a compound library to find candidate NLO chromophores. Under the donor-π-bridge-acceptor structural framework, a virtual compound library (size = 27 090) was constructed by enumeration of structural fragments. The kernel property adopted for optimization is the static first hyperpolarizability (ß0). By combining machine learning and quantum chemical calculations, we have performed an HTVS procedure to sieve NLO chromophores out, and the response mechanism of the selected optimal NLO chromophores was examined. We have found: (a) The multi-layer perceptron/extended connectivity fingerprint combination with 20% selection ratio gives the highest prediction accuracy for the studied systems. (b) The two optimal donors are bis(4-diphenylaminophenyl)aminyl and bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)aminyl; the optimal π-bridges are composed of two thiophenyl, selenophenyl or furanyl units; and the two optimal acceptors are tri-s-triazinyl and 2,3-dicyanopyrazinyl. (c) The no. 1 candidate molecule can exhibit a calculated ß0 equal to 8.55 × 104 a.u. (d) The difference in NLO responses of the optimal 16 molecules comes from the synergistic interaction of ES1, Δµ and f, by employing the two-level model. In addition, the sizable Δµ and f allow the studied optimal molecules to obtain a large NLO response in the meantime keeping a not-too-low excitation energy (retaining good optical transparency in the restricted range of the visible spectrum region). (e) With further modification on the acceptor, the designed DPA-π-TRZ-A' (A' = CN or NO2, π = oligo-thiophenyl or selenophenyl) systems can exhibit a rather large NLO response (maximum ß0 = 3.17 × 105 a.u.), hence should have considerable potential as second-order NLO chromophores. With the above observations, we expect to provide some insight for the research community into the HTVS of organic second-order NLO chromophores.

The middle-aged and older Chinese adults' health using actigraphy in Taiwan (MOCHA-T): protocol for a multidimensional dataset of health and lifestyle.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Older adults keep transforming with Baby Boomers and Gen Xers being the leading older population. Their lifestyle, however, is not well understood. The middle-aged and older Chinese adults' health using actigraphy in Taiwan (MOCHA-T) collected both objective and subjective data to depict the health and lifestyle of this population. The objectives, design, and measures of the MOCHA-T study are introduced, and the caveats and future directions related to the use of the data are presented. METHODS: People aged 50 and over were recruited from the community, with a subset of women aged 45-49 invited to supplement data on menopause and aging. Four instruments (i.e., self-reported questionnaires, diary, wrist actigraphy recorder, and GPS) were used to collect measures of sociodemographic, health, psychosocial, behavioral, temporal, and spatial data. RESULTS: A total of 242 participants who returned the informed consent and questionnaires were recruited in the MOCHA-T study. Among them, 94.6%, 95.0%, and 25.2% also completed the diary, actigraphy, and GPS data, respectively. There was almost no difference in sociodemographic characteristics between those with and without a completed diary, actigraphy, and GPS data, except for age group and educational level for those who returned completed actigraphy data. CONCLUSION: The MOCHA-T study is a multidimensional dataset that allows researchers to describe the health, behaviors, and lifestyle patterns, and their interactions with the environment of the newer generation of middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan. It can be compared with other countries with actigraphy and GPS-based lifestyle data of middle-aged and older adults in the future.

Collaborative Human-Computer Vision Operative Video Analysis Algorithm for Analyzing Surgical Fluency and Surgical Interruptions in Endonasal Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery: Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The endonasal endoscopic approach (EEA) is effective for pituitary adenoma resection. However, manual review of operative videos is time-consuming. The application of a computer vision (CV) algorithm could potentially reduce the time required for operative video review and facilitate the training of surgeons to overcome the learning curve of EEA. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a CV-based video analysis system, based on OpenCV algorithm, to detect surgical interruptions and analyze surgical fluency in EEA. The accuracy of the CV-based video analysis was investigated, and the time required for operative video review using CV-based analysis was compared to that of manual review. METHODS: The dominant color of each frame in the EEA video was determined using OpenCV. We developed an algorithm to identify events of surgical interruption if the alterations in the dominant color pixels reached certain thresholds. The thresholds were determined by training the current algorithm using EEA videos. The accuracy of the CV analysis was determined by manual review, and the time spent was reported. RESULTS: A total of 46 EEA operative videos were analyzed, with 93.6%, 95.1%, and 93.3% accuracies in the training, test 1, and test 2 data sets, respectively. Compared with manual review, CV-based analysis reduced the time required for operative video review by 86% (manual review: 166.8 and CV analysis: 22.6 minutes; P<.001). The application of a human-computer collaborative strategy increased the overall accuracy to 98.5%, with a 74% reduction in the review time (manual review: 166.8 and human-CV collaboration: 43.4 minutes; P<.001). Analysis of the different surgical phases showed that the sellar phase had the lowest frequency (nasal phase: 14.9, sphenoidal phase: 15.9, and sellar phase: 4.9 interruptions/10 minutes; P<.001) and duration (nasal phase: 67.4, sphenoidal phase: 77.9, and sellar phase: 31.1 seconds/10 minutes; P<.001) of surgical interruptions. A comparison of the early and late EEA videos showed that increased surgical experience was associated with a decreased number (early: 4.9 and late: 2.9 interruptions/10 minutes; P=.03) and duration (early: 41.1 and late: 19.8 seconds/10 minutes; P=.02) of surgical interruptions during the sellar phase. CONCLUSIONS: CV-based analysis had a 93% to 98% accuracy in detecting the number, frequency, and duration of surgical interruptions occurring during EEA. Moreover, CV-based analysis reduced the time required to analyze the surgical fluency in EEA videos compared to manual review. The application of CV can facilitate the training of surgeons to overcome the learning curve of endoscopic skull base surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06156020; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06156020.

The impact of comorbidities, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and drug toxicities on quality of life in lung cancer patients receiving EGFR-TKI therapy.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are used as the standard first-line treatment for patients with advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the impact of comorbidities and treatment toxicities on quality of life (QoL) was seldom investigated. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association of comorbidities, adverse events (AEs), and QoL in treatment-naïve advanced NSCLC patients receiving EGFR-TKI treatments. METHODS: This multi-center prospective observational study was conducted to evaluate QoL and AEs at baseline, the 2nd, 4th, 12th, and 24th week. Clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and pre-treatment laboratory data were recorded. QoL was assessed by using the summary score of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the dermatology life quality index. The impact of comorbidities, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and AEs on QoL was analyzed by generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: A total of 121 patients were enrolled. Diarrhea (p = 0.033), anorexia (p < 0.001), and NLR ≥4 (p = 0.017) were significantly associated with a QoL impairment. Among skin toxicities, acneiform rash (p = 0.002), pruritus (p = 0.002), visual analogue scale for pruritus (≥3 and < 7, p = 0.006; ≥7, p = 0.001) and pain (1-3, p = 0.041) were associated with a QoL impairment. No significant association was found between comorbidities and QoL changes. CONCLUSION: Diarrhea, anorexia, skin pain, and pruritus may cause a deterioration in QoL in patients receiving EGFR-TKI therapy. NLR may be a potential predictive factor for QoL impairment. Aggressive management and close monitoring for these clinical factors are crucial to improve QoL.

Flexible Substrate-Compatible and Efficiency-Improved Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes with Reduced Annealing Temperature of NiOx Hole-Injecting Layer.

The growing demand for wearable and attachable displays has sparked significant interest in flexible quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). However, the challenges of fabricating and operating QLEDs on flexible substrates persist due to the lack of stable and low-temperature processable charge-injection/-transporting layers with aligned energy levels. In this study, we utilized NiOx nanoparticles that are compatible with flexible substrates as a hole-injection layer (HIL). To enhance the work function of the NiOx HIL, we introduced a self-assembled dipole modifier called 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid (4-CF3-BA) onto the surface of the NiOx nanoparticles. The incorporation of the dipole molecules through adsorption treatment has significantly changed the wettability and electronic characteristics of NiOx nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of NiO(OH) at the interface and a shift in vacuum level. The alteration of surface electronic states of the NiOx nanoparticles not only improves the carrier balance by reducing the hole injection barrier but also prevents exciton quenching by passivating defects in the film. Consequently, the NiOx-based red QLEDs with interfacial modification demonstrate a maximum current efficiency of 16.1 cd/A and a peak external quantum efficiency of 10.3%. This represents a nearly twofold efficiency enhancement compared to control devices. The mild fabrication requirements and low annealing temperatures suggest potential applications of dipole molecule-modified NiOx nanoparticles in flexible optoelectronic devices.

Factors influencing turnover intention among male nurses in China: A large-scale descriptive correlational study.

AIM: This study examined the correlation among turnover intention, emotional intelligence and job burnout in male nurses and determined its influencing factors. BACKGROUND: The number of male nurses has increased in China; however, the turnover rate is very high. Nurses' turnover intention is related to job burnout and emotional intelligence. INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have shown that job burnout and emotional intelligence are related to medical and health institution employees' intention to leave their jobs. It is not clear if the same conclusions can be drawn about male nurses. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, 627 male nurses were recruited from across China between May and July 2018. Data were collected through an online questionnaire, and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression were performed to analyse the data. RESULTS: There was a weak negative, moderate positive and moderate negative correlation between turnover intention and emotional intelligence, turnover intention and job burnout, and emotional intelligence and job burnout, respectively. Factors that significantly affected turnover intention among male nurses included job burnout, young age, lack of interest in nursing and working in the emergency department. CONCLUSION: The study revealed the factors that affected male nurses' turnover intention and the relationships between turnover intention, emotional intelligence and job burnout. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL POLICY: Hospital managers should provide necessary help and support to reduce male nurse turnover rates and incorporate emotional intelligence training. The policy should eliminate the unfair college admission practices for students choosing nursing majors, raise the nursing profession's salaries and vigorously develop specialty nursing. In addition, diversified values should be promoted, and stereotypes of male nurses in nursing should be broken.

The Potential Neurological Impact of Intraoperative Hyponatremia Using Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate Cardioplegia Infusion in Adult Cardiac Surgery.

Background and Objectives: The relationship between histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK)-induced hyponatremia and brain injury in adult cardiac surgery patients is unclear. This study analyzed postoperative neurological outcomes after intraoperative HTK cardioplegia infusion. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 60 adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Of these patients, 13 and 47 received HTK infusion and conventional hyperkalemic cardioplegia, respectively. The patients' baseline characteristics, intraoperative data, brain injury markers, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) data were collected. Electrolyte changes during cardiopulmonary bypass, the degree of hyponatremia, and any associated brain insults were evaluated. Results: The HTK group presented with acute hyponatremia during cardiopulmonary bypass, which was intraoperatively corrected through ultrafiltration and normal saline administration. Postoperative sodium levels were higher in the HTK group than in the conventional cardioplegia group. The change in neuron-specific enolase levels after cardiopulmonary bypass was significantly higher in the HTK group (p = 0.043). The changes showed no significant differences using case-control matching. qEEG analysis revealed a significant increase in relative delta power in the HTK group on postoperative day (POD) 7 (p = 0.018); however, no significant changes were noted on POD 60. The MMSE scores were not significantly different between the two groups on POD 7 and POD 60. Conclusions: HTK-induced acute hyponatremia and rapid correction with normal saline during adult cardiac surgeries were associated with a potential short-term but not long-term neurological impact. Further studies are required to determine the necessity of correction for HTK-induced hyponatremia.

[Screening of bioactive components endowing hawthorn with turbidity-eliminating and lipid-lowering functions and development of quality control method of hawthorn].

Hawthorn has the efficacy of eliminating turbidity and lowering the blood lipid level, and it is used for treating hyperlipidemia in clinic. However, the bioactive components of hawthorn are still unclear. In this study, the spectrum-effect relationship was employed to screen the bioactive components of hawthorn in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, and then the bioactive components screened out were verified in vivo. Furthermore, the quality control method for hawthorn was developed based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS). The hyperlipidemia model of rats was built, and different polar fractions of hawthorn extracts and their combinations were administrated by gavage. The effects of different hawthorn extract fractions on the total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C) in the serum of model rats were studied. The orthogonal projections to latent structures(OPLS) algorithm was used to establish the spectrum-effect relationship model between the 24 chemical components of hawthorn and the pharmacodynamic indexes, and the bioactive components were screened out and verified in vivo. Finally, 10 chemical components of hawthorn, including citric acid and quinic acid, were selected to establish the method for evaluating hawthorn quality based on LC-MS. The results showed that different polar fractions of hawthorn extracts and their combinations regulated the TG, TC, and LDL-C levels in the serum of the model rats. The bioactive components of hawthorn screened by the OPLS model were vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, rutin, citric acid, malic acid, and quinic acid. The 10 chemical components of hawthorn, i.e., citric acid, quinic acid, rutin, gallic acid, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, malic acid, vanillic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and fumaric acid were determined, with the average content of 38, 11, 0.018, 0.009 5, 0.037, 0.017, 8.1, 0.009 5, 0.073, and 0.98 mg·g~(-1), respectively. This study provided a scientific basis for elucidating the material basis of hawthorn in treating hyperlipidemia and developed a content determination method for evaluating the quality of hawthorn.

Ligand-solvent coordination enables comprehensive trap passivation for efficient quantum dot near-infrared light-emitting diodes.

Near-infrared light-emitting diodes (NIR LEDs) based on perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have produced external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ~15%. However, these high-performance NIR-QLEDs suffer from immediate carrier quenching because of the accumulation of migratable ions at the surface of the QDs. These uncoordinated ions and carriers - if not bound to the nanocrystal surface - serve as centers for exciton quenching and device degradation. In this work, we overcome this issue and fabricate high-performance NIR QLEDs by devising a ligand anchoring strategy, which entails dissolving the strong-binding ligand (Guanidine Hydroiodide, GAI) in the mediate-polar solvent. By employing the dye-sensitized device structure (phosphorescent indicator), we demonstrate the elimination of the interface defects. The treated QDs films exhibit an exciton binding energy of 117 meV: this represents a 1.5-fold increase compared to that of the control (74 meV). We report, as a result, the NIR QLEDs with an EQE of 21% which is a record among NIR perovskite QLEDs. These QLEDs also exhibit a 7-fold higher operational stability than that of the best previously reported NIR QLEDs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the QDs are compatible with large-area QLEDs: we showcase 900 mm2 QLEDs with EQE approaching 20%.

Linearly Arranged Multi-π-Stacked Structure for Efficient Through-Space Charge-Transfer Emitters.

Noncovalent spatial interaction has become an intriguing and important tool for constructing optoelectronic molecules. In this study, we linearly attached three conjugated units in a multi π-stacked manner by using just one trident bridge based on indeno[2,1-b]fluorene. To achieve this structure, we improved the synthetic approach through double C-H activation, significantly simplifying the preparation process. Due to the proximity of the C10, C11, and C12 sites in indeno[2,1-b]fluorene, we derived two novel donor|acceptor|donor (D|A|D) type molecules, 2DMB and 2DMFB, which exhibited closely packed intramolecular stacking, enabling efficient through-space charge transfer. This molecular construction is particularly suitable for developing high-performance thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials. With donor(s) and acceptor(s) constrained and separated within this spatially rigid structure, elevated radiative transition rates, and high photoluminescence quantum yields were achieved. Organic light-emitting diodes incorporating 2DMB and 2DMFB demonstrated superior efficiency, achieving maximum external quantum efficiencies of 28.6% and 16.2%, respectively.