Comparison of the efficacy of a generic plerixafor versus Mozobil as adjunct peripheral blood stem cell mobilization agents in multiple myeloma patients.

BACKGROUND: Plerixafor is an adjunct peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization agent with well-demonstrated safety and efficacy. The routine use of the originator brand drug (Mozobil) has been limited by cost. This retrospective study was conducted to compare the mobilization efficacy of a lower-cost generic plerixafor and Mozobil in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study included two near-concurrent cohorts of MM patients mobilized with brand (n = 64) or generic (n = 61) plerixafor in addition to filgrastim. Collection and early engraftment outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The two cohorts had comparable distributions of sex, age, and weight. Previous treatment histories and proportions of upfront versus just-in-time plerixafor use were similar. There was no significant difference in their median overall cumulative total yield (106 CD34+ cells/kg) (brand, 5.91; generic, 5.80; p = .51). However, the generic cohort had a significantly higher median yield after the first dose (4.79 vs. 3.78, p = .03), and consequently lower median numbers of plerixafor doses (p = .001) and collection days (p = .002). Only 31.1% of patients in the generic arm required more than one dose versus 59.4% of patients in the brand arm (p = .006). All transplanted patients in the brand and generic arms (90.6% and 85.2% respectively, p = .42) achieved engraftment. There was no significant difference in their median times to platelet and neutrophil engraftment, nor their transfusion requirements during the first 30 days post-transplant. CONCLUSION: The generic plerixafor produced comparable cumulative collection yields and early engraftment outcomes as Mozobil, but fewer doses and collection days were needed to reach collection goal.

Improved ZnWO4@NiCo2O4 core-shell nanosheet arrays with regulatory interfaces and electronic redistribution.

ZnWO4@NiCo2O4 core-shell nanosheet array composites are synthesized on nickel foam via a two-step hydrothermal method. The optimal conditions, including a Ni(NO3)2·6H2O to Co(NO3)2·6H2O molar ratio of 2 : 1, 12 hours reaction time, and 120 °C temperature, yield a specific capacitance of 875 C g-1 at 1 A g-1. The electrode also maintains 81.1% capacitance after 10 000 cycles. The material's performance is attributed to its core-shell structure, which enhances ion diffusion and electron transport. This study presents a viable approach for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Hybrid Local and Charge Transfer Emitters Utilizing Hyperconjugation Effect Towards Solution-Processed Ultra-Deep-Blue OLEDs with External Quantum Efficiency Approaching 12.

Hybrid local and charge transfer (HLCT) excited state materials, which possess weak donor-acceptor (D-A) pure organic structures, deserve one of the most promising efficient and stable blue emitters. Through high-lying reverse intersystem crossing (hRISC) process, 75% triplet excitons generated by electrical excitation could be harvested and utilized in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, there are still significant challenges to achieve high-efficiency ultra-deep-blue HLCT emitters with low Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) 1931 chromaticity coordinate y values. Here, a series of novel blue HLCT emitters based on spiro[1,8-diazafluorene-9,2'-imidazole] structure were designed and synthesized by fine-tuning the spiro[fluorene-9,2'-imidazole] core structure in our previous work through heteroatom substitution and hyperconjugation effect. The target emitters were endowed with excellent photophysical and electrochemical merits, thermal stability and solution processibility. The solution-processed OLED device based on 4',5'-bis(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)spiro[1,8-diazafluorene-9,2'-imidazole] (NFIP-CZ) achieved efficient ultra-deep-blue emission (CIEx,y = 0.1581, 0.0422) with the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax), maximum current efficiency (CEmax) and maximum power efficiency (PEmax) of 11.94%, 4.07 cd·A-1 and 2.56 lm·W-1. The record EQE is a breakthrough in both solution-processed and vacuum vapor deposition ultra-deep-blue HLCT-OLEDs currently.

Enhancing the Performance of MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors Using Self-Assembled Monolayers: A Promising Strategy to Alleviate Dielectric Layer Scattering and Improve Device Performance.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) based on two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (2D-MoS2) have great potential in electronic and optoelectronic applications, but the performances of these devices still face challenges such as scattering at the contact interface, which results in reduced mobility. In this work, we fabricated high-performance MoS2-FETs by inserting self-assembling monolayers (SAMs) between MoS2 and a SiO2 dielectric layer. The interface properties of MoS2/SiO2 were studied after the inductions of three different SAM structures including (perfluorophenyl)methyl phosphonic acid (PFPA), (4-aminobutyl) phosphonic acid (ABPA), and octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA). The SiO2/ABPA/MoS2-FET exhibited significantly improved performances with the highest mobility of 528.7 cm2 V-1 s-1, which is 7.5 times that of SiO2/MoS2-FET, and an on/off ratio of ~106. Additionally, we investigated the effects of SAM molecular dipole vectors on device performances using density functional theory (DFT). Moreover, the first-principle calculations showed that ABPA SAMs reduced the frequencies of acoustic and optical phonons in the SiO2 dielectric layer, thereby suppressing the phonon scattering to the MoS2 channel and further improving the device's performance. This work provided a strategy for high-performance MoS2-FET fabrication by improving interface properties.

Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells by Employing Triphenylamine-Functionalized Azadipyrromethene Dyes as Dopant-Free Hole-Transporting Materials and Bidentate Surface Passivating Agents.

In this study, a series of dopant-free, low-cost hole-transporting materials (HTMs) based on triphenylamine-functionalized azadipyrromethene dyes 1-3 (TPA-ADPs 1-3) were designed and synthesized. The properties of these new HTMs were investigated by optical spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetric, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, as well as theoretical calculations. The results indicated that the TPA-ADPs 1-3 presented well-matched energy levels with perovskite, higher hole mobility, as well as more effective defect passivation at the perovskite/HTM interface by the coordination interaction between the ADP moiety and the undercoordinated Pb2+. The n-i-p perovskite solar cells (PSCs) employing HTMs 1-3 as well as doped Spiro-OMeTAD were fabricated and characterized. The TPA-ADP 1-based PSCs exhibited the best performance with a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.13% and an fill factor of 0.81, which was superior to that of the devices based on the doped Spiro-OMeTAD. Long-term device performance studies indicated that the TPA-ADP 1-based PSCs maintained 80% of the initial PCE after 1800 h of storage in the ambient condition of 40-60% RH, which was also higher than the stability of doped Spiro-OMeTAD-based devices under the same conditions.

Sleep disorders are closely associated with coronary heart disease in US adults (≥20 years): A cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this research was to assess the association between sleep disorders and coronary heart disease (CHD) using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. This cross-sectional study included 9886 eligible participants with valid data on sleep disorders and CHD from the NHANES from 2011 to 2014. The complex NHANES sampling led to use of sample weights in analyses. Various statistical methods and covariates were utilized. Significance was set at P < .05. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the diagnostic efficacy of sleep disorders in relation to CHD. Sleep disorders were significantly associated with CHD (P < .001). In the model corrected for age, sex, race, hypertension, diabetes, and uric acid as covariates, sleep disorders and CHD remained significantly associated (P < .001, odds ratio = 1.83 [95% confidence interval: 1.31-2.58]). The correlation between sleep disorders and CHD varies by age and gender. Sleep disorders have some predictive value for CHD (0.5 < area under curve ≤ 0.7). Sleep disorders were associated with and predictive of CHD risk, warranting consideration in clinical assessments.

Use of half red blood cell units in oncology patients during severe shortages to extend hospital supply.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an unprecedented impact on the blood supply from 2020 through 2022. As a result, throughout 2021 there were months our hospital had less than one-day supply of type O RBCs. To meet transfusion needs, whole RBC units were split into half units and issued to stable, non-bleeding patients. This single-institution, retrospective study examines time intervals to subsequent transfusion and total numbers of RBC units subsequently transfused after the first half or whole RBC unit. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients who were transfused RBC between May 21, 2021 and November 1, 2021 were divided into in- and outpatient groups, then based on whether they received at least 1 half RBC unit or only whole RBC units during the study period. The time interval between this first half unit transfusion, or first whole unit transfusion in those who did not receive half units, and the subsequent RBC transfusion within 90 days was calculated and compared, as well as the total number of RBC units transfused 30 days after the first unit. RESULTS: In general, patients transfused with half units received a subsequent transfusion significantly earlier than those transfused with whole units. Additionally, receiving an index half unit was associated with more RBC transfusions in the following 30 days (p = .001). CONCLUSION: Transfusion of half RBC units during a severe RBC blood shortage can temporarily decrease RBC usage but will result in a shorter interval to the next transfusion and greater total number of RBC units transfused in subsequent days.

Adjusting the charging behavior of TiO2 with basic surfactants in an apolar medium for electrophoretic displays.

Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) are attracting attention as potential candidates for information display due to their eye-friendly nature, environmental friendliness and bistability. However, their response speed, which is closely related to the charging behavior of electrophoretic particles, is still inadequate for practical applications. Herein, five basic surfactants were employed to adjust the particle charge of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the apolar medium Isopar L. Particle charge is strongly related to the effective surfactant coverage on surface sites, dominated by the interaction between anchoring groups and solvation chains. As a result, the electrophoretic mobility of TiO2 could be tuned between -8.09 × 10-10 and +2.26 × 10-10 m2 V-1 s-1. Due to the increased particle charge, TiO2 particles could be well dispersed in Isopar L with the assistance of S17000, T151 and T154. A black-white dual particle electrophoretic system with 2.0% (w/v) S17000 was constructed to obtain EPD devices. The EPD device gained a maximum white-and-black-state reflectivity of 41.79%/0.56% and a peak contrast ratio of 74.15. Its response time could be reduced to as low as 166.7 ms, which outperforms the majority of other black-white EPD devices.

Correction: Preventing lead leakage in perovskite solar cells and modules with a low-cost and stable chemisorption coating.

Correction for 'Preventing lead leakage in perovskite solar cells and modules with a low-cost and stable chemisorption coating' by Zongxu Zhang et al., Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 2449-2456, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH00033A.

A biodegradable and flexible neural interface for transdermal optoelectronic modulation and regeneration of peripheral nerves.

Optoelectronic neural interfaces can leverage the photovoltaic effect to convert light into electrical current, inducing charge redistribution and enabling nerve stimulation. This method offers a non-genetic and remote approach for neuromodulation. Developing biodegradable and efficient optoelectronic neural interfaces is important for achieving transdermal stimulation while minimizing infection risks associated with device retrieval, thereby maximizing therapeutic outcomes. We propose a biodegradable, flexible, and miniaturized silicon-based neural interface capable of transdermal optoelectronic stimulation for neural modulation and nerve regeneration. Enhancing the device interface with thin-film molybdenum significantly improves the efficacy of neural stimulation. Our study demonstrates successful activation of the sciatic nerve in rodents and the facial nerve in rabbits. Moreover, transdermal optoelectronic stimulation accelerates the functional recovery of injured facial nerves.

A label-free and rapid fluorometric strategy for microRNA detection using CRISPR-Cas12a coupled with copper nanoparticles.

CRISPR-Cas12a with robust trans-cleavage activity were employed to mitigate background fluorescence signal, achieving sensitive detection of miRNA-21. The activation of trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a was achieved by utilizing cDNA as a trigger. Upon the presence of target miRNA-21, cDNA hybridizes with it forming a DNA/RNA double-stranded structure. Exonuclease III (ExoIII) facilitates the degradation of cDNA, releasing the target for subsequent cycles. Due to cDNA degradation, the trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a remains unactivated and does not disrupt the synthesis template of copper nanoparticles. Addition of Cu2+ and AA leads to the formation of highly fluorescent copper nanoparticles. Conversely, in absence of miRNA-21, intact cDNA activates trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a, resulting in degradation of the synthesis template and failure in synthesizing fluorescent copper nanoparticles. This method exhibits excellent selectivity with a low limit of detection (LOD) at 5 pM. Furthermore, we successfully applied this approach to determine miRNA-21 in cell lysates and human serum samples, providing a new approach for sensitive determination of biomarkers in biochemical research and disease diagnosis.

Rational Design of Coumarin-Based Hybridized Local and Charge-Transfer Blue Emitters for Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Hybridized local and charge-transfer (HLCT) with the utilization of both singlet and triplet excitons through the "hot excitons" channel have great application potential in highly efficient blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The proportion of charge-transfer (CT) and locally excited (LE) components in the relevant singlet and triplet states makes a big difference for the high-lying reverse intersystem crossing process. Herein, three novel donor (D)-acceptor (A) type HLCT materials, 7-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)amino)-3-phenyl-1H-isochromen-1-one (pPh-7P), 7-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)amino)-3-methyl-1H-isochromen-1-one (pPh-7M), and 6-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)amino)-3-methyl-1H-isochromen-1-one (pPh-6M), were rationally designed and synthesized with diphenylamine derivative as donor and oxygen heterocyclic coumarin moiety as acceptors. The proportions of CT and LE components were fine controlled by changing the connection site of diphenylamine derivative at C6/C7-position and the substituent at C3-position of coumarin moiety. The HLCT characteristics of pPh-7P, pPh-7M, and pPh-6M were systematically demonstrated through photophysical properties and density functional theory calculations. The solution-processed doped OLEDs based on pPh-6M exhibited deep-blue electroluminescence with the maximum emission wavelength of 446 nm, maximum luminance of 8755 cd m-2, maximum current efficiency of 5.83 cd A-1, and maximum external quantum efficiency of 6.54 %. The results reveal that pPh-6M with dominant 1LE and 3CT components has better OLED performance.

Correlation of oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction with hippocampal perfusion in atrial fibrillation patients with cognitive impairment.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation of oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction with hippocampal perfusion in patients with atrial fibrillation and cognitive impairment. Methods: In total, 41 atrial fibrillation patients with cognitive impairment were compared to 45 atrial fibrillation patients without cognitive impairment. Oxidative stress, vascular endothelial dysfunction, hippocampal perfusion, and cognitive function were measured. Results: Serum level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein was significantly higher in the atrial fibrillation + cognitive impairment group than in the atrial fibrillation group. Serum levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were significantly higher, and nitric oxide was lower, in the atrial fibrillation + cognitive impairment group than in the atrial fibrillation group. The regional cerebral blood volume, mean transit time, and time to peak were significantly higher in the atrial fibrillation + cognitive impairment group than in the atrial fibrillation group. Moreover, regional cerebral blood flow was significantly lower in the atrial fibrillation + cognitive impairment group than in the atrial fibrillation group. Age, left atrial diameter, and regional cerebral blood volume were negatively correlated with the cognitive function score in the atrial fibrillation + cognitive impairment group. Serum levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, regional cerebral blood volume, regional cerebral blood flow, mean transit time, and time to peak were significantly correlated with cognitive impairment in atrial fibrillation patients after multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Hippocampal perfusion and oxidative stress were significantly correlated with cognitive impairment in atrial fibrillation patients.

Preventing lead leakage in perovskite solar cells and modules with a low-cost and stable chemisorption coating.

Despite the promising commercial prospects of perovskite solar cells, the issue of lead toxicity continues to hinder their future industrial applications. Here, we report a low-cost and rapidly degraded sulfosuccinic acid-modified polyvinyl alcohol (SMP) coating that prevents lead leakage and enhances device stability without compromising device performance. Even under different strict conditions (simulated heavy rain, acid rain, high temperatures, and competing ions), the coatings effectively prevent lead leakage by over 99%. After 75 days of outdoor exposure, the coating still demonstrates similar lead sequestration efficiency (SQE). In addition, it can be applied to different device structures (n-i-p and p-i-n) and modules, with over 99% SQE, making it a general method for preventing lead leakage.

Clinical management of a patient following a granulocyte transfusion from a donor positive for COVID-19.

Granulocyte transfusions are indicated for patients with severe neutropenia and evidence of bacterial or fungal infection who are unresponsive to standard antimicrobial therapy. With a limited expiration time of 24 hours after collection, granulocytes are often transfused before results of infectious-disease screening tests are available, and before a transfusion service can perform a risk assessment if postdonation information is provided after the collection. The case we describe herein demonstrates a clinical scenario meeting indications for granulocyte transfusion, coupled with the clinical management undertaken after the granulocyte donor disclosed a positive result for a COVID-19 self-test taken 1 day after donation. In this case, the patient did not develop new COVID-19 symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19 after transfusion of the implicated unit. These findings add to the body of evidence in the literature that COVID-19 is not transmitted via blood transfusion.

Microencapsulated Perovskite Crystals via In Situ Permeation Growth from Polymer Microencapsulation-Expansion-Contraction Strategy: Advancing a Record Long-Term Stability beyond 10 000 h for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Organic metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) bearing both high efficiency and durability are predominantly challenged by inadequate crystallinity of perovskite. Herein, a polymer microencapsulation-expansion-contraction strategy is proposed for the first time to optimize the crystallization behavior of perovskite, typically by adeptly harnessing the swelling and deswelling characteristics of poly(4-acryloylmorpholine) (poly(4-AcM)) network on PbI2 surface. It can effectively retard the crystallization rate of perovskite, permitting meliorative crystallinity featured by increased grain size from 0.74 to 1.32 µm and reduced trap density from 1.12 × 1016 to 2.56 × 1015 cm-3. Moreover, profiting from the protection of poly(4-AcM) microencapsulation layer, the degradation of the perovskite is markedly suppressed. Resultant PSCs gain a robust power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.04%. Typically, they maintain 91% of their initial PCE for 13 008 h in a desiccated ambient environment and retain 92% PCE after storage for 4000 h with a relative humidity of 50 ± 10%, which is the state-of-the-art long-term stability among the reported contributions.

Lack of RBC transfusion independence by Day 30 following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant strongly predicts inferior survival and high non-relapse mortality in acute myeloid leukemia patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with incomplete hematologic recovery undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) had inferior overall survival (OS). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study of AML patients evaluated the relationship between red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) transfusion requirements during the first 30 days and long-term outcomes after allo-HSCT through multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 692 AML patients received peripheral blood stem cells (89.2%), marrow (5.6%), or umbilical cord (5.2%) from matched related (37.4%), unrelated (49.1%), or haploidentical (8.2%) donors in 2011-2017. Transfusion requirements during the first 30 days for RBC (89.5% transfused, median 3, range 1-18 units) or PLT (98.2% transfused, median 6, range 1-144 units) were variable. By Day 30, 56.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.8-60.3%) and 86.1% (95% CI: 83.2-88.5%) had achieved RBC and PLT transfusion independence, respectively. Median follow-up among survivors (n = 307) was 7.1 years (range: 2.7-11.8). Lack of RBC transfusion independence by Day 30 was strongly and independently associated with worse 5-year OS (39.2% vs. 59.6%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.83, 95% CI: 1.49-2.25), leukemia-free survival (35.8% vs. 55.5%, HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.43-2.14), and NRM (29.7% vs. 13.7%, HR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.45-2.89) (p < .001). There was no difference in relapse rates among patients who achieved or did not achieve RBC (p = .34) or PLT (p = .64) transfusion independence. CONCLUSION: Prolonged RBC dependence predicted worse survival and NRM rates, but not increased relapse. Posttransplant surveillance of such patients should be adjusted with more attention to non-relapse complications.

Tailoring Phase Distribution of Quasi-2D Perovskites via Taurine-Assistance Enables Efficient Blue Light-Emitting Diodes.

Quasi-2D (Q-2D) perovskites with typical varied n-phase structures deserve promising candidates in pursuing high-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). Whereas their weakness in precise n-phase distribution control disables the optical property of PeLEDs since the n = 1 phase is dominated by severe nonradiative recombination. Here, an effective phase distribution tailoring strategy is developed for pure blue PeLEDs by introducing taurine (TAU) into mixed halide Q-2D perovskites. The sulfonic acid group in TAU can coordinate with Pb2+ to suppress the formation of the n = 1 phase while promoting the growth of Q-2D perovskites into domains with the graded distribution of n = 2 and 3. The amino group in TAU forms hydrogen bonds with electronegative halide ions, suppressing the formation of halide vacancies and reducing the defect density in the Q-2D perovskite films. As a result, optimized blue Q-2D perovskite films boosted PLQY to 92%. Target blue PeLED  was endowed with a peak EQE of 14.82% (average 12.6%) at 475 nm and a maximum luminance of 1937 cd m-2 , which is among the reported high-level pure blue PeLEDs. This work demonstrates a feasible approach to regulate the phase distribution of Q-2D perovskites for high-performance blue PeLEDs.

Crosstalk between Gut Sensory Ghrelin Signaling and Adipose Tissue Sympathetic Outflow Regulates Metabolic Homeostasis.

The stomach-derived orexigenic hormone ghrelin is a key regulator of energy homeostasis and metabolism in humans. The ghrelin receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR), is widely expressed in the brain and gastrointestinal vagal sensory neurons, and neuronal GHSR knockout results in a profoundly beneficial metabolic profile and protects against diet-induced obesity (DIO) and insulin resistance. Here we show that in addition to the well characterized vagal GHSR, GHSR is robustly expressed in gastrointestinal sensory neurons emanating from spinal dorsal root ganglia. Remarkably, sensory neuron GHSR deletion attenuates DIO through increased energy expenditure and sympathetic outflow to adipose tissue independent of food intake. In addition, neuronal viral tract tracing reveals prominent crosstalk between gut non-vagal sensory afferents and adipose sympathetic outflow. Hence, these findings demonstrate a novel gut sensory ghrelin signaling pathway critical for maintaining energy homeostasis.

Improving XYG3-type doubly hybrid approximation using self-interaction corrected SCAN density and orbitals via the PZ-SIC framework: The xDH@SCAN(SIC) approach.

XYG3-type doubly hybrid (xDH) approximations have gained widespread recognition for their accuracy in describing a diverse range of chemical and physical interactions. However, a recent study [Song et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 12, 800-807 (2021)] has highlighted the limitation of xDH methods in calculating the dissociation of NaCl molecules. This issue has been related to the density and orbitals used for evaluating the energy in xDH methods, which are obtained from lower-rung hybrid density functional approximations (DFAs) and display substantial density errors in the dissociation limit. In this work, we systematically investigate the influence of density on several challenging datasets and find that xDH methods are less sensitive to density errors compared to semi-local and hybrid DFAs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the self-interaction corrected SCAN density approach offers superior accuracy compared to the self-consistent SCAN density and Hartree-Fock density approaches, as evidenced by performing charge analysis on the dissociation of heterodimers, such as NaCl and LiF. Building on these insights, we propose a five-parameter xDH method using the SCAN density and orbitals corrected by the PZ-SIC scheme. This new xDH@SCAN(SIC) method provides a balanced and accurate description across a wide range of challenging systems.