Harnessing Persistent Photocurrent in a 2D Semiconductor-Polymer Hybrid Structure: Electron Trapping and Fermi Level Modulation for Optoelectronic Memory.

Recently, 2D semiconductor-based optoelectronic memory has been explored to overcome the limitations of conventional von Neumann architectures by integrating optical sensing and data storage into one device. Persistent photocurrent (PPC), essential for optoelectronic memory, originates from charge carrier trapping according to the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) model in 2D semiconductors. The quasi-Fermi level position influences the activation of charge-trapping sites. However, the correlation between quasi-Fermi level modulations and PPC in 2D semiconductors has not been extensively studied. In this study, we demonstrate optoelectronic memory based on a 2D semiconductor-polymer hybrid structure and confirm that the underlying mechanism is charge trapping, as the SRH model explains. Under light illumination, electrons transfer from polyvinylpyrrolidone to p-type tungsten diselenide, resulting in high-level injection and majority carrier-type transitions. The quasi-Fermi level shifts upward with increasing temperature, improving PPC and enabling optoelectronic memory at 433 K. Our findings offer valuable insights into optimizing 2D semiconductor-based optoelectronic memory.

Improving measurement-based care implementation in adult ambulatory psychiatry: a virtual focus group interview with multidisciplinary healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Measurement-Based Care (MBC) is an evidence-based practice shown to enhance patient care. Despite being efficacious, MBC is not commonly used in practice. While barriers and facilitators of MBC implementation have been described in the literature, the type of clinicians and populations studied vary widely, even within the same practice setting. The current study aims to improve MBC implementation in adult ambulatory psychiatry by conducting focus group interviews while utilizing a novel virtual brainwriting premortem method. METHODS: Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with clinicians (n = 18) and staff (n = 7) to identify their current attitudes, facilitators, and barriers of MBC implementation in their healthcare setting. Virtual video-conferencing software was used to conduct focus groups, and based on transcribed verbatin, emergent barriers/facilitators and four themes were identified. Mixed methods approach was utilized for this study. Specifically, qualitative data was aggregated and re-coded separately by three doctoral-level coders. Quantitative analyses were conducted from a follow-up questionnaire surveying clinician attitudes and satisfaction with MBC. RESULTS: The clinician and staff focus groups resulted in 291 and 91 unique codes, respectively. While clinicians identified a similar number of barriers (40.9%) and facilitators (44.3%), staff identified more barriers (67%) than facilitators (24.7%) for MBC. Four themes emerged from the analysis; (1) a description of current status/neutral opinion on MBC; (2) positive themes that include benefits of MBC, facilitators, enablers, or reasons on why they conduct MBC in their practice, (3) negative themes that include barriers or issues that hinder them from incorporating MBC into their practice, and (4) requests and suggestions for future MBC implementation. Both participant groups raised more negative themes highlighting critical challenges to MBC implementation than positive themes. The follow-up questionnaire regarding MBC attitudes showed the areas that clinicians emphasized the most and the least in their clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The virtual brainwriting premortem focus groups provided critical information on the shortcomings and strengths of MBC in adult ambulatory psychiatry. Our findings underscore implementation challenges in healthcare settings and provide insight for both research and clinical practice in mental health fields. The barriers and facilitators identified in this study can inform future training to increase sustainability and better integrate MBC with positive downstream outcomes in patient care.

Community belongingness during COVID-19 predicts anxiety and depression treatment change in college students.

OBJECTIVE: Community belongingness has been shown to be related to mental health outcomes in college students; however, little work has evaluated whether community belongingness impacts treatment change, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social isolation and mental health concerns are exacerbated. Accordingly, the current study evaluated community belongingness as a predictor of treatment change for anxiety and depression in a university counseling center. METHOD: Participants included 516 young adults with clinical levels of anxiety or depression who attended at least two individual therapy sessions at a university counseling center during fall 2020. Participants completed broad measures of psychosocial functioning at each session. RESULTS: Paired-samples t-tests indicated that students demonstrated significant decreases in anxiety and depression after just one session. Linear stepwise regressions revealed that community belongingness was a significant predictor of symptom improvement for both anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: These results suggest improving community belongingness on college campuses may be a way to buffer mental health and improve treatment outcomes for students seeking psychological services. Specific clinical and educational recommendations for ways to improve community belongingness are discussed.

Effects of COVID-19 on Patients in Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry: Using Patient-Rated Outcome Measures and Telemedicine.

Introduction: To examine the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on patients in an academic psychiatric ambulatory clinic, data from a measurement-based care (MBC) system were analyzed to evaluate impacts on psychiatric functioning in patients using telemedicine. Psychiatric functioning was evaluated for psychological distress (brief adjustment scale [BASE]-6), depression (patient health questionnaire [PHQ]-9), and anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]-7), including initial alcohol (U.S. alcohol use disorders identification test) and substance use (drug abuse screening test-10) screening. Methods: This observational study included MBC data collected from November 2019 to March 2021. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) were examined to determine changes in symptomatology over the course of treatment, as well as symptom changes resulting from the pandemic. Patients were included in analyses if they completed at least one PROM in the MBC system. Results: A total of 2,145 patients actively participated in the MBC system completing at least one PROM, with engagement ranging from 35.07% to 83.50% depending on demographic factors, where completion rates were significantly different for age, payor status, and diagnostic group. Average baseline scores for new patients varied for the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and BASE-6. Within-person improvements in mental health before and after the pandemic were statistically significant for anxiety, depression, and psychological adjustment. Discussion: MBC is a helpful tool in determining treatment progress for patients engaging in telemedicine. This study showed that patients who engaged in psychiatric services incorporating PROMs had improvements in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research is needed exploring whether PROMs might serve as a protective or facilitative factor for those with mental illness during a crisis when in-person visits are not possible.

Mitigating substrate effects of van der Waals semiconductors using perfluoropolyether self-assembled monolayers.

The properties of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are critically dependent on the dielectric constant of substrates, which significantly limits their application. To address this issue, we used a perfluorinated polyether (PFPE) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with low surface energy to increase the van der Waals (vdW) gap between TMDCs and the substrate, thereby reducing the interaction between them. This resulted in a reduction in the subthreshold swing value, an increase in the photoluminescence intensity of excitons, and a decrease in the doping effect by the substrate. This work will provide a new way to control the TMDC/dielectric interface and contribute to expanding the applicability of TMDCs.

Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of Hybrid Psychiatric Visits.

OBJECTIVE: Little empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of hybrid psychiatric care, defined as care delivered through a combination of telephone, videoconferencing, and in-person visits. The authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness of hybrid psychiatric care compared with outpatient waitlist groups, assessed with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). METHOD: Participants were recruited from an adult psychiatry clinic waitlist on which the most common primary diagnoses were unipolar depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder. Patients (N=148) were randomly assigned to one of two waitlist groups that completed PROMs once or monthly before treatment initiation. PROMs were used to assess symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7]), and daily psychological functioning (Brief Adjustment Scale-6 [BASE-6]). Patient measures were summarized descriptively with means, medians, and SDs and then compared by using the Kruskal-Wallis test; associated effect sizes were calculated. PROM scores for patients who received hybrid psychiatric treatment during a different period (N=272) were compared with scores of the waitlist groups. RESULTS: PROM assessments of patients who engaged in hybrid care indicated significant improvements in symptom severity compared with the waitlist groups, regardless of the number of PROMs completed while patients were on the waitlist. Between the hybrid care and waitlist groups, the effect size for the PHQ-9 score was moderate (d=0.66); effect sizes were small for the GAD-7 (d=0.46) and BASE-6 (d=0.45) scores. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate the clinical effectiveness of hybrid care and that PROMs can be used to assess this effectiveness.

Atomic sawtooth-like metal films for vdW-layered single-crystal growth.

Atomic sawtooth surfaces have emerged as a versatile platform for growth of single-crystal van der Waals layered materials. However, the mechanism governing the formation of single-crystal atomic sawtooth metal (copper or gold) films on hard substrates (tungsten or molybdenum) remains a puzzle. In this study, we aim to elucidate the formation mechanism of atomic sawtooth metal films during melting-solidification process. Utilizing molecular dynamics, we unveil that the solidification of the liquid copper initiates at a high-index tungsten facet with higher interfacial energy. Subsequent tungsten facets follow energetically favourable pathways of forming single-crystal atomic sawtooth copper film during the solidification process near melting temperature. Formation of atomic sawtooth copper film is guaranteed with a film thickness exceeding the grain size of polycrystalline tungsten substrate. We further demonstrate the successful growth of centimeter-scale single-crystal monolayer hexagonal boron nitride films on atomic sawtooth copper films and explore their potential as efficient oxygen barrier.

Continuous Template Growth of Large-Scale Tellurene Films on 1T'-MoTe2.

Use of a template triggers an epitaxial interaction with the depositing material during synthesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that two-dimensional tellurium (tellurene) can be directionally oriented when grown on transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) templates. Specifically, employing a T-phase TMD, such as WTe2, restricts the growth direction even further due to its anisotropic nature, which allows for the synthesis of well-oriented tellurene films. Despite this, producing large-area epitaxial films still remains a significant challenge. Here, we report the continuous synthesis of a 1T'-MoTe2 template via chemical vapor deposition and tellurene via vapor transport. The interaction between helical Te and the 1T'-MoTe2 template facilitates the Te chains to collapse into ribbon shapes, enhancing lateral growth at a rate approximately 6 times higher than in the vertical direction, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Interestingly, despite the predominance of the lateral growth, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis of the tellurene ribbons revealed a consistent 60-degree incline at the edges. This suggests that the edges of the tellurene ribbons, where they contact the template surface, are favorable sites for additional Te absorption, which then stacks along the incline angle to expand. Furthermore, controlling the synthesis temperature, duration, and preheating time has facilitated the successful synthesis of tellurene films. The resultant tellurene exhibited hole mobility as high as ∼400 cm2/V s. After removing the underlying metallic template with plasma treatment, the film showed a current on/off ratio of ∼103. This ratio was confirmed by two-terminal field-effect transistor measurements and supported by near-field terahertz (THz) spectroscopy mapping.

Brief Adjustment Scale-6 for Measurement-Based Care: Psychometric Properties, Measurement Invariance, and Clinical Utility.

The Brief Adjustment Scale-6 (BASE-6) was recently developed for measuring general psychological functioning within measurement-based care (MBC). The present study further evaluated psychometric properties, generalizability to race/ethnic populations, and clinical utility of the BASE-6. Three adult samples, Sample 1: online community participants (n = 394); Sample 2: college students (n = 249); Sample 3: outpatient clinic clients (n = 80), were included. The results demonstrated a high level of internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, and convergent validity in all samples. The unidimensional structure of BASE-6 was confirmed and factorial invariance was established across groups. Finally, the BASE-6 captured change over time by demonstrating a large effect size of pre-post treatment changes and significant linear change in multilevel growth modeling. These results support the BASE-6 as a reliable and valid measure regardless of race/ethnicity and can sensitively detect clinical change over the course of the treatment. Thus, the BASE-6 appears to accurately monitor overall psychological adjustment.

Cognitive profiles in bipolar I disorder and associated risk factors: Using Wechsler adult intelligence scale-IV.

Background: Despite the growing evidence of cognitive impairments in bipolar disorder (BD), little work has evaluated cognitive performances utilizing the latest version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV), which is one of the most widely used neurocognitive assessments in clinical settings. Furthermore, clinical characteristics or demographic features that negatively affect the cognitive functioning of BD were not systematically compared or evaluated. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the cognitive profile of bipolar I disorder (BD-I) patients and associated risk factors. Methods: Participants included 45 patients, diagnosed with BD-I, current or most recent episode manic, and matching 46 healthy controls (HC). Cognitive performance was evaluated via WAIS-IV, and clinical characteristics of the BD-I group were examined via multiple self- and clinician-report questionnaires. Results: Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) results indicated that the BD-I group demonstrated significantly poorer performance compared to the HC group in subtests and indexes that reflect working memory and processing speed abilities. Redundancy analysis revealed that overall symptom severity, manic symptom severity, and anxiety were significant predictors of cognitive performance in BD-I, while age of onset, past mood disorder history, depression severity, and impulsiveness showed comparatively smaller predictive values. Conclusion: The current study suggests cognitive deterioration in the cognitive proficiency area while generalized ability, including verbal comprehension and most of the perceptual reasoning skills, remain intact in BD-I. The identified risk factors of cognitive performance provide specific clinical recommendations for intervention and clinical decision-making.

Epitaxial Single-Crystal Growth of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers via the Atomic Sawtooth Au Surface.

Growth of 2D van der Waals layered single-crystal (SC) films is highly desired not only to manifest the intrinsic physical and chemical properties of materials, but also to enable the development of unprecedented devices for industrial applications. While wafer-scale SC hexagonal boron nitride film has been successfully grown, an ideal growth platform for diatomic transition metal dichalcogenide (TMdC) films has not been established to date. Here, the SC growth of TMdC monolayers on a centimeter scale via the atomic sawtooth gold surface as a universal growth template is reported. The atomic tooth-gullet surface is constructed by the one-step solidification of liquid gold, evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. The anisotropic adsorption energy of the TMdC cluster, confirmed by density-functional calculations, prevails at the periodic atomic-step edge to yield unidirectional epitaxial growth of triangular TMdC grains, eventually forming the SC film, regardless of the Miller indices. Growth using the atomic sawtooth gold surface as a universal growth template is demonstrated for several TMdC monolayer films, including WS2 , WSe2 , MoS2 , the MoSe2 /WSe2 heterostructure, and W1- x Mox S2 alloys. This strategy provides a general avenue for the SC growth of diatomic van der Waals heterostructures on a wafer scale, to further facilitate the applications of TMdCs in post-silicon technology.

Wafer-Scale van der Waals Heterostructures with Ultraclean Interfaces via the Aid of Viscoelastic Polymer.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures exhibit novel physical and chemical properties, allowing the development of unprecedented electronic, optical, and electrochemical devices. However, the construction of wafer-scale vdW heterostructures for practical applications is still limited due to the lack of well-established growth and transfer techniques. Herein, we report a method for the fabrication of wafer-scale 2D vdW heterostructures with an ultraclean interface between layers via the aid of a freestanding viscoelastic polymer support layer (VEPSL). The low glass transition temperature ( Tg) and viscoelastic nature of the VEPSL ensure absolute conformal contact between 2D layers, enabling the easy pick-up of layers and attaching to other 2D layers. This eventually leads to the construction of random sequence 2D vdW heterostructures such as molybdenum disulfide/tungsten disulfide/molybdenum diselenide/tungsten diselenide/hexagonal boron nitride. Furthermore, the VEPSL allows the conformal transfer of 2D vdW heterostructures onto arbitrary substrates, irrespective of surface roughness. To demonstrate the significance of the ultraclean interface, the fabricated molybdenum disulfide/graphene heterostructure employed as an electrocatalyst yielded excellent results of 73.1 mV·dec-1 for the Tafel slope and 0.12 kΩ of charge transfer resistance, which are almost twice as low as that of the impurity-trapped heterostructure.

The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). METHODS: 20 participants with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 99 normal participants were recruited. All participants were completed the AQ and Empathy Quotient (EQ), and parents of the HFA group completed the parent-report AQ. For testing the reliability, we examined Cronbach's alpha, performed item analysis, and compared self versus parent report score of HFA participants. For testing the validity, we compared the difference of the score of AQ among HFA and control group using independent t-tests, and performed correlation analysis between AQ and EQ. The receiver operation characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine a cut-off. RESULTS: The Korean version of the AQ exhibited adequate internal consistency, and in most items, the HFA group scored higher in comparison to the control group. It was demonstrated that AQ has good discriminant validity through the confirmation of the significant difference in the AQ score between two groups. The concurrent validity was established through the significant correlation between AQ and EQ in the HFA group. The best estimate cut-off score of AQ for screening was 23. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the AQ was determined as a reliable and valid instrument to assess HFA in Korean population.

Wafer-scale single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride film via self-collimated grain formation.

Although polycrystalline hexagonal boron nitride (PC-hBN) has been realized, defects and grain boundaries still cause charge scatterings and trap sites, impeding high-performance electronics. Here, we report a method of synthesizing wafer-scale single-crystalline hBN (SC-hBN) monolayer films by chemical vapor deposition. The limited solubility of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) atoms in liquid gold promotes high diffusion of adatoms on the surface of liquid at high temperature to provoke the circular hBN grains. These further evolve into closely packed unimodal grains by means of self-collimation of B and N edges inherited by electrostatic interaction between grains, eventually forming an SC-hBN film on a wafer scale. This SC-hBN film also allows for the synthesis of wafer-scale graphene/hBN heterostructure and single-crystalline tungsten disulfide.