Language barriers during vaccination practice, the point of view of healthcare providers.

Background: Language barriers are one of the main obstacles faced by migrants in accessing healthcare services. A compromised communication between migrants and Healthcare Providers in vaccination setting can result in increased vaccine hesitancy and decreased vaccine uptake. The objective of the current study is to investigate Healthcare Providers' perceptions about linguistic barriers faced during both routinary vaccination practice and the extraordinary vaccination program for Ukrainian refugees in the Local Health Authorities of Bologna and Romagna (Italy). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through the administration of a questionnaire examining Healthcare Providers' perceptions. A descriptive analysis and a multiple logistic regression model were adopted to analyze the collected data. Results: Language barriers resulted as an obstacle to informed consent and to doctor-patient relationship. The strategies adopted were perceived as helpful in increasing vaccination adherence, despite communication difficulties were still experienced during refugees' vaccinations. Results suggest that the implementation of translated material and the use of professional interpreters may represent important strategies to overcome linguistic barriers, along with Healthcare Providers' training. Healthcare Providers' opinions could assist the implementation of new tools capable of countering language barriers. Conclusions: The current study represents an example of providers' involvement in understanding the complexities behind the issue of language barriers in vaccination practice.

Investigating Facilitators and Barriers for Active Breaks among Secondary School Students: Formative Evaluation of Teachers and Students.

Physical activity in the form of "active breaks" can be combined with academic instruction in primary school. However, few studies have examined the feasibility of conducting active breaks in secondary school. To address this gap, we conducted focus groups (FGs) regarding the implementation of an active breaks (ABs) protocol with 20 teachers and 10 secondary school students. Barriers/facilitators toward the implementation of ABs were classified using grounded theory inductive methods framed by the socio-ecological model. Individual-level factors were instrumental for both teachers and students. Teachers highlighted personal fears and concerns regarding using ABs, while students reported fears related to peer behaviour during the activity. Both teachers and students agreed that ABs can improve cognitive skills and time-on-task behaviour. Teachers articulated concerns related to student behaviour during ABs including possible social exclusion and injury. Students felt that ABs might affect classroom management and interfere with maintaining students' academic focus. Teachers underscored that ABs required social support from the administration and colleagues. Students felt that ABs could support teachers' instructional focus and provide them with an energy respite. Collectively, the FGs suggested that environmental limitations could hinder the implementation of ABs. Involving teacher and student feedback during the codesign phase can rationally inform the design of school-based ABs.

Effect of metal dopants on the electrochromic performance of hydrothermally-prepared tungsten oxide materials.

Electrochromic (EC) glass has the potential to significantly improve energy efficiency in buildings by controlling the amount of light and heat that the building exchanges with its exterior. However, the development of EC materials is still hindered by key challenges such as slow switching time, low coloration efficiency, short cycling lifetime, and material degradation. Metal doping is a promising technique to enhance the performance of metal oxide-based EC materials, where adding a small amount of metal into the host material can lead to lattice distortion, a variation of oxygen vacancies, and a shorter ion transfer path during the insertion and de-insertion process. In this study, we investigated the effects of niobium, gadolinium, and erbium doping on tungsten oxide using a single-step solvothermal technique. Our results demonstrate that both insertion and de-insertion current density of a doped sample can be significantly enhanced by metal elements, with an improvement of about 5, 4 and 3.5 times for niobium, gadolinium and erbium doped tungsten oxide, respectively compared to a pure tungsten oxide sample. Moreover, the colouration efficiency increased by 16, 9 and 24% when doping with niobium, gadolinium and erbium, respectively. These findings suggest that metal doping is a promising technique for improving the performance of EC materials and can pave the way for the development of more efficient EC glass for building applications.

Association of Socioeconomic Factors and Physical Activity with Health-Related Quality of Life in Italian Middle School Children: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) provides a broad assessment of an individual's well-being and can serve as a good prognosticator of life's outcomes later for children and adolescents. Understanding the factors associated with HRQoL is crucial for promoting better health and life satisfaction. This study investigated the cross-sectional association of socioeconomic status, cardio fitness, and physical activity levels with HRQoL in 224 Italian early adolescents attending secondary school in the Emilia-Romagna region located in Northern Italy. In a multivariate path regression model, younger students and females reported a higher quality of life (ß = -0.139, p = 0.015, 95% CI: -0.254--0.023 and ß = 0.142, p = 0.019, 95% CI: 0.011-0.273, respectively). Having both parents employed and having a higher familiar educational status were also associated with a higher quality of life (ß = 0.142, p = 0.013, 95% CI 0.027-0.257 and ß = 0.133, p = 0.017, 95% CI 0.022-0.244, respectively). Greater engagement in routine physical activity levels from moderate to vigorous intensity was positively associated with quality of life (ß = 0.429, p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.304-0.554). Endurance (speed) was positively associated with quality of life (ß = 0.221, p = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.087-0.355), and students with longer times on the shuttle run reported less quality of life (ß = -0.207, p = 0.002, 95% CI: -0.337--0.077). These relations remained intact even when controlling for socioeconomic factors. The current findings reinforce the importance of promoting regular physical activity among younger children and also addressing socioeconomic status disparities to improve children's well-being. Future studies may want to consider expanding the array of measures used to assess physical activity and include additional measures assessing nutrition, cultural factors, and family functioning, all of which can influence a child's willingness to engage in physical activity and their well-being. The emphasis on fitness and physical activity and their contribution to a child's well-being should be the prime focus for stakeholders who work in the education, public health, and health policy sectors.

Impacts of Urban Green on Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of mortality globally. In particular, ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) and cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs) represent the main drivers of CVD-related deaths. Many literature examples have assessed the association between CVD risk factors and urban greenness. Urban green (UG) may positively affect physical activity, reduce air and noise pollution, and mitigate the heat island effect, which are known risk factors for CVD morbidity. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of urban green spaces on CVD morbidity and mortality. Peer-reviewed research articles with a quantitative association between urban green exposure variables and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome evaluated in at least three comparable studies. Most of the included studies' results highlighted an inverse correlation between exposure to UG and CVD outcomes. Gender differences were found in four studies, with a protective effect of UG only statistically significant in men. Three meta-analyses were performed, showing an overall protective effect of UG on CVD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.94 (0.91, 0.97)), IHD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.93, 0.99)), and CBVD mortality (HR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.94, 0.97)). The results of this systematic review suggest that exposure to UG may represent a protective factor for CVDs.

Charge-Carrier Mobility and Localization in Semiconducting Cu2AgBiI6 for Photovoltaic Applications.

Lead-free silver-bismuth semiconductors have become increasingly popular materials for optoelectronic applications, building upon the success of lead halide perovskites. In these materials, charge-lattice couplings fundamentally determine charge transport, critically affecting device performance. In this study, we investigate the optoelectronic properties of the recently discovered lead-free semiconductor Cu2AgBiI6 using temperature-dependent photoluminescence, absorption, and optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy. We report ultrafast charge-carrier localization effects, evident from sharp THz photoconductivity decays occurring within a few picoseconds after excitation and a rise in intensity with decreasing temperature of long-lived, highly Stokes-shifted photoluminescence. We conclude that charge carriers in Cu2AgBiI6 are subject to strong charge-lattice coupling. However, such small polarons still exhibit mobilities in excess of 1 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature because of low energetic barriers to formation and transport. Together with a low exciton binding energy of ∼29 meV and a direct band gap near 2.1 eV, these findings highlight Cu2AgBiI6 as an attractive lead-free material for photovoltaic applications.

Highly Absorbing Lead-Free Semiconductor Cu2AgBiI6 for Photovoltaic Applications from the Quaternary CuI-AgI-BiI3 Phase Space.

Since the emergence of lead halide perovskites for photovoltaic research, there has been mounting effort in the search for alternative compounds with improved or complementary physical, chemical, or optoelectronic properties. Here, we report the discovery of Cu2AgBiI6: a stable, inorganic, lead-free wide-band-gap semiconductor, well suited for use in lead-free tandem photovoltaics. We measure a very high absorption coefficient of 1.0 × 105 cm-1 near the absorption onset, several times that of CH3NH3PbI3. Solution-processed Cu2AgBiI6 thin films show a direct band gap of 2.06(1) eV, an exciton binding energy of 25 meV, a substantial charge-carrier mobility (1.7 cm2 V-1 s-1), a long photoluminescence lifetime (33 ns), and a relatively small Stokes shift between absorption and emission. Crucially, we solve the structure of the first quaternary compound in the phase space among CuI, AgI and BiI3. The structure includes both tetrahedral and octahedral species which are open to compositional tuning and chemical substitution to further enhance properties. Since the proposed double-perovskite Cs2AgBiI6 thin films have not been synthesized to date, Cu2AgBiI6 is a valuable example of a stable Ag+/Bi3+ octahedral motif in a close-packed iodide sublattice that is accessed via the enhanced chemical diversity of the quaternary phase space.

Ultrafast Excited-State Localization in Cs2AgBiBr6 Double Perovskite.

Cs2AgBiBr6 is a promising metal halide double perovskite offering the possibility of efficient photovoltaic devices based on lead-free materials. Here, we report on the evolution of photoexcited charge carriers in Cs2AgBiBr6 using a combination of temperature-dependent photoluminescence, absorption and optical pump-terahertz probe spectroscopy. We observe rapid decays in terahertz photoconductivity transients that reveal an ultrafast, barrier-free localization of free carriers on the time scale of 1.0 ps to an intrinsic small polaronic state. While the initially photogenerated delocalized charge carriers show bandlike transport, the self-trapped, small polaronic state exhibits temperature-activated mobilities, allowing the mobilities of both to still exceed 1 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature. Self-trapped charge carriers subsequently diffuse to color centers, causing broad emission that is strongly red-shifted from a direct band edge whose band gap and associated exciton binding energy shrink with increasing temperature in a correlated manner. Overall, our observations suggest that strong electron-phonon coupling in this material induces rapid charge-carrier localization.

Luminescent copper(i) complexes with bisphosphane and halogen-substituted 2,2'-bipyridine ligands.

Heteroleptic [Cu(P^P)(N^N)][PF6] complexes, where N^N is a halo-substituted 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and P^P is either bis(2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl)ether (POP) or 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene (xantphos) have been synthesized and investigated. To stabilize the tetrahedral geometry of the copper(i) complexes, the steric demands of the bpy ligands have been increased by introducing 6- or 6,6'-halo-substituents in 6,6'-dichloro-2,2'-bipyridine (6,6'-Cl2bpy), 6-bromo-2,2'-bipyridine (6-Brbpy) and 6,6'-dibromo-2,2'-bipyridine (6,6'-Br2bpy). The solid-state structures of [Cu(POP)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6], [Cu(xantphos)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6]·CH2Cl2, [Cu(POP)(6-Brbpy)][PF6] and [Cu(xantphos)(6-Brbpy)][PF6]·0.7Et2O obtained from single crystal X-ray diffraction are described including the pressure dependence of the structure of [Cu(POP)(6-Brbpy)][PF6]. The copper(i) complexes with either POP or xantphos and 6,6'-Cl2bpy, 6-Brbpy and 6,6'-Br2bpy are orange-to-red emitters in solution and yellow-to-orange emitters in the solid state, and their electrochemical and photophysical properties have been evaluated with the help of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The emission properties are strongly influenced by the substitution pattern that largely affects the geometry of the emitting triplet state. [Cu(POP)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6] and [Cu(xantphos)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6] show photoluminescence quantum yields of 15 and 17%, respectively, in the solid state, and these compounds were tested as luminophores in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs). The devices exhibit orange electroluminescence and very short turn-on times (<5 to 12 s). Maximum luminance values of 121 and 259 cd m-2 for [Cu(POP)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6] and [Cu(xantphos)(6,6'-Cl2bpy)][PF6], respectively, were achieved at an average current density of 100 A m-2. External quantum efficiencies of 1.2% were recorded for both complexes.

High Photoluminescence Quantum Yields in Organic Semiconductor-Perovskite Composite Thin Films.

One of the obstacles towards efficient radiative recombination in hybrid perovskites is a low exciton binding energy, typically in the orders of tens of meV. It has been shown that the use of electron-donor additives can lead to a substantial reduction of the non-radiative recombination in perovskite films. Herein, the approach using small molecules with semiconducting properties, which are candidates to be implemented in future optoelectronic devices, is presented. In particular, highly luminescent perovskite-organic semiconductor composite thin films have been developed, which can be processed from solution in a simple coating step. By tuning the relative concentration of methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3 ) and 9,9spirobifluoren-2-yl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide (SPPO1), it is possible to achieve photoluminescent quantum yields (PLQYs) as high as 85 %. This is attributed to the dual functions of SPPO1 that limit the grain growth while passivating the perovskite surface. The electroluminescence of these materials was investigated by fabricating multilayer LEDs, where charge injection and transport was found to be severely hindered for the perovskite/SPPO1 material. This was alleviated by partially substituting SPPO1 with a hole-transporting material, 1,3-bis(N-carbazolyl)benzene (mCP), leading to bright electroluminescence. The potential of combining perovskite and organic semiconductors to prepare materials with improved properties opens new avenues for the preparation of simple lightemitting devices using perovskites as the emitter.

Photoluminescence quantum yield exceeding 80% in low dimensional perovskite thin-films via passivation control.

Quasi-2D perovskites with the BA : MA molar ratio equal to 3 : 3 show a remarkable PLQY exceeding 80%, thanks to the use of an electron donor as the passivating agent. These films have been applied in LEDs that exhibit high brightness exceeding 1000 cd m-2 and current efficiencies >3 cd A-1.

Perovskite Luminescent Materials.

We describe recent progress on the luminescent properties of hybrid organic inorganic metal halide perovskites and the LEDs employing them.

Perovskite solar cells prepared by flash evaporation.

A simple vacuum deposition method for the preparation of high quality hybrid organic-inorganic methylammonium lead iodide perovskite thin films is reported. When sandwiched in between organic charge transporting layers, such films lead to solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 12.2%.

Exceptionally long-lived light-emitting electrochemical cells: multiple intra-cation π-stacking interactions in [Ir(C

A series of cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes [Ir(C^N)2(N^N)][PF6] (N^N = 2,2'-bipyridine (1), 6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (2), 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (3), 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4); HC^N = 2-(3-phenyl)phenylpyridine (HPhppy) or 2-(3,5-diphenyl)phenylpyridine (HPh2ppy)) are reported. They have been synthesized using solvento precursors so as to avoid the use of chlorido-dimer intermediates, chloride ion contaminant being detrimental to the performance of [Ir(C^N)2(N^N)][PF6] emitters in light-electrochemical cell (LEC) devices. Single crystal structure determinations and variable temperature solution 1H NMR spectroscopic data confirm that the pendant phenyl domains engage in multiple face-to-face π-interactions within the coordination sphere of the iridium(iii) centre. The series of [Ir(Phppy)2(N^N)]+ and [Ir(Ph2ppy)2(N^N)]+ complexes investigated include those with and without intra-cation face-to-face π-stacking. All the complexes display excellent luminescent properties, in particular when employed in thin solid films. The most important observation is that all the LECs using the [Ir(Phppy)2(N^N)]+ and [Ir(Ph2ppy)2(N^N)]+ emitters (i.e. with and without intra-cation π-stacking interactions) exhibit very stable luminance outputs over time, even when driven at elevated current densities. The most stable LEC had an extrapolated lifetime of more than 2500 hours under accelerated testing conditions.

Efficient photovoltaic and electroluminescent perovskite devices.

Planar diode structures employing hybrid organic-inorganic methylammonium lead iodide perovskites lead to multifunctional devices exhibiting both a high photovoltaic efficiency and good electroluminescence. The electroluminescence strongly improves at higher current density applied using a pulsed driving method.

[Cu(bpy)(P

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) containing [Cu(POP)(N^N)][PF6] (POP = bis(2-diphenylphosphinophenyl)ether, N^N = 6-methyl- or 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) exhibit luminance and efficiency surpassing previous copper(I)-containing LECs.

Synthesis of BiVO4/TiO2 composites and evaluation of their photocatalytic activity under indoor illumination.

BiVO4/TiO2 composites with different weight ratios have been prepared by coprecipitation-based reactions followed by either thermal or hydrothermal treatment with the aim of evaluating the TiO2 photosensitization by BiVO4. The obtained materials present in all cases the desired monoclinic phase of BiVO4 and anatase phase of TiO2. Visible light absorption increased with increasing amount of bismuth vanadate. XPS results reveal the surface enrichment of Ti with respect to the bulk composition in samples characterised by a higher content of BiVO4. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared materials was tested for the degradation of isopropanol in the gas phase under indoor illumination conditions. Although none of the composites was able to improve the activity of TiO2, the low BiVO4 containing samples appear as more suitable for further synthesis tuning.