Air Quality Monitoring and the Safety of Farmworkers in Wildfire Mandatory Evacuation Zones.

The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires due to climate change pose health risks to migrant farm workers laboring in wildfire-prone regions. This study focuses on Sonoma County, California, investigating the effectiveness of air monitoring and safety protections for farmworkers. The analysis employs AirNow and PurpleAir PM2.5 data acquired during the 2020 wildfire season, comparing spatial variability in air pollution. Results show significant differences between the single Sonoma County AirNow station data and the PurpleAir data in the regions directly impacted by wildfire smoke. Three distinct wildfire pollution episodes with elevated PM2.5 levels are identified to examine the regional variations. This study also examines the system used to exempt farmworkers from wildfire mandatory evacuation orders, finding incomplete information, ad hoc decision-making, and scant enforcement. In response, we make policy recommendations that include stricter requirements for employers, real-time air quality monitoring, post-exposure health screenings, and hazard pay. Our findings underscore the need for significant consideration of localized air quality readings and the importance of equitable disaster policies for protecting the health of farmworkers (particularly those who are undocumented migrants) in the face of escalating wildfire risks.

Nanometer Control of Ruddlesden-Popper Interlayers by Thermal Evaporation for Efficient Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Solution-processed Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) interlayers in lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) present processing challenges due to fast film formation and uncontrolled growth of phases and layer thickness at interfaces. In this work, an alternative, solvent-free, thermal co-evaporation process is developed to deposit RP interlayers. The method provides precise control on interlayer thickness and enables understanding its role on charge-carrier extraction. Studying RP film growth reveals the development of heterointerfaces when deposited on three-dimensional (3D) perovskite layers. This allows a large thickness window with an optimum between 20 nm and 40 nm to improve the optoelectronic properties of the underlying 3D perovskite. Solar cells using evaporated interlayers achieve power conversion efficiency of 21.6%, compared to 19.6% for untreated devices, driven by improvements in the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. This work sheds light on the importance of phase and thickness control of passivation layers, which ultimately determine the solar cell performance in state-of-the-art PSCs.

The importance of psoas muscle on low back pain: a single-center study on lumbar spine MRI.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the most frequent indication to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of the lumbosacral spine. The individual role of soft tissues, including muscles, on LBP is not fully understood and the contribution of each MRI-derived parameter of soft tissues status on the intensity of LBP has not been investigated in detail. Methods: The study design was observational retrospective, single center carried out at a University Hospital. Images were acquired using a using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Patients completed a symptom questionnaire and rated their pain intensity using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS scores ​​were categorized as mild, moderate, and severe using cutoff values of 3.8 and 5.7, based on the literature. Biometric data, including weight and height, were also recorded to calculate the body mass index (BMI). The ratios between intramuscular fat infiltration and net muscle area were also calculated. Patient sample included 94 patients with LBP underwent MRI of the lumbosacral spine. Results: The stepwise analysis revealed that increasing psoas net area was associated with lower VAS levels (odds ratio [OR]: 0.94: 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90-0.98; p=.005), and an increase of one square centimeter of total psoas area resulted in a greater probability of reporting a mild (+1.21%; 95% CI: 0.37, 2.05%) or a moderate VAS (+0.40%; 95% CI: -0.02, 0.82%), Furthermore, a more severe VAS was associated with a higher BMI (OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.00-1.27). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a relationship between LBP and MRI parameters of paravertebral and psoas muscles status. The psoas muscle is extremely important for spine stabilization and is linked to clinical symptoms of patients affected by LBP. These findings could contribute to future studies and improve treatment options in patients with LBP, possibly reducing the impact on disability, quality of life and socioeconomical burden.

Sensitivity and specificity of the action observation network to kinematics, target object, and gesture meaning.

Hierarchical models have been proposed to explain how the brain encodes actions, whereby different areas represent different features, such as gesture kinematics, target object, action goal, and meaning. The visual processing of action-related information is distributed over a well-known network of brain regions spanning separate anatomical areas, attuned to specific stimulus properties, and referred to as action observation network (AON). To determine the brain organization of these features, we measured representational geometries during the observation of a large set of transitive and intransitive gestures in two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments. We provided evidence for a partial dissociation between kinematics, object characteristics, and action meaning in the occipito-parietal, ventro-temporal, and lateral occipito-temporal cortex, respectively. Importantly, most of the AON showed low specificity to all the explored features, and representational spaces sharing similar information content were spread across the cortex without being anatomically adjacent. Overall, our results support the notion that the AON relies on overlapping and distributed coding and may act as a unique representational space instead of mapping features in a modular and segregated manner.

Exploring the interplay between paraspinal muscular status and bone health in osteoporosis and fracture risk: a comprehensive literature review on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies.

Background and Objective: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine are fundamental non-invasive tools to investigate the status of the bone and soft tissue in vivo. A novel and promising approach is to investigate the quality and quantity of paraspinal muscles even beyond the clinical question. The aim of the present review is to summarize current evidence on CT and MRI about the relationship between paraspinal muscular status and bone health in osteoporosis (OP) and fracture risk. Methods: Literature research was carried out on September 2023 using PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Key Content and Findings: Research investigating the intricate interplay between musculature and bone health reveals that degenerating paraspinal muscles, characterized by shrinking and fatty infiltration, are associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and the development of OP. Additionally, research indicates that weaker paraspinal muscles are linked to a higher risk of fractures, including those at the spine. Conclusions: The findings suggest that paraspinal muscle health may be a significant factor in identifying individuals at risk for OP and fractures. Further investigation is needed to explore the potential of paraspinal muscles in preventing these conditions.

The experiences of healthcare providers who refer to a campus-based pharmacy clinic: a qualitative analysis.

Introduction The University of Otago School of Pharmacy Clinic (the Clinic) is a campus-based non-dispensing clinic that offers consultation-based medicines optimisation services to patients. Aim This project aims to understand the experiences and opinions of healthcareproviders who have referred patients to the School of Pharmacy Clinic, specifically: their motivation for referring patients; how the Clinic impacts providers, patients and the wider health system; provider satisfaction; and opportunities for further collaboration. Methods Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 15 participants who represented five health professions. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the dataset from which codes and themes were developed. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used to structure the interview guide and as a framework to present themes. Results Seven themes were developed; 'Perceptions of Pharmacists' (Coherence), 'Motivators for Engagement' and 'Barriers to Engagement' (Cognitive Participation), 'Utility of Pharmacist Feedback' and 'Opportunities' (Collective Action) and 'Referrers' Experiences' and 'Patient-centred Care' (Reflexive Action). Discussion Healthcare providers described predominantly positive experiences. Medically complex cases and patients requiring medicines education were most likely to be referred for consultation. Engaging with the Clinic presented valuable opportunities for interprofessional collaborative practice and continuing professional education. Referrers would like more regular contact with Clinic pharmacists to encourage interprofessional collaborative relationships. Patients were thought to benefit from their pharmacist's clinical expertise, time, patient-centred approach and subsequent medication and health optimisation. Integration of Clinic pharmacists into specialist outpatient clinics at Dunedin Hospital may broaden the scope and improve efficiency of their services.

Tailoring Interface Energies via Phosphonic Acids to Grow and Stabilize Cubic FAPbI3 Deposited by Thermal Evaporation.

Coevaporation of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) is a promising route for the fabrication of highly efficient and scalable optoelectronic devices, such as perovskite solar cells. However, it poses experimental challenges in achieving stoichiometric FAPbI3 films with a cubic structure (α-FAPbI3). In this work, we show that undesired hexagonal phases of both PbI2 and FAPbI3 form during thermal evaporation, including the well-known 2H-FAPbI3, which are detrimental for optoelectronic performance. We demonstrate the growth of α-FAPbI3 at room temperature via thermal evaporation by depositing phosphonic acids (PAc) on substrates and subsequently coevaporating PbI2 and formamidinium iodide. We use density-functional theory to develop a theoretical model to understand the relative growth energetics of the α and 2H phases of FAPbI3 for different molecular interactions. Experiments and theory show that the presence of PAc molecules stabilizes the formation of α-FAPbI3 in thin films when excess molecules are available to migrate during growth. This migration of molecules facilitates the continued presence of adsorbed organic precursors at the free surface throughout the evaporation, which lowers the growth energy of the α-FAPbI3 phase. Our theoretical analyses of PAc molecule-molecule interactions show that ligands can form hydrogen bonding to reduce the migration rate of the molecules through the deposited film, limiting the effects on the crystal structure stabilization. Our results also show that the phase stabilization with molecules that migrate is long-lasting and resistant to moist air. These findings enable reliable formation and processing of α-FAPbI3 films via vapor deposition.

Bromine Incorporation Affects Phase Transformations and Thermal Stability of Lead Halide Perovskites.

Mixed-cation and mixed-halide lead halide perovskites show great potential for their application in photovoltaics. Many of the high-performance compositions are made of cesium, formamidinium, lead, iodine, and bromine. However, incorporating bromine in iodine-rich compositions and its effects on the thermal stability of the perovskite structure has not been thoroughly studied. In this work, we study how replacing iodine with bromine in the state-of-the-art Cs0.17FA0.83PbI3 perovskite composition leads to different dynamics in the phase transformations as a function of temperature. Through a combination of structural characterization, cathodoluminescence mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations, we reveal that the incorporation of bromine reduces the thermodynamic phase stability of the films and shifts the products of phase transformations. Our results suggest that bromine-driven vacancy formation during high temperature exposure leads to irreversible transformations into PbI2, whereas materials with only iodine go through transformations into hexagonal polytypes, such as the 4H-FAPbI3 phase. This work sheds light on the structural impacts of adding bromine on thermodynamic phase stability and provides new insights into the importance of understanding the complexity of phase transformations and secondary phases in mixed-cation and mixed-halide systems.

Electronic Decoupling and Hole-Doping of Graphene Nanoribbons on Metal Substrates by Chloride Intercalation.

Atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have a wide range of electronic properties that depend sensitively on their chemical structure. Several types of GNRs have been synthesized on metal surfaces through selective surface-catalyzed reactions. The resulting GNRs are adsorbed on the metal surface, which may lead to hybridization between the GNR orbitals and those of the substrate. This makes investigation of the intrinsic electronic properties of GNRs more difficult and also rules out capacitive gating. Here, we demonstrate the formation of a dielectric gold chloride adlayer that can intercalate underneath GNRs on the Au(111) surface. The intercalated gold chloride adlayer electronically decouples the GNRs from the metal and leads to a substantial hole-doping of the GNRs. Our results introduce an easily accessible tool in the in situ characterization of GNRs grown on Au(111) that allows for exploration of their electronic properties in a heavily hole-doped regime.

Coherent Vibrations Promote Charge-Transfer across a Graphene-Based Interface.

Discerning the impact of the coherent motion of the nuclei on the timing and efficiency of charge transfer at the donor-acceptor interface is essential for designing performance-enhanced optoelectronic devices. Here, we employ an experimental approach using photocurrent detection in coherent multidimensional spectroscopy to excite a donor aromatic macrocycle and collect the charge transferred to a 2D acceptor layer. For this purpose, we prepared a cobalt phthalocyanine-graphene (CoPc-Gr) interface. Unlike blends, the well-ordered architecture achieved through the physical separation of the two layers allows us to unambiguously collect the electrical signal from graphene alone and associate it with a microscopic understanding of the whole process. The CoPc-Gr interface exhibits an ultrafast electron-transfer signal, stemming from an interlayer mechanism. Remarkably, the signal presents an oscillating time evolution modulated by coherent vibrations originating from the laser-excited CoPc states. By performing Fourier analysis on the beatings and correlating it with the Raman features, along with a comprehensive first-principles characterization of the vibrational coupling in the CoPc excited states, we successfully identify both the orbitals and molecular vibrations that promote the charge transfer at the interface.

Application of the Academic Research Consortium High Bleeding Risk criteria in patients treated with coronary bioresorbable polymer everolimus-eluting stents: Insights from the POEM trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated a 1 to 6-month short dual antiplatelet therapy (S-DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with modern drug eluting-stents to reduce bleeding events. OBJECTIVES: To investigate cardiovascular outcomes in patients at high bleeding risk (HBR) according to the Academic Research Consortium for High Bleeding Risk (ARC-HBR) criteria after PCI with the Synergy bioresorbable-polymer everolimus-eluting stents (EES). METHODS: We applied ARC-HBR criteria in the population of the prospective, single-arm, multicenter POEM (Performance of Bioresorbable Polymer-Coated Everolimus-Eluting Synergy Stent in Patients at HBR Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization Followed by 1-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy) trial. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or definite or probable stent thrombosis at 12 months. RESULTS: The original POEM cohort included 356 patients (80.4 %) fulfilling ARC-HBR criteria. Oral anticoagulant (OAC) usage and age ≥75 years were the most frequent major and minor ARC-HBR criteria, respectively. The ARC-HBR group was mainly represented by men (71.1 %), with 74.4 ± 9.3 years and a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors. DAPT was prescribed in 79.3 %, and single antiplatelet (SAPT) with OAC in 18.7 %. 12-month follow-up was completed in 96.2 %. The primary endpoint occurred in 5.2 % (95 % CI 3.29-8.10) of patients, whereas bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3-5 occurred in 2.7 % (95 % CI, 1.39 %-5.05 %). CONCLUSION: Previous results of the POEM trial showed positive outcomes regarding ischemic and bleeding events with an S-DAPT regimen after Synergy EES. These results are also confirmed in sub-group analysis when ARC-HBR criteria are applied.

Mapping the Neural Basis of Neuroeconomics with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Narrative Literature Review.

Neuroeconomics merges neuroscience, economics, and psychology to investigate the neural basis of decision making. Decision making involves assessing outcomes with subjective value, shaped by emotions and experiences, which are crucial in economic decisions. Functional MRI (fMRI) reveals key areas of the brain, including the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex, that are involved in subjective value representation. Collaborative interdisciplinary efforts are essential for advancing the field of neuroeconomics, with implications for clinical interventions and policy design. This review explores subjective value in neuroeconomics, highlighting brain regions identified through fMRI studies.

Retrolabyrinthine approach to the lateral skull base: The value of preoperative temporal bone CT analysis.

PURPOSE: The most used neurosurgical approach to reach cerebellar-pontine angle is the retrosigmoid route. This article describes the presigmoid approach which requires excellent knowledge of the labyrinthine block together with quantitative analysis of temporal bone CT. METHODS: CT-based quantitative measurements were obtained in patients undergoing vestibular neurectomy with a presigmoid approach. Eighteen patients were enrolled, and five measures were taken: Trautmann's area, the petro-clival angle, presigmoid dura length and its angle. The relationship between these measurements and hospitalization days, operating times, and complications was explored. RESULTS: The posterior semicircilar canal (PSC)-sigmoid sinus (SS) distance, presigmoid dura- internal auditory canal (IAC)-PSC angle, and duration of surgery are predictors of complications. Specifically, a PSC-sigmoid sinus distance <11 mm, a dura presig-IAC-PSC angle <14 are associated with the highest risk of complications. CONCLUSION: Preoperative temporal bone CT scan can guide the surgeon through the narrowest areas of the surgical approach. Trautmann's triangle area and petro-clival angle reduction are challenging and can be faced with combined microscopic-endoscopic technique, and with optics angulation-rotation. The retrolabyrinthine approach can enable hearing preservation and minimal cerebellar retraction.

Posterior Subcutaneous Edema at Lumbar Spine MRI: A Systematic Review.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Edema in the subcutaneous soft tissue of the lumbar spine is a frequent incidental finding in spinal magnetic resonance imaging, however, its exact explanation is yet to be determined. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review on posterior lumbar subcutaneous edema (LSE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present systematic literature search was carried out in October 2023 using electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane library, and Scopus. RESULTS: The current evidence suggests that lumbar edema is correlated with clinical data such as weight and age, and potentially female sex. Moreover, LSE is related to several specific conditions, including both systemic and spinal disorders, such as heart or kidney disorders, as well as low back pain and degenerative and/or inflammatory diseases. CONCLUSION: It is important to be aware that there is an association between LSE and a variety systemic and spinal disorders.

Sterically Selective [3 + 3] Cycloaromatization in the On-Surface Synthesis of Nanographenes.

Surface-catalyzed reactions have been used to synthesize carbon nanomaterials with atomically predefined structures. The recent discovery of a gold surface-catalyzed [3 + 3] cycloaromatization of isopropyl substituted arenes has enabled the on-surface synthesis of arylene-phenylene copolymers, where the surface activates the isopropyl substituents to form phenylene rings by intermolecular coupling. However, the resulting polymers suffered from undesired cross-linking when more than two molecules reacted at a single site. Here we show that such cross-links can be prevented through steric protection by attaching the isopropyl groups to larger arene cores. Upon thermal activation of isopropyl-substituted 8,9-dioxa-8a-borabenzo[fg]tetracene on Au(111), cycloaromatization is observed to occur exclusively between the two molecules. The cycloaromatization intermediate formed by the covalent linking of two molecules is prevented from reacting with further molecules by the wide benzotetracene core, resulting in highly selective one-to-one coupling. Our findings extend the versatility of the [3 + 3] cycloaromatization of isopropyl substituents and point toward steric protection as a powerful concept for suppressing competing reaction pathways in on-surface synthesis.