Recombination resistance identification through current-voltage curve reconstruction in perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have demonstrated remarkable advancements in efficiency and stability, yet fully understanding the dynamic processes governing their performance remains a challenge. Impedance spectroscopy (IS) offers a powerful means to characterize PSCs over a wide range of time scales, revealing insights into the internal electronic and ionic processes. However, critical factors like recombination, charge extraction, and transport resistance are often coupled in the same spectra response, affecting their accurate identification.

Adjusting the Crystallization of Tin Perovskites through Thiophene Additives for Improved Photovoltaic Stability.

Tin-based perovskites (Sn-PVK) are promising lead-free alternatives for efficient photovoltaic technology, but they face challenges related to bulk and surface defects due to suboptimal crystallization and Sn oxidation. Introducing thiophene-2-ethylammonium halides (TEAX, where X = I, Br, Cl) improves FASnI crystallization and reduces Sn formation. This is achieved by adjusting the crystallization dynamics through the formation of a complex between S and Sn during the preparation of the precursor solution, which also inhibits Sn oxidation in the resulting films.

Evaluation of Crohn's Disease Activity: Validation of a Segmental Simple Ultrasound Score in a Multicenter Study.

Objective: Our objective was to validate a previously published simple ultrasound (US) score for Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: A total of 107 CD patients from 2 hospitals prospectively underwent both ileocolonoscopy (reference standard) and US as part of their clinical care. Endoscopic activity was assessed using the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease (SES-CD) and was also categorized as absent, mild (inflammation without ulcers), or severe (presence of ulceration).

Printed dry electrode for neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for e-textile.

Muscle atrophy is a well-known consequence of immobilization and critical illness, leading to prolonged rehabilitation and increased mortality. In this study, we develop a solution to preserve muscle mass using customized biocompatible neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device. Commercially available NMES solutions with gel-based electrodes often lead to skin irritation.

Enhancing the Electronic Properties and Stability of High-Efficiency Tin-Lead Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells via Doping Engineering.

Overcoming loss to increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has been aggressively studied. In this work, we introduce and compare rubidium iodide (RbI) and potassium iodide (KI) alkali metal halides (AMHs) as dopants in a tin-lead (SnPb)-based perovskite system to improve the performance of PSCs by enhancing their . Improvement in terms of surface morphology, crystallinity, charge transfer, and carrier transport in the SnPb perovskites was observed with the addition of AMH dopants.

Intestinal ultrasonography and fecal calprotectin for monitoring inflammation of ileal Crohn's disease: two complementary tests.

Background/aims: Tight control of inflammation and adjustment of treatment if activity persists is the current strategy for the management of Crohn's disease (CD). The usefulness of fecal calprotectin (FC) in isolated involvement of the small intestine in CD is controversial. To assess the usefulness of FC to determine the inflammatory activity detected by intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) in ileal CD.

How to strengthen the management of acute diverticulitis: the utility of the WSES classification-a prospective single-center observational study.

Purpose: This study aimed to validate the World Society for Emergent Surgery (WSES) scale for the management of acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis (ALCD).

Methods: An observational study based on a prospective database of patients with ultrasound (US) and computerized tomography (CT) confirmed ALCD was conducted at our center from April 2018 to May 2019. The primary outcome was the success rate of outpatient management.

Effect of Pristine Graphene on Methylammonium Lead Iodide Films and Implications on Solar Cell Performance.

The relatively low stability of solar cells based on hybrid halide perovskites is the main issue to be solved for the implementation in real life of these extraordinary materials. Degradation is accelerated by temperature, moisture, oxygen, and light and mediated by halide easy hopping. The approach here is to incorporate pristine graphene, which is hydrophobic and impermeable to gases and likely limits ionic diffusion while maintaining adequate electronic conductivity.

Ultrasound can differentiate complicated and noncomplicated acute colonic diverticulitis: a prospective comparative study with computed tomography.

Objective: To prospectively assess the diagnostic value of intestinal ultrasound (US) compared to computerized tomography (CT) in differentiating uncomplicated and complicated acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD).

Materials And Methods: During a period of 14 months patients referred to the department of Radiology with clinical suspicion of ACD underwent an US examination. All confirmed US ACD diagnosis were included and subsequently underwent an emergency abdominal CT, used as gold standard.

Recommendations of the Spanish Working Group on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (GETECCU) on the use of abdominal ultrasound in inflammatory bowel disease.

Ultrasound has an excellent diagnostic performance when Crohn's disease is suspected, when performing an activity assessment, or determining the extension and location of Crohn's disease, very similar to other examinations such as MRI or CT. It has a good correlation with endoscopic lesions and allows the detection of complications such as strictures, fistulas or abscesses. It complements colonoscopy in the diagnosis and, given its tolerance, cost and immediacy, it can be considered as a good tool for disease monitoring.

Treatment of abdominal fistulas in Crohn's disease and monitoring with abdominal ultrasonography.

Objective: to assess the usefulness of medical treatment to achieve closure of internal fistulas detected on abdominal ultrasound in a series of patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease.

Material And Methods: a retrospective analysis was performed of the medical records of patients with Crohn's disease with a fistula detected on abdominal ultrasound from 2010 to 2018. The study included patients who received medical treatment after the diagnosis of this complication and underwent ultrasonographic monitoring of the therapeutic response.

Usefulness of intestinal ultrasound in inflammatory bowel disease.

Imaging techniques play a fundamental role in the initial diagnosis and follow-up of inflammatory bowel disease. Intestinal ultrasound has high sensitivity and specificity in patients with suspected Crohn's disease and in the detection of inflammatory activity. This technique enables the early diagnosis of intra-abdominal complications such as stenosis, fistulas, and abscesses.

Ultrasound findings of Crohn's disease: correlation with MR enterography.

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by periods of relative inactivity alternating with acute flare-ups. Imaging techniques play a fundamental role in the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn's disease, providing information on the extent of disease, disease activity, and the presence of extramural complications. Because of the frequent re-evaluation required by the relapsing nature of Crohn's disease and the relative young age at which most patients are diagnosed, techniques that use ionizing radiation are best avoided in monitoring this population.

Evaluation of Crohn's Disease Activity: Development of an Ultrasound Score in a Multicenter Study.

Objective: Our goal in this multicentric prospective study was 2-fold: first, to test the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound, color Doppler imaging (CDI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in identifying disease activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) compared with endoscopy as the reference standard; and, second, to construct a sonographic score that allows disease activity to be detected.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-two patients with CD from 3 hospitals underwent within a 30-day period both colonoscopy and ultrasound (US), including mural thickness, CDI, and CEUS, prospectively as part of clinical care. A multivariate analysis was carried out to assess the influence of each of the ultrasound variables in predicting endoscopic activity.

Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) in Intestinal Emergencies - An EFSUMB Position Paper.

An interdisciplinary group of European experts summarizes the value of gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) in the management of three time-critical causes of acute abdomen: bowel obstruction, gastrointestinal perforation and acute ischemic bowel disease. Based on an extensive literature review, statements for a targeted diagnostic strategy in these intestinal emergencies are presented. GIUS is best established in case of small bowel obstruction.

Usefulness of Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Intestinal Anisakiasis.

Objectives: To evaluate the ultrasound (US) findings of gastrointestinal anisakiasis and the utility of US in its early diagnosis.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed the imaging findings and clinical data of 21 patients with gastrointestinal anisakiasis. Diagnosis was confirmed by a positive antigen (n = 16), endoscopy (n = 2), or a compatible clinical presentation, physical examination, and history of raw fish consumption (n = 3).

Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Coefficients of MAPbI Thin Films by Bismuth Doping.

The poor photostability under ambient conditions of hybrid halide perovskites has hindered their recently explored promising nonlinear optical properties. Here, we show how Bi can partially substitute Pb homogeneously in the commonly studied MAPbI, improving both environmental stability and photostability under high laser irradiation. Bi content around 2 atom % produces thin films where the nonlinear refractive () and absorptive coefficients (β), which modify the refractive index (Δ) of the material with light fluence (), increase up to factors of 4 and 3.

EFSUMB Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) Task Force Group: Celiac sprue and other rare gastrointestinal diseases ultrasound features.

Transabdominal gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) is unique in its capacity to examine the bowel non-invasively and in its physiological condition, including extra-intestinal features such as the splanchnic vessels, mesentery, omentum and lymph nodes- even at the bedside. Despite this, and its extensive documentation for its usefulness, it has only been fully implemented in a few European countries and expert centres. Therefore, the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) established a GIUS Task Force Group in 2014 consisting of international experts from 9 European countries with the objectives to standardize and promote the use of GIUS in a clinical setting.

Clinical Impact of Sonographic Transmural Healing After Anti-TNF Antibody Treatment in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Aim: To assess the clinical benefits of transmural healing (TH) shown on intestinal ultrasound (IUS) after treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibodies (anti-TNF) in patients with Crohn's disease.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study included consecutively 36 patients who underwent IUS in the week prior to start anti-TNF treatment, at 12 weeks, and 1 year after starting treatment. The clinical response to treatment was assessed using the Crohn's disease activity index and C-reactive protein (CRP) values.

EFSUMB Position Paper: Recommendations for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) in Acute Appendicitis and Diverticulitis.

An interdisciplinary task force of European experts summarizes the value of gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) in the management of acute appendicitis and diverticulitis. Based on an extensive literature review, clinical recommendations for these highly common diseases in visceral medicine are presented.In patients with acute appendicitis, preoperative sonography has been established as a routine procedure in most European countries for medical and legal reasons.

Intravenous Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Assessing and Grading Postoperative Recurrence of Crohn's Disease.

Purpose: The aim was to investigate the contribution of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to improve the results of US in the evaluation of recurrence in postsurgical Crohn's disease (CD) and establish its role in the assessment of the severity.

Methods: Anastomotic site was assessed in 108 postsurgical CD patients with B-mode, color Doppler and CEUS. Bowel wall thickness (WT), transmural complications or stenosis, color Doppler grade, and bowel wall contrast enhancement (BWCE)-using time-intensity curves-were correlated with endoscopic Rutgeerts score.

The Role of Intravenous Contrast Agent in the Sonographic Assessment of Crohn's Disease Activity: Is Contrast Agent Injection Necessary?

Background And Aims: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound [CEUS] is reported to be superior to wall thickness or colour Doppler imaging [CDI] in predicting disease activity using endoscopy as the reference standard. Our aims were to determine in patients with Crohn's disease [CD] whether the evaluation of wall thickness or CDI before CEUS examination could help to decide when the injection of contrast agent is justified as a means for detecting disease activity as determined at endoscopy, without reducing the accuracy of ultrasound.

Methods: In total, 180 patients with CD underwent both colonoscopy and ultrasound, including mural thickness, CDI and CEUS evaluation, prospectively as part of clinical care.