Discharge Mode Research Articles

Stability and complexity evaluation of attractors in a controllable piezoelectric Fitzhugh-Nagumo circuit

Chaotic systems have potential applications in secure communication and image encryption. The FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) neuron circuit model, as one of the most important models for neuron modelling, has a good chaotic discharge mode. On this basis, a controllable FHN piezoelectric neuron circuit is designed in this paper. By adjusting the state of the switch on or off, the circuit model can produce three different operating modes. The results show that the dynamic state of the system is determined by external stimuli, internal parameters of the system, and the number and nature of the external driving sources. More drivers can provide more chaos parameters. By converting different working modes, we can generate chaotic sequences with high randomness under different parameters. We found that when multiple drivers work together, the system output is more complex, and there is competition between dynamics induced by different drivers in the system. The addition of chaotic current makes the output discharge of the system produce chaotic resonance and pseudo-chaotic mode, which greatly improves the complexity of the sequence. This provides a new method for generating chaotic sequences with high randomness. Our work lays a theoretical foundation for the optimization of chaotic encryption algorithms in the future. In the future, we will further explore the effects of chaotic current stimulation with different properties. We hope that these findings will provide new insights into the security of information communications.

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia.

Background and Objectives: We aimed to explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic influenced hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional comparative study using two different time periods, the pre-pandemic (from March 2019 to February 2020) and the pandemic period (from March 2020 to February 2021), to explore the possible influences that the COVID-19 pandemic had on hospitalizations for ACSCs. The ACSCs were classified into the categories of vaccine-preventable, chronic, and acute disease. The indicators were statistically analyzed. Results: During the pandemic, a decrease in the total number of hospitalizations and ACSC hospitalizations was recorded. The relative risk for having any ACSC hospitalization in the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.64-0.71; p = 0). The risk reduction was seen in all three categories of vaccine-preventable ACSCs, chronic disease, and acute disease. Large reductions were found in the relative risk of hospitalization for COPD and asthma. Considering the mode of discharge, there was a statistically significantly higher risk of ACSCs with fatal outcomes during the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period (relative risk 1.31; 95% CI, 1.01-1.7; p = 0.0197). Conclusions: The results of this study show that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the total number of hospitalizations as well as hospitalizations relating to ACSCs. Certainly, one of the reasons for these changes was due to organizational changes in the working of the entire health system due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract 3468: Emerging lessons from patient-reported hospital discharge experiences among hospitalized cancer patients with frequent emergency department use

Abstract Background: While teamwork is essential to providing high-quality patient-centered care, challenges in interprofessional collaboration and decision-making in the hospital settings are common, especially for cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to identify emerging themes related to hospital discharge experiences among patients hospitalized for cancer who became frequent emergency department (ED) users following their hospital discharge. Design & Methods: A cohort of cancer patients discharged from an academic health center in Montreal (Canada) between October 2014 and November 2016 was assembled. Frequent ED (FED) users were identified as patients who had a > 4 ED visits in the year following hospital discharge using health administrative claims from the provincial universal health care program. Qualitative analysis of telephone interviews conducted with patients 30 days’ post-discharge were used for in-depth exploratory analyses to characterize hospital discharge experiences and transition process from the hospital to the community. Results: A cohort of 1253 cancer patients was formed. The mean age was 70.9 (SD=11.8) and the most frequent cancers included 488 (38.9%) respiratory and 309 (24.6%) upper digestive cancer. Overall, 14.5% (n=182) of patients became FED users. Content analyses revealed the most common emerging themes from the FED patients interviews on hospital discharge experiences. These included:1. Early hospital discharge putting patients at high risk of being re-admitted and going back to the ER shortly after that. Some patients mentioned post-discharge complications and emerging of new health issues that could have been avoided if patient was kept in the hospital for longer.2. Lack of communication between different specialists at the hospital. Some patients mentioned the help of a nurse as crucial during inpatient stays in maintaining communication between doctors. 3. Lack of communication of medications prescribed. Some patients mentioned the lack of communication of what doses was modified, what medications were stopped and which ones were newly prescribed.4. The need to schedule follow-up appointments at the time of hospital discharge. This becomes especially important for vulnerable patients who have been on pain medication during the hospital stay, affecting their cognitive abilities and making post-discharge planning more difficult. Conclusions: This study using integrated data from administrative claims and patient interviews provided insights into the challenges related to hospital discharge experiences and transition into community among hospitalized cancer patients with frequent emergency department use. Application of our findings could assist in hospital discharge preparation and improvement in healthcare delivery and health outcomes. Citation Format: Siyana Kurteva, Robyn Tamblyn. Emerging lessons from patient-reported hospital discharge experiences among hospitalized cancer patients with frequent emergency department use [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3468.

Post-discharge nutritional management for patients with coronary heart disease and frailty: a qualitative study

BackgroundFrail elderly patients experience physiological function and reserve depletion, leading to imbalances in their internal environment, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease recurrence and malnutrition. However, the majority of these patients, who primarily have a low level of education and lack self-management skills, face difficulties actively dealing with obstacles during the transition period after their discharge from hospitalization. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and discuss in depth the nutrition management experience of discharged elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty (ages 65-80 years old) and to analyze the promoting and hindering factors that affect scientific diet behavior during the discharge transition period.MethodsFifteen elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty who had been discharged from the hospital for 6 months were interviewed using a semistructured method. The directed content analysis approach to descriptive research was used to extract topics from the interview content.ResultsAll participants discussed the problems in health nutrition management experience of discharged. Five topics and ten subtopics were extracted, such as ①Weak perceptions and behaviors towards healthy eating (personal habit solidification, negative attitudes towards nutrition management), ②Lack of objective factors for independently adjusting dietary conditions (reliance on subjective feelings, times of appetite change), ③Personal hindrance factors (memory impairment, deficiencies in self-nutrition management), ④Expected external support (assistance care support, ways to obtain nutritional information), ⑤Lack of continuous nutrition management (interruption of professional guidance, avoidance of medical treatment behavior).ConclusionsNutrition management after discharge places a burden on elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty. According to the patients' physical conditions, we should develop a diet support system that is coordinated by individuals, families and society.

Outcomes of the Dulce Digital-COVID Aware (DD-CA) discharge texting platform for US/Mexico border Hispanic individuals with diabetes

BackgroundHispanic individuals have higher type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence, poorer outcomes, and are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Culturally-tailored, diabetes educational text messaging has previously improved HbA1c in this population. MethodsDuring the pandemic, hospitalized Hispanic adults with T2D (N = 172) were randomized to receive Dulce Digital-COVID Aware (“DD-CA”) texting platform upon discharge plus diabetes transition service (DTS) or DTS alone. DD-CA includes diabetes educational messaging with additional COVID-safe messaging (e.g., promoting masking; social distancing; vaccination). FindingsAmong adults with poorly-controlled diabetes (Mean HbA1c = 9.6 ± 2.2 %), DD-CA did not reduce 30- or 90-day readmissions compared to standard care (28 % vs 15 %, p = .06; 37 % vs 35 %, p = .9, respectively). However, the improvement in HbA1c was larger among those in the DD-CA compared to DTS at 3 months (n = 56; −2.69 % vs. −1.45 %, p = .0496) with reduced effect at 6 months (n = 64; −2.03 % vs −0.91 %, p = .07). Low follow-up completion rates and the addition of covariates (to control for baseline group differences that existed despite randomization) impacted statistical power. InterpretationDuring the pandemic, DD-CA offered an alternative digital approach to diabetes and COVID education and support for a high-risk Hispanic population and achieved trends toward improvement in glycemic control despite relatively low engagement and not reducing hospital readmissions.

Influence of A.C. Frequency on Hollow Magnetron Sputtering Discharge Parameters

In the present work, optical emission spectroscopy was used to diagnose the influence of A.C. power source frequency on the hollow magnetron sputtering discharge parameters (such as discharge emission, discharge current and voltage, glow discharge structure, temperature (Te) and electron number density (ne), Debye length (λD), and plasma parameter (ND) of constant pressure. The electron temperature and number density were determined using the Boltzmann plots and the Stark broadening methods, respectively. The results illustrate that the normal glow discharge structure is similar to the D.C. discharge mode. The magnetic field has no impact on the fundamental discharge parameter in both A.C. frequencies under study. On the other hand, the other discharge parameters (Te, ne, λD and ND) increase with increasing the magnetic field in both discharge frequencies. In addition, the increase in the frequency of the A.C. source current led to an increase in the discharge intensity emission and the other discharge parameters being studied. In this case, in frequency 7 kHz, Te surged from 0.685 eV to 0.839 eV, and ne experienced an increase from 3.088 x 1018 m-3 to 4.902 x 1018 m-3. At a frequency of 9 kHz, the electron temperature surged from 0.711eV to 0.911 eV. ne experienced an increase from 3.615 x 1018 m-3 to 6.749 x 1018 m-3.

Quantification of plasma enabled surface cooling by electron emission from high temperature materials

In this work, the potential for hypersonic leading edge cooling by electron emission is demonstrated. To overcome space charge limitations the experiments are carried out in an argon discharge at 1 Torr. Cooling is observed with time-resolved measurements of the electron emission current and surface temperature, taking advantage of well controlled laser heating of the emitting surface and time accurate surface pyrometry. For the ignited mode of the plasma discharge, surface cooling by the electron emission is directly observed, leading to an estimated cooling rate of 1.6±0.2 MW m−2. Higher cooling rates with self sustained plasmas for space charge mitigation are expected using cesium transpiration. A two-dimensional model of heat transfer has been developed, which reproduces well the experimentally observed cooling dynamics. Parametric tests of emitter materials with various work functions show that for effective surface cooling by electron emission, the optimal work function must be less than 3.0 eV. This result indicates that electron cooling can be a promising thermal protection method for leading edges of hypersonic vehicles in flight.

Large wood remobilization in Asakura (North Kyushu, Japan): Adapting strategies to climate change and rural population depletion

In the aftermath of the heavy rainfall events of 2017 in North Kyushu, Asakura (Japan), driftwood-related disaster risk has proven to be as real as it was in 1933, when wood-laden debris-flow invaded the city centre of Kobe City near Sannomiya station. Despite a temporary truce obtained thanks to extensive Sabo dam constructions, climate change, the return of forest on agricultural land due to rural exodus and an ageing population are once again increasing driftwood hazard and disaster risk. In the face of these novel challenges, new management strategies may need to be considered, and the present contribution aims to propose a new approach to driftwood hazards and disaster risk. For this purpose, the present contribution is analysing the 2D hydrodynamic of scenario-based floods on driftwood deposited after the 2017 heavy-rainfall event in Asakura. The boundary conditions for the simulation were generated using UAV photogrammetry calibrated against existing DEM data to generate a DEM at 25 cm horizontal resolution and an orthophotographs at 5 cm resolution. The results show that with the new river configuration (post-2017), an instantaneous peak flow of 90 m3/s is necessary to flood the areas where the driftwood has stopped with a water depth of >40 cm. This is 9 times the mode discharge calculated from the inlet geometry. The majority of the driftwood is thus not an immediate hazard, and leaving the wood instead of removing it should be considered as a management strategy whenever it is feasible. Recent research in Western Europe and Northern America has already shown the importance of driftwood for biodiversity and wildlife, and combining both environmental and hazards and disaster risk objectives may be a solution. For this purpose, the authors propose that medium-size ditch and artificial “abandoned channels” could be created in order to trap the wood in the floodplain, so that the cost from removing the wood can be alleviated, horizontal trapping could complement vertical trapping at slit dams, and the local wildlife could benefit from the wood decomposition in the floodplain.

Impact of a pharmacy technician on an interprofessional antithrombotic stewardship program at an academic medical center.

The need for monitoring and standardization of anticoagulation management has garnered the attention of national organizations, driving the implementation of antithrombotic stewardship programs (ASPs). Established ASPs have highlighted interdisciplinary collaboration between physicians, nurses, and pharmacists and demonstrated financial benefits and positive patient care outcomes. While pharmacy technicians are key members of the pharmacy profession, they are rarely utilized to expand clinical programs. The aim of this report is to describe the impact of adding a pharmacy technician to an ASP at an academic medical center. The departments of pharmacy and quality at West Virginia University Hospitals (WVUH) developed a business plan and financially justified an ASP. The ASP was implemented in January 2022 and consisted of 2 full-time clinical pharmacist specialists, 1 full-time clinical pharmacy technician, 2 full-time clinical nurse specialists, and 1 part-time physician medical director. The clinical pharmacy technician's primary role was to review patients' sequential compression device (SCD) compliance and newly started oral anticoagulants prior to discharge. The clinical nurse specialists educated patients newly started on oral anticoagulants within 24 hours of discharge and triaged any postdischarge medication access issues. The medical director provided high-level program oversight and acted as a clinical consultant on complex patient cases. In the first 6 months after the program's implementation, the clinical pharmacy technician made 174 recommendations to the clinical pharmacist specialists regarding discharge transitions of care and assessed SCD compliance in 246 patients. Of the 246 patients assessed, 217 patients (88%) were deemed to be noncompliant. The pharmacy department at WVUH successfully justified and implemented an interprofessional ASP at an academic medical center, which is the first ASP to date to incorporate a clinical pharmacy technician.

Nursing Checklist of Home Care Guidelines for Informal Caregivers in the Hospital Discharge Transition

Introduction: The use of pre-discharge tools enables the nursing team to guide informal caregivers, promoting continued care at home, which can minimize readmissions. Objective: To develop and validate a checklist to support the nursing team in guiding informal caregivers regarding home care during the discharge transition process. Materials and Methods: This is a methodological study, submitted to 14 nurse judges, who evaluated a checklist on care guidelines for informal caregivers in the hospital discharge transition. The study was performed in three stages: A literature review, the development of the checklist, and validation using the Delphi technique, which was conducted from February 2022 to January 2023, and the data was treated using scale reliability analysis, a content validity index, and an intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: The checklist was comprised of 10 domains: Hygiene and comfort; tracheostomy; oxygen therapy; nutrition; indwelling urinary catheter; ostomies; dressings; risk of falls; medication; returns and referrals, totaling 32 guidelines for informal caregivers. The checklist was submitted to two validation stages and, after implementing the changes suggested by the judges, a content validity index of 100% agreement was obtained between the evaluators, with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.84 and an intraclass correlation index of 0.80. Conclusions: The checklist presents good reliability, intraclass correlation, and content validation, and can be applied in professional practice and scientific settings regarding the transition to hospital discharge of critically ill patients, helping to promote continued care at home.

Global linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of tearing modes

To better understand multi-scale interactions between global tearing modes and microturbulence in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) reversed-field pinch (RFP), the global gyrokinetic code Gene is modified to describe global tearing mode instability via a shifted Maxwellian (SM) distribution consistent with experimental equilibria. The implementation of the SM is tested and benchmarked by comparisons with different codes and models. Good agreement is obtained in code-code and code-theory comparisons. Linear stability of tearing modes of a non-reversed MST discharge is studied. A collisionality scan is performed to the lowest order unstable modes (n = 5, n = 6) and shown to behave consistently with theoretical scaling. The nonlinear evolution is simulated, and saturation is found to arise from mode coupling and transfer of energy from the most unstable tearing mode to small-scale stable modes mediated by the m = 2 tearing mode. The work described herein lays the foundation for nonlinear simulation and analysis of the interaction of tearing modes and gyroradius-scale instabilities in RFP plasmas.

How a dedicated postdischarge unit can reduce hospital congestion and costs

AbstractDepending on the patient's condition, up to 60% of inpatients are discharged to post–acute care facilities (PACFs). These patients may experience several days of nonmedical inpatient stay until the hospital finds a facility that fits their needs, contributing to overcrowding in upstream units. This article studies the feasibility of creating a “postdischarge unit” (PDU) for medically ready‐for‐discharge patients who experience transfer delays, to improve access to inpatient beds. We use a multistage stochastic program, solved with a dual dynamic programming algorithm, to address the PDU size and capacity question. The random variable is the number of bed requests from upstream units (e.g., emergency department). Our numerical analysis, using data from a large hospital, shows that a PDU can reduce costs and significantly reduce the number of patients waiting for transfer to PACFs that are occupying inpatient beds, as long as the percentage of these patients in the hospital is more than 4%. Compared to current practice in our partner hospital, a PDU could increase access to inpatient beds by up to 13% and result in 2%–21% cost savings. Results show that PDU capacity in hospitals with a larger number of patients waiting for transfer is more sensitive to variation in PDU renovation and operational costs. In addition to using fewer medical staff, a PDU can improve discharge transitions to lower levels of care and more efficiently utilize social workers and physical therapists assisting these patients.

Bacterial Decontamination of Water-Containing Objects Using Piezoelectric Direct Discharge Plasma and Plasma Jet.

Cold atmospheric plasma has become a widespread tool in bacterial decontamination, harnessing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species to neutralize bacteria on surfaces and in the air. This technology is often employed in healthcare, food processing, water treatment, etc. One of the most energy-efficient and universal methods for creating cold atmospheric plasma is the initiation of a piezoelectric direct discharge. The article presents a study of the bactericidal effect of piezoelectric direct discharge plasma generated using the multifunctional source "CAPKO". This device allows for the modification of the method of plasma generation "on the fly" by replacing a unit (cap) on the working device. The results of the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in a buffer solution in the modes of direct discharge in air and a plasma jet with an argon flow are presented. The bactericidal effect of these types of plasma against the bacteria E. coli BL21 (DE3) was studied. The issues of scaling the treatment technique are considered.

Revisitation of reactive direct current magnetron sputtering discharge: Investigation of Mg–CF4, Mg–O2, and Ti–O2 discharges by probe measurements

The reactive direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering discharges of Mg–CF4, Mg–O2, and Ti–O2 were investigated using probe measurements as a function of reactive gas flow ratio. The emission spectroscopy, which was conducted before the probe measurements, demonstrates that all the three DC discharges transit from nonreactive to reactive discharge mode with increasing reactive gas flow ratio. The probe measurements show that the plasma potentials of the Mg–O2 and Ti–O2 DC discharges slightly increase or remain almost constant with increasing reactive gas flow ratio, whereas that of the Mg–CF4 DC discharge drastically decreases at the mode transition. For the same change in reactive gas flow ratio, the discharge voltage of the Mg–CF4 DC discharge slightly increases and that of the Mg–O2 DC discharge drastically increases at the mode transition, whereas that of the Ti–O2 DC discharge slightly decreases at the mode transition. The changes in the cathode sheath potential difference at the mode transition differ between the Mg–CF4 and Ti–O2 DC discharges and the Mg–O2 DC discharge because of the difference in the probability of secondary electron emission at the cathode surface; furthermore, the changes in the anode sheath potential difference at the mode transition differ between the Mg–CF4 DC discharge and the Mg–O2 and Ti–O2 DC discharges because of the difference in the probability of negative-ion formation in the plasma bulk. The most informative results obtained in this study were the differences in the potential differences at the cathode and anode sheaths among the Mg–CF4, Mg–O2, and Ti–O2 DC discharges. They well demonstrated the effects of the change in secondary-emitted species at the cathode surface and the change in reactive gas concentration in the plasma on the potential configuration.

Study of high-power breakdown accompanied by sliding discharge mode in a three-dimensional sliding arc plasma igniter

In order to improve the ignition reliability of a small-thrust rocket engine, a three-dimensional sliding arc igniter discharge characteristic research experimental system was constructed. The work gas flow rate and excitation parameters were changed, the plasma discharge characteristic and spectral characteristic parameters were measured, and the characteristics of the igniter discharge modes were investigated. The influence of the excitation parameters on the discharge modes was explored, and the effect of the discharge modes on the ignition performance of the igniter was analyzed as well as the mechanism of the discharge modes. The results show that the igniter has three different discharge modes during the discharge process, i.e., breakdown with sliding mode, high-power breakdown with sliding mode, and the transition state between the two modes, the shift of the discharge mode is mainly affected by the excitation power, and the igniter is in the breakdown with sliding mode when the excitation power is low, and in the high-power breakdown with sliding mode when the power is high. High-power breakdown with sliding mode has both breakdown with sliding and stable sliding characteristics in the early stage of the sliding arc movement for the breakdown with sliding and then transformed into sliding. Compared with the breakdown with sliding mode and high-power mode, the sliding arc discharge area is wider, the concentration of O * than the breakdown with sliding mode increased by 2.86 times, the electron temperature increased by 31.76%, and it can significantly improve plasma ignition effect, reduce the activation energy and enhance the performance of the igniter.

Gene and Allele-Specific Expression Underlying the Electric Signal Divergence in African Weakly Electric Fish.

In the African weakly electric fish genus Campylomormyrus, electric organ discharge signals are strikingly different in shape and duration among closely related species, contribute to prezygotic isolation, and may have triggered an adaptive radiation. We performed mRNA sequencing on electric organs and skeletal muscles (from which the electric organs derive) from 3 species with short (0.4 ms), medium (5 ms), and long (40 ms) electric organ discharges and 2 different cross-species hybrids. We identified 1,444 upregulated genes in electric organ shared by all 5 species/hybrid cohorts, rendering them candidate genes for electric organ-specific properties in Campylomormyrus. We further identified several candidate genes, including KCNJ2 and KLF5, and their upregulation may contribute to increased electric organ discharge duration. Hybrids between a short (Campylomormyrus compressirostris) and a long (Campylomormyrus rhynchophorus) discharging species exhibit electric organ discharges of intermediate duration and showed imbalanced expression of KCNJ2 alleles, pointing toward a cis-regulatory difference at this locus, relative to electric organ discharge duration. KLF5 is a transcription factor potentially balancing potassium channel gene expression, a crucial process for the formation of an electric organ discharge. Unraveling the genetic basis of the species-specific modulation of the electric organ discharge in Campylomormyrus is crucial for understanding the adaptive radiation of this emerging model taxon of ecological (perhaps even sympatric) speciation.

Abstract TP227: Correlation of Social Vulnerability Index and Stroke Patient Social Needs

Introduction: Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a significant role in stroke patients’ health outcomes. To assess the environments patients are discharged to, the AHA's GWTG tool collects data on ten social needs of hospitalized stroke patients. The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) evaluates the vulnerability of a community to hazards by considering sixteen components across four themes: Socioeconomic Status, Household Characteristics, Racial and Ethnic Minority Status, and Housing Type/Transportation. This study aims to assess the correlation between the GWTG social needs assessment and the SVI at the census tract level. Methods: Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry (GCASR) data from 2021 was matched with the Georgia Discharge Data System to obtain patients' residence coordinates. The data was then linked with 2020 SVI census tract data. Each SVI component was classified into deciles and assessed for correlation with the proportion of patients with a specific social need using Spearman correlation. Results: Among the 22,930 patients treated at GCASR participating hospitals, 10,019 had social needs data. No major sociodemographic or disease-related differences were noted between patients with and without social need data. 15 SVI components have a statistically significant correlation at the 0.05 alpha level with at least one social need. Correlation strength ranged from mild to strong. Conclusion: Most elements of the SVI at the census tract level are moderately or strongly correlated with one or more social needs, suggesting they may serve as proxy measures. SVI data, regularly updated by the CDC and freely available, could be incorporated into electronic medical records to assist with stroke patients' discharge process and transition of care.

Numerical Analysis for Streamer Discharge at the Discharge Transition from the Second to the Third Mode in Transformers Oil

Numerical Analysis for Streamer Discharge at the Discharge Transition from the Second to the Third Mode in Transformers Oil

Multi-interface Combination of Bimetallic Selenide and V4C3Tx MXene for High-Rate and Ultrastable Sodium Storage Devices.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have great potential as electrochemical energy storage systems; however, their commercial viability is limited by the lack of anode materials with fast charge/discharge rates and long lifetimes. These challenges were addressed by developing a multi-interface design strategy using FCSe (FeSe2/CoSe2) nanoparticles on V4C3Tx MXene nanosheets as conductive substrates. The heterogeneous interface created between the two materials provided high-speed transport of sodium ions, suppressed the chalking-off of nanoparticles, and improved the cycling stability. Additionally, the Fe-Co bonds generated at the interface effectively relieved mechanical stress, further enhancing the electrode durability. The C@FCSe@V4C3 electrode exhibited high-speed charging and discharging characteristics, and maintained a high specific capacity of 260.5 mAh g-1 even after 15,000 cycles at 10 A g-1, with a capacity retention rate of 50.2% at an ultrahigh current density of 20 A g-1. Furthermore, the composite displayed a good cycling capability in the fast discharge and slow charge mode. This demonstrates its promising commercial potential. This multi-interface design strategy provides insights and guidance for solving the reversibility and cycling problems of transformed selenide anode materials.

Salt rejection/discharge strategies of a reverse-distillation device with a water layer for sustainable solar desalination: From two dimensions to three dimensions

The recently proposed solar-driven reverse-distillation device with a water layer has shown promising potential in solar energy conversion efficiency and impactful advantages in salt rejection by constructing a rapid brine flow driven by gravity/density differences. However, a lack of profound understanding and explanation of the salt-rejection mechanism and accurate salt-discharge regulation strategies may hinder the further improvement of reverse-distillation devices. In this paper, we thoroughly discuss and analyze the mechanism of how gravity affects the internal brine flow and determines the salt rejection/discharge performance while providing comprehensive salt-discharge regulation strategies for feed brine with a wide range of salinities. The results show that only a 4° inclination angle enables the two-dimensional (2D) device with a 1-mm-thick water layer in the dissolution mode to dispose 3.5 wt% brine for 8 h without salt saturation, while the value is also merely 10° for a three-dimensional (3D) device, indicating the realization of the brine flow driven by a small gravity component and demonstrating a strong adaptability for the device. In the salt discharge mode, the ratio of the discharge flow rate to the evaporation rate determines the salt saturation risk. We discuss the salinity distribution of the evaporation surface at varied feed-brine salinities and discharge flow rates, providing a theoretical basis for precisely matching the thermal characteristics and enabling improved design for efficient and sustainable solar-distillation devices. Finally, we discuss the scalability of salt rejection and propose a scheme for scalable water production, which may offer important support for further realizing large-scale sustainable solar desalination by using the reverse-distillation device with a water layer.