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Objectives: HCWs are recommended to wipe the computers with alcohol wipes before clinical use. Compliance assessment by direct observation is resource intensive. We used ATP measurement as a surrogate to assess the compliance to preutilization cleaning of computers. Methods: We conducted a pilot study to determine the median relative light unit (RLU) value reflective of preutilization cleaning of the computers. We identified values of 500 RLU to reflect cleaned, probably cleaned, and not cleaned computers, respectively. Subsequently, we conducted a cross-sectional study of the computers in the inpatient wards in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Using 3M Clean-Trace ATP swabs, we tested 5 computers in each ward: 2 computers on wheels, 2 from the nursing station, and 1 at the patients’ room entrance. All analyses were conducted using STATA version 15 software. Results: Between October 4 and 10, 2021, we collected 219 samples from 219 computers. Among them, 44 (20.1%) were cleaned, 49 (22.4%) were probably cleaned, and 126 (57.5%) computers were not cleaned. Higher compliance to computer cleaning was observed in COVID-19 wards [85 ATP samples; cleaned, 37 (43.5%); probably cleaned, 26 (30.6%); not cleaned, 22 (25.9%)] compared with non–COVID-19 wards [134 ATP samples; cleaned, 7 (5.2%); probably cleaned, 23 (17.2%); not cleaned, 104 (77.6%)] (P < .01). No significant difference was observed in compliance with cleaning computers between the ICU [30 ATP samples; cleaned, 7 (23.3%); probably cleaned, 4 (13.3%); not cleaned, 19 (63.3%)] and general wards [189 ATP samples; cleaned, 37 (19.6%); probably cleaned, 45 (23.8%); not cleaned, 107 (56.6%)] (P = .47). Conclusions: ATP swab tests can be used as a surrogate marker to assess compliance to pre-utilization cleaning of computers. Enhanced awareness of environmental hygiene may explain the higher compliance to computer cleaning observed in COVID-19 wards.

High-entropy rock-salt Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O has been intensively studied in the energy field due to its unique composition–function relationship and synergistic effect. Entropy-stabilization of Cu and Zn in rock-salt Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O is the key characteristic of this material. As a parent binary oxide, ZnO exists as wurtzite in nature. Herein, for the first time we investigated the role of late 3d transition metals Co, Ni and Cu in stabilizing Zn in MgO-based rock-salt oxides under the same configurational entropy condition and their structural stability in alkaline solutions. We found that Co, Ni and Cu can increase the Zn solubility in MgO-based rock-salt oxides, Mg0.50TM0.25Zn0.25O (TM = Co, Ni and Cu, configurational entropy 1.04 R), with Cu being the best. Simulation results show that the formation energy of Zn substitution for Mg is the lowest in Mg0.50Cu0.25Zn0.25O. Moreover, Cu incorporation can create a wide metal–oxygen bond length distribution, which causes short-range disorder and enhances Zn stabilization. Surprisingly, CuO with square-planar Cu–O coordination is more effective in stabilizing rock-salt ZnO in MgO, compared to rock-salt CoO and NiO, as Cu2+ ions undergo splitting of eg orbitals due to strong Jahn–Teller distortion. Mg0.50Cu0.25Zn0.25O with medium entropy 1.04 R can stabilize 25 at% Cu and 25 at% Zn simultaneously. Besides, the Ni substitution is found to be effective in improving the structural stability in alkaline solutions. This work gives insight into understanding the complementation of orbital distribution in high-entropy oxides for metal stabilization, and provides a rational composition design for applications in the energy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional catalytic techniques often encounter obstacles in the search for sustainable solutions for converting CO2 into value-added products because of their high energy consumption and expensive catalysts. Here, we introduce a contact-electro-catalysis approach for CO2 reduction reaction, achieving a CO Faradaic efficiency of 96.24%. The contact-electro-catalysis is driven by a triboelectric nanogenerator consisting of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride loaded with single Cu atoms-anchored polymeric carbon nitride (Cu-PCN) catalysts and quaternized cellulose nanofibers (CNF). Mechanistic investigation reveals that the single Cu atoms on Cu-PCN can effectively enrich electrons during contact electrification, facilitating electron transfer upon their contact with CO2 adsorbed on quaternized CNF. Furthermore, the strong adsorption of CO2 on quaternized CNF allows efficient CO2 capture at low concentrations, thus enabling the CO2 reduction reaction in the ambient air. Compared to the state-of-the-art air-based CO2 reduction technologies, contact-electro-catalysis achieves a superior CO yield of 33 μmol g−1 h−1. This technique provides a solution for reducing airborne CO2 emissions while advancing chemical sustainability strategy. Traditional catalytic techniques often encounter obstacles in the search for sustainable solutions for converting CO2 into value-added products because of their high energy consumption and expensive catalysts. Here, we introduce a contact-electro-catalysis approach for CO2 reduction reaction, achieving CO Faradaic efficiency of 96.24%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As numerous varsity campuses remain closed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, educators must look for suitable digital tools to conduct lessons and engage learners online. In this report, we discuss how to structure the online lessons using the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI). The CoI was applied to the university elective course "Learning to Choose Better", taught by chemistry faculty. By using the appropriate digital tools in our course, we found success in achieving engagement, active learning, and team teaching. Until the world finds a resolution to the pandemic, online teaching will continue to be the new normal. Educators could view this time as a prime opportunity to experiment, innovate, and break new grounds in the realm of remote online teaching.

While cancel culture has become a social media buzzword, scholarly understanding of this phenomenon is still at its nascent stage. To contribute to a more nuanced understanding of cancel culture, this study uses a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach by starting with in-depth interviews with social media users (n = 20) followed by a national online survey (n = 786) in Singapore. Through the interviews, we found that our participants understand cancel culture as more than just a mob engaged in public shaming on social media; it also involves perceptions of power imbalance and social justice. Building on these perspectives from our interviews, we tested the framework of theory of planned behavior in predicting intention to engage in cancel culture and expanded it by examining the effects of people's belief in a just world using an online national survey in Singapore. The analysis showed that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were positively related to intention to engage in cancel culture, while general belief in a just world was a negative predictor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic skyrmions have emerged as promising elements for encoding information toward biomimetic computing applications due to their pseudoparticle nature and efficient coupling to spin currents. A key hindrance for skyrmionic devices is their instability against elongation at zero magnetic field (ZF). Prevailing materials approaches focused on tailoring skyrmion energetics have found ZF configurations to be highly sensitive, which imposes significant growth constraints and limits their device scalability. This work demonstrates that designer ZF skyrmion configurations can be robustly stabilized within chiral multilayer stacks by exploiting a duet of interlayer exchange couplings (IECs). Microscopic imaging experiments show that varying the two IECs enables the coarse and fine‐tuning of ZF skyrmion stability and density. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the duo‐IEC approach is distinguished by its influence on the kinetics of skyrmion nucleation, in addition to the ability to tailor energetics, resulting in a substantially expanded parameter space, and enhanced stability for individual ZF skyrmions. This study underscores the importance of IEC as a means of stabilizing and controlling ZF skyrmions, paving the way to scalable skyrmion‐based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of homojunctions in graphitic carbon nitride is regarded as an efficient approach to improve the charge separation and photocatalytic activity. However, the enhanced activity is still far from satisfactory due to the low crystalline bulk structure. Herein, a highly crystalline graphitic carbon nitride homojunction is synthesized by calcination of a mixture of NH4SCN and urea, which forms a deep eutectic solvent using NaCl/KCl molten salts as the preparation medium. The homogeneity of the liquid precursor ensures an intimate homojunction interface, facilitating the charge separation, and the highly crystalline bulk structure builds a highway for rapidly transferring charge to the surface. Consequently, the bulk charge recombination is suppressed, and the spatial separation and transfer efficiency of charges are significantly improved. Compared to low crystalline homojunctions, this highly crystalline homojunction showed 15 times higher activity for the selective photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. This work provides a simple strategy to construct a highly crystalline graphitic carbon nitride homojunction for solar energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]