Towards strengthening resilience of organizations by risk management tools: A scientometric perspective on COVID-19 experience in a healthcare and industrial setting

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system and the global supply chain were exposed to an unpredicted event, which increased awareness about the need of more effective strategies to support decision-making process and to empower safety barriers. In this work, a combined scientometric and systematic review was performed to analyze tools and methodologies able to combine resilience with more traditional risk assessment, learning from the experience posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Bibliometric and literature content analyses were carried out focusing on resilience management upon the incoming of an unexpected event. The systematic analysis of the methods and models developed on the basis of different pandemic waves provides a natural guide for future research development.     

Effect of Gate Electrode Work‐Function on Source Charge Injection in Electrolyte‐Gated Organic Field‐Effect Transistors

Systematic investigation of the contact resistance in electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) demonstrates a dependence of source charge injection versus gate electrode work function. This analysis reveals contact‐limitations at the source metal‐semiconductor interface and shows that the contact resistance increases as low work function metals are used as the gate electrode. These findings are attributed to the establishment of a built‐in potential that is high enough to prevent the Fermi‐level pinning at the metal‐organic interface. This results in an unfavorable energetic alignment of the source electrode with the valence band of the organic semiconductor. Since the operating voltage in the electrolyte‐gated devices is on the same order as the variation of the work functions, it is possible to tune the contact resistance over more than one order of magnitude by varying the gate metal.     

Energy Level Bending in Ultrathin Polymer Layers Obtained through Langmuir–Shäfer Deposition

The semiconductor–electrode interface impacts the function and the performance of (opto)electronic devices. For printed organic electronics the electrode surface is not atomically clean leading to weakly interacting interfaces. As a result, solution‐processed organic ultrathin films on electrodes typically form islands due to dewetting. It has therefore been utterly difficult to achieve homogenous ultrathin conjugated polymer films. This has made the investigation of the correct energetics of the conjugated polymer–electrode interface impossible. Also, this has hampered the development of devices including ultrathin conjugated polymer layers. Here, Langmuir–Shäfer‐manufactured homogenous mono‐ and multilayers of semiconducting polymers on metal electrodes are reported and the energy level bending using photoelectron spectroscopy is tracked. The amorphous films display an abrupt energy level bending that does not extend beyond the first monolayer. These findings provide new insights of the energetics of the polymer–electrode interface and opens up for new high‐performing devices based on ultrathin semiconducting polymers.     

Processable High Electron Mobility π-Copolymers via Mesoscale Backbone Conformational Ordering

The synthesis and experimental/theoretical characterization of a new series of electron-transporting copolymers based on the naphthalene bis(4,8-diamino-1,5-dicarboxyl)amide (NBA) building block are reported. Comonomers are designed to test the emergent effects of manipulating backbone torsional characteristics, and density functional theory (DFT) analysis reveals the key role of backbone conformation in optimizing electronic delocalization and transport. The NBA copolymer conformational and electronic properties are characterized using a broad array of molecular/macromolecular, thermal, optical, electrochemical, and charge transport techniques. All NBA copolymers exhibit strongly aggregated morphologies with significant nanoscale order. Copolymer charge transport properties are investigated in thin-film transistors and exhibit excellent electron mobilities ranging from 0.4 to 4.5 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. Importantly, the electron transport efficiency correlates with the film mesoscale order, which emerges from comonomer-dependent backbone planarity and extension. These results illuminate the key NBA building block structure–morphology–bulk property design relationships essential for processable, electronics-applicable high-performance polymeric semiconductors.     

Synergistic Effect of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Ladder-Type Conjugated Polymers on the Performance of N-Type Organic Electrochemical Transistors

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have the potential to revolutionize the field of organic bioelectronics. To date, most of the reported OECTs include p-type (semi-)conducting polymers as the channel material, while n-type OECTs are yet at an early stage of development, with the best performing electron-transporting materials still suffering from low transconductance, low electron mobility, and slow response time. Here, the high electrical conductivity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and the large volumetric capacitance of the ladder-type π-conjugated redox polymer poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) are leveraged to develop n-type OECTs with record-high performance. It is demonstrated that the use of MWCNTs enhances the electron mobility by more than one order of magnitude, yielding fast transistor transient response (down to 15 ms) and high μC* (electron mobility × volumetric capacitance) of about 1 F cm^?1 V^?1 s^?1. This enables the development of complementary inverters with a voltage gain of >16 and a large worst-case noise margin at a supply voltage of <0.6 V, while consuming less than 1 µW of power.     

A Rapid Single-Extraction Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, Fumonisin B1, and Zearalenone in Corn Meal by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A single-extraction method to simultaneously determine aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2), fumonisin B1, and zearalenone in corn meal by ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, using a triple quadrupole, was optimized, validated, and applied in an occurrence study. Different extraction solutions were tested, with better performance for methanol/acetonitrile/water (60:20:20, v/v/v). Linearity was observed from 0.25 to 1.50 ng/mL for aflatoxins, from 20 to 120 ng/mL for fumonisin, and from 7.00 to 42.00 ng/mL for zearalenone. Significant matrix effects were shown for all groups. Selectivity was demonstrated, as matrix or spectral interferences were not observed at the predicted retention time window of the target analytes. Average recoveries of 87.57, 93.18, 93.35, 94.20, 78.76, and 95.98% were obtained for aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) fumonisin and zearalenone, respectively. A z-score of 0.19 was estimated in a corn certified reference material for fumonisin B1. Maximum relative standard deviation values under repeatability and intermediate precision conditions were determined to be 13.6 and 13.6% for aflatoxins, 3.7 and 6.3% for fumonisin, and 3.5 and 4.0% for zearalenone, respectively. In the occurrence study, 50 samples were analyzed and 44% had measurable levels of fumonisin. Zearalenone was detected in 18%. The proposed method showed considerable advantages, considering environmental impacts, efficiency, and reliability.     

Rheological,mechanical, thermal,and morphological properties of blends poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), thermoplastic starch,and cellulose nanoparticles

The objective of the present study was the preparation and characterization of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends reinforced with cellulose nanoparticles (CNCs) by extrusion. The work was conducted in four steps. Initially, the CNCs were prepared from eucalyptus cellulose pulp by acid hydrolysis. The second step was the preparation of the nanocomposite (TPS-CNC), composed of cassava starch, CNC, glycerol, and citric and stearic acids, by double screw extrusion. The third step was the preparation of PBAT/TPS-CNC blends in twin-screw extruders. In the fourth step, the films were produced by flat extrusion. Blends exhibited similar rheological behavior, increasing the CNC concentration in blends increased the viscosity as a function of the shear rate, and altered the behavior of the shear storage (G′) and shear loss (G″) curves as a function of the oscillation frequency (ω). The presence of CNC in blend provided improvements significant in mechanical properties, with 120% increase in Young's modulus, and 46% increase in maximum tensile. Thermal behavior (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry) was altered with the incorporation of the CNC, showing a single melt peak (T_m) and a slight increase in T_g, indicating good dispersion between the phases of the blends, corroborating with the fracture surface microscopy of films.     

Development of high-throughput multi-residue method for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs monitoring in swine muscle by LC-MS/MS

A reliable and simple method for the detection and quantification of residues of 14 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a metamizole metabolite in swine muscle was developed using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The samples were extracted with acetonitrile (ACN) in solid–liquid extraction followed by a low-temperature partitioning (LLE-LTP) process at –20 ± 2°C. After evaporation to dryness, the residue was reconstituted with hexane and a mixture of water:acetonitrile (1:1). LC separation was achieved on a reversed-phase (RP₁₈) column with gradient elution using water (phase A) and ACN (phase B) both containing 1 mmol l^–1 ammonium acetate (NH₄COO) with 0.025% acetic acid. Analysis was carried out on a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring mode using an electrospray interface in negative and positive mode in a single run. Method validation was performed according to the criteria of Commission Decision No. 2002/657/EC. The matrix effect and linearity were evaluated. Decision limit (CCα), detection capability (CCβ), accuracy and repeatability of the method are also reported. The proposed method proved to be simple, easy and adequate for high-throughput analysis and was applied to routine analysis by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply.