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Although polycarbonate (PC) materials are well known to have poor adhesion to other surfaces, few studies have been conducted on the improvement of their adhesive properties via surface chemical functionalization. Herein, we report the enhancement in the adhesion properties of PC by adapting two silane coupling agents, namely (3-glycidoxypropyl) methyldiethoxysilane (GPTMS) and (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS), on the surface. We tested the adhesion with an epoxy-based adhesive consisting of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and trientine (trien). The chemical interaction between the amine groups of the hardener (trien) and the epoxy rings of an epoxy-functionalized PC (PC-GPTMS) sample surface was observed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. We found that the amine-functionalized PC (PC-APTMS) can also form crosslinked polymeric structures with the BADGE after curing. Compared to the bare PC, an increase in the shear strength of up to 168% and 163% was observed from the PC-GPTMS and PC-APTMS, respectively. In contrast, the ultraviolet-ozone (UVO) and O2 plasma-treated samples showed a negligible increase in adhesion strength. These results strongly suggest that the chemical functionalization of PC substrates with coupling agents significantly enhances the adhesion properties of PCs.

As Mo3Se3- chain nanowires have dimensions comparable to those of natural hydrogel chains (molecular-level diameters of ∼0.6 nm and lengths of several micrometers) and excellent mechanical strength and flexibility, they have large potential to reinforce hydrogels and improve their mechanical properties. When a Mo3Se3--chain-nanowire-gelatin composite hydrogel is prepared simply by mixing Mo3Se3- nanowires with gelatin, phase separation of the Mo3Se3- nanowires from the gelatin matrix occurs in the micronetwork, providing only small improvements in their mechanical properties. In contrast, when the surface of the Mo3Se3- nanowire is wrapped with the gelatin polymer, the chemical compatibility of the Mo3Se3- nanowire with the gelatin matrix is significantly improved, which enables the fabrication of a phase-separation-free Mo3Se3--reinforced gelatin hydrogel. The composite gelatin hydrogel exhibits significantly improved mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 27.6 kPa, fracture toughness of 26.9 kJ/m3, and elastic modulus of 54.8 kPa, which are 367%, 868%, and 378% higher than those of the pure gelatin hydrogel, respectively. Furthermore, the amount of Mo3Se3- nanowires added in the composite hydrogel is as low as 0.01 wt %. The improvements in the mechanical properties are significantly larger than those for other reported composite hydrogels reinforced with one-dimensional materials.

Background: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a key component of life-saving after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In the pre-arrival instructions for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, it is recommended that the patient be laid on a flat floor. However, the most common reason for not performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation is that the bystander could not move the patient. Objectives: This study aim to investigate the effects of using a home-bed mattress on the quality of chest compression. Methods: In this prospective, randomized study, chest compression without ventilation was performed for 4 min on a Resusci Anne manikin placed on a flat floor or on three types of home-bed mattresses (hard, medium and soft). Chest compression depth, chest compression rate and chest recoil were measured from the manikin with the Laerdal PC Skill Reporting System, and changes in chest compression quality using the four different surfaces were compared. Results: Thirty participants were enrolled to perform chest compression. There was no significant difference in chest compression depth and depth accuracy between the four surfaces. The median chest compression rates were 108.1 ± 8.5, 107.0 ± 8.3, 103.3 ± 8.9 and 98.3 ± 7.9 compressions/min ( p Conclusion: Using a home-bed mattress did not decrease the chest compression quality, except chest compression rate of soft-firmness mattress. Thus, it may be effective to initiate chest compression on a home-bed mattress if the bystander cannot move the patient to the floor.

Purpose Brain swelling post-cardiac arrest may affect cerebrospinal fluid volume. We aimed to investigate the prognostic performance of the proportion of cerebrospinal fluid volume (pCSFV) using brain computed tomography (CT) in cardiac arrest survivors. Materials and Methods This retrospective multicentre study included adult comatose cardiac arrest survivors who underwent brain CT scan prior to target temperature management (TTM) from 2015 to 2016. Grey-to-white matter ratio (GWR) and pCSFV values were calculated. pCSFV analysis was performed using automated quantitative analysis programming. The primary outcome was a 6-month neurological outcome. Results Of 251 patients (median age, 57 years), 173 (68.9%) were male, 87 (34.7%) had a shockable rhythm, and 160 (63.7%) had unfavourable neurological outcomes. GWR but not pCSFV was significantly higher in terms of favourable neurological outcomes (p = .015). pCSFV prognostic performances were similar to GWR, and were poor overall, (0.521; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.446–0.694 vs. 0.515; 95% CI, 0.441–0.589). After adjusting for covariates, pCSFV but not GWR was independently associated with neurological outcome 6 months following cardiac arrest (p = .049). Conclusion pCSFV was independently associated with neurological outcome 6 months following cardiac arrest, however prognostic performance was not good.

Aim We aimed to evaluate the onset of severe blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption using cerebrospinal fluid/serum albumin quotient (Qa) in cardiac arrest patients treated with target temperature management (TTM). Methods This was a prospective single-centre observational cohort study from October 2017 to September 2018 with the primary endpoint being the onset of severe BBB disruption, determined based on Qa in cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM. Enrolled patients were grouped according to neurologically good and poor outcomes using the cerebral performance category (CPC) at 3 months after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Severe BBB disruption was evaluated using Qa measured immediately (Qa0) and at 24 h (Qa24), 48 h (Qa48), 72 h (Qa72) after ROSC. Results Of 21 patients enrolled, poor outcome group had 10 patients. Qa0 was 0.019 (0.008∼0.024) in the poor outcome group and 0.006 (0.003∼0.008) in the good outcome group (p = 0.09). Qa24 was 0.045 (0.025∼0.115) in the poor outcome group and 0.006 (0.003∼0.006) in the good outcome group (p = 0.03). Qa48 was 0.055 (0.023∼0.276) in the poor outcome group and 0.006 (0.006∼0.009) in the good outcome group (p = 0.02). Qa72 was 0.047 (0.026∼0.431) in the poor outcome group and 0.007 (0.005∼0.011) in the good outcome group (p = 0.02). Conclusion Qa was significantly higher in the poor outcome group at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. Severe BBB disruption indicated by Qa ≥ 0.02 in poor outcome group treated with TTM occurred within the first 24 h after ROSC.

A novel KGaS

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

As the physical size of MOSFET has been aggressively scaled-down, the impact of process-induced random variation (RV) should be considered as one of the device design considerations of MOSFET. In this work, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is developed to investigate the effect of line-edge roughness (LER)-induced random variation on the input/output transfer characteristics (e.g., off-state leakage current (Ioff), subthreshold slope (SS), saturation drain current (Id,sat), linear drain current (Id,lin), saturation threshold voltage (Vth,sat), and linear threshold voltage (Vth,lin)) of 5 nm FinFET. Hence, the prediction model was divided into two phases, i.e., “Predict Vth” and “Model Vth”. In the former, LER profiles were only used as training input features, and two threshold voltages (i.e., Vth,sat and Vth,lin) were target variables. In the latter, however, LER profiles and the two threshold voltages were used as training input features. The final prediction was then made by feeding the output of the first model to the input of the second model. The developed models were quantitatively evaluated by the Earth Mover Distance (EMD) between the target variables from the TCAD simulation tool and the predicted variables of the ANN model, and we confirm both the prediction accuracy and time-efficiency of our model.

Optical biosensors are devices frequently used to detect different molecules in biological applications through their interaction with light. Optical biosensors have many advantages because they allow fast and direct detection of target molecules. So, they can be easily applied to different types of delicate or miniature point-of-care devices with high reliability. Although many different types of optical platforms are used in biosensing, fluorescent and colorimetric sensors have mostly been adapted for the detection of cervical cancer. Many studies are reporting rapid, low-cost, and disposable biosensors using fluorescently labeled probes with various fluorophores to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in a single assay. However, fluorescent biosensors can be adapted with nanoparticles, microbeads, and two-dimensional nanomaterials, and even Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats—CRISPR associated (CRISPR-Cas) for an improved limit of detection, easy separation of probes, simplification of sensor design and operation, etc. Similarly, many colorimetric sensors have been reported for the detection of different types of HPV DNA. Colorimetric sensors have a unique advantage as detection can be carried out with naked eyes without the need for any instrument but only has relatively moderate sensitivity. Additional techniques, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification, DNAzymes, peptide nucleic acid, can be incorporated to improve its detection limit significantly. Besides, both fluorescence and colorimetric sensors can be applied to lateral flow assays, microfluidic systems, or microarrays for rapid and multiplexed detection of HPV. In this chapter, recent progress in the DNA-based optical biosensors for cervical cancer detection is summarized with emphasis on fluorescent and colorimetric sensors.

Most data-driven machine learning (ML) approaches established in metallurgy research fields are focused on a build-up of reliable quantitative models that predict a material property from a given set of material conditions. In general, the input feature dimension (the number of material condition variables) is much higher than the output feature dimension (the number of material properties of concern). Rather than such a forward-prediction ML model, it is necessary to develop so-called inverse-design modeling, wherein required material conditions could be deduced from a set of desired material properties. Here we report a novel inverse design strategy that employs two independent approaches: a metaheuristics-assisted inverse reading of conventional forward ML models and an atypical inverse ML model based on a modified variational autoencoder. These two unprecedented approaches were successful and led to overlapped results, from which we pinpointed several novel thermo-mechanically controlled processed (TMCP) steel alloy candidates that were validated by a rule-based thermodynamic calculation tool (Thermo-Calc.). We also suggested a practical protocol to elucidate how to treat engineering data collected from industry, which is not prepared as independent and identically distributed (IID) random data.

The prediction of macro‐scale materials properties from microstructures, and vice versa, should be a key part in modeling quantitative microstructure‐physical property relationships. It would be helpful if the microstructural input and output were in the form of visual images rather than parameterized descriptors. However, only a typical supervised learning technique would be insufficient to build up a model with real‐image‐output. A generative adversarial network (GAN) is required to treat visual images as output for a promising PMPR model. Recently developed deep‐learning‐based GAN techniques such as a deep convolutional GAN (DCGAN), a cycle‐consistent GAN (Cycle GAN), and a conditional GAN‐based image to image translation (Pix2Pix) could be of great help via the creation of realistic microstructures. In this regard, we generated virtual micrographs for various types of steels using a DCGAN, a Cycle GAN, and a Pix2Pix and confirmed the generated micrographs are qualitatively indistinguishable from the ground truth.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the effectiveness of conventional treatment and ultra-early application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients with snakebites. Patients who visited the emergency department within 24 hours after a snakebite were assigned to the non- NPWT or NPWT group. Swelling resolution time and rates of necrosis, infection, and operations were compared between the 2 groups. The Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale was used to measure short- and long-term wound healing results. Among the included 61 patients, the swelling resolution time was significantly shorter in the NPWT group than in non- NPWT group (P = .010). The NPWT group showed lower necrosis (4.3% versus 36.8%; P = .003) and infection (13.2% and 4.3%; P = .258) rates than the non- NPWT group. The median Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale scores were higher in the NPWT group than in the non- NPWT group (P

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Aim We evaluated the prognostic value of serum- and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal esterase L1 protein (UCHL1) measurements in post- post-out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients treated with target temperature management (TTM), to predict neurologic outcome. Methods This was a prospective single-centre observational cohort study, conducted from April 2018 to September 2019. Serum- and CSF-UCHL1 were obtained immediately (UCHL1initial), 24 h (UCHL124), 48 h (UCHL148), and 72 h (UCHL172) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) and Delong method were used to identify cut-off values of serum- and CSF-UCHL1initial, UCHL124, UCHL148, UCHL172 for predicting neurologic outcomes. Results Of 38 patients enrolled, 16 comprised the poor outcome group. The AUROCs for serum- and CSF-UCHL1initial were 0.71 and 0.93 in predicting poor neurological outcomes, respectively (p = 0.01). The AUROCs for serum- and CSF-UCHL124 were 0.85 and 0.91 (p = 0.24). The AUROCs for serum- and CSF-UCHL148 were 0.90 and 0.97 (p = 0.07). The AUROCs for serum- and CSF-UCHL172 were 0.94 and 0.98 (p = 0.25). Conclusion Findings of this study demonstrate that CSF-UCHL1 measured immediately, 24, 48, and 72 h after ROSC is a valuable predictor for evaluating neurologic outcomes, whereas serum-UCHL1 measured at 24, 48, and 72 h after ROSC showed a significant performance in the prognostication of poor outcomes in post-OHCA patients treated with TTM.

BACKGROUND: Adequate airway management plays an important role in high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Airway management is usually performed using an endotracheal tube (ETT) during CPR. However, no study has assessed the effect of ETT size on the flow rate and airway pressure during CPR. METHODS: We measured changes in peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR), peak airway pressure (P(peak)), and mean airway pressure (P(mean)) according to changes in ETT size (internal diameter 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 mm) and with or without CPR. A tidal volume of 500 mL was supplied at a rate of 10 times per minute using a mechanical ventilator. Chest compressions were maintained at a constant compression depth and speed using a mechanical chest compression device (LUCAS2, mode: active continuous, chest compression rate: 102±2/minute, chest compression depth 2–2.5 inches). RESULTS: The median of several respiratory physiological parameters during CPR was significantly different according to the diameter of each ETT (6.0 vs. 8.0 mm): PIFR (32.1 L/min [30.5–35.3] vs. 28.9 L/min [27.5–30.8], P

Here we report a facile, prompt protocol based on deep-learning techniques to sort out intricate phase identification and quantification problems in complex multiphase inorganic compounds. We simulate plausible powder X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns for 170 inorganic compounds in the Sr-Li-Al-O quaternary compositional pool, wherein promising LED phosphors have been recently discovered. Finally, 1,785,405 synthetic XRD patterns are prepared by combinatorically mixing the simulated powder XRD patterns of 170 inorganic compounds. Convolutional neural network (CNN) models are built and eventually trained using this large prepared dataset. The fully trained CNN model promptly and accurately identifies the constituent phases in complex multiphase inorganic compounds. Although the CNN is trained using the simulated XRD data, a test with real experimental XRD data returns an accuracy of nearly 100% for phase identification and 86% for three-step-phase-fraction quantification.

In this study, Mo3Se3- single-chain atomic crystals (SCACs) with atomically small chain diameters of ∼0.6 nm, large surface areas, and mechanical flexibility were synthesized and investigated as an extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking scaffold material for tissue engineering applications. The proliferation of L-929 and MC3T3-E1 cell lines increased up to 268.4 ± 24.4% and 396.2 ± 8.1%, respectively, after 48 h of culturing with Mo3Se3- SCACs. More importantly, this extremely high proliferation was observed when the cells were treated with 200 μg mL-1 of Mo3Se3- SCACs, which is above the cytotoxic concentration of most nanomaterials reported earlier. An ECM-mimicking scaffold film prepared by coating Mo3Se3- SCACs on a glass substrate enabled the cells to adhere to the surface in a highly stretched manner at the initial stage of cell adhesion. Most cells cultured on the ECM-mimicking scaffold film remained alive; in contrast, a substantial number of cells cultured on glass substrates without the Mo3Se3- SCAC coating did not survive. This work not only proves the exceptional biocompatible and bioactive characteristics of the Mo3Se3- SCACs but also suggests that, as an ECM-mimicking scaffold material, Mo3Se3- SCACs can overcome several critical limitations of most other nanomaterials.

Aim The optimal time to measure serum albumin concentration (SAC) to predict prognosis in cardiac arrest (CA) survivors has not been elucidated. We aimed to compare the relationships between time-related SAC, optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), intracranial pressure (ICP), and neurological prognosis in CA survivors. Methods We undertook a retrospective study examining CA patients treated with target temperature management (TTM). ICP was measured using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and ONSD was obtained before TTM. SAC was measured repeatedly at 4–6 h intervals from the hospital arrival time. We analysed CSF pressure, ONSD, and minimum SAC (MSAC) separately, or in combination, to predict poor neurological outcome. Results Of 83 patients enrolled, the good outcome group comprised 25 (34%) patients. MSAC at 24 h (MSAC24) had a higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) (0.687; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.668–0.926) than other time points. CSF pressure showed a higher AUC (0.973; 95% CI, 0.911–0.996) than MSAC24 and ONSD (0.677; 95% CI, 0.565–0.776). In contrast to using MSAC24 and ONSD separately, the combination of both modalities resulted in a better AUC, thus improving the prediction of the neurological outcome (0.734; 95% CI, 0.626–0.825) and ICP (0.758; 95% CI, 0.651–0.845) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) from CA. Conclusion A higher ICP was strongly associated with and seemed predictive of poor outcome. Furthermore, the MSAC24/ONSD combination may be a useful predictor of high ICP and poor neurological outcome. Prospective studies should be conducted to confirm these results.

A narrow-band red emission is a seminal issue for establishing the color-rendering index and color gamut of phosphor-converted white light emitting diode (pc-WLED) applications. In this regard, Mn4+-activated K2SiF6 phosphors (referred to as K216) have recently attracted a great deal of attention after their successful commercialization. As with K216 phosphors, Mn4+-activated K3SiF7 (referred to as K317) phosphors perform in a manner that is similar to that of K216 phosphors and have been introduced as a narrow-band red phosphor. Despite the acceptable performances of both versions of phosphors, slower decay remains a shortcoming for applications to high-powered LEDs. We introduced K317 derivatives by replacing K with Rb and Cs. As a result, Mn4+-activated (Rb,Cs)3SiF7 phosphors were synthesized with different Rb:Cs ratios and exhibited faster decay times by comparison with both the K216 and the K317 phosphors. The present study involved both structural and luminescent investigations along with density fu...

OBJECTIVE Patients are often transported within the hospital, especially in cases of critical illness for which computed tomography (CT) is performed. Since increased transport time increases the risks of complications, reducing transport time is important for patient safety. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of our newly invented device, the Easy Tube Arrange Device (ETAD), to reduce transport time for CT evaluation in cases of critical illness. METHODS This prospective randomized control study included 60 volunteers. Each participant arranged five or six intravenous fluid lines, monitoring lines (noninvasive blood pressure, electrocardiography, central venous pressure, arterial catheter), and therapeutic equipment (O2 supply device, Foley catheter) on a Resusci Anne mannequin. We measured transport time for the CT evaluation by using conventional and ETAD method. RESULTS The median transport time for CT evaluation was 488.50 seconds (95% confidence interval [CI], 462.75 to 514.75) and, 503.50 seconds (95% CI, 489.50 to 526.75) with 5 and 6 fluid lines using the conventional method and 364.50 seconds (95% CI, 335.00 to 388.75), and 363.50 seconds (95% CI, 331.75 to 377.75) with ETAD (all P

The revolutionary concept of creating a large‐area tactile sensor by training a simple, bulky material through deep learning (DL) is proposed. This enables the replacement of the conventional tactile sensor comprising a patterned array structure with a super‐simple, single‐layer, large‐area tactile sensor pad. A crude carbon nanotube‐dispersed polydimethylsiloxane pad—with a bias applied to the center and the resultant piezoresistive current detected at several electrodes located on the pad edge—plays a smart sensory role without the need for complicated fabrication of microengineered structures. The piezoresistive current while recording the indented location and the pressure thereon is measured, and then various DL models (a multimodel arrangement is necessary due to the viscoelasticity of the pad) using the collected data are trained. The proposed concept is realized using a tandem model comprising a combination of algorithms selected from deep neural networks, convolutional neural networks, long short‐term memory networks, and 16 state‐of‐the‐art machine learning algorithms. The hold‐out dataset test accuracy for the indented location identification reaches 98.89%, and the goodness of fit for pressure prediction is evaluated with mean squared error of 2.5 × 10−3 and coefficient of determination of 98.05%.

Although polyethylene (PE) is one of the most frequently used synthetic polymers in the plastics market, it is very difficult to imprint or bond PE with adhesives without pre-treatments based upon electrical, chemical and thermal processes. This is because a uniform adhesion property of PE cannot be expected without these processes. In this study, we suggest a simple, fast and cost-effective method to improve the adhesion properties of PE using a Kapton tape, which is a polyimide film generally used in flexible electronics. Specifically, by wrapping PE substrates applied with an adhesive using a Kapton tape and curing the sample using either a hot-press or a hot plate, the standard deviation of the shear strength decreased by 82.1% and 87.6%, respectively. To further improve the adhesion of PE substrates, we functionalized their surface using coupling agents, such as (3-glycidoxypropyl) methyldiethoxysilane and (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane after an ultraviolet-ozone process. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vacuum Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, we proved that a significant improvement in the adhesion of PE occurred because of chemical crosslinking between either epoxy or amine groups functionalized on the PE substrates and epoxy-based adhesives comprising diglycidyl ether epoxy resin and triethylenetetramine hardener. This study is important, as it suggests a simple and very effective method to obtain highly reliable adhesion properties of PE using conventional adhesives.

The development of electrode materials with higher energy/power densities is crucial for magnesium batteries to become a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we describe a possible solution that involves high-voltage redox polymer (poly(vinyl carbazole), PVCz) cathodes and alloy-type anodes (3Mg/Mg2Sn) in Mg(TFSI)2/acetonitrile (TFSI = bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide). When low molecular weight PVCz is crosslinked (x-PVCz), the density of micro-to-macro pores and the electronic conductivity are remarkably enhanced, which enables the attainment of near theoretical capacities (122 mAh g−1) with a marginal voltage drop even at a rate of 2000 mA g−1 (14.3C). This corresponds to energy and power densities of 384 Wh kg−1 and 6300 W kg−1, respectively, which are incomparably high values for magnesium batteries. Their cyclic stability also is excellent, delivering 94.2% of the initial capacity during 2000 charge/discharge cycles. Magnesium-based dual ion batteries (MDIBs), which consist of de-magnesiated 3Mg/Mg2Sn anodes and x-PVCz cathodes in Mg(TFSI)2/acetonitrile, also retain the unique properties of x-PCVz. The discharge voltages are slightly decreased due to an alloy/de-alloy potential of 3Mg/Mg2Sn, but high energy/power densities and excellent cyclability are maintained. This work evidences the excellence of x-PVCz and hints the usefulness of MDIBs for the construction of viable magnesium batteries.

Though numerous types of humidity sensors have been proposed to date, the continuous emergence of new applications requires relentless improvements in sensor performance and a constant pursuit of new sensing materials. Herein, the composition of lithium aluminosilicates (LiAlSi2O6 and Li2Al2SiO6) that slightly absorb H2O molecules is tuned along with the addition of LiCl and Si2N3, in order to maximize the H2O adsorption. The optimal composition is discovered via use of a particle swarm optimization algorithm, which is a population-based metaheuristic approach. After three generations of searching, we finally develop Li2.10Al1.23Si1.54Cl0.05O5.95 (LAS-CNO), which shows the highest value of RRH=43 %/RRH=75 % (R is ionic resistance and RH is the relative humidity). Density-functional-theory calculation also reveals that the presence of Cl− and a vacancy defect on Al/Si sites contribute to preferential H2O adsorption on the (001) surface of LAS-CNO (hexagonal P6222). Accordingly, the magnitude of impedance (│Z│) at 100 Hz significantly varies from 200 MΩ (RH = ca. 0 %) to 1.0 kΩ (RH = 97 %), in contrast to relatively small decreases in │Z│ to 630 and 59 kΩ for LiAlSi2O6 and Li2Al2SiO6, respectively. An almost linear of │Z│ vs. RHs is also observed for RH values ranging between 9 and 97 %. Furthermore, the linearity is not weakened and the values of │Z│ are not significantly altered with measuring-frequencies. Due to strong H2O adsorption on LAS-CNO, hysteresis is noticeable between the adsorption and desorption processes, but other superior properties (sensitivity, stability, and linearity) validate that LAS-CNO could be a new humidity-sensing material.

Although thermal and mechanical effects of organo-silanized SiO2 nanofillers (NFs) incorporated into epoxy resins have been actively studied by many researchers, their chemical properties have rarely been reported. In this work, we investigated the chemical effects of organo-silanized SiO2 NFs on epoxy adhesives with (3-glycidoxypropyl) methyldiethoxysilane (GPTMS) and (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS)-functionalized SiO2 NFs. After curing epoxy-functionalized NF (EPOXY-NF) with triethylenetetramine (TETA) hardener, we were able to verify chemical crosslinking of the TETA hardener on EPOXY-NF with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, vacuum Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and zeta potential analysis. Similarly, we found that after curing amine-functionalized NF (NH2-NF) with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) epoxy resin, the resin was chemically crosslinked on NH2-NF as well. Finally, when we evaluated adhesion properties of adhesives composed of DGEBA resin/NH2-NF and TETA hardener/EPOXY-NF on the basis of ASTM D3163, we observed improvements in the shear strength of 79 and 49%, respectively, in comparison with bare SiO2 NF. This suggests that the chemical effects of organo-silanized SiO2 NFs indeed contribute to the adhesion properties of adhesives.

A metaheuristics-based design would be of great help in relieving the enormous experimental burdens faced during the combinatorial screening of a huge, multidimensional search space, while providing the same effect as total enumeration. In order to tackle the high-throughput powder processing complications and to secure practical phosphors, metaheuristics, an elitism-reinforced nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), was employed in this study. The NSGA-II iteration targeted two objective functions. The first was to search for a higher emission efficacy. The second was to search for narrow-band green color emissions. The NSGA-II iteration finally converged on BaLi2Al2Si2N6:Eu2+ phosphors in the Eu2+-doped Ca–Sr–Ba–Li–Mg–Al–Si–Ge–N compositional search space. The BaLi2Al2Si2N6:Eu2+ phosphor, which was synthesized with no human intervention via the assistance of NSGA-II, was a clear single phase and gave an acceptable luminescence. The BaLi2Al2Si2N6:Eu2+ phosphor as well as all other phosphors tha...

We developed a hybrid strain sensor by combining mechanoluminescent ZnS:Cu/rhodamine/SiO2/PDMS composites and piezoresistive CNT/PDMS for qualitative and quantitative analysis of onsite strain. The former guarantees a qualitative onsite measure of strain with red-light emission via mechanoluminescence (ML) and the latter takes part in accurate quantification of strain through the change in electrical resistance. The PDMS matrix enabled a strain sensing in a wider range of strain, spanning up to several hundred percent in comparison to the conventional rigid matrix composites and ceramic-based ML sensors. Red-light emission would be much more effective for the visualization of strain (or stress) when ML is used as a warning sign in actual applications such as social infrastructure safety diagnosis, emergency guide lighting, and more importantly, in biomedical applications such as in the diagnosis of motility and peristalsis disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite the realization of an efficient re...

Purpose Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels increase in patients with brain injury. We investigated neurologic outcomes associated with CSF LDH levels in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who underwent target temperature management (TTM). Materials and methods This was a prospective single-centre observational study from April 2018 to May 2019 on a cohort of 41 patients. CSF and serum LDH samples were obtained immediately (LDH0) and at 24 (LDH24), 48 (LDH48), and 72 h (LDH72) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Neurologic outcomes were assessed at 3 months after ROSC using the Cerebral Performance Category scale. Results Twenty-one patients had a poor neurologic outcome. CSF LDH levels were significantly higher in the poor neurologic outcome group at each time point. The area under the curve (AUC) of CSF LDH48 was 0.941 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.806–0.992). With a cut off value of 250 U/L, CSF LDH48 had a high sensitivity (94.1%; 95% CI, 71.3–99.9) at 100% specificity. Conclusions CSF LDH level at 48 h was a highly specific and sensitive marker for 3-month poor neurologic outcome. This may constitute a useful predictive marker for neurologic outcome in OHCA survivors treated with TTM.

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Aim Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels increase ahead of serum NSE levels in patients with severe brain injury. We examined the prognostic performance between CSF NSE and serum NSE levels in out-of-cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors who had undergone target temperature management (TTM). Methods This single-centre prospective observational study included OHCA patients who had undergone TTM. NSE levels were assessed in blood and CSF samples obtained immediately (Day 0), and at 24 h (Day 1), 48 h (Day 2), and 72 h (Day 3) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The primary outcome was the 6-month neurological outcome. Results We enrolled 34 patients (males, 24; 70.6%), and 16 (47.1%) had a poor neurologic outcome. CSF NSE and serum NSE values were significantly higher in the poor outcome group compared to the good outcome group at each time point, except for serum Day 0. CSF NSE and serum NSE had an area under curve (AUC) of 0.819–0.972 and 0.648–0.920, respectively. CSF NSE prognostic performances were significantly higher than serum NSE levels at Day 1 and showed excellent AUC values (0.969; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.844–0.999) and high sensitivity (93.8%; 95% CI 69.8–99.8) at 100% specificity. Conclusion We found CSF NSE values were highly predictive and sensitive markers of 6-month poor neurological outcome in OHCA survivors treated with TTM at Day 1 after ROSC. Therefore, CSF NSE levels at day 1 after ROSC can be a useful early prognosticator in OHCA survivors.

With the increase in high-rise building construction, failure to consider constructability in the design phase can result in huge wastes in the construction phase, as well as losing opportunities for design improvement. However, existing approaches for reflecting constructability rely heavily on reviews, resulting in an inefficient decision-making process. Thus, by considering appropriate timing and detail levels when applying construction knowledge, this study proposes a process for integrating constructability activities related to temporary work into the design phase in high-rise concrete buildings. Through an investigation of information-dependency relationships, 22 constructability activities were linked with 33 design activities. Further, these activities’ implementation processes were constructed based on optimized information flows from a partitioned dependency structure matrix. The results of this study can help a project team address constructability issues at the appropriate time during the design process and will contribute to improving the efficiency of the overall project operation in high-rise building construction.

This study aimed to determine whether accuracy and sensitivity concerning neurological prognostic performance increased for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) treated with targeted temperature management (TTM), using OHCA and cardiac arrest hospital prognosis (CAHP) scores and modified objective variables. We retrospectively analyzed non-traumatic OHCA survivors treated with TTM. The primary outcome was poor neurological outcome at 3 months after return of spontaneous circulation (cerebral performance category, 3–5). We compared neurological prognostic performance using existing models after adding objective data obtained before TTM from computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and biomarkers to replace the no-flow time component of the OHCA and CAHP models. Among 106 patients, 61 (57.5%) had poor neurologic outcomes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve for the OHCA and CAHP models was 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81–0.94) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.82–0.95), respectively. The prediction of poor neurological outcome improved after replacing no-flow time with a grey/white matter ratio measured using CT, high-signal intensity (HSI) on diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), percentage of voxel using apparent diffusion coefficient value, and serum neuron-specific enolase levels. When replaced with HSI on DWI, the AUROC and sensitivity of the OHCA and CAHP models were 0.96 and 74.5% and 0.97 and 83.8%, respectively (100% specificity). Prognoses concerning neurologic outcomes improved compared with existing OHCA and CAHP models by adding new objective variables to replace no-flow time. External validation is required to generalize these results in various contexts.

Binder systems can meet various requirements that include excellent fluidity of injection, good strength of a green body, and rapid thermal debinding. This, however, can be a complex process, and novel binders for practical use in nano powder injection molding (NPIM) as well as in μ powder injection molding (μPIM) can be hidden in a multi-compositional search space that contains an almost infinite number of combinations of well-known waxes, polymers, and surfactants. To establish novel binder materials systematically from a carefully chosen, 7-dimensional search space of (Carnauba wax (CW) - Emulsifying wax (EW) - Paraffin wax (PW)) - (Polyethylene glycol 20,000 (PEG20000) - Ethylene–vinyl acetate (EVA) - Polypropylene (PP)) – (Stearic acid (SA)) a metaheuristics optimization strategy, such as the elitism-involved non-dominated-sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), was coupled with a virtual combinatorial materials search (VCMS) involving the hybrid evaluation of multi-objective functions on the basis of a semi-theoretical and semi-empirical approach. Although the process started with random compositions, it eventually converged into a series of new quaternary compositions including EW, PW, PEG20000, and SA that show strong potential for practical applications to NPIM and μPIM.

A solid-state combinatorial chemistry approach, which used the A–Ge–O (A = Li, K, Rb) system doped with a small amount of Mn4+ as an activator, was adopted in a search for novel red-emitting phosphors. The A site may have been composed of either a single alkali metal ion or of a combination of them. This approach led to the discovery of a novel phosphor in the above system with the chemical formula Li3RbGe8O18:Mn4+. The crystal structure of this novel phosphor was solved via direct methods, and subsequent Rietveld refinement revealed a trigonal structure in the P31m space group. The discovered phosphor is believed to be novel in the sense that neither the crystal structure nor the chemical formula matches any of the prototype structures available in the crystallographic information database (ICDD or ICSD). The measured photoluminescence intensity that peaked at a wavelength of 667 nm was found to be much higher than the best intensity obtained among all the existing A2Ge4O9 (A = Li, K, Rb) compounds in t...

Objective Critically ill patients sometimes require transport to another location. Longer intra-hospital transport time increases the risk of hemodynamic instability and associated complications. Therefore, reducing intra-hospital transport time is critical. Our objective was to evaluate whether or not a new device the easy tube arrange device (ETAD) has the potential to reduce intra-hospital transport time of critically ill patients. Methods We enrolled volunteers for this prospective randomized controlled study. Each participant arranged four, five, and six fluid tubings, monitoring lines, and therapeutic equipment on a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training mannequin (Resusci Anne). The time required to arrange the fluid tubings for intra-hospital transport using two different methods was evaluated. Results The median time to arrange four, five, and six fluid tubings was 86.00 (76.50 to 98.50), 96.00 (86.00 to 113.00), and 115.50 (93.00 to 130.75) seconds, respectively, using the conventional method and 60.50 (52.50 to 72.75), 69.00 (57.75 to 80.80), and 72.50 (64.75 to 90.50) seconds using the ETAD (all P

OBJECTIVE We investigated whether patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to an acute myocardial infarction without cardiogenic shock required higher doses of vasopressors with low targeted temperature management (TTM) after return of spontaneous circulation. METHODS We included consecutive comatose patients resuscitated from OHCA between January 2011 and December 2013. Patients with return of spontaneous circulation, regional wall motion abnormality on echocardiography, and coronary artery stenosis of ≥70% on percutaneous coronary artery angiography were enrolled. These patients received 36°C TTM or 33°C TTM following approval of TTM by patients' next-of-kin (36°C and 33°C TTM groups, respectively). The cumulative vasopressor index was compared between groups. RESULTS During induction phase, dose of vasopressors did not differ between groups. In the maintenance phase, the norepinephrine dose was 0.37±0.57 and 0.26±0.91 µg·kg-1·min-1 in the 33°C and 36°C TTM groups, respectively (P

The stability of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in biological samples is very important for their biomedical applications. Although various molecules such as polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), phosphine, DNA, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been used to stabilize AuNPs, it is still very difficult to stabilize large AuNPs. As a result, biomedical applications of large (30-100 nm) AuNPs are limited, even though they possess more favorable optical properties and are easier to be taken up by cells than smaller AuNPs. To overcome this limitation, we herein report a novel method of preparing large (30-100 nm) AuNPs with a high colloidal stability and facile chemical or biological functionality, via surface passivation with an amphiphilic polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). This PVP passivation results in an extraordinary colloidal stability for 13, 30, 50, 70, and 100 nm AuNPs to be stabilized in PBS for at least 3 months. More importantly, the PVP capped AuNPs (AuNP-PVP) were also resistant to protein adsorption in the presence of serum containing media and exhibit a negligible cytotoxicity. The AuNP-PVPs functionalized with a DNA aptamer AS1411 remain biologically active, resulting in significant increase in the uptake of the AuNPs (∼12,200 AuNPs per cell) in comparison with AuNPs capped by a control DNA of the same length. The novel method developed in this study to stabilize large AuNPs with high colloidal stability and biological activity will allow much wider applications of these large AuNPs for biomedical applications, such as cellular imaging, molecular diagnosis, and targeted therapy.

To reduce the time required for suture closure for central venous catheterization, a new procedure was developed using a continuous suture technique. The present study was conducted to investigate the usefulness of this method.The study was conducted with 90 volunteers among the doctors in the university hospital. Preliminary training (using video) on the two fixation methods was given to the participants prior to the experiment. After applying the central vein of the pig skin, a suture up to the butterfly seal was prepared, and the participant was allowed to fix the suture using the classic method and the new method. The time required for suturing was measured in seconds, and the tension was determined using a tension measuring device after suturing.When using the new "one-time method," the time required was shortened by about 20.50s on average compared with the conventional method (P0.001). The median and quartile of the tension of the thread for the one-time method was 1.10kg (1.00-1.20kg) and of the conventional method was 1.10kg (1.00-1.20kg), which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.476).We found that the new one-time method provided faster and more convenient central catheterization and catheter securement than the conventional methods.

We examined whether combining biomarkers measurements and brain images early after the return of spontaneous circulation improves prognostic performance compared with the use of either biomarkers or brain images for patients with cardiac arrest following target temperature management (TTM). This retrospective observational study involved comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. We analyzed neuron-specific enolase levels in serum (NSE) or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), grey-to-white matter ratio by brain computed tomography, presence of high signal intensity (HSI) in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and voxel-based apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Of the 58 patients, 33 (56.9%) had poor neurologic outcomes. CSF NSE levels showed better prognostic performance (area under the curve (AUC) 0.873, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.749&ndash, 0.950) than serum NSE levels (AUC 0.792, 95% CI 0.644&ndash, 0.888). HSI in DWI showed the best prognostic performance (AUC 0.833, 95% CI 0.711&ndash, 0.919). Combining CSF NSE levels and HSI in DWI had better prognostic performance (AUC 0.925, 95% CI 0.813&ndash, 0.981) than each individual method, followed by the combination of serum NSE levels and HSI on DWI and that of CSF NSE levels and the percentage of voxels of ADC (AUC 0.901, 95% CI 0.792&ndash, 0.965, AUC 0.849, 95% CI 0.717&ndash, 0.935, respectively). Combining CSF/serum NSE levels and HSI in DWI before TTM improved the prognostic performance compared to either each individual method or other combinations.

The present study aimed to compare the ventricular enhancement time between humeral intraosseous access (HIO) and brachial intravenous access (BIV) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in adult humans. To our knowledge, this is the first such study during CPR in adult humans.This prospective single-centre observational cohort study assessed the medical records of patients who underwent CPR between January 2018 and March 2018. The primary endpoints were the left and right ventricular enhancement (LVE and RVE, respectively) times after administration of a microbubble contrast agent via HIO or BIV. Continuous variables are reported as means and standard deviations depending on normal distribution, while categorical variables are reported as frequencies and percentages. The paired t-test and analysis of variance were used to compare HIO and BIV. Differences were considered significant at a P-value0.05.The study included 10 patients. The HIO time (15.60 ± 6.45 s) was significantly lower than the BIV time (20.80 ± 7.05 s; P = 0.009). The RVE time was significantly lower with HIO (5.60 ± 1.71 s) than with BIV (15.40 ± 3.24 s; P 0.001). Additionally, the LVE time was significantly lower with HIO (120.20 ± 4.18 s) than with BIV (132.00 ± 3.09 s; P 0.001).Our results indicated that the arrival times of a drug at the right and left ventricles are significantly lower with HIO than with BIV in an adult cardiac arrest model.

Background We hypothesized that the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire during insertion into the internal jugular vein (IJV) might determine its ultimate location. Methods In this study, 300 patients between the ages of 18 and 99 years who required central venous catheterization via IJV in the emergency department enrolled for randomization. IVJ catheterization was successful in 285 of 300 patients. An independent operator randomly prefixed the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire to one of three directions. Based on the direction of the J-tip, patients were allocated into three groups: the J-tip medial-directed group (Group A), the lateral-directed group (Group B), or the downward-directed group (Group C). Postoperative chest radiography was performed on all patients in order to visualize the location of the catheter tip. A catheter is considered malpositioned if it is not located in the superior vena cava or right atrium. Results Of the total malpositioned catheter tips (8 of 285; 2.8%), the majority (5 of 8; 62.5%) entered the contralateral subclavian vein, 2 (25.0%) were complicated by looping, and 1 (12.5%) entered the ipsilateral subclavian vein. According to the direction of the J-tip of the guidewire, the incidence of malpositioning of the catheter tip was 4 of 92 in Group A (4.3%), 4 of 96 in Group B (4.2%), and there were no malpositions in Group C. There were no significant differences among the three groups (p = 0.114). Conclusions The direction of the J-tip of the guidewire had no statistically significant effect on incidence of malpositioned tips.