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Tooth loss, which usually leads to malnutrition, is common in the elderly. However, limited information is available regarding its association with sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between loss of occlusal pairs of tooth and sarcopenia.A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed.The elderly who participated in the National Basic Public Health Project in the Maigaoqiao Community Medical Center in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.A total of 2850 individuals aged ≥60 years were enrolled.Sarcopenia was defined according to the criteria proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. A trained dentist assessed oral health status and counted the number of present teeth. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the loss of occlusal pairs and sarcopenia.The prevalence of sarcopenia was 7.1% (201/2850). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that loss of occlusal pairs was associated with sarcopenia [anterior occlusal pairs (AOPs): odd ratio (OR) = 1.292, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.158-1.442; posterior occlusal pairs (POPs): OR = 1.147, 95% CI = 1.018-1.221]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that loss of POPs was still an independent risk for sarcopenia (OR = 1.108, 95% CI = 1.007-1.220) after adjustment for traditional confounders. Subgroup analysis showed that loss of POPs was more significantly linked to sarcopenia in those with advanced age (≥80years) (OR = 1.307, 95% CI = 1.116-1.532) and in females (OR = 1.165, 95%CI = 1.038-1.308). Compared to individuals with ≥5 occluding pairs of POPs, those with5 occluding pairs of POPs had a higher incidence of sarcopenia.Loss of POPs is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia in the elderly in a Chinese population. Further research on the mechanism of the observed causal relationship is needed.

Self-driving car technology has become increasingly popular in recent years. Traditionally, these cars rely on GNSS and INS, but limitations in urban environments can affect their effectiveness. GNSS technology has developed to address this issue, but it still has limitations in certain environments. LiDAR technology has emerged as a solution to obtain high-precision point cloud maps and SLAM technology is now used to integrate these maps with sensor data, such as cameras, to achieve precise positioning. This enables visual SLAM to be performed in environments where GNSS signals are blocked. In this research, we aim to use SLAM technology to obtain posterior environmental information and match it with prior high-precision point cloud maps. The research will start with hardware configuration, actual measurement and analysis of SLAM algorithms, and 3D point cloud matching methods. Results and benefits will be analysed to compare the advantages and disadvantages of point cloud matching algorithms and applicable hardware.

Vortices are topological defects of type-II superconductors in an external magnetic field. In a similar fashion to a quantum anomalous Hall insulator, quantum anomalous vortex (QAV) spontaneously nucleates due to orbital-and-spin exchange interaction between vortex core states and magnetic impurity moment, breaking time-reversal symmetry (TRS) of the vortex without an external field. Here, we used scanning superconducting quantum interference device microscopy (sSQUID) to search for its signatures in iron-chalcogenide superconductor Fe(Se,Te). Under zero magnetic field, we found a stochastic distribution of isolated anomalous vortices and antivortices with flux quanta $\Phi_0$. By applying a small local magnetic field under the coil of the nano-SQUID device, we observed hysteretic flipping of the vortices reminiscent of the switching of ferromagnetic domains, suggesting locally broken-TRS. We further showed vectorial rotation of a flux line linking a paired vortex-antivortex with the local field. These unique properties of the anomalous vortices satisfied the defining criteria of QAV. Our observation suggests a quantum vortex phase with spontaneous broken-TRS in a high-temperature superconductor.

Water gas shift (WGS) reaction enhanced by a membrane reactor technology has emerged as a high-efficiency alternative to conventional fixed-bed reactors in integrated gasification combined cycle (I...

A reaction of [Mo(CH3CN)2(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(Br)] (complex 1) and (Et4N)[Se2PPh2] (complex 2) produces a κ2-diselenophosphinate molybdenum [Mo(CH3CN)(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(κ2-Se2PPh2)] complex (complex 3). Treatment of 3 with 1,10-phenanthroline, C12H8N2, yields a κ1-diselenophosphinate [Mo(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(κ2-Phen)(κ1-Se2PPh2)] complex (complex 4). The coordination geometry around the molybdenum atom of complexes 3 and 4 is octahedral with acetonitrile, allyl, two carbonyls, and two selenium atoms and allyl, two carbonyls, two nitrogen atoms of the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, and one selenium atom, occupying six-coordination sites, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, complexes 3 and 4 are the first diselenophosphinate molybdenum allyl complexes. Complexes 3 and 4 are characterized through the elemental analysis, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Wireless devices for environmental and health monitoring require the development of stable and highly sensitive thin metal oxide gas-sensing films. This paper reports one-step Langmuir–Blodgett ass...

Ceramic-supported Teflon AF2400 hollow fiber membrane contactors for dissolved gas-in-oil extraction has gained importance in online dissolved gas analysis (DGA) monitoring. An improved understandi...

Various methods of evaluating a humectant’s moisture retention have unique mechanisms. Hence, for designing advanced or efficient ingredients of cosmetic products, a clear understanding of differences among methods is required. The aim of this study was to analyze the moisture-retention capacity of glycerin, a common ingredient in cosmetic products. Specifically, this study applied gravimetric analysis, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to examine the evaporation of glycerin solutions of different concentrations. The results revealed that the moisture-retention capacity of glycerin increased with the glycerin concentration from 0 to 60 wt%, and glycerin at concentration of 60–70 wt% did not exhibit weight change during the evaporation process. When the glycerin concentration exceeded 70 wt%, moisture sorption occurred in the glycerin solution. Furthermore, the results revealed a deviation between the evaporation rates measured using gravimetric analysis and those measured using TEWL analysis. However, normalizing the results of these analyses yielded the relative evaporation rates to water, which were consistent between these two analyses. DSC thermograms further confirmed the consistent results and identified two hydrated water microstructures (nonfreezable water and free water) in the glycerin solutions, which explained why the measured evaporation rate decreased with the glycerin concentration. These findings can be applied to prove the moisture-retention capacity of a humectant in cosmetic products by different measuring methods.

The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2235371 ( IRF6 V274I) is associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in Han Chinese and other populations but appears to be without a functional effect. To find the common etiologic variant or variants within the haplotype tagged by rs2235371, we carried out targeted sequencing of an interval containing IRF6 in 159 Han Chinese with NSCL/P. This study revealed that the SNP rs12403599, within the IRF6 promoter, is associated with all phenotypes of NSCL/P, especially nonsyndromic cleft lip (NSCLO) and a subphenotype of it, microform cleft lip (MCL). This association was replicated in 2 additional much larger cohorts of cases and controls from the Han Chinese. Conditional logistic analysis indicated that association of rs2235371 with NSCL/P was lost if rs12403599 was excluded. rs12403599 contributes the most risk to MCL: its G allele is responsible for 38.47% of the genetic contribution to MCL, and the odds ratios of G/C and G/G genotypes were 2.91 and 6.58, respectively, for MCL. To test if rs12403599 is functional, we carried out reporter assays in a fetal oral epithelium cells (GMSM-K). Unexpectedly, the risk allele G yielded higher promoter activity in GMSM-K. Consistent with the reporter studies, expression of IRF6 in lip tissues from NSCLO and MCL patients with the G/G phenotype was higher than in those from patients with the C/C phenotype. These results indicate that rs12403599 is tagging the risk haplotype for NSCL/P better than rs2235371 in Han Chinese and supports investigation of the mechanisms by which the allele of rs12403599 affects IRF6 expression and tests of this association in different populations.

Membrane-based dissolved gas extraction from transformer oil has been gaining importance in dissolved gas analysis (DGA). However, there lacks a systematic study on the transport of dissolved gases...

A reaction of Pd(PPh3)4 (complex 1) and 2-chloroquinoline C9H6NCl in a 1:1 molar ratio produces a mononuclear [Pd(PPh3)2{κ1-C9H6NB}(Cl)] complex (complex 2) and a binuclear [Pd(PPh3)2Cl]2{μ,κ2-C9H6N} complex (complex 3). In complex 3, each of quinoline units is bridged through the carbon atom of quinoline groups to one metal center and the nitrogen atom to another metal, forming a six-membered ring with the boat-like geometry. Complexes 2 and 3 are characterized by the elemental analysis, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction.

The recent development of salt-concentrated electrolytes with fire-retarding solvents has paved the route to resolve the safety concerns of electrolytes in Li-ion batteries. However, these salt-concentrated electrolytes have an inherently high viscosity and low wettability on commercially dominant polymeric separators, which inhibits them from filling the pores of separators and electrodes leading to performance issues in the battery. Here we report electrode (cathode)-coated zeolite (silicalite) separators synthesized using a scalable blade-coating process. These separators show a much higher wettability and electrolyte uptake towards these electrolytes due to their higher surface energy and intra-particle micropores, resulting in a uniform Li-ion concentration gradient. The zeolite separator also has a much higher porosity (80%) than the PP (39%) separator resulting in a higher electrolyte loading and hence upgraded electrochemical performance. These coated zeolite separators when used in full cells with salt-concentrated electrolytes demonstrate a 15% higher charge retention in long-term cycling and lower charge transfer and SEI resistance compared to the PP separator, as a result of a more uniform lithium ion concentration profile. Moreover, with 1C-rate cycling, the silicalite separator realizes about 20% higher capacity than the PP separator, while losing about 11% of its capacity as compared to the 25% capacity lost by the PP separator, post 50 cycles. The combination of non-combustible, highly electrolyte wettable and industrially scalable zeolite separators combined with a fire-retarding electrolyte provides an effective approach for developing high performance and safe Li-ion batteries.

A reaction of [Mo(CH3CN)2(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(Br)] (complex 1) and (Et4N)[Se2PPh2] (complex 2) produces a κ2-diselenophosphinate molybdenum [Mo(CH3CN)(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(κ2-Se2PPh2)] complex (complex 3). Treatment of 3 with 1,10-phenanthroline, C12H8N2, yields a κ1-diseleno­phosphinate [Mo(κ3-C3H5)(CO)2(κ2-Phen)(κ1-Se2PPh2)] complex (complex 4). The coordination geometry around the molybdenum atom of complexes 3 and 4 is octahedral with aceto­nitrile, allyl, two carbonyls, and two selenium atoms and allyl, two carbonyls, two nitrogen atoms of the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, and one selenium atom, occupying six-coordination sites, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, complexes 3 and 4 are the first diselenophosphinate molybdenum allyl complexes. Complexes 3 and 4 are characterized through the elemental analysis, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction.

The application of catalytic mixed conducting ceramic membrane reactors shows great promise for industrial processes to produce value-added chemicals. A catalytic membrane reactor combines separation and reaction in one unit and also synergistically enhances the membrane permeability and catalyst activity, resulting in process intensification. This article presents a review on the development of O2 permeable, H2 permeable and CO2 permeable catalytic mixed conducting ceramic membrane reactors for methane conversion. The majority of such studies focus on the application of O2 permeable ceramic membrane reactors while fewer applications of H2 permeable and CO2 permeable ceramic membrane reactors have been reported. These catalytic mixed conducting ceramic membrane reactors are mainly applied in several CH4 conversion reactions, such as partial oxidation of methane (POM), steam reforming of methane (SRM), dry reforming of methane (DRM), oxidative/nonoxidative coupling of methane (OCM/NCM), and methane aromatization (MA), and bifunctional membrane reactors. The performance, advantages and challenges of catalytic membrane reactors for various reactions are summarized and discussed. Finally, the prospects and direction of future development of mixed conducting membranes for industrial application are discussed and highlighted.

In order to ensure good performance and long-term reliability of fan-out package, the interfacial strength of Underfill (UF) and polymer (PM) lamination plays an important role because of physical strength and electrical requirement. Accordingly, the present study presents a combined experimental and finite element modeling approach for quantitatively determining the interfacial adhesive strength of UF-PM structures. In the proposed approach, four points bending (FPB) testing is used to evaluate the adhesion strength between UF-PM. The test results are used to determine the critical strain energy release rate ( $G_{c}$ ) at the UF-PM interface. The experimental results are then taken as a reference for finite element (FE) simulations. The virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) in FE model is introduced here for risk assessment such as delamination or crack risk at the interface of UF-PM. In general, the results confirm that the proposed predictive modeling approach provides an effective means of evaluating the delamination risk in UF-PM systems. As such, it provides a convenient and cost-effective method for evaluating the new material interface of UF-PM.

Underfill (UF) polymer (PM) structures are becoming increasingly popular in fan-out packages because they exhibit several advantages, such as protection from mechanical stress and package- to-system electrical and thermal conductivity. The laminate integrity of UF-PM interfaces plays a crucial role in determining fan-out package performance and long-term reliability. In this study, we presented a fracture-mechanics-based experimental method and finite element method to quantitatively determine the interfacial adhesive performance of UF PMs. The adhesion in the UF-PM interface was experimentally characterized using the four-point bending (4PB) test. Unlike the stud-pull test, which is widely used in industry, fracture toughness can be characterized using the (4PB) test, which is effective in determining not only the interfacial strength but also the critical strain energy release rate (Gc). Furthermore, an underfill polymer structure design was simulated based on the fracture modeling methodology in which the virtual crack closure technique (also known as virtual crack closure integral) was applied to estimate strain energy release rate (G) at a specific UF-PM interface. This result revealed that the proposed predictive modeling approach could successfully evaluate the risk of delamination. Crucially, these techniques can be applied to rapidly evaluate new UF and polymer material selection strategies and to examine the effect of process modification on adhesive performance in various environments.

We report a facile surface fluorination strategy for restricting Pt nanoparticle sintering through providing anchoring sites on the TiO2 support and enhancing metal-support interaction via improved electronic interaction without sacrificing the active sites. The fluorine-tailored Pt/TiO2 exhibits excellent sintering resistance and significant activity enhancement in the catalytic oxidation of toluene.

We demonstrate an elliptical dual balun structure for 94 GHz image radar transceiver. The results of two prototypes with small chip size of 0.0256 mm2 are reported. For the first one (i.e. dual bal...

Steam reforming of methane (SRM) for hydrogen production with simultaneous CO2 removal in a CO2-permselective membrane reactor is studied experimentally and analyzed by a mathematical model. The membrane consists of a thick porous BYS (Bi1.5Y0.3Sm0.2O3-δ)-SDC (Sm0.2Ce0.8O2-δ) support layer and a thin, dense SDC-carbonate dual-phase layer (∼150 μm) for CO2 separation. Experimental results of CO2 permeation in the BYS-SDC membrane and SRM reactions in a fixed-bed reactor were conducted to obtain the CO2 permeation and SRM reaction rate parameters for the model. The model's reliability is confirmed by comparing the simulation results with atmospheric pressure experimental data for SRM in the BYS-SDC membrane reactor. Simulation results are presented to show the effects of permeation number (θ) and Damkohler number (Da) (which respectively represent membrane CO2 permeance and SRM reaction rate), feed pressure in the reaction side, and sweep side conditions on the performance of SRM in the membrane reactor. Overall, increasing θ results in an increase of H2 yield, retentate H2 concentration, CO2 recovery, and a decrease of retentate CO concentration, with such effects being enhanced at higher Da and feed pressure or vacuum in the sweep side. CO2 permeance affects CH4 conversion only at high feed pressures. At feed pressure of 5 atm and applying vacuum at the sweep side of the membrane reactor, the simulation results show that the membrane reactor can achieve over 99% CH4 conversion, H2 yield, and CO2 recovery and produce an essentially pure H2 stream with zero CO concentration at Da >10,000 and θ > 1.

The most common products obtained in the synthesis of zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (ZrMOFs) are fine powders. The particle size of a typical ZrMOF UiO-66 was first reported to be around...

Two multilayer bonding structures have been designed to die-bond light-emitting diode (LED) chips on Ag/Cu thermal substrate, viz. Sn/ZnBi/Sn bilayer solder structure and Sn/BiZnBi/Sn sandwich solder structure. Both multilayer bonding structures successfully achieved LED chip die-attachment on Ag/Cu thermal substrate at relatively low temperature of 150°C. However, voids formed more seriously at the bonding interface for the Sn/ZnBi/Sn bilayer structure. On the other hand, little voiding was seen at the bonding interface for the Sn/BiZnBi/Sn sandwich structure. The average shear strength of the Sn/ZnBi/Sn bilayer solder structure and Sn/BiZnBi/Sn sandwich solder structure was 25 MPa and 40 MPa, respectively. We believe that the improved shear strength results for the sandwich solder structure compared with the bilayer solder structure are mainly due to less voiding at the bonding interface, which weakens the interface joint shear strength. Also, the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) jointing region at the joint interface of the sandwich solder structure was larger than at the joint interface of the bilayer solder structure. We believe that the IMC jointing at the interface could improve the die-bonding strength, while the Zn content in the bonding structure promoted voiding at the bonding interface for both solder structures. Moreover, the Zn content in the bonding structure slightly reduced the IMC joint region at the bonding interface for both solder structures.

Coating commercial porous polyolefin separators with inorganic materials can improve the thermal stability of the polyolefin separators and hence improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries. Several different inorganic materials have been studied for the coating. However, there lacks a study on how different inorganic materials affect the properties of separators, in terms of thermal stability and cell performance. Herein, we present such a study on coating a commercial polypropylene separator with four inorganic materials, i.e., Al2O3, SiO2, ZrO2 and zeolite. All inorganic coatings have improved thermal stability of the separators although with differences. The coating layers add 28%–45% of electrical resistance compared with the pure polypropylene separator, but all the cells prepared with the coated polypropylene separators have the same electrical chemical performance as the uncoated separator in terms of rate capability and capacities at different temperatures.

A 90–96 GHz down-conversion mixer for 94 GHz image radar sensors using standard 90 nm CMOS technology is reported. RF negative resistance compensation (NRC) technique, i.e. NMOS LC-oscillator-based RF transconductance (GM) stage load, is used to increase the output impedance and suppress the feedback capacitance Cgd of RF GM stage. Hence, conversion gain (CG), noise figure (NF) and LO-RF isolation of the mixer can be enhanced. The mixer consumes 15 mW and achieves excellent RF-port input reflection coefficient of −10∼−36.4 dB for frequencies of 85∼105 GHz. The corresponding −10 dB input matching bandwidth is 20 GHz. In addition, for frequencies of 90∼96 GHz, the mixer achieves CG of 6.3∼9 dB (the corresponding 3-dB CG bandwidth is greater than 6 GHz) and LO-RF isolation of 40∼45.1 dB, one of the best CG and LO-RF isolation results ever reported for a down-conversion mixer with operation frequency around 94 GHz. Furthermore, the mixer achieves an excellent input third-order intercept point (IIP3) of 1 dBm at 94 GHz. These results demonstrate the proposed down-conversion mixer architecture is very promising for 94 GHz image radar sensors.

The ability to tailor the pore structure of metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes enables synthesis of new or modified MOF membranes with enhanced separation characteristics. This work employs a modified version of solvent-assisted ligand exchange, termed membrane surface ligand exchange (MSLE), to modify the pore structure of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes. This paper is the first to perform a time-based, ex situ characterization and gas permeation study of ZIF-8 MSLE with 5,6-DBIM (DBIM, dimethylbenzimidazole) to effectively narrow the ZIF-8 pores, enhance light hydrocarbon gas-phase separations, and give insight into the exchange mechanism with respect to time and temperature. The results show that relatively fast exchange kinetics occur mainly at the outer surface of the ZIF-8 membrane during the initial 30 min of exchange and enables significant (40-70%) increases in propylene/propane selectivity with minimal (10-20%) propylene permeance losses for the modified ZIF-8 membranes. We postulate as the reaction time proceeds, the ligand-exchange rate slows as the DBIM linker diffuses into the ZIF-8 membrane beyond the external surface, exchanges with the original linker, disrupts the original framework's crystallinity, and then increases long-range order/crystallinity as the reaction proceeds. The H2/C2 separation factor increases with increased 5,6-DBIM content in the ZIF-8 framework which is facilitated by increased MSLE time and reaction temperature.