The microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of (Bi1 /2Na1/2)TiO3-6BaTiO3 doped with Nb5+, Co3+ or La3+ were studied as lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. Doping with Co3+ enhanced the ...piezoelectric coefficient (d33) and lowered dielectric loss. The intermediate phase transition of the Co3+-doped system almost disappeared. 10 refs.
Abstract
Composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) offer manufacturing feasibility and outstanding mechanical flexibility. However, the low ionic conductivity of the ...CPEs at room temperature, as well as the poor mechanical properties, have hindered their commercialization. In this work, Solid-state electrolytes based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) with and without fumed SiO
2
(FS) nanoparticles are prepared by electrostatic spinning process. The as-spun PEO hybrid nanofiber electrolyte with 6.85 wt% FS has a relatively high lithium ion conductivity and electrochemical stability, which is 4.8 × 10
-4
S/cm and up to 5.2 V
vs.
Li
+
/Li, respectively. Furthermore, it also shows a higher tensile strength (2.03 MPa) with % elongation at break (561.8). Due to the superior electrochemical and mechanical properties, it is promising as high-safety and all-solid-state polymer electrolyte for advanced Li-metal battery.
Summary
We compared the McGrath® Series 5 videolaryngoscope with the Macintosh laryngoscope for double‐lumen tracheal tube placement in patients with a predicted good glottic view on assessment of ...the airway. An initial laryngoscopy was performed using the Macintosh laryngoscope; 96 patients with Cormack and Lehane grade‐1 or ‐2a views were randomly assigned to undergo intubation using either the McGrath or Macintosh device. Compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope, the McGrath videolaryngoscope provided more Cormack and Lehane grade‐1 views (47 (97.9%) vs 29 (60.4%), p < 0.05), a longer mean (SD) intubation time (39.6 (10.0) s vs 24.4 (7.3) s, p < 0.05) and a higher incidence of double‐lumen tube malposition (6 (12.5%) vs 0, p < 0.05). However, in 18 non‐randomised patients with Cormack and Lehane grade ≥ 2b on initial laryngoscopy using the Macintosh, the glottic view was improved on intubation with the McGrath videolaryngoscope, with a total success rate of double‐lumen tube placement of 94.4% and mean (SD) intubation time of 50.0 (18.6) s. We recommend that in patients with a low airway risk index score requiring intubation with a double‐lumen tracheal tube, the Macintosh laryngoscope is used as the first device and the McGrath videolaryngoscope is used only if this provides a poor glottic view.
We use entropy to characterize intrinsic ageing properties of the human brain. Analysis of fMRI data from a large dataset of individuals, using resting state BOLD signals, demonstrated that a ...functional entropy associated with brain activity increases with age. During an average lifespan, the entropy, which was calculated from a population of individuals, increased by approximately 0.1 bits, due to correlations in BOLD activity becoming more widely distributed. We attribute this to the number of excitatory neurons and the excitatory conductance decreasing with age. Incorporating these properties into a computational model leads to quantitatively similar results to the fMRI data. Our dataset involved males and females and we found significant differences between them. The entropy of males at birth was lower than that of females. However, the entropies of the two sexes increase at different rates, and intersect at approximately 50 years; after this age, males have a larger entropy.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Five novel susceptibility genes (TNIP1, ...SLC15A4, ETS1, RasGRP3 and IKZF1) for SLE have been identified in a recent genome-wide association study of a Chinese Han population. This study investigated their relationships with disease subphenotypes, including renal nephritis, photosensitivity, antinuclear antibody (ANA), age at diagnosis, malar rash, discoid rash, immunological disorder, oral ulcer, hematological disorder, neurological disorder, serositis, arthritis and vasculitis. Significant associations were found for the single nucleotide polymorphism rs10036748 of TNIP1 with photosensitivity (odds ratio (OR) = 0.87, p = 0.01) and vasculitis (OR = 1.18, p = 0.04); rs10847697 of SLC15A4 with discoid rash (OR = 1.18, p = 0.02); rs6590330 of ETS1 with SLE of age at diagnosis <20 years (OR = 1.24, p = 8.91 × 10-5); rs13385731 of RasGRP3 with malar rash (OR = 1.20, p = 0.01), discoid rash (OR = 0.78, p = 0.02) and ANA (OR = 0.72, p = 0.004); rs4917014 of IKZF1 with renal nephritis (OR = 1.13, p = 0.02) and malar rash (OR = 0.83, p = 0.00038), respectively. The study suggested that these susceptibility genes might not only play important roles in the development of SLE, but also contribute to the complex phenotypes of SLE. Lupus (2010) 19, 1181—1186.
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite RNA virus that requires the hepatitis B virus (HBV) for assembly and propagation. Individuals infected with HDV progress to advanced liver disease faster ...than HBV-monoinfected individuals. Recent studies have estimated the global prevalence of anti-HDV antibodies among the HBV-infected population to be 5-15%. This study aimed to better understand HDV prevalence at the population level in 25 countries/territories.
We conducted a literature review to determine the prevalence of anti-HDV and HDV RNA in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals in 25 countries/territories. Virtual meetings were held with experts from each setting to discuss the findings and collect unpublished data. Data were weighted for patient segments and regional heterogeneity to estimate the prevalence in the HBV-infected population. The findings were then combined with The Polaris Observatory HBV data to estimate the anti-HDV and HDV RNA prevalence in each country/territory at the population level.
After adjusting for geographical distribution, disease stage and special populations, the anti-HDV prevalence among the HBsAg+ population changed from the literature estimate in 19 countries. The highest anti-HDV prevalence was 60.1% in Mongolia. Once adjusted for the size of the HBsAg+ population and HDV RNA positivity rate, China had the highest absolute number of HDV RNA+ cases.
We found substantially lower HDV prevalence than previously reported, as prior meta-analyses primarily focused on studies conducted in groups/regions that have a higher probability of HBV infection: tertiary care centers, specific risk groups or geographical regions. There is large uncertainty in HDV prevalence estimates. The implementation of reflex testing would improve estimates, while also allowing earlier linkage to care for HDV RNA+ individuals. The logistical and economic burden of reflex testing on the health system would be limited, as only HBsAg+ cases would be screened.
There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the prevalence of hepatitis delta virus among people living with hepatitis B virus at the population level. In this study, we aimed to better understand the burden in 25 countries and territories, to refine techniques that can be used in future analyses. We found a lower prevalence in the majority of places studied than had been previously reported. These data can help inform policy makers on the need to screen people living with hepatitis B virus to find those coinfected with hepatitis delta virus and at high risk of progression, while also highlighting the pitfalls that other researchers have often fallen into.
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•Previous studies have focused on the risk groups and regions that carry the highest HDV burden.•HDV prevalence among people living with HBV in 25 countries/territories was often (18/25) lower than previous estimates.•The highest prevalence was in Mongolia, but the largest absolute number of HDV-RNA+ individuals was in China.
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