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Patients with critical illness may face challenges after hospital discharge; therapeutic outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are typically measured by survival rate. However, ECMO is an integral part of treatment in critical care medicine, which requires an outcome measure beyond survival. Post-discharge health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is such an indicator.To measure HRQoL in adult patients who had previously undergone ECMO and explore influential factors related to HRQoL.This cross-sectional descriptive study used a convenience sample of patients discharged between April 2006-April 2016 after at least one month following ECMO. The study was conducted from October 2015 to October 2016, which included data collected from structured questionnaires: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Short-Form Survey-36-v2. Stepwise linear regression determined predictor variables of physical and mental HRQoL.Age of participants (N = 144) ranged from 24 to 81 years; long-term survival rate was 28.6% after a median follow-up of 1060 days (range = 44-3150 days). Mean scores for physical and mental components of HRQoL were 46.32 and 50.39, respectively. Level of HRQoL was low to moderate. Employment affected all physical components of HRQoL; depression was the main predictor for physical and mental components. Self-perceived health status and anxiety were also factors that influenced HRQoL.Variables of employment, self-perceived health status and mental health influenced HRQoL. Early assessment of these factors by healthcare professionals can allow integration of multidimensional interventions following hospital discharge, which could improve HRQoL for patients weaned from ECMO.

A new decision rule based on net benefit per capita is proposed and exemplified with the aim of assisting policymakers in deciding whether to lockdown or reopen an economy—fully or partially—amidst a pandemic. Bayesian econometric models using Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms are used to quantify this rule, which is illustrated via several sensitivity analyses. While we use COVID-19 data from the United States to demonstrate the ideas, our approach is invariant to the choice of pandemic and/or country. The actions suggested by our decision rule are consistent with the closing and reopening of the economies made by policymakers in Florida, Texas, and New York, these states were selected to exemplify the methodology since they capture the broad spectrum of COVID-19 outcomes in the U.S.

It is necessary to conveniently and quickly detect the concentrations of ethanol in different environments. A new type of zinc pyrovanadate (Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O) nanosheet spheres is obtained by a convenient single cation-exchange process using sodium vanadate (Na5V12O32) nanowires as precursor, without introducing any surfactant as a catalyst or structure-directing agent. During the exchange of Zn2+ and Na + ions, the Na5V12O32 nanowires gradually transfer to Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O nanosheet spheres along with dissolution of the precursor and precipitation of new nanosheets. The synthetic mechanism of Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O nanosheet spheres is studied by examining the changes of morphological properties of intermediate products at different times. Gas sensors based on these Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O nanosheet spheres are tested. The sensor displays a response value of 1.68–100 ppm concentration of ethanol gas, and reveals a relatively high sensitivity at a relatively low optimal operating temperature of 300 °C, as well as relatively good stability.

The influence of different multi-stage aging heat treatment on microstructure and corrosion resistance of 7056 alloy was investigated by the measurements of transmission electron microscope(TEM), scanning electron microscope(SEM),mechanical properties and electrical conductivity, exfoliation corrosion, slow strain rate testing(SSRT), Tafel cyclic polarization. The results show that after over-aging and re-aging heat treatment, the solute atoms precipitate again, and the volume fraction of the precipitate in the matrix increases, the grain boundary precipitates coarsen and become discontinuous, the precipitate-free zone becomes wider. Compared with 120℃/24h pre-aging,120℃/6h has advantage in terms of dissolution of finer precipitates and the growth of large coarse phase. Re-aging heat treatment can improve the strength and conductivity of over-aging alloys;compared with peak aging and retrogression and re-aging, the loss of tensile strength of the alloy is not significant, while the conductivity increases obviously. After over-aging and re-aging heat treatment, continuous anodic dissolution is avoided effectively, and the exfoliation corrosion resistance and stress corrosion cracking is enhanced.

Vanadates and vanadium oxides are potential lithiumion electrode materials because of their easy preparation and high capacity properties. This paper reports the electrochemical lithium-storage performance of VO2 and NaV2O5 composite nanowire arrays. Firstly, Na5V12O32 nanowire arrays are fabricated by a hydrothermal method, and then VO2 and NaV2O5 composite nanowire arrays are prepared by a reduction reaction of Na5V12O32 nanowire arrays in hydrogen atmosphere. Crystal structure, chemical composition and morphology of the prepared samples are characterized in detail. The obtained composite is used as an electrode of a lithium-ion battery, which exhibits high reversible capacity and good cycle stability. The composite obtained at 500 °C presents a specific discharge capacity up to 345.1 mA × h/g after 50 cycles at a current density of 30 mA/g.

Manganese vanadate (Mn2V2O7) nanosheets on titanium (Ti) foil are synthesized by a cation-exchange method using sodium vanadate nanowires as the precursor. By varying the cation-exchange time in manganese acetate (Mn(CH3COO)2) aqueous solution, the tunable morphologies and chemical components of the samples are tested, compared and presented in detail. The evolution process contains cation-exchange of Mn2+ and Na+, newly generated H+ to dissolve vanadate, and precipitation manganese vanadate nanosheets on the original sodium vanadate nanowire surface. Furthermore, the thermal and crystal properties of the as-prepared nanosheets are evaluated by calcinations at different temperatures. The Mn2V2O7 nanosheets obtained at 250 °C, which are used as electrode of lithium-ion battery, have the first discharge capacity of 1048.0 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1. After 100 cycles, the residual capacity is more than 800 mAh g−1.

The effect of trace Ge on the microstructure and quenching sensitivity of 7056 aluminum alloy was studied by mechanical tensile and end quenching experiments, combined with some analysis methods such as metallographic observation, hardness test, conductivity test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The results show that the trace element can refine the alloy grain sizes,the grain size is reduced from 137μm to 114μm; the addition of trace Ge formes coarse Mg2Ge phase on the grain boundary and inhibits the formation of the T phase.In addition, compared with the Ge-free alloy, the width of the precipitation free zone of the Ge-bearing alloy becomes narrow, and is decreased from 190nm to 90nm, and the size of the precipitated phase at the grain boundary is reduced.The trace addition of Ge could reduce the quench sensitivity of alloy, increased the quenching depth of the alloy about 25%,which may be caused by the addition of Ge which changes the number and size of η equilibrium phase during slow cooling; the addition of Ge reduces the free vacancy concentration in the alloy, non-uniform nucleation and growth of the η equilibrium phase at the defect are suppressed, which increases the number of strengthening η' precipitates after aging.Thus the drop in the strength is decreased during slow quenching,which increases the hardenability of the alloy.

Room temperature diluted magnetic semiconductor nanomaterials play an important role in the preparation of novel micro-nano semiconductor devices. Herein, magnetic cobalt vanadate nanowire array is fabricated via a simple one-step cation-exchange method, which is confirmed to be a new kind of one-dimensional room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors. Anisotropic magnetic with an easy direction of magnetization either perpendicular or parallel to the nanowire axis are found in the samples. Structural reorganization during calcination is beneficial to enhance the magnetic properties of the materials (Ms = 0.081 emu g−1 after calcination at 500 °C). Our investigation indicates that the room temperature anisotropic ferromagnetic of the samples is derived from the uniformly distributed cobalt element in the samples. The cation-exchange method in this work is easily applicable to synthesis similar room temperature ferromagnetic vanadate nanomaterials.

A cationic Rh(I) complex-catalyzed intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of newly developed yne-vinylidenecyclopropanes (VDCPs) has been established, affording an efficient synthesis of fused [6.5]-bicyclic structures in moderate to good yields under mild conditions. Moreover, the reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope along with good functional group tolerance.

The nanostructuring of materials can solve the problem of low conductivity of the vanadate electrode, thereby increasing the potential for lithium storage performance. The traditional battery is prepared by coating active materials on current collector, which produces large contact resistance between the current collector and the electrodes, impeding the overall electrochemical performances of the battery. In this work, we propose and verify a scheme for directly loading porous iron vanadate nanowire array electrode on titanium foil. The resultant electrode (the as-prepared iron vanadate annealed at 300 °C) exhibits an enhanced lithium storage performance, the discharge capacity after 100 cycles is 1041.10 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 300 mA·g−1. The iron vanadate nanowire electrode is fabricated by a simple and scalable cation-exchange method, which can be provided for the separate and integrated large-scale industrialization of vanadate electrode materials.

A cationic Rh(I) complex catalyzed intramolecular cycloaddition reaction of ene-vinylidenecyclopropanes to produce bicyclo[4.3.0] skeletons containing a quaternary all-carbon center at the ring juncture has been successfully established. The reaction could afford a range of desired bicyclic products in good yields with a broad substrate scope and good functional-group tolerance. The asymmetric variant of this cycloaddition could also be achieved by using chiral bisphosphine ligands to give the desired products with high ee values. Furthermore, the exclusive production of endo- and exocyclic double bond products could be achieved when the substituent at the quaternary carbon center is a methyl group. The synthetic utility of the obtained products has been demonstrated by several transformations of the obtained bicyclic products. The reaction mechanism and product selectivity were studied by control experiments, and plausible reaction mechanisms have been proposed.

Purpose: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of noncoding RNAs, have recently drawn lots of attention in the pathogenesis of human cancers. However, the role of circRNAs in cancer cells epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify novel circRNAs that regulate urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) cells’ EMT and explored their regulatory mechanisms and clinical significance in UCBs. Experimental Design: We first screened circRNA expression profiles using a circRNA microarray in paired UCB and normal tissues, and then studied the clinical significance of an upregulated circRNA, circPRMT5, in a large cohort of patients with UCB. We further investigated the functions and underlying mechanisms of circPRMT5 in UCB cells’ EMT. Moreover, we evaluated the regulation effect of circPRMT5 on miR-30c, and its target genes, SNAIL1 and E-cadherin, in two independent cohorts from our institute and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results: We demonstrated that upregulated expression of circPRMT5 was positively associated with advanced clinical stage and worse survival in patients with UCB. We further revealed that circPRMT5 promoted UCB cell's EMT via sponging miR-30c. Clinical analysis from two independent UCB cohorts showed that the circPRMT5/miR-30c/SNAIL1/E-cadherin pathway was essential in supporting UCB progression. Importantly, we identified that circPRMT5 was upregulated in serum and urine exosomes from patients with UCB, and significantly correlated with tumor metastasis. Conclusions: CircPRMT5 exerts critical roles in promoting UCB cells’ EMT and/or aggressiveness and is a prognostic biomarker of the disease, suggesting that circPRMT5 may serve as an exploitable therapeutic target for patients with UCB.

A novel electrodeposited-hydrothermal method has been developed to fabricate high-density β-Na0.33V2O5 nanowire film on a metal current collector (Ti foil). The morphology, crystal structure, and the effects of deposition voltage, temperature and time on the prepared samples were tested and presented in detail. The thickness of the β-Na0.33V2O5 nanowire film was ∼10.5 μm under experimental conditions of 5 h time, 2.5 V voltage, and 90 °C temperature. When the β-Na0.33V2O5 nanowire film was coated with polypyrrole and served as a cathode of lithium-ion battery, it exhibited a high reversible discharge capacity of 269.9 mAh g−1 at a current density of 50 mA g−1. By contrast, the cycling behavior of this material is proved to be much better than the bare β-Na0.33V2O5 nanowire film. This research provides a new pathway to explore high tap density cathode materials for lithium-ion battery with enhanced electrochemical performance.

Background Diagnostic performance of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains limited. We assessed whether compensating the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness for multiple demographic and anatomical factors as well as the combination of macular layers improves the detection of MCI and AD. Methods This cross-sectional study of 62 AD (n = 92 eyes), 108 MCI (n = 158 eyes), and 55 cognitively normal control (n = 86 eyes) participants. Macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) thickness was extracted. Circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) measurement was compensated for several ocular factors. Thickness measurements and their corresponding areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were compared between the groups. The main outcome measure was OCT thickness measurements. Results Participants with MCI/AD showed significantly thinner measured and compensated cpRNFL, mGCC, and altered retinal vessel density (p p = 0.026). Combining macular and compensated cpRNFL parameters provided the best detection of MCI/AD (AUC = 0.80 vs 0.69; p Conclusions and relevance Accounting for interindividual variations of ocular anatomical features in cpRNFL measurements and incorporating macular information may improve the identification of high-risk individuals with early cognitive impairment.

Genetic co-expression network (GCN) analysis augments the understanding of breast cancer (BC). We aimed to propose GCN-based modeling for BC relapse-free survival (RFS) prediction and to discover novel biomarkers. We used GCN and Cox proportional hazard regression to create various prediction models using mRNA microarray of 920 tumors and conduct external validation using independent data of 1056 tumors. GCNs of 34 identified candidate genes were plotted in various sizes. Compared to the reference model, the genetic predictors selected from bigger GCNs composed better prediction models. The prediction accuracy and AUC of 3 ~ 15-year RFS are 71.0–81.4% and 74.6–78% respectively (rfm, ACC 63.2–65.5%, AUC 61.9–74.9%). The hazard ratios of risk scores of developing relapse ranged from 1.89 ~ 3.32 (p –8) over all models under the control of the node status. External validation showed the consistent finding. We found top 12 co-expressed genes are relative new or novel biomarkers that have not been explored in BC prognosis or other cancers until this decade. GCN-based modeling creates better prediction models and facilitates novel genes exploration on BC prognosis.