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By combining hydrothermal and calcination processes, In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallite composites have been successfully synthesized. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-synthesized In2O3/ZnSnO3 have been characterized employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In terms of better gas response, fast response, repeatability, and a lower operating temperature, the In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallites displayed selective sensing performance towards ethanol, specifically, the response is 14.9, and response/recovery times are 45 s and 24 s, respectively, to 100 ppm ethanol at 250 °C. This research reveals that the synthetic In2O3/ZnSnO3 cubic crystallite composites exhibit significant ethanol sensing properties due to the synergetic effect between In2O3 and ZnSnO3, oxygen vacancies, and high specific surface area, making them a potential material for constructing high-performance ethanol sensors.

Abstract Background Cornell assessment of pediatric delirium (CAPD) showed advantage in diagnosis of pediatric delirium in Chinese critically ill patients. But its performance in surgical patients is still unclear. The present study was designed to validate the diagnostic performance of CAPD in surgical pediatric patients. Methods This is a prospective validation study. Pediatric patients who underwent selective surgery and general anesthesia were enrolled. Primary outcome was the incidence of delirium within postoperative three days. CAPD Chinese version was used to evaluate if the patient had delirium one time per day. At the meantime, a psychiatrist employed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition to diagnose delirium, which was the “gold standard”, and the result was considered as reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated to investigate the performance of CAPD. Results A total of 170 patients were enrolled. Median age was 4 years old. As diagnosed by psychiatrist, 23 (13.5 %) patients experienced at least one episode of delirium during the follow-up period. When diagnostic threshold was set at 9, CAPD showed the optimal sensitivity (87.0 %, 95 %CI 65.3 %-96.6 %) and specificity (98.0 %, 95 %CI 93.7 %-99.5 %) in comparison with other diagnostic thresholds. ROC analysis showed that CAPD was a good delirium assessment instrument with area under curve of 0.911 (95 % CI 0.812 to 1.000, P

Abstract Background Accurate diagnosis of delirium is very important for prevention and treatment. Present study was designed to validate the 3-Minute Diagnostic Interview for CAM-defined Delirium Chinese version (3D-CAM-CN) in surgical ICU patients. Methods In this prospective diagnostic study, the 3D-CAM was translated into Chinese with culture adaption. Two interviewers (Roles A and B) independently administrated 3D-CAM-CN assessment in adult patients from postoperative days 1 to day 3. At the meantime, a panel of psychiatrists diagnosed delirium according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth edition as the reference standard. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated to analyze the diagnostic character of the 3D-CAM-CN. Kappa coefficient was used to evaluate interrater reliability. Results Two hundred forty-five adult patients were assessed for at least 2 days, resulting a total of 647 paired-assessments. When compared with the reference standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the 3D-CAM-CN assessment were 87.2 and 96.7%, respectively, by Role A and 84.6 and 97.4%, respectively, by Role B, with good interrater reliability (Kappa coefficient = 0.82, P

In this article, we explore multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) for conductive trace printing using molten metal microdroplets on polymer substrates to enhance digital signal transmission. Investigating microdroplet spread informs design rules for adjacent trace printing. We studied the effects of print distance on trace morphology and resolution, noting that printing distance showed almost no change in the printed trace pitch. Crosstalk interference between adjacent signal traces was analyzed across frequencies and validated both experimentally and through simulation; no crosstalk was visible for printed traces at input frequencies below 600 kHz. Moreover, we demonstrate printed trace reliability against thermal shock, whereby no discontinuation in conductive traces was observed. Our findings establish design guidelines for MMAM electronics, advancing digital signal transmission capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technology to jet print metal lines with precise shape fidelity on diverse substrates is gaining higher interest across multiple research fields. It finds applications in additively manufactured flexible electronics, environmentally friendly and sustainable electronics, sensor devices for medical applications, and fabricating electrodes for solar cells. This paper provides an experimental investigation to deepen insights into the non-contact printing of solder lines using StarJet technology, eliminating the need for surface activation, substrate heating, curing, or post-processing. Moreover, it employs bulk metal instead of conventional inks or pastes, leading to cost-effective production and enhanced conductivity. The effect of molten metal temperature, substrate temperature, standoff distance, and printing velocity was investigated on polymer foils (i.e., PET sheets). Robust printing parameters were derived to print uniform, bulge-free, bulk metal lines suitable for additive manufacturing applications. The applicability of the derived parameters was extended to 3D-printed PLA, TPU, PA-GF, and PETG substrates having a much higher surface roughness. Additionally, a high aspect ratio of approx. 16:1 wall structure has been demonstrated by printing multiple metal lines on top of each other. While challenges persist, this study contributes to advancing additively manufactured electronic devices, highlighting the capabilities of StarJet metal jet-printing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the risk factors of malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMCAI) patients and explore an applicable prognostic predictor for MMCAI patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy (DC).Methods: Clinical data from the period 2012–2017 were retrospectively evaluated. Forty-three consecutive MMCAI patients undergoing DC were enrolled in this study. The 30-day mortality was assessed, and age, location, hypertension, pupil dilation, onset to operation duration, midline shift, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score were identified by univariate analysis and binary logistic regression.Results: In this retrospective study for DC patients, the 30-day mortality was 44.2%. In the univariate analysis, advanced age (≥60 years), right hemispheric location, hypertension, pupil dilation, shorter onset to operation duration (0.83 cm indicated survival at 30 days.

A novel noncontact indentation system with the combination of an air jet and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was presented in this paper for the quantitative measurement of the mechanical properties of soft tissues. The key idea of this method is to use a pressure-controlled air jet as an indenter to compress the soft tissue in a noncontact way and utilize the OCT signals to extract the deformation induced. This indentation system provides measurement and mapping of tissue elasticity for small specimens with high scanning speed. Experiments were performed on 27 silicone tissue-mimicking phantoms with different Young's moduli, which were also measured by uniaxial compression tests. The regression coefficient of the indentation force to the indentation depth (N mm(-1)) was used as an indicator of the stiffness of tissue under air jet indentation. Results showed that the stiffness coefficients measured by the current system correlated well with the corresponding Young's moduli obtained by conventional mechanical testing (r = 0.89, p < 0.001). Preliminary in vivo tests also showed that the change of soft tissue stiffness with and without the contraction of the underlying muscles in the hand could be differentiated by the current measurement. This system may have broad applications in tissue assessment and characterization where alterations of mechanical properties are involved, in particular with the potential of noncontact micro-indentation for tissues.