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OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of intraoperative cryoablation on postoperative patient-reported pain, opioid use, and clinical outcomes in lung transplantation. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study of adult lung transplant recipients from August 2017 to September 2018. We compared outcomes of patients who received intraoperative cryoablation of the intercostal nerves with those who did not. Primary outcomes were postoperative patient-reported pain scores and opioid use. Secondary outcomes included postoperative sedation and agitation levels and perioperative outcomes. Data were abstracted from patients' electronic health records. RESULTS: Of the 102 patients transplanted, 45 received intraoperative cryoablation (intervention group) and 57 received the standard of care, which did not include intercostal or serratus blocks or immediate postoperative epidural placement (control group). The intervention group had significantly lower median and maximum postoperative pain scores at days 3 and 7 and significantly lower oral opioid use at days 3, 7, and 14 compared with the control group. Chronic opioid use at 3 and 6 months' posttransplant was lower in the intervention group. Differences in perioperative outcomes, including length of mechanical ventilation, sedation and agitation levels, and hospital stay, were not clinically meaningful. Survival at 30 days and 1 year was superior in the intervention compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that use of intraoperative cryoablation is an effective approach for treating pain and reducing opioid use in patients who undergo lung transplant, but a randomized study across multiple institutions is needed to confirm these findings.

Understanding the degree of motor paralysis in stroke patients is important for assessing the severity of functional impairment and predicting functional prognosis. Fugl-MeyerAssessment for the lower extremities (FMA-LE)is a commonly used measure with high reliability and validity, but there is no official translated Japanese version of FMA-LE.This study aimed to develop Japanese FMA-LE and verify its reliability and validity in patients with acute stroke.The Japanese FMA-LE was developed following a standardized translation process. The reliability and validity were evaluated in 50 stroke patients at an acute care hospital. Validity was examined by determining the correlation between FMA-LEand Brunnstrom Recovery Stage (BRS), as well as Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Intra-raterand inter-raterrelative reliabilities were evaluated by calculating intra-classcorrelation coefficients (ICCs). Absolute reliability was assessed by determining the standard error of the measurement and minimum detectible change (MDC). Systematic error was also assessed.FMA-LEtotal score was high correlated with BRS (ρ = 0.73,p .01) and moderately correlated with SPPB (ρ = 0.69,p .01). For intra-raterreliability, ICC was 0.98 (p .01), only fixed systematic error was observed (p .01), and MDC of the FMA-LEtotal score was 1.24. For inter-raterreliability, ICC was 0.98 (p .01), no systematic error was observed, and MDC of the FMA-LEtotal score was 3.23.The Japanese FMA-LE was reliable, valid, and useful for evaluating lower extremity function of acute stroke patients.

Ceramic filters can be adapted to various liquids even under adverse conditions. Al2O3-based composites dispersed with 3 mol%-Y2O3-doped ZrO2 (3Y-ZrO2), or Al2O3/3Y-ZrO2, are well-known as extremely strong oxide-based ceramics. In this study, we have focused on the Al2O3/20 wt.% 3Y-ZrO2 composites as ceramic water filters. Disk-shape Al2O3/3Y-ZrO2 filters with different pore structures were prepared by pressureless sintering at 1200–1500 °C in air. The pore-size distribution of the filters was analyzed by mercury porosimetry. Some filtration properties, such as turbidity, were evaluated, and the Herman and Bredee's filtration models were discussed. Among the filters sintered at different temperatures, the Al2O3/3Y-ZrO2 filter sintered at 1300 °C showed the best performance due to the lack of large pores of > ~ 2 µm. The average pore diameter of the A8Z2-1300 sample was 64 nm, the pore volume was 0.157 cm3/g, and the open porosity was 40.2%. SEM observations confirmed the change of the cake-layer thickness after the filtrations, i.e., ~ 27, ~ 17, ~ 15 and ~ 2 µm for the A8Z2-1200, 1300, 1400 and 1500 samples, respectively, which revealed that the actual filtration in this study was the combination of (i) the standard blocking with the larger pores at the initial stage and (ii) the cake-filtration with the smaller pores at the middle and late stages.

In this study, thermoelectric properties of MgTi2O5-based composites were investigated. 10–30 vol.% TiN were added as a conductive reinforcement phase. MgTi2O5/TiN composites were successfully synthesized at 1373 K for 10 min via reactive spark plasma sintering. The present SPS process itself enhanced electrical conductivity of MgTi2O5 more than 250 times while effectively suppressing thermal conduction by defect engineering. Moreover, compositing further remarkably improved its electrical conductivity, and hence large enhancements in the thermoelectric power factor and ZT value were achieved. The results indicate a new doping technique in MgTi2O5 and enhancing thermoelectric properties of other insulating oxide materials.

In this paper, we report the synthesis, microstructure and some piezoelectric properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)1−xBaxTi1−x(Fe0.5Nb0.5)xO3 (abbreviated as BNBTFN, x = 0.000, 0.025, 0.050, 0.065, 0.075 and 0.100). The BNBTFN powders were prepared by solid-state reaction method, and their green compacts were sintered at 1150 °C for 2 h. XRD study confirmed that there was no second phase for all the compositions. Morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases existed at x ∼ 0.050, which was close to that of the BNT-BT system. With increasing x, diffuse phase transition, decrease in transition temperature (Tm), and increase in dielectric maximum at the transition temperature (εrm) were observed. The A and B sites simultaneous substitutions, i.e. Ba2+ into (Bi0.5Na0.5)2+ and (Fe0.5Nb0.5)4+ into Ti4+, have some positive effects on piezoelectric properties for x ⩽ 0.05 of (Bi0.5Na0.5)1−xBaxTi1−x(Fe0.5Nb0.5)xO3, despite the lowering of depolarization temperature. Keywords: Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, Dielectric properties, BNT-BT, Solid-state reaction, Morphotropic phase boundary (MPB)

Silica-based carrier is a promising material for recovery of metal and nonmetal contaminants in chemical oxo-precipitation-fluidized bed crystallization (COP-FBC) system. Boron species are an essential element for plant growth and can cause health concerns in human beings at high concentrations in water environments. The composition of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) contains a wide variety of metal oxides and can be tailored as promising functional mesoporous carriers for boron crystallization recovery in the presence of barium ions and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, waste-derived mesoporous aluminosilicate (MAS) nanomaterial in the presence of barium ions and hydrogen peroxide was used as a carrier for sustainable recovery of crystallized boron, a priority wastewaters pollutant. The MAS shows the hierarchically homogeneous distribution of nanostructured aluminosilicate particles with an average size of 12.8 ± 3.6 nm on the surface after the activation with Na2CO3 at 1000 °C. Moreover, the negatively charged surface and the mesoporous structure of MAS enhance the adsorption of Ba2+ onto MAS, and the Langmuir adsorption capacity of 105 mg/g is achieved, which is conducive to the enhancement of the recovery of boron species. Moreover, the recovery efficiency and crystallization ratio of boron by MAS can be up to 84.5 and 93.4%, respectively. The cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy images and the high-temperature X-ray diffraction results confirm the boron recovery mechanism that the negatively charged functional group as well as the mesoporosity of MAS triggers the rapid formation of needle-shaped precipitates of barium peroxoborate, and then converted to barium borate after calcination at 1050 °C. Results obtained in this study clearly demonstrate the possibility of fabricating environmentally benign mesoporous aluminosilicate adsorbents from TFT-LCD waste to sustainably recover and crystallize boron species from water and wastewater in COP-FBC.

Li2CoTi3O8 pigment is a cobalt-based blue pigment and is highly safe as it is actually used for cosmetics such as an eye shadow and a lipstick. Despite its excellent features, available reports on Li2CoTi3O8 blue pigment are quite limited. In this study, we demonstrate that the colors of CoO-lean compositions, cyanic blue, are substantially same as that of stoichiometric Li2CoTi3O8, which contributes further reduction of Co resources. In addition, we also demonstrate that green color pigments can be synthesized just by increasing the CoO compositions. Li2CO3, CoO and TiO2 (anatase) powders were used as starting materials. The mixed powders were heat-treated at 1100 °C in air for 2 h to obtain Li2CoTi3O8 powders, and they were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and CIE1976-L*a *b* color coordinates measurement. Quantitative color measurement revealed that 10% reduction of CoO from stoichiometric Li2CoTi3O8 is possible without much affecting the human eye feeling. Green colors appeared for the CoO-rich compositions, and the dichroism of the Li2CoTi3O8 pigment was attributable to the valence change of Co ions from divalent (cyanic) to trivalent (greenish).

Co3O4-based materials attract a lot of attention particularly for electrochemical applications. Here, we report a unique Co3O4 hierarchical micro- and nanostructures (HMNS), viz., micrometer-sized mesoporous granules assembled with Co3O4 facetted nanocrystals. CoCl2·6H2O and urea (Co: urea = 2:15 in mol fraction) were dissolved in a water/ethanol mixed solution and hydrothermally heated at 160 °C for 0.5 h, 4 h and 6 h. The three precursors were calcined at 350 °C for 3 h in air atmosphere. The product via hydrothermal treatment for 4 h was composed of 'soft' cube-like granules, which actually was the assembly of well-facetted Co3O4 microcrystals with pore-size distribution of ∼10–100 nm. The other product via hydrothermal treatment for 6 h was composed of 'hard' cube-like granules, which actually was the assembly of fine and equiaxed Co3O4 nanocrystals with narrow pore-size of distribution of ∼10 nm. Macro- and mesoporous Co3O4 powders with controlled pore-size distribution were successfully synthesized via facile hydrothermal and post-thermal treatments. The 'soft' cube-like Co3O4 granules (Co3O4 HMNS) exhibited much higher electrochemical performance than a commercial Co3O4 powder with the particle size of ∼1–2 μm.

Recently, a doping of sodium ion (Na+) into the perovskite solar cells has attracted much attention. Supposing that the Na+ ions substitute the A-site cation of the perovskite structure, the Na+ doping is expected to enlarge a bandgap of perovskite layer. Additionally, the Na+ doping may increase the grain size and decrease the trap density. We recently reported a new 3-step method using additional spin-coating of a HC(NH2)2I (FAI) solution on a 2-step prepared CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) layer containing an unreacted PbI2, which produced a multiple bandgap structure by forming a FA-rich layer with a smaller bandgap near the electron transport layer. Here, we attempted to form the top layer with larger bandgap by adding a small amount of NaI into the FAI solution for the third step and investigated the effect of NaI post-treatment on the perovskite layer. The NaI addition slightly enlarged the bandgap of surface of the perovskite layer. Additionally, it accelerated the grain growth and effectively decreased grain...

Single-crystal microscopic absorption spectroscopy was used to clarify the effect of a bulky substituent on the photochromic properties of salicylideneanilines. We discovered that 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneaniline (1), exhibiting debatable chromic properties, had at least three crystalline polymorphs, α1, α1, and β. α1-1 is thermochromic from −75 to 45 °C and also photochromic, particularly from −75 to 0 °C; α2-1 is photochromic but considerably unstable and transforms into the β form; β-1 is thermochromic from −75 to 90 °C but not photochromic. The 4′-methyl analogue of 1 (2) is simultaneously thermochromic and photochromic, especially around 75 °C, and the 4′-chloro analogue (3) is thermochromic from −75 to 90 °C and is more strongly photochromic at lower temperatures. Comparison of the crystal structures facilitated the identification of some common features among the photochromic species. We demonstrated a quantitative temperature-dependent photochromic response profile for the first time. The obse...

The synthesis of pure brookite is generally much more difficult than that of pure anatase. The hydrothermal conversion, recently developed by Kozawa et al., is a facile method to synthesize brookite TiO2 from inverse spinel-type Mg2TiO4 under a mild hydrothermal condition e.g. in 1 M HCl solution at 100 °C. However, slight rutile TiO2 is usually co-existed under the reported conditions. The aim of this study is to prepare a high-purity brookite TiO2 powder by the hydrothermal conversion from Mg2TiO4. We investigated the conditions of Mg2TiO4 preparation and hydrothermal conversion, and it was found that the most important factor for the high-purity brookite synthesis, i.e. decreasing the co-existing rutile TiO2, was to prepare the Mg2TiO4 precursor without MgTiO3. Using an MgO-rich composition and adding a second calcination step for the Mg2TiO4 preparation yielded a high-purity (99.3 wt%) brookite powder with a surface area of 27.7 m2/g. Under the current experimental conditions, addition of a surfactant or an alcohol for the hydrothermal treatment was not apparently effective for the high-purity brookite synthesis.

Hydrogarnets are promising candidates for environmental applications such as the purification of industrial exhaust gas and waste water. However, traditional synthesis routes require highly concentrated NaOH solutions as the mineralizer for precipitating the hydrogarnets. Here, we have developed a water-based precipitation method for Sr-hydrogarnet synthesis, which involves planetary ball milling at room temperature. Nanocrystalline Sr3Al2(OH)12 powder was obtained by milling Sr(OH)2·8H2O and γ-Al2O3 in water for 1 h without any mineralizer. The formation mechanism of Sr3Al2(OH)12 can be explained by a dissolution-precipitation process. Additionally, milder process conditions were used to suppress contamination from the milling vessel. Further, we analyzed the thermal decomposition behavior of Sr3Al2(OH)12 in both air and water vapor atmospheres. The presence of water vapor in the atmosphere affects the product phases. Our work indicates that the usage environment of hydrogarnets needs to be considered to maintain their physicochemical properties to ensure their effective application as purifiers.

Since the thermal-expansion anisotropy of pseudobrookite-type MgTi2O5 is not as prominent as isomorphic Al2TiO5, MgTi2O5 is thermally more stable than Al2TiO5. To realize the future structural applications of porous MgTi2O5, influence of impurities on the phase and microstructure stabilities should be studied. Here, impurity effects on phase and microstructure stabilities of reactively-sintered porous MgTi2O5 have been studied. As model impurities, Li2CO3 and amorphous SiO2 have been selected. Li2CO3 or SiO2 powder (0.1–4.0 wt%) was added to MgCO3 (basic) and TiO2 anatase powders with a molar ratio of 1:2. Uniaxially-pressed mixed powders were sintered at 1100 °C in air for 2 h to obtain porous MgTi2O5 bars. Appropriate Li2CO3 and SiO2 doping (~0.5 wt%) promoted uniform grain growth. However, with the excess amount of the impurities (> 2 wt%), the coefficient of thermal expansion of Li2CO3- and SiO2-doped MgTi2O5 ceramics decreased obviously above 900 °C and 950 °C due to the secondary sintering. To keep the fine-grained porous microstructure of Li2CO3- and SiO2-doped samples with preventing the secondary sintering, impurity levels should be preferably limited less than ~1.0 wt%.

Porous CaAl12O19 ceramics attract much attention toward many potential applications, such as high-temperature filters, catalyst supports, and lightweight structural materials at high temperatures. In this study, we have focused on the reactive sintering and microstructure development of homogeneously bulk porous CaAl12O19. Boehmite AlOOH powders with different particle size [0.08 µm (C01) and 0.7 µm (C06)] were used as Al2O3 sources. CaCO3 and boehmite powders were wet-ball milled, and the green compacts were sintered in air at 520 °C, 750 °C, 1100 °C, 1200 °C, 1300 °C, 1400 °C, 1500 °C (3 h) and 1600 °C (3 h), in order to analyze the microstructure development. At 1500 °C (3 h), microstructure became macroscopically homogeneous. The porosities of the C01 and C06 samples sintered at 1500 °C were calculated to be 51% and 56%, respectively. Stacking of the plate-like grains and their card-house structures are observed. Such card-house structures stabilize the open-porous structure even at 1600 °C. Just by changing the size of starting boehmite AlOOH powders, the size of the CaAl12O19 plate-like particles was altered with keeping similar porosity.

In the conventional two-step prepared perovskite solar cells, the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) film usually contains an unreacted PbI2 at the interface between an electron transport layer (ETL) and a perovskite active layer. To reduce the unreacted PbI2 in the two-step prepared MAPbI3 film, we have recently reported a new three-step method, which was realized by an additional MA(I,Br) spin-coating. Here, we propose an advanced three-step method, viz., an additional HC(NH2)2I (FAI) spin-coating on the two-step prepared MAPbI3 film. The additional FAI spin-coating formed a FAxMA1–xPbI3 solid solution by the incorporation of FA ion into MAPbI3. Also, the additional FAI spin-coating yielded a FAyMA1–yPbI3 layer (y > x) by converting the unreacted PbI2, which resulted in the layered structure with different FA concentrations and hence, with the multiple bandgap structure. The best PCE of 18.1% was achieved by optimizing the FAI spin-coating process.

This paper reports on the preparation of porous membranes consisting of plate-like β″-alumina grains and the evaluation for microfiltration properties. Porous β″-alumina-based ceramics were prepared by the solid-state reactive sintering of Na2CO3 and α-Al2O3 at 1100–1300 °C. To study the effect of impurities in the starting powder mixtures, LiF-doped membranes were also prepared. As for the water filtration test, the turbidity before and after the vacuum filtration was measured using sintered porous membranes. To simulate bacteria-contaminated water, a suspension of a commercial boehmite powder (D 50 = 0.7 μm) in distilled water was used. The non-doped samples sintered at 1200 °C were composed of β″-alumina (84 wt%) and β-alumina (16 wt%) grains and showed a good microfiltration performance; the turbidities before and after filtration were 894.4 NTU and 1.46 NTU, respectively.