High-Temperature Stable Operation of Nanoribbon Field-Effect Transistors

We experimentally demonstrated that nanoribbon field-effect transistors can be used for stable high-temperature applications. The on-current level of the nanoribbon FETs decreases at elevated temperatures due to the degradation of the electron mobility. We propose two methods of compensating for the variation of the current level with the temperature in the range of 25–150°C, involving the application of a suitable (1) positive or (2) negative substrate bias. These two methods were compared by two-dimensional numerical simulations. Although both approaches show constant on-state current saturation characteristics over the proposed temperature range, the latter shows an improvement in the off-state control of up to five orders of magnitude (−5.2 × 10−6)

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Improved risk stratification of patients with atrial fibrillation: an integrated GARFIELD-AF tool for the prediction of mortality, stroke and bleed in patients with and without anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an accurate, web-based tool for stratifying patients with atrial fibrillation to facilitate decisions on the potential benefits/risks of anticoagulation, based on mortality, stroke and bleeding risks. DESIGN: The new tool was developed, using stepwise regression, for all and then applied to lower risk patients. C-statistics were compared with CHA2DS2-VASc using 30-fold cross-validation to control for overfitting. External validation was undertaken in an independent dataset, Outcome Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF). PARTICIPANTS: Data from 39 898 patients enrolled in the prospective GARFIELD-AF registry provided the basis for deriving and validating an integrated risk tool to predict stroke risk, mortality and bleeding risk. RESULTS: The discriminatory value of the GARFIELD-AF risk model was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc for patients with or without anticoagulation. C-statistics (95% CI) for all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism and haemorrhagic stroke/major bleeding (treated patients) were: 0.77 (0.76 to 0.78), 0.69 (0.67 to 0.71) and 0.66 (0.62 to 0.69), respectively, for the GARFIELD-AF risk models, and 0.66 (0.64-0.67), 0.64 (0.61-0.66) and 0.64 (0.61-0.68), respectively, for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). In very low to low risk patients (CHA2DS2-VASc 0 or 1 (men) and 1 or 2 (women)), the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED (for bleeding) scores offered weak discriminatory value for mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. C-statistics for the GARFIELD-AF risk tool were 0.69 (0.64 to 0.75), 0.65 (0.56 to 0.73) and 0.60 (0.47 to 0.73) for each end point, respectively, versus 0.50 (0.45 to 0.55), 0.59 (0.50 to 0.67) and 0.55 (0.53 to 0.56) for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). Upon validation in the ORBIT-AF population, C-statistics showed that the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was effective for predicting 1-year all-cause mortality using the full and simplified model for all-cause mortality: C-statistics 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77) and 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77), respectively, and for predicting for any stroke or systemic embolism over 1 year, C-statistics 0.68 (0.62 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke and mortality and superior to HAS-BLED for bleeding, overall and in lower risk patients. The GARFIELD-AF tool has the potential for incorporation in routine electronic systems, and for the first time, permits simultaneous evaluation of ischaemic stroke, mortality and bleeding risks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362) and for ORBIT-AF (NCT01165710)

Two-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF.

AIMS: The relationship between outcomes and time after diagnosis for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is poorly defined, especially beyond the first year. METHODS AND RESULTS: GARFIELD-AF is an ongoing, global observational study of adults with newly diagnosed NVAF. Two-year outcomes of 17 162 patients prospectively enrolled in GARFIELD-AF were analysed in light of baseline characteristics, risk profiles for stroke/systemic embolism (SE), and antithrombotic therapy. The mean (standard deviation) age was 69.8 (11.4) years, 43.8% were women, and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.3 (1.6); 60.8% of patients were prescribed anticoagulant therapy with/without antiplatelet (AP) therapy, 27.4% AP monotherapy, and 11.8% no antithrombotic therapy. At 2-year follow-up, all-cause mortality, stroke/SE, and major bleeding had occurred at a rate (95% confidence interval) of 3.83 (3.62; 4.05), 1.25 (1.13; 1.38), and 0.70 (0.62; 0.81) per 100 person-years, respectively. Rates for all three major events were highest during the first 4 months. Congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, sudden/unwitnessed death, malignancy, respiratory failure, and infection/sepsis accounted for 65% of all known causes of death and strokes for <10%. Anticoagulant treatment was associated with a 35% lower risk of death. CONCLUSION: The most frequent of the three major outcome measures was death, whose most common causes are not known to be significantly influenced by anticoagulation. This suggests that a more comprehensive approach to the management of NVAF may be needed to improve outcome. This could include, in addition to anticoagulation, interventions targeting modifiable, cause-specific risk factors for death. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Thermal Decomposition of Co-Doped Calcium Tartrate and Use of the Products for Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes.

Thermal decomposition of Co-doped calcium tartrate in an inert atmosphere or air was studied using thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. It was shown that the powder substance containing 4 at.% of cobalt completely decomposes within 650-730 °C, depending on the environment, and the formation of Co clusters does not proceed before 470 °C. The products of decomposition were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, XAFS, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surfaceoxidized Co metal nanoparticles as large as ∼5.6 ( 1.2 nm were found to form in an inert atmosphere, while the annealing in air led to a wide distribution of diameters of the nanoparticles, with the largest nanoparticles (30-50 nm) mainly present as a Co3O4 phase. It was found that the former nanoparticles catalyze the growth of CNTs from alcohol while a reducing atmosphere is required for activation of the latter nanoparticles. We propose the scheme of formation of CaO-supported catalyst from Co-doped tartrate, depending on the thermal decomposition conditions

Genome-wide association study confirm major QTL for backfat fatty acid composition on SSC14 in Duroc pigs

Background: Fatty acid composition contributes importantly to meat quality and is essential to the nutritional value of the meat. Identification of genetic factors underlying levels of fatty acids can be used to breed for pigs with healthier meat. The aim of this study was to conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify QTL regions affecting fatty acid composition in backfat from the pig breeds Duroc and Landrace. Results: Using data from the Axiom porcine 660 K array, we performed GWAS on 454 Duroc and 659 Landrace boars for fatty acid phenotypes measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology (C16:0, C16:1n-7, C18:0, C18:1n-9, C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3, total saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids). Two QTL regions on SSC4 and SSC14 were identified in Duroc for the de novo synthesized fatty acids traits, whereas one QTL on SSC8 was detected in Landrace for C16:1n-7. The QTL region on SSC14 has been reported in previous studies and a putative causative mutation has been suggested in the promoter region of the SCD gene. Whole genome re-sequencing data was used for genotype imputation and to fine map the SSC14 QTL region in Norwegian Duroc. This effort confirms the location of the QTL on this chromosome as well as suggesting other putative candidate genes in the region. The most significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located on SSC14 explain between 55 and 76% of the genetic variance and between 27 and 54% of the phenotypic variance for the de novo synthesized fatty acid traits in Norwegian Duroc. For the QTL region on SSC8 in Landrace, the most significant SNP explained 19% of the genetic variance and 5% of the phenotypic variance for C16:1n-7. Conclusions: This study confirms a major QTL affecting fatty acid composition on SSC14 in Duroc, which can be used in genetic selection to increase the level of fatty acid desaturation. The SSC14 QTL was not segregating in the Landrace population, but another QTL on SSC8 affecting C16:1n-7 was identified and might be used to increase the level of desaturation in meat products from this breed