2D-Layered Nanomaterials for Energy Harvesting and Sensing Applications

Nanoscale electromechanical and energy harvesting devices based on few-layer and monolayer two-dimensional (2D) materials with non-symmetric configuration have received enormous attention in recent years. Specifically, piezoelectric and triboelectric devices based on 2D materials for energy harvesting, physical/chemical sensing, healthcare, and optoelectronics applications have been a growing interest. In this chapter, the typical preparation methods of 2D-layered materials, such as exfoliation methods and chemical vapor phase deposition (CVD), will be discussed first. Then, various characterization techniques by atomic microscopic analysis for 2D materials will be provided briefly. Finally, future aspects of developing 2D piezoelectric and triboelectric devices and their potential applications will be introduced

Numerical Simulation of Canal Seepage During Construction Period Using Improved Node Virtual Flow Method

This study used the improved node virtual flow method to investigate the seepage field of a largescale canal project during construction period, with different dewatering well configurations corresponding to the design cases P1 to P5. In this simulation, the water head distribution, pump discharge and seepage gradient in different cases were obtained and analyzed. By controlling the pumping level of the dewatering well, the relationship between the pumping level and the groundwater level was studied. The results show that reasonable precipitation arrangement can effectively reduce the groundwater level of the foundation pit and provide a strong guarantee for the safe operation of the project

Renal Protection for Coronary Angiography in Advanced Renal Failure Patients by Prophylactic Hemodialysis A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectivesWe performed a study to determine whether prophylactic hemodialysis reduces contrast nephropathy (CN) after coronary angiography in advanced renal failure patients.BackgroundPre-existing renal failure is the greatest risk factor for CN. Hemodialysis can effectively remove contrast media, but its effect upon preventing CN is still uncertain.MethodsEighty-two patients with chronic renal failure, referred for coronary angiography, were assigned randomly to receive either normal saline intravenously and prophylactic hemodialysis (dialysis group; n = 42) or fluid supplement only (control group; n = 40).ResultsProphylactic hemodialysis lessened the decrease in creatinine clearance within 72 h in the dialysis group (0.4 ± 0.9 ml/min/1.73 m2vs. 2.2 ± 2.8 ml/min/1.73 m2; p < 0.001). Compared with the dialysis group, the serum creatinine concentrations in the control group were significantly higher at day 4 (6.3 ± 2.3 mg/dl vs. 5.1 ± 1.3 mg/dl; p = 0.010) and at peak level (6.7 ± 2.7 mg/dl vs. 5.3 ± 1.5 mg/dl; p = 0.005). Temporary renal replacement therapy was required in 35% of the control patients and in 2% of the dialysis group (p < 0.001). Thirteen percent of the control patients, but none of the dialysis patients, required long-term dialysis after discharge (p = 0.018). For the patients not requiring chronic dialysis, 13 patients in the control group (37%) and 2 in the dialysis group (5%) had an increase in serum creatinine concentration at discharge of more than 1 mg/dl from baseline (p < 0.001).ConclusionsProphylactic hemodialysis is effective in improving renal outcome in chronic renal failure patients undergoing coronary angiography

Electro-mechanical coupling of KCNQ channels is a target of epilepsy-associated mutations and retigabine

KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 form the M-channels that are important in regulating neuronal excitability. Inherited mutations that alter voltage-dependent gating of M-channels are associated with neonatal epilepsy. In the homolog KCNQ1 channel, two steps of voltage sensor activation lead to two functionally distinct open states, the intermediate-open (IO) and activated-open (AO), which define the gating, physiological, and pharmacological properties of KCNQ1. However, whether the M-channel shares the same mechanism is unclear. Here, we show that KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 feature only a single conductive AO state but with a conserved mechanism for the electro-mechanical (E-M) coupling between voltage sensor activation and pore opening. We identified some epilepsy-linked mutations in KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 that disrupt E-M coupling. The antiepileptic drug retigabine rescued KCNQ3 currents that were abolished by a mutation disrupting E-M coupling, suggesting that modulating the E-M coupling in KCNQ channels presents a potential strategy for antiepileptic therapy

Acute hypertensive pulmonary edema after Cesarean section in a patient with an antepartum myocardial infarction -A case report-

We report a case of 29-year-old, morbidly obese, diabetic primigravida who had undergone previously primary percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement for an inferior wall myocardial infarction at 10 weeks of gestation. She remained asymptomatic with medication during the remainder of her pregnancy, but preoperative echocardiography revealed left ventricular dilation and a restrictive diastolic dysfunction with a preserved ejection fraction (46%). She developed acute pulmonary edema associated with hypertension after an elective Cesarean delivery under continuous epidural anesthesia despite the meticulous restriction of fluid

Imaging Electronic Correlations in Twisted Bilayer Graphene near the Magic Angle

Twisted bilayer graphene with a twist angle of around 1.1{\deg} features a pair of isolated flat electronic bands and forms a strongly correlated electronic platform. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to probe local properties of highly tunable twisted bilayer graphene devices and show that the flat bands strongly deform when aligned with the Fermi level. At half filling of the bands, we observe the development of gaps originating from correlated insulating states. Near charge neutrality, we find a previously unidentified correlated regime featuring a substantially enhanced flat band splitting that we describe within a microscopic model predicting a strong tendency towards nematic ordering. Our results provide insights into symmetry breaking correlation effects and highlight the importance of electronic interactions for all filling factors in twisted bilayer graphene.Comment: Main text 9 pages, 4 figures; Supplementary Information 25 page

Aberrant Sensory Gating of the Primary Somatosensory Cortex Contributes to the Motor Circuit Dysfunction in Paroxysmal Kinesigenic Dyskinesia

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is conventionally regarded as a movement disorder (MD) and characterized by episodic hyperkinesia by sudden movements. However, patients of PKD often have sensory aura and respond excellently to antiepileptic agents. PRRT2 mutations, the most common genetic etiology of PKD, could cause epilepsy syndromes as well. Standing in the twilight zone between MDs and epilepsy, the pathogenesis of PKD is unclear. Gamma oscillations arise from the inhibitory interneurons which are crucial in the thalamocortical circuits. The role of synchronized gamma oscillations in sensory gating is an important mechanism of automatic cortical inhibition. The patterns of gamma oscillations have been used to characterize neurophysiological features of many neurological diseases, including epilepsy and MDs. This study was aimed to investigate the features of gamma synchronizations in PKD. In the paired-pulse electrical-stimulation task, we recorded the magnetoencephalographic data with distributed source modeling and time-frequency analysis in 19 patients of newly-diagnosed PKD without receiving pharmacotherapy and 18 healthy controls. In combination with the magnetic resonance imaging, the source of gamma oscillations was localized in the primary somatosensory cortex. Somatosensory evoked fields of PKD patients had a reduced peak frequency (p &lt; 0.001 for the first and the second response) and a prolonged peak latency (the first response p = 0.02, the second response p = 0.002), indicating the synchronization of gamma oscillation is significantly attenuated. The power ratio between two responses was much higher in the PKD group (p = 0.013), indicating the incompetence of activity suppression. Aberrant gamma synchronizations revealed the defective sensory gating of the somatosensory area contributes the pathogenesis of PKD. Our findings documented disinhibited cortical function is a pathomechanism common to PKD and epilepsy, thus rationalized the clinical overlaps of these two diseases and the therapeutic effect of antiepileptic agents for PKD. There is a greater reduction of the peak gamma frequency in PRRT2-related PKD than the non-PRRT PKD group (p = 0.028 for the first response, p = 0.004 for the second response). Loss-of-function PRRT2 mutations could lead to synaptic dysfunction. The disinhibiton change on neurophysiology reflected the impacts of PRRT2 mutations on human neurophysiology