Hotspot Analysis of Spatial Environmental Pollutants Using Kernel Density Estimation and Geostatistical Techniques

Concentrations of four heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) were measured at 1,082 sampling sites in Changhua county of central Taiwan. A hazard zone is defined in the study as a place where the content of each heavy metal exceeds the corresponding control standard. This study examines the use of spatial analysis for identifying multiple soil pollution hotspots in the study area. In a preliminary investigation, kernel density estimation (KDE) was a technique used for hotspot analysis of soil pollution from a set of observed occurrences of hazards. In addition, the study estimates the hazardous probability of each heavy metal using geostatistical techniques such as the sequential indicator simulation (SIS) and indicator kriging (IK). Results show that there are multiple hotspots for these four heavy metals and they are strongly correlated to the locations of industrial plants and irrigation systems in the study area. Moreover, the pollution hotspots detected using the KDE are the almost same to those estimated using IK or SIS. Soil pollution hotspots and polluted sampling densities are clearly defined using the KDE approach based on contaminated point data. Furthermore, the risk of hazards is explored by these techniques such as KDE and geostatistical approaches and the hotspot areas are captured without requiring exhaustive sampling anywhere

Hydrothermal–galvanic couple synthesis of directionally oriented BaTiO3 thin films on TiN-coated substrates

AbstractBaTiO3 films were synthesized on TiN-coated Si substrate below 100°C by a hydrothermal–galvanic couple technique in barium contained alkaline solutions. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction results show that the BaTiO3 thin films were directionally oriented grown on the TiN/Si substrates, i.e., (111) BaTiO3 over (111) TiN. The surface morphologies revealed that BaTiO3 nucleated and grew over the TiN surface with a single layer. From kinetic analyses, the growth rates of BaTiO3 films prepared by the hydrothermal–galvanic couple technique were faster than a hydrothermal method. The galvanic effects were confirmed by investigating the induced currents and energies. The galvanic currents were generated and controlled by both the dissolution of TiN and the formation of BaTiO3. The output electric energies increased rapidly with the reaction time and leveled off at the full coverage of BaTiO3

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures to the palliative care in Taiwan

BackgroundPrevention measures for palliative care and the provision of discharge planning services for inpatients in Taiwan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic had not been investigated. This study was aimed to investigate the factors associated with heightened palliative care needs and increased mortality rates.MethodsThis research adopts a retrospective case–control study design. The investigation encompasses patients admitted before the pandemic (from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (from January 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020). The case group consisted of 231 end-of-life inpatients during the pandemic, control group was composed of the pool of inpatients with pre-pandemic and matched with cases by sex and age in a 1:1 ratio.ResultsThe results showed that the prevalence of respiratory failure symptoms (p = 0.004), residing in long-term care facilities (p = 0.017), palliative care needs assessment scores (p = 0.010), as well as the provision of guidance for nasogastric tube feeding (p = 0.002), steam inhalation (p = 0.003), turning and positioning (p < 0.001), percussion (p < 0.001), passive range of motion (p < 0.001), and blood pressure measurement (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the assessment of the necessity for assistive devices, including hospital beds, also exhibited statistically significant variations (p < 0.001). Further investigation of the factors associated with high palliative care needs and the risk of mortality for both the case and control groups. Risk factors for high palliative care needs encompassed assessments of daily activities of living, the presence of pressure ulcers, and the receipt of guidance for ambulation. Risk factors for mortality encompassed age, a diagnosis of cancer, palliative care needs assessment scores, and the provision of guidance for disease awareness.ConclusionThis research highlights the heightened risk of COVID-19 infection among end-of-life inpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study may advance care planning to alleviate avoidable suffering. To meet the needs of inpatients during pandemic, healthcare professionals should undergo comprehensive palliative care training and receive policy support

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

鈦酸鋇膜電化學陽極氧化法之製備、微結構及特性分析

本研究以電化學陽極氧化法在混和濃度0.5 M醋酸鋇及2 M氫氧化鈉的電解液中，於寬廣的電解電壓範圍內以電壓掃描及定電流模式鍍著鈦酸鋇膜操作溫度為55℃，實驗結果顯示鍍膜的表面形貌可單獨由改變電壓所控制。當電解電壓低於30V時會形成球狀小顆粒鈦酸鋇薄膜，而電解電壓高於60V時則會形成彈坑狀大顆粒鈦酸鋇厚膜。 彈坑狀大顆粒鈦酸鋇厚膜在0.1 M NaOH的腐蝕環境中，以開路電位試驗及動態陽極極化試驗測試其耐蝕性，而以純鈦片及鈦陽極氧化TiO2膜作為對照組。鈦酸鋇厚膜和TiO2膜具有相當穩定的開路電位，約在0.02 V (vs. Ag/AgCl)，此電位相當接近氧氣在陰極與水反應的平衡電位。動態陽極極化試驗結果顯示鈦酸鋇膜相較TiO2膜及純鈦具有較大的極化電阻及較低的腐蝕電流，因此具有較佳的耐蝕性。此低的陽極電流顯示OH-離子透過鈦酸鋇膜的孔洞或裂縫進行擴散，在底材進行氧氣生成的陽極反應。 本研究又發展結合濺鍍技術及電化學陽極氧化法，先將鈦薄膜以濺鍍方式沉積於矽晶片上，再以電化學陽極氧化法進行鍍著鈦酸鋇膜之新方法。結果顯示從很短的數秒及24小時電解時間皆能於鍍鈦薄膜上成功地形成球狀顆粒鈦酸鋇膜。由電流密度-電壓曲線顯示鍍鈦基材陽極氧化時具有遠較純鈦基材高的電化學活性。在初期成長階段，鍍鈦基材即發展出大晶粒尺寸及厚度的鈦酸鋇膜，而純鈦基材則生成非常細小晶粒鈦酸鋇膜。鍍鈦基材上生成鈦酸鋇膜的最可能反應途徑是在液相中生成鈦酸鋇球狀顆粒結晶，而後沉積於基材上。由於液相反應能強化晶粒的成長因此發展出相當大的晶粒。此一生成機制有別於在純鈦基材上，鈦酸鋇顆粒成核並成長於鈦氧化物前驅物上的固相反應機制。此固態反應主要受擴散過程控制故需要相當的時間以進行晶粒的成長，因此形成小的鈦酸鋇晶粒。Barium titanate films were synthesized by potentiodynamic and galvanostatic polarization over a wide electrolytic voltage range using 0.5 M Ba(CH3COO)2 and 2 M NaOH as the electrolyte at 55℃. The morphology of the films can be tailored by solely varying the applied electrolytic voltage in the same electrolyte. The BaTiO3 thin films possessed uniformly distributed spherical-like small particles at voltages under 30 V. At voltages above 60 V, crater-shaped and large-grained BaTiO3 thick films were formed. The crater-shaped and large-grained cubic BaTiO3 films were used for further corrosion resistance measurements using 0.1 M NaOH as the corrosive environment. Anodized TiO2 films and pure titanium specimens were also investigated for comparison. The corrosion behavior of the films was studied by means of open-circuit potential measurements and potentiodynamic polarization methods. Open-circuit potential measurements showed that BaTiO3 and TiO2 films existed quite stable corrosion potential of about 0.02 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). This corrosion potential is very close to the open-circuit cathodic potential of oxygen reacting with water. From potentiodynamic polarization results the BaTiO3 films posses better corrosion resistance than TiO2 and pure Ti specimens. The high polarization resistance of BaTiO3 films suggests that the anodic current may be due to the O2 evolution on the exposed Ti surface by transporting OH- ions through open pores of the oxide to react on the titanium surface. Spherical-like BaTiO3 films were also synthesized on heterogeneous substrates such as silicon wafer by combining sputtering and electrochemically anodic oxidation techniques over a wide electrolytic duration from a few seconds to 24 hours. From the J-V curves of anodization, Ti-coated substrates with much smaller grains are electrochemically more active than pure titanium substrates. The substrates have developed much large grains of BaTiO3 film as compared to the tiny grains for pure titanium substrates at the initial stage of growth. The most possible reaction route for the formation on Ti/Si substrates is that BaTiO3 particles nucleate and grow in the liquid phase before depositing onto the substrates. The liquid state reaction would enhance the growth of the particles and then result in the large grain size. For pure titanium substrate BaTiO3 particles nucleate mainly on the surface of titanium oxide precursors. The solid state reaction would then cause a fast nucleation but slow growth, therefore much smaller grain sizes are obtained.CONTENTS CHAPTER1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………1 1.1 Background……………………………………………………1 1.2 Applications of BaTO3 Films.……………………………4 1.3 Methods of Preparing BaTO3 Films………………………6 1.4 Literature Survey…………………………………………7 1.4.1 Hydrothermal-Electrochemical Method……………… 7 1.4.2 Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation………………………8 1.5 Motivation, Objective, and Thesis Overview…………11 CHAPTER 2 THEORY…………………………….…………………………………17 2.1 Anodic Oxidation…………….………………………………17 2.1.1 Anodizing Process………….……………………………17 2.1.2 Dielectric Breakdown During Anodizing………………19 2.2 Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation……………………………20 2.2.1 Current-Voltage Characteristics………………………20 2.2.2 Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Process………………21 2.2.3 Characteristics of Microstructure……………………22 2.2.4 Growth of Oxide Films……….…………………………23 2.2.5 Plasma Enhanced Chemical Reaction…….………………23 2.3 Phase Diagram of Ti-H2O and Ba-Ti-CO2-H2O System…. 25 2.4 Methods of Determining the Film Thickness…………… 26 2.4.1 Gravimetric Methods……………………………………… 26 2.4.2 Electron Microscopy………………………………………27 CHAPTER 3 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES……………………………………………32 3.1 Substrate Preparation…………………………………………32 3.1.1 Pure Titanium Plate………………………………………32 3.1.2 Ti Film Sputtering on Silicon Wafer……………………33 3.2 Set-up of Electrochemical Synthesis System.……………34 3.3 Computer-controlled Electrolysis…………………………35 3.4 Post-treatment after Electrochemical Oxidation………36 3.5 Deposition of BaTiO3 Films…………………………………37 3.5.1 Deposition over a Wide Voltage Range…………………37 3.5.2 Deposition at Low Voltage…………………………………37 3.5.3 Galvanostatic Polarization………………………………37 3.6 Characterization…………………………………………………39 3.6.1 X-ray Diffraction……………………………………………39 3.6.2 Optical Microscopy (OM)……………………………………39 3.6.3 Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)………………………39 3.6.4 Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)………………………39 3.6.5 Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)……………………………40 3.6.6 Corrosion Resistance Measurements………………………40 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION…………………………………46 4.1 Formation of BaTiO3 Films over a Wide Voltage Range…46 4.1.1 Potentiodynamic Polarization Curve………………………46 4.1.2 X-ray Diffraction……………………………………………47 4.1.3 Colors and Thickness of Oxide Films……………………48 4.1.4 Morphology…………………………………………………49 4.1.5 Effects of Galvanostatic Polarization…………………51 4.1.6 Formation of Barium Titanate Film at Low Voltage Range………………………………………………………………………………54 4.1.7 Formation of TiO2 Film at Intermediate Voltage Range…56 4.1.8 Formation of Barium Titanate Film Enhanced by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation at High Voltage………………………56 4.1.9 Formation of BaCO3…………………………………………58 4.2 Corrosion Resistance of BaTiO3 Films in Aqueous Solution………………………………………………………………………… 59 4.2.1 Microstructure Analysis………………………………………59 4.2.2 Corrosion Measurements………………………………………60 4.2.3 Electrochemical Reactions of BaTiO3 Films in Open Circuit Potential………………………………………………………………62 4.2.4 Electrochemical Reactions of BaTiO3 Films in Anodic Polarization Potential…………………………………………66 4.3 Formation of BaTiO3 Films on a Ti-coated Silicon and Pure Titanium Substrates at Low Temperature………………………68 4.3.1 Chemical Composition Analysis……………………………68 4.3.2 Potentiodynamic Polarization………………………………69 4.3.3 Morphology……………………………………………………70 4.3.4 Formation Mechanism of BaTiO3 Films……………………73 4.3.5 Nucleation of Barium Titanate Films………………………76 4.3.6 Initial Growth of Barium Titanate Films…………………77 4.3.7 Final Stage Growth of Barium Titanate Films……………81 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………116 CHAPTER 6 FUTURE WORK……………………………………………………………119 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………12

Drug-coated balloon versus conventional balloon angioplasty of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula or graft: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND:Restenosis remains a significant problem in endovascular therapy for hemodialysis vascular access. Drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty decreases restenosis in peripheral and coronary artery diseases. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the patency outcomes following DCB angioplasty, as compared to conventional balloon (CB) angioplasty for the stenosis of hemodialysis vascular access. METHODS:A comprehensive search in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases was conducted in order to identify eligible randomized controlled trials evaluating DCB angioplasty for hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction. The primary endpoint was the 6-month target lesion primary patency and the secondary endpoints were 12-month target lesion primary patency and procedure-related complications. Risk ratios (RR) were pooled and relevant subgroups were analyzed separately. RESULTS:Eleven randomized controlled trials comprised of 487 patients treated with DCB angioplasty and 489 patients treated with CB angioplasty were included. There were no significant differences in the target lesion primary patency at 6 months [RR, 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56, 1.01; p = 0.06] and at 12 months (RR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79, 1.00; p = 0.06). The absence of benefit for the DCB group remained, even in the arteriovenous fistula subgroup or the subgroup of studies excluding central vein stenosis. The risk of procedure-related complication did not differ between the two groups (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.98, 1.02; p = 0.95). CONCLUSION:DCB angioplasty did not demonstrate significant patency benefit for the treatment of hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction. Wide variations in patency outcomes across studies were noted. Further studies focusing on specific types of access or lesions are warranted to clarify the value of DCB for hemodialysis vascular access. (PROSPERO Number CRD42019119938)

Dinaphthozethrene and Diindenozethrene: Synthesis, Structural Analysis, and Properties

Zethrene-based condensed arenes dinaphthozethrene and diindenozethrene were synthesized by oxidative cyclodehydrogenation and palladium-catalyzed cyclization of 7,14-diarylzethrenes, respectively. Their structures were analyzed by X-ray crystallography. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these compounds were investigated