Carbon nanotube four-terminal devices for pressure sensing applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are of high interest for sensing applications,owing to their superior mechanical strength, high Young’s modulus and low density. In this work, we report on a facile approach for the fabrication of carbon nanotube devices using a four terminal configuration. Oriented carbon nanotube films were pulled out from a CNT forest wafer and then twisted into a yarn. Both the CNT film and yarn were arranged on elastomer membranes/diaphragms which were arranged on a laser cut acrylic frame to form pressure sensors. The sensors were calibrated using a precisely controlled pressure system, showing a large change of the output voltage of approximately 50 mV at a constant supply current of 100 μA and under a low applied pressure of 15 mbar. The results indicate the high potential of using CNT films and yarns for pressure sensing applications

Crystalline Gaq3Nanostructures: Preparation, Thermal Property and Spectroscopy Characterization

Crystalline Gaq31-D nanostructures and nanospheres could be fabricated by thermal evaporation under cold trap. The influences of the key process parameters on formation of the nanostructures were also investigated. It has been demonstrated that the morphology and dimension of the nanostructures were mainly controlled by working temperature and working pressure. One-dimensional nanostructures were fabricated at a lower working temperature, whereas nanospheres were formed at a higher working temperature. Larger nanospheres could be obtained when a higher working pressure was applied. The XRD, FTIR, and NMR analyses evidenced that the nanostructures mainly consisted of δ-phase Gaq3. Their DSC trace revealed two small exothermic peaks in addition to the melting endotherm. The one in lower temperature region was ascribed to a transition from δ to β phase, while another in higher temperature region could be identified as a transition from β to δ phase. All the crystalline nanostructures show similar PL spectra due to absence of quantum confinement effect. They also exhibited a spectral blue shift because of a looser interligand spacing and reduced orbital overlap in their δ-phase molecular structures

Electrocardiographic Findings in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Presenting with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

We sought to characterize presenting electrocardiographic findings in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Canadian ACS Registry I, we examined presenting and 24-48 hour follow-up ECGs of ACS patients who survived to hospital admission, stratified by presentation with OHCA. We assessed the prevalence of ST-segment deviation and bundle branch blocks and their association with in-hospital and 6-month mortality amongst those with OHCA. 215 (1.8%) of 12,040 ACS patients survived to hospital admission following OHCA. Those with OHCA had higher presenting rates of ST-segment elevation, ST-segment depression, T wave inversion, precordial Q waves, left bundle branch block (LBBB), and right bundle branch block (RBBB) than those without. Among patients with OHCA, those with ST-segment elevation had significantly lower in-hospital mortality (20.9% vs. 33.0%, p=0.044) and a trend toward lower 6-month mortality (27% vs. 39%, p=0.060) compared to those without ST-segment elevation. Conversely, among OCHA patients, LBBB was associated with significantly higher in-hospital and 6-month mortality rates (58% vs. 22%, p<0.001 and 65% vs. 28%, p<0.001 respectively). ST-segment depression and RBBB were not associated with either outcome. 63% of bundle branch blocks (RBBB or LBBB) on the presenting ECG resolved by 24-48 hours. In conclusion, compared with ACS patients without cardiac arrest, those with OHCA had higher rates of ST-segment elevation, LBBB and RBBB on admission. Among OHCA patients, ST-segment elevation was associated with lower in-hospital mortality, while LBBB was associated with higher in-hospital and 6-month mortality

GRACE risk score: sex-based validity of in-hospital mortality prediction in Canadian patients with acute coronary syndrome

Background: Although there are sex differences in management and outcome of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), sex is not a component of Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score (RS) for in-hospital mortality prediction. We sought to determine the prognostic utility of GRACE RS in men and women, and whether its predictive accuracy would be augmented through sex-based modification of its components. Methods: Canadian men and women enrolled in GRACE and Canadian Registry of Acute Coronary Events were stratified as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-ST-segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). GRACE RS was calculated as per original model. Discrimination and calibration were evaluated using the c-statistic and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression was undertaken to assess potential interactions of sex with GRACE RS components. Results: For the overall cohort (n = 14,422), unadjusted in-hospital mortality rate was higher in women than men (4.5% vs. 3.0%, p < 0.001). Overall, GRACE RS c-statistic and goodness-of-fit test p-value were 0.85 (95%CI 0.83–0.87) and 0.11, respectively. While the RS had excellent discrimination for all subgroups (c-statistics > 0.80), discrimination was lower for women compared to men with STEMI [0.80 (0.75–0.84) vs. 0.86 (0.82–0.89), respectively, p < 0.05]. The goodness-of-fit test showed good calibration for women (p = 0.86), but suboptimal for men (p = 0.031). No significant interaction was evident between sex and RS components (all p > 0.25). Conclusions: The GRACE RS is a valid predictor of in-hospital mortality for both men and women with ACS. The lack of interaction between sex and RS components suggests that sex-based modification is not required

Expression of phospho-ERK1/2 and PI3-K in benign and malignant gallbladder lesions and its clinical and pathological correlations

Abstract Background An increasing number of studies have shown that ERK and PI3-K/AKT signaling pathways are involved in various human cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. However, few studies have examined gallbladder cancer specimens, and little is known about the clinical and pathological significance of ERK1/2 and PI3-K/AKT signaling changes in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. In this study, we examined phospho-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and PI3K expression and analyzed its clinicopathological impact in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect and compare the frequency of p-ERK1/2 and PI3-K expression in gallbladder adenocarcinoma, peri-tumor tissues, adenomatous polyps, and chronic cholecystitis specimens. Results The positive staining for p-EKR1/2 and PI3-K were 63/108 (58.3%) and 55/108 (50.9%) in gallbladder adenocarcinoma; 14/46 (30.4%) and 5/46 (10.1%) in peri-tumor tissues; 3/15 (20%) and 3/15 (20%) in adenomatous polyps; and 4/35 (11.4%) and 3/35 (8.6%) in chronic cholecystitis. The positive rate of p-ERK1/2 or PI3-K in gallbladder adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than that in peri-tumor tissue (both, P P P P P P P P = 0.062) was associated with decreased overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that increased p-ERK1/2 expression was an independent prognostic predictor in gallbladder carcinoma (P = 0.028). Conclusion Increased expression of p-ERK1/2 and PI3K might contribute to gallbladder carcinogenesis. p-ERK1/2 over-expression is correlated with decreased survival and therefore may serve as an important biological marker in development of gallbladder adenocarcinoma.</p

Polarimetric Multi-View Inverse Rendering

A polarization camera has great potential for 3D reconstruction since the angle of polarization (AoP) of reflected light is related to an object's surface normal. In this paper, we propose a novel 3D reconstruction method called Polarimetric Multi-View Inverse Rendering (Polarimetric MVIR) that effectively exploits geometric, photometric, and polarimetric cues extracted from input multi-view color polarization images. We first estimate camera poses and an initial 3D model by geometric reconstruction with a standard structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo pipeline. We then refine the initial model by optimizing photometric and polarimetric rendering errors using multi-view RGB and AoP images, where we propose a novel polarimetric rendering cost function that enables us to effectively constrain each estimated surface vertex's normal while considering four possible ambiguous azimuth angles revealed from the AoP measurement. Experimental results using both synthetic and real data demonstrate that our Polarimetric MVIR can reconstruct a detailed 3D shape without assuming a specific polarized reflection depending on the material.Comment: Paper accepted in ECCV 202

Carbon nanotube four-terminal devices for pressure sensing applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are of high interest for sensing applications, owing to their superior mechanical strength, high Young’s modulus and low density. In this work, we report on a facile approach for the fabrication of carbon nanotube devices using a four terminal configuration. Oriented carbon nanotube films were pulled out from a CNT forest wafer and then twisted into a yarn. Both the CNT film and yarn were arranged on elastomer membranes/diaphragms which were ar-ranged on a laser cut acrylic frame to form pressure sensors. The sensors were calibrated using a precisely controlled pressure system, showing a large change of the output voltage of approximately 50 mV at a constant supply current of 100µA and under a low applied pressure of 15 mbar. The results indicate the high potential of using CNT films and yarns for pressure sensing applications

Loss of DNMT1o Disrupts Imprinted X Chromosome Inactivation and Accentuates Placental Defects in Females

The maintenance of key germline derived DNA methylation patterns during preimplantation development depends on stores of DNA cytosine methyltransferase-1o (DNMT1o) provided by the oocyte. Dnmt1omat-/- mouse embryos born to Dnmt1Δ1o/Δ1o female mice lack DNMT1o protein and have disrupted genomic imprinting and associated phenotypic abnormalities. Here, we describe additional female-specific morphological abnormalities and DNA hypomethylation defects outside imprinted loci, restricted to extraembryonic tissue. Compared to male offspring, the placentae of female offspring of Dnmt1Δ1o/Δ1o mothers displayed a higher incidence of genic and intergenic hypomethylation and more frequent and extreme placental dysmorphology. The majority of the affected loci were concentrated on the X chromosome and associated with aberrant biallelic expression, indicating that imprinted X-inactivation was perturbed. Hypomethylation of a key regulatory region of Xite within the X-inactivation center was present in female blastocysts shortly after the absence of methylation maintenance by DNMT1o at the 8-cell stage. The female preponderance of placental DNA hypomethylation associated with maternal DNMT1o deficiency provides evidence of additional roles beyond the maintenance of genomic imprints for DNA methylation events in the preimplantation embryo, including a role in imprinted X chromosome inactivation. © 2013 McGraw et al

Impact of adiposity on cardiac structure in adult life: the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) study.

BACKGROUND: We have examined the association between adiposity and cardiac structure in adulthood, using a life course approach that takes account of the contribution of adiposity in both childhood and adulthood. METHODS: The Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study (CDAH) is a follow-up study of 8,498 children who participated in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (ASHFS). The CDAH follow-up study included 2,410 participants who attended a clinic examination. Of these, 181 underwent cardiac imaging and provided complete data. The measures were taken once when the children were aged 9 to 15 years, and once in adult life, aged 26 to 36 years. RESULTS: There was a positive association between adult left ventricular mass (LVM) and childhood body mass index (BMI) in males (regression coefficient (β) 0.41; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14 to 0.67; p = 0.003), and females (β = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.72; p < 0.001), and with change in BMI from childhood to adulthood (males: β = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.51; p < 0.001, females: β = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.58; p < 0.001), after adjustment for confounding factors (age, fitness, triglyceride levels and total cholesterol in adulthood). After further adjustment for known potential mediating factors (systolic BP and fasting plasma glucose in adulthood) the relationship of LVM with childhood BMI (males: β = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.71; p = 0.001, females: β = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.68; p < 0.001) and change in BMI (males: β = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.49; p = 0.02, females: β = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.59; p < 0.001) did not change markedly. CONCLUSIONS: Adiposity and increased adiposity from childhood to adulthood appear to have a detrimental effect on cardiac structure

Combination of inflammatory and vascular markers in the febrile phase of dengue is associated with more severe outcomes

Background: Early identification of severe dengue patients is important regarding patient management and resource allocation. We investigated the association of 10 biomarkers (VCAM-1, SDC-1, Ang-2, IL-8, IP-10, IL-1RA, sCD163, sTREM-1, ferritin, CRP) with the development of severe/moderate dengue (S/MD). Methods: We performed a nested case-control study from a multi-country study. A total of 281 S/MD and 556 uncomplicated dengue cases were included. Results: On days 1–3 from symptom onset, higher levels of any biomarker increased the risk of developing S/MD. When assessing together, SDC-1 and IL-1RA were stable, while IP-10 changed the association from positive to negative; others showed weaker associations. The best combinations associated with S/MD comprised IL-1RA, Ang-2, IL-8, ferritin, IP-10, and SDC-1 for children, and SDC-1, IL-8, ferritin, sTREM-1, IL-1RA, IP-10, and sCD163 for adults. Conclusions: Our findings assist the development of biomarker panels for clinical use and could improve triage and risk prediction in dengue patients. Funding: This study was supported by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-281803 IDAMS), the WHO, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation