Reliability Assessment of Nanoscale System on Chip Depending on Neturon Irradiation

The atmospheric neutron poses a serious hazard to nanoscale electronics reliability. Spallation neutron irradiations on a nanoscale system on chip (SoC) were conducted applying the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), and the results were compared and analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation. The contribution from thermal neutron on the SoC single event effect (SEE) was analyzed. Analysis indicated the SoC atmospheric neutron SEE vulnerability can be reduced by 44.4% if the thermal neutron was absorbed. The influences of the B and Hf elements on the SEEs were evaluated, too. It can be concluded that 10 B interacting with thermal neutron is the reason for thermal neutron inducing SEE in the SoC. Although the Hf element has no contribution to the 28 nm SoC atmospheric neutron SEE cross section, it increases the total dose risk 5 times during atmospheric neutron irradiation

Synergetic treatment of dye contaminated wastewater using microparticles functionalized with carbon nanotubes/titanium dioxide nanocomposites

This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry. The highly efficient treatment of azo dye contaminated wastewater from the textile industry is an important but challenging problem. Herein, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microparticles, incorporating multiple-walled carbon nanotubes/titanium dioxide (MWCNTs/TiO2) nanocomposites, were successfully synthesized to treat wastewater containing Rhodamine B (RhB) dyes in a synergetic approach, by combining sorption and photocatalytic degradation. The surfactant wrapping sol-gel method was applied to synthesize MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposites with TiO2 nanoparticles evenly distributed on the surface of the MWCNTs. The PDMS microparticles were fabricated with an oil-in-water (O/W) single emulsion template, using needle-based microfluidic devices. MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposites (at a weight ratio of 1%, and 2%, respectively) were mixed with the PDMS precursor as the dispersed phase, and an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as the continuous phase. Highly monodispersed microparticles, with average diameters of 692.7 μm (Coefficient of Variation, CV = 0.74%) and 678.3 μm (CV = 1.04%), were formed at an applied flow rate of the dispersed and continuous phase of 30 and 200 μL min-1, respectively. The fabricated hybrid microparticles were employed for the treatment of RhB, involving a dark equilibrium for 5 hours and UV irradiation for 3 hours. The experimental conditions of applied PDMS type, mass loading amount, treatment duration, photodegradation kinetics, initial concentration of pollutants and environmental pH values were investigated in this work. The PDMS microparticles with 2 wt% MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposites can exhibit a removal efficiency of 85%. Remarkably, an efficiency of 70% can be retained after the microparticles have been recycled and reused for 3 cycles. The PDMS-MWCNTs/TiO2 microparticles possess a superior performance over conventional treatment approaches for dye contaminated wastewater, especially in recyclability and the prevention of secondary pollution. This work provides a feasible and eco-friendly route for developing an efficient and low-cost microfluidic method for treating complicated water environmental systems

Association of lipoprotein(a) and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Introduction(#br)The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment.(#br)Material and methods(#br)This was a retrospective study. The demographics, prior medical histories, comorbidities and laboratory parameters were collected from the electronic health record. All participants were followed up for 1 year after the indexed PCI. Studied end points were a composite of MACEs including all-cause mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack and stent restenosis.(#br)Results(#br)During 1-year follow-up, 87 MACEs occurred. Compared to patients who did not have MACEs, patients who had MACEs were older, more likely to have higher body mass index, diabetes mellitus and left main lesion, and also had higher baseline low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Lp(a) levels. All patients in both groups were prescribed aspirin and clopidogrel at discharge. Nearly 97.4% and 95.4% of patients in both groups were treated with statins and a higher proportion of patients in the MACE group were treated with ezetimibe (11.5% vs. 3.5%, p < 0.05). In multivariate regression analysis, diabetes mellitus, LDL-C, Lp(a) and glomerular filtration rate were independent risk factors for MACEs; statin use appeared to be a protective factor for MACEs. Patients with increased Lp(a) level had significantly higher incidence of MACEs than the normal Lp(a) level group ( p = 0.001).(#br)Conclusions(#br)Baseline serum Lp(a) can be used to predict MACEs in patients after PCI treatment, which was independent of LDL-C

Twelve-year outcomes of bedside laser photocoagulation for severe retinopathy of prematurity

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the 12-year outcomes of bedside laser photocoagulation (LP) for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) under sedation combined with ocular surface anesthesia in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).DesignThe study is a retrospective case series.MethodsInfants treated with bedside LP for severe ROP from April 2009 to September 2021 were included. All LP treatments were performed under sedation and surface anesthesia at the bedside in NICU. Data were recorded for clinical and demographic characteristics, total laser spots, duration of treatment, proportion of total regression of ROP, proportion of recurrence, and adverse events.ResultsA total of 364 infants (715 eyes) were included, with a mean gestational age of 28.6 ± 2.4 weeks (range: 22.6–36.6 weeks) and a mean birth weight of 1,156.0 ± 339.0 g (range: 480–2,200 g). The mean number of laser spots was 832 ± 469, and the mean duration of treatment was 23.5 ± 5.3 min per eye. Of all the eyes, 98.3% responded to LP with complete regression of ROP. ROP recurred in 15 (2.1%) eyes after the initial LP. Additional LP was performed in seven (1.0%) eyes. No patient exhibited mistaken LP of other ocular tissues, and there were no serious ocular adverse effects. None of them needed endotracheal intubation.ConclusionsBedside LP treatment is effective and safe for premature infants with severe ROP under sedation and surface anesthesia in NICU, especially for infants whose general condition is unstable and not suitable for transport

A comparative study of Mn/Co binary metal catalysts supported on two commercial diatomaceous earths for oxidation of benzene

Two commercial diatomaceous earths were used as supports for the preparation of Mn/Cobinary metal catalysts at different metal loads (5 to 10 wt % Mn and 5 to 15 wt % Co) by incipientwetness deposition. The activity of the prepared catalysts towards the complete oxidation of benzeneto CO2and water was investigated between 100 and 400◦C. Raw supports and synthesized catalystswere characterized by XRD, N2physisorption, SEM-EDS, H2-TPR, and TPD. The purificationtreatment of food-grade diatomite significantly affected the crystallinity of this support whilereducing its specific surface area (SSA). A loss of SSA, associated with the increase in the metalload, was observed on samples prepared on natural diatomite, while the opposite trend occurredwith food-grade diatomite-supported catalysts. Metal nanoparticles of around 50 nm diameter wereobserved on the catalysts’ surface by SEM analysis. EDS analysis confirmed the uniform depositionof the active phases on the support’s surface. A larger H2consumption was found by TPR analysisof natural diatomite-based samples in comparison to those prepared at the same metal load onfood-grade diatomite. During the catalytic oxidation experiment, over 90% conversion of benzenewere achieved at a reaction temperature of 225◦C by all of the prepared samples. In addition, theformation of coke during the oxidation tests was demonstrated by TGA analysis and the solublefraction of the produced coke was characterized by GC-MS

Review of advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies

As a vital and integral component of transportation infrastructure, pavement has a direct and tangible impact on socio-economic sustainability. In recent years, an influx of groundbreaking and state-of-the-art materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies related to road engineering have continually and progressively emerged, reshaping the landscape of pavement systems. There is a pressing and growing need for a timely summarization of the current research status and a clear identification of future research directions in these advanced and evolving technologies. Therefore, Journal of Road Engineering has undertaken the significant initiative of introducing a comprehensive review paper with the overarching theme of “advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies”. This extensive and insightful review meticulously gathers and synthesizes research findings from 39 distinguished scholars, all of whom are affiliated with 19 renowned universities or research institutions specializing in the diverse and multidimensional field of highway engineering. It covers the current state and anticipates future development directions in the four major and interconnected domains of road engineering: advanced road materials, advanced road structures and performance evaluation, advanced road construction equipment and technology, and advanced road detection and assessment technologies

Gastric Mucosal Lesions in Tibetans with High-Altitude Polycythemia Show Increased HIF-1A Expression and ROS Production

Background. Living at a high plateau in a very hostile environment and low oxygen levels often leads to the development of high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC) and gastric mucosal lesions caused by high-level reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hypoxia-inducible factor-1A (HIF-1A) helps maintain oxygen homeostasis by promoting the transcription of various genes and can be affected by ROS levels. To evaluate the molecular mechanism by which HAPC causes the gastric mucosal lesions, the expression of HIF-1A was measured in Tibetans with HAPC and in healthy subjects. Ultrastructural, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed in the gastric tissues of both groups, and the expression of HIF-1A in the gastric mucosa was detected using qPCR and Western Blot. Results. The microvessel density and average diameter of gastric mucosal vessels were significantly greater in the HAPC patients than in the healthy subjects (p < 0.05). The number of red blood cells in the gastric mucosa was also significantly higher in the HAPC group than in the healthy subjects (p < 0.05). In addition, the density of the mitochondrial vacuoles and endoplasmic reticulum and pathological apoptosis were significantly increased in the gastric cells from HAPC patients compared to those from the healthy subjects. The levels of ROS and HIF-1A in the gastric mucosa were increased in HAPC patients compared to those in controls (p < 0.05). Conclusions. An increased level of HIF-1A was associated with HAPC development in the stomach of Tibetans living at a high altitude. ROS upregulated the levels of HIF-1A. Thus, ROS-mediated HIF-1A signaling transduction may be the mechanism associated with HAPC-induced gastric lesions

Urban Sustainable Development Based on the Framework of Sponge City: 71 Case Studies in China

Sponge city is a new urban stormwater management strategy proposed in China, which enables the city to absorb and save stormwater like a sponge, then release stormwater to solve the problems of urban waterlogging and water shortage. However, at present, sponge cities are confronted with such problems as high management cost and low management efficiency, a lack of research on collaborative management between cities and the feasibility of regional cooperation between sponge cities needs to be proved. Therefore, this article puts forward the theory of sponge city regional ecological cooperative management and builds a multivariate cluster analysis model of sponge city and conducts an empirical study on data of 71 Chinese cities. The research results show that under the multi-index linkage system, China&rsquo;s urban climate and ecological characteristics do have the characteristics of regional agglomeration and the basic conditions of interregional ecological cooperation, which proves the feasibility of the hypothesis of regional cooperation. Therefore, strengthening the ecological cooperation of sponge cities among regional cities is conducive to improving the supply efficiency of ecological environment quality and realizing the sustainable development of cities