Lumen diameter is associated with the patency after percutaneous angioplasty of arteriovenous fistulas.

AIM: To assess the value of lumen diameter after percutaneous angioplasty (PTA) to predict functional dialysis use (FDU) of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of all patients who underwent first PTA because of AVF stenosis between March 2019 and March 2021. The outcome was FDU of AVF at 6 months follow up. Independent factors of FDU were identified using multivariate regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to investigate the predictive ability of lumen diameter for FDU. RESULTS: A total 68 patients were included into this study and the AVF of 53 cases (77.9%) were good for FDU after 6 months. The AVF age was younger in failure group than that in success group (16.1 ± 9.1 months vs 28.3 ± 20.0 months, p = 0.026). Compared with failure group, the post-PTA minimum luminal diameter (MLD) was bigger in success group (4.5 [4.0-4.5 mm] vs 5.5 mm [4.5-5.5 mm], p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the gain of lumen diameter in success group was also bigger than that in failure group (2.5 mm [2.0-3.0 mm] in failure group vs 3.0 mm [2.75-3.5 mm] in success group, p = 0.012). The residual stenosis was higher in failure group than that in success group (30% [10%-40%] vs 10% [0%-20%], p = 0.003). Logistic regression showed that AVF age and post-PTA MLD were independent predictors of FDU. ROC analysis showed that the gain of lumen diameter, post-PTA MLD and improvement of stenosis were comparable to predict FDU. For post-PTA MLD, the area under ROC curve was 0.804 (95% CI, 0.681-0.927, p < 0.001). The best cutoff is 4.75 mm, with the sensitivity and specificity was 71.7% and 80.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: AVF age and post-PTA MLD were independently predictors for FDU of AVF after PTA. To get the best performance, a minimum vein diameter of 4.75 mm should be obtained after angioplasty.

Simulation of Vegetation Carbon Sink of Arbor Forest and Carbon Mitigation of Forestry Bioenergy in China.

Mitigating carbon emissions through forest carbon sinks is one of the nature-based solutions to global warming. Forest ecosystems play a role as a carbon sink and an important source of bioenergy. China's forest ecosystems have significantly contributed to mitigating carbon emissions. However, there are relatively limited quantitative studies on the carbon mitigation effects of forestry bioenergy in China, so this paper simulated the carbon sequestration of Chinese arbor forest vegetation from 2018 to 2060 based on the CO2FIX model and accounted for the carbon emission reduction brought about by substituting forestry bioenergy for fossil energy, which is important for the formulation of policies to tackle climate change in the Chinese forestry sector. The simulation results showed that the carbon storage of all arbor forest vegetation in China increased year by year from 2018 to 2060, and, overall, it behaved as a carbon sink, with the annual carbon sink fluctuating in the region of 250 MtC/a. For commercial forests that already existed in 2018, the emission reduction effected by substituting forestry bioenergy for fossil energy was significant. The average annual carbon reduction in terms of bioenergy by using traditional and improved stoves reached 36.1 and 69.3 MtC/a, respectively. Overall, for China's existing arbor forests, especially commercial forests, forestry bioenergy should be utilized more efficiently to further exploit its emission reduction potential. For future newly planted forests in China, new afforestation should focus on ecological public welfare forests, which are more beneficial as carbon sinks.

An Efficient Hybrid Feature Selection Method Using the Artificial Immune Algorithm for High-Dimensional Data.

Feature selection provides the optimal subset of features for data mining models. However, current feature selection methods for high-dimensional data also require a better balance between feature subset quality and computational cost. In this paper, an efficient hybrid feature selection method (HFIA) based on artificial immune algorithm optimization is proposed to solve the feature selection problem of high-dimensional data. The algorithm combines filter algorithms and improves clone selection algorithms to explore the feature space of high-dimensional data. According to the target requirements of feature selection, combined with biological research results, this method introduces the lethal mutation mechanism and the Cauchy operator to improve the search performance of the algorithm. Moreover, the adaptive adjustment factor is introduced in the mutation and update phases of the algorithm. The effective combination of these mechanisms enables the algorithm to obtain a better search ability and lower computational costs. Experimental comparisons with 19 state-of-the-art feature selection methods are conducted on 25 high-dimensional benchmark datasets. The results show that the feature reduction rate for all datasets is above 99%, and the performance improvement for the classifier is between 5% and 48.33%. Compared with the five classical filtering feature selection methods, the computational cost of HFIA is lower than the two of them, and it is far better than these five algorithms in terms of the feature reduction rate and classification accuracy improvement. Compared with the 14 hybrid feature selection methods reported in the latest literature, the average winning rates in terms of classification accuracy, feature reduction rate, and computational cost are 85.83%, 88.33%, and 96.67%, respectively.

Solid-State Janus Nanoprecipitation Enables Amorphous-Like Heat Conduction in Crystalline Mg3 Sb2 -Based Thermoelectric Materials.

Solid-state precipitation can be used to tailor material properties, ranging from ferromagnets and catalysts to mechanical strengthening and energy storage. Thermoelectric properties can be modified by precipitation to enhance phonon scattering while retaining charge-carrier transmission. Here, unconventional Janus-type nanoprecipitates are uncovered in Mg3 Sb1.5 Bi0.5 formed by side-by-side Bi- and Ge-rich appendages, in contrast to separate nanoprecipitate formation. These Janus nanoprecipitates result from local comelting of Bi and Ge during sintering, enabling an amorphous-like lattice thermal conductivity. A precipitate size effect on phonon scattering is observed due to the balance between alloy-disorder and nanoprecipitate scattering. The thermoelectric figure-of-merit ZT reaches 0.6 near room temperature and 1.6 at 773 K. The Janus nanoprecipitation can be introduced into other materials and may act as a general property-tailoring mechanism.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-First Strategy for Acute Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: Both venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) are increasingly used to treat acute life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE). However, there are little data regarding their effectiveness. This study aimed to present the short-term outcomes after managing nine patients with acute life-threatening massive or submassive PE by VA-ECMO with or without complemented PMT and propose a preliminary treatment algorithm. Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective review of a prospectively maintained registry. It included nine consecutive patients with massive or submassive pulmonary embolism who underwent VA-ECMO for initial hemodynamic stabilization, with or without PMT, from August 2018 to November 2021. Results: Mean patient age was 54.7 years. Four of nine patients (44.4%) required cardiopulmonary resuscitation before or during VA-ECMO cannulation. All cannulations (100%) were successfully performed percutaneously. Overall survival was 88.9% (8 of 9 patients). One patient died from a hemorrhagic stroke. Of the survivors, the median ECMO duration was 8 days in patients treated with ECMO alone and 4 days in those treated with EMCO and PMT. Five of nine patients (55.6%) required concomitant PMT to address persistent right heart dysfunction, with the remaining survivors (44.4%) receiving VA-ECMO and anticoagulation alone. For survivors receiving VA-ECMO plus PMT, median hospital lengths of stay were 7 and 13 days, respectively. Conclusions: An ECMO-first strategy complemented with PMT can be performed effectively and safely for acute life-threatening massive or submassive PE. VA-ECMO is feasible for initial stabilization, serving as a bridge to therapy primarily in inoperable patients with massive PE. Further evaluation in a larger cohort of patients is warranted to assess whether VA-ECMO plus PMT may offer an alternative or complementary therapy to thrombolysis or surgical thrombectomy. Type of Research: Single-center retrospective review of a prospectively maintained registry.

Few-layer bismuth selenide cathode for low-temperature quasi-solid-state aqueous zinc metal batteries.

The performances of rechargeable batteries are strongly affected by the operating environmental temperature. In particular, low temperatures (e.g., ≤0 °C) are detrimental to efficient cell cycling. To circumvent this issue, we propose a few-layer Bi2Se3 (a topological insulator) as cathode material for Zn metal batteries. When the few-layer Bi2Se3 is used in combination with an anti-freeze hydrogel electrolyte, the capacity delivered by the cell at -20 °C and 1 A g-1 is 1.3 larger than the capacity at 25 °C for the same specific current. Also, at 0 °C the Zn | |few-layer Bi2Se3 cell shows capacity retention of 94.6% after 2000 cycles at 1 A g-1. This behaviour is related to the fact that the Zn-ion uptake in the few-layer Bi2Se3 is higher at low temperatures, e.g., almost four Zn2+ at 25 °C and six Zn2+ at -20 °C. We demonstrate that the unusual performance improvements at low temperatures are only achievable with the few-layer Bi2Se3 rather than bulk Bi2Se3. We also show that the favourable low-temperature conductivity and ion diffusion capability of few-layer Bi2Se3 are linked with the presence of topological surface states and weaker lattice vibrations, respectively.

Vacancy Modulating Co3 Sn2 S2 Topological Semimetal for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) with high electrical conductivity and suitable carrier density near the Fermi level are enticing candidates for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs), meriting from topological surface states (TSSs). We propose a WSM Co3 Sn2 S2 cathode for AZIBs showing a discharge plateau around 1.5 V. By introducing Sn vacancies, extra redox peaks from the Sn4+ /Sn2+ transition appear, which leads to more Zn2+ transfer channels and active sites promoting charge-storage kinetics and Zn2+ storage capability. Co3 Sn1.8 S2 achieves a specific energy of 305 Wh kg-1 (0.2 Ag-1 ) and a specific power of 4900 Wkg-1 (5 Ag-1 ). Co3 Sn1.8 S2 and Znx Co3 Sn1.8 S2 benefit from better conductivity at lower temperatures; the quasi-solid Co3 Sn1.8 S2 //Zn battery delivers 126 mAh g-1 (0.6 Ag-1 ) at -30 °C and a cycling stability over 3000 cycles (2 Ag-1 ) with 85 % capacity retention at -10 °C.

Homo-composition and hetero-structure nanocomposite Pnma Bi2SeS2 - Pnnm Bi2SeS2 with high thermoelectric performance.

Nanocomposite engineering decouples the transport of phonons and electrons. This usually involves the in-situ formation or ex-situ addition of nanoparticles to a material matrix with hetero-composition and hetero-structure (heC-heS) interfaces or hetero-composition and homo-structure (heC-hoS) interfaces. Herein, a quasi homo-composition and hetero-structure (hoC-heS) nanocomposite consisting of Pnma Bi2SeS2 - Pnnm Bi2SeS2 is obtained through a Br dopant-induced phase transition, providing a coherent interface between the Pnma matrix and Pnnm second phase due to the slight structural difference between the two phases. This hoC-heS nanocomposite demonstrates a significant reduction in lattice thermal conductivity (~0.40 W m-1 K-1) and an enhanced power factor (7.39 µW cm-1 K-2). Consequently, a record high figure-of-merit ZTmax = 1.12 (at 773 K) and a high average figure-of-merit ZTave = 0.72 (in the range of 323-773 K) are achieved. This work provides a general strategy for synergistically tuning electrical and thermal transport properties by designing hoC-heS nanocomposites through a dopant-induced phase transition.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance by Strong Phonon Scattering at the Heterogeneous Interfaces of the Mg2Sn/Mg3Sb2 High-Content Nanocomposite.

Nano approaches are practical strategies to boost the thermoelectric figure of merit due to the strong phonon scattering from the grain boundaries and nanoinclusions. Here, we have reported a strong phonon scattering at the heterogeneous interfaces of Mg2Sn/Mg3Sb2 high-content nanocomposites (HCnCs). As a result, a significantly reduced lattice thermal conductivity of 1.09 W m-1 K-1 was observed in the equimolar Mg2Sn/Mg3Sb2 HCnC, 80% lower than pure Mg2Sn and 25% lower than pure Mg3Sb2. As a result, a high ZT ∼ 1.13 at 773 K was achieved in the Mg2Sn/Mg3Sb2 HCnC. Furthermore, various defects, including solid solutions, nanoinclusions, and misfit dislocations, were observed in both the Mg3Sb2 phase and the Mg2Sn phase through the microstructure characterization.

Comparison of digital subtraction angiography combined arterial thrombectomy versus simple arterial thrombectomy in the treatment of acute lower limb ischemia.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) combined arterial thrombectomy versus simple arterial thrombectomy in the treatment of acute lower limb ischemia (ALI). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study collected the clinical data from 124 patients (128 affected lower limbs) with ALI who underwent emergency surgery from March 2010 to November 2019. Patients were consecutively divided into Group A and Group B. Patients in Group A underwent simple arterial thrombectomy via the Fogarty catheterization. Patients in Group B underwent arterial thrombectomy, and the DSA was performed during the surgery. The differences in the success rate of primary surgery, the second intervention rate, and the amputation/mortality rate within 30-days after surgery were compared. RESULTS: In Group A, 4 of 70 limbs (5.7%) were amputated, 54 of 70 limbs (77.1%) had improved blood flow, 14 of 70 limbs (20.0%) received a second intervention, and 3 of 68 patients (4.4%) died within 30 days. In Group B, 1 of 58 limbs (1.7%) was amputated, 56 of 58 limbs (96.6%) had improved blood flow, 3 of 58 limbs (5.2%) received a second intervention, and 2 of 56 patients (3.5%) died within 30-days. The success rate of primary surgery, the second intervention rate, and the amputation rate of Group B were significantly lower than Group A (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Arterial thrombectomy combined with DSA may effectively improve the clinical efficacy of patients with ALI.

Iodinated disinfection byproduct formation in a MnO2/I-/EPS system.

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) is a Mn deposit widely accumulated in the corrosion layer of pipelines, and iodide (I-) is a halogen ion frequently detected in waters. The biofilm dwelling on the corrosion scales often secretes extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) into drinking water. The paper aimed to study the I- oxidation by MnO2 and iodinated disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs) formation with biofilm EPS as a precursor. More than 93% of formed free iodine was finally converted into organic iodine in the MnO2/I-/EPS system. Compared with humic acid, EPS had a lower carbonaceous I-DBPs (C-IDBPs) formation while a higher nitrogenous I-DBPs (N-IDBPs) formation. The formation of iodomethanes (I-THMs), iodoacetonitriles (I-HANs) and iodoacetic acids (I-HAAs) decreased with the increase of pH due to the weakening of polarization effect and redox potential, while the iodoacetamides (I-HAcAms) formation achieved the maximum at pH 6.0 due to the difference between the hydrolysis rate of I-HANs and decomposition rate of I-HAcAms. The I-DBPs formation was positively correlated with I- concentration, while negatively correlated with MnO2 dose. Protein components displayed a higher formation of N-IDBPs and C-IDBPs than polysaccharide components due to higher nitrogen proportion and more iodination sites. Among 20 protein monomers, aspartic acid was considered as the most important precursor of the four investigated I-DBPs species. The paper is helpful to understand the I-DBPs formation when I- in the bulk water come into contact with Mn deposits attached by biofilm.

Giant thermopower of ionic gelatin near room temperature.

Harvesting heat from the environment into electricity has the potential to power Internet-of-things (IoT) sensors, freeing them from cables or batteries and thus making them especially useful for wearable devices. We demonstrate a giant positive thermopower of 17.0 millivolts per degree Kelvin in a flexible, quasi-solid-state, ionic thermoelectric material using synergistic thermodiffusion and thermogalvanic effects. The ionic thermoelectric material is a gelatin matrix modulated with ion providers (KCl, NaCl, and KNO3) for thermodiffusion effect and a redox couple [Fe(CN)6 4-/Fe(CN)6 3-] for thermogalvanic effect. A proof-of-concept wearable device consisting of 25 unipolar elements generated more than 2 volts and a peak power of 5 microwatts using body heat. This ionic gelatin shows promise for environmental heat-to-electric energy conversion using ions as energy carriers.

Inhibiting Grain Pulverization and Sulfur Dissolution of Bismuth Sulfide by Ionic Liquid Enhanced Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonate) for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) possess energy storages advantages, including low cost, high safety, and durable lifetimes. Materials are worth exploring to achieve high-performance batteries. Although Bi2S3 is predicted to be highly capable for energy storage, it has never been used in aqueous ZIBs due to the structure degradation. Herein, we apply Bi2S3 in aqueous ZIBs and develop an ionic liquid enhanced poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) coating to perfectly stabilize the Bi2S3 electrode, which plays three roles of providing high conductivity, inhibiting grain pulverization and sulfur dissolution, and acting as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase. The synergistic merits of the desirable capacity of Bi2S3 and a versatile polymer provide a capacity of 275 mAh g-1 and excellent cycling stability up to 5300 cycles with 95.3% retention. A reversible conversion mechanism into hexagonal ZnS is revealed by investigation of a variety of spectra. The prepared quasi-solid battery based on a high concentration salt electrolyte/polyacrylamide hydrogel exhibits a high energy density (315 Wh kg-1) and long-term cyclability over 5300 cycles. For demonstration, a single battery can power a digital hygrometer thermometer for more than 14 h 48 min. This work highlights a ground-breaking demonstration of incorporating structural integrity with stable interfacial chemistry.

Enhancing thermoelectric performance of Cu2Se by doping Te.

Owing to the excellent electrical properties and inherently complex crystal structure, Cu2Se has been considered as a promising thermoelectric (TE) material. Herein, a series of Cu2Se1-xTex (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08) bulk samples are prepared by combining mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) to investigate the effect of Te content (x) on the phase structure, microstructure and TE properties of stoichiometric Cu2Se. It is found that a maximum TE figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.25 could be achieved for Cu2Se0.98Te0.02 sample at 773 K, which essentially stemmed from the elevated power factor (PF) and reduced thermal conductivity (κ). The results obtained in our study indicate that the introduction of Te into stoichiometric Cu2Se is an effective and convenient strategy to improve ZT by enhancing PF and decreasing κ.

GPR48 promotes multiple cancer cell proliferation via activation of Wnt signaling.

The key signaling networks regulating cancer cell proliferation remain to be defined. The leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein coupled receptor 48 (GPR48) plays an important role in multiple organ development. In the present study, we investigated whether GPR48 functions in cancer cells using MCF-7, HepG2, NCI-N87 and PC-3 cells. We found that GPR48 overexpression promotes while its knockdown using small interfering RNA oligos inhibits cell proliferation. In addition, Wnt/ß-catenin signaling was activated in cells overexpressing GPR48. Therefore, our results indicated that GPR48 activates Wnt/ß-catenin signaling to regulate cancer cell proliferation.

[Calculation of regional carbon emission: a case of Guangdong Province].

By using IPCC carbon emission calculation formula (2006 edition), economy-carbon emission dynamic model, and cement carbon emission model, a regional carbon emission calculation framework was established, and, taking Guangdong Province as a case, its energy consumption carbon emission, cement production CO2 emission, and forest carbon sink values in 2008-2050 were predicted, based on the socio-economic statistical data, energy consumption data, cement production data, and forest carbon sink data of the Province. In 2008-2050, the cement production CO2 emission in the Province would be basically stable, with an annual carbon emission being 10-15 Mt C, the energy consumption carbon emission and the total carbon emission would be in inverse U-shape, with the peaks occurred in 2035 and 2036, respectively, and the carbon emission intensity would be decreased constantly while the forest carbon sink would have a fluctuated decline. It was feasible and reasonable to use the regional carbon emission calculation framework established in this paper to calculate the carbon emission in Guangdong Province.

Superficial temporal artery flap: a new option for posterior hypopharyngeal wall reconstruction.

Reconstruction of hypopharynx after tumor resection remains a challenging problem for the head and neck surgeons. A new surgical technique was introduced to reconstruct the hypopharynx after tumor resection using the superficial temporal artery flap. Three patients with T3 carcinoma of the posterior hypopharyngeal wall who underwent surgical resection of the tumor with laryngeal preservation were reported using this method. The larynx functions were preserved successfully in all the patients. In all patients, the nasogastric tubes were removed within 20-50 days (mean 33 days). The tracheal tubes were plugged on days between 14 and 44 (mean 26th day) postoperatively. Then all patients received the postoperative radiotherapy. The tracheal tubes were removed successfully 5-7 months after surgery (mean 6 months) without the evidence of apnea. The speech function was excellent in all patients, which was evaluated according to the voice-related quality of life questionnaire. Although lymph node metastasis was detected in one patient 6 months after surgery, there were no evidences of flap complications in all the three patients. The superficial temporal artery flap is a new option for the posterior pharyngeal wall reconstruction in selected cases with the hypopharynx carcinoma. The larynx functions were preserved successfully.