Moderate Power Research Articles

Assessment of exposure-response relationship for cetuximab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and head and neck cancer

ObjectiveThere is limited scientific evidence on the cetuximab exposure-response relationship and no concentration threshold has been associated with optimal disease control. The aims were to assess, in a real-life setting, the relationship between steady state cetuximab concentrations (Ctrough, ss) and disease control. MethodA prospective observational study in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer or head and neck cancer treated with cetuximab. Steady state trough concentrations were compared with the results of radiological assessment of response (progression or clinical benefit). Generalized estimating equations analysis was performed. To test the association between steady state concentrations and overall survival and progression-free survival, Cox proportional hazard models were developed. An optimal cut-off point was searched using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. ResultsA total of 30 steady state cetuximab concentrations from 16 patients were analysed. Median Ctrough, ss was 26.86 mg/L and there was marked inter- and intraindividual variability (standard deviation 32.4 mg/L and 16.9 mg/L, respectively). A positive association was found between cetuximab Ctrough, ss and clinical benefit (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval: 0.95-1.63, p = 0.113), although without reaching statistical significance. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (n = 30) had moderate discrimination power (0.71; 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.93), and the empirical optimal cutoff point was 19.12 mg/L. However, no association was observed between cetuximab Ctrough, SS and survival in metastatic colorectal cancer or neck cancer patients. ConclusionsWe cannot confirm a relationship between cetuximab Ctrough, SS and disease control despite a positive association. This study was conducted with a small sample, which reduces the power analysis. Further controlled randomised studies with a sufficient number of patients are needed.

Flow and temporal effects on the sonolytic defluorination of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid

The removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) pollution from the environment is a globally pressing issue, due to some PFAS’ recalcitrant, bioaccumulative, and carcinogenic nature. Destruction via ultrasonic waves (sonolysis) is a promising contender for industrialisation due to; moderate power consumption, applicability to several PFAS and sample types, and limited by-products. Liquid flow rate through an ultrasonic reactor can affect the size, shape, and spatial distribution of ultrasonic cavities and hence their chemical activity. Such effects have not been studied during PFAS sonolysis, and temporal effects have not been studied much beyond the reactant concentration. Here, the effects of varying recirculating flow rate on the ultrasonic defluorination of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and implications for industrial scale up are presented. Under the ultrasonic power (200 W L−1, 2.27 W cm−2) and frequency (410 kHz) used, flow rates of 79 and 214 ml min−1 enhanced defluorination up to 14 % during 30 min of treatment. However, these effects were temporal and most significant in the initial minutes of treatment. This indicated a dynamic bubble size distribution which stabilised after around 15 min. Defluorination rates of PFOS were compared with measured potassium iodide dosimetry, calorimetry, sonoluminescence (SL), and sonochemiluminescence (SCL). Flow rates which enhanced defluorination correlated moderately with enhanced SCL and negatively impacted SL, calorimetry, and dosimetry. Effects were attributed to perturbed cavity surfaces, leading to asymmetric cavity collapse, and the possibility of enhanced solvated electron production/interaction. SL, SCL, dosimetry, and calorimetric measurements were also temporal, and each showed different times to equilibrate. Flow rates of 439 and 889 ml min−1 returned all sonochemical measurements to the levels without flow, likely due to continued collapse temperature quenching by furthered bubble asymmetry. Flow also enhanced reactor cooling, which is significant for industrial temperature control. The pump energy consumed was small (≈1.9 %) compared to that of the amplifier and chiller, hence, PFOS defluorination was more cost-effective using flow. However, the effect may be limited for the longer treatment times needed for environmental remediation.

Development of a comorbidity index for patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

BackgroundEndovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and open surgical repair (OSR) are two modalities to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Alternative to individual comorbidity adjustment, a summary comorbidity index is a weighted composite score of all comorbidities that can be used as standard metric to control for comorbidity burden in clinical studies. This study aimed to develop summary comorbidity indices for patients who underwent AAA repair. MethodsPatients who went under EVAR or OSR were identified in National Inpatient Sample (NIS) between the last quarter of 2015 to 2020. In each group, patients were randomly sampled into experimental (2/3) and validation (1/3) groups. The weights of Elixhauser comorbidities were determined from a multivariable logistic regression and single comorbidity indices were developed for EVAR and OAR groups, respectively. ResultsThere were 34,668 patients underwent EVAR (2.19% mortality) and 4792 underwent OSR (10.98% mortality). Both comorbidity indices had moderate discriminative power (EVAR c-statistic, 0.641; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.616-0.665; OSR c-statistic, 0.600; 95% CI, 0.563-0.630) and good calibration (EVAR Brier score, 0.021; OSR Brier score, 0.096). The indices had significantly better discriminative power (DeLong P <.001) than the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) (EVAR c-statistic, 0.572; 95% CI, 0.546-0.597; OSR c-statistic, 0.502; 95% CI, 0.472-0.533). For internal validation, both indices had similar performance compared with individual comorbidity adjustment (EVAR DeLong P = .650; OSR DeLong P = .431). These indices demonstrated good external validation, exhibiting comparable performance to their respective validation groups (EVAR DeLong P = .891; OSR DeLong P = .757). ConclusionsECI, the comorbidity index formulated for the general population, exhibited suboptimal performance in patients who underwent AAA repair. In response, we developed summary comorbidity indices for both EVAR and OSR for AAA repair, which were internally and externally validated. The EVAR and OSR comorbidity indices outperformed the ECI in discriminating in-hospital mortality rates. They can standardize comorbidity measurement for clinical studies in AAA repair, especially for studies with small samples such as single-institute data sources to facilitate replication and comparison of results across studies.

From normal population to prediabetes and diabetes: study of influencing factors and prediction models.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the independent influencing factors of the transition from normal population to prediabetes, and from prediabetes to diabetes, and to further construct clinical prediction models to provide a basis for the prevention and management of prediabetes and diabetes. The data for this study were based on clinical information of participants from the Health Management Center of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital. Participants were classified into normal group, prediabetes group, and diabetes group according to their functional status of glucose metabolism. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated for the variables, and a matrix diagram was plotted. Further, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to explore the independent influencing factors. The independent influencing factors were used as predictors to construct the full-variable prediction model (Full.model) and simplified prediction model (Simplified.model). This study included a total of 5310 subjects and 22 variables, among which there were 1593(30%) in the normal group, 3150(59.3%) in the prediabetes group, and 567(10.7%) in the diabetes group. The results of the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant differences in 9 variables between the normal group and the prediabetes group, including age(Age), body mass index(BMI), systolic blood pressure(SBP), urinary glucose(U.GLU), urinary protein(PRO), total protein(TP), globulin(GLB), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C). There were significant differences in 7 variables between the prediabetes group and the diabetes group, including Age, BMI, SBP, U.GLU, PRO, triglycerides(TG), and HDL.C. The Full.model and Simplified.model constructed based on the above influencing factors had moderate discriminative power in both the training set and the test set. Age, BMI, SBP, U.GLU, PRO, TP, and ALT are independent risk factors, while GLB and HDL.C are independent protective factors for the development of prediabetes in the normal population. Age, BMI, SBP, U.GLU, PRO, and TG are independent risk factors, while HDL.C is an independent protective factor for the progression from prediabetes to diabetes. The Full.model and Simplified.model developed based on these influencing factors have moderate discriminative power.

THE INHIBITORY POWER OF PINEAPPLE HUMP ETHANOL EXTRACT TOWARD THE GROWTH OF STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

Background:This study aimed to investigate inhibitory powers of etanol extract from pinnaple hump with concentrations of 7,5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% toward the growth of Streptococcus mutans bacteria. Methods: Pineapple hump extract was made using maseration technique with ethanol 96% as a solvent. Agar well diffusion method was used in order to investigate the inhibitory ability of pineapple humpagainst Streptococcus mutans. Few (20-100 µl) volume of the pineapple hump extract solution from each of concentrations was placed into each of well on blood agar in petri dishes had contained Streptococcus mutans then incubated for 24 hours at 370C temperature, lastly the measurement of inhibition power was measured with caliper. Results: The results showed that pineapple hump extract with concentrations of 7,5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% could inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans bacteria. Pineapple hump extracts with concentrations of 7,5% and 10% have moderate inhibition power (average diameter respectively are 7,45 mm and 8,58 mm), pineapple hump extracts with concentrations of 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% have strong inhibition power (average diameter respectively are 10,16 mm, 11,33 mm, 13,33 mm, and 14,83 mm). Conclusions: The Conclusion is: ethanol extract of pineapple hump has inhibitory power toward the growth of Streptococcus mutans within range of moderate category and strong category

Absorption of hybrid fibre modes by Cs atoms in quadrupole transitions

We evaluate the rate of the absorption of an optical nanofibre mode by a Cs atom in an electric quadrupole transition. With the Cs atom localised near the outer surface of the optical nano-fibre, an interaction occurs between the atomic quadrupole tensor components and the gradients of the vector components of the electric field of a hybrid fibre mode. The absorption rate is evaluated as a function of the radial position of the atom from the fibre axis, assuming a specific value of the laser power and we use experimentally accessible parameters. We find that the absorption of the hybrid modes by the Cs atom decreases as the atom recedes away from the fibre axis and it formally vanishes at sufficiently large radial distances. Close to the fibre, however, the absorption rate for the input power chosen can be two orders of magnitude larger than the quadrupole de-excitation rate despite the moderate power used.

Degradable Plasma-Polymerized Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-Like Coating as a Matrix for Food-Packaging Applications.

Currently, there is considerable interest in seeking an environmentally friendly technique that is neither thermally nor organic solvent-dependent for producing advanced polymer films for food-packaging applications. Among different approaches, plasma polymerization is a promising method that can deposit biodegradable coatings on top of polymer films. In this study, an atmospheric-pressure aerosol-assisted plasma deposition method was employed to develop a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-like coating, which can act as a potential matrix for antimicrobial agents, by envisioning controlled-release food-packaging applications. Different plasma operating parameters, including the input power, monomer flow rate, and gap between the edge of the plasma head and substrate, were optimized to produce a PEG-like coating with a desirable water stability level and that can be biodegradable. The findings revealed that increased distance between the plasma head and substrate intensified gas-phase nucleation and diluted the active plasma species, which in turn led to the formation of a non-conformal rough coating. Conversely, at short plasma-substrate distances, smooth conformal coatings were obtained. Furthermore, at low input powers (<250 W), the chemical structure of the precursor was mostly preserved with a high retention of C-O functional groups due to limited monomer fragmentation. At the same time, these coatings exhibit low stability in water, which could be attributed to their low cross-linking degree. Increasing the power to 350 W resulted in the loss of the PEG-like chemical structure, which is due to the enhanced monomer fragmentation at high power. Nevertheless, owing to the enhanced cross-linking degree, these coatings were more stable in water. Finally, it could be concluded that a moderate input power (250-300 W) should be applied to obtain an acceptable tradeoff between the coating stability and PEG resemblance.

Usefulness of renal nephrometry scoring systems in the prediction of complications associated to percutaneous image-guided treatment for small renal masses

IntroductionDue to their increasing prevalence and complex management, renal tumors are challenging for health professionals. The study aims to evaluate the usefulness of R.E.N.A.L. and PADUA nephrometry scores in the prediction of complications after percutaneous cryoablation. Material and methodsThe study prospectively analyzed 90 patients with 101 stage T1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors treated with cryoablation. ResultsNinety patients with 101 small renal tumors who received cryoablative therapy were investigated. The mean age of the patients was 68 years and 74.4% were male. Most tumors were smaller than 4 cm (89.1%) and the mean PADUA and R.E.N.A.L. scores were 8.65 and 7.35, respectively. Complications were observed in 12 cases. PADUA and R.E.N.A.L. scores demonstrated moderate predictive power (AUC = 0.58 and AUC = 0.63, respectively) for post-cryoablation complications. ConclusionsPercutaneous cryoablation is a safe and effective treatment for small renal tumors. The R.E.N.A.L. and PADUA renal nephrometry scores have moderate predictive power for complications associated with percutaneous cryoablation of renal tumors.

Current Re-Use Architecture and Pre-Distortion Technique Employing Re-Configurable Low Noise Amplifier for the Design of Nano-Electronic Sensors

This study presents the design of reconfigurable CMOS Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) topologies to achieve acceptable linearity, gain, and low noise for Nano-sensor applications. The frequency bands at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 28 GHz are taken into consideration for employing the Pre-distortion and current reuse technique. Millimeter Wave (MMW) frequency bands include excellent impedance matching, good isolation between the ports, To improve the futuristic applications of RADAR sensors, low noise figures and significant gain are preferred. The designed re-configurable structure achieved At 2.4 GHz, the gain is modest with a low NF of 2.6 dB, less than 2 dB at 5 GHz, and more than 10 dB at 28 GHz frequencies. The Stability of the amplifier greater than 1 dB, The arrangement of the layout with a chip measuring 0.5×0.2 mm2 and a moderate power increase make it appropriate for nanosensor creation.

In vitro effects of low-intensity infrared laser irradiation on oxidative stress biomarkers in blood samples from diabetes mellitus patients

PurposeThe biological effects of low-intensity laser irradiation on oxidative damage and free radical-induced processes in the blood of patients with diabetes mellitus have not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the time- and dose-dependent effects of low-intensity infrared (IR) irradiation on biomarkers of lipid peroxidation, oxidative modification of proteins (aldehydic and ketonic derivatives), and total antioxidant capacity in blood of healthy individuals and patients with diabetes mellitus in vitro. MethodsBlood samples were collected from the diabetes patients and healthy individuals and exposed to low-intensity infrared irradiation in vitro. The samples were exposed to 1-, 5-, and 9-min IR laser pulses with the wavelength of 0.89 nm at different pulse repetition frequencies (0; 50; 150; 600; 1500 Hz) and moderate radiation power (0; 50; 100 mW). The biomarkers of oxidative stress, i.e. 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), aldehydic and ketonic derivatives of oxidatively modified proteins, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), were measured and analyzed in the samples of the exposed whole blood. ResultsCompared with the blood from the healthy controls, the lipid peroxidation analysis revealed 7 combinations of irradiation impact in the blood from the diabetes patients resulting in a decrease in lipid peroxidation processes, especially after the 9-min exposure. The analysis of oxidatively modified proteins demonstrated that laser light is mainly involved in the prevention of protein oxidation at moderate radiation power (50 and 100 mW), different pulse repetition frequencies (0; 50; 150; 600; 1500 Hz), the 9-min exposure and resulting in a decrease in lipid peroxidation processes. The analysis of the total antioxidant capacity revealed a predominantly positive effect of the low-intensity infrared irradiation. ConclusionsThese findings suggest potential involvement of blood dysfunction in the pathologic process of diabetes and provide insight into potential therapeutic targets of low-intensity IR laser irradiation for diabetes patients.

Impacto de los sistemas de nefrometría renal en la valoración de las complicaciones en el tratamiento percutáneo guiado por imagen de las masas renales de pequeño tamaño

IntroductionDue to their increasing prevalence and complex management, renal tumors are challenging for health professionals. The study aims to evaluate the usefulness of R.E.N.A.L. and PADUA nephrometry scores in the prediction of complications after percutaneous cryoablation. Material and methodsThe study prospectively analyzed 90 patients with 101 stage T1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors treated with cryoablation. ResultsNinety patients with 101 small renal tumors who received cryoablative therapy were investigated. The mean age of the patients was 68 years and 74.4% were male. Most tumors were smaller than 4 cm (89.1%) and the mean PADUA and R.E.N.A.L. scores were 8.65 and 7.35, respectively. Complications were observed in 12 cases. PADUA and R.E.N.A.L. scores demonstrated moderate predictive power (AUC = 0.58 and AUC = 0.63, respectively) for post-cryoablation complications. ConclusionsPercutaneous cryoablation is a safe and effective treatment for small renal tumors. The R.E.N.A.L. and PADUA renal nephrometry scores have moderate predictive power for complications associated with percutaneous cryoablation of renal tumors.

Conceptualization of Farmers’ Water Conservation Intention and Behavior through the Lens of Economic Man Worldview: Application of Structural Equation Modeling

Although different worldviews have been presented to analyze the conservation behaviors of farmers, limited empirical evidence exists for the use of the economic man worldview to analyze farmers’ water conservation behaviors (WCBs). Therefore, the conceptualization of farmers’ water conservation behavioral intentions through the lens of this worldview was the primary objective of this survey. To this aim, the extended planned behavior theory (PBT), which is the main theory of the economic man worldview, was employed. The study population was 36183 Iranian farmers, 380 of whom were interviewed in-person in the form a cross-sectional survey research design. An estimation of sample size was performed via the Krejcie and Morgan Table. Moreover, the distribution of the sample size was carried out by a multi-stage random sampling method. Validity and reliability, which are undeniable features of questionnaires in social and psychological sciences, were examined using different quantitative and qualitative indices. The obtained results indicated that the effect of intention towards water conservation (IWC) on WCB was positive and significant. Therefore, this research supports the main assumption of the PBT and the economic man worldview. However, according to the results, the power of IWC’s effect on WCB is not very significant. In addition, the variance explanation of WCB as the fundamental dependent variable is not very high. It can be mentioned that the economic man worldview has a relative and moderate power to analyze the WCBs of farmers. Hence, it is suggested that some variables, including moral norms, environmental concerns, and environmental values, are used to develop and increase the explanatory power of the PBT in future studies. This study is the first study of the applicability of the economic man approach in analyzing farmers’ WCBs. It could be used to open a new research window for future and interested researchers to conduct successful interventions in the field of water conservation.

Online speech assessment of the psychotic spectrum: Exploring the relationship between overlapping acoustic markers of schizotypy, depression and anxiety.

Remote assessment of acoustic alterations in speech holds promise to increase scalability and validity in research across the psychosis spectrum. A feasible first step in establishing a procedure for online assessments is to assess acoustic alterations in psychometric schizotypy. However, to date, the complex relationship between alterations in speech related to schizotypy and those related to comorbid conditions such as symptoms of depression and anxiety has not been investigated. This study tested whether (1) depression, generalized anxiety and high psychometric schizotypy have similar voice characteristics, (2) which acoustic markers of online collected speech are the strongest predictors of psychometric schizotypy, (3) whether including generalized anxiety and depression symptoms in the model can improve the prediction of schizotypy. We collected cross-sectional, online-recorded speech data from 441 participants, assessing demographics, symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety and psychometric schizotypy. Speech samples collected online could predict psychometric schizotypy, depression, and anxiety symptoms with weak to moderate predictive power, and with moderate and good predictive power when basic demographic variables were added to the models. Most influential features of these models largely overlapped. The predictive power of speech marker-based models of schizotypy significantly improved after including symptom scores of depression and generalized anxiety in the models (from R2=0.296 to R2=0. 436). Acoustic features of online collected speech are predictive of psychometric schizotypy as well as generalized anxiety and depression symptoms. The acoustic characteristics of schizotypy, depression and anxiety symptoms significantly overlap. Speech models that are designed to predict schizotypy or symptoms of the schizophrenia spectrum might therefore benefit from controlling for symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Association between admission hyperglycemia and postoperative pneumonia in geriatric patients with hip fractures

BackgroundAdmission hyperglycemia is a common phenomenon in the early stages of injury. This study aimed to determine the relationship between admission hyperglycemia and postoperative pneumonia in geriatric patients with hip fractures.MethodsA total of 600 geriatric patients admitted to Dandong Central Hospital with hip fractures were included. Patients were divided into four groups based on quartiles of admission blood glucose levels: Q1- Q4. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score-matched analyses were conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postoperative pneumonia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cut-off value of admission hyperglycemia for predicting postoperative pneumonia.ResultsThe incidence of postoperative pneumonia was significantly higher among hyperglycemic patients than those with normal glucose levels (OR = 2.090, 95% CI: 1.135–3.846, p = 0.016). Admission hyperglycemia showed moderate predictive power, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.803. Furthermore, propensity score-matched analyses demonstrated that patients in the Q3 (OR = 4.250, 95% CI: 1.361–13.272, p = 0.013) and Q4 (OR = 4.667, 95% CI: 1.251–17.405, p = 0.022) quartiles had a significantly higher risk of postoperative pneumonia compared to patients in the Q1 quartile.ConclusionsAdmission hyperglycemia in elderly hip fracture patients increases the risk of postoperative pneumonia. This biomarker can aid clinical assessment and perioperative management.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict cardiac death after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Patients frequently die from cardiac causes after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer. Early detection of cardiac death risk in these patients is crucial to improve clinical decision-making and prognosis. Thus, we modeled the risk of cardiac death after irradiation for esophageal cancer. A retrospective analysis of 37,599 esophageal cancer cases treated with radiotherapy in the SEER database between 2000 and 2018 was performed. The selected cases were randomly assigned to the model development group (n = 26,320) and model validation group (n = 11,279) at a ratio of 7:3. We identified the risk factors most commonly associated with cardiac death by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis (LASSO). The endpoints for model development and validation were 5- and 10-year survival rates. The net clinical benefit of the models was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA) and concordance index (C-index). The performance of the models was further assessed by creating a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival analysis was performed on the probability of death. Patients were classified according to death probability thresholds. Five- and ten-year survival rates for the two groups were shown using K-M curves. The major risk factors for cardiac death were age, surgery, year of diagnosis, sequence of surgery and radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a number of tumors, which were used to create the nomogram. The C-indexes of the nomograms were 0.708 and 0.679 for the development and validation groups, respectively. DCA showed the good net clinical benefit of nomograms in predicting 5- and 10-year risk of cardiac death. The model exhibited moderate predictive power for 5- and 10-year cardiac mortality (AUC: 0.833 and 0.854, respectively), and for the development and validation cohorts (AUC: 0.76 and 0.813, respectively). Our nomogram may assist clinicians in making clinical decisions about patients undergoing radiotherapy for esophageal cancer based on early detection of cardiac death risk.

Terahertz disk resonator on a substrateless dielectric waveguide platform.

Resonant cavities are fundamental to and versatile for terahertz integrated systems. So far, integrated resonant cavities have been implemented in relatively lossy terahertz platforms. In this Letter, we propose a series of integrated disk resonators built into a low-loss substrateless silicon waveguide platform, where the resonances and associated quality factor (Q-factor) can be controlled via an effective medium. The measurement results demonstrate that the Q-factor can reach up to 9146 at 274.4 GHz due to the low dissipation of the platform. Additionally, these resonators show strong tunability of the resonance under moderate optical power. These terahertz integrated disk resonators can be employed in sensing and communications.

Selective Wet and Dry Etching of NiO over β-Ga2O3

In this study, a reaction-limited chemical wet etching process of NiO by an HNO3-based solution, with a complete selectivity over β-Ga2O3 was investigated. The threshold ion energies for inductively coupled plasmas (ICP) dry etching of NiO in BCl3 discharges, its selectivity to β-Ga2O3, and the cleaning effect for chlorine-based residues remaining on the surface after plasma exposure was also examined. One of the major drawbacks of β-Ga2O3 device design is the lack of p-type dopants. An alternative approach is to use a p-type oxide, NiO, to form heterojunctions with n-type Ga2O3. Therefore, a selective wet and dry etching process development is in demand for the optimized pattern transfer process. A solution of 1 HNO3: 4 H2O exhibited measurable etch rates for NiO above 40°C and wet etching activation energy of 172.9 kJ.mol-1 (41.3 kCal.mol-1, 1.8 eV/atom), which is firmly in the reaction-limited regime. The selectivity over β-Ga2O3 was infinite for temperatures up to 55 °C. The strong negative enthalpy for producing the etch product Ga(OH)4 suggests that HNO3-based wet etching of NiO occurs via the formation and dissolution of hydroxides. The BCl3/Ar ICP etching produced maximum etch rates up to 300 Å.min-1 for NiO and 800 Å.min-1 for β-Ga2O3 under moderate plasma power conditions. The selectivity for NiO: Ga2O3 was < 1 under all conditions. The ion energy threshold for the initiation of etching NiO was between 35-60 eV, depending on the plasma power conditions. And its etching mechanism was ion-driven, as determined by the linear dependence between etch rate and the square root of ion energy incident on the surface. By sharp contrast, the etching of Ga2O3 had a stronger chemical component without a well-defined ion energy threshold. After being exposed to BCl3 plasmas, both NiO and Ga2O3 surfaces show chlorine residues, which can both be removed by the standard 1NH4OH: 10H2O or 1HCl: 10H2O solution used for native oxide removal. In addition, according to the location of the Cl 2p3/2 peak in the XPS analysis on the surface, the chlorine particles were ionically bonded. Figure 1

External validity of the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients undergoing PCI: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To summarise the totality of evidence validating the Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (PRECISE-DAPT) score, ascertaining its aggregate discrimination and validation power in multiple population subsets. We searched electronic databases from 2017 (PRECISE-DAPT proposal) up to March 2023 for studies that reported the occurrence of out-of-hospital bleedings according to the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients receiving DAPT following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as summary statistics and were calculated using a random-effects model. Primary and secondary endpoints were the occurrence of any and major bleeding, respectively. A total of twenty-one studies and 67283 patients were included; 24.7% of patients (N=16603) were at high-bleeding risk (PRECISE-DAPT≥25) and when compared to those at low-bleeding risk, they experienced a significantly higher rate of any out-of-hospital bleeding (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 2.24-3.29; p-value<0.001) and major bleedings (OR: 3.51; 95% CI: 2.71-4.55; p-value<0.001). Pooling data on c-stat whenever available, the PRECISE-DAPT score showed a moderate discriminative power in predicting major bleeding events at 1-year (pooled c-stat: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.64-0.77). This systematic review and meta-analysis confirms the external validity of the PRECISE-DAPT score in predicting out-of-hospital bleeding outcomes in patients on DAPT following PCI. The moderate discriminative ability highlights the need for future improved risk prediction tools in the field.

Predicting hospital readmission in Medicaid patients with diabetes using administrative and claims data.

Readmission is common and costly for hospitalized Medicaid patients with diabetes. We aimed to develop a model predicting risk of 30-day readmission in Medicaid patients with diabetes hospitalized for any cause. Using 2016-2019 Medicaid claims from 7 US states, we identified patients who (1) had a diagnosis of diabetes or were prescribed any diabetes drug, (2) were hospitalized for any cause, and (3) were discharged to home or to a nonhospice facility. For each encounter, we assessed whether the patient was readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Applying least absolute shrinkage and selection operator variable selection, we included demographic data and claims history in a logistic regression model to predict 30-day readmission. We evaluated model fit graphically and measured predictive accuracy by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Among 69,640 eligible patients, there were 129,170 hospitalizations, of which 29,410 (22.8%) were 30-day readmissions. The final model included age, sex, age-sex interaction, past diagnoses, US state of admission, number of admissions in the preceding year, index admission type, index admission diagnosis, discharge status, length of stay, and length of stay-sex interaction. The observed vs predicted plot showed good fit. The estimated AUROC of 0.761 was robust in analyses that assessed sensitivity to a range of model assumptions. Our model has moderate power for identifying hospitalized Medicaid patients with diabetes who are at high risk of readmission. It is a template for identifying patients at risk of readmission and for adjusting comparisons of 30-day readmission rates among sites or over time.

Raman study of photoinduced crystallization of SnS2 in As2S3:Sn glasses

Raman spectra of synthesised As2S3:Sn samples with up to 2.7 at% Sn recorded at a moderate excitation power density (Pexc=4 kW/cm2) show their amorphous character. Raman measurements performed at a higher Pexc (40 kW/cm2) result in the local heating of the sample surface by up to 150 K, as estimated from the shift of the frequency positions of the As2S3 Raman maxima. For samples with Sn content above 2 at% a pronounced narrow peak at 311 cm–1 emerges as an evidence for SnS2 crystallites formed on the sample surface under above-bandgap illumination during the measurement. The higher-Pexc (40 kW/cm2) illumination results in a formation of a pit on the sample surface due to the material transfer and in a rapid decrease of the glass viscosity, enhancing the diffusion of atoms and facilitating their aggregation in SnS2 crystallites. This effect of mostly nonthermal nature is responsible for the SnS2-related feature observed in the Raman spectra upon illumination at Pexc= 40 kW/cm2. For As2S3 doped with 3 at% Sn the SnS2-related feature near 314 cm–1 is observed in the Raman spectra even under excitation at much lower Pexc, down to 0.4 kW/cm2. As follows from X-ray diffraction data, no crystalline SnS2 phase is present in this sample before the measurement, it appears upon illumination even at the low Pexc values.