Safety and efficacy of intense pulsed light in the treatment of severe chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of intense pulsed light (IPL) in the treatment of severe chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (coGVHD). METHODS: A prospective cohort study. Seventeen patients with severe coGVHD were selected for inclusion in this study. All subjects were treated with IPL every fortnight together with conventional treatment, observation time points were pre-treatment (W0), 4 weeks post-treatment (W4), 8 weeks post-treatment (W8) and 12 weeks post-treatment (W12). Dry eye related examinations include Tear meniscus height (TMH), Non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT), Schirmer I test, Tear film lipid layer thickness (LLT), Ocular surface staining (OSS) and assessment of meibomian gland. Corneal epithelial cell morphology and inflammatory cell infiltration were analyzed by corneal confocal microscopy, while goblet cell density and squamous epithelial grade were assessed by conjunctival imprinted cytology. RESULTS: Patients did not experience any adverse reactions during the follow-up period. All subjects showed significant improvement in clinical symptoms and most signs after IPL treatment. The corneal confocal microscopy showed that the number of dendritic cells infiltrates in the corneal stroma was significantly reduced after IPL treatment (p < 0.001). Conjunctival blot cytology suggested an increase in the number of conjunctival goblet cells from 5.12 ± 2.71 cells/mm2 before treatment to 22.00 ± 4.58 cells/mm2 after treatment, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). An improvement in conjunctival epithelial cell morphology and a decrease in squamous epithelial grade was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: IPL treatment can effectively increase tear film stability in patients with severe coGVHD without significant side effects.

A topology-based evaluation of resilience on urban road networks against epidemic spread: Implications for COVID-19 responses.

Road closure is an effective measure to reduce mobility and prevent the spread of an epidemic in severe public health crises. For instance, during the peak waves of the global COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented road closure policies, such as the traffic-calming strategy in the UK. However, it is still not clear how such road closures, if used as a response to different modes of epidemic spreading, affect the resilient performance of large-scale road networks in terms of their efficiency and overall accessibility. In this paper, we propose a simulation-based approach to theoretically investigate two types of spreading mechanisms and evaluate the effectiveness of both static and dynamic response scenarios, including the sporadic epidemic spreading based on network topologies and trajectory-based spreading caused by superspreaders in megacities. The results showed that (1) the road network demonstrates comparatively worse resilient behavior under the trajectory-based spreading mode; (2) the road density and centrality order, as well as the network's regional geographical characteristics, can substantially alter the level of impacts and introduce heterogeneity into the recovery processes; and (3) the resilience lost under static recovery and dynamic recovery scenarios is 8.6 and 6.9%, respectively, which demonstrates the necessity of a dynamic response and the importance of making a systematic and strategic recovery plan. Policy and managerial implications are also discussed. This paper provides new insights for better managing the resilience of urban road networks against public health crises in the post-COVID era.

A novel strategy via electrode catalysis induced nano transformation for lithiated-bimetallic-oxides to avoid the long activation process of advanced lithium-ion batteries.

Improving the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with a long activation process, poor cycle stability, and low Coulomb efficiency is of great significance for developing novel high-performance anode materials. Orthorhombic LiVMoO5 with high specific capacity was applied to the anode field of lithium-ion battery for the first time. However, the activation process led to its poor cyclic performance. By adopting a novel nano-transformation treatment process in a water and oxygen environment, we effectively avoided the long-term activation process. The specially treated LiVMoO5 electrode (STLVME) exhibited excellent reversible specific capacity (∼1100 mA h g-1) and rate cycle stability (capacity retention rate ∼100%). Furthermore, GITT and EIS also showed that compared with the primitive LiVMoO5 electrode (LVME), smaller internal resistance and a higher Li+ diffusion coefficient were caused using the novel treatment process, significantly improving the rate cycle stability. Using in situ XRD and ex situ characterization, we illustrated the lithium storage mechanism of LVME and STLVME. In addition, the practical application potential of LVME and STLVME was also explored by assembling the full cells. Because the long-term activation process was effectively avoided, the full-cell exhibited amazing cycle stability, indicating that STLVME can be considered a promising potential anode for practical applications in energy storage devices.

Insights into the enhanced electrochemical performance of MnV2O6 nanoflakes as an anode material for advanced lithium storage.

Binary transition metal oxides (BTMOs) are regarded as potential anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their low cost, high specific capacities, and environmental friendliness. In this work, MnV2O6 nanoflakes are successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. When evaluated as an anode material for LIBs, benefiting from the activation process, the as-prepared MnV2O6 nanoflake electrode delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 1439 mA h g-1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g-1, and especially presents a specific capacity of 1010 mA h g-1 after 700 cycles at a higher current density of 1 A g-1. Furthermore, MnV2O6 shows a pleasurable rate capability; a reversible specific capacity of 867 mA h g-1 can be obtained at a current density of 2000 mA g-1, and when the current density is returned to 200 mA g-1 and continues for another 80 cycles, the specific capacity can still reach 1499 mA h g-1. Meanwhile, the morphology variation and electrochemical kinetic behavior of the MnV2O6 electrode during cycling are scrutinized in detail. After that, the electrochemical reaction mechanism of MnV2O6 during the discharge/charge process is corroborated by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), which involves the coexistence of a conversion reaction and solid solution behavior. The practical application of MnV2O6 nanoflakes as an anode material is examined as well. Sure enough, the NCM811//MnV2O6 full-cell exhibits excellent lithium-storage performance.

Cubic MnV2O4 fabricated through a facile sol-gel process as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries: morphology and performance evolution.

Metal vanadates have been popularly advocated as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) benefiting from their high theoretical specific capacity and abundant resources. Given that manganese and vanadium are reasonably economical elements and enjoy assorted redox reactions, they have extensive application prospects in energy storage systems. Here, we synthesized cubic MnV2O4 as an anode for LIBs by an efficient sol-gel process. As a result, the MnV2O4 electrode delivers distinguished electrochemical performance, including an appealing reversible specific capacity of nearly 1325 mA h g-1 for 500 cycles at 200 mA g-1, excellent cycling stability with a capacity of 399 mA h g-1 up to 500 cycles at 2000 mA g-1 and a favorable rate capability of 516/410 mA h g-1 at 1000/2000 mA g-1 (when the current density recuperates to 200 mA g-1, the specific capacity still boosts as the number of cycles increases). What's more, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) under various scan rates and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are executed to ascertain with a greater depth the electrochemical kinetic characteristics and morphology of the MnV2O4 electrode in different states. These results make known that MnV2O4 is a credible anode material for LIBs, and such a facile and economical synthetic route can be extended to the preparation of other metal vanadate materials.

Different Resting Methods in Improving Laypersons Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality and Reducing Fatigue: A Randomized Crossover Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of different resting methods with various rest-start points or rest-compression ratios on improving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality and reducing fatigue during continuous chest compressions (CCC) in 10-min hands-only CPR scenario. METHODS: This prospective crossover study was conducted in 30 laypersons aged 18-65. Trained participants were randomized to follow different orders to perform following hands-only CPR methods: (1) CCC, 10-min CCC; (2) 4+6, 4-min CCC + 6-min of 10-s pause after 60-s compressions; (3) 2+8 (10/60), 2-min CCC + 8-min of 10-s pause after 60-s compressions; (4) 5/30, 2-min CCC + 8-min of 5-s pause after 30-s compressions; (5) 3/15, 2-min CCC + 8-min of 3-s pause after 15-s compressions. CPR quality (depth, rate, hands-off duration, chest compression fraction (CCF)) and participants' fatigue indicators (heart rate, blood pressure, rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) were compared among methods of different rest-start points and different rest-compression ratios with CCC. RESULTS: Twenty-eight participants completed all methods. All resting methods reduced the trend of declining compression depth and the trend of increasing RPE while maintaining CCF of more than 86%. In methods with different rest-start points, the 2+8 method showed no difference in overall CPR quality or fatigue, but better CPR quality of every minute than 4+6 method. In methods with different rest-compression ratios, the 3/15 method showed the best CPR quality and the highest heart rate increment. CONCLUSION: During prolonged hands-only CPR, appropriate transient rests were associated with higher CPR quality and lower subjectively perceived fatigue in laypersons.

Novel Triarylamine-Based Hole Transport Materials: Synthesis, Characterization and Computational Investigation.

Three novel triarylamine-based electron-rich chromophores were synthesized and fully characterized. Compounds 1 and 2 were designed with electron-rich triphenylamine skeleton bearing two and four decyloxy groups namely, 3,4-bis(decyloxy)-N,N-diphenylaniline and N-(3,4-bis(decyloxy)phenyl)-3,4-bis(decyloxy)-N-phenylaniline, respectively. The well-known electron-rich phenothiazine was introduced to diphenylamine moiety through a thiazole ring to form N,N-bis(3,4-bis(decyloxy)phenyl)-5-(10H-phenothiazin-2-yl)thiazol-2-amine (Compound 3). These three novel compounds were fully characterized and their UV-vis absorption indicated their transparency as a favorable property for hole transport materials (HTMs) suitable for perovskite solar cells. Cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that the HOMO energy levels were in the range 5.00-5.16 eV for all compounds, indicating their suitability with the HOMO energy level of the perovskite photosensitizer. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) have been used to investigate the possibility of the synthesized compounds to be utilized as HTMs for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The computational investigation revealed that the hole mobility of Compound 1 was 1.08 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1, and the substitution with two additional dialkoxy groups on the second phenyl ring as represented by Compound 2 significantly boosted the hole mobility to reach the value 4.21 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1. On the other hand, Compound 3, in which the third phenyl group was replaced by a thiazole-based phenothiazine, the value of hole mobility decreased to reach 5.93 × 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1. The overall results indicate that these three novel compounds could be promising HTMs for perovskite solar cells.

Myocardial Injury in Multiple Myeloma Patients With Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction: Noninvasive Left Ventricular Pressure-Strain Myocardial Work.

INTRODUCTION: Over one-half of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) die of heart failure or arrhythmia. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is used to describe left ventricular systolic function. However, depressed LVEF means advanced stage of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with MM. Left ventricular pressure-strain-derived myocardial work (LVMW) is a novel and noninvasive method for evaluating LV function related to LV dynamic pressure load. MW is assessed by LV MW index (LVMWI), constructive work, wasted work, and LV MW efficiency (LVMWE). In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of LVMW in cardiac function assessment and clinical prognosis of MM patients with preserved LVEF. METHODS: A total of 72 subjects, including 40 untreated MM patients with preserved EF (including the thick wall and normal wall groups) and 32 non-MM patients, were enrolled in this study. Laboratory data and clinical history of all the patients were collected. All the patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic examinations and then LVMWI and LVMWE were calculated. Moreover, cardiac adverse events (CAEs) were observed in MM patients treated with bortezomib-based therapy after 6 months and the prognostic value of MW was assessed. RESULTS: (1) LV myocardial global work index (GWI), myocardial global work efficiency (GWE), and global longitudinal strain (GLS) were lower in the thick wall group of patients with MM compared with the normal wall group and controls. Cardiac segmental analysis of LVMWI in patients with MM showed an apical sparing pattern; (2) The area under the curve (AUC) of GWE for judging the disease severity based on the Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) was 0.835 (95% CI: 0.684-0.933, p < 0.05); (3) GWE, LgdFLC, and arrhythmia were independent risk factors of CAEs. The AUC of GWE for predicting CAEs in MM patients treated with bortezomib-based therapy for 6 months follow-up was 0.896 (95% CI: 0.758-0.970, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: MM Patients with preserved EF had subclinical LV systolic dysfunction, which was worse in the thick wall group. LVMWI was presented as "apical sparing" in patients with MM. A lower LVGWE may have a predictive value for CAEs in patients with MM after 6 months of follow-up.

Does historical data still count? Exploring the applicability of smart building applications in the post-pandemic period.

The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous impact on our daily lives, including the way people interact with buildings. Leveraging the advances in machine learning and other supporting digital technologies, recent attempts have been sought to establish exciting smart building applications that facilitates better facility management and higher energy efficiency. However, relying on the historical data collected prior to the pandemic, the resulting smart building applications are not necessarily effective under the current ever-changing situation due to the drifts of data distribution. This paper investigates the bidirectional interaction between human and buildings that leads to dramatic change of building performance data distributions post-pandemic, and evaluates the applicability of typical facility management and energy management applications against these changes. According to the evaluation, this paper recommends three mitigation measures to rescue the applications and embedded machine learning algorithms from the data inconsistency issue in the post-pandemic era. Among these measures, incorporating occupancy and behavioural parameters as independent variables in machine learning algorithms is highlighted. Taking a Bayesian perspective, the value of data is exploited, historical or recent, pre- and post-pandemic, under a people-focused view.

Modification of NFA-Conjugated Bridges with Symmetric Structures for High-Efficiency Non-Fullerene PSCs.

As electron acceptors, non-fullerene molecules can overcome the shortcomings of fullerenes and their derivatives (such as high cost, poor co-solubility, and weak light absorption). The photoelectric properties of two potential non-fullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs) PBDB-T:IF-TN (PB:IF) and PBDB-T:IDT-TN (PB:IDT) are studied by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT). Based on the optimized structure of the ground state, the effects of the electron donor (D) and electron acceptor (A) (D/A) interfaces PBDB-T/IF-TN (PB/IF) and PBDB-T/IDT-TN (PB/IDT) are studied by a quantum-chemical method (QM) and Marcus theory. Firstly, for two non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) IF-TN and IDT-TN, the NFA IDT-TN has better optical absorption ability and better electron transport ability than IF-TN. Secondly, for the D/A interfaces PB/IF and PB/IDT, they both have high optical absorption and electron transfer abilities, and PB/IDT has better optical absorption and lower exciton binding energy. Finally, some important parameters (open-circuit voltage, voltage loss, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency) are calculated and simulated by establishing the theoretical model. From the above analysis, the results show that the non-fullerene PSC PB:IDT has better photoelectric characteristics than PB:IF.