[Clinical analysis of severe/critical 2019 novel coronavirus Omicron variant infection combined with atrial fibrillation].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with Omicron variant combined with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: From March 23, 2022 to May 15, 2022, 2 675 aged ≥ 50 years old COVID-19 patients with AF were admitted to Zhoupu Hospital, the designated hospital for COVID-19 in Shanghai. Patients were divided into mild symptoms group, normal group, and serious/critical group according to the symptoms.

Prediction model based on machine learning for short- and long-term adverse events in left atrial appendage closure.

Background: At present, the prediction of adverse events (AE) had practical significance in clinic and the accuracy of AE prediction model after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) needed to be improved. To identify a good prediction model based on machine learning for short- and long-term AE after LAAC.

Methods: In this study, 869 patients were included from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences Affiliated Zhoupu Hospital during 2017 and 2021.

Tailoring Artificial Mode to Enable Cofired Integration of Shear-type Piezoelectric Devices.

Low-temperature cofired ceramic technology is the prerequisite for producing advanced integrated piezoelectric devices that enable modern micro-electromechanical systems because of merits such as high level of compactness and ultralow drive voltage. However, piezoceramic structure with shear-type outputs, as a most fundamental functional electronic element, has never been successfully fabricated into multilayer form by the cofired method for decades. Technical manufacture requirements of parallel applied electric fields and polarization are theoretically incompatible with intrinsically orthogonal orientations in naturally occurring shear modes.

A high-sensitivity and long-distance structural health monitoring system based on bidirectional SH wave phased array.

When estimating a structural health monitoring (SHM) system, its defect sensitivity and area/distance coverage are most important factors. For commonly used guided wave sparse array system, it usually requires a reference state as the baseline which is not available in many cases. In comparison, phased array technique typically does not need the baseline in simple structures and it had been successfully used in nondestructive testing (NDT).

Long-distance structural health monitoring of buried pipes using pitch-catch T(0,1) wave piezoelectric ring array transducers.

In modern industries, long-distance guided wave inspection has been routinely used for various types of pipelines. The usage of T(0,1) wave is always of great interests since it is the only non-dispersive wave mode in pipes. In this work, a pair of pitch-catch piezoelectric ring arrays were proposed for long-distance structural health monitoring (SHM) of buried pipes.

Quick and repeatable shear modulus measurement based on torsional resonance using a piezoelectric torsional transducer.

Shear modulus is one of the fundamental mechanical properties of materials, while its quick and accurate measurement is still a challenge. Here we proposed a method for shear modulus measurement based on torsional resonance using a piezoelectric torsional transducer bonded on a cylindrical specimen. Firstly, the torsional transducer was introduced which consists of two thickness poled, thickness shear (d) piezoelectric half-rings.

Excitation of moderate-frequency Love wave in a Plexiglas plate on aluminum semi-space.

Love waves are of great importance in geophysics, electronics, and engineering. Despite intensive studies on high-frequency Love waves for delay lines and chemical/biomedical sensors, moderate-frequency and low-frequency Love waves have seldom been investigated. Here, Love waves in a 2-mm-thick Plexiglas plate bonded on a 50-mm-thick aluminum block were successfully excited and received by using d and d shear mode PZT wafers.

A tunable bidirectional SH wave transducer based on antiparallel thickness-shear (d) piezoelectric strips.

Guided wave based defects inspection is very promising in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive testing (NDT) due to its less dissipation and thus long distance coverage. In comparison with the widely used Lamb waves, shear horizontal (SH) waves are relatively simple but less investigated probably due to the traditional notion that SH waves were usually excited by electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT). In this work, we proposed a tunable method to excite single-mode bidirectional SH waves in plates using antiparallel thickness-shear (d) piezoelectric strips (APS).

A high-resolution structural health monitoring system based on SH wave piezoelectric transducers phased array.

Guided wave based structural health monitoring (SHM) has been regarded as an effective tool to detect the early damage in large structures and thus avoid possible catastrophic failure. In recent years, Lamb wave phased array SHM technology had been intensively investigated while the inherent multi-mode and dispersive characteristic of Lamb waves limits its further applications. In comparison, the fundamental shear horizontal (SH) wave is non-dispersive with uncoupled displacements and thus more promising for defect detection.

A Comparative Study of Three Types Shear Mode Piezoelectric Wafers in Shear Horizontal Wave Generation and Reception.

Guided wave-based inspection has emerged as a promising tool to evaluate the reliability of key components in modern industries. The fundamental shear horizontal (SH₀) wave is always of great interests for plate-like structures because of its non-dispersion characteristics. However, the generation and reception of SH₀ wave using piezoelectric wafers is not straightforward.

A practical omni-directional SH wave transducer for structural health monitoring based on two thickness-poled piezoelectric half-rings.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has become more and more important in modern industries as it can monitor the safety of structures during the full service life and prevent possible losses of life and economics. Shear horizontal wave in plate-like structures is very useful for long distance inspection since its fundamental mode (SH) is totally non-dispersive. However, all the currently available SH wave transducers are not suitable for practical SHM because of their complicated structures.

A variable-frequency bidirectional shear horizontal (SH) wave transducer based on dual face-shear (d) piezoelectric wafers.

Focusing the incident wave beam along a given direction is very useful in guided wave based structural health monitoring (SHM), as it will not only save input power but also simplify the interpretation of signals. Although the fundamental shear horizontal (SH) wave is of practical importance in SHM due to its non-dispersive characteristics so far there have been very limited transducers which can control the radiation patterns of SH wave. In this work, a variable-frequency bidirectional SH wave piezoelectric transducer (BSH-PT) is proposed, which consists of two rectangular face-shear (d) PZT wafers.

Generation and reception of shear horizontal waves using the synthetic face-shear mode of a thickness-poled piezoelectric wafer.

The guided wave based inspection technique has been playing an important role in modern industries due to its capability in rapid detection of large structures. Among all the wave modes in plate-like structures, the fundamental shear horizontal wave (SH) is of great importance since it is the unique non-dispersive mode. However, the generation and reception of SH wave using piezoelectrics is always a challenge.

A new omnidirectional shear horizontal wave transducer using face-shear (d) piezoelectric ring array.

The non-dispersive fundamental shear horizontal (SH) wave in plate-like structures is of practical importance in non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM). Theoretically, an omnidirectional SH transducer phased array system can be used to inspect defects in a large plate in the similar manner to the phased array transducers used in medical B-scan ultrasonics. However, very few omnidirectional SH transducers have been proposed so far.

[Improvement in cardiac morphology and function in young rats with dilated cardiomyopathy by recombinant human growth hormone].

Objective: To investigate the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the morphology and function of the left cardiac ventricle in young rats with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhGH in the treatment of DCM.

Methods: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally assigned to control group, DCM group, and rhGH group. Furazolidone (0.

[Clinical and pathological features in children with progressive muscular dystrophy].

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of progressive muscular dystrophy (PMD) in children and to provide help for the early and accurate diagnosis of PMD.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 99 hospitalized children with PMD, including clinical manifestations, age of onset, family history, creatase, electromyogram (EMG) and pathological changes of muscles.

Results: Of the 99 children with PMD, the age of onset was 0.

[Clinical significance of skin prick test for inhalant allergens in 3085 children with allergic diseases].

Objective: To investigate the main inhalant allergens and their distribution patterns in children with allergic diseases from Xi'an and the surrounding area and to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases in children.

Methods: Skin prick test was performed using liquid with 13 standardized allergens (ALK-ABELL, Denmark) on 3085 children from Xi'an and the surrounding area who were treated for allergic diseases between July 2006 and July 2011, to detect inhalant allergens.

Results: Of the 3085 patients, 1368 (44.

[Gene expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in children with acute leukemia].

Objective: To study the gene expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in children with acute leukemia (AL) and their possible roles in the pathogenesis of AL.

Methods: Mononuclear cells from bone marrow or peripheral blood of 47 children with AL and 20 controls (normal children or children with nonmalignant hematologic disease) were collected from February 2009 to July 2011. A two-step method to semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the gene expression of Notch1 and Jagged1.

[Therapeutic effects of erythropoietin on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates].

Objective: To study the efficacy of erythropoietinin (EPO) in the treatment of moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates.

Methods: Seventy neonates with moderate or severe HIE were randomly assigned to two groups: EPO treatment and control (n=35 each). The EPO treatment group included 22 cases of moderate HIE and 13 cases of severe HIE.

[Stereotactic core needle biopsy for diagnosis of mammographic minimal lesions].

Objective: To assess the value of X-ray stereotactic core needle biopsy (SCNB) in diagnosis of mammographic minimal lesions.

Methods: Thirty-one cases with suspicious malignant lesions detected by mammography underwent breast biopsy using computer-assisted stereotactic system with spring-loaded biopsy guns and 16G core needles. All specimens underwent histopathologic examination.