Mild chemistry synthesis of ultrathin BiOS nanosheets exhibiting 2D-ferroelectricity at room temperature.

Modern technology demands miniaturization of electronic components to build small, light, and portable devices. Hence, discovery and synthesis of new non-toxic, low cost, ultra-thin ferroelectric materials having potential applications in various electronic and optoelectronic devices are of paramount importance. However, achieving room-temperature ferroelectricity in two dimensional (2D) ultra-thin systems remains a major challenge as conventional three-dimensional ferroelectric materials lose their ferroelectricity when the thickness is brought down below a critical value owing to the depolarization field.

Rates of timely paracentesis for patients admitted to hospital with cirrhosis and ascites remain low but are unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first 6 months of the novel coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the hospital medicine procedure service at our center was temporarily unavailable. We assessed paracentesis rates and clinical outcomes for patients admitted with cirrhosis and ascites before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two hundred and twenty-four and 131 patients with cirrhosis and ascited were admitted to hospital before and during COVID-19 respectively.

Spectroscopic evidence of mixed angular momentum symmetry in non-centrosymmetric Ru[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text].

Superconducting crystals with a lack of inversion symmetry can potentially host unconventional pairing. However, till today, no direct conclusive experimental evidence of such unconventional order parameters in non-centrosymmetric superconductors has been reported. In this paper, through direct measurement of the superconducting energy gap by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy, we report the existence of both s-wave (singlet) and p-wave (triplet) pairing symmetries in non-centrosymmetric Ru[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text].

Local ferroelectric polarization switching driven by nanoscale distortions in thermoelectric [Formula: see text].

A remarkable decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity and enhancement of thermoelectric figure of merit were recently observed in rock-salt cubic SnTe, when doped with germanium (Ge). Primarily, based on theoretical analysis, the decrease in lattice thermal conductivity was attributed to local ferroelectric fluctuations induced softening of the optical phonons which may strongly scatter the heat carrying acoustic phonons. Although the previous structural analysis indicated that the local ferroelectric transition temperature would be near room temperature in [Formula: see text], a direct evidence of local ferroelectricity remained elusive.

Field induced hysteretic structural phase switching and possible CDW in Re-doped MoTe.

Novel electronic systems displaying exotic physical properties can be derived from complex topological materials through chemical doping. MoTe, the candidate type-II Weyl semimetal shows dramatically enhanced superconductivity up to 4.1 K upon Re doping in Mo sites.

Metavalent Bonding in GeSe Leads to High Thermoelectric Performance.

Orthorhombic GeSe is a promising thermoelectric material. However, large band gap and strong covalent bonding result in a low thermoelectric figure of merit, zT≈0.2.

The pressure-enhanced superconducting phase of Sr[Formula: see text]-Bi[Formula: see text]Se[Formula: see text] probed by hard point contact spectroscopy.

The superconducting systems emerging from topological insulators upon metal ion intercalation or application of high pressure are ideal for investigation of possible topological superconductivity. In this context, Sr-intercalated Bi[Formula: see text]Se[Formula: see text] is specially interesting because it displays pressure induced re-entrant superconductivity where the high pressure phase shows almost two times higher [Formula: see text] than the ambient superconducting phase ( [Formula: see text] K). Interestingly, unlike the ambient phase, the pressure-induced superconducting phase shows strong indication of unconventional superconductivity.

Validation of prognostic indices for short term mortality in an incident dialysis population of older adults >75.

Rational And Objective: Prognosis provides critical knowledge for shared decision making between patients and clinicians. While several prognostic indices for mortality in dialysis patients have been developed, their performance among elderly patients initiating dialysis is unknown, despite great need for reliable prognostication in that context. To assess the performance of 6 previously validated prognostic indices to predict 3 and/or 6 months mortality in a cohort of elderly incident dialysis patients.

Spectroscopic signature of two superconducting gaps and their unusual field dependence in RuB.

Recently RuBwas shown to be a possible two-gap, type-I superconductor. Temperature dependent heat capacity measurements revealed a two-gap superconducting ground state, while magnetic field dependent magnetization measurements indicated surprizing type-I superconductivity with a very low experimental critical field () ∼120 Oe. In this paper, we report direct spectroscopic evidence of two superconducting energy gaps in RuB.

Diaphragm muscle sarcopenia into very old age in mice.

Sarcopenia is the age-related decline of skeletal muscle mass and function. Diaphragm muscle (DIAm) sarcopenia may contribute to respiratory complications, a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. From 6 to 24 months (mo) of age, representing ~100% and ~80% survival in C57BL/6 × 129 male and female mice, there is a significant reduction in DIAm force generation (~30%) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of type IIx and/or IIb muscle fibers (~30%), impacting the ability to perform high force, non-ventilatory behaviors.

Enhanced, homogeneously type-II superconductivity in Cu-intercalated PdTe.

Though the superconducting phase of the type-II Dirac semimetal PdTe was shown to be conventional in nature, the phase continued to be interesting in terms of its magnetic properties. While certain experiments indicated an unexpected type-I superconducting phase, other experiments revealed formation of vortices under the application of magnetic fields. Recently, scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) experiments revealed the existence of a mixed phase where type-I and type-II behaviours coexist.

Implementation strategies for interventions to improve the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by primary care clinicians: protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: There is a considerable implementation gap in managing early stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care despite the high prevalence and risk for increased morbidity and mortality associated with CKD. This systematic review aims to synthesise the evidence of efficacy of implementation interventions aimed at primary care practitioners (PCPs) to improve CKD identification and management. We further aim to describe the interventions' behavioural change components.

Ultrathin Free-Standing Nanosheets of BiOSe: Room Temperature Ferroelectricity in Self-Assembled Charged Layered Heterostructure.

Ultrathin ferroelectric semiconductors with high charge carrier mobility are much coveted systems for the advancement of various electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, in traditional oxide ferroelectric insulators, the ferroelectric transition temperature decreases drastically with decreasing material thickness and ceases to exist below certain critical thickness owing to depolarizing fields. Herein, we show the emergence of an ordered ferroelectric ground state in ultrathin (∼2 nm) single crystalline nanosheets of BiOSe at room temperature.

Realization of Diverse Waveform Converters from a Single Nanoscale Lateral p-n Junction CuS-CdS Heterostructure.

A differentiator is an electronic component used to accomplish mathematical operations of calculus functions of differentiation for shaping different waveforms. Differentiators are used in numerous areas of electronics, including electronic analog computers, wave-shaping circuits, and frequency modulators. Conventional differentiators are fabricated using active operational amplifiers or using passive resistor-capacitor combinations.

Chronic TrkB agonist treatment in old age does not mitigate diaphragm neuromuscular dysfunction.

Previously, we found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling through the high-affinity tropomyosin-related kinase receptor subtype B (TrkB) enhances neuromuscular transmission in the diaphragm muscle. However, there is an age-related loss of this effect of BDNF/TrkB signaling that may contribute to diaphragm muscle sarcopenia (atrophy and force loss). We hypothesized that chronic treatment with 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), a small molecule BDNF analog and TrkB agonist, will mitigate age-related diaphragm neuromuscular transmission failure and sarcopenia in old mice.

Surgical options for chronic patellar tendon rupture in total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare mid-term results of three different reconstructive techniques for chronic patellar tendon disruption after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Several surgical techniques have been proposed, but to date it is still unclear which is the best solution. The hypothesis was that allografts provide better functional results than autografts in restoring a correct joint function.

Arthroscopic All-Inside Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Overcoming the "Killer Turn".

One of the most challenging arthroscopic surgical procedures is posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction. PCL injuries account for 20% of all knee ligament-related injuries. These may be isolated or occur as part of poly-ligament injuries.

Gait Parameters and Functional Outcomes After Total Knee Arthroplasty Using Persona Knee System With Cruciate Retaining and Ultracongruent Knee Inserts.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty is a well-established treatment for managing end-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Currently, different designs of prostheses are available with majority ensuring similar clinical outcomes. Altered surface geometry is introduced to strive toward gaining superior outcomes.

Wear Patterns in Knee Articular Surfaces in Varus Deformity.

This study was performed to study the relationship between the degree of varus deformity of osteoarthritic knees and the anatomic distribution of cartilage pathology. Bone wafers resected from the distal femur and proximal tibia were obtained from 107 patients (195 knees) with primary varus osteoarthritis. Severity and distribution of joint damage was scored for each articular surface and related to potential prognostic factors, including varus deformity, the ligamentous status of the knee, age, gender and BMI.

Analysis of muscle fiber clustering in the diaphragm muscle of sarcopenic mice.

Introduction: Sarcopenia likely comprises muscle fiber denervation and re-innervation, resulting in clustering of muscle fibers of the same type (classified by myosin heavy chain isoform composition). Development of methodology to quantitatively evaluate clustering of muscle fibers according to fiber type is necessary.

Methods: Fiber type specific immunofluorescence histology was used to quantify fiber clustering in murine diaphragm muscle (n = 15) at ages 6 and 24 months.

Patellar Tendon Reconstruction in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A New Technique.

Patellar tendon disruption is one of the most dreaded complications following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) impacting both implant function and implant longevity. To overcome the concerns regarding allografts and improve outcomes with augmentation techniques, we describe a technique, which we have successfully used over the past 4 years with good results. Seven patients underwent reconstruction for patellar tendon disruption using our technique from a cohort of eight patients.

Histological changes and neural elements in the posterior cruciate ligament in osteoarthritic knees.

Purpose: To evaluate histological changes and neural elements in 100 posterior cruciate ligaments (PCLs) in patients with osteoarthritis.

Methods: 100 PCLs were obtained from a consecutive series of 46 women and 16 men aged 49 to 91 (mean, 67) years who underwent primary PCL-retaining total knee replacement for osteoarthritis. Histology was examined using conventional light microscopy.

Self-selecting fluid intake while maintaining high carbohydrate availability does not impair half-marathon performance.

We aimed to test the hypothesis that self-selecting fluid intake but maintaining high exogenous CHO availability (60 g/h) does not compromise half-marathon performance. 15 participants completed 3 half-marathons while drinking a 6% CHO solution to guidelines (DRINK) or a non-caloric solution in self-selected volumes when consuming 3×glucose (20 g) gels (G-GEL) or glucose-fructose (13 g glucose+7 g fructose) gels (GF-GEL) per hour. Fluid intake (DRINK: 1 557±182, G-GEL: 473±234, GF-GEL: 404±144 ml) and percent body mass loss (DRINK: - 0.

Revision total knee arthroplasty for septic versus aseptic failure.

Purpose: To compare the medium-term outcome of revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for septic versus aseptic failure.

Methods: Records of 142 patients who underwent revision TKA by a single senior surgeon for septic (n=65) or aseptic (n=77) failure were reviewed. In the septic group, 67 knees in 42 women and 23 men were included.

Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty following high tibial osteotomy.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) following high tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a technically demanding procedure with varying results. The purpose of our study was to analyze the clinicoradiological results of TKA following HTO and to identify the factors that may influence the final outcome.

Materials And Methods: 55 patients (58 knees) who had undergone a previous HTO were treated with a TKA from 1991 to 2009.