Silver Nanoflower Decorated Graphene Oxide Sponges for Highly Sensitive Variable Stiffness Stress Sensors

Soft conductive materials should enable large deformation while keeping high electrical conductivity and elasticity. The graphene oxide (GO)‐based sponge is a potential candidate to endow large deformation. However, it typically exhibits low conductivity and elasticity. Here, the highly conductive and elastic sponge composed of GO, flower‐shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNFs), and polyimide (GO‐AgNF‐PI sponge) are demonstrated. The average pore size and porosity are 114 µm and 94.7%, respectively. Ag NFs have thin petals (8–20 nm) protruding out of the surface of a spherical bud (300–350 nm) significantly enhancing the specific surface area (2.83 m² g^?1). The electrical conductivity (0.306 S m^?1 at 0% strain) of the GO‐AgNF‐PI sponge is increased by more than an order of magnitude with the addition of Ag NFs. A nearly perfect elasticity is obtained over a wide compressive strain range (0–90%). The strain‐dependent, nonlinear variation of Young's modulus of the sponge provides a unique opportunity as a variable stiffness stress sensor that operates over a wide stress range (0–10 kPa) with a high maximum sensitivity (0.572 kPa^?1). It allows grasping of a soft rose and a hard bottle, with the minimal object deformation, when attached on the finger of a robot gripper.     

A new quadruple therapy for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. Effect of pretreatment with omeprazole on the cure rate

The aim of the study was to assess the speech discrimination ability of postlingually deaf adults implanted with the Combi 40 cochlear implant and to compare the results with the postoperative data published for other devices. The postoperative open and closed set speech perception performance of 21 consecutive patients was tested using a standardized test battery comprising a number, monosyllable, sentence, consonant and vowel discrimination test as well as a rhyme test in the sound only condition. Mean values achieved for each test 1, 6 and 12 months after "switch on" were evaluated. The results demonstrate that all patients have a substantial benefit from their implant and show a continuous improvement in their speech perception abilities with increased device experience. The mean percentages of correct answers after 12 months were 93.4 for numbers, 44.6 for monosyllables, 78.5 for sentences, 67.6 for the rhyme test, 59.8 for vowel, and 67.3 for consonant discrimination. Preoperatively, the mean discrimination score for monosyllables was 0%. The speech discrimination scores of our patients were similar or higher than described for similar patient groups implanted with other devices. The high stimulation rate of the implant system using the continuous interleaved speech processing strategy as well as a deep atraumatic electrode insertion into the apicalmost regions of the scala tympani may be the reason for good performance.     

Pulmonary infiltrates in neutropenic patients with acute leukemia during chemotherapy: outcome and prognostic factors

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of mortality from pulmonary infiltrates in neutropenic patients with acute leukemia during chemotherapy, and the significance of those factors related to the underlying malignancy and its therapy as well as of those related to the severity of the illness associated with pulmonary infiltrates. DESIGN: A historical cohort study. SETTING: A university teaching hospital and tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 53 patients with neutropenia during chemotherapy and with first episodes of pulmonary infiltrates during a 4-year period were studied. Prognostic analysis included 38 variables. Multivariate analyses were performed by logistic regression. RESULTS: The survival rate from pneumonia was 57% (30/53). The following eight parameters were significantly associated with death in univariate analysis: comorbidity present; development of "late" pulmonary infiltrates (> or = 14 days after hospital admission); heart rate > or = 100 beats/min; a ratio heart rate/systolic blood pressure (HR/SBP) > or = 1.2; urea nitrogen > 7 mmol/L; radiographic score > or = 3; neutropenia < 1.0x10(9)/L at the treatment end point; and failed complete remission. In a multivariate model including only parameters available at diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates, the presence of a ratio HR/SBP > or = 1.2 and of a radiographic score > or = 3 remained independently associated with death. In a second model also including the evolutionary parameter neutropenia < or = 1.0x10(9)/L at the treatment end point, both parameters remained significant together with neutropenia <1.0x 10(9)/L at the treatment end point. The presence of a ratio HR/SBP > or = 1.2 was a strong marker of early death. CONCLUSION: Both therapy- and malignancy-associated neutropenia as well as the severity of illness associated with pulmonary infiltrates are independent prognostic factors. Patients with a ratio HR/SBP > or = 1.2 at diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates suffer from potentially reversible acute illness, are at risk for early death and, therefore, may be appropriate candidates for treatment in an ICU.     

The artificial heart and neuromonitoring? Technical and clinical aspects

There is a steady progress in the development of artificial heart and circulatory assist devices. There is also no doubt that further advances in energy systems, materials, and electronics will provide for smaller and more reliable electrically driven blood pumps, but the present engineering design appears to be adequate to provide devices satisfactory for initial clinical use. Due to problems in the availability of suitable donor hearts, the concept of replacing the natural heart with an artificial heart as a "bridge to transplantation" has gained attention in recent years. The present paper shows technical and clinical aspects of multivariable electrophysiologic neuromonitoring in a patient with an artificial heart assist device in the intensive care unit. The data (EEG, 40 Hz brain oscillations, brainstem auditory- and somatosensory evoked potentials) are discussed with respect to the influence of the artificial heart on their quality and reliability. Reasons for artifacts and problems of interpretation are shown.     

Adaptive triangular-mesh reconstruction by mean-curvature-based refinement from point clouds using a moving parabolic approximation

We use a moving parabolic approximation (MPA) to reconstruct a triangular mesh that approximates the underlying surface of a point cloud from closed objects. First, an efficient strategy is presented for constructing a hierarchical grid with adaptive resolution and generating an initial mesh from point clouds. By implementing the MPA algorithm, we can estimate the differential quantities of the underlying surface, and subsequently, we can obtain the local quadratic approximants of the squared distance function for any point in the vicinity of the target shape. Thus, second, we adapt the mesh to the target shape by an optimization procedure that minimizes a quadratic function at each step. With the objective of determining the geometrical features of the target surface, we refine the approximating mesh selectively for the non-flat regions by comparing the estimated curvature from the point clouds and the estimated curvatures computed from the current mesh. Finally, we present various examples that demonstrate the robustness of our method and show that the resulting reconstructions preserve geometric details.