This study aimed to investigate the diverse clinical manifestations and simple early biomarkers predicting mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). A total of 710 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled from 6,896 patients presenting to the ED between January 2022 and March 2022. During the study period, a total of 478 patients tested positive for COVID-19, among whom 222 (46.4%) presented with extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19; 49 (10.3%) patients displayed gastrointestinal manifestations, followed by neurological (n = 41; 8.6%) and cardiac manifestations (n = 31; 6.5%). In total, 54 (11.3%) patients died. A Cox proportional hazards model revealed that old age, acute kidney injury at presentation, increased total leukocyte counts, low platelet counts, decreased albumin levels, and increased LDH levels were the independent predictors of mortality. The albumin levels exhibited the highest area under the curve in receiver operating characteristic analysis, with a value of 0.860 (95% confidence interval, 0.796–0.875). The study showed the diverse clinical presentations and simple-to-measure prognostic markers in COVID-19 patients presenting to the ED. Serum albumin levels can serve as a novel and simple early biomarker to identify COVID-19 patients at high risk of death.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is any association between preeclampsia and eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene polymorphisms, and also to search for a possible association between haplotypes in eNOS, DDHA, and VEGF genes and the risk for preeclampsia. DNA was extracted from whole blood of 223 preeclampsia patients and 237 healthy pregnant women. The genotypes were analyzed by a single base primer extension assay using a SNaPShot assay kit. Results were analyzed with the Student's t-test, Chi-square test, and Logistic regression analysis. Haplotype analyses were performed using Haploview 3.2 version. There were no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene polymorphisms between preeclampsia patients and controls. No increase in the risk of preeclampsia for those genes was observed under any model of inheritance and there were no statistically significant associations between any haplotypes and preeclampsia risk. Polymorphisms in eNOS, DDAH, and VEGF gene do not seem to be risk factors for preeclampsia.

Despite numerous previous studies, relationships between watershed land use and adjacent streams and rivers at various scales in Korea remain unclear. This study investigated the relationships between land uses and the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of 720 sites of streams and rivers across the country. The land uses at two spatial scales, including a 1-km buffer and the base watershed management region (BWMR), were computed in a geographical information system (GIS) with a digital land use/land cover map. Characteristics of land uses at two spatial scales were then correlated with the monitored multidimensional characteristics of the streams and rivers. The results of this study indicate that land use types have significant effects on stream and river characteristics. Specifically, most characteristics were negatively correlated with the proportions of urban, rice paddy, agricultural, and bare soil areas and positively correlated with the amount of forest. The site-scale and BWMR-scale analyses suggest that BWMR land use patterns were more strongly related to ecological integrity than they were to site land use patterns. Improving our understanding of land use effects will largely depend on relating the results of site-specific studies that use similar response techniques and measures to evaluate ecological integrity. In addition, our results clearly indicate that the characteristics of streams and rivers are closely linked and that land use types differentially affect those characteristics. Thus, effective restoration and management for ecological integrity of lotic system should consider the physical, chemical, and biological factors in combination.

We consider a single-server retrial queueing system where retrial time is inversely proportional to the number of customers in the system. A necessary and sufficient condition for the stability of the system is found. We obtain the Laplace transform of virtual waiting time and busy period. The transient distribution of the number of customers in the system is also obtained.

Human complement regulatory protein hCD46 may reduce the hyperacute rejection (HAR) in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. In this study, an hCD46 gene was introduced into porcine embryonic germ (EG) cells. Treatment of human serum did not affect the survival of hCD46-transgenic EG cells, whereas the treatment significantly reduced the survival of non-transgenic EG cells (p < 0.01). The transgenic EG cells presumably capable of alleviating HAR were transferred into enucleated oocytes. Among 235 reconstituted oocytes, 35 (14.9%) developed to the blastocyst stage. Analysis of individual embryos indicated that 80.0% (28/35) of embryos contained the transgene hCD46. The result of the present study demonstrates resistance of hCD46-transgenic EG cells against HAR, and the usefulness of the transgenic approach may be predicted by this cytolytic assessment prior to actual production of transgenic pigs. Subsequently performed EG cell nuclear transfer gave rise to hCD46-transgenic embryos. Further study on the transfer of these embryos to recipients may produce hCD46-transgenic pigs.

There has been a significant effort to create spiral sensors by changing either the periodic d-spacing of the structure or the dielectric constants of the materials by combining the multi-faceted environmental responsiveness of polymer hydrogels with dielectrical structures.1 Reversible spiral switches with dimensional functionalities that respond to chemical environment were constructed. When the spiral photonic actuator was swollen in hydrophilic acetic acid, right-handed spiral structures are formed, while the spiral photonic actuator was swollen in hydrophobic hexane, left-handed spiral structures are formed. All actuators returned back to the transparent planar state after deswelling processes. These reversible spiral photonic actuators can be applied in the application of mechanical actuators, electrical devices, and optical components.

We report the catalyst-free synthesis of ZnO nanobranches on Si nanowires using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The formation of single-crystalline ZnO nanobranches on Si nanowire backbones has been confirmed by lattice resolved transmission electron microscopy. Depending on the growth parameters, especially the growth temperature, the morphology and size of the ZnO nanobranches evolved from nanothorn-shaped (at 350 °C) to nanoneedle-shaped structures (at 500 °C). When the growth temperature was further increased to 800 °C, thin ZnO nanowire branches grew out of the Si nanowire backbones coated with thin ZnO shells, whereas no ZnO branch was formed on bare Si nanowires due to limited nucleation. The growth behavior was further exploited to fabricate ZnO/Si nanowire networks by growing the ZnO nanowires selectively on laterally aligned Si–ZnO core-shell nanowire arrays. In addition, cathodoluminescent properties of ZnO nanobranches on Si nanowire backbones are discussed with respect to position and size.

We have proposed low hydrogen concentration (CH) silicon nitride (SiNX) as a dielectric for flexible display application. The fabrication temperature on plastic substrate is limited below Tg (glass transition temperature, typically 130˜180 °C) and it was reported that CH in thin film is strongly depends on fabrication temperature. As the fabrication temperature is decreasing, hydrogen concentration is increasing. SiNX deposited in ultra low temperature (< 150 °C) has high CH which is porous, low density. Our experimental results using SiH4, He, N2 gas mixture shows that in the SiNX CH is less than 15 at.%. Breakdown voltage of proposed SiNX dielectric is 5 MV/cm. In the wet etch rate test using a nitride etching solution, He dilution is more dense than NH3 dilution. This process approach is useful for flexible display application.

A new post annealing method employing excimer laser pulses is proposed to improve the transfer characteristics and the breakdown voltage of the unpassivated AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistor (HFET) and the passivated one. The XeCl excimer laser pulses with wavelength of 308 nm anneal the AlGaN/GaN HFET after the Schottky gate metallization. The interface defects between the Schottky gate metal and a GaN layer is decreased by the lateral heat diffusion of the laser pulses. Our experimental results show that the drain current and the maximum transconductance of the unpassivated AlGaN/GaN HFET after laser pulses annealing are 496 mA/mm and 134 mS/mm while a virgin device shows 434 mA/mm and 113 mS/mm, respectively. The proposed method anneals effectively the SiO2 passivated AlGaN/GaN HFET and the leakage current of the passivated device is decreased from 483 nA to 29 nA.

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) films were deposited by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) at 150°C. ICP power was 400W. The process gas was SiH4 diluted with He as well as H2. The flow rate of He, H2 and He/H2 mixture was varied from 20sccm to 60sccm and that of SiH4 was 3sccm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the nc-Si films were measured. From the XRD results of nc-Si films deposited by ICP-CVD, the properties of Si film deposited under each condition were studied. As the dilution ratio increases and He/H2 mixture was used as a dilution gas, intensities of <111>and<220> peaks were increased and the incubation layer was thin. These results were explained in the point of role of H2 plasma and He plasma in the nc-Si deposition process. Our experimental results show that nc-Si film deposited by ICP-CVD may be suitable for an active layer of nc-Si TFTs.

The Far-ultraviolet IMaging Spectrograph (FIMS) is a small spectrograph optimized for the observations of diffuse hot interstellar medium in far-ultraviolet wavebands (900–1150Å and 1335–1750Å). The instrument is expected to be sensitive to emission line fluxes an order of magnitude fainter than any previous missions. FIMS is currently under development and is scheduled for launch in 2002.

The microstructural variation and the interdiffusion of Pt (80 nm)/Ti (70 nm)/SiO2/Si during annealing in O2 were investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. While the as-deposited and 400 °C annealed samples showed well-defined layer structures without any significant interfacial reaction, the degree of oxidation remarkably increased with increasing temperature above 500 °C. The PtTi alloy phase with Pmma structure (AuCd type) was observed from the 500 °C annealed sample. Drastic interdiffusion occurring above 600 °C changed the Pt/Ti bilayer into a very entangled structure. Some TiO2 phases were exposed to the ambient between Pt hillocks. In addition, a small amount of Pt-silicide was found near the TiOx/SiO2 interface.

Phenomena and solving methods for damage of Sb-doped SbO2 thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering have been investigated by observing in the main the positional difference of film electrical resistivity. A ring plate mask was used to disperse the energetic particles and sputtering parameters were controlled such a manner that effects by the parameters were compensated each other. By the control, positional differences in resistivity and XRD patterns of the films could be reduced to a minimum value; The films became nearly uniform ones.

Device-quality poly-Si films are used as the active material of poly-Si thin film transistors. Poly-Si films with high crystallinity, which have large grains and/or low intragranular defects, lead to a high device performance. The presence of O or C impurities in the deposited Si films can greatly affect the behavior of crystallization and grain growth of these films, and their resulting crystallinities. A substantial amount of O or C can be introduced in the films during deposition from residual gases in the deposition chamber. Control of base pressure during Si deposition, therefore, will be an important process parameter determining the crystallinity of these films. The effects of the base pressure on the crystallization and grain growth of deposited Si films were investigated using a high vacuum Chemical Vapor Deposition system. Lower base pressure decreases the deposition temperature for the amorphous/crystalline transition of as-deposited films. Crystallization of amorphously deposited films is also affected by base pressure. The kinetics of crystallization and crystallinities of poly-Si films after crystallization are substantially increased by reducing base pressure. Enhanced crystallization kinetics and film crystallinities can be explained by reduced inclusions of O or C impurities in Si films, thus enhancing the atomic mobility. The improved film crystallinity of poly-Si films leads to higher device performance of poly-Si TFT's.