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Typical high-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) require exotic high-refractive-index ( n  ≥ 1.8) substrates to enhance the outcoupling of trapped light in the device. One of the exciting possibilities of OLEDs is the use of lightweight flexible plastic substrates, which unfortunately have a low refractive index ( n  ≤ 1.6). To unlock the full potential of OLEDs on flexible plastic, we report high-efficiency phosphorescent OLEDs using a thin-film outcoupling enhancement method that does not depend on high-index substrates. In these devices, multifunctional anode stacks, consisting of a high-index Ta 2 O 5 optical coupling layer, electrically conductive gold layer and hole-injection MoO 3 layer, are collectively optimized to achieve high efficiency. The maximum external quantum efficiency reaches 63% for green, which remains as high as 60% at >10,000 cd m –2 . Using a thin-film outcoupling enhancement method consisting of a weak optical cavity on a flexible substrate with a non-indium-tin-oxide anode, researchers demonstrate phosphorescent organic LEDs with an external quantum efficiency of up to 63% at green wavelengths, which remains as high as 60% at luminous intensities of >10,000 cd m −2 .

In organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), a stack of multiple organic layers facilitates charge flow from the low work function [~4.7 electron volts (eV)] of the transparent electrode (tin-doped indium oxide, ITO) to the deep energy levels (~6 eV) of the active light-emitting organic materials. We demonstrate a chlorinated ITO transparent electrode with a work function of >6.1 eV that provides a direct match to the energy levels of the active light-emitting materials in state-of-the art OLEDs. A highly simplified green OLED with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 54% and power efficiency of 230 lumens per watt using outcoupling enhancement was demonstrated, as were EQE of 50% and power efficiency of 110 lumens per watt at 10,000 candelas per square meter.

Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the levels of HbA1c could predict the outcome of ablation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Patients and methods The study comprised 149 consecutive patients with T2DM and PAF who underwent their first circumferential pulmonary vein isolation. HbA1c levels were measured before ablation. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to assess the relationship between HbA1c levels and the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). Results Of the 149 patients, 60 (40.3 %) developed AF recurrence after a median 12-month follow-up. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that left atrium size and HbA1c were independent predictors of recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that an HbA1c cut-off value of ≥ 6.9 % predicted recurrence with 55.0 % sensitivity and 67.4 % specificity (AUC = 0.634). The success rate of ablation was 69.0 % in patients with an HbA1c value of < 6.9 % compared with 46.8 % in those with an HbA1c value of ≥ 6.9 % (log-rank test, p = 0.004). Conclusion High levels of HbA1c were associated with an increased risk of recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia in patients with T2DM and PAF undergoing catheter ablation.

Purpose Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. We tested the hypothesis that differences in the expression of certain molecular markers of colon cancer may account for different clinical outcomes. Methods Tissue microarray technology was used to assay the expression of 17 biological markers [β-catenin, CD44v7, c-myc, cyclin D1, estrogen receptor β, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, maspin, matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7), p53, Pin1, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-gamma, survivin, T cell transcription factor 4 (TCF4), transforming growth factor beta receptor II (TGFβR II), TGFβ, TROP2, and Wnt] by immunohistochemistry in 620 colon cancer patients. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was applied to analyze the lifetime data, including time to death, time to recurrence, and time to liver metastasis. Results All the markers were present at significantly higher expression levels in tumor specimens than in normal colonic specimens. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high expression of TROP2, MMP7, and survivin were related to decreased survival; TCF4 and TROP2 were related to disease recurrence; and CD44v7, cyclin D1, MMP7, p53, survivin, and TCF4 were related to liver metastasis. However, the results of the multivariate analysis only showed that expression of MMP7, survivin, and TROP2 were significant predictors of lower patient survival, while TROP2 and MMP7 were significantly related to disease recurrence and liver metastasis, respectively. Conclusions We conclude that elevated survivin, MMP7, and TROP2 expression levels are related to decreased survival. In addition, elevated MMP7 and TROP2 expression levels are predictors of disease recurrence and liver metastasis, respectively.

Fibre traits were assessed for 6 × 6 full-diallel families of Eucalyptus urophylla measured at 10 years old. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant combination effects and no block differences on any fibre traits except fibre width. The mean fibre length, fibre width, fine percent, mean curl, fibre kink index and kink angle of controlled crossed families were 0.57 mm, 19.74 μm, 27.38%, 0.039°, 0.64 and 8.24° respectively. The heritability of fibre traits was at low to middle level, and the coefficients of variation ranged from 8.58 (width) to 39.30% (kink angel). Inbreeding depressions of fibre length and width were observed in most families, and the largest inbreeding depressions were estimated at -61.76 and -15.45%. Heterosis ranged from -42.42 to 103.84%. Kink angle had higher general combining ability and fine percent had higher estimation of specific combining ability. Genotypic correlation between fibre length and fibre width were positive, implying these two traits could be selected simultaneously. As an important indicator of pulp yield, fibre traits should be used for breeding E. urophylla.

No standard treatment is currently available for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (GEP-NEC). Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the effect of the combination of irinotecan and cisplatin in the treatment of GEP-NECs. Clinical data of 16 locally advanced or metastatic GEP-NEC patients treated with irinotecan plus cisplatin regimen in our center from September 2009 to August 2011 were reviewed. The regimen included 2-week cycles of 180 mg/m 2 irinotecan and 50 mg/m 2 cisplatin on day 1. Median age was 57 years. The overall response rate was 57.1 %, with a disease control rate of 78.6 %. One patient achieved pathologic complete response and underwent esophagectomy after chemotherapy. Two patients who had gotten progressive disease were given sequential octreotide long-acting release (LAR) treatment and got disease progression again within 1 month. Six patients who achieved disease control received octreotide LAR as maintenance treatment. The total number of cycles of octreotide was 41, with a median of 4.5 (3–20 cycles). The progression-free survival was 5.5 months, with overall survival of 10.6 months. Grades 3–4 hematological adverse events (AEs) occurred in 10 patients (62.5 %) and 3 patients (18.7 %) suffered grades 3–4 non-hematological AEs; no patient died of AEs. The irinotecan plus cisplatin chemotherapy is moderately effective and tolerable well tolerated in advanced or metastatic GEP-NEC patients; octreotide LAR may be a good maintenance treatment and should be considered as a treatment option for these patients in the future.

Background Oxaliplatin is effective in adjuvant and first-line colorectal cancer chemotherapy. Oxaliplatin-induced severe chronic neurotoxicity is the main dose-limiting adverse event. No standard treatment for oxaliplatin-induced chronic neurotoxicity has been identified. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective pilot clinical trial to explore whether neurotropin has neuroprotective effects on chronic neurotoxicity. From May 1, 2010 to May 1, 2011, 80 stage II and III colorectal cancer patients who were eligible to receive oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy voluntarily enrolled in the trial. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, one of which received neurotropin treatment. Results The patients in the control group experienced significantly ≥ grade 2 and ≥ grade 3 neurotoxicity (by NCI CTCAE grading) than those in the neurotropin group (60.9 vs. 21.1 %, for at least grade 2 neurotoxicity, P  = 0.001; 39 vs. 2.7 %, for at least grade 3 neurotoxicity, P  < 0.001). If neurotoxicity was assessed by oxaliplatin-specific neurotoxicity grading, the patients in the control group also experienced significantly more ≥ grade 2 neurotoxicity (51.2 vs. 12.5 %, P  = 0.001). Neurotropin was the only factor that affected the incidence of ≥ grade 2 neurotoxicity in the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Conclusion Neurotropin combined with oxaliplatin decreases chronic neurotoxicity effectively and safely.

PHOTONIC devices are becoming increasingly important in information and communication technologies. But attempts to integrate photonics with silicon-based microelectronics are hampered by the fact that silicon has an indirect band gap, which prevents efficient electron-photon energy conversion. Light-emitting silicon-based materials have been made using band-structure engineering of SiGe and SiC alloys and Si/Ge superlattices, and by exploiting quantum-confinement effects in nanoscale particles and crystallites 1–3 . The discovery 4,5 that silicon can be etched electrochemically into a highly porous form that emits light with a high quantum yield has opened up the latter approach to intensive study 6–12 . Here we report the fabrication, by molecular-beam epitaxy, of well-defined superlattices of silicon and SiO 2 , which emit visible light through photoluminescence. We show that this light emission can be explained in terms of quantum confinement of electrons in the two-dimensional silicon layers. These superlattice structures are robust and compatible with standard silicon technology.

It is worthwhile to design a more accurate dynamic model for air springs, to investigate the dynamic behaviour of an air spring suspension, and to analyse and guide the design of vehicles with air spring suspensions. In this study, a dynamic model of air spring was established, considering the heat transfer process of the air springs. Two different types of air spring were tested, and the experimental results verified the effectiveness of the air spring model compared with the traditional model. The key factors affecting the computation accuracy were studied and checked by comparing the results of the experiments and simulations. The new dynamic model of the air spring was integrated into the full-vehicle multi-body dynamics model, in order to investigate the air suspension behaviour and vehicle dynamics characteristics. The co-simulation method using ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink was applied to integration of the air spring model with the full-vehicle multi-body dynamics model.

A 1257 m-long irregular deep excavation was located in the city center of Nanjing, China. The full-width and half-width top-down construction method was adopted. The deformation characteristics of the settlement of adjacent buildings based on field data is discussed, and the interrelationships between building settlement and excavation process, structural system and geological conditions are also considered. The analysis results show that building settlement is related to the excavation deformation, construction sequence, structure forms, foundation types and the distance to the foundation pit. Corner effect has played an important role in building settlement and will affect the settlement pattern eventually. The settlement surface of building outside the pit corner is three-dimensional, while the building located in the middle of the long side of the pit has a two-dimensional settlement surface.