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This document is a letter to the editor discussing a study on the predictive factors for pedicle screw loosening following surgery for degenerative lumbar disease. The study compared the accuracy of vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores and Hounsfield units (HU) values in predicting screw loosening. The results showed that VBQ scores exhibited higher accuracy, but caution is needed in interpreting this conclusion as further validation is required. The letter also highlights the limitations of the study, such as the small sample size and the need for larger, multicenter studies to validate the findings. Overall, the clinical application of this method requires further research and consideration of gender factors and study design limitations. [Extracted from the article]

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that develops and persists after an individual experiences a major traumatic or life-threatening event. While pharmacological treatment and psychological interventions can alleviate some symptoms, pharmacotherapy is time-consuming with low patient compliance, and psychological interventions are costly. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a safe and effective technique for treating PTSD, with advantages such as high compliance, low cost, and simplicity of implementation. It can even simultaneously improve depressive symptoms in some patients. Current research indicates that high-frequency rTMS shows better therapeutic effects compared to low-frequency rTMS, with no significant difference in the likelihood of adverse reactions between the two. Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) exhibits similar efficacy to high-frequency rTMS, with shorter duration and significant improvement in depressive symptoms. However, it carries a slightly higher risk of adverse reactions compared to traditional high-frequency rTMS. Combining rTMS with psychological therapy appears to be more effective in improving PTSD symptoms, with early onset of effects and longer duration, albeit at higher cost and requiring individualized patient control. The most common adverse effect of treatment is headache, which can be improved by stopping treatment or using analgesics. Despite these encouraging data, several aspects remain unknown. Given the highly heterogeneous nature of PTSD, defining unique treatment methods for this patient population is quite challenging. There are also considerable differences between trials regarding stimulation parameters, therapeutic effects, and the role of combined psychological therapy, which future research needs to address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless charging system, limited by the coupling effect between the loads and the change of the equivalent impedance of the battery, it becomes difficult to provide efficient and stable energy supply for multiple load devices. In this paper, a multi-load constant current charging technology for wireless charging system is proposed, which combines the primary side control and the secondary side control to achieve quick charge for multiple load batteries at the same time. The system reduces the influence of interference factors by designing the primary side control module and the transmission structure, to ensure sufficient and stable transmission of energy. And utilising the secondary side control module to charge the battery with constant current, which increases the charging speed, and reduces the impact of battery impedance changes on the system's transmission state. It is verified by experiments that when charging four 1.2 V Ni-MH batteries, the receiver at different positions within the coverage of the transmitting coil can achieve 100mA constant current charging for the battery and the output voltage fluctuation range of each receiver is within 0.2 V, and the working efficiency of the system can reach 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inexact two-stage stochastic risk-aversion model was developed in this study for supporting regional energy system planning and management. It can tackle uncertainties described in terms of probability distributions and permits the indepth analysis of various policy scenarios when the promised policy targets are violated. Moreover, it can help local decision-makers evaluate trade-offs between energy system economy and stability associated with different robust criteria (riskaversion levels). An actual case study in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, China, was provided for demonstrating the applicability of the developed model. The results indicated that electricity generated by coal-burning (coal-fired power and coal-fired cogeneration) and gas-fired heating would be the main power forms for power and heat supply to get the maximum security. Furthermore, some policy implications can be concluded as follows: (a) more attention should be focused on increasing the local power generation capacity in the BTH region rather than importing electricity from other regions; (b) the introduction of risk aversion into the optimization model is conducive to the development of solar power, biomass power, and gas-fired cogeneration; and (c) renewable energy (e.g., biomass energy and geothermal energy) development in the BTH region still has a long way to go, because it is constrained by resource endowment and geographical location. Generally, the proposed model not only can help decision-makers identify the desired energy system management policies under risk considerations, but also could be viewed as a prime example for energy system planning and management at different regional levels (e.g., city, province, and multiprovince) and used as a reference for energy structure adjustment in other metropolitan groups such as the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]