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Abstract This study aims to observe the hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects of intravenous administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) in dual segment posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). The data of 53 patients with lumbar disease treated with double-segment PLIF were included in this study. The observation group was received a single-dose intravenous of TXA (1 g/100 mL) 15 min before skin incision after general anesthesia. The control group was not received TXA. The observation indicators included postoperative activated partial prothrombin time (APTT), thrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB), platelets (PLT), and postoperative deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs, surgical time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, transfusion rate, postoperative hospital stay, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), hematocrit (HCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on the 1st, 4th, 7th, and last tested day after surgery. All patients successfully completed the operation, and there was no deep vein thrombosis after operation. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative APTT, PT, TT, FIB, PLT, surgical time, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (p > 0.05). The intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, and transfusion rate in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p 0.05). Intravenous administration of TXA in dual segment PLIF does not affect coagulation function and can reduce bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, and transfusion rate. Moreover, it does not affect the postoperative inflammatory response.

Exotic plant litter presents different chemical and physical properties relative to native plant litter and alters ecosystem processes and functions that may facilitate exotic plant dispersal. However, these effects are largely unknown, especially within wetland ecosystems. This study examines whether introducing litter from the exotic mangrove Laguncularia racemosa could result in (1) accelerated community litter decomposition rates and increased nutrient cycling rates and (2) microbial community structure changes in the invaded areas. A single decomposition experiment using litterbags was conducted to examine the short-term effects of L. racemosa litter in the native mangrove forest ecosystem. The soil nutrients and microbial communities of Rhizophora stylosa, L. racemosa, and mixed forests were also compared to explore the long-term cumulative effects of L. racemosa litter in native ecosystems. The results indicated that L. racemosa has lower-quality leaf litter than R. stylosa and a significantly faster decomposition rate. This may result from changes in the soil microbial community structure caused by L. racemosa leaf litter input, which favors the decomposition of its own litter. Both the short-term and cumulative effect experiments demonstrated that L. racemosa leaf litter significantly increased the relative abundance of microbes related to litter decomposition, such as Proteobacteria and Bdellovibrionota, and enhanced the alpha diversity of soil fungi, thus creating a microbial environment conducive to L. racemosa leaf litter decomposition. Moreover, the accumulation of soil nutrients was lower under L. racemosa than under R. stylosa over several years. This may be related to the more rapid growth of L. racemosa, which causes soil nutrient absorption and storage within the plant tissues, thereby reducing the soil nutrient content. Inputting exotic mangrove L. racemosa leaf litter reduced the soil blue carbon content, potentially adversely affecting global climate change. L. racemosa may employ a unique strategy to lower soil nutrient levels in native mangroves based on its low-quality leaf litter, thereby weakening the competitive ability of native plants that are intolerant to low-nutrient conditions and enhancing its own competitive advantage to further spread into these areas. In summary, the input of exotic L. racemosa leaf litter accelerates nutrient cycling in local mangroves.

Abstract Intravenous application of tranexamic acid (TXA) in posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) can effectively reduce blood loss without affecting coagulation function. However, it has not been reported whether preoperative use of anticoagulants may affect the efficacy of TXA in PLIF. The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of preoperative use of anticoagulants on coagulation indicators and blood loss after PLIF receiving intravenous unit dose TXA. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 53 patients with PLIF between 2020.11 and 2022.9, who received intravenous application of a unit dose of TXA (1 g/100 mL) 15 min before the skin incision after general anesthesia. Those who used anticoagulants within one week before surgery were recorded as the observation group, while those who did not use anticoagulants were recorded as the control group. The main observation indicators include surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, blood transfusion, and red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), and hematocrit (HCT) measured on the 1st, 4th, 7th, and last-test postoperative days. Secondary observation indicators included postoperative incision healing, deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs, postoperative hospital stay, and activated partial thrombin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB), and platelets (PLT) on the 1st and 4th days after surgery. The operation was successfully completed in both groups, the incision healed well after operation, and no lower limb deep vein thrombosis occurred. There was no significant difference in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and blood transfusion between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the RBC, HB, and HCT measured on the 1st, 4th, 7th, and last-test postoperative days between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in APTT, PT, TT, FIB and PLT between the two groups on the 1st and 4th postoperative days (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (p > 0.05). The use of anticoagulants within one week before surgery does not affect the hemostatic effect of intravenous unit dose TXA in PLIF.

Metal mesh transparent electrodes present a promising alternative to Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO) due to their adjustable period and favourable trade-off between transmittance and conductivity. In this work, a template-free, non-high temperature hybrid additive manufacturing approach of the polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/Cu core–shell structure high-resolution metal mesh flexible transparent electrode (FTE) is proposed. The electric field-driven (EFD) 3D printing method was employed to print ultra-fine lines with widths as low as 1 μm. The composite-plating process combining electroless plating and electroplating has solved the structural defects of single deposition process. The prepared FTE has an excellent conductivity down to 1 Ω/sq and 89% light transmission (at 550 nm). Its exceptional mechanical properties and environmental stability make it suitable for diverse working environments. Even after undergoing 2000 bends at a radius of 3 mm, the resistance change rate remains as low as 1.4%. The resistance exhibits an approximately 8% change rate in the acid–base environment experiments conducted over 72 h. The flexible touch screen prepared with this FTE exhibits excellent writing performance in both flat and curved working scenarios. Furthermore, the significant potential of this FTE in the field of optoelectronics is effectively demonstrated through its exceptional luminescent performance in electroluminescent devices.

Abstract There are few reports of intravenous unit-dose tranexamic acid (TXA) on the relationship between visible blood loss (VBL) and hidden blood loss (HBL) in posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Therefore, the objective of this randomized, prospective, double-blind, single center study was to investigate the effect of intravenous unit-dose TXA on VBL and HBL in patients who underwent PLIF. Among 100 patients, 11 were excluded due to failue to comply with the study, 1 was excluded due to non-conpliance with the study, and 88 were eligible for inclusion in the study. 46 patients who treated with PLIF received unit-dose of TXA (1 g/100 mL) intravenously 15 min before skin incision after general anesthesia (observation group) and 42 patients were given 100 mL of normal saline (control group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, VBL, HBL, blood transfusion rate, and adverse events were recorded in the two groups. Besides, activated partial prothrombin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB), platelets (PLT), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), hematocrit (HCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on the 1st postoperative day; and RBC, HB, HCT, CRP, ESR on the 4th postoperative day were recorded. All 88 patients successfully completed the operation, the incision healed well, and there was no deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity after operation. The intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, VBL, HBL, and blood transfusion rate in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p 0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative APTT, PT, TT, FIB, PLT, RBC, HB, HCT, CRP and ESR between the two groups (p > 0.05). Intravenous unit-dose TXA is safe and feasible in PLIF, and it can effectively reduce perioperative VBL and HBL.

The parallel interleaved three-phase inverters are suitable for high-power applications due to the current ripple canceling effect. The power density and efficiency can be further improved with the current ripple prediction (CRP) based high frequency zero-voltage switching (ZVS). However, the variable switching frequency increases rapidly as the power decrease, resulting in higher turn-off loss at light load despite the elimination of turn-on loss. In this paper, a phase-shedding control strategy is proposed along with the CRP based ZVS method to improve the light load efficiency. Only four phase-legs of the two parallel inverters operate at light load to reduce the switching frequency and the circulating current between the two clamping phase-legs. The proposed method can achieve full-range ZVS for all the switches without any auxiliary circuits or high frequency sensors. Current sharing can also be realized between the two clamping phase-legs based on accurate gate signal modulation. A 5 kW simulation and experimental prototype using SiC devices interfacing 400 V dc with three-phase 110 V ac grid is developed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Abstract Background A ruptured drainage tube which remains in the incision is a rare surgical complication. The usual mode of retrieval is to detach the suture and explore the pre-existing incisional wound. However, spinal endoscopy provides an alternative method for successful removal, avoiding the enlargement of the surgical wound. Case report A 53-year-old male patient underwent open lumbar spine surgery for lumbar spondylolisthesis between the 5th lumbar and 1st sacral vertebral bodies. Prior to closure, two negative pressure ball drainage tubes were inserted, one of which broke during removal,beneath the fascia. Use of spinal endoscopy enabled the complete removal of the broken drainage tube. Both the original incisional and endoscopic wounds healed well without any sign of infection. Conclusions The use of spinal endoscopy to remove the broken drainage tube is an alternative to open the surgical wound and should be took into account.

BackgroundPercutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a common treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). Perioperative bleeding is usually rare, so there are few reports of shock. However, we developed shock after treating a case of OVCF of the 5th thoracic vertebra with PVP.Case presentationAn 80 years old female patient received PVP due to OVCF of the 5th thoracic vertebra. The operation was successfully completed and the patient returned to the ward safely after the operation. At 90 min after operation, she developed shock, which was induced by subcutaneous hemorrhage up to 1500 ml at the puncture site. Before using vascular embolization, transfusion and blood transfusion were used to maintain blood pressure, and local ice bag compression was used to reduce swelling and stop bleeding, which achieved successful hemostasis. She recovered and discharged after 15 days, with the hematoma having absorbed. There was no recurrence during the 17-month follow-up.ConclusionAlthough PVP is considered to be a safe and effective method to treat OVCF, the possible hemorrhagic shock still needs to arouse the vigilance of surgeons.

BackgroundTranexamic acid (TXA) has been used in posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and reduces blood loss. However, it has not been reported whether it will continue to affect postoperative red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), hematocrit (HCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The purpose of this study was to observed the above indicators at different time after PLIF with unit dose intravenous (iv) TXA.MethodsThe data of 44 patients treated by single-segment PLIF from 2020.11 to 2022.3 were retrospectively analyzed. Observation group was given a unit dose of ivTXA (1 g/100 mL) 15 min before skin incision after general anesthesia. Patients without TXA were recorded as control group. Main observation indicators include RBC, HB, HCT, CRP and ESR on the 1st, 4th, 7th and last tested day after surgery. Secondary observation indicators include postoperative activated partial thrombin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), and fibrinogen (FIB); and operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, incision healing, postoperative deep vein thrombosis and postoperative hospital stay.ResultsThe operation was successfully completed without related complications. At term of main observation indicators, RBC, HB and HCT remained relatively stable, while CRP and ESR fluctuated to some extent after PLIF. The RBC, HB and HCT in the observation group were higher than those in the control group with statistically significant (p 0.05). At term of secondary observation indicators, the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume of the observation group were lower than those of the control group with statistically significant (p 0.05).ConclusionThe application of unit dose of ivTXA in PLIF can safely and effectively reduce blood loss. Meanwhile, it can also maintain higher RBC, HB, HCT levels without disturbing CRP and ESR levels after surgery.

BackgroundCholesterol granuloma (CG) is a particular type of granulation tissue reaction. It is a very rare benign lesion characterized by swelling growth due to a large number of cholesterol crystals and foreign body giant cells. There has been no report of a CG of the femur.Case presentationA 74-year-old woman suffered from pain and discomfort in the upper right knee for 10 years, which became aggravated for 10 days. She was diagnosed with CG of the right femur at our hospital and was treated with surgery. During the operation, a large amount of yellow-brown, oily, crystal structures was found. Postoperative pathology investigations confirmed the lesion as a CG. Postoperative follow-up was carried out for 15 months that confirmed the effect of treatment was satisfactory.ConclusionsCG of the femur is an extremely rare benign lesion. Surgical treatment can provide effective treatment results.

BackgroundDiastematomyelia is a rare congenital spinal cord malformation, classified as type I or type II, with over half of the cases considered type I. However, type I diastematomyelia with breast abnormality and clubfoot is extremely rare in clinical practice.Case presentationWe admitted an 18-year-old female patient with type I diastematomyelia with breast abnormalities and clubfoot. She was underwent surgical treatment. After the surgical removal of the pressure-causing bone spur, the weakness of the right lower limb was significantly relieved. During the 22-month follow-up, there was no complication and no recurrence.ConclusionSurgical removal of the pressure-causing bone spur can relieve symptoms in the lower limbs. However, further research is warranted to explore the breast abnormalities in patients with diastematomyelia.

BackgroundCervical nerve root cysts are rare and easily missed or misdiagnosed in clinical practice. Although conventional surgery is effective for cervical nerve root cysts, it is limited by the small surgical field of view and operating range, relatively difficult procedure, and incomplete cyst resection. Microscope-assisted magnification of the surgical field of vision reduces the difficulty and ensures complete cyst resection.Case presentationA 58-year-old male patient was diagnosed with a cervical nerve root sleeve cyst on the right C7 vertebra with neurological symptoms. Microscope-assisted surgery was used as treatment. The cyst was completely removed by the microscope-assisted surgery, with satisfactory patient recovery. The surgery did not produce complications, such as spinal cord neurovascular injury, and the patient's symptoms disappeared quickly after surgery. During the 2-year follow-up, there was no complication and no recurrence.ConclusionMicroscope-assisted surgery in treatment of the C7 nerve root cyst could achieve a complete resection.

In recent years, offshore wind farms have boomed all over the world. It is essential to manage the energy dispatch of the offshore wind power systems to reduce transmission losses. This article proposes an optimization method for the optimal power flow of offshore wind power systems based on the convex–concave procedure. First, the nonlinear variables in the power flow constraints of the offshore wind power system are relaxed with newly defined variables. Second, the non-convex constraints are reconstructed according to the variables’ characteristics so that the optimization method satisfies all constraints at the same time. Meanwhile, by applying the Taylor series expansion, the relaxation variables’ gaps are changed dynamically, and the convex relaxation is tightened to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the feasibility of the relaxation and the optimized solution is verified by the simulation to realize the power optimization in the real offshore wind system.

Abstract Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with embedded metal meshes play an indispensable role in many optoelectronic devices due to their excellent mechanical stability and environmental adaptability. However, low‐cost, simple, efficient, and environmental friendly integrated manufacturing of high‐performance embedded metal meshes remains a huge challenge. Here, a facile and novel fabrication method is proposed for FTEs with an embedded metal mesh via liquid substrateelectric‐field‐driven microscale 3D printing process. This direct printing strategy avoids tedious processes and offers low‐cost and high‐volume production, enabling the fabrication of high‐resolution, high‐aspect ratio embedded metal meshes without sacrificing transparency. The final manufactured FTEs with 80 mm × 80 mm embedded metal mesh offers excellent optoelectronic performance with a sheet resistance (Rs) of 6 Ω sq−1 and a transmittance (T) of 85.79%. The embedded metal structure still has excellent mechanical stability and good environmental suitability under different harsh working conditions. The practical feasibility of the FTEs is successfully demonstrated with a thermally driven 4D printing structure and a resistive transparent strain sensor. This method can be used to manufacture large areas with facile, high‐efficiency, low‐cost, and high‐performance FTEs.

Flexible and stretchable transparent electrodes are widely used in smart display, energy, wearable devices and other fields. Due to the limitations of flexibility and stretchability of indium tin oxide electrodes, alternative electrodes have appeared, such as metal films, metal nanowires, and conductive meshes. However, few of the above electrodes can simultaneously have excellent flexibility, stretchability, and optoelectronic properties. Nanofiber (NF), a continuous ultra-long one-dimensional conductive material, is considered to be one of the ideal materials for high-performance transparent electrodes with excellent properties due to its unique structure. This paper summarizes the important research progress of NF flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) in recent years from the aspects of NF electrode materials, preparation technology and application. First, the unique advantages and limitations of various NF materials are systematically discussed. Then, we summarize the preparation technology of various advanced NF FTEs, and point out the future development trend. We also discuss the application of NFs in solar cells, supercapacitors, electric heating equipments, sensors, etc, and analyze its development potential in flexible electronic equipment, as well as problems that need to be solved. Finally, the challenges and future development trends are proposed in the wide application of NF FTEs in the field of flexible optoelectronics.

Offshore wind farms have boomed worldwide due to the sustainability of wind power and ocean resources. Power grid companies should consider the wind power consumption problem with more power generated. Power-flow calculation is the most fundamental tool in energy management. This paper proposes the convex-relaxation-based method for offshore wind farms’ power flow. In this method, the traditional equations’ problem solving is transferred into standard convex optimization, which can be solved efficiently with unique optimum. Second-order cone relaxations are imposed to describe the quadratic relationship. The exactness of the relaxation is guaranteed with the special definition of the objective function.The superiority of the proposed method is tested on the case study, for which a computational efficiency improvement is shown. Moreover, the reliability of the power-flow results is verified within the precision tolerance.

In this study, a feature analysis and extraction method was proposed for specific emitter identification based on the signal generation mechanisms of radar transmitters. The generation of radar signals by radar transmitters was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. In the analysis, the main source of unintentional modulation in radar signals was identified, and the frequency stabilization of the solid-state frequency source, the nonlinear characteristics of the radio frequency amplifier chain, and the envelope of the pulse front edge were extracted as features for specific emitter identification. Subsequently, these characteristics were verified through simulation. The results revealed that the features extracted by this method exhibit “fingerprint characteristics” and can be used to identify specific radar emitters.

The development of strain sensors with high sensitivity and stretchability is essential for health monitoring, electronic skin, wearable devices, and human-computer interactions. However, sensors that combine high sensitivity and ultra-wide detection generally require complex preparation processes. Here, a novel flexible strain sensor with high sensitivity and transparency was proposed by filling a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) solution into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel films fabricated via an electric field-driven (EFD) 3D printing and molding hybrid process. The fabricated flexible strain sensor with embedded MWCNT networks had superior gauge factors of 90, 285, and 1500 at strains of 6.6%, 14%, and 20%, respectively. In addition, the flexible strain sensors with an optical transparency of 84% offered good stability and durability with no significant change in resistance after 8000 stretch-release cycles. Finally, the fabricated flexible strain sensors with embedded MWCNT networks showed good practical performance and could be attached to the skin to monitor various human movements such as wrist flexion, finger flexion, neck flexion, blinking activity, food swallowing, and facial expression recognition. These are good application strategies for wearable devices and health monitoring.

Nano-silver paste, as an important basic material for manufacturing thick film components, ultra-fine circuits, and transparent conductive films, has been widely used in various fields of electronics. Here, aiming at the shortcomings of the existing nano-silver paste in printing technology and the problem that the existing printing technology cannot achieve the printing of high viscosity, high solid content nano-silver paste, a nano-silver paste suitable for electric-field-driven (EFD) micro-scale 3D printing is developed. The result shows that there is no oxidation and settlement agglomeration of nano-silver paste with a storage time of over six months, which indicates that it has good dispersibility. We focus on the printing process parameters, sintering process, and electrical conductivity of nano-silver paste. The properties of the nano-silver paste were analyzed and the feasibility and practicability of the prepared nano-silver paste in EFD micro-scale 3D printing technology were verified. The experiment results indicate that the printed silver mesh which can act as transparent electrodes shows high conductivity (1.48 Ω/sq) and excellent transmittance (82.88%). The practical viability of the prepared nano-silver paste is successfully demonstrated with a deicing test. Additionally, the experimental results show that the prepared silver mesh has excellent heating properties, which can be used as transparent heaters.