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With the increasing demand for efficient and economic energy storage, tin disulfide (SnS2), as one of the most attractive anode candidates for the next generation high-energy rechargeable Li-ion battery, have been paid more and more attention because of its high theoretical energy density and cost effectiveness. In this study, a new, simple and effective process, mechanical alloying (MA), has been developed for preparing fine anode material tin disulfides, in which ammonium chloride (AC), referred to as process control agents (PCAs), were used to prevent excessive cold-welding and accelerate the synthesis rates to some extent. Meanwhile, in order to decrease the mean size of SnS2 powder particles and improve the contact areas between the active materials, wet milling process was also conducted with normal hexane (NH) as a solvent PCA. The prepared powders were both characterized by X-ray diffraction, Field emission-scanning electron microscopeand particle size analyzer. Finally, electrochemical measurements for Li/SnS2 cells were takenat room temperature, using a two-electrode cell assembled in an argon-filled glove box and the electrolyte of 1M LiPF6 in a mixture of ethylene carbonate(EC)/dimethylcarbonate (DMC)/ethylene methyl carbonate (EMC) (volume ratio of 1:1:1).

Lithium sulfur (Li–S) batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for high energy density applications with a high theoretical capacity of 1675 mAh g–1 and a high energy density of 2600 Wh kg–1. In this work, a polyaniline (PANi)-coated mesoporous carbon composite is synthesized by direct polymerization of aniline monomer in mesoporous Ketjenblack (KB) carbon and is used as cathode material for Li–S batteries. Different mass percentages of PANi can be infiltrated into the pores of KB carbon by simply varying the amount of monomer. Sulfur is encapsulated into the composite by the melt diffusion method, and the electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries is investigated. The results indicate that the mass percentage of PANi plays a crucial role in the cycle stability of lithium sulfur batteries. The infiltrated PANi is capable of enhancing the intimate contact of sulfur with carbon and trapping polysulfides, which improves the utilization of active material. However, excess PANi dimi...

An efficient resolution for ultrathin metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA) is proposed and demonstrated in the VHF radio band (30–300 MHz). By adjusting the lumped capacitors and the through vertical interconnects, the absorber is miniaturized to be only λ/816 and λ/84 for its thickness and periodicity with respect to the operating wavelength (at 102 MHz), respectively. The detailed simulation and calculation show that the MPA can maintain an absorption rate over 90% in a certain range of incident angle and with a wide variation of capacitance. Additionally, we utilized the advantages of the initial single-band structure to realize a nearly perfect dual-band absorber in the same range. The results were confirmed by both simulation and experiment at oblique incidence angles up to 50°. Our work is expected to contribute to the actualization of future metamaterial-based devices working at radio frequency.

Background Destructive spondyloarthropathy (DSA) is one of the major complications in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis. To the best of our knowledge, an epidural abscess occurring at the level of preexisting cervical DSA has not been well described in the literature. We report a unique case of quadriplegia caused by an epidural abscess occurring at the same level of preexisting cervical DSA. Case presentation A 49-year-old woman was transferred to our emergency department with 5 days of sepsis, drowsy mental status, and quadriplegia below the C5 level. The patient had a medical history of hemodialysis for 10 years. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord compression by an epidural abscess at the level of preexisting cervical DSA. Blood culture revealed methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus . Infection of the arteriovenous (AV) shunt was considered as the primary focus of sepsis and pyogenic spondylitis. We performed an emergent open door laminoplasty and the vascular team debrided the infected AV shunt site. Approximately 8 months after surgery, the patient was able to perform activities of daily living somewhat independently. Conclusions Emergent surgical decompression and intensive medical care led to successful recovery from a septic and quadriplegic state in this patient. When diagnosing a patient who has undergone long-term hemodialysis presenting with neurologic deficits, the possibility of infectious spondylitis at the same level as DSA should be considered.

Regular quality assurance (QA) of image quality is essential for reasonable patient dose and accurate treatment. Thus, QA should be performed as a routine for correction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the modulation transfer function (MTF), the noise power spectrum (NPS) and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of the computed radiography (CR) system and the digital radiography (DR) system by using the edge method in megavoltage X-ray imaging (MVI). We used an edge block, which consisting of tungsten with dimensions of 19 (thickness) × 10 (length) × 1 (width) cm3 and measured the pre-sampling MTF by using a 6-megavolt (MV) energy. Computed radiography with an image plate (CR-IP) showed the values of 0.4 mm−1 and 1.19 mm−1 for MTF 0.5 and 0.1. In the DR group, Elekta iViewGT showed the highest value of 0.27 mm−1 for MTF 0.5, and Siemens BEAMVIEWPLUS showed the highest value of 0.98 mm−1 for MTF 0.1. In CR, the NPS of CR-IP showed a favorable noise distribution. Thus, in the DR group, the NPS of Elekta iViewGT showed the highest noise distribution. CR-IP showed values at peak DQE and 1 mm−1 DQE of 0.0013 and 0.00011, respectively. In the DR group, Elekta iViewGT showed the best efficiency at a peak DQE of 0.0009, and Siemens BEAMVIEWPLUS showed the best efficiency at a 1-mm−1 DQE of 0.000008. The edge method produced fast assessments of the MTF and the DQE. We could validate the evaluation of the edge method by comparing of the CR system to the DR system. This study demonstrated that the edge method can be used for not only traditional QA imaging but also quantitative MTF, NPS and DQE measurements in detector development.

Carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4/C) with uniform carbon coating was synthesized by a mechanical activation method. Silicon negative electrode material was obtained in the form of thin films of amorphous silicon on a Cu foil substrate by vertical deposition technique. The electrochemical performance of the full cell, LiFePO4/C-Si, was tested with 1 M LiPF6 in EC/DMC at 0.5 and 1 C-rates. The cell exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 143.9 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 C-rate at room temperature. A reasonably good cycling performance under a high current density of 1 C-rate could be obtained with the full cell.

The modulation transfer function (MTF) must be measured against the requirements of the specific digital imaging application under consideration in order to evaluate the performance of detector equipment and to further develop the detector by performing quality-assurance (QA) procedures. The purpose of this study was to measure the MTF in digital megavoltage images (DMVs) for radiation therapy (RT) by using an edge block. We used 6 megavolts (MVs) of energy for the pre-sampling MTF, along with a photo-stimulating phosphor-based computed radiography (CR) system and a hexalon lead screen that contained a terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide granular phosphor (Gd2O2S:Tb). The DMV MTF was measured at both low and high resolutions according to changes in the dose in monitor units (MUs) by using four different detector combinations: CR-IP (image plate: photo-stimulable phosphor screen), CR-IP-Lead (image plate + lead screen), CR-IP-Regular (fast front screen + image plate + fast front screen) and CR-IP-Fast (fast back screen + image plate + fast front screen). At a low resolution, the MTF 50% and the MTF 10% when using the CR-IP detector increased by about 30% and 46%, in proportion to the increase in the dose from 1 to 20 MU, respectively. At a high resolution, the CR-IP and the CR-IP-Lead detectors showed increases in the MTF of about 8% or 10% when the dose increased from 1 to 20 MU. The present study, therefore, evaluates how edge methods can be helpful in taking MTF measurements during QA tests of a megavoltage imaging (MVI) system.

Introduction: The motor unit number index (MUNIX) refers to an electrophysiological method that measures the number of motor units in the surface electromyographic interference pattern (SIP) recorded during graded muscle contractions. MUNIX studies of limb muscles have been conducted, but MUNIX studies of bulbo-facial muscles have not been reported. Methods: We assessed bilateral orbicularis oculi muscles using MUNIX, and the reference values and reproducibility of MUNIX and motor unit size index (MUSIX) were investigated in healthy subjects. Results: In this study, MUNIX was applied successfully to the orbicularis oculi muscles and showed good reproducibility. The correlation coefficients for MUNIX and MUSIX were 0.803 and 0.592, respectively, and the coefficients of variation were 20.9% and 8.5%, respectively. Conclusions: The MUNIX procedure for the orbicularis oculi muscle would be a useful tool for evaluating bulbar symptoms, especially in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Muscle Nerve 51: 197–200, 2015

Nano Ni particle embedded Ni 3 S 2 powders (Ni-Ni 3 S 2 ) are prepared by means of melt spinning and 10 h-ball milling processes. The Ni particles with 10–20 nm size are dispersed over all the Ni 3 S 2 powders with 3.28 μm. Reversibility and rate capability of the Ni-Ni 3 S 2 electrode are investigated at various current densities from 0.1 C to 5 C by comparing with a conventional Ni 3 S 2 electrode. The Ni-Ni 3 S 2 electrode exhibits the remarkably improved reversibility of the redox reactions under high current density and 40% of discharge capacity retention at the current density of 2310 mA g −1 , corresponding to 5 C-rate. The improved electrochemical performances are mainly ascribed to ultra fine Ni particles that supplement the loss of Ni and promote the recovery of Ni 3 S 2 during charge process.

Highlights: • A highly porous carbon (HPC) with regular spherical morphology was synthesized. • Sulfur/HPC composites were prepared by melt–diffusion method. • Sulfur/HPC composites showed improved cyclablity and long-term cycle life. - Abstract: Sulfur composite material with a highly porous carbon sphere as the conducting container was prepared. The highly porous carbon sphere was easily synthesized with resorcinol–formaldehyde precursor as the carbon source. The morphology of the carbon was observed with field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope, which showed a well-defined spherical shape. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis indicated that it possesses a high specific surface area of 1563 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and a total pore volume of 2.66 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1} with a bimodal pore size distribution, which allow high sulfur loading and easy transportation of lithium ions. Sulfur carbon composites with varied sulfur contents were prepared by melt–diffusion method and lithium sulfur cells with the sulfur composites showed improved cyclablity and long-term cycle life.

Sulfur composite was prepared by encapsulating sulfur into CMK-3 mesoporous carbon with different heating times and then used as the cathode material for lithium sulfur batteries. Thermal treatment at 300 °C plays an important role in the sulfur encapsulation process. With 20 h of heating time, a portion of sulfur remained on the surface of carbon, whereas with 60 h of heating time, sulfur is confined deeply in the small pores of carbon that cannot be fully exploited in the redox reaction, thus causing low capacity. The S/CMK-3 composite with thermal treatment for 40 h at 300 °C contained 51.3 wt.% sulfur and delivered a high initial capacity of 1375 mA h g−1 at 0.1 C. Moreover, it showed good capacity retention of 704 mA h g−1 at 0.1 C and 578 mA h g−1 at 2 C even after 100 cycles, which proves its potential as a cathode material for high capability lithium sulfur batteries.

Monolithic nickel sulfide electrodes were prepared using a facile synthesis method, sulfuration and annealing. As-prepared Ni3S2 electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Thermal stability was determined by thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Electrochemical properties were measured by galvanostatic charge and discharge cycling for Na-ion batteries. Three kinds of Ni3S2 electrodes were prepared by varying the sulfuration time (5, 15 and 25 min). The electrochemical results indicated that the capacities increased with an increase in sulfuration time and the cycle performance was stable as a result of monolithic integration of nanostructured Ni3S2 on Ni plates, leading to low interfacial resistance.

Tin dioxide was investigated as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. The Na/SnO2 cell delivered a first discharge capacity of 747 mAh/g, but the first charge capacity was 150 mAh/g. The irreversible capacity in the first cycle was examined through characterization by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the SnO2 active material was not reduced fully to metallic Sn. Furrows and wrinkles were formed on the electrode surface owing to the volumetric expansion upon first discharge, which led to a deterioration of the electrode structure and a loss of electrical contact between the active materials. The analysis is summarized in the schematic drawing.

We synthesized two nickel sulfide powders by simple method. One is nickel sulfide powder (CNS) by co-precipitation is composed of nano-sized nickel sulfides as NiS and NIS2. The other is nickel sulfide powder (HNS) by heat-treatment of CNS is composed nano-sized NIS. The electrode using CNS has a high first discharge capacity of 600 mA h g(-1) at 0.5 C and the discharge capacity after 20th cycle is 312 mA h g(-1). The electrode using HNS has a high first discharge capacity of 551 mA h g(-1) at 0.5 C and has the discharge capacity of 412 mA h g(-1) after 50th. The discharge rate capability has over 92% at 1 C versus 0.2 C. The nano-sized nickel sulfides are synthesized by simple co-precipitation method has good electrochemical properties such as high first discharge capacity, good cycle life and good rate capability for lithium secondary battery.

Pure α-NaMnO 2 cathode materials were prepared by solid-state reaction with Mn 2 O 3 and Na 2 CO 3 at 750 °C. Electrochemical properties of Na/α-NaMnO 2 battery was investigated with electrolytes as 1 M NaClO 4 EC/DEC and 1 M NaBF 4 TEGDME. First discharge capacity of Na/α-NaMnO 2 cell using 1 M NaClO 4 EC/DEC electrolyte and 1 M NaBF 4 TEGDME electrolyte was 146 mAh g −1 and 136 mAh g −1 discharge capacity for the first cycle at 0.2 C rate and 104 mAh g −1 97 mAh g −1 after 20 cycles, respectively. Na/α-NaMnO 2 battery with 1 M NaClO 4 EC/DEC electrolyte shows higher initial charge/discharge capacity than that using 1 M NaBF 4 TEGDME because of high ionic conductivity of electrolyte and low interfacial resistance between the electrolyte and electrode. However, Na/α-NaMnO 2 battery with 1 M NaBF 4 TEGDME electrolyte has better stability for the 20th cycle from coulombic efficiency result because of stability of interfacial resistance.

Tooth enamel is the most highly mineralized tissue in vertebrates. Enamel crystal formation and elongation should be well controlled to achieve an exceptional hardness and a compact microstructure. Enamel matrix calcification occurs with several matrix proteins, such as amelogenin, enamelin, and ameloblastin. Among them, amelogenin is the most abundant enamel matrix protein, and multiple isoforms resulting from extensive but well-conserved alternative splicing and postsecretional processing have been identified. In this report, we recruited a family with a unique enamel defect and identified a silent mutation in exon 4 of the AMELX gene. We show that the mutation caused the inclusion of exon 4, which is almost always skipped, in the mRNA transcript. We further show, by generating and characterizing a transgenic animal model, that the alteration of the ratio and quantity of the developmentally conserved alternative splicing repertoire of AMELX caused defects in enamel matrix mineralization.

In this study, fine cathode materials Fe 0.8 Ni 0.2 S 2 and Fe 0.9 Ni 0.1 S 2 , with mean particle sizes of 3.39 μm and 2.79 μm, respectively, can be prepared simply through mechanical alloying (MA). The contents of nickel show a significant effect on the electrochemical behavior of the composites, as shown the charge/discharge capacity of 320/285 mAh/g is maintained for over 20 cycles for the Li/Fe 0.8 Ni 0.2 S 2 cell, higher than that for the Li/Fe 0.9 Ni 0.1 S 2 with 284/233 mAh/g when tested ranging from 0.8 to 2.4 V at 0.1 C. In addition, the electronic conductivity seemed also enhanced with high nickel doping content, leading to the improvement of the cycling stability of the FeS 2 based electrodes.

During discharge of lithium sulfur (Li–S) battery with a liquid electrolyte system, sulfur is first reduced to Li2S8, which is dissolved into the organic electrolyte and this serves as the liquid cathode. In solution, lithium polysulfides undergo a series of chemical reactions and their concentration varies during cell reaction. The amount of sulfur and electrolytes in the system plays an important role in determining the cell performance. In this work, the effect of sulfur loading in cathode and the amount of electrolyte on the energy density and cycle performance of Li–S battery has been investigated. Cathodes with sulfur loading of 0.99, 2.98, and 6.80 mg_S cm−2 were prepared. Precisely controlled amount of electrolyte was added with varied electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratios of 1.67, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µl/mg_S. The surface morphology of fresh and cycled sulfur cathodes was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

Background context Our previous in vivo study demonstrated that human nucleus pulposus chondrocytes (NPCs) in aging discs exhibited characteristic senescent features such as an increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) expression, shortened telomere, and decreased telomerase activity. The replicative p53-p21-pRB pathway, rather than the stress-induced p16-pRB pathway, played a more important role in the senescence of NPCs in an in vivo condition, although there is a situation in which both the pathways can be activated simultaneously. However, the in vitro lifespan and senescence mechanisms of human NPCs remain unclear. Purpose To evaluate the underlying mechanisms of in vitro lifespan and in vitro senescence of the human NPCs and to verify whether the in vitro senescence mechanisms of the human NPC can represent the in vivo aging mechanisms of the cell. Study design/setting An in vitro study. Methods We serially cultivated human NPCs from patients of different ages (35, 42, 55, 66, and 76 years) until the cells reached the end of their in vitro lifespan. During each subcultivation, we calculated NPCs cumulative population doubling level (PDL) and examined senescence markers (SA-β-gal, telomere length, telomerase activity, and p53, p21, pRB, and p16 expressions). Results The cumulative PDLs of the NPCs from patients aged 35, 42 55, 66, and 76 years were 32, 29, 11, 9, and 11, respectively. The younger patients (35 and 42 years) had a higher mean of cumulative PDLs than the elderly patients did (55, 66, and 76 years; 30.5 vs. 10.3; p=.001). In addition, there was a significant, negative correlation between the cumulative PDLs and patient's age (r=−0.89; p=.04). With advancing culture passages, the NPCs irrespective of patient's age exhibited characteristic senescent features, such as an increase in SA-β-gal expression, shortening of telomeres, decrease in telomerase activity, and activation of both replicative p53-p21-pRB and stress-induced p16-pRB pathways. However, all the senescent features occurred at the earlier passages in elderly compared with younger patients. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that the human NPCs had a finite in vitro lifespan, which declined with host aging. The in vitro lifespan was determined by both replicative and stress-induced senescence mechanisms. The similarity in the in vitro senescent features with those apparent in the previous in vivo study suggests a possibility of the in vitro senescence mechanisms of the human NPC as a model of the in vivo aging mechanisms of the cell for future studies.

In megavoltage X-ray imaging (MVI), computed radiography (CR) has required a very simple and general quality assurance (QA) method based on a radiotherapy imaging technique. The purpose of this study was to develop a general QA method for evaluating the modulation transfer function (MTF), the noise power spectrum (NPS) and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) for MVI. Thus, a simple and compact edge block made of tungsten, with dimensions of 19 × 10 × 1 cm3, was efficiently designed and developed. The pre-sampling MTF was evaluated with the following settings: a 6 megavoltage (MV) energy, four different types of detectors, CR-IP (image plate: photo-stimulable phosphor screen), CR-IP-Lead (image plate + lead screen), CR-IP-Regular (fast front screen + image plate + fast front screen) and CR-IP-Fast (fast back screen + image plate + fast front screen). The MTF values at 1 mm−1 for CR-IP-Regular showed the highest resolution of 0.18. The best noise distribution was observed in the measurement of the NPS with CR-IP-Regular. With increasing spatial frequency, our results showed that value of the DQE for the four types of detectors was approximately 1.0 mm−1, which is comparable to the values reported in the literature. In this report, measurements for megavoltage imaging based on line-pair modulations by using an edge block are presented. When the wide side of the tungsten block was reduced, the accuracy of the edge measurement was improved to match those offered by edge techniques. The present study demonstrates that the QA method with our home-made edge block can be used to evaluate the MTF, NPS and DQE for MVI.

We designed a novel layer-built rechargeable lithium ribbon-type battery intended for textile or cloth based applications. The ribbon-type battery, 2.4 mm (or 1 mm) wide and 10 cm long, is composed of a double layer LiFePO4 cathode and an amorphous silicon nanofilm. The double layer LiFePO4 and amorphous silicon electrodes were prepared using the doctor blade method and a vertical deposition technique, respectively. The structure and morphology of the LiFePO4 and the silicon thin film were characterized by Rietveld refinement, SEM and TEM. At room temperature the ribbon-type battery exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 166.4 and 132.7 mA h g−1 at 0.5 and 1 C-rate, respectively. A reasonably good cycling performance and high coulombic efficiency under the high current density of 1 C-rate could be obtained with the Si/LiFePO4 ribbon-type battery. Also, a high volumetric capacity of 336 mA h cm−3 at 0.5 C-rate was achieved, which makes the ribbon-type battery suitable for practical use.

The effects of the electron mobilities and energy levels of different electron transport layer (ETL) materials on the performances were systemically investigated in blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The spatial control of recombination zone (RZ) which was accompanied with triplet exciton quenching affected the balance between holes and electrons in the emission layer, resulting in the variations of the device performances. An optical micro-cavity effect in the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum around 500 nm was noticed by employing tris(8-hydroxyquinolinolato)aluminum (Alq3) ETL. This was attributed to the broadening of the emission zone through the emission layer over the ETL, exhibiting the greenish color coordinates. The current efficiency of the device with 3-phenyl-4(10-naphthyl)-5-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole (TAZ) ETL was much higher than that of the same structured device with any other ETL due to better charge balance as well as the suppression of triplet exciton quenching by the narrow RZ with low electron mobility and proper band alignment.

Background The aims of this study were to create a model of peritoneal carcinomatosis in patients with gastric cancer and to evaluates outcomes in patients with gastric cancer treated using surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Methods A single-institution cohort of patients with gastric cancer was analyzed according to the development of gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis (GCPC). Variables were evaluated using regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate outcomes after surgical resection, cytoreductive surgery, and HIPEC. Results Age ≤60 years and local tumor stage (T3/T4) were significantly associated with GCPC (odds ratio, 3.95 and 3.94, respectively). Thirty-six-month survival was 57% for patients without peritoneal disease and 39% for patients with GCPC. There was no significant trend of improved survival after surgical management or HIPEC. Conclusions Age ≤60 years and T3/T4 tumor stage are risk factors for GCPC. Intermediate-term survival of patients with GCPC treated with surgical resection or cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC was not improved, though future research should address the possible benefits of aggressive approaches to the treatment of GCRC.

The structural and electrochemical properties of Si film electrodes with Ni/Ti films on a Cu current collector (Si electrodes) were investigated after annealing in a temperature range of 400–600 °C. Metal-induced crystallization (MIC) and Kirkendall effects were simultaneously observed in the Si electrodes annealed above 450 °C for 2 h. The MIC effect led to the partial formation of strongly -oriented Si in the Si film, and the crystallinity of Si increased with increasing annealing temperature. The Kirkendall effect led to the diffusion of Cu and formed a Cu3Si layer on the surface of the Si film. The capacity of the Si electrodes decreased owing to the formation of the silicide and the efficiency was improved with increasing annealing temperature. A Si electrode annealed at 500 °C for 2 h exhibited good cycle performance with an activation region owing to the anisotropic lithiation during the initial cycles and the Cu3Si layers supporting the Si film.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a target of interest for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Starting from a biphenyloxadiazole screening hit, a series of piperazine oxadiazole ACC inhibitors was developed. Initial pharmacokinetic liabilities of the piperazine oxadiazoles were overcome by blocking predicted sites of metabolism, resulting in compounds with suitable properties for further in vivo studies. Compound 26 was shown to inhibit malonyl-CoA production in an in vivo pharmacodynamic assay and was advanced to a long-term efficacy study. Prolonged dosing with compound 26 resulted in impaired glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL6 mice, an unexpected finding.

Ni 3 S 2 powder has been fabricated by mechanical alloying Ni and S powders and the electrochemical properties of Na/Ni 3 S 2 cells fabricated from Na anodes and Ni 3 S 2 cathodes and 1 M sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate in tetraethyleneglycol dimethylether liquid electrolyte have been investigated. Upon discharging, the Ni 3 S 2 cathode transformed to amorphous Na 2 S, Ni and residual unconverted Ni 3 S 2 . On charging, the pristine structure of Ni 3 S 2 is fully recovered. The reversibility of this anode/cathode pair has been demonstrated and the discharge capacity loss of Na/Ni 3 S 2 cells has been investigated over 100 cycles. From TEM, EDS, XRD, and EIS results, the degradation mechanism appears to be the formation of nano-particles of Ni 3 S 2 and Na 2 S which become detached from the bulk cathode material causing the continuous increase in the interfacial resistance. Furthermore, many small cracks in Ni 3 S 2 cathode material are caused during repeated cycling and this is an additional phenomenon that leads to further degradation of the discharge capacity during cycling.

Prepared by the deposition of a solid electrode and electrolyte, all-solid-state batteries are a promising next generation battery system. Aerosol deposition (AD) offers many advantages compared to the conventional thin film deposition methods, including the deposition of a crystallized thin film with no heat treatment and a fast deposition rate. In this study, a LiFePO 4 /C composite thin film is directly fabricated using a LiFePO 4 /C composite raw powder. SEM and EDS results show the successful deposition of a LiFePO 4 /C composite thin film on a stainless steel substrate and X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the as-deposited thin film has a crystalline structure, corresponding to the olivine phase, without any heat treatment. In a CV test, oxidation and reduction peaks appear at 3.51 and 3.36 V, corresponding closely to the peaks of bulk olivine LiFePO 4 . Furthermore, the profiles of the charge and discharge curves are similar to those of the bulk electrode and the discharge capacity is 31.1 μAh cm −2 μm −1 in the first cycle. After 20 cycles of 10.65 and 106.5 μA cm −2 μm −1 , the capacity is recovered to 30.7 μAh cm −2 μm −1 . Aerosol deposition can potentially be used in the fabrication of all-solid-state batteries.

LiCoO2 single-layer and LiCoO2/LiNiO2 multi-layer thin film electrodes were successfully fabricated by magnetron sputtering. Their microstructure and electrochemical properties were investigated. Once annealed, both films had the (0 0 3) preferred orientation to minimize the surface energy. The initial discharge capacity of the multi-layer thin film was approximately 53.1 μAh/cm2 μm, which was higher than that of the LiCoO2 single-layer thin film having similar thickness. The capacity retention of the multi-layer thin film was superior to that of the single-layer thin film. These findings indicate that the multi-layer thin film is a promising cathode material for the fabrication of high-performance thin film batteries.

Hepatitis B (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) production. Although serum AFP has been demonstrated to be a prognostic factor for patient survival, optimal cutoff levels remain unclear. Patients with HBV-associated HCC treated by primary liver resection were prospectively followed at a single institution between 1995 and 2008. AFP level was categorized into quintiles for Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. Best 5-year survival after surgery was observed for patients with AFP in the first quintile (1.4–4.1 ng/mL), with progressively worse outcomes for patients in each increasing quintile. AFP was associated with overall survival (HR = 1.61; 95 % CI 1.30–1.98), disease-free survival (HR = 1.26; 95 % CI 1.10–1.44), and 2-year recurrence (HR = 1.30; 95 % CI 1.07–1.57) in multivariate analysis. Noncirrhotic patients (Ishak 1–5) with AFP in quintile 1 had 94 % 5-year survival, compared with 0 % survival for patients with AFP in quintile 5 (2,332.7–327,560.0 ng/mL) and Ishak stage 6 cirrhosis. Preoperative serum AFP is an independent predictor of prognosis among HBV-HCC patients following surgical resection. Categorizing AFP into quintiles creates the opportunity to observe differences in outcomes even at low serum levels within the normal range. Additionally, combining AFP quintiles and fibrosis staging provides a predictive model of prognosis for HCC. Thus, even small differences in AFP within the normal range may impact prognosis and disease progression for HBV-HCC.

The electrochemical and structural properties of Si thin film electrodes using a TiNi shape memory alloy as a current collector (substrate) are investigated with and without annealing. Annealed Si film electrodes exhibit an initial efficiency of 87% and a charge capacity retention (at the 50th cycle) of 85%. XRD results of the annealed Si film electrode during the charge–discharge process reveal the phase transformation (stress accommodation) of the TiNi substrate: cubic TiNi (initial) to monoclinic TiNi (after charge) and back to cubic TiNi (after discharge). SEM results of the annealed Si electrode show a remarkable reduction in structural damage of the Si film as compared to the as-deposited Si film electrode. The good electrochemical performances are ascribed to the high structural stability enhanced by both the post-annealing and stress accommodation of the TiNi substrate.

Discontinuous Si film electrodes with 400, 800, and 1700 μm discontinuous lines (break lines) were fabricated by a simple masking and etching process. The structural and electrochemical properties of continuous and discontinuous Si film electrodes were investigated by means of optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and charge–discharge tests. Although all electrodes showed similar first-charge capacities in the range of 210–230 μAh/g, the discontinuous electrode exhibited improved coulombic efficiency and cyclability when compared to the continuous electrode. Up to 100 cycles, the discontinuous electrode with the shortest line distance of 400 μm demonstrated the highest efficiency (95.2%) and capacity retention (89%). Observation of the cycled Si film electrodes revealed that discontinuity enhanced the structural stability of the electrode during the charge–discharge process.

LiCoO2 thin films were fabricated on textured and annealed STS304 substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering method. The effects of the substrate texture on the structural and electrochemical properties of the LiCoO2 thin film deposited on both the substrates have been investigated. The crystal structures and surface morphologies of the deposited films were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Based on the XRD analysis, the LiCoO2 thin film deposited on the textured substrate was found to exhibit (003) preferred orientation, while the film deposited on annealed substrate exhibited (104) preferred orientation. In addition, SEM analysis revealed that the film deposited on the textured substrate showed a smooth morphology. On the other hand, the film deposited on the annealed substrate exhibited a very rough surface morphology, which resulted in a higher surface area. Consequently, the initial discharge capacity of the film deposited on the annealed substrate was higher than that of the film deposited on the textured substrate. The film deposited on the textured substrate exhibited a good cyclic performance compared to the film deposited on the annealed substrate.

A wearable assistive device is proposed that visually indicates the direction of a sound source for people who cannot hear but can see when a loud sound occurs. The device has been implemented in the shape of common eyeglasses, so that it does not draw attention to the wearer's hearing impairment. Acoustical information is acquired by an array of microelectromechanical-system microphones attached to the eyeglasses. The direction of a sound source is estimated in real time and indicated to the user via four light-emitting diodes designating the front, back, left, and right directions. Two methods for estimating the sound direction were compared: delay-and-sum beamformer and sound pressure level (SPL) comparison. The performance of the directional estimation was evaluated using the head-and-torso simulator. The SPL comparison method was 92% accurate versus the 84% accuracy of the delay-and-sum beamformer approach.

Background context Aeromonas hydrophila is a motile gram-negative non-sporeforming rod with facultative anaerobic metabolism. Except for gastrointestinal disease, skin and soft-tissue infections represent the second most common site of human Aeromonas infections. However, to our knowledge, A. hydrophila infection of the spine has not been reported to date. Purpose To report the first case of A. hydrophila spinal infection of the T7 vertebra after vertebroplasty. Study design Case report. Methods A 72-year-old man was transferred to our emergency department with chief complaints of severe midthoracic pain and triparesis. He had undergone vertebroplasty for a painful vertebral fracture at T7 5 weeks before transfer. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an infection of the T7 vertebroplasty and an extensive epidural abscess. The epidural abscess originating from the infected T7 vertebroplasty extended from the T8 to the C4 epidural space. Computed tomography demonstrated sparsely scattered gas in the epidural abscess, strongly suggestive of an anaerobic infection. Results Emergency multilevel laminectomies from C5 to T8 and a posterior instrumentation from T3 to T10 were performed. A. hydrophila was isolated from the blood cultures. The patient was treated with intravenous ampicillin/sulbactam. Posterior decompression and stabilization in combination with appropriate antibiotic treatment completely resolved the neurologic deficit and infection without the need for further anterior corpectomy of the infected T7 vertebroplasty. Conclusions This is the first reported case of spine infection caused by A. hydrophila. The infection developed after vertebroplasty for the management of a painful vertebral fracture. Triparesis occurred rapidly due to an extensive epidural abscess containing gas. Emergency decompression and stabilization in combination with appropriate antibiotic treatment achieved a successful clinical outcome.

Measurements of CNR(Contrast to Noise Ratio) and SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) of T-spine breathing technique (TBT) using spontaneous breathing and T-spine exhalation technique (TET) with full exhalation were carried out, and with which the more appropriate method was suggested. Both TBT and TET were examined in a sample of fifty-three patients who visit to our hospital for spinal disease from June 2012 to November 2012. All images were evaluated with CNR measured from the differences between the mean pixels and contrast density as setting ROI of spinous process, pedicle, vertebral body, intervertebral foramen, and intervertebral disk using Image J. SNR was measured with the mean pixels and the standard deviation as setting ROI of vertebral body using Image J. In CNR comparison and SNR comparison of TET and TBT, TBT was indicated as excellent in ROI of pedicle, vertebral body, intervertebral foramen and intervertebral disk, and statistical analysis were significant(p

We proposed new models of metamaterials (MMs) based on a flower-shaped structure (FSS), whose “meta-atoms” consist of two flower-shaped metallic parts separated by a dielectric layer. Like the non-symmetric MMs based on cut-wire-pairs or electric ring resonators, the symmetrical FSS demonstrates the negative permeability at GHz frequencies. Employing the results, we designed a symmetric negative-refractive-index MM [a symmetric combined structure (SCS)], which is composed of FSSs and cross continuous wires. The MM properties of the FSS and the SCS are presented numerically and experimentally.

The Purpose of this study was to evaluate by comparing the dose change and build up characteristic according to delay time in 30 days of glass dosimeter processed preheat and non preheat when measuring accumulation dose of radiation by using glass dosimeter over the long haul. For obtaining low dose with 0.1 mGy, 1 mGy and 5 mGy, we employed diagnostic generator AccuRay-650R. We compared the build up characteristic over the long haul by exposuring radiation to 30 glass dosimeters sorted into 10 glass dosimeters per tube voltage and current. In Non preheat glass dosimeter, initial measured dose was inferior to exposed dose but as time goes on, was close to exposed dose steadily. In 72 hour after experiment end, non preheat glass dosimeters were not indicated the difference from preheat glass dosimeters and statistical analysis were meaningful (p>0.05). Initial measured dose for low glass dosimeter processed preheat was close to exposed dose and stable. After 15 days dose was gradually increased. Previous study characteristics of glass dosimeter were with respect to characteristic of glass dosimeter in high dose of high energy area. However, in this study, we make a judgment to measure the dose of glass dosimeter without preheat processing when measuring the accumulation dose of low dose in conclusion.Key Words : Glass dosimeter, Preheat, Non preheat

Background: This study aims to evaluate the impact of liver fibrosis severity on prognosis following liver resection among HBV–HCC patients. Methods: Data were extracted from a prospective database of 189 HBV–HCC patients treated at Mount Sinai between 1995 and 2008. Fibrosis staging of each surgical resection specimen using the modified Ishak method was performed by a single liver pathologist. Results: A wide range of Ishak fibrosis stage was observed among this patient population, with 29% having established cirrhosis (Ishak stage 6). Ishak stage 6 was independently associated with poor overall and recurrence-free survival. In patients with Ishak stage 1–5, Ishak stage did not affect survival; rather, tumour size was associated with poor overall survival, and tumour size, histologic activity index and serum AFP>20 ng ml−1 were associated with poor recurrence-free survival. In patients with Ishak stage 6, poorly differentiated histology and tumour size were associated with poor overall survival, and tumour size was associated with poor recurrence-free survival. Conclusion: HBV–HCC develops with varying degrees of underlying liver fibrosis; however, progressive liver fibrosis does not affect the outcomes following resection until cirrhosis is reached. Established cirrhosis, as defined histologically by Ishak stage 6, is an independent predictor of poor overall and recurrence-free survival among these patients.

The self-discharge of Zn anode material is identified as a main factor that can limit the energy density of alkaline Zn–air batteries. Al 2 O 3 has most positive effect on controlling the hydrogen evolution reaction accompanied by corroding Zn anode among various additives. The overpotential for hydrogen evolution is measured by potentio-dynamic polarization analysis. Al-oxide with high overpotential for hydrogen evolution reaction is uniformly coated on the surface of Zn powders via chemical solution process. The morphology and composition of the surface-treated and pristine Zn powders are characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD and XPS analyses. Aluminum is distributed homogeneously over the surface of modified Zn powders, indicating uniform coating of Al-oxide, and O1s and Al2 p spectra further identified surface coating layer to be the Al-oxide. The Al-oxide coating layer can prevent Zn from exposing to the KOH electrolyte, resulting in minimizing the side reactions within batteries. The 0.25 wt.% aluminum oxide coated Zn anode material provides discharging time of more than 10 h, while the pristine Zn anode delivers only 7 h at 25 mA cm −2 . Consequently, a surface-treated Zn electrode can reduce self-discharge which is induced by side reaction such as H 2 evolution, resulting in increasing discharge capacity.

New emerging large scale battery market has demanded low cost and high power or energy density materials. Sodium (Na) is a promising candidate for an anode material because of its low cost and natural abundance. Also molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is an attractive cathode material with layered structure. In this study a Na/MoS2 cell was assembled so as to evaluate its electrochemical properties as a rechargeable battery. In the first discharge Na/MoS2 cell showed two characteristic plateaus at 0.93 V and 0.8 V. Galvanostatic charge/discharge cycle was carried out in different voltage ranges according to the discharge depths (0.85 V and 0.4 V). The electrochemical behaviors of Na/MoS2 cells at each discharge depth were analyzed through characterization of the crystallographic changes by employing ex situ X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, Na/MoS2 reaction mechanism was suggested.

The indiscriminate use of the fossil fuel has caused serious environmental pollutions such as the shortage of energy and global warming. Microalgae have being emphasized as generation biomass which makes the carbon dioxide reduce effectively as well as produces the biofuel. Large scale production of microbial biomass by continuous culture is a quite challenging issue, because off-line optimization strategies of a microbial process utilizing a model-based scheme give rise to many difficult problems. In this paper, the static and simple control method which was able to be applied in time-variant growth environment and large scale of algae culture was studied. The significant disturbances in on-line measurement of cell density were reduced by Savitzky-Golay FIR smoothing filter. Dunaliella salina was cultivated continuously in a flat panel photobioreactor by the on-off control of the turbidostat process.

Object The authors undertook this study to investigate the validity of the rationale for posterior dynamic stabilization using the Device for Intervertebral Assisted Motion (DIAM) in the treatment of degenerative lumbar stenosis. Methods A cohort of 31 patients who underwent single-level decompression and DIAM placement for degenerative lumbar stenosis were followed up for at least 2 years and data pertaining to their cases were analyzed prospectively. Of these patients, 7 had retrolisthesis. Preoperative and postoperative plain lumbar radiographs obtained in all patients and CT images obtained in 14 patients were analyzed. Posterior disc heights; range of motion (ROM) of proximal, distal, and implant segments; lordotic angles of implant segments; percentage of retrolisthesis; and cross-sectional area and heights of intervertebral foramina on CT sagittal images were analyzed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using visual analog scale scores and Oswestry Disability Index scores. Results The mean values for posterior disc height before surgery, at 1 week after surgery, and at the final follow-up visits were 6.4 ± 2.0 mm, 9.7 ± 2.8 mm, and 6.8 ± 2.5 mm, respectively. The mean lordotic angles at the implant levels before surgery, at 1 week after surgery, and at the final follow-up visits were 7.1° ± 3.3°, 4.1° ± 2.7°, and 7.0° ± 3.7°, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the preoperative values and values from final follow-up visits for posterior disc height and lordotic angles at implant levels (p = 0.17 and p = 0.10, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the preoperative and final follow-up visit values for intervertebral foramen cross-sectional area and heights on CT images. The ROMs of proximal and distal segments also showed no significant decrease (p = 0.98 and p = 0.92, respectively). However, the ROMs of implant segments decreased significantly (p = 0.02). The average 31.4-month improvement for all clinical outcome measures was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions Based on radiological findings, the DIAM failed to show validity in terms of the rationale of indirect decompression, but it did restrict motion at the instrumented level without significant change in adjacent-segment ROM. The clinical condition of the patients, however, was improved, and improvement was maintained despite progressive loss of posterior disc height after surgery.

To enhance the stability of sulfur cathode for a high energy lithium–sulfur battery, sulfur–activated carbon (S–AC) composite was prepared by encapsulating sulfur into micropores of activated carbon using a solution-based processing technique. In the analysis using the prepared specimen of S–AC composite by the focused ion beam (FIB) technique, the elemental sulfur exists in a highly dispersed state inside the micropores of activated carbon, which has a large surface area and a narrow pore distribution. The S–AC composite was characterized through X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). A lithium–sulfur cell using the S–AC composite has a high first discharge capacity over 800 mA h g−1 S even at a high current density such as 2C (3200 mA g−1 S) and has good cycleability around 500 mA h g−1 S discharge capacity at the 50th cycle at the same current density.