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Bioengineering scaffolds have been improved to achieve efficient regeneration of various damaged tissues. In this study, we attempted to fabricate mechanically and biologically activated 3D printed scaffold in which porous gelatin/hydroxyapatite (G/H) as a matrix material provided outstanding mechanical properties with recoverable behavior, and human placental extracts (hPE) embedded in the scaffold were used as bioactive components.

Photocatalytic production of solar fuels from CO2 is a promising strategy for addressing global environmental problems and securing future energy supplies. Although extensive research has been conducted to date, numerous impediments to realizing efficient, selective, and stable CO2 reduction have yet to be overcome. This comprehensive review highlights the recent advances in CO2 photoreduction, including critical challenges such as light-harvesting, charge separation, and the activation of CO2 molecules. We present promising strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic activities and discuss theoretical insights and equations for quantifying photocatalytic performance, which are expected to afford a fundamental understanding of CO2 photoreduction. We then provide a thorough overview of both traditional photocatalysts such as metal oxides and state-of-the-art catalysts such as metal–organic frameworks and 2D materials, followed by a discussion of the origin of carbon in CO2 photoreduction as a means to further understand the reaction mechanism. Finally, we discuss the economic viability of photocatalytic CO2 reduction before concluding the review with proposed future research directions.

The fabrication of biomedical composite materials with macroporous structures and unique topographical cues has been widely investigated to achieve successful bone regeneration. In this study, porous biocomposites consisting of microfibrous bundles fabricated using an electrohydrodynamic direct printing process were prepared. The fibrous composite structure was composed of a fibrous matrix structure of polycaprolactone/α-tricalcium phosphate and collagen coated in fibrous biocomposites. Various cellular activities, cell proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation in biocomposites have been investigated using preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). The in vitro results demonstrated that biocomposites with the microfibrous topographical cue significantly improved various cellular responses, including cell proliferation and mRNA expression levels of osteoblastic genes of MC3T3-E1 cells, compared to biocomposites without a fibrous topography surface that were fabricated through normal 3D printing. This phenomenon could be attributed to the fibrous structure of composites that stimulated cultured cells, thereby activating extracellular signal-related kinases and p38 signaling pathways. To observe the ability of biocomposites for bone regeneration, a rat calvarial defect model was used; the fibrous biocomposite showed significantly higher level of new bone formation in comparison with the 3D-printed control, a biocomposite without fibrous topographical cues.

The skeletal muscle tissue comprises a hierarchical fibrous structure with fully aligned myofibers. To obtain a unique aligned engineering construct for regenerating muscle tissue, we adopted a submerged bioprinting process. Here, 3 wt % collagen and 6 wt % alginate solutions were used as a matrix cell-encapsulating bioink and supporting solution in the printing bath, respectively. By manipulating the processing parameters (various alginate weight fractions in the bath, nozzle moving speed, and hydrostatic pressure), cell-laden filaments (∼50 μm in diameter) were successfully fabricated. They presented a high degree of alignment of the fibrillated collagen and meaningful initial viability (∼90%) of the C2C12 myoblasts. In vitro cellular responses indicated that fully aligned F-actin filaments of myoblasts were developed, resulting in a high degree of alignment/formation of myotubes, compared to that in the controls (>100 μm diameter of cell-laden filaments). Furthermore, the expression levels of various myogenic genes (Myod1, Myh2, and Myog) were measured using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on day 21 of the cell culture, and the results showed that the cell-laden filaments with a small diameter had considerably greater gene expression levels (2.2-8-fold) than those with a relatively large diameter. Thus, the printing process described herein can provide a new potential biofabricating platform to obtain cell-laden engineering constructs for various tissues.

The ability to generate astrocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offers a promising cellular model to study the development and physiology of human astrocytes. The extant methods for generating functional astrocytes required long culture periods and there remained much ambiguity on whether such paradigms follow the innate developmental program. In this report, we provided an efficient and rapid method for generating physiologically functional astrocytes from hPSCs. Overexpressing the nuclear factor IB in hPSC-derived neural precursor cells induced a highly enriched astrocyte population in 2 weeks. RNA sequencing and functional analyses demonstrated progressive transcriptomic and physiological changes in the cells, resembling in vivo astrocyte development. Further analyses substantiated previous results and established the MAPK pathway necessary for astrocyte differentiation. Hence, this differentiation paradigm provides a prospective in vitro model for human astrogliogenesis studies and the pathophysiology of neurological diseases concerning astrocytes.

Various approaches have been made to successfully regenerate tissues or organs. One approach is to design a bioengineered scaffold which simulate the native environment of tissues and organs. This study examined the efficacy of a PCL based fibrous scaffold embedded with decellularized bone extracellular matrix (bdECM) fabricated using electrospinning process. Electrospun fibers are known to mimic the structure of the natural ECM, while bdECM can provide a rich environment for the human mesenchymal stem cells to adhere and differentiate. We found that the bdECM particles strongly influenced the surface characteristics of the fabricated scaffolds such as wettability, water uptake ability, and surface roughness. Also, the cell adhesion depending on the bdECM content was studied in depth. As a result, increased bdECM content in the scaffold showed enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, the ALP activity, calcium deposition, and gene expression results indicate that the bdECM particles had significant effect on osteogenic differentiation. In the present study, the feasibility of the bdECM/PCL scaffold was demonstrated which can be used as a potential biomedical device for hard tissue regeneration.

This preclinical study emulating the clinical environment quantitatively analysed the accuracy of pedicle screw insertion using a navigated robotic system.Pedicle screws were placed from T7 to L5 in the whole-body form of a cadaver. After the insertion of multiple artificial markers into each vertebra, errors between the planned insertion path and the inserted screw were quantified using the Gertzbein-Robbins system (GRS) and offset calculation.A total of 22 screws were placed. Almost all (95.45% [21/22]) were classified as GRS A or B, while one (4.55%) was GRS C. The mean and standard deviations of entry, tip, and angular offset were 1.78 ± 0.94 mm, 2.30 ± 1.01 mm, and 2.64 ± 1.05°, respectively.This study demonstrated that pedicle screw insertion using a navigated robotic system had high accuracy and safety. A future clinical study is necessary to validate our findings.

The goal of this study was to fabricate bioactive cell-laden biocomposites supplemented with bone-derived decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) with calcium phosphate ceramic, and to assess the effect of the biocomponents on the osteogenic and odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). By evaluating the rheological properties and selecting printing parameters, mechanically stable cell-laden 3D biocomposites with high initial cell-viability (90%) and reasonable printability (≈0.9) were manufactured. The cytotoxicity of the biocomposites was evaluated via MTT assay and nuclei/F-actin fluorescent analyses, while the osteo/odontogenic differentiation of the hDPSCs was assessed using histological and immunofluorescent analyses and various gene expressions. Alkaline phosphate activity and alizarin red staining results indicate that the dECM-based biocomposites exhibit significantly higher osteogenic activities, including calcification, compared to the collagen-based biocomposites. Furthermore, immunofluorescence images and gene expressions demonstrated upregulation of dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein-1 and dentin sialophosphoprotein in the dECM-based biocomposites, indicating acceleration of the odontogenic differentiation of hDPSCs in the printed biocomposites. The hDPSC-laden biocomposite was implanted into the subcutaneous region of mice, and the biocomposite afforded clear induction of osteo/odontogenic ectopic hard tissue formation 8 weeks post-transplantation. From these results, we suggest that the hDPSC-laden biocomposite is a promising biomaterial for dental tissue engineering.

Here, we fabricated composite scaffolds consisting of poly e-caprolactone (PCL) and silanated silica particles and evaluated the performance of these composite scaffolds as suitable alternatives for bone tissue regeneration including their physical properties (tensile modulus, wettability, and surface roughness) and biological properties (cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, Q-PCR, western blotting, and migration assay), by culturing human mesenchymal stem cells. PCL/silanated silica scaffolds had outstanding physical characteristics and biological properties including cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, and osteoinduction. This silanated-silica composite has a strong potential as a biomaterial and can be applied to bone tissue applications.

Among many biomaterials, gelatin methacrylate (GelMA), a photocurable protein, has been widely used in 3D bioprinting process owing to its excellent cellular responses, biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, GelMA still shows a low processability due to the severe temperature dependence of viscosity. To overcome this obstacle, we propose a two-stage temperature control system to effectively control the viscosity of GelMA. To optimize the process conditions, we evaluated the temperature of the cooling system (jacket and stage). Using the established system, three GelMA scaffolds were fabricated in which different concentrations (0, 3 and 10 wt%) of silanated silica particles were embedded. To evaluate the performances of the prepared scaffolds suitable for hard tissue regeneration, we analyzed the physical (viscoelasticity, surface roughness, compressive modulus and wettability) and biological (human mesenchymal stem cells growth, western blotting and osteogenic differentiation) properties. Consequently, the composite scaffold with greater silica contents (10 wt%) showed enhanced physical and biological performances including mechanical strength, cell initial attachment, cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation compared with those of the controls. Our results indicate that the GelMA/silanated silica composite scaffold can be potentially used for hard tissue regeneration.

BACKGROUND Studies have shown late post-operative physical disability and residual pain in patients following lumbar disc surgery despite growing evidence of its beneficial effects. Therefore, rehabilitation is required to minimise the late post-operative complications. OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility of manipulative rehabilitation to improve late post-operative outcomes. METHODS Twenty-one patients aged 25-65 years undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy were randomly assigned to the rehabilitation group (n= 14) or active control group (n= 7) by simple randomisation. Eight rehabilitation sessions were initiated 2-3 weeks after surgery. Thirty-minute sessions were conducted twice weekly for four weeks. Post-operative physical disability and pain were assessed at baseline and at the two-year follow-up. RESULTS Post-operative physical disability improved more in patients who had undergone rehabilitation than in those who had received control care (63% vs. -23%, P< 0.05). Post-operative residual low back and leg pain were alleviated in the treatment group (26% and 57%, respectively), but intensified in the control group (-5% and -8%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the potential of manipulative rehabilitation and importance of post-operative management after lumbar disc surgery. Definitive trials with larger sample sizes are required to confirm the feasibility and potential therapeutic effectiveness of this approach.

A facile and scalable strategy was developed for in situ preparation of ultrafine molybdenum oxycarbide (MoOC) nanoparticles embedded in a porous N-doped carbon matrix by pyrolysis of molybdenum–imidazole frameworks in an argon atmosphere. The composite contains a high content (∼83 wt%) of electrochemical active material MoOC. When evaluated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the as-obtained porous MoOC/N-doped C composite electrode exhibits high reversible lithium specific capacity (1217 mA h g −1 at 50 mA g −1 ), excellent rate capability (481 mA h g −1 at 1 A g −1 ), and good cycle stability (361 mA h g −1 at 2 A g −1 for 100 cycles). The superior lithium storage capability was ascribed to the unique structure with ultrafine and high-containing MoOC nanocrystals embedded in a porous N-doped carbon matrix. The porous N-doped carbon matrix can largely enhance the electronic conductivity of the composite, remarkably increasing rate capability. Meanwhile, the carbon matrix can effectively accommodate the volume change and reduce the aggregation of the MoOC nanoparticles during charge/discharge process, significantly enhancing cycle stability of the composite electrode. The superior electrochemical performance indicated that the attained porous MoOC/N-doped C composite could be a promising anode material for next generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

In this paper, an efficient GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) integration to NB-IoT chipset and its solution for constrained tracking scenario (i.e. time sharing between NB-IoT and GNSS) are explained. Considering the infrequent data transfer to network in the target application of NB-IoT, it makes sense to constrain tracking scenario in order to optimize system architecture in NB-IoT SoC (system on chip) for low-cost GNSS feature support. For efficient SoC design architecture, NB-IoT and GNSS may share main hardware resources such like CPU, memory, and system peripherals. However, the time sharing of CPU for such hardware environment requires additional software solution to manage context save/restore, firmware binary switch, and data transfer between NB-IoT and GNSS. In NB-IoT, long period of eDRX (extended DRX) and PSM (Power Save Mode) modes allow enough spare time for GNSS to run exclusively on the shared resources without missing any paging request during location search operation by GNSS.

This study was performed to investigate the effects of argon plasma treatment under atmospheric pressure at room temperature on the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial effects of the graphene oxide layer on titanium. Plasma treatment of the graphene oxide coating on a nonthermal atmospheric-pressure plasma device was performed. Raman spectrum analysis confirmed that graphene oxide was successfully coated on the surface and AFM analysis confirmed that this coating affected the surface roughness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Alizarin Red S staining for cell differentiation, and Raman and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses were performed for the deposited surface. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was performed to confirm the biocompatibility of the plasma-treated and bare titanium specimens. The biofilm formation test usingStreptococcus mutans(S. mutans) was performed to examine potential antimicrobial effects. XPS analysis showed that with increasing plasma coating time, the carbon content of the surface decreased while that of oxygen increased. Alizarin Red S staining showed that the cell differentiation was promoted by the deposition of the graphene oxide. The graphene oxide on Ti significantly affected an osteoblast cell differentiation for bone growth, and no significant differences in antimicrobial effects were observed.

Three electron transport type hosts, 4,6-bis(4-phenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2 -d]pyrumidin-2-yl)dibenzo[b,d]furan (2BTPDBF), 4,6-bis(2-phenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine-4-yl)dibenzo[b,d]furan (4BTPDBF), and 2,8-bis(4-phenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine-2-yl)dibenzo[b,d ]furan (DBF2BTP), were designed and synthesized by introducing benzothienopyrimidine (BTP) unit into the dibenzofuran core. The 2BTPDBF and 4BTPDBF were developed to study the effect of substitution position of BTP unit at the same dibenzofuran core. The DBF2BTP and 2BTPDBF were used to investigate the effect of substitution position of dibenzofuran. The highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital/triplet energies of 2BTPDBF, 4BTPDBF, and DBF2BTP were −6.39/−3.15/2.62, −6.31/−3.13/2.55, and −6.38/−3.18/2.62 eV, respectively. The three novel electron transport type hosts were configured as mixed hosts with hole transport type 3,3′ di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl (mCBP) host, and device evaluation was performed using tris(2-phenylpyridinato)iridium(lll) phosphorescent emitter as dopant . Among the three mixed-host devices, the mCBP:2BTPDBF mixed-host device had an external quantum efficiency of 22.3% and a device operational lifetime up to 85% of initial luminance over 412 h at 1,000 cd/m 2.

The design of bimetallic Co–Fe oxide structures has attracted considerable research attention in magnetic, electrochemical and catalyst materials. This paper reports the production of unique multi crystal-phase Co/Fe/CoFe2O4 by the water–gas shift reaction. The metallic Co and Fe lower the interfacial resistance, resulting in facial charge/ion transport and a dramatic enhancement in the specific capacitance. The multi-phase Co–Fe oxide structures are also found to be applicable to the water–gas shift reaction and CO oxidation. The unique water–gas shift reaction-induced method can be very useful to the design of highly efficient new multi crystal-phase nanostructures.

A porous TiN/N-doped carbon composite electrode prepared via a metal–organic framework strategy exhibited high reversible lithium specific capacity (561 mA h g−1 at 50 mA g−1), excellent rate capability (281 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1), and good cycle stability (310 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1 for 400 cycles).

A printing process can enable the flexible and complex design of tissue-specific three-dimensional (3D) micro/macroscale structures. Composite scaffolds printed using bioceramics and various synthetic polymers or natural hydrogels have been previously employed in bone tissue regeneration because of their properties which can compensate for the shortcomings of either ceramic or hydrogel. In particular, the combination of gelatin and hydroxyapatite (HA) fabricated using electrospinning and leaching methods have been applied in bone tissue regeneration due to various mechanical and biological synergistic effects of the composites. However, 3D-printing of the biomimetic composite bioink (gelatin and high weight fraction of bioceramic, ∼ 70 wt%) has been very difficult due to the rheological properties of gelatin which makes them very sensitive to processing conditions, and because of the high wt% of HA in the bioink, HA can be easily sedimented during a printing process, resulting in poor extrusion-ability due to the clogging phenomenon in the nozzle. To solve the problem, in this study, we propose a new type of bioink in which a polyol was employed as a biocompatible processing agent. Various material/processing factors were considered to develop an optimal condition to obtain stable macroscale and mesh-structured gelatin/HA composites. The biocomposites showed outstanding hyperelastic recoverable properties compared to the alginate/HA composite with similar geometrical structure. Using in vitro human adipose stem cells, we observed that the biocomposite performed as a well-organized cell-activating platform for encouraging efficient cellular activities. The proposed bioink formulation and printing process showed great potential for successfully and stably fabricating a biomimetic organic/inorganic composite for hard tissue engineering.

To find a low-cost and flexibly adaptive building design and construction method in the field of sustainable architecture, the authors attempted to propose a user-fabricable 3D-printed kinetic shading device that is selectively actuatable by a switch between a geared DC motor and a thermomechanical shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. This approach leverages additive manufacturing, SMA, and origami to suggest a lightweight, motorless, and silently operable kinetic building module with compact actuation parts. User-customization is prioritized in its manufacturing, installation, and operation: the device is made by 3D-printed thermoplastic components and is self-supportively installable. User-engaged operation is considered by involving an app-based remote control, along with sensor-integrated automation. The results of responsive building performance simulation and mockup tests demonstrate that the thermo-responsive building module enables control of solar radiation and light, reducing room temperature dynamically. The study findings speak to the limitations and potential of material-based actuation for adaptive building technologies.

Cappearstocontributetoitsimpressiveelectrochemicallithiumstorageproperties among the prepared electrodes. The pyro-synthetic strategy aids in developing nanostructured battery electrodes withporous morphologies and appears to offer promise for being developed as an energy saving process for large-scale applications.© The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/),whichpermitsnon-commercialreuse,distribution,andreproductioninanymedium,providedtheoriginalworkisnotchangedinanyway and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0511507jes]All rights reserved.Manuscript submitted February 2, 2015; revised manuscript received March 29, 2015. Published April 8, 2015.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is emerging as an affordable route for abating its ever increasing concentration. For commercial scale applications, many constraints are still required to be addressed. A variety of research areas are explored, such as development of photocatalysts and photoreactors, reaction parameters and conditions, to resolve these bottlenecks. In general, the photocatalyst performance is mostly adjudged in terms of its ability to only produce hydrocarbon products, and other vital parameters such as light source, reaction parameters, and type of photoreactors used are not normally given appropriate attention. This makes a comprehensive comparison of photocatalytic performance quite unrealistic. Hence, probing the photocatalytic performance in terms of apparent quantum yield (AQY) with the consideration of certain process and experimental parameters is a more reasonable and prudent approach. The present brief review portrays the importance and impact of aforementioned parameters in the field of gas phase photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Background Lumbar open laser microdiscectomy has been shown to be an effective intervention and safe approach for lumbar disc prolapse. However early post-operative physical disability affecting daily activities have been sporadically reported. Objective To evaluate the feasibility of using early individualised manipulative rehabilitation to improve early post-operative functional disability following lumbar discectomy. Methods Randomised controlled pilot trial. Setting at a major metropolitan spine surgery hospital. Twenty-one patients aged 25-69 years who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy were randomised to either the manipulative rehabilitation treatment group or the active control group. Rehabilitation was initiated 2-3 weeks after surgery, twice a week for 4 weeks. Each session was for 30 minutes. Primary outcomes were the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire and the visual analogue pain scale. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results Early post-operative physical disability was improved with a 55% reduction by early individualised manipulative rehabilitation, compared to that of control care with a 5% increase. Early post-operative residual leg pain decreased with rehabilitation (55%) and control care (9%). Conclusion This pilot study supports the feasibility of a future definitive randomised control trial and indicates this type of rehabilitation may be an important option for post-operative management after spinal surgery.

Objective: The prognosis for gastric carcinoma patients with peritoneal dissemination is very poor. We evaluated the survival benefit of resection and intravenous chemotherapy in these patients. Material and methods: We reviewed the hospital records of 348 gastric carcinoma patients with peritoneal dissemination seen during the period from 1986 to 2000. Results: Based on the grade of anaplasia, 76 (21.8%) were differentiated and 272 (78.2%) were undifferentiated. In the univariate analyses, the factors influencing the 5-year survival rate were histologic type, resection, and intravenous chemotherapy. Using Cox's proportional hazard regression model, two factors were independent, statistically significant prognostic parameters: resection (risk ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-2.46; p < 0.05) and intravenous chemotherapy (risk ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval 1.15-2.47; p < 0.01). The 5-year survival rate was higher for patients who had intravenous chemotherapy (3.6%) than for patients who did not (2.4%), and also higher for patients who underwent resection (4.8%) than for patients who did not (0%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results highlight the improved survivorship of gastric carcinoma patients with peritoneal dissemination who had resection and received intravenous chemotherapy, compared with those who did not. Although curative resection cannot be performed in this group of patients, we recommend performing resection and subsequent intravenous chemotherapy.

With the development of various information and communication technologies, numerous applications are being developed and used in various fields in this modern society. However, these applications are mostly designed to provide convenience to general users, and applications for people with disabilities are small in number and inconvenient to use. Therefore, this study designed and implemented an application for the hearing impaired in particular. This application is intended to enable users with hearing impairment to communicate more easily with other people and to provide convenience in everyday life and emergency situations. We believe that many applications should be developed in various fields to provide the convenience of life to those who are experiencing information gap due to disability.

Hierarchical meso-/macroporous anatase TiO2 (HPT) was synthesized from the hydrolysis of a titanium metal-organic framework precursor followed by calcination in air. The HPT possesses bimodal and hierarchical porosity: mesopores with pore diameters of 12, 16 and 28 nm along with macropores with pore diameters of up to 185 nm.This unique porous feature enables the superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability of anatase TiO2 as an anode for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries(LIBs). At a rate of 5 C, the specific discharge capacity of the HPT electrode is about 155 mA h g-1. After 200 cycles at 5 C charging/discharging rates, the capacity loss was only ~6.5 %. The superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability make HPT a promising anode material for fast rechargeable LIBs. Figure 1

Conventional voltage mode control only offers limited performance for LLC series resonant dc-to-dc converters experiencing wide variations in operating conditions. This paper presents average current mode control which could consistently provide good closed-loop performance for LLC resonant converters for the entire operational range. The proposed control scheme employs an additional feedback from the current of the resonant tank network to overcome the limitation of the existing voltage mode control. The principles, implementation and performance of the average current mode control scheme are investigated to identify their respective merits and limitations compared with conventional control schemes. The accuracy of dynamic analysis and validity of control design are confirmed with both computer simulations and experimental measurements using 150W prototype converter.

Since 1990, the global demand for electricity has increased twice as much as the demand for energy overall, and the demand for electricity is expected to further increase by more than two-thirds over the next 20 years. Energy storage/conversion technologies have therefore become a crucial research topic as we seek to make society sustainable. In particular, electrical energy storage is critical not only for supporting electronic, vehicular and load-leveling applications but also for efficiently commercializing renewable solar and wind power. In response to the ever-increasing global demand for viable energy-storage systems, sodium and potassium batteries appear to be promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries because of the abundance, low cost and environmental benignity of sodium/potassium. Electrical energy storage via ion-intercalation reactions in crystalline electrodes is critically dependent on the sizes of the guest ions. Herein, we report on the use of a porous amorphous iron phosphate synthesized using ambient temperature strategies as a potential host that stores electrical energy through the feasible insertion of mono-/di-/tri-valent ions. A combination of ex situ studies reveals the existence of a reversible amorphous-to-crystalline transition in this versatile electrode during electrochemical reactions with monovalent sodium, potassium and lithium. This reconstitutive reaction contributes to realizing specific capacities of 179 and 156 mAh/g versus sodium and potassium at current densities of 10 and 5 mA/g, respectively. This finding facilitates the feasible development of several amorphous electrodes with similar phase behavior for energy-storage applications. Figure 1

Gastric carcinoma is a common disease that usually affects older patients, rarely younger patients. Although the relationship between prognosis and the age of patients with gastric carcinoma is controversial, most investigators have suggested that young patients have a poorer prognosis. This study examined the clinicopathological features of young patients with gastric carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of 1,833 patients with gastric carcinoma to compare the clinicopathological findings in young (aged