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Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous cryoablation (CA) for the management of lung metastases in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 38 mCRC patients with lung metastases, who underwent CT-guided percutaneous CA at our center from May 1, 2020 to November 1, 2021. The technical success rate, 1-year local control (LC) rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and treatment-related complications were analyzed. Results The CA procedure was successfully performed in all patients, with a technical success rate of 100%. The 1-year LC rate was 94.7% (36/38), while 16 patients experienced new distant lung metastases during the follow-up period. The median RFS was 20 months (95% CI: 13.0-27.0). The median RFS of patients with and without extrapulmonary metastasis was 15 and 23 months, respectively. Complications were reported in 18 (47.4%) patients following the CA procedure. Pneumothorax was discovered in 15 (39.5%) patients, and five of these patients (13.2%) required chest tube intubation. Two patients (5.3%) presented with hemoptysis during the CA procedure. One patient developed subcutaneous emphysema as detected in the post-procedure follow-up imaging. All patients tolerated the peri-procedural pain well under local anesthesia, and the mean visual analog scale (VAS) score was 2.8. Conclusion Lung CA is a safe and well-tolerated treatment with a satisfactory local control rate for patients with lung metastases derived from mCRC.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a versatile manufacturing method widely used in various industries due to its design flexibility, rapid production, and mechanical strength. Polyurethane (PU) is a biopolymer frequently employed in 3D printing applications, but its susceptibility to UV degradation limits its durability. To address this issue, various additives, including graphene, have been explored to enhance PU properties. Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material, possesses remarkable mechanical and electrical properties, but challenges arise in its dispersion within the polymer matrix. Surface modification techniques, like polydopamine (PDA) coating, have been introduced to improve graphene’s compatibility with polymers. This study presents a method of 3D printing PU scaffolds coated with PDA and graphene for enhanced UV stability. The scaffolds were characterized through X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing, scanning electron microscopy, and UV durability tests. Results showed successful PDA coating, graphene deposition, and improved mechanical properties. The PDA–graphene-modified scaffolds exhibited greater UV resistance over time, attributed to synergistic effects between PDA and graphene. These findings highlight the potential of combining PDA and graphene to enhance the stability and mechanical performance of 3D-printed PU scaffolds.

Duplex stainless steel (DSS) has been widely used in some harsh environments, such as flue gas shedding and seawater desalination, because of its high strength and corrosion resistance. These excellent properties rely on a high alloy content (Cr, Mo, N, etc.) and perfect dual-phase equilibrium. The dual-phase equilibrium mainly includes dual-phase proportion balance, properties balance, and absence of clear secondary phase in the solid solution structure. As one of the main developmental directions of DSS, hyper-duplex stainless steel (HDSS) has attracted much attention in recent years. In this paper, the effects of solution treatment on precipitates, microstructure, and properties of S32707 HDSS were studied by Thermo-Calc thermodynamic calculation, OM and FE-SEM observation, mechanical properties, and corrosion property tests. The results showed that σ phase and non-equilibrium nitrides were the main precipitates of solution-treated HDSS. When the solution temperature was lower than 1050 ℃, the σ phase precipitated preferentially along the dual-phase boundaries, which significantly reduced the impact toughness of HDSS. When the solution temperature was higher than 1100 ℃, non-equilibrium nitrides precipitated in ferrite grains, and the number of non-equilibrium nitrides increased with an increase in solution temperature. The reason for the non-equilibrium nitride precipitation was that the nitrogen content in the ferrite increased with an increase in temperature. This led to the supersaturation of nitrogen in the ferrite grains during the rapid cooling process. Under such conditions, the finely dispersed non-equilibrium nitrides precipitated in the ferrite grains. With increasing solution temperature, the content of the ferrite increased, the content of austenite decreased, the strength increased, and the impact toughness decreased. The optimal solution temperature of HDSS was 1080‒1120 ℃. Under this condition, the ratio of duplex was close to 1∶1, and the S32707 hyper duplex stainless steel presented excellent comprehensive mechanical properties and intergranular corrosion resistance.

A series of five new fluoro-substituted aroylhydrazones were prepared and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy, as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas fluorescence) and antifungal (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger) activities by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method. The biological assay indicated that the presence of the electron-withdrawing groups in the aroylhydrazones improved their antimicrobial activities.

Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2, LCO) has been widely used in electronic markets due to its high energy density and wide voltage range applications. Recently, high-voltage (HV, >4.5 V) operation has been required to obey the requirements of high energy density and cycle life in several applications such as electric vehicles and energy storage. However, the HV operation causes structure instability due to the over de-lithiation of LCO, as well as decomposing common carbonate solvents, thereby incurring the decay of battery performance. Moreover, a distortion of the CoO6 octahedra of LCO during de-lithiation induces a rehybridization of the Co 3d and O 2p orbitals. According to above reasons, decreasing the Co-O covalent bond promptly triggers high risks that significantly limit further use of LCO. In this research, an organic surface reinforcement by using bismaleimide–uracil (BU) that electrochemically forms a cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) on LCO was explored. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and battery performance, such as the c-rate and cyclability tests, demonstrated that the modified CEI formed from BU significantly prevents the distortion of CoO6 octahedra. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy and in situ XAS indicated less LiF formation and higher bond energy of Co-O improved. Finally, the differential scanning calorimetry showed the onset temperature of decomposition of LCO was extended from 245 to 270 °C at 100% state of charge, which is about a 25 °C extension. The exothermic heat of LCO decreased by approximately 30% for high-safety use. This research confirms that the BU is eligible for high voltage (>4.5 V) LCO and presents outstanding electrochemical properties and safety performances.

A new copper(II) complex [Cu(L1)(NCS)(CH3OH)] (1) and a new zinc(II) complex [ZnCl2(HL2)]·CH3OH (2), derived from 4-bromo-N'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzohydrazide (HL1) and 4-methoxy-N'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzohydrazide (HL2), were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The hydrazone HL1 coordinates to the Cu atom in enolate form, while the hydrazone HL2 coordinates to the Zn atom in carbonyl form. Single crystal structural analyses indicate that the hydrazones coordinate to the metal atoms through the pyridine N, imino N, and enolate/carbonyl O atoms. The Cu atom in complex 1 is in square pyramidal coordination, and the Zn atom in complex 2 is in trigonal-bipyramidal coordination. The inhibitory effects of the complexes on Jack bean urease were studied, which show that the copper complex has strong activity on urease.

Developing label-free immunosensors to detect ovarian cancer (OC) by cancer antigen (CA125) is essential to improving diagnosis and protecting women from life-threatening diseases. Four types of carbon nanomaterials, such as multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), vapor-grown carbon fiber (VGCFs), graphite KS4, and carbon black super P (SP), have been treated with acids to prepare a carbon nanomaterial/gold (Au) nanocomposite. The AuNPs@carbon nanocomposite was electrochemically deposited on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to serve as a substrate to fabricate a label-free immunosensor for the detection of CA125. Among the four AuNPs@carbon composite, the AuNPs@MWCNTs-based sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 0.001 µg/mL for the biomarker CA125 through the square wave voltammetry (SWV) technique. The high conductivity and surface area of MWCNTs supported the immobilization of AuNPs. Moreover, the carboxylic (COO-) functional groups in MWCNT improved to a higher quantity after the acid treatment, which served as an excellent support for the fabrication of electrochemical biosensors. The present method aims to explore an environmentally friendly synthesis of a layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of AuNPs@carbon nanomaterials electrochemical immunoassay to CA125 in a clinical diagnosis at a low cost and proved feasible for point-of-care diagnosis.

In recent years, the emergence of disparate micro-contaminants in aquatic environments such as water/wastewater sources has eventuated in serious concerns about humans’ health all over the world. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is considered a noteworthy membrane-based technology, and has been recently of great interest for the removal micro-contaminants. The prominent objective of this review paper is to provide a state-of-the-art review on the potential utilization of MBRs in the field of wastewater treatment and micro-contaminant removal from aquatic/non-aquatic environments. Moreover, the operational advantages of MBRs compared to other traditional technologies in removing disparate sorts of micro-contaminants are discussed to study the ways to increase the sustainability of a clean water supplement. Additionally, common types of micro-contaminants in water/wastewater sources are introduced and their potential detriments on humans’ well-being are presented to inform expert readers about the necessity of micro-contaminant removal. Eventually, operational challenges towards the industrial application of MBRs are presented and the authors discuss feasible future perspectives and suitable solutions to overcome these challenges.

Vehicle electrification has become an important strategy adopted worldwide, including in Taiwan, as a means to achieving net zero emissions. Taiwan is capable of building a whole light commercial vehicle and has technological strength in producing critical EV parts. This study applies the Bass diffusion model to assess the feasibility of developing eLCV shared architecture in Taiwan and estimates that the annual replacement demand for eLCVs could reach 20,221 units. This exceeds the threshold number of 5000 units, which could motivate the automakers to develop eLCV shared architecture. The simulation result shows that achieving full market penetration would take at least 13 years and would be highly correlated with policy support, the vehicle selling price and the battery pack price. The B2B model is a suitable way of introducing eLCVs into the logistics fleets. In the initial promotion phase, policy support and complementary measures would be needed, e.g., public sectors’ purchases, financial incentives and constructing a user-friendly environment. The simulation results further indicate that Taiwan’s eLCV market has a high price elasticity, and in the future, a tendency for the battery pack price to decline may speed up the replacement process.

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have become an incredible challenge for the approaching age of high-vitality stockpiling gadgets. Nevertheless, one of the main specialized issues emerging in Li-S batteries is the polysulfide disintegration among electrodes and striking capacity limit. Here, sieved sepiolite (200 mesh sieve) has been favored as an added substance material to counter the above difficulties in the sulfur battery. The zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method and a Sulfur/post-treated sieved Sepiolite/Zinc Oxide (S/PTSp/ZnO) nanocomposite was prepared by warmth treatment. The prepared composite was described by XRD, FTIR, RAMAN, SEM with EDAX, TEM, XPS, TG, and Electrochemical analysis. The S/PTSp/ZnO composite cathode exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 1,391 mAhg−1 and attained a stable capacity of 765 mAhg−1 at 200 cycles. In conclusion, Li-S batteries can be relied upon to capably build up the utilization of sulfur and limit the disintegration of polysulfides into an electrolyte.

In this study we prepared potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) displaying high output voltage and, in turn, a high energy density, as replacements for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Organic electrode materials featuring void spaces and flexible structures can facilitate the mobility of K+ to enhance the performance of KIBs. We synthesized potassium maleamate (K-MA) from maleamic acid (MA) and applied as an anode material for KIBs and LIBs, with 1 M potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) and 1 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in a mixture of ethylene carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate (1:2, v/v) as respective electrolytes. The K-MA_KFSI anode underwent charging/discharging with carbonyl groups at low voltage, due to the K···O bond interaction weaker than Li···O. The K-MA_KFSI and K-MA_LiFSI anode materials delivered a capacity of 172 and 485 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1C rate, respectively. K-MA was capable of accepting one K+ in KIB, whereas it could accept two Li+ in a LIB. The superior recoveries performance of K-MA_LiFSI, K-MA_KFSI, and Super P_KFSI at rate of 0.1C were 320, 201, and 105 mA h g−1, respectively. This implies the larger size of K+ can reversibly cycling at high rate.

With a tridentate Schiff base ligand 2-bromo-N'-(2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzylidene)benzohydrazide (HL) and cobalt nitrate, a cobalt(II) compound [Co(L)2]NO3∙½H2O (1) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and X-ray structure determination. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the Co atom is coordinated by the NOO donor atoms of the Schiff base ligands, in an octahedral coordination. The compound show effective catalytic oxidation property on some olefins. In general, oxidation of the substrates gave the corresponding epoxides in over 80% yields for various styrene and 71% for cyclohexene.

Low-molecular-weight carbonyl-containing compounds are considered beneficial energy storage materials in alkali metal-ion/alkaline earth metal-ion secondary batteries owing to the ease of their synthesis, low cost, rapid kinetics, and high theoretical energy density. This study aims to prepare a novel carbonyl compound containing a maleamic acid (MA) backbone as a material with carbon black to a new MA anode electrode for a lithium-ion battery. MA was subjected to attenuated total reflection-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and its morphology was assessed through scanning electron microscopy, followed by differential scanning calorimetry to determine its thermal stability. Thereafter, the electrochemical properties of MA were investigated in coin cells (2032-type) containing Li metal as a reference electrode. The MA anode electrode delivered a high reversible capacity of about 685 mAh g−1 in the first cycle and a higher rate capability than that of the pristine carbon black electrode. Energy bandgap analysis, electrochemical impedance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that MA significantly reduces cell impedance by reforming its chemical structure into new nitrogen-based highly ionic diffusion compounds. This combination of a new MA anode electrode with MA and carbon black can increase the performance of the lithium-ion battery, and MA majorly outweighs transitional carbon black.

This study developed a microwave-mediated noncatalytic esterification of oleic acid for producing ethyl biodiesel. The microwave irradiation process outperformed conventional heating methods for the reaction. A highest reaction conversion, 97.62%, was achieved by performing esterification with microwave irradiation at a microwave power of 150 W, 2:1 ethanol:oleic acid molar ratio, reaction time of 6 h, and temperature of 473 K. A second-order reaction model (R2 of up to 0.997) was established to describe esterification. The reaction rate constants were promoted with increasing microwave power and temperature. A strong linear relation of microwave power to pre-exponential factors was also established, and microwave power greatly influenced the reaction due to nonthermal effects. This study suggested that microwave-assisted noncatalytic esterification is an efficient approach for biodiesel synthesis.

Cell-encapsulated bioscaffold is a promising and novel method to allow fabrication of live functional organs for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, traditional fabrication methods of 3D scaffolds and cell-laden hydrogels still face many difficulties and challenges. This study uses a newer 3D fabrication technique and the concept of recycling of an unutilized resource to fabricate a novel scaffold for bone tissue engineering. In this study, fish-extracted gelatin was incorporated with bioactive ceramic for bone tissue engineering, and with this we successfully fabricated a novel fish gelatin methacrylate (FG) polymer hydrogel mixed with strontium-doped calcium silicate powder (FGSr) 3D scaffold via photo-crosslinking. Our results indicated that the tensile strength of FGSr was almost 2.5-fold higher as compared to FG thus making it a better candidate for future clinical applications. The in-vitro assays illustrated that the FGSr scaffolds showed good biocompatibility with human Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSC), as well as enhancing the osteogenesis differentiation of WJMSC. The WJMSC-laden FGSr 3D scaffolds expressed a higher degree of alkaline phosphatase activity than those on cell-laden FG 3D scaffolds and this result was further proven with the subsequent calcium deposition results. Therefore, these results showed that 3D-printed cell-laden FGSr scaffolds had enhanced mechanical property and osteogenic-related behavior that made for a more suitable candidate for future clinical applications.

In the title centrosymmetric dinuclear dioxidovanadium(V) complex, [V2(C13H19N2O3)2O4], the VV ion is coordinated by an N,N′,O-tridendate 2-ethoxy-6-{[2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)ethylimino]methyl}phenolate ligand and three oxide O atoms, forming a distorted cis-VN2O4 octahedral geometry. The bridging O atoms show one short and one long bond to their two attached VV atoms. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring of the ligand and the V2O2 plane is 75.2 (3)°. The deviation of the VV ion from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the tridentate ligand and one bridging oxide O atom is 0.337 (2) Å towards the terminal oxide O atom. Two N—H...O hydrogen bonds help to establish the conformation of the dimer. In the crystal, the complex molecules are linked by O—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming [100] chains.

In the title complex, [V(C18H11ClN2O2)(CH3O)O(CH3OH)], the VV ion is coordinated by a tridendate 3-chloro-N′-(2-oxidonaphthalen-1-ylmethylidene)benzohydrazidate ligand, one oxido ligand and by O atoms from a methanol and a methoxide ligand, forming a distorted octahedral geometry. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the naphthylene ring system is 6.4 (3)°. The deviation of the VV ion from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the tridentate ligand and the methoxy O atom towards the oxido O atom is 0.323 (2) Å. In the crystal, pairs of intermolecular O—H...N hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric dimers.

The VIV atom in the title complex, [V(C11H13BrClN2O)(C5H7O2)O], is six-coordinated by one phenolate O, one imino N and one amino N atom of the tridentate anionic Schiff base ligand, by one oxide O atom, and by two O atoms of an acetylacetonate anion, forming a distorted cis-VN2O4 octahedral coordination geometry. The deviation of the V atom from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the Schiff base ligand and one O atom of the acetylacetone ligand towards the oxide O atom is 0.256 (2) Å.

The VV atom in the title complex, [V(C14H8BrClN2O2)(CH3O)O(CH3OH)], is six-coordinated by one phenolate O, one imine N and one enolic O atom of the hydrazone ligand, one oxide O atom, one methanol O atom and one methoxide O atom in a distorted octahedral geometry. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings of the hydrazone ligand is 13.2 (3)°. The deviation of the V atom towards the oxide O atom from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the hydrazone ligand and the methoxy O atom is 0.318 (2) Å. Bond lengths are comparable with those observed in similar oxidovanadium(V) complexes with hydrazone ligands. In the crystal, pairs of molecules are linked through intermolecular O—H...N hydrogen bonds, forming dimers.

In the title compound, [Mn(C14H8O4)(C13H8N4)]n, the MnII atom is six-coordinated in a distorted octahedral geometry by four O atoms from three different carboxylate groups and two N atoms from one imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline molecule. The organic ligands link inorganic MnII nodes, forming a zigzag chain along the c axis.

The molecule of the title compound, [Mn(NCS)2(C16H18N4)], has crystallographic twofold rotation symmetry, with the MnII atom lying on the rotation axis. The MnII atom is six-coordinated by four N atoms of the Schiff base ligand and by two N atoms of two thiocyanate ligands, forming a distorted octahedral geometry.

Buckling failure is a major concern in lightweight lattice core sandwich structures (LCSSs). This study proposes an efficient method for designing LCSSs with superior buckling strength under uniaxial compression. In this approach, the buckling-resistant non-uniform shapes of single struts with different slenderness and inclination are first identified, and then they are directly used to replace uniform struts in LCSSs. This method can save considerable design time compared to conventional methods, which require conducting optimizations on entire LCSSs. Numerical results demonstrate that four designed representative non-uniform LCSSs can gain over 15% improvement in buckling strength compared to their counterpart uniform LCSSs. This improvement is even comparable to the solutions from optimizations on entire LCSSs. Two LCSSs with non-uniform struts are 3D printed, and the test results validate at least 10% improvement in compressive strength. Based on the proposed method, various LCSSs with superior buckling strength could be designed for different loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]