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Primary tumour size (PTS) is known to be a significant prognostic factor in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) undergoing thyroidectomy. Although cutoff values of 2 and 4 cm are widely used in surgical extent decision and long-term outcomes predictions, the effectiveness of arbitrary cutoff values in stratifying patients for target outcomes is questionable. This study aimed to determine new optimal cutoffs of PTS.Patients (n = 529) with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy were retrospectively reviewed. After risk factor analysis for structural recurrence, the optimal cutoffs of PTS were automatically calculated using restricted cubic spline analysis and X-tile software. Subgroups were classified based on the newly determined cutoff values. Both the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and the proportion of patients in each response-to-therapy category, using the dynamic risk stratification system (DRS), were compared between the subgroups.PTS was confirmed as an independent risk factor for structural recurrence. The optimal cutoff values were calculated as 1.4 and 3.0 cm. The subgroups stratified using these newly determined cutoffs showed significantly different RFS and DRS based on the response to initial therapy, but the subgroups classified using the cutoffs of 2 and 4 cm did not.The newly determined cutoff values of PTS may be useful in better stratifying patients with PTC undergoing thyroidectomy for target outcomes and can be considered as a new definition in staging and risk stratification systems.

BACKGROUND: In patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), various staging and risk stratification systems have been applied to estimate long-term recurrence, which is a major issue during the postoperative follow-up period. However, the efficacy of these systems remains unclear in this context. METHODS: The present historical cohort study included 510 patients with DTC who underwent a total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine (RAI) remnant ablation. Enrolled patients were categorized according to the 8(th) edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging system, the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) initial risk stratification system, and the dynamic risk stratification (DRS) system. The ability of each system to predict long-term structural recurrence was compared using proportion of variance explained (PVE) by logistic regression models. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 108 months. Structural recurrence occurred in 7.6% of the patients (n=39/510). Disease-free survival (DFS) curves of the patients within each category in the TNM staging system, the ATA initial risk stratification system, and the DRS system were significantly different (P

The rapidly increasing coincidence of thyroid cancer and metabolic syndrome (MS) in recent decades suggests an association between the two disorders. To investigate this association, we conducted a nationwide study of a large-scale patient cohort. Between 2009 and 2011, data were collected by the Korean National Health Insurance Service for 4,658,473 persons aged 40–70 years without thyroid cancer. During the six-year follow-up period, participants were monitored for the development of thyroid cancer. The relative risks and incidences of thyroid cancer were calculated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses after adjusting for age and body mass index. The risk of thyroid cancer was significantly elevated in men and women with MS or MS components, except for hyperglycaemia (p = 0.723) or hypertriglyceridemia (p = 0.211) in men. The incidence of thyroid cancer per 10,000 person-years in individuals with MS was significantly higher in men (6.2, p < 0.001) and women (21.3, p < 0.001) compared to those without MS. Additionally, the risk of thyroid cancer increased significantly with an increasing number of MS components even in individuals with only one or two MS components. MS and its components were significantly associated with increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Useful thermal bridge performance indicators (ITBs) of existing buildings may differ from calculated thermal bridge performance derived theoretically due to actual construction conditions, such as irregular shapes and aging. To fill this gap practically, a more realistic quantitative evaluation of thermal bridge on-site needs to be considered to identify thermal behaviors throughout exterior walls and thus improve the overall insulation performance of buildings. In this study, a case study is conducted using an infrared thermal imaging method to evaluate the thermal bridge of an existing building practically. The study's main purpose is to review the thermal bridge performance indicators measured by the steady-state model under field conditions in terms of convergence and uncertainty. Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is used to examine the validity of the results by deriving evaluation results in the form of distribution, including uncertainty. After the measurement was completed, an analysis of the results was conducted. As a result of measurement for 3 days, it was found that the thermal bridge part had 1.221 times more heat loss than the non-thermal bridge part, which showed a 6.7% deviation from the numerical method. However, the uncertainty was 0.225 (18.4%, CI 95%), a large figure. This is due to the influence of field conditions and shows the limitations of the steady-state measurement model. Regarding the convergence of the results, the measurement results were found to converge continuously as the measurement time increased. This suggests that valid results can be obtained in the field if the measurement is performed for a sufficient time, even with a thermal bridge measurement method assuming a steady-state.

Background: Lymph node (LN)-related risk factors have been updated to predict long-term outcomes in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, those factors’ analytic appropriateness and general applicability must be validated. This study aimed to assess LN-related risk factors, and suggest new LN-related risk categories. Methods: This multicenter observational cohort study included 1232 patients with PTC with N1 disease treated with a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection followed by radioactive iodine remnant ablation. Results: The median follow-up duration was 117 months. In the follow-up period, structural recurrence occurred in 225 patients (18.3%). Among LN-related variables, the presence of extranodal extension (p < 0.001), the maximal diameter of metastatic LN foci (p = 0.029), the number of retrieved LNs (p = 0.003), the number of metastatic LNs (p = 0.003), and the metastatic LN ratio (p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for structural recurrence. Since these factors showed a nonlinear association with the hazard ratio of recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates, we calculated their optimal cutoff values using the K-means clustering algorithm, selecting 0.2 cm and 1.1 cm for the maximal diameter of metastatic LN foci, 4 and 13 for the number of metastatic LN, and 0.28 and 0.58 for the metastatic LN ratio. The RFS curves of each subgroup classified by these newly determined cutoff values showed significant differences (p < 0.001). Each LN risk group also showed significantly different RFS rates from the others (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In PTC patients with an N1 classification, our novel LN-related risk estimates may help predict long-term outcomes and design postoperative management and follow-up strategies. After further validation studies based on independent datasets, these risk categories might be considered when redefining risk stratification or staging systems.

Background The rapidly increasing coincidence of thyroid cancer and metabolic syndrome (MS) in recent decades suggests an association between the two disorders. To investigate this association, we conducted a nationwide study of a large-scale patient cohort. Methods Between 2009 and 2011, data were collected by the Korean National Health Insurance Service for 4,658,473 persons aged 40–70 years without thyroid cancer. During the 6-year follow-up period, participants were monitored for the development of thyroid cancer. The relative risks and incidences of thyroid cancer were calculated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses after adjusting for age and body mass index. Results At the end of the study, 47,325 subjects (1.0%) were newly diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The risk of thyroid cancer was significantly elevated in men and women with MS or MS components, except for hyperglycaemia (p = 0.723) or hypertriglyceridemia (p = 0.211) in men. The incidence of thyroid cancer per 10,000 person-years in individuals with MS was significantly higher in men (6.2, p < 0.001) and women (21.3, p < 0.001) compared to those without MS. Additionally, the risk of thyroid cancer increased significantly with an increasing number of MS components even in individuals with only one or two MS components. Conclusions MS and its components were significantly associated with increased risk of developing thyroid cancer. Patients with MS or MS components should be regularly screened for thyroid cancer to enable swift therapeutic response in this at-risk population.

A new type of porous organic polymer (POP) based heterogeneous catalyst Cu-POP was prepared by immobilizing Cu(II)Cl2 into bpy containing POP prepared via alkyne–azide cycloaddition. This new catalyst showed efficient catalytic activities and outstanding reusability. Remarkably, one batch of Cu-POP was continuously used for all olefins without losing its activity by simply washing.

Biomarker evaluation is important for diagnosing clinical diseases. Covariate adjusted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) regression has been used to identify significant biomarker candidates....

Background The long-term oncologic outcome of robotic surgery for thyroid cancer is not well established. The aim of this study was to predict the long-term oncologic outcome of robotic surgery by using dynamic risk stratification in classic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods A total of 444 propensity score–matched pairs of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma treated with robotic surgery and conventional open surgery were classified into 4 response-to-therapy categories. The results were compared between the robotic surgery and open surgery groups. Results The median follow-up duration was 60 months. After propensity score matching, the robotic surgery group showed less extensive thyroid surgery and lymph node dissection and a higher proportion of patients who underwent radioactive iodine remnant ablation than the open surgery group; however, the dynamic risk stratification did not differ between the 2 groups (P = .086). Conclusion The long-term oncologic outcome of robotic surgery is expected to be comparable with that of open surgery based on the dynamic risk stratification.

Battery systems are one of key factors in the effective use of renewable energy systems because self-production of electricity by renewables for self-consumption has become profitable for building applications. This study investigates the appropriate capacity of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) installed in all electric zero energy power houses (AEZEPHs). The AEZEPH used for this study is a high energy-efficient house, and its criteria indicates that all the electricity energy within the house is covered based on the generated electricity from on-site renewable energy systems, including that the annual net site energy use is almost equal than zero. The AEZEPHs used for this study is located in Daejeon, South Korea, and the experiment for measured data of electricity consumed and generated in the buildings is carried out for a year (i.e., Jan. through Dec. 2014). Based on the measured data, patterns of the electricity consumed by the AEZEPH and generated by an on-site renewable energy system (i.e., photovoltaic (PV) system), and the appropriate capacity of BESS is then analyzed and evaluated using the EES analysis tool, named Poly-sun. Results from this study indicate that the self-consumption can be increased up to 66% when the ESS system is installed and used during operated hours of the PV system, and the amount of received electricity during the week tends to be reduced by about two times.

Long-term management and follow-up strategies in patients with intermediate-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) according to the American Thyroid Association (ATA) are still controversial due to the paucity of data on unique risk factors or a risk stratification system predictive of long-term outcomes.This study included 649 patients with PTC who underwent an initial surgical treatment. Retrospectively enrolled patients were categorized according to the ATA risk stratification system. Intermediate-risk patients were further categorized into subgroups by the number of ATA intermediate risk factors. The recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates of these subgroups were compared with those of low- and high-risk patient groups. Additionally, the patients were classified according to their response to the initial therapy using the dynamic risk stratification (DRS) system, and the percentages of patients in each category were compared among the subgroups.The median follow-up period was 102 months. Structural recurrence occurred in 9.2% of all enrolled patients (60/649) and in 13.0% of intermediate-risk patients (40/308). Patients with two or more current intermediate risk factors had a poorer RFS than patients with only one risk factor (p 0.001) and showed a comparable RFS to high-risk patients (p 0.050). The percentages of patients with an excellent response category for DRS significantly decreased with an increase in the number of intermediate risk factors.Subclassification according to the number of intermediate risk factors may be useful to better predict the RFS and the response to initial therapy in patients with intermediate-risk PTC.

Due to their potential applications in catalysis, separation, gas storage, drug delivery, and biosensing, porous materials (PMs) such as porous organic polymers (POPs), polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), porous coordination polymers (PCPs), and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have received much attention. Various building blocks have been prepared and demonstrated various functional materials. Among the various organic building blocks, porphyrin has become one of the most important building blocks for the construction of such materials witnessed by a wide range of molecular architectures using porphyrin derivatives with various applications. Mn(III)- and Fe(III)-containing metalloporphyrins are often used to fabricate various functional molecular architectures and to mimic the extraordinary behavior of enzymes in both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems. In the case of homogeneous catalysis, Mn(III)- and Fe(III)-containing metalloporphyrins have frequent trouble with fast catalytic degradation because of µ-oxo dimer formation or ligand oxidation. To avoid the catalyst degradation, the immobilization and/or site-isolation of homogeneous catalysts using supporters such as polymers, membranes, and MOFs, are widely used strategy. In addition, they are often used to modify the surface of porous silica materials such as SBA-15, MCM-41 and MCM-48, because these porous silica materials exhibit narrow pore size distributions, high thermal stability and easy accessibility. In this presentation, we like to show the use of metalloporphyrins in various porous materials and their use as heterogeneous catalysts. References D. Y. Shin, J. H. Yoon, S. H. Kim, H. Baik, S. J. Lee,* "Immobilization of Porphyrinic Mn(III) Catalyst on a New Class of Silica Support Comprising Three-Dimensionally Interconnected Network with Two Different Sizes of Pores", Catal. Sci. Technol. 2018, 8, 6306-6310. J. Yi, H. Y. Jeong, D. Y. Shin, C. Kim, S. J. Lee,* "Mn(III)-Porphyrin Containing Heterogeneous Catalyst based on Microporous Polymeric Constituents as a New Class of Catalyst Support", ChemCatChem 2018, 10, 3974-3977. J. Yoon, H. M. Choi, S. J. Lee,* "Cu(II)Cl2 containing bispyridine-based porous organic polymer support prepared via alkyne–azide cycloaddition as a heterogeneous catalyst for oxidation of various olefins", New J. Chem. 2020, 44, 9149-9152. H. M. Choi, Y. J. Kim, E. T. Choi, S. J. Lee,* "Selective Photocatalytic Oxidative Detoxification of a Chemical Warfare Agent Simulant by Porphyrin-Containing Polymers of Intrinsic Microporocity." ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.2021, submitted .

Crack issues afflicting a building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) system are major concerns in terms of the system’s maintenance and power degradation. Although there may be many circumstances that bring about cracks in BIPV modules during the installation process, identifying the degradation of PV module efficiency resulting from the effects of cracks tends to be a very difficult task unless actual indoor or outdoor tests or detailed electroluminescence imaging tests are conducted. Many current studies have demonstrated that cracks may or may not impact the output performance of PV modules depending on the damage levels or where the damage is located. For BIPV applications such as replacement for building materials, there is still a lack of information and case studies addressing crack issues in a quantitative manner for evaluating BIPV output performance. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to investigate the effects of cracks in BIPV modules on power outputs and to identify detailed relationships between the cracks and power output based on experimental and simulated analysis. An experimental facility located in Daejeon, South Korea, was used to gather data from cracked and non-cracked BIPV modules. By using the field-measured data and facility’ information, a simulation model was developed using SolarPro software, and a simulated-based analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of cracks in BIPV modules on output values after proper validation of the model. The results from this study reveal that cracks in BIPV modules exhibit significant degradation in BIPV modules’ outputs of up to 43% reduction during the experimental period. From the annual comparative results, output degradations of 34.6–35.4% were estimated when the BIPV modules included cracks. As a result, the cracks in the BIPV modules could be carefully addressed as issues occurring in the BIPV installation process.

This paper presents an analysis to foresee renewable design requirement changes of net- zero carbon buildings (NZCBs) under different scenarios of potential future climate scenarios in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. A climate change model is developed in this study using the Gaussian random distribution method with monthly temperature changes over the whole Northeast and Midwest regions, which are predicted based on a high greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenario (i.e., the representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5). To reflect the adoption of NZCBs potential in future, this study also considers two representative future climate scenarios in the 2050s and 2080s of climate change years in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. An office prototype building model integrates with an on-site photovoltaics (PV) power generation system to evaluate NZCB performance under the climate change scenarios with an assumption of a net-metering electricity purchase agreement. Appropriate capacities of the on-site PV system needed to reach NZCB balances are determined based on the building energy consumption impacted by the simulated climate scenarios. Results from this study demonstrated the emission by electricity consumption increases as moving toward the future scenarios of up to about 25 tons of CO2-eq (i.e., about 14% of the total CO2-eq produced by the electricity energy source) and the PV installation capacity to offset the emission account for the electricity consumption increases significantly up to about 40 kWp (i.e., up to more than 10% of total PV installation capacities) as the different climate scenarios are applied. It is concluded that the cooling energy consumption of office building models would significantly impact GHG emission as future climate scenarios are considered. Consequently, designers of NZCBs should consider high performance cooling energy systems in their designs to reduce the renewable energy generation system capacity to achieve net-zero carbon emission goals.

This study investigated the optimal timing to initiate assessment of the response to initial therapy during the early postoperative period in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) using dynamic risk stratification (DRS). This historical cohort study included 510 patients with DTC who underwent a total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine (RAI) remnant ablation. DRS for these patients was categorized into subgroups according to the time into the follow-up period at which the response to initial therapy was assessed. The ability of each DRS subgroup to predict the long-term structural recurrence of cancer was compared using the proportion of variance explained (PVE) from logistic regression models. The median follow-up period was 108 months. Structural recurrence occurred in 7.6% of patients (n = 39/510). The PVE for long-term structural recurrence was higher among DRS subgroups (28.8–34.19%) compared with the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control tumor-node-metastasis staging system (both the 7th and 8th editions; 4.01% and 6.13%, respectively) and the American Thyroid Association initial risk estimate (4.59%). Among the DRS subgroups, DRS assessed between 2 and 3 years after the initial surgery was associated with the highest PVE (34.19%). The first assessment of DRS optimally predicts long-term structural recurrence in patients with DTC who underwent a total thyroidectomy and subsequent RAI remnant ablation at that 2- to 3-year postoperative period.

Advanced passive control technologies attract a great deal of attention by architects and engineers as a way of achieving both high indoor environmental quality and energy efficient buildings . This study investigates the thermal and daylighting effects of a double skin facade (DSF) system with interior and exterior blinds. A buffer type DSF and slat type blinds are used for this comparative study. To investigate thermal and daylighting effects of three passive control models, evaluation of annual heating, cooling, and lighting loads is conducted using a widely-accepted whole building energy modeling program, EnergyPlus . A simulated DSF model is developed using the air-flow network (AFN) model in EnergyPlus and calibrated against measured data from an experimental DSF facility installed to an office building in Daejeon, South Korea. After a proper calibration of the simulated DSF model, the impact of blinds in the cavity of the DSF is also evaluated by adopting a slat blind model in EnergyPlus. For exterior and interior blind models, the simulated DSF model is modified by removing a DSF box and adding slat blinds at inner and outer surfaces of the windows. A Radiance-based daylighting simulation program, Daysim, is used to evaluate daylighting aspects of blinds and lighting controls within an office building with simulated DSF, interior blind, and exterior blind models. Generated lighting and blind raise/lower control schedules from Daysim are used as input values in EnergyPlus for annual thermal and lighting load calculations. In addition, the impact of natural ventilation to reduce trapped hot air within the cavity of the DSF box is considered in this study during a cooling period only for the DSF model. Results indicate that the simulated DSF model can save up to 40%, 2%, and 5% for heating, cooling, and total loads, respectively, when compared to the baseline (i.e., no passive technologies) without any blinds or controls. With the combination of the daylight-based dimming control based on the indoor illuminance levels and the blind raise/lower control, the simulated DSF and the exterior blind models could potentially reduce the building thermal loads and lighting energy consumption by around 27–52%., respectively.

Among transparent solar cells or modules, the DSSC (Dye-sensitized solar cell) has a relatively low production cost compared to silicon-based solar cells and provides a range of colors for building design. On the other hand, its commercialization has been limited by the low power generation efficiency and durability. Few studies have examined the power generation performance of a full scale DSSC module applied to actual buildings. In this study, a long-term performance test was conducted on vertical and inclined DSSC BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) windows applied to a full-scale mock-up facility to verify the power performance and power characteristics of transparent DSSC BIPV glazing under actual conditions over a 2 year period. The DSSC module was fabricated by the serial connection of nine 2.26Wp transparent DSSC sub-modules. The multi-layered DSSC BIPV glazing, which was composed of a “DSSC module (9mm)” + “air space (12 mm)” + “clear glass (5mm)” was joined to the curtain wall frame of the test cell facility. The unit size of the DSSC BIPV glazing was 0.975 m (W) × 0.965 m (H) and its maximum capacity was 20.34Wp. The size of the test cell facility was 3 m (W) × 3 m (H) × 9 m (D). The building is a container type insulated with 100 mm urethane foam. Four and two DSSC BIPV windows were installed on the vertical south wall and on the 30° sloped roof, respectively. Through the monitoring system, the power performance data of each DSSC BIPV windows and meteorological data were analyzed over a two year period (from 1st Jan. 2015 to 31st Dec. 2016). The 2 year data showed that the average daily power yield for each month of the vertical DSSC BIPV window ranged from 1.75 to 3.93 kWh/kWp·day (average 2.53 kWh/kWp·day), whereas that of the 30° sloped DSSC BIPV window ranged from 2.16 to 5.34 kWh/kWp·day (average 3.60 kWh/kWp·day). The operating power efficiency of the vertical DSSC BIPV window ranged from 2.65 to 4.14% with an average of 3.40%, whereas that of the sloped DSSC BIPV window was in the range of 2.64–3.63% with a mean of 3.01%. The power generation efficiency of the vertical plane BIPV window was higher than the sloped BIPV window. In contrast to the average daily power yield, the power efficiency of the vertical window was higher than that of the sloped window, which may be due to the higher efficiency of the DSSCs under overcast conditions. This is consistent with the power performance of the DSSC BIPV windows according to the sky conditions, which showed an increase in power efficiency with increasing cloud cover or decreasing solar intensity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed to validate the dynamic risk stratification (DRS) system, evaluate its correlation with structural recurrence, and assess the clinicopathological risk factors associated with a nonexcellent response to initial therapy in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) measuring 1 to 4 cm. METHODS A total of 762 patients with classic PTC measuring 1 to 4 cm were classified into four categories based on their response to initial therapy 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS Structural recurrent disease occurred in 4.7%, 17.1%, 48.4%, and 83.9% of patients with excellent, indeterminate, biochemically incomplete, and structurally incomplete responses, respectively, at the time of the last follow-up. The response to initial therapy in the DRS was one of the independent risk factors for structural recurrence. The disease-free survival curves of patients with different responses showed significant differences (P

The concept of zero-energy buildings is gaining much interest, and its technical feasibilities have been demonstrated for sustainable development. Although several case studies present how effectively zero-energy performance can be achieved, there is still a lack of data understanding adopting different combined passive and active systems for zero-energy performance. In response to this gap, this study introduces new integrated systematic approaches of enabling all-electric zero-energy performance and presents these features and operating performance for each part of energy consumption contributors based on measured data over two years. Structural insulation panels, vacuum glazing with heated glass were applied as passive techniques. An air-source heat pump and package air conditioner were used for heating and cooling systems, respectively. In addition to the passive and active systems, building-integrated solar thermal and roof-integrated photovoltaic (RIPV) systems were installed to offset all the remaining energy in the house. The energy use intensity of the house was 77.98 kWh/m2·yr; heating and domestic hot water had the highest consumption. To save cooling consumption, exterior electric venetian blinds and natural ventilation were used to cut down energy consumption. The house consumed 7,368.95 kWh/yr and produced 11,439.68 kWh/yr through the RIPV, the annual RIPV surplus accounting for 35.58 % of the annual energy production. The results from this case study provide a comprehensive overview of the feasibility of different combined technologies and insights into proper design strategies to improve the performance of zero-energy houses and buildings from another point of view.

A new type of bispyridine (bpy) incorporated POP was prepared via a cobalt-catalyzed acetylene trimerization. Subsequent immobilization of CuCl2 gave POP-Cu(II). This new heterogeneous catalyst displayed outstanding olefin oxidation activity compared to its homogeneous analogue, suggesting that the degradation of the homogeneous catalyst was successfully inhibited by site isolation.

Photovoltaic components have been increasingly integrated into the facades of buildings as a means to enhance their energy efficiency in recent years, yet the impact of using building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) windows in street canyons has been rarely studied due to the lack of modelling tools. In this study, we developed a new parametrization scheme for BIPV windows, and incorporated it into building energy simulations coupled with a single-layer urban canopy model. Evaluation against in-situ measurements and EnergyPlus simulation suggests that the coupled model is able to reasonably capture the diurnal profiles of BIPV window temperature, building cooling load, and outdoor microclimate. A set of simulations were conducted to examine the impact of BIPV windows on summertime building energy consumption and outdoor air temperature in different street canyons. Compared to clear glass windows, BIPV windows can reduce canyon air temperature and building cooling load. Temperature reduction is found to increase with window coverage but does not change significantly with canyon geometry. Savings on cooling energy consumption vary between 9.16% and 63.71% for the studied neighbourhood in Phoenix, US, but tend to be higher for open street canyons with north–south orientation and large window-to-wall ratios. The coupled model takes into account the dynamic interactions between building energy consumption and the outdoor microclimate, thus providing insight into the benefit of using BIPV windows at the neighbourhood scale.

Hazardous metals leaching experiment was carried out in accordance with various usage environments for camping cooking utensils distributed in the market. There was a significant difference in the degree of migration for lead, arsenic, cadmium and nickel defending on the solvent and how to use, although they were all appropriate for criteria. In general, the migrated amount of aluminum was increased in acidic condition, and the migrated amount of arsenic was increased in salty condition. Physical scratches increased the overall release of hazardous metals from the portable pots and pans for camping in all solvents. Especially, in 0.5% citric acid solution, cadmium was migrated by physical scratch in stainless steel and hard aluminum pots and pans. The longer the leaching time, the higher the migration of aluminum in acid condition and arsenic in basic condition. From these results, it is desirable to use the cooking utensil for camping without being exposed to strong acidic or basic solution and scratches in order to reduce the migration of hazardous metals from them.

This study validated the dynamic risk stratification (DRS) system with regard to its association with structural recurrence and risk factors associated with non-excellent responses in patients45 years with stage I classical papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).This historical cohort study included 598 patients with stage I classical PTC45 years of age treated with total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine remnant ablation (n = 440), total thyroidectomy without radioactive iodine remnant ablation (n = 23), and thyroid lobectomy alone (n = 135).The median follow-up period was 123 months. Structural recurrence occurred in 4.2% (n = 18/432) of the patients with an excellent response, 17.1% (18/105) of patients with an indeterminate response, 44.7% (17/38) of patients with a biochemically incomplete response, and 82.6% (19/23) of patients with a structurally incomplete response (p 0.001) during the follow-up. The disease-free survival curves of each response showed significant differences (p 0.001). Extensive extrathyroidal extension and extranodal extension were the independent risk factors associated with non-excellent response (p 0.05).DRS may reduce unnecessary additional treatments by reclassifying initial risk estimates of structural recurrence. Furthermore, applying the risk factors associated with non-excellent response to initial therapy may be a more useful and viable surrogate of the risk for structural recurrence in stage I PTC patients45 years of age.

Most of the increase in thyroid cancer in recent decades has been due to papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). We evaluated the efficacy of radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) in patients with PTMC. This historical cohort study included 1932 PTMC patients without lateral cervical lymph node (LN) or distant metastasis who underwent total thyroidectomy (TT) during the median 8.3 years of follow-up. The clinical outcomes of patients with or without RRA were compared using weighted logistic regression models with the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method and considering risk factors, including age, sex, primary tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, multifocality, and central cervical LN metastasis. The median primary tumor size of the RRA group was significantly larger than that of the no-RRA group (0.7 vs. 0.5 cm, P

The study aims to evaluate thermal performance of newly developed spectrally selective coated glazing (SS) which has very low near infrared (NIR) transmittance and fairly high visible (VIS) transmittance. The performance of SS was first tested in full scale mock-up test cells and then compared with three types of conventional glazing systems (single low-e, triple low-e and clear). The comparative field test without air conditioning showed that solar gain of SS was less than or similar to the conventional glazing systems due to the low NIR transmittance, which present a potential of cooling energy saving in building application. Based on the field test, the thermal performance of SS was predicted using a building energy simulation. The simulation result showed that SS reduce 21% and 33% of total energy consumption as compared to the glazing with low-e coating and the glazing without coating respectively. The study concluded that SS can achieve lighting energy reduction with high VIS transmittance and cooling energy reduction with both high NIR transmittance and high U-value. Ultimately, SS will be highly applicable in cooling-dominated buildings or climate zone.

Based on various previous researches on zero energy building and renewable energy in Korea, we conducted a case study on application of economical rational energy technology for smart energy city implementation to Sejong 5-1 block. Through this study, it is suggested that the achievement rate of city energy independence that can be implemented in Korea in the short term at current technology and economic level is assessed.

The extent of thyroid surgery for patients with low- and intermediate-risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), with a primary tumour