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All-solid-state batteries have recently gained considerable attention due to their potential improvements in safety, energy density, and cycle-life compared to conventional liquid electrolyte batteries. Sodium all-solid-state batteries also offer the potential to eliminate costly materials containing lithium, nickel, and cobalt, making them ideal for emerging grid energy storage applications. However, significant work is required to understand the persisting limitations and long-term cyclability of Na all-solid-state-based batteries. In this work, we demonstrate the importance of careful solid electrolyte selection for use against an alloy anode in Na all-solid-state batteries. Three emerging solid electrolyte material classes were chosen for this study: the chloride Na

International audience; The electrochemical activity of solvated Ca2+ in glyme-based electrolytes is investigated using grand canonical density functional theory approach and Fukui functions. The obtained results reveal that the length of glyme molecules has little effect on the reduction potentials, but has significant impacts on the effective electron transfer process. In short chain glymes, the transferred electron is located on a Ca2+ center and the organic part of the solvation sphere, leading to a direct Ca2+ reduction and a partial degradation of the glyme molecules. As the glyme's length increases, the reduction process turns into the formation of solvated electrons rather than Ca2+ reduction, unless a partial desolvation occurs. Consequently, an effective Ca2+ reduction in long chain glyme-based electrolytes is controlled by a (partial) desolvation of the solvation sphere. These results can be used as guiding information to design new electrolytes having the Ca2+ reduction potential in an accessible voltage range together with an effective Ca2+ reduction process. The methodology developed in this study can be universally applied to investigate the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of other battery systems using metal anodes, which might lead to a paradigm shift in the design of prospective electrolytes for future battery technologies.

Solid-state batteries are a promising energy storage technology that can potentially offer both improved safety and energy density. The solid electrolyte is the defining feature and plays a significant role in the electrochemical performance of a solid-state cell, especially at room temperature. Herein, we report a series of glass-ceramic, sodium-deficient chloride solid electrolytes, NaxY0.25Zr0.75Cl3.75+x (0.25  x  0.875), possessing significantly improved ionic conductivities when compared to their stoichiometric counterpart, Na2.25Y0.25Zr0.75Cl6 (x = 2.25). By tuning both the sodium molar content and the sample’s crystallinity, the composition Na0.625Y0.25Zr0.75Cl4.375 (x = 0.625) was found to exhibit the highest Na+ conductivity of 0.4 mS cm−1 at room temperature. Furthermore, the relationship between composition, structure, and conductivity for these compositions in the NaCl−YCl3−ZrCl4 system was evaluated using a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ss-NMR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Materials characterization reveals that sodium-deficiency (i.e., lower molar % of NaCl) results in reduced crystallinity and preferred occupancy of prismatic Na local environments. These combined factors contribute to a lower activation energy for Na+ hopping, an increased ionic conductivity, and improved electrochemical performance at both higher cycling rates and at room temperature.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are one of the most promising systems to enable long-lasting and thermally resilient next-generation energy storage. Ideally, these systems should utilize low-cost resources with reduced reliance on critical materials. Pursuing cobalt- and nickel-free chemistries, like LiFePO4 (LFP), is a promising strategy. Morphological features of LFP essential for improved electrochemical performance, are highlighted to elucidate the interfacial challenges when implemented in ASSBs, since adoption in inorganic ASSBs have yet to be reported. In this work, the compatibility of LFP with two types of solid-state electrolytes, Li6PS5Cl (LPSCl) and Li2ZrCl6 (LZC), are investigated. The potential existence of oxidative decomposition products is probed using a combination of structural, electrochemical, and spectroscopic analyses. Bulk and interfacial characterization reveal that the sulfide-based electrolyte, LPSCl decomposes into insulative products, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is used to quantify the resulting impedance growth. However, through utilization of the chloride-based electrolyte, LZC, high-rate and stable electrochemical performance is achieved at room temperature.

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Background Achalasia is a rare disease characterized by absent esophageal motility and disorder of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation. The Chicago Classification, version 3.0 presents the diagnostic criteria for achalasia using high-resolution manometry (HRM) as well as categorizes this disease into three types with different esophageal motility patterns. Methods A case-series study was conducted at the Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology on patients suspected achalasia on upper endoscopy or esophageal barium X-ray. Symptom severity was evaluated by the Eckardt score before and after treatment. Achalasia was diagnosed and classified by HRM using the Chicago Classification version 3.0. Results From April to December 2018, we recruited 20 patients (7 males and 13 females; the mean age were 35.9 ± 15.4). There were 4 patients (20%) diagnosed with absent contractility on HRM. In 16 achalasia confirmed patients, the percentage of type I, II, and III was 12.5%, 75%, and 12.5%, respectively. The mean Eckardt score before treatment was 6.6 ± 2.6 and there was no difference between achalasia and absent contractility groups. The integrated relaxation pressure within 4s (IRP4s) in achalasia group was high with the mean value being 24.6 ± 6.3 mmHg and there was no difference among three types. There was a significant improvement of clinical symptoms with pre and post-treatment Eckardt score being 6.8 ± 2.8 and 2.1 ± 1.9, respectively (p Conclusions High-resolution manometry is a valuable exploratory test for definitive diagnosis, classification as well as follow-up after treatment on achalasia patients.

BACKGROUND: B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is considered to have a role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). AIM: We conducted a longitudinal study on early SSc patients to determine the change in BAFF serum level after treatment and its association with organ involvements. METHODS: A total of 46 patients (32 diffuse, 14 limited) were recruited, among which 35 patients (24 diffuse, 11 limited) completed 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Higher pretreatment BAFF levels were observed in patients with positive anti-topoisomerase antibody (ATA) (2252.1 ± 899.7 pg/ml versus 1475.5 ± 697.6 pg/ml in ATA-negative patients; p = 0.01) and muscular involvement (2741.9 ± 1039.9 pg/ml versus 1897.2 ± 762.9 pg/ml in patients without muscular involvement; p = 0.005). Lower levels were observed in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) (1926.7 ± 757.9 pg/ml versus 2721.6 ± 1131.4 pg/ml in non-ILD patients; p = 0.01). After treatment, BAFF level reduced significantly in diffuse SSc patients (1652.2 ± 892.7 pg/ml versus 2147.6 ± 945.5 pg/ml before treatment; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Patients with worsening outcome had the highest pretreatment BAFF level and was associated with increased BAFF level after treatment. BAFF can be used to predict and monitor patients’ response to therapy.

Background. This study assesses the prevalence of Vietnamese children receiving the hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine birth dose and explores its associated socioeconomic factors. Methods. We used the data of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2014. We estimated the overall percentage of HepB birth dose vaccination among 0–23-month-old children and its percentages according to selected characteristics. Multiple logistic regression was applied. Results. 62.8% of children received the HepB vaccine birth dose. The prevalence rates by selected factors ranged from 35.3% to 76.7%. The categories with the lowest prevalence rates were children who had low birth weight (41.6%), had a mother aged less than 20 years (35.3%), had a mother with primary or less education (42.7%), belonged to ethnic minorities (30.3%), resided in rural areas (59.9%), and were in the 1st quintile of mother’s socioeconomic status (38.6%). Receiving HepB vaccine birth dose was associated with child’s birth weight, mother’s age, mother’s education, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Conclusions. This study identified vulnerable groups, upon which policy-makers should focus their efforts to equitably and sustainably tackle birth dose HepB vaccine coverage as well as the full vaccination coverage, thereby promoting long-lasting herd immunity in this country.

International audience; Solutions made of tetraglyme (G4) containing Ca(TFSI)2 have been studied as models to understand thesolvation structure and the conductivity properties of multivalent ions in low dielectric constant etherealelectrolytes. These solutions have been characterised using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,rheological measurement, and Raman spectroscopy. The ionic conductivity of these electrolytes showsan intriguing non-monotonic behaviour with temperature which deviates from the semi-empiricalVogel–Tammann–Fulcher equation at a critical temperature. This behaviour is observed for bothMg(TFSI) 2 and Ca(TFSI)2, but not LiTFSI, indicating a difference in the solvation structure and thethermodynamic properties of divalent ions compared to Li +. The origin of this peculiar behaviour isdemystified using temperature-controlled Raman spectroscopy and first-principles calculationscombined with a thermodynamic analysis of the chemical equilibrium of Ca2+ ion-pairing versussolvation. As long-range electrostatic interactions are critical in solutions based on low dielectricethereal solvents, a periodic approach is here proposed to capture their impact on the solvationstructure of the electrolyte at different salt concentrations. The obtained results reveal that thethermodynamic and transport properties of Ca(TFSI)2/G4 solutions stem from a competition betweenenthalpic (ionic strength) and entropic factors that are directly controlled by the solution concentrationand temperature, respectively. At high salt concentrations, the ionic strength of the solution favours theexistence of free ions thanks to the strong solvation energy of the polydentate G4 solvent conjugatedwith the weak complexation ability of TFSI. At elevated temperatures, the configurational entropyassociated with the release of a coordinated G4 favours the formation of contact ion-pairs due to its flatpotential energy surface (weak strain energy), offering a large configuration space. Such a balancebetween ion-pair association and dissociation not only rationalises the ionic conductivity behaviourobserved for Ca(TFSI)2/G4 solutions, but also provides valuable information to extrapolate the ionictransport properties of other electrolytes with different M(TFSI)n salts dissolved in longer-chain glymesor even poly(ethylene oxide). These findings are essential for the understanding of solvation structuresand ionic transport in low-dielectric media, which can further be used to design new electrolytes forLi-ion and post Li-ion batteries as well as electrocatalysts.

The effect of newly emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin in human populations can be potentially catastrophic, and large-scale investigations of such diseases are highly challenging. The monitoring of emergence events is subject to ascertainment bias, whether at the level of species discovery, emerging disease events, or disease outbreaks in human populations. Disease surveillance is generally performed post hoc, driven by a response to recent events and by the availability of detection and identification technologies. Additionally, the inventory of pathogens that exist in mammalian and other reservoirs is incomplete, and identifying those with the potential to cause disease in humans is rarely possible in advance. A major step in understanding the burden and diversity of zoonotic infections, the local behavioral and demographic risks of infection, and the risk of emergence of these pathogens in human populations is to establish surveillance networks in populations that maintain regular contact with diverse animal populations, and to simultaneously characterize pathogen diversity in human and animal populations. Vietnam has been an epicenter of disease emergence over the last decade, and practices at the human/animal interface may facilitate the likelihood of spillover of zoonotic pathogens into humans. To tackle the scientific issues surrounding the origins and emergence of zoonotic infections in Vietnam, we have established The Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS). This countrywide project, in which several international institutions collaborate with Vietnamese organizations, is combining clinical data, epidemiology, high-throughput sequencing, and social sciences to address relevant one-health questions. Here, we describe the primary aims of the project, the infrastructure established to address our scientific questions, and the current status of the project. Our principal objective is to develop an integrated approach to the surveillance of pathogens circulating in both human and animal populations and assess how frequently they are exchanged. This infrastructure will facilitate systematic investigations of pathogen ecology and evolution, enhance understanding of viral cross-species transmission events, and identify relevant risk factors and drivers of zoonotic disease emergence.