Solid state zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) and aluminum ion batteries (AIBs) are deemed as promising candidates for supplying power in wearable devices due to merits of low-cost, high safety, and tunable ...flexibility. However, their wide-scale practical application is limited by various challenges, down to the material level. This review begins with elaboration of the root causes and their detrimental effect for four main limitations: electrode-electrolyte interface contact, electrolyte ionic conductivity, mechanical strength and electrolyte voltage stability window. Thereafter, various strategies to mitigate each of the described limitation are discussed along with future research direction perspectives. Finally, to estimate the viability of these technologies for wearable applications, economic-performance metrics are compared against Li-ion batteries.
...consideration of the value-laden nature of policy interventions and the creation of forums to debate the moral and ethical dimensions of different approaches to urban health and city environments ...are essential. ...attention to health inequalities within urban areas should be a key focus of planning the urban environment.
•Co-pyrolysis of biomass with plastics and coal, for the production of bio-oils is reviewed.•The progress of catalytic co-pyrolysis on upgrading of biomass-derived bio-oils is introduced.•The ...reaction mechanism between biomass and plastic in catalytic co-pyrolysis is described.•The functions of various acidic catalysts towards enhancement of bio-oil are addressed.
Co-pyrolysis of biomass with abundantly available materials could be an economical method for production of bio-fuels. However, elimination of oxygenated compounds poses a considerable challenge. Catalytic co-pyrolysis is another potential technique for upgrading bio-oils for application as liquid fuels in standard engines. This technique promotes the production of high-quality bio-oil through acid catalyzed reduction of oxygenated compounds and mutagenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This work aims to review and summarize research progress on co-pyrolysis and catalytic co-pyrolysis, as well as their benefits on enhancement of bio-oils derived from biomass. This review focuses on the potential of plastic wastes and coal materials as co-feed in co-pyrolysis to produce valuable liquid fuel. This paper also proposes future directions for using this technique to obtain high yields of bio-oils.
Despite intense studies into silicon anode materials, the large volume expansion of silicon remains a significant problem that reduces battery performance and shortens battery life. In this paper, a ...procedure to increase the cycle life of the silicon anode in full-cell configuration using a simple pre-lithiation method is proposed. By precisely controlling the thickness of the pre-deposited lithium through evaporation, the volume change of the silicon-containing anodes can be effectively reduced during discharge. A coin-cell fabricated with a high-capacity cathode and the pre-lithiated silicon–graphite anode shows improvements in cycling performance, as well as a higher discharge capacity. Electrochemical and microscopic analysis confirm that pre-lithiation successfully suppresses the volumetric changes. Thus, this work provides an effective method for the preparation of long-cycle-life Li-ion batteries containing silicon-based anodes.
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•The mechanism for improving cycle life through pre-lithiation was proposed and proved.•A pre-lithiation method is proposed by lithium evaporation on a Si-Gr anode.•Precisely controlled pre-lithiated cells prevent complete shrinkage of the silicon.•Enhanced cycle life and a high areal capacity were achieved at a high current densities.
In this study, the conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was greatly enhanced by using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) without damaging the fabric ...substrates. We suggest that blending and dipping methods using SDS which is compatible with natural and synthetic fabrics dramatically increase the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS to as high as 1335 S cm −1 . Additionally, a highly stretchable fabric heater with high conductivity was successfully fabricated using SDS-modified PEDOT:PSS. The fabric heaters exhibited reversible electrical behaviour with cyclic loading of a tensile strain even larger than 80%. The increase in resistance with the tensile strain was significantly smaller than the calculated value for a rigid substrate because the fabrics with a weave structure exhibited interfibrillar contact effects with strain. For example, the resistance was increased by a factor of only 2.62 with 80% strain. The Joule heating behaviours of the fabric heaters were demonstrated at several different applied voltages and ambient temperatures, and the heat capacity and convective heat transfer coefficient were 2 J K −1 and 30 W m −2 K −1 , respectively. The results demonstrated that the method suggested in this work is not only efficient for greatly improving the conductivity but also simple and cost-effective for fabricating highly conductive and stretchable fabrics with various e-textile applications.
Summary
The incidence of atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) was 2.95% among 6644 hip and femoral fractures. Independent risk factors included the use of bisphosphonates (BPs), osteopenia or ...osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, increased femoral curvatures, and thicker femoral cortices. Patients with AFFs and BP treatment were more likely to have problematic healing than those with typical femoral fractures (TFFs) and no BP treatment.
Introduction
To determine the incidence and risk factors of atypical femoral fractures (AFFs), we performed a multicenter case-control study. We also investigated the effects of bisphosphonates (BPs) on AFF healing.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and radiographs of 6644 hip and femoral fractures of patients from eight tertiary referral hospitals. All the radiographs were reviewed to distinguish AFFs from TFFs. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors, and interaction analyses were used to investigate the effects of BPs on fracture healing.
Results
The incidence of AFFs among 6644 hip and femoral fractures was 2.95% (90 subtrochanter and 106 femoral shaft fractures). All patients were females with a mean age of 72 years, and 75.5% were exposed to BPs for an average duration of 5.2 years (range, 1–17 years). The use of BPs was significantly associated with AFFs (
p
< 0.001, odds ratio = 25.65; 95% confidence interval = 10.74–61.28). Other independent risk factors for AFFs included osteopenia or osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, increased anterior and lateral femoral curvatures, and thicker lateral femoral cortex at the shaft level. Interaction analyses showed that patients with AFFs using BPs had a significantly higher risk of problematic fracture healing than those with TFFs and no BP treatment.
Conclusions
The incidence of AFFs among 6644 hip and femoral fractures was 2.95%. Osteopenia or osteoporosis, use of BPs, rheumatoid arthritis, increased anterior and lateral femoral curvatures, and thicker lateral femoral cortex were independent risk factors for the development of AFFs. Patients with AFFs and BP treatment were more likely to have problematic fracture healing than those with TFFs and no BP treatment.
Background
Cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer‐related death in Sub Sahara Africa (SSA). Both primary and secondary preventive services are available but utilisation remain low. This ...systematic review aims to summarise reported barriers preventing women from utilising cervical cancer screening services in SSA.
Method
Electronic searches on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, BIOSIS preview, Global Health, PubMed, Cochrane library, CINAHL, ISI Web of Knowledge and Google scholar and quality assessment of the included studies were performed. A meta‐analysis was applied to identify major themes.
Results
Eight studies exploring reasons women did not utilise cervical cancer screening were included. Women in SSA reported similar barriers despite cultural and language diversity in the region. Women reported fear of screening procedure and negative outcome, low level of awareness of services, embarrassment and possible violation of privacy, lack of spousal support, societal stigmatisation, cost of accessing services and health service factors like proximity to facility, facility navigation, waiting time and health care personnel attitude.
Conclusion
Strategies for improving uptake and utilisation of cervical screening in SSA should focus on improving cervical health education, addressing cultural beliefs and practices and improving spousal support and empowering women, as well as addressing physical access problem, costs and improving staff attitude.
This study examined how patients with cancer estimate caregiver burden (CB) and the association between their underestimation of CB and their caregivers' self‐ratings of their quality of life ...(CQOLC‐K; Korean version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer), depression and anxiety (Korean version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Participants consisted of 990 patient‐caregiver dyads recruited from a nationwide cross‐sectional survey conducted in South Korea. Medical baseline data were retrieved from the hospital information systems of the participating centres. The patients with cancer who underestimated CB ranged from 18.62% (for physical CB) to 23.33% (for social CB). They had less advanced cancer, a lower income, were the caregiver's spouse, reported higher levels of family avoidance of communication about cancer, and had female caregivers. The patients' underestimation of CB was significantly related to lower CQoL and higher levels of caregiver depression and anxiety. The current study provides empirical evidence for the link between the underestimation of CB by patients with cancer and compromised caregiving experiences of cancer caregivers. Open family communication about cancer was discussed as one of several practical strategies for decreasing patients' underestimation of CB.
Of the three generations of biodiesel feedstocks described in this paper, food crops, non-food crops and microalgae-derived biodiesel, it was found that the third generation, microalgae, is the only ...source that can be sustainably developed in the future. Microalgae can be converted directly into energy, such as biodiesel, and therefore appear to be a promising source of renewable energy. This paper presents a comparison between the use of microalgae and palm oil as biodiesel feedstocks. It was found that microalgae are the more sustainable source of biodiesel in terms of food security and environmental impact compared to palm oil. The inefficiency and unsustainability of the use of food crops as a biodiesel source have increased interest in the development of microalgae species to be used as a renewable energy source. In this paper, the main advantages of using microalgae for biodiesel production are described in comparison with other available feedstocks, primarily palm oil.
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