To maximize the introduction of renewable energy, introducing grid energy storage systems are essential. Electrochemical energy storage system, i.e., battery system, exhibits high potential for grid ...energy storage application. A battery energy storage system is comprised of a battery module and a power conversion module. This paper starts by reviewing several potential battery systems, as well as an advanced aluminum-ion battery that currently has promising prospects in the electrochemical energy storage system. The characteristics of the batteries are reviewed and compared, including the materials, electrochemistry, performance and costs. The application prospect of the batteries is discussed. The paper summarizes the features of current and future grid energy storage battery, lists the advantages and disadvantages of different types of batteries, and points out that the performance and capacity of large-scale battery energy storage system depend on battery and power condition system (PCS). The power conversion system determines the operational condition of the entire energy storage system. The new generation wide bandgap semiconductor for power electronic technology is discussed from the perspective of performance, topology, model and non-linearity and is compared to the traditional silicon-based semiconductor. Finally, the application prospect of the new generation semiconductor technology in the energy storage system is indicated. This paper concludes the application status of the energy storage system in the renewable energy power generation and indicates the critical problems that need to be addressed during the construction and operation of the storage system.
The aim of this study was to determine the validity of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis coding in the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) by cross-comparisons of discharge ...diagnoses listed in the NHIRD with those in the medical records obtained from a medical center in Taiwan.
This was a cross-sectional study comparing records in the NHIRD and discharge notes in one medical center (DNMC) in the year 2008. Positive predictive values (PPVs) for AMI diagnoses were evaluated by reviewing the relevant clinical and laboratory data recorded in the discharge notes of the medical center. Agreement in comorbidities, cardiac procedures, and antiplatelet agent (aspirin or clopidogrel) prescriptions between the two databases was evaluated.
We matched 341 cases of AMI hospitalizations from the two databases, and 338 cases underwent complete chart review. Of these 338 AMI cases, 297 were confirmed with clinical and lab data, which yielded a PPV of 0.88. The consistency rate for coronary intervention, stenting, and antiplatelet prescription at admission was high, yielding a PPV over 0.90. The percentage of consistency in comorbidity diagnoses was 95.9% (324/338) among matched AMI cases.
The NHIRD appears to be a valid resource for population research in cardiovascular diseases.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a serious threat to global health for nearly 3 years. In addition to pulmonary complications, liver injury is not uncommon in patients with ...novel COVID-19. Although the prevalence of liver injury varies widely among COVID-19 patients, its incidence is significantly increased in severe cases. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand liver injury caused by COVID-19. Clinical features of liver injury include detectable liver function abnormalities and liver imaging changes. Liver function tests, computed tomography scans, and ultrasound can help evaluate liver injury. Risk factors for liver injury in patients with COVID-19 include male sex, preexisting liver disease including liver transplantation and chronic liver disease, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. To date, the mechanism of COVID-19-related liver injury is not fully understood. Its pathophysiological basis can generally be explained by systemic inflammatory response, hypoxic damage, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and drug side effects. In this review, we systematically summarize the existing literature on liver injury caused by COVID-19, including clinical features, underlying mechanisms, and potential risk factors. Finally, we discuss clinical management and provide recommendations for the care of patients with liver injury.
The development of a multimaterial extrusion bioprinting platform is reported. This platform is capable of depositing multiple coded bioinks in a continuous manner with fast and smooth switching ...among different reservoirs for rapid fabrication of complex constructs, through digitally controlled extrusion of bioinks from a single printhead consisting of bundled capillaries synergized with programmed movement of the motorized stage.
Aliphatic amines strongly coordinate, and therefore easily inhibit, the activity of transition-metal catalysts, posing a marked challenge to nitrogen-hydrogen (N-H) insertion reactions. Here, we ...report highly enantioselective carbene insertion into N-H bonds of aliphatic amines using two catalysts in tandem: an achiral copper complex and chiral amino-thiourea. Coordination by a homoscorpionate ligand protects the copper center that activates the carbene precursor. The chiral amino-thiourea catalyst then promotes enantioselective proton transfer to generate the stereocenter of the insertion product. This reaction couples a wide variety of diazo esters and amines to produce chiral α-alkyl α-amino acid derivatives.
Melatonin exerts a wide range of effects among various tissues and organs. However, there is currently no study to investigate the genetic determinants of melatonin secretion. Here, we conducted a ...genome-wide association study (GWAS) for melatonin secretion using morning urine 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate-to-creatinine ratio (UMCR). We initially enrolled 5000 participants from Taiwan Biobank in this study. After excluding individuals that did not have their urine collected in the morning, those who had history of neurological or psychiatric disorder, and those who failed to pass quality control, association of single nucleotide polymorphisms with log-transformed UMCR adjusted for age, sex and principal components of ancestry were analyzed. A second model additionally adjusted for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). A total of 2373 participants underwent the genome-wide analysis. Five candidate loci associated with log UMCR (P value ranging from 6.83 × 10
to 3.44 × 10
) encompassing ZFHX3, GALNT15, GALNT13, LDLRAD3 and intergenic between SEPP1 and FLJ32255 were identified. Similar results were yielded with further adjustment for eGFR. Interestingly, the identified genes are associated with circadian behavior, neuronal differentiation, motor disorders, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases. We conducted the first GWAS for melatonin secretion and identified five candidate genetic loci associated with melatonin level. Replication and functional studies are needed in the future.
Metallic lithium affords the highest theoretical capacity and lowest electrochemical potential and is viewed as a leading contender as an anode for high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. ...However, the poor wettability of molten lithium does not allow it to spread across the surface of lithiophobic substrates, hindering the production and application of this anode. Here we report a general chemical strategy to overcome this dilemma by reacting molten lithium with functional organic coatings or elemental additives. The Gibbs formation energy and newly formed chemical bonds are found to be the governing factor for the wetting behavior. As a result of the improved wettability, a series of ultrathin lithium of 10-20 μm thick is obtained together with impressive electrochemical performance in lithium metal batteries. These findings provide an overall guide for tuning the wettability of molten lithium and offer an affordable strategy for the large-scale production of ultrathin lithium, and could be further extended to other alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium.
Background
The preservation of parathyroid glands is crucial in endoscopic thyroid surgery to prevent hypocalcemia and related complications. However, current methods for identifying and protecting ...these glands have limitations. We propose a novel technique that has the potential to improve the safety and efficacy of endoscopic thyroid surgery.
Purpose
Our study aims to develop a deep learning model called PTAIR 2.0 (Parathyroid gland Artificial Intelligence Recognition) to enhance parathyroid gland recognition during endoscopic thyroidectomy. We compare its performance against traditional surgeon‐based identification methods.
Materials and methods
Parathyroid tissues were annotated in 32 428 images extracted from 838 endoscopic thyroidectomy videos, forming the internal training cohort. An external validation cohort comprised 54 full‐length videos. Six candidate algorithms were evaluated to select the optimal one. We assessed the model's performance in terms of initial recognition time, identification duration, and recognition rate and compared it with the performance of surgeons.
Results
Utilizing the YOLOX algorithm, we developed PTAIR 2.0, which demonstrated superior performance with an AP50 score of 92.1%. The YOLOX algorithm achieved a frame rate of 25.14 Hz, meeting real‐time requirements. In the internal training cohort, PTAIR 2.0 achieved AP50 values of 94.1%, 98.9%, and 92.1% for parathyroid gland early prediction, identification, and ischemia alert, respectively. Additionally, in the external validation cohort, PTAIR outperformed both junior and senior surgeons in identifying and tracking parathyroid glands (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The AI‐driven PTAIR 2.0 model significantly outperforms both senior and junior surgeons in parathyroid gland identification and ischemia alert during endoscopic thyroid surgery, offering potential for enhanced surgical precision and patient outcomes.
This study aimed to mitigate severe silica fouling and improve the removal efficiency of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) through in-situ modification of a nanofiltration membrane ...(NF270) by using the concentration-polymerization-enhanced radical graft polarization method. Two modification agents were applied with different dosages—3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Results show that membrane modification can effectively reduce silica fouling compared with virgin NF270, and the flux decline was fully reversible. The permeate flux of modified membranes increased with increasing monomer concentration due to the increasing degree of grafting and hydrophilicity. The increase slightly compromised the rejection of NaCl, but did not compromise that of PPCP. Instead, PPCP rejection by modified membranes before silica fouling was significantly higher than that by virgin NF270, especially for neutral carbamazepine. Moreover, membrane modification enhanced the rejection of neutral PPCPs after silica fouling by mitigating foulant deposition on the membrane surface. The fouling mechanism was confirmed to switch from gel layer formation to intermediate blocking or complete blocking. Therefore, the in-situ modification of NF270 proved to be effective for mitigating silica fouling and improving PPCP rejection.
Display omitted
•In-situ modified NF270 effectively mitigated silica fouling with fully flux recovery after DI cleaning.Both SPM and HEMA can increase the hydrophilicity and surface charge of NF270.•PPCP rejection was significantly improved using modified membrane before silica fouling, especially for neutral CBZ.•Membrane modification solved the decreasing rejection of PPCPs by virgin NF270 after severe silica fouling.•The fouling mechanism changed from gel layer formation to intermediate/complete blocking after membrane modification.
Immune evasion is a hallmark feature of cancer, and it plays an important role in tumour initiation and progression. In addition, tumour immune evasion severely hampers the desired antitumour effect ...in multiple cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of the Notch pathway in immune evasion in the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) microenvironment. We first demonstrated that Notch1 signaling was activated in a Tgfbr1/Pten‐knockout HNSCC mouse model. Notch signaling inhibition using a γ‐secretase inhibitor (GSI‐IX, DAPT) decreased tumour burden in the mouse model after prophylactic treatment. In addition, flow cytometry analysis indicated that Notch signaling inhibition reduced the sub‐population of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumour‐associated macrophages (TAMs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), as well as immune checkpoint molecules (PD1, CTLA4, TIM3 and LAG3), in the circulation and in the tumour. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) of human HNSCC tissues demonstrated that elevation of the Notch1 downstream target HES1 was correlated with MDSC, TAM and Treg markers and with immune checkpoint molecules. These results suggest that modulating the Notch signaling pathway may decrease MDSCs, TAMs, Tregs and immune checkpoint molecules in HNSCC.
What's new?
Tumor survival depends on sneaking past the body's own immune defenses. Here, the authors probed how cancer cells exploit the Notch signaling pathway to evade immune destruction. Looking at HNSCC cells, they first showed that Notch1 signaling is activated in the tumor cells. Then, they showed that inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway decreased the tumor burden, as well as markedly reducing the production of immunosuppressive cells, such as tumor associated macrophages and immunosuppressive regulatory T cells. Thus, treatments targeting Notch1 could be useful against HNSCC.
PDF
