Wearable technologies are driving current research efforts to self‐powered electronics, for which novel high‐performance materials such as graphene and low‐cost fabrication processes are highly ...sought.The integration of high‐quality graphene films obtained from scalable water processing approaches in emerging applications for flexible and wearable electronics is demonstrated. A novel method for the assembly of shear exfoliated graphene in water, comprising a direct transfer process assisted by evaporation of isopropyl alcohol is developed. It is shown that graphene films can be easily transferred to any target substrate such as paper, flexible polymeric sheets and fibers, glass, and Si substrates. By combining graphene as the electrode and poly(dimethylsiloxane) as the active layer, a flexible and semi‐transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is demonstrated for harvesting energy. The results constitute a new step toward the realization of energy harvesting devices that could be integrated with a wide range of wearable and flexible technologies, and opens new possibilities for the use of TENGs in many applications such as electronic skin and wearable electronics.
Shear‐exfoliated graphene integrated into a flexible and semitransparent triboelectric nanogenerator is developed by using a new facile isopropyl‐alcohol‐assisted direct transfer method. Environmentally and industrially preferred graphene solutions in water are obtained by shear exfoliation. Their graphene flakes are transferred onto any substrate, including poly(ethylene terephthalate), paper, fibers, glass, and SiO2/Si, driven by the transition of ispropyl alcohol liquid to vapor.
The amount of distributed energy resources (DERs) has increased constantly worldwide. The power ratings of DERs have become considerably high, as required by the new grid code requirement. To follow ...the grid code and optimize the function of grid-connected inverters based on DERs, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is essential for detecting the grid phase angle accurately when the grid voltage is polluted by harmonics and imbalance. This paper proposes a novel low-pass notch filter PLL (LPN-PLL) control strategy to synchronize with the true phase angle of the grid instead of using a conventional synchronous reference frame PLL (SRF-PLL), which requires a d-q-axis transformation of three-phase voltage and a proportional-integral controller. The proposed LPN-PLL is an upgraded version of the PLL method using the fast Fourier transform concept (FFT-PLL) which is robust to the harmonics and imbalance of the grid voltage. The proposed PLL algorithm was compared with conventional SRF-PLL and FFT-PLL and was implemented digitally using a digital signal processor TMS320F28335. A 10-kW three-phase grid-connected inverter was set, and a verification experiment was performed, showing the high performance and robustness of the proposal under low-voltage ride-through operation.
Compared to nanostructured platinum (Pt) catalysts, ordered Pt-based intermetallic nanoparticles supported on a carbon substrate exhibit much enhanced catalytic performance, especially in fuel cell ...electrocatalysis. However, direct synthesis of homogeneous intermetallic alloy nanocatalysts on carbonaceous supports with high loading is still challenging. Herein, we report a novel synthetic strategy to directly produce highly dispersed MPt alloy nanoparticles (M = Fe, Co, or Ni) on various carbon supports with high catalyst loading. Importantly, a unique bimetallic compound, composed of M(bpy)32+ cation (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) and PtCl62– anion, evenly decomposes on carbon surface and forms uniformly sized intermetallic nanoparticles with a nitrogen-doped carbon protection layer. The excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and stability of the representative reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-supported L10-FePt catalyst (37 wt %-FePt/rGO), exhibiting 18.8 times higher specific activity than commercial Pt/C catalyst without degradation over 20 000 cycles, well demonstrate the effectiveness of our synthetic approach toward uniformly alloyed nanoparticles with high homogeneity.
Pirfenidone (PRF) is an anti-fibrotic agent that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the current ...oral administration dosing regimen of PRF is complex and requires high doses. Patients are instructed to take PRF three times daily, with each dose consisting of up to three capsules or tablets (600 mg/d or 1.8 g/d of PRF) taken with food. To improve the dosing regimen, efforts are being made to develop an extended-release tablet with a zero-order release pattern. In this study, two types of extended-release matrix tablets were compared: non-channeled extended-release matrix tablets (NChMT) and channeled extended-release matrix tablets (ChMT). In vitro release tests, swelling and erosion index, rheology studies, and X-ray microcomputed tomography (XRCT), were conducted. The results indicated that ChMT maintained a zero-order release pattern with a constant release rate, while NChMT exhibited a decreased release rate in the latter half of the dissolution. ChMT exhibited accelerated swelling and erosion compared to other formulations, and this was made possible by the presence of channels within the tablet. These channels allowed for thorough wetting and swelling throughout the entire depth of the tablet. The formation of channels was confirmed through XRCT images. In conclusion, the presence of channels in ChMT tablets increased the rate of swelling and erosion, resulting in a zero-order release pattern. This development offers the potential to improve the dosage of PRF and reduce its associated side effects.
Leukapheresis is used for the mechanical removal of leukaemic cells in hyperleukocytosis. However, the effectiveness of leukapheresis remains unclear due to selection and confounding factors in the ...cohorts. We compared the effectiveness of leukapheresis among the subgroups according to either the 2016 World Health Organization classification or the number of cytogenetic abnormalities with a retrospective, single-centre study from January 2009 to December 2018. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML, n = 212) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL, n = 97) were included. The 30-day survival rates (95% confidence interval, 95% CI) for AML and ALL were 86.3% (81.6-90.9%) and 94.8% (90.3-99.2%), respectively. For AML, 'primary AML with myelodysplasia-related changes' and 'AML with biallelic mutation of CEBPA' showed better 30-day survival outcomes (P = 0.026) than the other subgroups. A higher platelet count after leukapheresis was associated with better 30-day survival in AML patients (P = 0.029). A decrease in blast percentage count after leukapheresis was associated with better 30-day survival in ALL patients (P = 0.034). Our study suggested that prophylactic platelet transfusion to raise the platelet count to 50 × 10
/L or greater might improve clinical outcome in AML patients undergoing leukapheresis.
Aim
To investigate the efficacy of a virtual reality rehabilitation system of wearable multi‐inertial sensors to improve upper‐limb function in children with brain injury.
Method
Eighty children (39 ...males, 41 females) with brain injury including cerebral palsy aged 3 to 16 years (mean age 5y 8mo, SD 2y 10mo) were assessed as part of a multicentre, single‐blind, randomized controlled trial. The intervention group received a 30‐minute virtual reality intervention and a 30‐minute session of conventional occupational therapy while the control group received 60 minutes of conventional occupational therapy per session, with 20 sessions over 4 weeks. The virtual reality rehabilitation system consisted of games promoting wrist and forearm articular movements using wearable inertial sensors. The Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function‐2 (MA‐2), Upper Limb Physician’s Rating Scale, Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test, and computerized three‐dimensional motion analysis were performed.
Results
Both groups (virtual reality, n=40; control, n=38) significantly improved after treatment compared to baseline; however, the virtual reality group showed more significant improvements in upper‐limb dexterity functions (MA‐2, virtual reality group: Δ=10.09±10.50; control: Δ=3.65±6.92), performance of activities of daily living, and forearm supination by kinematic analysis (p<0.05). In the virtual reality group, children with more severe motor impairment showed significant improvements compared to those with less severe impairment.
Interpretation
The virtual reality rehabilitation system used in this study, which consists of wearable inertial sensors and offers intensive, interactive, and repetitive motor training, is effective in children with brain injury.
What this paper adds
Both virtual reality rehabilitation and conventional occupational therapy were effective for upper‐limb training.
Virtual reality training was superior in improving dexterity, performance of activities of daily living, and active forearm supination motion.
The effect of virtual reality training was significant in children with more severe motor impairments.
What this paper adds
Both virtual reality rehabilitation and conventional occupational therapy were effective for upper‐limb training.
Virtual reality training was superior in improving dexterity, performance of activities of daily living, and active forearm supination motion.
The effect of virtual reality training was significant in children with more severe motor impairments.
This article is commented on by Rathinam on pages 370–371 of this issue.
The amount of distributed energy resources (DERs) has constantly increased worldwide. As the power ratings of DERs have become considerably high, the grid code requirements are necessary to secure ...reliable power generation and transmission for the public electric network. In order to follow grid codes of the various countries and optimize the function of grid-connected inverters for DERs, a robust phase-locked loop (PLL) is essential for extracting the grid phase information accurately, when the grid voltage is polluted by harmonics and unbalanced. This paper proposes fault ride-through techniques based on a low-pass notch (LPN)-PLL. The LPN-PLL has not only fast and smooth transient responses to a sudden transition of the grid voltage but also has robustness to the distorted and unbalanced grid conditions. Therefore, the stable performance in the grid fault conditions is expected without the system trip. Furthermore, a universal voltage sag generator for the various grid codes with six parameters is proposed for the verification of low voltage ride-through (LVRT) performance. Experimental verifications are presented to show the LVRT performance based on the LPN-PLL with a three-phase grid-connected inverter (10 kV·A) and a prototype of the voltage sag generator (10 kV·A).
In this paper, a novel topology for a photovoltaic (PV) dc/dc converter that can dramatically reduce the power rating and increase the efficiency of a PV system by analyzing PV module characteristics ...is proposed. Based on the analysis, in the proposed topology, only 30.7% power of the total PV system is needed for a dc/dc converter. Furthermore, the dc/dc converter efficiency curve is flat under wide PV module voltage and all load ranges. In particular, the converter efficiency at the lower duty range is dramatically improved. The total PV system is implemented for a 250-kW PV power conditioning system (PCS). This system has only three dc/dc converters with a 25-kW power rating. It is only one-third of the total PV PCS power. The 25-kW prototype PV dc/dc converter is introduced to experimentally verify the proposed topology. In addition, an experimental result shows that the proposed topology exhibits a good performance.
Background
The sensitivity of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to reduced‐intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) ...versus myeloablative conditioning (MAC) allogeneic HCT by minimal residual disease (MRD) kinetics is not well established.
Methods
This study compared long‐term outcomes based on MRD kinetics for 79 patients with RIC transplants and 116 patients with MAC transplants in first complete remission (CR1) after tyrosine kinase inhibitor–based chemotherapy (median follow‐up, 67.1 months). MRD monitoring was centrally evaluated by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction for all patients.
Results
RIC showed a cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR; 30.6% vs 31.7%), nonrelapse mortality (17.5% vs 14.9%), disease‐free survival (DFS; 51.9% vs 53.4%), and overall survival (61.1% vs 61.4%) comparable to those associated with MAC. In all MRD kinetics–based subgroups, no differences in CIR (early complete molecular response CMR, 19.3% vs 4.8%; early major molecular response MMR, 17.0% vs 26.8%; late CMR, 20.0% vs 14.3%; late MMR, 28.3% vs 31.0%; poor molecular response PMR, 57.9% vs 62.4%) or DFS (early CMR, 71.6% vs 76.2%; early MMR, 66.9% vs 52.1%; late CMR, 50.0% vs 64.3%; late MMR, 50.7% vs 53.7%; PMR, 31.6% vs 34.1%) were observed between RIC and MAC. In a multivariate analysis, the conditioning intensity had no significant impact on transplantation outcomes.
Conclusions
RIC is a valid alternative choice for long‐term disease control and is worthy of further investigation in prospective trials for adult Ph‐positive ALL in CR1.
Reduced‐intensity conditioning shows long‐term outcomes comparable to those with myeloablative conditioning in adults with Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia who undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation during their first complete remission after tyrosine kinase inhibitor–based chemotherapy. The sensitivity of Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia to reduced‐intensity conditioning versus myeloablative conditioning is not different in all minimal residual disease kinetics–based patient subgroups.
Our purpose was to compare the risk of tooth loss caused by periodontal disease between diabetic and nondiabetic individuals and to estimate the relative risk of tooth loss according to the severity ...and control of diabetes.
We selected 10,215 individuals who were diagnosed as diabetics in the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) database in 2003 and the same number of individuals who had never been diagnosed with diabetes during the period covered by the NHIS-NSC (2002-2013) with propensity score matching. Diabetic individuals were divided into two groups according to the treatment modality. We counted the number of teeth lost in each group to determine the difference in the risk of tooth loss among groups and used the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) of tooth loss caused by periodontitis.
Diabetic individuals had a higher risk of tooth loss than nondiabetic individuals (HR = 1.298, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.233 ≤ HR ≤ 1.366; P < 0.01). The severer the degree of diabetes, the higher the risk of tooth loss. As the number of dental visits increased, the risk of tooth loss declined (HR = 0.998, 95% CI: 0.996 ≤ HR ≤ 0.999; P < 0.01).
Within the limits of this retrospective cohort study, the risk of tooth loss among diabetic individuals was higher than that among nondiabetic individuals. The risk of tooth loss declined with increasing numbers of dental visits and increased with the severity of diabetes.
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