The role of electrolyte fluidity on the power generation characteristics of thermally driven electrochemical cells

Thermally driven electrochemical cells (thermocells) are able to convert thermal gradient applied across redox electrolyte into electricity. The performance of the thermocells heavily depends on the magnitude and integrity of the applied thermal gradient. Herein, we study the iodide/triiodide (I–/I3 –) based 1-Ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium Ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4]) solutions in a thermocell. In order to comprehend the role of fluidity of the electrolyte, we prepared set of solutions by diluting [EMIM][EtSO4] with 0.002, 0.004, and 0.010 mol of Acetonitrile (ACN). We realized a significant improvement in ionic conductivity (σ) and electrochemical Seebeck (Se) of diluted electrolytes as compared to base [EMIM][EtSO4] owing to the solvent organization. However, the infra-red thermography indicated faster heat flow in ACN-diluted-[EMIM] [EtSO4] as compared to the base [EMIM][EtSO4]. Therefore, the maximum power density of base [EMIM][EtSO4] (i.e. 118.5 μW.m-2) is 3 times higher than the ACN-diluted-[EMIM][EtSO4] (i.e. 36.1 μW.m-2) because of the lower thermal conductivity. Hence this paper illustrates the compromise between the fast mass/flow transfer due to fluidity (of diluted samples) and the low thermal conductivity (of the pure [EMIM][EtSO4])

Symptoms trend and challenges in dental practice during delta variance COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Google Trends Analysis [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has grown to be a serious issue on a global scale. Dental care is one of the industries affected by COVID-19. The surveillance utilizing lifetime data, however, is still not clear. The purpose of this study was to use Google Trends (GT) analysis to examine symptom trends and challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia. Methods: Covid-19 cases retrieve from Our World in Data. The cases were collected between 1 April 2021-30 September 2021. The GT was used to discover Indonesian relative search volume (RSVs) covering the timeframe of the first outbreak covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia on 1 March 2020 until 13 February 2022. The duration of the search was chosen to reflect the relative popularity of the keywords "symptoms and dentistry practice challenge-related terms" and "coronavirus". Results: We observed that there was a significant and positive correlation between the COVID-19 daily case using GT RSV data and the COVID-19 case from Our World in Data. The COVID-19 daily case had a strong correlation with search terms related to symptoms (such as fever, sore throat, flu, toothache, and cough), drugs (such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, demacolin, bodrex, and antibiotic), and health management (such as self-isolation and telemedicine). Conclusion: Using GT may be helpful to observe the current symptoms trends as well as its challenge tendencies as a surveillance tool for a continuing pandemic like COVID-19. GT should be considered and used as it has the potential to be a powerful digital epidemiology tool that can provide more insight into disease dynamics

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Prevalence and risk factors of fatigue in type 1 and type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors of fatigue in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Observational studies reporting the prevalence and risk factors of fatigue in type 1 or 2 DM were systematically searched for in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Trial, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses databases. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. A random-effect model was used for data analysis. Findings: We included 19 studies involving 7131 patients with type 1 DM and 32 studies involving 34,994 patients with type 2 DM in the study. The pooled prevalence of fatigue in type 1 and type 2 DM was 44% and 50%, respectively. The Asia–Pacific region (e.g., Japan and Australia), South America, and Africa lacked reports regarding fatigue prevalence in type 1 DM, and North Asia and Southeast Asia lacked reports of fatigue prevalence in type 2 DM. Depression and physical activity were the only two variables significantly correlated with fatigue in both type 1 and type 2 DM (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Approximately half of the patients with type 1 or type 2 DM experienced fatigue, with the prevalence of 44% and 50%, respectively. Our findings regarding its risk factors can provide an evidence-based approach for managing fatigue in DM patients. Clinical relevance: This meta-analysis emphasizes the importance of fatigue management in patients with type 1 and type 2 DM. Most significantly, our results on risk factors related to fatigue in diabetes can contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies for managing fatigue in individuals with DM. © 2021 Sigma Theta Tau International

Experimental assessment of a novel eutectic binary molten salt-based hexagonal boron nitride nanocomposite as a promising PCM with enhanced specific heat capacity

In this study, novel nanocomposites containing the pre-defined mass ratio of binary molten salt (NaNO3-KNO3: 60-40 wt. %) dispersed with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoparticles with nominal size of 70 nm, were prepared through one-phase preparation method. Four different types of samples including pure binary molten salt and binary molten salt-based hBN nanocomposites with loading concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 wt. % were prepared. The proposed amount of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate was added to certain amount of DI water, comprising with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 wt. % concentration of hBN nanoparticles. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the uniformity of the synthesized binary molten salt-based hBN nanocomposites. The SEM images revealed uniform dispersion of hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles and fractal-like structures were observed clearly. Specific heat capacity (cp) and melting temperature measurements were performed using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experimental achieved data for melting temperature proved that hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles do not affect the melting temperature of the synthesized nanocomposites. The experimentally achieved data for the average cp values of the binary molten salt in solid and liquid phases were 1.14 and 1.13 J/g K, respectively. While, the average cp values for the binary molten salt-based hBN nanocomposite with the highest loading concentration of nanoparticles (1.5 wt. %) in solid and liquid phases were 2 and 3.17 J/g K, respectively. The measured average cp value in the liquid phase for binary molten salt-based hBN nanocomposite with the highest loading concentration (1.5 wt. %) of nanoparticles revealed enhancement of ~180% in comparison with pure binary molten salt. Thermal stability measurements expressed enhancement of thermal stability in binary molten salt induced with hBN nanoparticles. Binary molten salt-based hBN nanocomposite with loading concentration of 1.5 wt. % represented ~16% enhancement in thermal stability over the binary molten salt

Major Insights in Dynamics of Host Response to SARS-CoV-2:Impacts and Challenges

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a pandemic declared by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, is caused by the infection of highly transmissible species of a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of July 25, 2021, there are 194,372,584 cases and 4,167,937 deaths with high variability in clinical manifestations, disease burden, and post-disease complications among different people around the globe. Overall, COVID-19 is manifested as mild to moderate in almost 90% of the cases and only the rest 10% of the cases need hospitalization. However, patients with older age and those having different comorbidities have made worst the pandemic scenario. The variability of pathological consequences and clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is associated with differential host–SARS-CoV-2 interactions, which are influenced by the factors that originated from the SARS-CoV-2 and the host. These factors usually include the genomic attributes and virulent factors of the SARS-CoV-2, the burden of coinfection with other viruses and bacteria, age and gender of the individuals, different comorbidities, immune suppressions/deficiency, genotypes of major histocompatibility complex, and blood group antigens and antibodies. We herein retrieved and reviewed literatures from PubMed, Scopus, and Google relevant to clinical complications and pathogenesis of COVID-19 among people of different age, sex, and geographical locations; genomic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 including its variants, host response under different variables, and comorbidities to summarize the dynamics of the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection; and host response toward approved vaccines and treatment strategies against COVID-19. After reviewing a large number of published articles covering different aspects of host response to SARS-CoV-2, it is clear that one aspect from one region is not working with the scenario same to others, as studies have been done separately with a very small number of cases from a particular area/region of a country. Importantly, to combat such a pandemic as COVID-19, a conclusive understanding of the disease dynamics is required. This review emphasizes on the identification of the factors influencing the dynamics of host responses to SARS-CoV-2 and offers a future perspective to explore the molecular insights of COVID-19

Dynamic Prevalence of Sleep Disorders Following Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The exact prevalence of sleep disorders following stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing, insomnia, periodic leg movement during sleep, and res