Challenges for Developing Rechargeable Room-Temperature Sodium Oxygen Batteries

© 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim The development of high energy-density and low-cost energy storage devices requires new chemistry beyond the horizon of current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Recently, sodium/oxygen (Na/O2) batteries have attracted great attention as one possible battery type among the new generation of rechargeable batteries. They convince with superior energy density, a relatively simple cell reaction, and abundance of sodium. Research on Na/O2 batteries has progressed quickly in recent years. However, a fundamental understanding underpinning the complex chemical/electrochemical side reactions is still insufficient, and many challenges remain unsolved for real practical applications. Herein, recent achievements and remaining issues for the development of rechargeable Na/O2 batteries are summarized. The discussion focuses on cell reaction mechanisms as well as cathode materials, sodium anodes, and electrolytes as key components of this type of battery. Furthermore, perspectives for future research and technological advances of Na/O2 batteries are outlined

Phase diagram for morphological transitions of wetting films on chemically structured substrates

Using an interface displacement model we calculate the shapes of thin liquidlike films adsorbed on flat substrates containing a chemical stripe. We determine the entire phase diagram of morphological phase transitions in these films as function of temperature, undersaturation, and stripe widthComment: 15 pages, RevTeX, 7 Figure

Does subarachnoid haemorrhage affect the innate immune response?

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Cancer prevalence in Central Europe: the EUROPREVAL Study

Background: Information on cancer prevalence is either absent or largely unavailable for central European countries. Materials and methods: Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland cover a population of 13 million inhabitants. Cancer registries in these countries supplied incidence and survival data for 465 000 cases of cancer. The prevalence of stomach, colon, rectum, lung, breast, cervix uteri, corpus uteri and prostate cancer, as well as skin melanoma, Hodgkin's disease, leukaemia and all malignant neoplasms combined was estimated for the end of 1992. Results: A large heterogeneity was observed within central European countries. For all cancers combined, estimates ranged from 730 per 100 000 in Poland (men) to 3350 per 100 000 in Germany (women). Overall cancer prevalence was the highest in Germany and Switzerland, and the lowest in Poland and Slovenia. In Slovakia, prevalence was higher than average for men and lower than average for women. This was observed for almost all ages. As shown by incidence data, breast cancer was the most frequent malignancy among women in all countries. Among men, prostate cancer was the leading malignancy in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and lung cancer was the major cancer in Slovenia, Slovakia and Poland. The Netherlands had a high prevalence of both prostate and lung cancer. Time-related magnitude of prevalence within each country and the variability of such proportions across the countries has been estimated and cancer prevalence is given by time since diagnosis (1 year, 1-5 years, 5-10 years, >10 years) for each site. The weight of 1-year prevalence (248 per 100 000 among men and 253 per 100 000 among women) was 10 years before), reflecting long-term survival, and number of people considered as cured from cancer were 490 per 100 000 for men and 1028 per 100 000 for women, with a range between 26% (The Netherlands, men) and 50% (Slovakia, women). Conclusion: It is clear from observing countries in Central Europe, that high cancer prevalence is associated with well-developed economies. This burden of cancer could be interpreted as a paradoxical effect of better treatments and thereby survival. It could also be taken as a sign for not being satisfied with the advances in treating patients diagnosed with cancer, and for supporting more primary preventio

Measuring Information Transfer

An information theoretic measure is derived that quantifies the statistical coherence between systems evolving in time. The standard time delayed mutual information fails to distinguish information that is actually exchanged from shared information due to common history and input signals. In our new approach, these influences are excluded by appropriate conditioning of transition probabilities. The resulting transfer entropy is able to distinguish driving and responding elements and to detect asymmetry in the coupling of subsystems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figures, Revte

The Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Primary Staging of Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Context Management of newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) is guided in part by accurate clinical staging. The role of imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), in initial staging remains controversial. Objective To systematically review the studies of MRI and/or PET/CT in the staging of newly diagnosed PCa with respect to tumor (T), nodal (N), and metastatic (M) staging (TNM staging). Evidence acquisition We performed a systematic review of the literature using MEDLINE and Web of Science databases between 2012 and 2020 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Evidence synthesis A total of 139 studies (83 on T, 47 on N, and 24 on M status) were included. Ninety-nine (71%) were retrospective, 39 (28%) were prospective, and one was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Most studies on T staging examined MRI, while PET/CT was used primarily for N and M staging. Sensitivity for the detection of extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion, or lymph node invasion ranged widely. When imaging was incorporated into existing risk tools, gain in accuracy was observed in some studies, although these findings have not been replicated. For M staging, most favorable results were reported for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT, which demonstrated significantly better performance than conventional imaging. Conclusions A variety of studies on modern imaging techniques for TNM staging in newly diagnosed PCa exist. For T and N staging, reported sensitivity of imaging modalities such as MRI or PET/CT varied widely due to data heterogeneity, small sample size, and low event rates resulting in large confidence intervals and a high level of uncertainty. Therefore, uniformity in data presentation and standardization on this topic are needed. The most promising technique for M staging, which was evaluated recently in an RCT, is PSMA-PET/CT. Patient summary We performed a systematic review of currently available imaging modalities to stage newly diagnosed prostate cancer. With respect to local tumor and lymph node assessment, performance of imaging ranged widely. However, prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography showed favorable results for the detection of distant metastases

Shapes, contact angles, and line tensions of droplets on cylinders

Using an interface displacement model we calculate the shapes of nanometer-size liquid droplets on homogeneous cylindrical surfaces. We determine effective contact angles and line tensions, the latter defined as excess free energies per unit length associated with the two contact lines at the ends of the droplet. The dependences of these quantities on the cylinder radius and on the volume of the droplets are analyzed.Comment: 26 pages, RevTeX, 10 Figure

Thermodynamic theory of epitaxial ferroelectric thin films with dense domain structures

A Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire-type nonlinear phenomenological theory is presented, which enables the thermodynamic description of dense laminar polydomain states in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films. The theory explicitly takes into account the mechanical substrate effect on the polarizations and lattice strains in dissimilar elastic domains (twins). Numerical calculations are performed for PbTiO3 and BaTiO3 films grown on (001)-oriented cubic substrates. The "misfit strain-temperature" phase diagrams are developed for these films, showing stability ranges of various possible polydomain and single-domain states. Three types of polarization instabilities are revealed for polydomain epitaxial ferroelectric films, which may lead to the formation of new polydomain states forbidden in bulk crystals. The total dielectric and piezoelectric small-signal responses of polydomain films are calculated, resulting from both the volume and domain-wall contributions. For BaTiO3 films, strong dielectric anomalies are predicted at room temperature near special values of the misfit strain.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Wetting films on chemically heterogeneous substrates

Based on a microscopic density functional theory we investigate the morphology of thin liquidlike wetting films adsorbed on substrates endowed with well-defined chemical heterogeneities. As paradigmatic cases we focus on a single chemical step and on a single stripe. In view of applications in microfluidics the accuracy of guiding liquids by chemical microchannels is discussed. Finally we give a general prescription of how to investigate theoretically the wetting properties of substrates with arbitrary chemical structures.Comment: 56 pages, RevTeX, 20 Figure