Hydrogen Storage Materials for Mobile and Stationary Applications: Current State of the Art

One of the limitations to the widespread use of hydrogen as an energy carrier is its storage in a safe and compact form. Herein, recent developments in effective high-capacity hydrogen storage materials are reviewed, with a special emphasis on light compounds, including those based on organic porous structures, boron, nitrogen, and aluminum. These elements and their related compounds hold the promise of high, reversible, and practical hydrogen storage capacity for mobile applications, including vehicles and portable power equipment, but also for the large scale and distributed storage of energy for stationary applications. Current understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the interaction of hydrogen with these light compounds is summarized, as well as basic strategies to meet practical targets of hydrogen uptake and release. The limitation of these strategies and current understanding is also discussed and new directions proposed

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Controlled Growth of Y-Junction Nanotubes Using Ti-Doped Vapor Catalyst

We demonstrate a bulk process for the synthesis of Y-junction carbon nanotubes using Ti-doped Fe catalysts. It is shown that the nanotube branching can be induced or stopped at will by tuning the Ti composition in the catalyst particle that seeds the growth of nanotubes. Detailed electron microscopic studies suggest that the mechanism for the observed Y-junction formation is mediated via catalyst particle attachment on the walls of a growing MWNT, from which the branching nanotubes nucleate and grow. By controlling the Ti concentration in the precursor, cascading Y-junction series as well as quadruple junctions have been successfully synthesized, offering the possibility for interesting device applications. The simplicity and controllability of such an in-situ Y-junction fabrication technique make it an excellent source of ready-made networks for potential nanoscale devices

Melittin Constrains the Expression of Identified Key Genes Associated with Bladder Cancer

This work is aimed at investigating the effect of melittin on identified key genes in bladder cancer (BC) and further providing a theoretical basis for BC treatment. GSE35014 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in BC cells and control. Results showed that a total of 389 upregulated and 169 downregulated genes were identified. Subsequently, GO analysis, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and PPI network analysis were employed to disclose the crucial genes and signaling pathways involved in BC. Fifteen module-related DEGs and their associated signaling pathways were obtained according to the PPI network and modular analyses. Based on the analysis of articles retrieved in the PubMed database, we found that melittin could induce apoptosis and constrain the progression of tumor cells as a result of regulating critical cancer-related signaling pathways, such as PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways. Furthermore, PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways were also found to be associated with module-related DEGs according to biological analyses. At last, qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that melittin could constrain the expression of module-related DEGs (LPAR1, COL5A1, COL6A2, CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL3) associated with PI3K-Akt and TNF signaling pathways in BC cells. Functional assays revealed that melittin could constrain the proliferative and migrated abilities of BC cells. Conjointly, these findings provide a theoretical basis for these six genes as drug-sensitive markers of melittin in BC treatment

Relationship between accumulated temperature and quality of paddy

In this paper, a model for controlling paddy drying by incorporating accumulated temperature is introduced and defined. Drying experiments using freshly harvested paddy were conducted at different levels of drying air parameters including temperature (T = 27°C, 31°C, 35°C, 39°C, and 43°C), relative humidity (RH = 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, and 65%), initial moisture content (M0 = 17%, 19%, 21%, 23%, and 25%) and airspeed (V = 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 m s−1). When T = 31°C, RH = 60%, M0 = 19%, and V = 0.5 ms−1, the crack additional percentage reached a minimum value of 0.508%, with the average precipitation rate at 0.719%·h. Further, an accumulated temperature and quality chart was provided in this paper. The x-coordinate of this chart is temperature, and the initial moisture content represents the y-coordinate. It covers the drying conditions of the actual dryer well and has a wide range of applicability for real-world environment. The model developed in this study not only provides a scientific reference for precise drying and intelligent control of paddy but also guide the actual drying operation