Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of elective cancer operations performed. Cancer patients are felt to be a high-risk group for COVID-19, and therefore, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of operating during this time; however, the potential risk of cancer progression if untreated must also be considered. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the incidence of COVID-19 post-operatively in patients undergoing elective cancer surgery of all types. Methods Data were collected on all patients who had an elective therapeutic cancer operation in a single large district general hospital, where standard COVID-19 precautions were in place, between 01/02/2020 and 27/4/2020, Follow-up was for a minimum of 2 weeks post-discharge. The primary outcome was the incidence of COVID-19 during the follow-up period. Results A total of 621 elective cancer surgeries, from a range of specialities, were performed during the study period, with 55% ( n  = 341) being done as day cases. None of the patients were positive for COVID-19 post-operatively using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing. Conclusions The risk of COVID-19 following elective cancer surgery in this group of high-risk patients appears to be minimal in this study. With further precautions being introduced to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19, an increase in the rate of elective cancer surgery should be a current priority for all hospitals where possible.

Supported metal catalysts often suffer from rapid degradation under harsh conditions due to material failure and weak metal-support interaction. Here we propose using reductive hydrogenated borophene to in-situ synthesize Pt/B/C catalysts with small sizes (~2.5 nm), high-density dispersion (up to 80 wt% Pt ), and promising stability, originating from forming Pt-B bond which are theoretically ~5× stronger than Pt-C. Based on the Pt/B/C module, a series (~18 kinds) of carbon supported binary, ternary, quaternary, and quinary Pt intermetallic compound nanocatalysts with sub-4 nm size are synthesized. Thanks to the stable intermetallics and strong metal-support interaction, annealing at 1000 °C does not cause those nanoparticles sintering. They also show much improved activity and stability in electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction. Therefore, by introducing the boron chemistry, the hydrogenated borophene derived multielement catalysts enable the synergy of small size, high loading, stable anchoring, and flexible compositions, thus demonstrating high versatility toward efficient and durable catalysis. Supported metal catalysts suffer from rapid degradation under harsh conditions. Here, the authors report a hydrogenated borophene-triggered synthesis method to prepare carbon supported Pt and multielement Pt based intermetallic catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity and durability for oxygen reduction reaction.

Aqueous zinc‐manganese (Zn–Mn) batteries have promising potential in large‐scale energy storage applications since they are highly safe, environment‐friendly, and low‐cost. However, the practicality of Mn‐based materials is plagued by their structural collapse and uncertain energy storage mechanism upon cycling. Herein, this work designs an amorphous manganese borate (a‐MnBOx) material via disordered coordination to alleviate the above issues and improve the electrochemical performance of Zn–Mn batteries. The unique physicochemical characteristic of a‐MnBOx enables the inner a‐MnBOx to serve as a robust framework in the initial energy storage process. Additionally, the amorphous manganese dioxide, amorphous ZnxMnO(OH)2, and Zn4SO4(OH)6·4H2O active components form on the surface of a‐MnBOx during the charge/discharge process. The detailed in situ/ex situ characterization demonstrates that the heterostructure of the inner a‐MnBOx and surface multicomponent phases endows two energy storage modes (Zn2+/H+ intercalation/deintercalation process and reversible conversion mechanism between the ZnxMnO(OH)2 and Zn4SO4(OH)6·4H2O) phases). Therefore, the obtained Zn//a‐MnBOx battery exhibits a high specific capacity of 360.4 mAh g−1, a high energy density of 484.2 Wh kg−1, and impressive cycling stability (97.0% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles). This finding on a‐MnBOx with a dual‐energy storage mechanism provides new opportunities for developing high‐performance aqueous Zn–Mn batteries. A conceptual amorphous manganese borate material for AZIBs is designed via a disordered coordination strategy. The unique physicochemical characteristic of a‐MnBOx can form the a‐MnO2, ZnxMnO(OH)2, and Zn4SO4(OH)6·4H2O phases, realizing multiple energy storage modes for enhancing the charge storage ability.

As newly emerged 2D layered transition metal carbides or carbonitrides, MXenes have attracted growing attention in energy conversion and storage applications due to their exceptional high electronic conductivity, ample functional groups (e.g., -OH, -F, -O), desirable hydrophilicity, and superior dispersibility in aqueous solutions. The significant advantages of MXenes enable them to be intriguing structural units to engineer advanced MXene-based nanocomposites for electrochemical storage devices with remarkable performances. Herein, this review summarizes the current advances of MXene-based materials for energy storage (e.g., supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, and zinc ion storage devices), in which the fabrication routes and the special functions of MXenes for electrode materials, conductive matrix, surface modification, heteroatom doping, crumpling, and protective layer to prevent dendrite growth are highlighted. Additionally, given that MXene are versatile for self-assembling into specific configuration with geometric flexibility, great efforts about methodologies (e.g., vacuum filtration, mask-assisted filtration, screen printing, extrusion printing technique, and directly writing) of patterned MXene-based composite film or MXene-based conductive ink for fabricating more types of energy storage device were also discussed. Finally, the existing challenges and prospects of MXene-based materials and growing trend for further energy storage devices are also presented.

The architectures of sustainable carbon fibers are highly acquired from the perspective of supercapacitor (SC) applications, which has stimulated the exploration of advanced functional carbons for further enhancing the SC performance. Here, through integrating the strategies of ternary hybridization and chemical activation into one structure, hierarchically porous N-doped carbon microfiber sample (CPZ-AC), using a hybrid precursor of polyaniline (PANI) and ZIF-8 in situ grown on cotton thread, is rationally produced. It displays ideal capacitive properties especially with superior rate capability of 80% retention at a 100-fold rate. Moreover, the solid-state CPZ-AC//PVA/KOH (gel)//CPZ-AC SC achieves the highest power and energy densities of up to 4705.9 W kg−1 at 30 A g−1 and 5.2 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and decent cycling stability with 0.0015% capacitance decay per cycle within 10000 cycles at 4 A g−1. In addition, the device shows the applicability in portable electronics. This study may be extended to efficiently design ideal one-dimensional carbon materials promoting the blossom of carbon-based SCs.

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are an ideal choice for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost. However, their performance is constrained by challenges related to cathode materials, such as poor conductivity, dissolution of active materials, and structural instability during cycling. In this study, α-MnO2 cathode material with a tunnel structure was synthesized via a hydrothermal method, and MnSO4 was introduced into the ZnSO4 electrolyte to optimize the electrochemical performance of ZIBs. Characterizations through XRD, SEM, and BET revealed excellent crystal morphology and nanorod structures, which provided superior ion transport pathways. With the addition of MnSO4, the discharge specific capacity of ZIBs at 0.1 A g⁻1 was significantly improved from 172.9 mAh g⁻1 to 263.2 mAh g⁻1, the cycling stability was also notably enhanced, namely, after 1000 cycles with the current density of 1 mA cm−2, the capacity settled at 50 mAh g−1, which is a 47.4% increase in relation to the case of absent additive. The experimental results indicate that MnSO4 additives effectively suppress manganese dissolution, improving the rate capability and reducing self-discharge. This study provides a novel approach to the development of high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Background & objective Little research was available to explore which surgical fixation was better between fixation of both clavicle and scapula and clavicle alone in management of floating shoulder injury. Methods Total 69 patients with floating shoulder injury receiving surgery from February 2005 to July 2020 participated in the study. 49 patients underwent fixation of the clavicle alone (Group C) while 20 patients underwent fixation of both clavicle and scapula (Group C + S). They were further divided into subgroups according to age: Group C1, Group C + S1 (age ≤ 55 years old) and Group C2, Group C + S2 (age>55 years old). The radiological parameter (glenopolar angle (GPA)) and clinical outcomes (Herscovici score, Constant-Murley shoulder outcome score (CSS score), and Visual Analogue Scale score (VAS score)) were collected and compared between these groups. The correlation between age and radiological parameter and clinical outcomes was calculated by the Spearman correlation analysis. Results All people were followed up for at least 1 year. The degree of change in GPA before and after surgery in Group C + S is significantly better than that in Group C. The Herscovici and CSS score in Group C + S2 were significantly higher than those in Group C2 at 1 month, 3 months and 1 year after surgery. However, no significant difference in Herscovici and CSS score was found at final follow-up (1 year after surgery) between Group C + S1 and Group C1. The VAS score in Group C + S2 at final follow-up was significantly lower than that in Group C2. No significant difference in VAS score at final follow-up was found between Group C + S1 and Group C1. In addition, the VAS score was negatively correlated with Herscovici and CSS score. No correlation was found between VAS score and GPA. Conclusions Both types of surgical fixation are effective in management of floating shoulder injury. For young people with floating shoulder injury, both types of surgical fixation are equally effective. However, for older people with floating shoulder injury, fixation of both clavicle and scapula is better in prognosis than fixation of clavicle alone.

This study investigates emergency response strategies for sudden pollution incidents in long-distance water diversion tunnels. The tunnel section of the Yin Chao Ji Liao Project in Inner Mongolia is used as a case study. A one-dimensional hydrodynamic water quality model was developed in Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to analyze pollutant transport characteristics in the tunnel under various operating conditions. Based on the actual engineering conditions, control scenarios with multiple flow rates and multiple gate combinations were set up. Emergency control strategies for sudden pollution events were developed to address extreme pollution scenarios. The feasibility of scheduling gate operations according to pollutant transport response time for effective pollution mitigation was evaluated. On this basis, an expression for calculating gate-operation timings for emergency pollution control was derived. The results indicate that the peak concentration in the tunnel shows a decreasing trend as the flow rate increases, and the change process shows a stage-by-stage characteristic. Accounting for the response time of water discharge can improve pollution disposal efficiency by 4.34–52.14%. The efficiency gains become increasingly pronounced at higher flow rates, indicating that this strategy can effectively enhance water discharge efficiency. Installing water quality monitoring instruments near the drainage gate section helps improve the precision of regulation and effectively enhances the timeliness and accuracy of operations, and provides a theoretical reference for on-site emergency regulation and control.