Mitigating Gas Evolution in Electron Beam-Induced Gel Polymer Electrolytes Through Bi-Functional Cross-Linkable Additives.

The current high-capacity lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), reliant on flammable liquid electrolytes (LEs) and nickel-rich cathodes, are plagued by safety hazards, especially the risk of hazardous gas release stemming from internal side reactions. To address these safety concerns, an electron beam (E-beam)-induced gel polymer electrolyte (E-Gel) is introduced, employing dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPH) as a bi-functional cross-linkable additive (CIA). The dual roles of DPH are exploited through a strategically designed E-beam irradiation process.

Formulating Electron Beam-Induced Covalent Linkages for Stable and High-Energy-Density Silicon Microparticle Anode.

High-capacity silicon (Si) materials hold a position at the forefront of advanced lithium-ion batteries. The inherent potential offers considerable advantages for substantially increasing the energy density in batteries, capable of maximizing the benefit by changing the paradigm from nano- to micron-sized Si particles. Nevertheless, intrinsic structural instability remains a significant barrier to its practical application, especially for larger Si particles.

Randomized comparison of effects of two different remifentanil dose on surgical conditions during endoscopic sinus surgery.

Background: The combination of propofol and remifentanil results in better surgical field conditions during endoscopic sinus surgery than inhalation anesthesia. This study compared surgical field conditions between two groups receiving low or high concentration of remifentanil and hemodynamic variables using non-invasive cardiac monitoring.

Methods: Fifty-four patients between ASA I or II, were randomly assigned to either the high-concentration remifentanil group (HR), effect-site concentration of 8 ng/mL or the low-concentration remifentanil group(LR), effect-site concentration of 4 ng/mL.

Perceived variability reflects the reliability of individual items.

When confronted with many visual items, people can compute their variability accurately and rapidly, which facilitates efficient information processing and optimal decision making. However, how the visual system computes variability is still unclear. To investigate this, we implemented situations whereby estimates of variability based on several possible variability measures (e.

Effect of Diabetes on the Prognosis of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical implications of diabetes for the management of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Adaptation to mean and variance: Interrelationships between mean and variance representations in orientation perception.

When there are many visual items, the visual system could represent their summary statistics (e.g., mean, variance) to process them efficiently.

Clinical Characteristics of External Auditory Canal Foreign Bodies in Children and Adolescents.

Objectives: Foreign bodies (FBs) in external auditory canal (EAC) can occur at any age but are especially common in children and adolescents. The aims of the study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of EAC FBs in children and adolescents and to discuss their proper management.

Methods: A retrospective medical chart review was performed on patients who were treated for EAC FBs in a tertiary referral center from January 2007 to December 2017.

Expression of RANKL and OPG in middle ear cholesteatoma tissue.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate how the expression of the RANK-RANKL-OPG system mediates the formation and differentiation of osteoclasts and causes bone resorption in cholesteatoma.

Methods: An immunohistochemical analysis was carried out in 22 cholesteatoma tissues obtained during middle ear surgery and 15 normal postauricular skin tissues to examine the expression of RANKL and OPG.

Results: All 22 cases of cholesteatoma and the 15 cases of normal postauricular skin expressed RANKL and OPG.

Detection rates of bacteria in chronic otitis media with effusion in children.

This study was performed to investigate polymerase chain reaction-based detection of bacterial DNA in middle ear fluid and assess the correlation between the PCR-positive rate with several factors associated with middle ear effusion. The purpose was to gain a further understanding of bacterial infection as a major cause of otitis media with effusion. Of the 278 specimens of middle ear fluid, 39 (14%) tested positive by ordinary culture.