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Despite technical advancements in the perioperative management of cancer surgery, postoperative pain remains a significant clinical issue. We examined the diagnostic value of the intraoperative perfusion index for predicting acute postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. We retrospectively analyzed data for 105 patients who had undergone laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. Patients with pain scores p < 0.001). The perfusion index change ratios did not significantly differ between the groups. The intraoperative perfusion index change ratios do not correlate with acute postoperative pain following laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

The objective of this study is to understand how humidity and temperature affect the degradation behavior of polydioxanone (PDO). After changing the degradation environments, we examined the weight loss, pH value, thermal properties, mechanical properties, morphology, and rheological properties of the PDO samples. The specimens were kept in a wet or dry condition for 12 weeks. During degradation, weight retention, pH values, tensile strength, and viscosity decreased, whereas the melting temperature ([T.sub.m]) and degree of crystallinity ([D.sub.c]) increased. Compared with dry samples, wet PDO samples exhibited a higher hydrolysis rate. Also, higher temperatures led to more hydrolysis. Humidity was found to decrease the molecular weight of the samples and increase the degradation rate. KEYWORDS degradation, disk, injection-molding, polydioxanone, rheology, 1 | INTRODUCTION Recently, interest in biodegradable polymers are rising due to the necessity of developing environmentally-friendly polymers. [1] The major advantage of biodegradable polymers is that the products can [...]

The growing need for lithium-ion batteries, fueled by the widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs) and portable electronic devices, requires high energy density and safety. The cathode material Li1-x(NiyCozMn1-y-z)O2 (NCM) shows promise, but attaining high efficiency necessitates optimization of both composition and manufacturing methods. Polycrystalline LiNiCoMnO2 powders were synthesized and assessed in this investigation using a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution method. The study examined different synthesis conditions, such as the PVA to metal ions ratio and the molecular weight of PVA, to assess their influence on powder characteristics. Electrochemical analysis indicated that cathode materials synthesized with a relatively high quantity of PVA with a molecular weight of 98,000 exhibited the highest discharge capacity of 170.34 mAh/g and a high lithium-ion diffusion coefficient of 1.19 × 10−9 cm2/s. Moreover, decreasing the PVA content, irrespective of its molecular weight, led to the production of powders with reduced surface areas and increased pore sizes. The adjustments of PVA during synthesis resulted in pre-sintering observed during the synthesis process, which had an impact on the long-term stability of batteries. The electrodes produced from the synthesized powders had a positive impact on the insertion and extraction of Li+ ions, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the batteries. This study reveals that cathode materials synthesized with a high quantity of PVA with a molecular weight of 98,000 exhibited the highest discharge capacity of 170.34 mAh/g and a high lithium-ion diffusion coefficient of 1.19 × 10−9 cm2/s. The findings underscore the significance of optimizing methods for synthesizing PVA-based materials to enhance the electrochemical properties of NCM cathode materials, contributing to the advancement of lithium-ion battery technology. The findings underscore the significance of optimizing methods for synthesizing PVA-based materials and their influence on the electrochemical properties of NCM cathode materials. This contributes to the continuous progress in lithium-ion battery technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, significant efforts are made to identify energy sources that can help achieve carbon neutrality and promote sustainable development. The development of a catalyst that combines durability and high performance is essential for the commercialization of proton‐exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In a fuel cell, carbon corrosion occurs during startup and shutdown due to improper local flooding caused by inadequate water management. In this study, a Pt‐based catalyst is designed with excellent durability and high activity. Introducing a metal oxide layer modified with Pt/multi‐walled carbon nanotubes reduces the direct contact between carbon and the fuel cell environment. This helps prevent carbon corrosion and inhibits the separation, aggregation, and growth of Pt nanoparticles. Moreover, the catalyst exhibits enhanced oxygen reduction activity due to the electronic effect of the metal oxide layer that is coated on it. In this study, by implementing a carbon erosion acceleration protocol, excellent catalytic properties during a load‐cycling experiment consisting of 5,000 cycles are reported. The practical application of the developed catalyst in PEMFCs offers an effective approach to developing Pt‐group metal catalysts with exceptional activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cathode active materials and conductive additives for thermal batteries operating at high temperatures have attracted research interest, with a particular focus on compounds offering high thermal stability. Recently, FeF3 has been proposed as a candidate for high-voltage cathode materials; however, its commercialization is hindered by its low conductivity. In this study, conductive additives, such as Ni-coated carbon composites (multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon black (CB)), were utilized to enhance the thermal stability and conductivity of FeF3. The incorporation of metal–carbon conductive additives in the FeF3 composite increased the thermal stability by more than 10 wt.% and ensured high capacity upon conductivity enhancement. The FeF3@Ni/MWCB 15 wt.% composite containing 30 wt.% Ni exhibited a discharge capacity of ∼86% of the theoretical capacity of 712 mAh/g. The use of Ni-coated carbon-based conductive additives will allow the application of FeF3 as an effective high-temperature cathode material for thermal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxylesterases (CXEs) catalyze the hydrolysis of carboxylic acid esters into the corresponding acids and alcohols. Previously, a carboxylesterase gene was isolated from pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and designated as PepEST. This gene is highly expressed during the incompatible interaction between ripe fruits of pepper and an anthracnose fungus (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), and the PepEST protein exhibits an antifungal activity by suppressing fungal growth with the inhibition of appressorium formation. In this study, a PepEST-homologous gene was newly isolated from the pepper genome, which is designated as PepEST2 (the original PepEST gene is re-named here as PepEST1). Compared with PepEST1 whose expression is only induced by inoculation of the fungus, PepEST2 is not induced by fungus infection, rather expressed mainly in roots. Subcellular localization analysis using tobacco protoplasts showed that both PepEST1 and PepEST2 proteins are localized in the cytoplasm, and enzymatic activity assays showed similar Vmax and Km values of PepEST2 to those of PepEST1. Antifungal activity assays against C. gloeosporioides demonstrated that not only PepEST1 but also PepEST2 was able to suppress the fungal growth by inhibiting the appressorium formation. In addition, the antifungal activity of PepEST2 was higher than that of PepEST1. Collectively, this study suggests that two closely related members of pepper CXEs are functionally diversified due to the differential expression patterns, and also provides PepEST2 as an alternative gene to confer disease resistance to plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]