Valorizing spent lithium iron phosphate battery in biomass pyrolysis for production of valuable chemicals and mitigating pollutant emissions.

The rapid increase of electronic waste, particularly battery waste, presents significant environmental challenges such as pollutant emissions and resource depletion, emphasizing the need for effective valorization and reuse strategies. This study introduces a novel approach for repurposing end-of-life lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries as catalysts in the pyrolysis of walnut shells (WS). Characterization analyses revealed that LFP provides both Lewis and Brønsted acid sites, which alter the thermal decomposition pathway of WS.

Improving HER2 Diagnostics with Digital Real-Time PCR for Ultrafast, Precise Prediction of Anti-HER2 Therapy Response in Patients with Breast Cancer.

While human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) has emerged as a tumor-agnostic biomarker, standard HER2 testing for anti-HER2 therapies using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) assays remains subjective, time-consuming, and often inaccurate. To address these limitations, an ultrafast and precise HER2 testing method is developed using Lab-On-An-Array (LOAA) digital real-time PCR (drPCR), a fully automated digital PCR enabling real-time absolute quantification. A multicenter study involving four independent breast cancer cohorts cross-validates the high diagnostic accuracy of drPCR-based HER2 assessment.

Unlocking the power of L1 regularization: A novel approach to taming overfitting in CNN for image classification.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) stand as indispensable tools in deep learning, capable of autonomously extracting crucial features from diverse data types. However, the intricacies of CNN architectures can present challenges such as overfitting and underfitting, necessitating thoughtful strategies to optimize their performance. In this work, these issues have been resolved by introducing L1 regularization in the basic architecture of CNN when it is applied for image classification.

The spatial dynamics of urban vegetation and housing prices: Insights from pre- and post-pandemic Chicago using OLS and MGWR models.

This study examines the spatial dynamics of urban vegetation and its impact on housing prices in Chicago, analyzing data from both pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. Employing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) models, we assess how the effects of green spaces on property values vary across different neighborhoods. The OLS model generally indicates a positive correlation between increased vegetation and housing prices.

A real-world safety evaluation of new oral anticoagulants in elderly patients: evidence from the Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center of Henan Province.

Background: The use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) is becoming increasingly widespread, but data on their adverse reactions are still incomplete. Further analysis based on data from the Drug Adverse Reaction Center is needed to guide safe clinical use.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 281 cases of rivaroxaban and 48 cases of dabigatran etexilate-related ADR reported by medical institutions collected by a provincial Food and Drug Administration from 2018 to 2023.

Pulse pressure as a predictor of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and cognitive decline: The moderating role of APOE ε4.

Background: Elevated pulse pressure (PP), indicative of arterial stiffness, has been implicated in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, its role in preclinical AD and interactions with genetic risk factors like apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) remain unclear.

Objectives: To investigate the association between baseline PP and AD biomarkers (amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau) and cognitive decline, and to determine whether APOE4 carrier status moderates these relationships.

Platinum/nitrogen-co-doped TiO as photocatalyst and light-free catalytic adsorbent for gaseous formaldehyde.

Platinum and nitrogen co-doped titanium dioxide (Pt/N-TiO, with 1 wt% Pt and an N/Ti molar ratio of 1) has been synthesized. This Pt/N co-doping strategy creates Schottky junctions, reduces the bandgap energy (3.25 to 2.

Partial Deletion of the Carboxyl-Terminal Signal Sequence of the Cellular Prion Protein Alters Protein Expression via Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Degradation.

Cellular prion protein (PrP) is a glycoprotein tethered to the plasma membrane via a GPI-anchor, and it plays a crucial role in prion diseases by undergoing conformational change to PrP. To generate a knock-in (KI) mouse model expressing bank vole PrP (BVPrP), a KI targeting construct was designed. However, a Prnp gene sequence that encodes PrP lacking seven C-terminal amino acid residues of the GPI-anchoring signal sequence (GPI-SS) was unintentionally introduced into the construct.

Current status of the use of validated home blood pressure monitoring devices among Korean patients with hypertension.

The implementation of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM) has improved the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Current clinical guidelines advocate the use of validated HBPM devices. However, few studies have examined the current use of validated HBPM devices.

Characteristics and management of mechanically ventilated patients in South Korea compared with other high-income Asian countries and regions.

Background: This study investigated the characteristics of mechanically ventilated patients in South Korean intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods: We conducted a subgroup analysis of a multinational observational study. Data from 271 mechanically ventilated patients in South Korean ICUs were analyzed for demographics, ventilation practices, and mortality, and were compared with those of 327 patients from other high-income Asian countries.

Impact of bronchitis variability on outcomes of COPD.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of serial bronchitic status over two consecutive years on clinical outcomes, including frequency of exacerbation and lung function decline rate.

Methods: We analysed data from 1265 participants enrolled in the Korea COPD Subgroup Study, a nationwide prospective observational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cohort. Bronchitic status was determined using subquestionnaires of the COPD Assessment Test at baseline and after 1 year, classifying patients into three serial bronchitic groups of persistently not bronchitic (NB), intermittently bronchitic (IB) and chronic bronchitis (CB).

Long-term Outcomes of Hypertension and Antihypertensive Drugs in Healthy Young Adults: A Nationwide Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study in Korea.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of hypertension (HTN) and antihypertensive medications on the incidence of cardiovascular disease in healthy young adults (approximately 20 to 45 years).

Patients And Methods: In total, 4,590,597 young Korean adults without comorbidities who underwent regular health examinations were included in this study. They were stratified into 4 groups according to their blood pressure (BP) (optimal BP, normal BP, high normal BP, and HTN).

Comprehensive outdoor UWB dataset: Static and dynamic measurements in LOS/NLOS environments.

This study provides a comprehensive outdoor ultra-wideband (UWB) dataset to examine the multipath effects in line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments for real-time localization. Specifically, the dataset comprises static and dynamic datasets designed to capture discrete multipaths affected by antenna height, obstructions, and time-varying environments. A static dataset varies the antenna height and distance to analyze the multipath interference on the received signal strength and ranging error with a UWB pair and walls to replicate NLOS environments.

Fully biocompatible, thermally drawn fiber supercapacitors for long-term bio-implantation.

Recent advancements in implantable bioelectronic devices have increased the demand for biocompatible energy sources with long-term electrochemical and mechanical stability. Here, we present a tough hydrogel-based supercapacitor (THBS) fiber, fabricated via a thermal drawing process (TDP), that enables the integration of all components-electrodes, electrolyte, current collectors, and encapsulation-into a single, unified, and mechanically robust fiber-shaped architecture. Through thermal/mechanical optimization and the incorporation of self-healing properties, THBS fibers exhibit durable, high electrochemical performance under dynamic, high-curvature deformations mimicking in vivo physiological motions.

A reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane for sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing.

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of deafness, typically resulting from the loss of sensory cells on the basilar membrane, which cannot regenerate and thus lose sensitivity to sound vibrations. Here, we report a reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane engineered for biomimetic sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing, offering exceptional sensitivity (530 kPa) and broadband frequency discrimination (20 Hz to 3300 Hz) while remaining resistant to "dying". The acoustic sensing capability is driven by an ion hitching-in cage effect intrinsic to the ion gel combined with fluorinated polyurethane.

Inverse-designed metasurfaces for wavefront restoration in under-display camera systems.

Under-display camera (UDC) systems enable full-screen displays in smartphones by embedding the camera beneath the display panel, eliminating the need for notches or punch holes. However, the periodic pixel structures of display panels introduce significant optical diffraction effects, leading to imaging artifacts and degraded visual quality. Conventional approaches to mitigate these distortions, such as deep learning-based image reconstruction, are often computationally expensive and unsuitable for real-time applications in consumer electronics.

Changes in antiviral treatment rate for hepatitis B virus before hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis: a nationwide Korean study.

Background And Aims: Antiviral treatment (AVT) reduces hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation and hepatocsellular carcinoma (HCC) development; however, the impact of AVT timing - before versus after HCC diagnosis - on prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the current status, changes, and clinical outcomes of AVT before HCC diagnosis in Korea.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service for patients newly diagnosed with HBV-related HCC from 2008 to 2018.

Oxidation State Manipulation of NiO for High Performance and Light-Soaking Stability of Perovskite Solar Modules.

NiO is widely used for hole-transporting layers in p-i-n-type perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its stability, wide bandgap (≈3.5 eV), and solution processability. However, during solution processing, oxygen exposure can induce non-stoichiometry, forming Ni.

Development of a Prediction Model for Acute Exacerbation in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Study of the Korea IPF Cohort Registry.

Background: Acute exacerbation (AE) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has the most disastrous impact on prognosis as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. However, there is no proven treatment, and the occurrence of AE is unpredictable. This study aimed to develop a prediction model for AE in patients with IPF using the nationwide Korea IPF Cohort (KICO) registry.

Study protocol for a prospective, randomized controlled confirmatory clinical investigation to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a multidisciplinary digital therapeutics in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Background: Patellofemoral pain is a prevalent knee condition affecting up to 40% of individuals, especially females aged teens to 50 s. Standard treatments, including exercise therapy, often yield insufficient long-term results, partly due to low compliance and psychological factors like depression and catastrophizing of pain. A digital therapeutics "MORA Cure PFP," which combines structured progressive exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy via an app, offers a solution to overcome the limitations of conventional treatment for patellofemoral pain patients.

A hybrid q-rung linear diophantine fuzzy WASPAS approach for artificial intelligence algorithm selection in physical education.

The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in physical education (PE) has led to an urgent need to develop robust methodologies that can be used to choose the most suitable algorithms in uncertain and vague environments. This paper introduces a new hybrid decision-making (DM) model that incorporates the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) technique into the q-rung linear Diophantine fuzzy set (q-RLDFS) framework. The primary objective is to address the gap in the lack of structured and uncertainty-resistant methods for assessing AI models based on multiple, frequently conflicting criteria in the domain of PE.

Weight-independent amelioration of adipokine profile by enavogliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background And Objective: The metabolic benefits of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in clinical application are well established; however, there is dearth of knowledge on their impact on adipokine regulation. This study investigated the effect of enavogliflozin on adiponectin and leptin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated changes in serum adiponectin and leptin over 24 weeks.

Long-Term Anticoagulation Discontinuation After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: The ALONE-AF Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Data from randomized clinical trials on a long-term anticoagulation strategy for patients after catheter-based ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) are lacking.

Objective: To evaluate whether discontinuing oral anticoagulant therapy provides superior clinical outcomes compared with continuing oral anticoagulant therapy in patients without documented atrial arrhythmia recurrence after catheter ablation for AF.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized clinical trial including 840 adult patients (aged 19-80 years) who were enrolled and randomized from July 28, 2020, to March 9, 2023, at 18 hospitals in South Korea.

Atomic Layer Deposition of ZrO Films at High Temperatures (>350 °C) Using a Modified Cyclopentadienyl Zr Precursor.

With tris(dimethylamino)cyclopentadienyl metal (CpX(NMe)) precursors, the optimum process temperature of atomic layer deposition (ALD) is higher for HfO films (∼350 °C) than ZrO films (∼320 °C). Since simultaneous ALD of the two films is required in HfZrO film processes, the optimum ALD temperatures of the two films need to be adjusted equally. The cyclopentadienyl Zr precursor (MCPZr) introduced in this study exhibits better thermal stability than that of CpZr(NMe).

Immune Landscape Changes in MASLD and the Effects of 11β-HSD1 Inhibition Revealed by Single-Cell Mass Cytometry.

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects nearly one-fourth of the global population, yet effective diagnostics and treatments remain limited. Systemic immune dysregulation plays a key role in MASLD pathogenesis, highlighting the value of immune profiling.

Methods: In this study, we used high-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) to analyze peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors (n = 6), MASLD patients (n = 4), and MASLD patients treated with an 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) inhibitor (n = 2).