A highly promising anode material with an amorphous SiO x nanostructure finely impregnated with carbon nanofibers is presented. The nanostructure material has a unique integral feature in that carbon nanofibers smaller than several nm in diameter are finely dispersed in amorphous SiO x media in an aligned manner. The synthetic route to fabricate the nanostructure is very simple and easy, using natural porous silicate, sepiolite, activated through the process of sintering and acid treatments on carbon source-loaded sepiolite nanocomposites. Upon the treatments, the nanocomposite material is changed in respect of its structure and chemical composition from crystalline Mg silicate to the carbon nanofiber-impregnated amorphous SiO x phase (CNF-SiO x nanostructure), and the electrochemical activity is greatly improved. The CNF-SiO x nanostructure exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with a reasonably high capacity of approximately 720 mA h g À1 for a current density of 70 mA g À1 (C/10 rate) and outstanding rate capability with a capacity retention of 96.8% for a current density of 700 mA g À1 and 87% at 1400 mA g À1 relative to that at 35 mA g À1 , even at a high electrode loading level above 8 mg cm À2 . The cycling performance is also very stable, with a capacity retention of 94.7% over 50 cycles at a rate of 350 mA g À1 and with a Coulombic efficiency above 99%.

The mechanism of "Bing-Bang-Channeling-Cut" was proposed to reduce the volcanic energy ("Bing") from the Galapagos Hot Spot (GHS) for the mitigation of Ecuadorian earthquake impact ("Bang"). The lag time between the volcanic eruptions in the GHS and Ecuadorian earthquake was probably caused by the undersea seamounts of the Carnegie Ridge (CAR) ("Channeling"). Experimental results from the water reservoir showed that the lag time decreased when increasing the number of drilled holes ("Cut") in the bottom of reservoir. The present study showed that there was an additional vector initiating the Ecuadorian earthquake from the volcanic eruption in the GHS through the CAR. It was concluded that the harmful effects of Ecuadorian earthquakes could be mitigated by releasing the volcanic energy through the enlarged exit diameters in Holes of Site 1239 (A, B, C) with the presently productive upwelling chlorophyll system at the northeastern CAR.

The 1918 Spanish flu, 2002 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were investigated to reveal their causes and routes of transmission. They have the common features such as 1) the induction by viruses (Spanish flu; avian influenza virus (AIV), SARS and MERS-CoV; coronavirus), 2) the outbreak during the maximal sunspot number, 3) the aeolian desert dust region (Spanish flu; Saharan, SARS; Asian, MERS-CoV; Arabian), and 4) similar incubation period (AIV; 5, SARS; 2-7, MERS-CoV; 5 days), 5) different transmission reservoir (Spanish flu; aquatic bird/swine, SARS; bat, MERS-CoV; bat/dromedary camel). When carbon dioxide (CO 2) combustion emissions were simultaneously high at the maximal sunspot number, UV radiation in the Poles was so extensive to mutate the aquatic virus through the food web to be the fundamental reason for these pandemic. Guangdong Province and Hong Kong in China are the source of 2002-2003 SARS. The stranded dead whales and dolphins along the coast of the Persian Gulf might be fed on by coastal animals in the Arabian Desert to transmit MERS-CoV. Mutations in the hot temperature in the Arabian Desert and Persian Gulf, and the maximal sunspot numbers were observed in Saudi Arabia. Saudi crude burn in power plants since 2009 with coincidental outbreaks of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia since 2012 peaking in 2014. The reduction of CO 2 emissions by nuclear power plants is a unique solution to decrease MERS-CoV outbreaks.

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Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare space-occupying disease. The pathogenesis of SSEH is unclear, but anticoagulant therapy, arteriovenous malformation, coagulopathy, tumors and infection are risk factors. Ventral SSEH is even more rare, as the ventral sac is fixed firmly to the posterior longitudinal ligament. The authors report a very rare case, a 16-year-old previously healthy female who had repeated relapse of cervico-thoracic SSEH. This occurred three times in the ventral epidural space with subsequent syringomyelia, without structural abnormality and coagulopathy. The patient underwent conservative care twice, and two operations. The diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging. In rapidly progressing SSEH, the clinician should make the diagnosis as early as possible to enable spinal decompression surgery.