Urea based fuel cells and electrocatalysts for urea oxidation

Urea is a new member of hydrogen-storage materials for low-temperature fuel cells. It avoids issues of toxicity and safety compared to ammonia and hydrazine. The main limitation of urea fuel cells is the relative low power density due to the sluggish anode reaction. Rapid advances in nano-catalysts for urea electrooxidation have been achieved in order to lower overpotential and improve activity. Urine, as a natural resource of urea, is also an environmental pollutant. Most technologies of treating urine with self-generation electricity are based on microbial fuel cells. However, microbes are only able to utilize the organic substrates rather than urea in urine. Chemical fuel cells in contrast directly oxidize urea to nitrogen gas and removed from urine. Thus urea fuel cells have been used as an alternative method to treat urine. In the paper, the progress in urea based fuel cells and electrocatalysts for urea oxidation is reviewed

A comparative study of the acanthocephalans of the Douglas Lake region.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/52173/1/604.pdfDescription of 604.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

Studies on the life history of Cylindrotaenia sp.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/52172/1/603.pdfDescription of 603.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

The Effect of Aromatherapy Treatment on Fatigue and Relaxation for Mothers during the Early Puerperal Period in Japan: A Pilot Study

Background: Early in the postpartum period, mothers are often nervous and tired from the delivery, breast-feeding and caring for a new-born. The aim of this study was to evaluate the process and outcome of using aromatherapy treatments to increase relaxation and decrease fatigue for mothers during the first to the seventh day of the postpartum period. Methods: This non-randomized controlled study with a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate scores in relaxation and fatigue before and after the intervention. Aromatherapy hand treatments were performed on a purposive sample of 34 postpartum mothers in Tokyo, Japan, from May to July 2016. The single treatment included a choice of one of five essential aroma oils through hand and forearm massage. Relaxation and fatigue were measured by self-administered valid and reliable questionnaires. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to analyze the data before and after the intervention. The software programs SPSS, v. 23.0 (SPSS, Tokyo), was used to analyze the data, with the significance level set at 5%. Results: Valid responses were obtained from 29 participants. A comparison of the scores before and after aroma treatment intervention indicated that the participants’ relaxation scores increased significantly (P<0.001) and fatigue scores were significantly reduced (P<0.001). The majority of participants (77.8%) were satisfied with the treatment. Conclusion: The aroma treatments significantly improved relaxation and reduced fatigue for mothers in the early puerperal period and were well received. Therefore, a larger study using a pretest-posttest random control trial is recommended