The lightest organic radical cation for charge storage in redox flow batteries

In advanced electrical grids of the future, electrochemically rechargeable fluids of high energy density will capture the power generated from intermittent sources like solar and wind. To meet this outstanding technological demand there is a need to understand the fundamental limits and interplay of electrochemical potential, stability, and solubility in low-weight redox-active molecules. By generating a combinatorial set of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene derivatives with different arrangements of substituents, we discovered a minimalistic structure that combines exceptional long-term stability in its oxidized form and a record-breaking intrinsic capacity of 161 mAh/g. The nonaqueous redox flow battery has been demonstrated that uses this molecule as a catholyte material and operated stably for 100 charge/discharge cycles. The observed stability trends are rationalized by mechanistic considerations of the reaction pathways.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, & Biosciences Division (Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357

An Investigation of the Ionic Conductivity and Species Crossover of Lithiated Nafion 117 in Nonaqueous Electrolytes

Nonaqueous redox flow batteries are a fast-growing area of research and development motivated by the need to develop low-cost energy storage systems. The identification of a highly conductive, yet selective membrane, is of paramount importance to enabling such a technology. Herein, we report the swelling behavior, ionic conductivity, and species crossover of lithiated Nafion 117 membranes immersed in three nonaqueous electrolytes (PC, PC : EC, and DMSO). Our results show that solvent volume fraction within the membrane has the greatest effect on both conductivity and crossover. An approximate linear relationship between diffusive crossover of neutral redox species (ferrocene) and the ionic conductivity of membrane was observed. As a secondary effect, the charge on redox species modifies crossover rates in accordance with Donnan exclusion. The selectivity of membrane is derived mathematically and compared to experimental results reported here. The relatively low selectivity for lithiated Nafion 117 in nonaqueous conditions suggests that new membranes are required for competitive nonaqueous redox flow batteries to be realized. Potential design rules are suggested for the future membrane engineering work.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Joint Center for Energy Storage Researc

Environmental sensing and response genes in cnidaria : the chemical defensome in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Cell Biology and Toxicology 24 (2008): 483-502, doi:10.1007/s10565-008-9107-5.The starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis has been recently established as a new model system for the study of the evolution of developmental processes, as cnidaria occupy a key evolutionary position at the base of the bilateria. Cnidaria play important roles in estuarine and reef communities, but are exposed to many environmental stressors. Here I describe the genetic components of a ‘chemical defensome’ in the genome of N. vectensis, and review cnidarian molecular toxicology. Gene families that defend against chemical stressors and the transcription factors that regulate these genes have been termed a ‘chemical defensome,’ and include the cytochromes P450 and other oxidases, various conjugating enyzymes, the ATP-dependent efflux transporters, oxidative detoxification proteins, as well as various transcription factors. These genes account for about 1% (266/27200) of the predicted genes in the sea anemone genome, similar to the proportion observed in tunicates and humans, but lower than that observed in sea urchins. While there are comparable numbers of stress-response genes, the stress sensor genes appear to be reduced in N. vectensis relative to many model protostomes and deuterostomes. Cnidarian toxicology is understudied, especially given the important ecological roles of many cnidarian species. New genomic resources should stimulate the study of chemical stress sensing and response mechanisms in cnidaria, and allow us to further illuminate the evolution of chemical defense gene networks.WHOI Ocean Life Institute and NIH R01-ES01591

Urban coral reefs: Degradation and resilience of hard coral assemblages in coastal cities of East and Southeast Asia

© 2018 The Author(s) Given predicted increases in urbanization in tropical and subtropical regions, understanding the processes shaping urban coral reefs may be essential for anticipating future conservation challenges. We used a case study approach to identify unifying patterns of urban coral reefs and clarify the effects of urbanization on hard coral assemblages. Data were compiled from 11 cities throughout East and Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Naha (Okinawa). Our review highlights several key characteristics of urban coral reefs, including “reef compression” (a decline in bathymetric range with increasing turbidity and decreasing water clarity over time and relative to shore), dominance by domed coral growth forms and low reef complexity, variable city-specific inshore-offshore gradients, early declines in coral cover with recent fluctuating periods of acute impacts and rapid recovery, and colonization of urban infrastructure by hard corals. We present hypotheses for urban reef community dynamics and discuss potential of ecological engineering for corals in urban areas

The effects of electrode and catalyst selection on microfluidic fuel cell performance

A fuel cell can be best defined as an electrochemical converter of fuel and oxidant of chemical energy to electrical energy. The important components of micro fuel cells are the electrodes and catalysts because the kinetics and rates of the electrochemical reactions depend on their materials. All fuel cells consist of two electrodes: the anode, where fuel oxidation takes place, and the cathode, which is used to reduce the oxidants. The present review article highlights the use of a range of electrodes made up of different materials, a variety of catalysts that have been used in previous studies, and their fabrication materials and approaches. In this article, electrodes and catalysts are classified into two types based on the design approach applied to produce the micro fuel cell: micro fuel cell design and conventional assembly design. Most previous studies on fuel cells have demonstrated that the construction and position of the electrodes play crucial roles in improving the performance of micro fuel cells

Healthy diets positively associated with health-related quality of life in children and adolescents from low socioeconomic areas:Findings from the Greek Food Aid Program, DIATROFI

Objectives: To assess the relationship of diet with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in vulnerable children and adolescents.Methods: Data included 6583 children and adolescents (aged 3–18 years old) from the Greek Food-Aid DIATROFI Program in the 2015 to 2016 and 2017 to 2018 school years. HRQoL was measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory questionnaire and diet with food frequency questionnaires. The healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI), animal score, and dietary patterns were investigated.Results: The hPDI and animal score were associated with good HRQoL (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval], 10-unit increase: ORhPDI = 1.28 [1.05, 1.57], ORanimal = 1.51 [1.14, 2.00]) and physical (ORanimal = 1.62 [1.23, 2.13]), emotional (ORhPDI = 1.30 [1.07, 1.58], ORanimal = 1.41 [1.08, 1.85]) and school function (ORhPDI = 1.32 [1.09, 1.59], ORanimal = 1.46 [1.12, 1.89]). Dietary patterns of fruits, raw vegetables, and cheese were associated with good HRQoL (OR of 1-unit increase: 1.22 [1.13, 1.32]), and physical OR = 1.18 [1.09, 1.27]) and emotional function (OR = 1.09 [1.02, 1.18]). Starchy foods and sweetened beverages were associated with poor HRQoL (OR = 0.75 [0.63, 0.90]), and emotional (OR = 0.80 [0.68, 0.95]) and school function (OR = 0.72 [0.61, 0.85]).Conclusion: Healthy diets and dietary patterns were positively associated with the HRQoL of vulnerable children and adolescents, which may offer opportunities for prevention.</p

Investigating gastropod habitat associations in saltmarsh

Recent studies have provided new information on the taxonomy of gastropods snails in Australian saltmarsh but little is known of their ecology. For fauna colonisation to be used as a measure of the success of restoration or rehabilitation of degraded saltmarsh, a detailed understanding of the microhabitat associations of the target species in ‘reference’ locations across a range of latitudes is necessary. This study measured the densities of saltmarsh gastropods in two locations in northern New South Wales to determine microhabitat associations that could influence the results of rehabilitation assessment using fauna colonisation in Australian saltmarsh. In this study, Ophicardelus spp. were common in tall vegetation, in particular, Juncus kraussii. Phallomedusa solida was commonly on mud substrates but was more evenly distributed across the saltmarsh than Ophicardelus ornatus. This study has implications for the design and assessment of restoration projects. If habitats of the individual species are not created by rehabilitation actions, or do not occur for whatever reason, densities of particular species will be lower than at reference sites, thus influencing assessment of the ‘success’ of saltmarsh rehabilitation using gastropod snails

Muscle and plasma coenzyme Q10 concentration, aerobic power and exercise economy of healthy men in response to four weeks of supplementation

Aim. To investigate whether 4 weeks of oral supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) would increase its concentration in skeletal muscle, and affect aerobic power (V̇O2max) and oxygen consumption during submaximal exercise in healthy, physically active men. Methods. Six volunteers with an average (±SD) age of 29.7±7.2 years and V̇O2max of 39.4±8.5 mL·kg -1·min-1, participated in a single-blind trial. The experiment consisted of 4 2-week phases, in the order of placebo run-in, CoQ10 supplementation (150 mg daily), CoQ10 (150 mg) plus vitamin E (1 000 IU daily), and placebo wash-out. A three-stage cycle economy test (4 minutes at each of 50, 100, and 150 watts), followed by a V̇O 2max test (25 watts increment every minute till exhaustion), were performed prior to the supplementation and at the end of each phase. Blood samples were taken pre and post each V̇O2max test, and biopsy samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle pre and post the 4 weeks of CoQ10 supplementation. Results. The plasma CoQ10 concentration was significantly elevated by the supplementation (P0.05). The muscle CoQ10 concentration, V̇O2max ventilatory threshold, exercise economy and oxygen deficit showed no significant changes in response to the supplementation. Conclusion. It was speculated that the non-significant effects of supplementation in healthy, non CoQ 10-deficient men could be due to either that the mitochondrial membrane is normally saturated with CoQ10, or that the selected exercise testing protocol and variables were not sensitive enough to detect the effects