Enhanced dendrite nucleation and Li-clustering at vacancies on graphene

An ever present challenge for Li-ion batteries is the formation of metallic dendrites on cycling that dramatically reduces cycle life and leads to the untimely failure of the cell. In this work we investigate the modes of Li-cluster formation on pristine and defective graphene. Firstly, we demonstrate that on a defect free surface the cluster formation is impeded by the thermodynamic instability of \ce{Li_2} and \ce{Li_3} clusters. In contrast, the presence of a vacancy dramatically favours clustering. This provides insights into the two modes of Li-growth observed: for the pristine basal plane if the Li-Li repulsion of the small clusters can be overcome then plating type behaviour would be predicted (rate / voltage dependent and at any point on the surface); whilst dendritic growth would be predicted to nucleate from vacancy sites, either pre-existing in the material or formed as a result of processing

The genes that affect horse’s fertility

I dagens avelsarbete används sällan fruktsamhet som en parameter i valet av avelshäst. Detta förutom i undantagsfall då hästar med mycket dålig fruktsamhet väljs bort. I avelsarbetet används färre hingstar än tidigare år då möjligheten nu finns att inseminera ston med sperma från hingstar som står i andra länder. Om det finns några ogynnsamma korrelationer mellan de egenskaper vi avlar på idag och fruktsamheten skulle detta kunna leda till att avelsarbetet omedvetet bidrar till försämrad fruktsamhet. Förbättring av våra avelshästars fruktsamhet skulle inte bara förhindra att vi får problem med detta i framtiden utan även t.ex. hjälpa hästägare att kunna få sitt sto dräktig redan vid första betäckningen. Forskning har gjorts där de funnit kandidatgener för påverkan av hästars fruktsamhet. Ibland dessa har det forskats mer på generna SPATA1, ACE, CRISP(1, 2 och 3), SP17, INHBA, FSHB och PRLR. För dessa har man funnit SNP som kan påverka fruktsamhetsförmågan hos de hästar som bär på dem. Mer forskning på de olika kandidatgenernas påverkan på fruktsamheten och förekomsten av SNP behövs.In the breeding programs that are used today the fertility of the horses is rarely used as a parameter when breeding horses are chosen. It is only in special circumstances when a stallion is having extremely low fertility that it is being excluded from the breeding program. Fewer stallions are today used for breeding because of the possibility to inseminate the mares with sperm from stallions in other countries. In case there would be unfavorable genetic correlations between traits that are selected for and fertility, the breeding would indirectly contribute to lowering the fertility. Improvement of the fertility of our breeding horses could not only prevent fertility problems in the future, but also for example make it easier for the mare owner to get their mares pregnant at the first mating. In research studies candidate genes have been found for horse fertility. Of these, more research have been made one the genes SPATA1, ACE, CRISP(1, 2 and 3), SP17, INHBA, FSHB and PRLR. SNPs in these genes have been found to affect the fertility of the horses that carry them. More research on the effect of candidate genes on fertility and possible SNPs is needed

Which traits distinguish a good jumping horse? : analysis of the jumping protocol from Riding Horse Quality Test 1985-2005

Det svenska varmblodet (SWB) avlas för att kunna vara konkurrenskraftig på internationella tävlingsbanor i hoppning, dressyr eller fälttävlan. Det är därför av hög vikt att rasen fortsätter att utvecklas för att kunna nå upp till denna nivå. Unghästar kan bedömas i två unghästtester, 3-årstest och kvalitetbedömning. Det finns inga tidigare studier gjorda på hur olika delegenskaper i kvalitetbedömningens hoppmoment påverkar det slutliga hoppbetyget. Syftet med det här arbetet var att analysera hopprotokoll från kvalitetbedömningar 1983-2005 och skatta arvbarheter för ingående egenskaper och genetiska korrelationer mellan dessa egenskaper och hästens totalbetyg i hoppning. Totalt ingick 7812 hästars resultat i studien. Protokollen fanns digitaliserade sedan Jönssons (2013) studie av hälso- och exteriördelarna av kvalitetsbedömningen. Det fanns 18 delegenskaper uppdelade i ”förtjänst” och ”brist” samt betyg för ’Teknik och hoppförmåga’ och ’Temperament och allmänt intryck’. De två betygen gavs på en skala 1-10 i relation till avelsmålet. Delegenskaperna analyserades som 0/1-egenskaper men även omvandlat till mer linjära egenskaper på en tregradig skala. Materialet bearbetades och analyserades med SAS och DMU. I djurmodellen som användes ingick fixa effekter för egenskaperna kön, ålder, kombination av bedömningsplats och bedömningsår samt typ av hoppning (löshoppning eller uppsutten hoppning). Resultatet från studien tydde på att en egenskap oftare bedömdes som en förtjänst än en brist, vanligast var dock att egenskapen inte kryssades i för att vara något av dem. För de flesta förtjänstegenskaper och bristegenskaper var arvbarheten låg, även omvandlat till den underliggande skalan. Medelhög arvbarhet skattades för egenskaperna ’kapacitet stor’, ’kapacitet svag’, ’ benteknik fram god’ och ’benteknik god’. För de linjärt omvandlade egenskaperna nådde endast ’kapacitet’ medelhög arvbarhet. Betyget för hopptemperament uppvisade låg arvbarhet och för hoppteknik skattades medelhög arvbarhet vilket stämmer överens med tidigare studier på området. Alla linjärt omvandlande egenskaper uppvisade starka genetiska korrelationer med betygen hopptemperament eller hoppteknik utom egenskapen ’sansad/hetsig’ där korrelationen inte var signifikant. Den egenskap som hade starkast korrelation till hoppteknikbetyget var hästens ’balans’ vid hoppning. För hästens hopptemperament visade sig hästens ’förtroende’ ha starkast korrelation. Dessa resultat antyder att den nyligen införda linjära beskrivningen i kvalitetsbedömningen från och med år 2014 bör fungera bra som ett komplement till den vanliga bedömningen.The Swedish warmblood is bred to be internationally competitive in the Olympic equestrian disciplines showjumping, dressage or eventing. It is therefore important that the breed continues to develop to reach this level. Young horses can be evaluated in two field tests, a test for 3-year-olds and the Riding Horse Quality Test (RHQT). There are no previous studies on how the assessed traits in the show jumping part of the RHQT affect the final show jumping score. The aim of this study was to analyse the show jumping protocol from the RHQT from year 1983-2005 and estimate the heritabilities for included traits and genetic correlation between these traits and the horse’s score for jumping technique and temperament for jumping. Results from 7812 horses evaluated in RHQT were used in the study. The material was digitalised in connection to Jönssons (2013) study on the health- and conformation parts of the RHQT. There were 18 traits divided into ”strengths” and ”weaknesses” related to the scores for ‘Technique and jumping ability’ or ‘Temperament and general impression’. The two latter scores were rated on a scale of 1-10 in relation to the breeding goal. The traits were analysed as 0/1 traits but also transformed into more linear traits on a scale from 1 to 3. The material was edited and analysed using SAS and DMU. The animal model that was used included the fixed effects of sex, age, combination of location and evaluation year and the type of jumping (lose jumping or under rider).The result from the study showed that strengths were more often recorded than weaknesses for the traits, but most often neither strengths nor weaknesses were marked. For most strengths and weakness traits the heritabilities were low, even on the underlying scale. The traits ‘capacity big’, ‘capacity week’, ‘technique leg good’ and ‘technique front leg good’ reached moderate high heritabilities. For the linear evaluated traits only the trait ‘capacity’ reached a moderate high heritability. The jumping temperament score had low heritability and the jumping technique had moderate high heritability, which is in good agreement with previous studies. The genetic correlations between all the traits transformed into linear traits and the score for jumping temperament or jumping technique were high, except for the trait ‘well balanced/heated’ that was not significant. Considering this all of the traits should have a high effect on the final jumping score. The trait that had the highest correlation with jumping technique was the horse’s ‘balance in jumping’. For the jumping temperament the horse’s trust in the rider was strongest correlated. These results indicate that the new linear evaluation now included in the RHQT from 2014 should be a good compliment to the ordinary evaluation

Rehabilitering i staden

Dagens städer blir allt tätare i takt med att befolkningen ökar. Samtidigt avbefolkas vår landsbygd. Samtidigt avlägsnar sig staden mer och mer från omgivande natur och lantbruk. Samtidigt mår vår befolkning sämre och sämre. Sjukdomar som utmattning, stress och depression ökar. Denna studie undersöker hur man kan arbeta med att rehabilitera de som är sjuka inom den allt tätare urbana miljön. Det finns många uppslag och mycket forskning kring hur sjuka kan rehabiliteras i privata rehab-trädgårdar. Jag vill med denna studie se om det är möjligt att integrera rehabiliteringsprocessen direkt i offentlig urban miljö. Försvinner den välgörande funktionen när trädgården öppnas upp och blir offentlig eller är det utformningen och innehållet som är essentiellt för funktionen? Genom en studie av PTST-center i Malmö, en grupp som arbetar med rehabilitering av patienter som lider av post-traumatisk stress, och deras arbete med natur-rehabilitering undersöker jag vilka element; vegetation, rumslighet, ljud, ljus, doft, som verkar ge högst resultat i processen. Insikterna från studierna ska bidra till en ny förståelse för den mångfald av funktioner som kan planeras in i staden minskande mellanrum. Efter undersökningarna presenterar jag de komponenter vilka lyfts fram som de mest essentiella för rehabiliterande miljöer och möjliga sätt att integrera dessa i urbana miljöer.The cities today are getting denser as the population is growing bigger and bigger. At the same time the countryside is depopulated. The urban population and structure is distancing itself more and more from surrounding nature and farming. Alongside this our population is getting sicker and sicker. Deceases such as exhaustion, stress and depression are increasing the most. This study is exploring how it is possible to work with rehabilitating those who are sick in the increasingly denser urban environment. There are many theories and research regarding how the sick can rehabilitate in private gardens, such as the Rehab-Garden in Alnarp. With this study I want to investigate if it is possible to integrate the rehabilitation process directly in a public urban environment. Will the beneficial development disappear when the garden becomes open and public or is it the design and the content that is essential for the beneficial effect. Through a study of PTST-center in Malmö, a group working with rehabilitating patients suffering from post-traumatic stress, and their work with nature rehabilitation I am investigating which elements; vegetation, .space, sound, light, smell, that appear to contribute the most to the results in the beneficial process. The insights from the studies will contribute to a new understanding of the diversity of functions which can be and should be designed into the cities decreasing public spaces. After my literary studies I present the components that appear to have the greatest importance in rehabilitating environments and some ways in which you can integrate them in the urban environment

Side Streams of Broccoli Leaves: A Climate Smart and Healthy Food Ingredient

Human consumption of fruits and vegetables are generally below recommended levels. Waste from the production, e.g., of un-used parts such as broccoli leaves and stem when producing broccoli florets for food, is a sustainability issue. In this study, broccoli leaves were analyzed for the content of various dietary fibre and phenolics, applying the Uppsala method and HPLC analyses, respectively. The results showed that broccoli leaves had comparable levels of dietary fibre (26%-32% of dry weight (DW)) and phenolic compounds (6.3-15.2 mg/g DW) to many other food and vegetables considered valuable in the human diet from a health perspective. A significant positive correlation was found among soluble dietary fibre and phenolic acids indicating possible bindings between these components. Seasonal variations affected mainly the content of conjugated phenolics, and the content of insoluble dietary fibre. This study verified the importance of the use of broccoli production side streams (leaves) as they may contribute with health promoting components to the human diet and also socio-economic and environmental benefits to the bioeconomic development in the society

Operationssjuksköterskans erfarenheter av kommunikation och samarbete inom operationsteamet - En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Syfte: Syftet är att belysa operationssjuksköterskans erfarenhet av kommunikation och samarbete inom operationsteamet. Bakgrund: Kommunikationsmissar är vanligt förekommande inom operationsteamet. Färre operationssjuksköterskor än andra personalkategorier, tyckte att alla delade ett gemensamt mål för patienterna. Det krävs ett gott samarbete mellan de olika professionerna för att minska riskerna för misstag då en operationsavdelning är en komplex arbetsmiljö, där alla har sin specifika uppgift. Metod: Datainsamlingen genomfördes med tio kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer. Innehållsanalys användes för bearbetning av data och ledde till en huvudkategori och sex subkategorier. Resultat: Studien visar att informanterna upplevde oförståelse mellan yrkeskategorierna, hierarki inom teamet samt en avskild miljö. Faktorer som kunde leda till försvårat samarbete. Diskussion: Samarbetet präglas av oförståelse för varandras roller. En ökad insikt i hur de olika yrkeskategorierna inom operationsteamet tänker och en förbättrad förståelse för varandras ansvarsområde kan lättare bevara effektiviteten och därmed öka patientsäkerheten på salen

A DFT+U study of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties of cubic and orthorhombic SmCoO3

SmCoO3 is a perovskite material that has gained attention as a potential substitute for La1−xSrxMnO3−d as a solid oxide fuel cell cathode. However, a number of properties have remained unknown due to the complexity of the material. For example, we know from experimental evidence that this perovskite exists in two different crystal structures, cubic and orthorhombic, and that the cobalt ion changes its spin state at high temperatures, leading to a semiconductor-to-metal transition. However, little is known about the precise magnetic structure that causes the metallic behavior or the spin state of the Co centers at high temperature. Here, we therefore present a systematic DFT+U study of the magnetic properties of SmCoO3 in order to determine what magnetic ordering is the one exhibited by the metallic phase at different temperatures. Similarly, mechanical properties are difficult to measure experimentally, which is why there is a lack of data for the two different phases of SmCoO3. Taking advantage of our DFT calculations, we have determined the mechanical properties from our calculated elastic constants, finding that both polymorphs exhibit similar ductility and brittleness, but that the cubic structure is harder than the orthorhombic phase

Ab initio study of vacancy formation in cubic LaMnO3 and SmCoO3 as cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells

© 2016 Author(s). Doped LaMnO3 and SmCoO3 are important solid oxide fuel cell cathode materials. The main difference between these two perovskites is that SmCoO3 has proven to be a more efficient cathode material than LaMnO3 at lower temperatures. In order to explain the difference in efficiency, we need to gain insight into the materials' properties at the atomic level. However, while LaMnO3 has been widely studied, ab initio studies on SmCoO3 are rare. Hence, in this paper, we perform a comparative DFT + U study of the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of these two perovskites. To that end, we first determined a suitable Hubbard parameter for the Co d-electrons to obtain a proper description of SmCoO3 that fully agrees with the available experimental data. We next evaluated the impact of oxygen and cation vacancies on the geometry, electronic, and magnetic properties. Oxygen vacancies strongly alter the electronic and magnetic structures of SmCoO3, but barely affect LaMnO3. However, due to their high formation energy, their concentrations in the material are very low and need to be induced by doping. Studying the cation vacancy concentration showed that the formation of cation vacancies is less energetically favorable than oxygen vacancies and would thus not markedly influence the performance of the cathode

Reduced insulin secretion correlates with decreased expression of exocytotic genes in pancreatic islets from patients with type 2 diabetes.

Reduced insulin release has been linked to defect exocytosis in β-cells. However, whether expression of genes suggested to be involved in the exocytotic process (exocytotic genes) is altered in pancreatic islets from patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), and correlate to insulin secretion, needs to be further investigated. Analysing expression levels of 23 exocytotic genes using microarray revealed reduced expression of five genes in human T2D islets (χ(2)=13.25; p<0.001). Gene expression of STX1A, SYT4, SYT7, SYT11, SYT13, SNAP25 and STXBP1 correlated negatively to in vivo measurements of HbA1c levels and positively to glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in vitro in human islets. STX1A, SYT4 and SYT11 protein levels correspondingly decreased in human T2D islets. Moreover, silencing of SYT4 and SYT13 reduced GSIS in INS1-832/13 cells. Our data support that reduced expression of exocytotic genes contributes to impaired insulin secretion, and suggest decreased expression of these genes as part of T2D pathogenesis