Cycling ageing analysis in 18650 batteries at low temperature

Decarbonization efforts are motivated due to the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and anticipate the depletion of fossil fuels. The transport sector is one of the largest GHG producers where it is most difficult to reduce GHG emissions. Lithium-ion batteries currently represent an excellent alternative to meet the growing demand for energy storage and the electrification of the transport sector. However, there is still a considerable amount of research on degradation mechanisms to be performed to predict the remaining lifespan. Ageing mechanism of Li-ion batteries is a complex multi-causal process strongly affected by temperature. Ageing mechanisms could be grouped into three degradation modes: Loss of Conductivity (LC), Loss of Active Material (LAM) and Loss of Lithium Inventory (LLI). In this work, we studied the cycling ageing of 18650 commercial NMC lithium-ion batteries at 10°C. For this purpose, we carried out life cycle tests at different charge and discharge c-rates (Fig.1). We also performed galvanostatic Intermittent Titration Technique (GITT) (Fig. 2) tests in the voltage range for charge and discharge processes for different states of health (SoH). In order to perform GITT experiments, a short current pulse of current 1 A for charge and 3A for discharge was applied for a transient time of 13 min and 4 min, respectively; followed by a relaxation time of 30 min, which is required for achieving electrochemical equilibrium for the system. Tests were performed on the Gamry Interface 5000E™ potentiostat/galvanostat. Furthermore, we performed Electrochemical Voltage Spectroscopy studies through incremental capacity (IC) curves. IC curves peaks are associated with battery phase transformations due to ageing phenomena and each peak has a unique peak height, area, and position associated with a degradation mode. This research focuses on IC curves derived from discharge capacities. Deconvolution was carried out from these curves from Gaussian adjustments, determining the area, position, and height of resulted peaks. The height of the IC peaks decreases over cycle number, and it is observed a shift of IC peak position towards lower voltages. The peak at the lowest potential position results as an interesting health indicator for degradation evolution. Thermodynamics and faradaic effects were identified (Fig. 3). As a conclusion, LLI was identified as a critical degradation mode in the first cycles while LAM effects were depicted during the last cycles.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Apoptosis and apoptotic pathway in actinic prurigo by immunohistochemistry

Background: Actinic prurigo (AP) is an idiopathic photodermatosis, this entity requires exposure to UV-B and -A to develop lesions. Apoptosis is a physiological death program that can be initiated by a permanently active mechanism (extrinsic pathway) or irreparable damage (intrinsic pathway). Material and methods: Descriptive study, the sample size comprised 64 paraffin blocks of tissue with a diagnosis of AP. In H&E-stained slides, the diagnosis of AP was corroborated, and 1-µm-thick sections were processed for immunohistochemistry (IHC). A database was constructed with SPSS version 20, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, and descriptive statistics were analyzed by X2 test and comparison of means. Results: A total of 64 cases were processed, of which 40 (62.5%) were cheilitis AP and 24 (37.5%) were AP in the skin. Of the 40 cheilitis samples, 27 were positive for Bcl-2 and caspase 3 (67.5%), p53 was expressed in 30 (75%). Of the skin lesions, p53 and caspase 3 were expressed in 18 of 24 cases (75%), and 13 were positive for Bcl-2 (54%). Conclusions: We propose that apoptosis is the last step in the type IV subtype a-b hypersensitivity responseactivation of the intrinsic pathway indicates that external factors, such as UV-A and -B are the trigger

Epidemiology of mammal bite injuries: 5 year review of a level II regional referral hospital in Mexico city

Background: Animal bites are a common cause of primary care and emergency department attention worldwide. However, the incidence of this pathology among Mexican population is not well known. Plastic surgeons are at the forefront of initial attention and final outcome of these destructive wounds in our country. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of animal bites over a 5 year period at a level II general hospital in Mexico city. Objective of current study was to determine the incidence of animal bites in hospital “Rubén Leñero” in Mexico city over a 5-year periodMethods: Retrospective study; records of emergency room of all adult patients who sustained animal bites between January 2016 to December 2020 were collected. Details about age, gender, and location of the injuries were recorded and analyzed.Results: From a total of 277 cases, 273 were dog bites (98.56%) and 4 cat bites (1.44%), 173 males (62.45%) and 104 females (37.55%) were affected. The two most injured places in the human body were the hand with 98 cases (35.37%), followed by the lips in 45 cases (16.25%).Conclusions: Animal bites are a frequent injury in the primary care unit, representing a health issue in our country. Proper patient evaluation and treatments are essential to prevent further complications and subsequent infections. Further investigation will be required to establish risk factors for this pathology

Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In-situ Resources

Using Automated Additive Construction (AAC), low-fidelity large-scale compressive structures can be produced out of a wide variety of materials found in the environment. Compressionintensive structures need not utilize materials that have tight specifications for internal force management, meaning that the production of the building materials do not require costly methods for their preparation. Where a certain degree of surface roughness can be tolerated, lower-fidelity numerical control of deposited materials can provide a low-cost means for automating building processes, which can be utilized in remote or extreme environments on Earth or in Space. For space missions where every kilogram of mass must be lifted out of Earth’s gravity well, the promise of using in-situ materials for the construction of outposts, facilities, and installations could prove to be enabling if significant reduction of payload mass can be achieved. In a 2015 workshop sponsored by the Keck nstitute for Space Studies, on the topic of Three Dimensional (3D) Additive Construction For Space Using In-situ Resources, was conducted with additive construction experts from around the globe in attendance. The workshop explored disparate efforts, methods, and technologies and established a proposed framework for the field of Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources. This paper defines the field of Automated Additive Construction Using In-situ Resources, describes the state-of-the-art for various methods, establishes a vision for future efforts, identifies gaps in current technologies, explores investment opportunities, and proposes potential technology demonstration missions for terrestrial, International Space Station (ISS), lunar, deep space zero-gravity, and Mars environments

Immune synapse instructs epigenomic and transcriptomic functional reprogramming in dendritic cells.

Understanding the fate of dendritic cells (DCs) after productive immune synapses (postsynaptic DCs) with T cells during antigen presentation has been largely neglected in favor of deciphering the nuances of T cell activation and memory generation. Here, we describe that postsynaptic DCs switch their transcriptomic signature, correlating with epigenomic changes including DNA accessibility and histone methylation. We focus on the chemokine receptor Ccr7 as a proof-of-concept gene that is increased in postsynaptic DCs. Consistent with our epigenomic observations, postsynaptic DCs migrate more efficiently toward CCL19 in vitro and display enhanced homing to draining lymph nodes in vivo. This work describes a previously unknown DC population whose transcriptomics, epigenomics, and migratory capacity change in response to their cognate contact with T cells.This study was supported by grant SAF2017-82886-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), grant S2017/BMD-3671-INFLAMUNE-CM from the Comunidad de Madrid, a grant from the Ramon Areces Foundation “Ciencias de la Vida y la Salud” (XIX Concurso-2018), a grant from Ayudas Fundacion BBVA a Equipos de Investigacion Cientifica (BIOMEDICINA-2018), the Fundacio Marato TV3 (grant 122/C/2015), “la Caixa” Banking Foundation (HR17-00016), BIOIMID (PIE13/041) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBER Cardiovascular (CB16/11/00272), and Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funding by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER). D.C.-F. is supported by a Fellowship from “la Caixa” Foundation (LCF/BQ/DR19/11740010). I.F.-D. is supported by a Fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (FPU15/02539). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the Pro-CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MINECO award SEV-2015- 0505). Funding agencies did not intervene in the design of the studies, with no copyright over the study.S

Ciprofibrate therapy in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and low high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol: greater reduction of non-HDL cholesterol in subjects with excess body weight (The CIPROAMLAT study)

BACKGROUND: Hypertriglyceridemia in combination with low HDL cholesterol levels is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of ciprofibrate for the treatment of this form of dyslipidemia and to identify factors associated with better treatment response. METHODS: Multicenter, international, open-label study. Four hundred and thirty seven patients were included. The plasma lipid levels at inclusion were fasting triglyceride concentrations between 1.6–3.9 mM/l and HDL cholesterol ≤ 1.05 mM/l for women and ≤ 0.9 mM/l for men. The LDL cholesterol was below 4.2 mM/l. All patients received ciprofibrate 100 mg/d. Efficacy and safety parameters were assessed at baseline and at the end of the treatment. The primary efficacy parameter of the study was percentage change in triglycerides from baseline. RESULTS: After 4 months, plasma triglyceride concentrations were decreased by 44% (p < 0.001). HDL cholesterol concentrations were increased by 10% (p < 0.001). Non-HDL cholesterol was decreased by 19%. A greater HDL cholesterol response was observed in lean patients (body mass index < 25 kg/m(2)) compared to the rest of the population (8.2 vs 19.7%, p < 0.001). In contrast, cases with excess body weight had a larger decrease in non-HDL cholesterol levels (-20.8 vs -10.8%, p < 0.001). There were no significant complications resulting from treatment with ciprofibrate. CONCLUSIONS: Ciprofibrate is efficacious for the correction of hypertriglyceridemia / low HDL cholesterol. A greater decrease in non-HDL cholesterol was found among cases with excess body weight. The mechanism of action of ciprofibrate may be influenced by the pathophysiology of the disorder being treated

Efficacy of long-lasting insecticidal nets with declining physical and chemical integrity on Aedes aegypti (diptera : culicidae)

Fitting long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) as screens on doors and windows has a significant impact on indoor adult Aedes aegypti, with entomological reductions measured in a previous study being significant for up to two years post-installation, even in the presence of pyrethroid-resistant Aedes populations. The study used bioassays (0, 6, and 12 months), which confirmed that LLIN residual activity decreased over time. However, the study demonstrates that the remaining chemical effect after field conditions still contributes to killing/repelling mosquitoes. LLIN screening from the neighborhood Juan Pablo II in Merida (Yucatan State, Mexico) were randomly selected. Merida is highly endemic for dengue and other Aedes-borne viruses

Specification of Drosophila Corpora Cardiaca Neuroendocrine Cells from Mesoderm Is Regulated by Notch Signaling

Drosophila neuroendocrine cells comprising the corpora cardiaca (CC) are essential for systemic glucose regulation and represent functional orthologues of vertebrate pancreatic α-cells. Although Drosophila CC cells have been regarded as developmental orthologues of pituitary gland, the genetic regulation of CC development is poorly understood. From a genetic screen, we identified multiple novel regulators of CC development, including Notch signaling factors. Our studies demonstrate that the disruption of Notch signaling can lead to the expansion of CC cells. Live imaging demonstrates localized emergence of extra precursor cells as the basis of CC expansion in Notch mutants. Contrary to a recent report, we unexpectedly found that CC cells originate from head mesoderm. We show that Tinman expression in head mesoderm is regulated by Notch signaling and that the combination of Daughterless and Tinman is sufficient for ectopic CC specification in mesoderm. Understanding the cellular, genetic, signaling, and transcriptional basis of CC cell specification and expansion should accelerate discovery of molecular mechanisms regulating ontogeny of organs that control metabolism

Identification and Characterization of Paramyosin from Cyst Wall of Metacercariae Implicated Protective Efficacy against Clonorchis sinensis Infection

Human clonorchiasis has been increasingly prevalent in recent years and results in a threat to the public health in epidemic regions, motivating current strategies of vaccines to combat Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis). In this study, we identified C. sinensis paramyosin (CsPmy) from the cyst wall proteins of metacercariae by proteomic approaches and characterized the expressed recombinant pET-26b-CsPmy protein (101 kDa). Bioinformatics analysis indicated that full-length sequences of paramyosin are conserved in helminthes and numerous B-cell/T-cell epitopes were predicted in amino acid sequence of CsPmy. Western blot analysis showed that CsPmy was expressed at four life stages of C. sinensis, both cyst wall proteins and soluble tegumental components could be probed by anti-CsPmy serum. Moreover, immunolocalization results revealed that CsPmy was specifically localized at cyst wall and excretory bladder of metacercaria, as well as the tegument, oral sucker and vitellarium of adult worm. Both immunoblot and immunolocalization results demonstrated that CsPmy was highly expressed at the stage of adult worm, metacercariae and cercaria, which could be supported by real-time PCR analysis. Both recombinant protein and nucleic acid of CsPmy showed strong immunogenicity in rats and induced combined Th1/Th2 immune responses, which were reflected by continuous high level of antibody titers and increased level of IgG1/IgG2a subtypes in serum. In vaccine trials, comparing with control groups, both CsPmy protein and DNA vaccine exhibited protective effect with significant worm reduction rate of 54.3% (p<0.05) and 36.1% (p<0.05), respectively. In consistence with immune responses in sera, elevated level of cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4 in splenocytes suggested that CsPmy could induce combined cellular immunity and humoral immunity in host. Taken together, CsPmy could be a promising vaccine candidate in the prevention of C. sinensis regarding its high immunogenicity and surface localization

Expansion of Signal Transduction Pathways in Fungi by Extensive Genome Duplication

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