273 research outputs found
New approaches to the lithiation kinetics in reaction-limited battery electrodes through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a widely employed technique probing kinetic limitations in the charging of battery electrodes. Hindrance mechanisms locate at the interfaces between the active material and the electrolyte, and in the bulk of the reacting compound. Rate-limiting mechanisms are viewed as resistive circuit elements and can be extracted using standard impedance analyzers. Classical impedance models consider charge transport, mainly ion diffusion as slower carrier, as the principal kinetic limitation impeding full electrode charging. This is indeed the case for many technologically relevant battery compounds. In other instances, instead of being diffusion-limited, electrodes may undergo charging limitation caused by the kinetics of the reduction reaction itself. Specific impedance models for reactionlimited mechanisms are summarized here and proved for relevant electrode compounds, in particular for conversion or alloying electrodes in which Li+ intake produces a full rearrangement of the lattice structure
with significant atomic displacement
Ecological momentary assessment for chronic pain in fibromyalgia using a smartphone: A randomized crossover study
Background
Daily diaries are a useful way of measuring fluctuations in pain-related symptoms. However, traditional diaries do not assure the gathering of data in real time, not solving the problem of retrospective assessment. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) by means of electronic diaries helps to improve repeated assessment. However, it is important to test its feasibility in specific populations in order to reach a wider number of people who could benefit from these procedures.
Methods
The present study compares the compliance and acceptability of an electronic diary running on a smartphone using a crossover design for a sample with a specific pain condition, fibromyalgia and low familiarity with technology. Forty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) paper diary smartphone diary and (2) smartphone diary paper diary, using each assessment method for 1 week.
Results
The findings of this study showed that the smartphone diary made it possible to gather more accurate and complete ratings. Besides, this method was well accepted by a sample of patients with fibromyalgia referred by a public hospital, with an important proportion of participants with low level of education and low familiarity with technology.
Conclusions
The findings of this study support the use of smartphones for EMA even in specific populations with a specific pain condition, fibromyalgia and with low familiarity with technology. These methods could help clinicians and researchers to gather more accurate ratings of relevant pain-related variables even in populations with low familiarity with technology.The research presented in this paper was funded in part by Fundacio La Marato de TV3 (Ajuts de la Marato de TV3 2006), Plan de Promocion de la investigacion Universitat Jaume I, (Fundacio Caixa Castello-Bancaixa, P11B2009-30) and by Generalitat Valenciana, Redes de Excelencia ISIC (ISIC/2012/012).Garcia-Palacios, A.; Herrero, R.; Belmonte, M.; Castilla, D.; Guixeres Provinciale, J.; Molinari, G.; Baños, R.... (2014). Ecological momentary assessment for chronic pain in fibromyalgia using a smartphone: A randomized crossover study. European Journal of Pain. 18(6):862-872. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00425.xS86287218
Stability and collapse of localized solutions of the controlled three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation
On the basis of recent investigations, a newly developed analytical procedure
is used for constructing a wide class of localized solutions of the controlled
three-dimensional (3D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) that governs the
dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). The controlled 3D GPE is
decomposed into a two-dimensional (2D) linear Schr\"{o}dinger equation and a
one-dimensional (1D) nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation, constrained by a
variational condition for the controlling potential. Then, the above class of
localized solutions are constructed as the product of the solutions of the
transverse and longitudinal equations. On the basis of these exact 3D
analytical solutions, a stability analysis is carried out, focusing our
attention on the physical conditions for having collapsing or non-collapsing
solutions.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure
Amorphous Iron Oxyhydroxide Nanosheets: Synthesis, Li Storage, and Conversion Reaction Kinetics
We present a facile approach to synthesize amorphous iron oxyhydroxide nanosheet from the surfactant-assisted oxidation of iron sulfide nanosheet. The amorphous iron oxyhydroxide nanosheet is porous and has a high surface area of 223 m(2) g(-1). The lithium storage properties of the amorphous iron oxyhydroxide are characterized: it is a conversion-reaction electrode material, and it demonstrates superior rate capabilities (e.g., discharge capacities as high as 642 mAh g(-1) are delivered at a current density of 2 C). The impedance spectroscopy analysis identifies a RC series subcircuit originated by the conversion-reaction process. Investigation of the conversion-reaction kinetics through the RC subcircuit time constant reproduces the hysteresis in the discharge/charge voltage profile. Hysteresis is then connected to underlying thermodynamics of the conversion reaction rather than to a kinetic limitation.We thank financial support from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC/2012/008 Institute of Nanotechnologies for Clean Energies) and FP7 European project ORION (Large CP-IP 229036-2). We thank the financial support by the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) through its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program
Electrophysical properties of nanoporous cerium dioxide–water system
The impedance of nanoporous cerium dioxide with adsorbed water is investigated in the frequency range 103–104 Hz at temperatures near the water–ice phase transition. Here we show that the manifestation of impedance peculiarities at phase transition is caused by the dielectric constant of the matrix
EFFECTS OF SINTERING TEMPERATURE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SrSc0.1Co0.9O3-δOXYGEN SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE
Loss of 5hmC identifies a new type of aberrant DNA hypermethylation in glioma
Aberrant DNA hypermethylation is a hallmark of cancer although the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. To study the possible role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in this process we analyzed the global and locus-specific genome-wide levels of 5hmC and 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in human primary samples from 12 non-tumoral brains and 53 gliomas. We found that the levels of 5hmC identified in non-tumoral samples were significantly reduced in gliomas. Strikingly, hypo-hydroxymethylation at 4627 (9.3%) CpG sites was associated with aberrant DNA hypermethylation and was strongly enriched in CpG island shores. The DNA regions containing these CpG sites were enriched in H3K4me2 and presented a different genuine chromatin signature to that characteristic of the genes classically aberrantly hypermethylated in cancer. As this 5mC gain is inversely correlated with loss of 5hmC and has not been identified with classical sodium bisulfite-based technologies, we conclude that our data identifies a novel 5hmC-dependent type of aberrant DNA hypermethylation in glioma.This work has been financially supported by: the Plan Nacional de I+D+I 2013–2016/FEDER (PI15/00892 to M.F.F. and A.F.F.; RTC-2015-3393-1 to A.F.F.); the ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación, and the Plan Nacional de I+D+I 2008–2011/FEDER (CP11/00131 to A.F.F.); IUOPA (to G.F.B. and M.S); the Fundación Científica de la AECC (to R.G.U.); the Fundación Ramón Areces (to M.F.F); FICYT (to E.G.T., M.G.G. and A.C.); and the Asturias Regional Government (GRUPIN14-052 to M.F.F.). Work in P.M. laboratory is supported by the European Research Council (CoG-2014-646903), the Spanish Ministry of Economy-Competitiveness (SAF-SAF2013-43065), the Obra Social La Caixa-Fundaciò Josep Carreras, and the Generalitat de Catalunya. P.M. is an investigator in the Spanish Cell Therapy cooperative network (TERCEL). The IUOPA is supported by the Obra Social Cajastur-Liberbank, Spain.Peer reviewe
Total area of spontaneous portosystemic shunts independently predicts hepatic encephalopathy and mortality in liver cirrhosis
Background & Aims: Spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) frequently develop in liver cirrhosis. Recent data suggested that the presence of a single large SPSS is associated with complications, especially overt hepatic encephalopathy (oHE). However, the presence of >1 SPSS is common. This study evaluates the impact of total cross-sectional SPSS area (TSA) on outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: In this retrospective international multicentric study, CT scans of 908 cirrhotic patients with SPSS were evaluated for TSA. Clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Each detected SPSS radius was measured and TSA calculated. One-year survival was the primary endpoint and acute decompensation (oHE, variceal bleeding, ascites) was the secondary endpoint. Results: A total of 301 patients (169 male) were included in the training cohort. Thirty percent of all patients presented with >1 SPSS. A TSA cut-off of 83 mm2 was used to classify patients with small or large TSA (S-/L-TSA). Patients with L-TSA presented with higher model for end-stage liver disease score (11 vs. 14) and more commonly had a history of oHE (12% vs. 21%, p <0.05). During follow-up, patients with L-TSA experienced more oHE episodes (33% vs. 47%, p <0.05) and had lower 1-year survival than those with S-TSA (84% vs. 69%, p <0.001). Multivariate analysis identified L-TSA (hazard ratio 1.66; 95% CI 1.02–2.70, p <0.05) as an independent predictor of mortality. An independent multicentric validation cohort of 607 patients confirmed that patients with L-TSA had lower 1-year survival (77% vs. 64%, p <0.001) and more oHE development (35% vs. 49%, p <0.001) than those with S-TSA. Conclusion: This study suggests that TSA >83 mm2 increases the risk for oHE and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Our results support the clinical use of TSA/SPSS for risk stratification and decision-making in the management of patients with cirrhosis. Lay summary: The prevalence of spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) is higher in patients with more advanced chronic liver disease. The presence of more than 1 SPSS is common in advanced chronic liver disease and is associated with the development of hepatic encephalopathy. This study shows that total cross-sectional SPSS area (rather than diameter of the single largest SPSS) predicts survival in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. Our results support the clinical use of total cross-sectional SPSS area for risk stratification and decision-making in the management of SPSS.Jonel Trebicka is supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
(SFB TRR57, CRC1382), Cellex Foundation
and European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
program GALAXY study (No. 668031), LIVERHOPE (No. 731875)
and MICROB-PREDICT (No. 825694) and the Cellex Foundation.
Joan Genescà is a recipient of a Research Intensification grant
from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. The study was partially
funded by grants PI15/00066, and PI18/00947 from Instituto de
Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF/ESF,
“Investing in your future”). Centro de Investigación Biomédica en
Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivasis supported by
Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Macarena Simón-Talero is a recipient
of the grant JR 17/00029 from Instituto de Salud Carlos II
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