Graphene/Li-Ion battery

Density function theory calculations were carried out to clarify storage states of Lithium (Li) ions in graphene clusters. The adsorption energy, spin polarization, charge distribution, electronic gap, surface curvature and dipole momentum were calculated for each cluster. Li-ion adsorbed graphene, doped by one Li atom is spin polarized, so there would be different gaps for different spin polarization in electrons. Calculation results demonstrated that a smaller cluster between each two larger clusters is preferable, because it could improve graphene Li-ion batteries; consequently, the most proper graphene anode structure has been proposed.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Red yeast (Phaffia rhodozyma) and its effect on growth, antioxidant activity and color pigmentation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Efficacy of orally used of red yeast (Phaffia rhodozyma) (1.6 mg astaxanthin/g product) at 15.5 g (P1), 37.3 g (P2) and 47 (P3) g per kg diet were studied on performance, carcass composition, antioxidant activity and fillet pigmentation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) weighing 208–212 g for eight weeks at 11 °C. Synthetic astaxanthin (AX) (0.5 g/kg diet) and basal diet were used as controls. With an increase in P. rhodozyma concentration in diet, weight gain and specific growth rate exhibited an increase compared to basal diet (P 0.05). Water holding capacity and lipid loss in fillets of treatments were lower than fish fed basal diet (P < 0.05). By increasing P. rhodozyma concentration in fish diets, redness value exhibited a progressive increase, and the highest value was seen in P3 diet compared to other treatments (P < 0.05). These data show application of P. rhodozyma at 47 g/kg diet in trout could provide a better performance, antioxidant activities, and fillet pigmentation

Integrated modeling and validation for phase change with natural convection

Water-ice systems undergoing melting develop complex spatio-temporal interface dynamics and a non-trivial temperature field. In this contribution, we present computational aspects of a recently conducted validation study that aims at investigating the role of natural convection for cryo-interface dynamics of water-ice. We will present a fixed grid model known as the enthalpy porosity method. It is based on introducing a phase field and employs mixture theory. The resulting PDEs are solved using a finite volume discretization. The second part is devoted to experiments that have been conducted for model validation. The evolving water-ice interface is tracked based on optical images that shows both the water and the ice phase. To segment the phases, we use a binary Mumford Shah method, which yields a piece-wise constant approximation of the imaging data. Its jump set is the reconstruction of the measured phase interface. Our combined simulation and segmentation effort finally enables us to compare the modeled and measured phase interfaces continuously. We conclude with a discussion of our findings

Demonstration of the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of a novel hemostatic agent, ankaferd blood stopper, on vascular tissue in a rat aortic bleeding model

Background: Ankaferd Blood Stopper®(ABS) is a folkloric medicinal plant extract used as a hemostatic agent in traditional Turkish medicine. This experimental study investigated the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of ABS on vascular tissue in a rat model of aortic bleeding.Methods: Four groups of 11 Wistar albino rats were used. The abdominal aortas of the rats were wounded; an ABS-soaked tampon was applied to rats in Groups 1 and 3, and a plain gauze tampon was applied to rats in Groups 2 and 4 until the bleeding stopped. The bleeding time was recorded. Immediately following sacrificing, the arteriotomy sites from Groups 1 and 2 were removed. The abdominal incisions in Groups 3 and 4 were closed following hemostasis. On Day 7 of the study, Group 3 and 4 rats were sacrificed and the abdominal aorta arteriotomy sites were removed for histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation.Results: The mean bleeding time in 15 animals in Groups 2 and 4 was 4.9 ± 0.6 s, and in 22 animals in Groups 1 and 3 was 3.1 ± 0.6 s. Distal aortic occlusion was not observed on either Day 1 or 7 in any group. Significantly more widespread and dense endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) staining was observed in Group 1 animals than Group 2. On Days 1 and 7 after application of ABS, histopathological changes, consisting of necrosis, inflammation, and endothelial cell loss, in the rat abdominal aortas did not differ between Groups 1 and 2. The basophilic discoloration in the ABS group on the operation day was a result of a foreign body reaction and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation, which occurred on Day 7.Conclusions: In this study, hemostasis was successfully achieved with ABS in rat abdominal aortas. No histopathological change was found in the rat abdominal aortas between the ABS and control groups on Days 1 and 7. Further studies on the long-term effects of foreign body reactions and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation are required. © 2010 Kandemir et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

A global experience‐sampling method study of well‐being during times of crisis: The CoCo project

We present a global experience-sampling method (ESM) study aimed at describing, predicting, and understanding individual differences in well-being during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This international ESM study is a collaborative effort of over 60 interdisciplinary researchers from around the world in the “Coping with Corona” (CoCo) project. The study comprises trait-, state-, and daily-level data of 7490 participants from over 20 countries (total ESM measurements = 207,263; total daily measurements = 73,295) collected between October 2021 and August 2022. We provide a brief overview of the theoretical background and aims of the study, present the applied methods (including a description of the study design, data collection procedures, data cleaning, and final sample), and discuss exemplary research questions to which these data can be applied. We end by inviting collaborations on the CoCo dataset

Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum Infection in Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Isfahan Province, Center of Iran

"nBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate the sero-prevalence of Neospora caninum infec­tion in Camelus dromedarius; the most popular camel species in Iran. "nMethods:  Totally, 310 serum samples were collected from camels in Isfahan Province during 2008 and tested in Shahrekord University using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for se­rodiagnosis of anti-N. caninum IgG antibodies as a cross-sectional study. "nResults: Among evaluated serum samples, 10 (3.22%) had anti-N. caninum antibodies detectable in dilutions of 1:50 and 1:100. to rule out false positive results due to cross-reactivity of this pro­tozoan parasite with the closely related protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, an IFA was also performed for T. gondii infection in dilution of 1:16 for positively reacted serum samples against N. caninum. No con­cordant infections of these two protozoan parasites were detected. "nConclusion: Presence of anti-N. caninum antibodies in camels in Iran emphasizes the necessity of fur­ther studies to detect the role of this organism as a pathogen and possibly economic impor­tance in ca­mels population