Applications of optogenetic tandem-cell units for in vitro study of cardiac electrophysiology

Optogenetics and tandem-cell units are an important tool for studying cardiac electrophysiology, and this work explores a few of the exciting avenues of study they enable. In Chapters 2 and 3, myofibroblasts and fibroblasts are transduced with channelrhodopsin-2 and co-cultured with cardiomyocytes to acutely demonstrate that both are electrically connected enough to cardiomyocytes to produce changes in cardiomyocyte electrophysiology, which has implications for treating conduction slowing after cardiac injury. In Chapter 4, a simple, scalable method to use tandem-cell units to point-pace cells in culture to mature them is developed, which has the potential to make them more useful for in vitro study, drug testing, and tissue engineering. Finally, in Chapter 5, an engineered tissue from decellularized extracellular matrix is developed that represents the next step for the applications in the previous chapters by providing important physiological cues, which should improve their relevance and accuracy

Accumulation of Zearalenone in Herbage of Winter Pasture Situated in West Poland

The importance of winter pastures in beef production in Europe has been growing steadily. In Poland, especially in its western part, there are already farms which utilise pasture swards during late autumn and winter. The major problem, however, is the quality of forage ingested by animals as it tends to deteriorate with the passage of the vegetation season with danger of accumulation of various mycotoxins (Laser et al., 2003) of which the most important is zearalenone (ZEA)

An infrared, Raman, and X-ray database of battery interphase components

Further technological advancement of both lithium-ion and emerging battery technologies can be catalyzed by an improved understanding of the chemistry and working mechanisms of the solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) that form at electrochemically active battery interfaces. However, collecting and interpreting spectroscopy results of SEIs is difficult for several reasons, including the chemically diverse composition of SEIs. To address this challenge, we herein present a vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction data library of ten suggested SEI chemical constituents relevant to both lithium-ion and emerging battery chemistries. The data library includes attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction data, collected in inert atmospheres afforded by custom designed sample holders. The data library presented in this work (and online repository) alleviates challenges with locating related work that is either diffusely spread throughout the literature, or is non-existent, and provides energy storage researchers streamlined access to vital SEI-relevant data that can catalyse future battery research efforts.Comment: JML and RK jointly supervised this work. 26 pages, 8 figures, 8 table

Laser-produced plasma EUV source based on tin-rich, thin-layer targets

In this paper a new approach to a laser-produced plasma EUV source based on a tin target is presented. A thin layer of pure tin and composite layers consisting of Sn with Si, SiO and LiF are investigated. The target composed of several thin layers produces less debris than the other targets and provides a conversion efficiency (CE) in the 13.5-nm +/- 1% band at least comparable to the CE for the pure tin slab target. The largest CE was observed for the target composed of a mixture of Sn and LiF, due to the fact that lithium, similarly to tin, is a strong emitter at 13.5 nm

Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nano-Structured Sn/C Composite Thin-Film Anodes for Li-ion Batteries

In this paper we report results of a novel synthesis method of thin-film composite Sn/C anodes for lithium batteries. Thin layers of graphitic carbon decorated with uniformly distributed Sn nanoparticles were synthesized from a solid organic precursor Sn(IV) tert-butoxide by a one step microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). The thin-film Sn/C electrodes were electrochemically tested in lithium half cells and produced a reversible capacity of 440 and 297 mAhg{sup -1} at C/25 and 5C discharge rates, respectively. A long term cycling of the Sn/C nanocomposite anodes showed 40% capacity loss after 500 cycles at 1C rate

Impact of carbon structure and morphology on the electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C composites

The electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C composites in lithium cells is closely correlated to pressed pellet conductivities measured by AC impedance methods. These composite conductivities are a strong function not only of the amount of carbon but of its structure and distribution. Ideally, the amount of carbon in composites should be minimal (less than about 2 wtpercent) so as not to decrease the energy density unduly. This is particularly important for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle applications (PHEVs) where both high power and moderate energy density are required. Optimization of the carbon structure, particularly the sp2/sp3 and disordered/graphene (D/G) ratios, improves the electronic conductivity while minimizing the carbon amount. Manipulation of the carbon structure can be achieved via the use of synthetic additives including ironcontaining graphitization catalysts. Additionally, combustion synthesis techniques allow co-synthesis of LiFePO4 and carbon fibers or nanotubes, which can act as"nanowires" for the conduction of current during cell operation