Development of a 4.2 V aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor based on MnO2 positive and protected Li negative electrodes

An aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor consisting of a capacitive manganese oxide (MnO2) positive electrode and a water-stable, protected Li negative electrode in near-neutral aqueous electrolyte (1.0 M Li2SO4, pH = 5.5) is demonstrated. Galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling tests were conducted with pouched cells, offering a cell voltage of 4.2 V with maximum specific energy of 753 W h kg(-1) based on the positive electrode. The combination of a pseudocapacitive MnO2 positive and a Li negative electrode offers high specific charge and cell voltage, resulting in an aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor having exceptionally high specific energy.ArticleJOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES. 241:572-577 (2013)journal articl

4 V class aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor with battery-like capacity

A new aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor consisting of a porous positive capacitive electrode and a water-stable multilayered Li negative electrode is demonstrated. The new cell design affords cell voltages close to 4 V in a mild aqueous electrolyte. Application of a pseudocapacitive positive electrode with high specific charge results in specific energy comparable to present rechargeable batteries.ArticleRSC ADVANCES. 2(32):12144-12147 (2012)journal articl

Production of the p-Process Nuclei in the Carbon-Deflagration Model for Type Ia Supernovae

We calculate nucleosynthesis of proton-rich isotopes in the carbon-deflagration model for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The seed abundances are obtained by calculating the s-process nucleosynthesis that is expected to occur in the repeating helium shell flashes on the carbon-oxygen (CO) white dwarf (WD) during mass accretion from a binary companion. When the deflagration wave passes through the outer layer of the CO WD, p-nuclei are produced by photodisintegration reactions on s-nuclei in a region with the peak temperature ranging from 1.9 to 3.6 x10^9 K. We confirm the sensitivity of the p-process on the initial distribution of s-nuclei. We show that the initial C/O ratio in the WD does not much affect the yield of p-nuclei. On the other hand, the abundance of 22Ne left after the s-processing has a large influence on the p-process via 22Ne(alpha,n) reaction. We find that about 50% of p-nuclides are co-produced when normalized to their solar abundances in all adopted cases of seed distribution. Mo and Ru, which are largely underproduced in Type II supernovae (SNe II), are produced more than in SNe II although they are underproduced with respect to the yield levels of other p-nuclides. The ratios between p-nuclei and iron in the ejecta are larger than the solar ratios by a factor of 1.2. We also compare the yields of oxygen, iron, and p-nuclides in SNe Ia and SNe II and suggest that SNe Ia could make a larger contribution than SNe II to the solar system content of p-nuclei.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, revised argument in section 3.2.2 and 3.5, results unchanged, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, references adde

Abnormal social behavior, hyperactivity, impaired remote spatial memory, and increased D1-mediated dopaminergic signaling in neuronal nitric oxide synthase knockout mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is involved in the regulation of a diverse population of intracellular messenger systems in the brain. In humans, abnormal NOS/nitric oxide metabolism is suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of some neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Mice with targeted disruption of the nNOS gene exhibit abnormal behaviors. Here, we subjected nNOS knockout (KO) mice to a battery of behavioral tests to further investigate the role of nNOS in neuropsychiatric functions. We also examined the role of nNOS in dopamine/DARPP-32 signaling in striatal slices from nNOS KO mice and the effects of the administration of a dopamine D1 receptor agonist on behavior in nNOS KO mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>nNOS KO mice showed hyperlocomotor activity in a novel environment, increased social interaction in their home cage, decreased depression-related behavior, and impaired spatial memory retention. In striatal slices from nNOS KO mice, the effects of a dopamine D1 receptor agonist, SKF81297, on the phosphorylation of DARPP-32 and AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 at protein kinase A sites were enhanced. Consistent with the biochemical results, intraperitoneal injection of a low dose of SKF81297 significantly decreased prepulse inhibition in nNOS KO mice, but not in wild-type mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings indicate that nNOS KO upregulates dopamine D1 receptor signaling, and induces abnormal social behavior, hyperactivity and impaired remote spatial memory. nNOS KO mice may serve as a unique animal model of psychiatric disorders.</p

Activation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes derived from rheumatoid arthritis via lysophosphatidic acid-lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 cascade

INTRODUCTION: Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid that binds to G protein–coupled receptors (LPA(1–6)). Recently, we reported that abrogation of LPA receptor 1 (LPA(1)) ameliorated murine collagen-induced arthritis, probably via inhibition of inflammatory cell migration, Th17 differentiation and osteoclastogenesis. In this study, we examined the importance of the LPA–LPA(1) axis in cell proliferation, cytokine/chemokine production and lymphocyte transmigration in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) obtained from the synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: FLSs were prepared from synovial tissues of RA patients. Expression of LPA(1–6) was examined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Cell surface LPA(1) expression was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell proliferation was analyzed using a cell-counting kit. Production of interleukin 6 (IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pseudoemperipolesis was evaluated using a coculture of RA FLSs and T or B cells. Cell motility was examined by scrape motility assay. Expression of adhesion molecules was determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expression of LPA(1) mRNA and cell surface LPA(1) was higher in RA FLSs than in FLSs from osteoarthritis tissue. Stimulation with LPA enhanced the proliferation of RA FLSs and the production of IL-6, VEGF, CCL2 and MMP-3 by FLSs, which were suppressed by an LPA(1) inhibitor (LA-01). Ki16425, another LPA(1) antagonist, also suppressed IL-6 production by LPA-stimulated RA FLSs. However, the production of CXCL12 was not altered by stimulation with LPA. LPA induced the pseudoemperipolesis of T and B cells cocultured with RA FLSs, which was suppressed by LPA(1) inhibition. In addition, LPA enhanced the migration of RA FLSs and expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule and intercellular adhesion molecule on RA FLSs, which were also inhibited by an LPA(1) antagonist. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results indicate that LPA–LPA(1) signaling contributes to the activation of RA FLSs

In-situ Neutron Tomography on Mixing Behavior of Supercritical Water and Room Temperature Water in a Tubular Flow Reactor

We have synthesized metal oxide nanoparticles through hydrothermal reaction at around 400 °C and 25 MPa by mixing the stream of metal ion solution at room temperature with another stream of supercritical water in a continuous flow-type reactor. In order to visualize the mixing behavior of the two streams, we performed neutron tomography measurements. By performing tomography measurements while rotating the mixing piece with supplying supercritical water and room temperature water, we succeeded in obtaining the three dimensional distribution of neutron attenuation. The results clearly showed how the two streams mix, which serves as a reference for numerical simulation

Potential interest in circulating miR-BART17-5p as a post-treatment biomarker for prediction of recurrence in Epstein-Barr virus-related nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related micoRNAs (miRNAs), BamHI-A rightward transcripts (BART)-miRNAs, are released in a stable form from viable cells, which are abundant in patients with EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We estimated copy numbers of circulating miR-BART2-5p, miR-BART17-5p, and miR-BART18-5p as well as BamHI-W DNA as biomarkers. Materials and Methods: Serums from 31 EBV-positive (confirmed by in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded small RNAs) NPC patients and 40 non-NPC controls were analyzed. Among the 31 NPC patients, serums at the initial diagnosis and three months after treatment were obtained from 20 patients, and serums only at three months after treatment were obtained from 11 patients. Results: The sensitivity/specificity of circulating BamHI-W DNA, miR-BART2-5p, miR-BART17-5p, and miR-BART18-5p for the diagnosis of NPC before treatment were 100/100, 85/85, 60/95, and 25/100%, respectively. For BamHI-W DNA, NPC patients with stage IV disease had significantly higher copy numbers than those with I-III. Copy numbers decreased significantly post-treatment. In contrast, copy numbers of the three BART-miRNAs showed no significant correlation with the clinical stage at diagnosis or any significant post-treatment change. After treatment, BamHI-W DNA and miR-BART17-5p were detected in 5 and 6 cases out of 11 patients with recurrent or residual tumors, respectively. However, BamHI-W DNA and miR-BART17-5p were absent in all 20 patients without relapse or residual tumors. Conclusion: The copy number of circulating BamHI-W DNA is a more useful biomarker for the initial diagnosis of NPC than the three BART-miRNAs examined. Post-treatment detection of miR-BART17-5p is a potential biomarker of a poor prognosis. © 2016 Hirai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Development of a 4.2 V aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor based on MnO2 positive and protected Li negative electrodes

An aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor consisting of a capacitive manganese oxide (MnO2) positive electrode and a water-stable, protected Li negative electrode in near-neutral aqueous electrolyte (1.0 M Li2SO4, pH = 5.5) is demonstrated. Galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling tests were conducted with pouched cells, offering a cell voltage of 4.2 V with maximum specific energy of 753 W h kg(-1) based on the positive electrode. The combination of a pseudocapacitive MnO2 positive and a Li negative electrode offers high specific charge and cell voltage, resulting in an aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor having exceptionally high specific energy.ArticleJOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES. 241:572-577 (2013)journal articl