Polymeric Separator Synthesis for Lithium-Air Batteries

Battery electricity storage has been one of the main strategies to reach a sustainable energy network. They are adequate to store energy and release it later, supporting a high volume of variable renewable electricity. In this context, lithium-air batteries (LABs) have the potential to be a high-capacity battery option, with theoretical energy densities higher than currently available lithium-ion ones. However, they are still commercially unfeasible. In the last few decades, there has been immense progress in LABs technology with the development of stable electrolytes, porous cathodes, and catalysts. Nonetheless, minor attention has been given to the protection of the lithium metal electrode, especially against reactive substances present in the atmospheric air, such as water and oxygen. In this work, a protective membrane was synthesized to protect the metallic lithium anode against water. The synthesis was carried out using polytetramethylene glycol (PTMEG), 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), and a blend of 1,4 butanediol with glycerine as a chain extender. The synthesized membrane was tested using an aprotic lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery assembled with carbon paper as the cathode, metallic lithium as the anode, and 0.1 mol.L-1 lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with 550 ppm of water concentration as electrolyte. Furthermore, the cyclability of the batteries with the novel polymeric membrane was compared with the standard glass microfiber separator. The results showed a higher cyclability of the batteries assembled with the polymeric separator over the glass microfiber separator.</p

A "Candidate-Interactome" Aggregate Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Data in Multiple Sclerosis

Though difficult, the study of gene-environment interactions in multifactorial diseases is crucial for interpreting the relevance of non-heritable factors and prevents from overlooking genetic associations with small but measurable effects. We propose a “candidate interactome” (i.e. a group of genes whose products are known to physically interact with environmental factors that may be relevant for disease pathogenesis) analysis of genome-wide association data in multiple sclerosis. We looked for statistical enrichment of associations among interactomes that, at the current state of knowledge, may be representative of gene-environment interactions of potential, uncertain or unlikely relevance for multiple sclerosis pathogenesis: Epstein-Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, cytomegalovirus, HHV8-Kaposi sarcoma, H1N1-influenza, JC virus, human innate immunity interactome for type I interferon, autoimmune regulator, vitamin D receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor and a panel of proteins targeted by 70 innate immune-modulating viral open reading frames from 30 viral species. Interactomes were either obtained from the literature or were manually curated. The P values of all single nucleotide polymorphism mapping to a given interactome were obtained from the last genome-wide association study of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium & the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, 2. The interaction between genotype and Epstein Barr virus emerges as relevant for multiple sclerosis etiology. However, in line with recent data on the coexistence of common and unique strategies used by viruses to perturb the human molecular system, also other viruses have a similar potential, though probably less relevant in epidemiological terms

A “Candidate-Interactome” Aggregate Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Data in Multiple Sclerosis

Though difficult, the study of gene-environment interactions in multifactorial diseases is crucial for interpreting the relevance of non-heritable factors and prevents from overlooking genetic associations with small but measurable effects. We propose a "candidate interactome" (i.e. a group of genes whose products are known to physically interact with environmental factors that may be relevant for disease pathogenesis) analysis of genome-wide association data in multiple sclerosis. We looked for statistical enrichment of associations among interactomes that, at the current state of knowledge, may be representative of gene-environment interactions of potential, uncertain or unlikely relevance for multiple sclerosis pathogenesis: Epstein-Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, cytomegalovirus, HHV8-Kaposi sarcoma, H1N1-influenza, JC virus, human innate immunity interactome for type I interferon, autoimmune regulator, vitamin D receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor and a panel of proteins targeted by 70 innate immune-modulating viral open reading frames from 30 viral species. Interactomes were either obtained from the literature or were manually curated. The P values of all single nucleotide polymorphism mapping to a given interactome were obtained from the last genome-wide association study of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium & the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, 2. The interaction between genotype and Epstein Barr virus emerges as relevant for multiple sclerosis etiology. However, in line with recent data on the coexistence of common and unique strategies used by viruses to perturb the human molecular system, also other viruses have a similar potential, though probably less relevant in epidemiological terms

Isolation of a novel species of Bifidobacteriaceae from the herbivourous primates Theropitecus gelada

The Theropitecus gelada (fig.1), sometimes called the\ua0bleeding-heart monkey for their unmistakable red and hairless spot at the center of the chest, useful to indicate the social and reproductive status of the individual, are rocks monkeys living on the stony plateaus of Central Ethiopia, between 1,800 and 4,400 meters high. [1][2] These primates are perfectly suited to running and moving on the ground and find their natural habitat in rocky slopes, especially near rivers and streams. They are diurnal monkeys, and the most important trait of this animals is that they are the only known species of primates to be exclusively herbivores. After a trip of about a thousand kilometers, 6 monkeys of this species are housed in Italy, in the Natura Viva Park of Verona