Development of battery separator composites

Improved inorganic-organic separators developed by NASA were commercially prepared. A single-ply asbestos substrate was developed, as well as alternative substrates based on cellulose and on polypropylene fibers. The single-ply asbestos was bound with butyl rubber and was functionally superior to the formerly used polyphenylene oxide saturated sheet. Commercially prepared separators exhibited better measured separator properties than the NASA standard. Cycle life in Ni/Zn and Ag/Zn cells was related to substrate, decreasing in the order; asbestos cellulose paper nonwoven polypropylene. The cycle life of solvent-coated separators was better than aqueous in Ni/Zn cells, while aqueous coatings were better in Ag/Zn cells

State Records and Habitat of Clam Shrimp, Caenestheriella gynecia (Crustacea: Conchostraca), in New York and New Jersey

We report new records of the Clam Shrimp, Caenestheriella gynecia Mattox 1950, from three localities in the Hudson Valley of New York and one locality in northeastern New Jersey. All of our specimens were collected in puddles on dirt roads. The New Jersey specimens have meristics that are well within the range of Caenestheriella Daday 1915; however, the eastern New York specimens resemble those reported from Massachusetts with meristics that are closer to Cyzicus Audouin 1837. We hypothesize that C. gynecia was established as a parthenogenetic species due to an unlikely dispersal event in the western part of its range and has migrated eastward since the last glacial maximum. Dispersal of this species may occur by wind, in the gut of birds, or stuck to animal feet or fur, or to vehicles. We recommend that C. gynecia be treated as rare and vulnerable to extinction throughout its range unless demonstrated otherwise

Occurrence of a Colorful Prejuvenile Mountain Mullet (Agonostomus monticola) in Brackish Water of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles

Brightly colored prejuvenile Mountain mullet (Agonostomus monticola) immigrating into brackish water on Montserrat are described. Mugilidae may be unique among Caribbean amphidromous fishes in having a brightly colored pelagic marine stage

Solid-state NMR Analysis of Adhesive Bondlines in Pilot Scale Flakeboards

This work demonstrates the application of solid-state NMR to the analysis of adhesive bondlines in pilot scale flakeboards. A comparison to laboratory scale experiments is also made. Phenol-formaldehyde resin is easily detected by using labeled formaldehyde. However, resin washout can occasionally prevent detection in pilot scale composites. The relative degree of resin cure is determined by measuring corrected signal areas and also by measuring proton longitudinal relaxation in the rotating frame. Such relaxation measurements were effective in laboratory scale experiments, but were much less useful for pilot scale tests. The degree of phenol-formaldehyde polymerization was not affected by changes in wood furnish moisture content; the range of furnish moisture was 13 and 24%. This suggests that phenol-formaldehyde moisture intolerance is not related to polymerization retardation by water. This work demonstrates the feasibility of performing detailed bondline analyses on pilot and possibly industrial scale composites

Diffusion basis spectrum imaging for identifying pathologies in MS subtypes

Diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) combines discrete anisotropic diffusion tensors and the spectrum of isotropic diffusion tensors to model the underlying multiple sclerosis (MS) pathologies. We used clinical MS subtypes as a surrogate of underlying pathologies to assess DBSI as a biomarker of pathology in 55 individuals with MS. Restricted isotropic fraction (reflecting cellularity) and fiber fraction (representing apparent axonal density) were the most important DBSI metrics to classify MS using brain white matter lesions. These DBSI metrics outperformed lesion volume. When analyzing the normal-appearing corpus callosum, the most significant DBSI metrics were fiber fraction, radial diffusivity (reflecting myelination), and nonrestricted isotropic fraction (representing edema). This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the ability of DBSI as a potential noninvasive biomarker of MS neuropathology

TREX1 is expressed by microglia in normal human brain and increases in regions affected by ischemia

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the three-prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1) gene have been associated with neurological diseases, including Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy (RVCL). However, the endogenous expression of TREX1 in human brain has not been studied. METHODS: We produced a rabbit polyclonal antibody (pAb) to TREX1 to characterize TREX1 by Western blotting (WB) of cell lysates from normal controls and subjects carrying an RVCL frame-shift mutation. Dual staining was performed to determine cell types expressing TREX1 in human brain tissue. TREX1 distribution in human brain was further evaluated by immunohistochemical analyses of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from normal controls and patients with RVCL and ischemic stroke. RESULTS: After validating the specificity of our anti-TREX1 rabbit pAb, WB analysis was utilized to detect the endogenous wild-type and frame-shift mutant of TREX1 in cell lysates. Dual staining in human brain tissues from patients with RVCL and normal controls localized TREX1 to a subset of microglia and macrophages. Quantification of immunohistochemical staining of the cerebral cortex revealed that TREX1 CONCLUSIONS: TREX1 is expressed by a subset of microglia in normal human brain, often in close proximity to the microvasculature, and increases in the setting of ischemic lesions. These findings suggest a role for TREX

Alternating metabolic pathways in NGF-deprived sympathetic neurons affect caspase-independent death

Mitochondrial release of cytochrome c in apoptotic cells activates caspases, which execute apoptotic cell death. However, the events themselves that culminate in caspase activation can have deleterious effects because caspase inhibitor–saved cells ultimately die in a caspase-independent manner. To determine what events may underlie this form of cell death, we examined bioenergetic changes in sympathetic neurons deprived of NGF in the presence of a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, boc-aspartyl-(OMe)-fluoromethylketone. Here, we report that NGF-deprived, boc-aspartyl-(OMe)-fluoromethylketone–saved neurons rely heavily on glycolysis for ATP generation and for survival. Second, the activity of F0F1 contributes to caspase-independent death, but has only a minor role in the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential, which is maintained primarily by electron transport. Third, permeability transition pore inhibition by cyclosporin A attenuates NGF deprivation–induced loss of mitochondrial proteins, suggesting that permeability transition pore opening may have a function in regulating the degradation of mitochondria after cytochrome c release. Identification of changes in caspase inhibitor–saved cells may provide the basis for rational strategies to augment the effectiveness of the therapeutic use of postmitochondrial interventions

TISSUE DECELLULARIZATION METHODS

Provided herein are methods of producing an acellular tissue product wherein the method can include the step of inducing apoptosis and washing the tissue after induction of apoptosis with a tonic solution. Also provided herein are acellular tissue products produced by the methods provided herein and methods of administering the acellular tissue products to a subject in need thereof