Electrochemical Characterization of Charge Storage at Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries Based on Corncob Waste-Derived Hard Carbon and Binder

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) represent a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries in large-scale energy storage applications. To improve the sustainability of SIBs, the utilization of anode carbonaceous materials produced from biomass and the selection of a bio-based binder allowing an aqueous electrode processing are fundamental. Herein, corncobs are used as raw material for the preparation of hard carbon and it is also used as cellulose sources for the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder. The corncob-derived electrodes deliver a high discharge capacity of around 264 mAhg(-1) at 1 C (300 mAg(-1)), with promising capacity retention (84 % after 100 cycles) and good rate capability. Additionally, this work expands the fundamental insight of the sodium storage behavior of Hard Carbons through an electrochemical approach, suggesting that the reaction mechanism is controlled by capacitive process in the sloping voltage region, while the diffusion-controlled intercalation is the predominant process in the low-voltage plateau

Association of MiR-126 with Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides, a Marker for Malignant Mesothelioma

BACKGROUND: Improved detection methods for diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are essential for early and reliable detection as well as treatment. Since recent data point to abnormal levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumors, we hypothesized that a profile of deregulated miRNAs may be a marker of MPM and that the levels of specific miRNAs may be used for monitoring its progress. METHODS AND RESULTS: miRNAs isolated from fresh-frozen biopsies of MPM patients were tested for the expression of 88 types of miRNA involved in cancerogenesis. Most of the tested miRNAs were downregulated in the malignant tissues compared with the normal tissues. Of eight significantly downregulated, three miRNAs were assayed in cancerous tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissue sample pairs collected from 27 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded MPM tissues by quantitative RT-PCR. Among the miRNAs tested, only miR-126 significantly remained downregulated in the malignant tissues. Furthermore, the performance of the selected miR-126 as biomarker was evaluated in serum samples of asbestos-exposed subjects and MPM patients and compared with controls. MiR-126 was not affected by asbestos exposure, whereas it was found strongly associated with VEGF serum levels. Levels of miR-126 in serum, and its levels in patients' serum in association with a specific marker of MPM, SMRPs, correlate with subjects at high risk to develop MPM. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: We propose miR-126, in association with SMRPs, as a marker for early detection of MPM. The identification of tumor biomarkers used alone or, in particular, in combination could greatly facilitate the surveillance procedure for cohorts of subjects exposed to asbestos

Can Market Power Influence Employment, Wage Inequality and Growth?

We introduce an efficiency wage mechanism into an innovation-driven growth model. Due to asymmetric information problems the labour market is segmented and homogeneous workers may be employed either in the non-competitive intermediate sector or in the competitive research sector. We analyse the impact that the monopoly position enjoyed by intermediate firms in the product market may have on employment, wage inequality and growth, and the sectoral distribution of workers. We find that the lower the product market competition in the capital goods sector, the higher the research employment, the lower the intermediate sector employment and the higher the growth rate. The relationships between growth and inequality, on the one hand, and between growth and employment, on the other, are both negative