The electrochemical generation of useful chemical species from lunar materials

Electrochemical cells have been fabricated for the simultaneous generation of oxygen and lithium from a Li2O containing molten salt (Li2O-LiCl-LiF). The cell utilizes an oxygen vacancy conducting solid electrolyte, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), to effect separation between oxygen evolving and lithium reduction half-cell reactions. The cell, which operates at 700 to 850 C, possesses rapid electrode kinetics at the lithium-alloy electrode with exchange current density (i sub o) values being greater than 60mA sq cm. When used in the electrolytic mode, lithium produced at the negative electrode would be continuously removed from the cell for later use (under lunar conditions) as an easily storable reducing agent (compared to H2) for the chemical refining of lunar ores. Because of the high reversibility of this electrochemical system, it has also formed tha basis for the lithium oxygen secondary battery system which possesses the highest theoretical energy density yet investigated

The electrochemical generation of useful chemical species from lunar materials

The current status of work on an electrochemical technology for the simultaneous generation of oxygen and lithium from a Li2O containing molten salt (Li2O-LiCl-LiF) is discussed. The electrochemical cell utilizes an oxygen vacancy conducting solid electrolyte, yttria-stabilized zirconia, to effect separation between the oxygen evolving and lithium reduction half-cell reactions. The cell, which operates at 700 to 800 C, possesses rapid electrode kinetics at the lithium-alloy electrode with exchange current density values being greater than 60 mA/sq cm, showing high reversibility for this reaction. When used in the electrolytic mode, lithium produced at the negative electrode would be continuously removed from the cell for later use (under lunar conditions) as an easily storable reducting agent (compared to H2) for the chemical refining of lunar ores via the general reaction: 2Li + MO yields Li2O + M where MO represents a lunar ore. Emphasis to this time has been on the simulated lunar ore ilmenite (FeTiO3), which we have found becomes chemically reduced by Li at 432 C. Furthermore, both Fe2O3 and TiO2 have been reduced by Li to give the corresponding metal. This electrochemical approach provides a convenient route for producing metals under lunar conditions and oxygen for the continuous maintenance of human habitats on the Moon's surface. Because of the high reversibility of this electrochemical system, it has also formed the basis for the lithium-oxygen secondary battery. This secondary lithium-oxygen battery system posses the highest theoretical energy density yet investigated

Estimation of Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Stroke Hospital Admissions in Wuhan, China

Background and Objective:High concentrations of air pollutants have been linked to increased incidence of stroke in North America and Europe but not yet assessed in mainland China. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between stroke hospitalization and short-term elevation of air pollutants in Wuhan, China.Methods:Daily mean NO2, SO2 and PM10 levels, temperature and humidity were obtained from 2006 through 2008. Data on stroke hospitalizations (ICD 10: I60-I69) at four hospitals in Wuhan were obtained for the same period. A time-stratified case-crossover design was performed by season (April-September and October-March) to assess effects of pollutants on stroke hospital admissions.Results:Pollution levels were higher in October-March with averages of 136.1 μg/m3 for PM10, 63.6 μg/m3 for NO2 and 71.0 μg/m3 for SO2 than in April-September when averages were 102.0 μg/m3, 41.7 μg/m3 and 41.7 μg/m3, respectively (p<.001). During the cold season, every 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with a 2.9% (95%C.I. 1.2%-4.6%) increase in stroke admissions on the same day. Every 10 ug/m3 increase in PM10 daily concentration was significantly associated with an approximate 1% (95% C.I. 0.1%-1.4%) increase in stroke hospitalization. A two-pollutant model indicated that NO2 was associated with stroke admissions when controlling for PM10. During the warm season, no significant associations were noted for any of the pollutants.Conclusions:Exposure to NO2 is significantly associated with stroke hospitalizations during the cold season in Wuhan, China when pollution levels are 50% greater than in the warm season. Larger and multi-center studies in Chinese cities are warranted to validate our findings. © 2013 Xiang et al

Cancer incidence in British Indians and British whites in Leicester, 2001–2006

BACKGROUND: Incidence rates for many cancers are lower in India than in Britain and it is therefore of interest to compare rates in British Indians to British whites, as well as to rates in India. We present estimates for Leicester, which has the largest population of Indian origin in Britain, and also has virtually complete, self-assigned, ethnicity data. METHODS: We obtained data on all cancer registrations from 2001 to 2006 for Leicester with ethnicity data obtained by linkage to the Hospital Episode Statistics database. Age-standardised incidence rates were calculated for British Indians and British whites as well as incidence rate ratios, adjusted for age and income. RESULTS: Incidence rate ratios for British Indians compared with British whites were significantly less than 1.0 for all cancers combined (0.65) and for cancer of the breast (0.72), prostate (0.76), colon (0.46), lung (0.30), kidney (0.36), stomach (0.54), bladder (0.48) and oesophagus (0.64), but higher than 1.0 for liver cancer (1.95). CONCLUSION: These results are likely to be the most accurate estimate of cancer incidence in British Indians to date and confirm that cancer incidence in British Indians is lower than in British whites in Leicester, particularly for cancer of the breast, prostate, colon and lung (and other smoking-related cancers), but much higher than in India

The Role of Imported Cases and Favorable Meteorological Conditions in the Onset of Dengue Epidemics

Dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever is the world's most widely spread mosquito-borne arboviral disease and threatens more than two-thirds of the world's population. Cases are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas in accordance with vector habitats for Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. However, the role of imported cases and favorable meteorological conditions has not yet been quantitatively assessed. This study verified the correlation between the occurrence of indigenous dengue and imported cases in the context of weather variables (temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, etc.) for different time lags in southern Taiwan. Our findings imply that imported cases have a role in igniting indigenous outbreaks, in non-endemics areas, when favorable weather conditions are present. This relationship becomes insignificant in the late phase of local dengue epidemics. Therefore, early detection and case management of imported cases through timely surveillance and rapid laboratory-diagnosis may avert large scale epidemics of dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever. An early-warning surveillance system integrating meteorological data will be an invaluable tool for successful prevention and control of dengue, particularly in non-endemic countries

Do hypoxia/normoxia culturing conditions change the neuroregulatory profile of Wharton Jelly mesenchymal stem cells secretome?

Introduction: The use of human umbilical cord Wharton Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) has been considered a new potential source for future safe applications in regenerative medicine. Indeed, the application of hWJ-MSCs into different animal models of disease, including those from the central nervous system, has shown remarkable therapeutic benefits mostly associated with their secretome. Conventionally, hWJ-MSCs are cultured and characterized under normoxic conditions (21 % oxygen tension), although the oxygen levels within tissues are typically much lower (hypoxic) than these standard culture conditions. Therefore, oxygen tension represents an important environmental factor that may affect the performance of mesenchymal stem cells in vivo. However, the impact of hypoxic conditions on distinct mesenchymal stem cell characteristics, such as the secretome, still remains unclear. Methods: In the present study, we have examined the effects of normoxic (21 % O2) and hypoxic (5 % O2) conditions on the hWJ-MSC secretome. Subsequently, we address the impact of the distinct secretome in the neuronal cell survival and differentiation of human neural progenitor cells. Results: The present data indicate that the hWJ-MSC secretome collected from normoxic and hypoxic conditions displayed similar effects in supporting neuronal differentiation of human neural progenitor cells in vitro. However, proteomic analysis revealed that the use of hypoxic preconditioning led to the upregulation of several proteins within the hWJ-MSC secretome. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the optimization of parameters such as hypoxia may lead to the development of strategies that enhance the therapeutic effects of the secretome for future regenerative medicine studies and applications. © 2015 Teixeira et al.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (Ciência 2007 program and IF Development Grant (AJS); and pre-doctoral fellowships to FGT (SFRH/69637/ 2010) and SIA (SFRH/BD/81495/2011); Canada Research Chairs (LAB) and a SSE Postdoctoral Fellowship (KMP); The National Mass Spectrometry Network (RNEM) (REDE/1506/REM/2005); co-funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), ao abrigo do Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN), através do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio