Carbon nanotube based composites for electricity storage in supercapacitors

In the context of fossil-fuel shortage and climate change, the production, conversion, storage and distribution of energy have become the focus of today's world. Supercapacitors, with their unique energy and power density specifications, cover the application gap between batteries and conventional capacitors and hence making valuable contributions in energy storage and distribution. Caron nanotubes (CNTs), with their unique aspect ratio and other distinctive physical, electrochemical and electronic properties have been chosen to enhance traditional electrode materials for supercapacitors, i.e. conducting polymer and transition metal oxides. Polypyrrole/CNTs (PPy/CNTs), polyaniline/CNTs (PAni/CNTS) and manganese oxides/CNTs (MnOx/CNTs) nanocomposites have been synthesised through chemical redox reaction in aqueous solutions. The nanocomposites have been characterised with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transition electron microscopy (TEM), BET nitrogen surface adsorption, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to examine and to select the appropriate candidates as electrode materials. Electrochemical characterisations, i.e. cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), have been conducted with the selected nano-composites in a classic three-electrode compartment cell. Desirable capacitive behaviour, with long-term cycling stability, has been identified within appropriate potential windows for each of the nanocomposites. Asymmetric and symmetric supercapacitor prototypes have been constructed with the nanocomposites synthesised and characterised in this work. Carbon materials, due to their higher hydrogen overpotential in aqueous systems, have been proved to be good negative electrode materials in this study. Excellent specific capacitances of 1.2 F cm-2, 0.83 F cm-2 and 0.96 F cm-2 have been achieved with PAni/CNTs, PPy/CNTS and MnOx/CNTs electrodes respectively. Supercapacitor-stacks with multiplied cell voltage have been constructed with both symmetric and asymmetric prototype cells. Therefore, it has been confirmed that desirable cell voltage and capacitance can be achieved by connecting appropriate individual cells in parallel and in series to cater the requirements of the end-users. Last but not least, the prototype cells have been fitted with equivalent circuits to gain an insight into the resistive and capacitive contributions from each component. Suggestion for improvement has been given based on the simulation results of the prototype cells

Carbon nanotube based composites for electricity storage in supercapacitors

In the context of fossil-fuel shortage and climate change, the production, conversion, storage and distribution of energy have become the focus of today's world. Supercapacitors, with their unique energy and power density specifications, cover the application gap between batteries and conventional capacitors and hence making valuable contributions in energy storage and distribution. Caron nanotubes (CNTs), with their unique aspect ratio and other distinctive physical, electrochemical and electronic properties have been chosen to enhance traditional electrode materials for supercapacitors, i.e. conducting polymer and transition metal oxides. Polypyrrole/CNTs (PPy/CNTs), polyaniline/CNTs (PAni/CNTS) and manganese oxides/CNTs (MnOx/CNTs) nanocomposites have been synthesised through chemical redox reaction in aqueous solutions. The nanocomposites have been characterised with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transition electron microscopy (TEM), BET nitrogen surface adsorption, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to examine and to select the appropriate candidates as electrode materials. Electrochemical characterisations, i.e. cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), have been conducted with the selected nano-composites in a classic three-electrode compartment cell. Desirable capacitive behaviour, with long-term cycling stability, has been identified within appropriate potential windows for each of the nanocomposites. Asymmetric and symmetric supercapacitor prototypes have been constructed with the nanocomposites synthesised and characterised in this work. Carbon materials, due to their higher hydrogen overpotential in aqueous systems, have been proved to be good negative electrode materials in this study. Excellent specific capacitances of 1.2 F cm-2, 0.83 F cm-2 and 0.96 F cm-2 have been achieved with PAni/CNTs, PPy/CNTS and MnOx/CNTs electrodes respectively. Supercapacitor-stacks with multiplied cell voltage have been constructed with both symmetric and asymmetric prototype cells. Therefore, it has been confirmed that desirable cell voltage and capacitance can be achieved by connecting appropriate individual cells in parallel and in series to cater the requirements of the end-users. Last but not least, the prototype cells have been fitted with equivalent circuits to gain an insight into the resistive and capacitive contributions from each component. Suggestion for improvement has been given based on the simulation results of the prototype cells

The Differentiation Balance of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Crucial to Hematopoiesis.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), the important component and regulator of bone marrow microenvironment, give rise to hematopoietic-supporting stromal cells and form hematopoietic niches for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, how BMSC differentiation affects hematopoiesis is poorly understood. In this review, we focus on the role of BMSC differentiation in hematopoiesis. We discussed the role of BMSCs and their progeny in hematopoiesis. We also examine the mechanisms that cause differentiation bias of BMSCs in stress conditions including aging, irradiation, and chemotherapy. Moreover, the differentiation balance of BMSCs is crucial to hematopoiesis. We highlight the negative effects of differentiation bias of BMSCs on hematopoietic recovery after bone marrow transplantation. Keeping the differentiation balance of BMSCs is critical for hematopoietic recovery. This review summarises current understanding about how BMSC differentiation affects hematopoiesis and its potential application in improving hematopoietic recovery after bone marrow transplantation

Breathing Signature as Vitality Score Index Created by Exercises of Qigong: Implications of Artificial Intelligence Tools Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Rising concerns about the short- and long-term detrimental consequences of administration of conventional pharmacopeia are fueling the search for alternative, complementary, personalized, and comprehensive approaches to human healthcare. Qigong, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, represents a viable alternative approach. Here, we started with the practical, philosophical, and psychological background of Ki (in Japanese) or Qi (in Chinese) and their relationship to Qigong theory and clinical application. Noting the drawbacks of the current state of Qigong clinic, herein we propose that to manage the unique aspects of the Eastern 'non-linearity' and 'holistic' approach, it needs to be integrated with the Western "linearity" "one-direction" approach. This is done through developing the concepts of "Qigong breathing signatures," which can define our life breathing patterns associated with diseases using machine learning technology. We predict that this can be achieved by establishing an artificial intelligence (AI)-Medicine training camp of databases, which will integrate Qigong-like breathing patterns with different pathologies unique to individuals. Such an integrated connection will allow the AI-Medicine algorithm to identify breathing patterns and guide medical intervention. This unique view of potentially connecting Eastern Medicine and Western Technology can further add a novel insight to our current understanding of both Western and Eastern medicine, thereby establishing a vitality score index (VSI) that can predict the outcomes of lifestyle behaviors and medical conditions

Evaluation of the pore morphologies for piezoelectric energy harvesting application

Piezoelectric energy harvesting has attracted significant attention in recent years due to their high-power density and potential applications for self-powered sensor networks. In comparison to dense piezoelectric ceramics, porous piezoelectric ceramics exhibit superiority due to an enhancement of piezoelectric energy harvesting figure of merit. This paper provides a detailed examination of the effect of pore morphology on the piezoelectric energy harvesting performance of porous barium calcium zirconate titanate 0.5Ba(Zr0.2 Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BCZT) ceramics. Three different pore morphologies of spherical, elliptical, and aligned lamellar pores were created via the burnt-out polymer spheres method and freeze casting. The relative permittivity decreased with increasing porosity volume fraction for all porous BCZT ceramics. Both experimental and simulation results demonstrate that porous BCZT ceramics with aligned lamellar pores exhibit a higher remanent polarization. The longitudinal d33 piezoelectric charge coefficient decreased with increasing porosity volume fraction for the porous ceramics with three different pore morphologies; however, the rate of decrease in d33 with porosity is slower for aligned lamellar pores, leading to the highest piezoelectric energy harvesting figure of merit. Moreover, the peak power density of porous BCZT ceramics with aligned lamellar pores is shown to reach up to 38 μW cm-2 when used as an energy harvester, which is significantly higher than that of porous BCZT ceramics with spherical or elliptical pores. This work is beneficial for the design and manufacture of porous ferroelectric materials in devices for piezoelectric energy harvesting applications.</p

The type III neurofilament peripherin is expressed in the tuberomammillary neurons of the mouse

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Peripherin, a type III neuronal intermediate filament, is widely expressed in neurons of the peripheral nervous system and in selected central nervous system hindbrain areas with projections towards peripheral structures, such as cranial nerves and spinal cord neurons. Peripherin appears to play a role in neurite elongation during development and axonal regeneration, but its exact function is not known. We noticed high peripherin expression in the posterior hypothalamus of mice, and decided to investigate further the exact location of expression and function of peripherin in the mouse posterior hypothalamus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>In situ </it>hybridization indicated expression of peripherin in neurons with a distribution reminiscent of the histaminergic neurons, with little signal in any other part of the forebrain. Immunocytochemical staining for histidine decarboxylase and peripherin revealed extensive colocalization, showing that peripherin is produced by histaminergic neurons in all parts of the tuberomammillary nucleus. We next used histamine immunostaining in peripherin knockout, overexpressing and wild type mice to study if altered peripherin expression affects these neurons, but could not detect any visible difference in the appearance of these neurons or their axons.</p> <p>Peripherin knockout mice and heterozygotic littermates were used for measurement of locomotor activity, feeding, drinking, and energy expenditure. Both genotypes displayed diurnal rhythms with all the parameters higher during the dark period. The respiratory quotient, an indicator of the type of substrate being utilized, also exhibited a significant diurnal rhythm in both genotypes. The diurnal patterns and the average values of all the recorded parameters for 24 h, daytime and night time were not significantly different between the genotypes, however.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, we have shown that peripherin is expressed in the tuberomammillary neurons of the mouse hypothalamus. Monitoring of locomotor activity, feeding, drinking, and energy expenditure in mice either lacking or overexpressing peripherin did not reveal any difference, so the significance of peripherin in these neurons remains to be determined. The complete overlap between histidine decarboxylase and peripherin, both the protein and its mRNA, renders peripherin a useful new marker for histaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus.</p

Single-cell transcriptomes reveal the mechanism for a breast cancer prognostic gene panel.

The clinical benefits of the MammaPrint® signature for breast cancer is well documented; however, how these genes are related to cell cycle perturbation have not been well determined. Our single-cell transcriptome mapping (algorithm) provides details into the fine perturbation of all individual genes during a cell cycle, providing a view of the cell-cycle-phase specific landscape of any given human genes. Specifically, we identified that 38 out of the 70 (54%) MammaPrint® signature genes are perturbated to a specific phase of the cell cycle. The MammaPrint® signature panel derived its clinical prognosis power from measuring the cell cycle activity of specific breast cancer samples. Such cell cycle phase index of the MammaPrint® signature suggested that measurement of the cell cycle index from tumors could be developed into a prognosis tool for various types of cancer beyond breast cancer, potentially improving therapy through targeting a specific phase of the cell cycle of cancer cells

BGM-Net: Boundary-Guided Multiscale Network for Breast Lesion Segmentation in Ultrasound.

Automatic and accurate segmentation of breast lesion regions from ultrasonography is an essential step for ultrasound-guided diagnosis and treatment. However, developing a desirable segmentation method is very difficult due to strong imaging artifacts e.g., speckle noise, low contrast and intensity inhomogeneity, in breast ultrasound images. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel boundary-guided multiscale network (BGM-Net) to boost the performance of breast lesion segmentation from ultrasound images based on the feature pyramid network (FPN). First, we develop a boundary-guided feature enhancement (BGFE) module to enhance the feature map for each FPN layer by learning a boundary map of breast lesion regions. The BGFE module improves the boundary detection capability of the FPN framework so that weak boundaries in ambiguous regions can be correctly identified. Second, we design a multiscale scheme to leverage the information from different image scales in order to tackle ultrasound artifacts. Specifically, we downsample each testing image into a coarse counterpart, and both the testing image and its coarse counterpart are input into BGM-Net to predict a fine and a coarse segmentation maps, respectively. The segmentation result is then produced by fusing the fine and the coarse segmentation maps so that breast lesion regions are accurately segmented from ultrasound images and false detections are effectively removed attributing to boundary feature enhancement and multiscale image information. We validate the performance of the proposed approach on two challenging breast ultrasound datasets, and experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods