batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The FDA approval of the enzyme replacement therapy cerliponase alfa (Brineura) for the treatment of CLN2 Batten disease is an important milestone in Batten disease therapy.Promising results from preclinical research indicate that gene therapy — particularly approaches that use adeno-associated virus — represents a promising treatment option for patients in the near future.Many of the preclinical strategies being explored for the treatment of one form of Batten disease could have applications across multiple subtypes of Batten disease and even other lysosomal storage disorders.Investigators now recognize that a single treatment might not be sufficient to halt disease progression and are exploring combinatorial approaches to tackle multiple aspects of Batten disease progression.A battery of new preclinical and clinical tools have been developed that facilitate effective therapy development in Batten disease, enabling an unprecedented acceleration in drug discovery for these fatal disorders.
Publisher Summary There are many types of lithium cell either under commercial consideration or being commercially produced. Lithium-based batteries are quickly entering mainstream electronic designs, particularly in consumer, portable equipment and non-volatile memory back-up applications where small size, long life and low cost are the primary requirements. The practicality of lithium is being greatly enhanced by the current progress in CMOS technology. Indeed, lithium batteries can easily provide standby power for the current crop of 'pure' CMOS devices, which operate at nanoampere current levels. As lowpower CMOS device technology advances— gaining a greater share of semiconductor applications along the way—lithium battery use undoubtedly expands to serve the new areas. The electrochemical potential of lithium-based power sources is known for a long time. Advances in materials processing, materials handling and non-aqueous electrolytes have enabled manufacturers to reduce the potential to practical cell hardware and demonstrate the benefits that were theoretically possible. Three principal types of lithium organic electrolyte battery are currently available; the lithium-thionylchloride system, the lithium-vanadium pentoxide system and the lithium-sulphur dioxide system; these batteries have high-rate capabilities.
The performance of graphite electrodes in various electrolytes containing ethylene carbonate (EC) and mixtures of EC and propylene carbonate (PC) was studied at temperatures between 0 and 40 °C. Included in the study was also the addition of ethyl acetate (EA). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed to investigate phase transitions at low temperature (down to −80 °C) and decomposition at elevated temperatures. Capacity loss was compared for graphite electrodes cycled at varying temperatures between 0 and 40 °C for these electrolytes. Based on the results, suitable electrolytes able to work in a wide temperature range could be identified. Addition of EA improved the low temperature properties of the electrolyte and the graphite electrode, but the electrodes failed upon cycling at +40 °C. Addition of PC to a multi-component system, making the total amount of cyclic carbonates 40% (i.e. 20% EC and 20% PC), increased the liquid temperature range of the electrolyte. However, the addition of PC, led to very high initial irreversible capacity loss of the graphite electrode, and reduced the capacity considerably at 0 °C, most likely related to a higher resistance of the solid electrolyte interphase. Thus, mixtures of EC and linear carbonates like dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) were found to perform best in this temperature range.
Transition metal sulfide is considered as a kind of promising noble metal-free material for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, most of conventional sulfurization methods require high temperature and/or long reaction time. Herein, a sulfurization strategy at room temperature (25 °C) by using Na2S in aqueous solution is applied to sulfurize nickel foam-supported nickel-cobalt carbonate hydroxide nanowire array, during which amorphous sulfide gradually forms on the surface of nanowire and finally replaces the nanowire completely. It is found that the electrode sulfurized for 5 min in which only a thin sulfide layer is formed presents nearly identical catalytic performance for HER with the electrode that is sufficiently sulfurized for 120 min. The electrode sulfurized at 25 °C for 5 min only needs an overpotential of 100 mV to achieve hydrogen evolution current at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH, and negligible loss of activity is observed after working at a current density of 20 mA cm−2 for 25 h. The interface between carbonate hydroxide and sulfide is considered to play an important role in the catalysis of HER. The observation in this work can provide new insights into the sulfurization process and the role of sulfide in the process of HER.
Wireless power and data transfer to medical implants is a research area where improvements in current state-of-the-art technologies are needed owing to the continuing efforts for miniaturization. At present, lithographical patterning of evaporated metals is widely used for miniature coil fabrication. This method produces coils that are limited to low micron or nanometer thicknesses leading to high impedance values and thus limiting their potential quality. In the present work we describe a novel technique, whereby trenches were milled into a diamond substrate and filled with silver active braze alloy, enabling the manufacture of small, high cross-section, low impedance microcoils capable of transferring up to 10 mW of power up to a distance of 6 mm. As a substitute for a metallic braze line used for hermetic sealing, a continuous metal loop when placed parallel and close to the coil surface reduced power transfer efficiency by 43%, but not significantly, when placed perpendicular to the microcoil surface. Encapsulation of the coil by growth of a further layer of diamond reduced the quality factor by an average of 38%, which can be largely avoided by prior oxygen plasma treatment. Furthermore, an accelerated ageing test after encapsulation showed that these coils are long lasting. Our results thus collectively highlight the feasibility of fabricating a high-cross section, biocompatible and long lasting miniaturized microcoil that could be used in either a neural recording or neuromuscular stimulation device.
A comprehensive electrochemical characterization was performed for different compositions of LiMnPO4 electrodes with additions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Electrochemical testing based on DC and AC techniques helped to perform a quantitative analysis to corroborate the influence of the activation processes at the interface and the overall performance of the cathodes. The step-control process for the composite/electrolyte interface is influenced by the MWCNTs content at different bias potentials. The threshold saturation of MWCNTs was determined experimentally by materials characterization, electrochemical techniques, and theoretically by probability-deterministic transmission line modeling (TLM). TLM was coupled with the LiMnPO4 particle size distribution and the electrode microstructural variability to quantify interfacial mechanisms.
Medicines with anticholinergic properties increase the risks of functional and cognitive decline, morbidity and mortality, institutionalization and length of hospital stay in older people. It is postulated that minimizing anticholinergic burden should result in improved short-term memory, confusion and delirium, and may improve the quality of life and daily functioning of older people.
With the current level of global oil production, oil reserves will be sufficient for 40 years. However, due to the fact that the global GDP will have increased by a factor seven in 2050, oil reserves are likely to be exhausted in a much shorter time period. The EU and car industry aim at a reduction of the consumption of oil, at energy savings (with a key role for fuel cells) and an increased use of hydrogen from natural gas and, possibly, coal, in the medium term. The discovery of huge methane resources as methane hydrates (20 times those of oil, gas and coal together) in oceans at 1000–3000m depth could be of major importance. In the long term, the EU aims at a renewable energy-based energy supply. The European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform is expected to play a major role in bringing about a hydrogen economy. The availability of commercial fuel cells is here a prerequisite. However, after many years of research, fuel cells have not yet been commercialized. If they will not succeed to enter the market within 5 years there is a real danger that activities aiming at a hydrogen society will peter out. In a hydrogen strategy, high priority should therefore be given to actions which will bring about fuel cell commercialization within 5 years. They should include the identification of fuel cell types and (niche) markets which are most favorable for a rapid market introduction. These actions should include focused short-term RTD aiming at cost reduction and increased reliability.
Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) during discharge and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during charge are the key electrode processes for rechargeable metal–air batteries. In this article, we report a high-performance self-supported AuNi-Cu2O hybrid, which works as a bi-functional electrocatalyst for ORR and OER. The as-prepared AuNi-Cu2O hybrid exhibits excellent catalytic activity, the ORR activity of which is superior to that of commercial Pt/C, and the OER activity of which is close to that of commercial IrO2/C. Moreover, AuNi-Cu2O hybrid exhibits better durability than commercial Pt/C and IrO2/C. The excellent catalytic performance of AuNi-Cu2O could be attributed to the increase of active sites and the strong “mutual” interaction between Au and Ni induced by leaching of Cu2O.
One of the features that characterize renewable energy sources is their variability and intermittency. Intermittency covers both the predictable and unpredictable variations of their power outputs and uncertainty in the power availability. To overcome the drawback of intermittency, special design considerations should be taken into account. These additional design considerations increases the overall cost of the renewable energy systems. Adding storage system and/or backup source to the renewable sources is one of the measures used to guarantee the continuity of power supply to the loads, and therefore improve the reliability of the renewable energy systems. The operation of renewable energy systems results in the creation of surplus energy, which is the energy generated by renewable energy systems, but is not consumed by the loads in standalone power systems. Effective utilization of this excess energy has the potential to decrease the cost of energy (COE) production by these hybrid renewable energy systems. In this paper, a review of the literature will be carried out in order to provide further insight into the approaches suggested in the literature on how to deal with the utilization of excess energy. Furthermore, various possible configurations of hybrid systems will be analyzed in detail for the effective utilization of the excess energy produced by hybrid systems. This is done in order to evaluate the effectiveness of utilization of excess energy by various means, especially for improving the living space comfort ability and decreasing the COE. Case studies will be carried out to demonstrate the proposed configurations for the effective utilization of the excess energy, and the results will be presented.
In two studies, 4- to 6-year-olds were asked to name pictures of animals for the benefit of a watching hand puppet (the ongoing task) but to refrain from naming and to remove from view any pictures of dogs (the prospective memory [PM] task). Children also completed assessments of verbal ability, cognitive inhibition, working memory, and false-belief understanding (both studies), empathy (Study 1 only), and performance on false-sign tests that matched the false-belief tests in narrative content and structure (Study 2 only). Both studies found that inhibition and false-belief performance made unique contributions to the variance in PM, although in Study 1 the influence of inhibition was evident only when children needed to withhold naming. Study 2 further demonstrated that false-belief performance was the only reliable predictor of whether children remembered to return to the researcher an object that had been loaned to them prior to the picture-naming game. Both experiments uncovered moderate relations between PM and chronological age, but such relations were rarely significant after taking account of cognitive ability. We consider the implications of the findings for (a) current views regarding frontal/executive contributions to PM development and (b) the suggestion that the same brain network underlies various forms of mental self-projection, including envisioning the future and understanding the minds of other people.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate time trends and effects of co-existing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) on outcome in an ongoing long-term follow-up study of anorexia nervosa (AN).
The viability of hydroponics gel as a new alkaline electrolyte gelling agent is investigated. Zinc–air cells are fabricated employing 12wt.% KOH electrolyte immobilised with hydroponics gel. The cells are discharged at constant currents of 5, 50 and 100mA. XRD and SEM analysis of the anode plates after discharge show that the failure mode is due to the formation of zinc oxide insulating layers and not due to any side reactions between the gel and the plate or the electrolyte.
Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP) has two major drawbacks such as low lithium ion diffusivity and poor electric conductivity, which limit the wider application as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries. In this work, we report a dual carbon layer coating strategy for LFP, which uses polydopamine-derived nitrogen-doped carbon (N-doped carbon) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO). These dual carbon layers are prepared by a one-pot polymerization process and thermal treatment. The dual carbon coated LFP has a rate capability with a discharge capacity of 98mAh/g at 30C, cycling performance with a discharge capacity of 115mAh/g at 10C, and 96.18% capacity retention after 700 cycles. The high rate performance and the excellent long-term cycling stability can be attributed to the enhanced electric conductivity with N-doped carbon coating, the well-connected electron pathway, and the fast Li+ ion diffusion induced by the small size of the particles. Consequently, coating of LFP with polydopamine derived N-doped carbon and RGO produces a material suitable for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
Mebarid®, an ayurvedic formulation, was tested for its anti-diarrhoeal, anti-ulcer and anti-motility activities in animals. Mebarid® was investigated at four dose levels of 125, 250, 500mg/kgBW and 1g/kgBW The methods of castor oil-induced diarrhoea and pylorus-ligation-induced ulcers in rats were used to evaluate the anti-diarrhoeal and anti-ulcer activity, respectively, while charcoal meal test in mice was the method used for testing its anti-motility effect. Mebarid® was found to have significant activity in all the three models. Thus, it can be concluded that Mebarid® possesses anti-diarrhoeal, anti-motility and anti-ulcer activities and can prove beneficial in the treatment of above gastrointestinal disorders.
The effect of the diffusion layer on the performance and mass transport in a direct methanol fuel cell at ambient conditions is reported. Carbon cloths with variable Teflon contents and pore sizes, carbon paper and a metal wire cloth were investigated. Membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) prepared after an in-house receipt are used, giving reproducible results after a pre-treatment involving polarisation with hydrogen and air. Long-term effects and methanol crossover were also briefly investigated. Adding Teflon to the diffusion layer leads to better gas transport, as gas and liquid transport takes place in different paths. Thus, the fuel cell power output is more stable. The same effect was seen with increasing pore size. Carbon paper is found not suitable as a diffusion layer for low temperature DMFC. The metal wire cloth yielded best performance giving 15.8mWcm−2.
Due to their unique properties, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) is expanding; these same properties may affect their potential risk to humans. However, standard methods for genotoxicity assessment may not be adequate for NPs; altered tests reported here have been developed to address perceived inadequacies. The bacterial reverse mutation assay is an essential part of the battery of tests to determine genotoxicity. The utility of this test for assessing NPs is currently questioned, due to negative results seemingly caused by failure of particle uptake. To probe uptake issues, we examined the physical state in different media, dose and time dependent association, uptake and mutagenicity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. The NPs suspended in water were characterized using dynamic light scattering, NP tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy. NP association with bacteria was assessed by flow cytometry. Association was found to be time and dose dependent, with maximal association by 60min. Therefore mutagenicity was assessed after a 60min pre-incubation in a miniaturized assay demonstrating enhanced sensitivity. To assess potential indirect effects on bacterial mutagenicity, the effect of TiO2 NPs on the action of standard mutagens or on DNA repair capability was also investigated. TiO2 NPs did not affect mutant yields in standard strains of S. typhimurium or E. coli, including those detecting oxidative damage, using the modified methods. Nor did TiO2 NPs affect the action of standard mutagens or DNA excision repair capability. Despite particle association with the bacteria, subsequent analysis using electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy indicated that the NPs were not internalized. This work demonstrates that additional studies, including flow cytometry, are valuable tools for understanding the action of NPs in biological systems.
This research examined the quality of water—before and after distribution—of four drinking-water production plants located in Northern Italy, two of which collected water from local aquifers and two from the River Po. A battery of genotoxicity assays for monitoring drinking-water was performed to assess the quality of the water produced by the treatment plants under study. Three different sampling stations were selected at each plant, one right at the outlet of the treatment plant and two along with the distribution pipelines. Raw river water was also sampled and analysed as a control. The water samples (500l) were concentrated on silica C18 cartridges and the extracts were tested in in vitro mutagenicity assays (Salmonella/microsome assay with strains TA 98 and TA 100; SOS Chromotest with Escherichia coli strain PQ37); gene conversion, point mutation and mitochondrial DNA mutability assays with the diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain D7 and a toxicity test using the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri (Microtox™). The Microtox™ test and the mitochondrial DNA mutability assay showed the greatest sensitivity towards toxic or mutagenic substances in the water extracts considered. The results show that this battery of short-term tests is applicable in the routine monitoring of drinking-water quality before and after distribution.
Uni-rhinal olfactory acuity in schizophrenia was investigated in two experiments. The first assessed the presence of a predicted atypical asymmetry of nostril laterality and the second assessed the effect of antipsychotic treatment on the asymmetry. Although olfactory identification impairment has been well documented in schizophrenia, olfactory acuity has been neglected. This may be an oversight as cerebral structures of the mesial temporal lobe important to olfactory perception have often been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and it is thus reasonable to postulate a primary impairment of olfactory acuity in schizophrenia. In addition, unmedicated patients with schizophrenia have exhibited asymmetrical laterality favouring the right over the left hemisphere in studies of visual, haptic, and auditory perception, and the few published prospective treatment studies have suggested a reversal of this asymmetry with first generation neuroleptic treatments. In experiment 1 a generalization of the perceptual asymmetry to olfactory acuity was examined by measurement of n-butanol olfactory thresholds with the Connecticut Chemosensory Perception Exam (CCPE) in an unmedicated sample of 17 patients with schizophrenia and 17 age, gender, and handedness matched normal controls. The patient sample showed an asymmetrical impairment of the left nostril that was not apparent in the normal control sample. In experiment 2, the CCPE was administered to a new sample of 10 patients with schizophrenia before and after neuroleptic treatment. The asymmetry observed in experiment 1 was replicated, and the relative advantage of the right nostril shifted to a relative advantage of the left nostril over the course of 8weeks of treatment. Results are discussed in relation to cerebral aspects of schizophrenia and potential implications to cognitive change from treatment.
A novel composite consisting of nanosized Sn and Si as well as some lithium containing phases was synthesized by a mechanochemical reaction between SiO/SnO and Li using high energy mechanical milling (HEMM) with graphite as a dispersant, followed by a thermal treatment. The electrochemically active nanoclusters of Si and Sn derived by the mechanochemical reduction were uniformly distributed in the elastic matrix of lithium-containing phases and graphite. The difference in the reactive potential of Sn and Si with lithium was favorable for reducing the mechanical stress of the active hosts. Furthermore, the dispersion of Sn among the elastic matrix may contribute to an improved electrical connection among the Si based hosts and the current collectors. As a result, the composite presented a rechargeable capacity of 574.1mAhg−1 after 200 cycles. The capacity fading rate was thus calculated to be less than 0.2% per cycle. The cyclability of the composite was much superior to those of the SnO and SiO electrodes.