LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 with morphology optimized for novel concept of 3D Li accumulator

An array of LiNi_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂ (NMC 111) samples with a hollow-sphere morphology enabling the use of binder-free, millimeter-thick electrodes in a battery are prepared by a combination of ball milling, hydrothermal treatment and calcination. Materials are studied by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption measurements, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Their electrochemical performance for Li⁺ extraction/insertion is tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic chronopotentiometry on thin-film electrodes. Optimized materials, prepared by mechanical and thermal treatment with surface areas of 7 to 10 m² g⁻¹, provide charge capacity values of 141 to 156 mAh g⁻¹. The concentration of the crystalline phase in NMC 111 materials with a hollow-sphere morphology is found to be the decisive parameter for their galvanostatic cycling stability. Hollow spheres with well-developed NMC nanocrystals and a low concentration of amorphous phase in the walls, exhibiting excellent cycling stability and charge capacity in thin-film electrodes are incorporated into a NMC/graphite 3D-battery module. This 122 Ah/451 Wh 3D-battery provides 78% of theoretical capacity and 73% of theoretical energy after 10 formatting cycles. Additionally, the battery prototype exhibits stable performance over more than 200 cycles at C/10 rate. A series of analogous 3D Li accumulators, currently assembled and tested in a pilot plant, represent the first step toward large-scale production of novel 3D Li accumulator.     

Yeast sequencing reports. CAN1, a gene encoding a permease for basic amino acids in Candida albicans

The first gene coding for an amino-acid permease of Candida albicans was sequenced. The DNA fragment complementing the lysine-permease deficiency was 3385 bp long. An open reading frame of 1713 nucleotides was found encoding a protein of 571 amino acids, with a calculated molecular weight of 63 343. Analysis of the deduced primary structure revealed ten membrane spanning regions and three potential N-glycosylation sites. The protein sequence is strongly homologous to both permeases for basic amino acids (Can1 and Lyp1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. C-terminal part of another ORF (105 aa), highly homologous to the gene HAL2 of S. cerevisiae, was found 133 bp downstream, and in tail-to-tail orientation to the permease gene. The sequence data will appear in the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ Nucleotide Sequence Data Libraries under the accession number X76689.     

Yeast sequencing reports. APL1, a yeast gene encoding a putative permease for basic amino acids

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene (1722 bp), encoding a protein (574 aa) highly homologous to the basic-amino-acid permeases LYP1 and CAN1, was sequenced. The gene, which was named APL1 (Amino-acid Permase Like), is located 881 bp upstream from LYP1 (lysine-specific permease), and in head-to-head orientation to it. These sequence data have been deposited in the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ nucleotide sequence data libraries under Accession Number X74069.     

The role of radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare and highly aggressive skin tumor. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 27 patients treated at Rabin Medical Center in Israel is presented, focusing on the treatment details. Data for 40 patients (the authors' 27 patients and an additional 13 patients from the Israeli Cancer Registry), were analyzed for prognostic factors using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Univariate analyses revealed regional lymph node involvement and the coexistence of a second primary tumor as unfavorable prognostic factors. On multivariate analysis, only lymph node involvement showed borderline statistical significance. Radiation therapy was highly effective when given as consolidation after surgery or chemotherapy. In 11 patients irradiated effectively, only 1 (9%) in-field recurrence occurred. Radiation therapy yielded responses in 15 of 15 measurable sites (5 complete responses and 10 partial responses). Chemotherapy produced responses in 18 of 26 patients (69%), mostly complete (41%). However, in the absence of radiation therapy, the responses were short lived. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the use of combined treatment with chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy for patients with advanced locoregional Merkel cell carcinoma. In patients with metastatic disease, chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy can provide effective palliation. Further large scale investigations are warranted to confirm this approach.     

Pyrographit – Eigenschaften und anwendung

Pyrolytic Graphite – Properties and Application The carbon material known as pyrolytic graphite is remarkable for its exceptional properties which make it capable of being used in fields and processes in which high thermal, chemical and electrical stress is required. Its technical importances has increased in recent years. A report is given of the preparation of pyrolytic graphite and also of its important application properties, and the most important fields of application are touched on.     

The influence of personality,sound, and content difficulty on virtual reality sickness

Virtual Reality - Virtual reality (VR) sickness is a condition that may occur during or after exposure to a virtual environment and can induce symptoms such as headache and eye strain. VR sickness...     

Effect of Repeated Sorption and Desorption of Uranium to Properties of Anion Exchangers

Water contaminated with uranium can be purified by ion exchangers that can be regenerated and reused. The study investigated how the mechanical and chemical properties of selected anion exchangers change under the simulated operational conditions. Batch and dynamic column experiments were carried out to estimate the change of total capacity, breakthrough capacity, volume of purified water, pressure drop across the column, and the regeneration efficiency. Observed changes include lowering of total capacity and increasing pressure drop because of the mechanical degradation of beads of anion exchangers. The latter was confirmed by the measurement of particle size distribution.     

Adaptive neural network control based on neural observer for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle

This paper proposes an adaptive neural network control with neural state’s observer for quadrotor. The adaptive approach is used to solve the dynamics uncertainty problem of the controller. To perform the control, a Single Hidden Layer Neural Network (SHLNN) is used. Based on the structure of Sliding Mode Observer (SMO), a new neural observer is proposed to estimate the states. The aim of this work is to propose an observer insensitive to the measurement noise. The stability proof of global system is made by Lyapunov direct method. The adaptation laws of both artificial neural networks (ANNs) are derived from Lyapunov theory. The proposed controller is validated by simulation on the quadrotor under measurement noise conditions. A comparative study with SMO is made to highlight the performances of the proposed neural observer.     

β‐Polypropylene/wood flour composites: Effects of specific β‐nucleation and coupling agent on mechanical behavior

Polypropylene/wood flour composites were prepared by melt compounding. To improve their mechanical performance, the matrix polypropylene was modified with a specific nucleation agent based on an amide of dicarboxylic acid, which promotes crystallization predominantly in the β‐phase. The resulting material was used as a matrix for composites containing 10%, 20%, and 30% of wood flour. Uniform dispersion of the filler and improved interfacial adhesion was ensured by compatibilization with a small amount of maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene. A beneficial effect of application of the nucleation agent together with a compatibilizer on the resulting mechanical behavior was shown. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 506–511, 2007