Abstract
Nanostructured cathode materials based on Mn-doped olivine LiMn
x
Fe
1−x
PO
4
(
x
= 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal route. The field-emission scanning ...electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyzed results indicated that the synthesized LiMn
x
Fe
1−x
PO
4
(
x
= 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) samples possessed a sphere-like nanostructure and a relatively homogeneous size distribution in the range of 100–200 nm. Electrochemical experiments and analysis showed that the Mn doping increased the redox potential and boosted the capacity. While the undoped olivine (LiFePO
4
) had a capacity of 169 mAh g
−1
with a slight reduction (10%) in the initial capacity after 50 cycles (150 mAh g
−1
), the Mn-doped olivine samples (LiMn
x
Fe
1−x
PO
4
) demonstrated reliable cycling tests with negligible capacity loss, reaching 151, 147, and 157 mAh g
−1
for
x
= 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively. The results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) accompanied by the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) have resulted that the Mn substitution for Fe promoted the charge transfer process and hence the rapid Li transport. These findings indicate that the LiMn
x
Fe
1−x
PO
4
nanostructures are promising cathode materials for lithium ion battery applications.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
We present the third data release from the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey. These data combine the observations at 1.4 GHz before and after upgrades to the Australia Telescope Compact Array ...reaching a sensitivity of 14 μJy beam−1 in 3.6 deg2 over the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and of 17 μJy beam−1 in 2.7 deg2 over the European Large Area ISO Survey South 1 (ELAIS-S1). We used a variety of array configurations to maximize the uv coverage resulting in a resolution of 16 by 7 arcsec in CDFS and of 12 by 8 arcsec in ELAIS-S1. After correcting for peak bias and bandwidth smearing, we find a total of 3034 radio source components above 5σ in CDFS, of which 514 (17 per cent) are considered to be extended. The number of components detected above 5σ in ELAIS-S1 is 2084, of which 392 (19 per cent) are classified as extended. The catalogues include reliable spectral indices (Δα < 0.2) between 1.40 and 1.71 GHz for ∼350 of the brightest components.
The competitive interaction of chloride and SPS (bis-(sodium-sulfopropyl)-disulfide) at Cu(100)/electrolyte model interfaces was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry in combination with in situ STM ...and DFT. This specific anion/anion interaction is of paramount importance for the suppressor ensemble deactivation in the context of the industrial Cu Damascene process used for the state-of-the-art on-chip metallization. It is the interplay between chemisorbed chloride and SPS which regulates the dissociative SPS adsorption on copper as the key step in the course of the surface-confined MPS (mercaptopropane sulfonic acid) production. The latter species is considered as the actual anti-suppressor (depolarizer) in context of the Cu Damascene process.
Under competitive conditions the chloride adsorbs and orders much faster on Cu(100) than the SPS. The resulting c(2×2)-Cl adlayer acts as an effective barrier for the dissociative SPS adsorption, at least under non-reactive conditions. Defect sites within the chloride matrix are identified as crucial pre-requisites for the dissociative SPS adsorption. Defects are generated under reactive conditions during copper dissolution or copper deposition due to rapid anion adsorption/desorption dynamics. As consequence of the SPS dissociation a mixed, defect-rich c(2×2)-Cl–MPS co-adsorption phase forms on Cu(100) where every second chloride species of the pristine c(2×2)-Cl adlayer is displaced by MPS units. This co-adsorption phase reveals an apparent p(2×2) symmetry in the STM experiment since only the sulfonic head groups of the MPS units are imaged while the S and the Cl species chemisorbed on the copper surface remain invisible at the “buried” interface.
The relevance of this surface reaction for the Cu Damascene process is discussed in detail.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Interleukin (IL)-33 is a new cytokine of the IL-1 family that is related to several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. IL-33 binds to its ST2 receptor and leads to biological responses thereof. ...Currently, no drugs have been approved for the treatment of IL-33 related diseases. The aim of this study was to search for small molecules that inhibit the protein-protein interaction between IL-33 and ST2. A virtual screening was first performed to identify potential molecules that can bind IL-33. By analysing the interactions between key residues in the complex of IL-33/ST2, two pharmacophore hypotheses were then generated based on the 'mimicry' and 'pair-rule' principles. From a database of 62,074 compounds, 60 molecules satisfying the pharmacophore models were identified and docked to IL-33. Among 35 compounds successfully docked into the protein, 9 potential ligands in complex with IL-33 were selected for further analysis by molecular dynamics simulations. Based on the stability of the complexes and the interactions of each ligand with the key residues of IL-33, two compounds DB00158 and DB00642 were identified as the most potential inhibitors that can be further investigated as promising novel IL-33 inhibitory drugs.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
We present a three epoch survey for transient and variables in the extended Chandra Deep Field South at 5.5 GHz with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. A region covering ∼0.3 deg2 was observed on ...time-scales of 2.5 months and 2.5 yr and typical sensitivities 12.1–17.1 μJy beam−1 (1σ) were achieved. This survey represents the deepest search for transient and variable radio sources at 5.5 GHz. In total 124 sources were detected above the 5.5σ level. One highly variable radio source was found with ΔS > 50 per cent implying a surface density of ∼3 deg−2. A further three radio sources were found with lower levels of variability equating to a surface density of ∼13 deg−2 above a detection threshold of 82.3 μJy. All of the variable sources have inverted radio spectra (between 1.4 and 5.5 GHz) and are associated with active galactic nuclei. We conclude that these variables are young gigahertz peaked-spectrum sources with active and self-absorbed radio jets. We explore the variability completeness of this sample and conclude that the fairly low levels of variability would only be detectable in 3–25 per cent of all sources within the field. No radio transients were detected in this survey and we place an upper limit on the surface density of transient events <7.5 deg−2 above a detection threshold of 68.8 μJy.
The phytochemical investigation of Placolobium vietnamense stems led to the isolation of a new isoflavone derivative (1) and three new benzil derivatives (2–4), together with four known ...pyranoisoflavones (5–8). The structures of all isolated compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, including NMR and HRMS spectral data, as well as comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. The cytotoxicity of all isolated compounds was assessed against the human liver hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep G2) cell line, and compound 1 displayed the most significant cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 8.0 μM. Furthermore, all isolated compounds were also tested for their inhibitory activity against NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Of these, compound 1 exhibited the strongest inhibitory efficacy against the LPS-induced NO production with the IC50 value of 13.7 μM.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Two previously unreported isoflavonoids, placoisoflavones A and B (1 and 2), along with five known compounds, calopogonium isoflavone B (3), jamaicin (4), 6-methoxycalopogonium isoflavone A (5), ...vestitol (6), and caviunin (7) have been isolated from the stems of Placolobium vietnamense N.D.Khôi & Yakovlev. The structures of all isolated compounds were fully characterized using spectroscopic data and comparison with the previous literature. The cytotoxicity of all isolated compounds was evaluated against HepG2 cell line, and compound 1 showed the most potent cytotoxicity with an IC
50
value of 8.0 μM.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Epileptic seizure is a neurological condition caused by short and unexpectedly occurring electrical disruptions in the brain. It is estimated that roughly 60 million individuals worldwide have had an ...epileptic seizure. Experiencing an epileptic seizure can have serious consequences for the patient. Automatic seizure detection on electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings is essential due to the irregular and unpredictable nature of seizures. By thoroughly analyzing EEG records, neurophysiologists can discover important information and patterns, and proper and timely treatments can be provided for the patients. This research presents a novel machine learning-based approach for detecting epileptic seizures in EEG signals. A public EEG dataset from the University of Bonn was used to validate the approach. Meaningful statistical features were extracted from the original data using discrete wavelet transform analysis, then the relevant features were selected using feature selection based on the binary particle swarm optimizer. This facilitated the reduction of 75% data dimensionality and 47% computational time, which eventually sped up the classification process. After having been selected, relevant features were used to train different machine learning models, then hyperparameter optimization was utilized to further enhance the models' performance. The results achieved up to 98.4% accuracy and showed that the proposed method was very effective and practical in detecting seizure presence in EEG signals. In clinical applications, this method could help relieve the suffering of epilepsy patients and alleviate the workload of neurologists.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment may lead to late effects and impaired health-related quality of life of survivors. Knowledge on long-term late effects after radiotherapy (RT) and ...potential underlying biological mechanisms is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of xerostomia, dysphagia, and chronic fatigue (CF) in HNC survivors ≥ 5 years post-RT, and examined associations between pro-inflammatory cytokines and late effects.
Methods
In a cross-sectional study, 263 HNC survivors treated between 2007 and 2013 were enrolled. They completed validated questionnaires assessing xerostomia and dysphagia (the EORTC QLQ-H&N35), and CF (the Fatigue Questionnaire), and underwent blood sampling and clinical examination. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in 262 survivors and 100 healthy age- and gender-matched controls.
Results
Median time since treatment was 8.5 years. The proportions of survivors reporting xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF were 58%, 31%, and 33%, respectively, with a preponderance of females. We found no significant associations between IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, TARC, TNF, or ENA-78 and the three late effects. The odds of having elevated levels of IL-6 and IP-10 were significantly higher in the survivors compared to the controls.
Conclusions
More than one-third of long-term HNC survivors experienced xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF. Persistent inflammation, with elevated systemic cytokines, was not associated with these late effects, although HNC survivors had higher levels of some cytokines than the controls.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
This study provides new knowledge on late effects that can serve as grounds for informing patients with HNC about risk of late effects more than 5 years after RT.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
► We study the synergistic and antagonistic interactions among halides, SPS and suppressor additives relevant for Damascene copper electroplating. ► The presence bromide in the interfacial suppressor ...ensemble leads to a significant improvement of the barrier properties for inter-diffusion of cupric ions. ► The SPS mediated degradation of the suppressor ensemble is decelerated by the bromide due to an increased kinetic hindrance of the surface-confined MPS production.
The particular mechanistic role of halides in the additive-assisted copper electrodeposition is studied by means of combined potential/time transients, in situ STM (scanning tunneling microscopy) experiments, DFT (density functional theory) calculations and ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy) analysis. More specifically, we studied the competitive interaction of bromide and SPS (bis-sodium-sulfopropyl-disulfide). The latter additive is commonly used in the Damascene process as specific antagonist (anti-suppressor, depolarizer) of the polyalkylene glycol (PAG) suppressor additives whereas halides are essential co-additives of the suppressors.
Galvanostatic potential transient experiments indicate a substantial stabilization of the PAG suppressor complexes at the copper/electrolyte interface under reaction conditions when the chloride is displaced by the bromide in the formed PAG–Cu(I)–X (X=halide) ensemble. Those bromide containing suppressor complexes reveal substantially improved barrier properties with respect to inter-diffusion of cupric and cuprous ions. Furthermore they are more robust against degradation by the MPS (mercaptopropane sulfonic acid) which is formed under reactive conditions from the SPS as the actual anti-suppressor species in the course of a surface-confined SPS dissociation.
Our combined STM and DFT work demonstrates that identical halide/MPS co-adsorption phases are formed when the SPS interacts with either the chloride or the bromide modified copper surfaces. The MPS production gets, however, substantially decelerated when the bromide is present. This effect is discussed as one important reason among others why the antagonistic interaction between the PAG suppressor ensembles and the SPS (MPS) is disturbed when the chloride is displaced by the bromide. We further demonstrate by means of an ICP-MS analysis the capability of the free MPS ligands to dissolve less soluble Cu(I) aggregates.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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