Neutron reflectometry is used to study
in situ
the intercalation of lithium into amorphous silicon electrodes. The experiments are done using a closed three-electrode electrochemical cell setup. As a ...working electrode, an about 40 nm thick amorphous silicon layer is used that is deposited on a 1 cm thick quartz substrate coated with palladium as a current collector. The counter electrode and the reference electrode are made of lithium metal. Propylene carbonate with 1 M LiClO
4
is used as an electrolyte. The utility of the cell is demonstrated during neutron reflectometry measurements where Li is intercalated at a constant current of 100 A (7.8 A cm
2
) for different time steps. The results show (a) that the change in Li content in amorphous silicon and the corresponding volume expansion can be monitored, (b) that the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase becomes visible and (c) that an irreversible capacity loss is present.
In operando
neutron reflectometry experiments give insight into the lithiation of amorphous silicon electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.
We study B --> K(*)l+l- decays (l = e, mu) based on a data sample of 657 x 10(6) BB pairs collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e- collider. We report the differential branching fraction, ...isospin asymmetry, K* polarization, and the forward-backward asymmetry (A(FB)) as functions of q2 = M(ll)(2)c2. The fitted A(FB) spectrum exceeds the standard model expectation by 2.7 standard deviations. The measured branching fractions are B(B --> K*l+l-) = (10.7(-1.0)(+1.1) +/- 0.9) x 10(-7) and B(B --> Kl+l-) = (4.8(-0.4)(+0.5) +/- 0.3) x 10(-7), where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic, with the muon to electron ratios R(K*) = 0.83 +/- 0.17 +/- 0.08 and R(K) = 1.03 +/- 0.19 +/- 0.06.
This book explains why science and politics collide, why this is an especially critical problem at this precise time in U.S. history, and what should be done to ensure that science and politics ...coincide. The United States is waging a political war against science, and the stakes are increasing. When it comes to areas in which science and politics must interact, such as genetics, climate, and energy, there are always political interests pushing to spin the relevant science, but this becomes problematic when Americans abandon rationality for ideology or misinformation manufactured to confuse and persuade them. In a series of five contemporary examples, When Science and Politics Collide: The Public Interest at Risk makes the case that none of the ways in which science and politics currently communicate serve the public interest and that some of them actually result in great harm. It explains that whether disagreements are about climate change, vaccines, pandemics, or fracking, experimentally proven and reproducible data and evidence can save lives—and poor, politically motivated policies can doom them. The book concludes with recommendations for creating a more perfect union between scientific facts and political agendas.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine kinase which plays a center role in the phosphorylation of a wide variety of proteins, generally leading to their inactivation. As such, GSK-3 ...is viewed as a therapeutic target. An ever-increasing number of small organic molecule inhibitors of GSK-3 have been reported. Phenylmethylene hydantoins are known to exhibit a wide range of inhibitory activities including for GSK-3β. A family of fourteen 2-heterocycle substituted methylene hydantoins (
,
-
) were prepared and evaluated for the inhibition of GSK-3β at 25 μM. The IC
values of five of these compounds was determined; the two best inhibitors are 5-(4'-chloro-2-pyridinyl)methylenehydantoin (IC
= 2.14 ± 0.18 μM) and 5-(6'-bromo-2-pyridinyl)methylenehydantoin (IC
= 3.39 ± 0.16 μM). The computational docking of the compounds with GSK-3β (pdb 1q41) revealed poses with hydrogen bonding to the backbone at Val135. The 5-(heteroaryl)methylenehydantoins did not strongly inhibit other metalloenzymes, demonstrating poor inhibitory activity against matrix metalloproteinase-12 at 25 μM and against human carbonic anhydrase at 200 μM, and were not inhibitors for
pyruvate carboxylase at concentrations >1000 μM.
The dual objective of sustainable aquaculture, i.e., to produce food while sustaining natural resources is achieved only when production systems with a minimum ecological impact are used. ...Recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs) provide opportunities to reduce water usage and to improve waste management and nutrient recycling. RAS makes intensive fish production compatible with environmental sustainability. This review aims to summarize the most recent developments within RAS that have contributed to the environmental sustainability of the European aquaculture sector. The review first shows the ongoing expansion of RAS production by species and country in Europe. Life cycle analysis showed that feed, fish production and waste and energy are the principal components explaining the ecological impact of RAS. Ongoing developments in RAS show two trends focusing on: (1) technical improvements within the recirculation loop and (2) recycling of nutrients through integrated farming. Both trends contributed to improvements in the environmental sustainability of RAS. Developments within the recirculation loop that are reviewed are the introduction of denitrification reactors, sludge thickening technologies and the use of ozone. New approached towards integrated systems include the incorporation of wetlands and algal controlled systems in RAS. Finally, the review identifies the key research priorities that will contribute to the future reduction of the ecological impact of RAS. Possible future breakthroughs in the fields of waste production and removal might further enhance the sustainabilty of fish production in RAS.
We report a study of B→(J/ψγ)K and B→(ψ'γ)K decay modes using 772×10⁶ B ̅B events collected at the Υ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB energy-asymmetric e(+)e(-) collider. We observe ...X(3872)→J/ψγ and report the first evidence for χ(c2)→J/ψγ in B→(X_{c ̅cγ)K decays, while in a search for X(3872)→ψ'γ no significant signal is found. We measure the branching fractions, B(B(±)→X(3872)K(±))B(X(3872)→J/ψγ)=(1.78(-0.44)(+0.48)±0.12)×10(-6), B(B(±)→χ(c2)K(±))=(1.11(-0.34)(+0.36)±0.09)×10(-5), B(B(±)→X(3872)K(±))B(X(3872)→ψ'γ)<3.45×10⁶ (upper limit at 90% C.L.), and also provide upper limits for other searches.
The cross section for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- psi(2S) between threshold and sqrts=5.5 GeV is measured using 673 fb(-1) of data on and off the Upsilon(4S) resonance collected with the Belle detector at ...KEKB. Two resonant structures are observed in the pi+ pi- psi(2S) invariant-mass distribution, one at 4361 +/- 9 +/- 9 MeV/c2 with a width of 74 +/- 15 +/- 10 MeV/c2, and another at 4664 +/- 11 +/- 5 MeV/c2 with a width of 48 +/- 15 +/- 3 MeV/c2, if the mass spectrum is parametrized with the coherent sum of two Breit-Wigner functions. These values do not match those of any of the known charmonium states.
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prediction of adverse perinatal outcomes using the cerebroplacental (CPR) and umbilicocerebral (UCR) ratios in different ...cohorts of singleton pregnancies. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we established our own Multiple of Median (MoM) for CPR and UCR. The predictive value for both ratios was studied in the following outcome parameters: emergency cesarean delivery, operative intervention (OI), OI due to fetal distress, 5-min Apgar < 7, admission to neonatal intensive care unit, and composite adverse perinatal outcome. The performance of the ratios was assessed in the following cohorts: total cohort (delivery ≥ 37 + 0 weeks gestation, all birth weight centiles), low-risk cohort (delivery ≥ 37 + 0 weeks gestation, birth weight ≥ 10. centile), prolonged pregnancy cohort (delivery ≥ 41 + 0 weeks gestation, birth weight ≥ 10. centile) and small-for-gestational-age fetuses (delivery ≥ 37 + 0 weeks gestation, birth weight < 10. centile). The underlying reference values for MoM were estimated using quantile regression depending on gestational age. Prediction performance was evaluated using logistic regression models assessing the corresponding Brier score, combining discriminatory power and calibration. Results: Overall, 3326 cases were included. Across all cohorts, in the case of a significant association between a studied outcome parameter and CPR, there was an association with UCR, respectively. The Brier score showed only minimal differences for both ratios. Conclusions: Our study provides further evidence regarding predictive values of CPR and UCR. The results of our study suggest that reversal of CPR to UCR does not improve the prediction of adverse perinatal outcomes.
The cross section for e(+)e(-)-->pi(+)pi(-)J/psi between 3.8 and 5.5 GeV/c(2) is measured using a 548 fb(-1) data sample collected on or near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at ...KEKB. A peak near 4.25 GeV/c(2), corresponding to the so called Y(4260), is observed. In addition, there is another cluster of events at around 4.05 GeV/c(2). A fit using two interfering Breit-Wigner shapes describes the data better than one that uses only the Y(4260), especially for the lower-mass side of the 4.25 GeV enhancement.
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