Large scale immersion bath for isothermal testing of lithium-ion cells.

Testing of lithium-ion batteries depends greatly on accurate temperature control in order to generate reliable experimental data. Reliable data is essential to parameterise and validate battery models, which are essential to speed up and reduce the cost of battery pack design for multiple applications. There are many methods to control the temperature of cells during testing, such as forced air convection, liquid cooling or conduction cooling using cooling plates.

Temperature dependence of molybdenum dialkyl dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) tribofilms via time-resolved Raman spectroscopy.

Molybdenum dialkyl dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) is a friction reducing additive commonly used in lubricants. MoDTC works by forming a low-friction molybdenum disulphide (MoS) film (tribofilm) on rubbed surfaces. MoDTC-induced MoS tribofilms have been studied extensively ex-situ; however, there is no consensus on the chemical mechanism of its formation process.

Elevated auditory brainstem response thresholds in mice with Connexin36 gene ablation.

Conclusion: Expression of connexin36 (Cx36) and electrical synapses formed by Cx36-containing gap junctions contribute to normal auditory brainstem response thresholds in mice.

Objectives: Electrical synaptic transmission mediated by gap junctions has not been intensively studied in the auditory system. This study used transgenic mice with knockout of the gene coding for the major protein that forms neuronal gap junctions in mammalian brain (Cx36) to evaluate the role of Cx36 in murine hearing.

Discussing the influence of electrode location in the result of esophageal prolonged pH monitoring.

Background: There is a large consensus to preserve the distance of 5 cm above the proximal border of the lower esophageal sphincter (PBLES) as appropriate to the location of the electrode of the pH-metry. The main objective of this study is to determine whether placement of the electrode below the recommended location achieves a significant difference in the calculation of the DeMeester score.

Methods: The study was made up of 60 GERD patients and 20 control subjects.

Involvement of pituitary gonadotropins, gonadal steroids and breeding season in sex change of protogynous dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Teleostei: Serranidae), induced by a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor.

Two experiments were performed using the aromatase inhibitor (AI) letrozole (100mg/kg) to promote sex change, from female-to-male, in protogynous dusky grouper. One experiment was performed during the breeding season (spring) and the other at the end of the breeding season (summer). During the spring, AI promoted sex change after 9 weeks and the sperm produced was able to fertilize grouper oocytes.

Arousals are frequent and associated with exacerbated blood pressure response in patients with primary hypertension.

Background: Spontaneous arousals are relatively common during sleep, and induce hemodynamic responses. We sought to investigate the frequency and magnitude of blood pressure (BP) increases triggered by spontaneous arousals in patients with primary hypertension.

Methods: We conducted a study in which we divided 18 nonobese, sedentary adults without sleep-disordered breathing into two groups, consisting of: (i) hypertensive (HT, n = 8) patients; and (ii) normotensive (NT, n = 10) controls.

MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism in a Brazilian sample: further support for the association with impulsive behaviors and alcohol dependence.

The enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) plays an important role in the metabolism of neurotransmitters. The MAOA gene presents several polymorphisms, including a 30-bp VNTR in the promoter region (MAOA-uVNTR). Alleles with 3.