Radially and Axially Oriented Ammonium Alginate Aerogels Modified with Clay/Tannic Acid and Crosslinked with Glutaraldehyde.

Lightweight materials that combine high mechanical strength, insulation, and fire resistance are of great interest to many industries. This work explores the properties of environmentally friendly alginate aerogel composites as potential sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based materials. This study analyzes the effects of two additives (tannic acid and montmorillonite clay), the orientation that results during casting, and the crosslinking of the biopolymer with glutaraldehyde on the properties of the aerogel composites.

A case report of ansa cervicalis to spinal accessory transposition graft: a new surgical technique to prevent shoulder dysfunction.

Introduction And Importance: The spinal accessory nerve is at risk when performing neck dissections for head and neck cancers. Injury to this nerve can result in shoulder syndrome, which can be challenging to manage. Various nerve repair or grafting methods are available to prevent this condition.

Design Principles and Routes for Calcium Alkoxyaluminate Electrolytes.

Multivalent-ion battery technologies are increasingly attractive options for meeting diverse energy storage needs. Calcium ion batteries (CIB) are particularly appealing candidates for their earthly abundance, high theoretical volumetric energy density, and relative safety advantages. At present, only a few Ca-ion electrolyte systems are reported to reversibly plate at room temperature: for example, aluminates and borates, including Ca[TPFA], where [TPFA] = [Al(OC(CF))] and Ca[B(hfip)], [B(hfip)] = [B(OCH(CF))].

Mixed-Anion Contact Ion-Pair Formation Enabling Improved Performance of Halide-Free Mg-Ion Electrolytes.

Discovery of stable and efficient electrolytes that are compatible with magnesium metal anodes and high-voltage cathodes is crucial to enabling energy storage technologies that can move beyond existing Li-ion systems. Many promising electrolytes for magnesium anodes have been proposed with chloride-based systems at the forefront; however, Cl-containing electrolytes lack the oxidative stability required by high-voltage cathodes. In this work, we report magnesium trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate) as a viable coanion for Cl-free, mixed-anion magnesium electrolytes.

Chemical Reaction Networks Explain Gas Evolution Mechanisms in Mg-Ion Batteries.

Out-of-equilibrium electrochemical reaction mechanisms are notoriously difficult to characterize. However, such reactions are critical for a range of technological applications. For instance, in metal-ion batteries, spontaneous electrolyte degradation controls electrode passivation and battery cycle life.

Effect of Salt Concentration on the Interfacial Solvation Structure and Early Stage of Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Ca(BH)/THF for Ca Batteries.

The Ca solvation structure at the electrolyte/electrode interface is of central importance to understand electroreduction stability and solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation for the novel multivalent Ca battery systems. Using an exemplar electrolyte, the concentration-dependent solvation structure of Ca(BH)-tetrahydrofuran on a gold model electrode has been investigated with various electrolyte concentrations via electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (EQCM-D) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the first time, in situ EQCM-D results prove that the prevalent species adsorbed at the interface is CaBH across all concentrations.

Computational Predictions of the Stability of Fluorinated Calcium Aluminate and Borate Salts.

Energy storage concepts based on multivalent ions, such as calcium, have great potential to become next-generation batteries due to their low cost and comparable cell voltage and energy density to Li-ion batteries. However, the development of Ca batteries is still hindered by the lack of suitable materials that grant a long cycle life. Specific to electrolyte materials, developing a calcium salt that is chemically stable under ambient conditions and enables reversible electrodeposition of Ca is critical.

Ice-Template Crosslinked PVA Aerogels Modified with Tannic Acid and Sodium Alginate.

With the commitment to reducing environmental impact, bio-based and biodegradable aerogels may be one approach when looking for greener solutions with similar attributes to current foam-like materials. This study aimed to enhance the mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels by adding sodium alginate (SA) and tannic acid (TA). Aerogels were obtained by freeze-drying and post-ion crosslinking through calcium chloride (CaCl) and boric acid (HBO) solutions.

Epidemiology of salivary gland tumours in an Eastern Caribbean nation: A retrospective study.

Objective: The epidemiology of the salivary glands tumour is not well documented in the Caribbean countries. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the local trend of salivary gland tumours with a review of current diagnostic techniques.

Design & Methods: Retrospective data was collected from the electronic database at the Pathology department of the San Fernando Teaching Hospital between the periods January 2005 to June 2015.

Fundamental organometallic chemistry under bimetallic influence: driving β-hydride elimination and diverting migratory insertion at Cu and Ni.

Bimetallic effects on stoichiometric β-hydride elimination and migratory insertion reactions were examined. Bimetallic reaction conditions drove β-hydride elimination at Cu, while bimetallic C-B elimination occurred in the absence of β-hydrogens. The inherent migratory insertion chemistry of alkynes at Ni was diverted under bimetallic reaction conditions to favor C-H deprotonation.

Optical design of two-axes parabolic trough collector and two-section Fresnel lens for line-to-spot solar concentration.

Solar tracking concentrators are optical systems that collect the solar energy flux either in a line or spot using reflective or refractive surfaces. The main problem with these surfaces is their manufacturing complexity, especially at large scales. In this paper, a line-to-spot solar tracking concentrator is proposed.

Fibroblast activation protein-α promotes tumor growth and invasion of breast cancer cells through non-enzymatic functions.

Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP) is a cell surface, serine protease of the post-prolyl peptidase family that is expressed in human breast cancer but not in normal tissues. Previously, we showed that FAP expression increased tumor growth rates in a mouse model of human breast cancer. Here the role of the proteolytic activities of FAP in promoting tumor growth, matrix degradation and invasion was investigated.

Intrauterine West Nile virus: ocular and systemic findings.

Purpose: To report the first documented case of intrauterine transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) with resulting congenital chorioretinal scarring and central nervous system malformation in a newborn.

Design: Case report.

Methods: Ophthalmic findings and laboratory data in an otherwise presumed healthy 2-day-old female are presented.