The Effects of Catalyst Layer Deposition Methodology on Electrode Performance

The catalyst layer of the cathode is arguably the most critical component of low‐temperature fuel cells and carbon dioxide (CO₂) electrolysis cells because their performance is typically limited by slow oxygen (O₂) and CO₂ reduction kinetics. While significant efforts have focused on developing cathode catalysts with improved activity and stability, fewer efforts have focused on engineering the catalyst layer structure to maximize catalyst utilization and overall electrode and system performance. Here, we study the performance of cathodes for O₂ reduction and CO₂ reduction as a function of three common catalyst layer preparation methods: hand‐painting, air‐brushing, and screen‐printing. We employed ex‐situ X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (MicroCT) to visualize the catalyst layer structure and established data processing procedures to quantify catalyst uniformity. By coupling structural analysis with in‐situ electrochemical characterization, we directly correlate variation in catalyst layer morphology to electrode performance. MicroCT and SEM analyses indicate that, as expected, more uniform catalyst distribution and less particle agglomeration, lead to better performance. Most importantly, the analyses reported here allow for the observed differences over a large geometric volume as a function of preparation methods to be quantified and explained for the first time. Depositing catalyst layers via a fully‐automated air‐brushing method led to a 56% improvement in fuel cell performance and a significant reduction in electrode‐to‐electrode variability. Furthermore, air‐brushing catalyst layers for CO₂ reduction led to a 3‐fold increase in partial CO current density and enhanced product selectivity (94% CO) at similar cathode potential but a 10‐fold decrease in catalyst loading as compared to previous reports.     

Si‐Encapsulating Hollow Carbon Electrodes via Electroless Etching for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Remarkable improvements in the electrochemical performance of Si materials for Li‐ion batteries have been recently achieved, but the inherent volume change of Si still induces electrode expansion and external cell deformation. Here, the void structure in Si‐encapsulating hollow carbons is optimized in order to minimize the volume expansion of Si‐based anodes and improve electrochemical performance. When compared to chemical etching, the hollow structure is achieved via electroless etching is more advanced due to the improved electrical contact between carbon and Si. Despite the very thick electrodes (30 ～ 40 μm), this results in better cycle and rate performances including little capacity fading over 50 cycles and 1100 mA h g^?1 at 2C rate. Also, an in situ dilatometer technique is used to perform a comprehensive study of electrode thickness change, and Si‐encapsulating hollow carbon mitigates the volume change of electrodes by adoption of void space, resulting in a small volume increase of 18% after full lithiation corresponding with a reversible capacity of about 2000 mA h g^?1.     

Treadmill desks: A 1‐year prospective trial

Objective: Sedentariness is associated with weight gain and obesity. A treadmill desk is the combination of a standing desk and a treadmill that allow employees to work while walking at low speed. Design and Methods: The hypothesis was that a 1‐year intervention with treadmill desks is associated with an increase in employee daily physical activity (summation of all activity per minute) and a decrease in daily sedentary time (zero activity). Employees (n = 36; 25 women, 11 men) with sedentary jobs (87 ± 27 kg, BMI 29 ± 7 kg/m², n = 10 Lean BMI < 25 kg/m², n = 15 Overweight 25 < BMI < 30 kg/m², n = 11 Obese BMI > 30 kg/m²) volunteered to have their traditional desk replaced with a treadmill desk to promote physical activity for 1 year. Results: Daily physical activity (using accelerometers), work performance, body composition, and blood variables were measured at Baseline and 6 and 12 months after the treadmill desk intervention. Subjects who used the treadmill desk increased daily physical activity from baseline 3,353 ± 1,802 activity units (AU)/day to, at 6 months, 4,460 ± 2,376 AU/day (P < 0.001), and at 12 months, 4,205 ± 2,238 AU/day (P < 0.001). Access to the treadmill desks was associated with significant decreases in daily sedentary time (zero activity) from at baseline 1,020 ± 75 min/day to, at 6 months, 929 ± 84 min/day (P < 0.001), and at 12 months, 978 ± 95 min/day (P < 0.001). For the whole group, weight loss averaged 1.4 ± 3.3 kg (P < 0.05). Weight loss for obese subjects was 2.3 ± 3.5 kg (P < 0.03). Access to the treadmill desks was associated with increased daily physical activity compared to traditional chair‐based desks; their deployment was not associated with altered performance. For the 36 participants, fat mass did not change significantly, however, those who lost weight (n = 22) lost 3.4 ± 5.4 kg (P < 0.001) of fat mass. Weight loss was greatest in people with obesity. Conclusions: Access to treadmill desks may improve the health of office workers without affecting work performance.     

Serum hemorphin‐7 levels are decreased in obesity

Objective:

Hemorphin peptides exhibit biological activities that interfere with the endorphin system, the inflammatory response, and blood‐pressure control. VV‐hemorphin‐7 and LVV‐hemorphin‐7 peptides exert a hypotensive effect, in particular, by inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system. Furthermore, levels of circulating hemorphin‐7 peptides have been found to be decreased in diseases such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Design and Methods:

Because type 2 diabetes and obesity share common features, such as insulin resistance, microinflammation, high glomerular‐filtration rate (GFR), and cardiovascular risk, we evaluated serum VV‐hemorphin‐7 like immunoreactivity (VVH7‐i.r.) levels, using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method, on a group of 54 obese subjects without diabetes or hypertension, compared with a group of 33 healthy normal‐weight subjects.

Results:

Circulating VVH7‐i.r. levels were significantly decreased in the obese group compared with the control group (1.98 ± 0.19 vs. 4.86 ± 0.54 µmol/l, respectively, P < 0.01), and a significant negative correlation between VVH7‐i.r. and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found in obese patients (r = ?0.35, P = 0.011). There was no significant correlation between VVH7‐i.r. level and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or GFR.

Conclusions:

The decreased serum hemorphin‐7 found in obese subjects, as in diabetes, may contribute to the development of hypertension and to the cardiovascular risk associated with these metabolic diseases.

     

Acquired liver fat is a key determinant of serum lipid alterations in healthy monozygotic twins

Objective: The effects of acquired obesity on lipid profile and lipoprotein composition in rare BMI‐discordant monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs were studied. Design and Methods: Abdominal fat distribution, liver fat (magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy), fasting serum lipid profile (ultracentrifugation, gradient gel‐electrophoresis, and colorimetric enzymatic methods), and lifestyle factors (questionnaires and diaries) were assessed in 15 BMI‐discordant (within‐pair difference [Δ] in BMI >3 kg/m²) and nin concordant (ΔBMI <3 kg/m²) MZ twin pairs, identified from two nationwide cohorts of Finnish twins. Results: Despite a strong similarity of MZ twins in lipid parameters (intra‐class correlations 0.42‐0.90, P < 0.05), concentrations of apolipoprotein B (ApoB), intermediate‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), high‐density lipoprotein 3a% (HDL3a%), and HDL3c% were higher (P < 0.05) and those of HDL cholesterol, HDL2‐C, and HDL2b% were lower (P < 0.01) in the heavier co‐twins of BMI‐discordant pairs. The composition of lipoprotein particles was similar in the co‐twins. When BMI‐discordant pairs were further divided into liver fat‐discordant and concordant (based on median for Δliver fat, 2.6%), the adverse lipid profile was only seen in those heavy co‐twins who also had high liver fat. Conversely, BMI‐discordant pairs concordant for liver fat did not differ significantly in lipid parameters. In multivariate analyses controlling for Δsubcutaneous, Δintra‐abdominal fat, sex, Δsmoking and Δphysical activity, Δliver fat was the only independent variable explaining the variation in ΔApoB, Δtotal cholesterol, and ΔLDL‐C concentration. Conclusions: Several pro‐atherogenic changes in the amounts of lipids but not in the composition of lipoprotein particles were observed in acquired obesity. In particular, accumulation of liver fat was associated with lipid disturbances, independent of genetic effects.     

Effects of fructose and glucose overfeeding on hepatic insulin sensitivity and intrahepatic lipids in healthy humans

Objective:

To assess how intrahepatic fat and insulin resistance relate to daily fructose and energy intake during short‐term overfeeding in healthy subjects.

Design and methods:

The analysis of the data collected in several studies in which fasting hepatic glucose production (HGP), hepatic insulin sensitivity index (HISI), and intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) had been measured after both 6‐7 days on a weight‐maintenance diet (control, C; n = 55) and 6‐7 days of overfeeding with 1.5 (F1.5, n = 7), 3 (F3, n = 17), or 4 g fructose/kg/day (F4, n = 10), with 3 g glucose/kg/day (G3, n = 11), or with 30% excess energy as saturated fat (fat30%, n = 10).

Results:

F3, F4, G3, and fat30% all significantly increased IHCL, respectively by 113 ± 86, 102 ± 115, 59 ± 92, and 90 ± 74% as compared to C (all P < 0.05). F4 and G3 increased HGP by 16 ± 10 and 8 ± 11% (both P < 0.05), and F3 and F4 significantly decreased HISI by 20 ± 22 and 19 ± 14% (both P < 0.01). In contrast, there was no significant effect of fat30% on HGP or HISI.

Conclusions:

Short‐term overfeeding with fructose or glucose decreases hepatic insulin sensitivity and increases hepatic fat content. This indicates short‐term regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism by simple carbohydrates.     

Detection of Haplotypes Associated with Prenatal Death in Dairy Cattle and Identification of Deleterious Mutations in GART,SHBG and SLC37A2

The regular decrease of female fertility over time is a major concern in modern dairy cattle industry. Only half of this decrease is explained by indirect response to selection on milk production, suggesting the existence of other factors such as embryonic lethal genetic defects. Genomic regions harboring recessive deleterious mutations were detected in three dairy cattle breeds by identifying frequent haplotypes (>1%) showing a deficit in homozygotes among Illumina Bovine 50k Beadchip haplotyping data from the French genomic selection database (47,878 Holstein, 16,833 Montbéliarde, and 11,466 Normande animals). Thirty-four candidate haplotypes (p<10⁻⁴) including previously reported regions associated with Brachyspina, CVM, HH1, and HH3 in Holstein breed were identified. Haplotype length varied from 1 to 4.8 Mb and frequencies from 1.7 up to 9%. A significant negative effect on calving rate, consistent in heifers and in lactating cows, was observed for 9 of these haplotypes in matings between carrier bulls and daughters of carrier sires, confirming their association with embryonic lethal mutations. Eight regions were further investigated using whole genome sequencing data from heterozygous bull carriers and control animals (45 animals in total). Six strong candidate causative mutations including polymorphisms previously reported in FANCI (Brachyspina), SLC35A3 (CVM), APAF1 (HH1) and three novel mutations with very damaging effect on the protein structure, according to SIFT and Polyphen-2, were detected in GART, SHBG and SLC37A2 genes. In conclusion, this study reveals a yet hidden consequence of the important inbreeding rate observed in intensively selected and specialized cattle breeds. Counter-selection of these mutations and management of matings will have positive consequences on female fertility in dairy cattle.     

Traditional Nets Interfere with the Uptake of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets in the Peruvian Amazon: The Relevance of Net Preference for Achieving High Coverage and Use

Background

While coverage of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN) has steadily increased, a growing number of studies report gaps between net ownership and use. We conducted a mixed-methods social science study assessing the importance of net preference and use after Olyset® LLINs were distributed through a mass campaign in rural communities surrounding Iquitos, the capital city of the Amazonian region of Peru.

Methods

The study was conducted in the catchment area of the Paujil and Cahuide Health Centres (San Juan district) between July 2007 and November 2008. During a first qualitative phase, participant observation and in-depth interviews collected information on key determinants for net preference and use. In a second quantitative phase, a survey among recently confirmed malaria patients evaluated the acceptability and use of both LLINs and traditional nets, and a case control study assessed the association between net preference/use and housing structure (open vs. closed houses).

Results

A total of 10 communities were selected for the anthropological fieldwork and 228 households participated in the quantitative studies. In the study area, bed nets are considered part of the housing structure and are therefore required to fulfil specific architectural and social functions, such as providing privacy and shelter, which the newly distributed Olyset® LLINs ultimately did not. The LLINs'' failure to meet these criteria could mainly be attributed to their large mesh size, transparency and perceived ineffectiveness to protect against mosquitoes and other insects, resulting in 63.3% of households not using any of the distributed LLINs. Notably, LLIN usage was significantly lower in houses with no interior or exterior walls (35.2%) than in those with walls (73.8%) (OR = 5.2, 95CI [2.2; 12.3], p<0.001).

Conclusion

Net preference can interfere with optimal LLIN use. In order to improve the number of effective days of LLIN protection per dollar spent, appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting information on net preference should be developed before any LLIN procurement decision is made.