A New High Power LiNi0.81Co0.1Al0.09O2 Cathode Material for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Among the various Ni‐based layered oxide systems in the form of LiNi_1‐y‐zCo_yAl_zO₂ (NCA), the compostions between y = 0.1–0.15, z = 0.05 are the most successful and commercialized cathodes used in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). However, tremendous research effort has been dedicted to searching for better composition in NCA systems to overcome the limitations of these cathodes, particularly those that arise when they are used use at high discharge/charge rates (>5C) and in high temperature (60 °C) environments. In addition, improving the thermal stability at 4.5 V is also very important in terms of the total amount of heat generated and the onset temperature. Here, a new NCA composition in the form of LiNi_0.81Co_0.1Al_0.09O₂ (y = 0.1, z = 0.09) is reported for the first time. Compared to the LiNi_0.85Co_0.1Al_0.05O₂ cathode, LiNi_0.81Co_0.1Al_0.09O₂ exhibits an excellent rate capability of 155 mAh g^?1 at 10 C with a cut‐off voltage range between 3 and 4.5 V, corresponding to 562 Wh kg^?1 at 24 °C. It additionally provides significantly improved thermal stability and electrochemical performance at the high temperature of 60 °C, with a discharge capacity of 122 mAh g^?1 after 200 cycles with capacity retention of 59%.     

A genetic variant in osteoprotegerin is associated with progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is partly heritably; 45 to 58% of the variance in joint destruction is estimated to be explained by genetic factors. The binding of RANKL (Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor κ B Ligand) to RANK results in the activation of TRAF6 (tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor associated factor-6), and osteoclast formation ultimately leading to enhanced bone resorption. This bone resorption is inhibited by osteoprotegerin (OPG) which prevents RANKL-RANK interactions. The OPG/RANK/RANKL/TRAF6 pathway plays an important role in bone remodeling. Therefore, we investigated whether genetic variants in OPG, RANK, RANKL and TRAF6 are associated with the rate of joint destruction in RA.

Methods

1,418 patients with 4,885 X-rays of hands and feet derived from four independent data-sets were studied. In each data-set the relative increase of the progression rate per year in the presence of a genotype was assessed. First, explorative analyses were performed on 600 RA-patients from Leiden. 109 SNPs, tagging OPG, RANK, RANKL and TRAF6, were tested. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated in phase-1 were genotyped in data-sets from Groningen (Netherlands), Sheffield (United Kingdom) and Lund (Switzerland). Data were summarized in an inverse weighted variance meta-analysis. Bonferonni correction for multiple testing was applied.

Results

We found that 33 SNPs were significantly associated with the rate of joint destruction in phase-1. In phase-2, six SNPs in OPG and four SNPs in RANK were associated with progression of joint destruction with P-value <0.05. In the meta-analyses of all four data-sets, RA-patients with the minor allele of OPG-rs1485305 expressed higher rates of joint destruction compared to patients without these risk variants (P = 2.35x10⁻⁴). This variant was also significant after Bonferroni correction.

Conclusions

These results indicate that a genetic variant in OPG is associated with a more severe rate of joint destruction in RA.     

Body Mass Index and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis

Background

There are conflicting results about the association between body mass index (BMI) and depressive symptoms in older adults. The present study examined the relationship between weight and depressive symptoms over time in older adults in South Korea.

Methods

We used data from three waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging and ran a series of cross-lagged panel models to test the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity in older Korean adults. We assumed a temporally stable relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity and, thus imposed equality constraints over time.

Results

After controlling for the effect of depressive symptoms two years prior, underweight older adults had a higher depressive symptom score than those of normal weight. When controlling for obesity status from two years prior, older adults with higher levels of depressive symptoms were more likely to be underweight and less likely to be overweight than normal weight. The same patterns were observed in data from 2006 to 2008 and from 2008 to 2010.

Conclusions

These results show that there is a correlation between depressive symptoms and weight status. In middle-aged and elderly Asian populations, depression can lead to weight loss rather than obesity, and underweight may develop depressive symptoms.     

Spatial patterns,ecological niches,and interspecific competition of avian brood parasites: inferring from a case study of Korea

Since obligate avian brood parasites depend completely on the effort of other host species for rearing their progeny, the availability of hosts will be a critical resource for their life history. Circumstantial evidence suggests that intense competition for host species may exist not only within but also between species. So far, however, few studies have demonstrated whether the interspecific competition really occurs in the system of avian brood parasitism and how the nature of brood parasitism is related to their niche evolution. Using the occurrence data of five avian brood parasites from two sources of nationwide bird surveys in South Korea and publically available environmental/climatic data, we identified their distribution patterns and ecological niches, and applied species distribution modeling to infer the effect of interspecific competition on their spatial distribution. We found that the distribution patterns of five avian brood parasites could be characterized by altitude and climatic conditions, but overall their spatial ranges and ecological niches extensively overlapped with each other. We also found that the predicted distribution areas of each species were generally comparable to the realized distribution areas, and the numbers of individuals in areas where multiple species were predicted to coexist showed positive relationships among species. In conclusion, despite following different coevolutionary trajectories to adapt to their respect host species, five species of avian brood parasites breeding in South Korea occupied broadly similar ecological niches, implying that they tend to conserve ancestral preferences for ecological conditions. Furthermore, our results indicated that contrary to expectation interspecific competition for host availability between avian brood parasites seemed to be trivial, and thus, play little role in shaping their spatial distributions and ecological niches. Future studies, including the complete ranges of avian brood parasites and ecological niches of host species, will be worthwhile to further elucidate these issues.     

Pigment and isozyme variation in aspen shoots regenerated from callus culture

Pigment as well as isozyme variations were observed among aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) plants regenerated from callus cultures. Out of more than 600 plantlets, two chimeric plants (one with green base and two albino shoots and the other with an albino shoot) were produced. Callus derived from albino shoots produced albino as well as chimeric plants when transferred to shoot inducing medium. Isozyme patterns of 119 plants were examined by starch gel electrophoresis. Thirty plants showed variation in shikimic dehydrogenase isozyme and 41 in isocitric dehydrogenase. Variation was also observed in malate dehydrogenase and phosphoglucose isomerase. No variation was seen in 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Pigment variation was not associated with any isozyme changes.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyladenine - IBA indole-3-butyric acid - GD Gresshoff & Doy medium - WPM woody plant medium - SKD shikimic dehydrogenase - IDH isocitric dehydrogenase - MDH malate dehydrogenase - PGI phosphoglucose isomerase - 6-PGD 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase     

Thyroid microsomal antigen in Graves' thyroid is not different from that in normal thyroid.

Differences from normal in microsomal antigen (M-Ag) may be involved in the development of autoimmune thyroid disease. We compared the M-Ag in Graves' thyroid immunologically and biochemically to that in normal thyroid. The concentration of M-Ag, measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was significantly greater in the Graves' microsomes than in normal microsomes. Binding of a patient's microsomal antibody to Graves' microsomes was completely inhibited when the serum was first incubated with normal thyroid microsomes. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting were done with a monoclonal antibody to denatured M-Ag. In both Graves' and normal thyroids, M-Ag existed as 107-, 101-, and 95-kDa peptides. After incubation with V8 protease, the residual antigenic peptide had a molecular weight of less than 60,000 and after incubation with trypsin, 95- and 87-kDa peptides and several smaller antigenic peptides were found. There were no significant differences in the pattern of normal and Graves' microsomes after digestion. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of Graves' microsomes showed that the isoelectric point for the 107-kDa peptide was at pH 7.2; that for the 101-kDa peptide was at pH 6.2, and that for the 95-kDa peptide was at 6.5. These values were not different from those observed for normal microsomes. These results indicate that M-Ag in Graves' thyroid does not differ from that in normal thyroid, and that microsomal antibodies in autoimmune thyroid disease probably do no arise from differences in the antigen.