Synthesis and Characterization of LiFePO4-PANI Hybrid Material as Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

This work focuses on the synthesis of LiFePO4-PANI hybrid materials and studies their electrochemical properties (capacity, cyclability and rate capability) for use in lithium ion batteries. PANI synthesis and optimization was carried out by chemical oxidation (self-assembly process), using ammonium persulfate (APS) and H3PO4, obtaining a material with a high degree of crystallinity. For the synthesis of the LiFePO4-PANI hybrid, a thermal treatment of LiFePO4 particles was carried out in a furnace with polyaniline (PANI) and lithium acetate (AcOLi)-coated particles, using Ar/H2 atmosphere. The pristine and synthetized powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, IR and TGA. The electrochemical characterizations were carried out by using CV, EIS and galvanostatic methods, obtaining a capacity of 95 mAhg-1 for PANI, 120 mAhg-1 for LiFePO4 and 145 mAhg-1 for LiFePO4-PANI, at a charge/discharge rate of 0.1 C. At a charge/discharge rate of 2 C, the capacities were 70 mAhg-1 for LiFePO4 and 100 mAhg-1 for LiFePO4-PANI, showing that the PANI also had a favorable effect on the rate capability.

Short alleles of both GGN and CAG repeats at the exon-1 of the androgen receptor gene are associated to increased PSA staining and a higher Gleason score in human prostatic cancer.

The exon 1 of the human androgen receptor (AR) gene contains two length polymorphisms of CAG (polyglutamine) and GGN (polyglycine). "In vitro" experiments suggest that the larger GGN repeats provide a lower AR-protein yield, whereas the larger CAG repeats decrease the AR transcriptional activity, both decreasing the AR signalling intensity. Here we have tested such possibilities in human prostatic cancer (CaP) specimens. We used 72 archival samples of radical prostatectomy. Parallel slides were used for AR protein or PSA immunohistochemistry, and for genotyping studies. Polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR, fragment length analysis and sequencing selected samples. The AR staining was positively correlated with the Gleason score (r=0.320; P=0.005), but it was not correlated to CAG or GGN repeat length or PSA staining. The number of GGN repeats was negatively correlated to the intensity of PSA staining (r=-0.243; P=0.04). Combination of short alleles of both tracts was significantly higher in: the heavier stained tertiles for PSA (P=0.03) and AR (P=0.06); and in the subgroup of samples having a Gleason score of 7 or higher (P=0.021). The results support the hypothesis that the shorter alleles of CAG and GGN repeats in the AR gene are associated to an increased AR signalling intensity in human prostate cancer, and with more aggressive forms of the disease.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of poly[tris-(µ4-benzene-1,4-di-carboxyl-ato)tetra-kis-(di-methyl-formamide)-trinickel(II)]: a two-dimensional coordination network.

The crystal structure of the title compound, [Ni3(C8H4O4)3(C3H7NO)4], is a two-dimensional coordination network formed by trinuclear linear Ni3(tp)3(DMF)4 units (tp = terephthalate = benzene-1,4-di-carboxyl-ate and DMF = di-methyl-formamide) displaying a characteristic coordination mode of acetate groups in polynuclear metal-organic compounds. Individual trinuclear units are connected through tp anions in a triangular network that forms layers. One of the DMF ligands points outwards and provides inter-actions with equivalent planes above and below, leaving the second ligand in a structural void much larger than the DMF mol-ecule, which shows positional disorder. Parallel planes are connected mainly through weak C-H⋯O, H⋯H and H⋯C inter-actions between DMF mol-ecules, as shown by Hirshfeld surface analysis.

Ecografía doppler de la arteria pulmonar como indicador de madurez pulmonar fetal, Cuenca ­ Ecuador / Doppler ultrasound of the pulmonary artery as fetal lung maturity indicator, Cuenca - Ecuador

Introducción: la flujometría de la arteria pulmonar en fetos sanos puede ser un estudio predictor de la madurez pulmonar, lo que conlleva a un impacto en la disminución de la mortalidad perinatal.Objetivo: establecer el índice de tiempo de aceleración/tiempo de eyección de la arteria pulmonar (TA/TE) como un indicador de madurez pulmonar fetal en gestantes entre 26 y 40 semanas de gestación (SG), usuarias del Hospital Especializado Fundación Humanitaria Pablo Jaramillo Crespo, periodo 2017.Métodos: estudio de validación de prueba diagnóstica. Se evaluó la flujometría de la arteria pulmonar por ecografía doppler en 300 fetos sanos de gestantes entre 15 y 45 años de edad. Para la recolección de datos se utilizó encuestas y para la determinación de la validez se usó los estadísticos sensibilidad (S), especificidad (E), valor predictivo positivo (VPP) y valor predictivo negativo (VPN). Resultados: el valor del índice TA/TE de la arteria pulmonar fue 0.216 para las gestantes entre 26-28 SG; de 0.253 entre 29-31 SG; de 0.279 entre 32-34 SG; de 0.315 para las gestantes entre 35-37 SG y de 0.349 entre 38-40 SG. Las 37 SG en punto de corte fue de 0.320; el área ROC fue 0.98 con una S: 95.2%, E: 97.2%. VPP 93.0% y VPN 98.1%.Conclusiones: el índice TA/TE de la arteria pulmonar demostró correlación con la edad gestacional. Un índice TA/TE de 0.320, como punto de corte, predice madurez pulmonar fetal (AU);

Introduction: pulmonary artery flow metric in healthy fetuses can be a predictive study of lung maturity, which leads to an impact on the decrease in perinatal mortality.Objective: to establish the ratio of pulmonary artery acceleration time to ejection time (AT/ET) as an indicator of fetal lung maturity in pregnant women from 26 to 40 weeks of gestation (WG), users of the "Hospital Especializado Fundación Humanitaria Pablo Jaramillo Crespo", period 2017.Methods: A validity study of diagnostic tests was carried out. Pulmonary artery flow metric was evaluated by Doppler ultrasound in 300 healthy fetuses of pregnant women between 15 to 45 years old. Surveys were used to collect data. Sensitivity (S), specificity (E), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to determine validity.Results: the value of the TA / TE index of the pulmonary artery was 0.216 for pregnant women between 26-28 WG; of 0.253 between 29-31 WG; 0.279 between 32-34 WG; 0.315 for pregnant women between 35-37 WG and 0.349 between 38-40 WG. The 37 WG at the cut-off point was 0.320; the ROC area was 0.98 with a S: 95.2%, E: 97.2%. The PPV 93.0% and NPV 98.1%.Conclusions: the AT/ET ratio of pulmonary artery showed correlation with gestational age. An AT/ET ratio of 0.320, as a cut-off point, predicts fetal lung maturity (AU);

Artificial family selection based on growth rate in cultivated lines of Litopenaeus vannamei (Decapoda, Penaeidae) from Venezuela

We investigated the effects of family selection on the growth rates of four genetic lines of Litopenaeus vannamei, the Pacific white shrimp, from Venezuela. The mean family weight at selection was 16.79 g and the mean growth rate was 0.169 g d-1 at a mean age of 138 days. The mean growth rates per generation were 0.141 g d-1 for the parental generation (P0), 0.173 g d-1 for the F1 and 0.191 g d-1 for the F2. Survival varied from 83.3 percent to 94.4%. There were statistically significant differences between lines, with lines B and C, growing at higher temperatures and lower salinities, showing the fastest growth. Regression analysis between growth rate and age for each genetic line showed high r² values, but smaller than those shown between growth rate and generation. The mean heritability (h²) estimated for growth rate was 0.25 ± 0.04, with line per generation values ranging from 0.18 to 0.38. The mean heritability for growth rate per line showed some variation but there was no correlation between heritability and growth rate. Females showed a greater gain in growth rate per generation than males due to their faster growth when they were older. This study shows the high potential of these L. vannamei populations for the future of shrimp culture in the Americas.