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Effect of binder viscosity on the rheology of cathode slurries and performance of lithium-ion battery half cells
Get PDFReliably benchmarking the performance of new cathode materials is an ongoing challenge in the development of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. {Small variations in the formulation or processing of a cathode can severely affect the performance of the resulting battery cell.} Understanding and controlling interactions between the binder and other slurry components will enable faster, more rationalised battery cell optimisation. For the first time, this work systematically varies the viscosity of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder solutions across a decade (15 to 320 mPa·s) whilst holding constant the solid loading of carbon black (CB) and cathode active material LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2; NMC811). Steric stabilisation, rather than depletion or flocculation, is shown to be the mechanism by which PVDF modulates the structure of CB colloidal particles in a slurry. Gelled CB structures, evident in shear-thinning behaviour, are observed for all slurries, but two distinct CB gel regimes are evident: percolated and dispersed. The percolated regime occurs when the ratio of dissolved PVDF to free CB is reduced, e.g. by the incomplete dissolution of the PVDF. These samples exhibit thixotropic flow behaviour and lead to more porous cathodes. Well-dispersed CB gels exhibit reversible flow behaviour and form denser cathodes. The mass loading of cathodes increases with solution viscosity, and above a viscosity of 128 ± 46 mPa·s, the mass loading across the cathode tape becomes uniform. The first discharge capacity of battery cells increases monotonically with the viscosity of the PVDF solution, but no correlation is evident after 100 cycles. Process models that incorporate these relationships will improve the reproducibility of cathode coatings, enable higher coating weights and reduce materials losses leading to lower manufacturing costs and higher capacity batteries
Aspergillus fumigatus PolX1 is an early ancestor of vertebrate terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferases
Get PDFX-family DNA polymerases (PolXs) perform essential roles in repair and maintenance of the genome. One branch of the PolXs have evolved to function as terminal transferases, extending DNA ends in a template-independent manner, unusual for polymerases. To date, template independence has been shown exclusively in metazoans. We analysed PolXs to determine the phylogenetic evolution of the terminal transferase function in fungal PolXs. We have identified and characterised a PolX from the saprophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, named AfPolX1, that demonstrates inherent terminal transferase ability under physiologically relevant conditions. This is the first report for a fungal terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). Our findings indicate that template-independent 'creative' synthesis evolved earlier than previously thought and can be traced as far back as the early Polµ's of multicellular fungi. We further show that like TdT, AfPolX1 is capable of introducing ribonucleotides and various nucleotides with 2' ribose modifications, giving credence to the idea that the structural features necessary for PolXs observed promiscuous behaviour during template independence existed in the PolXs of early eukaryotes. Our findings suggest AfPolX1 as a promising candidate for use in enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesis
Evidence for the collective nature of radial flow in Pb + Pb collisions with the ATLAS detector
Get PDFVirtual reality for visions (VRV):a proof-of-concept study examining the development of a new treatment for distressing visual hallucinations in people with psychosis
Get PDFIntroduction Visual Hallucinations (VHs) (seeing things that others do not, or visions) are a common feature of psychosis, causing significant distress and disability. Services rarely ask about these important experiences, and crucially there are no proven beneficial psychological treatments. There are at least two key challenges faced when treating VHs. First, people report not knowing why they see things others don’t, which leads them to feel alone and different from others. Second, they feel they cannot trust their own eyes to tell what is real or not, which can lead to fears they will be hurt or harmed by the VH, or even if they know the experience is not real, they may fear that they are losing their mind, or that they are not able to control or manage their experiences. For these reasons, they may struggle to put skills and strategies into practice when in the presence of the VH. Consequently, we have developed a novel treatment that addresses these core issues. First, we have a psycho-education and coping strategies package called Visual Unusual Sensory Experiences (VUSE) that uses the best aspects of digital technology (animations, videos) to explain why people have VHs and provides normalising information to help the person to feel less alone. It introduces coping strategies that are then tested in Virtual Reality sessions (VR for Visions VRV) where a representation of the visual experience is provided, enabling the person to safely develop skills and gain a sense of mastery and empowerment. We now plan to test this approach in a proof-of-concept study to help determine if this will help people use these skills in the real world and so help reduce distress, improve functioning and quality of life. We will address uncertainties in the feasibility of developing and delivering this treatment and inform its future use in a larger trial. Methods and analysis The study is a single arm feasibility trial (n=16) evaluating VUSE+VRVand treatment as usual. The study is recruiting people with psychosis and distressing VHs in one NHS Trust and uses independent but non-blind research assistants to undertake assessments before, during and after treatment (at baseline, 6, 12week) and at follow-up (16 weeks). Quantitative information on recruitment rates, adherence and completion of outcome assessments (VHs, other psychiatric symptoms, quality of life and perceived recovery) will be collected. Qualitative interviews will capture service-users’ experience of therapy. Analyses will focus on feasibility outcomes and provide initial estimates of intervention effects. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews will assess the acceptability of the intervention. Ethics and dissemination The trial has received NHS Ethical and Health Research Authority approval (25/EM/0077). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Findings will be disseminated directly to participants, and services as well as through open access peer-reviewed publication(s)
Prospective isolation of mouse and human hematopoietic stem cells using PLXDC2
Get PDFNumerous strategies exist to isolate hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using complex combinations of markers and flow cytometry. However, robust identification of HSCs using imaging techniques is substantially more challenging which has prompted the recent development of HSC reporter mice. To date, very few molecules used in these reporters have been useful for human HSC identification. Here we report that PLXDC2 is a useful marker for both mouse and human cord blood HSCs. Using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) knock-in at the Plxdc2 locus in mice (hereafter denoted as Plxdc2-GFP), we showed that Plxdc2-GFP is highly expressed in HSCs with 1 in 2.8 Plxdc2-GFP +CD150 + cells giving long-term multi-lineage reconstitution in transplantation. Moreover, we developed a novel human PLXDC2 antibody and showed that human PLXDC2 + HSCs have higher long-term multilineage reconstitution ability compared with PLXDC2 - HSCs in a xenograft model. This study identifies PLXDC2 as a highly relevant molecule in HSC identification
Strategies to support safe wandering in care homes for older adults – what works, for whom, and in which circumstances?: A realist synthesis
Get PDFObjectives
Wandering is a common behaviour among people with dementia living in care homes, driven by various factors such as enjoyment, a sense of purpose, lifelong habits, and social interaction. These elements can bring both physical and mental benefits, highlighting the need for strategies that enable safe wandering while respecting individual autonomy. This realist synthesis aimed to explore these strategies and the conditions under which they lead to successful outcomes.
Methods
This realist synthesis involved scoping the literature to develop initial theoretical explanations for how different strategies could support safe wandering. From this literature, we developed context-mechanism-outcome configurations, which we combined into initial programme theories. Systematic searches were then used to test and refine these programme theories. Studies were prioritised for inclusion based on criteria of relevance and richness. We extracted data pertinent to the initial programme theories and documented relevance, richness, and rigour. We synthesised data into five refined programme theories. At each stage of the process, we collaborated with stakeholders to develop and validate the strategies.
Results
The review included 79 evidence sources, leading to five refined programme theories. 1) Personalised Care: Emphasising the importance of staff practicing person-centred care by understanding residents, their reasons for wandering, and their life histories. 2) Monitoring: Effective monitoring requires good visual access or technological solutions that enable staff to observe residents, and detect when residents need support to walk while also enabling resident freedom and independence. 3) Navigation: Navigation is facilitated by dementia-friendly design features and environmental cues, which help minimise the challenges residents face due to diminished orientation and wayfinding abilities. 4) Managing access: Involving balancing residents' safety and autonomy. Strategies may include restricting access to unsafe areas by locking doors or using technology and camouflage, while ensuring access to safe spaces. 5) Hydration and nutrition: Hydration and nutrition (e.g., suitable snacks) is provided to prevent weight loss for residents who wander and may not stay seated during meals. These theories provide insight into supporting safe wandering, leading to improved wellbeing for both residents and staff, enhanced safety and autonomy for residents, and reduced staff anxiety.
Discussion
Strategies that create a supportive environment, provide physical assistance, and support hydration and nutrition enabled residents to wander safely. Identified strategies improved wellbeing for both residents and staff. However, the same strategies also led to ethical concerns around digital monitoring, deception, and access restrictions.
Study registration
The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024559085)
The influence of perspective on the valuation of the EQ-5D-Y-3L: a comparison using the OPUF tool and a discrete choice experiment
Get PDFBackground: The choice of perspective in valuation tasks is likely to affect the scale of EQ-5D-Y-3L value sets, but less is known about how it affects the relative importance of different dimensions.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine how preferences for EQ-5D-Y-3L health states differ according to different perspectives utilising two methods: the Online elicitation of Personal Utility Functions (OPUF) tool and a discrete choice experiment (DCE).
Methods: An online survey was designed containing the OPUF tool and a DCE. Adult respondents from the United Kingdom were randomised to one of five different perspective arms: (1) 4-year-old child, (2) 10-year-old child, (3) a child of unspecified age, (4) another adult, and (5) own health. The resulting OPUF value sets (social utility functions), and relative importance scores for the five dimensions from both methods, were compared across perspectives.
Results: Results differed by perspective in both valuation tasks. In both tasks, ‘looking after myself’ was less important and ‘pain or discomfort’ was more important in the child perspectives than in the adult perspectives. Furthermore, the scale of the value sets produced by the OPUF tool differed by perspective, with the value of the worst health state being significantly lower in the adult perspectives than in the child perspectives.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the valuation of the EQ-5D-Y-3L is affected by the perspective that adult respondents are asked to take. Researchers should be aware of the potential impact and ensure that relevant stakeholders understand this when designing valuation studies
Harnessing methane proxies to understand and mitigate enteric emissions from ruminant production systems
Get PDFMethane emissions from livestock, particularly ruminants, significantly contribute to global warming, necessitating the development of accurate methane monitoring systems. Direct methane measurement is technically complex, time-consuming, labour-intensive, and costly. Recent advances in methane inhibitors, such as 3-nitrooxy propanol and halogenated analogues, plant secondary compounds, including polyphenols and essential oils, to reduce methane emissions have necessitated the discovery of processes underlying rumen methane synthesis and inhibition. The identification of methane proxies, such as behavioural and input proxies (dry matter intake, neutral detergent fibre), microbial community proxies (rumen metagenome profiles), metabolic pathway proxies (fatty acids), molecular and genetic proxies (microbial genes), and downstream and non-invasive proxies (milk fatty acids and faecal lipidomes), is leading to more viable solutions. New developments in ‘omic’ techniques, including lipidomics, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, have enabled the detection of proxies at the molecular level utilising rumen liquor, milk, blood, urine, and faeces. In addition to traditional methane proxies, rumen microbiota profiles, and specific genes involved in rumen methanogenesis (such as mcr and mrt, which encode methyl coenzyme reductase 1 and 2), these markers can be used to identify methane-producing pathways. Protozoa-associated methanogens (PAMs), propionate-producing bacteria, and methane-oxidising methanotrophs (Methylocystis sp.) are emerging as new proxies. Methane proxies provide scalable, affordable, and mechanistically insightful alternatives to conventional direct measuring techniques, which improve the understanding of rumen function and the biological causes of methane releases, enabling large-scale methane monitoring and will enable designing effective methane mitigation strategies in livestock production systems
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