Substantially enhanced rate capability of lithium storage in Na2Ti6O13 with self-doping and carbon-coating

Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ (NTO) has recently been reported for lithium ion storage and showed very promising results. In this work, we report substantially enhanced rate capability in NTO nanowires by Ti(iii) self-doping and carbon-coating. Ti(iii) doping and carbon coating were found to work in synergy to increase the electrochemical performances of the material. For 300 cycles at 1C (1C = 200 mA g⁻¹) the charge capacity of the electrode is 206 mA h g⁻¹, much higher than that (89 mA h g⁻¹) of the pristine NTO electrode. For 500 cycles at 5C the electrode can still deliver a charge capacity of 180.5 mA h g⁻¹ with a high coulombic efficiency of 99%. At 20C the capacity of the electrode is 2.6 times that of the pristine NTO. These results clearly demonstrate that the Ti(iii) self-doping and uniform carbon coating significantly enhanced the kinetic processes in the NTO nanowire crystal, making it possible for fast charge and discharge in Li-ion batteries.

Ti³⁺ self-doping and carbon-coating are efficient approaches to simultaneously improve the rate capability and cyclability of Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanowires for lithium storage.     

Pattern of distribution of 35 red cell antigens in regular voluntary blood donors of South Gujarat,India

Background

Extended phenotyping is one of the important method of reducing red cell alloimmunisation. Extended phenotyping of red cells from voluntary donors have many uses in addition to its application in population genetics. As there was very little data extended phenotyping on a cohort of Indian Voluntary blood donors this project was undertaken.

Targeting the Use of Pooled HIV RNA Screening to Reduce Cost in Health Department STD Clinics: New York City, 2009–2011

Objective

Staff at public New York City sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics screen patients for acute HIV infection (AHI) using pooled nucleic acid amplification tests. AHI screening is expensive but important for populations at high risk of acquiring HIV. We analyzed if targeting AHI screening in STD clinics could reduce program costs while maintaining AHI case detection.

Methods

From January 2009 through May 2010, we screened all patients with negative rapid HIV tests for AHI. Using risk information on cases detected during this universal screening period, we developed criteria for targeted AHI screening and compared case yields and testing costs during 12 months of universal screening (June 2009 through May 2010) vs. 12 months of targeted screening (June 2010 through May 2011).

Results

During the defined period of universal screening, we identified 40 AHI cases, and during targeted screening, we identified 35 AHI cases. Because of targeting efforts, the number needed to test to find one AHI case dropped from 1,631 to 254. With targeted screening, it cost an average of $4,535 per case detected and 39.3 cases were detected per 10,000 specimens; using universal screening, $29,088 was spent per case detected and 6.1 cases were detected per 10,000 specimens processed.

Conclusion

Targeted screening identified similar numbers of AHI cases as when screening all clinic patients seeking HIV testing, but at one-seventh the cost.During the acute phase of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (AHI), infected people are often unaware of their condition, as AHI symptoms—which include fever, sore throat, fatigue, myalgia, lymphadenopathy, rash, joint pain, night sweats, and diarrhea—are nonspecific.¹ During AHI, patients are highly viremic (and, thus, highly infectious), and antibodies to HIV have not yet developed.² This stage of infection, therefore, is not detected by traditional antibody tests. Detecting AHI requires nucleic acid amplification or antigen tests and enables infected people to adopt safer behaviors and be linked to earlier treatment and care, all of which may reduce HIV transmission.^3,4 A multisite study conducted in 14 clinics in New York City (NYC); Los Angeles, California; and four counties in Florida from 2006 to 2008 found that AHI screening, when added to point-of-care rapid testing, increased HIV detection by 8.2% across all sites; in three NYC clinics, 24% more HIV infections were detected using AHI screening than with HIV detection using rapid antibody tests alone (seven cases detected by nucleic acid amplification testing [NAAT]; 22 cases detected by rapid test).⁵ NAAT is an important tool for identifying AHI, and NAAT pooling methods (pNAATs) help to contain the costs of screening.⁶ By 2009, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) had implemented routine AHI screening via pNAAT for all patients with negative rapid HIV tests in all of its sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics. At that time, the NYC DOHMH joined just a handful of state and local health departments in the United States that were routinely using pNAAT.⁷While AHI screening increased HIV detection in NYC STD clinics, it came at a considerable cost. Annualized other-than-personnel costs of this screening were more than $1 million, or approximately $30,000 per new diagnosis, which was as much as 16 times greater than the average cost of routine opt-out HIV screening in health-care facilities in the U.S.⁸ We present our evaluation of a strategy to reduce program costs while maintaining a high level of AHI case detection among clinic patients.     

Seasonal and Geographic Patterns in Seeking Cardiovascular Health Information: An Analysis of the Online Search Trends

Objective

To ascertain whether temporal and geographic interest in seeking cardiovascular disease (CVD) information online follows seasonal and geographic patterns similar to those observed in real-world data.

Increase in Temperature Induces the Malathion Toxicity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</Emphasis>: A Short Term Acute Test

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of higher temperature beyond optimum range on acute toxicity for malathion (effective concentration 50 %) in Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. A 2 days renewal bioassay system for 96 h was used to determine LC₅₀ value of malathion at three different regimes of temperature that is 30, 32 and 34 °C considering as T1, T2 and T3, respectively. The physico-chemical parameters of water of different treatment groups were estimated during pre and post-exposure of test chemical, following standard methods. The result of short term acute toxicity test at 96 h LC₅₀ values through probit analysis was found to be 7.76, 6.45 and 4.46 µL L^?1 for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The 96 h LC₅₀ of malathion at 34 °C was found to be significantly (p < 0.01) lower as compared with estimated LC₅₀ for malathion at 30 and 32 °C. High temperature and free carbon dioxide coupled with low dissolved oxygen were significantly noticed in T3 group when compared to T1 and T2 groups. Lower LC₅₀ of malathion at 34 °C as compared to 30 and 32 °C showed that at a higher temperature, the toxicity of malathion increased, signifying diminished fish protective response to malathion toxicity. The current study reflects the impact of increased temperature on pesticide toxicity in the aquatic ecosystem, alarming the aqua farmers to judiciously use malathion in ponds.     

Trichoderma harzianum ThU and Its Metabolites Underscore Alteration in Essential Oils of Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum sanctum

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Ocimum, an important commercial aromatic crop, is well known for the industrially acclaimed essential oil. In...