Novel pseudo-delocalized anions for lithium battery electrolytes

A novel anion concept of pseudo-delocalized anions, anions with distinct positive and negative charge regions, has been studied by a computer aided synthesis using DFT calculations. With the aim to find safer and better performing lithium salts for lithium battery electrolytes two factors have been evaluated: the cation-anion interaction strength via the dissociation reaction LiAn ? Li(+) + An(-) and the anion oxidative stability via a vertical ionisation from anion to radical. Based on our computational results some of these anions have shown promise to perform well as lithium salts for modern lithium batteries and should be interesting synthetic targets for future research.     

Global phenotypic screening for antimalarials

Malaria, a devastating infectious disease caused by Plasmodium spp., leads to roughly 655,000 deaths per year, mostly of African children. To compound the problem, drug resistance has emerged to all classical antimalarials and may be emerging for artemisinin-based combination therapies. To address the need for new antimalarials with novel mechanisms, several groups carried out phenotypic screening campaigns to identify compounds inhibiting growth of the blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum. In this review, we describe the characterization of these compounds, explore currently ongoing strategies to develop lead molecules, and endorse the concept of a "malaria box" of publicly accessible active compounds.     

Flow-induced polymer degradation probed by a high throughput microfluidic set-up

A complex fluid submitted to strong flows can endure irreversible changes in its structure. This is the case for long chain polymer additives that are commonly used as viscosity enhancers in industry, notably for oil recovery. These polymers break in solution when submitted to high deformation rates, eventually causing a serious viscosity loss. This problem of practical importance is though difficult to handle from a fundamental point of view given its complexity. We introduce here a new tool, based on microfluidic technology, for the screening of the degradation of solutions in the model situation of the flow through a constriction. We integrate two functions in a single set-up, a micro-fabricated constriction and an on-chip viscosimeter. This tool enables us to probe rapidly the viscosity loss imparted by flowing through the constriction at a given flow rate. Thanks to microfluidics, the sample preparation and measurement time are significantly lower than those implied by classical measurement protocols (reduction by up to two orders of magnitude). In addition, confinement provides control of the flow in terms of inertia. To illustrate the potential of this approach in a screening perspective, we use this tool to study the degradation of a series of semi-dilute aqueous solutions of PEO of varying molecular weights and concentrations. For each solution we identify a threshold flow rate for polymer degradation. The corresponding critical deformation rate decreases with molecular weight and concentration, as expected (the mass dependence is in line with previous reports and theories for dilute solutions). In addition we characterize the viscosity loss for larger deformation rates and find that, despite the polydispersity of our solutions, the observations for the various solutions can be roughly recast on a master curve by renormalization of the imposed deformation rates according to a law $M_w^{?1.7\pm 03}{c}^{?0.7\pm 03}$.     

Low n-6/n-3 Gestation and Lactation Diets Influence Early Performance,Muscle and Adipose Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content and Deposition,and Relative Abundance of Proteins in Suckling Piglets

Elevated omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratios in swine diets can potentially impose a higher risk of inflammatory and metabolic diseases in swine. A low ratio between the two omega PUFAs has beneficial effects on sows’ and piglets’ production performance and immunity status. At present, there are few studies on how sow nutrition directly affects the protein and fat deposition in suckling piglets. Two groups of sows were fed diets with high or low n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated ratios of 13:1 (SOY) and 4:1 (LIN), respectively, during gestation and lactation. Longissimus dorsi muscle and adipose tissue from newborn piglets, nourished only with sow’s milk, were subjected to fatty acid profiling by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and to proteomics assays based on nano-liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-HRMS). Fatty acid profiles on both muscle and adipose tissues resembled the magnitude of the differences between fatty acid across diets. Proteomic analysis revealed overabundance of 4 muscle and 11 adipose tissue proteins in SOY compared to LIN in both piglet tissues. The detected overabundance of haptoglobin, an acute-phase protein, and the stimulation of protein-coding genes and proteins related to the innate immune response and acute inflammatory response could be associated with the pro-inflammatory role of n-6 PUFAs.     

Influence of Porosity on the Electrical Sensing Zone and Laser Diffraction Sizing of Silicas. A collaborative study

The objective of a continuing study by the Belgian Particle Technology Group involves difficulties in practical size determinations. This part describes the behaviour of silicas with different porosities during sizing by electrical sensing zone and laser diffraction methods. Anisotropy and porosity were identified to be important particle characteristics in understanding the differences between the two methods. Especially large pore diameters and pore volumes were found to be responsible for shifts in size distribution of 50 to 100%. The use of optical values and optical models was shown to influence these shifts considerably. In the case of spherical silica particles with moderate porosity, no significant differences could be found between the two sizing methods.     

Seismic response of a set of blocks partially imbedded in soft soilRéponse sismique d'un ensemble de blocs partiellement encastrés dans un terrain mou

The seismic response of a set of ten non-equally spaced, non-equally sized, homogeneous blocks partially imbedded in a soft soil layer overlying a hard halfspace is studied numerically and shown to be generally larger, in terms of amplitude, duration and spatial variability than that of the ground in the presence of one block or in the absence of blocks. This is qualitatively similar to observed seismic response in the past at sites such as Mexico City and suggests that the built portion of cities may, under certain conditions, play a significant role in the global seismic response of a city. To cite this article: C. Tsogka, A. Wirgin, C. R. Mecanique 331 (2003).     

EPR investigations of SiC and SiOC nanometric powders

EPR investigations are performed in SiC and SiOC nanometric powders annealed between 1200 and 1800°C. By using different EPR frequency bands and a suitable spectra analysis, three quite different paramagnetic defects with well defined $\tilde g_i $ (i=1, 2, 3) and hyperfine $\tilde A_i $ (i=1, 2) tensors account for the EPR signal in these materials. The defects are characterized by $\tilde g_1 $ (g ₁ ^‖ =2.0046(3), g ₁ ^? =2.0023(3)), $\tilde g_2 $ (g ₂ ^‖ =2.0037(3), g ₂ ^? =2.0028(3)) and isotropic $\tilde g_3 $ (2.0030(3)) tensors. In SiC powders, the defects assignment is discussed with respect to the different SiC forms, namely α-SiC and β-SiC polytypes as well as amorphous SiC and carbon present in minor concentration in the network. In SiOC powders, the above defects are evidenced only at high annealing temperature (T _a≥1200°C) when the oxygen contained is highly reduced.     

Lithium intercalation in polyacetylene

The coulometric titration curve for lithium intercalation in polyacetylene has been determined using poly(ethylene oxide) based solid electrolyte. The plateaus observed suggest the existence of stages, comparable to graphite. This interpretation seems also supported by the cyclic voltammetry scans on polyacetylene. Lithium intercalation appears as a very slow process with

estimated at ? 10^-13cm².s^-1.