In Situ Interfacial Tuning To Obtain High-Performance Nickel-Rich Cathodes in Lithium Metal Batteries.

Nickel-rich layered oxides are currently considered the most practical candidates for realizing high-energy-density lithium metal batteries (LMBs) because of their relatively high capacities. However, undesired nickel-rich cathode-electrolyte interactions hinder their applicability. Here, we report a satisfactory combination of an antioxidant fluorinated ether solvent and an ionic additive that can form a stable, robust interfacial structure on the nickel-rich cathode in ether-based electrolytes. The fluorinated ether 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-1H,1H,5H-octafluoropentyl ether (TFOFE) introduced as a cosolvent into ether-based electrolytes stabilizes the electrolytes against oxidation at the LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NCM811) cathode while simultaneously preserving the electrochemical performance of the Li metal anode. Lithium difluoro(bisoxalato)phosphate (LiDFBP) forms a uniform cathode-electrolyte interphase that limits the generation of microcracks inside secondary particles and undesired dissolution of transition metal ions such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the cathode into the electrolyte. Using TFOFE and LiDFBP in ether-based electrolytes provides an excellent capacity retention of 94.5% in a Li|NCM811 cell after 100 cycles and enables the delivery of significantly increased capacity at high charge and discharge rates by manipulating the interfaces of both electrodes. This research provides insights into advancing electrolyte technologies to resolve the interfacial instability of nickel-rich cathodes in LMBs.

A comparison of metabolomic changes in type-1 diabetic C57BL/6N mice originating from different sources.

Animal models have been used to elucidate the pathophysiology of varying diseases and to provide insight into potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Although alternatives to animal testing have been proposed to help overcome potential drawbacks related to animal experiments and avoid ethical issues, their use remains vital for the testing of new drug candidates and to identify the most effective strategies for therapeutic intervention. Particularly, the study of metabolic diseases requires the use of animal models to monitor whole-body physiology. In line with this, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) in Korea has established their own animal strains to help evaluate both efficacy and safety during new drug development. The objective of this study was to characterize the response of C57BL/6NKorl mice from the NIFDS compared with that of other mice originating from the USA and Japan in a chemical-induced diabetic condition. Multiple low-dose treatments with streptozotocin were used to generate a type-1 diabetic animal model which is closely linked to the known clinical pathology of this disease. There were no significantly different responses observed between the varying streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetic models tested in this study. When comparing control and diabetic mice, increases in liver weight and disturbances in serum amino acids levels of diabetic mice were most remarkable. Although the relationship between type-1 diabetes and BCAA has not been elucidated in this study, the results, which reveal a characteristic increase in diabetic mice of all origins are considered worthy of further study.

Atomic Scale Study on Growth and Heteroepitaxy of ZnO Monolayer on Graphene.

Atomically thin semiconducting oxide on graphene carries a unique combination of wide band gap, high charge carrier mobility, and optical transparency, which can be widely applied for optoelectronics. However, study on the epitaxial formation and properties of oxide monolayer on graphene remains unexplored due to hydrophobic graphene surface and limits of conventional bulk deposition technique. Here, we report atomic scale study of heteroepitaxial growth and relationship of a single-atom-thick ZnO layer on graphene using atomic layer deposition. We demonstrate atom-by-atom growth of zinc and oxygen at the preferential zigzag edge of a ZnO monolayer on graphene through in situ observation. We experimentally determine that the thinnest ZnO monolayer has a wide band gap (up to 4.0 eV), due to quantum confinement and graphene-like structure, and high optical transparency. This study can lead to a new class of atomically thin two-dimensional heterostructures of semiconducting oxides formed by highly controlled epitaxial growth.

Pharmacokinetic comparisons of two acetyl-L-carnitine formulations in healthy Korean volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in several experiments and is widely prescribed to reduce cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease patients or manage neuropathic symptoms in diabetic patients. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the pharmacokinetic (PK) bioequivalence between a new generic (test) formulation of ALC hydrochloride 590 mg and a branded (reference) formulation of ALC hydrochloride 590 mg in healthy Korean male volunteers. METHODS: This was a randomizedsequence, single-dose, two-way crossover study. All subjects randomly received one formulation of the test or reference tablet and the other formulation with a 7-day washout period. Blood samples (7 mL) were collected immediately before dosing, and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours postdose. The plasma concentrations of ALC were analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Tolerability was assessed throughout the study. RESULTS: The PK profiles of both formulations showed similar rends. The mean (±SD) baseline (predose) concentration of ALC was 1.23±0.31 µg/mL and 1.09±0.30 µg/mL for the test and the reference formulations, respectively. The mean Cmax for the test and reference formulations were 1.74±0.43 µg/mL and 1.68±0.48 µg/mL, respectively. The mean AUClast of ALC was 12.96±1.89 µg×h/mL and 12.49±2.44 µg×h/mL for the test and reference formulations, respectively. The geometric mean ratios of test/reference (90% CI) were 1.050 (0.960-1.149) for Cmax and 1.048 (1.000-1.099) for AUClast. Both formulations were well tolerated in all treatment groups. CONCLUSION: The test and the reference formulations of ALC were bioequivalent with regard to the PK parameters.

Basic data on the hematology, serum biochemistry, urology, and organ weights of beagle dogs.

This study was conducted to provide basic data on physiological and hematological characteristics, and organ weights of beagle dogs. A total of 237 beagle dogs were used to determine differences in physiological and hematological parameters, and organ weights depending on sex and age. The respiratory rate of both sexes tended to increase as they grew older and the female heart rate was slightly higher than that of males. Male and female body weights increased rapidly to 33 weeks old followed by a gradual increase to 41-weeks-old. The relative weight of the brain was negatively correlated with body weight, whereas the weight of reproductive organs was positively correlated with body weight. The platelet count of female dogs was slightly higher than that of males. The red blood cell, hemoglobin, and hematocrit of both sexes increased non-significantly with age. In the leukocyte differential count, the neutrophils, and eosinophils of both sexes tended to increase as they grew older, whereas basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes decreased. In the serum biochemical profiles, alkaline phosphatase was slightly higher in males than females, while the total cholesterol of female dogs at 9-months-old was higher than that of males at the same age. Other biochemical components, including alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, and total protein increased non-significantly with age in both sexes. To conclude, we observe no significant physiological or hematological differences with sex or age, although decreasing and increasing trends were detected with some parameters. These data provide valuable reference indices of the normal physiological and hematological characteristics of beagle dogs, which should prove useful in toxicological and pharmacological studies.

Characterization of microsatellite markers to diagnose ADPKD.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) maps to chromosome 16p13.3 (PKD1) and to chromosome 4q21-23 (PKD2), with the likelihood of a third unmapped locus. The size and genomic complexity of the PKD1 gene make it impractical to detect mutations for prenatal diagnosis. Therefore, pedigree-based linkage analysis remains useful for diagnosis of ADPKD. Since, the complete genome sequences of chromosome 16p13.3 and 4q21-23 including PKD1 and PKD2, respectively, were reported very recently, in order to do more precise diagnosis of ADPKD, we tried to find microsatellite markers. We performed database searches of 2000 kb of genome sequence across the 16p13.3 and the 4q21-23. To determine the distribution of alleles and the degree of polymorphism of the microsatellites, genotyping experiments were performed on 48 Korean individuals. We found novel 14 microsatellite markers around ADPKD that are more polymorphic and closer to PKD1 or PKD2 than the known markers. The novel microsatellite markers were applied to diagnose ADPKD families. These novel microsatellite markers are not only useful for presymptomatic and prenatal diagnosis of ADPKD, but also applicable in the study of positional cloning, human evolution and tumor biology.

Physiological difference between dietary obesity-susceptible and obesity-resistant Sprague Dawley rats in response to moderate high fat diet.

The primary aim of the present study was to define central and peripheral physiological differences between dietary obesity-susceptible (DOS) and obesity-resistant (DOR) outbred Sprague Dawley (SD) rats when given a moderate high fat diet containing 32.34% of energy as a fat. After a 9-week feeding period, the DOS-SD rats consumed significantly more feed (11.1%) and had higher abdominal (39.9%) and epididymal (27.5%) fat pads than the DOR-SD rats. In addition, serum leptin and insulin levels were significantly increased in the DOS-SD rats compared with those in the DOR-SD rats. However, we did not observe significant differences in serum triglyceride, cholesterol and glucose. No differences in hypothalamic OB-Ra and Rb mRNA expressions were found between the two groups. In contrast, arcuate NPY immunohistochemical expression was much higher in the DOS-SD rats than in the DOR-SD rats, though NPY expression in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei was not different between the two phenotypes. In peripheral tissues, the DOS-SD rats showed noticeably increased acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA expression in the liver, not epididymal fat. However, Western blot of peroxisomal proliferator activated factor gamma (PPAR gamma) in the liver and epididymal fat was not different between the two phenotypes of SD rats. It was concluded that different body weight phenotypes within outbred SD population responded differently to the development of dietary induced obesity via altered anabolic features in the hypothalamus and liver.