Advanced Electrolyte Formula for Robust Operation of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries at Elevated Temperatures.

Insufficient thermal stability of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) electrolytes at elevated temperatures (>40 °C) remains a challenge in the development and commercialization of this technology, which otherwise presents a broad range of technological advantages for the long-term storage of intermittent renewable energy. Herein, a new concept of combined additives is presented, which significantly increases thermal stability of the battery, enabling safe operation to the highest temperature (50 °C) tested to date. This is achieved by combining two chemically distinct additives-inorganic ammonium phosphate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactant, which collectively decelerate both protonation and agglomeration of the oxo-vanadium species in solution and thereby significantly suppress detrimental formation of precipitates. Specifically, the precipitation rate is reduced by nearly 75% under static conditions at 50° C. This improvement is reflected in the robust operation of a complete VRFB device for over 300 h of continuous operation at 50 °C, achieving an impressive 83% voltage efficiency at 100 mA cm‒2 current density, with no precipitation detected in either the electrode/flow-frame or electrolyte tank.

Client satisfaction to methadone maintenance treatment program in Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: To tackle the long-standing opioid misuse problem, Myanmar introduced the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in 2006, starting with 260 clients. Since then, the program has been expanded across different geographical sites in the country. This study was done in 2017 to explore the treatment satisfaction of the clients towards the MMT program. METHOD: A total of 210 clients with a minimum of six-month treatment history enrolled in five MMT program sites across Myanmar were recruited through stratified random sampling. Administering the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale for Methadone-Treatment (VSSS-MT), this study assessed the satisfactory responses under three categories viz., 1) clinic staff professional skills; 2) basic drug intervention; 3) specific intervention (individual rehabilitation and psychotherapy). RESULTS: The majority (89%, n = 186) of the respondents were satisfied with the current MMT program. Specifically, 89.5% (n = 187) were satisfied with the clinic staff professional skills category, 91.9% (n = 192) with the basic program intervention and 74.6% (n = 156) with specific interventions. Among the respondents, treatment satisfaction with the MMT program was higher (p < 0.05) in those (i) with a higher quality of life score in physical, psychological, social and environmental categories, ii) who were satisfied with their current marital and leisure status, and those iii) who consumed alcohol. Results from stepwise binary logistic regression showed alcohol consumption and physical health status had a significant association with MMT treatment satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Treatment satisfaction of the clients, in general is high. However, the lower percentage of satisfied clients (74.6%) for the specific interventions category compared with 89.5 and 91.9% respectively for staff and basic drug management categories highlights the need for improvement in this category for overall enhancement of the MMT program.

Transferability of faculty development resources.

BACKGROUND: Adapting existing training resources for clinical teachers is more efficient than creating resources de novo. There is limited evidence on how to effectively use and ensure the relevance of training materials originally developed for different contexts and audiences. We tested in Sri Lanka and Malaysia the transferability of scenario-based training videos and session plans developed for Australian medical schools, to identify those aspects which need adaptation, and make recommendations to enhance transferability. METHODS: Staff involved in student support from three medical schools were invited to participate in five workshops facilitated by an Australian educator. Video discussion triggers of students presenting with concerns were used in workshop activities, including written exercises, group discussions and reflection. The quantitative and qualitative data collected included categorical and free-text participant responses to questionnaires and structured field notes from local faculty developers using peer observation. FINDINGS: Academic and clinician-teacher participants predominated in the workshops. Of 66 participant questionnaires (92% response rate), over 90% agreed that the workshop was relevant, and over 95% agreed that the videos facilitated discussion and the sharing of experiences. Field notes confirmed that participants were engaged by the videos, but identified that one student scenario and the approaches for seeking support in others were not immediately transferable to local contexts. The adaptation of facilitation techniques used in Australian workshops was needed to address audience responses. DISCUSSION: Our findings confirm faculty development principles of content relevancy and incorporation of reflection. To enhance transferability, we recommend co-facilitation with local faculty members, the explicit signposting of topics and re-contextualising key concepts through reflective discussion.

Equilibrium and Dynamic Absorption of Electrolyte Species in Cation/Anion Exchange Membranes of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) rely on ion exchange membranes (IEMs) to separate the positive and negative compartments while maintaining electrical neutrality of the cell, by allowing the transport of ionic charge carriers. Cation exchange membranes (CEMs) and anion exchange membranes (AEMs), the two principal types of IEM, have both been employed in VRFBs. The performance of these IEMs can be influenced by the absorption of species from the electrolyte. In this study, a typical commercial CEM (Nafion 117) and AEM (FAP 450), were examined with respect to vanadium uptake, after exposure to electrolyte at different states of charge. The two types of membrane were found to behave very differently, with the AEM showing very high selectivity for VV , which resulted in a significant increase in area-specific resistivity. In contrast, the CEM absorbed VII more strongly than vanadium in other oxidation states. These findings are essential for the development of an effective membrane for VRFB applications.

Diabetes and infections-hepatitis C: is there type 2 diabetes excess in hepatitis C infection?

Individual epidemiologic studies as well as the pooled analysis of observational studies have indicated the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). Whether HCV infection is the cause of diabetes or diabetic patients are more prone to get HCV infection is still in question. The objective of the present review was to provide answers to this issue, based on available evidence from epidemiologic, molecular, experimental and therapeutic studies. Our current understanding of how chronic HCV infection could induce T2D is incomplete, but it seems twofold based on both direct and indirect roles of the virus. HCV may directly induce insulin resistance (IR) through its proteins. HCV core protein was shown to stimulate suppressor of cytokine signaling, resulting in ubiquitination and degradation of tyrosine kinase phosphorylated insulin receptor substrates (IRS1/2) in proteasomes. HCV-nonstructural protein could increase protein phosphatase 2A which has been shown to inactivate the key enzyme Akt by dephosphorylating it. Insulin signaling defects in hepatic IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and PI3-kinase association/activation may contribute to IR, which leads to the development of T2D in patients with HCV infection. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are also implicated. PPARα/γ, together with their obligate partner RXR, are the main nuclear receptors expressed in the liver. PPARα upregulates glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycerol kinase, and glycerol transport proteins, which allows for glucose synthesis during fasting states. Decreased activity of PPARs could attribute to HCV-induced IR. Immune-mediated mechanisms may be involved in the indirect role of HCV in inducing IR. It is speculated that TNF-alpha plays a major role in the pathogenesis of IR through lowering IRS1/2. Furthermore, HCV infection- triggered ER stress could lead to the activation of PP2A, which inhibits both Akt and the AMP-activated kinase, the regulators of gluconeogenesis. In summary, we illustrate that HCV infection is accompanied by multiple defects in the upstream insulin signaling pathway in the liver that may contribute to the observed prevalence of IR and diabetes. Future studies are needed to resolve this issue.

Influence of organic and inorganic flocculants on physical-chemical properties of biomass and membrane-fouling rate.

The effects of addition of six types of flocculants (aluminium sulfate, ferric chloride, polyaluminium chloride, polymeric ferric sulfate, Chitosan, polyacrylamide) on mitigation of membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBR) were investigated respectively. The biomasses in various MBRs were characterized by morphological properties (mean floc size (d(p)), fractal dimension (df)), physical parameters (surface charge, relative hydrophobicity (RH), dynamic viscosity) and the biochemical components of the mixed liquor (extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP)). Statistical methods such as normalization, nondimensionalization and multiple linear regressions were used to identify the dominant membrane-fouling contributors and to simulate membrane-fouling rates. The results demonstrated that addition of flocculants had significant impact on sustainable filtration time and the key factors affecting membrane fouling varied in different flocculants added MBRs. For the organic flocculants added MBRs, membrane-fouling alleviation was mainly due to the decrease in SMP and df as well as the increase in d(p). For the inorganic flocculants added MBRs, the lower fouling rate could be mainly attributed to the decrease in SMP and surface charge as well as the increase in RH. For each type of flocculants, the empirical equations of sustainable filtration time (Gamma(45)) were simulated to predict membrane-fouling rates in different MBRs.