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Healthy Labeo rohita (mean bodyweight of 20.1 g) were divided into four groups before being fed for 60 days on diets supplemented with 0 (control), 20 (E1), 30 (E2), or 40 (E3) mg kg emodin. Various growth and immune parameters were measured after 15, 30, 45, and 60 days of feeding. Fish fed E2 diet exhibited accelerated ( p < 0.05) weight gain after 30-60 days of feeding. The most significant improvements ( p < 0.05) in immune parameters, such as lysozyme activity, alternative complement pathway activity, respiratory bursts activity, phagocytic activity, superoxide dismutase activity, and myloperoxidase activity, were observed in the E2-fed group after 30 and 45 days of feeding. However, fish groups fed E2 or E3 diets exhibited significantly lower malondialdehyde, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities than did the control group after 30 and 45 days of feeding. The IgM level was significantly elevated in treatment groups after 30 and 45 days of feeding. Further, fish fed E2 diet for 45 days had the highest ( p < 0.005) post-challenge survival rate (83.3 %), followed by fish fed E2 diet for 30 days (75 %). Therefore, dietary feeding of emodin at 30 mg kg to L. rohita for 30-45 days is optimal to enhance the immunity and disease resistance against A. hydrophila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between critical supersaturation required for activation and particle dry diameter have been the primary means for experimentally characterizing cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity; however, use of the dry diameter inherently limits the application to cases where the dry diameter can be used to accurately estimate solute volume. This study challenges the requirement and proposes a new experimental approach, Wet CCN, for studying CCN activity without the need for a drying step. The new approach directly measures the subsaturated portion of the Köhler curves. The experimental setup consists of a humidity-controlled differential mobility analyzer and a CCN counter; wet diameter equilibrated at known relative humidity is used to characterize CCN activity instead of the dry diameter. The experimental approach was validated against ammonium sulfate, glucose, and nonspherical ammonium oxalate monohydrate. Further, the approach was applied to a mixture of nonspherical iodine oxide particles. The Wet CCN approach successfully determined the hygroscopicity of nonspherical particles by collapsing them into spherical, deliquesced droplets.We further show that theWet CCN approach offers unique insights into the physical and chemical impacts of the aqueous phase on CCN activity; a potential application is to investigate the impact of evaporation/cocondensation of water-soluble semivolatile species on CCN activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bone marrow derived mononuclear cell (MNC) transplantation is a potential therapy for ischemic stroke. Here, we hypothesized that valproic acid (VPA) would modulate transplantation effects of MNCs in a rat ischemic stroke model. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to transient 90min middle cerebral artery occlusion. Infarct volume, neurological outcome, and immunohistological assessments were performed 7 days after ischemia. MNCs injected 6 or 24h but not 48 or 72h after ischemia significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological deficits. We then tested whether the therapeutic window of MNC transplantation could be expanded through combination therapy with VPA. MNC transplantation at 48h combined with VPA injection three times at 47, 53, and 72h after ischemia significantly ameliorated infarct volume and neurological deficits compared to a vehicle group. Combination therapy reduced the number of myeloperoxidase-positive cells, ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1-positive cells, tumor necrosis factor-α-positive cells, and von Willebrand factor-positive cells in the ischemic boundary zone. The number of engrafted MNCs that were fluorescently labeled with PKH 26, on day 7, was significantly higher after combination therapy than after that MNC transplantation alone. Our results demonstrated that combination therapy with VPA enhanced the anti-inflammatory and vasculo-protective effects against endothelial damage following ischemia, and increased the survival of transplanted cells, leading to expansion of the therapeutic time window for MNC transplantation. Together, these findings suggest that VPA may be an appropriate partner for cell-based treatment of ischemic stroke. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the case of a 56-year-old man who was diagnosed with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) after fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.

Abstract: An interfacial reaction between Ni-SDC anodes and the LSGM electrolyte was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to clarify its effect on the SOFC performance. Highly resistive fine particles were formed in the vicinity of the Ni-SDC/LSGM interface as a result of the reaction between Ni and LSGM. TEM/EDX analyses revealed that these particles were MgO, which has a much lower electronic conductivity than Ni. The particles were localized on the surface of the Ni grains in the Ni-SDC anodes. The effect of MgO particle formation on the SOFC performance depended on the anode thickness. The particles significantly increased the area-specific ohmic resistance of thin anodes (less than 15 μm), but they hardly increased the resistance of thick anodes at all. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) employs an alkaline borohydride solution as the anodic fuel. In this study, several Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys were studied as the anode materials for the DBFC. It was proved that hydrogen storage materials can absorb hydrogen during immersing in the borohydride solution. When used as the anode catalysts, these alloys usually showed less negative potentials than the pure nickel electrode. It was observed that hydrogen evolution was partially depressed through the electrochemical oxidation of the absorbed hydrogen at low borohydride concentrations. However, at high borohydride concentrations, the electrochemical reaction starting from borohydride species seems to be kinetically more favorable than the oxidation of the absorbed hydrogen. It was also found that the increases in specific surface area, surface activity and temperature improved the polarization properties of the alloy electrodes but hydrogen evolution was also increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Influences of borohydride crossover on cathode performance were studied in a micro direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC). The results showed that fuel crossover resulted in decreases in open circuit potentials of cathodes. On the other hand, effects of fuel crossover on cathode overpotentials strongly depended on the cathode material. The Pt/C cathode demonstrated a small potential drop of 0.11V, while the Ag/C cathode had a much larger potential drop of 0.26V under the same condition. Fuel crossover was found to be depressed during current operations. It is possible that fuel depletion happened around the anode during operation, resulting in a decrease of fuel concentration gradient across the membrane and thus less crossover. Experiments also showed that a balance in wet-proof property is essential for the cathode in the direct borohydride fuel cell and the stability of cell performance was mainly dependent on wet-proof durability of the cathode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An advanced process for the production of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a hydrogen storage material was developed, which applied the dynamic hydriding and dehydriding behaviors of protide (H−) in Mg–H system under transitional temperature conditions. An abundant natural resource named borax (Na2B4O7⋅10H2O) and the anhydrous sodium metaborate (NaBO2) recovered from the “spent fuel” as NaBO2⋅4H2O were used as the starting material in the present process. Powder-state Mg played an important role in the transitional hydriding and dehydriding process where the gaseous hydrogen was converted to protide at the extreme surface of Mg to form NaBH4 in exchange with the simultaneous transition of oxygen in NaBO2 to form MgO. In the present process, the protide as the most reactive state among the four states of hydrogen is applied for the synthesis of NaBH4, which can exist in metal–hydrogen complexes, such as NaAlH4 and NaBH4. The NaBH4 yield was reached higher than 90% by a single batch process but was found to be largely dependent on the rate of temperature change and the particle size, i.e., the specific surface area of Mg particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract. Metal-hydrogen complexes such as NaAlH[sub 4], KBH[sub 4], and NaBH[sub 4] are known as high H-content materials. The highly reactive natures of these materials against moist air and water can be easily stabilized in aqueous KOH and NaOH solutions. Accordingly, it is required to develop catalysts suitable for generating hydrogen from the stabilized metal-hydrogen complexes in alkaline solutions. This work is aimed at developing catalysts that can generate hydrogen from such solutions with considerably high kinetics under moderate temperature and pressure conditions. We have found that Mg[sub 2]Ni, a typical high-temperature hydriding alloy, exhibits excellent functions as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of BH[sup -, sub 4]-ion-containing solutions. The fluorination-treatment (F-treatment) effects on granular particles of Mg[sub 2]Ni and Mg[sub 2]NiH[sub 4] are reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

periodontal jaw reflex, duration of percussion sounds, tooth mobility, and time-moment analysis of occlusal contacts by the T-scan system was recorded in nine periodontally healthy volunteers. The results showed that (i) reflex responses to the pressure applied to the uppercentageral incisors in the lingolabial direction varied, depending on the background jaw-cknching force (BCF) of the same- sided first molars. The BCF levels to elicit excitatory reflexes were 6-8K gf, and inhibitory reflexes were dearly elicited with a BCF of 10K gf and beyond. (ii) Duration of percussion sounds via an occlusal sound analyser (4.73-4.84mS: upper first molars, 4.89- 5.00mS:.uppercentageral incisors) and tooth mobility using a `Periotestt (3.3-3.5: upper first molars, 5.5-5.6: uppercentageral incisors) showed a normal value. (iii) The time moments of occlusal contacts were symmetrical toward the midsagittal axis of the occlusal plane. The centre of the anterioposteriol occlusal contacts was located in the first molar regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of recombinant human interleukin-lβ (rhIL-lβ) on alveolar bone resorptive activity in rats were examined. Continuous administration of rhIL-1β or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was given via osmotic pumps for 3, 7 and 14 days to rats with silk ligatures around second maxillary molars. Other animals without ligatures received insertion of pumps containing rhIL-l β or remained untreated. Sections were subject to three different stains: - hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) for histology, acid phosphatase (ACPase) activity for osteoclast detection, and immunohistochemistry using anti-rat monocyte/macrophage monoclonal antibody (ED 1). In addition, body weight, plasma calcium and phosphorus levels were monitored. The mean body weight of rats receiving rhIL-1 β was significantly lower (P<0.05 to P<0.0l) compared with untreated rats throughout the experimental period. On Day 7, plasma calcium and phosphorus levels were significantly lower in rats receiving rhIL-1 β than in rats receiving PBS only (P<0.05). Sections revealed a moderate inflammatory cell infiltrate reaching near the alveolar crest in both groups with ligatures on Day 3. Only rats receiving rhIL-1 β exhibited enhancement of inflammatory cell invasion on Days 7 and 14. In rats receiving rhIL-l β with ligatures, numerous resorption lacunae containing ACPase-positive multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs), coinciding with ED1- positive cells, were located on the mesial side of the septum where extensive bone resorption had occurred throughout the experimental period. In animals receiving rhIL-l β without ligatures, compared with untreated rats, increased ACPase-positive cells were observed on the mesial side of the septum on Day 3. In animals receiving PBS only, a few ACPase-positive cells were observed confined to the mesial regions where slight bone resorption occurred on Days 7 and 14. These results indicate that the administration of rhIL-l β3 accelerated alveolar bone destruction in ligature-induced periodontal tissue inflammation over a two-week period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported is the measurement of spontaneous Raman scattering in a 13 mm‐long hydrogenated amorphous silicon wire waveguide with ultrafast carrier decay time. Broad Raman emission with a peak wavelength of 1.55 µm was observed for a pump wavelength of 1.44 µm. The Raman frequency shift is 14.3 THz, and Raman gain coefficient is estimated to be 0.15 W− 1cm− 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article related to the response of post-subarachnoid hemorrhage Holmes' tremor to zonisamide.

Objective: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an orofacial pain disorder characterized by a chronic, idiopathic burning sensation of the oral mucosa that mostly affects middle-aged women. Although both psychological and neuropathological factors have been postulated to underlie BMS, the pathogenic mechanism of the condition remains controversial, as do the treatment strategies. Method: A single case was reported. Results: Ms A, a 66-year-old woman with BMS type 1, which is characterized by daily burning pain associated with circadian variation, underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). After the completion of 12 ECTs, the pain markedly diminished and the pronounced ECT effect persisted over the subsequent 24-week period of observation. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first clinical report on the efficacy of ECT for treating pain associated with BMS. ECT can be considered to be an option for treating individuals with enduring and intractable intraoral burning pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by S. Suda and N. Takei to a letter to the editor about their article "Electroconvulsive Therapy for Burning Mouth Syndrome," in a previous issue is presented.

Abstract: Mg and Mg-based alloys are not only promising hydrogen storage materials due to their high storage capacities, but also potential reducing agents in the synthesis of sodium borohydride NaBH4, an attractive hydrogen source with 10.6wt% hydrogen content. In this study, the MgH2 formation kinetics in pure Mg and Mg–23.5wt% Ni was studied and correlated with NaBH4 synthesis kinetics. It was found that the hydriding kinetics of Mg–23.5wt% Ni was significantly improved owing to the fine laminar Mg/Mg2Ni structure. Ballmilling and surface treatment made the eutectic alloy absorb 2.0wt% hydrogen at 353K. When these materials were applied for the NaBH4 synthesis, it was found that the eutectic Mg–Ni alloy enhanced the NaBH4 formation kinetics at high temperatures. However, NaBH4 was not produced at 353K although MgH2 could be formed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hydrolysis of sodium borohydride NaBH4 is a promising method for on-board hydrogen supply for fuel cells. In this study, the hydrolysis reaction was studied by starting with solid NaBH4 rather than aqueous borohydride solutions, and adding less amount of water in an attempt to explore the maximum hydrogen generation capacity. It was found that hydrogen could be liberated at very high rates and over than 90% conversion rates were achieved when the mole ratio of water to sodium borohydride was not less than 4:1. The final hydrogen generation capacity was achieved as high as 6.7wt%. Materials such as CoCl2 or cobalt powder were found to be effective as the catalysts for the hydrolysis reaction at such reaction conditions. A large heat effect due to the exothermic reaction and a low melting point of NaBO2·4H2O led to the acceleration of hydrogen generation at the latter part of the hydrolysis process. It is thus promising to utilize these reaction conditions to achieve high hydrogen generation capacity by proper system design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The performance stability of the direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) working under passive conditions was studied in this work. The stability within hours was found to be greatly affected by mass transport properties of different cell components. It was significantly improved by modifying electrode structures, increasing hydrophobicity of the cathode and using pretreated membranes. On the other hand, the stability of the DBFC cell for more than 100h was determined by the durabilities of these cell components. The nickel anode and silver cathode were found to degrade after prolonged operations and thus the durabilities of these non-noble metal catalysts need to be improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) as a liquid type fuel cell is promising for portable applications. In this study, we report our recent progress in the micro-fuel cell development. A power density of 80mWcm−2 was achieved in passive mode at ambient conditions when using the anode containing nickel, carbon-supported Pd catalyst and Nafion ionomer. Current efficiency was also found to be greatly increased due to the use of Nafion rather than polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Based on improvements on single cell performance, planar multi-cell power modules were assembled to study the feasibility of making high-performance and practical DBFC power units. A power of 2.5W was achieved in a fully passive eight-cell module after significantly simplifying cell structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Borohydrides, a group of compounds with large hydrogen contents, can generate hydrogen readily by their hydrolysis reaction. In this study catalysts based on nickel and cobalt were developed to accelerate the hydrolysis reaction for hydrogen generation. Catalysts in four forms were tested for each metal: fine metal powder, metal salt, metal boride and Raney metal. It was found that the hydrolysis reaction was primary a zero-order reaction under the catalysis of these catalysts. Although cobalt showed higher catalytic activity than nickel in most cases, Raney Ni exhibited almost the same activity as the Raney Co. Among four chemical forms for nickel, Raney Ni demonstrated the best performance. Moreover, Raney catalysts made from alloys of nickel and cobalt showed even higher activity. The reaction on Raney metals was also characterized by a slowdown in hydrogen generation rate at low borohydride concentrations because of a mass transfer limitation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and purpose: Urinary liver‐type fatty‐acid binding protein (L‐FABP), which is a biomarker of kidney tubule injury, has been studied extensively and established as a risk marker of acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether kidney tubule injury is associated with the development of AKI and mortality in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Methods: Acute ischaemic stroke patients hospitalized in the stroke care unit (SCU) within 24 h after symptom onset were prospectively investigated. AKI was defined on the basis of Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Baseline urinary L‐FABP was measured on admission. We evaluated the associations among urinary L‐FABP, incidence of AKI, and 90‐day mortality adjusted for renal function, albuminuria and other potentially predictive variables, using multivariable analysis. Results: In total, 527 acute ischaemic stroke patients (342 men, median age 74 years) were enrolled in the study. Twenty‐seven patients (5.1%) experienced AKI within 7 days of admission. In the univariate analysis, high urinary L‐FABP level had positive associations with AKI [53.8 μg/g creatinine (Cr) vs. 3.9 μg/g Cr; P < 0.001] and 90‐day mortality (15.5 μg/g Cr vs. 4.0 μg/g Cr; P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, elevated urinary L‐FABP level (per 10‐μg/g Cr increase) was independently associated with AKI (odds ratio 1.225, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.083–1.454; P = 0.003) and 90‐day mortality (hazard ratio 1.091, 95% CI 1.045–1.138; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Urinary biomarkers of kidney tubule injury are independently associated with the development of AKI and 90‐day mortality in patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated at the SCU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alkaline sodium borohydride solutions are potential hydrogen sources for fuel cells. Thermal properties of the NaBH4–NaOH–H2O ternary system were measured by DSC and temperature-rise calorimetry. Liquidus temperatures showed that it is possible to store and use the solutions well below 0°C if NaOH concentration is less than 20wt%. The solubility of sodium borohydride was found to be large in these solutions, but decreased with increasing NaOH concentration. The optimum composition for alkaline borohydride solutions seems to be 15wt% NaBH4 in 10wt% NaOH considering both the liquidus temperature and hydrogen storage density. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and purpose Anticoagulant treatment with a vitamin K antagonist ( VKA) has been reported to reduce stroke severity when patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) suffer acute ischaemic stroke ( AIS). Direct oral anticoagulant ( DOAC) therapy also has the potential to reduce the initial severity of AIS. However, the effect of DOAC therapy on the severity of AIS is not well known. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of DOACs on initial stroke severity in patients with AIS and non-valvular AF. Methods From March 2011 to July 2016, consecutive patients with AIS having non-valvular AF were recruited. The effects of prior DOAC treatment on severity were assessed by multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results A total of 484 patients [208 women; median age 79 (interquartile range, 71-85) years; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ( NIHSS) score 9 (interquartile range, 3-20)] were enrolled. Of these, 352 (73%) were on no anticoagulant medication, 54 (11%) were undertreated with a VKA, 35 (7%) were sufficiently treated (admission prothrombin time-international normalized ratio: ≥2.0 for patients <70 years old and ≥1.6 for ≥70 years old) with a VKA and 43 (9%) were on a DOAC. The initial NIHSS score (median 10 in patients with no anticoagulation, 13 in undertreated VKA, 7 in sufficient VKA and 6 in DOAC, P = 0.018) was different among the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that DOAC was independently and negatively associated with severe (initial NIHSS score ≥ 10) stroke (odds ratio, 0.39; P = 0.041), compared with no anticoagulant therapy. Conclusions Direct oral anticoagulant treatment prior to the event should reduce initial stroke severity in patients with AIS and non-valvular AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of pharmacoresistant convulsions after selegiline overdose is reported. A 50-year-old male having been suffering from bipolar II disorder for 16 years attempted suicide by taking an overdose of 195 mg selegiline with other psychotropics. He developed recurrent pharmacoresistant seizure from 12th day to 19th day after selegiline overdose. He also had visual hallucinations and temporary high blood pressure. The authors suspect that the catecholamine-influenced convulsions and visual hallucinations that manifested during the period increased by the MAO-inhibiting action of selegiline which lasts about 2 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "A Systematic Study of Crustose Coralline Alga Neogoniolithon brassica-florida in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan," by A. Kato, M. Baba and S. Suda, is presented.

Abstract: In this work, influences of Na2O in compounds lying within the Na2O–NaBO2 composition domain on NaBH4 recovery have been investigated. It is found that Na2O plays different roles in NaBH4 formation. Na2O is beneficial in terms of NaBH4 formation and reaction kinetics when Al is used for NaBH4 recovery, but harmful to NaBH4 formation when Mg is used for NaBH4 recovery from compounds lying within the Na2O–NaBO2 composition domain. High borate conversion rates can be obtained when Mg reacts with compounds lying within the Na2O–NaBO2 composition domain with less Na2O or Al reacts with the compounds containing more Na2O. NaBH4 formation temperature depends upon the used metals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: The objective was to examine the effects of colestimide on blood glucose, visceral fat, adipocytokines, and bile acid conjugate fractions in Japanese patients.Methods: This study was an open-label, randomized, case-control, crossover study of colestimide 3 g/day in 40 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and hypercholesterolemia. Patients were assigned to the colestimide group in which pravastatin and colestimide were administered orally and to the statin group in which pravastatin alone was administered orally. The principal outcome measures were serum lipid levels, fasting plasma glucose level in the early morning, hemoglobin A1c (HbA(1c)), visceral fat area (VFA), and serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) level.Results: Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly decreased from 113±38 mg/dl at baseline to 90±20 mg/dl (P=.009) at week 12 of colestimide administration. HbA(1c) significantly decreased from 7.4%±0.9% at baseline to 6.9%±0.9% (P=.001) at week 12 of colestimide administration. Serum 1,5-AG levels increased from 9.4±10.1 μg/ml to 12.4±9.5 μg/ml (P=.05) at week 12 of colestimide administration. The statin group showed no significant changes in lipids and 1,5-AG. However, ΔVFA was inversely correlated with Δcholic acid, and multivariate analysis revealed that ΔVFA was a significant explanatory variable.Conclusions: Colestimide holds promise not only for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia but also for the possible improvement of T2D and visceral fat obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ceria is proposed as an additive for La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) cathodes in order to increase both their thermal stability and electrochemical properties after co-sintering with an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte at 1350°C. Results show that LSM without CeO2 addition is unstable at 1350°C, whereas the thermal stability of LSM is drastically improved after addition of CeO2. In addition, results show a correlation between CeO2 addition and the maximum power density obtained in 300μm thick electrolyte-supported single cells in which the anode and modified cathode have been co-sintered at 1350°C. Single cells with cathodes not containing CeO2 produce only 7mWcm−2 at 800°C, whereas the power density increases to 117mWcm−2 for a CeO2 addition of 12mol%. Preliminary results suggest that CeO2 could increase the power density by at least two mechanisms: (1) incorporation of cerium into the LSM crystal structure, and (2) by modification or reduction of La2Zr2O7 formation at high temperature. This approach permits the highest LSM–YSZ co-sintering temperature so far reported, providing power densities of hundreds of mWcm−2 without the need for a buffer layer between the LSM cathode and YSZ electrolyte. Therefore, this method simplifies the co-sintering of SOFC cells at high temperature and improves their electrochemical performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To scale up power generation of the direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), 10-cell and 20-cell stacks have been constructed based on the single cell achievements. It has been found that the stacking loss of the DBFC is mainly caused by hydrogen evolution which leads to uneven fuel distribution in each cell of the stack. To reduce stacking loss, several efforts have been made to decrease hydrogen evolution influence on the stack performance. The anode preparation method has been modified from a dry-method to a wet-method. The influence of hydrogen evolution on stack performance can be alleviated by altering fuel supply manner. When hydrogen evolution is suppressed, an even distribution of cell voltage can be obtained and the maximum power of 10-cell stack reaches up to 229W. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sodium borohydride is attracting considerable interests as a hydrogen storage medium. In this paper, we investigated the effects of hydrogen pressure, reaction temperature and transition metal addition on sodium borohydride synthesis by the reaction of sodium meta-borate with Mg and . It was found that higher pressure was beneficial to formation. The increase in reaction temperature first improved formation kinetics but then impeded it when the temperature was raised to near the melting point of Mg. It was also found that some additions of transition metals such as Ni, Fe and Co in the system promoted the formation, but Cu addition showed little effect. The activation energy of the formation from Mg, and was estimated to be 156.3kJ/mol according to Ozawa analysis method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The online time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) method was applied to a study of the physical states of a probe 19F, the β− decay product of 19O (t 1/2 =26.9s), implanted in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. The observed magnitude of the electric field gradient at the probe nucleus, ∣V zz ∣=2.91(17)×1022 Vm−2, suggests that the incident 19O atoms are stabilized at an interlayer position with point group C 3v . Exhibiting observed TDPAC spectra having a clear sample-to-detector configuration dependence, we demonstrate the applicability of the present online method with a short-lived radioactive 19O beam. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The electric quadrupole moments for the ground states of 32Al and 31Al have been measured by the β ray-detected nuclear quadrupole resonance method. Spin-polarized 32Al and 31Al nuclei were obtained from the fragmentation of 40Ar projectiles at E/ A = 95 MeV/nucleon, and were implanted in a single crystal α-Al2O3 stopper. The measured Q moment of 32Al, | Q(32Al)| = 24(2) mb, is in good agreement with a conventional shell-model calculation with a full sd model space and empirical effective charges, while that of 31Al is considerably smaller than the sd calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It has been reported that sodium (potassium) borohydride can be formed by reaction of sodium (potassium) borate with Mg and hydrogen or magnesium hydride. However, few investigations on reaction mechanism have been reported. Here, we studied the NaBH4 formation mechanism of Mg+NaBO2 +2H2 =NaBH4 +MgO through morphology observations, structure and micro composition analyses. It was found that when heating the reactor to 400°C, NaBO2 particles were agglomerated with Mg particles and a NaBO2 network was formed due to the sintering effect. With further heating the reactor, a porous product layer (composed of NaBH4 and MgO) was formed on Mg particles. It was found that no matter whether Mg was hydrogenated or not, Mg could react with sodium borate and hydrogen to form sodium borohydride. Elevating the reaction temperature was of benefit to NaBH4 formation. Higher NaBH4 yield can be obtained by using partially hydrogenated then dehydrogenated Mg. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electric quadrupole moment Q for the ground state of 32Al has been measured using the β-NMR technique. Spin-polarized 32Al nuclei were obtained from the fragmentation of 40Ar projectiles at , and were implanted in a single crystal α-Al2O3 stopper. The quadrupole moment was deduced from the measured quadrupole coupling constant. The obtained value, , is remarkably small as compared with other Al isotopes, but is well explained by shell model calculations within the sd shell. The present result indicates that 32Al has a normal sd-shell structure, in contrast to the neighboring isotone 31Mg for which a strongly deformed intruder ground state has been reported to occur. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Borohydrides are a group of compounds with high hydrogen contents. For example, contains 10.6 wt% hydrogen. The direct anodic oxidation of borohydride provides more negative potentials than that of hydrogen. One ion of generates eight electrons. The theoretical energy density can reach as high as 9.3 Wh/g of NaBH4 if using sodium borohydride as the fuel. The theoretical energy conversion efficiency of the DBFC (0.91) is larger than that of the PEMFC (0.83). Recently, the cell power density 290 mW/cm2 has been achieved. A five-cell stack with an effective area of 67 cm2 demonstrated that the power reached to 110 W when the operation temperature reached 60  C, even if the stack operation started at room temperature without humidification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, aqueous borohydride solutions were employed to fuel a micro cell. Electrochemical performance of the micro borohydride fuel cell was tested at ambient conditions without any auxiliary facilities. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses were performed to characterize the cell performance. Both anion and cation exchange membranes were tried to separate the fuel from the cathode. Membrane properties were found to be a decisive factor for cell performance. A maximum power density of 40mW/cm2 at room temperature was achieved when the Nafion NRE211 membrane was used. Hydrogen evolution at the anode side resulted from the competitive hydrolysis reaction influenced cell performance by obstructing transfer of the electrolyte. The cell also demonstrated promising performance even when an Ag cathode was used. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Stent placement is a useful palliative treatment for inoperable acute malignant colorectal obstruction. However, data comparing stent placement with colostomy are scarce. Methods: We compared the clinical outcome of 18 patients who had stent placement and 17 patients who underwent only colostomy. Results: The postoperative hospital stay was 22.3 days for stent placement compared with 47.4 days for colostomy (p = 0.016). The duration to readmission was 129.2 days for stent placement and 188.4 days for colostomy. The estimated duration of primary stent patency was 106 days. Mean survival period was 134 days in patients with stem placement and 191 days in patients with colostomy. Conclusion: Postoperative hospital stay was shorter in patients with stent placement but duration to readmission and survival were longer in patients with colostomy. However, stent placement increases the option of palliative treatment and is an effective treatment contributing to improving quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fuel cell was assembled using alkaline borohydride solutions as the fuel. The specific gravity, specific viscosity, and melting points of the borohydride solutions were evaluated. With increasing the NaBH4 concentration, the specific gravity was decreased but the viscosity was increased consistently. The effects of NaBH4 and NaOH concentrations on the cell and electrode polarizations were investigated. The increase of NaBH4 concentration improved the anode performance a little but obviously increased the cathode polarization due to the BH4− crossover. As a result, the cell polarization increased when using high concentrated borohydride solutions. According to the Nernst’s equation, the increase of NaOH concentration is favorable to the anode, but negative to the cathode polarization. In principle, the cell polarization has nothing to do with the NaOH concentration according to the cell reaction NaBH4+O2=NaBO2+2H2O. However, the experimental results showed that the high concentration of NaOH aggravated the cell polarization at higher current densities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on three chemical states of hydrogen: protide (H−), protium (H0) and proton (H+), a triangular hydrogen energy system was proposed. The transfers among protide, protium and proton attracted our attention. We experimentally proved that NaBH4 as a protide carrier can release its energy through a fuel cell (borohydride fuel cell) directly or generate hydrogen gas for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell application. The used fuel (meta-borate) can be reverted to NaBH4 through a reaction with a saline hydride (MgH2). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A convenient method was developed to synthesize NaBH4 by the reaction of MgH2 with Na2B4O7 through ball milling at room temperature. In order to improve the sodium borohydride yield, Na compounds were added to compensate the Na insufficiency in reactants when MgH2 instead of NaH was used as the reducing agent. It was found that Na2CO3 addition was better than NaOH or Na2O2 addition in increasing the borohydride yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to investigate the effect of occlusion on the skin, the flexor sides of both upper arms were covered with column-shaped closed chambers, 30 mm in outer diameter, 20 mm in inner diameter, and 5 mm in height, which were made of polyethylene foam. The tops of the chambers were sealed by plastic films with various levels of water vapor permeability to control moisture in each chamber. The raised chamber walls prevented direct contact between the skin and the plastic film. After 24 h of application, morphological changes of the skin surface were found on all areas of occluded skin, microscopic evaluation showed that simple occlusion by films induced an increase in the number of deepened skin furrows on the skin surface. This increase was associated with lower water vapor permeability of the films, as well as with higher values of both temperature and humidity on the test day. Thus, since conditions which facilitate perspiration from the skin tend to cause skin irritation, prolonged exposure of the skin to sweat occlusion may act as a primary skin irritant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "A New Pinguiophyte From the Coast of Okinoerabujima Island, Japan," by Y. Furukawa, T. Anahara, A. Kato and S. Suda is presented.