Electrochemical Kinetics of Nanostructured Nb2O5 Electrodes

Pseudocapacitive charge storage is based on faradaic charge-transfer reactions occurring at the surface or near-surface of redox-active materials. This property is of great interest for electrochemical capacitors because of the substantially higher capacitance obtainable as compared to traditional double-layer electrode processes. While high levels of pseudocapacitance have been obtained with nanoscale materials, the development of practical electrode structures that exhibit pseudocapacitive properties has been challenging. The present paper shows that electrodes of Nb2O5 successfully retain the pseudocapacitive properties of the corresponding nanoscale materials. For charging times as fast as one minute, there is no indication of semi-infinite diffusion limitations and specific capacitances of 380 F g−1 and 0.46 F cm−2 are obtained in 40-μm thick electrodes at a mean discharge potential of 1.5 V vs Li+/Li. In-situ X-ray diffraction shows that the high specific capacitance and power capabilities of Nb2O5 electrodes can be attributed to fast Li+ intercalation within specific planes in the orthorhombic structure. This intercalation pseudocapacitance charge-storage mechanism is characterized as being an intrinsic property of Nb2O5 that facilitates the design of electrodes for capacitive storage devices. We demonstrate the efficacy of these electrodes in a hybrid electrochemical cell whose energy density and power density surpass that of commercial carbon-based devices

Benefits of Space Research in Enhancing Agriculture in Developing Countries.

Space research has revolutionized agriculture in developing countries by providing invaluable tools and information. This article aims to investigate the benefits of space research in improving agricultural practices, enhancing food production, and addressing the unique challenges faced by developing countries. The study examines the potential of space-based technologies in precision farming, crop monitoring, weather forecasting, and water resource management. The research methodology involves a comprehensive literature review, followed by an analysis of existing studies and data. The findings demonstrate the significant positive impact of space research on agricultural productivity, resource management, and sustainable development in developing countries

Evolution of Space Technologies: A Comprehensive Review.

The exploration of space has been a remarkable achievement of humanity, enabled by the continuous evolution of space technologies. Over the past few decades, there have been significant advancements in space technology, revolutionizing our understanding of the universe and paving the way for future space exploration missions. This article provides an in-depth overview of the recent past's evolution in space technologies, highlighting key milestones and breakthroughs in areas such as launch systems, satellites, robotics, and propulsion systems. Through a comprehensive analysis of these advancements, this article demonstrates the incredible progress made in the field of space exploration and its potential for future exploration endeavors

Ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1 and internal transcribed spacer 2 regions as targets for molecular identification of medically important Zanthoxylum schinifolium

Molecular approaches are now being developed to provide a more rapid and objective identification compared to traditional phenotypic methods. Nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) targets, especially internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2), have been widely used for molecular identification of some plants and fungi. We therefore conducted an investigation in the identification of the fifth medically important Zanthoxylum schinifolium ecotypes using the common primers of the ITS region. About 620 bp fragments were obtained and the sequences of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were tested. The sequence length, G+C content (%), DNA alignment and pariwise nucleotidecomparisons demonstrated 98.8 to 100% sequence identities in the total ITS region, 98.3 to 100% identities in the ITS1 region and 99.5 to 100% in the ITS2 region. Comparative analysis using GenBank reference data showed that the exclusive reported data showed 100% identities with BEMR, CWDO, HCDC, JDGG and GJGD in the ITS1 region and 100% identities with thirteen ecotypes except BEMR and GRDG in the ITS2 region. The fifth different ecotypes were classified into five groups and theidentification of medically important Z. schinifolium was highly improved due to the augmentation of our current ITS sequences

The internal transcribed spacer rDNA specific markers for identification of Zanthoxylum piperitum

Genus Zanthoxylum which has significant medical importance belongs to the family Rutaceae. This investigation was aimed to identify total internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions among the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) to distinguish Zanthoxylum piperitum from Zanthoxylum sichinifolium. The nrDNA ITS sequence markers were developed by using universal ITS5/ITS4 primer pairs. Speciesspecific primers amplified the total ITS region sequence named ITS1-YL1 and ITS1-YL2. These were amplified efficiently when paired with universal primer ITS4 in Z. piperitum, but not in Z. schinifolium. ITS1-YL1/ITS4 or ITS1-YL2/ITS4 preferential amplification was shown to be particularly useful for detection and distribution of Z. piperitum from other plant species, especially Z. schinifolium. These primers are useful to study the structure of Rutaceae family. Such identifications will be helpful for phylogenetic analysis in intraspecies population of the genus Zanthoxylum.Key words: Zanthoxylum piperitum, rDNA Int-sp markers, phylogenetic relationship, ribosomal DNA, internal transcribed spacer

Effect of diabetes on mortality and length of hospital stay in patients with renal or perinephric abscess

OBJECTIVES: We compared the risk of in-hospital mortality and the length of hospital stay between diabetic and non-diabetic patients hospitalized for renal or perinephric abscess. METHOD: The data analyzed in this study were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims. The risk of in-hospital mortality and the length of hospital stay were compared between 1,715 diabetic patients, hospitalized because of renal or perinephric abscess in Taiwan between 1997 and 2007, and a random sample of 477 non-diabetes patients with renal or perinephric abscess. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality rates from renal or perinephric abscess for the diabetic patients and the non-diabetic patients were not different, at 2.3% and 3.4%, respectively. However, diabetes was significantly associated with a longer length of hospital stay among patients with renal abscess, by 3.38 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.59-5.17). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes does not increase the risk of in-hospital mortality from renal or perinephric abscess. Nevertheless, appropriate management of patients with diabetes and concurrent renal or perinephric abscess is essential to reduce the length of hospital stay

Socioeconomic disparities in preventable hospitalization among adults with diabetes in Taiwan: a multilevel modelling approach

INTRODUCTION: Literature shows socioeconomic disparities are related to various aspects of diabetes care. However, few studies have explored the relationship between socioeconomics and healthcare outcomes, particularly with regard to preventable hospitalization. This cohort study employed hierarchical modelling to evaluate the role of socioeconomics at both the individual and regional levels in order to examine disparities associated with the preventable hospitalization of diabetes patients in Taiwan. METHODS: This study employed the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2010, which provided a representative cohort comprising one million people enrolled in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance in 2010. All diabetes patients aged 18 and older who received regular care in 2010 were included in this study. The outcome examined in this study was diabetes-related preventable hospitalization during the period of 2010 to 2011. Socioeconomic status at the individual level was measured according to income and at the regional level according to level of urbanization and the proportion of residents who had completed college education. Control variables included age, gender, comorbidities, time of diabetes diagnosis, participated in the pay-for-performance program status, and the characteristics of regular sources of care, including the level of the facility (i.e., medical centre, regional hospital, local hospital, outpatient clinic) and ownership. Statistical analysis was performed using generalized linear mixed models. RESULTS: A total of 57,791 patients from 25 regions diagnosed with type-2 diabetes mellitus were identified in the National Health Insurance claim data for the year 2010. 1040 of these patients (1.8%) had at least one diabetes-related preventable hospitalization event during the period of 2010–2011. After controlling for the characteristics of patients and health care providers, our results show that dependents and patients in low and middle income brackets (OR = 2.48, 2.44, and 2.08 respectively) as well as those living in regions with a low, median, or high education bracket (OR = 1.32, 1.38, and 1.46 respectively) face a higher probability of preventable hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the socioeconomic effects of higher education at the regional level as well as income at the individual level are important factors which affect disparities in diabetes-related preventable hospitalization