A study based on a total of 41 nanoporous carbons shows that there exists a good correlation between the limiting gravimetric capacitances C o at low current densities j (1 mA cm À2 ) measured in aprotic (1 M (C 2 H 5 ) 4 NBF 4 in acetonitrile) and in acidic (2 M aqueous H 2 SO 4 ) electrolytes. The comparison of the surface-related capacitances (F m À2 ) of well characterized samples with the amount of thermodesorbed CO suggests a strong contribution of CO generating surface groups to charge storage in the acidic electrolyte, but a negligible contribution in the aprotic medium. It also appears that the decrease of the capacitance with current density is similar in both electrolytes. This confirms that the average micropore width and the CO 2 generating surface groups are the main factors which limit the ionic mobility in both electrolytes.

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The present work shows that mesoporous materials obtained by the carbonization of mixtures of poly(vinyl alcohol) with magnesium citrate are very promising candidates for electrodes in supercapacitors. Their high performance arises essentially from a double-layer mechanism through the extent of the total surface area and one obtains at low current density (1 mA cm −2 ) values as high as 180 F g −1 in aqueous 2 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte and around 100 F g −1 in 1 M (C 2 H 5 ) 4 NBF 4 in acetonitrile. Moreover, in most cases the specific capacitance is reduced only by 15% at 100 mA cm −2 , as opposed to many other types of carbons which display much higher reductions.This study suggests that these novel carbons could be potentially more advantageous as electrodes in electrochemical capacitors than templated mesoporous carbons.

a b s t r a c tThis study shows that carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) with average pore size distributions around 0.9-1 nm and effective surface areas of 1300-1400 m 2 g −1 provide electrochemical double-layer capacitors with high performances in both aqueous (2M H 2 SO 4 ) and aprotic (1M (C 2 H 5 ) 4 NBF 4 in acetonitrile) electrolytes.In the acidic electrolytic solution, the gravimetric capacitance at low current density (1 mA cm −2 ) can exceed 200 F g −1 , whereas the volumetric capacitance reaches 90 F cm −3 . In the aprotic electrolyte they reach 150 F g −1 and 60 F cm −3 . A detailed comparison of the capacitive behaviour of CDCs at high current density (up to 100 mA cm −2 ) with other microporous and mesoporous carbons indicates better rate capabilities for the present materials in both electrolytes. This is due to the high surface area, the accessible porosity and the relatively low oxygen content.It also appears that the surface-related capacitances of the present CDCs in the aprotic electrolyte are in line with other carbons and show no anomalous behaviour.

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of policosanol on the susceptibility of LDL-C to in vitro lipid peroxidation in human healthy volunteers. Methods The effect of policosanol (5 and 10 mg day x1 ) on LDL-C oxidation was studied in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 69 subjects. LDL-C samples isolated at baseline and after 8 weeks were subjected to in vitro tests of LDL-C oxidation. We tested the susceptibility of LDL-C to lipid peroxidation in a cell-free system by the addition of copper ions as well as in a more physiological system, macrophage-mediated oxidation.Results At baseline all groups were well matched regarding all variables. After 8 weeks of therapy policosanol administered at 5 and 10 mg, signi®cantly and in a dosedependent manner increased the lag phase of conjugated diene generation (meants.d.) from 83.79t29.16 min to 94.90t25.50 min (5 mg day x1 ) and from 82.74t17.16 min to 129.89t35.71 min (10 mg day x1 ), while in the placebo group LDL-C oxidation did not change signi®cantly. Policosanol (10 mg day x1 ), but not placebo, signi®cantly decreased the rate of conjugated diene generation. Comparison with placebo after therapy also showed signi®cant differences. Macrophage mediatedoxidation was also inhibited by policosanol as evident by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Policosanol (10 mg day x1 ) signi®cantly lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) generation from 8.50t0.91 to 5.76t1.01 nmol mg x1 protein. Comparison with placebo after 5 and 10 mg day x1 showed signi®cant differences. Policosanol signi®cantly lowered total cholesterol by 10.5% (5 mg day x1 ) and 12.4% (10 mg day x1 ) and LDL-C by 16.7% and 20.2%, respectively. Also, policosanol (10 mg day x1 ) increased HDL-C by 15.2%. Five subjects withdrew from the study, none because of adverse experiences. No clinical or blood biochemical drug-related disturbances were found. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that policosanol administered within its therapeutic dosage for lowering cholesterol (5 and 10 mg day x1 ), decreased the susceptibility of LDL-C to lipid peroxidation in vitro.

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Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) coated fabrics were obtained by chemical reduction of GO on polyester (PES) fabrics. Conducting fabrics that have different applications were obtained by applying several layers of RGO. Electrochemical techniques not traditionally used for the characterization of these materials were used to test their electrical and electrochemical properties. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the electrical properties. The resistance of the original PES was more than 10 11 Ω·cm 2 , but when coated with three RGO layers, the resistance decreased to 23.15 Ω·cm 2 . Phase angles changed from 90º for PES and PES-GO (capacitative behavior) to 0º for all the RGO coated samples (resistive behavior). Electro-activity was measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical microscopy. An increase in electro-activity was observed when the inactive GO was reduced to RGO.With CV an increase of electro-activity was observed with an increasing number of RGO layers. The contact between the different RGO sheets is responsible for the electric conduction in the fabrics. The techniques used showed that with only one RGO 1 ISE memberPage 2 of 38 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 2 coating, the contact between the RGO sheets is not good and more coatings were needed to assure good electrical and electrochemical properties.

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