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This paper describes homogeneous triblock copolymer/Nafion blend membranes, which facilitate proton conduction in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) at intermediate temperatures. The interaction between the two polymer components is investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy. The blend membranes show higher proton conductivity than recast Nafion under partially anhydrous conditions. Protons can be transported with the assistance of ether chain under such conditions at elevated temperature. In addition, the membranes exhibit more favourable methanol permeability and selectivity. This kind of blend membrane shows somewhat better performance in DMFC compared to bare recast Nafion at intermediate temperature (≥120 °C). This work is a first attempt in our group to design membrane materials with enhanced proton conductivity under conditions typical of intermediate temperature DMFCs. | battery |
Current lithium-ion battery management systems require a huge amount of connecting units for monitoring and controlling single cells. A sophisticated way of simplifying a complex wiring architecture is the use of a powerline communication system. By this approach the existing powerline is simultaneously used for data transmission. However, a thorough understanding of the channel characteristics in the high frequency range (1–110MHz) is necessary to be able to design and implement such a system. This work deals with the characterization of the powerline channel of <10Ah prismatic hard case Lithium-Ion cells and 10 cell modules with special respect to the interaction between single cells using impedance measurements. Based on the obtained knowledge, a circuit-based model of the transfer channel has been designed, allowing to estimate the behavior of larger battery systems. The model was also used to simulate different coupling methods to transmit and receive signals to the powerline. | battery |
Nanostructured Li2FeSiO4/C cathode material is successfully synthesized through a simple co⿿precipitation method by using Fe3+ salt as iron source and polyethylene glycol as surfactant. Thermodynamic calculation is carried out to get phase predominance diagram as functions of oxygen partial pressure and temperature for Fe⿿O⿿C system, which provides effective guidance for synthesis parameter selection of pure phase Li2FeSiO4. The synthesized Li2FeSiO4/C nanoparticles show an average size of 150nm, which are composed of ultra⿿small Li2FeSiO4 nanocrystals in 10⿿25nm dispersing in amorphous carbon matrix. The in situ formed carbon network and the Li2FeSiO4 nanocrystals provide a fast transport of electron and lithium ion and thus ensure a quick electrode reaction, leading to an excellent electrochemical performance. The synthesized Li2FeSiO4/C exhibits a specific capacity of 190mAhg⿿1 at 0.1C, realizing reversible extraction/insertion of 1.37 Li+, taking into account of 16.1wt% carbon content in the composite. This work offers a simple, scalable, and low cost approach for the synthesis of high performance Li2FeSiO4/C cathode material for lithium ion batteries. | battery |
Composite polymer electrolytes (CPE), comprising poly(vinylidene fluoride–hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF–HFP), aluminum oxyhydroxide, (AlO[OH]n – of 40 nm and 7 μm) as filler and LiN(C2F5SO2)2 or LiClO4 as lithium salt were prepared using a solution casting technique. The membranes were subjected to XRD, impedance spectroscopy, compatibility and transport number studies. The incorporation of nanofiller greatly enhanced the ionic conductivity and the compatibility of the composite polymer electrolyte. The electrochemical properties of CPE with nano sized fillers are better than those of micron size. Charge- discharge studies of Li Cr0.01Mn1.99O4/CPE/Li cells were made at 70 °C and are discussed. | battery |
A fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV) is more advantageous compared to a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine based vehicle or a traditional hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) because of using only one electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine or an electric motor in combination with an internal combustion engine. This study proposes a novel fuel cell (FC)/Lithium (Li)-ion battery hybrid power source to be utilized in FCHEVs. The power source includes a 90 kW PEMFC stack used as the main power source, and a 19.2 kWh Li-ion battery used as the auxiliary energy storage device. A prototype of the FC/Li-ion battery hybrid power source has been constructed, and experimental verifications are presented that explicitly substantiate having a power efficiency of 96.1% around the rated power, highly accurate DC-link voltage regulation and producing an appropriate three-phase stator current for the traction motor by using PWM technique are the main contributions of this work. Providing a maximum speed of 155 km/h and a total cruising range of 530 km are the other advantages. The FC/Li-ion battery hybrid power source is also compared to the state of the art of all kinds of power sources used in FCHEVs and reported in the literature that clearly demonstrates its better performance such as higher power efficiency and speed. | battery |
Patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) may exhibit a high risk of cognitive impairment (CI) by disruption of white matter (WM) integrity. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is recommended as a sensitive method to explore whole brain WM alterations at an asymptomatic stage of the disease, which might be correlated with underlying cognitive disorders. We aim to investigate alterations in WM microstructures and evaluate the relationships between the mean values of diffusion metrics (FA, MD, AD, and RD) and cognitive assessments in SIVD patients. Fifty SIVD patients with (SVCI, N = 25) and without (pre-SVCI, N = 25) cognitive impairments and normal controls (NC, N = 23) underwent DTI and neuropsychological examinations. DTI data were analyzed via TBSS to detect significant changes in WM tracts. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate relationships between the mean values of diffusion indices and the cognitive assessments. In general, extensive symmetrically altered areas that involved approximately the entire cerebral WM were noted in the pre-SVCI group but were less distinct than that noted in the SVCI group compared with NCs. The genu of corpus callosum exhibited the most damaged WM fiber. Throughout WM, FA was decreased, whereas MD, AD, and RD were increased. Some specific WM tracts in patient groups were significantly correlated with the severity of white matter hyperintensity (WMH), cognitive assessments about executive functions and processing speed. WM integrity has already been damaged at the pre-SVCI stage, which would be associate with future cognitive dysfunction. DTI could potentially establish early biomarkers to detect underlying mechanisms of SIVD.
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An investigation into the suitability of three carbon composites as substrates for the negative electrode in the zinc–cerium redox flow cell has been carried out. The composite electrodes examined comprised the use of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) as binders for the carbon and the third was a graphite foil electrode of ∼1mm thickness. The zinc deposition process was carried out in a methane sulfonic acid (MSA) electrolyte at 60°C and nucleation studies revealed the growth of the deposits to be instantaneous in this medium. Galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles were performed in order to test the performance of these composite materials under a variety of operating conditions. For all the materials, the highest charge/discharge coulombic efficiencies (∼95%) were found for the highest discharge current densities (200mAcm−2) employed in the study but this falls as the charge period is increased. The effect of solution flow velocity is however less clear. Prolonged zinc charging–discharging cycling on the composite materials revealed that whereas the PVDF-based electrode exhibited no loss in efficiency with cycling (>250), a drastic reduction was observed for the HDPE-based and graphite foil electrodes beyond 70 cycles and this was accompanied by the physical deterioration in the electrode surface. | battery |
ZnO is one of the materials of choice as anode for lithium batteries, due to its high theoretical capacity, natural abundance, low toxicity, and low cost. At present, however, its industrial exploitation is impeded by massive capacity fading, and by cycling instability due to the drastic volume expansions during the electrochemical lithiation/delithiation process. Herein, we present a novel graphite coated-ZnO anode for LiBs based on films of nanosheets, coated with graphite. The electrode is obtained by a simple and inexpensive solution hydrothermal synthesis, whereas the graphite is deposited by thermal evaporation, which is easier to perform than a wet chemistry technique. Our approach leads to a substantial increase of the permanent specific capacity, obtaining values of 600 mAhg−1 after 100 cycles at a high specific current of 1 Ag−1. This represents the best performance for long-cycled, ZnO-based anodes obtained so far. Such result derives from the peculiar porous structure of the nanosheets film (pore diameter < 1 nm), as well as by the graphite coating that works as a dimensional buffer and preserves its morphology during cycling. This appears a very promising strategy for designing more stable ZnO-based anodes for Li batteries and microbatteries. | battery |
Catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) play an important role in fuel cells. Developing the novel catalyst with high activity at low-cost remains a great challenge. We report the novel nanostructure (Co/Co3O4/C–N) of an interconnected nitrogen-doped carbon framework with Co/Co3O4 nanoparticles. Chitosan was used as carbon and nitrogen sources. The product, which has high BET surface area (320.5m2 g−1) shows excellent catalytic ability, stability and tolerance to methanol poisoning effects in the alkaline media for ORR. The product may also have potential applications in the fields of metal-air batteries, supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, sensors, gas uptake, and so on. | battery |
Interconnecting “things” and devices that takes the form of wearables, sensors, actuators, mobiles, computers, meters, or even vehicles is a critical requirement for the current era. These inter-networked connections are serving the emerging applications home and building automation, smart cities and infrastructure, smart industries, and smart-everything. However, the security of these connected Internet of things (IoT) plays a centric role with no margin for error. After a review of the relevant, online literature on the topic and after looking at the market trends and developments, one can notice that there are still concerns with regard to security in IoT products and services. This paper is focusing on a survey on IoT security and aims to highlight the most significant problems related to safety and security in the IoT ecosystems. This survey identifies the general threat and attack vectors against IoT devices while highlighting the flaws and weak points that can lead to breaching the security. Furthermore, this paper presents solutions for remediation of the compromised security, as well as methods for risk mitigation, with prevention and improvement suggestions. | non-battery |
Cognitive deficits associated with the chronic abuse of drugs have important theoretical and clinical significance: such deficits reflect changes to the underlying cortical, sub-cortical and neuromodulatory mechanisms that underpin cognition, and also interfere directly with rehabilitative programs. Recent investigations have been made into the neuropsychology of chronic abuse of cannabis, stimulants and opiates. It is suggested that future progress in this area, involving developing advances in brain-imaging and neuropharmacology, will capitalize on experimental demonstrations of specific patterns of impairments in decision-making, attention and memory function. | non-battery |
This paper describes a research on the influence of wind power prediction error autocorrelation on the sizing of storage coupled with a wind farm. The stochastic nature of renewable energies resources such as wind speed or solar radiation represents a challenge for the grid integration of renewable energy plants. The imbalances between renewable power predictions and realised production are generally penalised by system operators since additional reserves are required to maintain the stability of the grid. The coupling of storage devices with renewable energy plants is one of the solutions studied to reduce those imbalances. In this work, a methodology to manage imbalances and to size storage in order to achieve a determined level of controllability is proposed. It is applied to a specific use case: the integration of a combined wind-storage plant in French Guyana. The influence of the autocorrelations of errors on the battery size is investigated in detail and a methodology for producing wind prediction errors time series is presented. | battery |
Research into agrammatic comprehension in English has described a pattern of impaired understanding of passives and retained ability on active constructions. Some accounts of this dissociation predict that patients who are unable to comprehend actives will also be impaired in the comprehension of passives. We report the case of a man with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) (WR), whose comprehension was at chance on active sentences, but at ceiling on passives. In a series of reversible sentence comprehension tests WR displayed difficulties with active transitives and truncated actives with an auxiliary. In passive sentences, he displayed sensitivity to the agent marker by, as well as the passive morphology of the verb. This pattern of dissociation challenges current theories of agrammatic comprehension. We explore explanations based on the distinction between morphological and configurational cues, as well as on the semantic and discourse related differences between active and passive constructions. | non-battery |
BCR engagement initiates intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) mobilization which is critical for the activation of multiple transcription factors including NF-κB and NFAT. Previously, we showed that Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK)-deficient (btk −/−) B cells, which display a modestly reduced calcium response to BCR crosslinking, do not activate NF-κB. Here we show that BTK is also essential for the activation of NFAT following BCR engagement. Pharmacological mobilization of [Ca2+]i in BTK-deficient DT40 B cells (DT40.BTK) does not rescue BCR directed activation of NF-κB and only partially that of NFAT, suggesting existence of additional BTK-signaling pathways in this process. Therefore, we investigated a requirement for BTK in the production of diacylglycerol (DAG). We found that DT40.BTK B cells do not produce DAG in response to BCR engagement. Pharmacological inhibition of PKC isozymes and Ras revealed that the BCR-induced activation of NF-κB requires conventional PKCβ, whereas that of NFAT may involve non-conventional PKCδ and Ras pathways. Consistent with an essential role for BTK in the regulation of NFAT, B cells from btk −/− mice display defective expression of CD5, a gene under the control of NFAT. Together, these results suggest that BCR employs distinct BTK-dependent molecular mechanisms to regulate the activation of NF-κB versus NFAT. | non-battery |
The increment in generation costs is one of the most important factors that characterizes the operation of insular power systems, and is related to the location of these systems and the type of fuel used to provide electricity. This situation motivates the integration of renewable generation at high rates, as well as energy storage systems (ESSs), to improve the utilization of these resources. In this paper, a new control strategy is presented for the day-ahead scheduling of insular power systems with a battery energy storage system. The method presented here incorporates the effects of the most relevant components such as thermal generators, wind power generation, power converter, charge controller and ESS, being integrated into the scheduling process of insular power systems as a new contribution to earlier studies. The results provided show a fuel saving of 2% and an improvement in the wind power use of 20%, which is significant. | battery |
Voltage, temperature, and state of charge (SOC) are the main characterizing parameters for various battery faults that can cause these parameters’ abnormal fluctuations. Accurate prediction for these parameters is critical for the safe, durable, and reliable operation of battery systems in electric vehicles. This paper investigates a new deep-learning-enabled method to perform accurate synchronous multi-parameter prediction for battery systems using a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network. A year-long dataset of an electric taxi was retrieved at the Service and Management Center for electric vehicles (SMC-EV) in Beijing to train the LSTM model and verify the model’s validity and stability. By taking into account the impacts of weather and driver’s behaviors on a battery system’s performance to improve the prediction accuracy, a Weather-Vehicle-Driver analysis method is proposed, and a developed pre-dropout technique is introduced to prevent LSTM from overfitting. Besides, the many-to-many(m-n) model structure using a developed dual-model-cooperation prediction strategy is applied for offline training the LSTM model after all hyperparameters pre-optimized. Additionally, the stability and robustness of this method have been verified through 10-fold cross-validation and comparative analysis of multiple sets of hyperparameters. The results show that the proposed model has powerful and precise online prediction ability for the three target parameters. This paper also provides feasibility for synchronous multiple fault prognosis based on accurate parameter prediction of the battery system. This is the first of its kind to apply LSTM to the synchronous multi-parameter prediction of the battery system. | battery |
Cyanoethylated carboxymethyl chitosan (CN-CCTS) has been synthesized through a straightforward cyanoethylation reaction by reacting CCTS with acrylonitrile in NaOH aqueous solution. CN-CCTS shows improved adhesion strength of 0.047N/cm as compared with 0.013N/cm for CCTS after introducing cyanoethyl group in the chemical structure of CCTS. The electrochemical performances of LiFePO4 electrode with CN-CCTS binder have been investigated and compared with those using water soluble sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and non-aqueous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder. LiFePO4 electrode with CN-CCTS exhibits better cycling stability and rate capability, retaining 56.3% capacity of C/5 at 5C rate as compared with 48.4% and 32.8% for CMC and PVDF, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement reveal that LiFePO4 electrode with CN-CCTS has a more favorable electrochemical kinetics than that with CMC and PVDF, thus better rate capability. | battery |
Profitable business models for value creation and value capture with smart grid services are pivotal to realize the transition to smart and sustainable electricity grids. In addition to knowledge regarding the technical characteristics of smart grids, we need to know what drives companies and consumers to sell and purchase services in a smart grid. This paper reviews 45 scientific articles on business models for smart grid services and analyses information on value in 434 European and US smart grid pilot projects. Our review observes that the articles and pilots most often discuss three types of smart grid services: vehicle-to-grid and grid-to-vehicle services, demand response services, and services to integrate renewable energy (RE). We offer a classification of business models, value creation and capture for each of these services and for the different actors in the electricity value chain. Although business models have been developed for grid-to-vehicle services and for services that connect RE, knowledge regarding demand response services is restricted to different types of value creation and capture. Our results highlight that business models can be profitable when a new actor in the electricity industry, that is, the aggregator, can collect sufficiently large amounts of load. In addition, our analysis indicates that demand response services or vehicle-to-grid and grid-to-vehicle services will be offered in conjunction with the supply of RE. | battery |
Aqueous electropolymerization of thiophene and 3-methylthiophene was accomplished on β-PbO2 electrodes. Poly 3-methylthiophene films were also formed on α-PbO2 surfaces under acidic conditions. It was also determined that the upper potential limit for thiophene electropolymerization could be lowered by about 400 mV using β-PbO2 compared to the platinum electrode in pure acetonitrile, whereas this limit was lowered only by about 200 mV on the α-PbO2 electrode. In the case of 3-methylthiophene, the upper potential limit was decreased to 1.1 V vs. Ag|AgCl on the β-PbO2 electrode and this lower limit was found to be 1.3 V vs. Ag|AgCl on the α-PbO2 electrode. It was also shown that the polymorphic composition and degrees of crystallinities of PbO2 films also influenced the extent of the electropolymerizations and the conductivity values. | battery |
Many conventional truck and working machines are equipped with additional hydraulic tooling or manipulation systems which are usually fed through a mechanical connection with the internal combustion engine, involving a poor efficiency. In particular, this is a common situation for industrial vehicles whose mission profiles involves a relevant consumption of energy by the on board hydraulic systems, respect to the one really needed for only traction purpose. In this work it is proposed an innovative solution based on the adoption of a system aimed to recover braking energy in order to feed an efficient on board hydraulic actuation system. The proposed system is then adopted to a real application, an Isuzu truck equipped with a hydraulic tooling for garbage collection. A prototype of the system has been designed, assembled and tested showing a relevant improvement of system efficiency and the feasibility of the proposed approach. In the paper the proposed solution is presented, showing the simulation models and preliminary validation results including experimental devices assembled to perform the tests. | battery |
As an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries, tin-chalcogenides receive substantial attention due to their high lithium-ion storage capacity. Here, tin chalcogenide (SnSe0.5S0.5) nanoplates are synthesized using a facile and quick polyol-method, followed by heating at different temperatures. Results show that the as-prepared of SnSe0.5S0.5 heated at temperature of 180 °C exhibits the best electrochemical performance with an outstanding discharge specific capacity of 1144 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles and 682 mA h g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 200 cycles with a high coulombic efficiency (CE) of 98.7%. Even at a high current density of 5 A g−1, this anode material delivers a specific capacity of 473 mA h g−1. The high electrochemical performance of SnSe0.5S0.5 is shown by in-situ XRD analysis to originate from an enhanced Li+ intercalation and an alloy conversion process. | battery |
This study reports that small amounts of MoO3 multilayer ribbon crystal (MoO3 MLRC) in Ni3Al intermetallics showed the decreased friction coefficients and improved wear resistance at different contact loads. Specifically, the friction coefficients (0.32–0.34) and wear rates [(2–4) × 10−5 mm3 N−1 m−1] are significantly reduced for Ni3Al at 2–8 N. A possible explanation for the friction and wear reduction is that MoO3 MLRC as a multilayer material shears easily in the tribo-layer during the sliding contact, and provides low friction. In addition, this MoO3 MLRC with excellent bending strength is found to dissipate shear stress and suppress severe plastic deformation under a cyclic stress, thus drastically improving wear resistance of Ni3Al.
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The gram-scale synthesis of graphene based mesoporous SnO2 composite (G-M-SnO2) has been successfully realized based on kirkendall effect. When used as anode for lithium ion batteries, it delivers a high reversible capacity of 1354 mAhg−1 after 50 cycles at 100 mAg−1 and excellent rate capability of 664 mAhg−1 at 2 Ag−1. The outstanding lithium storage performance mainly results from the synergistic effect of the ultrasmall SnO2 and conductive graphene nanoparticles, which not only enhanced the conductivity of the whole electrode but also provide buffer matrix for the expansion of SnO2 nanoparticles during charge-discharge process. Furthermore, the ultra-small size of SnO2 shortens the diffusion length of Li+/e− in SnO2. | battery |
The purpose of this study is to examine the relative importance of the force-based and velocity-based measures of muscle performance to explain inter-individual differences in power production capability and functional task performance. Participants included seventy-nine men and women: middle-aged healthy adults (MH: 40–55years), older healthy adults (OH: 70–85years), and older adults with mobility limitations (OML: 70–85years). Muscle power at 180°/s, isometric maximal torque, and maximal contraction velocity at 40% 1RM were measured during unilateral leg extension. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was used to differentiate between healthy and mobility limited older adults. Functional task performance was assessed using multiple chair rise and stair climb tests. Leg extensor force (torque), but not maximal contraction velocity, was significantly associated with muscle power in MH. Both torque and velocity were significantly associated with muscle power in OH. Maximal velocity, but not torque, was associated with power in OML. Maximal velocity demonstrated an association with multiple chair rise time and stair climb time in OML, but not MH or OH. It is concluded that movement velocity is an increasingly important determinant of maximal power output with advancing age. Furthermore, movement velocity is also a critical component of functional task performance with aging and may contribute to functional deficits. These findings help to explain why the rate-dependent variable power has emerged as a critical component of both assessment and rehabilitation of muscular performance and physical function in older adults. | non-battery |
Flexible Zn-based batteries with intrinsic safety, non-toxicity and biocompatibility are promising power sources for wearable electronics. To meet practical applications, they need to be durable, robust and stable. However, inevitable self-discharge and interface delamination between electrodes and hydrogel electrolytes often cause serious capacity fading or even failure for flexible Zn-based batteries. Here, inspired from nature, we report hydrogel diodes with strong and tunable interfacial adhesion by attaching oppositely charged hydrogels together. The high adhesion energy is stemmed from strong coulombic interaction and effectively dissipating energy of hydrogel matrix. The adhesion is facilely tuned by narrowing the depletion region in hydrogel diodes. Subsequently we design Hook&Loop-like Cu-Zn batteries by using hydrogel diodes as electrolytes, which are robust, stable and durable and capable for powering wearable electronics. The batteries can eliminate self-discharge and maintain their capacity by splitted into two half cells during long-term storage and easily reattaching together at working stage. Further, the batteries are ultra-stable during 2000 stretching and bending cycles because of their robust interfacial adhesion. It is believed the hydrogel-electrolyte platforms can be utilized to harness issues including interface contact, stability, durability and safety for flexible power sources. | battery |
Since the 90's, porous silicon has been studied and implemented in many devices, especially in MEMS technology. In this article, we present a new approach to build miniaturized proton exchange membrane micro-fuel cells using porous silicon as a hydrogen diffusion layer. In particular, we propose an innovative process to build micro fuel cells from a “corrugated iron like” 3D structured porous silicon substrates. This structure is able to increase up to 40% the cell area keeping a constant footprint on the silicon wafer. We propose here a process route to perform electrochemically 3D porous gas diffusion layers and to deposit fuel cell active layers on such substrates. The prototype peak power performance was measured to be 90 mW cm−2 in a “breathing configuration” at room temperature. These performances are less than expected if we compare with a reference 2D micro fuel cell. Actually, the active layer deposition processes are not fully optimized but this prototype demonstrates the feasibility of these 3D devices. | battery |
DCLR-P was prepared by direct coal liquefaction residue (DCLR) with ash removal. In the present experiments, mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) were prepared by co-carbonization of coal tar pitch (CTP) and DCLR-P. With the increase of DCLR-P content, the yield of MCMBs increased from 47.8% to 56.8%. At the same time, the particle sizes distribution of MCMBs was narrowed, resulting in the decrease of D90/D10 ratio from 154.88 to 6.53. The results showed that DCLR-P had a positive effect on the preparation of MCMBs. 1H-NMR, FTIR, SEM and XRD were used to analyze the mechanisms and characteristics of MCMBs prepared by co-carbonization of CTP and DCLR-P. The results showed that the Proton Donor Quality Index (PDQI) of DCLR-P was 13.32, significantly higher than that of CTP (0.83). This indicated that DCLR-P had more naphthenic structure than CTP, which leads to hydrogen transferring in polycondensation reaction. The aliphatic structure of DCLR-P can improve the solubility and fusibility of mesophase, thereby making the structure of MCMBs more structured. The microstructure of the graphitized MCMBs had a substantially parallel carbon layer useful for its electrical performance. The performance of graphitized MCMBs as a negative electrode material for Li-ion batteries was tested. The particle sizes, tap density, specific surface area and initial charge–discharge efficiency of graphitized MCMBs met the requirements of CMB-I in GB/T-24533-2009. However, the initial discharge capacity of graphitized MCMB was only 296.3 mA h g−1 due to the low degree of graphitization of MCMBs. | non-battery |
Titanium dioxide is a promising photocatalyst and has been widely used in many applications. However, it remains challenging to improve the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 under visible light illumination. Herein, a facile one step method was put forward to produce Mn-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTs) without the formation of manganese oxides. Intermediate band states were generated in Mn-doped TNTs, leading to enhanced visible light absorption and more efficient separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. The visible light photocatalysis of Mn-doped TNTs was significantly improved. The method reported here might be extended to the doping of other elements in TNTs and provides opportunities for the design of advanced photocatalysts. | battery |
Seven cell design concepts for aqueous (alkaline) lithium–oxygen batteries are investigated using a multi-physics continuum model for predicting cell behavior and performance in terms of the specific energy and specific power. Two different silver-based cathode designs (a gas diffusion electrode and a flooded cathode) and three different separator designs (a porous separator, a stirred separator chamber, and a redox-flow separator) are compared. Cathode and separator thicknesses are varied over a wide range (50 μm–20 mm) in order to identify optimum configurations. All designs show a considerable capacity-rate effect due to spatiotemporally inhomogeneous precipitation of solid discharge product LiOH·H2O. In addition, a cell design with flooded cathode and redox-flow separator including oxygen uptake within the external tank is suggested. For this design, the model predicts specific power up to 33 W/kg and specific energy up to 570 Wh/kg (gravimetric values of discharged cell including all cell components and catholyte except housing and piping). | battery |
The battery system plays an important role in a number of modern power applications. In practice, cell charge imbalance is a very common issue in battery system operations, which may cause serious problems in power efficiency, equipment reliability and safety, etc. To analyze the performance of battery equalization systems, physical experiments with actual devices and computer simulations based on circuit models are typically used. These approaches, however, may be time-consuming and energy-inefficient for larger-scale systems. In this paper, based on the proposed mathematical model for series-connected battery equalization systems, we develop an analytical algorithm to approximate the state of charge (SOC) of battery cells at any time instant during the equalization process, and derive the formulas to calculate critical performance measures of the system. Extensive numerical experiments are carried out to justify the accuracy of the algorithm and formulas developed. In addition, the proposed methods use much less computational time as compared to computer simulations. | battery |
The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of three bioassays representing multiple trophic levels, for the preliminary ecotoxicological screening of sediments from sites contaminated by mining activities. Of the bioassays used in this study, the ostracod test was the most responsive. Vibrio fischeri luminiscence inhibition assay was less sensitive to the toxicants in the sediments than the phytotoxicity assays. The general trend observed was an increase in toxicity values measured by the bioassays with increasing metal mobilization in sediment samples. Therefore, the test battery can be used as a rapid and sensitive tool to evaluate the heavy metal contamination in sediments.
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Li dendrite formed in Li metal batteries can be categorized into two different types. One is the detrimental Li dendrite that heads towards the separator with a potential to short cell. The other is the ill-defined fibrous Li formed within bulk Li metal. The detrimental Li dendrite may cause cell short, while the other dendrites, covered by SEI, mainly increase cell impedance and terminate the cell operation, most often, before any “short” really happens. Without decoupling these two different Li dendrites, it is hard to develop any effective approach to realize both stable and safe Li metal batteries. Herein, a straightforward approach is proposed to induce the growth of detrimental dendritic Li so the cells are “shorted” frequently and consistently. Based on this new protocol, various electrolytes are revisited and the SEI derived are compared and quantified, providing new insights for addressing the challenges in rechargeable Li metal battery technologies. | battery |
Background Verbal and visual memory deficits are prominent trait markers for schizophrenia, with impairments also observed in first-degree relatives [Snitz, B.E., Macdonald, A.W., 3rd, & Carter, C.S. (2006). Cognitive deficits in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients: a meta-analytic review of putative endophenotypes. Schizophr Bull, 32(1), 179–194]. It remains unclear whether deficits lie in encoding or savings, and whether the deficit is heritable. Objective To determine which features of memory performance are impaired in both patients and their healthy siblings, possibly reflecting shared genetic effects. Method We tested episodic memory using Logical Memory (LM) and Visual Reproduction (VR) tasks of the Wechsler Memory Scale (Revised). Participants included patients with schizophrenia (n =162), their nonpsychotic siblings (n =146), and controls (n =205), recruited for the “CBDB/NIMH Sibling Study”. We assessed immediate encoding and 30 minute and 24 hour delayed recall as well as savings scores for the “short delay” (immediate to 30 min) and “long delay” (30 min to 24 h) intervals. Results We observed marked verbal recall deficits in both patients and siblings compared to controls for all stages (p <.0001). Only patients experienced significant verbal and visual savings deficits over short delays (p <.0001) as well as verbal deficits over long delays (p <.005). In siblings, no saving score difficulty was apparent for either measure. Conclusions Our results confirm shared impairment in verbal learning, but not memory, for both patients and siblings, therefore marking it as a potential schizophrenia-associated intermediate phenotype. The results implicate neural systems involved in immediate encoding and stabilization of memory representations in genetic risk for schizophrenia. In contrast, visual recall and savings impairments appear to be illness, i.e. state, deficits. | non-battery |
Peripheral nerve injury causes long-term disabilities for patients and also major socio-economic costs. The common approach to repair a short-distance gap in peripheral nerve is direct suturing of two stumps. In cases of long nerve gaps, implantation of autologous nerve grafts such as sural nerve to bridge the gap is still the gold standard, but it suffers from limited length, lack of donor nerves, morbidity of donor site and scar tissue invasion. The use of allogenic and xenogeneic tissues has also been suggested which eliminate the need of secondary surgeries on patients; however, they may arise the risk of disease transmission and immunogenicity problems. Nerve tissue engineering can be an alternative approach which provide a suitable and permissive microenvironment at the injury site using biocompatible scaffolds. An effective scaffold should provide required mechanical support for growing neurites, reduce scar tissue formation, and also chemical (e.g., release of nerve growth factors) and physical (e.g., topographical and electrical) signals [1–3].
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Flexible ceramic separators based on Li+-conducting lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide are prepared as thin films and directly applied onto negative electrode to produce a separator-electrode assembly with good interfacial adhesion and low interfacial resistances. The ceramic separators show an excellent thermal stability and high ionic conductivity as compared to conventional polypropylene separator. The lithium-ion batteries assembled with graphite negative electrode, Li+-conducting ceramic separator and LiCoO2 positive electrode exhibit good cycling performance in terms of discharge capacity, capacity retention and rate capability. It is also demonstrated that the use of a ceramic separator can greatly improve safety over cells employing a polypropylene separator, which is highly desirable for lithium-ion batteries with enhanced safety. | battery |
Few studies have examined the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy to manage seizures and improve psychosocial functioning in older adults with epilepsy. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 6 week group CBT program in community dwelling adults with epilepsy who were aged over 60 years. A total of 37 participants were randomly assigned to either a CBT group or a control group. Measures of depression, dysthymia, psychosocial functioning and seizure frequency were completed at pre and post intervention. Seizure frequency was significantly reduced in the CBT group compared to the control group (Cohen’s d 0.63). The results suggest that the relationship between seizure frequency and psychological and psychosocial well being in older adults requires further investigation. Although there were no significant between group differences on measures of depression and psychosocial functioning, both the CBT and control groups improved significantly from baseline.
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A microgrid energy management framework for the optimization of individual objectives of microgrid stakeholders is proposed. The framework is exemplified by way of a microgrid that is connected to an external grid via a transformer and includes the following players: a middle-size train station with integrated photovoltaic power production system, a small energy production plant composed of urban wind turbines, and a surrounding district including residences and small businesses. The system is described by Agent-Based Modelling (ABM), in which each player is modelled as an individual agent aiming at a particular goal, (i) decreasing its expenses for power purchase or (ii) increasing its revenues from power selling. The context in which the agents operate is uncertain due to the stochasticity of operational and environmental parameters, and the technical failures of the renewable power generators. The uncertain operational and environmental parameters of the microgrid are quantified in terms of Prediction Intervals (PIs) by a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) – trained Neural Network (NN). Under these uncertainties, each agent is seeking for optimal goal-directed actions planning by Robust Optimization (RO). The developed framework is shown to lead to an increase in system performance, evaluated in terms of typical reliability (adequacy) indicators for energy systems, such as Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE) and Loss of Expected Energy (LOEE), in comparison with optimal planning based on expected values of the uncertain parameters. | battery |
Electrolyte distribution using parallel flow field for redox flow battery (RFB) applications shows severe non-uniformity, while the conventional design of using the carbon felt itself as the flow distributor gives too high pressure drop. An optimized flow field design for uniform flow distribution at a minimal parasitic power loss is therefore needed for RFB systems. Since the materials and geometrical dimensions in RFBs are very different from those used in fuel cells, the hydrodynamics of the flow fields in RFBs is likely to be very different. In the present paper, we report on a fundamental study of the hydrodynamics of a serpentine flow field relevant to RFB applications. The permeability of the porous medium has been measured under different compression ratios and this is found to be in the range of 5–8 × 10−11 m2. The pressure drop in two serpentine flow fields of different geometric characteristics has been measured over a range of Reynolds numbers. Further analysis using computational fluid dynamics simulations brings out the importance of the compression of the porous medium as an additional parameter in determining the flow distribution and pressure drop in these flow fields. | battery |
The air electrodes with high activity toward oxygen electrocatalysis and high stability are essential for high-performance Zn-air batteries. Herein, we report an electrode made of Al and Co co-doped NiO nanosheets, which are directly grown on the surfaces of carbon cloth without the addition of binders, facilitating the transport of electrons. Additionally, the hierarchical structure shortens the length for species transport and provides abundant active sites for reactions. In the alkaline solution, the Al and Co co-doped NiO electrode exhibits higher activity in both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions than the pristine NiO electrode without doping and superior stability. When assembled in a Zn-air battery, impressively, this electrode results in stable charge-discharge voltage gaps and energy efficiency of 62% over 1000 cycles (330 h) at 5 mA cm−2. In comparison, a battery with the electrode made of Pt/C and Ir/C shows large voltage gaps and can only be operated for 400 cycles. The characterization of the electrode after cycling illustrates that both the nanosheet morphology and the NiO phase are well maintained. The results demonstrate that the carbon cloth with Al and Co co-doped NiO nanosheets is a promising air electrode to enable the high cycling stability of rechargeable Zn-air batteries. | battery |
Changing world politics and military emphasis have brought considerable pressure on space agency financial budgets and a shift to increasing commercialisation of space activities. Budgetary pressure, coupled with the rapid advancement of commercial and consumer micro-electronics, has catalysed the use of smaller and more computationally capable satellites as a ‘faster, cheaper, better’ means of realising space missions - complementary to conventional large satellite systems. Affordable small satellites, however, require a very different approach compared with established space engineering techniques. | non-battery |
Li-rich layered composite Li[Li0.2Ni0.2Mn0.6]O2 is prepared by a novel approach in which carbon felt acts as a carrier for synthesis reaction. The as-prepared material is characterized by SEM, ICP and XRD, its electrochemical performance is also examined with galvanostatic charge/discharge and CV measurements. It is showed that the facile process controls effectively the particle growth (in size around 100–200 nm) of the composite and its chemical composition. The as-prepared material shows a high initial discharge capacity about 288 mAh g−1 when charged to 4.8 V, and a retained value of 246.8 mAh g−1 in the 40th cycle. The crystalline structure of the composite is simulated further by Material Studio. It is revealed that the composite has a compatible layer structure merged by Li2MnO3 and LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2, which makes substantial contribution to the cycleability of the electrode. In addition, the lithiation/delithiaion properties including charge transfer resistance and lithium ion diffusion coefficient are studied with electrochemical impedance spectra. | battery |
Graphene@NiO/MoO3 composite nanosheet arrays (CSAs) were grown on the nickel foam via a one-step hydrothermal way. The composite of NiO and MoO3 showed a promising synergistic effect for capacitors. Graphene had been integrated to the composite nanosheets to further enhance the electrochemical performance. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. A possible growth mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of the composite nanosheets by carrying out a series of time-dependent experiments. Benefiting from the improved electron conductivity and effective buffering of the volume variation induced by redox reactions, the composite exhibited a high area capacitance of 1.372F cm−2 even at a high current density of 42mAcm−2, and showed excellent cycle stability (62.7% of the initial capacitance after 7500 cycles, while 87.9% remained in the latter 7000 cycles). | battery |
With the growing popularity of various internet of things sensors and portable devices, such as smartphones and smartwatches, the demand for power generation sources for driving such electronic devices is becoming increasingly important and challenging. If we rely on batteries to drive all of the sensors related to Internet of things, most of the IoT would be impossible. Here, we report the exciting possibilities for the use of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) toward real-time self-powered electronics, such as a smartphone-to-smartwatch telecommunication over Bluetooth via the capacitors charged by the TENGs, a self-powered pulse sensor, and a real-time self-powered calculator. To achieve the high-output power of the TENGs, we focused on multiple strategic points such as device structures, contacted materials, and mechanical systems, as well as circuit design methods of enhancing the charging efficiency to the energy storage device. The novel integration scheme of TENGs made it generate areal output power of approximately 3 mW/cm2 under a low frequency of 3 Hz through a gear-cam system. Based on these results, fast-chargeable portable power-supplying systems for the continuous self-powered electronic systems were successfully developed. | battery |
The Russian power system is diversified regionally and consists of one Unified Power System (UPS) and multiple isolated power systems. In the Russian Federation the policy on the use of renewable energies has been one of the most debated topics in recent years. In 2010, the Russian Renewable Energy Program was launched which aims to generate 4.5% of the entire electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2020. These energy resources can significantly contribute to both the reduction of electricity generation costs in the Isolated Power Systems (IPS) and to the creation of new job opportunities. In this study an innovative methodology for the planning of isolated power systems is presented. The methodology is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and on the software program HOMER Energy®. It considers the economic, social and environmental criteria for the optimal planning of isolated systems. A case study related to a small Siberian isolated power system is analyzed. | battery |
In this paper, an investigation has been made on the effects of the annealing at 1273K for 7h on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of the low Co-containing hydrogen storage alloy MlNi3.8Co0.3Mn0.3Al0.4Fe0.2 for nickel/metal hydride (Ni/MH) battery electrode. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and metallographic examinations show that annealing has no significant effect on the phase constituent and structure of the alloy, but can make the crystal lattice strain and composition segregation decrease, the dendrite structure disappear and the crystalline grain grow. The annealing at 1273K for 7h causes an increase in the maximum discharge capacity of the alloy electrode. Annealing can also bring about a decrease in the plateau potential and a considerable increase in the cycling stability of MlNi3.8Co0.3Mn0.3Al0.4Fe0.2 alloy electrode. The mechanism of the improvement in the cycling stability was discussed based on the alloy crystallographic structure and microstructure change due to annealing. | battery |
Despite its importance in every-day life and vocational rehabilitation, arithmetic ability has rarely been investigated in schizophrenic patients. Those few studies reporting arithmetic deficits in schizophrenia, however, administered complex calculation tasks which drew not only on arithmetic abilities, but also on working memory resources known to be impaired in schizophrenia. In the present study, arithmetic abilities and working memory functions were investigated in schizophrenic patients (n=24) and healthy control subjects (n=24). Arithmetic fact retrieval was assessed in single-digit multiplication and corresponding division problems using a result verification task which minimized working memory demands. Problem size and the disparity of the proposed result were manipulated. The storage component of working memory was tested with a digit span forward task and the executive control component with a digit span backward as well as with verbal fluency tasks. Schizophrenic patients performed worse than controls only in the executive tasks. Digit span forward was preserved. In the arithmetic tasks, groups did not differ from each other, and a similar pattern of task manipulations was obtained. Hence, despite the executive control deficit retrieval of arithmetic facts is preserved in schizophrenia. Moreover, the same underlying cognitive processes as in control subjects are involved. | non-battery |
The biological function and origin of m6A in DNA have been widely debated. A new study demonstrates that the majority of m6A in DNA originates from RNA catabolism via a nucleotide salvage pathway.
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Neuropsychological impairment is ubiquitous in schizophrenia even at the first presentation of psychotic symptoms. We sought to elucidate the nature of the neuropsychological profile at the onset of the illness by examining the neuropsychological functioning of 40 patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis and 22 matched controls. All participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tasks designed to assess attention, verbal learning/memory, non-verbal memory, spatial ability, psychomotor speed, and executive function. First-episode patients showed significant impairment on tasks of executive function, including those requiring the ability to form and initiate a strategy, to inhibit prepotent responses, and to shift cognitive set, and also on tasks of verbal fluency. Memory impairments were seen on verbal learning and delayed non-verbal memory only. Impairment on tasks of psychomotor speed suggests that there may be a significant amount of cognitive slowing even at the first onset of psychosis. We suggest that our patients may be experiencing difficulty in specific aspects of executive functions, including the ability to form and execute a strategy, and these difficulties may be mediating the deficits observed on tasks of verbal learning. | non-battery |
During valve regulated lead/acid (VRLA) battery production bottlenecks occurring on the production line can result in varying delays between the different stages of production thus acting as a source of inconsistencies between batches. This paper describes a study conducted to determine the effects of different soaking times between the ‘acid fill’ and ‘formation’ stages of production. X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrical testing have been used to study the compositional and morphological aspects of the positive active material just prior and after formation. Results indicate that paste compositions are effected by the time period between acid fill and formation. However, electrical test results and SEM examination of formed pastes suggest that soaking time is unlikely to affect the resulting battery performance. | battery |
To gain new insights into the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) as a basis for the safe and efficient use of new anode materials, SEI formation on silicon and lithium titanate (LTO) anodes was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. EIS measurements performed at equidistant voltage intervals provided insights into SEI formation; ex situ XPS measurements supplied data on the chemical composition of the SEI layer. On the silicon anodes, a reduction of the resistance in the second cycle was observed, which suggests the formation of a stable SEI with SiO2, Li4SiO4, LiF, and different carbonates as its main components. On the LTO anodes, however, the resistance increased by a factor of two, indicating incomplete SEI formation. Here, LiF and different carbonates were identified as the SEI’s main components. | battery |
Lithium-sulfur battery, one of the most promising rechargeable electrochemical systems, has suffered several technical obstacles, such as rapid capacity fading and safety concerns. The former mainly result from the “shuttle” mechanism due to the dissolution of the reaction intermediates lithium polysulfides; the latter can be attributed to the highly flammable electrolyte. To overcome these problems, we prepared a series of Li-S battery electrolytes based on ionic liquid of (N-methoxyethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-imide, P1,2O1TFSI) and cosolvents of tris(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (TEGDME) with lithium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-imide (LiTFSI) as lithium salt. The electrolyte provides a counterbalance between shuttle suppression and solubility of lithium polysulfides by combining the ionic liquid and TEGDME in the optimum mass ratio of 7:3. The 0.4molkg−1 LiTFSI-P1,2O1TFSI/(30wt%) TEGDME electrolyte exhibits good ion transport (room temperature ionic conductivity of 4.303mScm−1) and safety (self-extinguishing time of 4.8sg−1). The Li-S batteries with the 0.4molkg−1 LiTFSI-P1,2O1TFSI/(30wt%) TEGDME electrolyte possess the high discharge capacity (1212.8mAhg−1 for the first cycle at 0.1C), excellent rate capability (886.5mAhg−1 at 1C) and good cycling performance (capacity retention of 93.3% after 100 cycles with the coulombic efficiency above 95% at 1C). Moreover, this electrolyte could operate at 80°C in Li-S cells indicating the excellent high temperature performance. This research gives a new insight for designing ionic liquid-based electrolyte for the safe Li-S batteries with high performance. | battery |
In this study, a 2-D, transient vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) model was used to investigate and compare the ion transport mechanisms responsible for vanadium crossover in Nafion® 117 and sulfonated Radel (s-Radel) membranes. Specifically, the model was used to distinguish the relative contribution of diffusion, migration, osmotic and electro-osmotic convection to the net vanadium crossover in Nafion® and s-Radel. Model simulations indicate that diffusion is the dominant mode of vanadium transport in Nafion®, whereas convection dominates the vanadium transport through s-Radel due to the lower vanadium permeability, and thus diffusivity of s-Radel. Among the convective transport modes, electro-osmotic convection (i.e., electro-osmotic drag) is found to govern the species crossover in s-Radel due to its higher fixed acid concentration and corresponding free ions in the membrane. Simulations also show that vanadium crossover in s-Radel changes direction during charge and discharge due to the change in the direction of electro-osmotic convection. This reversal in the direction of crossover during charge and discharge is found to result in significantly lower “net” crossover for s-Radel when compared to Nafion®. Comparison of these two membranes also provides guidance for minimizing crossover in VRFB systems and underscores the importance of measuring the hydraulic and the electro-kinetic permeability of a membrane in addition to vanadium diffusion characteristics, when evaluating new membranes for VRFB applications. | battery |
Background: Psychotic patients consistently demonstrate 'jumping to conclusions' (JTC) on a cognitive task compared to matched controls. This study aimed to examine this phenomenon in first-episode psychosis patients and controls, and assess whether those who show the bias have worse IQ, clinical and cognitive insight. Methods: The study used a case-control design to assess differences in reasoning, IQ and cognitive insight between patients and controls. Differences in clinical insight in patients with and without JTC were also assessed. First-presentation psychotic patients (N=62) were recruited to the Genetics and Psychosis (GAP) study. A healthy comparison group (N=57) was recruited from the same area. The beads task (JTC) was administered. Subjects completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale and a neuropsychological battery. Patients were assessed with the clinician-rated Schedule for the Assessment of Insight. Chi-squared tests, independent samples t-tests and binomial logistic regression were used in analysis. Results: Patients demonstrated more JTC responses than controls (45.2% vs. 24.6%, p=0.019). Patients and controls who showed JTC bias had lower IQ (p<0.001), but not cognitive insight. Patients who showed JTC bias had lower 'recognition of illness' (p=0.037). Binary logistic regression suggested that IQ predicts whether subjects would show JTC better than case-control status. Discussion: JTC bias is linked to several other 'deficits'. Specifically they show lower IQ and clinical insight. IQ is the best predictor of showing JTC bias. Further work should investigate which specific cognitive domains are linked to JTC, and whether these overlap with deficits seen with clinical insight. | non-battery |
Spinel zinc manganate as a promising cathode material of zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) has received extensive attention owing to its advantages of high voltage platform, high abundance of raw material, low cost, non-toxicity and environmental friendliness. However, its inherent poor electrical conductivity and large volume expansion usually result in a low specific discharge capacity, fast capacity decay and poor cycling stability, which hinder its practical application. To alleviate these problems, graphene-wrapped hollow ZnMn2O4 microspheres (rGO@HM-ZMO) were prepared. The attachment of rGO successfully enhances the electronic conductivity and decreases the charge transfer resistance, and the hollow architecture can effectively alleviate the changes of crystal structure during the repeated Zn2+ insertion/extraction process. The resulting rGO@HM-ZMO electrode exhibits a superior specific discharge capacity of 146.9 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.3 A g−1 and impressive cycling stability which retains a capacity of around 72.7 mAh g−1 without fading after 650 cycles at a high rate of 1 A g−1, which are superior to some reported cathode materials of ZIBs. These electrochemical results suggest the rGO@HM-ZMO composite could be a competitive cathode material of ZIBs. | battery |
MDL QSAR (formerly SciVision QSAR IS) software is one of the several software systems under evaluation by the Informatics and Computational Safety Analysis Staff (ICSAS) of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for regulatory and scientific decision support applications. MDL QSAR software contains an integrated set of tools for similarity searching, compound clustering, and modeling molecular structure related parameters that includes 240 electrotopological E-state, connectivity, and other descriptors. These molecular descriptors can be statistically correlated with toxicological or biological endpoints. The goal of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of using MDL QSAR software to develop structure–activity relationship (SAR) models that can be used to predict the carcinogenic potential of pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals. A validation study of 108 compounds that include 86 pharmaceuticals and 22 chemicals that were not present in a control rodent carcinogenicity data set of 1275 compounds demonstrated that MDL QSAR models had excellent coverage (93%) and good sensitivity (72%) and specificity (72%) for rodent carcinogenicity. The software correctly predicted 72% of non-carcinogenic compounds and compounds with carcinogenic findings. E-state descriptors contributed to more than half of the SAR models used to predict carcinogenic activity. We believe that electrotopological E-state descriptors and QSAR IS (MDL QSAR) software are promising new in silico approaches for modeling and predicting rodent carcinogenicity and may have application for other toxicological endpoints. | non-battery |
An efficient graphite electrode has been developed using expanded graphite as the starting material. A graphite plate has been expanded by doping with potassium vapour using a vapour incorporation technique developed at our laboratory. The extent of expansion of the electrode plate is about 20% of its initial thickness. These expanded graphite electrodes have been platinized by an electrodeposition method. The electrocatalytic activity of platinized expanded graphite has been examined, and the discharge profile of a conventional laboratory model fuel cell comprising a platinized Pt air cathode, expanded platinized graphite anode and sulphuric acid (2M) as electrolyte has been measured. Analysis of the electrochemical parameters of the laboratory model cell clearly indicates that the expanded Pt graphite electrode shows better electrochemical behaviour towards methanol (1M), ethanol (1M) and propanol (1M) oxidation than that of unexpanded graphite electrodes. The results are explained in terms of efficient electrocatalytic activity of the nano channel formed after the expansion. These electrodes are expected to have promising applications in fuel cells. | battery |
Recently, it has been clearly elucidated that nanostructured Si-based composites hybridized with protective and conductive materials can present enhanced electrochemical performance as anodes for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). One of remaining issues is to develop a sustainable and economic method to synthesize these composites on a large scale for industrial applications. Herein, we introduce a modified magnesiothermic reaction route to prepare the aforementioned Si-based composite electrodes using sea-sand derived Mg2Si as a reactive precursor. Owing to its reducibility and lability, Mg2Si can readily reduce group IVA oxides, such as Na2CO3, SiO2, GeO2, and SnO2, resulting in macroporous Si surrounded by the reduced forms of the counter reactants (C, Si, Ge, and Sn, respectively), some of which can be electrochemically attractive. Notably, the porous Si-based composite can be synthesized by a simple solid state reaction, so simplicity and scalability can be obtained. Also, the sea sand precursor is naturally–abundant; hence this process can be cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable. Porous Si@C composite can be synthesized from the modified magnesiothermic reaction using a sea sand-derived Mg2Si precursor, showing a specific capacity of 1000 mAh/g at 200th cycle. Potentially this process can be used for practical synthesis of Si-based composites. | battery |
The electrochemical performance of gel electrolytes based on crosslinked poly[ethyleneoxide-co-2-(2-methoxyethyoxy)ethyl glycidyl ether-co-allyl glycidyl ether] was investigated using graphite/Li1.1[Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3]0.9O2 lithium-ion cells. It was found that the conductivity of the crosslinked gel electrolytes was as high as 5.9mS/cm at room temperature, which is very similar to that of the conventional organic carbonate liquid electrolytes. Moreover, the capacity retention of lithium-ion cells comprising gel electrolytes was also similar to that of cells with conventional electrolytes. Despite of the high conductivity of the gel electrolytes, the rate capability of lithium-ion cells comprising gel electrolytes is inferior to that of the conventional cells. The difference was believed to be caused by the poor wettability of gel electrolytes on the electrode surfaces. | battery |
Canopy transpiration of mature Jeffrey pine was compared in "mesic" and "xeric" microsites differing in topographical position, bole growth, and the level of drought stress experienced. Diurnal and seasonal course of canopy transpiration was monitored with thermal dissipation probes in 1999 and 2000. Mid-canopy measures of diurnal foliar stomatal conductance (gs) were taken in June and August in 1999. In early summer, there was little difference between trees in either microsite with regard to gs (55 mmol H2O m−2s−1), canopy transpiration (4.0 l h−1), and total duration of active transpiration (12 h >0.03 l h−1). In late summer, xeric trees had a lower daily maximum gs (by 30%), a greater reduction in whole canopy transpiration relative to the seasonal maximum (66 vs 79%), and stomata were open 2 h less per day than in mesic trees. Based on leaf-level gas exchange measurements, trees in mesic sites had an estimated 46% decrease in O3 uptake from June to August. Xeric trees had an estimated 72% decrease over the same time period. A multivariate analysis of morphological and tissue chemistry attributes in mid-canopy elucidated differences in mesic and xeric tree response. Mesic trees exhibited more O3 injury than xeric trees based on reduced foliar nitrogen content and needle retention in mid-canopy.
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All solid-state thin film battery was prepared with conventional sputtering technologies. Low conductivity of lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) electrolyte and higher resistance at the interface of LiCoO2/LiPON was crucial for the development of thin film battery. Presence of thermally treated Al2O3 thin film at the interface of LiCoO2/LiPON decreased the interfacial resistance and increased the discharge capacity with the better cycling behaviors. Surface analysis and electrochemical impedance measurement indicate the formation of solid solution LiCo1−y Al y O2 at the interface of LiCoO2/LiPON. | battery |
Adaptive estimation of the state-of-charge (SoC) for batteries is increasingly appealing, thanks to its ability to accommodate uncertain or time-varying model parameters. We propose to improve the adaptive SoC estimation using multiple models in this study, developing a unique algorithm called MM-AdaSoC. Specifically, two submodels in state-space form are generated from a modified Nernst battery model. Both are shown to be locally observable with admissible inputs. The iterated extended Kalman filter (IEKF) is then applied to each submodel in parallel, estimating simultaneously the SoC variable and unknown parameters. The SoC estimates obtained from the two separately implemented IEKFs are fused to yield the final overall SoC estimates, which tend to have higher accuracy than those obtained from a single-model. Its effectiveness is demonstrated using simulation and experiments. The notion of multi-model estimation can be extended promisingly to the development of many other advanced battery management and control strategies. | battery |
Social withdrawal during adolescence and early adulthood is particularly problematic due to the increasing importance of social interactions during these ages. Yet little is known about the changes, trajectories, or correlates of being withdrawn during this transition to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine the normative change and distinct trajectories of withdrawal in order to identify adolescents and early adults at greatest risk for maladjustment. Participants were from a Dutch population-based cohort study (Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey), including 1917 adolescents who were assessed at four waves from the age of 16 to 25 years. Five items from the Youth Self Report and Adult Self Report were found to be measurement invariant and used to assess longitudinal changes in social withdrawal. Overall, participants followed a U-shaped trajectory of social withdrawal, where withdrawal decreased from ages 16 to 19 years, remained stable from 19 to 22 years, and increased from 22 to 25 years. Furthermore, three distinct trajectory classes of withdrawal emerged: a low-stable group (71.8%), a high-decreasing group (12.0%), and a low-curvilinear group (16.2%). The three classes differed on: shyness, social affiliation, reduced social contact, anxiety, and antisocial behaviors. The high-decreasing group endorsed the highest social maladjustment, followed by the low-curvilinear group, and the low-stable group was highly adjusted. We discuss the potential contribution of the changing social network in influencing withdrawal levels, the distinct characteristics of each trajectory group, and future directions in the study of social withdrawal in adolescence and early adulthood.
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This paper seeks to better understand how one plausible development in a green energy economy transition of the transport sector can be governed: a breakthrough of battery-electric vehicles (BEV). Drawing on recent results and lessons from BEV studies at local, national and regional scales, the paper presents two alternative scenarios of BEV uptake until 2030 – one incremental growth scenario and one breakthrough scenario. It then draws on the multilevel perspective (MLP) on socio-technical systems as an approach to identify the governance implications of the breakthrough scenario. Based on a characterisation of barriers and drivers at landscape, regime and niche levels, it identifies governance interventions to enable a BEV breakthrough. The results point towards a multidimensional governance approach that includes conventional policy instruments such as durable incentive policies, with a predictable mechanism for adjustment and phase-out, and mechanisms for mobilising investment finance for fast and super-fast charging and home charging along public roads. In addition, more innovation-systems oriented governance is required, such as familiarisation and experience building to ease cognitive barriers and build knowledge for both consumers and businesses, and supporting structural and technological change within automotive industries. | battery |
The absorption of vanadium to Nafion® was investigated through ex-situ isotherm and conductivity measurements at 23 °C. The data show a maximum loss of ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 30% for all four oxidation states of vanadium. The affinity of vanadium for N115 was measured by back titration and atomic absorption (AA) and characterized by isotherms at 23 °C, and the affinity is highest for the divalent species and lowest for the pentavalent species in the following order: VO2 + (V5+) < VO2+ (V4+) < V3+ < V2+. Steric hindrance from the associated water complex may explain the lower absorption of vanadium compared to alkali metals. The conductivity for the VO2+ (minimum affinity)-exchanged membrane was 2–3× lower than the sodium-exchanged membrane at an approximate RH = 100%. | battery |
Battery state of charge is a crucial indicator of battery management systems since an accurate estimated state of charge is critical to ensure the safety and reliability of the battery. However, polarization during the discharge process can affect the dischargeable capacity in the state-of-charge definition. Moreover, a nonlinear drop of the state-of-charge may lead to misjudgment of the remaining-dischargeable-time. To address these issues, the voltage-based state of charge is defined to reduce the effects of polarization and reflect the upper bound of the remaining capacity of the battery. This paper proposes a particle filter based open circuit voltage online estimation method to achieve the voltage-based state of charge. On this basis, an open-loop remaining-dischargeable-time prediction algorithm using the voltage-based state of charge is introduced. Static and dynamic tests are presented to identify battery model parameters as well as the relationship between available capacity and voltage-based state of charge. Two definitions of the state of charge definition are applied in the prognostics architecture. Results are compared and evaluated concerning the accuracy of the voltage tracking and the relative error of the remaining-dischargeable-time prediction. The comparison results show that prognostics via voltage-based state of charge has a lower prediction relative error under different current and temperature conditions. Therefore, the voltage-based state of charge is more suitable for the remaining-dischargeable-time forecast. | battery |
Rechargeable metal-ion batteries are considered promising electric storage systems to meet the emerging demand from electric vehicles, electronics, and electric grids. Thus far, secondary Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have seen great advances in terms of both their energy and their power density. However, safety issues remain a challenge. Therefore, rechargeable Al-ion batteries (AIBs) with a highly reliable safety advantage and active electrochemical performances have gathered intensive attention. However, the common issue for these two metal-ion batteries is the lack of cathode materials. Many advanced electrode materials reported provide greatly enhanced electrochemical properties. However, their inherent disadvantages—such as complicated fabrication procedures, restricted manufacturing parameters, and the requirement of expensive instruments—limits their potential for further applications. In this work, we demonstrate the high electrochemical activity of the lanthanide element, Sm, towards storing charges when used in both LIBs and AIBs. Lanthanide elements are often overlooked; however, they generally have attractive electrochemical properties owing to their unpaired electrons. We employed starch as both a low-cost carbon source and as a three-dimensional support for Sm metal nanoparticles. The composite product is fabricated using a one-pot wet-chemical method, followed by a simultaneous carbonization process. As a result, highly improved electrochemical properties are obtained when it is used as a cathode material for both LIBs and AIBs when compared to bare starch-derived C. Our results may introduce a new avenue toward the design of high-performance electrode materials for LIBs and AIBs.
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Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) are considered as a promising alternative to traditional rechargeable batteries due to their high theoretical capacity, low cost, and multivalent-ion/multi-electron transfer, but are hindered from commercialization by the lack of suitable cathode materials. Herein, an aluminum-selenium (Al-Se) battery that operates at room temperature with high energy efficiency is reported. This Al-Se battery exhibits high selenium utilization with a discharge capacity of 607 mAh g−1, a reduced overpotential, and high volumetric capacity for over 100 cycles. Furthermore, ex-situ spectroscopic and microscopic investigations of the Se cathodes indicated the existence of an aluminum selenide component as the discharge product. Additionally, in-situ transmission electron microscopy provided not only insights into understanding the Al-Se electrochemistry, but also a real-time characterization technique to evaluate the electrochemistry of AIBs in general. | battery |
We have developed a seafloor acoustic ranging system to monitor local seafloor crustal deformation. In August 2007 we carried out an experiment to estimate the long-term stability of acoustic measurements collected by the system. We deployed four precision acoustic transponders with about 920m and 590m spacing at the depth of 2035m in Kumano-nada, southeast coast Japan, and we collected acoustic ranges for 4months. The observed round-trip travel times showed a variation with peak-to-peak amplitude of about 0.75m in the range. It was confirmed that most of the variation could be explained by changes in sound speed. The standard deviation in the acoustic measurements was about 1.0cm after the correction for sound speed, and the average value of the ranges remained constant within 1cm. | non-battery |
Hydrothermal/solvothermal reactions have been widely used over the years for the low temperature synthesis of inorganic compounds. New twists on such synthesis approaches were developed so as to prepare highly performing phosphate or silicate electrode materials at low cost. Herein we review the use of: (1) “Latent bases” to wisely monitor the reaction and (2) ionic liquids rather than water as reaction media to conduct the solvothermal process. The richness and versatility of such approaches towards the elaboration of a wide class of materials having controlled size and shape is highlighted. Ionothermal synthesis is shown to hold great promises for innovative inorganic synthesis. | non-battery |
This chapter examines government policy alternatives for protecting the environment. We compare environmentally motivated taxes and various non-tax environmental policy instruments in terms of their efficiency and distributional impacts. Much of the analysis is performed in a second-best setting where the government relies on distortionary taxes to finance some of its budget. The chapter indicates that in this setting, general-equilibrium considerations have first-order importance in the evaluation of environmental policies. Indeed, some of the most important impacts of environmental policies take place outside of the market that is targeted for regulation. Section 2 examines the optimal level of environmental taxes, both in the absence of other taxes and in the second-best setting. Section 3 analyzes the impacts of environmental tax reforms, concentrating on revenue-neutral policies in which revenues from environmental taxes are used to finance cuts in ordinary, distortionary taxes. Here we explore in particular the circumstances under which the “recycling” of revenues from environmental taxes through cuts in distortionary taxes can eliminate the non-environmental costs of such reforms – an issue that has sparked considerable interest in recent years. Section 4 compares environmental taxes with other policy instruments – including emissions quotas, performance standards, and subsidies to abatement – in economies with pre-existing distortionary taxes. We first compare these instruments assuming that policymakers face no uncertainties as to firms’ abatement costs or the benefits of environmental improvement, and then expand the analysis to explore how uncertainty on the part of regulators and the associated monitoring and enforcement costs affect the choice among alternative policy instruments. Section 5 concentrates on the trade-offs between efficiency and distribution in a second-best setting. Section 6 offers conclusions. | non-battery |
In this paper, relative life cycle economic analysis (LCEA) of stand-alone solar PV modules is performed with respect to portable fossil fuel driven power sources to test their commercial prospects in remote regions of Bangladesh which do not have a direct access to grid supply. Overall life time expenditures related to the power projects are analyzed and compared with the help of net present worth (NPW) theory. The influence of market controlling factors like government subsidies, excess inflation over the general trend, and price hike are established with case study of medium-scale petrol–diesel generators (0.8–10kW) and solar photovoltaic modules (100Wp). It is found that the cost effectiveness of conventional or ‘green’ power driven sources depends on kW rating of generators and daily demand on customer-end in the context of a developing country like Bangladesh. The demand coverage which would determine the commercial viability of renewable and non-renewable sources is calculated considering pragmatic power rating of generators available in the local market. This study is intended to assist planning of financial matters with regard to installing small to medium scale renewable projects in remote localities of Bangladesh. | battery |
Phytoremediation is a novel treatment option for weathered, hydrocarbon contaminated, flare-pit soil in prairie ecosystems. The remediation potential of six different naturalized prairie plants was assessed by examining their impact on the degradation potential of indigenous bacterial communities. Culture-based and culture-independent microbiological methods were used to determine if mixed plant treatments stimulate different microbial communities and catabolic genotypes in comparison to individual plant species that comprise the mix. DGGE analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes revealed that alfalfa (Medicago sativa) had a dominant effect on the structure of rhizosphere microbial communities in mixed plant treatments, stimulating relative increases in specific Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria populations. Alfalfa and mixes containing alfalfa, while supporting 100 times more culturable PAH degraders than other treatments, exhibited only 10% TPH reduction, less than all planted treatments except perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne). Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) reduction was greatest in single-species grass treatments, with creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra) reducing the TPH concentration by 50% after 4.5 months. Overall TPH reduction throughout the study was positively correlated ( p < 0.001 ) to culturable n-hexadecane degraders. | non-battery |
Increasing the specific capacity and cycle life of graphitic carbon anodes is crucial for realizing high-performance lithium ion batteries. Herein, we introduce a new class of graphitic carbon anodes comprising highly ordered three-dimensional nanostructures decorated with SnO2 nanoparticles. The inch-scale, nanostructured graphitic carbon matrices are prepared by supported pyrolysis of epoxy templates patterned by advanced optical lithography. During the subsequent decoration process, the SnO2 nanoparticles are densely formed on the matrix without agglomeration since the periodic nanostructured matrix provides a homogeneous site for nucleation and growth. The surface coverage of the decorated SnO2 nanoparticles and the mass relative to the graphitic carbon are >80% and ∼50 wt%, respectively. The resulting nanostructured C/SnO2 composite monoliths can be assembled solely into LIB coin cells without the aid of binders and conducting agents. The achieved specific capacity and retention are 692 mAh g−1 and 87.31% (at 70th cycle), respectively, which is superior to those of nanostructured carbon anodes prepared in a similar way. | battery |
Real-time prediction of the battery's core temperature and terminal voltage is very crucial for an accurate battery management system. In this paper, a combined electrochemical, heat generation, and thermal model is developed for large prismatic cells. The proposed model consists of three sub-models, an electrochemical model, heat generation model, and thermal model which are coupled together in an iterative fashion through physicochemical temperature dependent parameters. The proposed parameterization cycles identify the sub-models’ parameters separately by exciting the battery under isothermal and non-isothermal operating conditions. The proposed combined model structure shows accurate terminal voltage and core temperature prediction at various operating conditions while maintaining a simple mathematical structure, making it ideal for real-time BMS applications. Finally, the model is validated against both isothermal and non-isothermal drive cycles, covering a broad range of C-rates, and temperature ranges [−25 °C to 45 °C]. | battery |
In terms of advances in technology, especially electronic devices for human use, there are needs for miniaturization, low power, and flexibility. However, there are problems that can be caused by these changes in terms of battery life and size. In order to compensate for these problems, research on energy harvesting using environmental energy (mechanical energy, thermal energy, solar energy etc.) has attracted attention. Ferroelectric materials which have switchable dipole moment are promising for energy harvesting fields because of its special properties such as strong dipole moment, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity. The strong dipole moment in ferroelectric materials can increase internal potential and output power of energy harvesters. In this review, we will provide an overview of the recent research on various energy harvesting fields using ferroelectrics. A brief introduction to energy harvesting and the properties of the ferroelectric material are described, and applications to energy harvesters to improve output power are described as well. | non-battery |
A core-shell hybrid material of amorphous hydrous RuO2-coated carbon nanotubes (CNT–RuO2) with a RuO2 loading as high as 82.4wt% was prepared by a solution method using RuCl3 and NaHCO3 aqueous solutions. The effect of preparation conditions, especially the dripping speed of the NaHCO3 solution, on the formation of the core-shell structure was investigated, and the corresponding mechanism was discussed. Supercapacitive properties of the CNT–RuO2 and amorphous hydrous RuO2 electrodes with a thickness of over 200μm were studied and the crucial factors to govern their rate capability were analyzed. For the thick CNT–RuO2 electrode, a comparison of its specific capacitance before and after subtracting the effect of the voltage drop of discharge curves caused by the inner resistance of the CNT–RuO2 symmetrical supercapacitor indicates that electronic conductivity is more important than proton diffusion in determining its rate capability. | battery |
Plugin and hybrid vehicles have been shown to offer possible reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, depending on grid-carbon-intensity, range and thus life-cycle battery emissions and vehicle weight, and on trip patterns. We present a framework that enables GHG comparisons (well-to-wheel plus storage manufacturing) for three drivetrains (pure-electric, gasoline-hybrid, and plugin-hybrid), both for individual vehicles and for fleets. The framework captures effects of grid- versus vehicle-based electricity generation, grid transmission and charging losses, and manufacturing and carrying batteries. In contrast to previous work, GHG comparisons can be obtained for heterogeneous fleets of varying vehicle sizes (cars, vans, buses, trucks) and performances, without requiring forecasting of such vehicle specs and their respective market penetrations. Further, we show how a novel adaptation of the Utility Factor concept from plug-in-hybrids to mixed fleets of battery-only and gasoline-hybrids is crucial to quantifying battery-only-vehicles’ impact on fleet-wide GHG. To account for regional variations and possible future technology improvements, we show scenarios over a wide spectrum of grid-carbon-intensities (50–1200gCO2e/kWh at wall), vehicle range (∼5–500km), battery energy densities, and battery life-cycle GHG. Model uncertainties are quantified via sensitivity tests. Applying the framework to trip patterns of US passenger transportation, we find that owing to the interplay of GHG/km, battery size, all-electric range, and trip patterns, GHG reductions achievable from electrified transportation are smaller than previously considered (e.g., 55% reduction instead of 80%; scenario-dependent), even when assuming largely decarbonized grid-electricity. Optimal battery range that achieves lowest GHG for partially electrified fleets is different for plug-in hybrids versus pure electrics and furthermore varies strongly (∼35 to ∼200km) with the predominant carbon-intensity of the grid. | battery |
Supercapacitors capable of providing high voltage, energy and power density but yet light, low volume occupying, flexible and mechanically robust are highly interesting and demanded for portable applications. Herein, freestanding flexible hybrid electrodes based on MnO2 nanoparticles grown on macroscopic carbon nanotube fibers (CNTf-MnO2) were fabricated, without the need of any metallic current collector. The CNTf, a support with excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical stability, and appropriate pore structure, was homogeneously decorated with porous akhtenskite ɛ-MnO2 nanoparticles produced via electrodeposition in an optimized organic-aqueous mixture. Electrochemical properties of these decorated fibers were evaluated in different electrolytes including a neutral aqueous solution and a pure 1-butyl-3-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquid (PYR14TFSI). This comparison helps discriminate the various contributions to the total capacitance: (surface) Faradaic and non-Faradaic processes, improved wetting by aqueous electrolytes. Accordingly, symmetric supercapacitors with PYR14TFSI led to a high specific energy of 36 Wh· kg MnO 2 − 1 (16 Wh·kg−1 including the weight of CNTf) and real specific power of 17 kW· kg MnO 2 − 1 (7.5 kW kg−1) at 3.0 V with excellent cycling stability. Moreover, flexible all solid-state supercapacitors were fabricated using PYR14TFSI-based polymer electrolyte, exhibiting maximum energy density of 21 Wh·kg−1 and maximum power density of 8 kW kg−1 normalized by total active material. | battery |
We assess the near-term market for vehicle-to-grid electric vehicles (V2G–EVs) using an internet-based contingent-valuation survey. V2G–EVs are a special breed of electric vehicles used to return power to the grid for ancillary service support or during periods of peak electricity demand. Whether or not these vehicles are economically viable is of interest to policy makers and utility companies. We estimate a demand function for V2G–EVs, consider the importance of different vehicle attributes on demand, and then assess their likelihood of near-term success on the market. To assess the potential market, we compared consumer’s willingness to pay for V2G–EVs with the estimated cost of V2G–EVs under different scenarios of battery cost projection. We found, in all scenarios, WTP estimates are lower than projected costs. Range anxiety, stringent V2G contract, and high battery costs are the primary reasons for the outcome. | battery |
Glutamate (Glu) is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the Central Nervous System (CNS). Ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors (GluRs) are present in neurons and glial cells and are involved in gene expression regulation. Mitogen-activated proteins kinases (MAPK) are critical for all the membrane to nuclei signaling pathways described so far. In cerebellar Bergmann glial cells, glutamate-dependent transcriptional regulation is partially dependent on p42/44 MAPK activity. Another member of this kinase family, p38 MAPK is activated by non-mitogenic stimuli through its Thr180/Tyr182 phosphorylation and phosphorylates cytoplasmic and nuclear protein targets involved in translational and transcriptional events. Taking into consideration that the role of p38MAPK in glial cells is not well understood, we demonstrate here that glutamate increases p38 MAPK phosphorylation in a time and dose dependent manner in cultured chick cerebellar Bergmann glial cells (BGC). Moreover, p38 MAPK is involved in the glutamate-induced transcriptional activation in these cells. Ionotropic as well as metabotropic glutamate receptors participate in p38 MAPK activation. The present findings demonstrate the involvement of p38 MAPK in glutamate-dependent gene expression regulation in glial cells.
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Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 hollow hierarchical microspheres (LNCM-HS) were successfully synthesized by molten salt method used the as-prepared MnO2 microspheres as the precursor and template. The sharp and well-defined reflection peaks suggest a high crystallization degree of the samples, and no impurities were observed. Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 material obtained is a solid solution consisting of rhombohedral R3-m and monoclinic C2/m group symmetries, which is confirmed by XRD, Raman spectra, and HRTEM. SEM and TEM shows that the hierarchical microspheres of LNCM-HS are composed of primary nano particles with the size of about 50nm. EDS mapping demonstrates that Ni, Mn, Co, and O elements are evenly distributed without any phase separation in LNCM-HS, and the atomic ratio of Mn, Co, Ni is calculated to be 0.54: 0.13: 0.12, which is quite close to the stoichiometry of 0.5 Li2MnO3·0.5LiMn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3O2. LNCM-HS exhibits excellent rate capacity of 309.9 (0.1C), 280.1 (0.3C), 226.5 (0.75C), 178.3 (1C), 139.3 (3C), and 101.0mAhg−1 (5C), respectively, whereas LNCM-bulk cathode displays a discharge capacity of 290.1, 230.0, 163.3, 135.4, 92.7, and 60.2mAhg−1 at the same rates. The improved capacity of LNCM-HS is ascribed to the increased lithium diffusion coefficient and reduced charge transfer resistance. The enhanced electrochemical performances can be attributed to the distinctive hollow microspheres structures, the increase contacting area between electrodes and electrolyte and the buffered volume changes during Li ions intercalation/deintercalation processes. | battery |
Rechargeable metal–air batteries are very attractive because they offer very high theoretical energy densities with the potential to reduce the use of oil and thus to address the key problems of global warming. The concept of lithium–air batteries has existed for almost two decades. We recently proposed a novel and low-cost sodium–air battery system operating at above the melting point of sodium. This paper studies the composition of the SEI formed on freshly deposited sodium metal and the faradaic efficiency of the sodium deposition/dissolution processes. | battery |
Return to activity (RTA) following Achilles tendon surgery assessment criteria has not been generally adopted. A well-defined postsurgical rehabilitation regimen with 3 distinct criteria, yet easy to measure, can be used to assess the ability of patients undergoing Achilles tendon surgery to return to activity. We studied whether if patients were able to meet all 3 criteria, would this show significance in predicting the ability to RTA within a normal range. A total of 219 patients undergoing surgery on the Achilles tendon from 1990 to 2005 were retrospectively studied to evaluate for the ability to perform 5 sets of 25 single-legged concentric heel raises, along with symmetry of calf girth and ankle range of motion. Time of RTA and the ability to meet all 3 parameters was studied. If patients could meet all 3 criteria, they were allowed to RTA. This time postsurgery was recorded in weeks. Of the 219 surgeries reviewed, 149 were on males and 70 on females. Fourteen patients were unable to meet all 3 parameters evaluated above within the proposed time frames. The inability to meet all 3 criteria resulted in a delay to RTA (P = .03). Eleven females had a delay in RTA as compared with 2 males (P < .0001). RTA was different based on procedure. Meeting all 3 criteria was helpful in assessing if patients were able to RTA in the normal range. Patients who were unable to meet all 3 had a delay in RTA. Females were more likely to have a delay in RTA. | non-battery |
In this article, we present a centralized fleet management system (CFMS) for cybernetic vehicles called cybercars. Cybercars are automatically guided vehicles for passenger transport on dedicated networks like amusement parks, shopping centres etc. The users make reservations for the vehicles through phone, internet, kiosk etc and the CFMS schedules the cybercars to pick the users at their respective stations at desired time intervals. The CFMS has centralized control of the routing network and performs pooling of customer requests, scheduling and routing of cybercars to customers, empty cybercars to new services or parking stations and those running below their threshold battery levels to recharging stations. The challenges before CFMS are to assure conflict-free routing, accommodate immediate requests from customers, dynamic updation of vehicle paths and minimize congestion on the whole network. We present the approaches used by CFMS to ensure these functionalities and demonstrate a numerical illustration on a test network. | non-battery |
Due to its significant contribution to global energy usage and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, existing building stock's energy efficiency must improve. Predictive building control promises to contribute to that by increasing the efficiency of building operations. Predictive control complements other means to increase performance such as refurbishments as well as modernizations of systems. This survey reviews recent works and contextualizes these with the current state of the art of interrelated topics in data handling, building automation, distributed control, and semantics. The comprehensive overview leads to seven research questions guiding future research directions. | battery |
3D hierarchical mesoporous structure, micron-sized flowers composed of nickel carbonate hydroxide hydrate (Ni2(CO3)(OH)2·H2O) (NCH) nanopetals were successfully synthesized by single-step facile hydrothermal method. The processing parameters appears to play vital role in governing nano-petaled flowers, provides high electroactive surface area. The mesoporous structure of 3D hierarchical structure offers a specific capacity of 353 mAh/g at a scan rate of 1 mV/s and ∼245 mAh/g under the current density of 1.83 A/g, respectively. The material has outperformed during the cycling stability when tested for the moderate and highest current density of 20 A/g and 40 A/g, respectively; it retained excellent capacity retention of ∼80% and 64%, respectively. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis was employed to probe the charge-transfer kinetics and charge storage performance and found to be in correlation with other charge storage analysis. The outstanding electrochemical performance is accredited to the intrinsic nature of nanostructured NCH, forming a unique miro-3D flower-like morphology. This ingenious synthesis strategy resulted in overall excellent electrochemical properties; indicating the NCH is a potential candidate for high-performance battery-like energy storage applications. | battery |
LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 and LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 composite cathodes were cycled in model cells to study interfacial phenomena that could lead to electrode degradation. Ex situ spectroscopic analysis of the tested cathodes, which suffered substantial power and capacity loss, showed that the state of charge (SOC) of oxide particles on the cathode surface was highly non-uniform despite the deep discharge of the Li-ion cell at the end of the test. The inconsistent kinetic behavior of individual oxide particles was attributed to the degradation of electronic pathways within the composite cathodes. A simple theoretical model based on a distributed network showed that an increase of the contact resistance between composite electrode particles may be responsible for non-uniform local kinetic behavior of individual oxide particles and the overall degradation of electrochemical performance of composite electrodes. | battery |
Objective Anxiety disorders and symptoms are highly prevalent and problematic comorbidities in people with epilepsy (PWE), yet they remain poorly understood and often go undetected. This research aimed to further our understanding about anxiety in PWE. Methods Study 1 assessed the effectiveness of the commonly utilised yet unvalidated measure (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale; HADS-A) to identify DSM-IV anxiety disorders in 147 adult epilepsy outpatients. Results This study found that although the HADS-A had reasonable specificity (75%), its poor sensitivity (61%) and inadequate area under the curve (.68) deemed it unreliable as a screener for anxiety disorders in this population. Methods Study 2 aimed to further our understanding of the relationship between anxiety disorders, as defined by clinical interview, and psychosocial correlates in PWE. One hundred and twenty-two participants from Study 1 completed a battery of psychosocial measures. Results Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of an anxiety disorder was associated with unemployment, which was found to be the only independent predictor. That is, despite the fact that psychosocial factors together contributed to the variance in anxiety disorders none were revealed to be significant independent predictors. Conclusion These findings add to the literature indicating that the HADS may indicate distress, but does not adequately identify people with anxiety disorders and highlights the urgent need for the development of a reliable anxiety screening measure for PWE. Further, the results suggest that anxiety disorders in PWE are likely to be multiply determined with respect to psychosocial factors and require further investigation. | non-battery |
A mathematical model for an anodic half-cell redox-flow lithium-ion battery is derived and complemented with experiments. In short, the model considers conservation of charge and species – two redox shuttle molecules and their ionic counterparts – coupled with electrochemical reactions in the battery and conservation of species coupled with chemical reactions in the tank. Based on quantitative arguments, it is postulated that such a model is sufficient to capture the behavior of the system. This is confirmed by calibrating and validating the model with a training and test set from the experiments respectively – overall, good agreement is found. In particular, the model is able to capture the two distinct charge and discharge regimes that occur in the system as well as the dependence of the overall battery performance on the chemical reactions taking place in the tank. | battery |
Na-air batteries are regarded as a potential alternate to Li-air batteries due to the abundant sodium source and high theoretical energy density. However, non-aqueous Na-air battery suffers from the electrode polarization owing to the formation of insoluble discharge product, which severely limits its cyclability and performance. Herein, a high performance hybrid Na-air cell is demonstrated using a dual electrolyte (mixed aqueous and non-aqueous electrolyte) system and three dimensionally (3D) grown tin sulfide (SnS2) nanopetals based air electrode. 3D SnS2 nanopetals are synthesized by a facile solvothermal method and used as an air electrode material for hybrid Na-air battery. The vertically-grown and self-assembled ultra-thin nanosheets of 3D SnS2 nanopetals provide exposed active sites for the efficient air and electrolyte diffusion to air electrodes, resulting in high performance hybrid Na-air cell. The fabricated hybrid Na-air cell displays low overpotential gap (0.52V), high round trip efficiency (83%), high power density (300mWg−1) and good rechargeability up to 40 cycles. The proposed 3D SnS2 nanopetals as air electrodes can provide a robust platform for the future development of Na-air batteries and other energy storage devices. | battery |
We overview recent results on dynamical systems approach to analysis and design of electricity grids. The first topic is the phenomenology of one type of short-term swing instabilities in multi-machine grids, which is termed the Coherent Swing Instability. The second topic is the design of electricity grid for management of multiple households. These apparently different topics are discussed from the common perspective of dynamical systems theory, that is, high-dimensional oscillatory systems with dominant inertia. | non-battery |
Wristbands are increasingly used for assessing personal chemical exposures. Unlike some exposure assessment tools, guidelines for wristbands, such as preparation, applicable chemicals, and transport and storage logistics, are lacking. We tested the wristband’s capacity to capture and retain 148 chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, flame retardants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). The chemicals span a wide range of physical–chemical properties, with log octanol–air partitioning coefficients from 2.1 to 13.7. All chemicals were quantitatively and precisely recovered from initial exposures, averaging 102% recovery with relative SD ≤21%. In simulated transport conditions at +30 °C, SVOCs were stable up to 1 month (average: 104%) and VOC levels were unchanged (average: 99%) for 7 days. During long-term storage at −20 °C up to 3 (VOCs) or 6 months (SVOCs), all chemical levels were stable from chemical degradation or diffusional losses, averaging 110%. Applying a paired wristband/active sampler study with human participants, the first estimates of wristband–air partitioning coefficients for PAHs are presented to aid in environmental air concentration estimates. Extrapolation of these stability results to other chemicals within the same physical–chemical parameters is expected to yield similar results. As we better define wristband characteristics, wristbands can be better integrated in exposure science and epidemiological studies.
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In this research, the thermal decompositions of β-manganese dioxide (β-MnO2) under different atmospheres of dynamic nitrogen and air were investigated by TG, DTG, DSC and XRD techniques. Non-isothermal studies clearly indicate that two decomposition stages occur over the temperature regions of 30–1100°C: the decomposition of β-MnO2 to Mn2O3 and of this oxide to Mn3O4 in both nitrogen and air. β-MnO2 decomposes at higher temperatures in air. The model-free kinetic analysis method together with the minimum deviation approach was employed to determine the activation energy (E a) and the kinetic model function (mechanism) of the thermal decomposition process from a series of thermogravimetric experiments. The results show that β-MnO2 exhibits higher values of the activation energy (E a) and the pre-exponential factor (A) in air. Compared with various solid state reaction models, the reactions are best described by the random nucleation and nuclei growth models. | non-battery |
Interface engineering is crucial strategy for the sensible design and synthesis of high-efficiency electrocatalysts. However, the study on the effect of interfacial heterogeneity on the kinetics of oxygen electrode reactions in lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries tends to be neglected, which restricts the development of excellent performance Li-O2 batteries. Here, a cactus-like nickel-cobalt oxide and nickel oxide heterostructure (NCO@NO) was successfully prepared and used for Li-O2 batteries as catalyst. The built-in electric field at the heterogeneous interface between NiO and NiCo2O4 can significantly enhance the interface charge transfer kinetics, and its unique cactus-like structure facilitates the exposure of abundant catalytic active sites. Due to the synergistic interaction between surface structure and heterogeneous interface, the NCO@NO based cathode exhibits a large discharge capacity of 17463.5 mA h g−1, an improved overpotential of 0.98 V, and an excellent long-term cycle stability (the terminal discharge voltage of the NCO@NO based Li-O2 battery shows negligible attenuation after cycling up to 500 times). | battery |
Li4Ti5O12 as one of the commercialized materials, is famous for its excellent reversibility, but also suffered from two drawbacks- low theoretical capacity and difficulty in SOC estimation. In this study, we report a Li4Ti5O12 nanowire/Fe3O4 nanoparticle compound synthesized by hydrothermal method as anode material for lithium ion battery. By in-situ synthesizing Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of Li4Ti5O12 nanowire, particle size of Fe3O4 is remarkably reduced and this resulting in good reversibility of electrode. Moreover, this Li4Ti5O12 nanowire/Fe3O4 nanoparticle compound exhibits much larger capacity than pure-phase Li4Ti5O12. And most importantly, the Li4Ti5O12 nanowire/Fe3O4 nanoparticle compound displays a slope voltage profile, which makes the voltage based SOC estimation much easier than Li4Ti5O12. | battery |
The rapid development of lithium (Li)-ion and sodium (Na)-ion batteries requires advanced solid electrolytes that possess both favorable electrochemical performance and safety assurance. Herein we report a hierarchical poly (ionic liquid)-based solid electrolyte (HPILSE) for high-safety Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. This hybrid solid electrolyte is fabricated via in situ polymerizing 1,4-bis[3-(2-acryloyloxyethyl)imidazolium-1-yl]butane bis[bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide] (C1-4TFSI) monomer in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (EMITFSI)-based electrolyte which is filled in poly(diallyldimethylammonium) bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PDDATFSI) porous membrane. The well-designed hierarchical structure simultaneously provides the prepared HPILSE with high ionic conductivity (>10−3 Scm−1 at 25°C), satisfied electrochemical stability, inherent incombustibility, good mechanical strength and flexibility. More intriguingly, the in situ assembled LiFePO4/Li and Na0.9[Cu0.22Fe0.30Mn0.48]O2/Na cells using HPILSE exhibit superior cycling performances with high specific capacities. Both the excellent performance of HPILSE and the simple fabricating process of HPILSE-based solid-state cells make it potentially as one of the most promising electrolyte materials for next generation Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. | battery |
Arguments have been made for and against the regulatory use of data from human subjects on both scientific and ethical grounds. One argument against the use of data from human clinical studies involving pesticides asserts that such data are obtained from studies that do not follow the Common Rule (40 CFR 26), which provides procedures for protecting human subjects in studies funded by federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Although privately conducted studies using human subjects are not legally subject to or required to comply with the Common Rule, the protections of the Declaration of Helsinki and the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) Good Clinical Practice are commonly followed. We sought to answer the question of whether recent human clinical studies with insecticides performed according to Good Clinical Practice provided volunteers with the same protections as the Common Rule. All three sets of guidance have in common the intent to protect volunteer human subjects by providing standards for the conduct of studies in which they participate. This analysis compares the elements of the Common Rule with comparable elements from the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice to evaluate similarities and differences in procedural requirements. It then evaluates the documentation from 15 recent human studies of twelve insecticides conducted at four clinical laboratories in order to determine whether the conduct of those studies is consistent with the protections of the Common Rule. There were some cases for which we could not verify compliance with certain Common Rule elements; however, based on our evaluation it is apparent that the studies we reviewed were conducted in a manner substantially consistent with the fundamental protections of the Common Rule—voluntary participation, informed consent, and review by an ethical committee or institutional review board. | non-battery |
A mobile grid incorporates mobile devices into Grid systems. But mobile devices at present have severe limitations in terms of processing, memory capabilities and energy. Minimizing the energy usage in mobile devices poses significant challenges in mobile grids. This paper presents energy constrained resource allocation optimization for mobile grids. The goal of the paper is not only to reduce energy consumption, but also to improve the application utility in a mobile grid environment with a limited energy charge, ensuring battery lifetime and the deadlines of the grid applications. The application utility not only depends on its allocated resources including computation and communication resources, but also on the consumed energy, this leads to a coupled utility model, where the utilities are functions of allocated resources and consumed energy. Energy constrained resources allocation optimization is formulated as a utility optimization problem, which can be decomposed into two subproblems, the interaction between the two sub-problems is controlled through the use of a pricing variable. The paper proposes a price-based distributed energy constrained resources allocation optimization algorithm. In the simulation, the performance evaluation of our energy constrained resources allocation optimization algorithm is conducted. | non-battery |
Lithium cobalt oxide was the first commercially successful cathode for the lithium-ion battery mass market. Its success directly led to the development of various layered-oxide compositions that dominate today’s automobile batteries. | battery |
Chemical lithiation of amorphous FePO4 with LiI in acetonitrile is performed to form amorphous LiFePO4. The amorphous FePO4·2H2O precursor is synthesized by co-precipitation method from equimolar aqueous solutions of FeSO4·7H2O and NH4H2PO4, using H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) as the oxidizing agent. The nanocrystalline LiFePO4/C is obtained by annealing the amorphous LiFePO4 and in situ carbon coating with sucrose in a reducing atmosphere. The particle size of FePO4·2H2O precursor decreases with increasing reaction temperature. The final LiFePO4/C products completely maintain the shape and size of the precursor even after annealing at 700 °C for 2 h. The excellent electrochemical properties of these nanocrystalline LiFePO4/C composites suggest that to decrease the particle size of LiFePO4 is very effective in enhancing the rate capability and cycle performance. The specific discharge capacities of LiFePO4/C obtained from the FePO4·2H2O precursor synthesized at 75 °C are 151.8 and 133.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 and 1 C rates, with a low capacity fading of about 0.075 % per cycle over 50 cycles at 0.5 C rate.
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