batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
A silicon film was deposited on a Ni or Cu foil in vacuum up to a thickness of 4μm and the Li insertion/extraction behaviour was evaluated under constant current charge/discharge in an electrolyte solution of propylene carbonate containing 1M LiClO4. The surface of a 30μm thick Ni foil was roughened by etching with FeCl3. The Li insertion/extraction performance was strongly dependent on the roughness factor. A thick silicon film is necessary for practical application. However, the cycle performance as well as the Li accommodation capacity was markedly depressed when the film thickness was increased. We found that the roughening of the substrate surface was a key factor for attaining good performance with a thick film. Surface roughening was found to be very effective, but the best performance was obtained by the use of an electrolytically deposited Cu foil on which a silicon film was vacuum-deposited rapidly.
Enzyme-based biofuel cells implanted into living lobsters or designed as fluidic systems mimicking human blood circulation were used for powering electronic devices. Two lobsters with implanted biofuel cells connected in series were able to generate open circuit voltage (Voc) up to 1.2 V and an electrical watch, selected as a model electronic device, was activated by the power extracted from the “living battery”. The fluidic system composed of five cells filled with human serum solution connected in series generated Voc of ca. 3 V and was able to power a pacemaker. Sustainable operation of the pacemaker was achieved with the system closely mimicking human physiological conditions characteristic of normal and pathophysiological glucose concentrations with the fluidic rate typical for a blood circulation upon resting or performing physical exercises. While the “cyborg” lobsters demonstrate a model system with future possible military, homeland security and environmental monitoring applications, the system activating a pacemaker presents practicality for biomedical applications. The first demonstration of the pacemaker activated by the physiologically produced electrical energy shows promise for future electronic implantable medical devices powered by electricity harvested from the human body.
Li-rich layered oxides (LRLO) with high specific capacity over 250 mA h g−1 are attractive cathode material candidates for the next-generation high performance lithium-ion batteries. However, LRLO always suffers from low initial Coulombic efficiency, poor cycling and rate properties. Herein, unique double-shell LRLO hollow microspheres with sandwich-like carbon@spinel@layered@spinel@carbon shells (LRLO-500@S@C) were successfully synthesized via a facile template-free method, followed by carbothermal reduction treatment. The fabricated LRLO-500@S@C cathode delivers a high initial charge capacity of 312.5 mA h g−1 with a large initial Coulombic efficiency of 89.7%. After cycling 200 times, large and stable discharge capacities of 228.3 mA h g−1 and 196.1 mA h g−1 can be obtained at 1.0 C and 5.0 C, respectively. Moreover, coin-type full cell with LRLO-500@S@C as cathode and Li4Ti5O12 as anode delivers outstanding lithium storage properties. The impressive electrochemical performances of LRLO-500@S@C cathode material can be attributed to its multiscale coordinated design based on hierarchical double-shell hollow construction, the special layered@spinel@carbon heterostructured shells and the introduced oxygen vacancies, which benefit to shorten Li-ion diffusion paths, strengthen structural stability and reduce side reactions.
Amotivation is a major determinant of functional outcome in schizophrenia but it is understudied in the early course of illness. There is a paucity of longitudinal research investigating predictors of amotivation. In this study, we aimed to examine baseline cognitive and clinical predictors of amotivation at 6 and 12 months of follow-up in patients aged 18–55 years presenting with first-episode DSM-IV schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (FES). Of 145 patients recruited at intake, 116 and 113 completed assessments at 6- and 12-month follow-up, respectively. Amotivation was measured by avolition-apathy and anhedonia-asociality subscale scores of the Scale of the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Cognitive assessment was administered at baseline. As executive dysfunction has been more consistently found to be associated with negative symptoms and amotivation in prior literature, we adopted fractionated approach to subdivide executive function into distinct components encompassing switching and flexibility, response initiation, response inhibition, planning and strategy allocation, sustained attention and working memory. Our results showed that baseline amotivation (p = 0.01) and switching and flexibility (p = 0.01) were found to independently predict amotivation at 6 months follow-up. Baseline amotivation (p < 0.01) and switching and flexibility (albeit with trend-wise significance, p = 0.06) were also retained in final multivariate regression model for 12-month amotivation prediction. No other executive components or cognitive domains predicted amotivation at follow-up. Findings of our study thus indicate amotivation at initial presentation as a critical determinant of subsequent motivational deficits over 1 year of treatment for FES patients. Cognitive flexibility might be specifically related to the development of amotivation in the early stage of illness.
To develop high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with long cycle life, SiOx@C composite nanorods are fabricated by a template assisted hydrothermal route followed by pyrolysis, using ethyltriethoxysilanes (EtSi(OEt)3), resorcinol/formaldehyde (RF) and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as starting materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy (RA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis (EA) are employed to characterize the morphology, microstructure and composition of the as-prepared composite. The composite shows a rod-like morphology, which is composed of 65.4 wt% SiOx (x = 1.12) and 34.6 wt% C, and individual rod contains numerous interconnected nanospheres. When used as anodes in lithium-ion batteries, the SiOx@C nanorods exhibit a discharge capacity of about 720 mAh g−1 after 350 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the enhanced conductivity and unique material structure of the composite.
The actual applications of lithium sulfur (LiS) batteries are significantly obstructed by limited cyclability and low volumetric-energy-density due to the shuttling effect of polysulfides and low mass density of sulfur cathode. Herein, we report a free-standing, compact, conductive and integrated cathode (G/CNT-S//G/CNT), constructed by compressing graphene/carbon nanotubes (G/CNT) aerogels, simultaneously serving as bi-functionalities of binder- and metal-current-collector-free sulfur host (G/CNT-S) and interlayer (G/CNT), for high volumetric-energy-density LiS batteries. The G/CNT aerogels display three-dimensional interconnected porous network, large surface area (363 m2 g−1) and high electrical conductivity (67 S m−1), which can endow the cathode with ultrahigh volumetric mass density (1.64 g cm−3) and superior electron-ion transport network. Meanwhile, the compressed ultralight G/CNT film can act as flexible interlayer for synergistically suppressing the polysulfide shuttling via both chemical interaction and physical restriction. Consequently, the compact cathodes, achieve high capacity of 1286 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C and long-term cyclability with an extremely low decay rate of 0.06% over 500 cycles at 2 C. Most importantly, our compact cathodes represent unprecedented volumetric capacity of 1841 Ah L−1 and volumetric-energy-density of 2482 Wh L−1, both of which are the highest values of LiS batteries reported to date. Therefore, this proposed strategy will open a new avenue for developing high volumetric-energy-density LiS batteries.
Public transfers are designed with the idea of reducing poverty and inequality among specific population groups. The National Transfers Account methodology suggests the use of household head education (HHE) as a poverty proxy in the construction of profiles by socio-economic status. Considering the higher levels of inequality in developing countries, we construct and check inequality and intergenerational transfers using an alternative measure based on variables not endogenous to the underlying idea of intergenerational transfers: a Multidimensional Quality of Life Index (MQLI). We apply the methodology to a developing country, Colombia, and show that inequality and disparities in intergenerational transfers are best understood when using the MQLI.
We report 4 cases of Health Workers (HW) suspected of having contracted Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), transported from the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in N’Zerekore, Guinea to the Treatment Centre for Carers run by the medical corps of the French army in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, which was established on 17 January 2015 and closed on 7 July 2015. In total more than 500 HWs have died from EVD since the epidemic began. This mortality has had significant effects on the ability of local services to respond appropriately to the disaster. The HWs were transported by air in the “Human Stretcher Transit Isolator-Total Containment (Oxford) Limited” (HSTI-TCOL) negative pressure isolation pod. Medical evacuation of patients with suspected, potentially fatal, infectious diseases is feasible with the use of a light isolator for patients without critical dysfunctions.
This study tested the hypothesis that a host mucogenic response to an intestinal coccidial infection promotes the onset of necrotic enteritis (NE). A chick NE model was used in which birds were inoculated with Eimeria acervulina and E. maxima and subsequently with Clostridium perfringens (EAM/CP). A second group of EAM/CP-infected birds was treated with the ionophore narasin (NAR/EAM/CP). These groups were compared to birds that were either non-infected (NIF), or infected only with E. acervulina and E. maxima (EAM), or C. perfringens (CP). The impact of intestinal coccidial infection and anti-coccidial treatment on host immune responses and microbial community structure were evaluated with histochemical-, cultivation- and molecular-based techniques. Barrier function was compromised in EAM/CP-infected birds as indicated by elevated CFUs for anaerobic bacteria and C. perfringens in the spleen when compared to NIF controls at day 20, with a subsequent increase in intestinal NE lesions and mortality at day 22. These results correlate positively with a host inflammatory response as evidenced by increased ileal interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ RNA expression. Concurrent increases in chicken intestinal mucin RNA expression, and goblet cell number and theca size indicate that EAM/CP induced an intestinal mucogenic response. Correspondingly, the growth of mucolytic bacteria and C. perfringens as well as α toxin production was greatest in EAM/CP-infected birds. The ionophore narasin, which directly eliminates coccidia, reduced goblet cell theca size, IL-10 and IFN-γ expression, the growth of mucolytic bacteria including C. perfringens, coccidial and NE lesions and mortality in birds that were co-infected with coccidia and C. perfringens. Collectively the data support the hypothesis that coccidial infection induces a host mucogenic response providing a growth advantage to C. perfringens, the causative agent of NE.
Uniform conducting polymer films of poly(N-(1-Naphthyl) ethylene-diamine dihydrochloride), PNED, were prepared conveniently and reproducibly by the anodic oxidation of the monomer, N-(1-Naphthyl) ethylene-diamine dihydrochloride, NED, in an acidic aqueous solution using the conventional potentiodynamic technique. The different parameters influencing the preparation conditions like monomer concentration, solvent constitution, scan range, scan rate, scan repetition, rotation speed of the working electrode and the type of the substrate were investigated and the optimum preparation conditions are specified. The stability of the prepared films was tested in both aqueous and non-aqueous media. The characteristics of the polymer films and their electrochemical activity towards catalyzing some technologically promising redox reactions were also examined. The films were found to be very stable in aqueous solutions and in some organic solvents like acetone, acetonitrile, and chloroform and dimethyl sulfoxide. The film stability was found to depend on the solution pH. The polymer films were capable of catalyzing the redox processes of several natural products and amino acids e.g. vitamin C and glycine. The polymer film possesses electrochromic properties and the color of the film changes from purple to violet to dark blue and then to brown according to the preparation and/or polarization conditions. The electrochromic properties are related to polaron formation, which subsequently oxidizes to diimine species followed by the oxidation of the aromatic ring. The mechanism of the polymerization process was investigated and discussed. The process involves deprotonation reactions and a head-to-tail coupling of the oxidized monomer with cation radicals.
Graphene and polypyrrole composite (PPy/GNS) is synthesized via in situ polymerization of pyrrole monomer in the presence of graphene under acid conditions. The structure and morphology of the composite are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). It is found that a uniform composite is formed with polypyrrole being homogeneously surrounded by graphene nanosheets (GNS). The composite is a promising candidate for supercapacitors to have higher specific capacitance, better rate capability and cycling stability than those of pure polypyrrole. The specific capacitance of PPy/GNS composite based on the three-electrode cell configuration is as high as 482Fg−1 at a current density of 0.5Ag−1. After 1000 cycles, the attenuation of the specific capacitance is less than 5%, indicating that composite has excellent cycling performance.
Thermal runaway (TR) propagation in a large format lithium ion battery pack can cause disastrous consequences and thus deserves study on preventing it. A lumped thermal model that can predict and help prevent TR propagation in a battery module using 25Ah LiNi x Co y Mn z O2 large format lithium ion batteries has been built in this paper. The TR propagation model consists of 6 fully-charged single batteries connected through thermal resistances and can fit experiment data well. The modeling analysis focuses on discussing the influences on the TR propagation process caused by changes in different critical modeling parameters. The modeling analysis suggests possible solutions to postpone and prevent TR propagation. The simulation shows that it might be better to choose proper parameters that help prevent TR propagation rather than just postpone it, because a delay in the TR propagation process leads to a higher level of heat gathering which may cause severer thermal hazards. To prevent TR propagation, the model provides some substantial quantified solutions: (1) raise the TR triggering temperature to higher than 469°C; (2) reduce the total electric energy released during massive internal short circuit to 75% or less of its original value; (3) enhance the heat dissipation by increasing the heat dissipation coefficient to higher than 70Wm−2 K−1; (4) add extra thermal resistant layers between adjacent batteries with a thickness of 1mm and a thermal conductivity less than 0.2Wm−1 K−1. One implementation, which is verified by experiment, is to insert thermal resistant layer between adjacent batteries to prevent TR propagation in the battery module.
The lithium salt, bis(oxalato)borate, LiBC4O8 (LiBOB), is one of the most important Li salts which are explored today in connection with R & D of novel, high energy density rechargeable Li batteries. The thermal stability of this salt in the temperature range of 40–350°C was rigorously studied by accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). XRD, FTIR, SEM, and ICP were used to analyze the products of its thermal decomposition reactions. Studies by DSC and pressure measurements during ARC experiments with LiBOB detected an endothermic reaction with an onset at ∼293°C, involving a complete irreversible decomposition of the LiBOB in which gaseous products are formed. In the first stage, Li2C2O4 (crystalline), B2O3 (glass), CO and CO2 gases are formed in both confined and open volumes. The next (final) stage in the thermal reactions is an irreversible formation of lithium triborate LiB3O5 (glass).
The prevalence of mental disorders is growing in Europe. It is important to identify persons at risk, screen them and undertake a triage for stepped care procedures (DMP) for ambulatory and inpatient treatments. A responder/non-responder-analysis should identify those patients who could benefit from the different treatment procedures and who need specialised and intensive psychosomatic and psychtherapeutic care, also to be cost efficient. We therefore looked at characteristics, diagnoses, treatment histories, symptom load, motivational and social factors, personal traits, strain and stresses, regulation capacities, psychobiological features and other aspects in 3825 patients, who were administered to a newly founded Centre of Excellence for Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy in Austria. All patients were diagnosed according ICD-10 and DSM-IV, answered questionnaires within a standardised core battery, underwent somatic and psychological diagnostic procedures and then received treatments according to the international guidelines for mental and psychosomatic disorders. We closely looked at effect sizes of the treatments on different levels and administered a modified regression analyses (GAM), as well as additional factor and latent cluster analysis, to identify factors and moderator variables predicting therapeutic outcome. Symptom load, dimensions of personality and interpersonal problems are critical factors in predicting outcome.
Poly(ethylene glycol) borate acrylate (PEGBA) was synthesized as a new crosslinking agent for solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on non-woven matrix. It has not only three crosslinkable acrylate groups for higher crosslinking density, but also Lewis acid center acting as an anion receptor. The ionic conductivity of SPE containing 15wt.% PEGBA reached 5.5×10−4 Scm−1, because the content of non-volatile plasticizer, poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME), could be increased to 85wt.% without leakage. In addition, its transference number and electrochemical stability were also enhanced to 0.37 and 5.2V, respectively, due to the presence of Lewis acid center in PEGBA.
Ultrathin layered nanomaterials show promising advantages to promote the Li+ diffusion kinetics, however, the self-aggregation/stacking of nanomaterials lead to large capacity loss and limited rate capability, which urgently needs to be addressed. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) novel vanadium oxide (H2V3O8) hydrogel nanostructure composed of intertwined ultrathin nanoribbons and self-coiled nanoscrolls, synthesized by a universal modified liquid exfoliation method. The hydrogels display largely enhanced rate capability and cycling stability, compared to those of the pure nanowires and nanoribbons. Based on the geometrical features of hydrogels, the intertwined hydrogels/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) flexible film is fabricated and delivers remarkable lithium storage performance: a high capacity of 310mAhg−1 at 0.1Ag−1, excellent rate capability (145mAhg−1 at 12Ag−1) and stable cycling performance. Moreover, at a high mass loading up to 13mgcm−2, the hydrogels/CNTs film delivers an area capacity ~ 2.7mAhcm−2 (at 0.91mAcm−2), high rate capability (an area capacity of 1.16mAhcm−2 at 18.2mAcm−2). The scalable hydrogels/CNTs films provide a promising route towards high performance flexible electrodes at high mass loading.
The Finnish neurological function testing battery for dogs (FINFUN) was developed to meet the increasing demand for objective outcome measures in veterinary physiotherapy. The testing battery should provide consistent, reproducible results and have established face and content validity. Internal consistency and intra- and inter-rater reliability of the FINFUN were also investigated.
Recently, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) derived carbon-based materials have attract wide interest in electrochemical devices due to their large surface area and favorable conductivity. In this work, instead of using MOFs for direct carbon sources, we employed vanadium metal-organic framework (MIL-101(V)) precursor as both carbon sources and vanadium sources for synthesizing carbon-coated Li3V2(PO4)3 nanocomposites (LVP@M-101). The electrochemical property of LVP@M-101 has been investigated as cathode electrode at a voltage of 3.0–4.8 vs Li+/Li, to compare with Li3V2(PO4)3 prepared using V2O5. It is shown that the composite material displays a remarkably improved electrochemical stability with a high reversible capacity of 113.1 and 105.8 mA h g−1 at the rate of 0.5C and 1C after 1000 cycles, together with a superior rate performance at various current densities from 0.1C to 10C. Moreover, we have applied ex-situ PXRD and EPR spectroscopy to investigate the lithiation/delithiation process of LVP@M-101 electrode. Through detailed characterizations and electrochemical tests, we believe that the novel nanocomposites LVP@M-101 retain the two-phase transition nature of Li3V2(PO4)3 and the enhanced cathodic performance in lithium-ion battery is largely due to its unique structural stability.
The LiCoO2 particle with TiO2 coating presents improved columbic efficiency, overcharge performance, rate capability and cycling stability at high voltage. To gain deeper insight into the performance improvement mechanism of the TiO2-coated LiCoO2 cathode materials, the first-principles calculation combined with single particle microelectrode technique are employed in this work. The first-principles calculation is firstly used to simulate the bulk structure, electronic properties and lithium ion diffusion of TiO2-coated LiCoO2 at different delithiation states, while the microelectrode technique is used to evaluate the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors of TiO2-coated LiCoO2 on a single particle level without interference of binder, conductive agent, and porous structure of the electrode. It has been revealed that from thermodynamics point of view, the improved electrochemical performance of TiO2-coated LiCoO2 can be ascribed to the reduced surface oxygen activity and surface oxygen loss, which should suppress the electrolyte decomposition and layered structure degradation of LiCoO2 at high voltage. From kinetics point of view, the increased Li-slab space and decreased Li ion transfer activation energy barrier facilitate Li ion diffusion in the solid state of LiCoO2 and Li ion transfer across the solid/electrolyte interphase.
Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based gel electrolyte has been used in flexible lithium batteries. These batteries are flexible and less than 0.5mm thick, which make them suitable as power sources for smart cards and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. We investigated the electrochemical properties of flexible lithium batteries using an impedance analyzer and potentiostat/galvanostat to evaluate the electrical capacities. To prevent the formation of gas by decomposition of electrolyte solvent, the batteries had to be pre-discharged about 5% of theoretical MnO2 capacity. Of the three kinds of pre-discharging methods, especially, battery two-step pre-discharging method was performed showed the best electrical properties after storage at 60°C for 60 days.