batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Several hydroxyl- and ether-functionalized binary task specific ionic liquids (ILs) are prepared, ether-functionalized ILs exhibit higher conductivity and lower viscosity than those of hydroxyl-functionalized ILs, whereas hydroxyl-functionalized ILs show wider potential window than those of ether-functionalized ILs. The correlation between ionic conductivity and viscosity is based on the classical Walden rule; a relatively large deviation of the plots from the ideal Walden line is observed for the ILs without considering the ion size, whereas the deviation decreases significantly when the adjusted Walden plot is adopted. The α values of ILs calculated from the slopes of the Walden plots are compared to those calculated from the ratio of activation energies for viscosity and molar conductivity (E a,Λ /E a,η ). There are very few reports where electrochemically derived activation energy from conductivity and voltammetric characterization are available for comparison, so a key concept of activation energy in electrochemistry could be developed in this paper.
Background Patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) frequently develop Parkinson’s disease (PD), which can impair decision-making ability. This study was undertaken to investigate decision-making ability and its relation to olfactory function in patients with idiopathic RBD. Methods This study used the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Sniffin’ Stick Test for examination of 38 patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD) and 34 age-matched healthy control subjects (HC). Associations between these test results and other clinical RBD variables were also assessed. Results Total IGT score and Sniffin’ Stick Test scores were significantly lower in the iRBD group than in the HC group. The iRBD group IGT scores in the first, third, and final blocks were significantly lower than those of the HC group. In the iRBD group, no association was found between the total IGT score and the Sniffin’ Stick Test score or any clinical RBD variable. Conclusions Impaired decision-making associated with iRBD can herald PD. However, decision-making disability is thought to appear irrespective of olfactory dysfunction and progression of RBD pathology.
This paper covers the synthesis and use of a related family of cyclic phosphazene solvents containing terminal unsaturations that are being considered as electrolyte additives in lithium-ion cells. A brief synopsis on the synthesis and purification of these compounds is given. Data will be presented that covers physical and chemical properties of the phosphazenes as well as the properties when blended at various levels with representative organic carbonate baseline solvents. Electrochemical cycling data will be presented using commercially available electrode couples as well as studies focusing on cell performance at early lifetime as well as after repeated cycles. Conclusions regarding the effect of the unsaturated phosphazene compounds and their interaction with various alkyl carbonates, and their effect on cell performance will be presented.
The discharge properties of a Na/Ni3S2 cell using 1M NaCF3SO3 in tetra(ethylene glycol)dimethyl ether liquid electrolyte were investigated at room temperature. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Electrochemical properties of Na/Ni3S2 cells were also presented by cyclic voltammetry and the galvanostatic current method. Na/Ni3S2 cells have an initial discharge capacity of 420mAhg−1 with a plateau potential at 0.94V versus Na/Na+. After the first discharge, Ni3S2 and Na react at room temperature and then form sodium sulfide (Na2S) and nickel. Sodium ion can be partially deintercalated from Na2S charge reaction. The discharge process can be explained as follows: Ni3S2 +4Na↔3Ni+2Na2S.
LiCoO2 cathode material is renovated and simultaneously separated from spent LiCoO2 electrodes containing LiCoO2, electron-conducting carbon, binder, Al current collector, and separator in a single synthetic step using hydrothermal method in a concentrated LiOH solution at 200°C without any scraping procedures. It is found that the renovated LiCoO2 phase crystallizes in the rhombohedral system with the space group R-3m. Although the obtained material has some electrochemically inactive impurities, the renovated LiCoO2 phase exhibits the first discharge capacity of 144.0mAh/g and the discharge capacity retention of 92.2% after 40 cycles.
The Berlin questionnaire (BQ) has been used to help identify patients at high risk of having sleep apnea in primary care and atrial fibrillation patients. The BQ may be a useful adjunct in sleep medicine and research, but it has never been validated in a sleep clinic population. The aim of the study is to determine the specificity and sensitivity of the BQ compared to the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) values obtained from two nights of polysomnographic recording in a sleep clinic population. This is a retrospective chart review study of 130 sleep clinic patients. Patients’ demographics, BQ scores, RDI measurements, and sleep study parameters were extracted from the patients’ chart. Of the 130 charts reviewed, the BQ identified 76 (58.5%) as being at high-risk of having sleep apnea, but overnight polysomnography found only 34 of the 130 patients (26.2%) had an RDI > 10. The BQ performed with 0.62 sensitivity and 0.43 specificity at the RDI > 10 level. Due to the low sensitivity and specificity as well as the large number of false negatives and positives, the Berlin questionnaire is not an appropriate instrument for identifying patients with sleep apnea in a sleep clinic population.
Virtual reality (VR) has become popular in mental health research. Several studies have explored the use of VR in the context of biofeedback protocols. In the present paper, we report on the development and evaluation of a VR-based respiratory biofeedback game to foster diaphragmatic breathing. The game integrates respiratory biofeedback, restorative VR and gamification. The game is designed to run on a mobile, all-in-one VR headset. Notably, an integrated VR hand controller is utilized as a sensor to detect respiration-induced movements of the diaphragm. In a longitudinal within-subjects study, we explored the feasibility of the game and tested the effectiveness of six training sessions. Participants reported a pleasant user experience. Moreover, the results show that the brief VR-based breathing training increased perceived breath awareness, improved diaphragmatic breathing, increased relaxation, decreased perceived stress, reduced symptoms of burnout and boosted relaxation-related self-efficacy. Future studies need to address the generalizability and long-term stability of the results, compare the approach with existing treatments and fine-tune the training components.
Abtract Nowadays the use of distributed generating systems, which use a renewable energy source, has experienced a fast development. Moreover their intrinsic intermittent nature can be overcome using hybrid systems which combine more energy sources. This paper discusses the main topologies which can be adopted for a general hybrid generation system and it focuses on a particular hybrid system which combines two different energy sources, evidencing high level and local level power flow control strategies in both stand-alone and grid connected operation. A full experience in the realization of a hybrid plant which uses an internal combustion engine with cogeneration functionalities and solar source, installed in Delebio, Italy is then presented. System design aspects, with particular attention to the possible topologies and power flow control strategies, are analyzed. After the analysis of the design aspects, experimental results of the real plant are reported.
A tier III, essential fish habitat analysis was used to evaluate the biochemical condition of common mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus residing in two isolated tidal salt marshes, one a relatively undisturbed polyhaline site dominated by Spartina alterniflora and the other a meso-oligohaline site dominated by an invasive variety of Phragmites australis. Stable isotopes signatures of C, N, and S in whole tissue samples of F. heteroclitus were used to compare the trophic spectrum for this species in each marsh as a function of the dominant macrophytes present with additional contributions from phytoplankton and benthic microalgae. Allometry of wet mass and its components, water mass, lean protein mass and lipid mass in individual fish exhibited hyperallometric patterns; and average lipid mass fell within the range reported for most fundulids, including F. heteroclitus. Significant differences were also detected in the allocation of lipid classes to energy reserves in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG) and free fatty acids. These reserves, especially TAG, are critical for reproduction, migration, and overwintering survival in many taxa and were significantly lower in fish collected in the P. australis-dominated marsh. Relative to the relatively undisturbed Spartina-dominated site, we tentatively conclude that the P. australis-invaded marsh was an inferior habitat for F. heteroclitus.
By analogy with the behavior of vacuum (air) capacitors, early perceptions of the properties of electrochemical supercapacitors were that very high power-levels would be achievable because only capacitance (ca. 25μFcm−2) originating from a double-layer of nanometre thickness was involved. However, for device applications, the required large capacitances (0.50Fg−1) are achievable only by use of high-area porous-C matrices (ca. 1 to 2×103 m2 g1). Then the capacitance is only accessible through a complex series/parallel distribution of reduced current (RC) networks leading to a power-spectrum in which only a fraction of expected charge is accessible at high rates. The equivalent circuit then approximates to that of a transmission-line. Characterization of power limitation effects is demonstrated by results of experiments on porous-C electrodes by means of linear-sweep voltammetry, complementary dc charge/discharge curves and by real-time simulations of the behavior of a 5-element hardware RC circuit. The distribution of R and C elements in a porous electrode structure leads to a decline of energy-density with operating power-density as current drain is increased. It is shown how this can be represented by Ragone plots for capacitors, taking account of declining voltage with state of discharge. Practical comparisons are made with the behavior of three, non-aqueous capacitor modules.
Heterogeneous catalysts for CO2 reduction derived from porous, crystalline frameworks have emerged as efficient systems with comparable activity and superior selectivity to their inorganic counterparts. The spatial arrangement of active sites in such catalytically active frameworks is critical to their performance in CO2 reduction. This review presents a comprehensive and critical analysis of (thermal) CO2 reduction over catalysts derived from porous, crystalline frameworks, whose structural and chemical diversity offers unprecedented opportunities to regulate reactivity. Thermodyamic considerations and the impact of process parameters on reaction intermediates, governing mechanisms for CO2 reduction and catalyst stability are discussed. Strategies for leveraging the flexibility of porous, crystalline frameworks to improve their stability and promote CO2 reduction are presented which include: use as sacrificial precursors to an active phase; integration within composites; and as hosts for nanoparticle encapsulation. Finally, future challenges and research prospects are highlighted.
Invasive Burmese pythons have been shown to have population-level effects on native mammals in southern Florida. Tens of thousands of long-legged wading birds (of multiple species in Ciconiiformes, Pelecaniformes) breed in aggregations, known as colonies, on tree islands in the Everglades. Burmese pythons may pose a threat to these colonies because pythons are semi-aquatic and commonly use tree islands and arboreal habitat. However, python predation on nests of wading birds has not previously been documented or quantified. We used trail cameras to monitor nests at colonies in Everglades National Park and Water Conservation Area 3 in 2014, and 2016–2017. We did not detect Burmese python predation at monitored nests in 2014 (23 nests in 2 colonies) or 2016 (59 nests in 4 colonies). In 2017 (125 nests in 7 colonies), we detected three individual pythons consuming nestlings, fledglings, and eggs in a minimum of 7.9% (5 nests, n = 63) of monitored nests at a colony in Everglades National Park. In 2017, the overall predation rate of Burmese pythons at all monitored nests (5 of 125 nests, or 4%), was five times the native predator rate (1 of 125 nests, or 0.8%). Our study confirms that Burmese pythons are acting as predators in wading bird colonies at nontrivial rates and provides a baseline to which future studies can refer.
Early diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression are essential for the development of therapeutic strategies in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Current techniques are mainly based on semi-objective measures such as neuropsychological tests and a physician's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) inspection. We have developed a computational method for automatic and unbiased assessment of the brain's state of atrophy from MRI. Sixty-eight high-resolution MRI scans were acquired from 25 AD patients (age: 69.8±7.5), 16 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients (67.6±9.1) and 27 control subjects (64.9±8.8). On the basis of the computations we were able to recognize MCI subjects with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 80% in a group of MCIs and controls using a linear classifier. To date, comparable results have only been received by manual labelling or human inspection. Our calculations are light weighted and can be applied on usual workstations in everyday clinical practice. Each step can be understood and applied by the physicians, independent of their computer knowledge. The applied image analysis process produces visual maps of atrophic changes as intermediate steps of the calculations. These can be helpful for the physician during inspection of the brain. The proposed analysis has the potential to improve AD diagnosis and treatment, especially in early its stages, and could also be used to monitor disease progression in therapeutic trials.
The hard carbon C1600 was studied as an anode material for Na-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance of the C1600 electrode was investigated in four kinds of typical electrolytes: 1 mol dm−3 NaClO4/EC–DMC, 1 mol dm−3 NaClO4/PC, 1 mol dm−3 NaPF6/EC–DMC, and 1 mol dm−3 NaPF6/PC. The C1600 electrodes showed excellent electrochemical properties in NaClO4-containing electrolytes. An initial Na insertion/extraction capacity of 413/321 mAh g−1 was obtained in the NaClO4/EC–DMC electrolyte, followed by a good capacity retention of 90% over 50 cycles. These are the best electrochemical properties reported thus far for carbonaceous anode materials in Na-ion batteries. The safety risk of C1600 anodes for Na-ion batteries was evaluated by using a TG–DSC system. Based on the results of DSC analysis for simple electrolytes, the thermal behaviors of mixtures of the sodiated/lithiated C1600 and the associated electrolyte in a temperature range from room temperature to 400 °C were investigated and compared. The C1600 anodes showed better thermal stability in EC–DMC-based electrolytes than in PC-based ones. Moreover, although Na metal is much more unstable than Li metal, the anode and electrolyte mixture of Na-ion batteries showed similar or better thermal stability than that of Li-ion batteries.
A facile route to improve the lithium-storage properties of flake graphite (FG) is proposed through coating pyrolysis carbon from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) assisted by KOH activation. The interplanar distance between the graphene sheets of activated PVDF/FG is enlarged, effectively suppressing the electrode deformation during lithium (de)-intercalation. More edge and porous structures of PVDF/FG arising from KOH activation on graphite flakes contribute to improved electron and ion transport, leading to great improvement in its rate and cycling performances. The initial specific capacity of the activated PVDF/FG is 476.6mAhg−1 at 50mAg−1 and when the current increases to 1000mAg−1, the value still retains 142.6mAhg−1.
Individual differences in compensatory and non-compensatory choice processes remain an unresolved issue for decision process researchers. This study investigates the stability and nature of individual differences in choice processes when individuals adapt to changes in the structure of the choice environment, namely the correlation among the choice attributes. By means of process tracing techniques, between-subjects differences in choice processing (option-based or attribute based) were found to be stable across different tasks. Individuals with higher openness to experience and ability to solve reasoning tasks were found to be more adaptive, that is to switch more promptly their choice process in adaptive ways, by using more option-based search strategies when attributes were negatively related. These results suggest that insight into individual differences in choice processes can be gained when attention is given to the structure of the choice task and to how decision makers adapt to it in the course of the choice task.
In the group of post Lithium-ion batteries, Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries attract a high interest due to their high theoretical limits of the specific capacity of 1672 Ah kg−1 and specific energy of around 2600 Wh kg−1. However, they suffer from polysulfide shuttle, a specific phenomenon of this chemistry, which causes fast capacity fade, low coulombic efficiency, and high self-discharge. The high self-discharge of Li-S batteries is observed in the range of minutes to hours, especially at a high state of charge levels, and makes their use in practical applications and testing a challenging process. A simple but comprehensive mathematical model of the Li-S battery cell self-discharge based on the shuttle current was developed and is presented. The shuttle current values for the model parameterization were obtained from the direct shuttle current measurements. Furthermore, the battery cell depth-of-discharge values were recomputed in order to account for the influence of the self-discharge and provide a higher accuracy of the model. Finally, the derived model was successfully validated against laboratory experiments at various conditions.
The analysis of the energy efficiency in Cloud Computing infrastructures has become an important research domain as the utilization rate of the various on-demand services is daily higher and higher and its management is now considered as a main objective. Today, to tackle this challenging issue, Cloud providers integrate renewable energy sources to feed their infrastructure. Energy saving is part often an integral many companies goal. Unlike the classic supply of grid energy, the production of green energy is unstable and depends on nature of the weather or wind. It introduces new challenges as pervasive jobs to reduce a server consumption. In this article, studies based on the use and the storage of photovoltaic energy are exposed. We detail our design of a scheduler which uses solar energy production to make an off-line decision. This enables us to schedule virtual machines into a datacenter via different algorithms which consumes the least amount of brown energy as possible. We based our analysis through an existing workload from Google. We describe and study this workload to create one corresponding to our need. We also proposed to evaluate the storage size of a smartgrid related to the solar panel size. It is an analysis of the reliance between both storage (battery) and renewable energy production (solar panel) components sizing.
In this work, a 3D porous cellular NiCoO2/graphene (NC-GN) network is readily synthesized using a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-templated strategy via filtration assembly of NiCoO2 precursor and partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets, freeze-casting, and thermal treatment processes. The 3D porous cellular NiCoO2/graphene (NC-GN) network demonstrates advantageous bifunctional electrocatalytic durability and activity toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), owing to its fascinating 3D morphology, the high conductivity of graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets, and catalytic active sites of NiCoO2 binary transition oxides. In comparison with the commercial OER electrocatalyst (IrO2) and ORR electrocatalyst (Pt/C), the 3D porous cellular NiCoO2/graphene (NC-GN) network exhibits superior OER catalytic performance with a satisfactory overpotential of 436 mV vs. RHE at 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the 3D porous NC-GN network displays a good ORR catalytic activity with an adequate half-wave potential of 665 mV vs. RHE. The cycling stability and limiting current density of the 3D porous NC-GN network towards OER and ORR are both better than the commercial IrO2 and Pt/C catalysts. The 3D porous cellular NiCoO2/graphene (NC-GN) network shows excellent potentials toward various energy conversion applications such as metal-air batteries, fuel cells, and water splitting.
With the popularity of mobile social networking and the emergence of ideas such as participatory sensing, mobile crowdsourcing has the potential to help tackle new problems in relation to real-time data collection and coordination among a large number of participants. Due to the unreliability and dynamic behavior of mobile opportunistic networks, there are several key issues concerning the development of crowdsourcing-related mobile applications that need to be considered. In this paper, we investigate task propagation models devised to support mobile crowdsourcing in intermittently connected opportunistic networks. The propagation strategy is used to disseminate tasks among a crowd of peers. We investigate response models (i.e., to estimate the number of responses to expect in the network) and energy consumption models (for estimating the energy used by both a task-originator and workers) and study their behavior under different conditions in comprehensive simulations. The findings will show the interplay and relationships between mobile crowdsourcing factors and the number of peers responding and energy consumption.
The water-soluble phosphonate functionalized spherical platinum nanoclusters (Pt-NCs) composed of primary nanoparticles are synthesized by the thermal decomposition of platinum(IV)-complex. The size, morphology and structure of Pt-NCs are analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Attachment of phosphonate groups on Pt surface is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and zeta potential analysis. The phosphonate functionalized Pt-NCs efficiently suppress the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) while fully preserving the Pt-like activity for the hydrogen peroxid reduction reaction. Importantly, at certain cathodic potential, only reduction reaction of hydrogen peroxide occurs at the Pt-NCs surface. Consequently, the phosphonate functionalized Pt-NCs can be used to fabricate a new kind of hydrogen peroxide electrochemical sensor with high performance in the presence of oxygen. Under optimized experimental conditions, the hydrogen peroxide electrochemical sensor shows fast response (less than 2s) and wide linear range (1.0×10−6–1.0×10−3 M) in the presence of oxygen. The results presented here indicate an important new direction in the quest to design selective catalysts for the fabrication of noble-metal based H2O2 electrochemical sensor.