batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
There is increasing evidence that healthy siblings of schizophrenia patients have similar, although milder, neuropsychological deficits than their affected family members. However, the interpretation of these findings has been complicated by methodological differences, for example the selection of relatives studied and the sensitivity of tests used. We studied neuropsychological functioning in schizophrenia families in representative, population-based samples of schizophrenia patients (n =81) and healthy siblings (n =78) from 58 families, and control subjects (n =70). We found that the healthy sibling group was impaired in tests measuring performance speed and executive functions. The patients were significantly impaired in all neuropsychological variables studied when compared with the control subjects, and also when compared with the healthy siblings. The effects of age, sex and education were controlled for. In conclusion, in a study of representative, population-based sample the healthy siblings of schizophrenia patients demonstrated deficits in processing speed and executive functions.
A commercial lithium-ion battery with LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) cathode has been studied in situ using high-intensity and high-resolution neutron diffraction. Structure and phase composition of the battery electrodes have been probed during charge-discharge in different cycling modes. The dependence of the anode composition on the charge rate has been determined quantitatively. Different kinetics of Li (de)intercalation in the graphite anode during charge/discharge process have been observed. Phase separation of the cathode material has not been detected in whole voltage range. Non-linear dependencies of the unit cell parameters, atomic and layer spacing on the lithium content in the cathode have been observed. Measured dependencies of interatomic spacing and interlayer spacing, and unit cell parameters of the cathode structure on the lithium content could be qualitatively explained by several factors, such as variations of oxidation state of cation in oxygen octahedra, Coulomb repulsion of oxygen layers, changes of average effective charge of oxygen layers and van der Waals interactions between MeO2-layers at high level of the NCA delithiation.
In this work, experimental and computational methods based on density functional theory (DFT) were used to study the spontaneous degradation (i.e. in the absence of any external electromotive force) of pure metallic magnesium (Mg) and magnesium stannide (Mg2Sn) in all-phenyl complex (APC) electrolyte, a commonly used Mg-ion battery electrolyte. Our results reveal that Mg atoms can be stripped from metallic Mg and from Mg2Sn through galvanic replacement reactions involving anions present in APC such as Ph4Alˉ, Ph2AlCl2 ˉ, PhAlCl3 ˉ and AlCl4 ˉ, resulting in Mg dissolution and metallic aluminum deposition. Such a spontaneous degradation phenomenon is susceptible to impact the performance of Mg-ion battery cells in which metallic Mg or magnesium alloys are used as anodes. In particular, we have found that Mg-ion battery half-cells assembled using Mg2Sn and metallic Mg as the working and counter electrodes, respectively, and APC as the electrolyte, exhibit Coulombic efficiencies higher than 100% at low C-rates. Such an unusual Coulombic efficiency is attributed to unbalance charge associated with the difference in Mg atoms dissolution rate between the Mg2Sn working electrode and the Mg metal counter electrode, when these electrodes undergo spontaneous degradation in APC.
A hybrid supercapacitor based on manganese oxide, activated carbon and polymer electrolyte was developed and electrochemically investigated. The capacitive performance obtained from the polymer electrolyte based supercapacitor was similar to that of an aqueous electrolyte based supercapacitor, tested for comparison in the same operative conditions. A durability test carried out for 2500 cycles showed stable and slowly increasing performance. The specific capacitance of hybrid supercapacitor was 48Fg−1 (192Fg−1 as a mean one electrode capacitance), in which that of the positive electrode was 384Fg−1 of MnO2 and that of negative electrode 117Fg−1 of carbon. The impedance analysis evidenced that although the polymer electrolyte based hybrid supercapacitor showed higher resistance compared to that of the liquid electrolyte based supercapacitor, this drawback was counterbalanced by better ion transport features, which were evident at lower frequencies, where similar values of capacitances were obtained from the different supercapacitors.
It is widely accepted that current tooth whitening treatment effect is based on the oxidizing action of peroxides, even if the mechanism of action remains still unclear. Treatments are claimed to be safe, but several secondary effects have been described, since long application times and high concentrations are needed. A faster whitening ingredient which permits the use of lower concentrations and shorter application times could potentially overcome this problem. In this work, a different approach based on a reducing agent, sodium metabisulfite (MBS), is explored.
To measure traffic pollutants with high temporal and spatial resolution under real conditions a mobile laboratory was designed and built in Helsinki Polytechnic in close co-operation with the University of Helsinki. The equipment of the van provides gas phase measurements of CO and NO x , number size distribution measurements of fine and ultrafine particles by an electrical low pressure impactor, an ultrafine condensation particle counter and a scanning mobility particle sizer. Two inlet systems, one above the windshield and the other above the bumper, enable chasing of different type of vehicles. Also, meteorological and geographical parameters are recorded. This paper introduces the construction and technical details of the van, and presents data from the measurements performed during an LIPIKA campaign on the highway in Helsinki. Approximately 90% of the total particle number concentration was due to particles smaller than 50nm on the highway in Helsinki. The peak concentrations exceeded often 200,000 particlescm−3 and reached sometimes a value of 106 cm−3. Typical size distribution of fine particles possessed bimodal structure with the modal mean diameters of 15–20nm and ∼150nm. Atmospheric dispersion of traffic pollutions were measured by moving away from the highway along the wind direction. At a distance of 120–140m from the source the concentrations were diluted to one-tenth from the values at 9m from the source.
Chemical etching is introduced into the nanocones array supported silicon films to improve the lithium storage properties for Li-ion batteries. With the directional removal of some silicon, enough space is left between adjacent Si nanopillars. The Ni nanocones array enhances the electron conductivity and the interfacial strength to facilitate the electron collection and avoid the delamination. The space accommodates the volume expansion and allows the penetration of electrolyte into the inner of the electrode. This new type of nanostructured Si anodes delivers a high discharge capacity of ∼2900mAhg−1 (at 0.2C) and excellent cycling stability for a prolonged 200 cycles. The electrode also demonstrates appealing rate capability. The remarkable performance of nanostructured Si anode indicates the potential of its application as electrode materials for high performance energy storage.
The electrochemical performance of fluorinated carbon nanotube (CF x , x =0.31) is investigated as oxygen electrode for Li–O2 battery. When compared with conventional carbon nanotube (CNT)-based electrode in Li–O2 battery, the battery with CF0.31-based oxygen electrode exhibits significantly enhanced specific capacities and high-rate capability. For CF0.31 based Li–O2 battery, two electrochemical reactions (oxygen reduction reaction and CF0.31 conversion reaction) occur during discharge process. The defects on the carbon nanotube after fluorination improves electrocatalytic activity of oxygen reduction on the material, and the loosely discharge products coated on the cathode due to the conversion of CF0.31 and reduction of oxygen occurred simultaneously provide further reactive sites on CF0.31 for oxygen reduction, is one of the main reasons for the enhanced electrochemical performance of fluorinated CNT. CF0.31 is shown as one promising material as oxygen electrode which can exhibit a good rate performance and a high specific energy density.
Six non-conventional in situ shear tests were carried out at the Santa Barbara disused open-pit mine (Italy) to investigate the strength properties of the Shale–Limestone Chaotic Complex bimrock. The SLCC is characterised by a dark-grey clayey matrix containing calcareous rock fragments of various sizes. A non-conventional in situ shear test apparatus has been developed for the purpose of the present research: the testing procedure ensures that the failure surface inside the specimen is free to develop in a tortuous way along block/matrix contacts, thus allowing for the evaluation of the bimrock strength parameters by taking into account the influence of the blocks and to overcome the size limitation of laboratory specimens. The operative strength parameters were correlated to the volumetric block content (VBC) inside the tested specimens, evaluated by means of in situ large-sized sieving tests. The data show a good linear positive correlation between the VBC and the bimrock friction angle, while cohesion seems to be strongly affected by a critical VBC threshold (20–25%). Moreover, the bimrock strength parameters show an overall larger friction angle and lower cohesion compared to those of the SLCC clayey matrix, in agreement with the common bimrock mechanical behaviour.
In the context of global climate change, the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has regained its attention by many governments. The purpose of this paper is to study the coordination mechanisms of the photovoltaic supply chain considering the strategic consumers' behavior under the government's subsidy policies and its impact on the decisions of supply chain stakeholders. A centralized decision model and a revenue sharing contract coordination model for PV supply chain with strategic consumers are respectively formulated and discussed. Using the coordination model and the statistics from the development report of PV industry in the world during 2008–2012, the PV supply chain with monocrystalline modules of 72 solar cells for general power system solutions is analyzed. The analysis has found that revenue sharing is a good coordination mechanism for PV supply chain in the presence of the strategic consumers; while setting a low discount rate and the reduction of modules and assembling costs can increase the utilization of PV systems and the benefit of PV supply chain. The results suggest that governments should set appropriate subsidy policy to encourage PV industry development; the polysilicon module suppliers should enhance the relationship with PV assembler to achieve better coordination and adapt their capacity investment plan and manufacturing schedule to customer demands; in the presence of strategic consumers, the PV assemblers should set appropriate discount rate and share the information with key suppliers to optimize inventory and retail price decision to achieve better coordination; and the strategic consumers should enhance the utilization of PV system to increase their electrical outputs.
Introducing the Na ion into the Ni-rich LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2, Li1-x Na x Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (x =0, 0.01, 0.03) has been synthesized by high-temperature solid method. The effect of Na dopants on the structure, morphology, electrochemical properties, Li ion diffusion coefficient and the activation barriers has been extensively studied. Rietveld refinement results reveal that Na doping suppress cation mixing degree effectively and enlarge Li slab space. Electrochemical testing shows that Na-doped electrodes exhibit higher initial coulombic efficiency, good capacity retention and superior rate capability. Using experiments combined with first-principles calculations, we confirmed that the Na doping has enlarged Li slab space and then made the activation barrier of Li migration be reduced resulting higher Li+ diffusion coefficients.
Electrochemically formed spinel-lithium manganese oxides were synthesized from manganese hydroxides prepared by a cathodic electrochemical precipitation from various concentrations of manganese nitrate solutions. Two types of manganese hydroxides were formed from diluted and concentrated Mn(NO3)2 aqueous solutions. Uniform and equi-sized disk shaped Mn(OH)2 crystals of 0.2–5μm in diameter were obtained on a Pt substrate after the electrochemical precipitation from lower concentration of ranging from 2mmoldm−3 to 2moldm−3 Mn(NO3)2 aq., while the grass blade-like precipitate which is ascribed to manganese hydroxide with 20–80μm long and 1–5μm wide were formed from concentrated Mn(NO3)2 aq. Both manganese hydroxides gave the electrochemically formed spinel-LiMn2O4 onto a Pt sheet, which is ready for electrochemical measurement, after calcination of the Li incorporated precipitate at 750°C without any additives. While the shape and size of the secondary particle frameworks (aggregates) of the electrochemically formed spinel-LiMn2O4 can be controlled by the electrolysis conditions, the nanostructured primary crystals of 200nm in diameter were obtained in all cases except that the fiber-like nanostructured spinel-LiMn2O4 crystals with 200nm in diameter were obtained from concentrated Mn(NO3)2 aq. Though these two types of electrochemically formed spinel-LiMn2O4 showed well-shaped CVs even in higher scan rates, it would be suitable for high power density battery applications. These behaviors are assumed to be ascribed to the crystal size and shape of the processed spinel-LiMn2O4.
Lithium rich manganese layered oxides (Zr doped Li[Li0.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2) with porous hollow structure are synthesized by co-precipitation followed by calcination. The morphologies of bare materials and electrodes have been studied through scanning electron microscope (SEM), which illustrates that particles with porous hollow structure combine with conductive carbon more efficiency. Additionally, the porous hollow structure provide a three dimensional space for lithium ion diffusion. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been utilized to gain insight to the properties of pristine and Zr doped materials before and after electrode process. Zr doped Li[Li0.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2 with porous hollow structure shows better crystal stability and higher diffusion coefficients (D) of the lithium ions diffusing. After 100 cycles at 250 mAg−1, the lattice parameter and crystal structure of Zr doped materials shows smaller changes than pristine's, and the lithium ion diffusion of pristine and Zr doped material decreased from 1.89 × 10−4 and 2.73 × 10−4 mA cm−2 to 3.18 × 10−5 and 1.66 × 10−4 mA cm−2, respectively.
The electrodeposition of a Cu–Sn binary alloy on stainless steel from a cyanide-free alkaline electrolyte containing EDTA·2Na and C4H4O6KNa was investigated to explore the possibility of a cyanide-free double complexing system that maintains the decorative quality and coating performance. The Cu–Sn co-deposition occurred at −0.95 Vvs.Hg|HgO, and the height of cathode peak A from the BR bath was −0.0280 A. EDTA·2Na could simultaneously complex with Cu ions and Sn ions, while C4H4O6KNa could only complex with Cu ions, which was shown through the analysis of the cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves together with the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results. The molar concentration ratio and sum of the two main salts or the two complexing agents, and the pH of the electroplating solutions were shown to influence the surface micromorphology, composition and phase structure of the Cu–Sn coatings. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the Cu–Sn coating obtained from the bath with EDTA-tartrate double complexing agents exhibited smaller grain sizes than that obtained from the bath with the single EDTA or tartrate complexing agent, and the smallest grain size of 0.2 μm was obtained from the BR bath. In addition to being smaller than the others, this coating contained uniform particle sizes. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis indicated that the composition of the Cu–Sn coating obtained from the BR bath was 92.8 wt% Cu and 7.2 wt% Sn, and this coating was golden in colour. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the Cu–Sn coatings were crystalline and were composed of a mixture of Cu, Cu6Sn5, [Cu, Sn] and Cu10Sn3 phases, indicating the formation of Cu–Sn binary alloy. These results may provide theoretical guidance for the electrodeposition technology of other alloy coatings.
This paper looks at the future of mobile phone-based Intranet applications using data from the Japanese market and models of industry evolution. Owing to the faster and greater agreement on protocols for defining the way in which content and information is presented on phones and the faster introduction and promotion of push-based Internet mail and methods of accessing content via the input of a URL, Japanese firms have moved faster to introduce mobile phone-based mobile applications than the rest of the world. Based on analysis of published material in Japanese newspapers and magazines and interviews with more than 30 firms (users, suppliers, and service providers), this paper discusses the status and future of these applications; the latter focuses on both technological change and models of industry evolution.
The work reported herein demonstrates a novel method to improve the overall performance of thin-form-factor galvanic cells, fabricated via micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) processes. Use of solid, low cost, cyclic-halogenated, organic catholyte materials permits water activation of cells consisting of metal anode and catalytic platinum positive electrodes. Similar cells, employing aluminum and zinc anodes, have been activated using sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) solutions, i.e. bleach, in the past. The oxidizers chosen for this study (bromo-, chloro- and iodo-succinimides, and sodium dichloroisocyanuric acid) supply the cathode's oxy-halogenated ions when in contact with water. Zinc, magnesium and aluminum anodes are utilized to fabricate galvanic cells. A comparison between these anodes, coupled with various oxidizers, is included herein. Results using aluminum anode cells show that, even though the utilization efficiency of the catholyte reagents is low (faradic efficiencies between 16 and 19%), the performance of the new water-activated cells (6cm×6cm×0.25cm) is superior when compared to those activated with bleach. For instance, operational lives of 6h (activation with 10% NaClO solution) increase to more than 30h using the new approach, with a 100-ohm-load. It is also shown that specific energies of 90–110Whkg−1 (calculated to include both reagent and packaging mass) could be obtained using the described approach with current draws between 10 and 20mA. The specific energies obtained suggest that novel MEMS-type cells could have much broader application than low-current, bleach-activated cells.
Most people have a right-ear advantage for the perception of spoken syllables, consistent with left hemisphere dominance for speech processing. However, there is considerable variation, with some people showing left-ear advantage. The extent to which this variation is reflected in brain structure remains unclear. We tested for relations between hemispheric asymmetries of auditory processing and of grey matter in 281 adults, using dichotic listening and voxel-based morphometry. This was the largest study of this issue to date. Per-voxel asymmetry indexes were derived for each participant following registration of brain magnetic resonance images to a template that was symmetrized. The asymmetry index derived from dichotic listening was related to grey matter asymmetry in clusters of voxels corresponding to the amygdala and cerebellum lobule VI. There was also a smaller, non-significant cluster in the posterior superior temporal gyrus, a region of auditory cortex. These findings contribute to the mapping of asymmetrical structure–function links in the human brain and suggest that subcortical structures should be investigated in relation to hemispheric dominance for speech processing, in addition to auditory cortex.
Materials technology group Umicore has awarded its first Umicore Scientific Award to young French researcher Charles Delacourt for his work in the field of the electronic behaviour of lithium batteries. It will help to improve the prospects of using this type of rechargeable battery in environmentally-friendly high-power hybrid vehicles. By turning this into an annual event, Umicore aims to highlight the crucial role fundamental academic research has to play in industry and society as a whole: the scientific quest for intelligent energy-efficient solutions to store and generate power. Umicore invests more than 5 per cent of its revenues in R&D and also fosters close ties with dozens of research institutions and universities around the world. Charles Delacourt's entry from Université de Picardie, in Amiens, was one of 17 from all over Europe, including Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Germany. The prize, along with a cheque of € 10,000 was awarded to the winner in Brussels on 4 December.
Endoscopic and radiologic tests appear to be more accurate than stool-tests in detecting advanced neoplasia because of direct visualisation of colorectal mucosa. Further technological advances are expected to improve the performance and acceptability of these tests. Several attempts at increasing the adenoma detection rate of colonoscopy have been tested, and in vivo histologic differentiation between neoplastic and hyperplastic polyps may lead to substantial saving in economic and medical resources. Low-volume and non-cathartic bowel preparations may improve CT colonography acceptability, whilst computer-aided detection and low-dose protocols may result in a higher accuracy and safety of this procedure. Despite the lack of ionising radiation, significant drawbacks will likely to limit the role of MR colonography in screening programs. Colon capsule endoscopy appears to be a safe and technically feasible procedure. The suboptimal accuracy of the first generation seems to be substantially improved by the second generation of this device.
The influence of temperature and the type of expander on the cycle life of negative lead–acid battery plates set to cycling tests following the requirements of the ECE-15 test protocol has been investigated. The plates prepared with the currently used expanders Vanisperse (Vs) or Indulin (In) alone have a considerably shorter cycle life than negative plates produced with a blend of the two expanders. The new experimental products UP-393 and UP-414 of Borregaard LignoTech (Norway) ensure much better cycle life performance when used for EV battery applications. Investigations on the influence of temperature on battery cycle life have evidenced that with increase of temperature the cycle life of the battery features a maximum at 40°C (UP-393, Indulin+Vanisperse). At 60°C almost all expanders disintegrate and the cycle life of the batteries decreases, though the plates with UP-393 and UP-414 have better cycle life performance than those with other expanders. A gradual degradation of the NAM structure is observed with batteries set to EV cycling. The energetic structure of NAM, which is built up of small crystals with large surface area, is converted into skeleton structure at the end of battery life, which comprises large crystals with small surface area yielding low battery capacity. On cycling at temperature about 60°C, the NAM is converted into a well-developed network of thin lead branches with large pores in between. On discharge, some of these branches are oxidized more quickly, thus, excluding part of NAM from the current generation process, which consequently reduces the capacity of the negative plates.