batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated on electrocatalysts composed of Co and Ni-modified Mn oxides, on Mn-modified Co oxides (spinel structure) and on these pure metal oxides, all supported on carbon powder. The transition metal oxides were synthesized via thermal decomposition of the respective nitrates under oxidizing atmosphere, and characterized by X-ray diffraction, before and after electrochemical potential cycling experiments. The ORR electrocatalytic activity was measured using steady state polarization curves using a rotating disk electrode. The comparison of the ORR polarization curves obtained for the pure metal oxides showed higher electrocatalytic activity for the Mn oxide electrocatalyst. However, durability tests showed an activity loss of this material due to the formation of the less active Mn3O4 phase. Co and Ni oxide showed similar ORR onset potential, but Co oxide presented much higher limiting current, evidencing higher number of electrons involved in the ORR. This was ascribed to its higher ability for the disproportionation reaction and for the O–O bond breaking, conducting the ORR via the 4-electron pathway. The Ni-modified Mn oxide material resulted in an increased stability during the ORR electrocatalysis. This was attributed to the introduction of Ni atoms into the Mn oxide structure, which leads to an electronic interaction between the Ni and Mn atoms, avoiding the formation of the less active Mn3O4. In the case of the Mn-modified Co oxide electrocatalyst, the addition of Mn into the Co oxide structure facilitated the electroreduction of the Co3+ to Co2+ during the ORR polarization curves. The faster electroreduction of Co(III) to Co(II) increased the mediated step, increasing the overall ORR rate.
A Ni–YSZ (Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2) composite is commonly used as a solid oxide fuel cell anode. The composite powders are usually synthesized by mixing NiO and YSZ powders. The particle size and distribution of the two phases generally determine the performance of the anode. Two different milling methods are used to prepare the composite anode powders, namely, high-energy milling and ball-milling that reduce the particle size. The particle size and the Ni distribution of the two composite powders are examined. The effects of milling on the performance are evaluated by using both an electrolyte-supported, symmetric Ni–YSZ/YSZ/Ni–YSZ cell and an anode-supported, asymmetric cell. The performance is examined at 800°C by impedance analysis and current-voltage measurements. Pellets made by using high-energy milled NiO–YSZ powders have much smaller particle sizes and a more uniform distribution of Ni particles than pellets made from ball-milled powder, and thus the polarization resistance of the electrode is also smaller. The maximum power density of the anode-supported cell prepared by using the high-energy milled powder is ∼850mWcm−2 at 800°C compared with ∼500mWcm−2 for the cell with ball-milled powder. Thus, high-energy milling is found to be more effective in reducing particle size and obtaining a uniform distribution of Ni particles.
Teas of Vernonia condensata Baker (Asteraceae) are widely used in Brazil for gastro-intestinal disorders and to treat several other diseases. In this study, we evaluated the acute toxicity, embryotoxicity and mutagenicity of a lyophilized aqueous extract (LAE) from V. condensata leaves. Single doses of LAE, up to 5000 mg/kg body weight, were given orally or intraperitoneally to male and female Swiss albino mice. No toxicity was observed after oral administration. The ‘Approximate Lethal Dose’ after intraperitoneal injections was 3400 mg/kg for males and 5000 mg/kg for females. Embryotoxicity was investigated in Han:NMRI mice. LAE (0, 500 and 2000 mg/kg/day) was given by gavage on days 10, 11 and 12, and dams were submitted to caesarean sections on day 18 of pregnancy. Fetuses were weighed, examined for externally visible malformations, and evaluated for skeletal anomalies. Except for a slight reduction of fetal body weight accompanied by signs of delayed ossification at the highest dose, no other embryotoxic effect was noted in the exposed offspring. LAE-induced mutagenicity was evaluated in the Salmonella/microsome assay without and with S9 mixture. LAE, tested up to 5000 μg/plate, was not mutagenic to tester strains TA97a, TA98 and TA100. Results therefore suggest that V. condensata aqueous extracts present low acute toxicity and pose neither teratogenic nor mutagenic risks.
The submicro-sized and nanostructured Si aggregated powder is prepared by combinational routes of high energy mechanical milling (HEMM) and wet milling. Milled Si powder is investigated by particle size analyzer, SEM, TEM, XPS and XRD as well as the control ones. Its electrode is also investigated by in situ XRD and electrochemical performance. Morphology reveals that combining the high energy mechanical milling and wet milling not only fracture primary Si particles but also form submicro-sized Si aggregates constructed by amorphous and nanocrystalline phases. Moreover, XPS shows that wet milling in ethanol trigger SiOCH2CH3 bonding on Si surface might enhance the SEI formation. In situ XRD analysis shows negative electrode made of submicro-sized Si aggregated powder can effectively suppress formation of crystalline Li15Si4 during lithiation and delithiation due to amorphous and nanocrystalline construction. Thus, the submicro-sized Si powder with synergistic effects combining the high energy mechanical milling and wet milling in ethanol as negative electrode performs better capacity retention.
Demand response programs offer efficient solutions for many power system problems, such as high generation cost, high demand’s peak to average ratio, high emissions, reliability issues and congestion in generation, transmission and distribution systems. Their main function is to assist power systems during peak demand hours and also during contingencies. They are a subcategory of the family of demand side management (DSM) strategies. DR programs are classified into two broad categories; price-based DR programs and incentive-based DR programs. In order to exploit their full potential, DR programs must be implemented optimally. Such a problem, which here is referred to as “DR optimisation problem”, is a hot research topic and has been frequently researched in the literature. This paper aims to review different research works on DR optimisation problems. Based on the conducted review, some directions for future research are proposed.
The nanocomposites comprising of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and polyaniline (PANI) were synthesized by facile insitu single step chemical methods, with glacial acetic acid (AA) and methane sulphonic acid (MSA) as dopants for PANI. The rGO/PANI nanocomposites synthesized with the similar weight percentages of constituents exhibited better electrochemical performance in the presence of MSA than in the presence of AA, in the real two-electrode supercapacitor cell system. The nanocomposite of weight percentages of rGO-6.7%, and PANI-93.33% (GP93MSA), with MSA as dopant exhibited a remarkable feature of increase in energy storage when the number of cycles was increased. It exhibited a maximum enhancement of 237.44% in its energy storage performance, after 13600 cycles as compared to the performance before the onset of cyclic test. The high performances obtained with GP93MSA include high specific capacitance of 512.82 F g−1, specific capacity of 615.38 C g−1, energy density of 102.56 W h kg−1 and a power density of 1.8954 kW kg−1 at 1 A g−1. The energy density of the supercapacitor with GP93MSA as the electrode material, is of the same order as that of Li-ion batteries. Also, GP93MSA showcased good cyclic stability up to 23000 cycles.
This paper uses a stochastic simulation methodology to generate a schedule of daily travel and charging profiles for a population of electric vehicles with GPS travel data collected during an electric vehicle demonstration trial. The dependence structure between six variables is modelled using a non-parametric copula function. Then an iterative method of conditional distributions with a Bayesian inference is used to generate travel patterns that comply with the uncertainty of the inputs. At each destination a probabilistic charging model is used to translate the travel patterns of the electric vehicles (EVs) into the respective power demand of the vehicles. These synthetic datasets capture the degree of uncertainty of the travel and charging behaviour of EVs (contrary to single realisations) and are scalable to different EV populations (allowing uncertainty reduction effects in large populations). Such charging profiles would be useful to electric vehicle grid integration studies such as aggregated power demand, power systems services and charging optimisation analyses.
Lithium pentafluorobenzene sulfonate was synthesized by a protocol whereby pollution by aromatic nucleophilic substitutions on the perfluorinated ring was avoided. Its poly(oxyethylene) complexes, although less conductive than lithium imide complexes, provided cationic transference numbers higher than 0.5. Surprisingly, even at fairly low concentrations, this salt markedly increased the mechanical properties of the polymer electrolyte. This effect was attributed to telechelic interactions of the ion pairs with distinct polyether chains and is in agreement with the high cationic transference numbers.
It should be borne in mind that however exciting it may be, MPEG is only a technology. Technology per se is not useful and only becomes useful when it is incorporated into an appropriate and affordable product or service. If the use is not appropriate or affordable, there is no point in blaming the technology.
Electrochemical properties of layered Li(Li0.2Ni0.15+0.5z Co0.10Mn0.55−0.5z )O2− z F z (0≤ z ≤0.10), which was synthesized by a sol–gel method, were investigated by galvanostatic cycling in the voltage range of 2.0–4.6V at room temperature as well as at 55°C. The initial discharge capacity slightly decreased with the increase in the content of fluorine dopant. However, cycling performance was greatly improved and cell impedance was significantly reduced by the fluorine doping. Capacity retention after 40 cycles at room temperature and the area specific impedance were 79% and 150Ωcm2 for z =0, respectively, and 103% and 65Ωcm2 for z =0.05, respectively. The Li(Li0.2Ni0.175Co0.10Mn0.525)O1.95F0.05 material charged to 4.6V also exhibited excellent thermal behavior due to the stability of the fully charged material.
The purpose of this study was to test the reliability (i.e. internal consistency and test–retest reliability) and construct validity (i.e. content validity, factor validity, measurement invariance, and latent mean invariance) of the Nutrition and Activity Knowledge Scale (NAKS) in a sample of French adolescents with mild to moderate Intellectual Disability (ID). A total sample of 260 adolescents (144 boys and 116 girls), aged between 12 and 18 years old, with mild to moderate ID was involved in two studies. In the first study, analysis of items’ content reveals that many words from the original version were not understood or induced confusion. These items were reworded and simplified while retaining their original meaning. In the second study, results provided support for: (i) the factor validity and reliability of a 15-item French version of the NAKS; (ii) the measurement invariance of the resulting NAKS across genders and ID levels; (iii) the partial measurement invariance of the resulting NAKS across age groups and type of school placement. In addition, the latent means of the 15-item French version of the NAKS proved to be invariant across gender, age categories, and ID levels, but to vary across type of school placement (with adolescents schooled in self-contained classes from regular schools presenting higher levels of NAK than adolescents placed in specialized establishments). The present results thus provide preliminary evidence regarding the construct validity of a 15-item French version of the NAKS in a sample of adolescents with ID.
Powertrain hybridization as well as electrical energy management are imposing new requirements on electrical storage systems in vehicles. This paper characterizes the associated vehicle attributes and, in particular, the various levels of hybrids. New requirements for the electrical storage system are derived, including: shallow-cycle life, high dynamic charge acceptance particularly for regenerative braking and robust service life in sustained partial-state-of-charge usage. Lead/acid, either with liquid or absorptive glass-fibre mat electrolyte, is expected to remain the predominant battery technology for 14V systems, including micro-hybrids, and with a cost-effective battery monitoring system for demanding applications. Advanced AGM batteries may be considered for mild or even medium hybrids once they have proven robustness under real-world conditions, particularly with respect to cycle life at partial-states-of-charge and dynamic charge acceptance. For the foreseeable future, NiMH and Li-ion are the dominating current and potential battery technologies for higher-functionality HEVs. Li-ion, currently at development and demonstration stages, offers attractive opportunities for improvements in performance and cost. Supercapacitors may be considered for pulse power applications. Aside from cell technologies, attention to the issue of system integration of the battery into the powertrain and vehicle is growing. Opportunities and challenges for potential “battery pack” system suppliers are discussed.
Recent computational simulations of ionic conductivity across the electrolyte of commercial batteries by Salvadori et al. (2015) have shown that the concentration of ions exceeds half the saturation limit near the electrodes. This observation, which is in agreement with other approaches by Danilov and Notten (2008), implies that the widespread assumption of infinite dilution far from saturation is questionable. The present contribution is therefore devoted to investigate the role of saturation in modeling ionic transport in the electrolyte of Li-ion batteries. An important result is found, that saturation has no effect on the diffusivity, whereby the condition of electroneutrality is well approximated in the solution. However saturation affects the electric potential up to 40% near the electrodes for all charge rates.
“Weight of Evidence” (WoE) approaches are often used to critically examine, prioritize, and integrate results from different types of studies to reach general conclusions. For assessing hormonally active agents, WoE evaluations are necessary to assess screening assays that identify potential interactions with components of the endocrine system, long-term reproductive and developmental toxicity tests that define adverse effects, mode of action studies aimed at identifying toxicological pathways underlying adverse effects, and toxicity, exposure and pharmacokinetic data to characterize potential risks. We describe a hypothesis-driven WoE approach for hormonally active agents and illustrate the approach by constructing hypotheses for testing the premise that a substance interacts as an agonist or antagonist with components of estrogen, androgen, or thyroid pathways or with components of the aromatase or steroidogenic enzyme systems for evaluating data within the US EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. Published recommendations are used to evaluate data validity for testing each hypothesis and quantitative weightings are proposed to reflect two data parameters. Relevance weightings should be derived for each endpoint to reflect the degree to which it probes each specific hypothesis. Response weightings should be derived based on assay results from the test substance compared to the range of responses produced in the assay by the appropriate prototype hormone and positive and negative controls. Overall WoE scores should be derived based on response and relevance weightings and a WoE narrative developed to clearly describe the final determinations.
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid, are, respectively, n-3 and n-6 family members and play an important role in fetal and infant growth and development. Pregnancy and lactation impose special nutritional needs for the mother-fetus situation. Since the LC-PUFA required by the fetus is supplied by preferential placental transfer of preformed LC-PUFA rather than their precursor, it has been hypothesized that additional maternal supply of LC-PUFA, especially DHA, during pregnancy may improve maternal and infant outcomes.
In the past few decades, great effort has been made toward the preparation and development of advanced transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials for anodes of alkali metal ion batteries (AMIBs). However, their electrochemical performance is still severely impaired by structural aggregation and fracture during the conversion reaction. To address these issues, various methodologies for the fabrication of hierarchical and hybrid nanostructures, with optimization of materials and electrodes, have been fully investigated and reviewed. As regards tuning the TMD-based materials, extensive efforts have been undertaken toward optimization of their intrinsic structure at the atomic level, including surface defects, interlayer spacing expansion, phase control, alloying, and heteroatom doping. However, the design strategies and methods to manipulate the intrinsic structures and electrochemical mechanisms in AMIBs have not been fully summarized. This review provides a well-timed and critical appraisal of recent advances in the engineering of TMDs at the atomic level for AMIBs, by combining computational and experimental approaches. The correlation between these strategies and electrochemical performance is highlighted. The challenges and opportunities in this research field are also outlined. We expect that this review would be beneficial for improving the overall knowledge on the charge storage mechanisms in TMDs and for pointing out the importance of intrinsic structure engineering for enhancing the performance of TMDs in energy storage.
Five test sessions were conducted to assess asbestos exposure during the removal or installation of asbestos-containing gaskets on vehicles. All testing took place within an operative automotive repair facility involving passenger cars and a pickup truck ranging in vintage from late 1960s through 1970s. A professional mechanic performed all shop work including engine disassembly and reassembly, gasket manipulation and parts cleaning. Bulk sample analysis of removed gaskets through polarized light microscopy (PLM) revealed asbestos fiber concentrations ranging between 0 and 75%. Personal and area air samples were collected and analyzed using National Institute of Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH) methods 7400 [phase contrast microscopy (PCM)] and 7402 [transmission electron microscopy (TEM)]. Among all air samples collected, approximately 21% (n =11) contained chrysotile fibers. The mean PCM and phase contrast microscopy equivalent (PCME) 8-h time weighted average (TWA) concentrations for these samples were 0.0031fibers/cubic centimeters (f/cc) and 0.0017f/cc, respectively. Based on these findings, automobile mechanics who worked with asbestos-containing gaskets may have been exposed to concentrations of airborne asbestos concentrations approximately 100 times lower than the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.1f/cc.
The thermal stability of electrolytes with Li x CoO2 cathode or lithiated carbon anode was reviewed including our recent results. From our experiments, it was found that Li x CoO2, delithiated by a chemical method using H2SO4 showed two exothermic peaks, one beginning at 190°C and the other beginning at 290°C. From high-temperature XRD, it was found that the first peak, from 190°C, was the phase transition from a monoclinic (R-3m) to a spinel structure (Fd3m). The spinel structure Li x CoO2 showed a very small cycling capacity. Probably, cation mixing was induced by the heat treatment. The DSC measurements of Li0.49CoO2 with 1M LiPF6/EC+DMC showed two exothermic peaks. The peak starting at 190°C probably resulted from the decomposition of solvent due to an active cathode surface, and the peak starting at 230°C was electrolyte oxidation caused by released oxygen from Li0.49CoO2. From DSC profiles of chemically delithiated Li0.49CoO2 and 1M PC electrolytes with various Li salts, it was found that the inhibition effect of the surface reaction starting at 190°C was large when LiBF4, LiPF6, and LiClO4 were used. The thermal stability of electrochemically lithiated graphite with 1M LiPF6/EC+DMC and PVdF-binder has been investigated. DSC revealed a mild heat generation starting from 130°C with a small peak at 140°C. The mild heat generation continued until a sharp exothermic peak appeared at 280°C. The lithiated graphite with the electrolyte without PVdF-binder did not show the small peak at 140°C. The peak at 140°C seems to be caused by the reaction (the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation) of the electrolyte and lithiated graphite, which surface is covered by poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF)-binder without formation of SEI at a lower temperature.
Vitamin D anti-tumor effect is often found reduced in the late stages of cancer. To uncover vitamin D resistance mechanism, we established a vitamin D-resistant human prostate cancer LNCaP cell line, LNCaP-R, by chronic exposure of cells to 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD). The vitamin D receptor (VDR)-mediated transcriptional activity was reduced in LNCaP-R, whereas VDR expression level and DNA-binding capacity were similar compared to parental cells (LNCaP-P). The expressions of the key factors involved in VDR transactivity, including CYP24A1 and VDR-associated proteins are all increased in LNCaP-R cells, and yet treatment with ketoconazole, P450 enzymes inhibitor, as well as trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, did not sensitize LNCaP-R cells response to vitamin D, suggesting that neither a local 1,25-VD availability, nor VDR-associated proteins are responsible for the vitamin D resistance. Interestingly, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling, which is critical for 1,25-VD/VDR activity was found reduced in LNCaP-R cells, thereby treatment with NF-κB activator, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), can sensitize LNCaP-R vitamin D response. Together, we conclude that NF-κB signaling is critical for vitamin D sensitivity, and dysregulation of this pathway would result in vitamin D resistance and disease progression.
The paper examines Wesley Salmon’s claim that the primary role of plausibility arguments in the history of science is to impose constraints on the prior probability of hypotheses (in the language of Bayesian confirmation theory). A detailed look at Copernicanism and Darwinism and, more briefly, Rutherford’s discovery of the atomic nucleus reveals a further and arguably more important role of plausibility arguments. It resides in the consideration of likelihoods, which state how likely a given hypothesis makes a given piece of evidence. In each case the likelihoods raise the probability of one of the competing hypotheses and diminish the credibility of its rival, and this may happen either on the basis of ‘old’ or ‘new’ evidence.