batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The realisation of sexual rights remains a daunting challenge in most of sub-Saharan Africa despite the articulation of these rights in several international documents and national laws. In this paper, we highlight a possible but neglected reason why this is so. Current sexual rights declarations derive from the notion that the body, as a physical entity, belongs to the individual. However, our work in two southeastern Nigerian cultures, the Ngwa-Igbo and the Ubang, shows that there is at least one alternative view of the body, which constructs it as the property of the wider community, rather than that of the individual. In the two cultures in question, rights are embodied in the community, which also lays powerful claims on all its members, including the claim of body ownership. Individuals are thus more likely to seek and realise their rights within the communal space, rather than by standing alone. The assumption that individuals always hold the ultimate right to their bodies is problematic and may constrain the effectiveness of rights-based programmes and interventions in general, and of work around sexual rights in particular.
There are four published reference exposure levels (RELs) for Hg0, ranging from 0.09μg/m3 to 1μg/m3. All RELs were derived from the same toxicological database, predominantly of male chloralkali workers. Some key factors are apparent which make the use of that database questionable for REL derivation. Occupational studies of chloralkali workers are not an appropriate basis for a REL for Hg0. Concomitant exposure to chlorine gas (Cl2) diminishes uptake and effects of Hg0 exposure. There are gender differences in Hg0 uptake, distribution and excretion, with females at potentially greater risk from Hg0 exposure than males. Studies of chloralkali workers focused almost exclusively on adult males. Recent investigations of dental professionals (dentists, technicians, assistants) have failed to define a threshold in the dose–response relationship linking Hg0 with neurobehavioural outcomes, an observation generally ignored in Hg0 REL development. Finally, there is a growing database on genetic predisposition to health effects associated with Hg0 exposure. Based on these considerations, we propose a different key study for REL derivation, one that involved male and female dental professionals without concomitant Cl2 exposure. Adjusting the LOEAL to continuous exposure and applying appropriate UF values, we propose a Canadian REL for Hg0 of 0.06μg/m3.
Kinetic and mass-transport properties were investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction for Nafion® 117 and sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) membranes, both pre- and post-sulfonated analogs (SPES-40 & SPES-PS) under 100% relative humidity and as a function of pressure (1–4 atm total pressure, 323 K) and temperature (303–353 K, 3 atm) using a solid-state electrochemical cell. Kinetic parameters were obtained using slow-sweep voltammetry while mass-transport parameters, the diffusion coefficient (D) and solubility (C), were obtained using chronoamperometry at a Pt (microelectrode)|proton exchange membrane (PEM) interface. The oxygen reduction kinetics were found to be similar for all the membranes at the Pt microelectrode interface. The temperature dependence of O2 permeation parameters showed identical trends for the membranes studied while the pressure dependence of O2 permeation parameters displayed some differences. Despite higher ion exchange capacities and hence higher water uptake, the two SPES membranes exhibited relatively lower values of D as compared to Nafion® 117. The results are discussed in the context of their different microstructures.
Autophagy generally refers to cell catabolic and recycling process in which cytoplasmic components are delivered to lysosomes for degradation. During the last two decades, autophagy research has experienced a recent boom because of a newfound connection between this process and many human diseases. Autophagy plays a significant role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and protects cells from varying insults, including misfolded and aggregated proteins and damaged organelles, which is particularly crucial in neuronal survival. Mounting evidence has implicated autophagic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of several major neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, where deficient elimination of abnormal and toxic protein aggregates promotes cellular stress, failure and death. In addition, autophagy has also been found to affect neurotoxicity induced by exposure to essential metals, such as manganese, copper, and iron, and other heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and methylmercury. This review examines current literature on the role of autophagy in the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis amongst common neurodegenerative disorders and of metal-induced neurotoxicity.
Alkaline blend polymer electrolytes based on PVA/TEAC were obtained by a solution casting technique. Tetraethyl ammonium chloride (TEAC) was added to PVA polymer matrix to form an alkaline blend polymer electrolyte exhibiting excellent ionic transport and mechanical properties. The ionic conductivity of the alkaline PVA/TEAC blend polymer electrolyte was found to be of the order of 10−2 S cm−1 at ambient temperature when the blend ratio of PVA:TEAC varied from 1:0.2 to 1:2. The characteristic properties of alkaline PVA/TEAC blend polymer electrolytes were examined using DSC, TGA, XRD, SEM, EA, stress–strain tests and AC impedance spectroscopy. The ionic transport properties for the blend polymer electrolytes were measured using Hittorf’s method. It was found that the anionic transport numbers (t−) were between 0.82 and 0.99; the membranes are highly dependent on the types of alkali metal salts and the chemical composition of the polymer blend. The ionic transport and mechanical properties were greatly improved at the expense of the ionic conductivity. In this work we demonstrate that alkaline blend polymer electrolyte can be tailored with a blend technique to achieve specific characteristic properties for battery applications.
Product design is the process of creating new and improved products for people to use. Consumer products are designed to facilitate use by the general public, whereas commercial products are used to produce goods and services. Consumer products are different from commercial products in several respects: The user generally is untrained. The user often works unsupervised. The user is a part of a diverse population (Cushman and Rosenberg, 1991).
The (Ru0.3Ti0.34Sn0.3Sb0.06)O2–TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) anode has been prepared via anodization, deposition, and annealing. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and linear scanning voltammetry were used to scrutinize the electrodes and the electrochemical activity. The results indicate that highly ordered TNTs with large specific surface area could be implanted with active metal oxides. The catalyst firmly binds with the TNTs and enhances the electrochemical stability of the electrode. It displays high over-potential for oxygen evolution reaction. Accordingly, the constructed (Ru0.3Ti0.34Sn0.3Sb0.06)O2–TNTs anode exhibits a greater potential difference (ΔE) between the evolutions of oxygen and chlorine than that exhibited by the traditional dimensionally stable anode, which is beneficial for improving the selectivity toward chlorine evolution reaction. This superior performance is explained in terms of the surface properties and geometric structure of coated catalyst, as well as the electrochemical selectivity ascribed by the addition of tin and antimony species.
Porous carbons with high specific surface area and high defect density have been prepared through direct carbonization of cattle bones without any additional activators and templates. Benefiting from self-activation induced by hydroxyapatites within the cattle bones, the high-defect porous carbons obtained at 1100°C (PC-1100) possess the high specific surface area (2096m2 g−1), largest mesopore volume (1.829cm3 g−1), a narrow mesopore size distribution centered at approximately 4.0nm and good electrical conductivity (5141Sm−1). Due to the synergistic effect of the defects and pores, PC-1100 as the anode for Li-ion battery exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1488mAhg−1 after 250 cycles at 1Ag−1 and 661mAhg−1 after 1500 cycles at 10Ag−1. Even at 30Ag−1, PC-1100 can still deliver a high reversible capacity of 281mAhg−1, showing superior lithium storage capability. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitor based on the PC-1100 in neat EMIM-BF4 electrolyte delivers a high energy density of 109.9Whkg−1 at a power density of 4.4kWkg−1, and maintains an energy density of 65.0Whkg−1 even at an ultrahigh power density of 81.5kWkg−1, as well as a superior cycling performance (96.4% of the capacitance retention after 5000 cycles).
Here, we report a new enhanced extrinsic pseudocapacitve Li-ion storage mechanism via lithiation-induced structural optimization strategy. The flower-like C@SnS and bulk SnS exhibit initial capacity decay and subsequent increase of capacity on cycling. After a long-term lithiation/delithiation process, flower-like C@SnS and bulk SnS exhibit improved rate performance and reversible capacity in comparison with those of initial state. Moreover, a high capacity of 530 mAh g−1 is still remained even after 1550 cycles at a high current density of 5.0 A g−1 for flower-like C@SnS after pre-lithiation of 350 cycles. According to the comprehensive analysis of structural evolution and electrochemical performance, it demonstrates that SnS electrodes experience crystal size reduction and further amorphization on cycling, which enhances the reversibility of conversion reaction for SnS, leading to increasing capacity. On the other hand, surface-dominated extrinsic pseudocapacitive contribution results in enhanced rate performance because electrodes expose a large fraction of Li+ sites on surface or near-surface region with structural optimization on cycling. This study reveals that extrinsic pseudocapacitance of SnS can be stimulated via lithiation-induced structural optimization, which gives rise to high-rate and long-lived performances.
The spherical LiFePO4/C and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C powders were successfully prepared from spherical FePO4 via a simple uniform-phase precipitation method at normal pressure, using FeCl3 and H3PO4 as the reactants. The FePO4, LiFePO4/C, and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopies (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), and tap-density testing. The uniform spherical particles produced are amorphous, but they were crystallized to FePO4 after calcining above 400 °C. Due to the homogeneity of the basic FePO4, the final products, LiFePO4/C and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C, are also significantly uniform and the particle size is of about 1 μm in diameter. The tap-density of the spherical LiFePO4/C and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C are 1.75 and 1.77 g cm−3, respectively, which are remarkably higher than the non-spherical LiFePO4 powders (the tap-density is 1.0–1.3 g cm−3). The excellent specific capacities of 148 and 157 mAh g−1 with a rate of 0.1 C are achieved for the LiFePO4/C and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C, respectively. Comparison of the cyclic voltammograms of LiFePO4/C and LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C shows enhanced redox current and reversibility for the sample substituting Mg on the Fe site. LiFe0.9Mg0.1PO4/C exhibits better high-rate and cycle performances than the un-substituted LiFePO4/C.
Lithium ion conducting polymer electrolytes were prepared by mixing insoluble lithium tetrakis(pentafluorobenzenethiolato) borate (LiTPSB) with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) or poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP). Their films were prepared by hot pressing and are investigated for ionic conductivity and thermal properties. LiTPSB is insoluble in PVDF. Ionic conductivity was largely dependent on the salt content for LiTPSB–PVDF composite polymer electrolytes, and exhibited higher ionic conductivity than homogeneous LiTFSI–PVDF based polymer electrolytes. Melting point and crystallinity of PVDF were independent on LiTPSB content, resulting in no difference for melting point and crystallinity between pure PVDF and LiTPSB–PVDF. Ionic conductivity was effectively improved by incorporation of 18-crown-6 or kryptofix222 for LiTPSB–PVDF based polymer electrolytes.
In an attempt to help solve the growing problem of drinking-water shortages around the world, SwissINSO Holding Inc of Lausanne, Switzerland, has launched a water purification unit that is powered by solar energy.
This article reviews the general strategies for the design of innovative polymer electrolytes using poly(ionic liquid)s. First, we review the properties of poly(ionic liquid)s as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). The different factors that affect the bulk ionic conductivity of poly(ionic liquid)s are discussed such as chemical nature of the cation, anion, the spacer, the polymer backbone and its glass transition temperature, the purity and water content. Special attention is given to the optimization of both the ionic monomer chemical structure and macromolecular architecture to achieve the highest possible polymer ionic conductivity (≈10−5 S/cm at 25°C). Secondly, the preparation of gel type polymer electrolytes, named “ion gels”, based on ionic liquids and poly(ionic liquid)s is discussed in terms of preparation methods and composition. Due to the presence of free ions, such ion gels provide higher ionic conductivity (10−2 −10−3 S/cm at 25ºC) than SPEs. Finally, the actual applications of innovative polymer electrolytes based on poly(ionic liquid)s are summarized and their advantages are discussed.
The basic task of a battery management system (BMS) is the optimal utilization of the stored energy and minimization of degradation effects. It is critical for a BMS that the state-of-charge (SoC) be accurately determined. Open-circuit voltage (OCV) is directly related to the state-of-charge of the battery, accurate estimation of the OCV leads to an accurate estimate of the SoC. In this paper we describe a statistical method to predict the open-circuit voltage on the basis of voltage curves obtained by charging batteries with different currents. We employ a dimension reduction method (Karhunen–Loeve expansion) and linear regression. Results of our modelling approach are independently validated in a specially designed experiment.
Polyaniline powder of high conductivity is prepared by chemical polymerization of aniline in solutions containing 0.10M aniline, 2M perchloric acid and 0.15M ammonium persulfate at 5°C. The powder is mixed with graphite and acetylene black for obtaining high conductivity. The chemically-synthesized polyaniline doped with perchloric acid is then used as a cathode in the construction of a bipolar rechargeable battery which employs anti-acid stainless steel as a conductive substrate for a bipolar electrode. The proposed battery contains electrochemically-synthesized zinc powder as an anode material and a solution which contains 1M Zn(ClO4)2 and 0.5M NClO4 and 1.0×10−4 M Triton-X100 at pH of 3.2 as a battery electrolyte. To prevent hydrogen reduction, 1wt.% of electrochemically-synthesized optalloy is mixed with zinc powder which contains 2wt.% MgO, 4wt.% ZnO and 1wt.% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. To investigate the effect of separator thickness on battery efficiency, three batteries are constructed with one, two and three layers of separators. Each sub-cell from the battery has an open-circuit voltage of 1.6V. Two bipolar batteries with open-circuit voltages of 3.2 and 6.4V are constructed and tested successfully for 100 charge–discharge cycles. The batteries have a capacity of 110mAhg−1 and Coulombic efficiency of >90%.
Motion estimation (ME) is crucial to the performance of a video codec as it recognizes and mitigates temporal redundancies between consecutive frames of a video sequence. It is one of the most computationally intensive blocks in the video encoder. Block matching algorithm (BMA) is considered as one of the best approaches for performing ME due to its ease of implementation and efficiency. Several ME algorithms are based on fixed search patterns while the others are adaptive in nature and exploit the correlation present between neighboring macroblocks of a video frame. This paper introduces an efficient ME algorithm named Hexagon Based Compressed Diamond Algorithm (HCDA) that tries to reduce the complexity of ME by lowering the number of search points in the process. The algorithm uses an early termination technique and an adaptive search pattern that can uniformly deal with slow and fast motion content in a video. The proposed HCDA uses dual threshold technique based on the available spatial information. This further helps in terms of clock cycles or hardware resources during VLSI implementation. Moreover, VLSI design for HCDA can explore the adaptive nature of the algorithm and the adopted search methodology is handled by interleaved memory organization that enhances the operational speed. Supportive data re-use scheme with effective block for SAD computation contributes to a fair trade-off between speed and on-chip area. The designs can work at a maximum frequency of 262 MHz to process 76 HD (1280 × 720) frames per second. The corresponding gate count comes out to be 35.8 K gate equivalent. The encouraging experimental results obtained under various defined metrics indicate suitability of the proposed hardware architecture for its inclusions in portable battery powered consumer video devices.
Reading disability (RD) and language impairment (LI) are common neurodevelopmental disorders with moderately strong genetic components and lifelong implications. RD and LI are marked by unexpected difficulty acquiring and processing written and verbal language, respectively, despite adequate opportunity and instruction. RD and LI—and their associated deficits—are complex, multifactorial, and often comorbid. Genetic studies have repeatedly implicated the DYX2 locus, specifically the genes DCDC2 and KIAA0319, in RD, with recent studies suggesting they also influence LI, verbal language, and cognition. Here, we characterize the relationship of the DYX2 locus with RD, LI, and IQ. To accomplish this, we developed a marker panel densely covering the 1.4 Mb DYX2 locus and assessed association with reading, language, and IQ measures in subjects from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We then replicated associations in three independent, disorder-selected cohorts. As expected, there were associations with known RD risk genes KIAA0319 and DCDC2. In addition, we implicated markers in or near other DYX2 genes, including TDP2, ACOT13, C6orf62, FAM65B, and CMAHP. However, the LD structure of the locus suggests that associations within TDP2, ACOT13, and C6orf62 are capturing a previously reported risk variant in KIAA0319. Our results further substantiate the candidacy of KIAA0319 and DCDC2 as major effector genes in DYX2, while proposing FAM65B and CMAHP as new DYX2 candidate genes. Association of DYX2 with multiple neurobehavioral traits suggests risk variants have functional consequences affecting multiple neurological processes. Future studies should dissect these functional, possibly interactive relationships of DYX2 candidate genes.
Si nanowires in graphene papers were successfully prepared by supercritical fluid–liquid–solid (SFLS) process, which showed high specific capacities and charge–discharge cycling stability as anode materials for Li-ion storage. The enhancement on capacity and cycling stability of the Si/graphene composite nanostructures was attributed to the presence of graphene papers in the hybrid samples that served as a highly conductive framework and absorption of volume changes of Si nanowires during the lithiation/delithiation process. This Si/graphene electrodes maintained reversible capacities of 1400mAhg−1 for the 30th cycle at a current density of 420mAg−1, which is much better as compared to that of pure Si nanowires.
Three types of olivine compounds were prepared by three different routes: sol–gel, solid-state, and hydrothermal syntheses, showing the expected structure and containing a small amount of carbon and iron phosphide for maintaining sufficient intrinsic electrical conductivity. These materials were tested in LiClO4, and in dry and wet LiPF6 solutions in mixtures of ethylene and dimethyl carbonate (EC–DMC, 1:1) at 30 and 60°C. Iron dissolution from these materials, upon storage in the three solutions at these two temperatures, was measured by ICP. Aged electrodes were measured by XRD and SEM: the electrochemical performance of the three types of olivine compounds in the three solutions and at the two temperatures was measured by voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The behavior of pristine and aged electrodes was systematically compared. It was found that there is a strong correlation between the rate of iron dissolution and the performance of these systems in terms of high capacity, low capacity fading, and low and stable impedance upon aging. The material prepared by sol–gel synthesis demonstrated a low iron dissolution rate, even in a corrosive solution such as wet LiPF6 solutions, and high performance, even in these solutions. When the solutions contain no acidic contaminants, all the compounds demonstrated negligible iron dissolution rates, even at 60°C, and a good electrochemical performance. The electrochemical comparison described herein shows a pronounced impact of the solution composition on the electrodes’ impedance, due to the unique surface chemistry developed in each solution.
Gassing behavior of LiMn2O4/Li4Ti5O12 full cell with different electrolytes that stored at elevated temperature of 70 °C is investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are used to study the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed in battery formation and storage processes. The results suggest that the SEI film is formed as a consequence of intrinsic reaction between Li4Ti5O12 electrode and electrolyte solvents. A smooth SEI layer is formed on Li4Ti5O12 electrode with full coverage in propylene carbonate (PC) based electrolyte during lithium intercalation process while gradually dissolved with lithium extraction. Moreover, the gas specificities generated in the different electrolyte solvents are also determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS) analysis and the reaction mechanisms of LTO electrode with electrolyte solvents are proposed.
Ferroelectric polymers can effectively improve the photovoltaic performance of solar cells, inducing an electric field to promote the dissociation of electron-hole pairs, with the thus generated charges collected from open pores. Since such performance enhancement requires materials with a unique porous crystalline structure, we herein present a novel route to highly crystalline and porous poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) thin films utilizing a modified breath figure method based on spin coating. The key feature of the above method is the addition of small amounts of water to the acetone/P(VDF-TrFE) solution to produce porous ferroelectric thin films which have significantly higher crystallinity values than nanostructures or films prepared by other methods. Furthermore, n-Si / poly(3,4-ethylene dioxy thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) hybrid solar cells with porous P(VDF-TrFE) interlayers are demonstrated to exhibit spontaneous polarization sufficient for increasing their open circuit voltages and fill factors. Finite-difference time-domain simulation reveals that the electric field due to the above spontaneous polarization increases the built-in electric field of the Schottky junction between n-Si and poly(3,4-ethylene dioxy thiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) and reduces the reverse leakage current of the Schottky diode. Thus, the organic ferroelectric thin films with controlled porosity proposed in this study are well suited for a broad range of optoelectronic applications.