batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in particular, if the household’s application of the scheme improved after two interventions: (a) shorter distance to the drop-off point and (b) easy access to correct sorting information. The effect of these interventions was quantified and, as far as possible, isolated from other factors that can influence the recycling behaviour. The study was based on households located in an urban residential area in Sweden, where waste composition studies were performed before and after the interventions by manual sorting (pick analysis). Statistical analyses of the results indicated a significant decrease (28%) of packaging and newsprint in the residual waste after establishing a property close collection system (intervention (a)), as well as significant decrease (70%) of the miss-sorted fraction in bags intended for food waste after new information stickers were introduced (intervention (b)). Providing a property close collection system to collect more waste fractions as well as finding new communication channels for information about sorting can be used as tools to increase the source separation ratio. This contribution also highlights the need to evaluate the effects of different types of information and communication concerning sorting instructions in a property close collection system.
Performance demands placed upon lead acid batteries have outgrown the technology's ability to deliver. These demands, typically leading to Negative Active Material (NAM) failure, include: short, high-current surges; prolonged, minimal, overvoltage charging; repeated, Ah deficit charging; and frequent deep discharges. Research shows these failure mechanisms are attenuated by inclusion of carbon allotropes into the NAM. Addition of significant quantities of carbon, however, produces detrimental changes in paste rheology, leading to lowered industrial throughput. Additionally, capacity, cold-cranking performance, and other battery metrics are negatively affected at high carbon loads. Presented here is Molecular Rebar® Lead Negative, a new battery additive comprising discrete carbon nanotubes (dCNT) which uniformly disperse within battery pastes during mixing. NS40ZL batteries containing dCNT show enhanced charge acceptance, reserve capacity, and cold-cranking performance, decreased risk of polarization, and no detrimental changes to paste properties, when compared to dCNT-free controls. This work focuses on the dCNT as NAM additives only, but early-stage research is underway to test their functionality as a PAM additive. Batteries infused with Molecular Rebar® Lead Negative address the needs of modern lead acid battery applications, produce none of the detrimental side effects associated with carbon additives, and require no change to existing production lines.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by gradual deterioration of language function. We investigated whether two weeks of daily transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment would improve language abilities in six people with a non-fluent form of PPA. tDCS was applied in an unblinded trial at an intensity of 1.5mA for 20min/day over 10days. At the time of stimulation, patients were engaged in narrating one of several children’s wordless picture stories. A battery of neuropsychological assessments was administered four times: at baseline, immediately following the 2-week stimulation period, and then 6-weeks and 12-weeks following the end of stimulation. We observed improvement in linguistic performance in the domains of speech production and grammatical comprehension. Our encouraging results indicate that larger, sham-controlled studies of tDCS as a potential intervention for PPA are warranted.
Polyaniline composites incorporating transition metals are still an burgeoning interest as a supercapacitive material due to the formation of metal-PANI hetero junctions. Herein we demonstrate a facile chemical synthesis of ternary doped supercapacitive polyaniline using transition metal as a codopant with an inorganic acid dopant utilizing the oxidant ferric chloride, which itself acts as a dopant. More interestingly the rational combination of external binary dopants can successfully modify PANI morphology. The as synthesized transition metals incorporated PANI (0.7 M Cu2+ + 1 M HCl) with a flake like morphology outperform as an energy storage material due to its high surface to volume ratio. Thus the synergistic effect of transitions metals (Cu & Fe) with HCl contribute towards the enhanced electrochemical performance of ternary doped PANI. The frequency dependent dielectric properties, ac conductivity and electrochemical characterizations using cyclic voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy of ternary doped PANI has been systematically studied. The ternary doped polyaniline demonstrated a high specific capacitance of 880 F/g and good cyclic stability in 0.1 M H2SO4 electrolyte.
In a zero energy home annual energy consumption is equal to the annual energy production using one or more available renewable energy resources. In St John’s, Newfoundland wind is the readily available renewable energy resource. The average annual wind speed in St John’s is 6.7 m/s. This paper presents a feasibility study of a wind energy conversion system based zero energy home in Newfoundland. This study is based on year round recorded wind speed data, solar data and power-consumed data in a typical R-2000 house in Newfoundland. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s software HOMER is used to select an optimum energy system. A detailed analysis, description and expected performance of the system are presented in this paper. This investigation indicates feasibility of a wind energy system based zero energy homes in Newfoundland.
The exploration of multifunctional perovskite nanostructures for flexible sensor/energy harvesting applications is of great interest. Herein, highly crystalline ferroelectric Bi4Ti3O12 nanoparticles (NPs) were brush-coated onto flexible Kapton film without using costly instrumental techniques or polymer templates. Moreover, flexible ferroelectric high-temperature thermistors (FHTTs) having high thermal sensitivity (β(100/260) = 6515 K) and a broad working temperature range (25–260 °C) were developed based on bismuth-layered perovskites. Polarization (P) vs. Electric field (E) (P–E) loops of the orthorhombic phase of Bi4Ti3O12 NPs were measured at different frequencies under poled and unpoled conditions. The Bi4Ti3O12 NPs exhibited a multi-fold improvement of remnant polarization (Pr ≈ 6 μC/cm2) at the coercive field (Ec ≈ 90 kV/cm) over that previously reported. Lastly, the prototype of a self-powered-FHTT was fabricated, which could be used as an efficient environmental temperature warning/monitoring system free of complex battery sources. The Bi4Ti3O12 NPs/PVDF composite film-based piezoelectric nanogenerator (BPCF-PNG) used an eco-friendly power source (generating 12.7 mW/m2 at 300 MΩ upon 4 N applied force) to drive the FHTT. The brush-coating method to prepare flexible ferroelectric films is highly suitable for large-scale fabrication, and is also an eco-friendly and time-efficient process. The detailed investigation reported herein is a novel approach to next-generation ferroelectric-based sensors, memristors, and energy harvesters.
Polyvinyl alcohol/nano-carbon colloid (PCC) was prepared through a simple physical mixture process. Both fully charge-discharge and insufficient charge tests were carried out to demonstrate the positive effects of PCC on the electrical storage capability of the negative electrode of lead acid battery. Cyclic voltammetry, steady polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the influences of PCC on the electrochemical behaviors of negative electrode in the lead acid battery. Experiment results demonstrate that PCC has positive effect on inhibiting PbSO4 growth and increasing the HER overpotential, thus the lead acid battery with PCC shows the enhanced charge acceptance and stable discharge capacities under insufficient charge test. This paper opens a new way for enhancing the performance of lead acid battery without changing the traditional structure and design of lead acid battery.
Oxygen is an essential micronutrient. Unlike many internal tissues, human epidermis obtains much of its oxygen supply from the atmosphere (21% oxygen), and it ordinarily experiences higher oxygen levels than internal tissues (estimated≈5%). To test whether epidermal cell growth and differentiation depend upon this higher oxygen level, keratinocyte cultures were studied at 21, 5, and 2% oxygen concentrations. Compared to 21% oxygen, culture in 5% had little effect on growth but led to profound suppression of the differentiation program as assessed by expression of differentiation markers and formation of squames in the superficial layers. Culture in 2% oxygen reduced the growth rate as well as stratification and differentiation. In low-oxygen conditions, the cells exhibited increased colony-forming ability, consistent with a lower proportion of differentiated cells, and increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and cyclooxygenase-2. Growth in 21% oxygen led to higher levels of glutathione and expression of oxidant-responsive genes. Electrophoretic mobility supershift assay using an involucrin activator protein 1 (AP1) response element sequence revealed altered binding by proteins of the Jun and Fos families in nuclear extracts. The present data thus demonstrate oxygen-dependent differentiation in human keratinocytes, to which altered utilization of AP1 transcriptional response elements may contribute.
High-molecular-weight poly(arylene thioether ketone) (PTK) and poly(arylene thioether ketone ketone) (PTKK) polymers were successfully synthesized by one-pot polymerization of N,N′-dimethy-S-carbamate masked dithiols with activated dihalo compounds, followed by post-sulfonation using chlorosulfonic acid as the sulfonation agent in dichloromethane solution to give the production of sulfonated poly(arylene thioether ketone) (SPTK) and sulfonated poly(arylene thioether ketone ketone) (SPTKK) with appropriate ion-exchange capacities. The chemical structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, FT-IR and elemental analysis (EA). The thermal properties were fully investigated by TGA-IR. The synthesized SPTK and SPTKK polymers are soluble in aprotic solvents such as N,N′-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N′-dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide, and can be cast into membranes on a glass plate from their DMAc solution. The proton conductivities of these membranes are comparable to Nafion117 membranes under the same conditions. Cell performance tests showed that the vanadium redox flow batteries (VRBs) assembled with SPTK and SPTKK membranes possessed higher Coulombic efficiencies than VRBs assembled with Nafion117 membranes at the current density of 50 mA cm−2, because of their one-order-of magnitude lower VO2+ permeabilities. In conclusion, these ionomers could be promising candidates as proton-exchange membranes for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) applications.
Due to high capacity from multiple redox couples, niobium-based oxides are promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their poor electronic conductivity restricts their electrochemical performance. Here, we report the FeNb11O29 nanotubes as an advanced anode material. FeNb11O29 nanotubes exhibit an impressive charge capacity of 272.64 mAh g−1 with high initial cycle Coulombic efficiency of 90.13% at 0.1 C and outstanding cyclic stability (only 0.0123% of capacity decay per cycle during 2000 cycles). Furthermore, according to the in-situ XRD, the behavior of lithium atoms distribution in the FeNb11O29 framework during the insertion and extraction is studied in detail. In addition, full cells are assembled with commercially available cathodes. Coupled with LiFePO4, which is used as cathode, the full cell displays good electrochemical performance. In summary, FeNb11O29 nanotubes can be used as an ideal anode material due to the excellent electrochemical performance.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that that a method of gastric electrical stimulation (GES) optimized to inhibit gastric motility was effective in reducing food intake in dogs.
The discharge performance of Li/CF x (x =1) battery is improved by using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as an alternative conductive additive. Compared with the battery using acetylene black as conductive additive at the same amount, the Li/CF x battery using MWCNTs as conductive additive has higher specific capacity and energy density as well as smoother voltage plateau, especially at higher discharge rate. The specific capacity at discharge rate of 1C is improved by nearly 26% when MWCNTs are employed as conductive additive. Meanwhile, it is also found that the discharge performance is able to be tuned by the amount of MWCNTs and the battery containing more MWCNTs is favorable to be discharged at higher rates. The specific capacity of Li/CF x battery with 11.09wt.% MWCNTs is approximately 712mAhg−1 at the discharge rate of 1C. It is proposed that the formed three-dimensional networks of MWCNTs in cathode, which enlarges the contact area of interphase and facilitates electrons delivery, accelerates the rates of lithium ion diffusion into the fluorinated layers and electrons transport in cathode at the same time, which improves the discharge performance of Li/CF x battery subsequently, especially at higher rates.
The effort to develop improved electrolytes that satisfy the requirements of lithium rechargeable batteries has intensified the search for new conducting salts having an improved chemical and electrochemical stability. With lithium fluoroalkylphosphates, we introduce a new class of conducting salts for electrolytes for high energy lithium-ion batteries. The results of electrochemical studies of Li[(C2F5)3PF3] in organic carbonates in comparison to LiPF6 including electrochemical stability and charge–discharge efficiency are reported. In addition, the influence of perfluorinated alkyl groups on stability towards hydrolysis is demonstrated.
Oxysterols are a class of endogenous signaling molecules that can activate the Hedgehog pathway, which has critical roles in development, regeneration and cancer. However, it has been unclear how oxysterols influence Hedgehog signaling, including whether their effects are mediated through a protein target or indirectly through effects on membrane properties. To answer this question, we synthesized the enantiomer and an epimer of the most potent oxysterol, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol. Using these molecules, we show that the effects of oxysterols on Hedgehog signaling are exquisitely stereoselective, consistent with the hypothesis that they function through a specific protein target. We present several lines of evidence that this protein target is the seven-pass transmembrane protein Smoothened, a major drug target in oncology. Our work suggests that these enigmatic sterols, which have multiple effects on cell physiology, may act as ligands for signaling receptors and provides a generally applicable framework for probing sterol signaling mechanisms.
Herman T, Giladi N, Gruendlinger L, Hausdorff JM. Six weeks of intensive treadmill training improves gait and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study. Objective To evaluate the effects of 6 weeks of intensive treadmill training on gait rhythmicity, functional mobility, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Design An open-label, before-after pilot study. Setting Outpatient movement disorders clinic. Participants Nine patients with PD who were able to ambulate independently and were not demented. Mean age was 70±6.8 years. Patients had mild to moderate PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage range, 1.5−3). Interventions Patients walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes during each training session, 4 training sessions a week, for 6 weeks. Once a week, usual overground walking speed was re-evaluated and the treadmill speed was adjusted accordingly. Main Outcome Measures The 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), motor part of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), gait speed, stride time variability, swing time variability, and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Results A comparison of the measures taken before and after the treadmill intervention indicates general improvement. QOL, as measured by the PDQ-39, was reduced (improved) from 32 to 22 (P<.014). Parkinsonian symptoms, as measured by the UPDRS, decreased (improved) from 29 to 22 (P<.043). Usual gait speed increased from 1.11 to 1.26m/s (P<.014). Swing time variability was lower (better) in all but one patient, changing from 3.0% to 2.3% (P<.06). Scores on the SPPB also improved (P<.008). Interestingly, many of the improvements persisted even 4 weeks later. Conclusions These results show the potential to enhance gait rhythmicity in patients with PD and suggest that a progressive and intensive treadmill training program can be used to minimize impairments in gait, reduce fall risk, and increase QOL in these patients.
The redox reaction of vanadium ions (V2+↔3+↔4+↔5+) on well-developed nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) was extensively investigated in different electrolyte solutions by electrochemical methods. It is found that both the electronic structure modulated by nitrogen doping and the enriched electrochemically active functional groups on NOMC favor the three electrochemical transitions between the adjacent couples, viz. V2+↔3+↔4+↔5+, as compared with Vulcan XC72 carbon black. Salient findings are as follows. First, the transition of V3+↔2+ is the same on the two distinctly different carbons, which indicates that this reaction is an outer-sphere charge transfer reaction. The concomitant hydrogen evolution reaction makes NOMC unsuitable to be used as a negative electrode material in flow batteries. Second, the transition of V5+↔4+ shows a quasi-reversible behavior, indicating that NOMC can be used as a positive electrode material. Simulation of cyclic voltammogram (CV) reveals that the standard rate constant and the adsorption equilibrium constant are (7.0 ± 0.9)*10−3 cm s−1 and 0.70 ± 0.09 (both V4+ and V5+), respectively. Third, the transition of V4+↔3+ is recognized in the CV curve, which proceeds in a quasi-reversible reaction. The preceding adsorption of the symmetrical ions (V3+) is found to play a key role in determining the kinetics. Finally, for the two latter transitions, the content of dopant nitrogen yields a negligible effect on the electrochemical activity, excluding the possibility of its direct involvement in electrocatalysis. The above findings not only reveal the applicability of the nitrogen-doped carbon to be used as an electrode material in flow batteries, but also offer an in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanism of vanadium redox couples.
A novel self-assembled composite membrane, Nafion-[PDDA/ZrP]n with nacre-like nanostructures was successfully fabricated by a layer-by-layer (LbL) method and used as proton exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow battery applications. Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) with positive charges and zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanosheets with negative charges can form ultra-thin nacre-like nanostructure on the surface of Nafion membrane via the ionic crosslinking of tightly folded macromolecules. The lamellar structure of ZrP nanosheets and Donnan exclusion effect of PDDA can greatly decrease the vanadium ion permeability and improve the selectivity of proton conductivity. The fabricated Nafion-[PDDA/ZrP]4 membrane shows two orders of magnitude lower vanadium ion permeability (1.05 × 10−6 cm2 min−1) and 12 times higher ion selectivity than those of pristine Nafion membrane at room temperature. Consequently, the performance of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) assembled with Nafion-[PDDA/ZrP]3 membrane achieved a highly coulombic efficiency (CE) and energy efficiency (EE) together with a very slow self-discharge rate. When comparing with pristine Nafion VRFB, the CE and EE values of Nafion-[PDDA/ZrP]3 VRFB are 10% and 7% higher at 30 mA cm−2, respectively.
We fabricated LiCoO2/carbon composites by forming helical carbon nanomaterials (HCNs) on the surface of LiCoO2 particles by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The aim was to inhibit the degradation of the conductive path between the cathode active materials and carbon by mitigating the expansion of the electrode through cycling. We estimated the electrochemical properties of the composites as cathodes of rechargeable lithium cells. Using scanning electron microscopy measurements, we observed HCNs formed firmly on the surface of LiCoO2 particles. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated decomposition of LiCoO2, which was the main reason for the inferiority of the electrochemical properties. We found that the electrochemical properties of cells with the HCNs were not as good as those of cells with acetylene black (AB). Successful use of these composites requires inhibition of cathode active material decomposition and improvement of HCN conductivity.
LiMn2O4 films have been prepared using an electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) technique at 400°C. The deposited films are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Analysis of LiMn2O4 films using XRD and SEM indicates the formation of a LiMn2O4 single spinel phase with a uniform and dense film. On the other hand, electrochemical investigation in a non-aqueous electrolyte (1M LiClO4+EC+DEC) suggests the formation of surface film after the initial dissolution of Li2CO3 layer, the mass of surface film has been calculated from the resonant frequency curve and is about 1.2% of entire LiMn2O4 film. The results of CV, EQCM and EIS studies are discussed in terms of changes in surface electrochemical properties during the lithium insertion–extraction process.