batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
We report a comparative genetic characterization of two population isolates with parallel demographic histories: the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR) and Antioquia (in northwest Colombia). The analysis of mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal polymorphisms shows that Antioquia and the CVCR are genetically very similar, indicating that closely related parental populations founded these two isolates. In both populations, the male ancestry is predominantly European, whereas the female ancestry is mostly Amerind. In agreement with their isolation, the Amerindian mtDNA diversity of Antioquia and the CVCR is typical of ethnically-defined native populations and is markedly lower than in other Latin American populations. A comparison of linkage disequilibrium (LD) at 18 marker pairs in Antioquia and the CVCR shows that markers in LD in both populations are located at short genetic distances (<~1 cM), whereas markers separated by greater distances are in LD only in the CVCR. This difference probably reflects stochastic variation of LD at the limited number of genome regions compared. The genetic similarity of the populations from Antioquia and the CVCR together with differences in LD between them should be exploitable for the identification and fine mapping of shared disease-related gene variants.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relation between ratings of Executive Function (EF) and academic functioning in a sample of 94 middle-school-aged youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; Mage = 11.9; 78 % male; 21 % minority). This study builds on prior work by evaluating associations between multiple specific aspects of EF (e.g., working memory, inhibition, and planning and organization) as rated by both parents and teachers on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), with multiple academic outcomes, including school grades and homework problems. Further, this study examined the relationship between EF and academic outcomes above and beyond ADHD symptoms and controlled for a number of potentially important covariates, including intelligence and achievement scores. The EF Planning and Organization subscale as rated by both parents and teachers predicted school grades above and beyond symptoms of ADHD and relevant covariates. Parent ratings of youth’s ability to transition effectively between tasks/situations (Shift subscale) also predicted school grades. Parent-rated symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and planning and organization abilities were significant in the final model predicting homework problems. In contrast, only symptoms of inattention and the Organization of Materials subscale from the BRIEF were significant in the teacher model predicting homework problems. Organization and planning abilities are highly important aspects academic functioning for middle-school-aged youth with ADHD. Implications of these findings for the measurement of EF, and organization and planning abilities in particular, are discussed along with potential implications for intervention.
This work reports the use of mixtures of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and ethyl acetate (EA), with and without ethylene carbonate (EC), as solvents for lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB) salt as potential electrolytes for Li-ion cells. The effects of salt concentration, ethylene carbonate (EC) content, and temperature on the conductivity and viscosity of the mixture are reported. Results indicate that the best electrolyte for high-temperature application is that which contains 1kmolm−3 LiBOB in GBL+EA+EC of composition 1:1:0.1 (wt). For low-temperature applications, the best electrolyte is that which contains 0.7kmolm−3 LiBOB in GBL+EA+EC of composition 1:1:0 (wt). The product of conductivity with viscosity was essentially independent of temperature but was dependent on solvent composition showing that at fixed salt concentration, the viscosity is the major criteria affecting electrolyte conductivity rather than dielectric constant.
A novel microporous polymer electrolyte based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PVDF–PEO) blends was prepared by a simple phase inversion technique, in which the addition of PEO can obviously improve the pore configuration, such as pore size, porosity, and pore connectivity of PVDF-based microporous membranes, and hence, the room temperature ionic conductivity was greatly enhanced. The highest porosity of about 84% and ionic conductivity of about 2mScm−1 can be obtained when the weight ratio of PEO to PVDF is 50%. This implies that PVDF–PEO blends based microporous polymer electrolyte can be used as candidate electrolyte and/or separator material for high-performance rechargeable lithium batteries.
The performance of products arising from the stabilization/solidification of slags from lead batteries recycle into a Portland cement matrix has been evaluated not only in order to get a stabilized waste to be disposed of according to the current legislation, but also to obtain a recyclable material, with both economic and environmental benefits. Under this respect a detailed characterization of raw slags has been performed and different slag–cement samples have been prepared by varying the slag content. The parameters related to the cementation process have been evaluated and a series of tests on the final waste forms have been carried out, aimed at assessing both mechanical performance and leaching behaviour. In spite of the acceptable values for flexural, compressive and tensile strength, however, the high release of lead from the solidification products seems to be a limiting factor for a reusable material. While explanations of such phenomenon are given (high alkalinity of Portland cement; early “doping” of cementitious components by lead in the amorphous state), the main conclusion of the research work is that further efforts should be addressed to the adoption of a different or a modified incorporation matrix.
Cells with lithium-metal anodes are viewed as the most viable future technology, with higher energy density than existing lithium-ion batteries. Many researchers believe that for lithium-metal cells, the typical liquid electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries must be replaced with a solid-state electrolyte to maintain the flat, dendrite-free lithium morphologies necessary for long-term stable cycling. Here, we show that anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells with a dual-salt LiDFOB/LiBF4 liquid electrolyte have 80% capacity remaining after 90 charge–discharge cycles, which is the longest life demonstrated to date for cells with zero excess lithium. The liquid electrolyte enables smooth dendrite-free lithium morphology comprised of densely packed columns even after 50 charge–discharge cycles. NMR measurements reveal that the electrolyte salts responsible for the excellent lithium morphology are slowly consumed during cycling.
Abstract This chapter discusses the subjects of criminal and civil law, including their definitions and differences. Facts are addressed regarding laws and different levels of the U.S. government. Students will gain insight into the process of the courts and what happens if a person is charged with a crime. Overall, this information will make a security officer well rounded and informed when dealing with legal matters. Readers will learn the definition of a tort and what is meant by a preponderance of the evidence. Vicarious liability and the four elements of negligence are discussed. Students are introduced to selected sections of the U.S. Constitution. Significant articles and amendments are addressed to give each reader a sense of our rights as Americans.
Age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent and often untreated. Use of hearing aids has been associated with improvements in communication and quality of life, but such treatment is unaffordable or inaccessible for many adults. The purpose of this review is to provide a practical guide for physicians who work with older adults who are experiencing hearing and communication difficulties. Specifically, we review direct-to-consumer amplification products that can be used to address hearing loss in adults. Helping adults with hearing loss navigate hearing loss treatment options ranging from being professionally fitted with hearing aids to using direct-to-consumer amplification options is important for primary care clinicians to understand given our increasing understanding of the impact of hearing loss on cognitive, social, and physical functioning.
Using an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology, inspectors of containers of nuclear material will be able to know with unprecedented confidence whether an intruder has tampered with a seal. The system uses a light source of entangled photons to verify the continuity of a fiber-based seal, according to Travis Humble, who led the development team. Entanglement is a feature of quantum physics that describes how two spatially disparate systems exhibit strong correlations in otherwise independent behaviors. The work, sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, is vital to ensure compliance with nonproliferation treaties because inspectors must confirm the uninterrupted containment and surveillance of any nuclear material.
To improve the intrinsic safety of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) by preventing cells from a thermal runaway, we studied two carbene adduct electrolyte additives. The recently synthesized compounds (1,3-dimethylimidazolidin-2-μm-trifluoroborate (NHC-BF3) and 1,3-dimethylimidazolidin-2-μm-tetrafluorotrifluoromethylphosphate (NHC-PF4CF3)) were investigated on LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NMC111) electrodes in Li metal and Li-ion cell setups as overcharge protection shutdown additives in 1M LiPF6 in EC:DEC (3:7, by wt.) electrolyte. By varying the NHC-ligand (-BF3, -PF5, -PF4CF3) in the molecule, the shutdown potential of the investigated carbene adduct electrolyte additives can be tailored for specific applications with different cut-off potentials. NHC-BF3 was identified as a promising candidate for the application with NMC111 electrodes up to 4.4 V vs. Li/Li+, whereas the carbene adduct NHC-PF4CF3 is ideal for the high-voltage application with the NMC-based electrode up to 4.6 V vs. Li/Li+. Next to electrochemical investigations in NMC111/Li and NMC111/graphite cells, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were performed to verify the presence of a decomposition layer on the cathode, responsible for the shutdown effect. Furthermore, it has been proven that the investigated electrolyte additives have no influence on the cell performance under normal conditions in both, Li metal and Li-ion cell setups.
Electrodeposition of nickel sulfide (Ni–S) on NiCo2O4 (NiCo2O4@Ni–S) nanoplate arrays produces a new hierarchical core–shell functional-material. Weak crystalline Ni–S nanosheets have been uniformly coated on the NiCo2O4 nanoplate array obtained by hydrothermal growth. When tested as an electrode for supercapacitors, the NiCo2O4@Ni–S nanoplate arrays have been found to exhibit a significantly improved areal capacitance of 1.85 F cm−2 at a current density of 8 mA cm−2, good rate capability and cycling stability. In addition, the capacitance fading of the NiCo2O4@Ni–S arrays are attributed to the surface coarsening of the Ni–S nanosheets.
Abnormal fatty acid status has been implicated in the aetiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Delayed maturation in ADHD may result in raised frontal low frequency (theta) electroencephalographic activity (EEG) and a reduction in posterior high frequency (beta, alpha) activity. The current study used sequential linear regression to investigate the association between age, resting-state EEG and levels of long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in red blood cells in 46 adolescent boys with ADHD symptoms. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were positively associated with fast frequency activity: alpha during eyes-open and beta during eyes-closed conditions. Frontal theta activity during both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions was inversely associated with age and positively associated with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels. Alpha activity correlated positively with performance on fluency for categories (semantic memory). Theta activity correlated inversely with performance on delayed (25 min) verbal memory (recall + recognition/2). No associations were observed between long-chain omega-6 and EEG measures. Results support differential associations for DHA and EPA with fast and slow EEG activity respectively. Results support EEG activity as an objective biomarker of neural function associated with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in ADHD.
Bi-doped manganese dioxide (MnO2) has been prepared from γ-MnO2 by physical admixture of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3). The doping improved the cycling ability of the aqueous cell. These results are discussed and compared with the electrochemical behavior of bismuth-free MnO2. Batteries using the traditional potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte are non-rechargeable. However, with lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as an electrolyte, the cell becomes rechargeable. Furthermore, the incorporation of bismuth into MnO2 in the LiOH cell was found to result in significantly longer cycle life, compared with cells using undoped MnO2. The Bi-doped cell exhibited a greater capacity after 100 discharge cycles, than the undoped cell after just 40 cycles. X-ray diffraction and the microscopic analysis suggest that the presence of Bi3+ ions reduces the magnitude of structural changes occurring in MnO2 during cycling. Comparison with additives assessed in our previous studies (titanium disulfide (TiS2); titanium boride (TiB2)) shows that the best rechargeability behavior is obtained for the current Bi-doped MnO2. As the size of Bi3+ ions (0.96Å) is much larger than Mn3+ (0.73Å) or Mn2+ (0.67Å) they have effectively prevented the formation of non-rechargeable products.
We present a characterization of the redox behavior of organosulfur-based composite cathodes composed of poly[dithio-2,5-(1,3,4-thiadiazole)] (PDMcT), which is a polymer derived from 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in a carbonate-based mixed solvent containing 1.0M LiBF4. We have previously shown that PEDOT films, electrochemically generated at glassy carbon electrode surfaces, gave rise to a dramatic enhancement of the interfacial charge transfer kinetics of DMcT in solution. In a similar fashion, chemically prepared PEDOT films exhibited dramatic electrocatalytic activity towards the redox reactions of PDMcT in the composite cathodes. While the composite cathode exhibited a very high capacity of 205mAhg−1 (based on the electroactive mass) at the first discharge, in subsequent charge/discharge tests, the capacity of the PDMcT–PEDOT composite cathode (1:1 mole ratio) decreased significantly because of dissolution of the reduction products of PDMcT into the electrolyte solution. We also found that an ionic polymer, consisting of a mixture of PEDOT and polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT–PSS) could electrostatically, but not physically, prevent, at least in part, leaching of the DMcT species into the electrolyte solution, thus improving the coulomb efficiency for the redox reactions of DMcT in a PDMcT–PEDOT composite film during charge/discharge cycles.
Conventionally, the two half reactions involved in water electrolysis occur simultaneously, presenting materials and process challenges. Here, the authors decouple these to split water efficiently in two steps: electrochemical hydrogen evolution, followed by spontaneous oxygen evolution at elevated temperature.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid system technology is a hot topic for R&D since it promises lot of challenges and opportunities for developed and developing countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) being endowed with fairly high degree of solar radiation is a potential candidate for deployment of PV systems for power generation. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in KSA consume an estimated 10–45% of the total electric energy generated. In the present study, solar radiation data of Dhahran (East-Coast, KSA) have been analyzed to assess the techno-economic viability of utilizing hybrid PV–diesel–battery power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical commercial building (with annual electrical energy demand of 620,000kWh). The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.96kWh/m2. NREL's HOMER software has been used to carry out the techno-economic viability. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 80kWp PV system together with 175kW diesel system and a battery storage of 3h of autonomy (equivalent to 3h of average load), the PV penetration is 26%. The cost of generating energy (COE, US$/kWh) from the above hybrid system has been found to be 0.149$/kWh (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/L). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the operational hours of diesel generators decrease with increase in PV capacity. The investigation also examines the effect of PV/battery penetration on COE, operational hours of diesel gensets for a given hybrid system. Emphasis has also been placed on unmet load, excess electricity generation, percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (for different scenarios such as PV–diesel without storage, PV–diesel with storage, as compared to diesel-only situation), cost of PV–diesel–battery systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.
There is a large gap between attitude and action when it comes to consumer purchases of ethical food. Amongst the various aspects of this gap, this paper focuses on the difficulty in knowing enough about the various dimensions of food production, distribution and consumption to make an ethical food purchasing decision. There is neither one universal definition of ethical food. We suggest that it is possible to support consumers in operationalizing their own ethics of food with the use of appropriate information and communication technology. We consider eggs as an example because locally produced options are available to many people on every continent. We consider the dimensions upon which food ethics may be constructed, then discuss the information required to assess it and the tools that can support it. We then present an overview of opportunities for design of a new software tool. Finally, we offer some points for discussion and future work.
The primary challenge to the commercialization of any electric vehicle is the performance management of the battery pack. The performance of the battery module is influenced by the resistance of the inter-cell connecting plates (ICCP) and the position of the battery module posts (BMP). A new battery cell model based on the Matlab–Simscape platform is developed and validated using a constant current discharge test and a pulse discharge test. Taken the ICCP as resistors, a parallel-connected battery module model (PCBMM) is established based on the battery cell model. The effect of inter-cell connecting plate resistance (ICCPR) on the battery module performance is simulated. Simulation results indicate that the ICCPR causes unevenly current flow among the battery cells. The battery cell directly connected to the BMP is the first one reaching its end-of-discharge (EOD) voltage. Also, it presents the lowest terminal voltage and state of charge (SOC) during the discharge process. The battery cell directly connected to the BMP goes into deep discharge state more easily. Therefore, it performs higher aging rate. The aging of the battery cell causes over-discharge of the adjacent battery cells. The reasonable ratio of the ICCPR to the battery ohmic internal resistance (OIR) is discussed for different average currents and different numbers of battery cells, to guarantee the maximum SOC evaluation error within a target value of 0.05.
Objective The present study examined the relationships among physical activity (PA), symptom reporting, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life (SWL) in 133 women (M age=51.12, S.D.=4.10) of varying menopausal status. Results Multivariate analyses of co-variance (MANCOVA) revealed that independent of menopausal status, women who were more physically active reported significantly less severe vaso-somatic and general somatic symptoms, and higher levels of physical self-worth (PSW). Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses indicated that expended MET-h/week, reported symptoms (frequency and severity, respectively), and PSW accounted for significant variance in SWL (R 2 model=0.32, for symptom frequency, and 0.33, for symptom severity). Physical activity was significantly related to SWL through the mediation of PSW. However, both reported symptom frequency and severity retained significant association with SWL after controlling for PSW, although the original associations were significantly reduced. Finally, both symptoms and MET-h/week were independent contributors to the variance in PSW (R 2 model=0.33 and 0.34). Conclusion The results suggest that being physically active may reduce perceived severity of menopausal symptoms and enhance psychological well-being, and that the relationship between physical activity and QOL in mid-life women may be mediated by factors such as physical self-perceptions and menopausal symptoms.
Persons with upper-limb amputations face severe problems due to a reduction in their ability to perform the activities of daily living. The prosthesis controlled by electromyography (EMG) or other signals from sensors, switches, accelerometers, etc., can somewhat regain the lost capability of such individuals. However, there are several issues with these prostheses, such as expensive cost, limited functionality, unnatural control, slow operating speed, complexity, heavyweight, large size, etc. This paper proposes an affordable transradial prosthesis, controlled by the muscular contractions from user intention. A surface EMG sensor was explicitly fabricated for capturing the muscle contraction information from the residual forearm of subjects with amputation. An under actuated 3D printed hand was developed with a prosthetic socket assembly to attach the remaining upper-limb of such subjects. The hand integrates an intuitive closed-loop control system that receives reference input from the designed sensor and feedback input from a force sensor installed at the thumb tip. The performance of the EMG sensor was compared with that of a traditional sensor in detecting muscle contractions from the subjects. The designed sensor showed a good correlation (r > 0.93) and a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) feature to the conventional sensor. Further, a successful trial of the developed hand prosthesis was made on five different subjects with transradial amputation. The users wearing the hand prototype were able to perform faster and delicate grasping of various objects. The implemented control system allowed the prosthesis users to control the grasp force of hand fingers with their intention of muscular contractions.