batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Extracts from Pygeum africanum are used in the treatment of prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). The ligand-activated human androgen receptor (AR) is known to control the growth of the prostate gland. Inhibition of human AR is therefore a major goal in treatment of patients. Here, we characterize the compound N-butylbenzene-sulfonamide (NBBS) isolated from P. africanum as a specific AR antagonist. This antihormonal activity inhibits AR- and progesterone receptor- (PR) mediated transactivation, but not the related human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) or the estrogen receptors (ERα or ERβ). Importantly, NBBS inhibits both endogenous PSA expression and growth of human PCa cells. Mechanistically, NBBS binds to AR and inhibits its translocation to the cell nucleus. Furthermore, using a battery of chemically synthesized derivatives of NBBS we revealed important structural aspects for androgen antagonism and have identified more potent AR antagonistic compounds. Our data suggest that NBBS is one of the active compounds of P. africanum bark and may serve as a naturally occurring, novel therapeutic agent for treatment of prostatic diseases. Thus, NBBS and its derivatives may serve as novel chemical platform for treatment prostatitis, BPH and PCa.
NiO nanofibers modified by citric acid (NiO/CA) for supercapacitor material have been fabricated by electrospinning process. The characterizations of the nanofibers are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical properties are characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results show that the NiO/CA nanofibers are hollow tube and comprised of many NiO sheets. Furthermore, the NiO/CA nanofibers have good electrochemical reversibility and display superior capacitive performance with large capacitance (336Fg−1), which is 2.5 times of NiO electrodes. Moreover, the NiO/CA nanofibers show excellent cyclic performance after 1000 cycles.
Fuel cells have become one of the major areas of research in the academia and the industry with the numerous advantages they provide over the batteries and especially over the other small-scale sources of electricity including the photovoltaic and solar cells. Fuel cells generate electricity from hydrogen by a chemical process and are environmentally safe and efficient. Fuel cells have numerous stand-alone and grid-connected applications. The aim of the paper is to achieve the control of the fuel cell for stand-alone and grid connection. This is achieved by designing a suitable power conditioning unit. The power conditioning unit is needed for processing of the raw power output of the fuel cell in order to make it usable. The power conditioning unit might have only dc/dc converter or the two stages of dc/dc converter and dc/ac inverter. For the stand-alone part, the concentration is on the controlled direct current (dc) power, thus, only a boost converter (dc/dc) stage is used. For the grid interface of the fuel cell, controlled alternating current (ac) power is needed at the interface point of the fuel cell and the utility grid; thus, both stages, boost converter as well as the inverter (dc/ac), are needed. A power conditioning unit is designed for the solid oxide fuel cell, which can be used for other fuel cells with converter and the inverter of different ratings, but the control strategy will remain the same. The fuzzy logic control strategy is used for designing the controllers for both the stages.
Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable resource in nature. However, low-temperature fuel cell technology has not yet been able to use it as an efficient fuel. In this research study, a low temperature direct biomass fuel cell, which did not use enzymes or microorganisms as catalysts, was demonstrated using barley straw as the fuel, methyl violet as an electron mediator, nickel foam as an anode, and carbon cloth supported 0.15mg/cm2 of 10wt% Pt/C doping graphene as a cathode. The effects of the particle sizes of the raw materials on the performance of the fuel cell were examined using 3% (w/v) different particle sizes of barley straw powder in 5M NaOH and 0.02M MV solutions. It was found that the smaller the particle size of barley straw powder was, the higher the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell would be. In addition, this study also examined the effects of several dissolution systems on the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell, including a 10wt% LiCl/DMAC, 5M NaOH, 7wt% NaOH/12wt% Urea, and 65wt% ZnCl2. It was found that the fuel cell in the 65wt% ZnCl2 solvent had the best electrochemical performance, and when the MV concentration increased, the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell also increased accordingly. The maximum power density of the fuel cell reached to 0.3mW/cm2 when the concentration of MV increased to 0.08M, which was nearly 40 times higher than the microbial fuel cells fed with cellulose. Meanwhile, the open circuit voltage was 541mV, and the limit current density was 0.3mA/cm2. This allowed the raw materials of the fuel cell to take a further step toward a more complex lignocellulosic biomass.
Spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is one of the most promising high voltage cathode materials for future application due to its advantages of large reversible capacity, high thermal stability, low cost, environmental friendliness, and high energy density. LNMO can provide 20% and 30% higher energy density than traditional cathode materials LiCoO2 and LiFePO4, respectively. Unfortunately, LNMO-based batteries with LiPF6-based carbonate electrolytes always suffer from severe capacity deterioration and poor thermostability because of the oxidization of organic carbonate solvents and decomposition of LiPF6, especially at elevated temperatures and water-containing environment. Hence, it is necessary to systematically and comprehensively summarize the progress in understanding and modifying LNMO cathode from various aspects. In this review, the structure, transport properties and different reported possible fading mechanisms of LNMO cathode are first discussed detailedly. And then, the major goal of this review is to highlight new progress in using proposed strategies to improve the cycling stability and rate capacity of LNMO-based batteries, including synthesis, control of special morphologies, element doping and surface coating etc., especially at elevated temperatures. Finally, an insight into the future research and further development of LNMO cathode is discussed.
An effective synthesis strategy of hybrid metal (PtRu)/metal oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles on graphene nanocomposites is developed using a microwave-assisted one-pot reaction process. The mixture of ethylene glycol (EG) and water is used as both solvent and reactant. In the reaction system for the synthesis of SnO2/graphene nanocomposite, EG not only reduces graphene oxide (GO) to graphene, but also results in the formation of SnO2 facilitated by the presence of a small amount of water. On the other hand, in the reaction system for preparation of PtRu/graphene nanocomposites, EG acts as solvent and reducing agent for reduction of PtRu nanoparticles from their precursors and reduction of graphene from graphene oxide. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations confirm the feasibility of the microwave-assisted reaction system to simultaneously reduce graphene oxide and to form SnO2 or PtRu nanoparticles. The as-synthesized SnO2/graphene hybrid composites show a much higher supercapacitance than the pure graphene, and the as-prepared PtRu/graphene show much better electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation compared to the commercial E-TEK PtRu/C electrocatalysts.
Solar cells combined with power management algorithms enable the dynamic scheduling of Wireless Sensor Networks applications in a reference period, where the objective of the scheduling is to maximize the application quality level while conserving an energy level sufficient to constantly maintain the sensor operation. With the purpose of fulfillment of its activities the sensor may have alternative different applications with different costs and quality levels, which are intended to express how much the application meets the user requirements. In this paper we propose an algorithm that aims to find a (sub)optimal scheduling that maximizes the overall quality of service for two networked, solar cells powered sensors, and keeps the system energy neutral, thus ensuring that the system works uninterruptedly.
Although the LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 spinel operating at 4.7 V presents some beneficial characteristics over more traditional positive electrode materials, instability issues at elevated temperature have limited its practical use so far. While we previously proposed Li1+yMn1.5Ni0.5O4−xFx (LMNOF) spinel that is intrinsically stable at elevated temperatures in Li-excess half-cell configuration, we investigate herein fixed, non-excess Li-content window-shifted Li-ion systems. By utilizing Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) or TiS2 negative electrodes stable in broad electrolyte compositions instead of carbonaceous electrodes, we aim at limiting the Li-consuming side reactions such as the formation of solid-electrolyte interphase and enable a focus on the exploration of electrolyte compositions including additives. Utilizing such an approach, excellent fundamental stability of LMNOF in a fixed Li-content Li-ion environment is demonstrated at 55 °C with the use of relatively common electrolyte components.
This paper investigates the design, prototyping and experimental validation of a low-cost portable electrocardiograph made of standard electronic components. Indeed, the AD8232 and Arduino Nano board were used for the signal acquisition and digitization respectively. The electrocardiogram (ECG) signals obtained were visualized on a PC or an Android phone screen. The present portable electrocardiograph was used for the ECG signal acquisition of two anonymous patients (a healthy patient and pathological patient) in a Cameroonian hospital. The results were compared with the synthetic ECG and the one of the MIT database. They were in a good agreement and were also validated by a cardiologist as a promising solution for developing countries.
Telemonitoring systems, including Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN), are an important support for the monitoring of patients with chronic diseases. This article shows the development and evaluation process of VISIGNET, a prototype open hardware interoperable vital signs monitoring system that captures data of clinical variables from a patient and sends them to a cloud-based service for their remote visualization. The article first presents a synthesis of the system design, which consists of a WBAN that captures data from three sensors, namely heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure. Then, it explains the WBAN operation and the data transmission process to Xively, a cloud service. Finally, this article shows the findings of the evaluation of the system, analyzing parameters like coverage, the Frame Error Rate (FER), end-to-end delay, and the battery life of the sensors. It also shows the implementation of a case study with 100 patients from two health centers.
Efficient and durable catalysts towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are highly desirable for renewable energy technologies. Herein, we develop a new, efficient, economical and durable Ta2O5 OER catalyst by controlling oxygen environment to induce the active OER catalytic surface. Stable surface structures of Ta2O5 and their onset overpotentials towards OER are calculated via systematic DFT simulations. Oxygen site on the stable (200) surface of Ta2O5 is explicitly identified as the most active OER site, possessing a small calculated onset overpotential of 0.25V. In addition, using the simulated oxygen-rich condition, we successfully grow a (200)-surface-exposed Ta2O5 nanolayer on a carbon cloth by oxygen-controlled pulsed laser deposition. In accordance to the simulation, the designated (200) surface exhibits high OER activity with an onset overpotential of 0.29V and overpotential of 0.385V at 10mA/cm2. The oxygen-controlled surface modulation to activate catalytic activity provides a novel strategy for effective development of metal-oxide catalysts for clean energy technologies.
We report here on an investigation into the possible factors which might have contributed to language impairment (LI) in EM, a 14-year-old Japanese–English bilingual girl. EM was born in the UK to Japanese parents with no other siblings, and used English to communicate with all other people except for her parents. A delay in her English language development was identified at primary school in the UK, which was attributed to her bilingualism. The deficiency in her English language skills persisted into her adolescence despite more than adequate educational opportunities (including additional language support). At the start of her secondary education, language ability/literacy attainment tests were conducted in both English and Japanese, and the results suggested specific language impairment (SLI) in both languages. Further, her brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) revealed significantly lower Regional Cerebral Blood Flow(rCBF) in the left temporo-parietal area, which is also similar to the area of dysfunction often found among Japanese individuals with SLI.
Absorbent glass material made of 100% microglass fibre is a well-known separator for valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries and has been in use for around 20-year period. As the VRLA battery market and demands of the customer continue to grow; electrical performance, productivity and reliability of VRLA batteries are being enhanced. This is achieved through a combination of process, quality assurance, materials and electrochemical engineering. Reliability and electrical performance of the battery is linked to the AGM glass material. Properties of the AGM material impact the assembly route, defect rates, productivity, product cyclability, life, reliability and recharge performance. Bernard Dumas in partnership with Enersys has developed a specific product containing 8% synthetic fibres for thin plate application. Enough data have now been gathered to guarantee that this type of separator is giving electrical performance equal to or better than 100% glass AGM and has increased battery productivity. The electrical performance of the batteries manufactured with synthetic loaded separator paper was equal or better than the AGM counterpart as demonstrated by capacity testing, cycling and accelerated float life (AFL) tests. Tear-down investigation after accelerated float life testing at 55°C showed no degradation of the synthetic separator paper.
In this work, the viability of polyaniline as a solid charge storage material in an aqueous redox-mediated flow battery is investigated. Fe(III/II) and V(IV/III) were identified as potential redox mediators to target the emeraldine-pernigraniline and leucoemeraldine-emeraldine redox transitions of the polymer. An indirect chemical cycling method was developed and used to investigate the charging/discharging of the polymer by the selected redox mediators. With Fe(III/II) as a redox mediator, respectable specific capacity and cycling stability were demonstrated over 25 cycles. V(IV/III) was deemed unsuitable as a redox mediator, due to rather poor kinetics. When added to the electrolyte tanks of a complete flow battery, a conductive composite of polyaniline and carbon black provided a significant improvement in capacity, exhibiting a specific capacity of 64.8mAhg−1 at a current density of 38.5mAcm−2. This represents a three-fold improvement in volumetric capacity, compared with the electrolyte alone. Moreover, the addition of the polyaniline composite was observed to lower the average potential at the positive electrode, providing a considerable improvement in voltage efficiency. This work demonstrates the potential of utilizing redox mediators to enable bulk solid-phase charge storage in the tanks of aqueous redox flow batteries.
As a promising energy storage device, the rechargeable zinc–air battery (RZAB) has attracted increasing attention because of its high energy density, cost-effectiveness, and high safety, and the rich abundance of zinc, as well as its environmental benignity. However, the widespread application of RZABs still faces considerable challenges derived from zinc-electrodes, electrolytes, and air-electrodes. In this paper, specific attention is given to RZAB zinc-electrode materials and fabrication with focus on the fundamental understanding of zinc-electrode reaction mechanisms, technical challenges, mitigation strategies, and perspectives. Particularly, the approaches to overcome the challenges are also presented and analyzed for facilitating further research and development of RZABs.
Objective To determine the potential to improve driving-related skills using a simulator-based program in persons with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Design Pre-post intervention. Setting A university driving simulator laboratory. Participants Participants (N=50) with RRMS and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores between 1 and 7 were enrolled. Pre- and posttraining data from 36 participants (mean age ± SD, 46±11y; 30 women) who received training and 6 participants (mean age ± SD, 48±13y; 5 women) who did not receive training (control group) were compared. Interventions Five hours of driving training in a simulator. Main Outcome Measures Performance on a road test at pre- and posttraining. Secondary outcome measures were performance on visual, physical, and cognitive tests. Results Overall, no significant differences were observed between the training and control groups before and after training. However, 4 of the 7 participants in the training group who failed the road test at pretraining passed posttraining, while the only participant in the control group who failed at pretraining still failed at posttraining. The training group also improved on perception of red and colored numbers, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the dot cancellation test of the Stroke Driver Screening Assessment battery and reported less fatigue. These improvements were most pronounced among those with an EDSS score between 3 and 7. Conclusions This pilot study demonstrates the potential of using a simulator to improve driving-related visual, cognitive, and on-road skills in individuals with RRMS, particularly those with an EDSS score >3. Future randomized controlled trials with adequate power are needed to expand this field of study.
In situ UV-Visible spectroelectrochemical studies on the copolymerization of diaminobenzenesulfonic acid (DABSA) with aniline (ANI), o-toluidine (OT) and N-methyl aniline (NMA) were carried out potentiostatically in aqueous 1.0 M H2SO4 solutions containing the mixture of monomers (DABSA and ANI/OT/NMA) at an optically transparent electrode. Copolymerization studies were performed for different feed ratios of the comonomers. Polymerization of DABSA was also carried out to bring out the differences in the spectral characteristics between homopolymerization and copolymerization. UV-Visible spectra were recorded at various timer intervals during copolymerization and homopolymerization of DABSA. Four absorption bands were noticed for the copolymerization in contrast to the three bands for homopolymerization. The appearance of bands at 672, 633 and 668 nm for copolymerization of DABSA with ANI, OT and NMA, respectively, are attributed to the exitonic transitions associated with these monomer units in the copolymer. The exitonic band of PANI/PANI derivative units that appeared during copolymerization was markedly influenced by the presence of sulfonic acid groups in the copolymer. This was demonstrated by observing its influence in the absence of applied potential and also by following the changes in the band positions through spectroelectrochemical studies on the copolymerization of DABSA with ANI or OT or NMA. The dependences of absorbances on time at the wavelengths corresponding to polaronic and exitonic transitions of the polymers were deduced. The decrease in absorbances of the exitonic band arising from the dedoping caused by sulfonic acid groups in the polymer showed variations in the copolymerization of DABSA with ANI, OT and NMA. The following trend was noticed ANI>NMA>OT.
Reduced graphene oxide/Mn3O4 (RGO/Mn3O4) nanocomposites were synthesized via a cost-effective approach, and their microstructural and morphological features were investigated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results revealed that the Mn3O4 nanoparticles were crystallized with particle size 50–100nm while the size of the Mn3O4 particles in RGO/Mn3O4 composites decreased to 30–50nm, suggesting that RGO promoted the dispersion of Mn3O4 particles. We tested the electrochemical behavior of the RGO/Mn3O4 composites for supercapacitor and Li-ion battery. And it was found that they exhibited an excellent discharge specific capacitance of about 194.8F/g at 1.0A/g with 90% capacity retention even after 1000cycles in supercapacitor, and an initial discharge capacity of about 1813mAh/g at 0.1A/g with outstanding cycling stability in Li-ion battery.
Lithium titanium oxide prepared by the hydrogen reduction synthesis of Li[Li1/3Ti5/3]O4 (LTO) exhibits electronic conductivity. The product demonstrated a superior rate capability than pristine LTO upon the examination of a pellet electrode in the absence of conductive additives. The rate capability of the pristine LTO pellet electrode is poor during the oxidation reaction due to low electronic conductivity of the electrode originated from insufficiently developed electronic conduction paths. In contrast, the rate capability during the reduction reaction is improved due to the formation of electronic conduction paths resulting from transformation to the electronic conductor LTO during the reduction process. Visual inspection indicated that the formation and loss of electronic conduction paths in the electrode are key to determining the rate capability of the LTO pellet electrode in the absence of a conductive additive. Our results confirmed that this LTO exhibiting an electronic conductivity maintains an electronic conduction path in the pellet electrode in the absence of a conductive additive during the redox reaction, thereby resulting in an improved rate capability in both the oxidation and reduction reactions.