batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Flower-like Li4Ti5O12 hollow microspheres consisting of nanosheets are prepared via a hydrothermal process, and subsequently wrapped by graphene through electrostatic interactions. In comparison with pristine Li4Ti5O12, Li4Ti5O12@graphene exhibited higher capacities and improved rate capability in the 0.01–3.0V or 1.0–3.0V potential range. Li4Ti5O12@graphene composite shows specific capacity of 272.7mAhg−1 at 750mAg−1 after 200 cycles in the potential range from 0.01 to 3.0V, while the pristine Li4Ti5O12 only delivered a discharge capacity of 235.6mAhg−1. The improved electrochemical performances of Li4Ti5O12@graphene should be attributed to lower charge-transfer resistances, larger lithium-ion diffusion coefficient and lower activation energy. The electrons transfer at Li4Ti5O12/graphene heterojunction interface, originating from difference in the work function of two composites, reduces the localized work function of the composites, decreases energy required for electrons to escape and consequently results in the improved electrochemical performances.
The electrochemical impact of lithium-ion diffusivity on the discharge rate capabilities of cation ordered (P4332) and disordered (Fd3m) LiMn1.5+δ Ni0.5−δ O4 spinels were studied. Potentiostatic Intermittent Titration (PITT) measurements revealed up to 2 orders-of-magnitude lower lithium diffusion coefficient for the ordered spinel polymorph. The optimum structure of the high voltage spinel is resolved with respect to these ionic studies and our previous electronic transport studies. Modification of the morphology and pore dimensions was accomplished through the tuning of the ethylene glycol used for the synthesis of nanostructured spinel in the modified Pechini process. Glycol will be shown to play a major role on the energy and power density of LiMn1.5+δ Ni0.5−δ O4 electrodes.
The activated carbon beads (ACB) are prepared by a new preparation method, which is proposed by mixing the coal tar pitch and fumed silica powder at a certain weight ratio and activation by KOH at different weight ratios and different temperatures. The BET surface area, pore volume and average pore size are obtained based on the nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77K by using ASAP 2010 apparatus. The results show that our samples have much high specific surface area (SSA) of 3537m2 g−1and high pore volume value of 3.05cm3 g−1. The percentage of mesopore volume increases with the weight ratio of KOH/ACB ranging from 4% to 72%. The electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are assembled with resultant carbon electrode and electrolyte of 1molL−1 Et4NBF4/PC. The specific capacitance of the ACB sample could be as high as 191.7Fg−1 by constant current charge/discharge technique, indicating that the ACB presents good characteristics prepared by the method proposed in this work. The investigation of influence of carbon porosity structure on capacitance indicates that the SSA plays an important role on the capacitance and all the pore sizes of less than 1nm, from 1 to 2nm and larger than 2nm contribute to the capacitance. Mesopore structure is beneficial for the performance at high current density.
(Trimethylsilyl)methanesulfonate (TMSOMs), functionalized with task-specific chemical moieties, is proposed as an interface-stabilizing additive to improve the electrochemical performance of 5V-class layered over-lithiated oxides (OLOs). TMSOMs offers a great opportunity to enhance the interfacial stability of an OLO material by providing an effective protective layer composed of SO3 and OSi functional groups after its electrochemical oxidation over 4.0 V (vs. Li/Li+), which remarkably reduces the internal pressure of the cell associated with electrolyte decomposition. As a result, the cell employing TMSOMs affords excellent capacity retention (92.8% at 100 cycles) together with considerable rate performance, negligible transition metal dissolution, and stable high temperature performance based on its enhanced interfacial stability. These results are attributed to the synergistic effects of the SO3 and OSi functional groups that once the sulfonic ester-based protective layer is developed on the electrode surface, it effectively mitigates decomposition of the electrolyte, while the OSi functional groups readily scavenge fluoride species in the electrolyte, leading to outstanding interfacial stability for the OLO material. On the basis of spectroscopic evidence, a comprehensive mechanism for the action of TMSOMs is suggested considering the specific role of each functional group.
Using data from the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey, we show that study time and academic conscientiousness were lower among students in humanities and social science majors than among students in science and engineering majors. Analytical and critical thinking experiences were no more evident among humanities and social sciences majors than among science and engineering majors. All three academically beneficial experiences were, however, strongly related to participation in class and interaction with instructors, and participation was more common among humanities and social sciences students than among science and engineering students. Bok’s (Our underachieving colleges: A candid look at how much students learn and why they should be learning more. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2006) influential discussion of “underachievement’ in undergraduate education focused on institutional performance. Our findings indicate that future discussions should take into account differences among disciplinary categories and majors as well.
Chemical injuries of the oesophagus occur worldwide. There is paucity of information on aetiopathological profile of chemical injuries of the oesophagus in Nigeria.
Subjective and objective assessments of cognitive and affective functioning of patients admitted to the EMU with epileptic (ES, n =22) and psychogenic nonepileptic (NES, n =23) seizures were compared. It was hypothesized that the patients with NES would overestimate their cognitive impairments and underestimate their affective disturbances relative to those with ES. Results revealed that the patients with NES reported greater word-finding difficulty than those with ES (P =0.02), but performed better than the patients with ES on the Boston Naming Test (BNT, P =0.03), suggesting a tendency to overestimate word-finding difficulty. Patients with NES and ES did not otherwise differ in subjective ratings of cognitive functions or emotional state; however, patients with NES performed worse on a test of affect expression/perception compared with those with ES (P =0.02). For patients with NES, only performance on memory tests was significantly correlated with their anxiety level. Obtaining both subjective ratings and objective test findings of cognitive and affective functioning may help further differentiate between patients with NES and those with ES.
Attempts to create machines that behave intelligently often conceptualize intelligence as the ability to achieve goals, leaving unanswered a crucial question: whose goals? In a dynamic and unpredictable world, an intelligent agent should hold its own meta-goal of self-preservation, like living organisms whose survival relies on homeostasis: the regulation of body states aimed at maintaining conditions compatible with life. In organisms capable of mental states, feelings are a mental expression of the state of life in the body and play a critical role in regulating behaviour. Our goal here is to inquire about conditions that would potentially allow machines to care about what they do or think. Under certain conditions, machines capable of implementing a process resembling homeostasis might also acquire a source of motivation and a new means to evaluate behaviour, akin to that of feelings in living organisms. Drawing on recent developments in soft robotics and multisensory abstraction, we propose a new class of machines inspired by the principles of homeostasis. The resulting machines would (1) exhibit equivalents to feeling; (2) improve their functionality across a range of environments; and (3) constitute a platform for investigating consciousness, intelligence and the feeling process itself.
The effects of 1vol% and 2vol% Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) on the electrochemical performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) have been investigated, and the results show that the cycling performance and rate capability of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 have been improved. In base electrolyte, the capacities become 91.3mAhg−1 with a retention of 82.3% after 150cycles at 1C rate. In contrast, after 150cycles the 1% FEC system reaches 106.7mAhg−1 with a 91.1% capacity retention, and the 2% FEC system achieves 113.5mAhg−1 with a 96.2% retention. 2% FEC system can even maintain 105.7mAhg−1 at 2C rate. Series of measurements exhibit that the preferential decomposition of FEC is beneficial to form a conductive film, which contains less compositions with low ionic conductivity. What's more, 2% FEC is more useful in forming a uniform and dense film than 1% FEC.
Current clinical diagnosis is typically based on a combination of approaches including clinical examination of the patient, clinical experience, physiologic and/or genetic parameters, high-tech diagnostic medical imaging, and an extended list of laboratory values mostly determined in biofluids such as blood and urine. One could consider this as precision medicine v1.0. However, recent advances in technology and better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying disease will allow us to better characterize patients in the future. These improvements will enable us to distinguish patients who have similar clinical presentations but different cellular and molecular responses. Treatments will be able to be chosen more “precisely”, resulting in more appropriate therapy, precision medicine v2.0. In this review, we will reflect on the potential added value of recent advances in technology and a better molecular understanding of necrosis and inflammation for improving diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients. We give a brief overview on the mutual interplay between necrosis and inflammation, which are two crucial detrimental factors in organ and/or systemic dysfunction. One of the challenges for the future will thus be the cellular and molecular profiling of necroinflammation in biofluids. The huge amount of data generated by profiling biomolecules and single cells through, for example, different omic-approaches is needed for data mining methods to allow patient-clustering and identify novel biomarkers. The real-time monitoring of biomarkers will allow continuous (re)evaluation of treatment strategies using machine learning models. Ultimately, we may be able to offer precision therapies specifically designed to target the molecular set-up of an individual patient, as has begun to be done in cancer therapeutics.
We successfully prepared the perovskite-type lanthanum lithium titanate (LLTO) ceramics electrolytes with high total lithium ion conductivity of 3–5 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 300 K. The high total conductivity is attributed to the elimination of resistive grain boundary by the grain growth. Using the electrolyte as a separator, a rechargeable aqueous-type lithium/air cell which composed of Li metal/Li organic electrolytes/LLTO ceramics tube/LiOH aq/O2 carbon electrodes was developed and the stable discharge/charge behaviors were confirmed. Owing to the low porosity and the stability to alkaline aqueous solution of LiOH as well as high ionic conductivity, the lithium ion-conducting lanthanum lithium titanate ceramics is suitable for an electrolyte separator for aqueous-type rechargeable lithium/air batteries.
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were employed to modify commercial V2O5 to prepare composite electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. It was found that MWCNTs improved the electric conductivity of the MWCNT-modified V2O5. In comparison, PEDOT not only improved the electric conductivity of the PEDOT-modified V2O5 but also enhanced its stability against electrolyte. When applied as a cathode for lithium ion batteries, the sample modified with PEDOT performed the best, followed by the sample modified with both MWCNTs and PEDOT, and the sample modified with MWCNTs only.
Hydrophilic fumed silica (SiO2)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite electrolyte membranes were prepared by electrospinning composite solutions of SiO2 and PAN in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Among electrospinning solutions with various SiO2 contents, the 12wt% SiO2 in PAN solution has highest zeta potential (−40.82mV), and exhibits the best dispersibility of SiO2 particles. The resultant 12wt% SiO2/PAN nanofiber membrane has the smallest average fiber diameter, highest porosity, and largest specific surface area. In addition, this membrane has a three-dimensional network structure, which is fully interconnected with combined mesopores and macropores because of a good SiO2 dispersion. Composite electrolyte membranes were prepared by soaking these porous nanofiber membranes in 1M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in ethylene carbonate (EC)/dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (1:1vol%). It is found that 12wt% SiO2/PAN electrolyte membrane has the highest conductivity (1.1×10−2 Scm−1) due to the large liquid electrolyte uptake (about 490%). In addition, the electrochemical performance of composite electrolyte membranes is also improved after the introduction of SiO2. For initial cycle, 12wt% SiO2/PAN composite electrolyte membrane delivers the discharge capacity of 139mAhg−1 as 98% of theoretical value, and still retains a high value of 127mAhg−1 as 89% at 150th cycle, which is significantly higher that of pure PAN nanofiber-based electrolyte membranes.
Many studies have demonstrated that health related quality of life (HRQoL) improves, on average, after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS). However, this average improvement may not be realized for all patients, and it is possible that there are two or more distinctive groups with different, possibly non-linear, trajectories of change over time. Furthermore, little is known about the predictors that are associated with these possible HRQoL trajectories after CABGS.
To solve the agglomeration of Fe and low electronic conductivity of FeP anode, a simple route through metal organic framework (MOF)-derived phosphorization has been successfully explored for in-situ encapsulation of FeP nanoparticles in porous carbon framework (FeP@C). The MOF-derived FeP@C anode can substantially inhibit the coarsening of small Fe, improve the electroconductivity and moderate the volume expansion of electrode, leading to superior rate capability and excellent cycling performance for Li-, Na- and K-ions storage. For example, the FeP@C anode delivers a high reversible capacity of 700 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 over 180 cycles for Li-ion batteries, displays a high reversible capacity of 387 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 over 100 cycles for Na-ion batteries and achieve a high reversible capacity of 163 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 over 100 cycles for K-ion batteries. The kinetic analysis, calculated diffusion coefficient and partial density of states (PDOS) results also confirmed this in-situ carbon encapsulated strategy improves the conductivity of FeP particles facilitating the alkali-ion/electron's transportation.
This paper presents a successful design and implement of a shunt-winding hybrid electric motorcycle management system which utilizes an electronic control unit (ECU) to integrate two major subsystems together, one being the traditional system of 125c.c. internal combustion engine and the other an electric power motor. The hybrid electric motorcycle is assembled together robustly by these two major subsystems and eventually leads to successful road tests. The hybrid power system thus implemented can recharge its own batteries with electricity provided by the electrical recharge system and thus increasing the cruising mileages largely. The testing results obtained by using the proposed experimental platform indicate that lead-acid cells can boost their state of charge (SOC) by approximately 4% when it is operated under the hybrid mode for four driving cycles (about 1600s) with the recharger on in a standard ECE-40 testing procedure. The results of road tests also clearly show that the pollutant emissions of the engine can be reduced at a lower speed or idling condition, and the problem of insufficient cruising range for electric motorcycles can also be greatly enhanced.
Objective: This study was designed to verify and quantify sensory dysfunction in a patient with benign idiopathic trigeminal sensory neuropathy. Design: Point-biometric case study comparing the affected site to the unaffected contralateral site. Setting: A physiologic pain laboratory. Patient: A 26-year-old man with right-sided facial numbness of unknown etiology. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: A standardized battery that included mechanical detection threshold, temperature, vibration detection threshold, pressure-pain threshold, stimulus-response functions (brush, pinprick), temporal pain summation, and thermal quantitative sensory testing. Results: The patient's results revealed sensory differences between the affected right and the contralateral unaffected side of the face. The patient exhibited decreased sensation to mechanical stimuli on the affected side, with greater hypoesthesia in the ophthalmic (2.44 affected side vs 1.65 unaffected side) and maxillary (2.54 affected vs 1.65 unaffected) branches with no difference in the mandibular distribution. Vibratory sensation was also decreased on the affected side, particularly in the maxillary distribution (Reidel-Seiffer tuning fork: 8.0 affected vs 5.0 unaffected). The maxillary distribution showed a significant decrease in response to temporal pain summation on the affected side. A comparison of warm and cold sensation thresholds and cold-pain and heat-pain thresholds between the affected and unaffected ophthalmic branches revealed a significant side-to-side variation of cold-pain thresholds, indicative of cold-pain allodynia (hyperalgesia). Similar differences were found at the maxillary and mandibular branches, indicating cold-pain allodynia on the affected side in these distributions. In addition, there was moderate side-to-side heat-pain variation in the maxillary branch suggesting heat-pain allodynia. Conclusions: Trigeminal sensory neuropathy has the potential to affect a variety of sensory modalities. We found unilateral sensory changes in thickly myelinated Aβ fibers (touch, pressure, and vibration), thinly myelinated Aδ - fast pain fibers (temperature), and unmyelinated C - slow pain fibers (temperature).
Age-related hearing loss is associated with a decrease in hearing abilities for high frequencies and therefore leads to impairments in understanding speech—in particular, under adverse listening conditions. Growing evidence suggests that age-related hearing loss is related to various neural changes, for instance, affecting auditory and frontal brain regions. How the decreased auditory input and the increased listening effort in daily life are associated with structural changes is less clear, since previous evidence is scarce and mostly involved low sample sizes. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of age-related untreated hearing loss and subjectively rated daily life listening effort on grey matter and white matter changes in a large sample of participants (n = 71). For that aim, we conducted anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in elderly hard-of-hearing and age-matched normal-hearing participants. Our results showed significantly lower grey matter volume in the middle frontal cortex in hard-of-hearing compared to normal-hearing participants. Further, higher listening effort was associated with lower grey matter volume and cortical thickness in the orbitofrontal cortex and lower grey matter volume in the inferior frontal cortex. No significant relations between hearing abilities or listening effort were obtained for white matter integrity in tracts connecting auditory and prefrontal as well as visual areas. These findings provide evidence that hearing impairment as well as daily life listening effort seems to be associated with grey matter loss in prefrontal brain regions. We further conclude that alterations in cortical thickness seem to be linked to the increased listening effort rather than the hearing loss itself.
Hard carbon is a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries (NIBs). In this study, a two-step carbonization approach is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of lignocellulose biomass-derived hard carbon. The first step comprises slow low-temperature pyrolysis of fir wood that produces an amorphous carbon in which hexagonal planes are embedded in the amorphous carbon region to some extent. The second step comprises high-temperature carbonization at 1300 °C, which yields a hard carbon with a high degree of graphitization, an increased layer-plane length, and a low micropore volume. Two-step carbonized hard carbon delivers a large reversible capacity of 276 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 after 100 cycles and high rate capacities of 108 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 and 76.3 mAh g−1 at 2.5 A g−1. The low-voltage plateau capacity below 0.1 V is 194 mAh g−1. The results of these experiments indicate that the exceptional electrochemical performance of two-step carbonized hard carbon arises from the effective suppression of micropore formation and a good balance between the degree of graphitization and number of defect sites. High-voltage adsorption of Na+ ions in micropores inhibits Na+-ion diffusion into the graphitic region of micropore-enriched hard carbon.
Neurological soft signs (NSS) are minor (‘soft’) neurological abnormalities in sensory and motor performances, which are frequently reported in patients with schizophrenia at any stage of their illness. It has been demonstrated that NSS vary in the clinical course of the disorder: longitudinally NSS decrease in parallel with remission of psychopathological symptoms, an effect which mainly applies to patients with a remitting course. These findings are primarily based on patients with a first episode of the disorder, while the course of NSS in patients with chronic schizophrenia and persisting symptoms is rather unknown. Therefore, we investigated NSS twice in 21 patients with chronic schizophrenia (initial mean duration of illness: 23 ± 11 years) with a mean follow-up interval of 7 years. NSS were evaluated by the Heidelberg Scale, established instruments were used to rate neuropsychological performance and psychopathological symptoms. NSS showed significant increases on the subscales “motor coordination” and “integrative functions”, while positive and negative symptoms, including apathy, showed only minor, non-significant changes. Verbal memory, verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility along with severity of global cognitive deficits demonstrated a significant deterioration. Regression analyses identified executive dysfunction (cognitive flexibility and verbal fluency) at baseline as significant predictors of NSS increase at follow-up. Our findings indicate that NSS deteriorate in the long-term course of chronic schizophrenia. This effect may be accounted for by a decrease of executive functions and logical memory, which can be attributed to premature brain aging.