batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
A combination of analytical techniques and molecular modelling methods was used to study the influence of chloride-based supporting electrolytes on zinc electrodeposit surfaces in the zinc half-cell of zinc/bromine flow batteries. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of zinc electrodeposits obtained during charging show that: (a) the primary preferred orientation is planar, and (b) increasing the duration of exposure to the Cl-containing electrolyte influences crystallinity and changes the preferred secondary orientations. Analysis using periodic density functional methods indicates that the binding energy of Cl to the Zn(001) surface depends more strongly on surface coverage than on binding site location. Solvation increases the stability of Cl binding to the surface. The binding energies of Cl with and without water solvation are between 288 and 327 kJ mol−1 and 249–288 kJ mol−1, respectively, for coverages between 0.11 and 0.33 ML. The binding of Cl leads to Zn surface buckling and decreases surface uniformity. Binding at 0.33 ML and above results in surface instabilities, leading to the formation of surface cavities due to significant vertical displacement of surface Zn sites.
We have successfully prepared H2Ti12O25 by soft chemical synthetic technique using Na2Ti6O13 as a starting compound for the first time. In this synthetic route, we first prepared Li2Ti6O13 by Na+/Li+ ion-exchange reaction. Then, H2Ti6O13 was prepared by Li+/H+ ion-exchange reaction using HCl solution, and H2Ti12O25 was synthesized by heating the obtained H2Ti6O13 at 260 °C. The XRD pattern and 1H-MAS NMR spectrum of the H2Ti12O25 sample thus obtained were well consistent with those for the H2Ti12O25 sample prepared from Na2Ti3O7 as a starting compound. The H2Ti12O25 sample prepared from Na2Ti6O13 exhibited superior cycling performance with the initial discharge capacity of 229 mAh g−1 in the voltage range between 1.0 and 3.0 V with a fixed current density of 10 mA g−1 at 25 °C, which was higher than that (213 mAh g−1) for the H2Ti12O25 sample from Na2Ti3O7. The improvement of the discharge capacity may be explained by the smaller particle size for the present H2Ti12O25 sample. Accordingly, the initial coulombic efficiency for the H2Ti12O25 sample was improved from 86% to 92%. These facts suggest that H2Ti12O25 is one of the promising high-voltage oxide negative electrodes in advanced lithium ion batteries.
An investigation on the extent learners’ attitudes towards corrective feedback (CF) may mediate learning was carried out in an English as a second language (ESL) experimental classroom. Two types of CF, recast (R) and metalinguistic information (MI), were used during oral interactional tasks. The experimental groups were compared to a task only group with no CF. Pre-intermediate Saudi adult participants (n= 36) were randomly assigned to complete three hours of communicative oral tasks over four successive weeks and to fill in an attitudinal questionnaire (k=21), at the post period of testing time. Correlation between participants’ attitudes and the effectiveness of the selected corrective feedback was measured by an attitudinal questionnaire and learners’ knowledge was measured by oral and written test battery. The results suggested learners’ preference to error correction, the interactional activities, and the different types of CF. It also suggested, to certain extend, the significant role of learners’ attitude in mediating language accuracy.
The age- and gender-specific incidence of total hip replacement surgery has increased over the last two decades in all age groups. Recent studies indicate that non-surgical interventions are effective in reducing pain and disability, even at later stages of the disease when joint replacement is considered. We hypothesize that the time to hip replacement can be postponed in patients with severe hip osteoarthritis following participation in a patient education and supervised exercise program when compared to patients receiving patient education alone.
is Development Engineer for Lighweight Materials at the Audi AG in Neckarsulm (Germany) and coordinator of the SMiLE projekt.
Nanoporous copper (NPC), as a new kind of porous metal prepared by dealloying, is introduced into the lithium-ion battery as both the current collector and substrate of active material. The nanoporous copper has three-dimensional structure composed of large channels (hundreds of nanometers) and small pores (tens of nanometers) on the channel walls. Anodes were prepared by electroless depositing of a thin layer of tin on NPC and copper foil. By comparing the electrochemical performance of both electrodes, the nanostructured electrode exhibits much higher areal capacity and better Coulombic efficiency than planar electrode.
Electrolyte as the most flammable component of lithium ion battery is always considered to be closely related to its safety. Great efforts are made to optimize electrolyte since it is the ultimate means to improve the lithium ion battery safety. This article reviews the thermal risk of commercial electrolytes and the development of safer electrolytes. The main reason for the thermal instability of the traditional nonaqueous electrolyte is the thermal decomposition of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) and highly flammable solvents. Substitution technique of the lithium salt is under developing and the electrolyte flame retardant additives are widely studied. Novel addition technologies like electrospinning and microcapsules are introduced to reduce the restrictions on physical properties of flame retardants and improve electrochemical performances. Overcharge protection additives are simply summarized according to their reaction mechanism. For the breakthrough of new generations of safer electrolytes, nonflammable solvents with new salts and solid state electrolytes are reviewed as well as their existing problems at present. This shall serve as a summary for the development of electrolytes and a reference for the design of next generation of safer electrolytes.
This study investigated the structure of social cognition, and how it is influenced by personality; specifically, how various socio-cognitive capabilities, and the pattern of inter-relationships and co-dependencies among them differ between divergent personality styles. To measure social cognition, a large non-clinical sample (n = 290) undertook an extensive battery of self-report and performance-based measures of visual perspective taking, imitative tendencies, affective empathy, interoceptive accuracy, emotion regulation, and state affectivity. These same individuals then completed the Personality Styles and Disorders Inventory. Latent Profile Analysis revealed two dissociable personality profiles that exhibited contrasting cognitive and affective dispositions, and multivariate analyses indicated further that these profiles differed on measures of social cognition; individuals characterised by a flexible and adaptive personality profile expressed higher action orientation (emotion regulation) compared to those showing more inflexible tendencies, along with better visual perspective taking, superior interoceptive accuracy, less imitative tendencies, and lower personal distress and negativity. These characteristics point towards more efficient self-other distinction, and to higher cognitive control more generally. Moreover, low-level cognitive mechanisms served to mediate other higher level socio-emotional capabilities. Together, these findings elucidate the cognitive and affective underpinnings of individual differences in social behaviour, providing a data-driven model that should guide future research in this area.
Transcripts of SFR2, a member of the S family of receptor kinase genes, accumulate rapidly in Brassica oleracea leaves in response to wounding, bacterial infection and following treatment with salicylic acid (SA). Expression of a chimeric gene consisting of the SFR2 5′ flanking sequence fused to the gusA reporter gene is also induced in wounded and SA-treated Arabidopsis plants indicating that the observed response is conferred by the SFR2 promoter. We show here that, in Arabidopsis plants carrying the salicylate hydroxylase (NahG) transgene, wound induction of the SFR2 promoter–gusA reporter fusion was abolished, indicating that, as has previously been shown for the response to bacterial infection, SA is required for the response to wounding. Deletion analysis of the SFR2 promoter identified a region necessary for full expression following SA treatment. This region, which includes two putative W-boxes, is conserved in the promoter of the Arabidopsis SFR2 homologue, ARK3. Deletion of a 12 bp region containing the two W-box motifs reduced the response to SA treatment. Tandem repeats of the W-box-containing element fused upstream of a CaMV 35S minimal promoter enhanced reporter gene expression in transgenic Arabidopsis both in the absence and presence of SA. Gel-mobility shift assays showed that Arabidopsis leaf extracts contained factors that bound to a fragment of the promoter spanning the putative W-boxes and that a fragment in which these motifs were mutated was unable to compete for binding. In summary, induction of the SFR2 promoter in response to bacterial infection and wounding requires SA, and full expression of the induced gene requires the presence of a functional element containing W-box motifs in the SFR2 promoter. The involvement of two W-boxes indicates that transcription factors of the WRKY family may play a key role in mediating these responses.
The congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a familial disorder characterized by a prolongation of the QT interval on the ECG and occurrence of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias especially, but not only, under conditions of increased sympathetic activity. Symptomatic untreated patients are at high risk for sudden cardiac death. Twelve LQTS genes have been identified and most of them encode cardiac ion channels. Very effective therapies are available and in carefully treated patients mortality is around 0.5–1% over 20years. The initial treatment should always involve β-blockers, with propranolol and nadolol being the two most effective ones. With few exceptions all mutation carriers should be treated because of the risk of sudden death during the first cardiac event. Approximately 20% of patients continue to have syncope despite the β-blockers and the most rationale next level of therapy is represented by Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation (LCSD), which is highly effective and can complement any other therapy. One important limitation of LCSD is that, without valid reasons, it is available only in a few selected centers. Whenever syncope recurs despite LCSD, or whenever an aborted cardiac arrest has occurred, it becomes logical to resort to the implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The latter, however, is burdened by a high rate (31%) of adverse events including severe ones such as endocarditis, inappropriate shocks, and by the need of frequent battery replacements. A scoring system, based on simple clinical variables, can identify the patients more and less likely to benefit from ICD implantation.
The effects of metallic cobalt (Co) and cobalt monoxide (CoO), as additives in positive electrodes, on the electrochemical performance of nickel/metal hydride (Ni/MH) power batteries are studied. Commercial Co and CoO are charged at 50°C in 6M KOH solution. The oxidation mechanism of cobalt materials is investigated by observing structural and morphological evolutions during charging. A pure Co3O4-type phase is formed when the starting material is CoO. When Co is used, a cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) phase is present, together with a tricobalt tetroxide (Co3O4) phase. In both cases, the cobalt concentration in the electrolyte decreases during oxidation. The final product is dependent on the solubility of cobalt and the kinetics of the reaction that consumes cobalt tetrahydroxide [Co(OH)4]2−. The highly compact CoOOH phase, which works well between the nickel foam frame and nickel hydroxide [Ni(OH)2] particles, enhances the power performance of Ni/MH power battery. The Co3O4 phase, which works well in connecting Ni(OH)2 particles, improves the capacitive performance of Ni/MH power battery.
Prussian blue and its analogues are regarded as promising cathodes for sodium ion batteries. However, the structural stability and interfacial compatibility of Prussian blue cathode are major issues for achieving superior performance. Sodium copper hexacyanoferrate is synthesized by an ion-exchange method, with large specific surface area and hierarchical core-shell structure. When used as cathode for half-cell, the material delivers an initial capacity of ~90 mAh g−1 and maintain more than 81% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. Even at a high rate of 20C, an impressive capacity of ~50 mAh g−1 is retained. Especially, a full-cell assembled by sodium copper hexacyanoferrate cathode and NaTi2(PO4)3@C anode shows a high capacity of more than 80 mA h g−1 for 400 cycles. A series of electrochemical techniques and in situ tests are carries out to confirm the advantages of stable structure and high conductivity after dopping copper ions. Furthermore, the low adsorption energy of Na+ on cathode surfaces is revealed by the first principle calculation.
Objective: To test the hypothesis that a systematic cognitive training with the Categorization Program (CP) will improve categorization abilities and neuropsychologic performance in normal older adults. Design: Before-after between group comparison. Setting: Standard Clinical Setting. Participants: Group 1 was the older adult group (n = 14) and group 2 the younger adults (n = 15). Average age and years of education was 67.285±10.469 and 14.107±2.321 for older and 29.69 years±10.87 and 14.38 years±1.927 for younger adults. Intervention: Subjects received 3–4 hours of cognitive treatment per week for 10–12 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Two categorization tests (CP Test 1 and CP Test 2) and 3 probe tasks (to check generalization of skills) were constructed for the CP along with extensive neuropsychologic battery. Results: There was no difference between groups in the pretest administration on the CP Test 1. MANOVA analyses demonstrated significant improvement in CP Test 1 (P=.0001) for both groups. Younger subjects demonstrated greater gains than older subjects (P=.002). Both groups scored improved on CP Test 2 at posttest (P=.027). Subjects also demonstrated gains in their probe tasks across time (P=.049). The performance of older subjects approximated the baseline performance of younger subjects after CP training. Conclusions: Normal aging affects certain aspects of categorization performance. The CP is an effective tool to train categorization skills in normal older adults. Future research should expand the subject population to include a larger number of participants. In addition, the inclusion of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may be another fruitful line of investigation.
Introduction: Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD) is a periodic fever syndrome characterised by recurrent bouts of high fever and systemic inflammation. MKD is caused by recessive, hypomorphic mutations in the mevalonate kinase gene (MVK) encoding a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway. This pathway is responsible for cholesterol synthesis and the production of isoprenoid lipid tags required for post-translational prenylation of proteins. It is believed that inflammation in MKD is triggered by shortage of isoprenoid lipids and defective prenylation of small GTPases. We have found that protein prenylation is indeed compromised in PBMCs from patients and this defect distinguishes MKD from other periodic fever syndromes. However, the link between protein prenylation and inflammation in MKD is still far from understood, largely due to the lack of suitable genetic mouse models.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a prospective anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries, owing to the advantages of good chemical stability, elemental abundance and nontoxicity. In this work, TiO2 embedded in carbon nanofiber (TiO2@CNF) composites are prepared for high-performance sodium-ion batteries by electrospinning and subsequent heat treatment in N2 at different temperatures. With increase in heat-treatment temperature, the diameter of nanofibers decreases and the crystal phase partially transforms from anatase to rutile. Among all composites, the TiO2@CNF composite treated at 550°C has anatase structure and exhibits the highest initial reversible capacity (237.3mAhg−1), largest initial coulombic efficiency (68.2%), and superior capacity retention (100.3%) over 100 cycles at 30mAg−1. Whereas, the TiO2@CNF composite treated at 650°C is 28.23% rutile and 71.77% anatase, and shows the best rate capability of 159.1mAhg−1 even at current density of 800mAg−1. It is, therefore, demonstrated that TiO2@CNF composites prepared with appropriate conditions are superior anode material for sodium-ion batteries.
Sleep problems are a major risk factor for the emergence of depression in adolescence. The aim of this study was to test whether an intervention for improving sleep habits could prevent the emergence of depression, and improve well-being and cardiovascular indices amongst at-risk adolescents.
Energy Storage Systems (ESS) are expected to play a significant role in regulating the frequency of future electric power systems. Increased penetration of renewable generation, and reduction in the inertia provided by large synchronous generators, are likely to increase the severity and regularity of frequency events in synchronous AC power systems. By supplying or absorbing power in response to deviations from the nominal frequency and imbalances between supply and demand, the rapid response of ESS will provide a form of stability which cannot be matched by conventional network assets. However, the increased complexity of ESS operational requirements and design specifications introduces challenges when it comes to the realisation of their full potential through existing frequency response service markets: new service markets will need to be designed to take advantage of the capabilities of ESS. This paper provides new methods to analyse and assessing the performance of ESS within existing service frameworks, using real-time network simulation and power hardware in the loop. These methods can be used to introduce improvements in existing services and potentially create new ones. Novel statistical techniques have been devised to quantify the design and operational requirements of ESS providing frequency regulation services. These new techniques are demonstrated via an illustrative service design and high-resolution frequency data from the Great Britain transmission system.
Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) derivatives having both vinyl group and imidazolium salt structure on their ends were prepared and polymerized. Molten salt-type polymer brushes having different ethylene oxide (EO) unit number and different tethering structure were prepared to analyze the effect of flexible spacer. The ionic conductivity and DSC measurement of molten salt-type polymer brushes were carried out. When the counteranion species of the polymer was TFSI−, molten salt polymer (1) in spite of rubber-like properties showed high ionic conductivity (1.49×10−4 S cm−1 at 30°C) corresponds to that of monomers reflecting low T g (−56°C). The PEO-tethering of molten salt with polymer matrix was effective to suppress the drop of ionic conductivity after polymerization. Three kinds of imidazolium cations, such as n-ethylimidazolium, n-methylimidazolium or 1-benzyl-2-methylimidazolium, were selected, and corresponding monomers were synthesized. These were polymerized to analyze the effect of terminal cationic structure on the ionic conductivity. In spite of different imidazolium cation, the ionic conductivity and T g of macromonomers and their polymers were equivalent. The ionic conductivity of molten-salt polymers increased with increasing EO or ethylene unit number. It is suggested that the distance between vinyl polymer and terminal imidazolium cation was important factor with respect to high ionic conductivity for molten salt-type polymer brushes.
Remote area power supply (RAPS) systems are being used for many years to supply power to rural or remote communities where the utility grid is not accessible. In order to avoid the high operating cost and environmental impact caused by conventional generators, renewable energy resources are currently being utilised in RAPS systems. However, the intermittency of such renewable energy resources greatly impacts on planning and operation of RAPS systems. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review with regard to the RAPS system planning and operation techniques published in the literature. This paper summarises different modelling approaches associated with the RAPS system architectures, pre-feasibility studies for energy potential analysis, component modelling, unit size optimisation approaches, and system control aspects. In addition, technical challenges associated with RAPS systems, such as system sizing, voltage and frequency control and coordination of different system components are also highlighted in the paper. Moreover, further research avenues with regard to various different aspects of RAPS systems are also delineated in the paper.
Total Knee Arthroplasty operations are increasing in frequency, and knee flexion contracture is a common pathology, both pre-existing and post-operative. A 61-year-old male presented with knee flexion contracture following a total knee arthroplasty. Physical therapy alone did not fully reduce the contracture and dynamic splinting was then prescribed for daily low-load, prolonged-duration stretch. After 28 physical therapy sessions, the active range of motion improved from -20° to -12° (stiff knee still lacking full extension), and after eight additional weeks with nightly wear of dynamic splint, the patient regained full knee extension, (active extension improved from -12° to 0°).
Human-machine interface (HMI) is an emerging technology to exchange information between humans and electric devices. In current HMI devices, their crucial sensing components are mainly based on the interaction of physical movements and languages. However, these conventional HMI interacting methods are not friendly to some disabled persons owing to the difficulty to clearly express their intentions with gestures, limb motions, or languages. Additionally, these HMI sensing parts rely on traditional batteries, which require frequent charging or replacing. Here, we report a breath-driven single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) serving as a self-powered sensor to deliver control command through breathing for the HMI interaction. The TENG is on the basis of a flexible nanowire-structured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer thin film, which can harvest mechanical energy of the airflow from human breathing and produce responsive electrical signals. By using this TENG as a self-powered sensor together with signal processing and transmitting circuits, a smart wireless breath-driven HMI system is further developed. Compared with the conventional HMI interacting methods, this smart system can convert real-time human breathing into command signals to control electrical appliances without relying on physical movements or languages. This work introduces a self-powered breath-based interacting method to the field of HMI technology. It could greatly reduce the threshold of using modern electrical equipment and personal electronics for disabled people, and make the HMI interaction become more convenient and captivating.