batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Polyploidy is a common feature of agricultural weeds and natural area invaders. There are few studies comparing related diploid and polyploid exotics, however, and it is unclear what ecological and genetic factors favor the establishment of weedy polyploids. This research characterizes the geographic distribution and phenotypic characteristics of diploid Hedera helix and tetraploid Hedera hibernica, European species that are invading North American forests. To confirm the taxonomic affinity of invasive plants, we sequenced five non-coding cpDNA regions for 108 individuals (105 populations) as well as reference samples representing all species in the genus Hedera. Because diploid H. helix and tetraploid H. hibernica are poorly distinguished by morphology and DNA sequence, we used flow cytometry to determine their distribution (585 individuals). More than 90 % of sampled plants had cpDNA sequences identical or similar to H. helix sensu lato and H. hibernica. Diploid H. helix was dominant on the U.S. east coast (78.5 % of sampled plants) while tetraploid H. hibernica was dominant on the U.S. west coast (72.2 % of sampled plants), mirroring the species’ occurrence in maritime versus continental climates of Europe. Moreover, for sympatric occurrences in the Pacific Northwest, H. hibernica was larger and more frequently reproductive than H. helix. In a 2-year garden experiment, tetraploid H. hibernica had substantial architectural differences compared to diploid H. helix, including larger (but less numerous) leaves and thicker (but less branched) stems. Field experiments are needed to evaluate “pre-adaptation” (directional ecological filtering) and other factors mediating the invasion of H. helix and H. hibernica.
Amorphous mesoporous Ni(OH)2 nanoboxes are synthesized by template-engaged routes. The nanoboxes are characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and BET methods. The nanoboxes have uniform morphology of 450–500 nm, high surface area of 214.6 m2 g−1 and mesoporous structure of 4–20 nm. Electrochemical characterization are tested using cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry and impedance spectroscopy, respectively. These amorphous mesoporous Ni(OH)2 hollow nanoboxes shows high specific capacitance of 2495, 2378, 2197, 1993 F g−1 at discharge current of 1, 2, 5 and 10 A g−1 respectively. The property tests demonstrate the high specific capacitance and excellent cycling of the amorphous Ni(OH)2 nanoboxes material for high-performance electrochemical pseudocapacitors.
There is increasing interest in flexible, safe, high-power thin-film lithium-ion batteries which can be applied to various modern devices. Although TiO2 in rutile phase is highly attractive as an anode material of lithium-ion batteries for its high thermal stability and theoretical capacity of 336mAhg−1 and low price, its inflexibility and sluggish lithium intercalation kinetics of bulk phase strongly limit its practical application for particular in thin-film electrode. Here we show a simple way to prepare highly flexible self-standing thin-film electrodes composed of mesoporous rutile TiO2/C nanofibers with low carbon content (<15wt.%) by electrospinning technique with outstanding electrochemical performance, which can be applied directly as electrodes of lithium-ion batteries without the further use of any additive and binder. The atmosphere during calcination plays a critical role in determining the flexible nature of thin film and particle size of TiO2 in as-fabricated nanofibers. Big size (10cm×4cm), flexible thin film is obtained after heat treatment under 10%H2–Ar at 900°C for 3h. After optimization, the diameter of fibers can reach as small as ∼110nm, and the as-prepared rutile TiO2 films show high initial electrochemical activity with the first discharge capacity as high as 388mAhg−1. What is more, very stable reversible capacities of ∼122, 92, and 70mAhg−1 are achieved respectively at 1, 5 and 10C rates with negligible decay rate within 100 cycling times.
A facile and effective route was developed for the fabrication of LiFe0.2Mn1.8O4 with porous structures by using Pluronic P-123 as a soft template, based on a nitrate decomposition method. The resultant LiFe0.2Mn1.8O4 was characterized by XRD, SEM, as well as N2 adsorption/desorption measurements which showed a porous structure with a pore size centered at 20nm. When used as cathode materials in lithium battery, the as-synthesized LiFe0.2Mn1.8O4 exhibited a discharge capacity of 122mAhg−1 at 1C and 102mAhg−1 at 5C. Moreover, after 500 cycles, the capacity retention (108mAhg−1) reached 88% of the initial capacity at 1C. As compared with conventional cathode LiMn2O4, the high performance is believed to originate from the combined effects of porous structure, iron doping and highly crystalline nature of the obtained LiFe0.2Mn1.8O4. This strategy is expected to allow the fabrication of other multiple metal oxides with porous structures for high performance cathode materials.
A highly active and durable non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) electrocatalyst was synthesized at high temperature from a catalyst precursor involving a ferrous iron salt and a nitrogen-containing charge-transfer salt as a precursor to form a nano-structured catalyst with performance level that makes it suitable for automotive applications. Such precursors have not been previously investigated for non-PGM catalysts. The synthesized material belongs to the class of metal-nitrogen–carbon catalysts and possesses an open-frame structure controlled by the silica-templating synthesis method. Thorough characterization using X-ray photoelectron, Mössbauer and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopies demonstrates the successful formation of FeN x C y moieties that are active towards the oxygen reduction reaction. We report high kinetic current densities and high power performance in both rotating disk electrode and membrane electrode assembly studies. This Fe–N–C catalyst, jointly investigated by academic and industry partners, has shown high durability under different protocols, including that defined by the US Department of Energy Durability Working Group and Nissan׳s load cycling protocol. In summary, the present Fe–N–C catalyst is highly active and durable, making it a viable alternative to Pt-based electrocatalysts for automobile fuel cell applications.
The recent discovery by neuroscientists of mirror neurons has launched a spate of scientific investigations. A keystone of the therapeutic process of dance/movement therapy (D/MT), the concept of mirroring is now the subject of neuroscience. An interactive phenomenon, studies are revealing that the identical sets of neurons can be activated in an individual who is simply witnessing another person performing a movement as the one actually engaged in the action or the expression of some emotion or behavior. The domains of behavior currently under investigation span motoric, psychosocial and cognitive functions, including specific psychosocial issues related to attunement, attachment theory and empathy. Although D/MT embodies empathic forms, until recently their neurological underpinnings have not been studied. The paper addresses the theoretical constructs of the mirror matching mechanism and empathy, and the implications for D/MT. Beginning with the basic mapping of important central nervous system structures and their behavioral functions, the focus shifts to the mirror neurons with respect to the formative years vis-à-vis the developmental issues of empathy—attachment, attunement, social cognition and morality. The final section offers two exemplars of mirror neurons and empathy as mediated through dance and D/MT.
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of prime importance in multiple energy storage devices; however, deeper mechanistic understanding is required to design enhanced electrocatalysts for the reaction. Current understanding of the OER mechanism based on oxygen adsorption on a metallic surface site fails to fully explain the activity of iridium and ruthenium oxide surfaces, and the drastic surface reconstruction observed for the most active OER catalysts. Here we demonstrate, using La2LiIrO6 as a model catalyst, that the exceptionally high activity found for Ir-based catalysts arises from the formation of active surface oxygen atoms that act as electrophilic centres for water to react. Moreover, with the help of transmission electron microscopy, we observe drastic surface reconstruction and iridium migration from the bulk to the surface. Therefore, we establish a correlation between surface activity and surface stability for OER catalysts that is rooted in the formation of surface reactive oxygen.
This paper presents a method for rapid quantification of long artificial cracks using a GMR-based eddy current sensor. The quantification is achieved simultaneously through a proposed phenomenological relationship between the crack's dimension and two parameters extracted from the GMR output signal. The results show that the proposed method is valid and advantageous when a quick and reliable estimation of the crack's dimension is necessary. A criterion taking into consideration the filling factor of the excitation coil is proposed in order to improve the system's sensitivity.
A novel electrode material for supercapacitor composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT) and graphitic-phase C3N4 (g-C3N4) was prepared by a layer-by-layer assembly method. The resulting composite of PEDOT/g-C3N4 represented excellent electrochemical stability in neutral electrolyte and enhanced electrochemical performance of capacitance and average energy density in comparison with single PEDOT. The specific capacitance was 137Fg−1 in H2SO4 and 200Fg−1 in Na2SO4 at a current density of 2Ag−1, respectively. More significantly, the average energy density was 9.65Whkg−1 at an average power density of 4001.86Wkg−1 in H2SO4. While in Na2SO4, the average energy density reached 17.5Whkg−1 at an average power density of 5000Wkg−1. More than 89% and 96.5% of capacitance were retained in H2SO4 and Na2SO4 respectively, suggesting that PEDOT/g-C3N4 possessed an excellent cycling stability in view of capacity performance as electrode materials. The property improvement was attributed to the synergistic effects of the two components in the composite.
The hydrothermal reactions of lead(II) acetate with carboxylic acids gave solids of composition [Pb(C4H4O4)] 1 (C4H4O4 = succinate); [Pb6O2(C14H9O3)8] 2 (C14H9O3 = benzoylbenzoate), [Pb(C8H4NO4)2(H2O)] 4 (C8H4NO4 = 2-nitrobenzoate) and [Pb(C8H3N2O6)2(H2O)] 5 (C8H3N2O6 = 3,5-dinitrobenzoate). The reaction of lead monoxide with trichloroacetic acid in hot wet toluene followed by filtration and cooling gave a solid of composition [Pb3(C2Cl3O2)6(H2O)3] 3. The compounds were characterised by X-ray single crystal structure determinations. Compounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 are polymeric whereas 2 is monomeric. The lead co-ordination number ranges from 5 to 8. Compound 2 is a novel hexanuclear lead(II) distorted octahedron containing two bridging oxide ligands.
Manganese (Mn) is one of the most abundant metals on the earth. It is required for normal cellular activities, but overexposure leads to toxicity. Neurons are more susceptible to Mn-induced toxicity than other cells, and accumulation of Mn in the brain results in Manganism that presents with Parkinson's disease (PD)-like symptoms. In the last decade, a number of Mn transporters have been identified, which improves our understanding of Mn transport in and out of cells. However, the mechanism of Mn-induced neurotoxicity is only partially uncovered, with further research needed to explore the whole picture of Mn-induced toxicity. In this review, we will address recent progress in Mn-induced neurotoxicity from C. elegans to humans, and explore future directions that will help understand the mechanisms of its neurotoxicity.
A high capacity and cycle-stable organic molecule/polymer composite is synthesized by physical doping of redox-active perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxydiimide (PTCDI) in polypyrrole (PPy). The as-prepared PTCDI/PPy composite demonstrates a synergistic electrochemical activation, in which the insoluble large PTCDI anions act as a redox-active dopant to activate the PPy backbones, while the activated PPy backbones form a conductive network to promote the redox activity of PTCDI molecules for Li insertion/extraction reactions. As a result, the PTCDI/PPy composite demonstrated a considerably high reversible capacity of >100 mAh g−1 and a stable cyclability with 92% capacity retention over 200 cycles, possibly serving as a low cost and renewable alternative to the inorganic cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. Since such a physical doping method is simple and easily adoptable for different organic molecules and polymers, it may offer a new route for developing low cost and electrochemically active organic electrode materials.
In this work, a biologically catalysed CO2 mineralization process for the capture of CO2 from point sources was designed, constructed at a laboratory scale, and, using standard chemical process scale-up protocols, was modelled and evaluated at an industrial scale. A yeast display system in Saccharomyces cerevisae was used to screen several carbonic anhydrase isoforms and mineralization peptides for their impact on CO2 hydration, CaCO3 mineralization, and particle settling rate. Enhanced rates for each of these steps in the CaCO3 mineralization process were confirmed using quantitative techniques in lab-scale measurements. The effect of these enhanced rates on the CO2 capture cost in an industrial scale CO2 mineralization process using coal fly ash as the CaO source was evaluated. The model predicts a process using bCA2-yeast and fly ash is ∼10% more cost effective per tonne of CO2 captured than a process with no biological molecules, a savings not realized by wild-type yeast and high-temperature stable recombinant CA2 alone or in combination. The levelized cost of electricity for a power plant using this process was calculated and scenarios in which this process compares favourably to CO2 capture by MEA absorption process are presented.
Mesocrystals (superstructures of crystallographically-oriented inorganic nanocrystals) represent sophisticated configurations generated from biomineralization processes, and an example of nonclassical crystallization mechanisms. Being the closest relatives to single-crystals at the nanoscale, porous mesocrystals are considered as ideal configurations to improve functional properties, and to correlate structural and textural features with materials functionality. Here we show that TiO2 anatase mesoporous colloidal mesocrystals, synthesized by a self-assembly/seeding method, can be easily processed as active materials in anode composites. These anode composites can be efficiently infiltrated during battery operation with safe aprotic ionic liquid electrolytes down to the mesoporosity of mesocrystals (3–4 nm), and operate over a wider temperature window than organic carbonates. For example, after continuous galvanostatic cycling for 1 month at high temperatures (15 days at 60 °C + 15 days at 80 °C, ∼130 cycles), these anode composites sustain a capacity at 67 mA g−1 that is still remarkable for TiO2-based anodes (155 mAh g−1 or 200 mAh cm−3, coulombic efficiency of ∼99%). On contrast, in organic carbonates the capacity decays down to 80 mAh g−1 after only 15 days at 60 °C. Our results suggest that the principles derived from porous anatase mesocrystal/ionic liquid electrolyte combinations could constitute the basis for battery applications in which safety, durability and variability in operating temperature represent the primary concerns.
Tris(trimethylsilyl) borate (TMSB) used as new electrolyte additive to improve performance of LiFePO4 based lithium-ion battery is investigated in this paper. The effects of the TMSB on the LiFePO4 electrode are investigated via a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclability, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the LiFePO4 battery with a composite LiPF6-based electrolyte containing 1wt% TMSB additive exhibits higher discharge retention and better cycling performance than the battery without TMSB additive at both 30°C and 55°C. SEM and XPS measurements show the changes of surface morphology and formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI). EIS results indicate that the interfacial impedances of the batteries after cycled at 55°C with the electrolyte containing TMSB additive are significantly smaller than the batteries without additive. The improved performances are ascribed to the enhancement of the thermal stability of the electrolyte and the modification of SEI component on the LiFePO4 electrode.
The aim of this study was to compare the plaque removal efficacy of a new oscillating/rotating/pulsating toothbrush [Oral-B® Professional Care® 8500 (PC 8500)] with two manual toothbrushes [Oral-B® CrossAction™ Vitalizer (CAV) and Oral-B® Indicator™ (IND), respectively]. The safety of the PC 8500 was also assessed. The study was a single-use, observer-masked, randomised 3 × 3 Latin square crossover design balanced for carryover effects. The enrolled subjects (n = 66) refrained from brushing for 23–25 h before each clinical examination. Plaque scores were recorded before and after brushing with the allocated toothbrush using the Turesky et al. modification of the Quigley and Hein plaque index. The safety was assessed evaluating the soft tissue conditions present after 30 days of the use of the PC 8500. The PC 8500 toothbrush was better in plaque removal efficacy compared with the CAV and IND brushes for full mouth and approximal surfaces (P < 0.01). When marginal surfaces were considered, the PC 8500 was significantly more effective than the IND (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found between PC 8500 and CAV (P > 0.05). The latter was shown to be significantly more effective than the IND at all tooth surfaces (P < 0.01). Safety examinations revealed the onset of only two small gingival abrasions after the 30-day use of the PC 8500. The PC 8500 toothbrush demonstrated to be more effective in plaque control than the CAV and IND in the full mouth and approximal surfaces and similar to the CAV in the marginal surfaces. The PC 8500 was safe to oral tissues in long-term use.
To make online learning systems (OLSs) effective, it is important to make sure that the learners get the learning objects (LOs) according to their pedagogical suitability and requirements. To assess the suitability of an LO, sufficient information of it is required to be available. These information can be specified as metadata of the document. But there is a dearth of metadata defined for educational documents. Existing standard metadata models like IEEE LOM and others are promising but lack in capturing some crucial learning and pedagogical aspects of LOs. In this paper, we propose a new metadata model that has extended the IEEE LOM to provide an extensive set of metadata for LOs. The proposed metadata seem adequate to describe the contextual learning and pedagogical information of any text and web document based LO. But only specifying the metadata is not sufficient; they need to be extracted from a learning content automatically so that these information can be used by the learners and the OLSs and the educational recommendation systems. Automated extraction of metadata from e-learning contents is a non-trivial task. In view of that, we have provided extraction mechanisms for each of the specified metadata, separately. The experimental results show that the proposed extraction methods are quite accurate in identifying and retrieving the different educational metadata. The statistical inferences of the automated and manual extractions are found to have substantial similarities for each of the extracted metadata element.
We report high performance composite solid polymer electrolytes for electrochemical cells with comprehensive properties in high mechanical strength and high ionic conductivity. The composite electrolytes consist of porous non-woven polymer filament substrates that are impregnated with high ion-conducting materials. To insure structural integrity, the non-woven polypropylene/polyethylene core–shell substrates are sulfonated to activate the surface. The high ion-conducting materials are prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol) with the incorporation of acrylic acid monomer and cross-linking agent. The results show well-balanced physical and electrochemical characteristics that warrant excellent battery discharge capacity and cell power density. The room temperature ionic conductivity is high at 0.16–0.21 S cm−1, and the activation energy is low at 0.5 kJ mol−1. The mechanical strength is improved to 12 MPa with good elongation at 58–62%. The anionic transport numbers (t −) are in the range of 0.93–0.99 in 1 M KOH, 0.91–0.97 in 1 M NaOH, and 0.83–0.91 in 1 M LiOH, respectively. The cyclic voltammetric study indicates good stability with symmetric curves between the cathodic and anodic peaks. The fully solid-state metal–air fuel cells exhibit excellent discharge capacity of 1506 mAh and high anode utilization of 95.7%. The power density is achieved at 91 mW cm−2.
Energy Management System (EMS) applications of modern power networks like microgrids have to respond to a number of stringent challenges due to current energy revolution. Optimal resource dispatch tasks must be handled with specific regard to the addition of new resource types and the adoption of novel modeling considerations. In addition, due to the comprehensive changes concerning the multi cell grid structure, new policies should be fulfilled via microgrids’ EMS. At the same time achieving a variety of (conflicting) goals in different microgrids requires a universal and a multi criteria optimization tool. Few of recent works in this area have considered the different perspectives of network operation with high amount of constraints and decision criteria. In this paper two dispatch-optimizers for a centralized EMS (CEMS) as a universal tool are introduced. An improved real-coded genetic algorithm and an enhanced mixed integer linear programming (MILP) based method have been developed to schedule the unit commitment and economic dispatch of microgrid units. In the proposed methods, network restrictions like voltages and equipment loadings and unit constraints have been considered. The adopted genetic algorithm features a highly flexible set of sub-functions, intelligent convergence behavior, as well as diversified searching approaches and penalty methods for constraint violations. Moreover, a novel method has been introduced to deal with the limitations of the MILP algorithm for handling the non-linear network topology constraints. A new aging model of a Lithium-Ion battery based on an event-driven aging behavior has been introduced. Ultimately, the developed GA-based and MILP-based optimizers have been applied to a test microgrid model under different operation policies, and the functionality of each method has been evaluated and compared together.
The Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) is a cross-cultural validated instrument that measures simultaneously various manifestations of behaviours, cognitions, and affects associated with dangerous driving. The aims of the study were to translate the DDDI into French and then to verify the validity and reliability of the French version of the scale by means of observed behaviours on a driving simulator, and of self-reported measures of driving behaviours, personality and sociodemographic characteristics. A first sample of 395 drivers completed self-reported questionnaires and a second sample of 75 male drivers also completed tasks on a driving simulator. A confirmatory factorial analysis supported the internal validity of the scale. Findings also show that the French version of the DDDI yields good internal consistency, concomitant and convergent validity for each subscale (risky driving, negative cognitive/emotional driving and aggressive driving) and total score. The scale was useful to differentiate sociodemographic and psychological profiles associated with each subscale.