batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
In this study, adverse impacts of heavy metal pollution, originating from mining, smelting and panning activities, on the aquatic ecosystem of the Lean River in south China, were evaluated by integrating the chemical, toxicological and ecological responses of single and multiple metals in overlying water, surface sediment and floodplain topsoil. The assessment results indicated that a highly localized distribution pattern was closely associated with the pollution sources along the river bank. Based on the combined indices, deterioration of local environmental quality was induced mainly by two sources. One was strong acidity and a large amount of Cu in the drainage from the Dexing Cu Mine. Another was high concentrations of Pb and Zn in the effluents released from many smelters and mining/panning activities in the riparian zone. Some possible suggestions on source control may be effective in dealing with these issues.
Objectives To assess secular changes in physical fitness (PF), moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity (MVPA) and TV-viewing in 1st-grade children from Crete, Greece. Design Cross-sectional cohorts examined in academic years 1992/93 and 2006/07. Methods Two representative samples of children, aged 5.9–7.8 years, were studied during 1992/93 (N=606) and 2006/07 (N=361). PF (sit-and-reach, standing-broad-jump, sit-ups and 20m-shuttle-run-test) was assessed by the European-PF test battery and MVPA by a physical activity (PA) questionnaire. Data on the frequency of TV-viewing was also collected. Results Between 1992/93 and 2006/07, there was a significant increase in all fitness tests in both genders (P<0.001) and in MVPA in boys (76.5min/week vs. 38.7min/week, P<0.001). Time spent watching TV on weekdays was significantly more in both genders in 2006/07, compared to 1992/93 (P<0.001). In 2006/07, active boys and active girls spent more time in MVPA than active boys and girls in 1992/93 (P<0.001). Significantly higher proportions of boys and girls engaged in vigorous activities in 2006/07, than 1992/93 (P<0.001 and P=0.027, respectively). Conclusions A significant increase in physical and cardiorespiratory fitness in both genders and MVPA in boys was observed in children from Crete between 1992/93 and 2006/07. The increase in weekday TV-viewing, despite being parallel to an increase in leisure-time MVPA, could have an unfavorable effect on health and should be tackled in future interventions in this population. Dietary, anthropometric and biochemical indices should also be investigated to assess their impact on the secular changes in physical fitness and activity observed in this sample of children.
LiCoO2 is epitaxially grown on SrTiO3 (100) substrates with (104) orientation. Because the LiCoO2 film is grown with its c-axis parallel to four equivalent 〈111〉 axes of the SrTiO3, the (104)-oriented film exhibits four-domain structure on the SrTiO3 (100) substrate. Introducing off-cut angle to the substrate surface breaks the equivalency between the four 〈111〉 axes of the SrTiO3 substrate to induce preferential growth of specific orientation with the c-axis in a descending direction of off-cut surface. Increasing off-cut angle and lowering deposition rate promote the preferential growth, because they facilitate step-flow growth mode, and finally align the c-axes in the domains completely into one 〈111〉 direction of the SrTiO3 substrate. The LiCoO2 film delivers a discharge capacity of 90 mAh g−1 at a low discharge rate of 0.01 C, and 25% of capacity is kept even at a high rate of discharge with 100 C.
In order to overcome the capacity fading of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2/graphite lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) cycled in the voltage range of 3.0–4.6 V (vs. Li/Li+), di(methylsulfonyl) methane (DMSM) is evaluated as a new electrolyte additive. This study demonstrated that DMSM additive in the electrolyte can dramatically improve the cycling performance of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2/graphite cell at a higher voltage operation. In addition, the effects of this additive are characterized by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). With the addition of 0.1 wt. % DMSM into the electrolyte, the capacity loss of the LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2/graphite cell cycled at the voltage range of 3.0–4.6 V significantly decreased from 39.0 % to 19.9 % after 100 cycles, which shows the promising application of DMSM at higher voltage. The enhanced cycling performance is attributed to the thinner cathode electrolyte interface film originated from DMSM on the LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2, which not only resulted in lower interfacial impedance, but also protected the decomposition of electrolyte and prevented the cathode transition metal dissolution at the high voltage.
FeSn2–TiC nanocomposite alloy anodes for lithium-ion batteries have been synthesized by a mechanochemical process involving high-energy mechanical milling of Fe/Ti, Ti/Sn, and carbon black. Characterization of the nanocomposites formed with x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that this alloy is composed of crystalline nanoparticles of FeSn2 dispersed in a matrix of TiC. The FeSn2–TiC alloy shows an initial gravimetric capacity of 511 mAh g−1 (1073 mAh cm−3) with a first-cycle coulombic efficiency of 77% and a tap density of 2.1 g cm−3. The TiC buffer matrix in the nanocomposite anode accommodates the large volume change occurring during the charge–discharge process and leads to good cyclability compared to similar Sn-based anodes.
A battery based on Mg–AgCl with sea water as electrolyte was developed for propulsion of a naval system. In one occasion, the tie rod, conduit pipe and the copper bus rod each covered with polymer sleeve were found damaged. The copper bus rod was melted probably by amplified resistance and subsequent heating. Localized cross-sectional reduction (and thus increased resistance, R) seems to have aggravated heating by Joule heating (J = I2R) effect. Subsequently, it led to partial dissolution, embrittlement, softening and final fracture of the steel tie rod in the said sequence. There was no material deficiency. Chemical composition, microstructure and hardness values of the failed components indicate that the steel tie rod was made of the as-specified EN 24 type of low alloy steel in hardened and tempered condition, while copper bus rods were made of pure copper of 99.50% purity. Damage of the conduit tube was not related to the failure of steel tie rod and copper bus rod, although it indirectly offers clues that melting of copper happened and the molten copper reached many locations within the system.
Continuity of care is regarded as a core quality element in healthcare. Continuity can be related to one or more specific caregivers but also applies to collaboration within a team or across boundaries of healthcare. Measuring continuity is important to identify problems and evaluate quality improvement of interventions.
Detecting the arbitrary movements of fast-moving insects under field conditions is notoriously difficult because existing technologies are limited by issues of size, weight, range and cost. Here, we establish proof-of-concept for a prototype long-range, passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging system for detecting bumblebees and similar sized insects. The prototype tags, weighing 81 mg (49% of mean bee body weight), were flown by bumblebees in a glasshouse and detected at a distance of 1.5 m from a 2 W UHF reader with two aerials. This detection distance is two orders of magnitude greater than existing RFID tags that can be flown by medium-sized bees and, thus, is a significant breakthrough for insect tracking that could be applied to plant conservation and restoration efforts in fragmented landscapes.
Iran is one of the countries that enjoys remarkable solar energy potential; thus, the shift toward solar energy utilizations offers numerous environmental advantages. This research aims to perform a technical–economic feasibility study on the construction of Photovoltaic power plants in 14 areas of Khuzestan province using HOMER software and by using a hybrid approach composed of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Game Theory (GT) to rank the selected areas. The proposed hybrid approach outperforms the simple DEA by its ability to acquire more accurate results in order to distinguish the relationships between decision-making components and criteria. Technical–economic feasibility study is conducted by gathering the information related to the solar resources for each candidate site, selecting the required equipment and then simulating these plants in HOMER software. The outputs of the software included the type of equipment to be used in the construction of each plant, benefit, cost, total net capital expenditure, depreciation cost and the amount of electricity generated by each plant. After solving the hybrid model composed of DEA, BSC and Game theory by Lingo, candidate sites were ranked based on four criteria: the net cost of construction, earnings, the amount of power generated, and pollution produced per plant. According to the results, the sites of Abadan, Omidiyeh, and Aghajari gained the highest ranks, and the sites of Behbahan and Ahwaz gained the lowest rank. In addition, the validation results show that ranking gained by the proposed hybrid approach is almost same as the simple DEA method.
This perspective review paper provides an overview on recently developed carbon material technology synthesised from the hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) approach, with a particular focus on the carbon formation mechanism, perspectives on large scale production, nanostructuring, functionalisation and applications. Perceptions on how this technology will be developed especially with regard to application fields where the use of HTC-derived materials could be extended will also be introduced and discussed.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis can help date palm to cope with the oxidative stress induced by long-term drought due to its capacity to enhance host plant antioxidant defense system.
Nanoparticles-assembled Co3O4 microspheres with different primary particle size are synthesized via a facile one-step ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process, using CoCl2·6H2O as precursor. The as-synthesized Co3O4 powders are directly used as anode material for Li-ion batteries without further calcinations. The primary particle size is tuned by controlling the spray pyrolysis temperature and its effects on the electrochemical performance of the prepared samples are systemically investigated. The results reveal that primary particles size exerts significant effect on the initial coulombic efficiency, specific capacity and rate performance. In addition, we find that the temperature of powder collector strongly influences the chlorine content in the products, which is resulted from the chloridization of Co3O4 by gaseous HCl from the off-gas. A simple and effective strategy is proposed to prevent the chloridization reaction. The sample with the smallest primary particle size and low Cl content shows the highest initial coulombic efficiency of 73% and a high reversible capacity of 1340mAhg−1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 200mAg−1.
Accurate monitoring of state of charge (SOC) and capacity loss is critical for the management of vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) system. This paper proposes a novel autoregressive exogenous model for the vanadium redox flow battery, based on which the model-based monitoring of state of charge and capacity loss is investigated. The offline parameterization based on genetic algorithm and the online parameterization based on recursive least squares are investigated for the proposed model to compare the model accuracy and robustness. Leveraging the parameterized model, an H-infinity observer is exploited to estimate the battery state of charge and capacity in real time. Experimental results suggest that the proposed autoregressive exogenous model can accurately simulate the dynamic behavior of vanadium redox flow battery. Compared with the offline model based method, the observer based on online adaptive model is superior in terms of the accuracy of modeling, state of charge estimation and capacity loss monitoring. The proposed method is also verified with high robustness to the uncertain algorithmic initialization, electrolyte imbalance, and the change of system design and work conditions.
A facile hydrothermal approach has been developed to synthesize the nanostructured dual phase Li4Ti5O12/TiO2 composite. The fabrication process simply involves the hydrothermal treatment of tetrabutyl titanate with LiOH in glycerol-water solution and a subsequent calcination procedure. The calcination treatment at 500°C leads to the phase evolution from Li1.81H0.19Ti2O5•nH2O to Li4Ti5O12/TiO2 composite with a particle size of about 30nm. It is found that glycerol as chelating agent plays an important role in the formation of TiO2. The Li4Ti5O12 and anatase TiO2 nano-composite exhibits rich hierarchical pores and a specific surface area of 91.88m2 g−1, delivers ultrahigh rate performance of over 150mA h g−1 at 20C, as well as superior capacity retention of 151.4 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 1C. It is therefore concluded that Li4Ti5O12/TiO2 nano-composite is a promising candidate for applications in high rate lithium ion batteries.
The current paper presents the study of coupling a wind-turbine with a fuel cell to improve the utilization of wind power in the non-interconnected Greek archipelago grid. A part of the energy produced by the wind-turbine is stored in the form of hydrogen and is then delivered to the consumption at constant power through a fuel cell. This decoupling between the wind potential and power delivery is necessary to increase the contribution of renewable energy sources to the small capacity grids of islands. The study presents the technology of the system and simulates its operation over a year using a specially developed software and actual wind speed input data. In this way, the energy availability can be estimated and is presented for hybrid installations of increasing size. The nominal size of the individual devices (electrolyser, fuel cell, hydrogen storage tanks) is then selected depending on the hybridisation level, that is the ratio of energy delivered directly from the wind-turbine over the energy delivered from the fuel cell. Results show that it is possible to replace conventional power stations with a hybrid system, delivering energy under constant power with fuel cell sizes that reach almost up to 1/3 of the nominal wind-turbine power and overall efficiencies that may exceed 60%.
Cysteine proteases (CP) are key pathogenesis and virulence determinants of protozoan parasites. Entamoeba histolytica contains at least 50 cysteine proteases; however, only three (EhCP1, EhCP2 and EhCP5) are responsible for approximately 90% of the cysteine protease activity in this parasite. CPs are expressed as inactive zymogens. Because the processed proteases are potentially cytotoxic, protozoan parasites have developed mechanisms to regulate their activity. Inhibitors of cysteine proteases (ICP) of the chagasin-like inhibitor family (MEROPS family I42) were recently identified in bacteria and protozoan parasites. E. histolytica contains two ICP-encoding genes of the chagasin-like inhibitor family. EhICP1 localizes to the cytosol, whereas EhICP2 is targeted to phagosomes. Herein, we report two crystal structures of EhICP2. The overall structure of EhICP2 consists of eight β-strands and closely resembles the immunoglobulin fold. A comparison between the two crystal forms of EhICP2 indicates that the conserved BC, DE and FG loops form a flexible wedge that may block the active site of CPs. The positively charged surface of the wedge-forming loops in EhICP2 contrasts with the neutral surface of the wedge-forming loops in chagasin. We postulate that the flexibility and positive charge observed in the DE and FG loops of EhICP2 may be important to facilitate the initial binding of this inhibitor to the battery of CPs present in E. histolytica.
This paper proposes a novel method to design feasible Time-of-Use (ToU) tariffs for domestic customers from flat rate tariffs by clustering techniques. The method is dedicated to designing the fundamental window patterns of ToU tariffs rather than optimising exact prices for each settlement period. It makes use of Gaussian Mixture Model clustering technique to group half-hour interval flat rate tariffs within a day into clusters to determine ToU tariffs. Two groups of ToU are designed following the variations in energy prices and system loading demand respectively. With a number of price-oriented and load-oriented ToU tariffs, the investigation is further carried out to explore the effects of these ToU tariffs on domestic demand response (DR), especially in terms of energy cost reduction and peak shaving. The DR in this paper is assumed to be enabled by household storage battery and the objective of the DR in response to each ToU tariff is to minimise the electricity bills for end customers and/or mitigate network pressures. An example study in the UK case is also carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
This article reports the results of a study evaluating a book-supported primary prevention program “Dominique’s Handy Tricks” for anxiety disorders in children aged 9–12 years. This cognitive-behavioural program is delivered using a combination of storybooks and workshop sessions. The originality of the program comes from the use of storybooks that were not developed specifically for anxiety management. Every session is based on a story describing characters facing common stressors and how they manage to cope with their daily problems. In our randomized control trial with 46 children, participation in the program led to a significant improvement in coping skills, perceived self-efficacy, anxiety sensitivity, as well as in symptoms of anxiety and fear. The theoretical and practical elements underlying the delivery of this primary prevention program are described. Conclusion: It is suggested that such an approach, without any labelling specific to anxiety disorders, can be useful in primary prevention programs.
A traditional charge process for flooded lead acid batteries (FLABs) lasts generally from 8 to 14h. Nowadays, many applications of FLABs require reduction of the charge duration, for instance, a 4h-charge for FLABs in grid energy storage or 1h-charge for FLABs in electric buses. These are called accelerated charge and fast charge. Such reductions of charge time imply the use of a new charge process. One way to reduce the charge duration is to perform an early destratification step without waiting for the end of charge. The new charge method proposed in this paper (early destratification method – ED) focuses on the reduction of the charge time for FLABs using early destratification, which is performed and controlled using charge acceptance measurement during the charge. Laboratory experiments presented here aim first to develop charge acceptance measurements followed by an ED charge method compared to an IUi traditional charge process.
One aspect of the North Carolina Adult Asthma and Environment study (NCAAES) was to evaluate personal exposures to coarse particulate matter (PM10−2.5) and their associated variability. As part of this, we examined the ability of a community-based monitor to act as a surrogate for an individual's true exposure to this size fraction in linked health effect studies. To assess personal exposures to various particulate matter (PM) size fractions, a personal PM monitor was evaluated. This monitor featured a multi-stage cascade impactor that allowed for the simultaneous collection of PM10−2.5 and PM2.5 size fractions. The monitor was evaluated for collocated bias and comparability with a dichotomous (dichot) sampler (device for dividing aerosol PM population into two size fractions during sampling) at an outdoor monitoring site. Results of this evaluation indicated that the prototype was capable of agreement within ±20% of that provided by the reference methodology as well as 20% daily precision for PM10−2.5 mass measurements.
Mobile Applications are rapidly emerging as a convenient medium for using a variety of services. Over time and with the high penetration of smartphones in society, self-adaptation has become an essential capability required by mobile application users. In an ideal scenario, an application is required to adjust its behavior according to the current context of its use. This raises the challenge in mobile computing towards the design and development of applications that sense and react to contextual changes to provide a value-added user experience. In its general sense, context information can relate to the environment, the user, or the device status. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for building context aware and adaptive mobile applications. Based on feature modeling and Software Product Lines (SPL) concepts, this framework guides the modeling of adaptability at design time and supports context awareness and adaptability at runtime. In the core of the approach, is a feature meta-model that incorporates, in addition to SPL concepts, application feature priorities to drive the adaptability. A tool, based on that feature model, is presented to model the mobile application features and to derive the SPL members. A mobile framework, built on top of OSGI framework to dynamically adapt the application at runtime is also described.
The poor compatibility between dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP)-based electrolytes and carbonaceous anodes was improved by optimizing the compositions of the electrolyte and the electrode. In the electrolyte, the contents of DMMP and ethylene carbonate had significant effects on both the safety characteristic and the compatibility with carbonaceous anode. For the spherical mesocarbon microbeads, a conductive composite system containing the flake graphite and the carbon nanoparticles was beneficial to the highest reversible capacity (330 mAh g−1). In the common graphite anode, the water-soluble binder was the better choice than poly(vinylidene fluoride) to suppress the reductive decomposition of DMMP. In brief, the optimized compatibility indicated an extensive prospect of the flame-retarded electrolyte in the battery industry.
Solid solutions of LiMn2− X − Y Ti X Fe Y O4 (X =0.0⩽ X ⩾0.1, Y =0.05) nanoparticles were synthesized by urea-glycerol combustion method. The undoped/doped LiMn2O4 nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM and electrochemical techniques. The LiMn2− X − Y Ti X Fe Y O4 spinel shows higher lattice constant of 8.279Å at X =0.10 Ti doping, while the Ti and Fe dual doped exhibits a =8.212Å. No obvious impurity phases/structural changes are observed in all the synthesized LiMn2− X − Y Ti X Fe Y O4 (X =0.0⩽ X ⩾0.1, Y =0.05) nanomaterials. The appearance of FT-IR band at ∼603cm−1 evidenced the formation of Li–Ti–Mn–O bonds. Increased peak current is observed for the compound LiMn1.90Ti0.05Fe0.05O4 attributable to the improved Li+ diffusion caused by the reduced R ct values and path lengths. LiMn1.90Ti0.05Fe0.05O4 exhibits a very small increase of 73Ωcm2 R ct value even after 100th cycle, while that of 1122Ωcm2 for LiMn2O4. A high specific discharge capacity of 125mAhg−1 is retained even after 100th cycle effected by presence of Ti & Fe in the Mn site. The LiMn1.90Ti0.05Fe0.05O4 nanoparticles sample exhibit decent capacity retention of 90% at 100th cycle, and it can be able to deliver higher and constant discharge capacity and it may be a good alternative for the existing cathode materials.