SnO2 nanoparticles anchored on vertically aligned graphene with a high rate, high capacity, and long life for lithium storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Na; Sonsg, Huawei; Cui, Hao; Wang, Chengxin

2014-01-01

As a high-theoretical-capacity (782 mA hg-1), low-cost and low-toxicity material, SnO2 has attracted intense interest for use as an anode electrode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Despite intensive study, the practical use of SnO2-based anodes is hindered by their poor capacity retention and low rate capacity resulting from their large specific-volume changes and kinetic limitations in ion/electron transfer during the lithium ion insertion/extraction process. Improving the performance of SnO2-based electrodes has become one of the most popular scientific and industrial efforts. Herein, we present a type of SnO2-graphene composite anode in which SnO2 nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on both sides of vertically aligned graphene nanosheets (SnO2-VAGN-SnO2). The VAGNs sandwiched by the nanoparticles can supply rapid ion and electron transport pathways for Li+ and e-. Such integrated electrodes exhibit high specific capacity and excellent cycling stability, even at high current densities. The cells can cycle more than 5,000 times and retain a reversible capacity of 210 mA h g-1 at 9 A g-1. A high current density of up to 20 A g-1 is achieved, and the power and energy density can reach 1576.75 W kg-1 and 110.14 Wh kg-1, respectively. These performances indicate that the composite could offer the advantages of both LIBs (high energy density) and supercapacitors (high power density)

Role of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Tertiary Centers of Excellence in Capacity-building.

Science.gov (United States)

Rani, Padmaja Kumari; Balakrishnanan, D; Padhi, T R; Jalali, Subhadra

2016-11-07

Tertiary Centres of Excellence in India have been at the forefront of the efforts against Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) - associated blindness. The epidemic of blindness from ROP; however, has now spread rapidly into large parts of interiors of developing countries due to improved newborn care facilities. Due to their knowledge and experience of more than a decade, these centres of excellence, both from child care and Ophthalmology care, now need to come forward in substantial measures and need to be supported by funds and programs so that concerns of neonatal eye-health, training, screening, prevention and treatment can get integrated and embedded into newborn critical care and health programs. This will protect newborn preterm survivors from losing the potentially good vision that they are born with, reduce the rapidly rising blindness epidemic, and also protect staff from potential high-value litigations.

Porous graphene for high capacity lithium ion battery anode material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yusheng, E-mail: xxwysheng@163.com [College of Mathematics and Information Science, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450011 (China); School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001 (China); Zhang, Qiaoli; Jia, Min; Yang, Dapeng [College of Mathematics and Information Science, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450011 (China); Wang, Jianjun; Li, Meng [College of Science, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Zhang, Jing [College of Mathematics and Information Science, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450011 (China); Sun, Qiang [School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001 (China); Jia, Yu, E-mail: jiayu@zzu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001 (China)

2016-02-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Porous graphene sheet as Li storage media. • Excellent mobility both along in-plane and out-plane directions. • The interactions can be easily tuned by an applied strain. - Abstract: Based on density functional theory calculations, we studied the Li dispersed on porous graphene (PG) for its application as Li ion battery anode material. The hybridization of Li atoms and the carbon atoms enhanced the interaction between Li atoms and the PG. With holes of specific size, the PG can provide excellent mobility with moderate barriers of 0.37–0.39 eV. The highest Li storage composite can be LiC{sub 0.75}H{sub 0.38} which corresponds to a specific capacity of 2857.7 mA h/g. Both specific capacity and binding energy are significantly larger than the corresponding value of graphite, this makes PG a promising candidate for the anode material in battery applications. The interactions between the Li atoms and PG can be easily tuned by an applied strain. Under biaxial strain of 16%, the binding energy of Li to PG is increased by 17% compared to its unstrained state.

Facile ultrasonic synthesis of CoO quantum dot/graphene nanosheet composites with high lithium storage capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Chengxin; Chen, Bingdi; Qin, Yao; Yang, Shihe; Li, Chunzhong; Zuo, Yuanhui; Liu, Siyang; Yang, Jinhu

2012-02-28

In this paper, we report a facile ultrasonic method to synthesize well-dispersed CoO quantum dots (3-8 nm) on graphene nanosheets at room temperature by employing Co(4)(CO)(12) as cobalt precursor. The prepared CoO/graphene composites displayed high performance as an anode material for lithium-ion battery, such as high reversible lithium storage capacity (1592 mAh g(-1) after 50 cycles), high Coulombic efficiency (over 95%), excellent cycling stability, and high rate capability (1008 mAh g(-1) with a total retention of 77.6% after 50 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g(-1), dramatically increased from the initial 50 mA g(-1)). The extraordinary performance arises from the structure advantages of the composites: the nanosized CoO quantum dots with high dispersity on conductive graphene substrates supply not only large quantity of accessible active sites for lithium-ion insertion but also good conductivity and short diffusion length for lithium ions, which are beneficial for high capacity and rate capability. Meanwhile, the isolated CoO quantum dots anchored tightly on the graphene nanosheets can effectively circumvent the volume expansion/contraction associated with lithium insertion/extraction during discharge/charge processes, which is good for high capacity as well as cycling stability. Moreover, regarding the anomalous behavior of capacity increase with cycles (activation effect) observed, we proposed a tentative hypothesis stressing the competition between the conductivity increase and the amorphorization of the composite electrodes during cycling in determining the trends of the capacity, in the hope to gain a fuller understanding of the inner working of the novel nanostructured electrode-based lithium-ion batteries.

Random oriented hexagonal nickel hydroxide nanoplates grown on graphene as binder free anode for lithium ion battery with high capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yingjie; Ma, Hu; Guo, Mingxuan; Gao, Tie; Li, Haibo

2018-05-01

In this work, two-step method has been employed to prepare random oriented hexagonal hydroxide nanoplates on graphene (Ni(OH)2@G) as binder free anode for lithium ion battery (LIB) with high capacity. The morphology, microstructure, crystal phase and elemental bonding have been characterized. When evaluated as anode for LIB, the Ni(OH)2@G exhibited high initial discharge capacity of 1318 mAh/g at the current density of 50 mA/g. After 80 cycles, the capacity was maintained at 834 mAh/g, implying 63.3% remaining. Even the charge rate was increased to 2000 mA/g, an impressive capacity of 141 mAh/g can be obtained, indicating good rate capability. The superior LIB behavior of Ni(OH)2@G is ascribed to the excellent combination between Ni(OH)2 nanoplates and graphene via both covalent chemical bonding and van der Waals interactions.

CSTI High Capacity Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, J.M.

1989-01-01

The SP-100 program was established in 1983 by DOD, DOE, and NASA as a joint program to develop the technology necessary for space nuclear power systems for military and civil application. During FY-86 and 87, the NASA SP-100 Advanced Technology Program was devised to maintain the momentum of promising technology advancement efforts started during Phase 1 of SP-100 and to strengthen, in key areas, the chances for successful development and growth capability of space nuclear reactor power systems for future space applications. In FY-88, the Advanced Technology Program was incorporated into NASA's new Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI). The CSTI Program was established to provide the foundation for technology development in automation and robotics, information, propulsion, and power. The CSTI High Capacity Power Program builds on the technology efforts of the SP-100 program, incorporates the previous NASA SP-100 Advanced Technology project, and provides a bridge to NASA Project Pathfinder. The elements of CSTI High Capacity Power development include Conversion Systems, Thermal Management, Power Management, System Diagnostics, and Environmental Interactions. Technology advancement in all areas, including materials, is required to assure the high reliability and 7 to 10 year lifetime demanded for future space nuclear power systems. The overall program will develop and demonstrate the technology base required to provide a wide range of modular power systems as well as allowing mission independence from solar and orbital attitude requirements. Several recent advancements in CSTI High Capacity power development will be discussed

Capacity Bounds and High-SNR Capacity of MIMO Intensity-Modulation Optical Channels

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas

2018-02-19

The capacity of the intensity modulation direct detection multiple-input multiple-output channel is studied. Therein, the nonnegativity constraint of the transmit signal limits the applicability of classical schemes, including precoding. Thus, new ways are required for deriving capacity bounds for this channel. To this end, capacity lower bounds are developed in this paper by deriving the achievable rates of two precodingfree schemes: Channel inversion and QR decomposition. The achievable rate of a DC-offset SVD-based scheme is also derived as a benchmark. Then, capacity upper bounds are derived and compared against the lower bounds. As a result, the capacity at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is characterized for the case where the number of transmit apertures is not larger than the number of receive apertures, and is shown to be achievable by the QR decomposition scheme. This is shown for a channel with average intensity or peak intensity constraints. Under both constraints, the high-SNR capacity is approximated within a small gap. Extensions to a channel with more transmit apertures than receive apertures are discussed, and capacity bounds for this case are derived.

Capacity Bounds and High-SNR Capacity of MIMO Intensity-Modulation Optical Channels

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas; Rezki, Zouheir; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2018-01-01

The capacity of the intensity modulation direct detection multiple-input multiple-output channel is studied. Therein, the nonnegativity constraint of the transmit signal limits the applicability of classical schemes, including precoding. Thus, new ways are required for deriving capacity bounds for this channel. To this end, capacity lower bounds are developed in this paper by deriving the achievable rates of two precodingfree schemes: Channel inversion and QR decomposition. The achievable rate of a DC-offset SVD-based scheme is also derived as a benchmark. Then, capacity upper bounds are derived and compared against the lower bounds. As a result, the capacity at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is characterized for the case where the number of transmit apertures is not larger than the number of receive apertures, and is shown to be achievable by the QR decomposition scheme. This is shown for a channel with average intensity or peak intensity constraints. Under both constraints, the high-SNR capacity is approximated within a small gap. Extensions to a channel with more transmit apertures than receive apertures are discussed, and capacity bounds for this case are derived.

The Effect of Using Microsoft Excel in a High School Algebra Class

Science.gov (United States)

Neurath, Rachel A.; Stephens, Larry J.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of integrating Microsoft Excel into a high school algebra class. The results indicate a slight increase in student achievement when Excel was used. A teacher-created final exam and two Criterion Referenced Tests measured success. One of the Criterion Referenced Tests indicated that the…

Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles on Graphene Oxides for High Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jung Kyoo Lee

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Magnetite, Fe3O4, is a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity (924 mA h g−1, high density, low cost and low toxicity. However, its application as high capacity anodes is still hampered by poor cycling performance. To stabilize the cycling performance of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, composites comprising Fe3O4 nanoparticles and graphene sheets (GS were fabricated. The Fe3O4/GS composite disks of mm dimensions were prepared by electrostatic self-assembly between negatively charged graphene oxide (GO sheets and positively charged Fe3O4-APTMS [Fe3O4 grafted with (3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS] in an acidic solution (pH = 2 followed by in situ chemical reduction. Thus prepared Fe3O4/GS composite showed an excellent rate capability as well as much enhanced cycling stability compared with Fe3O4 electrode. The superior electrochemical responses of Fe3O4/GS composite disks assure the advantages of: (1 electrostatic self-assembly between high storage-capacity materials with GO; and (2 incorporation of GS in the Fe3O4/GS composite for high capacity lithium-ion battery application.

High Capacity cylinder roller bearing; High Capacity Zylinderrollenlager. Ein vollrolliges Lager mit Kaefig

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reichert, J.; Baum, J. [SKF, Schweinfurt (Germany)

2007-07-15

The high capacity cylinder roller bearing is an example for continuous development of SKF products and does an effective contribution to increase operational safety and offers the possibility to reduce weight and compact design. (GL)

Striving for Excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hattke, Fabian; Blaschke, Steffen

2015-01-01

Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of top management team diversity on academic excellence in universities. Academic excellence is conceptualized as successfully gaining funds for inter-organizational research collaborations, interdisciplinary graduate schools......, and high ranked scientific reputation. Design/methodology/approach: -The study applies upper echelon theory to universities. Three hypotheses are developed: 1) (Overall) top management team heterogeneity is positively associated with successful funding of excellence clusters, 2) (Overall) top management...... no significant effects. Besides top management team composition, we find that a high number of faculties and a broad inclusion of internal status groups (students, tenured faculty, academic and administrative staff) and external stakeholders in decision making processes may enhance academic excellence...

Superior cycle performance and high reversible capacity of SnO2/graphene composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lilai; An, Maozhong; Yang, Peixia; Zhang, Jinqiu

2015-03-12

SnO2/graphene composite with superior cycle performance and high reversible capacity was prepared by a one-step microwave-hydrothermal method using a microwave reaction system. The SnO2/graphene composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The size of SnO2 grains deposited on graphene sheets is less than 3.5 nm. The SnO2/graphene composite exhibits high capacity and excellent electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries. The first discharge and charge capacities at a current density of 100 mA g(-1) are 2213 and 1402 mA h g(-1) with coulomb efficiencies of 63.35%. The discharge specific capacities remains 1359, 1228, 1090 and 1005 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at current densities of 100, 300, 500 and 700 mA g(-1), respectively. Even at a high current density of 1000 mA g(-1), the first discharge and charge capacities are 1502 and 876 mA h g(-1), and the discharge specific capacities remains 1057 and 677 mA h g(-1) after 420 and 1000 cycles, respectively. The SnO2/graphene composite demonstrates a stable cycle performance and high reversible capacity for lithium storage.

High voltage and high specific capacity dual intercalating electrode Li-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

West, William C. (Inventor); Blanco, Mario (Inventor)

2010-01-01

The present invention provides high capacity and high voltage Li-ion batteries that have a carbonaceous cathode and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution comprising LiF salt and an anion receptor that binds the fluoride ion. The batteries can comprise dual intercalating electrode Li ion batteries. Methods of the present invention use a cathode and electrode pair, wherein each of the electrodes reversibly intercalate ions provided by a LiF salt to make a high voltage and high specific capacity dual intercalating electrode Li-ion battery. The present methods and systems provide high-capacity batteries particularly useful in powering devices where minimizing battery mass is important.

High capacity getter pump for UHV operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manini, P.; Marino, M.; Belloni, F.; Porro, M.

1993-01-01

UHV pumps based on non-evaporable getter coated strips find widespread use in particle accelerators, synchrotron radiation machines and nuclear fusion experimental devices. Depending on the geometric constraints, pressure operation conditions and the foreseen gas loads, optimized getter structures, such as modules and cartridges, can be designed and assembled into a high-efficiency pump. In the present paper, the design and performance of a newly conceived High Capacity Getter Pump (HCGP) based on sintered getter bodies, in the shape of blades instead of strips, is illustrated. The porosity and the specific surface area of the blades and their arrangement in the cartridge have been optimized to significantly increase sorption capacity at a given speed. These pumps are well suited for those applications where a very high gas load is expected during the machine operation. The sintered getter bodies increase surface area and capacity, requiring less frequent reactivation and facilitating greater overall life of the pump. A discussion of the experimental results in terms of sorption speed and capacity for various gases is presented

Excellence in Urban High Schools: An Emerging District/School Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Robert K.; And Others

This report presents the preliminary findings of the District/Secondary School Study. The study had two purposes: (1) to identify ways of managing urban high schools to produce excellence, and (2) to recommend policy-relevant guidance to existing school and district administrators. The study design focused on the testing of two specific theories…

The development and application of high-capacity thickening techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Zhenwan; Song Yuejie

1995-01-01

On the basis of sedimentation theory and comparison between the high-capacity and conventional thickening techniques, the authors analyse the ways to increase capacity and to improve technological parameters of thickeners, describes the construction features, development, application, automatic control and test installations of high-capacity thickeners at home and abroad

Battery designs with high capacity anode materials and cathode materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masarapu, Charan; Anguchamy, Yogesh Kumar; Han, Yongbong; Deng, Haixia; Kumar, Sujeet; Lopez, Herman A.

2017-10-03

Improved high energy capacity designs for lithium ion batteries are described that take advantage of the properties of high specific capacity anode active compositions and high specific capacity cathode active compositions. In particular, specific electrode designs provide for achieving very high energy densities. Furthermore, the complex behavior of the active materials is used advantageously in a radical electrode balancing design that significantly reduced wasted electrode capacity in either electrode when cycling under realistic conditions of moderate to high discharge rates and/or over a reduced depth of discharge.

High-Capacity Cathode Material with High Voltage for Li-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Ji-Lei; Xiao, Dong-Dong; Ge, Mingyuan; Yu, Xiqian; Chu, Yong; Huang, Xiaojing; Zhang, Xu-Dong; Yin, Ya-Xia; Yang, Xiao-Qing; Guo, Yu-Guo; Gu, Lin; Wan, Li-Jun

2018-03-01

Electrochemical energy storage devices with a high energy density are an important technology in modern society, especially for electric vehicles. The most effective approach to improve the energy density of batteries is to search for high-capacity electrode materials. According to the concept of energy quality, a high-voltage battery delivers a highly useful energy, thus providing a new insight to improve energy density. Based on this concept, a novel and successful strategy to increase the energy density and energy quality by increasing the discharge voltage of cathode materials and preserving high capacity is proposed. The proposal is realized in high-capacity Li-rich cathode materials. The average discharge voltage is increased from 3.5 to 3.8 V by increasing the nickel content and applying a simple after-treatment, and the specific energy is improved from 912 to 1033 Wh kg -1 . The current work provides an insightful universal principle for developing, designing, and screening electrode materials for high energy density and energy quality. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mobilizing communities and building capacity for youth violence prevention: the National Academic Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Vivolo, Alana M; Matjasko, Jennifer L; Massetti, Greta M

2011-09-01

Violence, including its occurrence among youth, results in considerable physical, emotional, social, and economic consequences in the US. Youth violence prevention work at the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes preventing youth violence-related behaviors, injuries, and deaths by collaborating with academic and community partners and stakeholders. In 2000 and 2005, DVP funded the National Academic Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Youth Violence Prevention. Most ACE Centers focus on building community capacity and competence so that evidence-based programs for youth violence prevention can be successfully implemented through effective and supportive research-community partnerships. This commentary provides historical information about the ACE Program, including the development, goals, accomplishments of the Centers, and the utilization of a community-based participatory research approach to prevent youth violence.

Excel 2010 Made Simple

CERN Document Server

Katz, Abbott

2011-01-01

Get the most out of Excel 2010 with Excel 2010 Made Simple - learn the key features, understand what's new, and utilize dozens of time-saving tips and tricks to get your job done. Over 500 screen visuals and clear-cut instructions guide you through the features of Excel 2010, from formulas and charts to navigating around a worksheet and understanding Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and macros. Excel 2010 Made Simple takes a practical and highly effective approach to using Excel 2010, showing you the best way to complete your most common spreadsheet tasks. You'll learn how to input, format,

High-capacity conductive nanocellulose paper sheets for electrochemically controlled extraction of DNA oligomers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aamir Razaq

Full Text Available Highly porous polypyrrole (PPy-nanocellulose paper sheets have been evaluated as inexpensive and disposable electrochemically controlled three-dimensional solid phase extraction materials. The composites, which had a total anion exchange capacity of about 1.1 mol kg(-1, were used for extraction and subsequent release of negatively charged fluorophore tagged DNA oligomers via galvanostatic oxidation and reduction of a 30-50 nm conformal PPy layer on the cellulose substrate. The ion exchange capacity, which was, at least, two orders of magnitude higher than those previously reached in electrochemically controlled extraction, originated from the high surface area (i.e. 80 m(2 g(-1 of the porous composites and the thin PPy layer which ensured excellent access to the ion exchange material. This enabled the extractions to be carried out faster and with better control of the PPy charge than with previously employed approaches. Experiments in equimolar mixtures of (dT(6, (dT(20, and (dT(40 DNA oligomers showed that all oligomers could be extracted, and that the smallest oligomer was preferentially released with an efficiency of up to 40% during the reduction of the PPy layer. These results indicate that the present material is very promising for the development of inexpensive and efficient electrochemically controlled ion-exchange membranes for batch-wise extraction of biomolecules.

Interlayer-Spacing-Regulated VOPO4 Nanosheets with Fast Kinetics for High-Capacity and Durable Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Limin; Liu, Qi; Zhang, Zihe; Zhang, Kai; Xiong, Fangyu; Tan, Shuangshuang; An, Qinyou; Kang, Yong-Mook; Zhou, Zhen; Mai, Liqiang

2018-06-25

Owing to the low-cost, safety, dendrite-free formation, and two-electron redox properties of magnesium (Mg), rechargeable Mg batteries are considered as promising next-generation secondary batteries with high specific capacity and energy density. However, the clumsy Mg 2+ with high polarity inclines to sluggish Mg insertion/deinsertion, leading to inadequate reversible capacity and rate performance. Herein, 2D VOPO 4 nanosheets with expanded interlayer spacing (1.42 nm) are prepared and applied in rechargeable magnesium batteries for the first time. The interlayer expansion provides enough diffusion space for fast kinetics of MgCl + ion flux with low polarization. Benefiting from the structural configuration, the Mg battery exhibits a remarkable reversible capacity of 310 mAh g -1 at 50 mA g -1 , excellent rate capability, and good cycling stability (192 mAh g -1 at 100 mA g -1 even after 500 cycles). In addition, density functional theory (DFT) computations are conducted to understand the electrode behavior with decreased MgCl + migration energy barrier compared with Mg 2+ . This approach, based on the regulation of interlayer distance to control cation insertion, represents a promising guideline for electrode material design on the development of advanced secondary multivalent-ion batteries. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High capacity Si/DC/MWCNTs nanocomposite anode materials for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Zhibin; Xu Yunhua; Liu Wengang; Niu Libin

2010-01-01

Nanocomposites comprising nanocrystal silicon (Si), disordered carbon (DC), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) - denoted as Si/DC/MWCNTs - have been prepared by pyrolyzing the phenol-formaldehyde resin (PFR) mixed with Si and MWCNTs. This nanocomposite anode material showed a discharge capacity of 1216 mAh/g in the first cycle, and a charge capacity of 711 mAh/g after 20 charge-discharge, much higher than that of Si/DC composite. It can be observed that Si particles wrapped in MWCNTs were homogeneously embedded into the matrix of the DC. The improved electrochemical performance is hypothesized to be mainly attributed to the morphology stability of the composite due to the excellent resiliency and distinct electric conductivity of the MWCNTs.

High capacity photonic integrated switching circuits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Albores Mejia, A.

2011-01-01

As the demand for high-capacity data transfer keeps increasing in high performance computing and in a broader range of system area networking environments; reconfiguring the strained networks at ever faster speeds with larger volumes of traffic has become a huge challenge. Formidable bottlenecks

High visual working memory capacity in trait social anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriya, Jun; Sugiura, Yoshinori

2012-01-01

Working memory capacity is one of the most important cognitive functions influencing individual traits, such as attentional control, fluid intelligence, and also psychopathological traits. Previous research suggests that anxiety is associated with impaired cognitive function, and studies have shown low verbal working memory capacity in individuals with high trait anxiety. However, the relationship between trait anxiety and visual working memory capacity is still unclear. Considering that people allocate visual attention more widely to detect danger under threat, visual working memory capacity might be higher in anxious people. In the present study, we show that visual working memory capacity increases as trait social anxiety increases by using a change detection task. When the demand to inhibit distractors increased, however, high visual working memory capacity diminished in individuals with social anxiety, and instead, impaired filtering of distractors was predicted by trait social anxiety. State anxiety was not correlated with visual working memory capacity. These results indicate that socially anxious people could potentially hold a large amount of information in working memory. However, because of an impaired cognitive function, they could not inhibit goal-irrelevant distractors and their performance decreased under highly demanding conditions.

High capacity anode materials for lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Herman A.; Anguchamy, Yogesh Kumar; Deng, Haixia; Han, Yongbon; Masarapu, Charan; Venkatachalam, Subramanian; Kumar, Suject

2015-11-19

High capacity silicon based anode active materials are described for lithium ion batteries. These materials are shown to be effective in combination with high capacity lithium rich cathode active materials. Supplemental lithium is shown to improve the cycling performance and reduce irreversible capacity loss for at least certain silicon based active materials. In particular silicon based active materials can be formed in composites with electrically conductive coatings, such as pyrolytic carbon coatings or metal coatings, and composites can also be formed with other electrically conductive carbon components, such as carbon nanofibers and carbon nanoparticles. Additional alloys with silicon are explored.

Striving for excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaughn, G.E.

1986-01-01

With guidance and assistance from the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), nuclear utilities are striving for excellence by making steady improvements in industry performance indicators. Duke Power Company has solidly committed to support the industry's effort to obtain higher standards of excellence. Dedicated, highly trained employees, who are motivated to making it happen, carry out this commitment within a management framework which includes: 1) top management support and direct involvement; 2) a strategy to achieve excellence over the long run; 3) a nuclear management priority structure; and 4) a goals program

Copper sulfide microspheres wrapped with reduced graphene oxide for high-capacity lithium-ion storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yiyong; Li, Kun; Wang, Yunhui; Zeng, Jing; Ji, Panying; Zhao, Jinbao, E-mail: jbzhao@xmu.edu.cn

2016-11-15

Highlights: • We prepare the nanocomposites of Cu{sub x}S microspheres wrapped with rGO. • As-prepared Cu{sub x}S/rGO can effectively accommodate large volume changes. • As-prepared Cu{sub x}S/rGO supply a 2D conductive network. • As-prepared Cu{sub x}S/rGO trap the polysulfides generated during the discharge–charge. • The Cu{sub x}S/rGO has high capacity, cycle stability and excellent rate capability. - Abstract: In this study, a facile two-step approach was developed to prepare the nanocomposites (Cu{sub x}S/rGO) of copper sulfide (Cu{sub x}S) microspheres wrapped with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The morphology and structure of Cu{sub x}S/rGO materials were researched by using SEM, XRD and laser Raman spectroscopy. As-prepared Cu{sub x}S/rGO nanocomposites, as an active anode material in LIBs, showed distinctly improved electrochemical characteristics, superior cycling stability and high rate capability. Due to the synergistic effect between the Cu{sub x}S microspheres and the rGO nanosheets, as-prepared Cu{sub x}S/rGO nanocomposites could effectively alleviate large volume changes, provide a 2D conductive network and trap the diffusion of polysulfides during the discharge–charge processes, therefore, the Cu{sub x}S/rGO nanocomposites showed excellent electrochemical characteristics.

Mechanics of high-capacity electrodes in lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Ting

2016-01-01

Rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, play an important role in the emerging sustainable energy landscape. Mechanical degradation and resulting capacity fade in high-capacity electrode materials critically hinder their use in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This paper presents an overview of recent advances in understanding the electrochemically-induced mechanical behavior of the electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries. Particular emphasis is placed on stress generation and facture in high-capacity anode materials such as silicon. Finally, we identify several important unresolved issues for future research. (topical review)

Sustainable Enterprise Excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edgeman, Rick

2013-01-01

Structured Abstract Purpose: Sustainable Enterprise Excellence (SEE) is defined and developed through integration and expansion of business excellence modeling and sustainability thought. The intent is to enable simple yet reliable enterprise assessment of triple bottom line (TBL) performance...... and produce actionable enterprise foresight that can enable next best practices and sources of sustainable competitive advantage through innovation. Methodology: Key elements of SEE are identified from various business excellence and sustainability reporting sources, including the Global Reporting Initiative...... assessment approach similar in structure to those behind established excellence awards are developed that enable enterprise assessment of progress toward SEE. The resulting assessment is delivered in a highly consumable, combined narrative and graphic format referred to as a SEE NEWS Report. Practical...

Highly conductive porous Na-embedded carbon nanowalls for high-performance capacitive deionization

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Liang; Hu, Yun Hang

2018-05-01

Highly conductive porous Na-embedded carbon nanowalls (Na@C), which were recently invented, have exhibited excellent performance for dye-sensitized solar cells and electric double-layer capacitors. In this work, Na@C was demonstrated as an excellent electrode material for capacitive deionization (CDI). In a three-electrode configuration system, the specific capacity of the Na@C electrodes can achieve 306.4 F/g at current density of 0.2 A/g in 1 M NaCl, which is higher than that (235.2 F/g) of activated carbon (AC) electrodes. Furthermore, a high electrosorption capacity of 8.75 mg g-1 in 100 mg/L NaCl was obtained with the Na@C electrodes in a batch-mode capacitive deionization cell. It exceeds the electrosorption capacity (4.08 mg g-1) of AC electrodes. The Na@C electrode also showed a promising cycle stability. The excellent performance of Na@C electrode for capacitive deionization (CDI) can be attributed to its high electrical conductivity and large accessible surface area.

MIMO Intensity-Modulation Channels: Capacity Bounds and High SNR Characterization

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas

2016-10-01

The capacity of MIMO intensity modulation channels is studied. The nonnegativity of the transmit signal (intensity) poses a challenge on the precoding of the transmit signal, which limits the applicability of classical schemes in this type of channels. To resolve this issue, capacity lower bounds are developed by using precoding-free schemes. This is achieved by channel inversion or QR decomposition to convert the MIMO channel to a set of parallel channels. The achievable rate of a DC-offset SVD based scheme is also derived as a benchmark. Then, a capacity upper bound is derived and is shown to coincide with the achievable rate of the QR decomposition based scheme at high SNR, consequently characterizing the high-SNR capacity of the channel. The high-SNR gap between capacity and the achievable rates of the channel inversion and the DC-offset SVD based schemes is also characterized. Finally, the ergodic capacity of the channel is also briefly discussed.

Construction and Capacity Analysis of High-Rank LoS MIMO Channels in High Speed Railway Scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingya Yang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The validity of the maximum capacity criterion applied to realize high-rank line-of-sight (LoS multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO channels is investigated for high speed railway scenarios. Performance is evaluated by ergodic capacity. Numerical results demonstrate that by simply adjusting antenna spacing according to the maximum capacity criterion, significant capacity gains are achievable. We find relatively low sensitivity of the system to displacements from the optimal point and angle in relatively short range. Thus, we present two proposals to reconfigure antenna arrays so as to maximize LoS MIMO capacity in the high speed railway scenarios

In Situ Synthesis of MnS Hollow Microspheres on Reduced Graphene Oxide Sheets as High-Capacity and Long-Life Anodes for Li- and Na-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xijun; Ji, Shaomin; Gu, Mingzhe; Liu, Jun

2015-09-23

Uniform MnS hollow microspheres in situ crystallized on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets via a facile hydrothermal method. The MnS/RGO composite material was used as the anode for Na-ion batteries for the first time and exhibited excellent cycling performance, superior specific capacity, and great cycle stability and rate capability for both Li- and Na-ion batteries. Compared with nonencapsulated pure MnS hollow microspheres, these MnS/RGO nanocomposites demonstrated excellent charge-discharge stability and long cycle life. Li-ion storage testing revealed that these MnS/RGO nanocomposites deliver high discharge-charge capacities of 640 mAh g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1) after 400 cycles and 830 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 A g(-1) after 100 cycles. The MnS/RGO nanocomposites even retained a specific capacity of 308 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1) after 125 cycles as the anode for Na-ion batteries. The outstanding electrochemical performance of the MnS/RGO composite attributed to the RGO nanosheets greatly improved the electronic conductivity and efficiently mitigated the stupendous volume expansion during the progress of charge and discharge.

Attainable high capacity in Li-excess Li-Ni-Ru-O rock-salt cathode for lithium ion battery

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xingbo; Huang, Weifeng; Tao, Shi; Xie, Hui; Wu, Chuanqiang; Yu, Zhen; Su, Xiaozhi; Qi, Jiaxin; Rehman, Zia ur; Song, Li; Zhang, Guobin; Chu, Wangsheng; Wei, Shiqiang

2017-08-01

Peroxide structure O2n- has proven to appear after electrochemical process in many lithium-excess precious metal oxides, representing extra reversible capacity. We hereby report construction of a Li-excess rock-salt oxide Li1+xNi1/2-3x/2Ru1/2+x/2O2 electrode, with cost effective and eco-friendly 3d transition metal Ni partially substituting precious 4d transition metal Ru. It can be seen that O2n- is formed in pristine Li1.23Ni0.155Ru0.615O2, and stably exists in subsequent cycles, enabling discharge capacities to 295.3 and 198 mAh g-1 at the 1st/50th cycle, respectively. Combing ex-situ X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical characterization, we demonstrate that the excellent electrochemical performance comes from both percolation network with disordered structure and cation/anion redox couples occurring in charge-discharge process. Li-excess and substitution of common element have been demonstrated to be a breakthrough for designing novel high performance commercial cathodes in rechargeable lithium ion battery field.

Crack-resistant polyimide coating for high-capacity battery anodes

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yingshun; Wang, Shuo; Lee, Pui-Kit; He, Jieqing; Yu, Denis Y. W.

2017-10-01

Electrode cracking is a serious problem that hinders the application of many next-generation high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Even though nano-sizing the material can reduce fracturing of individual particles, capacity fading is still observed due to large volume change and loss of contact in the electrode during lithium insertion and extraction. In this study, we design a crack-resistant high-modulus polyimide coating with high compressive strength which can hold multiple particles together during charge and discharge to maintain contact. The effectiveness of the coating is demonstrated on tin dioxide, a high-capacity large-volume-change material that undergoes both alloy and conversion reactions. The polyimide coating improves capacity retention of SnO2 from 80% to 100% after 80 cycles at 250 mA g-1. Stable capacity of 585 mAh g-1 can be obtained even at 500 mA g-1 after 300 cycles. Scanning electron microscopy and in-situ dilatometry confirm that electrode cracking is suppressed and thickness change is reduced with the coating. In addition, the chemically-stable polyimide film can separate the surface from direct contact with electrolyte, improving coulombic efficiency to ∼100%. We expect the novel strategy of suppressing electrode degradation with a crack-resistant coating can also be used for other alloy and conversion-based anodes.

Highly Conductive, Mechanically Robust, and Electrochemically Inactive TiC/C Nanofiber Scaffold for High-Performance Silicon Anode Batteries

KAUST Repository

Yao, Yan; Huo, Kaifu; Hu, Liangbing; Liu, Nian; Cha, Judy J.; McDowell, Matthew T.; Chu, Paul K.; Cui, Yi

2011-01-01

Silicon has a high specific capacity of 4200 mAh/g as lithium-ion battery anodes, but its rapid capacity fading due to >300% volume expansion and pulverization presents a significant challenge for practical applications. Here we report a core-shell TiC/C/Si inactive/active nanocomposite for Si anodes demonstrating high specific capacity and excellent electrochemical cycling. The amorphous silicon layer serves as the active material to store Li+, while the inactive TiC/C nanofibers act as a conductive and mechanically robust scaffold for electron transport during the Li-Si alloying process. The core-shell TiC/C/Si nanocomposite anode shows ∼3000 mAh g-1 discharge capacity and 92% capacity retention after 100 charge/discharge cycles. The excellent cycling stability and high rate performance could be attributed to the tapering of the nanofibers and the open structure that allows facile Li ion transport and the high conductivity and mechanical stability of the TiC/C scaffold. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Highly Conductive, Mechanically Robust, and Electrochemically Inactive TiC/C Nanofiber Scaffold for High-Performance Silicon Anode Batteries

KAUST Repository

Yao, Yan

2011-10-25

Silicon has a high specific capacity of 4200 mAh/g as lithium-ion battery anodes, but its rapid capacity fading due to >300% volume expansion and pulverization presents a significant challenge for practical applications. Here we report a core-shell TiC/C/Si inactive/active nanocomposite for Si anodes demonstrating high specific capacity and excellent electrochemical cycling. The amorphous silicon layer serves as the active material to store Li+, while the inactive TiC/C nanofibers act as a conductive and mechanically robust scaffold for electron transport during the Li-Si alloying process. The core-shell TiC/C/Si nanocomposite anode shows ∼3000 mAh g-1 discharge capacity and 92% capacity retention after 100 charge/discharge cycles. The excellent cycling stability and high rate performance could be attributed to the tapering of the nanofibers and the open structure that allows facile Li ion transport and the high conductivity and mechanical stability of the TiC/C scaffold. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Development of high capacity, high rate lithium ion batteries utilizing metal fiber conductive additives

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Soonho; Kim, Youngduk; Kim, Kyung Joon; Kim, Tae Hyung; Lee, Hyungkeun; Kim, Myung H.

As lithium ion cells dominate the battery market, the performance improvement is an utmost concern among developers and researchers. Conductive additives are routinely employed to enhance electrode conductivity and capacity. Carbon particulates—graphite or carbon black powders—are conventional and popular choices as conductive fillers. However, percolation requirements of particles demand significant volumetric content of impalpable, and thereby high area conductive fillers. As might be expected, the electrode active surface area escalates unnecessarily, resulting in overall increase in reaction with electrolytes and organic solvents. The increased reactions usually manifest as an irreversible loss of anode capacity, gradual oxidation and consumption of electrolyte on the cathode—which causes capacity decline during cycling—and an increased threat to battery safety by gas evolution and exothermic solvent oxidation. In this work we have utilized high aspect ratio, flexible, micronic metal fibers as low active area and high conductivity additives. The metal fibers appear well dispersed within the electrode and to satisfy percolation requirements very efficiently at very low volumetric content compared to conventional carbon-based conductive additives. Results from 18650-type cells indicate significant enhancements in electrode capacity and high rate capability while the irreversible capacity loss is negligible.

When High-Capacity Readers Slow Down and Low-Capacity Readers Speed Up: Working Memory and Locality Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicenboim, Bruno; Logačev, Pavel; Gattei, Carolina; Vasishth, Shravan

2016-01-01

We examined the effects of argument-head distance in SVO and SOV languages (Spanish and German), while taking into account readers' working memory capacity and controlling for expectation (Levy, 2008) and other factors. We predicted only locality effects, that is, a slowdown produced by increased dependency distance (Gibson, 2000; Lewis and Vasishth, 2005). Furthermore, we expected stronger locality effects for readers with low working memory capacity. Contrary to our predictions, low-capacity readers showed faster reading with increased distance, while high-capacity readers showed locality effects. We suggest that while the locality effects are compatible with memory-based explanations, the speedup of low-capacity readers can be explained by an increased probability of retrieval failure. We present a computational model based on ACT-R built under the previous assumptions, which is able to give a qualitative account for the present data and can be tested in future research. Our results suggest that in some cases, interpreting longer RTs as indexing increased processing difficulty and shorter RTs as facilitation may be too simplistic: The same increase in processing difficulty may lead to slowdowns in high-capacity readers and speedups in low-capacity ones. Ignoring individual level capacity differences when investigating locality effects may lead to misleading conclusions.

When high-capacity readers slow down and low-capacity readers speed up: Working memory and locality effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno eNicenboim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We examined the effects of argument-head distance in SVO and SOV languages (Spanish and German, while taking into account readers’ working memory capacity and controlling for expectation (Levy, 2008 and other factors. We predicted only locality effects, that is, a slow-down produced by increased dependency distance (Gibson, 2000; Lewis & Vasishth, 2005. Furthermore, we expected stronger locality effects for readers with low working memory capacity. Contrary to our predictions, low-capacity readers showed faster reading with increased distance, while high-capacity readers showed locality effects. We suggest that while the locality effects are compatible with memory-based explanations, the speedup of low-capacity readers can be explained by an increased probability of retrieval failure. We present a computational model based on ACT-R built under the previous assumptions, which is able to give a qualitative account for the present data and can be tested in future research. Our results suggest that in some cases, interpreting longer RTs as indexing increased processing difficulty and shorter RTs as facilitation may be too simplistic: The same increase in processing difficulty may lead to slowdowns in high-capacity readers and speedups in low-capacity ones. Ignoring individual level capacity differences when investigating locality effects may lead to misleading conclusions.

Experimental investigation of a PCM-HP heat sink on its thermal performance and anti-thermal-shock capacity for high-power LEDs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yuxuan; Tang, Yong; Li, Zongtao; Ding, Xinrui; Yuan, Wei; Zhao, Xuezhi; Yu, Binhai

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A phase-change material (PCM) base heat pipe heat sink (PCM-HP heat sink) is designed. • The PCM-HP heat sink can significantly lower the LED heating rate and temperature. • The PCM-HP heat sink achieves a best anti-thermal-shock capacity in LED cyclic working modes. - Abstract: High-power LEDs demonstrate a number of benefits compared with conventional incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps, including a longer lifetime, higher brightness and lower power consumption. However, owing to their severe high heat flux, it is difficult to develop effective thermal management of high-power LEDs, especially under cyclic working modes, which cause serious periodic thermal stress and limit further development. Focusing on the above problem, this paper designed a phase-change material (PCM) base heat pipe heat sink (PCM-HP heat sink) that consists of a PCM base, adapter plate, heat pipe and finned radiator. Different parameters, such as three types of interior materials to fill the heat sink, three LED power inputs and eight LED cyclic working modes, were separately studied to investigate the thermal performance and anti-thermal-shock capacity of the PCM-HP heat sink. The results show that the PCM-HP heat sink possesses remarkable thermal performance owing to the reduction of the LED heating rate and peak temperature. More importantly, an excellent anti-thermal-shock capacity of the PCM-HP heat sink is also demonstrated when applied in LED cyclic working modes, and this capacity demonstrates the best range.

Nanoscale zinc-based metal-organic framework with high capacity for lithium-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Changdong [Changzhou University, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, and Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center (China); Gao, Yuanrui; Liu, Lili [Shanghai University, Department of Chemistry, College of Science (China); Song, Yidan; Wang, Xianmei [Changzhou University, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, and Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center (China); Liu, Hong-Jiang, E-mail: liuhj@shu.edu.cn [Shanghai University, Department of Chemistry, College of Science (China); Liu, Qi, E-mail: liuqi62@163.com [Changzhou University, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, and Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center (China)

2016-12-15

Layered zinc-based metal-organic framework ([Zn(4,4′-bpy)(tfbdc)(H{sub 2}O){sub 2}], Zn-LMOF) nanosheets were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method (4,4′-bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine, H{sub 2}tfbdc = tetrafluoroterephthalic acid). The materials were characterized by IR spectrum, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface. When the Zn-LMOF nanosheets with the thickness of about 24 ± 8 nm were used as an anode material of lithium-ion batteries, not only the Zn-LMOF electrode shows a high reversible capacity, retaining 623 mAh g{sup −1} after 100 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g{sup −1} but also exhibits an excellent cyclic stability and a higher rate performance.

Free-space optical communications with peak and average constraints: High SNR capacity approximation

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas

2015-09-07

The capacity of the intensity-modulation direct-detection (IM-DD) free-space optical channel with both average and peak intensity constraints is studied. A new capacity lower bound is derived by using a truncated-Gaussian input distribution. Numerical evaluation shows that this capacity lower bound is nearly tight at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), while it is shown analytically that the gap to capacity upper bounds is a small constant at high SNR. In particular, the gap to the high-SNR asymptotic capacity of the channel under either a peak or an average constraint is small. This leads to a simple approximation of the high SNR capacity. Additionally, a new capacity upper bound is derived using sphere-packing arguments. This bound is tight at high SNR for a channel with a dominant peak constraint.

Voluntary Running Aids to Maintain High Body Temperature in Rats Bred for High Aerobic Capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Karvinen, Sira M.; Silvennoinen, Mika; Ma, Hongqiang; Törmäkangas, Timo; Rantalainen, Timo; Rinnankoski-Tuikka, Rita; Lensu, Sanna; Koch, Lauren G.; Britton, Steven L.; Kainulainen, Heikki

2016-01-01

The production of heat, i.e., thermogenesis, is a significant component of the metabolic rate, which in turn affects weight gain and health. Thermogenesis is linked to physical activity (PA) level. However, it is not known whether intrinsic exercise capacity, aging, and long-term voluntary running affect core body temperature. Here we use rat models selectively bred to differ in maximal treadmill endurance running capacity (Low capacity runners, LCR and High capacity Runners, HCR), that as adults are divergent for aerobic exercise capacity, aging, and metabolic disease risk to study the connection between PA and body temperature. Ten high capacity runner (HCR) and ten low capacity runner (LCR) female rats were studied between 9 and 21 months of age. Rectal body temperature of HCR and LCR rats was measured before and after 1-year voluntary running/control intervention to explore the effects of aging and PA. Also, we determined whether injected glucose and spontaneous activity affect the body temperature differently between LCR and HCR rats at 9 vs. 21 months of age. HCRs had on average 1.3°C higher body temperature than LCRs (p temperature level of HCRs to similar levels with LCRs. The opportunity to run voluntarily had a significant impact on the body temperature of HCRs (p temperature at a similar level as when at younger age. Compared to LCRs, HCRs were spontaneously more active, had higher relative gastrocnemius muscle mass and higher UCP2, PGC-1α, cyt c, and OXPHOS levels in the skeletal muscle (p temperature of LCRs. However, glucose injection resulted in a lowering of the body temperature of LCRs (p temperature compared to rats born with low exercise capacity and disease risk. Voluntary running allowed HCRs to maintain high body temperature during aging, which suggests that high PA level was crucial in maintaining the high body temperature of HCRs. PMID:27504097

Ultrasmall SnO2 Nanocrystals: Hot-bubbling Synthesis, Encapsulation in Carbon Layers and Applications in High Capacity Li-Ion Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Liping; He, Shulian; Miao, Shiding; Jorgensen, Matthew R.; Leubner, Susanne; Yan, Chenglin; Hickey, Stephen G.; Eychmüller, Alexander; Xu, Jinzhang; Schmidt, Oliver G.

2014-04-01

Ultrasmall SnO2 nanocrystals as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been synthesized by bubbling an oxidizing gas into hot surfactant solutions containing Sn-oleate complexes. Annealing of the particles in N2 carbonifies the densely packed surface capping ligands resulting in carbon encapsulated SnO2 nanoparticles (SnO2/C). Carbon encapsulation can effectively buffer the volume changes during the lithiation/delithiation process. The assembled SnO2/C thus deliver extraordinarily high reversible capacity of 908 mA.h.g-1 at 0.5 C as well as excellent cycling performance in the LIBs. This method demonstrates the great potential of SnO2/C nanoparticles for the design of high power LIBs.

Principles and organizational values: the question of training and the excel-lence of the hotel services. A case study in the JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro

OpenAIRE

Rodrigo Amado Santos; Lidiane Pigatti Silva

2015-01-01

Human capital should be seen as one of the most valuable assets to hotel businesses that aim for offering excellence, hospitality, efficiency and helpfulness to their business segment. In this sense, this paper has as main objective the exposure of principles and values that support the logic of workers’ capacity and training process in hotel ambience, seen here as a fundamental precept to structure a service and a treatment based on excellence values. Exposed it, this academic research has i...

From Metal-Organic Framework to Li2S@C-Co-N Nanoporous Architecture: A High-Capacity Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jiarui; Chen, Yuanfu; Lv, Weiqiang; Wen, Kechun; Xu, Chen; Zhang, Wanli; Li, Yanrong; Qin, Wu; He, Weidong

2016-12-27

Owing to the high theoretical specific capacity (1166 mAh g -1 ), lithium sulfide (Li 2 S) has been considered as a promising cathode material for Li-S batteries. However, the polysulfide dissolution and low electronic conductivity of Li 2 S limit its further application in next-generation Li-S batteries. In this report, a nanoporous Li 2 S@C-Co-N cathode is synthesized by liquid infiltration-evaporation of ultrafine Li 2 S nanoparticles into graphitic carbon co-doped with cobalt and nitrogen (C-Co-N) derived from metal-organic frameworks. The obtained Li 2 S@C-Co-N architecture remarkably immobilizes Li 2 S within the cathode structure through physical and chemical molecular interactions. Owing to the synergistic interactions between C-Co-N and Li 2 S nanoparticles, the Li 2 S@C-Co-N composite delivers a reversible capacity of 1155.3 (99.1% of theoretical value) at the initial cycle and 929.6 mAh g -1 after 300 cycles, with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency and a capacity fading of 0.06% per cycle. It exhibits excellent rate capacities of 950.6, 898.8, and 604.1 mAh g -1 at 1C, 2C, and 4C, respectively. Such a cathode structure is promising for practical applications in high-performance Li-S batteries.

High-capacity FeTiO3/C negative electrode for sodium-ion batteries with ultralong cycle life

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Changsheng; Nohira, Toshiyuki; Hagiwara, Rika

2018-06-01

The development of electrode materials which improve both the energy density and cycle life is one of the most challenging issues facing the practical application of sodium-ion batteries today. In this work, FeTiO3/C nanoparticles are synthesized as negative electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance and charge-discharge mechanism of the FeTiO3/C negative electrode are investigated in an ionic liquid electrolyte at 90 °C. The FeTiO3/C negative electrode delivers a high reversible capacity of 403 mAh g-1 at a current rate of 10 mA g-1, and exhibits high rate capability and excellent cycling stability for up to 2000 cycles. The results indicate that FeTiO3/C is a promising negative electrode material for sodium-ion batteries.

Ultrasmall SnO₂ nanocrystals: hot-bubbling synthesis, encapsulation in carbon layers and applications in high capacity Li-ion storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Liping; He, Shulian; Miao, Shiding; Jorgensen, Matthew R; Leubner, Susanne; Yan, Chenglin; Hickey, Stephen G; Eychmüller, Alexander; Xu, Jinzhang; Schmidt, Oliver G

2014-04-15

Ultrasmall SnO2 nanocrystals as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been synthesized by bubbling an oxidizing gas into hot surfactant solutions containing Sn-oleate complexes. Annealing of the particles in N2 carbonifies the densely packed surface capping ligands resulting in carbon encapsulated SnO2 nanoparticles (SnO2/C). Carbon encapsulation can effectively buffer the volume changes during the lithiation/delithiation process. The assembled SnO2/C thus deliver extraordinarily high reversible capacity of 908 mA·h·g(-1) at 0.5 C as well as excellent cycling performance in the LIBs. This method demonstrates the great potential of SnO2/C nanoparticles for the design of high power LIBs.

Excel 2016 in applied statistics for high school students a guide to solving practical problems

CERN Document Server

Quirk, Thomas J

2018-01-01

This textbook is a step-by-step guide for high school, community college, or undergraduate students who are taking a course in applied statistics and wish to learn how to use Excel to solve statistical problems. All of the statistics problems in this book will come from the following fields of study: business, education, psychology, marketing, engineering and advertising. Students will learn how to perform key statistical tests in Excel without being overwhelmed by statistical theory. Each chapter briefly explains a topic and then demonstrates how to use Excel commands and formulas to solve specific statistics problems. This book gives practice in using Excel in two different ways: (1) writing formulas (e.g., confidence interval about the mean, one-group t-test, two-group t-test, correlation) and (2) using Excel’s drop-down formula menus (e.g., simple linear regression, multiple correlations and multiple regression, and one-way ANOVA). Three practice problems are provided at the end of each chapter, along w...

On the High Altitude Platform (HAP W-CDMA System Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. de Haro-Ariet

2004-06-01

Full Text Available The performance of a downlink power control model, based on a n-thpower distance law, is evaluated for high altitude platform station(HAPS W-CDMA systems. The downlink capacity using this model iscompared with the uplink capacity. It is shown that the uplink capacityis higher than the downlink capacity.

Samuel P. Massie Chair of Excellence Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, James H. [Howard Univ., Washington, DC (United States)

2014-12-01

Abstract In 1994 the Department of Energy established the DOE Chair of Excellence Professorship in Environmental Disciplines Program. In 2004, the Massie Chair of Excellence Professor at Howard University transitioned from Dr. Edward Martin to Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr. At the time of his appointment Dr. Johnson served as professor of civil engineering and Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences. Program activities under Dr. Johnson were in the following areas: • Increase the institution’s capacity to conduct scientific research and technical investigations at the cutting-edge. • Promote interactions, collaborations and partnerships between the private sector, Federal agencies, majority research institutes and other HBCUs. • Assist other HBCUs in reaching parity in engineering and related fields. • Mentor young investigators and be a role model for students.

Discussion on 'Centres of excellence' in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riad, S.

1999-01-01

In Africa, Centres of Excellence should be oriented to build up scientific and technological capacity in the four topics of international Monitoring System related technologies, namely, seismic monitoring, hydro acoustic monitoring, infrasound monitoring and radionuclides monitoring. Training programs on these topics should be a major objective. A network of such centres should be established in a number of African countries. Centres should be equipped with means and materials for on-line course dispatch to interested training centres or research institutions. African centres should develop strong relationship among themselves through information and data exchange and sharing, harmonization of training programs. National data centres may be established as a component of the African Centre of Excellence. States Signatories may authorize the establishment of a specific fund to support the activities of the African center

Ballistic resistance capacity of carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mylvaganam, Kausala; Zhang, L C

2007-01-01

Carbon nanotubes have high strength, light weight and excellent energy absorption capacity and therefore have great potential applications in making antiballistic materials. By examining the ballistic impact and bouncing-back processes on carbon nanotubes, this investigation shows that nanotubes with large radii withstand higher bullet speeds and the ballistic resistance is the highest when the bullet hits the centre of the CNT; the ballistic resistance of CNTs will remain the same on subsequent bullet strikes if the impact is after a small time interval

Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regional Centres of Excellence Initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bril, L.V.

2013-01-01

This series of slides presents the initiative launched in May 2010 by the European Union to develop at national and regional levels the necessary institutional capacity to fight against the CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) risk. The origin of the risk can be: -) criminal (proliferation, theft, sabotage and illicit traffics), -) accidental (industrial catastrophes, transport accidents...) and -) natural (mainly pandemics). The initiative consists in the creation of Centres of Excellence for providing assistance and cooperation in the field of CBRN risk and the creation of experts networks for sharing best practices, reviewing laws and regulation, developing technical capacities in order to mitigate the CBRN risk. The initiative is complementary to the instrument for nuclear safety cooperation. Regional Centres of Excellence are being set up in 6 regions: South East Europe, South East Asia, North Africa, West Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia covering nearly 40 countries. A global budget of 100 million Euros will be dedicated to this initiative for the 2009-2013 period. (A.C.)

High-Capacity and Ultrafast Na-Ion Storage of a Self-Supported 3D Porous Antimony Persulfide-Graphene Foam Architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yanying; Zhang, Ning; Jiang, Shuang; Zhang, Yudong; Zhou, Meng; Tao, Zhanliang; Archer, Lynden A; Chen, Jun

2017-06-14

The key challenge for high-performance sodium-ion batteries is the exploitation of appropriate electrode materials with a long cycling stability and high rate capability. Here, we report Sb 2 S 5 nanoparticles (∼5 nm) uniformly encapsulated in three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene foam, which were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal coassembly strategy, as a high-performance anode material for sodium-ion batteries. The as-prepared composite can be directly used as electrodes without adding a binder or current collector, exhibiting outstanding electrochemical performance with a high reversible capacity (845 mA h g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ), ultralong cycling life (91.6% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 0.2 A g -1 ), and exceptional rate capability (525 mA h g -1 at 10.0 A g -1 ). This is attributed to fast Na + ion diffusion from the ultrasmall nanoparticles and excellent electric transport between the active material and 3D porous graphene, which also provide an effective strategy for anchoring the nanoparticles. Experimental results show that the Sb 2 S 5 undergoes a reversible reaction of Sb 2 S 5 + 16Na ↔ 5Na 2 S + 2Na 3 Sb during sodiation/desodiation. Moreover, a full cell with Na 3 (VO 0.5 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 F 2 /C cathode and the as-prepared composite anode was assembled, displaying high output voltage (∼2.2 V) with a stable capacity of 828 mA h g -1 for anode material (with 100 cycles at 0.1 A g -1 ), showing the potential for practical application.

Does visual short-term memory have a high-capacity stage?

Science.gov (United States)

Matsukura, Michi; Hollingworth, Andrew

2011-12-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) has long been considered a durable, limited-capacity system for the brief retention of visual information. However, a recent work by Sligte et al. (Plos One 3:e1699, 2008) reported that, relatively early after the removal of a memory array, a cue allowed participants to access a fragile, high-capacity stage of VSTM that is distinct from iconic memory. In the present study, we examined whether this stage division is warranted by attempting to corroborate the existence of an early, high-capacity form of VSTM. The results of four experiments did not support Sligte et al.'s claim, since we did not obtain evidence for VSTM retention that exceeded traditional estimates of capacity. However, performance approaching that observed in Sligte et al. can be achieved through extensive practice, providing a clear explanation for their findings. Our evidence favors the standard view of VSTM as a limited-capacity system that maintains a few object representations in a relatively durable form.

Developing Leadership Capacity in Others: An Examination of High School Principals' Personal Capacities for Fostering Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Huggins, Kristin Shawn; Klar, Hans W.; Hammonds, Hattie L.; Buskey, Frederick C.

2017-01-01

In this multisite case study, we examine the personal capacities of six high school principals who have developed the leadership capacities of other leaders in their respective schools. Participants were purposefully selected by two teams of researchers in two states of the United States, one on the east coast and one on the west coast, who…

OTDM Networking for Short Range High-Capacity Highly Dynamic Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Medhin, Ashenafi Kiros

This PhD thesis aims at investigating the possibility of designing energy-efficient high-capacity (up to Tbit/s) optical network scenarios, leveraging on the effect of collective switching of many bits simultaneously, as is inherent in high bit rate serial optical data signals. The focus...... is on short range highly dynamic networks, catering to data center needs. The investigation concerns optical network scenarios, and experimental implementations of high bit rate serial data packet generation and reception, scalable optical packet labeling, simple optical label extraction and stable ultra...

An excellent performance anode of ZnFe2O4/flake graphite composite for lithium ion battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Lingmin; Hou, Xianhua; Hu, Shejun; Tang, Xiaoqin; Liu, Xiang; Ru, Qiang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • ZnFe 2 O 4 /flake graphite composite was synthesized by hydrothermal method. • The ZnFe 2 O 4 /flake graphite anode demonstrated high initial coulombic efficiency of 87.7%. • The initial discharge /charge capacity was 848 mA h g −1 and 744 mA h g −1 . • The high capacity retention of 98% was obtained for the ZnFe 2 O 4 /flake graphite anode. -- Abstract: An approach of hydrothermal reaction for lithium ion battery was adopted, by which ZnFe 2 O 4 /flake graphite composites with excellent performance could be prepared as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. With nano-sized ZnFe 2 O 4 particles coating on the electrochemical active matrix of flake graphite, the special composites allowed improved electronic conductivity and constructed an expressway for the transport of charges and lithium ions. Thus the ZnFe 2 O 4 /flake graphite anode became a compromise between capacity and cycle ability. The initial discharge–charge capacity was 848 mA h g −1 and 744 mA h g −1 at a constant current density of 100 mA g −1 , respectively. As high as 87.7% of the initial coulombic efficiency was obtained. Additionally, the charge capacity maintained constantly in the range of 720–735 mA h g −1 in following cycles. And a high reversible charge capacity of 730 mA h g −1 could be attained after 100 cycles, with the reversible capacity retention of 98%

Ultrasmall SnO2 Nanocrystals: Hot-bubbling Synthesis, Encapsulation in Carbon Layers and Applications in High Capacity Li-Ion Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Liping; He, Shulian; Miao, Shiding; Jorgensen, Matthew R.; Leubner, Susanne; Yan, Chenglin; Hickey, Stephen G.; Eychmüller, Alexander; Xu, Jinzhang; Schmidt, Oliver G.

2014-01-01

Ultrasmall SnO2 nanocrystals as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been synthesized by bubbling an oxidizing gas into hot surfactant solutions containing Sn-oleate complexes. Annealing of the particles in N2 carbonifies the densely packed surface capping ligands resulting in carbon encapsulated SnO2 nanoparticles (SnO2/C). Carbon encapsulation can effectively buffer the volume changes during the lithiation/delithiation process. The assembled SnO2/C thus deliver extraordinarily high reversible capacity of 908 mA·h·g−1 at 0.5 C as well as excellent cycling performance in the LIBs. This method demonstrates the great potential of SnO2/C nanoparticles for the design of high power LIBs. PMID:24732294

CoFe2O4@MIL-100(Fe) hybrid magnetic nanoparticles exhibit fast and selective adsorption of arsenic with high adsorption capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ji-Chun; Yin, Xue-Bo

2017-01-01

In this study, we report the synthesis and application of mesoporous CoFe2O4@MIL-100(Fe) hybrid magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the simultaneous removal of inorganic arsenic (iAs). The hybrid adsorbent had a core-shell and mesoporous structure with an average diameter of 260 nm. The nanoscale size and mesoporous character impart a fast adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity for iAs. In total, 0.1 mg L−1 As(V) and As(III) could be adsorbed within 2 min, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 114.8 mg g−1 for As(V) and 143.6 mg g−1 for As(III), higher than most previously reported adsorbents. The anti-interference capacity for iAs adsorption was improved by the electrostatic repulsion and size exclusion effects of the MIL-100(Fe) shell, which also decreased the zero-charge point of the hybrid absorbent for a broad pH adsorption range. The adsorption mechanisms of iAs on the MNPs are proposed. An Fe-O-As structure was formed on CoFe2O4@MIL-100(Fe) through hydroxyl substitution with the deprotonated iAs species. Monolayer adsorption of As(V) was observed, while hydrogen bonding led to the multi-layer adsorption of neutral As(III) for its high adsorption capacity. The high efficiency and the excellent pH- and interference-tolerance capacities of CoFe2O4@MIL-100(Fe) allowed effective iAs removal from natural water samples, as validated with batch magnetic separation mode and a portable filtration strategy. PMID:28102334

The Susquehanna plant lifetime excellence program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNamara, R.W.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses how the Susquehanna plant lifetime excellence program (SPLEX) blends many of the objectives of a new managing for excellence program with plant life extension objectives to achieve excellence in the lifetime operation and availability of the two-unit Susquehanna steam electric station. Investments in lifetime excellence improvements will provide near-term, as well as plant life extension, benefits. A high-quality lifetime experience record, together with extensive, periodic technical assessments and cost-benefit analyses, will provide conclusive justification for future extensions of the unit operating licenses

Reversible anionic redox chemistry in high-capacity layered-oxide electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Sathiya, M.; Rousse, G.; Ramesha, K.; Laisa, C. P.; Vezin, H.; Sougrati, M. T.; Doublet, M.-L.; Foix, D.; Gonbeau, D.; Walker, W.; Prakash, A. S.; Ben Hassine, M.; Dupont, L.; Tarascon, J.-M.

2013-09-01

Li-ion batteries have contributed to the commercial success of portable electronics and may soon dominate the electric transportation market provided that major scientific advances including new materials and concepts are developed. Classical positive electrodes for Li-ion technology operate mainly through an insertion-deinsertion redox process involving cationic species. However, this mechanism is insufficient to account for the high capacities exhibited by the new generation of Li-rich (Li1+xNiyCozMn(1-x-y-z)O2) layered oxides that present unusual Li reactivity. In an attempt to overcome both the inherent composition and the structural complexity of this class of oxides, we have designed structurally related Li2Ru1-ySnyO3 materials that have a single redox cation and exhibit sustainable reversible capacities as high as 230 mA h g-1. Moreover, they present good cycling behaviour with no signs of voltage decay and a small irreversible capacity. We also unambiguously show, on the basis of an arsenal of characterization techniques, that the reactivity of these high-capacity materials towards Li entails cumulative cationic (Mn+→M(n+1)+) and anionic (O2-→O22-) reversible redox processes, owing to the d-sp hybridization associated with a reductive coupling mechanism. Because Li2MO3 is a large family of compounds, this study opens the door to the exploration of a vast number of high-capacity materials.

Binders and Hosts for High-Capacity Lithium-ion Battery Anodes

Science.gov (United States)

Dufficy, Martin Kyle

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are universal electrochemical energy storage devices that have revolutionized our mobile society. Nonetheless, societal and technological advances drive consumer demand for LIBs with enhanced electrochemical performance, such as higher charge capacity and longer life, compared to conventional LIBs. One method to enhance LIB performance is to replace graphite, the industry standard anode since commercialization of LIBs in 1991, with high-charge capacity materials. Implementing high-capacity anode materials such as tin, silicon, and manganese vanadates, to LIBs presents challenges; Li-insertion is destructive to anode framework, and increasing capacity increases structural strains that pulverize anode materials and results in a short-cycle life. This thesis reports on various methods to extended the cycle life of high-capacity materials. Most of the work is conducted on nano-sized anode materials to reduce Li and electron transport pathway length (facilitating charge-transfer) and reduce strains from volume expansions (preserving anode structure). The first method involves encapsulating tin particles into a graphene-containing carbon nanofiber (CNF) matrix. The composite-CNF matrix houses tin particles to assume strains from tin-volume expansions and produces favorable surface-electrolyte chemistries for stable charge-discharge cycling. Before tin addition, graphene-containing CNFs are produced and assessed as anode materials for LIBs. Graphene addition to CNFs improves electronic and mechanical properties of CNFs. Furthermore, the 2-D nature of graphene provides Li-binding sites to enhance composite-CNF both first-cycle and high-rate capacities > 150% when compared to CNFs in the absence of graphene. With addition of Sn, we vary loadings and thermal production temperature to elucidate structure-composition relationships of tin and graphene-containing CNF electrodes that lead to increased capacity retention. Of note, electrodes containing

Capacity Decline and Characteristics Changes of Lithium-ion Cells with Large Capacity during Trickle Charge at High Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Matsushima, Toshio

Large-scale 40-Ah Li-ion cells have been developed for use in industrial applications. To contribute to techniques for ascertaining the state of these cells and detecting deterioration during actual use, we produce a cell whose capacity is reduced by trickle charging at high temperature, and we determine the relationship between the cell's properties such as its capacity and charging/discharging characteristics when the capacity is reduced. When the capacity of a Li-ion cell is reduced, the discharge voltage also decreases. We show that the residual capacity is well correlated to the discharge voltage and to the duration of continuous discharge before reaching a fixed end-voltage. We also show that the constant-current constant-voltage charging characteristics are maintained even when the capacity is degraded, and that the constant-current charging time and discharge voltage are closely related to the residual capacity. We confirm that the reaction coefficient of the capacity degradation formula can be calculated from the capacity change characteristics at multiple temperatures, and that an 8°C change in temperature causes the lifetime to decrease by half.

Excellence in High-Performing Public Schools in Chile: Students' Perceptions and Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Quaresma, Maria Luísa

2017-01-01

In this article, I aim to analyze the perceptions regarding excellence shared by students of high-performing public schools in Santiago de Chile and simultaneously to reflect on the way in which they experience it, inside and outside of school. Through the analysis of 24 focus groups conducted in six schools, I conclude that students share…

International examples of excellence in nuclear power plant performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, K.F.

1988-01-01

The author's organization has been engaged in a study comparing the performance of light water reactors in six nations with major commitments to nuclear power. The countries involved include the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. They have collected data on every LWR larger than 300 MWe for the ten year interval 1975-1984. The data was collected in a very detailed form including capacity losses due to scheduled events, forced outages, and regulatory outages. The author represents information about specific examples of excellent performance and presents some plausible lessons for general usage. The author proposes several ideas for the United States that might contribute toward excellence here

Completion of a high efficiency ultralarge capacity three-phase transformer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maejima, Masaaki; Maruyama, Katsuya; Fukuda, Teruo.

1986-01-01

As for the boosting transformers for thermal and nuclear power stations, at present the ultralarge capacity transformers of 1000 - 1200 MVA class are the main, and particularly in nuclear power, accompanying the development of improved type BWRs and the rise of system stability, there is the tendency toward further large capacity and large size. Consequently, reflecting the recent rise of energy cost, the demand of energy conservation and the reduction of required sites heightened largely as well as the high reliability. In order to meet these demands, Hitachi Ltd. has established the technology of changing to iron machines such as ultralarge iron cores and ultralarge capacity undivided disk windings using the latest design and manufacture techniques were applied to the 525 kV, 1200 MVA transformer for No.4 plant in Fukushima No.2 Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., thus a three-phase transformer of the highest level, high efficiency and ultralarge capacity was completed. In this paper, the outline of this transformer and the test for verifying its reliability are described. The technical change of large capacity three-phase transformers, the specifications, construction, manufacture, reliability test and the effect of modification of this transformer, and the expansion of application to the next generation ultralarge capacity transformers are reported. (Kako, I.)

β-Cobalt sulfide nanoparticles decorated graphene composite electrodes for high capacity and power supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Baihua; Chen, Yuejiao; Zhang, Ming; Hu, Lingling; Lei, Danni; Lu, Bingan; Li, Qiuhong; Wang, Yanguo; Chen, Libao; Wang, Taihong

2012-11-01

Electrochemical supercapacitors have drawn much attention because of their high power and reasonably high energy densities. However, their performances still do not reach the demand of energy storage. In this paper β-cobalt sulfide nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed on a highly conductive graphene (CS-G) nanocomposite, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis, and exhibit excellent electrochemical performances including extremely high values of specific capacitance (~1535 F g-1) at a current density of 2 A g-1, high-power density (11.98 kW kg-1) at a discharge current density of 40 A g-1 and excellent cyclic stability. The excellent electrochemical performances could be attributed to the graphene nanosheets (GNSs) which could maintain the mechanical integrity. Also the CS-G nanocomposite electrodes have high electrical conductivity. These results indicate that high electronic conductivity of graphene nanocomposite materials is crucial to achieving high power and energy density for supercapacitors.

β-Cobalt sulfide nanoparticles decorated graphene composite electrodes for high capacity and power supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Baihua; Chen, Yuejiao; Zhang, Ming; Hu, Lingling; Lei, Danni; Lu, Bingan; Li, Qiuhong; Wang, Yanguo; Chen, Libao; Wang, Taihong

2012-12-21

Electrochemical supercapacitors have drawn much attention because of their high power and reasonably high energy densities. However, their performances still do not reach the demand of energy storage. In this paper β-cobalt sulfide nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed on a highly conductive graphene (CS-G) nanocomposite, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis, and exhibit excellent electrochemical performances including extremely high values of specific capacitance (~1535 F g(-1)) at a current density of 2 A g(-1), high-power density (11.98 kW kg(-1)) at a discharge current density of 40 A g(-1) and excellent cyclic stability. The excellent electrochemical performances could be attributed to the graphene nanosheets (GNSs) which could maintain the mechanical integrity. Also the CS-G nanocomposite electrodes have high electrical conductivity. These results indicate that high electronic conductivity of graphene nanocomposite materials is crucial to achieving high power and energy density for supercapacitors.

Colloidal silica films for high-capacity DNA arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Glazer, Marc Irving

The human genome project has greatly expanded the amount of genetic information available to researchers, but before this vast new source of data can be fully utilized, techniques for rapid, large-scale analysis of DNA and RNA must continue to develop. DNA arrays have emerged as a powerful new technology for analyzing genomic samples in a highly parallel format. The detection sensitivity of these arrays is dependent on the quantity and density of immobilized probe molecules. We have investigated substrates with a porous, "three-dimensional" surface layer as a means of increasing the surface area available for the synthesis of oligonucleotide probes, thereby increasing the number of available probes and the amount of detectable bound target. Porous colloidal silica films were created by two techniques. In the first approach, films were deposited by spin-coating silica colloid suspensions onto flat glass substrates, with the pores being formed by the natural voids between the solid particles (typically 23nm pores, 35% porosity). In the second approach, latex particles were co-deposited with the silica and then pyrolyzed, creating films with larger pores (36 nm), higher porosity (65%), and higher surface area. For 0.3 mum films, enhancements of eight to ten-fold and 12- to 14-fold were achieved with the pure silica films and the films "templated" with polymer latex, respectively. In gene expression assays for up to 7,000 genes using complex biological samples, the high-capacity films provided enhanced signals and performed equivalently or better than planar glass on all other functional measures, confirming that colloidal silica films are a promising platform for high-capacity DNA arrays. We have also investigated the kinetics of hybridization on planar glass and high-capacity substrates. Adsorption on planar arrays is similar to ideal Langmuir-type adsorption, although with an "overshoot" at high solution concentration. Hybridization on high-capacity films is

ACTIVATED SLUDGE DESIGN ON MS.EXCEL 8.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Köksal SARICAOĞLU

2000-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the planing of the Activated Sludge Method used on Environmental Engineering, was done by MS Excel 8.0, which very commonly used for spread sheet design. The program contained five sections. They are; the "DATA" section to enter the available data for calculations, the "RESULTS" section to show the outcomes of calculations, the "DETERMINATION of DIMENSIONS" section to determine the dimensions of the reactor, the "CALCULATION of AIR DIFFUSER" section to calculate the dimensions and capacity of air diffuser and the "EVALUATION" section to evaluate the results of calculations according to the criteria. The aim of this study was, to demonstrate that every engineer ca do easily needed programs related to her or his field using Excel's functions although can not know about any program language.

Optimized synthesis of nano-sized LiFePO4/C particles with excellent rate capability for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Houbin; Miao, Cui; Meng, Yan; He, Yan-Bing; Xu, Qiang; Zhang, Xinhe; Tang, Zhiyuan

2014-01-01

Olivine-type LiFePO 4 /C composite with excellent rate capability and cycling stability is synthesized by an optimized ethylene glycol assisted solution-phase method. In an attempt to improve the electrochemical performance, the size of LiFePO 4 /C particle is reduced by optimizing the reaction time and temperature. The results show that the LiFePO 4 /C synthesized at 130 °C for 5 h consists of well-distributed nano-particles of size about 50 nm in diameter and 100 nm in length, which is uniformly coated with a carbon layer about 3.0 nm in thickness. The material synthesized at 130 °C exhibits the least charge-transfer resistance than the LiFePO 4 /C synthesized at 120 and 140 °C. The specific capacity of optimized LiFePO 4 /C at discharge rate of 0.1 C can reach to 166.5 mAhg −1 , nearly to the theoretical capacity. Even at high rate of 5, 10, 20 and 30 C, the specific capacities of 132.3, 120.4, 97.3 and 66.6 mAhg −1 are achieved, respectively, with no significant capacity fading after 100 cycles. This is a promising method used in industrialization to synthesize LiFePO 4 /C composite with excellent performance

Reassembling and testing of a high-precision heat capacity drop calorimeter. Heat capacity of some polyphenyls at T = 298.15 K

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Luis M.N.B.F., E-mail: lbsantos@fc.up.pt [Centro de Investigacao em Quimica, Departamento de Quimica e Bioquimica, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Rocha, Marisa A.A.; Rodrigues, Ana S.M.C. [Centro de Investigacao em Quimica, Departamento de Quimica e Bioquimica, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Stejfa, Vojtech; Fulem, Michal [Department of Physical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology, Technicka 5, CZ-166 28 Prague 6 (Czech Republic); Bastos, Margarida [Centro de Investigacao em Quimica, Departamento de Quimica e Bioquimica, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal)

2011-12-15

Graphical abstract: Highlights: > We present the reassembling, improvement and testing of a high-precision C{sub p} drop calorimeter. > The apparatus was tested, using benzoic acid and hexafluorobenzene. > The high sensitivity of the apparatus is comparable to the one obtained in adiabatic calorimetry. > Heat capacities at T = 298.15 K of some polyphenyls were measured. > Subtle heat capacity differences among position isomers (ortho, meta, para) were detected. - Abstract: The description of the reassembling and testing of a twin heat conduction, high-precision, drop microcalorimeter for the measurement of heat capacities of small samples are presented. The apparatus, originally developed and used at the Thermochemistry Laboratory, Lund, Sweden, has now been reassembled and modernized, with changes being made as regarding temperature sensors, electronics and data acquisition system. The apparatus was thereafter thoroughly tested, using benzoic acid and hexafluorobenzene as test substances. The accuracy of the C{sub p,m}{sup 0} (298.15 K) data obtained with this apparatus is comparable to that achieved by high-precision adiabatic calorimetry. Here we also present the results of heat capacity measurements on of some polyphenyls (1,2,3-triphenylbenzene, 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene, p-terphenyl, m-terphenyl, o-terphenyl, p-quaterphenyl) at T = 298.15 K, measured with the renewed high precision heat capacity drop calorimeter system. The high resolution and accuracy of the obtained heat capacity data enabled differentiation among the ortho-, meta-, and para-phenyl isomers.

Bulk antimony sulfide with excellent cycle stability as next-generation anode for lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Denis Y. W.; Hoster, Harry E.; Batabyal, Sudip K.

2014-01-01

Nanomaterials as anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have gained widespread interest in the research community. However, scaling up and processibility are bottlenecks to further commercialization of these materials. Here, we report that bulk antimony sulfide with a size of 10–20 μm exhibits a high capacity and stable cycling of 800 mAh g−1. Mechanical and chemical stabilities of the electrodes are ensured by an optimal electrode-electrolyte system design, with a polyimide-based binder together with fluoroethylene carbonate in the electrolyte. The polyimide binder accommodates the volume expansion during alloying process and fluoroethylene carbonate suppresses the increase in charge transfer resistance of the electrodes. We observed that particle size is not a major factor affecting the charge-discharge capacities, rate capability and stability of the material. Despite the large particle size, bulk antimony sulfide shows excellent rate performance with a capacity of 580 mAh g−1 at a rate of 2000 mA g−1. PMID:24691396

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Wrapped FeS2 Composite as Anode for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qinghong; Guo, Can; Zhu, Yuxuan; He, Jiapeng; Wang, Hongqiang

2018-06-01

Iron disulfide is considered to be a potential anode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity. However, its applications are seriously limited by the weak conductivity and large volume change, which results in low reversible capacity and poor cycling stability. Herein, reduced graphene oxide-wrapped FeS2 (FeS2/rGO) composite was fabricated to achieve excellent electrochemical performance via a facile two-step method. The introduction of rGO effectively improved the conductivity, BET surface area, and structural stability of the FeS2 active material, thus endowing it with high specific capacity, good rate capability, as well as excellent cycling stability. Electrochemical measurements show that the FeS2/rGO composite had a high initial discharge capacity of 1263.2 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 and a high discharge capacity of 344 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1, demonstrating superior rate performance. After 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1, the discharge capacity remained at 609.5 mAh g-1, indicating the excellent cycling stability of the FeS2/rGO electrode.

Creating Realistic 3D Graphics with Excel at High School--Vector Algebra in Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Benacka, Jan

2015-01-01

The article presents the results of an experiment in which Excel applications that depict rotatable and sizable orthographic projection of simple 3D figures with face overlapping were developed with thirty gymnasium (high school) students of age 17-19 as an introduction to 3D computer graphics. A questionnaire survey was conducted to find out…

Free-space optical communications with peak and average constraints: High SNR capacity approximation

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas; Morvan, Jean-Marie; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2015-01-01

. Numerical evaluation shows that this capacity lower bound is nearly tight at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), while it is shown analytically that the gap to capacity upper bounds is a small constant at high SNR. In particular, the gap to the high

Manganese Sesquioxide as Cathode Material for Multivalent Zinc Ion Battery with High Capacity and Long Cycle Life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Baozheng; Xu, Chengjun; Wu, Changle; Dong, Liubing; Li, Jia; Kang, Feiyu

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Manganese oxides with Mn(III) state is firstly reported to store zinc ion. • Zinc ion battery with α-Mn 2 O 3 cathode is assembled. • Storage mechanism of zinc ion in α-Mn 2 O 3 is investigated. - Abstract: Rechargeable zinc ion battery is considered as one of the most potential energy storage devices for large-scale energy storage system due to its safety, low-cost, high capacity and nontoxicity. However, only a few cathode materials have been studied for rechargeable zinc ion batteries. Here, we firstly report manganese sesquioxide (Mn 2 O 3 ) with Mn(III) state as cathode material for rechargeable zinc ion battery. The α-Mn 2 O 3 cathode displays a reversible capacity of 148 mAh g −1 , which is relatively high among all the reported cathode materials for ZIB. The cathode also exhibits good rate capability and excellent cycling stability with a long cycle life up to 2000 times. The ion storage mechanism of α-Mn 2 O 3 in zinc ion battery was also revealed. The pristine α-Mn 2 O 3 undergoes a reversible phase transition from bixbyite structure to layered-type zinc birnessite during the electrochemical zinc ion insertion and extraction. The results not only benefit for the practical application of rechargeable zinc ion battery, but also broaden the horizons of understanding the electrochemical behavior and mechanism of rechargeable zinc ion batteries.

Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

OpenAIRE

Bai, Yuanyuan; Chen, Baohong; Xiang, Feng; Zhou, Jinxiong; Wang, Hong; Suo, Zhigang

2014-01-01

Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chlorid...

High-capacity composite adsorbents for nucleic acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiainen, Peter; Rokebul Anower, M; Larsson, Per-Olof

2011-08-05

Cytopore™ is a bead-shaped, macroporous and easily compressible cellulose-based anion-exchange material intended for cultivation of anchor-dependent animal cells. Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) is a strong, non-compressible, high voidage (97%) matrix material that can be cut to desired geometrical shapes. Cytopore and RVC were combined to cylindrical composites (25 mm × 10 mm) fitted inside chromatography columns. The composite combined the advantageous properties of both its constituents, making it suitable for column chromatography. The composite could withstand very high flow rates without compaction of the bed (>25 column volumes/min; 4000 cm h(-1)). Chromatography runs with tracers showed a low HETP value (0.3mm), suggesting that pore flow was in operation. The dynamic binding capacities (10% breakthrough) per gram of dry weight Cytopore were determined for several compounds including DNA and RNA and were found to be 240-370 mg/g. The composite was used to isolate pUC 18-type plasmids from a cleared alkaline lysate in a good yield. Confocal microscopy studies showed that plasmids were bound not only to the surface of the Cytopore material but also within the matrix walls, thus offering an explanation to the very high binding capacities observed. The concept of using a composite prepared from a mechanically weak, high-binding material and a strong scaffold material may be applied to other systems as well. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Amine-tethered solid adsorbents coupling high adsorption capacity and regenerability for CO2 capture from ambient air.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sunho; Gray, McMahan L; Jones, Christopher W

2011-05-23

Silica supported poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) materials are prepared via impregnation and demonstrated to be promising adsorbents for CO(2) capture from ultra-dilute gas streams such as ambient air. A prototypical class 1 adsorbent, containing 45 wt% PEI (PEI/silica), and two new modified PEI-based aminosilica adsorbents, derived from PEI modified with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (A-PEI/silica) or tetraethyl orthotitanate (T-PEI/silica), are prepared and characterized by using thermogravimetric analysis and FTIR spectroscopy. The modifiers are shown to enhance the thermal stability of the polymer-oxide composites, leading to higher PEI decomposition temperatures. The modified adsorbents present extremely high CO(2) adsorption capacities under conditions simulating ambient air (400 ppm CO(2) in inert gas), exceeding 2 mol(CO (2)) kg(sorbent)(-1), as well as enhanced adsorption kinetics compared to conventional class 1 sorbents. The new adsorbents show excellent stability in cyclic adsorption-desorption operations, even under dry conditions in which aminosilica adsorbents are known to lose capacity due to urea formation. Thus, the adsorbents of this type can be considered promising materials for the direct capture of CO(2) from ultra-dilute gas streams such as ambient air. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultra-high Rates and Reversible Capacity of Li-S Battery with a Nitrogen-doping Conductive Lewis Base Matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Yong; Li, Xi-long; Zheng, Ming-sen; Yang, Mao-ping; Yang, Xu-lai; Dong, Quan-feng

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/rGO) composite was prepared from in-situ hybridization of graphene oxide and pyrrole without additional oxidant. • Nitrogen doped graphene (NG) was obtained from the calcination of the PPy/rGO composite under 1500 °C and was confirmed with abundant pyridinic type nitrogen doping. • NG was employed as a conductive Lewis base matrix of sulfur cathode and the obtained composite cathode exhibited ultra-high rates and reversible capacity. • The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the efficient adsorption of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the pyridinic-N enriched NG surface. - Abstract: To improve the electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries, a conductive Lewis base matrix, nitrogen doped graphene (NG), was prepared here through a facile strategy of annealing a polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide composite. The obtained NG was demonstrated with enriched pyridinic-N doping and was employed as the matrix of sulfur cathode with ultra-high rates, reversible capacity and high coulombic efficiency. The improved performance can be attributed to the high conductivity of the NG and the enhanced adsorption energy of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the NG surface. The NG can act not only as an electronic conductive network but also as a Lewis base “catalyst” matrix that promotes the higher Li 2 S n to be further oxidized completely to S 8 as demonstrated in the cyclic voltammetry curve, which can thus significantly improve the sulfur utilization and cyclic stability even at a high sulfur loading of 75% (w/w) in the S@NG composite.

Heat capacity of iron, aluminum, and chromium vanadates at high temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheshnitskii, S.M.; Fotiev, A.A.; Ignashin, V.P.; Kesler, Y.A.

1985-09-01

The thermodynamic characteristics of compounds participating in the processing of vanadium-containing raw materials have not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper the authors report on measurements of the heat capacities of the compounds FeVO/sub 4/, CrVO/sub 4/, AIVO/sub 4/, Fe/sub 2/V/sub 4/O/sub 13/ and FeCr(VO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ at high temperatures. The obtained experimental data on the high-temperature heat capacity of iron, aluminum, and chromium vanadates makes it possible to calculate the thermodynamic functions of these compounds at high temperatures.

Commercial spices and industrial ingredients: evaluation of antioxidant capacity and flavonoids content for functional foods development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela Roquim Alezandro

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate spices and industrial ingredients for the development of functional foods with high phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity. Basil, bay, chives, onion, oregano, parsley, rosemary, turmeric and powdered industrial ingredients (β-carotene, green tea extract, lutein, lycopene and olive extract had their in vitro antioxidant capacity evaluated by means of the Folin-Ciocalteu reducing capacity and DPPH scavenging ability. Flavonoids identification and quantification were performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC. The results showed that spices presented a large variation in flavonoids content and in vitro antioxidant capacity, according to kind, brand and batches. Oregano had the highest antioxidant capacity and parsley had the highest flavonoid content. The industrial ingredient with the highest antioxidant capacity was green tea extract, which presented a high content of epigalocatechin gallate. Olive extract also showed a high antioxidant activity and it was a good source of chlorogenic acid. This study suggests that oregano, parsley, olive and green tea extract have an excellent potential for the development of functional foods rich in flavonoids as antioxidant, as long as the variability between batches/brands is controlled.

Silicon oxide based high capacity anode materials for lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Haixia; Han, Yongbong; Masarapu, Charan; Anguchamy, Yogesh Kumar; Lopez, Herman A.; Kumar, Sujeet

2017-03-21

Silicon oxide based materials, including composites with various electrical conductive compositions, are formulated into desirable anodes. The anodes can be effectively combined into lithium ion batteries with high capacity cathode materials. In some formulations, supplemental lithium can be used to stabilize cycling as well as to reduce effects of first cycle irreversible capacity loss. Batteries are described with surprisingly good cycling properties with good specific capacities with respect to both cathode active weights and anode active weights.

Peak capacity, peak-capacity production rate, and boiling point resolution for temperature-programmed GC with very high programming rates

Science.gov (United States)

Grall; Leonard; Sacks

2000-02-01

Recent advances in column heating technology have made possible very fast linear temperature programming for high-speed gas chromatography. A fused-silica capillary column is contained in a tubular metal jacket, which is resistively heated by a precision power supply. With very rapid column heating, the rate of peak-capacity production is significantly enhanced, but the total peak capacity and the boiling-point resolution (minimum boiling-point difference required for the separation of two nonpolar compounds on a nonpolar column) are reduced relative to more conventional heating rates used with convection-oven instruments. As temperature-programming rates increase, elution temperatures also increase with the result that retention may become insignificant prior to elution. This results in inefficient utilization of the down-stream end of the column and causes a loss in the rate of peak-capacity production. The rate of peak-capacity production is increased by the use of shorter columns and higher carrier gas velocities. With high programming rates (100-600 degrees C/min), column lengths of 6-12 m and average linear carrier gas velocities in the 100-150 cm/s range are satisfactory. In this study, the rate of peak-capacity production, the total peak capacity, and the boiling point resolution are determined for C10-C28 n-alkanes using 6-18 m long columns, 50-200 cm/s average carrier gas velocities, and 60-600 degrees C/min programming rates. It was found that with a 6-meter-long, 0.25-mm i.d. column programmed at a rate of 600 degrees C/min, a maximum peak-capacity production rate of 6.1 peaks/s was obtained. A total peak capacity of about 75 peaks was produced in a 37-s long separation spanning a boiling-point range from n-C10 (174 degrees C) to n-C28 (432 degrees C).

Pakistan’s national Centre of Excellence contributes to sustaining nuclear security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixit, Aabha

2016-01-01

Pakistani front line officers and first responders are in a better position to fight illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials, as well as to use advanced radiation detection and monitoring equipment, thanks to training they have received at the country’s Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security. This is just one of the benefits the country has reaped from the Centre, which is collaborating with the growing International Network for Nuclear Security Training and Support Centres (NSSC Network), building national capacity through training and strengthening technical and scientific support programmes. Since the establishment of the Centre of Excellence, Pakistan has organized training courses on nuclear security for personnel from national and regional organizations. The Centre of Excellence also offers technical support to personnel involved in the maintenance and upgrade of facilities, with a focus on enhancing technical and scientific skills and quality control of equipment.

Excel 2013 formulas

CERN Document Server

Walkenbach, John

2013-01-01

Maximize the power of Excel 2013 formulas with this must-have Excel reference John Walkenbach, known as ""Mr. Spreadsheet,"" is a master at deciphering complex technical topics and Excel formulas are no exception. This fully updated book delivers more than 800 pages of Excel 2013 tips, tricks, and techniques for creating formulas that calculate, developing custom worksheet functions with VBA, debugging formulas, and much more. Demonstrates how to use all the latest features in Excel 2013 Shows how to create financial formulas and tap into the power of array formulas

Achieving excellence in training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mangin, A.M.; Solymossy, J.M.

1983-01-01

Operating a nuclear power plant is a uniquely challenging activity, requiring a high degree of competence from all who are involved. Achieving and maintaining this competence requires excellence in training. But what does excellence mean, and how do we achieve it. Based on the experience gained by INPO in plant training evaluations and accreditation activities, this paper describes some of the actions that can be taken to achieve the quality appropriate for nuclear power plant training. These actions are discussed in relation to the four phases of a performance-based training system: (1) needs analysis, (2) program design and development, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation and improvement

Excel 2013 simplified

CERN Document Server

McFedries, Paul

2013-01-01

A friendly, visual approach to learning the basics of Excel 2013 As the world's leading spreadsheet program, Excel is a spreadsheet and data analysis tool that is part of the Microsoft Office suite. The new Excel 2013 includes new features and functionalities that require users of older versions to re-learn the application. However, whether you're switching from an earlier version or learning Excel for the first time, this easy-to-follow visual guide gets you going with Excel 2013 quickly and easily. Numbered steps as well as full-color screen shots, concise information, and helpfu

Late-maturing cooking rice Sensyuraku has excellent properties, equivalent to sake rice, for high-quality sake brewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzawa, Yoshihiko; Satoh, Kenji; Satoh, Yuko; Ohno, Satomi; Watanabe, Tsutomu; Katsumata, Kazuaki; Kume, Kazunori; Watanabe, Ken-Ichi; Mizunuma, Masaki; Hirata, Dai

2014-01-01

Low protein content and sufficient grain rigidity are desired properties for the rice used in high-quality sake brewing such as Daiginjo-shu (polishing ratio of the rice, less than 50%). Two kinds of rice, sake rice (SR) and cooking rice (CR), have been used for sake brewing. Compared with those of SR, analyses of CR for high-quality sake brewing using highly polished rice have been limited. Here we described the original screening of late-maturing CR Sensyuraku (SEN) as rice with low protein content and characterization of its properties for high-quality sake brewing. The protein content of SEN was lower than those of SR Gohyakumangoku (GOM) and CR Yukinosei (YUK), and its grain rigidity was higher than that of GOM. The excellent properties of SEN with respect to both water-adsorption and enzyme digestibility were confirmed using a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA). Further, we confirmed a clear taste of sake produced from SEN by sensory evaluation. Thus, SEN has excellent properties, equivalent to those of SR, for high-quality sake brewing.

High-capacity NO2 denuder systems operated at various temperatures (298-473 K).

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Jan-Christoph; Niessner, Reinhard

2012-12-01

In this study, we investigated several coatings for high-temperature, high-capacity, and high-efficiency denuder-based NO(2) removal, with the scope to face the harsh conditions and requirements of automotive exhaust gas sampling. As first coating, we propose a potassium iodide (KI)/polyethylene glycol coating with a high removal efficiency (ε > 98%) for about 2 h and 50 ppm NO(2) at room temperature (298 K). At elevated temperatures (423 K), the initial capacity (100 ppmh) is decreased to 15 ppmh. Furthermore, this is the first proposal of the ionic liquid methyl-butyl-imidazolium iodide ([BMIm(+)][I(-)]) as denuder coating material. At room temperature, this ionic liquid exhibits far greater capacity (300 ppmh) and NO(2) removal efficiency (ε > 99.9%) than KI. Nevertheless, KI exhibits a slightly (~10%) higher capacity at elevated temperatures than [BMIm(+)][I(-)]. Both coatings presented are suitable for applications requiring selective denuding of NO(2) at temperatures up to 423 K.

Aerobic Capacities of Early College High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Loflin, Jerry W.

2014-01-01

The Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) was introduced in 2002. Since 2002, limited data, especially student physical activity data, have been published pertaining to the ECHSI. The purpose of this study was to examine the aerobic capacities of early college students and compare them to state and national averages. Early college students…

High-capacity neutron activation analysis facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hochel, R.C.

1979-01-01

A high-capacity neutron activation analysis facility, the Reactor Activation Facility, was designed and built and has been in operation for about a year at one of the Savannah River Plant's production reactors. The facility determines uranium and about 19 other trace elements in hydrogeochemical samples collected in the National Uranium Resource Evaluation program. The facility has a demonstrated average analysis rate of over 10,000 samples per month, and a peak rate of over 16,000 samples per month. Uranium is determined by cyclic activation and delayed neutron counting of the U-235 fission products; other elements are determined from gamma-ray spectra recorded in subsequent irradiation, decay, and counting steps. The method relies on the absolute activation technique and is highly automated for round-the-clock unattended operation

Graphene-encapsulated cobalt sulfides nanocages with excellent anode performances for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Jinxue; Li, Fenfen; Sun, Yanfang; Zhang, Xiao; Tang, Lin

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted -- Highlights: •Graphene wrapped CoS 2 nanocages are synthesized as anode materials. •Layer-by-layer assembled structures are beneficial for fast and stable Li storage. •Hollow features improve capacity, rate capability and cycling life. •The sample shows outstanding lithium storages, especially high-rate performance. -- Abstract: A layer-by-layer assembled composite of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) wrapped monodisperse cobalt sulfides (CoS 2 ) nanocages has been prepared via a solvothermal method. The flexible GNSs in the layered composite act as the effective matrix to encapsulate the monodisperse CoS 2 nanocages, buffer the volume changes and prevent the aggregation of the CoS 2 nanocages during electrochemical cycling. The loosely stacked GNSs, which are induced with the insertion of CoS 2 , are convenient for electrolyte wetting and serve as highway for the rapid electron and lithium transport. The monodisperse nanocages can supply additional space to tolerate the volume changes, shorten lithium diffusion path, and do not tend to aggregate. As a result, the specific sample can deliver a high capacity approaching 800 mA h g −1 after 150 cycles at 100 mA g −1 and 697 mA h g −1 after 300 cycles at 500 mA g −1 , in addition to good capacity retention and excellent rate capability, making it a promising candidate as next-generation anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Excellence in the knowledge-based economy: from scientific to research excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads P.; Bloch, Carter Walter; Young, Mitchell

2016-01-01

In 2013, the European Union (EU) unveiled its new ‘Composite Indicator for Scientific and Technological Research Excellence’. This is not an isolated occurrence; policy-based interest in excellence is growing all over the world. The heightened focus on excellence and, in particular, attempts...... to define it through quantitative indicators can have important implications for research policy and for the conduct of research itself. This paper examines how the EU's understanding of excellence has evolved in recent years, from the presentation of the Lisbon strategy in 2000 to the current Europe 2020...... strategy. We find a distinct shift in the understanding of excellence and how success in the knowledge-based economy should be achieved: in the early period, excellence is a fuzzy concept, intrinsically embedded in research and researchers and revealed by peer review. In the later period, excellence...

Improved lithium-ion battery anode capacity with a network of easily fabricated spindle-like carbon nanofibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mengting; Xie, Wenhe; Gu, Lili; Qin, Tianfeng; Hou, Xiaoyi; He, Deyan

2016-01-01

A novel network of spindle-like carbon nanofibers was fabricated via a simplified synthesis involving electrospinning followed by preoxidation in air and postcarbonization in Ar. Not only was the as-obtained carbon network comprised of beads of spindle-like nanofibers but the cubic MnO phase and N elements were successfully anchored into the amorphous carbon matrix. When directly used as a binder-free anode for lithium-ion batteries, the network showed excellent electrochemical performance with high capacity, good rate capacity and reliable cycling stability. Under a current density of 0.2 A g -1 , it delivered a high reversible capacity of 875.5 mAh g -1 after 200 cycles and 1005.5 mAh g -1 after 250 cycles with a significant coulombic efficiency of 99.5%.

Excellent Temperature Performance of Spherical LiFePO4/C Composites Modified with Composite Carbon and Metal Oxides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanosized spherical LiFePO4/C composite was synthesized from nanosized spherical FePO4·2H2O, Li2C2O4, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, oxalic acid, and sucrose by binary sintering process. The phases and morphologies of LiFePO4/C were characterized using SEM, TEM, CV, EIS, EDS, and EDX as well as charging and discharging measurements. The results showed that the as-prepared LiFePO4/C composite with good conductive webs from nanosized spherical FePO4·2H2O exhibits excellent electrochemical performances, delivering an initial discharge capacity of 161.7 mAh·g−1 at a 0.1 C rate, 152.4 mAh·g−1 at a 1 C rate and 131.7 mAh·g−1 at a 5 C rate, and the capacity retention of 99.1%, 98.7%, and 95.8%, respectively, after 50 cycles. Meanwhile, the high and low temperature performance is excellent for 18650 battery, maintaining capacity retention of 101.7%, 95.0%, 88.3%, and 79.3% at 55°C, 0°C, −10°C, and −20°C by comparison withthat of room temperature (25°C at the 0.5 C rate over a voltage range of 2.2 V to 3.6 V, respectively.

Excellent temperature performance of spherical LiFePO4/C composites modified with composite carbon and metal oxides.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bao; Zeng, Tao; Zhang, Jiafeng; Peng, Chunli; Zheng, Junchao; Chen, Guomin

2014-01-01

Nanosized spherical LiFePO4/C composite was synthesized from nanosized spherical FePO4 ·2H2O, Li2C2O4, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, oxalic acid, and sucrose by binary sintering process. The phases and morphologies of LiFePO4/C were characterized using SEM, TEM, CV, EIS, EDS, and EDX as well as charging and discharging measurements. The results showed that the as-prepared LiFePO4/C composite with good conductive webs from nanosized spherical FePO4 ·2H2O exhibits excellent electrochemical performances, delivering an initial discharge capacity of 161.7 mAh·g(-1) at a 0.1 C rate, 152.4 mAh·g(-1) at a 1 C rate and 131.7 mAh·g(-1) at a 5 C rate, and the capacity retention of 99.1%, 98.7%, and 95.8%, respectively, after 50 cycles. Meanwhile, the high and low temperature performance is excellent for 18650 battery, maintaining capacity retention of 101.7%, 95.0%, 88.3%, and 79.3% at 55°C, 0°C, -10°C, and -20°C by comparison withthat of room temperature (25°C) at the 0.5 C rate over a voltage range of 2.2 V to 3.6 V, respectively.

Multiwalled carbon nanotube@a-C@Co9S8 nanocomposites: a high-capacity and long-life anode material for advanced lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yanli; Yan, Dong; Xu, Huayun; Liu, Shuo; Yang, Jian; Qian, Yitai

2015-02-01

A one-dimensional MWCNT@a-C@Co9S8 nanocomposite has been prepared via a facile solvothermal reaction followed by a calcination process. The amorphous carbon layer between Co9S8 and MWCNT acts as a linker to increase the loading of sulfides on MWCNT. When evaluated as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, the MWCNT@a-C@Co9S8 nanocomposite shows the advantages of high capacity and long life, superior to Co9S8 nanoparticles and MWCNT@Co9S8 nanocomposites. The reversible capacity could be retained at 662 mA h g-1 after 120 cycles at 1 A g-1. The efficient synthesis and excellent performances of this nanocomposite offer numerous opportunities for other sulfides as a new anode for lithium ion batteries.A one-dimensional MWCNT@a-C@Co9S8 nanocomposite has been prepared via a facile solvothermal reaction followed by a calcination process. The amorphous carbon layer between Co9S8 and MWCNT acts as a linker to increase the loading of sulfides on MWCNT. When evaluated as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, the MWCNT@a-C@Co9S8 nanocomposite shows the advantages of high capacity and long life, superior to Co9S8 nanoparticles and MWCNT@Co9S8 nanocomposites. The reversible capacity could be retained at 662 mA h g-1 after 120 cycles at 1 A g-1. The efficient synthesis and excellent performances of this nanocomposite offer numerous opportunities for other sulfides as a new anode for lithium ion batteries. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Infrared spectrogram (IR) of glucose treated MWCNT; TEM images of MWCNT@a-C treated by different concentrations of glucose; SEM and TEM images of the intermediate product obtained from the solvothermal reaction between thiourea and Co(Ac)2; EDS spectrum of MWCNT@a-C@Co9S8 composites; SEM and TEM images of MWCNT@Co9S8 nanocomposites obtained without the hydrothermal treatment by glucose; SEM and TEM images of Co9S8 nanoparticles; Galvanostatic discharge-charge profiles and cycling performance of MWCNT@a-C; TEM images

Novel graphene papers with sporadic alkyl brushes on the basal plane as a high-capacity flexible anode for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Kyung Min; Cho, Sung-Woo; Kim, Gyeong-Ok; Ryu, Kwang-Sun; Jeong, Han Mo

2014-01-01

Graphene paper that exhibits an excellent stabilized capacity, as high as 1300 mAh g −1 at a current rate of 60 mA g −1 , as a lithium ion battery anode is fabricated and evaluated. The few-layer graphene used to make the graphene paper is prepared via the thermal reduction of graphite oxide. The graphene is then modified by a novel method utilizing inherent defects, namely epoxy groups, on the graphene as active sites for a reaction with methanol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-octanol. The density values and X-ray diffraction patterns obtained for the graphene paper demonstrate that the alkyl brushes on the graphene sheets expand the d-spacing and hinder close restacking of the sheets, thereby inducing the formation of extra cavities within the paper. This loose packing due to the alkyl brushes increases sensitively as the alkyl chain length of the alcohol becomes longer. The lithium ion insertion capacity of a graphene paper electrode at the first cycle also increases with the alkyl chain length. However, fading of the capacity at early charge/discharge cycles is accelerated by the modification process because of electrolyte penetration into the gallery and the acceleration of protective solid electrolyte interface film formation due to looser packing. The paper composed of graphene modified with 1-butanol rather than shorter or longer alcohols exhibits the best reversible storage capacity, more than two-fold higher when compared to that of pristine graphene paper, due to a compromise between two conflicting effects on the reversible storage capacity by long alkyl brushes. The tensile properties and electrical conductivity of the graphene papers are also examined

Future High Capacity Backbone Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Jiayuan

are proposed. The work focuses on energy efficient routing algorithms in a dynamic optical core network environment, with Generalized MultiProtocol Label Switching (GMPLS) as the control plane. Energy ef- ficient routing algorithms for energy savings and CO2 savings are proposed, and their performance...... aiming for reducing the dynamic part of the energy consumption of the network may increase the fixed part of the energy consumption meanwhile. In the second half of the thesis, the conflict between energy efficiency and Quality of Service (QoS) is addressed by introducing a novel software defined......This thesis - Future High Capacity Backbone Networks - deals with the energy efficiency problems associated with the development of future optical networks. In the first half of the thesis, novel approaches for using multiple/single alternative energy sources for improving energy efficiency...

Biphase Cobalt-Manganese Oxide with High Capacity and Rate Performance for Aqueous Sodium-Ion Electrochemical Energy Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shan, Xiaoqiang [Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Charles, Daniel S. [Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Xu, Wenqian [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS). X-ray Science Division; Feygenson, Mikhail [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical and Engineering Materials Division and Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) outstation Juelich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS), Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH; Su, Dong [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN); Teng, Xiaowei [Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

2017-11-22

Manganese-based metal oxide electrode materials are of great importance in electrochemical energy storage for their favorable redox behavior, low cost and environmental-friendliness. However, their storage capacity and cycle life in aqueous Na-ion electrolytes is not satisfactory. In this paper, we report the development of a bi-phase cobalt-manganese oxide (Co-Mn-O) nanostructured electrode material, comprised of a layered MnO₂.H₂O birnessite phase and a (Co_0.83Mn_0.13Va_0.04)tetra(Co_0.38Mn_1.62)_octaO_3.72 (Va: vacancy; tetra: tetrahedral sites; octa: octahedral sites) spinel phase, verified by neutron total scattering and pair distribution function analyses. The bi-phase Co-Mn-O material demonstrates an excellent storage capacity towards Na-ions in an aqueous electrolyte (121 mA h g^-1 at a scan rate of 1 mV s^-1 in the half-cell and 81 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 2 A g^-1 after 5000 cycles in full-cells), as well as high rate performance (57 mA h g^-1 a rate of 360 C). Electro-kinetic analysis and in situ X-ray diffraction measurements further confirm that the synergistic interaction between the spinel and layered phases, as well as the vacancy of the tetrahedral sites of spinel phase, contribute to the improved capacity and rate performance of the Co-Mn-O material by facilitating both diffusion-limited redox and capacitive charge storage processes.

High ion conductive Sb2O5-doped β-Li3PS4 with excellent stability against Li for all-solid-state lithium batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Dongjiu; Chen, Shaojie; Zhang, Zhihua; Ren, Jie; Yao, Lili; Wu, Linbin; Yao, Xiayin; Xu, Xiaoxiong

2018-06-01

The combination of high conductivity and good stability against Li is not easy to achieve for solid electrolytes, hindering the development of high energy solid-state batteries. In this study, doped electrolytes of Li3P1-xSbxS4-2.5xO2.5x are successfully prepared via the high energy ball milling and subsequent heat treatment. Plenty of techniques like XRD, Raman, SEM, EDS and TEM are utilized to characterize the crystal structures, particle sizes, and morphologies of the glass-ceramic electrolytes. Among them, the Li3P0.98Sb0.02S3.95O0.05 (x = 0.02) exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (∼1.08 mS cm-1) at room temperature with an excellent stability against lithium. In addition, all-solid-state lithium batteries are assembled with LiCoO2 as cathode, Li10GeP2S12/Li3P0.98Sb0.02S3.95O0.05 as the bi-layer electrolyte, and lithium as anode. The constructed solid-state batteries delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 133 mAh g-1 at 0.1C in the range of 3.0-4.3 V vs. Li/Li+ at room temperature, and shows a capacity retention of 78.6% after 50 cycles. Most importantly, the all-solid-state lithium batteries with the Li10GeP2S12/Li3P0.98Sb0.02S3.95O0.05 electrolyte can be workable even at -10 °C. This study provides a promising electrolyte with the improved conductivity and stability against Li for the application of all-solid-state lithium batteries.

Multi-lane Roundabout Capacity Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ammar Šarić

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Although two-lane roundabouts theoretically exhibit excellent operating performance, in practice, safety problems arise because of inappropriate driving behavior. Turbo roundabouts, which are characterized by a much higher level of safety, are alternatives to classic two-lane roundabouts, but the capacity-related benefits derived from such roundabouts remain an open issue. Accordingly, this study uses an equilibrium traffic flow allocation approach to evaluate multi-lane roundabout capacity based on gap acceptance theory. Capacity levels are calculated and compared for different gap acceptance parameters, including local parameters, and different traffic flow scenarios. It is found that the capacity of minor approaches on turbo roundabouts is always higher than on two-lane roundabouts, but that the main approaches on two-lane roundabouts exhibit better performance in terms of fully equilibrium traffic allocation. This state, however, cannot be achieved for every demand scenario. The results depend strongly on traffic movements and gap acceptance parameters indicating the need for local calibration processes.

The NASA CSTI High Capacity Power Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, J.M.

1991-09-01

The SP-100 program was established in 1983 by DOD, DOE, and NASA as a joint program to develop the technology necessary for space nuclear power systems for military and civil applications. During 1986 and 1987, the NASA Advanced Technology Program was responsible for maintaining the momentum of promising technology advancement efforts started during Phase 1 of SP-100 and to strengthen, in key areas, the chances for successful development and growth capability of space nuclear reactor power systems for future space applications. In 1988, the NASA Advanced Technology Program was incorporated into NASA's new Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI). The CSTI program was established to provide the foundation for technology development in automation and robotics, information, propulsion, and power. The CSTI High Capacity Power Program builds on the technology efforts of the SP-100 program, incorporates the previous NASA advanced technology project, and provides a bridge to the NASA exploration technology programs. The elements of CSTI high capacity power development include conversion systems: Stirling and thermoelectric, thermal management, power management, system diagnostics, and environmental interactions. Technology advancement in all areas, including materials, is required to provide the growth capability, high reliability, and 7 to 10 year lifetime demanded for future space nuclear power systems. The overall program will develop and demonstrate the technology base required to provide a wide range of modular power systems while minimizing the impact of day/night operations as well as attitudes and distance from the Sun. Significant accomplishments in all of the program elements will be discussed, along with revised goals and project timelines recently developed

Excel 2010 bible

CERN Document Server

Walkenbach, John

2010-01-01

A comprehensive reference to the newest version of the world's most popular spreadsheet application: Excel 2010 John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in computer books that decipher complex technical topics. Known as ""Mr. Spreadsheet,"" Walkenbach shows you how to maximize the power of all the new features of Excel 2010. An authoritative reference, this perennial bestseller proves itself indispensable no matter your level of skill, from Excel beginners and intermediate users to power users and potential power users everywhere. Fully updated for the new release, this

Ternary SnO2@PANI/rGO nanohybrids as excellent anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Hongmei; Jiang, Hao; Zhu, Zhengju; Hu, Yanjie; Gu, Feng; Li, Chunzhong

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A three-dimensional ternary SnO 2 @PANI/rGO nanohybrids has been synthesized via dip-coating method. • PANI acts as the conductive matrix as well as a good binding agent of SnO 2 nanoparticles and graphene sheets, greatly improving the electrochemical performance. • The nanohybtrids, when applied as LIBs,exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 772 mA h g −1 at 100 mA g −1 with excellent rate capability and high cycling stability. - Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure composed of ternary polyaniline/SnO 2 /graphene (SnO 2 @PANI/rGO) nanohybrids were successfully developed and prepared as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) by a simple dip-coating of SnO 2 @polyaniline (SnO 2 @PANI) and graphene dispersion on Cu foam. In such smart nanostructures, polyaniline (PANI) acts as the conductive matrix as well as a good binding agent of SnO 2 nanoparticles and graphene sheets, greatly improving the rate performance to a great extent. The as-prepared ternary nanohybrids exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 772 mA h g −1 at 100 mA g −1 with excellent rate capability (268 mA h g −1 at 1000 mA g −1 ), more significantly, after 100 cycles at 100 mA g −1 , our ternary nanohybrids still maintain a high specific capacity of 749 mA h g −1 , which is much better than SnO 2 /rGO(458 mA h g −1 at 100 mA g −1 ), SnO 2 @PANI (480 mA h g −1 at 100 mA g −1 ) and pure SnO 2 nanoparticles (300 mA h g −1 at 100 mA g −1 ). Such intriguing electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to the strong synergistic effects among SnO 2 , polyaniline and graphene. It is reckoned that the present 3D SnO 2 @PANI/rGO nanohybrids can serve as a promising anode material for LIBs

Excellence in the Knowledge-Based Economy: From Scientific to Research Excellence

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Mads P.; Bloch, Carter; Young, Mitchell

2016-01-01

In 2013, the European Union (EU) unveiled its new "Composite Indicator for Scientific and Technological Research Excellence." This is not an isolated occurrence; policy-based interest in excellence is growing all over the world. The heightened focus on excellence and, in particular, attempts to define it through quantitative indicators…

Mesoporous Silicon-Based Anodes for High Capacity, High Performance Li-ion Batteries, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A new high capacity anode composite based on mesoporous silicon is proposed. By virtue of a structure that resembles a pseudo one-dimensional phase, the active anode...

The Sensory Components of High-Capacity Iconic Memory and Visual Working Memory

OpenAIRE

Bradley, Claire; Pearson, Joel

2012-01-01

Early visual memory can be split into two primary components: a high-capacity, short-lived iconic memory followed by a limited-capacity visual working memory that can last many seconds. Whereas a large number of studies have investigated visual working memory for low-level sensory features, much research on iconic memory has used more “high-level” alphanumeric stimuli such as letters or numbers. These two forms of memory are typically examined separately, despite an intrinsic overlap in their...

The sensory components of high-capacity iconic memory and visual working memory

OpenAIRE

Claire eBradley; Claire eBradley; Joel ePearson

2012-01-01

Early visual memory can be split into two primary components: a high-capacity, short-lived iconic memory followed by a limited-capacity visual working memory that can last many seconds. Whereas a large number of studies have investigated visual working memory for low-level sensory features, much research on iconic memory has used more high-level alphanumeric stimuli such as letters or numbers. These two forms of memory are typically examined separately, despite an intrinsic overlap in their c...

Robust electrodes based on coaxial TiC/C-MnO2 core/shell nanofiber arrays with excellent cycling stability for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuming; Peng, Xiang; Li, Wan; Li, Limin; Gao, Biao; Wu, Guosong; Huo, Kaifu; Chu, Paul K

2015-04-17

A coaxial electrode structure composed of manganese oxide-decorated TiC/C core/shell nanofiber arrays is produced hydrothermally in a KMnO4 solution. The pristine TiC/C core/shell structure prepared on the Ti alloy substrate provides the self-sacrificing carbon shell and highly conductive TiC core, thus greatly simplifying the fabrication process without requiring an additional reduction source and conductive additive. The as-prepared electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 645 F g(-1) at a discharging current density of 1 A g(-1) attributable to the highly conductive TiC/C and amorphous MnO2 shell with fast ion diffusion. In the charging/discharging cycling test, the as-prepared electrode shows high stability and 99% capacity retention after 5000 cycles. Although the thermal treatment conducted on the as-prepared electrode decreases the initial capacitance, the electrode undergoes capacitance recovery through structural transformation from the crystalline cluster to layered birnessite type MnO2 nanosheets as a result of dissolution and further electrodeposition in the cycling. 96.5% of the initial capacitance is retained after 1000 cycles at high charging/discharging current density of 25 A g(-1). This study demonstrates a novel scaffold to construct MnO2 based SCs with high specific capacitance as well as excellent mechanical and cycling stability boding well for future design of high-performance MnO2-based SCs. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-Capacity, High-Voltage Composite Oxide Cathode Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Hagh, Nader M.

2015-01-01

This SBIR project integrates theoretical and experimental work to enable a new generation of high-capacity, high-voltage cathode materials that will lead to high-performance, robust energy storage systems. At low operating temperatures, commercially available electrode materials for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries do not meet energy and power requirements for NASA's planned exploration activities. NEI Corporation, in partnership with the University of California, San Diego, has developed layered composite cathode materials that increase power and energy densities at temperatures as low as 0 degC and considerably reduce the overall volume and weight of battery packs. In Phase I of the project, through innovations in the structure and morphology of composite electrode particles, the partners successfully demonstrated an energy density exceeding 1,000 Wh/kg at 4 V at room temperature. In Phase II, the team enhanced the kinetics of Li-ion transport and electronic conductivity at 0 degC. An important feature of the composite cathode is that it has at least two components that are structurally integrated. The layered material is electrochemically inactive; however, upon structural integration with a spinel material, the layered material can be electrochemically activated and deliver a large amount of energy with stable cycling.

Moisture buffering capacity of highly absorbing materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cerolini, S.; D' Orazio, M.; Stazi, A. [Department of Architecture, Construction and Structures (DACS), Faculty of Engineering, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60100 Ancona (Italy); Di Perna, C. [Department of Energetics, Faculty of Engineering, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60100 Ancona (Italy)

2009-02-15

This research investigates the possibility to use highly absorbing materials to dampen indoor RH% variations. The practical MBV of sodium polyacrylate, cellulose-based material, perlite and gypsum is evaluated for a daily cyclic exposure that alternates high (75%) and low (33%) RH% levels for 8 h and 16 h, respectively. The adjustment velocity to RH% variations and the presence of hysteretic phenomena are also presented. The cellulose-based material proves to be the most suitable for moisture buffering applications. Starting from this material's properties, the effect of thickness, vapour resistance factor ({mu}) and mass surface exchange coefficient (Z{sub v}) on sorption capacity is evaluated by the use of a numerical model. (author)

Novel lithium titanate-graphene hybrid containing two graphene conductive frameworks for lithium-ion battery with excellent electrochemical performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiyi, Li; Tengyuan, Chen; Beibei, Sun [School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Zaijun, Li [School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Key Laboratory of Food Colloids and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Wuxi 214122 (China); Zhiquo, Gu; Guangli, Wang; Junkang, Liu [School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China)

2015-10-15

Graphical abstract: We developed a new Novel lithium titanate-graphene nanohybrid containing two graphene conductive frameworks. The unique architecture creates fast electron transfer and rapid mass transport of electrolyte. The hybrid electrode provides excellent electrochemical performances for lithium-ion batteries, including high specific capacity, outstanding rate capability and intriguing cycling stability. - Highlights: • We reported a new LTO-graphene nanohybrid containing two graphene conductive frameworks. • One graphene framework greatly improves the electrical conductivity of LTO crystal. • Another graphene framework enhances electrical conductivity of between LTO crystals and electrolyte transport. • The unique architecture creates big tap density, ultrafast electron transfer and rapid mass transport. • The hybrid electrode provides excellent electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries. - ABSTRACT: The paper reported the synthesis of lithium titanate(LTO)-graphene hybrid containing two graphene conductive frameworks (G@LTO@G). Tetrabutyl titanate and graphene were dispersed in tertbutanol and heated to reflux state by microwave irradiation. Followed by adding lithium acetate to produce LTO precursor/graphene (p-LTO/G). The resulting p-LTO/G offers homogeneous morphology and ultra small size. All graphene sheets were buried in the spherical agglomerates composed of primitive particles through the second agglomeration. The p-LTO/G was calcined to LTO@graphene (LTO@G). To obtain G@LTO@G, the LTO@G was further hybridized with graphene. The as-prepared G@LTO@G shows well-defined three-dimensional structure and hierarchical porous distribution. Its unique architecture creates big tap density, fast electron transfer and rapid electrolyte transport. As a result, the G@LTO@G provides high specific capacity (175.2 mA h g{sup −1} and 293.5 mA cm{sup −3}), outstanding rate capability (155.7 mAh g{sup −1} at 10C) and intriguing cycling

ASPIRE-to-Excellence Academy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Drees

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The ASPIRE-to-Excellence Academy was recently founded at the 2015 Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE conference in Glasgow. The academy is new pillar of the ASPIRE-to-Excellence initiative by AMEE, which aims at promoting and encouraging medical schools in achieving excellence in the categories of assessment, student engagement, social accountability or faculty development. The Academy panel consists of the members of the ASPIRE Board and representatives from schools which have been recognised with an ASPIRE-to-excellence award in one or more of the categories. Major goal of the ASPIRE-to-Excellence Academy is to foster collaboration between excellent medical schools and to allow them to exchange experiences and Best Practices. The Academy members are organising workshops and symposia at international conferences to inform medical schools about the ASPIRE-to-Excellence programme and the areas for recognition in excellence as well as to support medical school in preparing their applications.

High-capacity, selective solid sequestrants for innovative chemical separation: Inorganic ion exchange approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bray, L.

1995-01-01

The approach of this task is to develop high-capacity, selective solid inorganic ion exchangers for the recovery of cesium and strontium from nuclear alkaline and acid wastes. To achieve this goal, Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL) is collaborating with industry and university participants to develop high capacity, selective, solid ion exchangers for the removal of specific contaminants from nuclear waste streams

Superposed Redox Chemistry of Fused Carbon Rings in Cyclooctatetraene-Based Organic Molecules for High-Voltage and High-Capacity Cathodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaolin; Qiu, Wujie; Ma, Chao; Zhao, Yingqin; Wang, Kaixue; Zhang, Wenqing; Kang, Litao; Liu, Jianjun

2018-01-24

Even though many organic cathodes have been developed and have made a significant improvement in energy density and reversibility, some organic materials always generate relatively low voltage and limited discharge capacity because their energy storage mechanism is solely based on redox reactions of limited functional groups [N-O, C═X (X = O, N, S)] linking to aromatic rings. Here, a series of cyclooctatetraene-based (C 8 H 8 ) organic molecules were demonstrated to have electrochemical activity of high-capacity and high-voltage from carbon rings by means of first-principles calculations and electronic structure analysis. Fused molecules of C 8 -C 4 -C 8 (C 16 H 12 ) and C 8 -C 4 -C 8 -C 4 -C 8 (C 24 H 16 ) contain, respectively, four and eight electron-deficient carbons, generating high-capacity by their multiple redox reactions. Our sodiation calculations predict that C 16 H 12 and C 24 H 16 exhibit discharge capacities of 525.3 and 357.2 mA h g -1 at the voltage change from 3.5 to 1.0 V and 3.7 to 1.3 V versus Na + /Na, respectively. Electronic structure analysis reveals that the high voltages are attributed to superposed electron stabilization mechanisms, including double-bond reformation and aromatization from carbon rings. High thermodynamic stability of these C 24 H 16 -based systems strongly suggests feasibility of experimental realization. The present work provides evidence that cyclooctatetraene-based organic molecules fused with the C 4 ring are promising in designing high-capacity and high-voltage organic rechargeable cathodes.

High current capacity electrical connector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bettis, E.S.; Watts, H.L.

1976-01-01

An electrical connector is provided for coupling high current capacity electrical conductors such as copper busses or the like. The connector is arranged in a ''sandwiched'' configuration in which a conductor plate contacts the busses along major surfaces clamped between two stainless steel backing plates. The conductor plate is provided with contact buttons in a spaced array such that the caps of the buttons extend above the conductor plate surface to contact the busses. When clamping bolts provided through openings in the sandwiched arrangement are tightened, Belleville springs provided under the rim of each button cap are compressed and resiliently force the caps into contact with the busses' contacting surfaces to maintain a predetermined electrical contact area provided by the button cap tops. The contact area does not change with changing thermal or mechanical stresses applied to the coupled conductors

Efficient conversion of sand to nano-silicon and its energetic Si-C composite anode design for high volumetric capacity lithium-ion battery

Science.gov (United States)

Furquan, Mohammad; Raj Khatribail, Anish; Vijayalakshmi, Savithri; Mitra, Sagar

2018-04-01

Silicon is an attractive anode material for Li-ion cells, which can provide energy density 30% higher than any of the today's commercial Li-ion cells. In the current study, environmentally benign, high abundant, and low cost sand (SiO2) source has been used to prepare nano-silicon via scalable metallothermic reduction method using micro wave heating. In this research, we have developed and optimized a method to synthesis high purity nano silicon powder that takes only 5 min microwave heating of sand and magnesium mixture at 800 °C. Carbon coated nano-silicon electrode material is prepared by a unique method of coating, polymerization and finally in-situ carbonization of furfuryl alcohol on to the high purity nano-silicon. The electrochemical performance of a half cell using the carbon coated high purity Si is showed a stable capacity of 1500 mAh g-1 at 6 A g-1 for over 200 cycles. A full cell is fabricated using lithium cobalt oxide having thickness ≈56 μm as cathode and carbon coated silicon thin anode of thickness ≈9 μm. The fabricated full cell of compact size exhibits excellent volumetric capacity retention of 1649 mAh cm-3 at 0.5 C rate (C = 4200 mAh g-1) and extended cycle life (600 cycles). The full cell is demonstrated on an LED lantern and LED display board.

High-capacity neutron activation analysis facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hochel, R.C.; Bowman, W.W.; Zeh, C.W.

1980-01-01

A high-capacity neutron activation analysis facility, the Reactor Activation Facility, was designed and built and has been in operation for about a year at one of the Savannah River Plant's production reactors. The facility determines uranium and about 19 other elements in hydrogeochemical samples collected in the National Uranium Resource Evaluation program, which is sponsored and funded by the United States Department of Energy, Grand Junction Office. The facility has a demonstrated average analysis rate of over 10,000 samples per month, and a peak rate of over 16,000 samples per month. Uranium is determined by cyclic activation and delayed neutron counting of the U-235 fission products; other elements are determined from gamma-ray spectra recorded in subsequent irradiation, decay, and counting steps. The method relies on the absolute activation technique and is highly automated for round-the-clock unattended operation

Improved positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries: Exploring the high specific capacity of lithium cobalt dioxide and the high rate capability of lithium iron phosphate

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhaohui

During the past decade, the search for better electrode materials for Li-ion batteries has been of a great commercial interest, especially since Li-ion technology has become a major rechargeable battery technology with a market value of $3 billion US dollars per year. This thesis focuses on improving two positive electrode materials: one is a traditional positive electrode material--LiCoO2; the other is a new positive electrode material--LiFePO 4. Cho et al. reported that coating LiCoO2 with oxides can improve the capacity retention of LiCoO2 cycled to 4.4 V. The study of coatings in this thesis confirms this effect and shows that further improvement (30% higher energy density than that used in a commercial cell with excellent capacity retention) can be obtained. An in-situ XRD study proves that the mechanism of the improvement in capacity retention by coating proposed by Cho et al. is incorrect. Further experiments identify the suppression of impedance growth in the cell as the key reason for the improvement caused by coating. Based on this, other methods to improve the energy density of LiCoO2, without sacrificing capacity retention, are also developed. Using an XRD study, the structure of the phase between the O3-phase Li 1-xCoO2 (x > 0.5) and the O1 phase CoO2 was measured experimentally for the first time. XRD results confirmed the prediction of an H1-3 phase by Ceder's group. Apparently, because of the structural changes between the O3 phase and the H1-3 phase, good capacity retention cannot be attained for cycling LiCoO2 to 4.6 V with respect to Li metal. An effort was also made to reduce the carbon content in a LiFePO 4/C composite without sacrificing its rate capability. It was found that about 3% carbon by weight maintains both a good rate capability and a high pellet density for the composite.

Three-dimensional carbon network confined antimony nanoparticle anodes for high-capacity K-ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Chunhua; Han, Kang; Wang, Xuanpeng; Wang, Chenyang; Li, Qi; Meng, Jiashen; Xu, Xiaoming; He, Qiu; Luo, Wen; Wu, Liming; Mai, Liqiang

2018-04-19

Antimony (Sb) represents a promising anode for K-ion batteries (KIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity and suitable working voltage. However, the large volume change that occurs in the potassiation/depotassiation process can lead to severe capacity fading. Herein, we report a high-capacity anode material by in situ confining Sb nanoparticles in a three-dimensional carbon framework (3D SbNPs@C) via a template-assisted freeze-drying treatment and subsequent carbothermic reduction. The as-prepared 3D SbNPs@C hybrid material delivers high reversible capacity and good cycling stability when used as the anode for KIBs. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry and in situ X-ray diffraction analysis were performed to reveal the intrinsic mechanism of a K-Sb alloying reaction. Therefore, this work is of great importance to understand the electrochemical process of the Sb-based alloying reaction and will pave the way for the exploration of high performance KIB anode materials.

High Capacity Radio over Fiber Transmission Links

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caballero Jambrina, Antonio

. This achievement has satisfied the requirements on transmission robustness and high capacity of next generation hybrid optical fibre-wireless networks. One important contribution of this thesis is the novel concept of photonic downconversion with free-running pulsed laser source for phase modulated Radio-over-Fiber......This thesis expands the state-of-the-art on the detection of high speed wireless signals using optics. Signal detection at speeds over 1 Gbps at carrier Radio Frequency (RF) ranging from 5 GHz to 100 GHz have been achieved by applying novel concepts on optical digital coherent receivers......-wave frequencies at carrier frequencies exceeding 60 GHz, using photonic baseband technologies. For signal generation, high spectral-efficient optical modulation technologies are used together with optical heterodyning. In the detection side, the mm-wave signal is modulated in the optical domain and received using...

A Fine Grain, High Mn Steel with Excellent Cryogenic Temperature Properties and Corresponding Constitutive Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuhui Wang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A Fe-34.5 wt % Mn-0.04 wt % C ultra-high Mn steel with a fully recrystallised fine-grained structure was produced by cold rolling and subsequent annealing. The steel exhibited excellent cryogenic temperature properties with enhanced work hardening rate, high tensile strength, and high uniform elongation. In order to capture the unique mechanical behaviour, a constitutive model within finite strain plasticity framework based on Hill-type yield function was established with standard Armstrong-Frederick type isotropic hardening. In particular, the evolution of isotropic hardening was determined by the content of martensite; thus, a relationship between model parameters and martensite content is built explicitly.

Excel simulations

CERN Document Server

Verschuuren, Gerard M

2013-01-01

Covering a variety of Excel simulations, from gambling to genetics, this introduction is for people interested in modeling future events, without the cost of an expensive textbook. The simulations covered offer a fun alternative to the usual Excel topics and include situations such as roulette, password cracking, sex determination, population growth, and traffic patterns, among many others.

Hollow Carbon Nanofiber-Encapsulated Sulfur Cathodes for High Specific Capacity Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Guangyuan; Yang, Yuan; Cha, Judy J.; Hong, Seung Sae; Cui, Yi

2011-01-01

Sulfur has a high specific capacity of 1673 mAh/g as lithium battery cathodes, but its rapid capacity fading due to polysulfides dissolution presents a significant challenge for practical applications. Here we report a hollow carbon nanofiber

Carbon fibers with a nano-hydroxyapatite coating as an excellent biofilm support for bioreactors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qijie; Zhang, Chao; Bao, Yanling; Dai, Guangze

2018-06-01

A biofilm support with high biocompatibility is needed for bioreactors. A nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) coating on carbon fibers (CFs) was prepared by electrochemical deposition (ECD). The sludge immobilization assays, bacterial cells adhesion assays and Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory were used to evaluate the capacity of CF supports to immobilize activated sludge and bacterial cells. The sludge immobilization and bacterial cells adhesion assays illustrated that HA coating could enhance the capacity of CFs to immobilize microorganisms. SEM images showed that HA and bacterial cells formed a dense film on CFs surface. In addition, HA, acting as a glue, could combine CFs with bacterial cells or between cells, which helped CFs capture more bacterial cells. DLVO theory illustrated that CFs with HA coating had a lower total interaction energy than CFs without handling, explaining the higher capacity of CFs with HA coating to immobilize bacterial cells. This result was owning to the less negative zeta potential and higher hydrophilicity of CFs with HA coating, and the hydrophilicity made a greater contribution to the lower total interaction energy. Experiments and theory reveal that HA coating could enhance the biocompatibility of CFs, and CFs with HA coating could be used as an excellent biofilm support for bioreactors.

PEEK: An excellent precursor for activated carbon production for high temperature application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cansado, I.P.P.; Goncalves, F.A.M.M.; Nabais, J.M.V.; Ribeiro Carrott, M.M.L.; Carrott, P.J.M.

2009-01-01

A series of activated carbons (AC) with high apparent surface area and very high micropore volumes were prepared from granulated PEEK (poly[oxy-1,4-phenylene-oxy-1,4-phenylene-carbonyl-1,4-phenylene]) by physical activation with CO 2 at different temperatures and different activation times. The carbonisation yields at 873, 1073 and 1173 K were 57, 52 and 51%. As the activation temperature increased, between 873 and 1173 K, the burn-off, the micropore volume and mean pore size increased too. Those prepared at 1173 K, with 74% burn-off, present an extremely high apparent surface area (2874 m 2 g - 1 ) and a very high micropore volume (1.27 cm 3 g - 1 ). The presence of pyrone groups, identified by FTIR, on the AC surface corroborates the prevalence of a basic point of zero charge, always higher than 9.2. The thermal stability was checked by thermogravimetric analysis and as the carbonisation temperature increased the thermal stability of the char increased too. All AC obtained from PEEK by physical activation at 1173 K are thermally resistant, as at 1073 K the loss of the initial mass was less than 15%. The collective results confirm that PEEK is an excellent precursor for preparing AC with a high carbonisation yield, a high micropore volume and apparent surface area and a very high resistance at elevated temperature. (author)

Improvements on high voltage capacity and high temperature performances of Si-based Schottky potential barrier diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yongshun; Rui Li; Adnan Ghaffar; Wang Zaixing; Liu Chunjuan

2015-01-01

In order to improve the reverse voltage capacity and low junction temperature characteristics of the traditional silicon-based Schottky diode, a Schottky diode with high reverse voltage capacity and high junction temperature was fabricated using ion implantation, NiPt60 sputtering, silicide-forming and other major technologies on an N-type silicon epitaxial layer of 10.6–11.4 μm and (2.2–2.4) × 10 15 cm −3 doping concentration. The measurement results show that the junction temperature of the Schottky diode fabricated can reach 175 °C, that is 50 °C higher than that of the traditional one; the reverse voltage capacity V R can reach 112 V, that is 80 V higher than that of the traditional one; the leakage current is only 2 μA and the forward conduction voltage drop is V F = 0.71 V at forward current I F = 3 A. (semiconductor devices)

Co-modification of nitrogen-doped graphene and carbon on Li3V2(PO4)3 particles with excellent long-term and high-rate performance for lithium storage

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Manman; Yang, Mingzhi; Liu, Weiliang; Li, Mei; Su, Liwei; Wu, Xianbin; Wang, Yuanhao

2016-09-01

In this work, N-doped graphene and carbon co-modified Li3V2(PO4)3 composites (LVP/NGC) are successfully fabricated through a xerogel method for the first time. The obtained architecture combines two types of electronic contact with Li3V2(PO4)3 particles: the point-to-face contact of N-doped graphene and the face-to-face contact of N-doped carbon coating layers. Profiting from the favorable complex structure, graphene and carbon coating layers offer an extraordinary network for electron transfer and hence an excellent long-term and high-rate performance. Even tested at the rate of 40 C, the reversible capacity still maintains 86.9 mAh g-1 after 800 cycles without any fading. This work provides a promising route to improve the long-term and high-rate performance of cathodes for LIBs and enlightens us on exploring preferable strategies to develop advanced electrode materials for other energy storage devices.

Mixed-carbon-coated LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 nanopowders with excellent high rate and low temperature performances for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou, Bang-Kun; Wang, He-Yang; Qiang, Zi-Yue; Shao, Yu; Sun, Xin; Wen, Zhao-Yin; Chen, Chun-Hua

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Ascorbic acid acts as both an antioxidant and a surfactant to form organic groups (first carbon source) on the surface of as-solvothermal products, in which the −OH (or H_2O) groups of glucose (second carbon source) are closely bonded to the surface to form a uniform adsorption layer. Uniform mixed-carbon-coated LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 nanopowders are formed after calcination, which demonstrate excellent electrochemical performances. - Highlights: • Ascorbic acid acts as both an antioxidant and a first-time carbon coating source. • Reaction mechanisms of the synthesis are carefully studied. • Mixed-carbon-coated LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 nanopowders process excellent high rate and low temperature performances. - Abstract: A novel solvothermal approach with ascorbic acid as both an antioxidant and a first-time carbon coating source is developed to synthesize LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 nano-particles with a uniform particle size distribution around 150 nm. A calcination step for the second-time carbon coating and further crystallization is adopted following the solvothermal step. The structures and electrochemical properties of the obtained samples are studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transformation infrared, Infrared carbon-sulfur analyzer and galvanostatic cell cycling. Ascorbic acid plays a crucial role in the formation of uniform carbon layer and nano-particles. Compared with single-carbon-coated LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 without adding ascorbic acid, the mixed-carbon-coated LiMn_0_._4Fe_0_._6PO_4 shows much better electrochemical performance. It can deliver specific capacities of 154.8 and 128.5 mAh g"−"1 at 1C and 20C, respectively, at 25 °C. Even at −20 °C, its specific capacities are 106.6 and 68.8 mAh g"−"1 at 0.2C and 5C, respectively.

A Phase-Separation Route to Synthesize Porous CNTs with Excellent Stability for Na+ Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhi; Wang, Taihong; Zhang, Ming; Cao, Guozhong

2017-06-01

Porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are obtained by removing MoO 2 nanoparticles from MoO 2 @C core@shell nanofibers which are synthesized by phase-segregation via a single-needle electrospinning method. The specific surface area of porous CNTs is 502.9 m 2 g -1 , and many oxygen-containing functional groups (COH, CO) are present. As anodes for sodium-ion batteries, the porous CNT electrode displays excellent rate performance and cycling stability (110 mA h g -1 after 1200 cycles at 5 A g -1 ). Those high properties can be attributed to the porous structure and surface modification to steadily store Na + with high capacity. The work provides a facile and broadly applicable way to fabricate the porous CNTs and their composites for batteries, catalysts, and fuel cells. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Pseudo-solid-solution CuCo2O4/C nanofibers as excellent anodes for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hang; Tang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Kang; Wang, Lei; Shi, Huimin; Zhang, Guanhua; Duan, Huigao

2017-01-01

Ternary transition metal oxides have received intense research interest as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries, due to their high specific capacity originating from the synergic effects of multiple metal active sites. Reducing the size of metal oxides nanoparticles and dispersing these nanoparticles in carbon matrix are considering effective strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of transition metal oxides. Ternary CuCo 2 O 4 nanoclusters ultra-uniformly dispersed in carbon nanofiber matrix forming a pseudo-solid-solution structure are successfully synthesized by a facile electrospinning method followed by an appropriate annealing process. As the anodic electrode for lithium ion batteries, the pseudo-solid-solution CuCo 2 O 4 /C electrode exhibits a high reversible specific capacity, improved rate capacity and excellent cycling stability. A discharge capacity of 865 mAh g −1 is obtained at the current density of 200 mA g −1 after 400 cycles. Surprisingly, the electrode still retains about 610 mAh g −1 after 800 cycles even at the current density of 600 mA g −1 . The superior lithium storage performance of the pseudo-solid-solution CuCo 2 O 4 /C composites is mainly attributed to the unique amorphous structure. The ultrafine CuCo 2 O 4 nanoclusters uniformly dispersed in carbon matrix can buffer the volume change and improve the conductivity of the metal oxide based electrode, guaranteeing the structure stability and fast electron transfer.

Master VISUALLY Excel 2010

CERN Document Server

Marmel, Elaine

2010-01-01

The complete visual reference on Excel basics. Aimed at visual learners who are seeking an all-in-one reference that provides in-depth coveage of Excel from a visual viewpoint, this resource delves into all the newest features of Excel 2010. You'll explore Excel with helpful step-by-step instructions that show you, rather than tell you, how to navigate Excel, work with PivotTables and PivotCharts, use macros to streamline work, and collaborate with other users in one document.: This two-color guide features screen shots with specific, numbered instructions so you can learn the actions you need

Development of high-capacity antimatter storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howe, Steven D.; Smith, Gerald A.

2000-01-01

Space is vast. Over the next few decades, humanity will strive to send probes farther and farther into space to establish long baselines for interferometry, to visit the Kuiper Belt, to identify the heliopause, or to map the Oort cloud. In order to solve many of the mysteries of the universe or to explore the solar system and beyond, one single technology must be developed--high performance propulsion. In essence, future missions to deep space will require specific impulses between 50,000 and 200,000 seconds and energy densities greater than 10 14 j/kg in order to accomplish the mission within the career lifetime of an individual, 40 years. Only two technologies available to mankind offer such performance--fusion and antimatter. Currently envisioned fusion systems are too massive. Alternatively, because of the high energy density, antimatter powered systems may be relatively compact. The single key technology that is required to enable the revolutionary concept of antimatter propulsion is safe, reliable, high-density storage. Under a grant from the NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts, we have identified two potential mechanisms that may enable high capacity antimatter storage systems to be built. We will describe planned experiments to verify the concepts. Development of a system capable of storing megajoules per gram will allow highly instrumented platforms to make fast missions to great distances. Such a development will open the universe to humanity

The Decline of Soil Infiltration Capacity Due To High Elevation Groundwater

OpenAIRE

Isri Ronald Mangangka

2008-01-01

Infiltration capacity of soil mainly depends on two factors; the particle size and the moisture content of the soil. Groundwater increases the soil moisture, not only below the water table but also within the capillary zone, above the water table. Field experiment in a high groundwater area was conducted to understand the relationship among the groundwater, soil moisture and infiltration capacity. Using a single ring infiltrometer, the effect of groundwater in the infiltration rate was observ...

Beyond the magic number four: Remapping high-capacity, pre-attentive, fragile working memory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zerr, P.; Gayet, S.; Mulder, K.T.; Sligte, I.G.; Stigchel, S. van der

2017-01-01

Visual short term memory allows us to access visual information after termination of its retinal input. Generally, a distinction is made between a robust, capacity-limited form (working memory, WM) and high-capacity, pre-attentive, maskable forms (sensory memory, e.g. fragile memory, FM). Eye

High-Capacity Spacesuit Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR)

Science.gov (United States)

Izenson, Michael G.; Chen, Weibo; Phillips, Scott; Chepko, Ariane; Bue, Grant; Quinn, Gregory

2015-01-01

Future human space exploration missions will require advanced life support technology that can operate across a wide range of applications and environments. Thermal control systems for space suits and spacecraft will need to meet critical requirements for water conservation and multifunctional operation. This paper describes a Space Evaporator Absorber Radiator (SEAR) that has been designed to meet performance requirements for future life support systems. A SEAR system comprises a lithium chloride absorber radiator (LCAR) for heat rejection coupled with a space water membrane evaporator (SWME) for heat acquisition. SEAR systems provide heat pumping to minimize radiator size, thermal storage to accommodate variable environmental conditions, and water absorption to minimize use of expendables. We have built and tested a flight-like, high-capacity LCAR, demonstrated its performance in thermal vacuum tests, and explored the feasibility of an ISS demonstration test of a SEAR system. The new LCAR design provides the same cooling capability as prior LCAR prototypes while enabling over 30% more heat absorbing capacity. Studies show that it should be feasible to demonstrate SEAR operation in flight by coupling with an existing EMU on the space station.

Preparation and characterization of magnetic polymer nanospheres with high protein binding capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xianqiao; Guan Yueping; Liu Huizhou; Ma Zhiya; Yang Yu; Wu Xiaobing

2005-01-01

A novel magnetic support with high protein binding capacity was prepared by mini-emulsion polymerization. The magnetic poly(methacrylate-divinylbenzene) nanospheres prepared are 390 nm in diameter with narrow size distribution and star-like external morphology which leads to a large increase in specific surface area. Experimental results indicate that the maximum protein binding capacity is 316 mg bovine hemoglobin (BHb)/g support

The sensory components of high-capacity iconic memory and visual working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Claire; Pearson, Joel

2012-01-01

EARLY VISUAL MEMORY CAN BE SPLIT INTO TWO PRIMARY COMPONENTS: a high-capacity, short-lived iconic memory followed by a limited-capacity visual working memory that can last many seconds. Whereas a large number of studies have investigated visual working memory for low-level sensory features, much research on iconic memory has used more "high-level" alphanumeric stimuli such as letters or numbers. These two forms of memory are typically examined separately, despite an intrinsic overlap in their characteristics. Here, we used a purely sensory paradigm to examine visual short-term memory for 10 homogeneous items of three different visual features (color, orientation and motion) across a range of durations from 0 to 6 s. We found that the amount of information stored in iconic memory is smaller for motion than for color or orientation. Performance declined exponentially with longer storage durations and reached chance levels after ∼2 s. Further experiments showed that performance for the 10 items at 1 s was contingent on unperturbed attentional resources. In addition, for orientation stimuli, performance was contingent on the location of stimuli in the visual field, especially for short cue delays. Overall, our results suggest a smooth transition between an automatic, high-capacity, feature-specific sensory-iconic memory, and an effortful "lower-capacity" visual working memory.

Preparation of binder-free porous ultrathin Ni(OH)2 nanoleafs using ZnO as pore forming agent displaying both high mass loading and excellent electrochemical energy storage performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Panpan; Miao, Chenxu; Cheng, Kui; Ye, Ke; Yin, Jinling; Cao, Dianxue; Wang, Guiling; Zhang, Xianfa

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Porous Ni(OH) 2 nanoleaf is prepared by using ZnO as pore forming agent. • The mass loading of active material on binder-free Ni(OH) 2 /NF electrode is as high as 10 mg. • The porous Ni(OH) 2 /NF electrode displays high specific capacitance of 1142C g −1 . - Abstract: Ni(OH) 2 has been reported widely as one of the most promising supercapactior electrode materials due to its high specific capacitance, yet which were only based on low mass loading. Thus, it is desirable to promote supercapacitor performance for high mass loading Ni(OH) 2 through optimizing microstructure. In this work, we first prepared crossed ultrathin Ni(OH) 2 /ZnO nanoleafs directly grown on nickel foam via hydrothermal method, and then we produced pores on the nanoleafs by dissolving ZnO in alkaline solution. Definitely, this unique structure design for high mass loading binder-free Ni(OH) 2 electrode could benefit the penetration of electrolyte and the transportation of electrons, efficiently improving the supercapacitor performance. The obtained porous Ni(OH) 2 /NF electrode exhibits a mass specific capacity of 1142C g −1 based on 10 mg active materials, equating to a areal specific capaciy of 11.4C cm −2 , and pleasant cycling stability with retention of 85% of initial capacity after 10000 charge-discharge cycles. The fabricated asymmetric device shows a high energy density of 42 Wh kg −1 (4.73 mWh cm −3 ) at power density of 105 W kg −1 (17 mW cm −3 ). These results demonstrate the optimized structure makes the high mass loading binder-free Ni(OH) 2 /NF electrode could also display excellent supercapacitor performance.

The NASA CSTI High Capacity Power Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, J.; Dudenhoefer, J.; Juhasz, A.; Schwarze, G.; Patterson, R.; Ferguson, D.; Schmitz, P.; Vandersande, J.

1992-01-01

This paper describes the elements of NASA's CSTI High Capacity Power Project which include Systems Analysis, Stirling Power Conversion, Thermoelectric Power Conversion, Thermal Management, Power Management, Systems Diagnostics, Environmental Interactions, and Material/Structural Development. Technology advancement in all elements is required to provide the growth capability, high reliability and 7 to 10 year lifetime demanded for future space nuclear power systems. The overall project will develop and demonstrate the technology base required to provide a wide range of modular power systems compatible with the SP-100 reactor which facilitates operation during lunar and planetary day/night cycles as well as allowing spacecraft operation at any attitude or distance from the sun. Significant accomplishments in all of the project elements will be presented, along with revised goals and project timeliness recently developed

Prediction of lithium-ion battery capacity with metabolic grey model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Lin; Lin, Weilong; Li, Junzi; Tian, Binbin; Pan, Haihong

2016-01-01

Given the popularity of Lithium-ion batteries in EVs (electric vehicles), predicting the capacity quickly and accurately throughout a battery's full life-time is still a challenging issue for ensuring the reliability of EVs. This paper proposes an approach in predicting the varied capacity with discharge cycles based on metabolic grey theory and consider issues from two perspectives: 1) three metabolic grey models will be presented, including MGM (metabolic grey model), MREGM (metabolic Residual-error grey model), and MMREGM (metabolic Markov-residual-error grey model); 2) the universality of these models will be explored under different conditions (such as various discharge rates and temperatures). Furthermore, the research findings in this paper demonstrate the excellent performance of the prediction depending on the three models; however, the precision of the MREGM model is inferior compared to the others. Therefore, we have obtained the conclusion in which the MGM model and the MMREGM model have excellent performances in predicting the capacity under a variety of load conditions, even using few data points for modeling. Also, the universality of the metabolic grey prediction theory is verified by predicting the capacity of batteries under different discharge rates and different temperatures. - Highlights: • The metabolic mechanism is introduced in a grey system for capacity prediction. • Three metabolic grey models are presented and studied. • The universality of these models under different conditions is assessed. • A few data points are required for predicting the capacity with these models.

Curtailment in a Highly Renewable Power System and Its Effect on Capacity Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Kies

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of generation over its potential generation. It is an important measure to describe wind and solar resources. However, the fluctuating nature of renewable power generation makes it difficult to integrate all generation at times. Whenever generation exceeds the load, curtailment or storage of energy is required. With increasing renewable shares in the power system, the level of curtailment will further increase. In this work, the influence of the curtailment on the capacity factors for a highly renewable German power system is studied. An effective capacity factor is introduced, and the implications for the distribution of renewable power plants are discussed. Three years of highly-resolved weather data were used to model wind and solar power generation. Together with historical load data and a transmission model, a possible future German power system was simulated. It is shown that effective capacity factors for unlimited transmission are strongly reduced by up to 60% (wind and 70% (photovoltaics and therefore of limited value in a highly renewable power system. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that wind power benefits more strongly from a reinforced transmission grid than photovoltaics (PV does.

Hollow-in-Hollow Carbon Spheres for Lithium-ion Batteries with Superior Capacity and Cyclic Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zang, Jun; Ye, Jianchuan; Fang, Xiaoliang; Zhang, Xiangwu; Zheng, Mingsen; Dong, Quanfeng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hollow-in-hollow structured HIHCS was synthesized via a facile templating strategy. • The HCS core and hollow carbon shell constitute the hollow-in-hollow structure. • The HIHCS exhibited superior rate capability and cycle stability as anode material. • The excellent performance is attributed to the unique hollow-in-hollow structure. - Abstract: Hollow spheres structured materials have been intensively pursued due to their unique properties for energy storage. In this paper, hollow-in-hollow carbon spheres (HIHCS) with a multi-shelled structure were successfully synthesized using a facile hard-templating procedure. When evaluated as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the resultant HIHCS anode exhibited superior capacity and cycling stability than HCS. It could deliver reversible capacities of 937, 481, 401, 304 and 236 mAh g −1 at current densities of 0.1 A g −1 , 1 A g −1 , 2 A g −1 , 5 A g −1 and 10 A g −1 , respectively. And capacity fading is not apparent in 500 cycles at 5 A g −1 . The excellent performance of the HIHCS anode is ascribed to its unique hollow-in-hollow structure and high specific surface area.

Low temperature heat capacity of lutetium and lutetium hydrogen alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thome, D.K.

1977-10-01

The heat capacity of high purity electrotransport refined lutetium was measured between 1 and 20 0 K. Results for theta/sub D/ were in excellent agreement with theta values determined from elastic constant measurements. The heat capacity of a series of lutetium-hydrogen solid solution alloys was determined and results showed an increase in γ from 8.2 to about 11.3 mJ/g-atom-K 2 for hydrogen content increasing from zero to about one atomic percent. Above one percent hydrogen γ decreased with increasing hydrogen contents. The C/T data showed an increase with temperature decreasing below about 2.5 0 K for samples with 0.1 to 1.5 atomic percent hydrogen. This accounts for a large amount of scatter in theta/sub D/ versus hydrogen content in this range. The heat capacity of a bulk sample of lutetium dihydride was measured between 1 and 20 0 K and showed a large increase in theta/sub D/ and a large decrease in γ compared to pure lutetium

High-capacity cathodes for lithium-ion batteries from nanostructured LiFePO4 synthesized by highly-flexible and scalable flame spray pyrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hamid, N. A.; Wennig, S.; Hardt, S.; Heinzel, A.; Schulz, C.; Wiggers, H.

2012-10-01

Olivine, LiFePO4 is a promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its low cost, environmental acceptability and high stability. Its low electric conductivity prevented it for a long time from being used in large-scale applications. Decreasing its particle size along with carbon coating significantly improves electronic conductivity and lithium diffusion. With respect to the controlled formation of very small particles with large specific surface, gas-phase synthesis opens an economic and flexible route towards high-quality battery materials. Amorphous FePO4 was synthesized as precursor material for LiFePO4 by flame spray pyrolysis of a solution of iron acetylacetonate and tributyl phosphate in toluene. The pristine FePO4 with a specific surface from 126-218 m2 g-1 was post-processed to LiFePO4/C composite material via a solid-state reaction using Li2CO3 and glucose. The final olivine LiFePO4/C particles still showed a large specific surface of 24 m2 g-1 and were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrocopy (XPS) and elemental analysis. Electrochemical investigations of the final LiFePO4/C composites show reversible capacities of more than 145 mAh g-1 (about 115 mAh g-1 with respect to the total coating mass). The material supports high drain rates at 16 C while delivering 40 mAh g-1 and causes excellent cycle stability.

Excel2003 Formulas

CERN Document Server

Walkenbach, John

2011-01-01

Everything you need to know about* Mastering operators, error values, naming techniques, and absolute versus relative references* Debugging formulas and using the auditing tools* Importing and exporting XML files and mapping the data to specific cells* Using Excel 2003's rights management feature* Working magic with array formulas* Developing custom formulas to produce the results you needHere's the formula for Excel excellenceFormulas are the lifeblood of spreadsheets, and no one can bring a spreadsheet to life like John Walkenbach. In this detailed reference guide, he delves deeply into unde

Carbon−Silicon Core−Shell Nanowires as High Capacity Electrode for Lithium Ion Batteries

KAUST Repository

Cui, Li-Feng

2009-09-09

We introduce a novel design of carbon-silicon core-shell nanowires for high power and long life lithium battery electrodes. Amorphous silicon was coated onto carbon nanofibers to form a core-shell structure and the resulted core-shell nanowires showed great performance as anode material. Since carbon has a much smaller capacity compared to silicon, the carbon core experiences less structural stress or damage during lithium cycling and can function as a mechanical support and an efficient electron conducting pathway. These nanowires have a high charge storage capacity of ∼2000 mAh/g and good cycling life. They also have a high Coulmbic efficiency of 90% for the first cycle and 98-99.6% for the following cycles. A full cell composed of LiCoO2 cathode and carbon-silicon core-shell nanowire anode is also demonstrated. Significantly, using these core-shell nanowires we have obtained high mass loading and an area capacity of ∼4 mAh/cm2, which is comparable to commercial battery values. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Improved Performance and Safety for High Energy Batteries Through Use of Hazard Anticipation and Capacity Prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Atwater, Terrill

1993-01-01

Prediction of the capacity remaining in used high rate, high energy batteries is important information to the user. Knowledge of the capacity remaining in used batteries results in better utilization. This translates into improved readiness and cost savings due to complete, efficient use. High rate batteries, due to their chemical nature, are highly sensitive to misuse (i.e., over discharge or very high rate discharge). Battery failure due to misuse or manufacturing defects could be disastrous. Since high rate, high energy batteries are expensive and energetic, a reliable method of predicting both failures and remaining energy has been actively sought. Due to concerns over safety, the behavior of lithium/sulphur dioxide cells at different temperatures and current drains was examined. The main thrust of this effort was to determine failure conditions for incorporation in hazard anticipation circuitry. In addition, capacity prediction formulas have been developed from test data. A process that performs continuous, real-time hazard anticipation and capacity prediction was developed. The introduction of this process into microchip technology will enable the production of reliable, safe, and efficient high energy batteries.

On-demand high-capacity ride-sharing via dynamic trip-vehicle assignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Mora, Javier; Samaranayake, Samitha; Wallar, Alex; Frazzoli, Emilio; Rus, Daniela

2017-01-17

Ride-sharing services are transforming urban mobility by providing timely and convenient transportation to anybody, anywhere, and anytime. These services present enormous potential for positive societal impacts with respect to pollution, energy consumption, congestion, etc. Current mathematical models, however, do not fully address the potential of ride-sharing. Recently, a large-scale study highlighted some of the benefits of car pooling but was limited to static routes with two riders per vehicle (optimally) or three (with heuristics). We present a more general mathematical model for real-time high-capacity ride-sharing that (i) scales to large numbers of passengers and trips and (ii) dynamically generates optimal routes with respect to online demand and vehicle locations. The algorithm starts from a greedy assignment and improves it through a constrained optimization, quickly returning solutions of good quality and converging to the optimal assignment over time. We quantify experimentally the tradeoff between fleet size, capacity, waiting time, travel delay, and operational costs for low- to medium-capacity vehicles, such as taxis and van shuttles. The algorithm is validated with ∼3 million rides extracted from the New York City taxicab public dataset. Our experimental study considers ride-sharing with rider capacity of up to 10 simultaneous passengers per vehicle. The algorithm applies to fleets of autonomous vehicles and also incorporates rebalancing of idling vehicles to areas of high demand. This framework is general and can be used for many real-time multivehicle, multitask assignment problems.

Yb-doped aluminophosphosilicate ternary fiber with high efficiency and excellent laser stability

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuwei; Peng, Kun; Zhan, Huan; Liu, Shuang; Ni, Li; Wang, Yuying; Yu, Juan; Wang, Xiaolong; Wang, Jianjun; Jing, Feng; Lin, Aoxiang

2018-03-01

By using chelate precursor doping technique and traditional modified chemical vapor deposition system, we fabricated Yb-doped aluminophosphosilicate (Al2O3-P2O5-SiO2, ternary Yb-APS) large-mode-area fiber and reported on its laser performance. The fiber preform was doped with Al, P and Yb with concentration of ∼8000 ppm, ∼1700 ppm and ∼400 ppm in molar percent, respectively. Tested with master oscillator power amplifier system, the home-made Yb-APS fiber was found to present 1.02 kW at 1061.1 nm with a high slope efficiency of 81.2% and excellent laser stability with power fluctuation less than ±1.1% for over 10 h. Compared with Yb-doped aluminosilicate (Al2O3-SiO2, binary Yb-AS) fiber, the introduction of P2O5 effectively suppressed photodarkening effect even the P/Al ratio is much less than 1, indicating that Yb-APS fiber is a better candidate for high power fiber lasers.

Silicon oxynitrides of KCC-1, SBA-15 and MCM-41 for CO 2 capture with excellent stability and regenerability

KAUST Repository

Patil, Umesh; Fihri, Aziz; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Polshettiwar, Vivek

2012-01-01

ammonia gas, and they demonstrated excellent CO 2 capture capabilities. These materials overcome several limitations of conventional amine-grafted mesoporous silica. They offer good CO 2 capture capacity, faster adsorption-desorption kinetics, efficient

Quality Management and Business Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasile Dinu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available An excellent organization involves much more than the implementation and the certification of one or more models of management systems. It means developing techniques and tools of busin excellence which lead the organization to outstanding performance on quality, costs and deadlines in order to meet the expectations of all their stakeholders. Such an approach is needed especially in the context of an economy marked by globalization, extremely complex and dynamic that causes spectacular changes in the business environment by integrating quality management principles on purpose to develop sustainable excellence. Not coincidentally, the new edition of the European excellence model EFQM integrates for the first time the principle "managing with agility“ with the principles: “developing organizational capability”, “harnessing creativity & innovation”, “adding value to the customer”, “sustaining outstanding results” for the organization and “creating a sustainable future”. Also, the new model for quality management system defined by the edition from 2015 of ISO 9000 standards , promotes the process-based approach, incorporating the cycle "Plan - Do − Check − Act" (PDCA and the risk-based thinking, focusing on organizational change and innovation, in order to ensure a sustainable performance in business. Noteworthy is the endeavor for the development of a high-level structure for all international standards for management systems, aiming to harmonize these standards to facilitate the implementation of integrated management systems (quality − environment − security − social responsibility.

EDCTP regional networks of excellence: initial merits for planned clinical trials in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Miiro, George M; Oukem-Boyer, Odile Ouwe Missi; Sarr, Ousmane; Rahmani, Maerangis; Ntoumi, Francine; Dheda, Keertan; Pym, Alexander; Mboup, Souleymane; Kaleebu, Pontiano

2013-03-22

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and combating hotspots with escalating but preventable communicable diseases remain major challenges in Africa. The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) intervened to combat poverty-related diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and to conduct multi-centre clinical trials and multi-disciplinary health research through an innovative model of regional Networks of Excellence (NoEs). We participated in a quasi-formative evaluation between October and December 2011 on the 4 regional-led research networks. These included the: Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM); East African Consortium for Clinical Research (EACCR); West African Network of Excellence for TB, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM), and the Trials of Excellence for Southern Africa (TESA) launched between 2009 and 2010. We shared a participatory appraisal of field reports, progress reports and presentations from each network to jointly outline the initial experiences of the merits, outputs and lessons learnt. The self-regulating democratic networks, with 64 institutions in 21 African countries, have trained over 1, 000 African scientists, upgraded 36 sites for clinical trials, leveraged additional € 24 million and generated 38 peer-reviewed publications through networking and partnerships. The shared initial merits and lessons learnt portray in part the strengthened capacity of these networks for improved research coordination and conduct of planned multi-center clinical trials in Africa. Increased funding by African agencies, governments and international health partners will ensure sustainability of these networks for research capacity development and demonstrate their commitment to achieving the MDGs in Africa.

E- and W-band high-capacity hybrid fiber-wireless link

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vegas Olmos, Juan José; Pang, Xiaodan; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

2014-01-01

In this paper we summarize the work conducted in our group in the area of E- and W-band optical high-capacity fiber-wireless links. We present performance evaluations of E- and W-band mm-wave signal generation using photonic frequency upconversion employing both VCSELs and ECLs, along with transm...... in mobile backhaul/fronthaul applications, dense distributed antenna systems and fiber-over-radio scenarios.......In this paper we summarize the work conducted in our group in the area of E- and W-band optical high-capacity fiber-wireless links. We present performance evaluations of E- and W-band mm-wave signal generation using photonic frequency upconversion employing both VCSELs and ECLs, along...... with transmission over different type of optical fibers and for a number of values for the wireless link distance. Hybrid wireless-optical links can be composed of mature and resilient technology available off-the-shelf, and provide functionalities that can add value to optical access networks, specifically...

An Insect Herbivore Microbiome with High Plant Biomass-Degrading Capacity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suen, Garret; Barry, Kerrie; Goodwin, Lynne; Scott, Jarrod; Aylward, Frank; Adams, Sandra; Pinto-Tomas, Adrian; Foster, Clifton; Pauly, Markus; Weimer, Paul; Bouffard, Pascal; Li, Lewyn; Osterberger, Jolene; Harkins, Timothy; Slater, Steven; Donohue, Timothy; Currie, Cameron; Tringe, Susannah G.

2010-09-23

Herbivores can gain indirect access to recalcitrant carbon present in plant cell walls through symbiotic associations with lignocellulolytic microbes. A paradigmatic example is the leaf-cutter ant (Tribe: Attini), which uses fresh leaves to cultivate a fungus for food in specialized gardens. Using a combination of sugar composition analyses, metagenomics, and whole-genome sequencing, we reveal that the fungus garden microbiome of leaf-cutter ants is composed of a diverse community of bacteria with high plant biomass-degrading capacity. Comparison of this microbiome?s predicted carbohydrate-degrading enzyme profile with other metagenomes shows closest similarity to the bovine rumen, indicating evolutionary convergence of plant biomass degrading potential between two important herbivorous animals. Genomic and physiological characterization of two dominant bacteria in the fungus garden microbiome provides evidence of their capacity to degrade cellulose. Given the recent interest in cellulosic biofuels, understanding how large-scale and rapid plant biomass degradation occurs in a highly evolved insect herbivore is of particular relevance for bioenergy.

An insect herbivore microbiome with high plant biomass-degrading capacity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garret Suen

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Herbivores can gain indirect access to recalcitrant carbon present in plant cell walls through symbiotic associations with lignocellulolytic microbes. A paradigmatic example is the leaf-cutter ant (Tribe: Attini, which uses fresh leaves to cultivate a fungus for food in specialized gardens. Using a combination of sugar composition analyses, metagenomics, and whole-genome sequencing, we reveal that the fungus garden microbiome of leaf-cutter ants is composed of a diverse community of bacteria with high plant biomass-degrading capacity. Comparison of this microbiome's predicted carbohydrate-degrading enzyme profile with other metagenomes shows closest similarity to the bovine rumen, indicating evolutionary convergence of plant biomass degrading potential between two important herbivorous animals. Genomic and physiological characterization of two dominant bacteria in the fungus garden microbiome provides evidence of their capacity to degrade cellulose. Given the recent interest in cellulosic biofuels, understanding how large-scale and rapid plant biomass degradation occurs in a highly evolved insect herbivore is of particular relevance for bioenergy.

Principles and organizational values: the question of training and the excel-lence of the hotel services. A case study in the JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Amado Santos

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Human capital should be seen as one of the most valuable assets to hotel businesses that aim for offering excellence, hospitality, efficiency and helpfulness to their business segment. In this sense, this paper has as main objective the exposure of principles and values that support the logic of workers’ capacity and training process in hotel ambience, seen here as a fundamental precept to structure a service and a treatment based on excellence values. Exposed it, this academic research has its methodological foundation on quantitative and qualitative analysis presented by a case study - JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro - seeking to exhibit an evaluation of training policies and their effects on excellence in service, in order to demonstrate how their guidelines reflect on hotel business operational and managerial results. Thus, the sample universe, guided by the perception of 26 workers on organizational training activities, allowed the following considerations: (1 there is, through different departments of this organization, the recognition of the importance of this process and its inferences on organizational results, conditioning to ensuring excellence of services; (2 the logic, the frequency and the commitment to the values presented by this guidelines allow a greater security and reliability on human resource, encouraging its proactivity. Finally, it will be discussed how such issues need to be seen as competitive advantages, able of offering its employees a "know how" essential for satisfaction, enchantment and loyalty of a hotel demand.

Development of High Capacity Split Stirling Cryocooler for HTS

Science.gov (United States)

Yumoto, Kenta; Nakano, Kyosuke; Hiratsuka, Yoshikatsu

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI) developed a high-power Stirling-type pulse tube cryocooler for cooling high-temperature superconductor (HTS) devices, such as superconductor motors, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), and fault current limiters. The experimental results of a prototype pulse tube cryocooler were reported in September 2013. For a U-type expander, the cooling capacity was 151 W at 70 K with a compressor input power of 4 kW. Correspondingly, the coefficient of performance (COP) was about 0.038. However, the efficiency of the cryocooler is required to be COP > 0.1 and it was found that, theoretically, it is difficult to further improve the efficiency of a pulse tube cryocooler because the workflow generated at the hot end of the pulse tube cannot be recovered. Therefore, it was decided to change the expander to a free-piston type from a pulse tube type. A prototype was developed and preliminary experiments were conducted. A cooling capacity of 120 W at 70 K with a compressor input power of 2.15 kW with corresponding COP of 0.056, was obtained. The detailed results are reported in this paper.

High-capacity method for hiding data in the discrete cosine transform domain

Science.gov (United States)

Qazanfari, Kazem; Safabakhsh, Reza

2013-10-01

Steganography is the art and science of hiding data in different media such as texts, audios, images, and videos. Data hiding techniques are generally divided into two groups: spatial and frequency domain techniques. Spatial domain methods generally have low security and, as a result, are less attractive to researchers. Discrete cosine transform (DCT) is the most common transform domain used in steganography and JPEG compression. Since a large number of the DCT coefficients of JPEG images are zero, the capacity of DCT domain-based steganography methods is not very high. We present a high-capacity method for hiding messages in the DCT domain. We describe the method in two classes where the receiver has and where the receiver does not have the cover image. In each class, we consider three cases for each coefficient. By considering n coefficients, there are 3n different situations. The method embeds ⌊log2 3n⌋ bits in these n coefficients. We show that the maximum reachable capacity by our method is 58% higher than the other general steganography methods. Experimental results show that the histogram-based steganalysis methods cannot detect the stego images produced by the proposed method while the capacity is increased significantly.

High-Capacity Hybrid Optical Fiber-Wireless Communications Links in Access Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pang, Xiaodan

of broadband services access. To realize the seamless convergence between the two network segments, the lower capacity of wireless systems need to be increased to match the continuously increasing bandwidth of fiber-optic systems. The research works included in this thesis are devoted to experimental...... investigations of photonic-wireless links with record high capacities to fulfill the requirements of next generation hybrid optical fiber-wireless access networks. The main contributions of this thesis have expanded the state-of-the-art in two main areas: high speed millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communication links......Integration between fiber-optic and wireless communications systems in the "last mile" access networks is currently considered as a promising solution for both service providers and users, in terms of minimizing deployment cost, shortening upgrading period and increasing mobility and flexibility...

The acceleration intermediate phase (NiS and Ni3S2) evolution by nanocrystallization in Li/NiS2 thermal batteries with high specific capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Chuanyu; Zhou, Lingping; Fu, Licai; Zhu, Jiajun; Li, Deyi; Yang, Wulin

2017-06-01

The intermediate phase of NiS2 is thought to be a bottleneck currently to improve the overall performance of Li/NiS2 thermal batteries because of its low conductivity and close formation enthalpy between NiS2 and the intermediate phase (NiS, Ni3S2, etc). For improving the discharge performances of Li/NiS2 thermal batteries, the nano NiS2 with an average size of 85 ± 5 nm is designated as a cathode material. The electrochemical measurements show that the specific capacity of nano NiS2 cathode is higher than micro NiS2. The nano NiS2 cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performances with high specific capacities of 794 and 654 mAh g-1 at current density of 0.1 and 0.5 A cm-2 under a cut-off voltage of 0.5 V, respectively. These results show that the rapid intermediate phase evolution from the nanocrystallization can obviously enhance use efficiency of NiS2 and improve discharge performances of thermal batteries.

High-performance magnetic carbon materials in dye removal from aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Xiaoming; Zhang, Yu; Dai, Yuan; Fu, Feng

2016-01-01

To obtain a novel adsorbent with excellent adsorption capacity and convenient magnetic separation property, magnetic activated semi-coke was prepared by KOH activation method and further modified by FeCl 3 . The surface morphology, physical structure, chemical properties and textural characteristics of unmodified semi-coke, KOH-modified semi-coke and magnetic activated semi-coke were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, N 2 adsorption-desorption measurement, and electronic differential system. The adsorption characteristics of the magnetic activated semi-coke were explored for the removal of methyl orang (MO), methylene blue (MB), congo red (CR), acid fuchsin (AF), and rhodamine B (RB) from aqueous solution. The effects of adsorption parameters, including adsorbent dosage, pH and contact time, were investigated by comparing the adsorption properties of the magnetic activated semi-coke to RB. The result showed that the magnetic activated semi-coke displayed excellent dispersion, convenient separation and high adsorption capacity. The adsorption experiment data indicated that the pseudosecond order model and the Langmuir model could well explain the adsorption processes of RB on the magnetic activated semi-coke, and the maximum adsorption capacity (q m ) was 526.32 mg/g. The values of thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°) indicated that the adsorption process depended on the temperature of the aqueous phase, and it was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. As the addition of the magnetic activated semi-coke, the color of the solution significantly faded. Subsequently, fast aggregation of the magnetic activated semi-coke from their homogeneous dispersion in the presence of an external magnetic field could be happened. So, the magnetic activated semi-coke displayed excellent dispersion, convenient separation and high adsorption capacity. - Graphical abstract: As the addition of the magnetic activated semi-coke, the color

Nitrogen doped graphene - Silver nanowire hybrids: An excellent anode material for lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Anju K.; Elizabeth, Indu; S, Gopukumar; Thomas, Sabu; M. S, Kala; Kalarikkal, Nandakumar

2018-01-01

We present an in-situ polyol assisted synthesis approach for the preparation of silver nanowires (AgNW) over the nitrogen doped graphene (NG) sheets and has been tested as a viable LIBs anode material for the first time. The use of NG serves as nucleation sites, thereby facilitating the growth of AgNWs. The specific material design of the as-prepared NG-AgNW hybrids involves some advantages, including a continuous AgNW-graphene conducting network. Since AgNWs are electrically conductive, it provides an electrical contact with NG sheets which can effectively help the charge transport process and limit the variations in volume during the lithiation/de-lithiation processes. Apart from this, the insertion of metallic Ag nanowires into a percolated NG network increases the interlayer distance of NG sheets and prevent its restacking. Moreover, the more porous nature of the hybrid structure accommodating the large volume changes of AgNWs. As an anode material for LIBs, the NG-AgNW hybrid displays a remarkable initial discharge capacity of 1215 mAh g-1 and attains a stable capacity of 724 mAh g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1 after 50 cycles. The electrode exhibits a stable reversible capacity of 714, 634, 550 and 464 mA h g-1 at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 Ag-1 respectively. The reversible capacity (710 mAh g-1) at 0.1 Ag-1 is recovered after the cycling at various current densities confirming outstanding rate performance of the material. In addition, the coulombic efficiency, the NG-AgNW anode retains nearly 99% after the second cycle, further indicating its excellent reversibility. The hybrid material exhibits better cycling stability, greater rate capability, capacity retention and superior reversible capacity than that of bare AgNW and NG sheets. Our smart design will pave way for the development of efficient electrode materials for high capacity and long cycle life LIBs.

High-capacity aqueous zinc batteries using sustainable quinone electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qing; Huang, Weiwei; Luo, Zhiqiang; Liu, Luojia; Lu, Yong; Li, Yixin; Li, Lin; Hu, Jinyan; Ma, Hua; Chen, Jun

2018-01-01

Quinones, which are ubiquitous in nature, can act as sustainable and green electrode materials but face dissolution in organic electrolytes, resulting in fast fading of capacity and short cycle life. We report that quinone electrodes, especially calix[4]quinone (C4Q) in rechargeable metal zinc batteries coupled with a cation-selective membrane using an aqueous electrolyte, exhibit a high capacity of 335 mA h g−1 with an energy efficiency of 93% at 20 mA g−1 and a long life of 1000 cycles with a capacity retention of 87% at 500 mA g−1. The pouch zinc batteries with a respective depth of discharge of 89% (C4Q) and 49% (zinc anode) can deliver an energy density of 220 Wh kg−1 by mass of both a C4Q cathode and a theoretical Zn anode. We also develop an electrostatic potential computing method to demonstrate that carbonyl groups are active centers of electrochemistry. Moreover, the structural evolution and dissolution behavior of active materials during discharge and charge processes are investigated by operando spectral techniques such as IR, Raman, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopies. Our results show that batteries using quinone cathodes and metal anodes in aqueous electrolyte are reliable approaches for mass energy storage. PMID:29511734

Developing a Personnel Capacity Indicator for a high turnover Cartographic Production Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Mandarino, Flávia; Pessôa, Leonardo A. M.

2018-05-01

This paper describes a framework for development of an indicator for human re-sources capacity management in a military organization responsible for nautical chart production. Graphic chart for the results of the model COPPE-COSENZA (Cosenza et al. 2015) is used to properly present the personnel capacity within a high people turnover environment. The specific skills for the nautical charts production allied to the turnover rate require continuous and adequate personnel in-corporation and a capacity building through education and on-the-job training. The adopted approach for the study establishes quantitative values to fulfill quality requirements, and also presents graphically a profile for the human resources on a specific job to facilitate diagnosis and corrective actions.

Extreme genetic structure in a social bird species despite high dispersal capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Morinha, Francisco; Dávila, José A; Bastos, Estela; Cabral, João A; Frías, Óscar; González, José L; Travassos, Paulo; Carvalho, Diogo; Milá, Borja; Blanco, Guillermo

2017-05-01

Social barriers have been shown to reduce gene flow and contribute to genetic structure among populations in species with high cognitive capacity and complex societies, such as cetaceans, apes and humans. In birds, high dispersal capacity is thought to prevent population divergence unless major geographical or habitat barriers induce isolation patterns by dispersal, colonization or adaptation limitation. We report that Iberian populations of the red-billed chough, a social, gregarious corvid with high dispersal capacity, show a striking degree of genetic structure composed of at least 15 distinct genetic units. Monitoring of marked individuals over 30 years revealed that long-distance movements over hundreds of kilometres are common, yet recruitment into breeding populations is infrequent and highly philopatric. Genetic differentiation is weakly related to geographical distance, and habitat types used are overall qualitatively similar among regions and regularly shared by individuals of different populations, so that genetic structure is unlikely to be due solely to isolation by distance or isolation by adaptation. Moreover, most population nuclei showed relatively high levels of genetic diversity, suggesting a limited role for genetic drift in significantly differentiating populations. We propose that social mechanisms may underlie this unprecedented level of genetic structure in birds through a pattern of isolation by social barriers not yet described, which may have driven this remarkable population divergence in the absence of geographical and environmental barriers. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High-performance lithium storage of Co3O4 achieved by constructing porous nanotube structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Zhentao; Wang, Shuguang; Zhang, Yihe; Cao, Minhua

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: The porous Co 3 O 4 nanotubes (P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs) are prepared by coaxial electrospinning method followed by a fine annealing treatment. The resultant P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs exhibit excellent lithium storage performance in terms of specific capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability when used as an anode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs). - Abstract: Co 3 O 4 has been investigated intensively for its high specific capacity which makes it a promising candidate anode for high-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, rational design of Co 3 O 4 electrode that is beneficial for its electrochemical performance is still a great challenge. Herein, we designed and fabricated porous Co 3 O 4 nanotubes (P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs) by coaxial electrospinning method followed by a fine annealing treatment, which display one dimensional tubular structure with porous wall and hollow interior. The uniqueness of this strategy is that the morphologies of the P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs could be tuned by adjusting the mass ratio of reactants. The resultant P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs exhibit excellent lithium storage performance in terms of specific capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability, when used as an anode material for rechargeable LIBs. This unique structure endows a high reversible specific capacity of 1826.2 mA g −1 at a current density of 0.3 A g −1 after 100 cycles. Even at high current densities of 2 and 5 A g −1 , the P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs electrode still could deliver remarkable discharge capacities of 1506.2 and 1145.1 mAh g −1 , respectively. The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the unique tubular and porous structure of P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs, which not only can accommodate the large volume change but also can provide an excellent ion diffusion and electronic conduction pathway. Therefore, the P-Co 3 O 4 -NTs have the potential for use as a high performance anode material in LIBs.

A Blind High-Capacity Wavelet-Based Steganography Technique for Hiding Images into other Images

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HAMAD, S.

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The flourishing field of Steganography is providing effective techniques to hide data into different types of digital media. In this paper, a novel technique is proposed to hide large amounts of image data into true colored images. The proposed method employs wavelet transforms to decompose images in a way similar to the Human Visual System (HVS for more secure and effective data hiding. The designed model can blindly extract the embedded message without the need to refer to the original cover image. Experimental results showed that the proposed method outperformed all of the existing techniques not only imperceptibility but also in terms of capacity. In fact, the proposed technique showed an outstanding performance on hiding a secret image whose size equals 100% of the cover image while maintaining excellent visual quality of the resultant stego-images.

High Per formance and Flexible Supercapacitors based on Carbonized Bamboo Fibers for Wide Temperature Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zequine, Camila; Ranaweera, C. K.; Wang, Z.; Singh, Sweta; Tripathi, Prashant; Srivastava, O. N.; Gupta, Bipin Kumar; Ramasamy, K.; Kahol, P. K.; Dvornic, P. R.; Gupta, Ram K.

2016-08-01

High performance carbonized bamboo fibers were synthesized for a wide range of temperature dependent energy storage applications. The structural and electrochemical properties of the carbonized bamboo fibers were studied for flexible supercapacitor applications. The galvanostatic charge-discharge studies on carbonized fibers exhibited specific capacity of ~510F/g at 0.4 A/g with energy density of 54 Wh/kg. Interestingly, the carbonized bamboo fibers displayed excellent charge storage stability without any appreciable degradation in charge storage capacity over 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. The symmetrical supercapacitor device fabricated using these carbonized bamboo fibers exhibited an areal capacitance of ~1.55 F/cm2 at room temperature. In addition to high charge storage capacity and cyclic stability, the device showed excellent flexibility without any degradation to charge storage capacity on bending the electrode. The performance of the supercapacitor device exhibited ~65% improvement at 70 °C compare to that at 10 °C. Our studies suggest that carbonized bamboo fibers are promising candidates for stable, high performance and flexible supercapacitor devices.

Building the UPPA high capacity tensiometer

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Mendes Joao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available High capacity tensiometers (HCTs are sensors capable of directly measuring tensile pore water pressure (suction in soils. HCTs are typically composed of a casing that encapsulates a high air entry value ceramic filter, a water reservoir and a pressure sensing element. Since the creation of the first HCT by Ridley and Burland in 1993 at Imperial College London, HCTs have been almost exclusively built and used in academic research. The limited use in industrial applications can be explained by a lack of unsaturated soil mechanics knowledge among engineering practitioners but also by the technical difficulties associated to the direct measurement of tensile water pressures beyond the cavitation limit of -100kPa. In this paper, we present the recent design and manufacture of a new HCT at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA in France. Different prototypes were tried by changing the main components of the device including the type of ceramic filter, pressure transducer and geometry of the external casing. In particular, two ceramic filters of distinct porosity, three pressure transducers with distinct materials/geometries and four casing designs were tested.

Optical signal processing for enabling high-speed, highly spectrally efficient and high capacity optical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Fazal, Muhammad Irfan

The unabated demand for more capacity due to the ever-increasing internet traffic dictates that the boundaries of the state of the art maybe pushed to send more data through the network. Traditionally, this need has been satisfied by multiple wavelengths (wavelength division multiplexing), higher order modulation formats and coherent communication (either individually or combined together). WDM has the ability to reduce cost by using multiple channels within the same physical fiber, and with EDFA amplifiers, the need for O-E-O regenerators is eliminated. Moreover the availability of multiple colors allows for wavelength-based routing and network planning. Higher order modulation formats increases the capacity of the link by their ability to encode data in both the phase and amplitude of light, thereby increasing the bits/sec/Hz as compared to simple on-off keyed format. Coherent communications has also emerged as a primary means of transmitting and receiving optical data due to its support of formats that utilize both phase and amplitude to further increase the spectral efficiency of the optical channel, including quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK). Polarization multiplexing of channels can double capacity by allowing two channels to share the same wavelength by propagating on orthogonal polarization axis and is easily supported in coherent systems where the polarization tracking can be performed in the digital domain. Furthermore, the forthcoming IEEE 100 Gbit/s Ethernet Standard, 802.3ba, provides greater bandwidth, higher data rates, and supports a mixture of modulation formats. In particular, Pol-MUX QPSK is increasingly becoming the industry's format of choice as the high spectral efficiency allows for 100 Gbit/s transmission while still occupying the current 50 GHz/channel allocation of current 10 Gbit/s OOK fiber systems. In this manner, 100 Gbit/s transfer speeds using current fiber links, amplifiers, and filters

Challenges to Business Excellence: Some Empirical Evidence

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Brown Alan

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The business excellence models are used by many organisations around the world as a strategic driver for business improvement and in some cases as the basis for applications for awards based on the models. These include the Baldrige, EFQM, Australian Business Excellence Framework and many other national and regional models. Whilst many award recipients showcase their achievements, comparatively little is known about the challenges and impediments they face in reaching and sustaining high levels of success as evidenced by winning awards. This paper seeks to identify challenges faced by examining the experience of a sample of Australian Business Excellence Award winners. Findings suggest that the primary challenges include; leadership support, drive and consistency throughout the organisation and communicating strategy and making it meaningful for people at all levels. The study also found variability in challenges across organisations.

Fe-Catalyzed Synthesis of Porous Carbons Spheres with High Graphitization Degree for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jun; Shi, Hongwei; Zhuo, Xin; Hu, Yalin

2017-10-01

We have developed a facile and efficient Fe-catalyzed method for fabrication of porous carbons spheres with high graphitization degree (GNPCs) using glucose as carbon precursor at relatively low carbonization temperature. GNPCs not only have relatively large accessible ion surface area to accommodate greater capacity but also high graphitization degree to accelerate ion diffusion. As a typical application, we demonstrate that GNPCs exhibit excellent electrochemical performance for use in supercapacitors, with high specific capacity of 150.6 F g-1 at current density of 1 A g-1 and good rate capability and superior cycling stability over 10,000 cycles, confirming their potential application for energy storage. Moreover, it is believed that this method offers a new strategy for synthesis of porous carbons with high graphitization degree.

Preparation of novel oxidized mesoporous carbon with excellent adsorption performance for removal of malachite green and lead ion

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xialan; Lin, Qilang; Luo, Shiyuan; Ruan, Kezhao; Peng, Kaiping

2018-06-01

An oxidized mesoporous carbon (OMC) with fluffy structure was fabricated from the mixture of petroleum asphalt and aluminum isopropoxide, and its structures were characterized by FESEM, TEM, BET, TG, XPS and FT-IR. In addition, bath absorption experiments for malachite green (MG) and lead ion (Pb2+) were carried out to explore the effects of pH, initial concentration, contact time and temperature on its absorption process. Results show that the OMC prepared has a fluffy ultrathin-wall structure with narrow pore size distribution and rich oxygen-containing groups. It exhibits excellent absorption performance for the removal of MG as well as Pb2+, as indicated by that its maximum adsorption capacity is 963.1 mg g-1 for MG and 198.6 mg g-1 for Pb2+. The absorption experimental data are all fitted well with pseudo-second-order model and Frendlich isotherm, respectively. More importantly, the OMC still maintains relatively high adsorption capacity after five cycles.

Three-dimensional hierarchical porous flower-like nickel-cobalt oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite for high-capacity supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Peipei; Hu, Zhonghua, E-mail: huzh@tongji.edu.cn; Liu, Yafei; Yao, Mingming; Zhang, Qiang

2015-02-15

Highlights: • 3D hierarchical porous flower-like Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs was synthesized. • The electrode shows a large specific surface area and desirable mesoporosity. • High specific capacitances and outstanding stability were obtained. • The content of MWCNTs affects the electrochemical properties of the electrode. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous flower-like nickel-cobalt oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs) nanocomposites were fabricated by a facile and template-free hydrothermal method as electrodes for high-capacity supercapacitors. The samples were characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge, and cycle life. It was found that Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs nanocomposites displayed a high specific capacitance (1703 F g{sup −1} at a discharge current density of 1 A g{sup −1}) and, additionally, an excellent cycling performance, retaining 97% of the maximum capacitance after 2000 cycles at 10 A g{sup −1}. Even at a high current density (20 A g{sup −1}), the specific capacitance was still up to 1309 F g{sup −1}. This outstanding capacitive performance may be attributed to the ideal composition of the material and to its unique 3D hierarchical porous flower-like architecture.

Three-dimensional hierarchical porous flower-like nickel-cobalt oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite for high-capacity supercapacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Peipei; Hu, Zhonghua; Liu, Yafei; Yao, Mingming; Zhang, Qiang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • 3D hierarchical porous flower-like Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs was synthesized. • The electrode shows a large specific surface area and desirable mesoporosity. • High specific capacitances and outstanding stability were obtained. • The content of MWCNTs affects the electrochemical properties of the electrode. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous flower-like nickel-cobalt oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs) nanocomposites were fabricated by a facile and template-free hydrothermal method as electrodes for high-capacity supercapacitors. The samples were characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge, and cycle life. It was found that Ni-Co oxide/MWCNTs nanocomposites displayed a high specific capacitance (1703 F g −1 at a discharge current density of 1 A g −1 ) and, additionally, an excellent cycling performance, retaining 97% of the maximum capacitance after 2000 cycles at 10 A g −1 . Even at a high current density (20 A g −1 ), the specific capacitance was still up to 1309 F g −1 . This outstanding capacitive performance may be attributed to the ideal composition of the material and to its unique 3D hierarchical porous flower-like architecture

High capacity carbon dioxide sorbent

Science.gov (United States)

Dietz, Steven Dean; Alptekin, Gokhan; Jayaraman, Ambalavanan

2015-09-01

The present invention provides a sorbent for the removal of carbon dioxide from gas streams, comprising: a CO.sub.2 capacity of at least 9 weight percent when measured at 22.degree. C. and 1 atmosphere; an H.sub.2O capacity of at most 15 weight percent when measured at 25.degree. C. and 1 atmosphere; and an isosteric heat of adsorption of from 5 to 8.5 kilocalories per mole of CO.sub.2. The invention also provides a carbon sorbent in a powder, a granular or a pellet form for the removal of carbon dioxide from gas streams, comprising: a carbon content of at least 90 weight percent; a nitrogen content of at least 1 weight percent; an oxygen content of at most 3 weight percent; a BET surface area from 50 to 2600 m.sup.2/g; and a DFT micropore volume from 0.04 to 0.8 cc/g.

Edge-riched graphene nanoribbon for high capacity electrode materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ping, Yunjie; Zhang, Yupeng; Gong, Youning; Cao, Bing; Fu, Qiang; Pan, Chunxu

2017-01-01

Highlights: •The graphene nanoribbon has been successfully synthesized by longitudinal unzipping of carbon nanotubes with oxidants KMnO 4 . •Compared with graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoribbon shows the largest capacitance up to ∼202F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. •The importance of the location of functional groups and the importance of the edge structure. •The pseudo-capacitance material should have high electron transfer and rapid ion diffusion. -- Abstract: Carbon materials have attracted great attention for their diversified applications in supercapacitors, and different structures of carbon have been reported to exhibit dissimilar electrochemical properties. In the past, activated carbons, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers and graphene have been shown to have excellent electrochemical performances, but it still remains a problem on how to improve the capacitance of carbon-based materials effectively from the viewpoint of their giant commercial potential. Noticing that connecting chemical groups to carbon can provide large pseudo-capacitance, we hereby demonstrated that the position of the chemical groups also plays an important role in the pseudo-capacitance. In our work, we synthesized graphene nanoribbon (GNR), graphene oxide (GO) and functional MWCNTs and showed that GNR has larger capacitance (calculated to be 202 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s) and energy density compared to CNTs and GO when using as electrode materials. Furthermore, the supercapacitor device based on as-synthesized GNR exhibits excellent cycle stability and rate capability which evident is potential in high performance supercapacitor. Revealing the source of the capacitance, we found that though GNR has less oxygen-containing groups, it has larger pseudo-capacitance than GO and CNTs due to the remarkable edge-riched structure with high activity in electrochemical reactions. This finding highlights the importance of edge structure in carbon-based pseudo

Do mental skills make champions? Examining the discriminant function of the psychological characteristics of developing excellence questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Macnamara, Aine; Collins, Dave

2013-01-01

The ability to successfully develop to the highest levels in sport is dependent on a range of variables, not least an individual's ability to cope with the various challenges of development. Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs) include both the trait characteristics and the state-deployed skills that have been shown to play a crucial role in the realisation of potential. Psychological characteristics of developing excellence equip aspiring elites with the mental skills, attitudes, and emotions to cope with the challenges of the development pathway, as well as underpinning their capacity to make the most of their innate abilities. The Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire (PCDEQ) was designed to assess the possession and deployment of these characteristics. The purpose of this paper was to examine the ability of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire to effectively discriminate between good and poor developers based on their current possession and deployment of psychological characteristics of developing excellence. Two hundred and eighty-five athletes (n = 192 team athletes; n = 93 individual athletes) completed the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire. Results from the discriminant function analysis suggest that the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire correctly classifies between 67% and 75% of athletes based on their responses. The Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire can be used as a formative assessment tool to direct training programmes by identifying weaknesses in psychological characteristics of developing excellence and incorporating specific training to address these weaknesses in advance of developmental challenges.

A high mitochondrial transport rate characterizes CNS neurons with high axonal regeneration capacity.

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Romain Cartoni

Full Text Available Improving axonal transport in the injured and diseased central nervous system has been proposed as a promising strategy to improve neuronal repair. However, the contribution of each cargo to the repair mechanism is unknown. DRG neurons globally increase axonal transport during regeneration. Because the transport of specific cargos after axonal insult has not been examined systematically in a model of enhanced regenerative capacity, it is unknown whether the transport of all cargos would be modulated equally in injured central nervous system neurons. Here, using a microfluidic culture system we compared neurons co-deleted for PTEN and SOCS3, an established model of high axonal regeneration capacity, to control neurons. We measured the axonal transport of three cargos (mitochondria, synaptic vesicles and late endosomes in regenerating axons and found that the transport of mitochondria, but not the other cargos, was increased in PTEN/SOCS3 co-deleted axons relative to controls. The results reported here suggest a pivotal role for this organelle during axonal regeneration.

High temperature heat capacities and electrical conductivities of boron carbides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Tsuneo; Arita, Yuri; Naito, Keiji; Imai, Hisashi

1991-01-01

The heat capacities and the electrical conductivities of B x C(x=3, 4, 5) were measured by means of direct heating pulse calorimetry in the temperature range from 300 to 1500 K. The heat capacities of B x C increased with increasing x value. This increase in the heat capacity is probably related to the change of the lattice vibration mode originated from the reduction of the stiffness of the intericosahedral chain accompanied with a change from C-B-C to C-B-B chains. A linear relationship between the logarithm of σT (σ is the electrical conductivity and T is the absolute temperature) of B x C and the reciprocal temperature was observed, indicating the presence of small polaron hopping as the predominant conduction mechanism. The electrical conductivity of B x C also increased with increasing x value (from 4 to 5) due to an increase of the polaron hopping of holes between carbon atoms at geometrically nonequivalent sites, since these nonequivalent sites of carbon atoms were considered to increase in either B 11 C icosahedra or in icosahedral chains with increasing x. The electrical conductivity of B 3 C was higher than that of B 4 C, which is probably due to the precipitation of high-conducting carbon. The thermal conductivity and the thermodynamic quantities of B 4 C were also determined precisely from the heat capacity value. (orig.)

How high is visual short-term memory capacity for object layout?

Science.gov (United States)

Sanocki, Thomas; Sellers, Eric; Mittelstadt, Jeff; Sulman, Noah

2010-05-01

Previous research measuring visual short-term memory (VSTM) suggests that the capacity for representing the layout of objects is fairly high. In four experiments, we further explored the capacity of VSTM for layout of objects, using the change detection method. In Experiment 1, participants retained most of the elements in displays of 4 to 8 elements. In Experiments 2 and 3, with up to 20 elements, participants retained many of them, reaching a capacity of 13.4 stimulus elements. In Experiment 4, participants retained much of a complex naturalistic scene. In most cases, increasing display size caused only modest reductions in performance, consistent with the idea of configural, variable-resolution grouping. The results indicate that participants can retain a substantial amount of scene layout information (objects and locations) in short-term memory. We propose that this is a case of remote visual understanding, where observers' ability to integrate information from a scene is paramount.

Effects of high fluoride intake on child mental work capacity: preliminary investigation into the mechanisms involved

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y.; Li, X.J.; Wei, S.Q. [Child & Adolescent Hygiene Teaching Research Station, Chengdu (China)

2008-10-15

A study was carried out on 157 children, age 12-13, from a coal-burning fluorosis endemic area together with an experiment looking into the effect of high fluoride intake in animals. The results showed that early, prolonged high fluoride intake causes a decrease in a child's mental work capacity and that prolonged high uptake of fluoride causes a child's levels of hair zinc to drop. A multifactoral correlative analysis demonstrated a direct correlation between hair zinc and mental work capacity. The decrease of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and the increase of norepinephrine in animal brains exposed to high levels of fluoride suggest a possible mechanism for mental work capacity deficits in children. However, further research is necessary.

Excel Spreadsheets for Algebra: Improving Mental Modeling for Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Engerman, Jason; Rusek, Matthew; Clariana, Roy

2014-01-01

This experiment investigates the effectiveness of Excel spreadsheets in a high school algebra class. Students in the experiment group convincingly outperformed the control group on a post lesson assessment. The student responses, teacher observations involving Excel spreadsheet revealed that it operated as a mindtool, which formed the users'…

Study on the flow nonuniformity in a high capacity Stirling pulse tube cryocooler

Science.gov (United States)

You, X.; Zhi, X.; Duan, C.; Jiang, X.; Qiu, L.; Li, J.

2017-12-01

High capacity Stirling-type pulse tube cryocoolers (SPTC) have promising applications in high temperature superconductive motor and gas liquefaction. However, with the increase of cooling capacity, its performance deviates from well-accepted one-dimensional model simulation, such as Sage and Regen, mainly due to the strong field nonuniformity. In this study, several flow straighteners placed at both ends of the pulse tube are investigated to improve the flow distribution. A two-dimensional model of the pulse tube based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method has been built to study the flow distribution of the pulse tube with different flow straighteners including copper screens, copper slots, taper transition and taper stainless slot. A SPTC set-up which has more than one hundred Watts cooling power at 80 K has been built and tested. The flow straighteners mentioned above have been applied and tested. The results show that with the best flow straightener the cooling performance of the SPTC can be significantly improved. Both CFD simulation and experiment show that the straighteners have impacts on the flow distribution and the performance of the high capacity SPTC.

ARS-Media for excel instruction manual

Science.gov (United States)

ARS-Media for Excel Instruction Manual is the instruction manual that explains how to use the Excel spreadsheet ARS-Media for Excel application. ARS-Media for Excel Instruction Manual is provided as a pdf file....

The sensory components of high-capacity iconic memory and visual working memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire eBradley

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Early visual memory can be split into two primary components: a high-capacity, short-lived iconic memory followed by a limited-capacity visual working memory that can last many seconds. Whereas a large number of studies have investigated visual working memory for low-level sensory features, much research on iconic memory has used more high-level alphanumeric stimuli such as letters or numbers. These two forms of memory are typically examined separately, despite an intrinsic overlap in their characteristics. Here, we used a purely sensory paradigm to examine visual short-term memory for 10 homogeneous items of 3 different visual features (colour, orientation and motion across a range of durations from 0 to 6 seconds. We found that the amount of information stored in iconic memory is smaller for motion than for colour or orientation. Performance declined exponentially with longer storage durations and reached chance levels after ~2 seconds. Further experiments showed that performance for the 10 items at 1 second was contingent on unperturbed attentional resources. In addition, for orientation stimuli, performance was contingent on the location of stimuli in the visual field, especially for short cue delays. Overall, our results suggest a smooth transition between an automatic, high-capacity, feature-specific sensory-iconic memory and an effortful ‘lower-capacity’ visual working memory.

Effect of the capacity design of activated carbon cathode on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Jin; Wang, Jing; Shi, Jingli; Wang, Chengyang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • MCMB with the optimal pre-lithiation capacity as negative electrode in LIC. • The capacity design of cathode affects the electrochemical performance of LIC. • The optimal designed capacity of positive electrode has been proposed. - ABSTRACT: Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) are assembled with activated carbon (AC) cathode and pre-lithiated mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) anode. The effect of AC cathode capacity design on the electrochemical performance of LIC is investigated by the galvanostatic charging-discharging and electrochemical impedance tests. As the designed capacity of AC positive electrode is lower than 50 mAh g −1 , the working potential of negative electrode is always in the low and stable plateau, which is conductive to the sufficient utilization and the working potential stability of positive electrode. When the designed capacity of positive electrode is higher than 50 mAh g −1 , the instability of negative electrode directly causes the reduced utilization and shortened working potential range of the positive electrode, which is responsible for the capacity attenuation and cycle performance deterioration of LIC. The positive electrode capacity design can realize the optimization of electrochemical performance of LIC. LIC50 exhibits the optimal electrochemical performance, high energy density up to 92.3 Wh kg −1 and power density as high as 5.5 kW kg −1 (based on active material mass of two electrodes), excellent capacity retention of 97.0 % after 1000 cycles. The power density and cycle performance of LIC can be further improved by reducing the AC positive electrode designed capacity

Final Report: DE- FC36-05GO15063, Fundamental Studies of Advanced High-Capacity, Reversible Metal Hydrides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, Craig [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); McGrady, Sean [Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton NB (Canada); Severa, Godwin [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); Eliseo, Jennifer [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); Chong, Marina [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)

2013-05-31

The project was component of the US DOE, Metal Hydride Center of Excellence (MHCoE). The Sandia National Laboratory led center was established to conduct highly collaborative and multi-disciplinary applied R&D to develop new reversible hydrogen storage materials that meet or exceed DOE/FreedomCAR 2010 and 2015 system targets for hydrogen storage materials. Our approach entailed a wide variety of activities ranging from synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of new candidate hydrogen storage materials; screening of catalysts for high capacity materials requiring kinetics enhancement; development of low temperature methods for nano-confinement of hydrides and determining its effects on the kinetics and thermodynamics of hydrides; and development of novel processes for the direct re-hydrogenation of materials. These efforts have resulted in several advancements the development of hydrogen storage materials. We have greatly extended the fundamental knowledge about the highly promising hydrogen storage carrier, alane (AlH₃), by carrying out the first crystal structure determinations and the first determination of the heats of dehydrogenation of β–AlH₃ and γ-AlD₃. A low-temperature homogenous organometallic approach to incorporation of Al and Mg based hydrides into carbon aerogels has been developed that that allows high loadings without degradation of the nano-porous scaffold. Nano-confinement was found to significantly improve the dehydrogenation kinetics but not effect the enthalpy of dehydrogenation. We conceived, characterized, and synthesized a novel class of potential hydrogen storage materials, bimetallic borohydrides. These novel compounds were found to have many favorable properties including release of significant amounts of hydrogen at moderate temperatures (75-190 º C). However, in situ IR studies in tandem with thermal gravimetric analysis have shown that about 0.5 equivalents of diborane are released during the

The nature of excellent clinicians at an academic health science center: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahant, Sanjay; Jovcevska, Vesna; Wadhwa, Anupma

2012-12-01

To understand the nature of excellent clinicians at an academic health science center by exploring how and why excellent clinicians achieve high performance. From 2008 to 2010, the authors conducted a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. Members of the Clinical Advisory Committee in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto nominated peers whom they saw as excellent clinicians. The authors then conducted in-depth interviews with the most frequently nominated clinicians. They audio-recorded and transcribed the interviews and coded the transcripts to identify emergent themes. From interviews with 13 peer-nominated, excellent clinicians, a model emerged. Dominant themes fell into three categories: (1) core philosophy, (2) deliberate activities, and (3) everyday practice. Excellent clinicians are driven by a core philosophy defined by high intrinsic motivation and passion for patient care and humility. They refine their clinical skills through two deliberate activities-reflective clinical practice and scholarship. Their high performance in everyday practice is characterized by clinical skills and cognitive ability, people skills, engagement, and adaptability. A rich theory emerged explaining how excellent clinicians, driven by a core philosophy and engaged in deliberate activities, achieve high performance in everyday practice. This theory of the nature of excellent clinicians provides a holistic perspective of individual performance, informs medical education, supports faculty career development, and promotes clinical excellence in the culture of academic medicine.

Cycloaddition in peptides for high-capacity optical storage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lohse, Brian; Berg, Rolf Henrik; Hvilsted, Søren

2006-01-01

Photodimerization of chromophores attached to a short peptide chain is investigated for high-capacity optical digital storage with UV lasers. The length and rigidity of the peptide chain assure an optimal distance and orientation of the chromophores for effective photodimerization. Using a theory...... developed by Tomlinson, the absorption cross section for the dimerization process in a uracil-ornithine-based hexamer is determined to be 9 x 10(-20) cm(2). A large change in the transmission due to irradiation in the UV area may make it possible to realize multilevel storage in a thin film of the peptides....

Towards high-reliability organising in healthcare: a strategy for building organisational capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Aboumatar, Hanan J; Weaver, Sallie J; Rees, Dianne; Rosen, Michael A; Sawyer, Melinda D; Pronovost, Peter J

2017-08-01

In a high-reliability organisation (HRO), safety and quality (SQ) is an organisational priority, and all workforce members are engaged, continuously learning and improving their work. To build organisational capacity for SQ work, we have developed a role-tailored capacity-building framework that we are currently employing at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality as part of an organisational strategy towards HRO. This framework considers organisation-wide competencies for SQ that includes all staff and faculty and is integrated into a broader organisation-wide operating management system for improving quality. In this framework, achieving safe, high-quality care is connected to healthcare workforce preparedness. Capacity-building efforts are tailored to the needs of distinct groups within the workforce that fall within three categories: (1) front-line providers and staff, (2) managers and local improvement personnel and (3) SQ leaders and experts. In this paper we describe this framework, our implementation efforts to date, challenges met and lessons learnt. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Synthesis and properties of a high-capacity iron oxide adsorbent for fluoride removal from drinking water

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chang; Li, Yingzhen; Wang, Ting-Jie; Jiang, Yanping; Fok, Jason

2017-12-01

A novel iron oxide adsorbent with a high fluoride adsorption capacity was prepared by a facile wet-chemical precipitation method and ethanol treatment. The ethanol-treated adsorbent was amorphous and had a high specific surface area. The adsorption capacity of the treated adsorbent was much higher than that of untreated adsorbent. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent prepared at a low final precipitation pH (≤9.0) and treated with ethanol reached 60.8 mg/g. A fast adsorption rate was obtained, and 80% of the adsorption equilibrium capacity was achieved within 2 min. The adsorbent had high fluoride-removal efficiency for water in a wide initial pH range of 3.5-10.3 and had a high affinity for fluoride in the presence of common co-anions. The ethanol treatment resulted in structure transformation of the adsorbent by inhibiting the crystallization of the nano-precipitates. The adsorption was confirmed to be ion exchange between fluoride ions and the hydroxyl groups on the adsorbent surface.

High energy bursts from a solid state laser operated in the heat capacity limited regime

Science.gov (United States)

Albrecht, G.; George, E.V.; Krupke, W.F.; Sooy, W.; Sutton, S.B.

1996-06-11

High energy bursts are produced from a solid state laser operated in a heat capacity limited regime. Instead of cooling the laser, the active medium is thermally well isolated. As a result, the active medium will heat up until it reaches some maximum acceptable temperature. The waste heat is stored in the active medium itself. Therefore, the amount of energy the laser can put out during operation is proportional to its mass, the heat capacity of the active medium, and the temperature difference over which it is being operated. The high energy burst capacity of a heat capacity operated solid state laser, together with the absence of a heavy, power consuming steady state cooling system for the active medium, will make a variety of applications possible. Alternately, cooling takes place during a separate sequence when the laser is not operating. Industrial applications include new material working processes. 5 figs.

Evaluation of Business Excellence among Halal Certified Food Manufacturers in Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Masrom Nor Ratna binti; Mohd Rasi Raja Zuraidah binti Raja; Daut Badru At Tamam bin

2017-01-01

Business excellence is a key tool to improve the efficiency of the company. Through the business excellence model, the organization can execute their strategies to determine, forecast and survive in highly competitive market. This paper presents on identifying those elements in business excellence model (leadership, strategy and planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, operation focus) this paper provides empirical support for halal food certified companies r...

SWR 1000: Efficient design for operational excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brettschuh, W.

2008-01-01

The SWR 1000 boiling water reactor (BWR) offers all of the advantages associated with an advanced plant design, i.e. excellent safety performance and competitive power generation costs, in the medium capacity range (1000-1250 MW). The economic efficiency of this medium-sized plant in comparison with large-capacity designs is achieved by using very simple passive safety equipment, simplified plant operating systems, and a very simple plant configuration. Systems engineering is thus optimized, reducing dependence on electrical and instrumentation and control (I and C) systems. The fuel assemblies deployed in the SWR 1000 core are enlarged from a 10 x 10 to a 12 x 12 rod array. This cuts down the total number of fuel assemblies in the core and hence also the number of control rods and control rod drives, as well as in-core neutron flux monitors. The design owes its competitiveness to the fact that investment, maintenance and fuel cycle costs are all lower. In addition, refueling outages are shorter, thanks to the reduced scope for outage activities. For example, there are no bolted reactor internal joints, and the SWR 1000 has a permanently installed reactor vessel-to-drywell seal. Replacement of in-core detectors is carried out from below, and does not affect the critical path of the outage. Furthermore all in-service -inspections (ISIs) on the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and its nozzles can be undertaken from the outside, so that no extended ISI outages are necessary. As in existing plants, forced coolant circulation is utilized, ensuring problem-free startup and enabling plant operators to adjust power rapidly in the high power range (70%-100%). This is achieved without moving the control rods, and allows both spectral-shift and stretch-out operation. The considerable gains provided by forced coolant circulation, in terms of operational flexibility and fuel utilization, mean that the investment and maintenance costs of the pumps are covered within just a few

Octahedral Tin Dioxide Nanocrystals Anchored on Vertically Aligned Carbon Aerogels as High Capacity Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mingkai; Liu, Yuqing; Zhang, Yuting; Li, Yiliao; Zhang, Peng; Yan, Yan; Liu, Tianxi

2016-01-01

A novel binder-free graphene - carbon nanotubes - SnO2 (GCNT-SnO2) aerogel with vertically aligned pores was prepared via a simple and efficient directional freezing method. SnO2 octahedrons exposed of {221} high energy facets were uniformly distributed and tightly anchored on multidimensional graphene/carbon nanotube (GCNT) composites. Vertically aligned pores can effectively prevent the emersion of “closed” pores which cannot load the active SnO2 nanoparticles, further ensure quick immersion of electrolyte throughout the aerogel, and can largely shorten the transport distance between lithium ions and active sites of SnO2. Especially, excellent electrical conductivity of GCNT-SnO2 aerogel was achieved as a result of good interconnected networks of graphene and CNTs. Furthermore, meso- and macroporous structures with large surface area created by the vertically aligned pores can provide great benefit to the favorable transport kinetics for both lithium ion and electrons and afford sufficient space for volume expansion of SnO2. Due to the well-designed architecture of GCNT-SnO2 aerogel, a high specific capacity of 1190 mAh/g with good long-term cycling stability up to 1000 times was achieved. This work provides a promising strategy for preparing free-standing and binder-free active electrode materials with high performance for lithium ion batteries and other energy storage devices. PMID:27510357

Betalains, Phenols and Antioxidant Capacity in Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Mill.] Fruits from Apulia (South Italy Genotypes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Albano

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Betacyanin (betanin, total phenolics, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC assays were investigated in two differently colored cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Mill. genotypes, one with purple fruit and the other with orange fruit, from the Salento area, in Apulia (South Italy. In order to quantitate betanin in cactus pear fruit extracts (which is difficult by HPLC because of the presence of two isomers, betanin and isobetanin, and the lack of commercial standard with high purity, betanin was purified from Amaranthus retroflexus inflorescence, characterized by the presence of a single isomer. The purple cactus pear variety showed very high betanin content, with higher levels of phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity (TEAC than the orange variety. These findings confirm the potential for exploiting the autochthonous biodiversity of cactus pear fruits. In particular, the purple variety could be an interesting source of colored bioactive compounds which not only have coloring potential, but are also an excellent source of dietary antioxidant components which may have beneficial effects on consumers’ health.

Betalains, Phenols and Antioxidant Capacity in Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.] Fruits from Apulia (South Italy) Genotypes

Science.gov (United States)

Albano, Clara; Negro, Carmine; Tommasi, Noemi; Gerardi, Carmela; Mita, Giovanni; Miceli, Antonio; De Bellis, Luigi; Blando, Federica

2015-01-01

Betacyanin (betanin), total phenolics, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays) were investigated in two differently colored cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) genotypes, one with purple fruit and the other with orange fruit, from the Salento area, in Apulia (South Italy). In order to quantitate betanin in cactus pear fruit extracts (which is difficult by HPLC because of the presence of two isomers, betanin and isobetanin, and the lack of commercial standard with high purity), betanin was purified from Amaranthus retroflexus inflorescence, characterized by the presence of a single isomer. The purple cactus pear variety showed very high betanin content, with higher levels of phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity (TEAC) than the orange variety. These findings confirm the potential for exploiting the autochthonous biodiversity of cactus pear fruits. In particular, the purple variety could be an interesting source of colored bioactive compounds which not only have coloring potential, but are also an excellent source of dietary antioxidant components which may have beneficial effects on consumers’ health. PMID:26783704

Betalains, Phenols and Antioxidant Capacity in Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.] Fruits from Apulia (South Italy) Genotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Albano, Clara; Negro, Carmine; Tommasi, Noemi; Gerardi, Carmela; Mita, Giovanni; Miceli, Antonio; De Bellis, Luigi; Blando, Federica

2015-04-01

Betacyanin (betanin), total phenolics, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays) were investigated in two differently colored cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) genotypes, one with purple fruit and the other with orange fruit, from the Salento area, in Apulia (South Italy). In order to quantitate betanin in cactus pear fruit extracts (which is difficult by HPLC because of the presence of two isomers, betanin and isobetanin, and the lack of commercial standard with high purity), betanin was purified from Amaranthus retroflexus inflorescence, characterized by the presence of a single isomer. The purple cactus pear variety showed very high betanin content, with higher levels of phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity (TEAC) than the orange variety. These findings confirm the potential for exploiting the autochthonous biodiversity of cactus pear fruits. In particular, the purple variety could be an interesting source of colored bioactive compounds which not only have coloring potential, but are also an excellent source of dietary antioxidant components which may have beneficial effects on consumers' health.

The effect of angiotensin converting enzyme genotype on aerobic capacity following high intensity interval training

OpenAIRE

Goddard, N; Baker, M.D; Higgins, T; Cobbold, C

2014-01-01

Obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity can reduce T2DM and CVD risk, and increase aerobic capacity, a significant predictor of all-cause mortality and morbidity. High intensity interval training (HIIT) produces similar improvements in aerobic capacity to continuous moderate exercise (CME). Different genotypes of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) have been implicated in improving aerobic capacity and theref...

Excel dashboards and reports

CERN Document Server

Alexander, Michael

2013-01-01

Learn to use Excel dashboards and reports to better conceptualize data Updated for all the?latest features and capabilities of Excel 2013, this go-to resource provides you with in-depth coverage of the individual functions and tools that can be used to create?compelling Excel reports. Veteran author Michael Alexander walks you through the most effective ways to present and report data. Featuring a comprehensive review of a wide array of technical and analytical concepts, this essential guide helps you go from reporting data with simple tables full of dull numbers to presenting

A biomimetic high-capacity phenazine-based anolyte for aqueous organic redox flow batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Hollas, Aaron; Wei, Xiaoliang; Murugesan, Vijayakumar; Nie, Zimin; Li, Bin; Reed, David; Liu, Jun; Sprenkle, Vincent; Wang, Wei

2018-06-01

Aqueous soluble organic (ASO) redox-active materials have recently attracted significant attention as alternatives to traditional transition metal ions in redox flow batteries (RFB). However, reported reversible capacities of ASO are often substantially lower than their theoretical values based on the reported maximum solubilities. Here, we describe a phenazine-based ASO compound with an exceptionally high reversible capacity that exceeds 90% of its theoretical value. By strategically modifying the phenazine molecular structure, we demonstrate an increased solubility from near-zero with pristine phenazine to as much as 1.8 M while also shifting its redox potential by more than 400 mV. An RFB based on a phenazine derivative (7,8-dihydroxyphenazine-2-sulfonic acid) at its near-saturation concentration exhibits an operating voltage of 1.4 V with a reversible anolyte capacity of 67 Ah l-1 and a capacity retention of 99.98% per cycle over 500 cycles.

Evaluation of high frequency ground motion effects on the seismic capacity of NPP equipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, In Kil; Seo, Jeong Moon; Choun, Young Sun

2003-04-01

In this study, the uniform hazard spectrum for the example Korean nuclear power plants sites were developed and compared with various response spectra used in past seismic PRA and SMA. It shows that the high frequency ground motion effects should be considered in seismic safety evaluations. The floor response spectra were developed using the direct generation method that can develop the floor response spectra from the input response spectrum directly with only the dynamic properties of structures obtained from the design calculation. Most attachment of the equipments to the structure has a minimum distortion capacity. This makes it possible to drop the effective frequency of equipment to low frequency before it is severely damaged. The results of this study show that the high frequency ground motion effects on the floor response spectra were significant, and the effects should be considered in the SPRA and SMA for the equipments installed in a building. The high frequency ground motion effects are more important for the seismic capacity evaluation of functional failure modes. The high frequency ground motion effects on the structural failure of equipments that attached to the floor by welding can be reduced by the distortion capacity of welded anchorage

Novel asymptotic results on the high-order statistics of the channel capacity over generalized fading channels

KAUST Repository

Yilmaz, Ferkan

2012-06-01

The exact analysis of the higher-order statistics of the channel capacity (i.e., higher-order ergodic capacity) often leads to complicated expressions involving advanced special functions. In this paper, we provide a generic framework for the computation of the higher-order statistics of the channel capacity over generalized fading channels. As such, this novel framework for the higher-order statistics results in simple, closed-form expressions which are shown to be asymptotically tight bounds in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime of a variety of fading environment. In addition, it reveals the existence of differences (i.e., constant capacity gaps in log-domain) among different fading environments. By asymptotically tight bound we mean that the high SNR limit of the difference between the actual higher-order statistics of the channel capacity and its asymptotic bound (i.e., lower bound) tends to zero. The mathematical formalism is illustrated with some selected numerical examples that validate the correctness of our newly derived results. © 2012 IEEE.

Mesoporous g-C₃N₄ Nanosheets: Synthesis, Superior Adsorption Capacity and Photocatalytic Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dong-Feng; Huang, Wei-Qing; Zou, Lan-Rong; Pan, Anlian; Huang, Gui-Fang

2018-08-01

Elimination of pollutants from water is one of the greatest challenges in resolving global environmental issues. Herein, we report a high-surface-area mesoporous g-C3N4 nanosheet with remarkable high adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance, which is prepared through directly polycondensation of urea followed by a consecutive one-step thermal exfoliation strategy. This one-pot method to prepare mesoporous g-C3N4 nanosheet is facile and rapid in comparison with others. The superior adsorption capacity of the fabricated mesoporous g-C3N4 nanostructures is demonstrated by a model organic pollutant-methylene blue (MB), which is up to 72.2 mg/g, about 6 times as that of the largest value of various g-C3N4 adsorbents reported so far. Moreover, this kind of porous g-C3N4 nanosheet exhibits high photocatalytic activity to MB and phenol degradation. Particularly, the regenerated samples show excellent performance of pollutant removal after consecutive adsorption/degradation cycles. Therefore, this mesoporous g-C3N4 nanosheet may be an attractive robust metal-free material with great promise for organic pollutant elimination.

Microstructural characterization of EXCEL alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oroza Z E, Celiz; Saumell M, Lani; Versaci, R A; Bozzano, P B

2012-01-01

The microstructure of Excel alloy was studied by optical and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the present phases. Characteristic peaks of α-Zr (HCP), β-Zr (BCC) and δhydride (FCC) were identified. The high relatives intensities of certain peaks suggest that samples are textured. Basal poles were dominant in radial-longitudinal planes and prismatic poles have the highest concentration in radial-tangential planes (author)

Polyethylenimine-modified fungal biomass as a high-capacity biosorbent for Cr(VI) anions: sorption capacity and uptake mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Shubo; Ting, Yen Peng

2005-11-01

Heavy metal pollution in the aqueous environment is a problem of global concern. Biosorption has been considered as a promising technology for the removal of low levels of toxic metals from industrial effluents and natural waters. A modified fungal biomass of Penicillium chrysogenum with positive surface charges was prepared by grafting polyethylenimine (PEI) onto the biomass surface in a two-step reaction. The presence of PEI on the biomass surface was verified by FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. Due to the high density of amine groups in the long chains of PEI molecules on the surface, the modified biomass was found to possess positive zeta potential at pH below 10.4 as well as high sorption capacity for anionic Cr(VI). Using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, the maximum sorption capacity for Cr(VI) at a pH range of 4.3-5.5 was 5.37 mmol/g of biomass dry weight, the highest sorption capacity for Cr(VI) compared to other sorbents reported in the literature. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) provided evidence of chromium aggregates formed on the biomass surface. XPS results verified the presence of Cr(III) on the biomass surface in the pH range 2.5-10.5, suggesting that some Cr(VI) anions were reduced to Cr(III) during the sorption. The sorption kinetics indicated that redox reaction occurred on the biomass surface, and whether the converted Cr(III) ions were released to solution or adsorbed on the biomass depended on the solution pH. Sorption mechanisms including electrostatic interaction, chelation, and precipitation were found to be involved in the complex sorption of chromium on the PEI-modified biomass.

N/S Co-doped Carbon Derived From Cotton as High Performance Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiawen Xiong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Highly porous carbon with large surface areas is prepared using cotton as carbon sources which derived from discard cotton balls. Subsequently, the sulfur-nitrogen co-doped carbon was obtained by heat treatment the carbon in presence of thiourea and evaluated as Lithium-ion batteries anode. Benefiting from the S, N co-doping, the obtained S, N co-doped carbon exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. As a result, the as-prepared S, N co-doped carbon can deliver a high reversible capacity of 1,101.1 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 A g−1, and a high capacity of 531.2 mA h g−1 can be observed even after 5,000 cycles at 10.0 A g−1. Moreover, excellently rate capability also can be observed, a high capacity of 689 mA h g−1 can be obtained at 5.0 A g−1. This superior lithium storage performance of S, N co-doped carbon make it as a promising low-cost and sustainable anode for high performance lithium ion batteries.

Enhanced binding capacity of boronate affinity adsorbent via surface modification of silica by combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and chain-end functionalization for high-efficiency enrichment of cis-diol molecules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Wei; He, Maofang; Wang, Chaozhan; Wei, Yinmao, E-mail: ymwei@nwu.edu.cn

2015-07-30

Boronate affinity materials have been widely used for specific separation and preconcentration of cis-diol molecules, but most do not have sufficient capacity due to limited binding sites on the material surface. In this work, we prepared a phenylboronic acid-functionalized adsorbent with a high binding capacity via the combination of surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) and chain-end functionalization. With this method, the terminal chlorides of the polymer chains were used fully, and the proposed adsorbent contains dense boronic acid polymers chain with boronic acid on the chain end. Consequently, the proposed adsorbent possesses excellent selectivity and a high binding capacity of 513.6 μmol g{sup −1} for catechol and 736.8 μmol g{sup −1} for fructose, which are much higher than those of other reported adsorbents. The dispersed solid-phase extraction (dSPE) based on the prepared adsorbent was used for extraction of three cis-diol drugs (i.e., epinephrine, isoprenaline and caffeic acid isopropyl ester) from plasma; the eluates were analyzed by HPLC-UV. The reduced amount of adsorbent (i.e., 2.0 mg) could still eliminate interferences efficiently and yielded a recovery range of 85.6–101.1% with relative standard deviations ranging from 2.5 to 9.7% (n = 5). The results indicated that the proposed strategy could serve as a promising alternative to increase the density of surface functional groups on the adsorbent; thus, the prepared adsorbent has the potential to effectively enrich cis-diol substances in real samples. - Highlights: • Boronate adsorbent is prepared via ATRP and chain-end functionalization. • The adsorbent has quite high binding capacity for cis-diols. • Binding capacity is easily manipulated by ATRP condition. • Chain-end functionalization can improve binding capacity significantly. • Reduced adsorbent is consumed in dispersed solid-phase extraction of cis-diols.

Excel 2003 for dummies

CERN Document Server

Harvey, Greg

2013-01-01

Every time you turn around, you run into Excel. It's on yourPC at work. It's on your PC at home. You get Excel files fromyour boss. Wouldn't you like to understand this powerfulMicrosoft Office spreadsheet program, once and for all? Now, youcan crunch financial data, add sparkle to presentations, convertstatic lists of numbers into impressive charts, and discover whatall the shouting's about regarding databases, formulas, andcells. You may even decide that getting organized with a goodspreadsheet is downright useful and fun! Flip open Excel 2003 For Dummies, and you'llquickly start getting th

Beginning Microsoft Excel 2010

CERN Document Server

Katz, Abbott

2010-01-01

Beginning Microsoft Excel 2010 is a practical, step-by-step guide to getting started with the world's most widely used spreadsheet application. The book offers a hands-on approach to learning how to create and edit spreadsheets, use various calculation formulas, employ charts/graphs, and get work done efficiently. Microsoft is rolling out several new features with Excel 2010 - perhaps the most notable is the ability to use Excel 2010 online and this collaborate on a project in real time. Beginning Microsoft Office 2010 keeps you up-to-date with all of these new features and more. What you'll l

Excel VBA 24-hour trainer

CERN Document Server

Urtis, Tom

2015-01-01

Master VBA automation quickly and easily to get more out of Excel Excel VBA 24-Hour Trainer, 2nd Edition is the quick-start guide to getting more out of Excel, using Visual Basic for Applications. This unique book/video package has been updated with fifteen new advanced video lessons, providing a total of eleven hours of video training and 45 total lessons to teach you the basics and beyond. This self-paced tutorial explains Excel VBA from the ground up, demonstrating with each advancing lesson how you can increase your productivity. Clear, concise, step-by-step instructions are combined wit

Teaching physics using Microsoft Excel

Science.gov (United States)

Uddin, Zaheer; Ahsanuddin, Muhammad; Khan, Danish Ahmed

2017-09-01

Excel is both ubiquitous and easily understandable. Most people from every walk of life know how to use MS office and Excel spreadsheets. Students are also familiar with spreadsheets. Most students know how to use spreadsheets for data analysis. Besides basic use of Excel, some important aspects of spreadsheets are highlighted in this article. MS Excel can be used to visualize effects of various parameters in a physical system. It can be used as a simulating tool; simulation of wind data has been done through spreadsheets in this study. Examples of Lissajous figures and a damped harmonic oscillator are presented in this article.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of high-voltage nanostructured LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 spinel: tuning the Mn3+ content and electrochemical performance

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Jafta, CJ

2013-08-01

Full Text Available on the Mn3+ concentration and electrochemistry of the LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 spinel. It is shown that microwave is capable of tuning the Mn3+ content of the spinel for enhanced electrochemical performance (high capacity, high capacity retention, excellent rate...

Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence for Translational Diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

The Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence for Translational Diagnostics, which forms the third cycle CCNE Program at Stanford University, is a consortium that has three highly synchronized Projects and three Cores.

[Cardiorespiratory capacity in children living at moderate altitude].

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Campos, Rossana; Arruda, Miguel; Almonacid-Fierro, Alejandro; Holbold, Edílson; Amaral-Camargo, Cristiane; Gamero, Diego; Cossio-Bolanos, Marco A

2014-04-01

To determine the cardiorespiratory capacity of school children living at moderate altitude. 795 children (394 children and 401 girls) were selected from urban public schools in Arequipa, Peru at moderate altitude (2,320 m). Anthropometric variables (body mass, height, body fat percentage) and cardiorespiratory capacity were assessed using the Course Navette test, considering the following categories: deficient, poor, fair, good, very good and excellent. The results showed significant differences in all categories (poverweight (r=-0.20 to -0.22) and a moderate negative correlation with obesity (r=-0.39 to -0.42) were described for both genders. Low levels of cardiorespiratory capacity in boys and girls living at moderate altitude are observed, which is negatively correlated with excess body weight. The results suggest that 1 in 5 children are likely to suffer some type of cardiovascular event.

High-Density Near-Field Readout over 50 GB Capacity Using Solid Immersion Lens with High Refractive Index

Science.gov (United States)

Shinoda, Masataka; Saito, Kimihiro; Kondo, Takao; Ishimoto, Tsutomu; Nakaoki, Ariyoshi

2003-02-01

We have investigated high-density near-field readout using a solid immersion lens with a high refractive index. By using a glass material with a high refractive index of 2.08, we developed an optical pick-up with the effective numerical aperture of 1.8. We could observe a clear eye pattern for a 50 GB capacity disc in 120 mm diameter. We confirmed that the near-field readout system is promising method of realizing a high-density optical disc system.

Graphene with outstanding anti-irradiation capacity as multialkylated cyclopentanes additive toward space application

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiaoqiang; Wang, Liping

2015-07-01

Multialkylated cyclopentanes (MACs), a class of synthetic hydrocarbon fluid have attracted intensive interest as possible space lubricants due to a series of unique physical and chemical properties. Here, we used graphene with high mechanical strength and chemical inertness as lubricant additive to explore its potential for space application. The effects of space irradiation on graphene and the tribological properties of graphene as lubricant additive were firstly investigated in detail under simulated space environment composed of high vacuum, high/low temperature and irradiation. Results demonstrate that graphene not only possesses outstanding anti-irradiation capacity but also significantly improves the space performance and tribological properties of MACs, which depends on the excellent physicochemical properties and high load-carrying ability of graphene as well as more effective separation of the sliding surfaces.

Ultradispersed Nanoarchitecture of LiV3O8 Nanoparticle/Reduced Graphene Oxide with High-Capacity and Long-Life Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Runwei; Du, Ying; Rooney, David; Ding, Guqiao; Sun, Kening

2016-01-01

Lack of high-performance cathode materials has become the major barriers to lithium-ion battery applications in advanced communication equipment and electric vehicles. In this paper, we report a versatile interfacial reaction strategy, which is based on the idea of space confinement, for the synthesis of ultradispersed LiV3O8 nanoparticles (~10 nm) on graphene (denoted as LVO NPs-GNs) with an unprecedented degree of control on the separation and manipulation of the nucleation, growth, anchoring, and crystallization of nanoparticles in a water-in-oil emulsion system over free growth in solution. The prepared LVO NPs-GNs composites displayed high performance as an cathode material for lithium-ion battery, including high reversible lithium storage capacity (237 mA h g-1 after 200 cycles), high Coulombic efficiency (about 98%), excellent cycling stability and high rate capability (as high as 176 mA h g-1 at 0.9 A g-1, 128 mA h g-1 at 1.5 A g-1, 91 mA h g-1 at 3 A g-1 and 59 mA h g-1 at 6 A g-1, respectively). Very significantly, the preparation method employed can be easily adapted and may opens the door to complex hybrid materials design and engineering with graphene for advanced energy storage.

Review on anionic redox for high-capacity lithium- and sodium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Chenglong; Lu, Yaxiang; Hu, Yong-Sheng; Chen, Liquan; Wang, Qidi; Li, Baohua

2017-01-01

Rechargeable batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, are now widely used as power sources for portable electronics and electric vehicles, but material innovations are still needed to satisfy the increasing demand for larger energy density. Recently, lithium- and sodium-rich electrode materials, including the A 2 MO 3 -family layered compounds (A  =  Li, Na; M  =  Mn 4+ , Ru 4+ , etc), have been extensively studied as potential high-capacity electrode materials for a cumulative cationic and anionic redox activity. Negatively charged oxide ions can potentially donate electrons to compensate for the absence of oxidable transition metals as a redox center to further increase the reversible capacity. Understanding and controlling the state-of-the-art anionic redox processes is pivotal for the design of advanced energy materials, highlighted in rechargeable batteries. Hence, experimental and theoretical approaches have been developed to consecutively study the diverting processes, states, and structures involved. In this review, we attempt to present a literature overview and provide insight into the reaction mechanism with respect to the anionic redox processes, proposing some opinions as target oriented. It is hoped that, through this discussion, the search for anionic redox electrode materials with high-capacity rechargeable batteries can be advanced, and practical applications realized as soon as possible. (topical review)

Limitations of Using Microsoft Excel Version 2016 (MS Excel 2016) for Statistical Analysis for Medical Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanavalee, Chotetawan; Luksanapruksa, Panya; Singhatanadgige, Weerasak

2016-06-01

Microsoft Excel (MS Excel) is a commonly used program for data collection and statistical analysis in biomedical research. However, this program has many limitations, including fewer functions that can be used for analysis and a limited number of total cells compared with dedicated statistical programs. MS Excel cannot complete analyses with blank cells, and cells must be selected manually for analysis. In addition, it requires multiple steps of data transformation and formulas to plot survival analysis graphs, among others. The Megastat add-on program, which will be supported by MS Excel 2016 soon, would eliminate some limitations of using statistic formulas within MS Excel.

A checkerboard selective absorber with excellent spectral selectivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Liu, E-mail: optyang@zju.edu.cn [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); School of Electrical, Computer, and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Mo, Lei; Chen, Tuo [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Forsberg, Erik [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); He, Sailing [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Department of Electromagnetic Engineering, JORCEP, Roy Institute of Technology (KTH), S-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-11-14

A selective absorber with excellent spectral selectivity is proposed and analyzed. The absorber is based on a germanium (Ge) checkerboard on top of a tantalum (Ta) substrate. At wavelengths shorter than the 1.2 μm cutoff, a very high absorption is achieved due to strong cavity resonances in the Ge nanosquares, and their interactions with adjacent nanocavities and the bottom Ta substrate. At longer wavelengths, absorption is greatly suppressed due to destructive interference between the transparent checkerboard layer and the highly reflective Ta substrate. To better describe the superior selectivity of our configuration, a new figure of merit (FOM) is introduced. We observe a FOM value of 0.88 compared to 0.69 for its planar counterpart. We also conduct a thermal analysis to verify the excellent selectivity of our absorber. A high temperature can be achieved and maintained, promising good potential for applications in solar thermophotovoltaic systems.

ARS-Media for Excel

Science.gov (United States)

ARS-Media for Excel is an ion solution calculator that uses Microsoft Excel to generate recipes of salts for complex ion mixtures specified by the user. Generating salt combinations (recipes) that result in pre-specified target ion values is a linear programming problem. Thus, the recipes are genera...

Spongelike Nanosized Mn 3 O 4 as a High-Capacity Anode Material for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

KAUST Repository

Gao, Jie

2011-07-12

Mn3O4 has been investigated as a high-capacity anode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Spongelike nanosized Mn 3O4 was synthesized by a simple precipitation method and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Its electrochemical performance, as an anode material, was evaluated by galvanostatic discharge-charge tests. The results indicate that this novel type of nanosized Mn3O4 exhibits a high initial reversible capacity (869 mA h/g) and significantly enhanced first Coulomb efficiency with a stabilized reversible capacity of around 800 mA h/g after over 40 charge/discharge cycles. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Learn Excel 2011 for Mac

CERN Document Server

Hart-Davis, Guy

2011-01-01

Microsoft Excel 2011 for Mac OS X is a powerful application, but many of its most impressive features can be difficult to find. Learn Excel 2011 for Mac by Guy Hart-Davis is a practical, hands-on approach to learning all of the details of Excel 2011 in order to get work done efficiently on Mac OS X. From using formulas and functions to creating databases, from analyzing data to automating tasks, you'll learn everything you need to know to put this powerful application to use for a variety of tasks. What you'll learn * The secrets of the Excel for Mac interface! * How to create effective workbo

Excel data analysis for dummies

CERN Document Server

Nelson, Stephen L

2014-01-01

Harness the power of Excel to discover what your numbers are hiding Excel Data Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition is the ultimate guide to getting the most out of your data. Veteran Dummies author Stephen L. Nelson guides you through the basic and not-so-basic features of Excel to help you discover the gems hidden in your rough data. From input, to analysis, to visualization, the book walks you through the steps that lead to superior data analysis. Excel is the number-one spreadsheet application, with ever-expanding capabilities. If you're only using it to balance the books, you're missing out

Durability testing of the high-capacity GA-4/GA-9 trailer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmer, A.

1993-01-01

General Atomics (GA) is under contract to the US Department of Energy (DOE), Idaho Field Office, to develop two legal-weight truck from-reactor spent-fuel shipping casks with trailers. GA is developing these high capacity transport systems to support the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management's (OCRWM) mission to transport spent fuel from reactors to a permanent disposal site. GA's goal is to maximize the number of fuel assemblies that the transport system can safely carry. The GA-4 Cask is being designed to transport four pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) spent-fuel assemblies, and the GA-9 Cask is being designed to transport nine boiling-water-reactor (BWR) spent-fuel assemblies. The use of these high-capacity transport systems will have a large benefit to-public safety since the number of legal-weight truck shipments will be reduced by at least a factor of four over existing spent-fuel shipping cask systems. Achieving these capacities requires that the weight of each component of the transport system. i.e., cask, trailer and tractor, be minimized. The weight of the trailer is of particular importance. With a high load-to-weight ratio, the durability and reliability of the trailer become significant factors in the success of the transport system. In order to verify that the trailer design will meet the durability and performance requirements to safely transport spent-fuel, GA has planned an extensive testing program. The testing program includes non-destructive examination (NDE) of the trailer welds, operational testing, a static load test, an over-the-road performance test, and a test to verify the durability of the trailer up to its 1,000,000-mile design life. Since a prototype cask will not be available for the testing, GA designed and built a dummy payload that simulates the correct weight distribution and approximates the dynamic response of the prototype cask

Atomistic Origins of High Capacity and High Structural Stability of Polymer-Derived SiOC Anode Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hong; Zhao, Kejie

2017-10-11

Capacity and structural stability are often mutually exclusive properties of electrodes in Li-ion batteries (LIBs): a gain in capacity is usually accompanied by the undesired large volumetric change of the host material upon lithiation. Polymer-derived ceramics, such as silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) of hybrid Si-O-C bonds, show an exceptional combination of high capacity and superior structural stability. We investigate the atomistic origins of the unique chemomechanical performance of carbon-rich SiOC using the first-principles theoretical approach. The atomic model of SiOC is composed of continuous Si-O-C units caged by a graphene-like cellular network and percolated nanovoids. The segregated sp 2 carbon network serves as the backbone to maintain the structural stability of the lattice. Li insertion is first absorbed at the nanovoid sites, and then it is accommodated by the SiOC tetrahedral units, excess C atoms, and topological defects at the edge of or within the segregated carbon network. SiOC expands up to 22% in volumetric strain at the fully lithiated capacity of 1230 mA h/g. We examine in great detail the evolution of the microscopic features of the SiOC molecule in the course of Li reactions. The first-principles modeling provides a fundamental understanding of the physicochemical properties of Si-based glass ceramics for their application in LIBs.

Titanium oxynitride thin films as high-capacity and high-rate anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Kuo-Feng; Su, Shih-Hsuan; Leu, Hoang-Jyh; Hsia, Chen-Hsien

2015-01-01

Titanium oxynitride (TiO_xN_y) was synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering in a mixed N_2/O_2/Ar gas at ambient temperature. TiO_xN_y thin films with various amounts of nitrogen contents were deposited by varying the N_2/O_2 ratios in the background gas. The synthesized TiO_xN_y films with different compositions (TiO_1_._8_3_7N_0_._0_6_0_, TiO_1_._8_9_0N_0_._0_6_8_, TiO_1_._8_6_5N_0_._0_7_3, and TiO_1_._8_8_2N_0_._1_6_3) all displayed anatase phase, except TiO_1_._8_8_2N_0_._1_6_3. The impedances and grain sizes showed obvious variations with the nitrogen contents. A wide potential window from 3.0 V to 0.05 V, high-rate charge–discharge testing, and long cycle testing were applied to investigate the performances of synthesized TiO_xN_y and pure TiO_2 as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. These TiO_xN_y anodes can be cycled under high rates of 125 μA/cm"2 (10 °C) because of the lower charge–transfer resistance compared with the TiO_2 anode. At 10 °C the discharge capacity of the optimal TiO_xN_y composition is 1.5 times higher than that of pure TiO_2. An unexpectedly large reversible capacity of ~ 300 μAh/cm"2 μm (~ 800 mAh/g) between 1.0 V and 0.05 V was recorded for the TiO_xN_y anodes. The TiO_xN_y anode was cycled (3.0 V to 0.05 V) at 10 °C over 300 times without capacity fading while delivering a capacity of ~ 150 μAh/cm"2 μm (~ 400 mAh/g). - Highlights: • Titanium oxynitride (TiO_xN_y) thin films as anode materials were studied. • TiO_xN_y thin films with various amounts of nitrogen contents were studied_. • High rate capability of TiO_xN_y was studied.

A dynamic network model to explain the development of excellent human performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruud J.R. Den Hartigh

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Across different domains, from sports to science, some individuals accomplish excellent levels of performance. For over 150 years, researchers have debated the roles of specific nature and nurture components to develop excellence. In this article, we argue that the key to excellence does not reside in specific underlying components, but rather in the ongoing interactions among the components. We propose that excellence emerges out of dynamic networks consisting of idiosyncratic mixtures of interacting components such as genetic endowment, motivation, practice, and coaching. Using computer simulations we demonstrate that the dynamic network model accurately predicts typical properties of excellence reported in the literature, such as the idiosyncratic developmental trajectories leading to excellence and the highly skewed distributions of productivity present in virtually any achievement domain. Based on this novel theoretical perspective on excellent human performance, this article concludes by suggesting policy implications and directions for future research.

Estimation of Parameters Obtained by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on Systems Containing High Capacities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirjana Rajčić Vujasinović

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Electrochemical systems with high capacities demand devices for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS with ultra-low frequencies (in order of mHz, that are almost impossible to accomplish with analogue techniques, but this becomes possible by using a computer technique and accompanying digital equipment. Recently, an original software and hardware for electrochemical measurements, intended for electrochemical systems exhibiting high capacities, such as supercapacitors, has been developed. One of the included methods is EIS. In this paper, the method of calculation of circuit parameters from an EIS curve is described. The results of testing on a physical model of an electrochemical system, constructed of known elements (including a 1.6 F capacitor in a defined arrangement, proved the validity of the system and the method.

A micro-structured Si-based electrodes for high capacity electrical double layer capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krikscikas, Valdas; Oguchi, Hiroyuki; Hara, Motoaki; Kuwano, Hiroki; Yanazawa, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

We challenged to make basis for Si electrodes of electric double layer capacitors (EDLC) used as a power source of micro-sensor nodes. Mcroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processes were successfully introduced to fabricate micro-structured Si-based electrodes to obtain high surface area which leads to high capacity of EDLCs. Study of fundamental properties revealed that the microstructured electrodes benefit from good wettability to electrolytes, but suffer from electric resistance. We found that this problem can be solved by metal-coating of the electrode surface. Finally we build an EDLC consisting of Au-coated micro-structured Si electrodes. This EDLC showed capacity of 14.3 mF/cm 2 , which is about 530 times larger than that of an EDLC consisting of flat Au electrodes

Capacity Payments in Restructured Markets under Low and High Penetration Levels of Renewable Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jenkin, Thomas [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Beiter, Philipp [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-02-11

remain in implementing capacity markets that provide both adequate operational and investment incentives, particularly under high-VRE scenarios with greater need for flexible capacity.

Damping Capacity of High Manganese Austenitic Stainless Steel with a Two Phase Mixed Structure of Martensite and Austenite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Tae Hyun; Kang, Chang-Yong

2013-01-01

The damping capacity of high manganese austenitic stainless steel with a two phase mixed structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was studied. Reversed austenite with an ultra-fine grain size of less than 0.2 μm was obtained by reversion treatment. The two phase structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was obtained by annealing treatment at a range of 500-700 °C and various times in cold rolled high manganese austenitic stainless steel. The damping capacity increased with an increasing annealing temperature and time. In high manganese stainless steel with the two phase mixed structure of martensite and austenite, the damping capacity decreased with an increasing volume fraction of deformation-induced martensite. Thus, the damping capacity was strongly affected by deformation-induced martensite. The results confirmed that austenitic stainless steel with a good combination of strength and damping capacity was obtained from the two phase mixed structure of austenite and martensite.

High Capacity Hydrogen Storage on Nanoporous Biocarbon

Science.gov (United States)

Burress, Jacob; Wood, Mikael; Gordon, Michael; Parilla, Phillip; Benham, Michael; Wexler, Carlos; Hawthorne, Fred; Pfeifer, Peter

2008-03-01

The Alliance for Collaborative Research in Alternative Fuel Technology (http://all-craft.missouri.edu) has been optimizing nanoporous biocarbon for high capacity hydrogen storage. The hydrogen storage was measured gravimetrically and volumetrically (Sievert's apparatus). These measurements have been validated by NREL and Hiden Isochema. Sample S-33/k, our current best performer, stores 73-91 g H2/kg carbon at 77 K and 47 bar, and 1.0-1.6 g H2/kg carbon at 293 K and 47 bar. Hydrogen isotherms run by Hiden Isochema have given experimental binding energies of 8.8 kJ/mol compared to the binding energy of graphite of 5 kJ/mol. Results from a novel boron doping technique will also be presented. The benefits and validity of using boron-doping on carbon will also be discussed.

Preparation of Fe–Si–Ni soft magnetic composites with excellent high-frequency properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Wei; Wu, Chen, E-mail: chen_wu@zju.edu.cn; Yan, Mi, E-mail: mse_yanmi@zju.edu.cn

2015-05-01

Fe–Si–Ni powders were firstly prepared into soft magnetic composites (SMCs) by ball milling, surface passivation and subsequent compaction. The morphology, phase composition, and magnetic properties of the Fe–Si–Ni powders and their high-frequency performance as SMCs were investigated. The Fe–Si–Ni powders, with saturation magnetization (M{sub s}) of 254.40 emu/g after annealing, were milled down to particle sizes ranging from 40 μm to 150 μm. Surface passivation of the powders was carried out with 0.2–1.0 wt% phosphoric acid solution prior to compaction. Evolution of the high-frequency properties for the Fe–Si–Ni SMCs with the passivator concentration and the molding pressure was studied. With optimized preparation parameters, high saturation flux density (B{sub s}) of 1.23 T, stable permeability, and superior dc-bias property with a percentage permeability above 70% while H=50 Oe were achieved for the Fe–Si–Ni SMC. Minimum core loss (285 mW/cm{sup 3}) was also measured at 50 kHz for B{sub m}=50 mT. - Highlights: • Fe–Si–Ni as a new type of magnetic powder has been prepared into soft magnetic composites. • Effective surface passivation of the Fe–Si–Ni powders can be achieved by phosphate treatment. • Influence of the passivator concentration and molding pressure has been investigated. • The obtained Fe–Si–Ni soft magnetic composites exhibit excellent high-frequency performance.

"Excellence" in STEM Education

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Aaron C.

2012-01-01

So what does it take to achieve excellence in STEM education? That is the title of the author's presentation delivered at International Technology and Engineering Educators Association's (ITEEA's) FTEE "Spirit of Excellence" Breakfast on March 16, 2012, in Long Beach, California. In preparation for this presentation, the author went back and read…

High-Capacity Hydrogen-Based Green-Energy Storage Solutions For The Grid Balancing

Science.gov (United States)

D'Errico, F.; Screnci, A.

One of the current main challenges in green-power storage and smart grids is the lack of effective solutions for accommodating the unbalance between renewable energy sources, that offer intermittent electricity supply, and a variable electricity demand. Energy management systems have to be foreseen for the near future, while they still represent a major challenge. Integrating intermittent renewable energy sources, by safe and cost-effective energy storage systems based on solid state hydrogen is today achievable thanks to recently some technology breakthroughs. Optimized solid storage method made of magnesium-based hydrides guarantees a very rapid absorption and desorption kinetics. Coupled with electrolyzer technology, high-capacity storage of green-hydrogen is therefore practicable. Besides these aspects, magnesium has been emerging as environmentally friend energy storage method to sustain integration, monitoring and control of large quantity of GWh from high capacity renewable generation in the EU.

Endurance capacity of mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running.

Science.gov (United States)

Meek, Thomas H; Lonquich, Brian P; Hannon, Robert M; Garland, Theodore

2009-09-15

Mice from four lines bred for high voluntary wheel activity run approximately 3-fold more revolutions per day and have elevated maximal oxygen consumption during forced treadmill exercise, as compared with four unselected control (C) lines. We hypothesized that these high runner (HR) lines would have greater treadmill endurance-running capacity. Ninety-six mice from generation 49 were familiarized with running on a motorized treadmill for 3 days. On days 4 and 5, mice were given an incremental speed test (starting at 20 m min(-1), increased 1.5 m min(-1) every 2 min) and endurance was measured as the total time or distance run to exhaustion. Blood samples were taken to measure glucose and lactate concentrations at rest during the photophase, during peak nightly wheel running, and immediately following the second endurance test. Individual differences in endurance time were highly repeatable between days (r=0.79), and mice tended to run longer on the second day (paired t-test, Pwheel running and treadmill endurance differed between the sexes, reinforcing previous studies that indicate sex-specific responses to selective breeding. HR mice appear to have a higher endurance capacity than reported in the literature for inbred strains of mice or transgenics intended to enhance endurance.

Writing Excel Macros with VBA

CERN Document Server

Roman, Steven

2008-01-01

To achieve the maximum control and flexibility from Microsoft® Excel often requires careful custom programming using the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) language. Writing Excel Macros with VBA, 2nd Edition offers a solid introduction to writing VBA macros and programs, and will show you how to get more power at the programming level: focusing on programming languages, the Visual Basic Editor, handling code, and the Excel object model.

Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen and Oxygen Co-Doped Clews of Carbon Nanobelts for Supercapacitors with Excellent Rate Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Yu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Facile synthesis of carbon materials with high heteroatom content, large specific surface area (SSA and hierarchical porous structure is critical for energy storage applications. In this study, nitrogen and oxygen co-doped clews of carbon nanobelts (NCNBs with hierarchical porous structures are successfully prepared by a carbonization and subsequent activation by using ladder polymer of hydroquinone and formaldehyde (LPHF as the precursor and ammonia as the activating agent. The hierarchical porous structures and ultra-high SSA (up to 2994 m2 g−1 can effectively facilitate the exchange and transportation of electrons and ions. Moreover, suitable heteroatom content is believed to modify the wettability of the carbon material. The as-prepared activated NCNBs-60 (the NCNBs activated by ammonia at 950 °C for 60 min possess a high capacitance of 282 F g−1 at the current density of 0.25 A g−1, NCNBs-45 (the NCNBs are activated by ammonia at 950 °C for 45 min and show an excellent capacity retention of 50.2% when the current density increase from 0.25 to 150 A g−1. Moreover, the NCNBs-45 electrode exhibits superior electrochemical stability with 96.2% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at 5.0 A g−1. The newly prepared NCNBs thus show great potential in the field of energy storage.

What Makes an Excellent Lecturer? Academics' Perspectives on the Discourse of "Teaching Excellence" in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Margaret; Su, Feng

2017-01-01

In the context of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), we examine academics' perspectives on the discourse of "teaching excellence" based on an empirical study with 16 participants from five post-1992 universities. The article reports the findings on academics' views of the term and concept of "teaching excellence",…

Densities, viscosities, and isobaric heat capacities of the system (1-butanol + cyclohexane) at high pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torín-Ollarves, Geraldine A.; Martín, M. Carmen; Chamorro, César R.; Segovia, José J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The densities of cyclohexane and its mixtures with 1-butanol were measured. • The excess molar volumes were calculated and correlated. • The viscosities were measured at atmospheric pressure. • The isobaric heat capacities were measured at p = (0.1 to 25) MPa at T = (293.15 and 313.15) K. • A positive deviation from the ideal behavior is observed. - Abstract: The cyclohexane and the system of 1-butanol + cyclohexane have been characterized using densities, viscosities and isobaric heat capacities measurements. For that, the densities were measured in a high-pressure vibrating tube densimeter at five temperatures from (293.15 to 333.15) K and pressures up to 100 MPa. The measurements were correlated with the empirical Tamman–Tait equation. Moreover, the isobaric heat capacities of the binary system were measured in a high-pressure automated flow calorimeter at T = (293.15 and 313.15) K and pressures up to 25 MPa for pure cyclohexane and in admixture with 1-butanol. The excess molar heat capacities were assessed for the mixture and a positive deviation from the ideality was obtained, except for a small part in the region rich in alkanol. The viscosity measurements were carried out, at the calorimeter conditions, for correcting the experimental values of isobaric heat capacities due to friction along the tube. The viscosity was measured at atmospheric pressure in a Stabinger Anton Paar SVM 3000 viscometer in the temperature range of (293.15 to 333.15) K for cyclohexane and the mixtures. At high pressure, the viscosities were estimated using Lucas method

1D Ni-Co oxide and sulfide nanoarray/carbon aerogel hybrid nanostructures for asymmetric supercapacitors with high energy density and excellent cycling stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Pin; Tian, Jian; Sang, Yuanhua; Tuan, Chia-Chi; Cui, Guanwei; Shi, Xifeng; Wong, C P; Tang, Bo; Liu, Hong

2016-09-15

The fabrication of supercapacitor electrodes with high energy density and excellent cycling stability is still a great challenge. A carbon aerogel, possessing a hierarchical porous structure, high specific surface area and electrical conductivity, is an ideal backbone to support transition metal oxides and bring hope to prepare electrodes with high energy density and excellent cycling stability. Therefore, NiCo 2 S 4 nanotube array/carbon aerogel and NiCo 2 O 4 nanoneedle array/carbon aerogel hybrid supercapacitor electrode materials were synthesized by assembling Ni-Co precursor needle arrays on the surface of the channel walls of hierarchical porous carbon aerogels derived from chitosan in this study. The 1D nanostructures grow on the channel surface of the carbon aerogel vertically and tightly, contributing to the enhanced electrochemical performance with ultrahigh energy density. The energy density of NiCo 2 S 4 nanotube array/carbon aerogel and NiCo 2 O 4 nanoneedle array/carbon aerogel hybrid asymmetric supercapacitors can reach up to 55.3 Wh kg -1 and 47.5 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 400 W kg -1 , respectively. These asymmetric devices also displayed excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of about 96.6% and 92% over 5000 cycles.

Unique Fe2P Nanoparticles Enveloped in Sandwichlike Graphited Carbon Sheets as Excellent Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalyst and Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Huijuan; Feng, Yangyang; Liu, Li; Wang, Yu

2015-12-09

The novel Fe2P nanoparticles encapsulated in sandwichlike graphited carbon envelope nanocomposite (Fe2P/GCS) that can be first applied in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as well as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been designed and fabricated. The unique sandwiched Fe2P/GCS is characterized with several prominent merits, including large specific surface area, nanoporous structure, excellent electronic conductivity, enhanced structural integrity and so on. All of these endow the Fe2P/GCS with brilliant electrochemical performance. When used as a HER electrocatalyst in acidic media, the harvested Fe2P/GCS demonstrates low onset overpotential and Tafel slope as well as particularly outstanding durability. Moreover, as an anode material for LIBs, the sandwiched Fe2P/GCS presents high specific capacity and excellent cyclability and rate capability. As a consequence, the acquired Fe2P/GCS is a promising material for energy applications, especially HER and LIBs.

Measuring research excellence in the EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads P.; Bloch, Carter Walter; Young, Mitchell

In 2013, the European Union unveiled its new ‘Composite Indicator for Scientific and Technological Research Excellence’, marking a turning point in how excellence is understood and used in European policy. This is not an isolated occurrence; policy-based interest in excellence is growing all over...... the world. The heightened focus on excellence and in particular, attempts to define it through quantitative indicators can have important implications for research policy and for the conduct of research itself. This paper examines how the European Union’s understanding of excellence has evolved in recent...... years, from the presentation of the Lisbon strategy in 2000 to the current Europe 2020 strategy. We find a distinct shift in the understanding of excellence and how success in the knowledge-based economy should be achieved: in the early period, excellence is a fuzzy concept, intrinsically embedded...

Radio-capacity of ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kultakhmedov, Yu.; Kultakhmedova-Vyshnyakova, V.

1997-01-01

This paper consider a universal approach to ecosystems of different types, based on representation of their radio-capacity. The concept of ecosystem includes reproduction of components (bio-productivity) and conditions such as maintaining of environment quality. Radio-capacity in the case of radionuclide pollution appears in accumulation and redistribution of radionuclides in the ecosystem. As a result the radionuclides are redistributed and buried in soil or lake bottom sediments. Estimation models for the radio-capacity of water and terrestrial ecosystems are represented. The calculations of the radio-capacity factor of water ecosystems are performed, and the high radio-capacity of a freshwater reservoir (F=0.6-0.8) and extremely high radio-capacity of a reservoir cascade (F c =0.99) is shown material from the Dnieper's cascade reservoirs. The methods of radio-capacity estimation of agroecosystems, wood and marine ecosystems are developed. (authors)

Optical intensity modulation direct detection versus heterodyne detection: A high-SNR capacity comparison

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas

2016-09-15

An optical wireless communications system which employs either intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IM-DD) or heterodyne detection (HD) is considered. IM-DD has lower complexity and cost than HD, but on the other hand, has lower capacity. It is therefore interesting to investigate the capacity gap between the two systems. The main focus of this paper is to investigate this gap at high SNR. Bounds on this gap are established for two cases: between IM-DD and HD, and between IM-DD and an HD-PAM which is an HD system employing pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM). While the gap between IM-DD and HD increases as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases, the gap between IM-DD and an HD-PAM is upper bounded by a constant at high SNR. © 2015 IEEE.

Optical intensity modulation direct detection versus heterodyne detection: A high-SNR capacity comparison

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

An optical wireless communications system which employs either intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IM-DD) or heterodyne detection (HD) is considered. IM-DD has lower complexity and cost than HD, but on the other hand, has lower capacity. It is therefore interesting to investigate the capacity gap between the two systems. The main focus of this paper is to investigate this gap at high SNR. Bounds on this gap are established for two cases: between IM-DD and HD, and between IM-DD and an HD-PAM which is an HD system employing pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM). While the gap between IM-DD and HD increases as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases, the gap between IM-DD and an HD-PAM is upper bounded by a constant at high SNR. © 2015 IEEE.

Highly Porous Silicon Embedded in a Ceramic Matrix: A Stable High-Capacity Electrode for Li-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Vrankovic, Dragoljub; Graczyk-Zajac, Magdalena; Kalcher, Constanze; Rohrer, Jochen; Becker, Malin; Stabler, Christina; Trykowski, Grzegorz; Albe, Karsten; Riedel, Ralf

2017-11-28

We demonstrate a cost-effective synthesis route that provides Si-based anode materials with capacities between 2000 and 3000 mAh·g Si -1 (400 and 600 mAh·g composite -1 ), Coulombic efficiencies above 99.5%, and almost 100% capacity retention over more than 100 cycles. The Si-based composite is prepared from highly porous silicon (obtained by reduction of silica) by encapsulation in an organic carbon and polymer-derived silicon oxycarbide (C/SiOC) matrix. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the highly porous silicon morphology delivers free volume for the accommodation of strain leading to no macroscopic changes during initial Li-Si alloying. In addition, a carbon layer provides an electrical contact, whereas the SiOC matrix significantly diminishes the interface between the electrolyte and the electrode material and thus suppresses the formation of a solid-electrolyte interphase on Si. Electrochemical tests of the micrometer-sized, glass-fiber-derived silicon demonstrate the up-scaling potential of the presented approach.

Electrospun single crystalline fork-like K2V8O21 as high-performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Pengfei; Zhu, Ting; Su, Qiong; Lin, Jiande; Cui, Rong; Cao, Xinxin; Wang, Yaping; Pan, Anqiang

2018-06-01

Single crystalline fork-like potassium vanadate (K2V8O21) has been successfully prepared through electrospinning combined with a subsequent annealing process. The as-obtained K2V8O21 forks show a unique layer-by-layer stacked structure with conductive carbon. When used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the as-prepared fork-like materials exhibit high specific discharge capacity and excellent cyclic stability. High specific discharge capacity of 200.2 mA h g-1 and 131.5 mA h g-1 can be delivered at the current densities of 50 mA g-1 and 500 mA g-1, respectively. Furthermore, the K2V8O21 electrodes exhibit excellent long-term cycling stability that maintain a capacity of 108.3 mA h g-1 after 300 cycles at 500 mA g-1 with a fading rate of only 0.054% per cycle, revealing their potential applications in next generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Unique microstructure and excellent mechanical properties of ADI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jincheng Liu

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Amongst the cast iron family, ADI has a unique microstructure and an excellent, optimised combination of mechanical properties. The main microstructure of ADI is ausferrite, which is a mixture ofextremely fine acicular ferrite and stable, high carbon austenite. There are two types of austenite in ADI:(1 the coarser and more equiaxed blocks of austenite between non-parallel acicular structures, which exist mainly in the last solidified area, and (2 the thin films of ustenite between the individual ferriteplatelets in the acicular structure. It is this unique microstructure, which gives ADI its excellent static and dynamic properties, and good low temperature impact toughness. The effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties is explained in more detail by examining the microstructure at the atomic scale. Considering the nanometer grain sizes, the unique microstructure, the excellent mechanical properties,good castability, (which enables near net shape components to be produced economically and in large volumes, and the fact that it can be 100% recycled, it is not overemphasized to call ADI a high-tech,nanometer and “green” material. ADI still has the potential to be further improved and its production and the number of applications for ADI will continue to grow, driven by the resultant cost savings over alternative materials.

Managing for Excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gysel, T.

2016-01-01

Full text: Nuclear organizations now wishing to become much more effective as an organization require further advice and specific guidance, drawn from validated international best practices in the development and implementation of Knowledge Management in the context of the organization’s management system. Therefore the IAEA Nuclear Knowledge Management Section is developing an approach for implementing Knowledge Management in the context of a management system. What looks like excellence today, may not be tomorrow. Best-in-class competitors, technology, and management paradigms all evolve. Second, true Operational Excellence manifests itself through integrated performance across revenue, cost, and risk. (author

Excel 2010 all-in-one for dummies

CERN Document Server

Harvey, Greg

2010-01-01

A comprehensive, up-to-date, user-friendly guide to Excel 2010 Excel is the standard for spreadsheet applications and is used worldwide, but it's not always user-friendly. That makes it a perfect For Dummies topic, and this handy all-in-one guide covers all the essentials, the new features, how to analyze data with Excel, and much more. Eight minibooks address Excel basics, worksheet design, formulas and functions, worksheet collaboration and review, charts and graphics, data management, data analysis, and Excel and VBA.Excel is the leading spreadsheet/data analysis s

Charge Modulation in Graphitic Carbon Nitride as a Switchable Approach to High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Xin; Kou, Liangzhi; Tahini, Hassan A; Smith, Sean C

2015-11-01

Electrical charging of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C4 N3 and g-C3 N4 ) is proposed as a strategy for high-capacity and electrocatalytically switchable hydrogen storage. Using first-principle calculations, we found that the adsorption energy of H2 molecules on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets is dramatically enhanced by injecting extra electrons into the adsorbent. At full hydrogen coverage, the negatively charged graphitic carbon nitride achieves storage capacities up to 6-7 wt %. In contrast to other hydrogen storage approaches, the storage/release occurs spontaneously once extra electrons are introduced or removed, and these processes can be simply controlled by switching on/off the charging voltage. Therefore, this approach promises both facile reversibility and tunable kinetics without the need of specific catalysts. Importantly, g-C4 N3 has good electrical conductivity and high electron mobility, which can be a very good candidate for electron injection/release. These predictions may prove to be instrumental in searching for a new class of high-capacity hydrogen storage materials. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stress distribution and pressure-bearing capacity of a high-pressure split-cylinder die with prism cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Li, Mingzhe; Wang, Liyan; Qu, Erhu; Yi, Zhuo

2018-03-01

A novel high-pressure belt-type die with a split-type cylinder is investigated with respect to extending its lifetime and improving its pressure bearing capacity. Specifically, a tungsten carbide cylinder is split into several parts along the radial direction with a prism-type cavity. In this paper, the cylinders with different split numbers are chosen to study the stress distribution and compare them with the traditional belt-type die. The simulation results indicate that the split cylinder has much smaller stress than those in the belt-type cylinder, and the statistical analysis reveals that the split-pressure cylinder is able to bear higher pressure. Experimental tests also show that the high-pressure die with a split cylinder and prism cavity has a stronger pressure-bearing capacity than a belt-type die. The split cylinder has advantages of easy manufacturing, high pressure bearing capacity, and replaceable performance.

Predictors of excellent early outcome after total hip arthroplasty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Smith George H

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Not all patients gain the same degree of improvement from total hip replacement and the reasons for this are not clear. Many investigators have assessed predictors of general outcome after hip surgery. This study is unique in its quest for the predictors of the best possible early outcome. Methods We prospectively collected data on 1318 total hip replacements. Prior to surgery patient characteristics, demographics and co-morbidities were documented. Hip function and general health was assessed using the Harris Hip score (HHS and the Short-Form 36 respectively. The HHS was repeated at three years. We took a maximal HHS of 100 to represent an excellent outcome (102 patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of excellent outcome. Results The two strongest predictive factors in achieving an excellent result were young age and a high pre-operative HHS (p = 0.001. Conclusions It was the young and those less disabled from their arthritis that excelled at three years. When making a decision about the timing of hip arthroplasty surgery it is important to take into account the age and pre-operative function of the patient. Whether these patients continue to excel however will be the basis of future research.

Mouse lung contains endothelial progenitors with high capacity to form blood and lymphatic vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barleon Bernhard

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Postnatal endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs have been successfully isolated from whole bone marrow, blood and the walls of conduit vessels. They can, therefore, be classified into circulating and resident progenitor cells. The differentiation capacity of resident lung endothelial progenitor cells from mouse has not been evaluated. Results In an attempt to isolate differentiated mature endothelial cells from mouse lung we found that the lung contains EPCs with a high vasculogenic capacity and capability of de novo vasculogenesis for blood and lymph vessels. Mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells (MLMVECs were isolated by selection of CD31+ cells. Whereas the majority of the CD31+ cells did not divide, some scattered cells started to proliferate giving rise to large colonies (> 3000 cells/colony. These highly dividing cells possess the capacity to integrate into various types of vessels including blood and lymph vessels unveiling the existence of local microvascular endothelial progenitor cells (LMEPCs in adult mouse lung. EPCs could be amplified > passage 30 and still expressed panendothelial markers as well as the progenitor cell antigens, but not antigens for immune cells and hematopoietic stem cells. A high percentage of these cells are also positive for Lyve1, Prox1, podoplanin and VEGFR-3 indicating that a considerabe fraction of the cells are committed to develop lymphatic endothelium. Clonogenic highly proliferating cells from limiting dilution assays were also bipotent. Combined in vitro and in vivo spheroid and matrigel assays revealed that these EPCs exhibit vasculogenic capacity by forming functional blood and lymph vessels. Conclusion The lung contains large numbers of EPCs that display commitment for both types of vessels, suggesting that lung blood and lymphatic endothelial cells are derived from a single progenitor cell.

Continuously Growing Ultrathick CrN Coating to Achieve High Load-Bearing Capacity and Good Tribological Property.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zechao; Wang, Yongxin; Cheng, Xiaoying; Zeng, Zhixiang; Li, Jinlong; Lu, Xia; Wang, Liping; Xue, Qunji

2018-01-24

Continuous growth of traditional monolayer CrN coatings up to 24 h is successfully achieved to fabricate ultrathickness of up to 80 μm on the 316 stainless steel substrate using a multiarc ion plating technique. The microstructures, mechanical properties, and tribological properties evolution with the CrN coating continuously growing was evaluated in detail. The transmission electron microscopy observations and inverse Fourier-filtered images reveal a relaxation mechanism during the continuous growth of CrN coating, which can lead to a decrease in the residual stress when coating growth time exceeds 5 h. The scratch test and friction test results both show that the load-bearing capacity of coating is significantly increased as CrN coatings growing thicker. During the scratch test, the ultrathick CrN coating of thickness 80.6 μm is not failed under the load of 180 N, and the dominant failure mechanism is the cohesive failure including wedge spallation and cracking. The dry-sliding friction test results show the mean coefficient of friction and the wear rate of ultrathick CrN are respectively decreased by 17.2 and 56.8% at most compared with the thin coating (thickness is 5.4 μm). The ultrahigh load-bearing capacity and excellent tribological property are attributed to the relaxation mechanism and limited contact pressure as the coating grows continuously.

Excellence through radiation protection practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, D.A.; Armitage, G.; Popple, R.T.; Carrigan, J.T.

1987-01-01

The nuclear generation program at Ontario Hydro was initiated in the early 1960s. Over the last two decades the program has expanded to a planned capacity of ∼ 14,000 MW(electric) by 1992. Each of the nuclear stations consists of four identical reactor units and they range in size from 520 to 880 MW(electric). The overall objectives of Ontario Hydro's radiation protection program are stated as follows: (1) to prevent detrimental nonstochastic health effects to employees and the public; (2) to limit detrimental stochastic health effects occurring in employees or the public to levels as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), social and economic factors being taken into account; and (3) to provide a level of health and safety that is as good as, or better than, comparable safe industries. Although many elements of the radiation protection program are similar to those adopted by other electrical utilities around the world, there are some unique features that have played an important part in the improvements achieved. These include: management commitment, design responsibility, radiation protection training, operations control, and work planning. The issues that need to be addressed in striving for overall excellence in radiological safety over the next decade are summarized

Achieveing Organizational Excellence Through

OpenAIRE

Mehdi Abzari; Mohammadreza Dalvi

2009-01-01

AbstractToday, In order to create motivation and desirable behavior in employees, to obtain organizational goals,to increase human resources productivity and finally to achieve organizational excellence, top managers oforganizations apply new and effective strategies. One of these strategies to achieve organizational excellenceis creating desirable corporate culture. This research has been conducted to identify the path to reachorganizational excellence by creating corporate culture according...

K2 Mn4 O8 /Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites for Excellent Lithium Storage and Adsorption of Lead Ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Shu-Meng; Qu, Jin; Yang, Jing; Gui, Chen-Xi; Wang, Qian-Qian; Li, Qian-Jie; Li, Xiaofeng; Yu, Zhong-Zhen

2016-03-01

Ion diffusion efficiency at the solid-liquid interface is an important factor for energy storage and adsorption from aqueous solution. Although K 2 Mn 4 O 8 (KMO) exhibits efficient ion diffusion and ion-exchange capacities, due to its high interlayer space of 0.70 nm, how to enhance its mass transfer performance is still an issue. Herein, novel layered KMO/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites are fabricated through the anchoring of KMO nanoplates on RGO with a mild solution process. The face-to-face structure facilitates fast transfer of lithium and lead ions; thus leading to excellent lithium storage and lead ion adsorption. The anchoring of KMO on RGO not only increases electrical conductivity of the layered nanocomposites, but also effectively prevents aggregation of KMO nanoplates. The KMO/RGO nanocomposite with an optimal RGO content exhibits a first cycle charge capacity of 739 mA h g -1 , which is much higher than that of KMO (326 mA h g -1 ). After 100 charge-discharge cycles, it still retains a charge capacity of 664 mA h g -1 . For the adsorption of lead ions, the KMO/RGO nanocomposite exhibits a capacity of 341 mg g -1 , which is higher than those of KMO (305 mg g -1 ) and RGO (63 mg g -1 ) alone. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Excel 2013 power programming with VBA

CERN Document Server

Walkenbach, John

2013-01-01

Maximize your Excel 2013 experience using VBA application development The new Excel 2013 boasts updated features, enhanced power, and new capabilities. Naturally, that means John Walkenbach returns with a new edition of his bestselling VBA Programming book and covers all the methods and tools you need to know in order to program with Excel. With this comprehensive guide, ""Mr. Spreadsheet"" shows you how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Featuring a complete introduction to Visual Basic f

Amine-Functionalized Amino Acid-based Ionic Liquids as Efficient and High-Capacity Absorbents for CO2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shunmugavel, Saravanamurugan; Kunov-Kruse, Andreas Jonas; Fehrmann, Rasmus

2014-01-01

Ionic liquids (ILs) comprised of ammonium cations and anions of naturally occurring amino acids containing an additional amine group (e.g., lysine, histidine, asparagine, and glutamine) were examined as high-capacity absorbents for CO2. An absorption capacity of 2.1 mol CO2 per mol of IL (3.5 mol...

Titanium oxynitride thin films as high-capacity and high-rate anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiu, Kuo-Feng [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Rd., Taichung 40724, Taiwan (China); Su, Shih-Hsuan, E-mail: minimono42@gmail.com [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Rd., Taichung 40724, Taiwan (China); Leu, Hoang-Jyh [Master' s Program of Green Energy Science and Technology, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Rd., Taichung 40724, Taiwan (China); Hsia, Chen-Hsien [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Rd., Taichung 40724, Taiwan (China)

2015-12-01

Titanium oxynitride (TiO{sub x}N{sub y}) was synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering in a mixed N{sub 2}/O{sub 2}/Ar gas at ambient temperature. TiO{sub x}N{sub y} thin films with various amounts of nitrogen contents were deposited by varying the N{sub 2}/O{sub 2} ratios in the background gas. The synthesized TiO{sub x}N{sub y} films with different compositions (TiO{sub 1.837}N{sub 0.060,} TiO{sub 1.890}N{sub 0.068,} TiO{sub 1.865}N{sub 0.073}, and TiO{sub 1.882}N{sub 0.163}) all displayed anatase phase, except TiO{sub 1.882}N{sub 0.163}. The impedances and grain sizes showed obvious variations with the nitrogen contents. A wide potential window from 3.0 V to 0.05 V, high-rate charge–discharge testing, and long cycle testing were applied to investigate the performances of synthesized TiO{sub x}N{sub y} and pure TiO{sub 2} as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. These TiO{sub x}N{sub y} anodes can be cycled under high rates of 125 μA/cm{sup 2} (10 °C) because of the lower charge–transfer resistance compared with the TiO{sub 2} anode. At 10 °C the discharge capacity of the optimal TiO{sub x}N{sub y} composition is 1.5 times higher than that of pure TiO{sub 2}. An unexpectedly large reversible capacity of ~ 300 μAh/cm{sup 2} μm (~ 800 mAh/g) between 1.0 V and 0.05 V was recorded for the TiO{sub x}N{sub y} anodes. The TiO{sub x}N{sub y} anode was cycled (3.0 V to 0.05 V) at 10 °C over 300 times without capacity fading while delivering a capacity of ~ 150 μAh/cm{sup 2} μm (~ 400 mAh/g). - Highlights: • Titanium oxynitride (TiO{sub x}N{sub y}) thin films as anode materials were studied. • TiO{sub x}N{sub y} thin films with various amounts of nitrogen contents were studied{sub .} • High rate capability of TiO{sub x}N{sub y} was studied.

Radiation and temperature effects on electronic components investigated under the CSTI high capacity power project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarze, G.E.; Niedra, J.M.; Frasca, A.J.; Wieserman, W.R.

1993-01-01

The effects of nuclear radiation and high temperature environments must be fully known and understood for the electronic components and materials used in both the Power Conditioning and Control subsystem and the reactor Instrumentation and Control subsystem of future high capacity nuclear space power systems. This knowledge is required by the designer of these subsystems in order to develop highly reliable, long-life power systems for future NASA missions. A review and summary of the experimental results obtained for the electronic components and materials investigated under the power management element of the CSTI high capacity power project will be presented in this paper: (1) Neutron, gamma ray, and temperature effects on power semiconductor switches, (2) Temperature and frequency effects on soft magnetic materials; and (3) Temperature effects on rare-earth permanent magnets

Radiation and temperature effects on electronic components investigated under the CSTI High Capacity Power Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shwarze, G.E.; Wieserman, W.R.

1994-01-01

The effects of nuclear radiation and high temperature environments must be fully known and understood for the electronic components and materials used in both the Power Conditioning and Control subsystem and the reactor Instrumentation and Control subsystem of future high capacity nuclear space power systems. This knowledge is required by the designer of these subsystems in order to develop highly reliable, long-life power systems for future NASA missions. A review and summary of the experimental results obtained for the electronic components and materials investigated under the power management element of the CSTI high capacity power project will be presented in this paper: (1) Neutron, gamma ray, and temperature effects on power semiconductor switches, (2) Temperature and frequency effects on soft magnetic materials; and (3) Temperature effects on rare earth permanent magnets

High-Capacity Multi-Core Fibers for Space-Division Multiplexing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ye, Feihong

The transmission capacity of the present optical fiber communication systems based on time division multiplexing (TDM) and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) using single-mode fibers (SMFs) is reaching its limit of around 100 Tbit/s per fiber due to the fiber nonlinearities, fiber fuse...... phenomenon and the optical amplifier bandwidth. To meet the ever increasing global data traffic growth and to overcome the looming capacity crunch, a new multiplexing technology using new optical fibers is urgently needed. Space-division multiplexing (SDM) is a promising scheme to overcome the capacity limit...... of the present SMF-based systems. Among the proposed SDM schemes, the one based on uncoupled multi-core fibers (MCFs) having multiple cores in a mutual cladding has proven effective in substantially increasing the transmission capacity per fiber with least system complexity as demonstrated in several state...

Romanian nuclear higher education towards a network of excellency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghitescu, Petre

2006-01-01

RONEN - Romanian Nuclear Education Network - aims at becoming the future network of excellency for nuclear higher education in Romania. University Politehnica of Bucharest participated in ENEN and NEPTUNO FP-5 and FP-6 programs, being a founding member of ENEN Association. The experience gained by ENEN as well as the present European trends show that realization of associations and networks endow with more power the educational national capacities and makes easier the European cooperation. The objective of this project is to develop an efficient, flexible and modern system in the nuclear education field, able to comply with the requirements of final users (NPP operators, regulations organisms, subcontractors, decommissioning operators, radiation protection, personnel, radioactive waste disposal managers), complying at the same time with the common European perspectives of education and research (FP-6, FP-7, EUROATOM). This system is the proposed network of excellency, gathering all the Romanian institutions (universities, research-development centers, training centers, etc) implied in the nuclear education field and using the existent experience of BNEN (Belgian Network of Nuclear Education) and ENEN. The participants in RONEN are the Universities of Bucharest, Pitesti, Babes-Bolyai in Cluj-Napoca, the Vocational Training Center of National Institute for R and D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering Bucharest, the Training Center of Cernavoda NPP, and the Institute for Nuclear Research in Pitesti

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE – A KEY TO WORLD-CLASS BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

OpenAIRE

NĂFTĂNĂILĂ Ion; RADU Cătălina; CIOANĂ Georgiana

2013-01-01

Continuous improvement implies a focus on solving a series of quality problems, reducing inventories, eliminating waste and increasing productivity. However, it is clear that being lean, cost-effective and of high quality is not enough and it does not guarantee the growth of any business. This paper aims to highlight the importance of operational excellence, which is a concept referring to an effective focus on customers in order to achieve excellence at business level.

Sourcing Excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adeyemi, Oluseyi

2011-01-01

Sourcing Excellence is one of the key performance indicators (KPIs) in this world of ever changing sourcing strategies. Manufacturing companies need to access and diagnose the reliability and competencies of existing suppliers in order to coordinate and develop them. This would help in managing...

Selective high capacity adsorption of Congo red, luminescence and antibacterial assessment of two new cadmium(II) coordination polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Beheshti, Azizolla; Nozarian, Kimia; Ghamari, Narges; Mayer, Peter; Motamedi, Hossein

2018-02-01

Coordination polymers [CdCl(NCS)L]n (1) and {[Cd2I4(L)2]·H2O·DMF}n (2) (where L = 1, 1-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(1,3-dihydro-3-methyl-1H-imidazole- 2-thione)) were synthesized and structurally characterized. Compounds 1 and 2 both possess a tetrahedral arrangement with CdS2NCl and CdS2I2 cores, respectively. In these structures, the flexible thione ligands adopt a μ- bridging coordination mode to form 1D chains along the b-axis. The 1D chains are join together by C-H--Cl hydrogen bonds (in 1) and water molecules (in 2) to create a 2D supramolecular framework with an ABAB…packing mode. Remarkably, compounds 1 and 2 in particular polymer 1 exhibit excellent capacity to adsorb Congo red (CR) with high selectivity. The experimental data demonstrate that the mechanism of sorption process can be described by the Elovich and pseudo second order kinetic models for 1 and 2, respectively. Furthermore, the possible mechanism of CR absorption was investigated by UV-Vis and solid state fluorescence spectra for the title polymers. In addition, the antibacterial assessment of these compounds have also been studied.

A 3D graphene interface (Si-doped) of Ag matrix with excellent electronic transmission and thermal conductivity via nano-assembly modification

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Xianzhu; Li, Ming; Zhang, Yafei

2018-04-01

The wide development of electronic materials requires higher load capacity and high temperature resistance. In this study, a novel architecture was fabricated consisting of a 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-Si interface using a simple nano-assembly sintering to achieve high current capacity and excellent thermal features. Via the analysis of catalytic oxidation for methanol, the loading catalytic activity of nano-Ag still remained to a certain extent for the composite with 0.8 vol.% rGO. The final Ag-rGO composite apparently possesses a higher initial oxidation temperature and lower rate of oxidation for internal passing and shielding, and the thermal conductivity is significantly enhanced from 344 to 407 W m‑1 K‑1. Importantly, with a 3D synergistic transportation network, the resistivity of the Ag-rGO composite is much lower than pure Ag, and with a longer conductive time under a stress condition of current density of 6.0  ×  104 A cm‑2. Thermal-electronic features demonstrate that the dispersed graphene interface can efficiently suppress the primary failure pathways (high temperature) in Ag matrix and make it uniquely efficient for the advancement of microscale and thermal-management electronics.

Teach yourself visually complete Excel

CERN Document Server

McFedries, Paul

2013-01-01

Get the basics of Excel and then go beyond with this new instructional visual guide While many users need Excel just to create simple worksheets, many businesses and professionals rely on the advanced features of Excel to handle things like database creation and data analysis. Whatever project you have in mind, this visual guide takes you step by step through what each step should look like. Veteran author Paul McFedries first presents the basics and then gradually takes it further with his coverage of designing worksheets, collaborating between worksheets, working with visual data

Optimising molecular diagnostic capacity for effective control of tuberculosis in high-burden settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabiiti, W; Mtafya, B; Kuchaka, D; Azam, K; Viegas, S; Mdolo, A; Farmer, E C W; Khonga, M; Evangelopoulos, D; Honeyborne, I; Rachow, A; Heinrich, N; Ntinginya, N E; Bhatt, N; Davies, G R; Jani, I V; McHugh, T D; Kibiki, G; Hoelscher, M; Gillespie, S H

2016-08-01

The World Health Organization's 2035 vision is to reduce tuberculosis (TB) associated mortality by 95%. While low-burden, well-equipped industrialised economies can expect to see this goal achieved, it is challenging in the low- and middle-income countries that bear the highest burden of TB. Inadequate diagnosis leads to inappropriate treatment and poor clinical outcomes. The roll-out of the Xpert(®) MTB/RIF assay has demonstrated that molecular diagnostics can produce rapid diagnosis and treatment initiation. Strong molecular services are still limited to regional or national centres. The delay in implementation is due partly to resources, and partly to the suggestion that such techniques are too challenging for widespread implementation. We have successfully implemented a molecular tool for rapid monitoring of patient treatment response to anti-tuberculosis treatment in three high TB burden countries in Africa. We discuss here the challenges facing TB diagnosis and treatment monitoring, and draw from our experience in establishing molecular treatment monitoring platforms to provide practical insights into successful optimisation of molecular diagnostic capacity in resource-constrained, high TB burden settings. We recommend a holistic health system-wide approach for molecular diagnostic capacity development, addressing human resource training, institutional capacity development, streamlined procurement systems, and engagement with the public, policy makers and implementers of TB control programmes.

In situ synthesis of Co3O4/graphene nanocomposite material for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors with high capacity and supercapacitance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Bei; Wang Ying; Park, Jinsoo; Ahn, Hyojun; Wang Guoxiu

2011-01-01

Highlights: → In situ solution-based preparation of Co 3 O 4 /graphene composite material. → Well dispersed Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles on graphene nanosheets. → Co 3 O 4 /graphene exhibits highly reversible lithium storage capacity. → Co 3 O 4 /graphene delivers superior supercapacitance up to 478 F g -1 . → Functional groups make contributions to the overall supercapacitance. - Abstract: Co 3 O 4 /graphene nanocomposite material was prepared by an in situ solution-based method under reflux conditions. In this reaction progress, Co 2+ salts were converted to Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles which were simultaneously inserted into the graphene layers, upon the reduction of graphite oxide to graphene. The prepared material consists of uniform Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles (15-25 nm), which are well dispersed on the surfaces of graphene nanosheets. This has been confirmed through observations by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The prepared composite material exhibits an initial reversible lithium storage capacity of 722 mAh g -1 in lithium-ion cells and a specific supercapacitance of 478 F g -1 in 2 M KOH electrolyte for supercapacitors, which were higher than that of the previously reported pure graphene nanosheets and Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Co 3 O 4 /graphene nanocomposite material demonstrated an excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material for reversible lithium storage in lithium ion cells and as an electrode material in supercapacitors.

Towards green high capacity optical networks

Science.gov (United States)

Glesk, I.; Mohd Warip, M. N.; Idris, S. K.; Osadola, T. B.; Andonovic, I.

2011-09-01

The demand for fast, secure, energy efficient high capacity networks is growing. It is fuelled by transmission bandwidth needs which will support among other things the rapid penetration of multimedia applications empowering smart consumer electronics and E-businesses. All the above trigger unparallel needs for networking solutions which must offer not only high-speed low-cost "on demand" mobile connectivity but should be ecologically friendly and have low carbon footprint. The first answer to address the bandwidth needs was deployment of fibre optic technologies into transport networks. After this it became quickly obvious that the inferior electronic bandwidth (if compared to optical fiber) will further keep its upper hand on maximum implementable serial data rates. A new solution was found by introducing parallelism into data transport in the form of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) which has helped dramatically to improve aggregate throughput of optical networks. However with these advancements a new bottleneck has emerged at fibre endpoints where data routers must process the incoming and outgoing traffic. Here, even with the massive and power hungry electronic parallelism routers today (still relying upon bandwidth limiting electronics) do not offer needed processing speeds networks demands. In this paper we will discuss some novel unconventional approaches to address network scalability leading to energy savings via advance optical signal processing. We will also investigate energy savings based on advanced network management through nodes hibernation proposed for Optical IP networks. The hibernation reduces the network overall power consumption by forming virtual network reconfigurations through selective nodes groupings and by links segmentations and partitionings.

Design and Synthesis of novel CuxGeOy/Cu/C nanowires by in situ chemical reduction process with highly reversible capacity for Lithium Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Linlin; Zhang, Xiaozhu; Peng, Xia; Tang, Kaibin

2015-01-01

The synthesis and use of ternary metal oxides/metal particles/carbon hybrids, especially 1D naowires composed of MGeO 3 /M/C hybrids for energy storage, remains very few reports. In this work, 1D Cu x GeO y /Cu/C NWs (x < 1, y < 3) were successfully prepared by a simple method involving chemical reduction process and simultaneous carbon coating. It was found that through the polydopamine(PDA)-assisted chemical reduction process performed on the CuGeO 3 NWs, the phase partially transformed to a mixture of crystalline Cu (∼70 nm) and amorphous Cu x GeO y NWs with carbon coating, but the nanowire-shaped morphology was maintained. Electrochemical measurements showed that the Cu x GeO y /Cu/C NWs exhibited a stable reversible capacity of ∼900 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles. Even at 800 mA g −1 , it also exhibited excellent high rate capacity of 350 mA h g −1 . The newly generated Cu x GeO y @Cu@CNWs exhibit enhanced cycle stability with high lithium-storage capability compared to that of the as-preparedCuGeO 3 NWs. (*) The in situ-synthesized Cu nanoparticles, amorphous state and carbon coating might play an important role in activating and enhancing the reversibility of the conversion reaction of Cu x GeO y . In addition, this effective synthetic method might provide the methodology for the development of other ternary metal oxides/metal particles/carbon hybrids materials for energy storage.

In Situ Activation of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Anchored on Graphite Foam for a High-Capacity Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Junyi; Liu, Jilei; Lai, Linfei; Zhao, Xin; Zhen, Yongda; Lin, Jianyi; Zhu, Yanwu; Ji, Hengxing; Zhang, Li Li; Ruoff, Rodney S

2015-08-25

We report the fabrication of a three-dimensional free-standing nitrogen-doped porous graphene/graphite foam by in situ activation of nitrogen-doped graphene on highly conductive graphite foam (GF). After in situ activation, intimate "sheet contact" was observed between the graphene sheets and the GF. The sheet contact produced by in situ activation is found to be superior to the "point contact" obtained by the traditional drop-casting method and facilitates electron transfer. Due to the intimate contact as well as the use of an ultralight GF current collector, the composite electrode delivers a gravimetric capacity of 642 mAh g(-1) and a volumetric capacity of 602 mAh cm(-3) with respect to the whole electrode mass and volume (including the active materials and the GF current collector). When normalized based on the mass of the active material, the composite electrode delivers a high specific capacity of up to 1687 mAh g(-1), which is superior to that of most graphene-based electrodes. Also, after ∼90 s charging, the anode delivers a capacity of about 100 mAh g(-1) (with respect to the total mass of the electrode), indicating its potential use in high-rate lithium-ion batteries.

Fabrication of high-capacity polyelectrolyte brush-grafted porous AAO-silica composite membrane via RAFT polymerization.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Cunfeng; Wang, Meijie; Liu, Xin; Wang, He; Chen, Xiaoling; Dai, Lizong

2017-09-01

Surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization has been utilized to fabricate high-capacity strong anion-exchange (AEX) membrane for the separation of protein. By means of RAFT polymerization, quaternized poly(3-(methacrylamidomethyl)-pyridine) brushes formed 3-dimensional nanolayers on the surface of porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO)-silica composite membrane. The surface properties of the membranes were analyzed by SEM, water contact angle, ATR-FTIR, XPS and TGA. To investigate the adsorption performance, the new AEX membranes were applied to recover a model protein, ovalbumin (OVA). High adsorption capacities of 95.8mg/g membranes (static) and 65.3mg/g membranes (dynamic) were obtained at ambient temperature. In the further studies, up to 90% of the adsorbed OVA was efficiently eluted by using phosphate buffer-1M NaCl as elution medium. The successful separation of OVA with high purity from a mixture protein solution was also achieved by using the AEX membranes. The present study demonstrated that under mild reaction condition, RAFT polymerization can be used to fabricate ion-exchange membrane which has many remarkable features, such as high capacity and selectivity, easy elution and so on. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

101 ready-to-use Excel formulas

CERN Document Server

Alexander, Michael

2014-01-01

Mr. Spreadsheet has done it again with 101 easy-to-apply Excel formulas 101 Ready-to-Use Excel Formulas is filled with the most commonly-used, real-world Excel formulas that can be repurposed and put into action, saving you time and increasing your productivity. Each segment of this book outlines a common business or analysis problem that needs to be solved and provides the actual Excel formulas to solve the problem-along with detailed explanation of how the formulas work. Written in a user-friendly style that relies on a tips and tricks approach, the book details how to perform everyday Excel tasks with confidence. 101 Ready-to-Use Excel Formulas is sure to become your well-thumbed reference to solve your workplace problems. The recipes in the book are structured to first present the problem, then provide the formula solution, and finally show how it works so that it can be customized to fit your needs. The companion website to the book allows readers to easily test the formulas and provides visual confirmat...

Final Project Report for DOE/EERE High-Capacity and Low-Cost Hydrogen-Storage Sorbents for Automotive Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Hong-Cai [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Liu, Di-Jia [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2017-12-01

This report provides a review of the objectives, progress, and milestones of the research conducted during this project on the topic of developing innovative metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and porous organic polymers (POPs) for high-capacity and low-cost hydrogen-storage sorbents in automotive applications.1 The objectives of the proposed research were to develop new materials as next-generation hydrogen storage sorbents that meet or exceed DOE’s 2017 performance targets of gravimetric capacity of 0.055 kg H₂/kg_system and volumetric capacity of 0.040 kg H₂/L_system at a cost of $400/kg H_{2 stored}. Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) collaborated in developing low-cost and high-capacity hydrogen-storage sorbents with appropriate stability, sorption kinetics, and thermal conductivity. The research scope and methods developed to achieve the project’s goals include the following: Advanced ligand design and synthesis to construct MOF sorbents with optimal hydrogen storage capacities, low cost and high stability; Substantially improve the hydrogen uptake capacity and chemical stability of MOF-based sorbents by incorporating high valent metal ions during synthesis or through the post-synthetic metal metathesis oxidation approach; Enhance sorbent storage capacity through material engineering and characterization; Generate a better understanding of the H₂-sorbent interaction through advanced characterization and simulation. Over the course of the project 5 different MOFs were developed and studied: PCN-250, PCN-12, PCN-12’, PCN-608 and PCN-609.2-3 Two different samples were submitted to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in order to validate their hydrogen adsorption capacity, PCN-250 and PCN-12. Neither of these samples reached the project’s Go/No-Go requirements but the data obtained did further prove the hypothesis that the presence of open metal

Ligand-enhanced electrokinetic remediation of metal-contaminated marine sediments with high acid buffering capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Masi, Matteo; Iannelli, Renato; Losito, Gabriella

2016-06-01

The suitability of electrokinetic remediation for removing heavy metals from dredged marine sediments with high acid buffering capacity was investigated. Laboratory-scale electrokinetic remediation experiments were carried out by applying two different voltage gradients to the sediment (0.5 and 0.8 V/cm) while circulating water or two different chelating agents at the electrode compartments. Tap water, 0.1 M citric acid and 0.1 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solutions were used respectively. The investigated metals were Zn, Pb, V, Ni and Cu. In the unenhanced experiment, the acid front could not propagate due to the high acid buffering capacity of the sediments; the production of OH(-) ions at the cathode resulted in a high-pH environment causing the precipitation of CaCO3 and metal hydroxides. The use of citric acid prevented the formation of precipitates, but solubilisation and mobilisation of metal species were not sufficiently achieved. Metal removal was relevant when EDTA was used as the conditioning agent, and the electric potential was raised up to 0.8 V/cm. EDTA led to the formation of negatively charged complexes with metals which migrated towards the anode compartment by electromigration. This result shows that metal removal from sediments with high acid buffering capacity may be achieved by enhancing the electrokinetic process by EDTA addition when the acidification of the medium is not economically and/or environmentally sustainable.

The Notion of "High" and commitment to excellence in contemporary Russian architecture. History and project: looking into future

Science.gov (United States)

Volchok, Yuri

2018-03-01

The article covers the issue of high-rise buildings (skyscrapers) construction in Russia as the dialogue of artistic image and intellectual idea. The study shows that the professional commitment to skyscrapers erection brings to the foreground the comprehension of magnitude of the notion of "contemporary" in terms of time. It is important from methodical point of view to return to the initial meaning of the notions that provide for adding authentic meaning to the words "suprematism", "commitment", "excellence", "new", "high", and other determinants of creativity capable of going beyond "flying geese" development pattern in architectural shaping. It is well known that V.G. Shukhov's patents of 1896 were widely used in contemporary morphology of shaping. The heritage of Russian Avant Garde of 1910-20ies serves as an inspiration from methodological point of view (it is more and more evident from foreign master's creative experience). This is why it is important to return, first of all, to comprehension of the author's version of the notion "suprematism" ascending to Malevich - meaning commitment to excellence and not the "emblem" of preferences in style. The article includes the arguments providing for the capture of the 2010ies and, especially, 2015-17ies as the years of critical changes in history. Russian masters of architecture started as equals the stage of cooperative creative work with foreign architects erecting skyscrapers.

Nanoscale surface modification of Li-rich layered oxides for high-capacity cathodes in Li-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Xiwei; Xin, Yue; Wang, Libin; Hu, Xianluo

2018-03-01

Li-rich layered oxides (LLOs) have been developed as a high-capacity cathode material for Li-ion batteries, but the structural complexity and unique initial charging behavior lead to several problems including large initial capacity loss, capacity and voltage fading, poor cyclability, and inferior rate capability. Since the surface conditions are critical to electrochemical performance and the drawbacks, nanoscale surface modification for improving LLO's properties is a general strategy. This review mainly summarizes the surface modification of LLOs and classifies them into three types of surface pre-treatment, surface gradient doping, and surface coating. Surface pre-treatment usually introduces removal of Li2O for lower irreversible capacity while surface doping is aimed to stabilize the structure during electrochemical cycling. Surface coating layers with different properties, protective layers to suppress the interface side reaction, coating layers related to structural transformation, and electronic/ionic conductive layers for better rate capability, can avoid the shortcomings of LLOs. In addition to surface modification for performance enhancement, other strategies can also be investigated to achieve high-performance LLO-based cathode materials.

The effect of excellence funding on academic research prac-tices: comparing 16 Dutch research groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholten, Wout; Hessels, Laurens; van Drooge, L.

2017-01-01

In the last 25 years academic research in The Netherlands has seen a rise of excellence oriented research policy instruments. These excellence funding schemes aim to selectively support high-performing and high-potential individuals or organizations, in order to increase differentiation within the

High oil prices: A non-OPEC capacity game

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osmundsen, Petter; Asche, Frank; Misund, Baard; Mohn, Klaus

2005-08-01

The current high oil price is partly due to low investments in the oil industry the last decade. According to economic theory, exploration and development of new oil and gas fields should respond positively to increasing petroleum prices. But since the late 1990s, financial analysts have focused strongly on short-term accounting return measures, like RoACE, for benchmarking and valuation of international oil and gas companies. Consequently, the demand for strict capital discipline among oil and gas companies may have reduced their willingness to invest for future reserves and production growth. Thus, we have experienced an unusual combination of high oil prices and low investment levels in exploration and development. In many ways, the oil companies' focus on RoACE, at the expense of reserve replacement, resembles an implicit co-ordination on low capacity among non-OPEC petroleum producers. This is a partial explanation of the current high oil prices. By examining actual parameters used by the financial markets in pricing of oil companies, we address the issue of whether the low investment outcome could represent a long-term equilibrium. This is hardly likely, as oil companies are made aware that stronger emphasis is put on reserve replacement. (Author)

The hierarchical cobalt oxide-porous carbons composites and their high performance as an anode for lithium ion batteries enhanced by the excellent synergistic effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Shuping; Liu, Wei; Liu, Shuang; Zhang, Yuan; Wang, Huanlei; Chen, Shougang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The CoO/PBCs composites with unique hierarchical architecture by utilizing porous biocarbons derived from kapok fibers (KFs) have been successfully synthesized. • The unique structure is aggregated by CoO rods anchored on the surface or inside the porous carbons. • The CoO/PBCs composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performances. - Abstract: The designed metal oxide-carbon composites are always considered as a potential candidate for high-performance electrode materials. In this work, we fabricated the CoO rods-porous carbon composites with a unique hierarchical architecture by utilizing porous biocarbons derived from kapok fibers (KFs). As the composites of CoO nanocrystals with the mean size of 10 nm and graphene-like carbon sheets, the CoO rods are homogeneously anchored on or inside the porous carbons, thus achieving a 3D hierarchical porous structure. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the as-obtained composites exhibit the high lithium storage of 1057 mAh g"−"1. More importantly, the CoO rods/porous biocarbons composites display a superior long-term stable reversible capacity of about 550 mAh g"−"1 at the high current density of 5 A g"−"1 after 600 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance of the obtained composites has been attributed to the synergistic effect between CoO nanoparticles and porous biocarbons, which makes the composites favorable for fast electronic and ionic transfer, and superior stable structure. Therefore, we believe that the designed preparation of metal oxide architectures in low-cost and renewable porous biocarbons will be a valuable direction for exploring advanced electrode materials.

Na2MnSiO4 as an attractive high capacity cathode material for sodium-ion battery

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Markas; Ramar, Vishwanathan; Balaya, Palani

2017-08-01

Here we report a polyanion-based cathode material for sodium-ion batteries, Na2MnSiO4, registering impressive sodium storage performances with discharge capacity of 210 mAh g-1 at an average voltage of 3 V at 0.1 C, along with excellent long-term cycling stability (500 cycles at 1 C). Insertion/extraction of ∼1.5 mol of sodium ion per formula unit of the silicate-based compound is reported and the utilisation of Mn2+ ⇋ Mn4+ redox couple is also demonstrated by ex-situ XPS. Besides, this study involves a systematic investigation of influence of the electrolyte additive (with different content) on the sodium storage performance of Na2MnSiO4. The electrolyte additive forms an optimum protective passivation film on the electrode surface, successfully reducing manganese dissolution.

Excel 2013 all-in-one for dummies

CERN Document Server

Harvey, Greg

2013-01-01

The comprehensive reference, now completely up-to-date for Excel 2013! As the standard for spreadsheet applications, Excel is used worldwide - but it's not always user-friendly. However, in the hands of veteran bestselling author Greg Harvey, Excel gets a whole lot easier to understand! This handy all-in-one guide covers all the essentials, the new features, how to analyze data with Excel, and much more. The featured minibooks address Excel basics, worksheet design, formulas and functions, worksheet collaboration and review, charts and graphics, data management, data analysis, and

COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING FOR REVITALIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE REDEVELOPMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Downing, Melinda; Rosenthall, John; Hudson, Michelle

2003-02-27

Capacity building programs help poor and disadvantaged communities to improve their ability to participate in the environmental decision-making processes. They encourage citizen involvement, and provide the tools that enable them to do so. Capacity building enables communities that would otherwise be excluded to participate in the process, leading to better, and more just decisions. The Department of Energy (DOE) continues to be committed to promoting environmental justice and involving its stakeholders more directly in the planning and decision-making process for environmental cleanup. DOE's Environmental Management Program (EM) is in full support of this commitment. Through its environmental justice project, EM provides communities with the capacity to effectively contribute to a complex technical decision-making process by furnishing access to computers, the Internet, training and technical assistance. DOE's Dr. Samuel P. Massie Chairs of Excellence Program (Massie Chairs) function as technical advisors to many of these community projects. The Massie Chairs consist of nationally and internationally recognized engineers and scientists from nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS). This paper will discuss capacity building initiatives in various jurisdictions.

Sodium bicarbonate and high-intensity-cycling capacity: variability in responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, Bryan; Sale, Craig; Harris, Roger C; Sunderland, Caroline

2014-07-01

To determine whether gastrointestinal (GI) distress affects the ergogenicity of sodium bicarbonate and whether the degree of alkalemia or other metabolic responses is different between individuals who improve exercise capacity and those who do not. Twenty-one men completed 2 cycling-capacity tests at 110% of maximum power output. Participants were supplemented with 0.3 g/kg body mass of either placebo (maltodextrin) or sodium bicarbonate (SB). Blood pH, bicarbonate, base excess, and lactate were determined at baseline, preexercise, immediately postexercise, and 5 min postexercise. SB supplementation did not significantly increase total work done (TWD; P = .16, 46.8 ± 9.1 vs 45.6 ± 8.4 kJ, d = 0.14), although magnitude-based inferences suggested a 63% likelihood of a positive effect. When data were analyzed without 4 participants who experienced GI discomfort, TWD (P = .01) was significantly improved with SB. Immediately postexercise blood lactate was higher in SB for the individuals who improved but not for those who did not. There were also differences in the preexercise-to-postexercise change in blood pH, bicarbonate, and base excess between individuals who improved and those who did not. SB improved high-intensity-cycling capacity but only with the exclusion of participants experiencing GI discomfort. Differences in blood responses suggest that SB may not be beneficial to all individuals. Magnitude-based inferences suggested that the exercise effects are unlikely to be negative; therefore, individuals should determine whether they respond well to SB supplementation before competition.

High-Capacity Micrometer-Sized Li 2 S Particles as Cathode Materials for Advanced Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yuan

2012-09-19

Li 2S is a high-capacity cathode material for lithium metal-free rechargeable batteries. It has a theoretical capacity of 1166 mAh/g, which is nearly 1 order of magnitude higher than traditional metal oxides/phosphates cathodes. However, Li 2S is usually considered to be electrochemically inactive due to its high electronic resistivity and low lithium-ion diffusivity. In this paper, we discover that a large potential barrier (∼1 V) exists at the beginning of charging for Li 2S. By applying a higher voltage cutoff, this barrier can be overcome and Li 2S becomes active. Moreover, this barrier does not appear again in the following cycling. Subsequent cycling shows that the material behaves similar to common sulfur cathodes with high energy efficiency. The initial discharge capacity is greater than 800 mAh/g for even 10 μm Li 2S particles. Moreover, after 10 cycles, the capacity is stabilized around 500-550 mAh/g with a capacity decay rate of only ∼0.25% per cycle. The origin of the initial barrier is found to be the phase nucleation of polysulfides, but the amplitude of barrier is mainly due to two factors: (a) charge transfer directly between Li 2S and electrolyte without polysulfide and (b) lithium-ion diffusion in Li 2S. These results demonstrate a simple and scalable approach to utilizing Li 2S as the cathode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with high specific energy. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Core--strategy leading to high reversible hydrogen storage capacity for NaBH4.

Science.gov (United States)

Christian, Meganne L; Aguey-Zinsou, Kondo-François

2012-09-25

Owing to its high storage capacity (10.8 mass %), sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)) is a promising hydrogen storage material. However, the temperature for hydrogen release is high (>500 °C), and reversibility of the release is unachievable under reasonable conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of a novel strategy leading to high and stable hydrogen absorption/desorption cycling for NaBH(4) under mild pressure conditions (4 MPa). By an antisolvent precipitation method, the size of NaBH(4) particles was restricted to a few nanometers (hydrogen at 400 °C. Further encapsulation of these nanoparticles upon reaction of nickel chloride at their surface allowed the synthesis of a core--shell nanostructure, NaBH(4)@Ni, and this provided a route for (a) the effective nanoconfinement of the melted NaBH(4) core and its dehydrogenation products, and (b) reversibility and fast kinetics owing to short diffusion lengths, the unstable nature of nickel borohydride, and possible modification of reaction paths. Hence at 350 °C, a reversible and steady hydrogen capacity of 5 mass % was achieved for NaBH(4)@Ni; 80% of the hydrogen could be desorbed or absorbed in less than 60 min, and full capacity was reached within 5 h. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such performances have been achieved with NaBH(4). This demonstrates the potential of the strategy in leading to major advancements in the design of effective hydrogen storage materials from pristine borohydrides.

Leading Others Toward Excellence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hupp, James R

2015-12-01

This essay puts forth the proposition that academic program excellence does not arise by accident. Effective leadership is required. To support this proposition, the essay discusses the characteristics common to effective leaders. It then proceeds to use the example of a successful academic oral-maxillofacial surgery department and characteristics of its leader to provide evidence that excellence derives from effective leadership. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries using superlattice hydrogen-absorbing alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Yasuoka, Shigekazu; Magari, Yoshifumi; Murata, Tetsuyuki; Tanaka, Tadayoshi; Ishida, Jun; Nakamura, Hiroshi; Nohma, Toshiyuki; Kihara, Masaru; Baba, Yoshitaka; Teraoka, Hirohito

New R-Mg-Ni (R: rare earths) superlattice alloys with higher-capacity and higher-durability than the conventional Mm-Ni alloys with CaCu 5 structure have been developed. The oxidation resistibility of the superlattice alloys has been improved by optimizing the alloy composition by such as substituting aluminum for nickel and optimizing the magnesium content in order to prolong the battery life. High-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries for the retail market, the Ni-MH2500/900 series (AA size type 2500 mAh, AAA size type 900 mAh), have been developed and commercialized by using an improved superlattice alloy for negative electrode material.

Ambient-temperature high damping capacity in TiPd-based martensitic alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xue, Dezhen [Multi-disciplinary Materials Research Center, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Zhou, Yumei, E-mail: zhouyumei@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Multi-disciplinary Materials Research Center, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Ding, Xiangdong [Multi-disciplinary Materials Research Center, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Otsuka, Kazuhiro [Ferroic Physics Group, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki (Japan); Lookman, Turab [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Sun, Jun [Multi-disciplinary Materials Research Center, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Ren, Xiaobing [Multi-disciplinary Materials Research Center, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Ferroic Physics Group, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki (Japan)

2015-04-24

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have attracted considerable attention for their high damping capacities. Here we investigate the damping behavior of Ti{sub 50}(Pd{sub 50−x}D{sub x}) SMAs (D=Fe, Co, Mn, V) by dynamic mechanical analysis. We find that these alloys show remarkably similar damping behavior. There exists a sharp damping peak associated with the B2–B19 martensitic transformation and a high damping plateau (Q{sup −1}~0.02–0.05) over a wide ambient-temperature range (220–420 K) due to the hysteretic twin boundary motion. After doping hydrogen into the above alloys, a new relaxation-type damping peak appears in the martensite phase over 270–360 K. Such a peak is considered to originate from the interaction of hydrogen atoms with twin boundaries and the corresponding damping capacity (Q{sup −1}~0.05–0.09) is enhanced by roughly twice that of the damping plateau for each alloy. Moreover, the relaxation peaks are at higher temperatures for the TiPd-based alloys (270–370 K) than for the TiNi-based alloys (190–260 K). We discuss the influence of hydrogen diffusion, mobility of twin boundaries and hydrogen–twin boundary interaction on the temperature range of the relaxation peak. Our results suggest that a martensite, with appropriate values for twinning shear and hydrogen doping level, provides a route towards developing high damping SMAs for applications in desired temperature ranges.

Ambient-temperature high damping capacity in TiPd-based martensitic alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Dezhen; Zhou, Yumei; Ding, Xiangdong; Otsuka, Kazuhiro; Lookman, Turab; Sun, Jun; Ren, Xiaobing

2015-01-01

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have attracted considerable attention for their high damping capacities. Here we investigate the damping behavior of Ti 50 (Pd 50−x D x ) SMAs (D=Fe, Co, Mn, V) by dynamic mechanical analysis. We find that these alloys show remarkably similar damping behavior. There exists a sharp damping peak associated with the B2–B19 martensitic transformation and a high damping plateau (Q −1 ~0.02–0.05) over a wide ambient-temperature range (220–420 K) due to the hysteretic twin boundary motion. After doping hydrogen into the above alloys, a new relaxation-type damping peak appears in the martensite phase over 270–360 K. Such a peak is considered to originate from the interaction of hydrogen atoms with twin boundaries and the corresponding damping capacity (Q −1 ~0.05–0.09) is enhanced by roughly twice that of the damping plateau for each alloy. Moreover, the relaxation peaks are at higher temperatures for the TiPd-based alloys (270–370 K) than for the TiNi-based alloys (190–260 K). We discuss the influence of hydrogen diffusion, mobility of twin boundaries and hydrogen–twin boundary interaction on the temperature range of the relaxation peak. Our results suggest that a martensite, with appropriate values for twinning shear and hydrogen doping level, provides a route towards developing high damping SMAs for applications in desired temperature ranges

PV Hosting Capacity Analysis and Enhancement Using High Resolution Stochastic Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emilio J. Palacios-Garcia

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Reduction of CO2 emissions is a main target in the future smart grid. This goal is boosting the installation of renewable energy resources (RES, as well as a major consumer engagement that seeks for a more efficient utilization of these resources toward the figure of ‘prosumers’. Nevertheless, these resources present an intermittent nature, which requires the presence of an energy storage system and an energy management system (EMS to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Moreover, network-related issues might arise due to the increasing power of renewable resources installed in the grid, the storage systems also being capable of contributing to the network stability. However, to assess these future scenarios and test the control strategies, a simulation system is needed. The aim of this paper is to analyze the interaction between residential consumers with high penetration of PV generation and distributed storage and the grid by means of a high temporal resolution simulation scenario based on a stochastic residential load model and PV production records. Results of the model are presented for different PV power rates and storage capacities, as well as a two-level charging strategy as a mechanism for increasing the hosting capacity (HC of the network.

K4Nb6O17·4.5H2O: A novel dual functional material with quick photoreduction of Cr(VI) and high adsorptive capacity of Cr(III)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Yuli; Liu, Xiaoqing; Li, Yang; Su, Yiguo; Chai, Zhanli; Wang, Xiaojing

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: A well crystalline K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O with a wide layer spacing possesses an excellent disposal performance for chromium species of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) as well as the superior recyclability due to its high stability and convenient regeneration process. - Highlights: • A nano-sheet K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O with a large layer spacing was synthesized. • K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O showed a superior photoreduction of Cr(VI) in an acidic solution. • The sample showed a high adsorption capacity of Cr(III) in a near neutral solution. • K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O regenerated conveniently by immersing in a KOH solution. • A complete removal of chromium species was retained after recycling five times. - Abstract: A series of orthorhombic phase K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O was synthesized via a hydrothermal approach. When presented in an acidic pH range, K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O showed a strong ability in quick reduction from Cr(VI) to Cr(III). The resulted Cr(III) ions were removed by an effective adsorption through simply adjusting the solution pH from strong acidity to near neutrality, owing to the sample's unique nano-sheet structure with a wide layer spacing. The Cr(III) ions adsorbed onto samples were released again for reusing by eluting with 1 mol L −1 HCl solution, and K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O regenerated by immersing in a KOH solution. The reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) was still up to 98% after irradiation for 60 min, and the removal efficiency of Cr(III) ions was as high as 83% even after five cycles. Therefore, K 4 Nb 6 O 17 ·4.5H 2 O is clearly demonstrated to be an excellent dual functional material with quick photoreduction of Cr(VI) and high adsorptive capacity of Cr(III). The relevant materials reported herein might be found various environment-related applications

Evaluation of Business Excellence among Halal Certified Food Manufacturers in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masrom Nor Ratna binti

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Business excellence is a key tool to improve the efficiency of the company. Through the business excellence model, the organization can execute their strategies to determine, forecast and survive in highly competitive market. This paper presents on identifying those elements in business excellence model (leadership, strategy and planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, operation focus this paper provides empirical support for halal food certified companies reviewing and improvement. Survey has been done and analyzed among halal food certified manufacturers in Malaysia. Thus, seven categories with 35 key elements regarding American MBNQA and eight equations are examined. The main conclusions are that, strategy and measurement, analysis and knowledge management are the main weakness of the halal food certified manufacturers in Malaysia. Overall, halal food certified manufacturers in Malaysia is at the silver level of excellence based on the calculation.

The culture of excellence. Challenges and opportunities during changing times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suciu Marta-Christina

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The main goal of the paper is to highlight the importance of supporting the promotion of the culture of excellence among people involved in a way or another in contemporary business. In order to support business excellence, the culture of excellence have to empower and engage all the people within an organization to think out of the box in a modern vision suitable to the challenging and changing times we are facing now. All over the world, in the most competitive countries, regions and sectors of activities there is a paradigmatic change of business strategies and policies oriented more and more towards performance and excellence. The paper highlights the importance of promoting the culture of excellence in the contemporary changing business environment. It suggests an important shift from a perspective that focuses on the so called ‘hero of excellence’ towards promoting the culture of excellence among the whole organization. Within modern business, in order to face challenges of the changing times and to explore their opportunities all the people from an organization are considered to manifest as ‘heroes of excellence’ by co-creating and co-working together within creative and innovative teams. They have to contribute and to participate actively to assure, preserve and develop the competitiveness and well being of the whole organization. The paper supports a holistic, cross disciplinary and integrated vision. It is structured into three parts including: a brief literature review based on an overview of the current state of the literature dedicated to the topic of culture of excellence (part 1; presentation of the main steps of the process of building a sustainable high performance organization (part 2; a brief presentation of examples of best practice and case studied identified internationally (part 3; conclusions that highlight the importance of culture of excellence in changing and challenging times.

Spreading of Excellence in SARNET Network on Severe Accidents: The Education and Training Programme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro Paci

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The SARNET2 (severe accidents Research NETwork of Excellence project started in April 2009 for 4 years in the 7th Framework Programme (FP7 of the European Commission (EC, following a similar first project in FP6. Forty-seven organisations from 24 countries network their capacities of research in the severe accident (SA field inside SARNET to resolve the most important remaining uncertainties and safety issues on SA in water-cooled nuclear power plants (NPPs. The network includes a large majority of the European actors involved in SA research plus a few non-European relevant ones. The “Education and Training” programme in SARNET is a series of actions foreseen in this network for the “spreading of excellence.” It is focused on raising the competence level of Master and Ph.D. students and young researchers engaged in SA research and on organizing information/training courses for NPP staff or regulatory authorities (but also for researchers interested in SA management procedures.

Key technology studies of GY-20 and GY-40 High-capacity cobalt-60 transport casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Huifang; Zhang Xin

2012-01-01

GY-20 and GY-40 high-capacity cobalt-60 transport casks are used to transport cobalt-60 industrial irradiators and cobalt-60 bundles. The radioactive contents have special features of high-activity and high residual heat, so only a few countries such as Canada, England and Russia have design capacity. The key technologies and corresponding solutions were studied for the design and manufacture of the cask taking into account the structural, thermal, mechanics and shield requests. A series of tests prove that the cask structure design, design criteria for lead coating structure and quality control measurements are reasonable and effective, and the cask shield integrity can be ensured for all conditions. The casks have ability to transport high-activity sealed sources safely, and the design of cask satisfies the requirement of design code and standard. It can provide reference for other B type package. (authors)

Excel2Genie: A Microsoft Excel application to improve the flexibility of the Genie-2000 Spectroscopic software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forgács, Attila; Balkay, László; Trón, Lajos; Raics, Péter

2014-01-01

Excel2Genie, a simple and user-friendly Microsoft Excel interface, has been developed to the Genie-2000 Spectroscopic Software of Canberra Industries. This Excel application can directly control Canberra Multichannel Analyzer (MCA), process the acquired data and visualize them. Combination of Genie-2000 with Excel2Genie results in remarkably increased flexibility and a possibility to carry out repetitive data acquisitions even with changing parameters and more sophisticated analysis. The developed software package comprises three worksheets: display parameters and results of data acquisition, data analysis and mathematical operations carried out on the measured gamma spectra. At the same time it also allows control of these processes. Excel2Genie is freely available to assist gamma spectrum measurements and data evaluation by the interested Canberra users. With access to the Visual Basic Application (VBA) source code of this application users are enabled to modify the developed interface according to their intentions. - Highlights: • User-friendly Microsoft Excel interface to the Genie-2000 Spectroscopic software. • Data acquisitions with changing parameters and sophisticated data analysis. • Three worksheets: data acquisition, data analysis and mathematical operations on spectra. • The source code is freely available

Extremely High Phosphate Sorption Capacity in Cu-Pb-Zn Mine Tailings.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Longbin; Li, Xiaofang; Nguyen, Tuan A H

2015-01-01

Elevated inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations in pore water of amended tailings under direct revegetation may cause toxicity in some native woody species but not native forbs or herb species, all of which are key constituents in target native plant communities for phytostabilizing base metal mine tailings. As a result, Pi sorption capacity has been quantified by a conventional batch procedure in three types of base metal mine tailings sampled from two copper (Cu)-lead (Pb)-zinc (Zn) mines, as the basis for Pi-fertiliser addition. It was found that the Pi-sorption capacity in the tailings and local soil was extremely high, far higher than highly weathered agricultural soils in literature, but similar to those of volcanic ash soils. The Langmuir P-sorption maximum was up to 7.72, 4.12, 4.02 and 3.62 mg P g-1 tailings, in the fresh tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD7), the weathered tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD5), EHM-TD (fresh Cu-stream, high magnetite content) and local soil (weathered shale and schist), respectively. Physicochemical factors highly correlated with the high Pi-sorption in the tailings were fine particle distribution, oxalate and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate extractable Fe (FeO and Fed), oxalate-extractable Al and Mn, and the levels of soluble Cd and Zn, and total S and Fe. Large amounts of amorphous Fe oxides and oxyhydroxides may have been formed from the oxidation of pyritic materials and redox cycles of Fe-minerals (such as pyrite (FeS2), ankerite (Ca(Fe Mg)(CO3)2 and siderite (FeCO3), as indicated by the extractable FeO values. The likely formation of sparingly soluble Zn-phosphate in the Pb-Zn tailings containing high levels of Zn (from sphalerite ((Zn,Fe)S, ZnS, (Zn,Cd)S)) may substantially lower soluble Zn levels in the tailings through high rates of Pi-fertiliser addition. As a result, the possibility of P-toxicity in native plant species caused by the addition of soluble phosphate fertilizers would be minimal.

Why Excel?

Science.gov (United States)

Barreto, Humberto

2015-01-01

This article is not the usual Excel pedagogy fare in that it does not provide an application or example taught via a spreadsheet. Instead, it briefly reviews the history of spreadsheets in the economics classroom and explores the current environment, with an emphasis on modern learning theory. The conclusion is not surprising: spreadsheets improve…

Load carrying capacity of keyed joints reinforced with high strength wire rope loops

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Henrik B.; Hoang, Linh Cao

2015-01-01

friendly shear connection can be obtained by replacing the U-bars with high strength looped wire ropes. The wire ropes have the advantage of being flexible (they have virtually no bending stiffness) which makes installation of wall elements much easier. The looped wire ropes are usually pre-installed in so......-called wire boxes which are embedded in the precast wall elements. Once the joint is grouted with mortar, the boxes will function as shear keys and the overlapping wire loops will function as transverse reinforcement that replaces the U-bars. This paper presents a rigid-plastic upper bound model to determine...... the shear capacity of wire loop connections. Tests have shown that the shear capacity of such joints – due to the relatively high tensile strength of the wire ropes - is more prone to be governed by fracture of the joint mortar in combination with yielding of the locking bar. To model this type of failure...

Generation Capacity Investments and High Levels of Renewables. The Impact of a German Capacity Market on Northwest Europe. Discussion paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozdemir, O.; De Joode, J.; Koutstaal, P.R.; Van Hout, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2013-05-15

Presently, Northwest European centralised electricity markets are designed as 'energy-only' markets. In an energy-only market, the price received for electricity produced is set by the marginal generation unit. Potentially, the designs of these markets could leave the owners of these units with 'missing money': i.e. money that is required to recover investment cost. Further, increasing penetration of renewables could exacerbate this problem. Of all the different options available to tackle the 'missing money' problem, capacity mechanisms have attracted most of the attention in recent policy debates in Europe. This paper contributes to ongoing policy discussions by providing a quantitative analysis of the phenomena of 'missing money' and capacity mechanisms in Northwest Europe. Our analysis shows that in the case of energy-only markets with a much higher penetration of intermittent electricity sources such as wind and solar PV, the 'missing money' problem may be aggravated, because operating hours for peak and mid-merit order capacity will be considerably reduced. Furthermore, unilateral introduction of capacity mechanisms in integrated electricity markets can have considerable impacts on cross-border electricity flows and investment decisions. Stand-alone introduction of a capacity market in Germany will likely result in higher investments in Germany at the expense of lower investments outside Germany and an increase in net exports from Germany. A possible advantage of a unilateral capacity mechanism in Germany may be a reduction in super-peak prices in the larger market area. Thus, neighbouring countries may have the possibility to free ride on the increase in flexible capacity in Germany. However, this advantage is conditional and depends on sufficient availability of interconnection capacity necessary to be able to use this reserve capacity. Otherwise, security of supply might be more at risk if the German

Ultra-small Fe3O4 nanocrystals decorated on 2D graphene nanosheets with excellent cycling stability as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Manman; Yang, Mingzhi; Liu, Weiliang; Li, Mei; Su, Liwei; Qiao, Congde; Wu, Xianbin; Ma, Houyi

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Ultra-small Fe 3 O 4 nanocrystals decorated on 2D graphene nanosheets with excellent cycling stability as anode materials for lithium ion batteries Manman Ren, Mingzhi Yang, Weiliang Liu, Mei Li, Liwei Su, Congde Qiao, Xianbin Wu, Houyi Ma Ultra-small Fe 3 O 4 nanocrystals/graphene nanosheets composites demonstrate excellent long-term cycling stability at high-rate. - Abstract: Ultra-small Fe 3 O 4 nanocrystals (NCs)/garphene nanosheets (GNSs) composites have been synthesized through a facile gel-like film (GF) assisted method in this work. Fe 3 O 4 NCs with particle size ∼10 nm homogeneously dispersed on 2D GNSs. Profiting from the ultra-small Fe 3 O 4 NCs and GNSs, the composites demonstrate superior long-term and high-rate performance as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. Even at the current density of 5 A g −1 , the reversible capacity still maintains 323.4 mAh g −1 after 700 cycles. This work might enlighten us on exploring preferable strategies to develop advanced metal oxides NCs/GNSs composites anode materials for lithium ion batteries or other energy storage devices.

Fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography with error detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Hong; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pieprzyk, Josef; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Lei; Li, Shudong; Orgun, Mehmet A

2017-04-13

Quantum cryptography is commonly used to generate fresh secure keys with quantum signal transmission for instant use between two parties. However, research shows that the relatively low key generation rate hinders its practical use where a symmetric cryptography component consumes the shared key. That is, the security of the symmetric cryptography demands frequent rate of key updates, which leads to a higher consumption of the internal one-time-pad communication bandwidth, since it requires the length of the key to be as long as that of the secret. In order to alleviate these issues, we develop a matrix algorithm for fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography. Our scheme can achieve secure private communication with fresh keys generated from Fibonacci- and Lucas- valued orbital angular momentum (OAM) states for the seed to construct recursive Fibonacci and Lucas matrices. Moreover, the proposed matrix algorithm for quantum cryptography can ultimately be simplified to matrix multiplication, which is implemented and optimized in modern computers. Most importantly, considerably information capacity can be improved effectively and efficiently by the recursive property of Fibonacci and Lucas matrices, thereby avoiding the restriction of physical conditions, such as the communication bandwidth.

Fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography with error detection

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Hong; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pieprzyk, Josef; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Lei; Li, Shudong; Orgun, Mehmet A.

2017-04-01

Quantum cryptography is commonly used to generate fresh secure keys with quantum signal transmission for instant use between two parties. However, research shows that the relatively low key generation rate hinders its practical use where a symmetric cryptography component consumes the shared key. That is, the security of the symmetric cryptography demands frequent rate of key updates, which leads to a higher consumption of the internal one-time-pad communication bandwidth, since it requires the length of the key to be as long as that of the secret. In order to alleviate these issues, we develop a matrix algorithm for fast and simple high-capacity quantum cryptography. Our scheme can achieve secure private communication with fresh keys generated from Fibonacci- and Lucas- valued orbital angular momentum (OAM) states for the seed to construct recursive Fibonacci and Lucas matrices. Moreover, the proposed matrix algorithm for quantum cryptography can ultimately be simplified to matrix multiplication, which is implemented and optimized in modern computers. Most importantly, considerably information capacity can be improved effectively and efficiently by the recursive property of Fibonacci and Lucas matrices, thereby avoiding the restriction of physical conditions, such as the communication bandwidth.

Progress in development of high capacity magnetic HTS bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kummeth, P.; Nick, W.; Neumueller, H.-W.

2005-01-01

HTS magnetic bearings are inherently stable without an active feedback system. They provide low frictional losses, no wear and allow operation at high rotational speed without lubrication. So they are very promising for use in motors, generators and turbines. We designed and constructed an HTS radial bearing for use with a 400 kW HTS motor. It consists of alternating axially magnetized permanent magnet rings on the rotor and a segmented YBCO stator. Stator cooling is performed by liquid nitrogen, the temperature of the stator can be adjusted by varying the pressure in the cryogenic vessel. At 68 K maximum radial forces of more than 3.7 kN were found. These results range within the highest radial bearing capacities reported worldwide. The encouraging results lead us to develop a large heavy load HTS radial bearing. Currently a high magnetic gradient HTS bearing for a 4 MVA synchronous HTS generator is under construction

Enhanced glass forming ability and refrigerant capacity of a Gd55Ni22Mn3Al20 bulk metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia, L.; Chan, K.C.; Tang, M.B.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A new Gd 55 Ni 22 Mn 3 Al 20 bulk metallic glass (BMG) was synthesized by minor Mn addition. → The BMG has enhanced glass forming ability and excellent refrigerant capacity (RC). → The RC of the BMG reaches a high value of 825 J kg -1 under a field of 3979 kA/m. → Its excellent RC is related to its large effective magnetic moment. - Abstract: In this work, a small amount of Mn was added to a Gd 55 Ni 25 Al 20 glass forming alloy, as a replacement for Ni, and a Gd 55 Ni 22 Mn 3 Al 20 bulk metallic glass (BMG) was obtained by suction casting. Its glass forming ability (GFA) was characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, and its magnetic properties were measured using a magnetic property measurement system. It is found that the minor Mn addition can significantly improve both the GFA and the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of the alloy. The refrigerant capacity (RC) of the BMG can reach a high value of 825 J kg -1 under a field of 3979 kA/m, which is about 29% larger than that of a Gd 55 Ni 25 Al 20 BMG. The effect of the minor Mn addition on the GFA and MCE of the BMG was investigated in the study.

Capacity on wireless quantum cellular communication system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiang-Zhen; Yu, Xu-Tao; Zhang, Zai-Chen

2018-03-01

Quantum technology is making excellent prospects in future communication networks. Entanglement generation and purification are two major components in quantum networks. Combining these two techniques with classical cellular mobile communication, we proposed a novel wireless quantum cellular(WQC) communication system which is possible to realize commercial mobile quantum communication. In this paper, the architecture and network topology of WQC communication system are discussed, the mathematical model of WQC system is extracted and the serving capacity, indicating the ability to serve customers, is defined and calculated under certain circumstances.

Excel2Genie: A Microsoft Excel application to improve the flexibility of the Genie-2000 Spectroscopic software.

Science.gov (United States)

Forgács, Attila; Balkay, László; Trón, Lajos; Raics, Péter

2014-12-01

Excel2Genie, a simple and user-friendly Microsoft Excel interface, has been developed to the Genie-2000 Spectroscopic Software of Canberra Industries. This Excel application can directly control Canberra Multichannel Analyzer (MCA), process the acquired data and visualize them. Combination of Genie-2000 with Excel2Genie results in remarkably increased flexibility and a possibility to carry out repetitive data acquisitions even with changing parameters and more sophisticated analysis. The developed software package comprises three worksheets: display parameters and results of data acquisition, data analysis and mathematical operations carried out on the measured gamma spectra. At the same time it also allows control of these processes. Excel2Genie is freely available to assist gamma spectrum measurements and data evaluation by the interested Canberra users. With access to the Visual Basic Application (VBA) source code of this application users are enabled to modify the developed interface according to their intentions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lineær programmering med Excel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynggaard, Peter

Publikationen giver en introduktion til faget "Lineær programmering". Formulering og løsning bygger på, at modellerne opstilles og løses i et Excel-regneark. Fremgangsmåden er forklaret trin for trin, således at hæftet kan bruges som selvstudiemateriale. Indholdsfortegnelse Generelt om styring og...... planlægning Lineær programmering Excel solveren Fortolkning af udskrifter Degeneration Excel tips Opgaver med løsninger...

Surface and bulk modified high capacity layered oxide cathodes with low irreversible capacity loss

Science.gov (United States)

Manthiram, Arumugam (Inventor); Wu, Yan (Inventor)

2010-01-01

The present invention includes compositions, surface and bulk modifications, and methods of making of (1-x)Li[Li.sub.1/3Mn.sub.2/3]O.sub.2.xLi[Mn.sub.0.5-yNi.sub.0.5-yCo.sub.2- y]O.sub.2 cathode materials having an O3 crystal structure with a x value between 0 and 1 and y value between 0 and 0.5, reducing the irreversible capacity loss in the first cycle by surface modification with oxides and bulk modification with cationic and anionic substitutions, and increasing the reversible capacity to close to the theoretical value of insertion/extraction of one lithium per transition metal ion (250-300 mAh/g).

A high capacity FASTBUS multiple event buffer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appel, J.A.; Farr, W.D.; Kaplan, D.M.; Levit, L.B.; Napier, T.M.

1985-01-01

We have developed a front-end data acquisition and event buffering memory. This single-width FASTBUS module has a capacity of 256K X 32 bits plus parity. The module is dual ported, and its front panel ECLport accepts data at up to 20 MB/sec. It may also be written to and read from as a standard FASTBUS Slave. The module records events as variable length records. Each record is accepted or rejected via front panel control signal. Circuitry to automate FASTBUS record readout and record skip is provided. In its ''linear'' mode, the module may be used as a single pass list. Alternatively, in the ''circular'' mode, the module's internal read pointer can follow its write pointer continuously around the memory. Circular mode is well suited to handling of a continuous data stream. Modules may be linked for larger memory capacity

Development of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries using superlattice hydrogen-absorbing alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuoka, Shigekazu; Magari, Yoshifumi; Murata, Tetsuyuki; Tanaka, Tadayoshi; Ishida, Jun; Nakamura, Hiroshi; Nohma, Toshiyuki; Kihara, Masaru; Baba, Yoshitaka; Teraoka, Hirohito

2006-01-01

New R-Mg-Ni (R: rare earths) superlattice alloys with higher-capacity and higher-durability than the conventional Mm-Ni alloys with CaCu 5 structure have been developed. The oxidation resistibility of the superlattice alloys has been improved by optimizing the alloy composition by such as substituting aluminum for nickel and optimizing the magnesium content in order to prolong the battery life. High-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries for the retail market, the Ni-MH2500/900 series (AA size type 2500mAh, AAA size type 900mAh), have been developed and commercialized by using an improved superlattice alloy for negative electrode material. alized by using an improved superlattice alloy for negative electrode material. (author)

Essentials of Excel, Excel VBA, SAS and Minitab for statistical and financial analyses

CERN Document Server

Lee, Cheng-Few; Chang, Jow-Ran; Tai, Tzu

2016-01-01

This introductory textbook for business statistics teaches statistical analysis and research methods via business case studies and financial data using Excel, MINITAB, and SAS. Every chapter in this textbook engages the reader with data of individual stock, stock indices, options, and futures. One studies and uses statistics to learn how to study, analyze, and understand a data set of particular interest. Some of the more popular statistical programs that have been developed to use statistical and computational methods to analyze data sets are SAS, SPSS, and MINITAB. Of those, we look at MINITAB and SAS in this textbook. One of the main reasons to use MINITAB is that it is the easiest to use among the popular statistical programs. We look at SAS because it is the leading statistical package used in industry. We also utilize the much less costly and ubiquitous Microsoft Excel to do statistical analysis, as the benefits of Excel have become widely recognized in the academic world and its analytical capabilities...

Enrichments of methanotrophic-heterotrophic cultures with high poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation capacities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tingting; Wang, Xiaowei; Zhou, Jiti; Zhang, Yu

2018-03-01

Methanotrophic-heterotrophic communities were selectively enriched from sewage sludge to obtain a mixed culture with high levels of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation capacity from methane. Methane was used as the carbon source, N 2 as sole nitrogen source, and oxygen and Cu content were varied. Copper proved essential for PHB synthesis. All cultures enriched with Cu could accumulate high content of PHB (43.2%-45.9%), while only small amounts of PHB were accumulated by cultures enriched without Cu (11.9%-17.5%). Batch assays revealed that communities grown with Cu and a higher O 2 content synthesized more PHB, which had a wider optimal CH 4 :O 2 range and produced a high PHB content (48.7%) even though in the presence of N 2 . In all methanotrophic-heterotrophic communities, both methanotrophic and heterotrophic populations showed the ability to accumulate PHB. Although methane was added as the sole carbon source, heterotrophs dominated with abundances between 77.2% and 85.6%. All methanotrophs detected belonged to type II genera, which formed stable communities with heterotrophs of different PHB production capacities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

High-energy lithium-ion hybrid supercapacitors composed of hierarchical urchin-like WO3/C anodes and MOF-derived polyhedral hollow carbon cathodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Juan; Li, Yuanyuan; Wang, Lei; Cai, Qifa; Li, Qingwei; Gao, Biao; Zhang, Xuming; Huo, Kaifu; Chu, Paul K

2016-09-22

A lithium-ion hybrid supercapacitor (Li-HSC) comprising a Li-ion battery type anode and an electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLC) type cathode has attracted much interest because it accomplishes a large energy density without compromising the power density. In this work, hierarchical carbon coated WO 3 (WO 3 /C) with a unique mesoporous structure and metal-organic framework derived nitrogen-doped carbon hollow polyhedra (MOF-NC) are prepared and adopted as the anode and the cathode for Li-HSCs. The hierarchical mesoporous WO 3 /C microspheres assembled by radially oriented WO 3 /C nanorods along the (001) plane enable effective Li + insertion, thus exhibit high capacity, excellent rate performance and a long cycling life due to their high Li + conductivity, electronic conductivity and structural robustness. The WO 3 /C structure shows a reversible specific capacity of 508 mA h g -1 at a 0.1 C rate (1 C = 696 mA h g -1 ) after 160 discharging-charging cycles with excellent rate capability. The MOF-NC achieved the specific capacity of 269.9 F g -1 at a current density of 0.2 A g -1 . At a high current density of 6 A g -1 , 92.4% of the initial capacity could be retained after 2000 discharging-charging cycles, suggesting excellent cycle stability. The Li-HSC comprising a WO 3 /C anode and a MOF-NC cathode boasts a large energy density of 159.97 W h kg -1 at a power density of 173.6 W kg -1 and 88.3% of the capacity is retained at a current density of 5 A g -1 after 3000 charging-discharging cycles, which are better than those previously reported for Li-HSCs. The high energy and power densities of the Li-HSCs of WO 3 /C//MOF-NC render large potential in energy storage.

Visual attention capacity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Habekost, Thomas; Starrfelt, Randi

2009-01-01

Psychophysical studies have identified two distinct limitations of visual attention capacity: processing speed and apprehension span. Using a simple test, these cognitive factors can be analyzed by Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA). The method has strong specificity and sensitivity......, and measurements are highly reliable. As the method is theoretically founded, it also has high validity. TVA-based assessment has recently been used to investigate a broad range of neuropsychological and neurological conditions. We present the method, including the experimental paradigm and practical guidelines...... to patient testing, and review existing TVA-based patient studies organized by lesion anatomy. Lesions in three anatomical regions affect visual capacity: The parietal lobes, frontal cortex and basal ganglia, and extrastriate cortex. Visual capacity thus depends on large, bilaterally distributed anatomical...

Nano-MnO2@TiO2 microspheres: A novel structure and excellent performance as anode of lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Zhiguang; Chen, Xiaoqiao; Xing, Lidang; Liao, Youhao; Xu, Mengqing; Li, Xiaoping; Liu, Xiang; Li, Weishan

2018-03-01

A structurally hierarchical MnO2/TiO2 composite (Nano-MnO2@TiO2) is fabricated by calcining MnCO3 microspheres and coating a thin layer of TiO2 through the heat decomposition of tetrabutyl titanate, and evaluated as anode of gravimetrically and volumetrically high energy density lithium ion battery. The characterizations from FESEM, TEM, HRTEM and XRD, indicate that the resulting Nano-MnO2@TiO2 takes a spherical morphology with a core of about 2 μm in diameter, consisting of compact MnO2 nanoparticles, and a shell of 60 nm thick, consisting of smaller TiO2 nanoparticles. The charge/discharge tests demonstrate that Nano-MnO2@TiO2 exhibits excellent performance as anode of lithium ion battery, delivering a capacity of 938 mAh g-1 at 300 mA g-1 after 200 cycles, compared to the 103 mAh g-1 of the uncoated sample. The microsphere consisting of compact nanoparticles provides Nano-MnO2@TiO2 with high specific gravity. The dimensionally and structurally stable TiO2 maintains the integrity of MnO2 microspheres and facilitates lithium insertion/extraction. This unique structure yields the excellent cyclic stability and rate capability of Nano-MnO2@TiO2.

Growth, functional capacities and motivation for achievement and competitiveness in youth basketball: an interdisciplinary approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Humberto Moreira; Gonçalves, Carlos E; Collins, Dave; Paes, Roberto R

2018-04-01

The interaction of multiple influences on the path to sport success is not yet fully understood by sport scientists. In this study, we examined variation in body size, functional capacities and motivation for achievement, competitiveness and deliberate practice of youth basketball players associated with differences in biological maturity status, chronological age and years of training experience. Reflecting the importance of interactive effects, we examined the relationships between the psychological variables and functional capacities. Fifty-eight male basketball players aged 9.5 to 15.5 years were considered. Variables included chronological age, estimated age at peak height velocity, stature, body mass and sitting height by anthropometry; the Work and Family Orientation and Deliberate Practice Motivation Questionnaires were also used. Finally, the Line Drill test and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) tests were used as functional capacities indicators for basketball. Variance components models derived from series of multilevel linear regression models revealed a substantial variation by maturity status for body size, functional capacities indicators, mastery and will to excel. The influence of estimated maturity status on mastery and will to excel was independent of age and years of experience. In contrast, no relationships were observed between psychological variables and functional capacities indicators. We conclude that growth-related changes are relevant to understanding players´ motivations for achievement, competitiveness and deliberate practice. This should be of interest to those involved in the selection and development of youth basketball players.

Opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability - a cross-sectional population study among young workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Boström, Maria; Sluiter, Judith K; Hagberg, Mats; Grimby-Ekman, Anna

2016-09-15

Better opportunities for recovery at work are thought to be associated with work ability in a young workforce but evidence is scarce to lacking. The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability among young workers and specifically for young workers with high work demands. A study group of 1295 women and 1056 men aged 18-29 years was selected from three biennial years of a population cohort. The subsample reporting high work demands consisted of 439 women and 349 men. The study group had completed a work environment questionnaire in a survey conducted by Statistics Sweden. Associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability were assessed by multiple logistic regression models stratified for gender. Having varied work was associated with excellent work ability in all young men (p men with high work demands (p = 0.019; PR 1.3). For the latter group the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task was also associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.049; PR 1.3). Among young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one's working hours was associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.046; PR 1.2). For young men, having varied work can contribute to excellent work ability. In addition, for men with high work demands, the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task may be favourable for excellent work ability. For young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one's working hours can contribute to excellent work ability. Employers could use these opportunities for recovery in promoting work ability among young workers.

Opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability - a cross-sectional population study among young workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Boström

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Better opportunities for recovery at work are thought to be associated with work ability in a young workforce but evidence is scarce to lacking. The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability among young workers and specifically for young workers with high work demands. Methods A study group of 1295 women and 1056 men aged 18–29 years was selected from three biennial years of a population cohort. The subsample reporting high work demands consisted of 439 women and 349 men. The study group had completed a work environment questionnaire in a survey conducted by Statistics Sweden. Associations between opportunities for recovery at work and excellent work ability were assessed by multiple logistic regression models stratified for gender. Results Having varied work was associated with excellent work ability in all young men (p < 0.0006; prevalence ratio [PR] 1.3 and also specifically in men with high work demands (p = 0.019; PR 1.3. For the latter group the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task was also associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.049; PR 1.3. Among young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one’s working hours was associated with excellent work ability (p = 0.046; PR 1.2. Conclusions For young men, having varied work can contribute to excellent work ability. In addition, for men with high work demands, the possibility of deciding when to perform a work task may be favourable for excellent work ability. For young women with high work demands, the possibility of deciding one’s working hours can contribute to excellent work ability. Employers could use these opportunities for recovery in promoting work ability among young workers.

SnO and SnO·CoO nanocomposite as high capacity anode materials for lithium ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, B., E-mail: bijoy822000@gmail.com; Reddy, M.V.; Chowdari, B.V.R, E-mail: phychowd@nus.edu.sg

2016-02-15

Highlights: • The preparation methods are simple, low cost and can be scaled up for large production. • SnO is cheap, non-toxic and eco-friendly. • SnO shows high reversible capacity (Theoretical reversible capacity: 875 mA h g{sup −1}). • We showed high reversible capacity and columbic efficiency for SnO and SnO based composites. • We addressed the capacity degradation by introducing secondary phase (CoO and CNT etc.) - Abstract: We prepared SnO nanoparticles (SnO–S) and SnO·CoO nanocomposites (SnO·CoO–B) as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) by chemical and ball-milling approaches, respectively. They are characterized by X-ray diffraction and TEM techniques. The Li- storage performance are evaluated by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry. The SnO–S and SnO·CoO–B showed improved cycling performance due to their finite particle size (i.e. nano-size) and presence of secondary phase (CoO). Better cycling stability is noticed for SnO·CoO–B with the expense of their reversible capacity. Also, addition of carbon nanotubes (CNT) to SnO–S further improved the cycling performance of SnO–S. When cycled at 60 mA g{sup −1}, the first-cycle reversible capacities of 635, 590 and 460 (±10) mA h g{sup −1} are noticed for SnO–S, SnO@CNT and SnO·CoO–B, respectively. The capacity fading observed are 3.7 and 1.8 mA h g{sup −1} per cycle for SnO–S and SnO@CNT, respectively; whereas 1–1.2 mA h g{sup −1} per cycle for SnO·CoO–B. All the samples show high coulombic efficiency, 96–98% in the range of 5–50 cycles.

Sorsogon State College’s Performance and Management Excellence: Inputs to globally competitive yet locally responsive educational tourism

OpenAIRE

Vivien L. Chua

2017-01-01

Educational tourism clearly situates the new role of Sorsogon State College (SSC) for world-class education while in support to the locally sustainable tourism development of the province and beyond. This paper was able to assess SSC’s capacities to manage globally competitive and locally responsive educational tourism. A mix method of research was used in examining the SSC’s educational tourism through an inventory of academic performance and quality management excellence for ...

Criminal Use of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Semiautomatic Firearms: an Updated Examination of Local and National Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Koper, Christopher S; Johnson, William D; Nichols, Jordan L; Ayers, Ambrozine; Mullins, Natalie

2017-10-02

Policies restricting semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines are intended to reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities and other military-style features conducive to criminal use. The federal government banned such weaponry from 1994 to 2004, and a few states currently impose similar restrictions. Recent debates concerning these weapons have highlighted their use in mass shootings, but there has been little examination of their use in gun crime more generally since the expiration of the federal ban. This study investigates current levels of criminal activity with assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics in the USA using several local and national data sources including the following: (1) guns recovered by police in ten large cities, (2) guns reported by police to federal authorities for investigative tracing, (3) guns used in murders of police, and (4) guns used in mass murders. Results suggest assault weapons (primarily assault-type rifles) account for 2-12% of guns used in crime in general (most estimates suggest less than 7%) and 13-16% of guns used in murders of police. Assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics together generally account for 22 to 36% of crime guns, with some estimates upwards of 40% for cases involving serious violence including murders of police. Assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics appear to be used in a higher share of firearm mass murders (up to 57% in total), though data on this issue are very limited. Trend analyses also indicate that high-capacity semiautomatics have grown from 33 to 112% as a share of crime guns since the expiration of the federal ban-a trend that has coincided with recent growth in shootings nationwide. Further research seems warranted on how these weapons affect injuries and deaths from gun violence and how their regulation may impact public health.

Evaluation of Shear Resisting Capacity of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building with Steel or Polyamide Fiber Reinforcement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choun, Youngsun; Park, Junhee

2014-01-01

Conventional reinforced concrete (RC) members generally show a rapid deterioration in shear resisting mechanisms under a reversed cyclic load. However, the use of high-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites provides excellent damage tolerance under large displacement reversals compared with regular concrete. Previous experimental studies have indicated that the use of fibers in conventional RC can enhance the structural and functional performance of prestressed concrete containment buildings (PCCBs) in nuclear power plants. This study evaluates the shear resisting capacity for a PCCB constructed using steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) or polyamide fiber reinforced concrete (PFRC). The effects of steel and polyamide fibers on the shear performance of a PCCB were investigated. It was revealed that steel fibers are more effective to enhance the shear resisting capacity of a PCCB than polyamide fibers. The ductility and energy dissipation increase significantly in fiber reinforced PCCBs

Evaluation of Shear Resisting Capacity of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building with Steel or Polyamide Fiber Reinforcement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choun, Youngsun; Park, Junhee [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Conventional reinforced concrete (RC) members generally show a rapid deterioration in shear resisting mechanisms under a reversed cyclic load. However, the use of high-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites provides excellent damage tolerance under large displacement reversals compared with regular concrete. Previous experimental studies have indicated that the use of fibers in conventional RC can enhance the structural and functional performance of prestressed concrete containment buildings (PCCBs) in nuclear power plants. This study evaluates the shear resisting capacity for a PCCB constructed using steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) or polyamide fiber reinforced concrete (PFRC). The effects of steel and polyamide fibers on the shear performance of a PCCB were investigated. It was revealed that steel fibers are more effective to enhance the shear resisting capacity of a PCCB than polyamide fibers. The ductility and energy dissipation increase significantly in fiber reinforced PCCBs.

Li2C2, a High-Capacity Cathode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Na; Gao, Yurui; Li, Yurong; Wang, Zhaoxiang; Song, Xiaoyan; Chen, Liquan

2016-01-11

As a typical alkaline earth metal carbide, lithium carbide (Li2C2) has the highest theoretical specific capacity (1400 mA h g(-1)) among all the reported lithium-containing cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. Herein, the feasibility of using Li2C2 as a cathode material was studied. The results show that at least half of the lithium can be extracted from Li2C2 and the reversible specific capacity reaches 700 mA h g(-1). The C≡C bond tends to rotate to form C4 (C≡C⋅⋅⋅C≡C) chains during lithium extraction, as indicated with the first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulation. The low electronic and ionic conductivity are believed to be responsible for the potential gap between charge and discharge, as is supported with density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Arrhenius fitting results. These findings illustrate the feasibility to use the alkali and alkaline earth metal carbides as high-capacity electrode materials for secondary batteries. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-capacity lithium-ion battery conversion cathodes based on iron fluoride nanowires and insights into the conversion mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linsen; Meng, Fei; Jin, Song

2012-11-14

The increasing demands from large-scale energy applications call for the development of lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrode materials with high energy density. Earth abundant conversion cathode material iron trifluoride (FeF(3)) has a high theoretical capacity (712 mAh g(-1)) and the potential to double the energy density of the current cathode material based on lithium cobalt oxide. Such promise has not been fulfilled due to the nonoptimal material properties and poor kinetics of the electrochemical conversion reactions. Here, we report for the first time a high-capacity LIB cathode that is based on networks of FeF(3) nanowires (NWs) made via an inexpensive and scalable synthesis. The FeF(3) NW cathode yielded a discharge capacity as high as 543 mAh g(-1) at the first cycle and retained a capacity of 223 mAh g(-1) after 50 cycles at room temperature under the current of 50 mA g(-1). Moreover, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the existence of continuous networks of Fe in the lithiated FeF(3) NWs after discharging, which is likely an important factor for the observed improved electrochemical performance. The loss of active material (FeF(3)) caused by the increasingly ineffective reconversion process during charging was found to be a major factor responsible for the capacity loss upon cycling. With the advantages of low cost, large quantity, and ease of processing, these FeF(3) NWs are not only promising battery cathode materials but also provide a convenient platform for fundamental studies and further improving conversion cathodes in general.

Energy Efficiency and Capacity Tradeoff in Cloud Radio Access Network of High-Speed Railways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shichao Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To meet the increasing demand of high-data-rate services of high-speed railway (HSR passengers, cloud radio access network (C-RAN is proposed. This paper investigates the tradeoff between energy efficiency (EE performance and capacity in C-RAN of HSR. Considering that the train location can be predicted, we propose a predictable path loss based time domain power allocation method (PPTPA to improve EE performance of HSR communication system. First, we consider that the communication system of HSR only bears the passenger information services (PISs. The energy-efficient power allocation problem with delay constraint is studied. The formulated problem is nonconvex. To deal with it, an equivalent convex problem is reformulated. Based on PPTPA, we propose an iterative algorithm to improve the EE performance. Second, we consider that the PISs and the train control services (TCSs are all bore. A capacity optimization problem with joint EE and services transmission delay constraints is formulated. Based on PPTPA, we propose a hybrid power allocation scheme to improve the capacity of the system. Finally, we analyze the effect of small-scale fading on EE performance. The effectiveness of the proposed power allocation algorithm is validated by HSR channel measurement trace based emulation results and extensive simulation results.

Final Scientific/Technical Report for Low Cost, High Capacity Non- Intercalation Chemistry Automotive Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berdichevsky, Gene [Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc., Alameda, CA (United States)

2017-09-08

Commercial Li-ion batteries typically use Ni- and Co-based intercalation cathodes. As the demand for improved performance from batteries increases, these cathode materials will no longer be able to provide the desired energy storage characteristics since they are currently approaching their theoretical limits. Conversion cathode materials are prime candidates for improvement of Li-ion batteries. On both a volumetric and gravimetric basis they have higher theoretical capacity than intercalation cathode materials. Metal fluoride (MFx) cathodes offer higher specific energy density and dramatically higher volumetric energy density. Challenges associated with metal fluoride cathodes were addressed through nanostructured material design and synthesis. A major goal of this project was to develop and demonstrate Li-ion cells based on Si-comprising anodes and metal fluoride (MFx) comprising cathodes. Pairing the high-capacity MFx cathode with a high-capacity anode, such as an alloying Si anode, allows for the highest possible energy density on a cell level. After facing and overcoming multiple material synthesis and electrochemical instability challenges, we succeeded in fabrication of MFx half cells with cycle stability in excess of 500 cycles (to 20% or smaller degradation) and full cells with MFx-based cathodes and Si-based anodes with cycle stability in excess of 200 cycles (to 20% or smaller degradation).

Excel for chemists: a comprehensive guide

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Billo, E. Joseph

2011-01-01

..., biological, and medicinal calculations. Including a CD-ROM for Windows, this new edition provides chemists and students with the a detailed guide to using the current versions of Excel (Excel 2007 and 2010...

High capacity fiber optic sensor networks using hybrid multiplexing techniques and their applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Qizhen; Li, Xiaolei; Zhang, Manliang; Liu, Qi; Liu, Hai; Liu, Deming

2013-12-01

Fiber optic sensor network is the development trend of fiber senor technologies and industries. In this paper, I will discuss recent research progress on high capacity fiber sensor networks with hybrid multiplexing techniques and their applications in the fields of security monitoring, environment monitoring, Smart eHome, etc. Firstly, I will present the architecture of hybrid multiplexing sensor passive optical network (HSPON), and the key technologies for integrated access and intelligent management of massive fiber sensor units. Two typical hybrid WDM/TDM fiber sensor networks for perimeter intrusion monitor and cultural relics security are introduced. Secondly, we propose the concept of "Microstructure－Optical X Domin Refecltor (M-OXDR)" for fiber sensor network expansion. By fabricating smart micro-structures with the ability of multidimensional encoded and low insertion loss along the fiber, the fiber sensor network of simple structure and huge capacity more than one thousand could be achieved. Assisted by the WDM/TDM and WDM/FDM decoding methods respectively, we built the verification systems for long-haul and real-time temperature sensing. Finally, I will show the high capacity and flexible fiber sensor network with IPv6 protocol based hybrid fiber/wireless access. By developing the fiber optic sensor with embedded IPv6 protocol conversion module and IPv6 router, huge amounts of fiber optic sensor nodes can be uniquely addressed. Meanwhile, various sensing information could be integrated and accessed to the Next Generation Internet.

Sustainable Enterprise Excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edgeman, Rick; Williams, Joseph; Eskildsen, Jacob Kjær

, supply chain, customer-related, human capital, financial, marketplace, societal, and environmental performance. Sustainable Enterprise Excellence integrates ethical, efficient and effective (E3) enterprise governance with 3E (equity, ecology, economy) Triple Top Line strategy throughout enterprise...

High-performance aqueous rechargeable batteries based on zinc ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A new aqueous Zn–NiCo2O4 rechargeable battery system with a high voltage, consisting of NiCo2O4 as cathode and metal Zn as anode, is proposed for the first time. It is cheap and environmental friendly, and its energy density is about 202.8 Wh kg–1. The system still maintains excellent capacity retention of about 85% ...

Teaching Excellence Initiatives: Modalities and Operational Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Land, Ray; Gordon, George

2015-01-01

Teaching excellence is at the centre of national and international higher education policy. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is a part of the debate to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes teaching excellence and has published research including "Considering Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: 2007-2013" by Dr Vicky…

Passing excellence

Science.gov (United States)

Tsoupikova, Daria

2007-02-01

This paper describes the research and development of a virtual reality visualization project "Passing excellence" about the world famous architectural ensemble "Kizhi". The Kizhi Pogost is located on an island in Lake Onega in northern Karelia in Russia. It is an authentic museum of an ancient wood building tradition which presents a unique artistic achievement. This ensemble preserves a concentration of masterpieces of the Russian heritage and is included in the List of Most Endangered Sites of the World Monuments Watch protected by World Heritage List of UNESCO. The project strives to create a unique virtual observation of the dynamics of the architectural changes of the museum area beginning from the 15th Century up to the 21st Century. The visualization is being created to restore the original architecture of Kizhi island based on the detailed photographs, architectural and geometric measurements, textural data, video surveys and resources from the Kizhi State Open-Air Museum archives. The project is being developed using Electro, an application development environment for the tiled display high-resolution graphics visualization system and can be shown on the virtual reality systems such as the GeoWall TM and the C-Wall.

Porous carbon with small mesoporesas an ultra-high capacity adsorption medium

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Biaofeng; Zhou, Haitao; Chen, De; Yang, Jianhong

2017-10-01

Resins (732-type), abundant and inexpensive resources were used to prepare porous carbon with small mesopores (CSM) by carbonization and post-chemical-activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH). The N2 adsorption measurements revealed that CSM had high surface areas (1776.5 m2 g-1), large pore volumes (1.10 cm3 g-1), and nearly optimal narrow small mesopore sizes ranging from 2 to 7 nm. CSM was used as adsorbent to investigate the adsorption behavior for Rhodamine B (RhB). Due to the optimal pore size distributions (PSD), intensive-stacking interaction, S-doped, and electrostatic attraction, the CSM exhibited an ultra-high-capacity of 1590 mg g-1 for RhB in aqueous solutions.

Teaching excellence in nursing education: a caring framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Sawatzky, Jo-Ann V; Enns, Carol L; Ashcroft, Terri J; Davis, Penny L; Harder, B Nicole

2009-01-01

Nursing education plays a central role in the ability to practice effectively. It follows that an optimally educated nursing workforce begets optimal patient care. A framework for excellence in nursing education could guide the development of novice educators, establish the basis for evaluating teaching excellence, and provide the impetus for research in this area. However, a review of the social sciences and nursing literature as well as a search for existing models for teaching excellence revealed an apparent dearth of evidence specific to excellence in nursing education. Therefore, we developed the Caring Framework for Excellence in Nursing Education. This framework evolved from a review of the generic constructs that exemplify teaching excellence: excellence in teaching practice, teaching scholarship, and teaching leadership. Nursing is grounded in the ethic of caring. Hence, caring establishes the foundation for this uniquely nursing framework. Because a teaching philosophy is intimately intertwined with one's nursing philosophy and the ethic of caring, it is also fundamental to the caring framework. Ideally, this framework will contribute to excellence in nursing education and as a consequence excellence in nursing practice and optimal patient care.

Discrimination against Women as a Subtext of Excellence.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Scott B.

1993-01-01

Pursuing excellence in sport discriminates against women. Alongside the primary texts of the glories of excellence runs a subtext of inequality and discrimination. The paper traces the idea of sport as a quest for excellence through various interpretations of the meaning of sport, discussing excellence as a socially constructed concept. (SM)

What every engineer should know about excel

CERN Document Server

Holman, J P

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTIONGetting the Most from ExcelConventionsOutline of MISCELLANEOUS OPERATIONS IN EXCEL AND WORDIntroductionPrint Screen or Screen DumpCustom Keyboard Setup for Symbols in WordViewing or Printing Column and Row Headings and Gridlines in ExcelAssorted InstructionsMoving Objects in Small Increments (Nudging)Formatting Objects in Word, Including WrappingFormatting Objects in ExcelUse of Photo-Editing Software in Word, Including WrappingCopying Cell Formulas: Effect of Relative and Absolute AddressesCopying Formulas by Dragging the Fill HandleShortcut for Changing the Status of Cell Address

An Aqueous Redox-Flow Battery with High Capacity and Power: The TEMPTMA/MV System.

Science.gov (United States)

Janoschka, Tobias; Martin, Norbert; Hager, Martin D; Schubert, Ulrich S

2016-11-07

Redox-flow batteries (RFB) can easily store large amounts of electric energy and thereby mitigate the fluctuating output of renewable power plants. They are widely discussed as energy-storage solutions for wind and solar farms to improve the stability of the electrical grid. Most common RFB concepts are based on strongly acidic metal-salt solutions or poorly performing organics. Herein we present a battery which employs the highly soluble N,N,N-2,2,6,6-heptamethylpiperidinyl oxy-4-ammonium chloride (TEMPTMA) and the viologen derivative N,N'-dimethyl-4,4-bipyridinium dichloride (MV) in a simple and safe aqueous solution as redox-active materials. The resulting battery using these electrolyte solutions has capacities of 54 Ah L -1 , giving a total energy density of 38 Wh L -1 at a cell voltage of 1.4 V. With peak current densities of up to 200 mA cm -2 the TEMPTMA/MV system is a suitable candidate for compact high-capacity and high-power applications. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Flexible Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic MoS2 Sponge for Highly Efficient Oil-Water Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiaojia; Wang, Xiufeng; Ouyang, Xiaoping; Wen, Cuie

2016-01-01

Removal of oils and organic solvents from water is an important global challenge for energy conservation and environmental protection. Advanced sorbent materials with excellent sorption capacity need to be developed. Here we report on a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic MoS2 nanosheet sponge (SMS) for highly efficient separation and absorption of oils or organic solvents from water. This novel sponge exhibits excellent absorption performance through a combination of superhydrophobicity, high porosity, robust stability in harsh conditions (including flame retardance and inertness to corrosive and different temperature environments) and excellent mechanical properties. The dip-coating strategy proposed for the fabrication of the SMS, which does not require a complicated process or sophisticated equipment, is very straightforward and easy to scale up. This finding shows promise for water remediation and oil recovery. PMID:27272562

Self-assembly synthesis of hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes with excellent performance for fast removal of cationic dyes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Yaxi; Cui, Guijia; Liu, Yan; Li, Haizhen; Sun, Zebin; Yan, Shiqiang, E-mail: yansq@lzu.edu.cn

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes were synthesized for the first time. • MgSNTs showed excellent prformance for the removal of low concentration methylene blue and high concentration rodamine B. • It could be easily discovered from solution. - Abstract: In this work, novel hollow double silica @ mesoporous magnesium silicate magnetic hierarchical nanotubes (MgSNTs) were successfully synthesized by using magnetic mesoporous silica nanocapsules (MSNCs) as morphology templates via a hydrothermal method for the first time. MgSNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Mapping, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infraed spetroscopy, N{sub 2} adorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The synthesized MgSNTs with high specific surface area (588 m{sup 2}/g), average pore width (7.13 nm) and pore volume (1.05 cm{sup 3}/g) had high removal efficiency for low concentration methylene blue (70 mg/L, 299 mg/g) and high adsorption capacities for high concentration rodamine B (300 mg/L, 752 mg/g). Besides, it could be easily recovered due with the help of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the inner chamber. Moreover, the adsorption capacity, the influence of pH, adsorption kinetics and adsorption mechanism were also carefully and comprehensively investigated. The results indicated that magnetic magnesium silicate nanotubes (MgSNTs) using mesoporous silica nanocapsules as the assisted templates were promsing adsorbents for water purification.

Assessing excellence in translational cancer research: a consensus based framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Abinaya; Caldas, Carlos; van Luenen, Henri; Saghatchian, Mahasti; van Harten, Wim H

2013-10-29

It takes several years on average to translate basic research findings into clinical research and eventually deliver patient benefits. An expert-based excellence assessment can help improve this process by: identifying high performing Comprehensive Cancer Centres; best practices in translational cancer research; improving the quality and efficiency of the translational cancer research process. This can help build networks of excellent Centres by aiding focused partnerships. In this paper we report on a consensus building exercise that was undertaken to construct an excellence assessment framework for translational cancer research in Europe. We used mixed methods to reach consensus: a systematic review of existing translational research models critically appraised for suitability in performance assessment of Cancer Centres; a survey among European stakeholders (researchers, clinicians, patient representatives and managers) to score a list of potential excellence criteria, a focus group with selected representatives of survey participants to review and rescore the excellence criteria; an expert group meeting to refine the list; an open validation round with stakeholders and a critical review of the emerging framework by an independent body: a committee formed by the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. The resulting excellence assessment framework has 18 criteria categorized in 6 themes. Each criterion has a number of questions/sub-criteria. Stakeholders favoured using qualitative excellence criteria to evaluate the translational research "process" rather than quantitative criteria or judging only the outputs. Examples of criteria include checking if the Centre has mechanisms that can be rated as excellent for: involvement of basic researchers and clinicians in translational research (quality of supervision and incentives provided to clinicians to do a PhD in translational research) and well designed clinical trials based on ground-breaking concepts (innovative

Two-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon composites derived from corn stalks for electrode materials with high performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Haitao; Zhang, Huijuan; Ouyang, Ya; Liu, Li; Wang, Yu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Novel 2D porous carbon sheets from cornstalks are obtained for the first time. • The hierarchical porous carbon nansheets are gained by chemical activation. • The porous structure facilitates ion transfer and Li-ion absorption. • The strategy are applied to both cathode and anode electrode materials. • The porous nanocomposites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. - Abstract: Herein, we propose a novel and green strategy to convert crop stalks waste into hierarchical porous carbon composites for electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries. In the method, the sustainable crop stalks, an abundant agricultural byproduct, is recycled and treated by a simple and clean chemical activation process. Afterwards, the obtained porous template is adopted for large-scale production of high-performance anode and cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Due to the large surface area, hierarchical porous structures and subsize of the functional particles, the electrode materials manifest excellent electrochemical performance. In particular, the prepared TiO 2 /C composite presents a reversible specific capacity of 203 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles. Our results demonstrate that the sheetlike composites show remarkable cycling stability, high specific capacity and excellent rate ability, and thus hold promise for commercializing the high-performance electrode materials as the advanced lithium-ion batteries.

Predictors of excellent response to lithium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kessing, Lars Vedel; Hellmund, Gunnar; Andersen, Per Kragh

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic and clinical predictors of excellent response, that is, 'cure' of future affective episodes, to lithium in monotherapy. We used nationwide registers to identify all patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in psychiatric hospital settings...... who were prescribed lithium from 1995 to 2006 in Denmark (N=3762). Excellent lithium responders were defined as patients who after a stabilization lithium start-up period of 6 months, continued lithium in monotherapy without getting hospitalized. The rate of excellent response to lithium...... with somatic comorbidity had increased rates of non-response to lithium compared with patients without somatic comorbidity (HR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.00-1.52).It is concluded that the prevalence of excellent response to lithium monotherapy is low and such patients are characterized by few earlier psychiatric...

Barrier capacity of weathered coal mining wastes with respect to heavy metal and organic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twardowska, I.; Jarosinska, B.

1992-01-01

Some types of weathered, buffered coal mining wastes (CMW), being essentially heterogenous and complex mineralogical system of developed surface area, under certain conditions could be widely applicable for binding a variety of contaminants both inorganic in cationic or anionic form, and organic compounds. The experiments reported earlier, showed excellent Cr(VI)-binding capacity of CMW. In this paper, experiments on simultaneous removal of heavy metals Cr t , Cu 2+ , Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ from highly (pH 2.5) and mildly acidic solutions (pH 4.0), as well as of organic compounds and color reduction in leachate from solid industrial waste dump (foundry wastes) will be presented

Advanced Excel for scientific data analysis

CERN Document Server

De Levie, Robert

2004-01-01

Excel is by far the most widely distributed data analysis software but few users are aware of its full powers. Advanced Excel For Scientific Data Analysis takes off from where most books dealing with scientific applications of Excel end. It focuses on three areas-least squares, Fourier transformation, and digital simulation-and illustrates these with extensive examples, often taken from the literature. It also includes and describes a number of sample macros and functions to facilitate common data analysis tasks. These macros and functions are provided in uncompiled, computer-readable, easily

Capturing 'R&D excellence': indicators, international statistics, and innovative universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Tijssen, Robert J W; Winnink, Jos J

2018-01-01

Excellent research may contribute to successful science-based technological innovation. We define 'R&D excellence' in terms of scientific research that has contributed to the development of influential technologies, where 'excellence' refers to the top segment of a statistical distribution based on internationally comparative performance scores. Our measurements are derived from frequency counts of literature references ('citations') from patents to research publications during the last 15 years. The 'D' part in R&D is represented by the top 10% most highly cited 'excellent' patents worldwide. The 'R' part is captured by research articles in international scholarly journals that are cited by these patented technologies. After analyzing millions of citing patents and cited research publications, we find very large differences between countries worldwide in terms of the volume of domestic science contributing to those patented technologies. Where the USA produces the largest numbers of cited research publications (partly because of database biases), Switzerland and Israel outperform the US after correcting for the size of their national science systems. To tease out possible explanatory factors, which may significantly affect or determine these performance differentials, we first studied high-income nations and advanced economies. Here we find that the size of R&D expenditure correlates with the sheer size of cited publications, as does the degree of university research cooperation with domestic firms. When broadening our comparative framework to 70 countries (including many medium-income nations) while correcting for size of national science systems, the important explanatory factors become the availability of human resources and quality of science systems. Focusing on the latter factor, our in-depth analysis of 716 research-intensive universities worldwide reveals several universities with very high scores on our two R&D excellence indicators. Confirming the above

Extremely High Phosphate Sorption Capacity in Cu-Pb-Zn Mine Tailings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Longbin Huang

Full Text Available Elevated inorganic phosphate (Pi concentrations in pore water of amended tailings under direct revegetation may cause toxicity in some native woody species but not native forbs or herb species, all of which are key constituents in target native plant communities for phytostabilizing base metal mine tailings. As a result, Pi sorption capacity has been quantified by a conventional batch procedure in three types of base metal mine tailings sampled from two copper (Cu-lead (Pb-zinc (Zn mines, as the basis for Pi-fertiliser addition. It was found that the Pi-sorption capacity in the tailings and local soil was extremely high, far higher than highly weathered agricultural soils in literature, but similar to those of volcanic ash soils. The Langmuir P-sorption maximum was up to 7.72, 4.12, 4.02 and 3.62 mg P g-1 tailings, in the fresh tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD7, the weathered tailings of mixed Cu-Pb-Zn streams (MIMTD5, EHM-TD (fresh Cu-stream, high magnetite content and local soil (weathered shale and schist, respectively. Physicochemical factors highly correlated with the high Pi-sorption in the tailings were fine particle distribution, oxalate and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate extractable Fe (FeO and Fed, oxalate-extractable Al and Mn, and the levels of soluble Cd and Zn, and total S and Fe. Large amounts of amorphous Fe oxides and oxyhydroxides may have been formed from the oxidation of pyritic materials and redox cycles of Fe-minerals (such as pyrite (FeS2, ankerite (Ca(Fe Mg(CO32 and siderite (FeCO3, as indicated by the extractable FeO values. The likely formation of sparingly soluble Zn-phosphate in the Pb-Zn tailings containing high levels of Zn (from sphalerite ((Zn,FeS, ZnS, (Zn,CdS may substantially lower soluble Zn levels in the tailings through high rates of Pi-fertiliser addition. As a result, the possibility of P-toxicity in native plant species caused by the addition of soluble phosphate fertilizers would be minimal.

Nanostructured Electrode Materials Derived from Metal-Organic Framework Xerogels for High-Energy-Density Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmood, Asif; Zou, Ruqiang; Wang, Qingfei; Xia, Wei; Tabassum, Hassina; Qiu, Bin; Zhao, Ruo

2016-01-27

This work successfully demonstrates metal-organic framework (MOF) derived strategy to prepare nanoporous carbon (NPC) with or without Fe3O4/Fe nanoparticles by the optimization of calcination temperature as highly active electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASC). The nanostructured Fe3O4/Fe/C hybrid shows high specific capacitance of 600 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and excellent capacitance retention up to 500 F/g at 8 A/g. Furthermore, hierarchically NPC with high surface area also obtained from MOF gels displays excellent electrochemical performance of 272 F/g at 2 mV/s. Considering practical applications, aqueous ASC (aASC) was also assembled, which shows high energy density of 17.496 Wh/kg at the power density of 388.8 W/kg. The high energy density and excellent capacity retention of the developed materials show great promise for the practical utilization of these energy storage devices.

An 8-Week Ketogenic Low Carbohydrate, High Fat Diet Enhanced Exhaustive Exercise Capacity in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Sihui; Huang, Qingyi; Yada, Koichi; Liu, Chunhong; Suzuki, Katsuhiko

2018-05-25

Current fueling tactics for endurance exercise encourage athletes to ingest a high carbohydrate diet. However, athletes are not generally encouraged to use fat, the largest energy reserve in the human body. A low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet (KD) is a nutritional approach ensuring that the body utilizes lipids. Although KD has been associated with weight-loss, enhanced fat utilization in muscle and other beneficial effects, there is currently no clear proof whether it could lead to performance advantage. To evaluate the effects of KD on endurance exercise capacity, we studied the performance of mice subjected to a running model after consuming KD for eight weeks. Weight dropped dramatically in KD-feeding mice, even though they ate more calories. KD-feeding mice showed enhanced running time without aggravated muscle injury. Blood biochemistry and correlation analysis indicated the potential mechanism is likely to be a keto-adaptation enhanced capacity to transport and metabolize fat. KD also showed a potential preventive effect on organ injury caused by acute exercise, although KD failed to exert protection from muscle injury. Ultimately, KD may contribute to prolonged exercise capacity.

An 8-Week Ketogenic Low Carbohydrate, High Fat Diet Enhanced Exhaustive Exercise Capacity in Mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sihui Ma

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Current fueling tactics for endurance exercise encourage athletes to ingest a high carbohydrate diet. However, athletes are not generally encouraged to use fat, the largest energy reserve in the human body. A low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet (KD is a nutritional approach ensuring that the body utilizes lipids. Although KD has been associated with weight-loss, enhanced fat utilization in muscle and other beneficial effects, there is currently no clear proof whether it could lead to performance advantage. To evaluate the effects of KD on endurance exercise capacity, we studied the performance of mice subjected to a running model after consuming KD for eight weeks. Weight dropped dramatically in KD-feeding mice, even though they ate more calories. KD-feeding mice showed enhanced running time without aggravated muscle injury. Blood biochemistry and correlation analysis indicated the potential mechanism is likely to be a keto-adaptation enhanced capacity to transport and metabolize fat. KD also showed a potential preventive effect on organ injury caused by acute exercise, although KD failed to exert protection from muscle injury. Ultimately, KD may contribute to prolonged exercise capacity.

Obsessed with excellence

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Lawrence

dia and develop new areas of research in their perspective laborato- ries. A staunch ... Her unique quality for allowing individual scientific tal- ents to bloom, in ... of excellence in sci- ence, Dr Ranadive made an indelible impression on my mind.

Laboratory Development of A High Capacity Gas-Fired paper Dryer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chudnovsky, Yaroslav [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States); Kozlov, Aleksandr [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States); Sherrow, Lester [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

2005-09-30

Paper drying is the most energy-intensive and temperature-critical aspect of papermaking. It is estimated that about 67% of the total energy required in papermaking is used to dry paper. The conventional drying method uses a series of steam-heated metal cylinders that are required to meet ASME codes for pressure vessels, which limits the steam pressure to about 160 psig. Consequently, the shell temperature and the drying capacity are also limited. Gas Technology Institute together with Boise Paper Solutions, Groupe Laparrier and Verreault (GL&V) USA Inc., Flynn Burner Corporation and with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. natural gas industry, and Gas Research Institute is developing a high efficiency gas-fired paper dryer based on a combination of a ribbon burner and advanced heat transfer enhancement technique. The Gas-Fired Paper Dryer (GFPD) is a high-efficiency alternative to conventional steam-heated drying drums that typically operate at surface temperatures in the 300ºF range. The new approach was evaluated in laboratory and pilot-scale testing at the Western Michigan University Paper Pilot Plant. Drum surface temperatures of more than 400ºF were reached with linerboard (basis weight 126 lb/3000 ft2) production and resulted in a 4-5 times increase in drying rate over a conventional steam-heated drying drum. Successful GFPD development and commercialization will provide large energy savings to the paper industry and increase paper production rates from dryer-limited (space- or steam-limited) paper machines by an estimated 10 to 20%, resulting in significant capital costs savings for both retrofits and new capacity.

Abiotic and biotic determinants of leaf carbon exchange capacity from tropical to high boreal biomes

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, N. G.; Dukes, J. S.

2016-12-01

Photosynthesis and respiration on land represent the two largest fluxes of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface. As such, the Earth System Models that are used to project climate change are high sensitive to these processes. Studies have found that much of this uncertainty is due to the formulation and parameterization of plant photosynthetic and respiratory capacity. Here, we quantified the abiotic and biotic factors that determine photosynthetic and respiratory capacity at large spatial scales. Specifically, we measured the maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation (Vcmax), the maximum rate of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate regeneration (Jmax), and leaf dark respiration (Rd) in >600 individuals of 98 plant species from the tropical to high boreal biomes of Northern and Central America. We also measured a bevy of covariates including plant functional type, leaf nitrogen content, short- and long-term climate, leaf water potential, plant size, and leaf mass per area. We found that plant functional type and leaf nitrogen content were the primary determinants of Vcmax, Jmax, and Rd. Mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation were not significant predictors of these rates. However, short-term climatic variables, specifically soil moisture and air temperature over the previous 25 days, were significant predictors and indicated that heat and soil moisture deficits combine to reduce photosynthetic capacity and increase respiratory capacity. Finally, these data were used as a model benchmarking tool for the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM 4.5). The benchmarking analyses determined errors in the leaf nitrogen allocation scheme of CLM 4.5. Under high leaf nitrogen levels within a plant type the model overestimated Vcmax and Jmax. This result suggested that plants were altering their nitrogen allocation patterns when leaf nitrogen levels were high, an effect that was not being captured by the model. These data, taken with models in mind

Mn 3 O 4 −Graphene Hybrid as a High-Capacity Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hailiang

2010-10-13

We developed two-step solution-phase reactions to form hybrid materials of Mn3O4 nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets for lithium ion battery applications. Selective growth of Mn3O 4 nanoparticles on RGO sheets, in contrast to free particle growth in solution, allowed for the electrically insulating Mn3O4 nanoparticles to be wired up to a current collector through the underlying conducting graphene network. The Mn3O4 nanoparticles formed on RGO show a high specific capacity up to ∼900 mAh/g, near their theoretical capacity, with good rate capability and cycling stability, owing to the intimate interactions between the graphene substrates and the Mn 3O4 nanoparticles grown atop. The Mn3O 4/RGO hybrid could be a promising candidate material for a high-capacity, low-cost, and environmentally friendly anode for lithium ion batteries. Our growth-on-graphene approach should offer a new technique for the design and synthesis of battery electrodes based on highly insulating materials. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

High-capacity, high-strength trailer designs for the GA-4/GA-9 Casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kissinger, J.A.; Rickard, N.D.; Taylor, C.; Zimmer, A.

1991-01-01

General Atomics (GA) is developing final designs for two dedicated legal-weight trailers to transport the GA-4 and GA-9 Spent-Fuel Casks. The basic designs for these high-capacity, high-strength trailers are essentially identical except for small modifications to account for the differences in cask geometry. We are designing both trailers to carry a 55,000 lb (24,900 kg) payload and to withstand a 2.5 g vertical design load. The GA-4 and GA-9 trailers are designed for significantly higher loads than are typical commercial semitrailers, which are designed to loads in the range of 1.7 to 2.0 g. To meet the federal gross vehicle weight limit for legal-weight trucks, GA has set a target design weight for the trailers of 9000 lb (4080 kg). This weight includes the personnel barrier, cask tiedowns, and impact limiter removal and storage system. Based on the preliminary trailer designs, the final design weight is expected to be very close to this target weight. 3 refs., 3 figs

High-capacity, high-strength trailer designs for the GA-4/GA-9 casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rickard, N.D.; Kissinger, J.A.; Taylor, C.; Zimmer, A.

1991-01-01

General Atomics (GA) is developing final designs for two dedicated legal-weight trailers to transport the GA-4 and GA-9 Spent-Fuel Casks. The basic designs for these high-capacity, high-strength trailers are essentially identical except for small modifications to account for the differences in cask geometry. The authors are designing both trailers to carry a 55,000 lb (24,900 kg) payload and to withstand a 2.5 g vertical design load. The GA-4 and GA-9 trailers are designed for significantly higher loads than are typical commercial semitrailers, which are designed to loads in the range of 1.7 to 2.0 g. To meet the federal gross vehicle weight limit for legal-weight trucks, GA has set a target design weight for the trailers of 9000 lb (4080 kg). This weight includes the personnel barrier, cask tiedowns, and impact limiter removal and storage system. Based on the preliminary trailer designs, the final design weight will to be very close to this target weight

People management as indicator of business excellence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haffer, Rafal; Kristensen, Kai

2010-01-01

Purpose – This paper aims to show the importance of people management as a key indicator of business excellence based on four research projects, conducted on the samples of Polish (in the years 2004-2005 and 2006-2007) and Danish companies (in 1999 and 2005). Design/methodology/approach – EFQM...... it possible to compare developing Polish and developed Danish companies in their initiatives aiming at business excellence. Findings – The results indicate significant negligence in the management of human resources as one of the initiatives towards business excellence of Polish enterprises before Poland...... Excellence Model indicators were used as the evaluation criteria for the studies. The data were next estimated as a structural equation model by partial least squares using SmartPLS software. That estimation was conducted on the model of the Danish Business Excellence Index methodology. Presented data make...

Silicon oxynitrides of KCC-1, SBA-15 and MCM-41 for CO 2 capture with excellent stability and regenerability

KAUST Repository

Patil, Umesh

2012-01-01

We report the use of silicon oxynitrides as novel adsorbents for CO 2 capture. Three series of functionalized materials based on KCC-1, SBA-15 and MCM-41 with Si-NH 2 groups were prepared using a simple one-step process via thermal ammonolysis using ammonia gas, and they demonstrated excellent CO 2 capture capabilities. These materials overcome several limitations of conventional amine-grafted mesoporous silica. They offer good CO 2 capture capacity, faster adsorption-desorption kinetics, efficient regeneration and reuse, more crucially excellent thermal and mechanical stability even in oxidative environments, and a clean and green synthesis route, which allows the overall CO 2 capture process to be practical and sustainable. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.

Detergents - Zeolites and Enzymes Excel Cleaning Power

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

oily soil was difficult to remove this way and remained attached to the fabric. ... Cationic. Quaternary ammonium .... (vi) have high liquid absorption capacities and (vii) free of legislative .... anti-corrosive agents and as lens cleaner;. (ii) in food ...

Contribution of Lean Management to Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

López-Fresno Palmira

2014-11-01

Full Text Available To continuously and systematically improve efficiency and efficacy of processes, organizations need the implication of all employees in continuous improvement and innovation through suitable Quality Management Programs (QMPs. Effectiveness of these programs is directly linked to the requirement employees understand the methodologies and tools used for QM and the benefits that will derivate from their implementation, individually and collectively, so they can commit and implicate. Lean Management is a friendly methodology to continuously and systematically achieve process improvement, so helping the organization seeking operational excellence that contributes to overall excellence. This paper identifies Critical Success Factors (CSFs for an effective implementation of QMPs, suggests Lean Management as an easy-to-understand, powerful and friendly methodology for operational excellence and overall excellence, and presents a case experience of implementation of Lean Management in a health care organization that applies the EFQM model, and the lessons learnt.

Highly nitrogen-doped carbon capsules: scalable preparation and high-performance applications in fuel cells and lithium ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Chuangang; Xiao, Ying; Zhao, Yang; Chen, Nan; Zhang, Zhipan; Cao, Minhua; Qu, Liangti

2013-04-07

Highly nitrogen-doped carbon capsules (hN-CCs) have been successfully prepared by using inexpensive melamine and glyoxal as precursors via solvothermal reaction and carbonization. With a great promise for large scale production, the hN-CCs, having large surface area and high-level nitrogen content (N/C atomic ration of ca. 13%), possess superior crossover resistance, selective activity and catalytic stability towards oxygen reduction reaction for fuel cells in alkaline medium. As a new anode material in lithium-ion battery, hN-CCs also exhibit excellent cycle performance and high rate capacity with a reversible capacity of as high as 1046 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 50 mA g(-1) after 50 cycles. These features make the hN-CCs developed in this study promising as suitable substitutes for the expensive noble metal catalysts in the next generation alkaline fuel cells, and as advanced electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Ultrafine tin oxide on reduced graphene oxide as high-performance anode for sodium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yandong; Xie, Jian; Zhang, Shichao; Zhu, Peiyi; Cao, Gaoshao; Zhao, Xinbing

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A nanohybrid based on ultrafine SnO 2 and few-layered rGO has been prepared. • The nanohybrid exhibits excellent electrochemical Na-storage properties. • The rGO supplies combined conducting, buffering and dispersing effects. - Abstract: Na-ion Battery is attractive alternative to Li-ion battery due to the natural abundance of sodium resource. Searching for suitable anode materials is one of the critical issues for Na-ion battery due to the low Na-storage activity of carbon materials. In this work, we synthesized a nanohybrid anode consisting of ultrafine SnO 2 anchored on few-layered reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by a facile hydrothermal route. The SnO 2 /rGO hybrid exhibits a high capacity, long cycle life and good rate capability. The hybrid can deliver a high charge capacity of 324 mAh g SnO2 −1 at 50 mA g −1 . At 1600 mA g −1 (2.4C), it can still yield a charge capacity of 200 mAh g SnO2 −1 . After 100 cycles at 100 mA g −1 , the hybrid can retain a high charge capacity of 369 mAh g SnO2 −1 . X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ex situ transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the origin of the excellent electrochemical Na-storage properties of SnO 2 /rGO

The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity

OpenAIRE

Carl Foster, Courtney V. Farland, Flavia Guidotti, Michelle Harbin, Brianna Roberts, Jeff Schuette, Andrew Tuuri, Scott T. Doberstein, John P. Porcari

2015-01-01

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has become an increasingly popular form of exercise due to its potentially large effects on exercise capacity and small time requirement. This study compared the effects of two HIIT protocols vs steady-state training on aerobic and anaerobic capacity following 8-weeks of training. Fifty-five untrained college-aged subjects were randomly assigned to three training groups (3x weekly). Steady-state (n = 19) exercised (cycle ergometer) 20 minutes at 90% of ...

High-capacity thermo-responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction of curcuminoids.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Qingping; Zhang, Yuping; Zhang, Qingwen; Guo, Junfang; Huang, Weihua; Shi, Shuyun; Chen, Xiaoqin

2014-08-08

Thermo-responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (TMMIPs) for selective recognition of curcuminoids with high capacity and selectivity have firstly been developed. The resulting TMMIPs were characterized by TEM, FT-IR, TGA, VSM and UV, which indicated that TMMIPs showed thermo-responsiveness [lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at 33.71°C] and rapid magnetic separation (5s). The polymerization, adsorption and release conditions were optimized in detail to obtain the highest binding capacity, selectivity and release ratio. We found that the adopted thermo-responsive monomer [N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm)] could be considered not only as inert polymer backbone for thermo-responsiveness but also as functional co-monomers combination with basic monomer (4-VP) for more specific binding sites when ethanol was added in binding solution. The maximum adsorption capacity with highest selectivity of curcumin was 440.3μg/g (1.93 times that on MMIPs with no thermosensitivity) at 45°C (above LCST) in 20% (v/v) ethanol solution on shrunk TMMIPs, and the maximum release proportion was about 98% at 20°C (below LCST) in methanol-acetic acid (9/1, v/v) solution on swelled TMMIPs. The adsorption process between curcumin and TMMIPs followed Langumuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. The prepared TMMIPs also showed high reproducibility (RSD<6% for batch-to-batch evaluation) and stability (only 7% decrease after five cycles). Subsequently, the TMMIPs were successfully applied for selective extraction of curcuminoids from complex natural product, Curcuma longa. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Co3O4 nanoneedle@electroactive nickel boride membrane core/shell arrays: A novel hybrid for enhanced capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tingting; Zhu, Congxu; Yang, Xiaogang; Gao, Yuanhao; He, Weiwei; Yue, Hongwei; Zhao, Hongxiao

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Active nickel boride membrane anchored Co 3 O 4 nanoneedle arrays hybrid is synthesized via rapid interface reaction. The optimized core/shell nanostructure demonstrates greatly enhanced electrochemical properties. Display Omitted -- Highlights: •Active nickel boride membrane anchored Co 3 O 4 nanoneedle arrays core-shell hybrid architectures was fabricated via rapid interface reaction. •Specific capacity was improved by synergy between highly active components and optimized electron transfer microstructure. •The assembled asymmetric supercapacitor device exhibited excellent electrochemical performance. -- Abstract: Exploring novel hybrid materials with efficient microstructure using facile approaches is highly urgent in designing supercapacitor electrodes. Here, the Ni-B membrane was used for coating the porous Co 3 O 4 nanoneedle arrays which supported on the nickel foam (NF) frameworks through a rapid chemical reduction process (denoted as NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB). The Ni-B membrane both provided sufficient active sites for redox reactions and inhibited the aggregation of formed hybrid architectures. Benefiting from the unique structural design and strongly coupled effects between porous Co 3 O 4 arrays and Ni-B membrane, the resulted NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB electrode exhibited high areal capacitance of 3.47 F cm −2 (0.48 mAh cm −2 ) at a current density of 2.5 mA cm −2 , an excellent rate capability while maintaining 95.5% capacity retention after 2000 cycles. The asymmetric supercapacitor constructed with the NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB as positive electrode and hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) as negative electrode also showed ideal capacitive behavior, and simultaneously delivered high energy and power densities. The easily decoration of Ni-B membrane on various active nanoarrays may arouse more novel design about hybrid architectures for large-scale applications.

Ultrathin Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Layer Uniformly Supported on Graphene Frameworks as Ultrahigh-Capacity Anode for Lithium-Ion Full Battery.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanshan; Li, Ke; Yang, Guanhui; Aboud, Mohamed F Aly; Shakir, Imran; Xu, Yuxi

2018-03-01

The designable structure with 3D structure, ultrathin 2D nanosheets, and heteroatom doping are considered as highly promising routes to improve the electrochemical performance of carbon materials as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, it remains a significant challenge to efficiently integrate 3D interconnected porous frameworks with 2D tunable heteroatom-doped ultrathin carbon layers to further boost the performance. Herein, a novel nanostructure consisting of a uniform ultrathin N-doped carbon layer in situ coated on a 3D graphene framework (NC@GF) through solvothermal self-assembly/polymerization and pyrolysis is reported. The NC@GF with the nanosheets thickness of 4.0 nm and N content of 4.13 at% exhibits an ultrahigh reversible capacity of 2018 mA h g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 and an ultrafast charge-discharge feature with a remarkable capacity of 340 mA h g -1 at an ultrahigh current density of 40 A g -1 and a superlong cycle life with a capacity retention of 93% after 10 000 cycles at 40 A g -1 . More importantly, when coupled with LiFePO 4 cathode, the fabricated lithium-ion full cells also exhibit high capacity and excellent rate and cycling performances, highlighting the practicability of this NC@GF. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Inside Out

CERN Document Server

Stinson, Craig

2003-01-01

Hey, you know your way around a spreadsheet-so now dig into Excel 2003 and really put your data to work! This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and handy workarounds in concise, fast-answer format. It's all muscle and no fluff. Discover the best and fastest ways to perform everyday tasks, and challenge yourself to new levels of Excel mastery! Build on what you already know about Excel and quickly dive into what's newLearn how the experts design more powerful spreadsheetsSharpen your core to advanced document editing and formatting skil

Statistical analysis with Excel for dummies

CERN Document Server

Schmuller, Joseph

2013-01-01

Take the mystery out of statistical terms and put Excel to work! If you need to create and interpret statistics in business or classroom settings, this easy-to-use guide is just what you need. It shows you how to use Excel's powerful tools for statistical analysis, even if you've never taken a course in statistics. Learn the meaning of terms like mean and median, margin of error, standard deviation, and permutations, and discover how to interpret the statistics of everyday life. You'll learn to use Excel formulas, charts, PivotTables, and other tools to make sense of everything fro

101 Ready-To-Use Excel Macros

CERN Document Server

Alexander, Michael

2012-01-01

Save time and be more productive with this helpful guide to Excel macros! While most books about Excel macros offer only minor examples, usually aimed at illustrating a particular topic, this invaluable resource provides you with the tools needed to efficiently and effectively program Excel macros immediately. Step-by-step instructions show you how to create VBA macros and explain how to customize your applications to look and work exactly as you want them to. By the end of the book, you will understand how each featured macro works, be able to reuse the macros included in the book and online,

Quality Management and Business Excellence

OpenAIRE

Vasile Dinu

2017-01-01

An excellent organization involves much more than the implementation and the certification of one or more models of management systems. It means developing techniques and tools of busin excellence which lead the organization to outstanding performance on quality, costs and deadlines in order to meet the expectations of all their stakeholders. Such an approach is needed especially in the context of an economy marked by globalization, extremely complex and dynamic that causes spectacular change...

High-quality and small-capacity e-learning video featuring lecturer-superimposing PC screen images

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Yoshihiko; Murakami, Michinobu; Sakamoto, Ryota; Sugiura, Tokuhiro; Matsui, Hirokazu; Kato, Norihiko

2006-10-01

Information processing and communication technology are progressing quickly, and are prevailing throughout various technological fields. Therefore, the development of such technology should respond to the needs for improvement of quality in the e-learning education system. The authors propose a new video-image compression processing system that ingeniously employs the features of the lecturing scene. While dynamic lecturing scene is shot by a digital video camera, screen images are electronically stored by a PC screen image capturing software in relatively long period at a practical class. Then, a lecturer and a lecture stick are extracted from the digital video images by pattern recognition techniques, and the extracted images are superimposed on the appropriate PC screen images by off-line processing. Thus, we have succeeded to create a high-quality and small-capacity (HQ/SC) video-on-demand educational content featuring the advantages: the high quality of image sharpness, the small electronic file capacity, and the realistic lecturer motion.

Nanocrystalline β-Ti alloy with high hardness, low Young's modulus and excellent in vitro biocompatibility for biomedical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Kelvin Y.; Wang, Yanbo; Zhao, Yonghao; Chang, Li; Wang, Guocheng; Chen, Zibin; Cao, Yang; Liao, Xiaozhou; Lavernia, Enrique J.; Valiev, Ruslan Z.; Sarrafpour, Babak; Zoellner, Hans; Ringer, Simon P.

2013-01-01

High strength, low Young's modulus and good biocompatibility are desirable but difficult to simultaneously achieve in metallic implant materials for load bearing applications, and these impose significant challenges in material design. Here we report that a nano-grained β-Ti alloy prepared by high-pressure torsion exhibits remarkable mechanical and biological properties. The hardness and modulus of the nano-grained Ti alloy were respectively 23% higher and 34% lower than those of its coarse-grained counterpart. Fibroblast cell attachment and proliferation were enhanced, demonstrating good in vitro biocompatibility of the nano-grained Ti alloy, consistent with demonstrated increased nano-roughness on the nano-grained Ti alloy. Results suggest that the nano-grained β-Ti alloy may have significant application as an implant material in dental and orthopedic applications. - Highlights: • A bulk nanocrystalline β-Ti alloy was produced by high-pressure torsion processing. • Excellent mechanical properties for biomedical implants were obtained. • Enhanced in vitro biocompatibility was also demonstrated

Systems-level computational modeling demonstrates fuel selection switching in high capacity running and low capacity running rats

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Nathan R.

2018-01-01

High capacity and low capacity running rats, HCR and LCR respectively, have been bred to represent two extremes of running endurance and have recently demonstrated disparities in fuel usage during transient aerobic exercise. HCR rats can maintain fatty acid (FA) utilization throughout the course of transient aerobic exercise whereas LCR rats rely predominantly on glucose utilization. We hypothesized that the difference between HCR and LCR fuel utilization could be explained by a difference in mitochondrial density. To test this hypothesis and to investigate mechanisms of fuel selection, we used a constraint-based kinetic analysis of whole-body metabolism to analyze transient exercise data from these rats. Our model analysis used a thermodynamically constrained kinetic framework that accounts for glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and mitochondrial FA transport and oxidation. The model can effectively match the observed relative rates of oxidation of glucose versus FA, as a function of ATP demand. In searching for the minimal differences required to explain metabolic function in HCR versus LCR rats, it was determined that the whole-body metabolic phenotype of LCR, compared to the HCR, could be explained by a ~50% reduction in total mitochondrial activity with an additional 5-fold reduction in mitochondrial FA transport activity. Finally, we postulate that over sustained periods of exercise that LCR can partly overcome the initial deficit in FA catabolic activity by upregulating FA transport and/or oxidation processes. PMID:29474500

Pectins from the albedo of immature lemon fruitlets have high water binding capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Schröder, Roswitha; Clark, Christopher J; Sharrock, Keith; Hallett, Ian C; MacRae, Elspeth A

2004-04-01

The white part of citrus peel, the albedo, has a special role in water relations of both fruit and leaves from early on in fruit development. In times of drought, this tissue acts as a water reservoir for juice sacs, seeds and leaves. When water was injected into the albedo, free water was undetectable using magnetic resonance imaging. Microscopy showed tightly packed cells with little intercellular space, and thick cell walls. Cell wall material comprised 21% of the fresh albedo weight, and contained 26.1% galacturonic acid, the main constituent of pectin. From this, we postulated that pectin of the cell wall was responsible for the high water-binding capacity of the immature lemon albedo. Cell wall material was extracted using mild procedures that keep polymers intact, and four pectic fractions were recovered. Of these fractions, the SDS and chelator-soluble fractions showed viscosities ten and twenty times higher than laboratory-grade citrus pectin or the other albedo-derived pectins. The yield of these two pectins represented 28% of the cell walls and 62% of the galacturonic acid content of immature lemon albedo. We concluded that, from viscosity and abundance, these types of pectin account for the high water-binding capacity of this tissue. Compositional analyses showed that the two highly viscous pectic fractions differ in galacturonic acid content, degree of branching and length of side chains from the less viscous albedo-derived pectins. The most striking feature of these highly viscous pectins, however, was their high molecular weight distribution compared to the other pectic fractions.

Influence of ultra-high pressure homogenisation on antioxidant capacity, polyphenol and vitamin content of clear apple juice.

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez-Jacobo, Angela; Rüfer, Corinna E; Gervilla, Ramón; Guamis, Buenaventura; Roig-Sagués, Artur X; Saldo, Jordi

2011-07-15

Ultra-high pressure homogenisation (UHPH) is a recently developed technology and is still under study to evaluate its effect on different aspects of its application to food products. The aim of this research work was to evaluate the effect of UHPH treatments on quality characteristics of apple juice such as antioxidant capacity, polyphenol composition, vitamin C and provitamin A contents, in comparison with raw (R) and pasteurised (PA) apple juice. Several UHPH treatments that include combinations of pressure (100, 200 and 300MPa) and inlet temperatures (4 and 20°C) were assayed. Apple juice was pasteurised at 90°C for 4min. Antioxidant capacity was analysed using the oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay while total phenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteau assay. According to the FRAP and DPPH assays, UHPH processing did not change apple juice antioxidant capacity. However, significant differences were detected between samples analysed by TEAC and ORAC assays. In spite of these differences, high correlation values were found between the four antioxidant capacity assays, and also with total polyphenol content. The analysis and quantification of individual phenols by HPLC/DAD analytical technique reflects that UHPH-treatment prevented degradation of these compounds. Vitamin C concentrations did not change in UHPH treated samples, retaining the same value as in raw juice. However, significant losses were observed for provitamin A content, but lower than in PA samples. UHPH-treatments at 300MPa can be an alternative to thermal treatment in order to preserve apple juice quality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical self-evaluation for excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullee, G.R.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses the use of critical self-evaluation of performance as a stimulus for excellence. Self-evaluation inherently provides acceptance and ownership of a problem, thereby motivating change. Some of the key elements of self-evaluation are discussed such as unbiased observations and appropriate performance standards. As circumstances change, an ongoing self-appraisal approach provides continuing feedback to maintain and further excellence. Two examples of critical self-evaluation in use at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are discussed

Supercapacitors based on high-quality graphene scrolls

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Fanyan; Kuang, Yafei; Liu, Gaoqin; Liu, Rui; Huang, Zhongyuan; Fu, Chaopeng; Zhou, Haihui

2012-06-01

High-quality graphene scrolls (GSS) with a unique scrolled topography are designed using a microexplosion method. Their capacitance properties are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Compared with the specific capacity of 110 F g-1 for graphene sheets, a remarkable capacity of 162.2 F g-1 is obtained at the current density of 1.0 A g-1 in 6 M KOH aqueous solution owing to the unique scrolled structure of GSS. The capacity value is increased by about 50% only because of the topological change of graphene sheets. Meanwhile, GSS exhibit excellent long-term cycling stability along with 96.8% retained after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1. These encouraging results indicate that GSS based on the topological structure of graphene sheets are a kind of promising material for supercapacitors.

High-performance lithium-ion battery and symmetric supercapacitors based on FeCo₂O₄ nanoflakes electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Saad Gomaa; Chen, Chih-Jung; Chen, Chih Kai; Hu, Shu-Fen; Liu, Ru-Shi

2014-12-24

A successive preparation of FeCo2O4 nanoflakes arrays on nickel foam substrates is achieved by a simple hydrothermal synthesis method. After 170 cycles, a high capacity of 905 mAh g(-1) at 200 mA g(-1) current density and very good rate capabilities are obtained for lithium-ion battery because of the 2D porous structures of the nanoflakes arrays. The distinctive structural features provide the battery with excellent electrochemical performance. The symmetric supercapacitor on nonaqueous electrolyte demonstrates high specific capacitance of 433 F g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) and 16.7 F g(-1) at high scan rate of 5 V s(-1) and excellent cyclic performance of 2500 cycles of charge-discharge cycling at 2 A g(-1) current density, revealing excellent long-term cyclability of the electrode even under rapid charge-discharge conditions.

Idea of Quality Versus Idea of Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marko Kiauta

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigates professionals on the field of quality, are responsible to give to customer honest clarification of fundamental ideas. Quality movement is losing credibility with suggesting that the idea of quality is replacing with the idea of excellence. Findings are based on more than 25 years of practice in professional promotion of quality: in consulting on private and public sector, from 1990 lead auditor at SIQ (Slovenian Institute of Quality, from 1998 lead assessor – commission for Slovenian Excellence Quality Award. Theory is developed based on: Noriaki Kano theory of Attractive quality, Tito Conti ideas on TQM and applications problems of Excellence model, Practical case of General Hospital Novo Mesto (in 1998 first attempt of using EM, than forced to build QMS based on ISO 9001 and then returned to practice EM. Findings: We really need to amplify and to understand the concept of quality in a much wider way. To treat excellence related activities separated from all others quality management activities is not god solution. The name of EFQM Excellence Model should be replaced with Quality Management Model. Research limitations/implications: This paper present findings mainly based on practice in Slovenia and especially in public sector where practicing of CAF is not giving expected benefits. Practical implications: The three styles of quality management (improvements to reach demands, improvements to reach expectations, improvements to react on new conditions and needs should be connected with personal development. Theory is developed based on: Noriaki Kano theory of Attractive quality, Tito Conti ideas on TQM and applications problems of Excellence model. We need integration moments. Integration is other word for creativity and health. It leads to integrity. Excellence is only one of three states of quality. If we ask: How? The answer is bad, good or excellent. All three are possible states of the same parameter.

Summary of efficiency testing of standard and high-capacity high-efficiency particulate air filters subjected to simulated tornado depressurization and explosive shock waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.R.; Gregory, W.S.

1985-04-01

Pressure transients in nuclear facility air cleaning systems can originate from natural phenomena such as tornadoes or from accident-induced explosive blast waves. This study was concerned with the effective efficiency of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters during pressure surges resulting from simulated tornado and explosion transients. The primary objective of the study was to examine filter efficiencies at pressure levels below the point of structural failure. Both standard and high-capacity 0.61-m by 0.61-m HEPA filters were evaluated, as were several 0.2-m by 0.2-m HEPA filters. For a particular manufacturer, the material release when subjected to tornado transients is the same (per unit area) for both the 0.2-m by 0.2-m and the 0.61-m by 0.61-m filters. For tornado transients, the material release was on the order of micrograms per square meter. When subjecting clean HEPA filters to simulated tornado transients with aerosol entrained in the pressure pulse, all filters tested showed a degradation of filter efficiency. For explosive transients, the material release from preloaded high-capacity filters was as much as 340 g. When preloaded high-capacity filters were subjected to shock waves approximately 50% of the structural limit level, 1 to 2 mg of particulate was released

Remapping high-capacity, pre-attentive, fragile sensory memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerr, Paul; Gayet, Surya; Mulder, Kees; Pinto, Yaïr; Sligte, Ilja; Van der Stigchel, Stefan

2017-11-21

Humans typically make several saccades per second. This provides a challenge for the visual system as locations are largely coded in retinotopic (eye-centered) coordinates. Spatial remapping, the updating of retinotopic location coordinates of items in visuospatial memory, is typically assumed to be limited to robust, capacity-limited and attention-demanding working memory (WM). Are pre-attentive, maskable, sensory memory representations (e.g. fragile memory, FM) also remapped? We directly compared trans-saccadic WM (tWM) and trans-saccadic FM (tFM) in a retro-cue change-detection paradigm. Participants memorized oriented rectangles, made a saccade and reported whether they saw a change in a subsequent display. On some trials a retro-cue indicated the to-be-tested item prior to probe onset. This allowed sensory memory items to be included in the memory capacity estimate. The observed retro-cue benefit demonstrates a tFM capacity considerably above tWM. This provides evidence that some, if not all sensory memory was remapped to spatiotopic (world-centered, task-relevant) coordinates. In a second experiment, we show backward masks to be effective in retinotopic as well as spatiotopic coordinates, demonstrating that FM was indeed remapped to world-centered coordinates. Together this provides conclusive evidence that trans-saccadic spatial remapping is not limited to higher-level WM processes but also occurs for sensory memory representations.

High-Capacity and Long-Cycle Life Aqueous Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery with the FePO4 Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuesheng; Yang, Shi-Ze; You, Ya; Feng, Zimin; Zhu, Wen; Gariépy, Vincent; Xia, Jiexiang; Commarieu, Basile; Darwiche, Ali; Guerfi, Abdelbast; Zaghib, Karim

2018-02-28

Aqueous lithium-ion batteries are emerging as strong candidates for a great variety of energy storage applications because of their low cost, high-rate capability, and high safety. Exciting progress has been made in the search for anode materials with high capacity, low toxicity, and high conductivity; yet, most of the anode materials, because of their low equilibrium voltages, facilitate hydrogen evolution. Here, we show the application of olivine FePO 4 and amorphous FePO 4 ·2H 2 O as anode materials for aqueous lithium-ion batteries. Their capacities reached 163 and 82 mA h/g at a current rate of 0.2 C, respectively. The full cell with an amorphous FePO 4 ·2H 2 O anode maintained 92% capacity after 500 cycles at a current rate of 0.2 C. The acidic aqueous electrolyte in the full cells prevented cathodic oxygen evolution, while the higher equilibrium voltage of FePO 4 avoided hydrogen evolution as well, making them highly stable. A combination of in situ X-ray diffraction analyses and computational studies revealed that olivine FePO 4 still has the biphase reaction in the aqueous electrolyte and that the intercalation pathways in FePO 4 ·2H 2 O form a 2-D mesh. The low cost, high safety, and outstanding electrochemical performance make the full cells with olivine or amorphous hydrated FePO 4 anodes commercially viable configurations for aqueous lithium-ion batteries.

The Pursuit of Excellence through Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Michel, Ed.

In this book theorists and researchers present a range of perspectives on how to promote excellence in education, providing an opportunity for expression to those who stress transformation of educational practice and those who emphasize individual abilities. In part 1, The Individual Pursuit of Excellence, the chapters are: (1) Learning from…

Assessing excellence in translational cancer research: a consensus based framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rajan, A.; Caldas, C.; van Luenen, H.; Saghatchian, M.; van Harten, Willem H.

2013-01-01

Background: It takes several years on average to translate basic research findings into clinical research and eventually deliver patient benefits. An expert-based excellence assessment can help improve this process by: identifying high performing Comprehensive Cancer Centres; best practices in

Delayed hydride cracking and elastic properties of Excel, a candidate CANDU-SCWR pressure tube material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Z.L.

2010-01-01

Excel, a Zr alloy which contains 3.5%Sn, 0.8%Nb and 0.8%Mo, shows high strength, good corrosion resistance, excellent creep-resistance and dimension stability and thus is selected as a candidate pressure tube material for CANDU-SCWR. In the present work, the delayed hydride cracking properties (K IH and the DHC growth rates), the hydrogen solubility and elastic modulus were measured in the irradiated and unirradiated Excel pressure tube material. (author)

Low-cost and high-capacity short-range optical interconnects using graded-index plastic optical fiber

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tangdiongga, E.; Yang, H.; Lee, S.C.J.; Okonkwo, C.M.; Boom, van den H.P.A.; Randel, S.; Koonen, A.M.J.

2010-01-01

We demonstrate a transmission rate of 51.8 Gb/s over 100-meters of perfluorinated multimode graded-index plastic optical fiber using discrete multitone modulation. The results prove suitability of plastic fibers for low-cost high-capacity optical interconnects.

Patient satisfaction: focusing on "excellent".

Science.gov (United States)

Otani, Koichiro; Waterman, Brian; Faulkner, Kelly M; Boslaugh, Sarah; Burroughs, Thomas E; Dunagan, W Claiborne

2009-01-01

In an emerging competitive market such as healthcare, managers should focus on achieving excellent ratings to distinguish their organization from others. When it comes to customer loyalty, "excellent" has a different meaning. Customers who are merely satisfied often do not come back. The purpose of this study was to find out what influences adult patients to rate their overall experience as "excellent." The study used patient satisfaction data collected from one major academic hospital and four community hospitals. After conducting a multiple logistic regression analysis, certain attributes were shown to be more likely than others to influence patients to rate their experiences as excellent. The study revealed that staff care is the most influential attribute, followed by nursing care. These two attributes are distinctively stronger drivers of overall satisfaction than are the other attributes studied (i.e., physician care, admission process, room, and food). Staff care and nursing care are under the control of healthcare managers. If improvements are needed, they can be accomplished through training programs such as total quality management or continuous quality improvement, through which staff employees and nurses learn to be sensitive to patients' needs. Satisfying patients' needs is the first step toward having loyal patients, so hospitals that strive to ensure their patients are completely satisfied are more likely to prosper.

Capacity Development in an Undergraduate Nursing Program in Vietnam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunjoo Kang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Nurses are an essential human resource to ensure a healthy population and support the socio-economic development. However, little research has focused on the capacity development of nurses.Objective: The performance of a capacity development project for an undergraduate nursing program in Vietnam was reviewed to share lessons.Design: A descriptive case report.Setting: A baccalaureate nursing program in Vietnam from June 2014 to June 2016.Methods: A case report was analyzed in terms of the project's process, and the outcomes of 2 years' activities were evaluated.Results: Practice-based curriculum redesign and two basic nursing subjects were developed after five rounds of curriculum workshops. To improve application efficiency, two nursing experts were dispatched to provide instructions regarding the application of the new subjects. Three candidates were invited to complete their master's and doctoral studies in Korea. An advanced nursing education environment was supported with simulation labs equipped within a ubiquitous network. The result of experts' evaluation was excellent by every criterion of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development—Development Assistance Committee.Conclusions: The capacity development of a nursing program was possible through ownership, accountability, and results-based management. Gradual improvement in nursing academic and clinical capacity building based on research evidence can empower partner countries' nursing leadership. Introduction.

A high capacity text steganography scheme based on LZW compression and color coding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aruna Malik

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, capacity and security issues of text steganography have been considered by employing LZW compression technique and color coding based approach. The proposed technique uses the forward mail platform to hide the secret data. This algorithm first compresses secret data and then hides the compressed secret data into the email addresses and also in the cover message of the email. The secret data bits are embedded in the message (or cover text by making it colored using a color coding table. Experimental results show that the proposed method not only produces a high embedding capacity but also reduces computational complexity. Moreover, the security of the proposed method is significantly improved by employing stego keys. The superiority of the proposed method has been experimentally verified by comparing with recently developed existing techniques.

How a high working memory capacity can increase proactive interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinwascher, Merle A; Meiser, Thorsten

2016-08-01

Previous findings suggested that a high working memory capacity (WMC) is potentially associated with a higher susceptibility to proactive interference (PI) if the latter is measured under high cognitive load. To explain such a finding, we propose to consider susceptibility to PI as a net effect of individual executive processes and the intrinsic potential for PI. With the latter, we refer to the amount of information that is activated at a given time and that has the potential to exert PI subsequently. In two studies deploying generalized linear mixed models, susceptibility to PI was modeled as the decline of performance over trials of a complex span task. The results revealed that a higher WMC was associated with a higher susceptibility to PI. Moreover, the number of stimuli recalled in one trial as a proxy variable for the intrinsic potential for PI negatively affected memory performance in the subsequent trial. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of metal-adeninate frameworks with high separation capacity on C{sub 2}/C{sub 1} hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Yan-Ping, E-mail: hyp041@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Zhou, Nan [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Hunan GuangYi Experimental Middle School, Changsha, Hunan 410014 (China); Tan, Yan-Xi; Wang, Fei; Zhang, Jian [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China)

2016-06-15

By introducing isophthalic acid or 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid to assemble with adenine and cadmium salt, two isostructural and anionic porous metal-organic frameworks (1 and 2) possessing the novel (4,8)-connected sqc topology are presented here. 1 shows permanent porosity with Langmuir surface area of 770.1 m{sup 2}/g and exhibits high separation capacity on C{sub 2}/C{sub 1} hydrocarbons. - Graphical abstract: The assembly between isophthalic acid, adenine ligands and Cd{sup 2+} ions leads to an anionic porous metal-organic frameworks, which shows permanent porosity and exhibits high C{sub 2}/C{sub 1} hydrocarbons separation capacity. Display Omitted.

Stable High-Capacity Lithium Ion Battery Anodes Produced by Supersonic Spray Deposition of Hematite Nanoparticles and Self-Healing Reduced Graphene Oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong-Gun; Joshi, Bhavana N.; Lee, Jong-Hyuk; Kim, Tae-Gun; Kim, Do-Yeon; Al-Deyab, Salem S.; Seong, Il Won; Swihart, Mark T.; Yoon, Woo Young; Yoon, Sam S.

2017-01-01

Hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were supersonically sprayed onto copper current collectors to create high-performance, binder-free lithium ion battery (LIB) electrodes. Supersonic spray deposition is rapid, low-cost, and suitable for large-scale production. Supersonic impact of rGO sheets and Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the substrate produces compacted nanocomposite films with short diffusion lengths for Li + ions. This structure produces high reversible capacity and markedly improved capacity retention over many cycles. Decomposition of lithium oxide generated during cycling activates the solid electrolyte interface layer, contributing to high capacity retention. The optimal composition ratio of rGO to Fe 2 O 3 was 9.1 wt.%, which produced a reversible capacity of 1242 mAh g −1 after N = 305 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g −1 (1C).

Centers of excellence in healthcare institutions: what they are and how to assemble them.

Science.gov (United States)

Elrod, James K; Fortenberry, John L

2017-07-11

Centers of excellence-specialized programs within healthcare institutions which supply exceptionally high concentrations of expertise and related resources centered on particular medical areas and delivered in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary fashion-afford many advantages for healthcare providers and the populations they serve. To achieve full value from centers of excellence, proper assembly is an absolute necessity, but guidance is somewhat limited. This effectively forces healthcare providers to pursue establishment largely via trial-and-error, diminishing opportunities for success. Successful development of a center of excellence first requires the acquisition of a detailed understanding of the delivery model and its benefits. Then, concerted actions must be taken on a particular series of administrative and clinical fronts, treating them in prescribed manners to afford synergies which yield an exceptionally high level of care. To reduce hardships associated with acquiring this rather elusive knowledge, remedy shortcomings in the literature, and potentially bolster community health broadly, this article presents information and insights gleaned from Willis-Knighton Health System's extensive experience assembling and operating centers of excellence. This work is intended to educate and enlighten, but most importantly, supply guidance which will permit healthcare establishments to replicate noted processes to realize their own centers of excellence. Centers of excellence have the ability to dramatically enhance the depth and breadth of healthcare services available in communities. Given the numerous mutual benefits afforded by this delivery model, it is hoped that the light shed by this article will help healthcare providers better understand centers of excellence and be more capable and confident in associated development initiatives, affording greater opportunities for themselves and their patient populations.

Ultrathin mesoporous Co_3O_4 nanosheets-constructed hierarchical clusters as high rate capability and long life anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Shengming; Xia, Tian; Wang, Jingping; Lu, Feifei; Xu, Chunbo; Zhang, Xianfa; Huo, Lihua; Zhao, Hui

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Ultrathin mesoporous Co_3O_4 nanosheets-constructed hierarchical clusters (UMCN-HCs) have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent thermolysis treatment. When tested as anode materials for LIBs, UMCN-HCs achieve high reversible capacity, good long cycling life, and rate capability. - Highlights: • UMCN-HCs show high capacity, excellent stability, and good rate capability. • UMCN-HCs retain a capacity of 1067 mAh g"−"1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g"−"1. • UMCN-HCs deliver a capacity of 507 mAh g"−"1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g"−"1. - Abstract: Herein, Ultrathin mesoporous Co_3O_4 nanosheets-constructed hierarchical clusters (UMCN-HCs) have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent thermolysis treatment at 600 °C in air. The products consist of cluster-like Co_3O_4 microarchitectures, which are assembled by numerous ultrathin mesoporous Co_3O_4 nanosheets. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, UMCN-HCs deliver a high reversible capacity of 1067 mAh g"−"1 at a current density of 100 mA g"−"1 after 100 cycles. Even at 2 A g"−"1, a stable capacity as high as 507 mAh g"−"1 can be achieved after 500 cycles. The high reversible capacity, excellent cycling stability, and good rate capability of UMCN-HCs may be attributed to their mesoporous sheet-like nanostructure. The sheet-layered structure of UMCN-HCs may buffer the volume change during the lithiation-delithiation process, and the mesoporous characteristic make lithium-ion transfer more easily at the interface between the active electrode and the electrolyte.

Recycling potential for low voltage and high voltage high rupturing capacity fuse links.

Science.gov (United States)

Psomopoulos, Constantinos S; Barkas, Dimitrios A; Kaminaris, Stavros D; Ioannidis, George C; Karagiannopoulos, Panagiotis

2017-12-01

Low voltage and high voltage high-rupturing-capacity fuse links are used in LV and HV installations respectively, protecting mainly the LV and HV electricity distribution and transportation networks. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) for "Waste of electrical and electronic equipment" is the main related legislation and as it concerns electrical and electronic equipment, it includes electric fuses. Although, the fuse links consist of recyclable materials, only small scale actions have been implemented for their recycling around Europe. This work presents the possibilities for material recovery from this specialized industrial waste for which there are only limited volume data. Furthermore, in order to present the huge possibilities and environmental benefits, it presents the potential for recycling of HRC fuses used by the Public Power Corporation of Greece, which is the major consumer for the country, but one of the smallest ones in Europe and globally, emphasizing in this way in the issue. According to the obtained results, fuse recycling could contribute to the effort for minimize the impacts on the environment through materials recovery and reduction of the wastes' volume disposed of in landfills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Well-ordered organic–inorganic hybrid layered manganese oxide nanocomposites with excellent decolorization performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Junli; Yu, Lin; Sun, Ming; Ye, Fei; Lan, Bang; Diao, Guiqiang; He, Jun

2013-01-01

Well-ordered organic–inorganic hybrid layered manganese oxide nanocomposites (CTAB-Al-MO) with excellent decolorization performance were prepared through a two-step process. Specifically, the MnO 2 nanosheets were self-assembled in the presence of CTAB, and subsequently pillared with Keggin ions. The obtained CTAB-Al-MO with the basal spacing of 1.59 nm could be stable at 300 °C for 2 h and also possesses high total pore volumes (0.41 cm³ g −1 ) and high specific BET surface area (161 m 2 g −1 ), which is nine times larger than that of the pristine (19 m 2 g −1 ). Possible formation process for the highly thermal stable CTAB-Al-MO is proposed here. The decolorization experiments of methyl orange showed that the obtained CTAB-Al-MO exhibit excellent performance in wastewater treatment and the decolorization rate could reach 95% within 5 min. - Graphical Abstract: Well-ordered organic–inorganic hybrid LMO nanocomposites (CTAB-Al-MO) with excellent decolorization performance were prepared through a two-step process. Specifically, the MnO 2 nanosheets were self-assembled by CTAB, and subsequently pillared with Keggin ions. Highlights: ► A two-step synthesis method was used to prepare the CTAB-Al-MO. ► The CTAB-Al-MO has the large basal spacing and high specific BET surface area. ► The thermal stability of the well-ordered CTAB-Al-MO could obviously improve. ► The CTAB-Al-MO exhibits excellent oxidation and absorption ability to remove organic pollutants.

Realisatie van Excel Kwadraat in de praktijk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, Elma

2013-01-01

Dijkstra, E. M. (2013, 2 July). Realisatie van Excel Kwadraat in de praktijk [Realization of Excellent Education in practice]. Presentation held at the OLK-meeting, ITS, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Calculating ellipse area by the Monte Carlo method and analysing dice poker with Excel at high school

Science.gov (United States)

Benacka, Jan

2016-08-01

This paper reports on lessons in which 18-19 years old high school students modelled random processes with Excel. In the first lesson, 26 students formulated a hypothesis on the area of ellipse by using the analogy between the areas of circle, square and rectangle. They verified the hypothesis by the Monte Carlo method with a spreadsheet model developed in the lesson. In the second lesson, 27 students analysed the dice poker game. First, they calculated the probability of the hands by combinatorial formulae. Then, they verified the result with a spreadsheet model developed in the lesson. The students were given a questionnaire to find out if they found the lesson interesting and contributing to their mathematical and technological knowledge.

Why Are We Talking About Capacity Markets?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frew, Bethany

2017-06-28

Revenue sufficiency or 'missing money' concerns in wholesale electricity markets are important because they could lead to resource (or capacity) adequacy shortfalls. Capacity markets or other capacity-based payments are among the proposed solutions to remedy these challenges. This presentation provides a high-level overview of the importance of and process for ensuring resource adequacy, and then discusses considerations for capacity markets under futures with high penetrations of variable resources such as wind and solar.

Evaluating the Value of High Spatial Resolution in National Capacity Expansion Models using ReEDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishnan, Venkat; Cole, Wesley

2016-07-18

This poster is based on the paper of the same name, presented at the IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, July18, 2016. Power sector capacity expansion models (CEMs) have a broad range of spatial resolutions. This paper uses the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, a long-term national scale electric sector CEM, to evaluate the value of high spatial resolution for CEMs. ReEDS models the United States with 134 load balancing areas (BAs) and captures the variability in existing generation parameters, future technology costs, performance, and resource availability using very high spatial resolution data, especially for wind and solar modeled at 356 resource regions. In this paper we perform planning studies at three different spatial resolutions - native resolution (134 BAs), state-level, and NERC region level - and evaluate how results change under different levels of spatial aggregation in terms of renewable capacity deployment and location, associated transmission builds, and system costs. The results are used to ascertain the value of high geographically resolved models in terms of their impact on relative competitiveness among renewable energy resources.

Creating cultures of excellence: Strategies and outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Mintrom

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Research findings on effective support for learning, the development of expertise, and the psychology of success suggest that the pursuit of excellence is teachable. Within the emerging field of research and practice termed “the scholarship of teaching and learning,” considerable effort has been made to document the practices of teachers who, by various measures, have been deemed excellent. In contrast, no effort has been made to codify how students can be trained to self-consciously build behaviors that generate excellent outcomes. This article reports on a multi-year effort to create cultures of excellence among cohorts of graduate students. A statistical analysis of subsequent student performance on a significant, related task indicates that explicitly promoting a culture of excellence among course participants can have a positive and sustained impact on their individual practices. Comments from subsequent student reflections further support this claim. The teaching strategies reported here could be refined, replicated, and reinvented to good effect across higher education. They are also of special relevance to those delivering professional development training to early- and mid-career professionals.

In situ synthesis of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene nanocomposite material for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors with high capacity and supercapacitance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Bei, E-mail: Bei.Wang-1@student.uts.edu.au [School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, City Campus, Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia); Wang Ying [School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, City Campus, Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia); Park, Jinsoo; Ahn, Hyojun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, 900 Gazwa-dong Jinju, Gyeongnam 660-701 (Korea, Republic of); Wang Guoxiu, E-mail: Guoxiu.Wang@uts.edu.au [School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, City Campus, Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia)

2011-07-21

Highlights: > In situ solution-based preparation of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene composite material. > Well dispersed Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles on graphene nanosheets. > Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene exhibits highly reversible lithium storage capacity. > Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene delivers superior supercapacitance up to 478 F g{sup -1}. > Functional groups make contributions to the overall supercapacitance. - Abstract: Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene nanocomposite material was prepared by an in situ solution-based method under reflux conditions. In this reaction progress, Co{sup 2+} salts were converted to Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles which were simultaneously inserted into the graphene layers, upon the reduction of graphite oxide to graphene. The prepared material consists of uniform Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles (15-25 nm), which are well dispersed on the surfaces of graphene nanosheets. This has been confirmed through observations by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The prepared composite material exhibits an initial reversible lithium storage capacity of 722 mAh g{sup -1} in lithium-ion cells and a specific supercapacitance of 478 F g{sup -1} in 2 M KOH electrolyte for supercapacitors, which were higher than that of the previously reported pure graphene nanosheets and Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles. Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}/graphene nanocomposite material demonstrated an excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material for reversible lithium storage in lithium ion cells and as an electrode material in supercapacitors.

Ultra-high adsorption capacity of zeolitic imidazole framework-67 (ZIF-67) for removal of malachite green from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Kun-Yi Andrew; Chang, Hsuan-Ang

2015-11-01

Zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIFs), a new class of adsorbents, are proposed to adsorb Malachite Green (MG) in water. Particularly, ZIF-67 was selected owing to its stability in water and straightforward synthesis. The as-synthesized ZIF-67 was characterized and used to adsorb MG from water. Factors affecting the adsorption capacity were investigated including mixing time, temperature, the presence of salts and pH. The kinetics, adsorption isotherm and thermodynamics of the MG adsorption to ZIF-67 were also studied. The adsorption capacity of ZIF-67 for MG could be as high as 2430mgg(-1) at 20°C, which could be improved at the higher temperatures. Such an ultra-high adsorption capacity of ZIF-67 was almost 10-times of those of conventional adsorbents, including activated carbons and biopolymers. A mechanism for the high adsorption capacity was proposed and possibly attributed to the π-π stacking interaction between MG and ZIF-67. ZIF-67 also could be conveniently regenerated by washing with ethanol and the regeneration efficiency could remain 95% up to 4 cycles of the regeneration. ZIF-67 was also able to remove MG from the aquaculture wastewater, in which MG can be typically found. These features enable ZIF-67 to be one of the most effective and promising adsorbent to remove MG from water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Intensity Exercise in Multiple Sclerosis: Effects on Muscle Contractile Characteristics and Exercise Capacity, a Randomised Controlled Trial.

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Inez Wens

Full Text Available Low-to-moderate intensity exercise improves muscle contractile properties and endurance capacity in multiple sclerosis (MS. The impact of high intensity exercise remains unknown.Thirty-four MS patients were randomized into a sedentary control group (SED, n = 11 and 2 exercise groups that performed 12 weeks of a high intensity interval (HITR, n = 12 or high intensity continuous cardiovascular training (HCTR, n = 11, both in combination with resistance training. M.vastus lateralis fiber cross sectional area (CSA and proportion, knee-flexor/extensor strength, body composition, maximal endurance capacity and self-reported physical activity levels were assessed before and after 12 weeks.Compared to SED, 12 weeks of high intensity exercise increased mean fiber CSA (HITR: +21 ± 7%, HCTR: +23 ± 5%. Furthermore, fiber type I CSA increased in HCTR (+29 ± 6%, whereas type II (+23 ± 7% and IIa (+23 ± 6%, CSA increased in HITR. Muscle strength improved in HITR and HCTR (between +13 ± 7% and +45 ± 20% and body fat percentage tended to decrease (HITR: -3.9 ± 2.0% and HCTR: -2.5 ± 1.2%. Furthermore, endurance capacity (Wmax +21 ± 4%, time to exhaustion +24 ± 5%, VO2max +17 ± 5% and lean tissue mass (+1.4 ± 0.5% only increased in HITR. Finally self-reported physical activity levels increased 73 ± 19% and 86 ± 27% in HCTR and HITR, respectively.High intensity cardiovascular exercise combined with resistance training was safe, well tolerated and improved muscle contractile characteristics and endurance capacity in MS.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01845896.

Three-dimensionally interconnected Si frameworks derived from natural halloysite clay: a high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

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Wan, Hao; Xiong, Hao; Liu, Xiaohe; Chen, Gen; Zhang, Ning; Wang, Haidong; Ma, Renzhi; Qiu, Guanzhou

2018-05-23

On account of its high theoretical capacity, silicon (Si) has been regarded as a promising anode material for Li-ion batteries. Extracting Si content from earth-abundant and low-cost aluminosilicate minerals, rather than from artificial silica (SiO2) precursors, is a more favorable and practical method for the large-scale application of Si anodes. In this work, three-dimensionally interconnected (3D-interconnected) Si frameworks with a branch diameter of ∼15 nm are prepared by the reduction of amorphous SiO2 nanotubes derived from natural halloysite clay. Benefiting from their nanostructure, the as-prepared 3D-interconnected Si frameworks yield high reversible capacities of 2.54 A h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 50 cycles, 1.87 A h g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 200 cycles, and 0.97 A h g-1 at 2 A g-1 after a long-term charge-discharge process of 500 cycles, remarkably outperforming the commercial Si material. Further, when the as-prepared Si frameworks and commercial LiCoO2 cathodes are paired in full cells, a high anode capacity of 0.98 A h g-1 is achieved after 100 cycles of rapid charge/discharge at 2 A g-1. This work provides a new strategy for the synthesis of high-capacity Si anodes derived from natural aluminosilicate clay.

Preparation of a porous Sn@C nanocomposite as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yanjun; Jiang, Li; Wang, Chunru

2015-07-01

A porous Sn@C nanocomposite was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method combined with a simple post-calcination process, using stannous octoate as the Sn source and glucose as the C source. The as-prepared Sn@C nanocomposite exhibited excellent electrochemical behavior with a high reversible capacity, long cycle life and good rate capability when used as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.A porous Sn@C nanocomposite was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method combined with a simple post-calcination process, using stannous octoate as the Sn source and glucose as the C source. The as-prepared Sn@C nanocomposite exhibited excellent electrochemical behavior with a high reversible capacity, long cycle life and good rate capability when used as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed experimental procedure and additional characterization, including a Raman spectrum, TGA curve, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, TEM images and SEM images. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03093e

Unravelling the origin of irreversible capacity loss in NaNiO 2 for high voltage sodium ion batteries

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