Abusive Conditions Research Articles

In vitro and in situ inhibition of some food-borne pathogens by essential oils from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) spathe

Essential oils extracted by hydro-distillation form date palm spathe (byproduct from date palm plants) were tested for their antibacterial activity against some food-borne pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29243, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis ATCC 13076 and E. coli ATCC 25922 were inhibited (11–13 mm inhibition zones) by spathe essential oils (SEOs) using the agar well assay (in vitro test). Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29243 and E. coli ATCC 25922 were not detected in chicken meat treated with 1% (v/w) SEOs and subjected to abusive storage conditions (20 °C for 18 h). When treated with 0.5% SEO, counts of S. aureus and E. coli increased by only 0.2 and 0.7 log10 cfu/g, respectively, compared to the initial inoculated level in meat samples stored at 20 °C for 18 h. SEOs possessed DPPH radical scavenging activity with IC50 of 0.61 μg/ml. Forty one compounds were major constituents detected by GC–MS analysis of SEOs. 3,4-Dimethoxytoluene (38.12%) and 5,9-Undecadien-2-one (12.45%) were major compounds in extracted oils. Density and refractive index of SEOs were 0.987 and 1.5905, respectively. SOEs are added-value products from date palm, which could be employed in food industry and pharmaceuticals. The study is the first report on antibacterial activity of SEOs against L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 and other standard food-borne pathogens in agar diffusion assay and food model (chicken meat). DPPH radical scavenging activity of SEOs has not previously been documented.

Measuring the Internal Short Circuit Resistance Under Mechanical Abusive Conditions

Measuring the Internal Short Circuit Resistance Under Mechanical Abusive Conditions

Finding and Defining the Carceral State

Finding and Defining the Carceral State Dan Berger (bio) Anne E. Parsons, From Asylum to Prison: Deinstitutionalization and the Rise of Mass Incarceration After 1945. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2019. 221 pp. Map, graph, table, notes, bibliography, and index. $29.95. Sometimes the simplest questions are also the hardest ones. Take, for instance, the time a few years ago when a colleague who, like me, works on the carceral state asked me a simple question following a conference panel about the carceral state: what is the carceral state? No one on the panel had actually defined the term. Indeed, it was in that moment that I realized how little of the published work or conference sessions on the topic engaged in this most basic act. What is it we are talking about? What are its parameters, its institutions, its ideologies? For my friend, this basic question invited a return to an earlier modality of state formation, the welfare state. How, she asked, is the carceral state different from the welfare state? Where and when does one end and the other begin? Do they coexist or compete? The obvious, inescapable truth of the colossal growth of incarceration in the late-twentieth-century United States was overdue for contextual analysis on political, social, economic, and cultural fronts by the time historians began to turn their attention to it. Yet, as often happens in the development of intellectual subfields, studies of the carceral state took for granted the core precept of what we looking at. As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said of pornography, historians of the carceral state simply knew it when we saw it. More often than not, this intuitive approach to the topic focused on prison and explaining how the US came to lock up so many people for so long in such a relatively short period of time. This river was big enough for many scholars, junior and senior alike, to swim in. As the field has grown, scholars have explored both a longer time period and a wider set of institutions. Traveling along these various tributaries, as Anne E. Parsons does in her study of Pennsylvania institutions From Asylum to Prison: Deinstitutionalization and the Rise of Mass Incarceration After 1945, has shown that the path the U.S. took toward mass incarceration was multifaceted and multidirectional. This scholarship has shown the carceral state to be bigger than prisons and to be [End Page 279] the site of routine resistance and contestation by those caught in its grasp. But have we gotten closer to a working definition of what the carceral state is? Historians were rather late to the game of studying mass incarceration, which had already preoccupied scholars in Ethnic Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and elsewhere. And even as historians have turned greater attention to the history of prisons, policing, and surveillance, the field has remained robustly interdisciplinary. The carceral state is one of the subject areas—conservatism and capitalism being perhaps the other leading contenders—in which historians can best ply a critical interrogation of change over time to address matters of great social and political urgency in the present. The interest of historians in the carceral state has been both professional and public: flagship journals, Journal of American History and Journal of Urban History, dedicated themed issues to the topic in 2015, while a number of historical books on the topic of prisons and prisoners have won major awards from both professional associations and the larger book-reading public. Heather Ann Thompson's highly decorated history of the 1971 Attica rebellion, Blood in the Water (2016) is the most visible example of what has been a growing and often stunning list of titles investigating how it is that the US came to incarcerate so many people for so long in such cruel conditions. As abusive conditions, prisoner strikes, and policy reforms dot the current political landscape, a number of historians—myself included—have penned op-eds connecting our research to matters of ongoing public concern. Historians have productively followed the story of the carceral state across a variety of places and times. As U.S. criminal justice is largely a state-based affair...

Her Beleaguered Libido: Black Women's Decreased Desire and Self-Medicating Reaction to Workplace Bullying

Researchers on workplace bullying have confirmed that abusive work conditions can lead to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. However, little research has been conducted to examine the impact of workplace bullying on the target's desire for physical intimacy. Using the spill-over theory to consider how workplace stress interferes with the home domain, this study utilizes a chi-square analysis to determine if Black women are more likely to experience a decreased desire for physical intimacy because of workplace bullying. With a sample of 542 people from higher education and 109 Black women within that sample, the study confirmed that Black women respondents are more likely to experience a decreased desire for physical intimacy because of workplace bullying. Further, Black women, perhaps in an attempt to maintain the "strong Black woman" public persona, are also resorting to medication and alcohol to cope with workplace bullying. Board Certified African Centered/Black psychologists, who are culturally sensitive to the bias related pressures Blacks face, are recommended to help Black women cope with workplace bullying and manage the intersecting factors of racism and sexism, which contribute to Black women's workplace bullying experiences.

Temperature fiber sensing of Li-ion batteries under different environmental and operating conditions

In this work, a network of fiber sensors has been developed for real time, in situ, and in operando multipoint monitoring the surface temperature distribution on a smartphone Li-ion battery (LiB). Different temperature and relative humidity conditions are considered, in order to mimic the LiB response in the dry, temperate, and cold climates. In total, the temperature variations that occur in five different locations of the LiB are monitored, during constant current charge and different discharge rates, under normal and abusive operating conditions, performing a thermal spatial mapping of the battery surface. In general, the sensors detect temperature variations according to the voltage signal change and faster variations of voltage usually translate in higher temperature rise at the LiB surface. For instance, under abusive discharge, where the voltage drop is fast, the temperature increases at least twice when compared to the normal operating conditions. Absolute temperature values as high as (65.0 ± 0.1) °C are detected by the optical sensor located near the electrodes, under the higher discharge rate (5.77 C) and dry climate. A thermal gradient is identified from the top to the bottom on the LiB surface during the experimental tests. A lower battery performance is observed when it operates under the cold climate, with maximum temperature variations of (30.0 ± 0.1) °C for the higher discharge rate. These results can be helpful to design of next generation of LiBs, improving a faster cooling in critical areas, in order to reduce accumulated heat and preventing consequences such as thermal runaway and failure.

Safety influences of the Al and Ti elements modified LiCoO2 materials on LiCoO2/graphite batteries under the abusive conditions

Under the abusive conditions, it is demonstrated that the thermal stability of LiCoO2 and the safety of LiCoO2/graphite batteries are improved by doping and coating Al and Ti elements into the bulk structure and surface of LiCoO2. The trickle charge and the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results show that after coating Al and Ti oxides on the doped LiCoO2 with 2000 ppm Al, the exothermic peak shifts to a higher temperature and the exotherm decreases, resulting in the increase of the thermal stability of LiCoO2. In addition, compared to the LiCoO2 without Al doping, it is also indicated that the thermal stability of LiCoO2 can be enhanced by doping Al, the exothermic peak of the LiCoO2 with Al doping amount of 10000 ppm is up to 250 °C. Under the abusive testing conditions including thermal shock and overcharge, the safety evaluation results of pouch polymer LiCoO2/graphite batteries are in good agreement with the trickle charge and DSC results. These results reveal that the thermal stability of LiCoO2 can be used as an indicator to evaluate the safety characteristics of LiCoO2/graphite batteries, and especially the introduction of Al and Ti into LiCoO2 can effectively improve the safety of LiCoO2/graphite batteries under the abusive conditions.

Safety First

Safety First

Improving the Life of Former Female Migrant Domestic Workers


 
 
 Some studies exploring the life of migrant domestic workers found that the main factor that push Indonesian migrant domestic workers is experiencing severe economic condition (Raharto, 2000; Silvey, 2004; Pitoyo, 2007). The poor economic condition forces women and girls to be domestic workers. Additionally, cultural value of patriarchy puts a responsibility for women at domestic area influencing the women’s ability to fill the demand of the domestic workers in overseas. This paper addresses the main topic of enhancing protection and empowerment for Indonesian female migrant domestic workers by specifically exploring the issues after working in overseas. The study exploring the life of former migrant domestic workers from Bondan village of Indramayu district using qualitative method. The informants of the study were the workers who just finished their work contract, staying at the moment in the village waiting for the next call or deciding to stop working in overseas. The number of participants was 40 women (n=40), joining focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews. The theoretical frameworks used in the study consist of human capabilities approach, feminist perspective, and social work theories of empowering individual, family, and community. Then, the discussion covers three main points: first, discussion of the theories applied in the study; second, the life of transnational domestic workers of examining abusive conditions; third, developing future practices to empowering the workers; and fourth, a part of the paper provides conclusion to whole points discussed.
 
 

Law and lawlessness in industrial fishing: frontiers in regulating labour relations in Asia

AbstractThe paper examines the extension of state regulation of industrial fisheries to include labour relations in the wake of scandals concerning unfree and abusive working conditions in the fishing industry. The focus is on fisheries operated out of Thailand, supplemented by information about working conditions in fisheries based in Myanmar and Taiwan. A concept of frontier that pays attention to patterns in labour relations prior to intensification of state regulation enables consideration of how non‐state agents including vessel owners and captains, fishing technologies, marine ecologies, vessel mobilities, borders, and workers contribute to shaping working conditions in industrial fishing. This approach reframes current efforts to regulate industrial fisheries as acting not on an unregulated or lawless fisheries, but on a series of dynamic existing practices of involving multiple agents who regulate fisheries work in the relative absence of state regulation. Using this concept of the frontier also helps explain how and why labour relations in fisheries are positioned as exceptional in relation to terrestrial work, and draws attention to the way that state regulation works through owners and captains, often neglecting the agency of workers, or undermining worker agency through migration policies.

Precarious Entrepreneurship: Day Laborers in the U.S. Southwest

With the advent of globalization, neoliberalism, and immigration policy reforms that enlarged the non-White workforce in the United States, precarious employment—work that is contingent, risky, and socially stratified—has increased dramatically. The 2008 Great Recession exacerbated labor market uncertainty, deepening the demand for precarious labor. These same structural forces have conditioned a rise in precarious entrepreneurship in the informal economy; yet little is known about how precarity is experienced among “survival entrepreneurs” or its effects on their entrepreneurial outcomes. This study uses unique ethnosurvey data collected between 2012 and 2018 on 116 street corner day laborers in Texas, a state in the Southwest region of the United States, to investigate these relationships. In the context of a more precarious economy, findings reveal that undocumented Latino immigrant men continue to dominate day labor activity; however, the expanding supply and demand for day laborers has resulted in a more diverse day labor pool that includes legal permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and U.S.-born citizens, including Black and White Americans. At the same time, day labor remains a “bad job” characterized by exploitive and abusive working conditions and low hourly income. That said Latino immigrant day laborers are subject to a distinct process of criminalization and racialization that conditions a lower hourly income for this group, regardless of legal status. Findings suggest that day labor is a form of precarious entrepreneurship that is polarized by race and nativity.

Correlative In Operando Studies of Abusive Cycling Conditions for Li-ion Batteries

Correlative In Operando Studies of Abusive Cycling Conditions for Li-ion Batteries

Investigations of the Structural and Electrochemical Properties of Overheated Li-Ion Batteries and Its Effects in Single Cells Vs. Multi-Cells Packs

Abuse of electrochemical cells and batteries can have a wide range of effects depending on the properties of the battery as well as the nature of the damage caused. From a safety perspective, simple passive monitoring is often unable to identify the onset of failure until it is too late to intervene. Once a significant voltage change or self-heating of a cell is identified, a catastrophic runaway is often inevitable. The ultimate weakness of traditional monitoring techniques, typically based on voltage and temperature, is that they detect only the symptoms of cell failure. Once a significant change has been registered, irreversible internal changes have likely already occurred within the cell. Compounding the issue is the fact that cells in a battery are comprised of all the elements needed to release their stored energy, meaning that once a catastrophic failure has initiated no amount of intervention can keep the reaction from proceeding to its conclusion. The prevention of catastrophic failure requires detection of internal faults well before they have developed to the point of no return. This makes techniques that can monitor the internal health of a cell essential to provide dependable protection from catastrophic failure. Safety issues are exacerbated by the use of multi-cell modules. Monitoring a pack of multiple cells with traditional techniques can be misleading, a battery pack that otherwise appears healthy could have a single problematic cell within the pack. Abusive conditions may also be unintentionally created, as voltage imbalance can create overcharge/overdischarge conditions, while the poor thermal design of a module can generate thermally abusive conditions. However, monitoring the changes to the impedance would aid in identifying ailing cells before a dangerous and costly failure. This work examines the application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Differential Capacity calculations (dQ/dV) as tools for determining the state of stability (SOS) of an electrochemical cell and multi-cell battery pack. The cells used for this study were commercial 10 Ah NMC cells subjected to thermal abuse coupled with EIS monitoring. This aims to not only provide a deeper understanding of how abused cells and batteries fail but also form the technical basis of a tool that could ultimately be used to interrogate cells of unknown stability and even monitor active cells for early signs of damage or failure. Fast impedance monitoring hardware previously developed at Idaho National Laboratory is used to provide not only monitoring after an abusive battery test but also look for changes in the cell while abusive conditions are applied. Differential capacity calculations are explored both before tests and after exposing single cells to different temperature ranges to examine any noticeable changes that may be monitored during charge and discharge operations. Lastly, X-ray diffraction measurements are performed on the cathode/anode before and after the abuse test to understand the effect of overheat in the structural changes. Figure 1 and Figure 2 presents the EIS and dQ/dV measurements for the NMC single cells heated from 50°C-150°C. Markers within the data can be identified and applied to cross-examine batteries of unknown stability as well as provide the basis for an active diagnostic method as part of a battery management system. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. Figure 1

A temperature-sensitive poly(3-octylpyrrole)/carbon composite as a conductive matrix of cathodes for building safer Li-ion batteries

The thermal runaway is now recognized to be a main cause for the unsafety of Li-ion batteries, which poses a serious concern for large scale electric vehicles and energy storage applications. To address this issue, we propose in this work a new positive-temperature-coefficient (PTC) material, poly(3-Octylpyrrole):poly(styrenesulfonate) (P3OPy:PSS)/carbon composite, and use it as conductive matrix of cathode to enhance thermal stability of Li-ion batteries. The electrochemical and safety evaluations reveal that the such-fabricated graphite/LiCoO2 full pouch cells exhibit not only improved electrochemical performances compared to the conventional cells at ambient temperature conditions, but also a reliable thermal-switching function at an elevated temperature of ≥ 120 °C, demonstrating a strong tolerance to overcharge, thermal impact and short-circuiting. Such a thermal stable mechanism originates from the PTC effect of the cathode matrix, which turns the conductive network into an insulating state under thermally abusive conditions and therefore terminates the charge/discharge reactions, thus protecting the cell from thermal runaway. This work provides a new strategy and electrode design for constructing safer LIBs. In addition, the materials and fabrication technique of the thermal stable cathode is facile and also fully compatible with the present industrial manufacture process, making it convenient for use in practical LIBs.

Effect of display case cooling technologies on shelf-life of beef and chicken

Shelf-life is defined as the time a food product retains its desired sensory, chemical, and physical characteristics while also remaining safe for consumption. Bacteria associated with meat spoilage produce off-odors and flavors, tissue discoloration, gas, and slime. The objectives of this study were, 1) to determine the effect of refrigerated-display-case type on the shelf-life and microbial load of the natural flora found on beef steak and chicken breasts and, 2) to evaluate the effect of gravity coil conductive cooling vs. complete conductive cooling on the growth of Escherichia coli K12 artificially inoculated onto beef steak under abusive conditions. In Study 1, beef steak and chicken breasts were placed for 8 or 5 days, respectively, in a conduction cooling gravity assist service case, gravity coil service case with partial conduction coil base deck, gravity coil service case with serpentine assist, or blower coil service case with an additional fogging system. Mesophilic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. and psychrotrophic bacterial counts on meat surfaces, and meat color, internal meat temperature, case temperature and case relative humidity were determined daily. In Study 2, two of the four types of display case ̶ the complete conductive cooling and gravity-coil conduction cooling systems ̶ were chosen to evaluate microbial growth on beef steak due to novel conductive cooling technologies. Temperature and weight loss, aerobic plate counts and viable E. coli colony-forming-units on the beef steaks were determined daily. In study 1, the warmest display ambient air temperature was found in the gravity coil service case with partial conduction coil base deck (PCC). The coldest tissue temperatures were observed for steaks and chicken breasts placed in the conduction cooling gravity assist service display case. The lowest RH also tended to occur in the PCC case. Overall, the type of retail display case had no effect on the growth of mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria or Pseudomonas on both steaks and chicken breasts. In study 2, the initial numbers of viable E. coli K12 on inoculated steaks were low and remained low through 7 days storage, regardless of display case. The novel conduction cooling gravity assist service display case used in this study has the greatest potential for extending shelf-life due to lower overall tissue temperatures and reduced water loss from meat products held in this case during high traffic and abusive retail conditions.

Understanding the Dynamics of Primary Zn-MnO2 Alkaline Battery Gassing with Operando Visualization and Pressure Cells

The leading cause for safety vent rupture in alkaline cells is the intrinsic instability of zinc in the highly alkaline reacting environment. Zinc and aqueous KOH react in a parasitic process to generate hydrogen gas, which can rupture the seal and vent the hydrogen along with small amounts of electrolyte. The expelled electrolyte is known to cause damage to consumer electronics equipment, and also leads to brand damage. Under most circumstances, cells are engineered to slow the hydrogen evolution process, and its effects are never apparent to the end user. However, abusive conditions (i.e. over discharge) can accelerate the rate of gassing. Industry leaders have been cognizant of this for years, and improved techniques to understand and mitigate zinc corrosion have long been desired. In order to understand the fundamental drivers and mechanisms for such gassing behavior, our team has developed a new research platform that enables a cross-sectional view of the cell during charge and discharge (Figure 1). There also exists version of the cell that can actively measure pressure as well as the potential distribution across the cell. In this study, several parameters were investigated and it was confirmed that the formation of high surface area (or so-called “black”) zinc during cell discharge was the root cause for accelerated gassing. Steep concentration gradients caused by the cell balance and chemistry are responsible for black zinc formation and subsequent hydrogen evolution. Also, it was confirmed that in deeply discharged cells, significant hydrogen evolution does not occur during discharge because of unfavorable electrochemical conditions; gassing occurs when the cell is off load. In this talk, the fundamental mechanisms and operational parameters controlling black zinc formation will be discussed. Also, possible pathways forward for action and further research will be proposed. Figure 1

Investigations of the Structural and Electrochemical Properties of Overcharged Li-Ion Batteries

Traditional monitoring of electrochemical cells and batteries has been limited to observation of voltage and temperature of the cell or cells. While this monitoring can be very robust, there are limits to how predictive voltage and temperature behavior can be prior to a thermal runaway event. Ultimately, voltage and temperature changes are often lagging symptoms of battery failure, and by the time a noticeable change is detected it is too late to arrest cell failure with intervention or maintenance. Further, instantaneous voltage and temperature monitoring are often inadequate to determine the state of a battery at rest, particularly if the battery has been previously subjected to an abusive condition. Knowledge of the level of stability of a damaged battery would allow for both safer and more efficient handling of the abused battery. This work examines the application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Differential Capacity calculations (dQ/dV) as tools for determining the state of stability (SOS) of an electrochemical cell or battery. The cells used for this study were commercial 10 Ah NMC cells and 10Ah LFP cells subjected to electrical abuse coupled with EIS monitoring. This aims to not only provide a deeper understanding of how abused cells and batteries fail, but also form the technical basis of a tool that could ultimately be used to interrogate cells of an unknown stability and even monitor active cells for early signs of damage or failure. Fast impedance monitoring hardware previously developed at Idaho National Laboratory is used to provide not only monitoring after an abusive battery test but also look for changes in the cell while abusive conditions are applied. Differential capacity calculations are explored both before tests and after moderate levels of overcharge to explore any observable changes that may be monitored during charge and discharge operations. Lastly, X-ray diffraction measurements were performed on the cathode/anode before and after the abuse test to understand the effect of overcharge in the structural changes. Figure 1 presents the measurements for the NMC cells that were partially abused from 20-60% OC. These three markers could then be potentially applied to cross-examine batteries of an unknown stability as well as provide the basis for an active diagnostic method as part of a battery management system. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. Figure 1

Thermal-Mechanical-Electrochemical Coupling Simulation for Electric Vehicle Batteries

The major trend toward vehicle electrification intensifies the need for increased battery energy densities. During the development of new electric vehicle battery technologies, it has become clear that thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical coupling effects play an important role in battery performance, degradation, and response to abusive conditions. The macro-homogeneous Dualfoil model, which solves ion transport and charge transfer dynamics, predicts the electrical response of a single small battery cell. However, when considering large cells or assembled battery modules and packs, inhomogeneity of electric potential and temperature throughout the cell volume becomes severe enough to impact battery performance. Cell expansion and contraction during charge/discharge cycles further increase such inhomogeneity, and the resulting potential and temperature imbalances cause non-uniform current distribution in the cell. Heavily cycled cell regions generate additional heat and stress, causing severe degradation in the performance and life of the battery. Given the strong coupling between thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical phenomena, it is imperative to integrate multiple physical models in the simulation of complete battery packs. In this work, a modified Dualfoil electrochemical model is coupled to a thermo-mechanical finite element solver to represent such multiphysics coupling effects. Outputs from the 3D thermo-mechanical solver, such as temperature and stress, are supplied as inputs to the Dualfoil model, which in return computes the electrochemical response and provides the local heat generation rate and Li intercalation induced volume change to the thermo-mechanical solver. Using this coupled multiphysics simulation framework, the impact of external mechanical loading under different charge/discharge profiles was investigated. The transient, non-linear behavior of internal variables, such as SOC, overpotential, and current density, during and after cycles, was obtained in the entire 3D battery pack domain. This information provides good insights for design and optimization of battery packs with high performance and long life time.

Identification and quantification of gases emitted during abuse tests by overcharge of a commercial Li-ion battery

As hazardous situations can occur during the life of a Li-ion battery, it is of great importance to understand its behavior under abusive conditions (mechanical, thermal or electrical). In particular, the study of overcharge, which consists of forcing a current through the cell, can be very helpful in improving battery safety. Very few studies in the literature have focused on the chemical reaction mechanism responsible for failure during overcharge. This is, however, of great interest because a Li-ion battery can produce reactions in a sealed container and is thus a highly reactive system. Here, experimental approaches are employed to understand the reaction mechanisms that occur during overcharge testing. Experiments consist of studying the overcharge kinetics of a commercial battery at an initial state of charge of 100%. The battery is maintained in a known volume and gaseous samples are withdrawn both at the end of the test and continuously during the test. The main gaseous species are then identified and quantified by gas phase chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy. This experimental study is completed by a numerical investigation to determine the combustion parameters of the exhaust gases using a detailed reaction mechanism associated with a numerical code.

Oversight and Accountability in the Social Auditing Industry - the Role of Social Compliance Initiatives

The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse led to increased awareness of abusive working conditions in the garment industry. Much attention has since been paid to the role and responsibility of retailing companies. The responsibility of social auditing companies, however, has often been overlooked. The authors investigate the systems in place to detect and address substandard auditing that fails to detect violations of workers' rights. They find that, in practice, oversight of social auditors and sanctions for substandard audits are both limited. In this light, this article explores how social compliance initiatives can play a role in improving verification of audit quality and ensuring accountability.

Battery and ultracapacitor in-the-loop approach to validate a real-time power management method for an all-climate electric vehicle

In order to meet the requirements of high specific energy and high specific power together and extend the service life of the energy storage system in temperature abusive conditions, a multi-power configuration with high specific energy lithium-ion battery and high specific power ultracapacitor is the best choice for the all-climate electric vehicle (ACEV). Aiming at real-time power management of a hybrid energy storage system (HESS), three power management strategies, which are respectively based on rules, dynamic programming algorithm, and real-time reinforcement learning algorithm, have been systematically compared in this study. To verify the performance of the control strategies, the hardware-in-loop (HIL) simulation test platform based on xPC Target has been built. The results show that the real-time power management strategy based on reinforcement learning algorithm is superior to the others. This strategy can reduce the charge and discharge ratio of the battery pack, which extends the life of battery pack and improves the efficiency of the system.