Individual Steps Research Articles

ZARP: A user-friendly and versatile RNA-seq analysis workflow

Background RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a widely used technique in many scientific studies. Given the plethora of models and software packages that have been developed for processing and analyzing RNA-seq datasets, choosing the most appropriate ones is a time-consuming process that requires an in-depth understanding of the data, as well as of the principles and parameters of each tool. In addition, packages designed for individual tasks are developed in different programming languages and have dependencies of various degrees of complexity, which renders their installation and execution challenging for users with limited computational expertise. Workflow languages and execution engines with support for virtualization and encapsulation options such as containers and Conda environments facilitate these tasks considerably. The resulting computational workflows can then be reliably shared with the scientific community, enhancing reusability and the reproducibility of results as individual analysis steps are becoming more transparent and portable. Methods Here we present ZARP, a general purpose RNA-seq analysis workflow that builds on state-of-the-art software in the field to facilitate the analysis of RNA-seq datasets. ZARP is developed in the Snakemake workflow language and can run locally or in a cluster environment, generating extensive reports not only of the data but also of the options utilized. It is built using modern technologies with the ultimate goal to reduce the hands-on time for bioinformaticians and non-expert users and serve as a template for future workflow development. To this end, we also provide ZARP-cli, a dedicated command-line interface that may make running ZARP on an RNA-seq library of interest as easy as executing a single two-word command. Conclusions ZARP is a powerful RNA-seq analysis workflow that is easy to use even for beginners, built using best software development practices, available under a permissive Open Source license and open to contributions by the scientific community.

Lead placement in cardiac implantable electronic devices

The implantation of electrodes for cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) requires profound technical understanding and precise execution. The positioning of electrodes in the right ventricle and atrium has significant implications for patient safety and the effectiveness of CIED therapy. Particular focus is given to the distinction between apical and septal stimulation in ventricular positioning. Based on current data, this article provides apractice-oriented guide that leads implanters through the individual steps of electrode positioning. The implantation of electrodes for physiological stimulation (cardiac resynchronization therapy, CRT, and conduction system pacing, CSP) is not addressed in this article.

Growing strings in a chemical reaction space for searching retrosynthesis pathways

Machine learning algorithms have shown great accuracy in predicting chemical reaction outcomes and retrosyntheses. However, designing synthesis pathways remains challenging for existing machine learning models which are trained for single-step prediction. In this manuscript, we propose to recast the retrosynthesis problem as a string optimization problem in a data-driven fingerprint space, leveraging the similarity between chemical reactions and embedding vectors. Based on this premise, multi-step complex synthesis can be conceptualized as sequences that link multidimensional vectors (fingerprints) representing individual chemical reaction steps. We extracted an extensive corpus of chemical synthesis from patents and converted them into multidimensional strings. While optimizing the retrosynthetic path, we use the Euclidean metric to minimize the distance between the expanded trajectory of the growing retrosynthesis string and the corpus of extracted strings. By doing so, we promote the assembly of synthetic pathways that, in the chemical reaction space, will be more similar to existing retrosyntheses, thereby inheriting the strategic guidelines designed by human experts. We integrated this approach into the RXN platform (https://rxn.res.ibm.com/) and present the method’s application to complex synthesis as well as its ability to produce better synthetic strategies than current methodologies.

On individual leaf depths of trees

We explore a generating function trick which allows us to keep track of infinitely many statistics using finitely many variables, by recording their individual distributions rather than their joint distributions. Building on previous work of Panholzer and Prodinger, we apply this method to study the depth distributions of individual nodes or leaves in rooted binary trees, plane trees, noncrossing trees, and increasing trees; the height distributions of individual vertices and individual steps in Dyck paths; and the number of diagonals separating two fixed sides of a convex polygon in a triangulation or dissection. We obtain both exact and asymptotic results, which sometimes refine known formulas or provide combinatorial proofs of results from the probability literature.

Evaluation of physical activity before and after respiratory rehabilitation in normal weight individuals with asthma: a feasibility study.

Individuals with asthma spend less time engaging in physical activity compared to the general population. Increasing physical activity has become a patient-centered goal for the treatment of treatable traits of individuals with asthma. There are data showing the possible effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program on physical activity in obese individuals with asthma but not in normal-weight asthmatics. The objective of this feasibility study is to estimate the number of daily steps and time spent on activity in normal-weight individuals with asthma, measured before and after a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Normal-weight individuals with moderate to severe asthma were evaluated. The individuals measured their daily steps with an accelerometer for 5 days before and after a pulmonary rehabilitation program. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05486689. In total, 17 participants were enrolled; one dropout and data on the time in activity of two individuals are missing due to a software error during the download. Data from 16 patients were analyzed. The median number of steps/day at baseline was 5,578 (25th, 75th percentiles = 4,874, 9,685) while the median activity time was 214 min (25th, 75th percentiles = 165, 239). After the rehabilitation program, the number of daily steps increased by a median value of 472 (p-value = 0.561) and the time in activity reduced by 17 min (p-value = 0.357). We also found a significant difference in quality of life, muscle strength, and exercise capacity. The results of this study make it possible to calculate the sample size of future studies whose main outcome is daily steps in normal-weight individuals with asthma. The difficulties encountered in downloading time in activity data do not allow the same for this outcome. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05486689.

IOT Based Anti - Theft Flooring System Using NodeMCU (ESP8266)

Traditional anti-theft security systems often rely on easily circumvented methods such as motion sensors or wall-mounted devices, leaving vulnerabilities that can be exploited by savvy thieves. To address these limitations, we propose an innovative IoT-based anti-theft flooring system utilizing Node MCU technology. This system offers comprehensive monitoring of designated areas, detecting any movement within its coverage zone. Each secure flooring tile within the system is seamlessly integrated with IoT capabilities. Upon activation, the system begins monitoring the area, transmitting data over the internet to alert users of any intrusions. When an unauthorized individual steps onto the floor, sensors promptly detect the movement and relay the information to the central controller. The controller verifies the signal's validity and triggers the camera to capture images of the detected movement area. These images are then transmitted over the internet, allowing the owner to remotely assess the situation in real-time. By leveraging IoT technology, our anti-theft flooring system offers enhanced security measures, providing peace of mind for property owners. Keywords: IoT (Internet of Things), Anti-theft system, Flooring security, NodeMCU (ESP8266) ,IoT security , Real time monitoring.

Myosin-Catalyzed ATP Hydrolysis in the Presence of Disease-Causing Mutations: Mavacamten as a Way to Repair Mechanism.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most common forms of genetic cardiomyopathy. Mavacamten is a first-in-class myosin modulator that was identified via activity screening on the wild type, and it is FDA-approved for the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The drug selectively binds to the cardiac β-myosin, inhibiting myosin function to decrease cardiac contractility. Though the drug is thought to affect multiple steps of the myosin cross-bridge cycle, its detailed mechanism of action is still under investigation. Individual steps in the overall cross-bridge cycle must be queried to elucidate the full mechanism of action. In this study, we utilize the rare-event method of transition path sampling to generate reactive trajectories to gain insights into the action of the drug on the dynamics and rate of the ATP hydrolysis step for human cardiac β-myosin. We study three known HCM causative myosin mutations: R453C, P710R, and R712L to observe the effect of the drug on the alterations caused by these mutations in the chemical step. Since the crystal structure of the drug-bound myosin was not available at the time of this work, we created a model of the drug-bound system utilizing a molecular docking approach. We find a significant effect of the drug in one case, where the actual mechanism of the reaction is altered from the wild type by mutation. The drug restores both the rate of hydrolysis to the wildtype level and the mechanism of the reaction. This is a way to check the effect of the drug on untested mutations.

A regionally refined quarter-degree global atmospheric rivers database based on ERA5

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow, elongated, synoptic jets of water vapor that play important roles in the global water cycle. The continually developing Tracking Atmospheric Rivers Globally as Elongated Targets (tARget) algorithm identifies AR objects at individual time steps based on thresholding integrated water vapor transport (IVT) and other requirements, and tracks each AR object in time and space. Building on previous versions of tARget, this paper discusses further refinements to the algorithm to better handle ARs in tropical and polar areas, as well as “zonal” ARs which the previous versions of the algorithm were not designed to capture. This further regionally refined algorithm is applied to the ERA5 reanalysis over 1940–2023 at 6 h intervals and a 0.25° × 0.25° horizontal resolution. The AR detection results are evaluated in terms of key AR characteristics. We anticipate this regionally refined global AR database will aid further understanding of ARs such as AR process studies, evaluation of AR simulations and predictions, and assessment of climate change impacts on ARs.

Design of 3D-Printed Heterogeneous Reactor Systems To Overcome Incompatibility Hurdles when Combining Metal and Enzyme Catalysis in a One-Pot Process.

Combining chemo- and biocatalysis enables the design of novel economic and sustainable one-pot processes for the preparation of industrial chemicals, preferably proceeding in water. While a range of proofs-of-concept for the compatibility of such catalysts from these two different "worlds of catalysis" have recently been demonstrated, merging noncompatible chemo- and biocatalysts for joint applications within one reactor remained a challenge. A conceptual solution is compartmentalization of the catalytic moieties by heterogenization of critical catalyst components, thus "shielding" them from the complementary noncompatible catalyst, substrate or reagent. Exemplified for a one-pot process consisting of a metal-catalyzed Wacker oxidation and enzymatic reduction as noncompatible individual reactions steps, we demonstrate that making use of 3D printing of heterogeneous materials containing Cu as a critical metal component can overcome such incompatibility hurdles. The application of a 3D-printed Cu-ceramic device as metal catalyst component allows an efficient combination with the enzyme and the desired two-step transformation of styrene into the chiral alcohol product with high overall conversion and excellent enantioselectivity. This compartmentalization concept based on 3D printing of heterogenized metal catalysts represents a scalable methodology and opens up numerous perspectives to be used as a general tool also for other related chemoenzymatic research challenges.

Design von 3D‐gedruckten heterogenen Reaktorsystemen zur Überwindung von Inkompatibilitätshürden bei der Kombination von Metall‐ und Enzym‐Katalyse in einem Eintopf‐Prozess

AbstractDie Kombination von Chemo‐ und Biokatalyse ermöglicht die Entwicklung neuartiger ökonomischer und nachhaltiger Eintopfverfahren für die Herstellung von Industriechemikalien, welche vorzugsweise in Wasser ablaufen. Während kürzlich anhand einer Reihe von Beispielen der Nachweis für die Kompatibilität solcher Katalysatoren aus diesen beiden unterschiedlichen “Welten der Katalyse” aufgezeigt wurde, blieb die Zusammenführung nicht kompatibler Chemo‐ und Biokatalysatoren für gemeinsame Anwendungen in einem Reaktor eine Herausforderung. Eine konzeptionelle Lösung besteht in der Kompartimentierung der katalytischen Einheiten durch Heterogenisierung kritischer Katalysatorkomponenten, wodurch diese von dem komplementären, nicht kompatiblen Katalysator, Substrat oder Reagenz “abgeschirmt” werden. Am Beispiel eines Eintopfverfahrens, das aus einer Metall‐katalysierten Wacker‐Oxidation und einer enzymatischen Reduktion als nicht‐kompatible Einzelreaktionsschritte besteht, zeigen wir, dass durch den Einsatz des 3D‐Drucks von heterogenen, die kritische Metallkomponente Kupfer enthaltenden Materialien solche Hürden der Inkompatibilität überwinden werden können. Der Einsatz eines 3D‐gedruckten Cu‐Keramikgerüsts als Metallkatalysator‐Komponente ermöglicht eine effiziente Kombination mit dem Enzym und die gewünschte zweistufige Umwandlung von Styrol in das chirale Alkoholprodukt mit hohem Gesamtumsatz und exzellenter Enantioselektivität. Dieses auf 3D‐Druck heterogenisierter Metallkatalysatoren basierende Konzept zur Kompartimentierung stellt eine skalierbare Methodik dar und eröffnet zahlreiche Perspektiven im Hinblick auf dessen Nutzung als allgemeiner Lösungsansatz auch für weitere verwandte chemoenzymatische Forschungsherausforderungen.

Simultaneous measurement of duloxetine hydrochloride and avanafil at dual-wavelength using novel ecologically friendly TLC-densitometric method: application to synthetic mixture and spiked human plasma with evaluation of greenness and blueness

The simultaneous assay of duloxetine hydrochloride (DLX) and avanafil (AVN) in their pure forms, synthetic mixtures, and spiked human plasma was achieved using a novel, eco-friendly, sensitive, and specific HPTLC methodology that have been established and validated. Measuring the levels of co-administered antidepressants and sexual stimulants in biological fluids is an important step for individuals with depression and sexual problems. Separation was performed successfully using pre-coated silica gel 60-F254 as a stationary phase and a mobile phase composed of methanol, acetone, and 33% ammonia (8:2:0.05, v/v/v). Compact bands were produced by the optimized mobile phase that was chosen for development (Rf values were 0.23 and 0.75 for DLX and AVN, individually) after dual-wavelength detection for DLX and AVN at 232 and 253 nm, respectively. The results of polynomial regression analysis were exceptional (r = 0.9999 for both medicines) over concentration ranges of 5-800 and 10-800ng/spot for DLX and AVN, respectively. The quantitation limits were 4.69 and 9.53 ng/spot (0.31 and 0.94 µg/mL), whereas the detection limits were 1.55 and 3.15 ng/spot (0.63 and 1.91 µg/mL), for DLX and AVN, respectively. The International Council for Harmonization (ICH) criteria served as the basis for validating the established approach. Moreover, the proposed technique was evaluated in terms of greenness using four contemporary ecological metrics: The Analytical Greenness software (AGREE), the Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), Eco-Scale, and the National Environmental Method Index (NEMI). Additionally, the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI), a newly developed tool for evaluating the practicality (blueness) of procedures, was taken into consideration when evaluating the sustainability levels of the established approach.

Revisiting Textbook Azide-Clock Reactions: A "Propeller-Crawling" Mechanism Explains Differences in Rates.

An ongoing challenge to chemists is the analysis of pathways and kinetics for chemical reactions in solution, including transient structures between the reactants and products that are difficult to resolve using laboratory experiments. Here, we enabled direct molecular dynamics simulations of a textbook series of chemical reactions on the hundreds of ns to μs time scale using the weighted ensemble (WE) path sampling strategy with hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) models. We focused on azide-clock reactions involving addition of an azide anion to each of three long-lived trityl cations in an acetonitrile-water solvent mixture. Results reveal a two-step mechanism: (1) diffusional collision of reactants to form an ion-pair intermediate; (2) "activation" or rearrangement of the intermediate to the product. Our simulations yield not only reaction rates that are within error of experiment but also rates for individual steps, indicating the activation step as rate-limiting for all three cations. Further, the trend in reaction rates is due to dynamical effects, i.e., differing extents of the azide anion "crawling" along the cation's phenyl-ring "propellers" during the activation step. Our study demonstrates the power of analyzing pathways and kinetics to gain insights on reaction mechanisms, underscoring the value of including WE and other related path sampling strategies in the modern toolbox for chemists.

Cyclic reduction of combusted iron powder: A study on the material properties and conversion reaction in the iron fuel cycle

Recently, iron powder has been proposed as a high energy density, easily storable, and CO2-free energy carrier. During the iron combustion, thermal energy is released as heat. The combusted products, the iron oxide particles, are captured and cyclically reduced back into iron powder in a process that is powered by renewable energy. Each combustion step, followed by a reduction, constitutes one cycle in the process. Previous studies predominantly focused on the reduction and combustion as individual steps. This work investigates the impact of cyclic combustion-reduction on material properties, with the specific focus on the reduction of iron oxides using hydrogen under fluidisation conditions. The powder is combusted and reduced for 3 cycles under the same conditions. Afterwards the properties of the powder and the reaction conversion are characterized. The physical techniques used for size and shape analysis include laser diffraction particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For structure and chemistry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis are also employed. To study the effect of the reduction conditions on the cycle and on the material properties of the powder, different experiments are conducted using 550 and 575°C as reduction temperatures. The higher conversion is observed at 575°C. During the first combustion particles resulted in large agglomerates and required a manual grinding step before being sent to the next reduction. However, the particle size distribution remains relatively stable in all subsequent cycles. The results suggest that the powder can be effectively utilized in the iron fuel cycle without requiring additional intermediate treatments, such as grinding and sieving after each cycle. This aspect highlights the potential feasibility and simplicity of implementing the cyclic combustion-reduction process for practical applications of iron powder as an energy carrier.

Establishing Quality Control Metrics for Large-Scale Plasma Proteomic Sample Preparation.

Large-scale plasma proteomics studies have been transformed due to the multiplexing and automation of sample preparation workflows. However, these workflows can suffer from reproducibility issues, a lack of standardized quality control (QC) metrics, and the assessment of variation before liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The incorporation of robust QC metrics in sample preparation workflows ensures better reproducibility, lower assay variation, and better-informed decisions for troubleshooting. Our laboratory conducted a plasma proteomics study of a cohort of patient samples (N = 808) using tandem mass tag (TMT) 16-plex batches (N = 58). The proteomic workflow consisted of protein depletion, protein digestion, TMT labeling, and fractionation. Five QC sample types (QCstd, QCdig, QCpool, QCTMT, and QCBSA) were created to measure the performance of sample preparation prior to the final LC-MS/MS analysis. We measured <10% CV for individual sample preparation steps in the proteomic workflow based on data from various QC sample steps. The establishment of robust measures for QC of sample preparation steps allowed for greater confidence in prepared samples for subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis. This study also provides recommendations for standardized QC metrics that can assist with future large-scale cohort sample preparation workflows.

Multistep kinetics in self-induced sol–gel process of amorphous anhydride formation during thermal dehydration of potassium tetraborate tetrahydrate

AbstractThe physico-geometrical mechanism and kinetics of the multistep thermal dehydration of potassium tetraborate tetrahydrate was investigated as a model reaction to produce amorphous anhydrate via the self-induced sol–gel process. The thermal dehydration is composed of three consecutive dehydration steps: (1) a surface reaction in the solid-state accompanied by crack formation; (2) a rapid mass loss process accompanied by liquefaction to form the aggregate of the gel powders; and (3) the dehydration of gel powder aggregate to form a glassy anhydride. The changes in the contribution of the individual dehydration steps to the overall process according to the sample particle size and the heating rate (β) were identified as specific features of the multistep dehydration, which was characterized quantitatively using mathematical deconvolution analysis with log-normal four-parameter functions. The difficulty in determining the apparent activation energy (Ea) of the individual dehydration steps using isoconversional analysis due to the changes in the contribution depending on β values was addressed using modulated temperature thermogravimetry. Using the contributions and the apparent Ea of the individual dehydration steps as initial values, the kinetic description of the multistep thermal dehydration was refined through a kinetic deconvolution analysis using the cumulative kinetic equation. As a result, the individual dehydration steps were kinetically characterized as: (1) a surface reaction described by the first-order rate law with Ea,1 of approximately 68 kJ mol−1; (2) a reaction accompanied by liquefaction controlled by an autocatalytic rate behavior with Ea,2 of approximately 123 kJ mol−1; (3) a diffusion-controlled dehydration of gel powder with Ea,3 of approximately 82 kJ mol−1.

ChatGPT's Performance in Cardiac Arrest and Bradycardia Simulations Using the American Heart Association's Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Guidelines: Exploratory Study.

ChatGPT is the most advanced large language model to date, with prior iterations having passed medical licensing examinations, providing clinical decision support, and improved diagnostics. Although limited, past studies of ChatGPT's performance found that artificial intelligence could pass the American Heart Association's advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) examinations with modifications. ChatGPT's accuracy has not been studied in more complex clinical scenarios. As heart disease and cardiac arrest remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States, finding technologies that help increase adherence to ACLS algorithms, which improves survival outcomes, is critical. This study aims to examine the accuracy of ChatGPT in following ACLS guidelines for bradycardia and cardiac arrest. We evaluated the accuracy of ChatGPT's responses to 2 simulations based on the 2020 American Heart Association ACLS guidelines with 3 primary outcomes of interest: the mean individual step accuracy, the accuracy score per simulation attempt, and the accuracy score for each algorithm. For each simulation step, ChatGPT was scored for correctness (1 point) or incorrectness (0 points). Each simulation was conducted 20 times. ChatGPT's median accuracy for each step was 85% (IQR 40%-100%) for cardiac arrest and 30% (IQR 13%-81%) for bradycardia. ChatGPT's median accuracy over 20 simulation attempts for cardiac arrest was 69% (IQR 67%-74%) and for bradycardia was 42% (IQR 33%-50%). We found that ChatGPT's outputs varied despite consistent input, the same actions were persistently missed, repetitive overemphasis hindered guidance, and erroneous medication information was presented. This study highlights the need for consistent and reliable guidance to prevent potential medical errors and optimize the application of ChatGPT to enhance its reliability and effectiveness in clinical practice.

Size Optimization of Truss Structures Based on Genetic Algorithm by Developing Single-point Crossover with Bit-wise Mutation Using FORTRAN Programming

A truss is a collection of axially loaded structural elements connected through pin joints. Optimization of truss structures indicates the determination of best possible conditions that are necessary for achieving the most economical design in terms of lowest possible weights of the truss elements. According to recent studies, Size, Topology and Shape based optimizations are the three possible independent optimization scopes for finding the optimum weight of a truss. The current study focuses on the size optimization of truss structure and aims to identify the most cost-effective sections of the truss using a powerful evolutionary optimization technique named as Genetic Algorithm (GA). Here single point cross over method and bit wise mutation operator are adopted for expanding the search space with the assigned displacement and stress constraints. Fortran based sub routines are developed for each individual steps of GA such as fitness evaluation, selection, cross-over and mutation. Finaly the complete program is run for validation of its outcome. While comparing with the solution of an existing literature regarding a minimization of objective function having two design variables the outcomes tend to show a good correlation. Further, the study is extended for the weight minimization of two widely used truss having 10 members and 17 members respectively with standard Finite Element Method of analysis. Minimum weight of each truss is obtained via convergence plot and compared with the existing literatures. With this simple but efficient global optimization technique optimum weight of truss structure can easily be achieved.

Practice Guidelines for Central Venous Access 2020 - Time for German Guidelines

The American Society of Anesthesiologists released practice guidelines for central venous access in 2020, and the entire world literature was examined for evidence on how to perform the entire process with best practice and minimal risk and harm to the patient. These guidelines may serve as a gold standard for individual procedural steps, allowing practitioners and hospital departments to critically question the own standard and improve upon them.We interpreted the guidelines for individual procedural steps on how to improve success of catheterization, minimize risks or adverse effects, enhance the management of accidental arterial punctures, adhere to evidence-based practices, and generally reduce the trauma of puncturing. In our opinion, the most needed recommendation for central venous access is to utilize ultrasound guidance, a practice that many international societies have already incorporated into their published national guidelines.In our view, it is time to implement a national guideline for central venous access using ultrasound in Germany. Doing so may improve success rates in the first attempt, reduce procedural time, decrease the number of needle insertions per patient, and lower the rate of arterial punctures. This approach represents best practice from ethical, insurance, civil rights, and patient security perspectives, and is supported by relevant societies.

A compact 3D printed magnetically stirred tank reactor cascade coupled with a free impinging jet for continuous production of colloidal nanoparticles

Most colloidal nanoparticle production processes involve more than one step, such as particle nucleation, growth and stabilisation, that often take place at different time scales. Flow chemistry offers an attractive platform for nanoparticle synthesis, as it can provide excellent control of conditions for each individual step. In this work, a free impinging jet reactor (FIJR), known for its rapid mixing capability and fouling-proof operation, is followed by a cascade of 5 miniaturised (3 ml) continuous stirred tank reactors (mCSTR) that provides longer residence time and efficient temperature control for subsequent synthesis steps, while still being resistant to clogging due to active mixing. The small (0.1 mm) diameter nozzle design allowed the FIJR to provide excellent mixing even at relatively low flowrates (2 ml/min/jet). The mCSTR cascade was arranged in a vertical configuration (one tank on top of another), offering a compact design that is simple to use and requiring only one magnetic stirrer. It provided near-ideal macromixing with limited dead volumes and interconnections, as reflected by a residence time distribution comparable with the theoretical one for a CSTR cascade. Most parts of the reactor system were 3D printed with features that facilitated the assembly. The proposed FIJR design overcomes the accuracy limitations of 3D printing by combining it with micromilling to achieve one of the smallest FIJR reported and by allowing for rotation of the nozzles to easily resolve issues with jet alignment. The reactor system was employed for the synthesis of colloidal (∼10 nm size) silver nanoparticles via NaBH4 reduction of AgNO3, in a 0.06 g/day scale for 50 min continuous operation and (∼6 nm core size) iron oxide nanoparticles via co-precipitation of Fe3+/Fe2+, producing colloidally stable nanoparticles in a 16.1 g/day scale for over 2 h continuous operation.

High Precision Nail‐Penetration Setup for the Controlled Thermal Runaway Initiation of Lithium‐Ion Cells at Very Low Temperatures

A high precision nail‐penetration (NP) tool for characterizing the mechanically induced thermal‐runaway (TR) of lithium‐ion battery (LIB) cells in a defined range of temperatures down to −140 °C was developed. To understand the cell specific behavior at low temperatures aiming at the determination of safe handling conditions, different scenarios are analyzed. First, accuracy tests of the NP‐tool regarding motion and penetration depth are conducted with cylindrical cells at different temperatures. Thus, postmortem computer tomographic (CT) images are compared to the data measured with the newly integrated 3‐axis force sensor which is further combined with a high‐resolution position sensor. The herein developed setup allows evaluation of the NP‐metrics at an accuracy of ±1 pierced electrode layer without CT‐scans. Further NP examinations at 20 °C of fully charged cylindrical lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cells reveal a reproducible minimum damage as a reliable TR‐trigger. Moreover, NP‐tests at low temperature disclose a relation of the short circuit conductivity and TR‐reactions during subsequent rethermalization to room temperature. Finally, the implementation of a novel fixture for a controlled very fast cooling of LIB‐cells during critical damage opens the way to investigate the individual steps during a TR and, thus, to gain important information of the specific TR‐mechanism of different LIB‐cells.