Robust Large Scale Research Articles

Large Scale Production of Lithium and Sodium Based NMC Oxide Cathodes

The ongoing embrace of innovative renewable energy conversion methods, couple with diverse and dynamic energy storage applications, necessitates the adoption of new adaptable process lines in industrial settings [1]. The adopting process line and methods are chosen based on various factors like overall cost, sustainable process, adaptable infrastructure, and pollution standards. Interestingly recent developments in lithium containing high energy dense battery for electric mobility solutions require varied industrial solutions in every other step for adopting the transition ahead. For example, high temperature treatment during large-scale production of lithium like volatile elements containing multi cation oxide battery materials suffer inconsistency in the nominal composition of its final product[2]. Currently, industries producing lithium-based battery materials use scalable techniques like sol-gel / coprecipitation based batch processing[3]. To offset lithium losses or incorporate lithium content, conventional approaches involve the use of complex precursors, excess lithium addition, and subsequent post-processing techniques. However, the conventional two-step process leads to uncontrollable lithium content during large scale production. Hence, in this study, we propose a new methodology based on thermal plasma spray pyrolysis and its optimization for large scale production of lithium and sodium based multi-cation oxide materials. Spray pyrolysis is a robust large scale production process utilized in multitude industries. Conventionally, spray pyrolysis-based techniques are used in industry to achieve relatively simple compound or two step procedures to achieve desired uniform, phase purity, and structures[4-7]. Herein, thermal plasma-based spray pyrolysis utilizes the plasma environment to pyrolyze the precursors of multiple cationic elements before depositing at a shorter distance. Optimization of spray pyrolysis parameters is made such that, lithium content is maintained and multi-cation oxide with phase purity, uniformity, and narrow size distribution is achieved. The advantage of the proposed method lies in adaptability of simpler precursors, cost, and time effectiveness. Thermal plasma-based spray pyrolysis mediated synthesis of uniform Lithium and Manganese rich NMC (Li-NMC) Li1.2MO2 (M = Ni (0.1), Mn (0.6), Co (0.1)) cathode material is attempted and achieved the reported rock salt pattern αNaFeO2 structure without cation mixing in the layered structure. X-ray diffraction results confirm that both Lithium NMC oxide and Sodium NMC oxides resulted in high phase purity. The layered nature of the samples identified from distinct hexagonal doublet (018) / (110) around 65º 2θ. Li-NMC resulted in a capacity of 160 mAh g-1. Optimized synthesis parameters of the thermal plasma spray pyrolysis method resulted in a production yield rate of 5 g min-1. Microscopic examination reveals cuboid shape of nanostructures with an average size of approximately 200 nm and narrow size distribution. Similarly, optimization of production scale parameters for Na-NMC oxide is being carried out.

Abstract 13253: Prevalence of Preclinical Cardiomyopathy in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With No Apparent Cardiovascular Involvement

Background: Hyperglycemia is associated with changes in cardiac structure and function, increased atherosclerosis and diabetic cardiomyopathy (1,2). Currently there is scarcity of robust large scale studies evaluating prevalence of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction and/or pre-clinical Heart Failure (HF) in patients with T2DM, particularly in India. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine prevalence of pre-clinical cardiomyopathy in Indian patients with T2DM. Methodology: Cross sectional, multi-center study was conducted in India. Institutional ethics committee had approved study protocol. Patients aged ≥ 18 years, T2DM with duration of ≥1 year and willing to provide informed consent were included. Patients with coronary artery or valvular disease, previously diagnosed with HF stage III/IV, chronic kidney disease, peripheral artery disease, arrhythmias, diabetes other than T2DM or currently under treatment with digoxin or loop diuretics were excluded. Two-dimensional echocardiography and natriuretic peptide estimation were conducted. Results: This is an interim analysis of 569 patients. Mean HbA1c was 8.3%. Total subjects with LVD were 52% (95% CI 0.48,0.56). Diastolic dysfunction was 20% (95% CI 0.17,0.24) and systolic dysfunction was 42% (95% CI 0.38,0.46) (Table 1). Prevalence of HF according to BNP levels >105 pg/ml was 9% (95% CI 0.07,0.11). Correlation analysis between HbA1c and prevalence of LVD was statistically significant for systolic LVD, while it was not statistically significant for diastolic LVD. Patients in the age group of 51 to 60 were more vulnerable to LVD at 35% (95% CI 0.30,0.41). Conclusion: Using suitable echocardiographic indexes and laboratory investigations LVD is detectable in almost half of the T2DM patients and has a direct correlation with older age and HbA1c. Thus, we conclude that HF goes undetected and early intervention to diagnose and treat LVD can improve outcome.

Survey on Emotional Body Gesture Recognition

Automatic emotion recognition has become a trending research topic in the past decade. While works based on facial expressions or speech abound, recognizing affect from body gestures remains a less explored topic. We present a new comprehensive survey hoping to boost research in the field. We first introduce emotional body gestures as a component of what is commonly known as ”body language” and comment general aspects as gender differences and culture dependence. We then define a complete framework for automatic emotional body gesture recognition. We introduce person detection and comment static and dynamic body pose estimation methods both in RGB and 3D. We then comment the recent literature related to representation learning and emotion recognition from images of emotionally expressive gestures. We also discuss multi-modal approaches that combine speech or face with body gestures for improved emotion recognition. While pre-processing methodologies (e.g., human detection and pose estimation) are nowadays mature technologies fully developed for robust large scale analysis, we show that for emotion recognition the quantity of labelled data is scarce. There is no agreement on clearly defined output spaces and the representations are shallow and largely based on naive geometrical representations.

A Review of Research on Large Scale Modern Vertical Axis Wind Turbines at Uppsala University

This paper presents a review of over a decade of research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) conducted at Uppsala University. The paper presents, among others, an overview of the 200 kW VAWT located in Falkenberg, Sweden, as well as a description of the work done on the 12 kW prototype VAWT in Marsta, Sweden. Several key aspects have been tested and successfully demonstrated at our two experimental research sites. The effort of the VAWT research has been aimed at developing a robust large scale VAWT technology based on an electrical control system with a direct driven energy converter. This approach allows for a simplification where most or all of the control of the turbines can be managed by the electrical converter system, reducing investment cost and need for maintenance. The concept features an H-rotor that is omnidirectional in regards to wind direction, meaning that it can extract energy from all wind directions without the need for a yaw system. The turbine is connected to a direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), located at ground level, that is specifically developed to control and extract power from the turbine. The research is ongoing and aims for a multi-megawatt VAWT in the near future.

A Flexible and Robust Large Scale Capacitive Tactile System for Robots

Capacitive technology allows building sensors that are small, compact and have high sensitivity. For this reason it has been widely adopted in robotics. In a previous work we presented a compliant skin system based on capacitive technology consisting of triangular modules interconnected to form a system of sensors that can be deployed on non-flat surfaces. This solution has been successfully adopted to cover various humanoid robots. The main limitation of this and all the approaches based on capacitive technology is that they require to embed a deformable dielectric layer (usually made using an elastomer) covered by a conductive layer. This complicates the production process considerably, introduces hysteresis and limits the durability of the sensors due to ageing and mechanical stress. In this paper we describe a novel solution in which the dielectric is made using a thin layer of 3D fabric which is glued to conductive and protective layers using techniques adopted in the clothing industry. As such, the sensor is easier to produce and has better mechanical properties. Furthermore, the sensor proposed in this paper embeds transducers for thermal compensation of the pressure measurements. We report experimental analysis that demonstrates that the sensor has good properties in terms of sensitivity and resolution. Remarkably we show that the sensor has very low hysteresis and effectively allows compensating drifts due to temperature variations.

Cluster analysis of global lower mantle tomography: A new class of structure and implications for chemical heterogeneity

Earth's lower mantle is dominated by a pair of antipodal large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) that reach >1000km up from the core–mantle boundary (CMB). These are separated by a ring of faster-than-average velocities thought to be related to subduction of oceanic lithosphere. How robustly does global tomography constrain velocity structure in the lower mantle, and are there other robust large scale features that have not been identified? We use cluster analysis to identify structures and seismic characteristics common to a set of recent global tomographic models which have been derived using different data sets, parameterizations, and theory behind approximations used in inversion. We detect a pronounced asymmetry in the velocity gradient with depth between seismically fast and slow regions in the lowermost 500km of the mantle, suggesting the presence of compositional heterogeneity. We find that, in all models, there is a clear separation of lower mantle structure into one fast and two slow regions, and that the boundary of the regions is remarkably similar across models even on length scales as small as <1000km. This inter-model similarity indicates that long wavelength features are not a consequence of lack of fine-scale resolution, but that they truly dominate the structure in the lowermost mantle. There is a single exception to this separation: an isolated slow anomaly ∼900km across (at the CMB) and extending ∼500km upward from the core–mantle boundary, which we call the “Perm Anomaly”. Though it is far smaller than an LLSVP, waveform analysis confirms that this anomaly is robustly constrained and bounded by rapid lateral velocity gradients like those found around LLSVPs, suggesting that the nature and process of formation of both types of structures may be related.

Ageing and taste

Taste perception has been studied frequently in young and older adult groups. This paper systematically reviews these studies to determine the effect of ageing on taste perception and establish the reported extent of sensory decline. Five databases were searched from 1900 to April 2012. Articles relating to healthy ageing in human subjects were included, reviewed and rated (Downs and Black scoring system). Sixty-nine studies investigated the effect of ageing on taste perception; forty examined detection thresholds of which twenty-three provided sufficient data for meta-analysis, eighteen reported identification thresholds and twenty-five considered supra-threshold intensity perception. Researchers investigating detection thresholds considered between one and thirteen taste compounds per paper. Overall, the consensus was that taste detection thresholds increased with age (Hedges' g=0·91, P<0·001), across all taste modalities. Identification thresholds were reported to be higher for older adults in seventeen out of eighteen studies. Sixteen out of twenty-five studies reported perception of taste intensity at supra-threshold levels to be significantly lower for older adults. However, six out of nine studies concerning sucrose found perceived intensity of sweet taste not to diminish with age. The findings of this systematic review suggest taste perception declines during the healthy ageing process, although the extent of decline varies between studies. Overall, the studies reviewed had low Downs and Black scores (mean 16 (SD 2)) highlighting the need for more robust large scale and longitudinal studies monitoring the impact of ageing on the sensory system, and how this influences the perception of foods and beverages.

CMIP3 projected changes in the annual cycle of the South American Monsoon

Nine models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 3 dataset are employed to examine projected changes in the South American Monsoon System annual cycle by comparing the 20th Century and SRES A2 scenarios. The following hypotheses are examined: (1) the warm season climate responses in the Southeast, Continental South Atlantic Convergence Zone (CSACZ) and Monsoon regions are related by regional circulation and moisture transport changes which, in turn, must be consistent with robust large-scale changes in the climate system, and (2) an increased threshold for convection in a warmer world may affect the timing of warm season rains. The present analysis reaffirms that the Southeast region is likely to experience increased precipitation through the warm season. Additional results exhibit more uncertainty due to large inter-model variance and disagreement in the A2 scenarios. Nevertheless several statistically significant results are found. In the Monsoon and to a lesser extent in the CSACZ region, the multi-model median suggests reduced precipitation during spring (Sep–Nov). These continental precipitation changes are accompanied by a southward shift of the maximum precipitation in the South Atlantic Convergence Zone. Changes in circulation include a poleward displaced South Atlantic Anticyclone (SAAC) and enhanced moisture transport associated with a strengthened northerly low level flow east of the Andes during spring. Moisture transport divergence calculations indicate unchanged divergence in the Monsoon region during spring and increased convergence in the Southeast throughout the warm season. The circulation and moisture transport changes suggest the increased precipitation in the Southeast during spring may be related to changes in the SALLJ and SAAC, which both enhance moisture transport to the Southeast. The seasonally dry Monsoon region is further affected by an increased threshold for convection in the warmer, more humid and stable climate of the 21st century, which combined with the circulation changes may weaken the onset of the rainy season. Although there is substantial variability among the models, and the results are represented by small changes compared with the multi-model variance, their statistical significance combined with their consistency with expected robust large scale changes provides a measure of confidence in otherwise tentative results. Further testing of the relationships presented here will be required to fully understand projected changes in the South American Monsoon.

A Unified Paradigm For Scalable Multi-Projector Displays

We present a general framework for the modeling and optimization of scalable multi-projector displays. Based on this framework, we derive algorithms that can robustly optimize the visual quality of an arbitrary combination of projectors without manual adjustment. When the projectors are tiled, we show that our framework automatically produces blending maps that outperform state-of-the-art projector blending methods. When all the projectors are superimposed, the framework can produce high-resolution images beyond the Nyquist resolution limits of component projectors. When a combination of tiled and superimposed projectors are deployed, the same framework harnesses the best features of both tiled and superimposed multi-projector projection paradigms. The framework creates for the first time a new unified paradigm that is agnostic to a particular configuration of projectors yet robustly optimizes for the brightness, contrast, and resolution of that configuration. In addition, we demonstrate that our algorithms support high resolution video at real-time interactive frame rates achieved on commodity graphics platforms. This work allows for inexpensive, compelling, flexible, and robust large scale visualization systems to be built and deployed very efficiently.

Selective displacement chromatography of proteins

In contrast to high molecular weight polyelectrolyte displacers, the efficacy of low molecular weight displacers are dependent on both mobile phase salt and displacer concentration. This sensitivity to the operating conditions opens up the possibility of carrying out selective displacement where the product(s) of interest can be selectively displaced while the low affinity impurities can be desorbed in the induced salt gradient ahead of the displacement train, and the high affinity impurities either retained or desorbed in the displacer zone. This type of displacement combines the operational advantages of step gradient and the high resolution inherent in a true displacement process, in a single operation. Theoretical expressions are presented for establishing selective displacement operating conditions (initial salt concentration, displacer concentration) based on the Steric Mass Action parameters of the displacer and the linear Steric Mass Action parameters of the feed proteins. Experimental results are presented to elucidate the concept of selective displacement in both cation and anion exchange systems. A mixture of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin A and B has been used for anion-exchange systems; a four-protein mixture consisting of ribonuclease B, bovine and horse heart cytochrome c, and lysozyme has been employed in cation exchange systems. This article also demonstrates that on-line monitoring can be readily employed for the selective displacement process, thus facilitating the scale-up and control of the process. This work sets the stage for the development of robust large scale high resolution separations using selective displacement chromatography. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 56: 119-129, 1997.