Theory of invariants-based formulation of k⋅p{\bf k}\cdot{\bf p} Hamiltonians with application to strained zinc-blende crystals

Group theoretical methods and ${\bf k}\cdot{\bf p}$ theory are combined to determine spin-dependent contributions to the effective conduction band Hamiltonian. To obtain the constants in the effective Hamiltonian, in general all invariants of the Hamiltonian have to be determined. Hence, we present a systematic approach to keep track of all possible invariants and apply it to the ${\bf k}\cdot{\bf p}$ Hamiltonian of crystals with zinc-blende symmetry, in order to obtain all possible contributions to effective quantities such as effective mass, g-factor and Dresselhaus constant. Further spin-dependent contributions to the effective Hamiltonian arise in the presence of strain. In particular, with regard to the constants $C_3$ and $D$ which describe spin-splitting linear in the components of ${\bf k}$ and ${\boldsymbol\varepsilon}$, considering all possible terms allowed by symmetry is crucial.Comment: 17 pages (preprint style

The Alaska Workers’ Compensation Law: Fact-Finding, Appellate Review, and the Presumption of Compensability

This paper presents a fault handling strategy for electric vehicles with in-wheel motors. The ap-plied control algorithm is based on tyre-force allocation. One complex tyre-force allocation meth-od, which requires non-linear optimization, as well as a simpler tyre force allocation method are developed and applied. A comparison between them is conducted and evaluated against a standard reference vehicle with an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) algorithm. The faults in consideration are electrical faults that can arise in in-wheel motors of permanent-magnet type. The results show for both tyre-force allocation methods an improved re-allocation after a severe fault and thus re-sults in an improved state trajectory recovery. Thereby the proposed fault handling strategy be-comes an important component to improve system dependability and secure vehicle safety.QC 20130611</p

Safe Handling and Deep-discharging of End-of-Life Battery Modules during Battery Disassembly

Achieving a circular economy for batteries requires further technological advances to handle the volumes and diversity of returned batteries. A key challenge is considering the safety of handling these batteries in the disassembly process and their partial reuse in second-life applications. In the case of the secondary use of battery systems, fast and safe electrical diagnosis of returned batteries during the disassembly process is necessary. When selectively reusing cells in a module, the damaged or aged cells must be deactivated. For possible recycling of the complete module, the batteries must be deep-discharged, which can potentially lead to a dangerous reversal of cell polarity if different cell conditions exist within the module. In this work, a contacting unit is proposed to enable fast diagnosis, safe discharge of single cells in the module, and deep discharge of the complete module. This technology represents an essential building block for the economic disassembly as part of a circular economy for batteries

Ways of quality improving of the ceramic bricks made from Novosibirsk region raw clay materials

"Likolor" plant is leading enterprises of the Novosibirsk region for the production of ceramic facing bricks. The research is conducted on the technological aspects of this factory to ensure the stability of quality indicators for different batches of products

Investigation of the influence of electrode surface structures on wettability after electrolyte filling based on experiments and a lattice Boltzmann simulation

The filling of the electrolyte and the subsequent wetting of the electrodes is a quality-critical and time-intensive process in manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. The exact influencing factors are the subject of research through experiments and simulation tools. Previous studies have demonstrated that wetting occurs mainly in the transition between the materials but leads to gas entrapments. Therefore, this paper investigates the influence of the electrode surface structures, situated between anode and separator, on the wetting progress, through experimental capillary wetting and simulated with a lattice Boltzmann simulation. The results show that the simulations can identify the exact pore size distribution and determine the wetting rates of the entire materials. Furthermore, the experiments reveal a negative correlation between fast wetting and rougher surface properties. This enables a more precise determination of the wetting phenomena in lithium-ion cell manufacturing.Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF

An expert consensus on the recommendations for the use of biomarkers in Fabry disease

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by the accumulation of glycosphingolipids in various tissues and body fluids, leading to progressive organ damage and life-threatening complications. Phenotypic classification is based on disease progression and severity and can be used to predict outcomes. Patients with a classic Fabry phenotype have little to no residual α-Gal A activity and have widespread organ involvement, whereas patients with a later-onset phenotype have residual α-Gal A activity and disease progression can be limited to a single organ, often the heart. Diagnosis and monitoring of patients with Fabry disease should therefore be individualized, and biomarkers are available to support with this. Disease-specific biomarkers are useful in the diagnosis of Fabry disease; non-disease-specific biomarkers may be useful to assess organ damage. For most biomarkers it can be challenging to prove they translate to differences in the risk of clinical events associated with Fabry disease. Therefore, careful monitoring of treatment outcomes and collection of prospective data in patients are needed. As we deepen our understanding of Fabry disease, it is important to regularly re-evaluate and appraise published evidence relating to biomarkers. In this article, we present the results of a literature review of evidence published between February 2017 and July 2020 on the impact of disease-specific treatment on biomarkers and provide an expert consensus on clinical recommendations for the use of those biomarkers

An expert consensus on the recommendations for the use of biomarkers in Fabry disease

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by the accumulation of glycosphingolipids in various tissues and body fluids, leading to progressive organ damage and life-threatening complications. Phenotypic classification is based on disease progression and severity and can be used to predict outcomes. Patients with a classic Fabry phenotype have little to no residual α-Gal A activity and have widespread organ involvement, whereas patients with a later-onset phenotype have residual α-Gal A activity and disease progression can be limited to a single organ, often the heart. Diagnosis and monitoring of patients with Fabry disease should therefore be individualized, and biomarkers are available to support with this. Disease-specific biomarkers are useful in the diagnosis of Fabry disease; non-disease-specific biomarkers may be useful to assess organ damage. For most biomarkers it can be challenging to prove they translate to differences in the risk of clinical events associated with Fabry disease. Therefore, careful monitoring of treatment outcomes and collection of prospective data in patients are needed. As we deepen our understanding of Fabry disease, it is important to regularly re-evaluate and appraise published evidence relating to biomarkers. In this article, we present the results of a literature review of evidence published between February 2017 and July 2020 on the impact of disease-specific treatment on biomarkers and provide an expert consensus on clinical recommendations for the use of those biomarkers.publishedVersio

Design, properties, and manufacturing of cylindrical Li-ion battery cells : a generic overview

Battery cells are the main components of a battery system for electric vehicle batteries. Depending on the manufacturer, three different cell formats are used in the automotive sector (pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical). In the last 3 years, cylindrical cells have gained strong relevance and popularity among automotive manufacturers, mainly driven by innovative cell designs, such as the Tesla tabless design. This paper investigates 19 Li-ion cylindrical battery cells from four cell manufacturers in four formats (18650, 20700, 21700, and 4680). We aim to systematically capture the design features, such as tab design and quality parameters, such as manufacturing tolerances and generically describe cylindrical cells. We identified the basic designs and assigned example cells to them. In addition, we show a comprehensive definition of a tabless design considering the current and heat transport paths. Our findings show that the Tesla 4680 design is quasi-tabless. In addition, we found that 25% of the cathode and 30% of the anode are not notched, resulting in long electrical and thermal transport paths. Based on CT and post-mortem analyses, we show that jelly rolls can be approximated very well with the Archimedean spiral. Furthermore, we compare the gravimetric and volumetric energy density, the impedance, and the heating behavior at the surface and in the center of the jelly rolls. From the generic description, we present and discuss production processes focusing on format and design flexible manufacturing of jelly rolls.Federal Ministry of Education and ResearchMinistry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism in Baden-Württember

Städte in Schwung bringen

An schlüssigen Konzepten der klima- und sozialverträglichen Stadt mangelt es nicht, wohl aber an flächendeckenden Umsetzungen. Vier Prinzipien bringen Bewegung in urbane Nachhaltigkeitstransformationen

Análise de timol em cera de abelha por micro-extracção em fase sólida (SPME)

A aplicação contínua de acaricídas lipofílicos sintéticos no tratamento das abelhas conduz a uma acumulação que depende da frequência, lipofilicidade e quantidade de princípio activo utilizada. Este efeito é mais acentuado na cera de abelha que no mel, no entanto, e porque a persistência destes resíduos é elevada, provoca o aparecimento de resistências e a perda do seu efeito acaricida.[1] Esta razão levou à pesquisa de outros compostos alternativos não tóxicos e não persistentes, com efeito sobre o ácaro das abelhas, Varroa Jacobsoni. Entre estes compostos encontra-se o timol, um composto fenólico, volátil, presente no tomilho. Dos diversos componentes dos óleos essenciais este é sem dúvida o que demonstrou maior efeito acaricida, utilizando-se no tratamento das abelhas directamente ou como componente de diversas formulações.[2] Em Portugal, foi introduzido muito recentemente sob a forma comercial de APIGUARD: um gel, à base de timol, que controla termicamente a libertação do princípio activo. O controlo dos resíduos de timol na cera de abelha e no mel é assim um desafio actual quer do ponto de vista sanitário quer de qualidade alimentar. A micro-extracção em fase sólida (SPME) é uma técnica de preparação de amostras que se baseia na sorção de analítos no revestimento de uma fibra de sílica fundida e posterior desorção térmica no injector de um cromatógrafo em fase gasosa (GC). Para além de combinar num único processo etapas de extracção, purificação e concentração dos analitos, a técnica de SPME apresenta uma série de vantagens relativamente às técnicas de extracção convencionais, como a extracção líquido-líquido e extracção em fase sólida, nomeadamente a sua relativa simplicidade e rapidez, reduzido custo e não utilização de solventes para a extracção de analitos, para além de permitir a extracção por imersão directa na amostra gasosa ou líquida e extracção por amostragem do espaço-de-cabeça da amostra líquida ou sólida.[3] Ao contrário das técnicas tradicionais, que permitem uma extracção quantitativa dos analitos, a técnica de SPME baseia-se num equilíbrio de partição do analito. Esta particularidade torna a técnica de SPME bastante sensível a parâmetros experimentais que possam afectar os coeficientes de partição dos analitos e, consequentemente, a sensibilidade e reprodutibilidade dos resultados.[4] O objectivo deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para a análise de timol em ceras contaminadas, utilizando como padrão interno a benzofenona. Em primeiro lugar, procedeu-se à optimização da técnica através da determinação da quantidade de cera, temperatura de análise e período de contacto da fibra com o espaço-de-cabeça da amostra mais adequados para o caso em estudo. Numa segunda fase, procedeu-se à análise de diversas lâminas de cera contaminadas propositadamente com timol e sujeitas a diferentes condições de armazenamento: em frio, ao ar e em estufa. Finalmente, procedeu-se à construção da curva de calibração e quantificação do timol presente nas diversas amostras de cera analisadas. Considerando-se os resultados, para os níveis de contaminação avaliados, as condições analíticas mais adequadas ocorrem com a utilização de 1 g de cera, mantendo-se a fibra em contacto com o espaço-de-cabeça durante 40 minutos a uma temperatura de 60 ºC. Nestas condições experimentais foi possível obter uma boa correlação linear (r2=0,990) no intervalo de concentrações [3,5-14 mg/g]. A quantidade de timol encontrada nas amostras é significativamente inferior à colocada durante o processo de fabrico das lâminas, pelo que o processo de conservação não é o mais adequado, sendo evidente uma menor quantidade de timol quando a lâmina de cera é colocada na estufa