Pore size engineering applied to starved electrochemical cells and batteries

To maximize performance in starved, multiplate cells, the cell design should rely on techniques which widen the volume tolerance characteristics. These involve engineering capillary pressure differences between the components of an electrochemical cell and using these forces to promote redistribution of electrolyte to the desired optimum values. This can be implemented in practice by prescribing pore size distributions for porous back-up plates, reservoirs, and electrodes. In addition, electrolyte volume management can be controlled by incorporating different pore size distributions into the separator. In a nickel/hydrogen cell, the separator must contain pores similar in size to the small pores of both the nickel and hydrogen electrodes in order to maintain an optimum conductive path for the electrolyte. The pore size distributions of all components should overlap in such a way as to prevent drying of the separator and/or flooding of the hydrogen electrode

Electrolyte management in porous battery components. Static measurements

The interaction between the porous hydrogen and nickel electrodes and microporous separator with respect to electrolyte management in nickel/hydrogen cells has been investigated. The distribution of electrolyte among the components has been measured and correlated with the pore size distributions, total void volume, and resistance of a variety of electrodes and separators. Calculations are used to show the effects of systematically varying these properties

Pore size engineering applied to the design of separators for nickel-hydrogen cells and batteries

Pore size engineering in starved alkaline multiplate cells involves adopting techniques to widen the volume tolerance of individual cells. Separators with appropriate pore size distributions and wettability characteristics (capillary pressure considerations) to have wider volume tolerances and an ability to resist dimensional changes in the electrodes were designed. The separators studied for potential use in nickel-hydrogen cells consist of polymeric membranes as well as inorganic microporous mats. In addition to standard measurements, the resistance and distribution of electrolyte as a function of total cell electrolyte content were determined. New composite separators consisting of fibers, particles and/or binders deposited on Zircar cloth were developed in order to engineer the proper capillary pressure characteristics in the separator. These asymmetric separators were prepared from a variety of fibers, particles and binders

Traumatic Injury and Identity: Incorporating Traumatic Episodes into the Life Story

With an increasing number of traumatic injury survivors, a better understanding of post-trauma meaning-making processes is needed, including improvement in our understanding of post-trauma narrative reconstruction. This project aimed to identify emergent themes within the life story narratives of spinal cord injured veterans and to both generate and test hypotheses regarding how emergent themes related to an indicator of post-trauma wellness. Seven themes were revealed within two specific sections of the life story interview. Findings revealed that individuals who author their life narratives in such a way as to demonstrate altruism and generativity showed significantly higher wellness. Further, narratives with a greater mention of faith, as well as those with imagined futures reflecting a more affirming tone, tended to be authored by individuals with higher levels of wellness. Results help to further our understanding of how those who have been traumatically injured construct their post-injury identity and inform our understanding of resiliency in a traumatic injury population

Alternative Bait Marker Systems for White-Tailed Deer

We compared alternative bait markers for a study of free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) based on the following criteria: 1) detectability in fecal matter; 2) incorporation into corn bait; 3) palatability; and 4) cost. We used penned sheep (Ovis aries) as an experimental model to evaluate Microtaggants, metallic flakes, plastic chips, and rare earth elements as bait markers, and molasses and soy lecithin as marker adhesives. The metallic flake­-soy lecithin combination best met our criteria. It was also successful in a field study evaluating supplemental feeding on deer behavior and activity in central Wisconsin. Metallic flakes were easily detected under field conditions, readily adhered to shelled corn bait, enabled assessment of deer activity at distinct feeding sites and could be used in studies of feeding behavior and movements of other free-ranging herbivores

Is This an OER? : Addressing the Complex Relationship Between Open and Affordable Course Materials

Our poster will examine the work that open educational resource (OER) advocates do to highlight OER and how this work often intersects with other affordable course material initiatives. Specifically, we will highlight the complex intersections between OER and affordable learning and why the differences between these types of course materials matter. In addition to discussing the unique challenges that present themselves when advocating for both OER and affordable course materials, this poster will address: Messaging for instructors and institutional stakeholders about what counts as OER Navigating support for the use of affordable course materials without undercutting the open message The institutional labor connected to these material type

Cathodal electrical stimulation of frontoparietal cortex disrupts statistical learning of visual configural information

Attentional performance is facilitated by exploiting regularities and redundancies in the environment by way of incidental statistical learning. For example, during visual search, response times to a target are reduced by repeating distractor configurations-a phenomenon known as contextual cueing (Chun & Jiang, 1998). A range of neuroscientific methods have provided evidence that incidental statistical learning relies on subcortical neural structures associated with long-term memory, such as the hippocampus. Functional neuroimaging studies have also implicated the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in contextual cueing. However, the extent to which these cortical regions are causally involved in statistical learning remains unclear. Here, we delivered anodal, cathodal, or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the left PFC and left PPC online while participants performed a contextual cueing task. Cathodal stimulation of both PFC and PPC disrupted the early cuing effect, relative to sham and anodal stimulation. These findings causally implicate frontoparietal regions in incidental statistical learning that acts on visual configural information. We speculate that contextual cueing may rely on the availability of cognitive control resources in frontal and parietal regions