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

Master/slave clock arrangement for providing reliable clock signal

The outputs of two like frequency oscillators are combined to form a single reliable clock signal, with one oscillator functioning as a slave under the control of the other to achieve phase coincidence when the master is operative and in a free-running mode when the master is inoperative so that failure of either oscillator produces no effect on the clock signal

Exploring the Use of Interactive Read Alouds to Support the Literacy Development of Fifth Graders Receiving Academic Intervention Services

Students identified as requiring Academic Intervention Services (AIS), either through testing or teacher recommendation, often struggle with fluency, reading comprehension, or a combination of both. This thesis project examines the effects of interactive read-alouds in reading instruction in an AIS class as a means to foster growth in comprehension and literacy skills. The central question, what happens when read-aloud activities include explicit instruction of reading comprehension and is incorporated into the instruction of students receiving AIS, was explored. The literature review section discusses previous research observations on the use of a designed read-aloud curriculum for teaching comprehension of narrative texts in elementary level classrooms. The research study was conducted in a small rural school district in western New York, with three AIS students identified as such by their scores on the New York State English Language Arts exam. It assessed the use of designed curriculum – using read-aloud practices such as thinking aloud, creating opportunities for text based discussion, and modeling good reading behaviors - in order to help students develop a range of comprehension strategies that would enable them to make meaning while significantly interacting with a text. Research data included the students\u27 performance on benchmark assessments, continuous progress monitoring, and work samples as well as the students\u27 abilities with both a fluency passage and MAZE, to chart growth, if any, that students made in their reading comprehension, higher level thinking, or reading fluency. Conclusions from the study support the use of a designed read aloud curriculum to increase reading comprehension for AIS students

Using Figurative Language in American English: Challenges and Successes of Adult English Learners

English language learners (ELLs) face many challenges when learning English. One of those challenges is the figurative language that is used in every day conversations. Often the lack of understanding or misunderstanding, can result in awkward conversations for English learners. This study aimed to identify what interpretations adult English learners at the advanced level give to American English figurative language and how do those interpretations differ or correspond to native speakers’ interpretations. This case study looks specifically at five adult learners from three different countries. The learners met once a week during the summer of 2016 to listen and interpret native speakers’ conversations. Data was collected in multiple ways. Each session was recorded so the sessions could be reviewed afterwards. The participants also filled out dialogue sheets that asked them to identify and define figurative language that was used in the conversations. Notes and informal interviews were also used. What this study found was that there are multiple factors that are important to an English language learners interpretations and understanding of American figurative language. The two critical factors were that participants’ vocabulary and their use of cognates from their native language. Another important factor was their ability to use and understand context clues

The Agent Across the Border: Russia and Ukraine as Actors in the News, 2013-2015

This study examines how two media sources—one Russian and one Ukrainian—portray Russia and Ukraine before, during, and after the EuroMaidan crisis in Ukraine. Russian-language texts posted between January 2013 and December 2015 on the sites Ukranews.com (a Ukrainian news outlet) and TASS.ru (Russian) were organized in a corpus of over 20,000,000 words. This study analyzes the nouns “Россия” (“Russia”) and “Украина” (“Ukraine”) according to the verbal predicates that attach to either noun. The results demonstrate predictable variation in the agency of the two entities in response to cultural events and contexts. The analysis of the corpus data operationalizes a combined model of agency using Halliday and Matheissen’s (2004) classification of processes, shaped by the animacy of the actor, and Dik’s (1989) States of Affairs Matrix, which prioritizes the actor’s physical effect in space and time. In this study, predicates of “Russia” and “Ukraine” are given numeric scores based on the models. Then, a new method of checking the validity of these models is tested by examining other entities that take the same predicates as Russia and Ukraine. Measurements from discrete time periods reveal how the agency of both entities changed before, during, and after EuroMaidan

Aspects of rhythm in the music and improvisation in six pieces by bassist Avishai Cohen

This dissertation examines significant aspects of rhythm in the music and improvisations by the trio of the seminal bassist Avishai Cohen through transcription and analysis of a selection of his recorded works. Repertoire examined has been selected from Cohen’s Gently Disturbed and Seven Seas releases to demonstrate some important devices commonly used by the group. This study is fuelled by interest in the trio’s use of rhythmic devices to create free-flowing and consistently interesting music despite rhythmic complexity inherent to the compositions. In the context of modern jazz, the group’s rhythmic approach is more complex and unique than its treatment of harmony, and this contrast is discussed briefly to demonstrate their emphasis on rhythm. The concept of ‘parallel meters’ is defined as the juxtaposition of two or more meters of the same temporal length with the same basic subdivision for deliberate exploitation by the soloists and accompanists. Specifically, this concept is only applicable to rhythmic structures established by the composition, preventing confusion with typical cross-rhythms. Prevalent rhythmic devices in the improvisations of the trio have been identified through analysis of transcribed solos and the structures of their corresponding solo forms. The identified devices include the exploitation of parallel meter structures for rhythmic diversity and interactive dialogue, 4/4 phrasing in 6/4, rubato-like phrasing, exploitation of long and short meters, frequent syncopation, use of crossrhythms and short additive-meter phrases, rhythmic development of motifs, rhythmically repeated notes, expansion and contraction, and trading-based solo sections. From this list, devices that are specifically idiosyncratic of the trio’s approach to rhythm have been identified and discussed