Lithium-Ion Battery Aspects on Fires in Electrified Vehicles on the Basis of Experimental Abuse Tests

Safety issues concerning the use of large lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in electrified vehicles are discussed based on the abuse test results of Li-ion cells together with safety devices for cells. The presented abuse tests are: overcharge, short circuit, propane fire test and external heating test (oven). It was found that in a fire, cells with higher state of charge (SOC) gave a higher heat release rate (HRR), while the total heat release (THR) had a lower correlation with SOC. One fire test resulted in a hazardous projectile from a cylindrical cell. In the fire tests, toxic gas emissions of hydrogen fluoride (HF) were measured for 100%, 50% and 0% SOC

Platt skatt - ett alternativ för Sverige?

Syftet med skattereformen 1990/91 var sänkta skattesatser, minskad progressivitet och en mer enhetlig beskattning överlag. Systemet skulle dessutom vara både enkelt att tillämpa och enkelt att överblicka samtidigt som långsiktighet och stabilitet eftersträvades. Efter ikraftträdandet har ett antal ändringar företagits samtidigt som samhället har förändrats vilket har inneburit att målen vad avser rättvisa, enkelhet och stabilitet har kommit i skymundan. Skatteuttaget på arbete har ökat som en följd av att allmänna egenavgifter har introducerats men även genom förändringar i skatteskalorna. Detta på grund av ofullständig indexering av grundavdrag och skiktgränser samt införandet av ett extra skalsteg vad avser statlig inkomstskatt. En inkomstskattereform påbörjades dock år 2000 i vilken de skattskyldiga kompenseras för den allmänna pensionsavgiften genom en skattereduktion. Även den nedre skiktgränsen för uttag av statlig inkomstskatt höjs vilket leder till att andelen individer som betalar statlig skatt minskar Skatter i Sverige, Skattestatistisk årsbok 2005, Edita, Västerås 2005, s. 28. men faktum kvarstår: Målen med skattereformen är i dagsläget inte uppfyllda, systemet har än en gång blivit snårigt och svåröverskådligt och jämför vi dessutom med andra länder finner vi att Sverige ligger högt, både vad avser marginalskatt och den totala marginaleffekten samtidigt som vår disponibla inkomst är lägre än andra länders. Kan vi då tänka oss ett annat system än det vi tillämpar för att erhålla en mer rättvis och enklare beskattning? Ser vi till Östeuropa finner vi där ett skattesystem som är helt olikt vårt eget. I hög grad tillämpar dessa länder ett system som går under benämningen platt skatt vilket i korthet innebär att alla inkomster oavsett inkomstslag beskattas med en och samma skattesats. Platt skatt är den svenska översättningen av engelskans ''flat tax'', i dagligt tal benämnd ''proportionell skatt''. http://danne-nordling.blogspot.com/2005/04/vad-r-platt-skatt.html Länderna tillämpar systemet på olika sätt vilket i realiteten innebär att det rör sig om ett flertal olika skattesystem. Slovakien är det land som nått längst på området. 2004 infördes här en enhetlig skatt på 19 procent för alla inkomster över en viss summa samtidigt som alla avdragsmöjligheter och undantagsregler avskaffades. Även bolagsbeskattningen och mervärdesskatten omfattades av denna reform. Platt skatt skärper konkurrensen om företagens investeringar, Tervahauta, Per, artikel från Tillväxtpolitisk utblick, november 2005, s. 6. För Sveriges del torde en helt platt skatt inte vara ett alternativ inom en överskådlig framtid men det borde inte vara omöjligt att utarbeta ett system som har vissa likheter med det som tillämpas i Östeuropa. Att endast avskaffa den statliga inkomstskatten torde inte vara lösningen då detta enbart gagnar höginkomsttagare, utan vi måste se till samtliga grupper i samhället och utforma ett system som främjar alla. Om även vi inför ett stort grundavdrag för låg- och medelinkomsttagare, avskaffar merparten av övriga avdrag samtidigt som en sänkning genomförs av kommunalskatten i kombination med ett upphävande av den statliga inkomstskatten, förefaller detta vara mer rättvist. Tanken borde trots allt vara att individer i största möjliga mån skall kunna leva på sin inkomst utan att erhålla bidrag från staten. Föreslagna åtgärder kommer dock att innebära avsevärda kostnader och frågan är om förändringarna är möjliga att införa rent praktiskt. En del av kostnaden kan med stor sannolikhet inhämtas från det skattebortfall vilket sker idag då detta hade sjunkit. Lägre skattesatser ökar dessutom arbetsutbudet och genom fler arbeten blir skattebortfallet inte lika stort för staten. Detta genererar istället ytterligare skatteintäkter samtidigt som individerna erhåller mer pengar att spendera. Ser vi till Slovakien och landets riktade åtgärder inom vissa områden borde detta vara något att eftersträva även för Sveriges del. Detta då nämnda förfarande torde innebära att ytterligare en del av de förlorade skatteintäkterna kan hämtas upp samtidigt som det förefaller mer rättvist att tillämpa ett system vilket säkerställer en rättvis fördelning av skatteintäkterna. Av yttersta vikt i sammanhanget är dock att vi inte förbiser våra skatterättsliga principer då dessa är väl förankrade i vårt svenska skattesystem. Detta torde inte hindra en förändring av systemet eftersom principerna även kan tolkas på så vis att de motiverar en proportionell skattesats istället för en progressiv beskattning. En förändring av vårt svenska skattesystem bör ske, och en variant av den platta skatten kan vara en början till ännu en reform på området

Employees of Greatness: Signifying Values in Performance Appraisal Criteria

The spread of performance-based and variable pay systems has affected expectations on employee contributions and remuneration, which have become increasingly personalized and individualized. Based on a theoretical valuation studies approach, this study of performance-based pay systems in Sweden shows that performance appraisals are (e)valuations of employees’ yearly performance in which they are prized and (ap)praised at the same time. Through a document analysis of performance criteria from four organizations, the study analyzes how values expressed refer to Boltanski and Thévenot’s six orders of worth. The analysis resulted in a theoretical construction of a joint ideal of Employees of Greatness, against which employees are measured and remunerated. The existence of the ideal of employee greatness is explained by the increasing congruence of organizational ideals in private and public sectors, as principles from emotional and cognitive forms of capitalist organization are superimposed on traditional industrial capitalist organizational ideals

Political skill in higher military staff: Measurement properties and latent profile analysis

Social effectiveness, including political skill, reflects individuals’ ways of handling interpersonal processes at work. Most research has used a variable-oriented approach to investigate associations between political skill and key organizational factors, including performance, in civil settings. Thus, little is known of whether political skill transfers to a military context and whether there are specific profiles of political skill. Combining variable-oriented and person-oriented approaches, this study used self-reports from two samples of military student officers to: (1) investigate measurement properties of the 18-item political skill inventory; (2) explore whether it is possible to identify different profiles of political skill; and (3) investigate whether such profiles differ in demographics, personality, and job performance. Exploratory (sample 1: n = 185) and confirmatory (sample 2: n = 183) factor analyses supported a four-dimensional representation of political skill including networking ability, apparent sincerity, social astuteness, and interpersonal influence. Latent profile analysis (samples 1 and 2: N = 368) identified four distinct combinations of these dimensions, namely: (1) weak political skill; (2) weak political skill with strong sincerity; (3) moderate political skill; and (4) strong political skill. Importantly, profiles differed consistently in networking ability. Subsequent comparisons suggested potentially important differences in demographics, personality, and job performance. Despite needing additional research of how profiles of political skill develop over time, these findings may have practical implications for recruitment and training in organizational settings where social effectiveness is important.publishedVersio

Association of post-stroke fatigue with physical activity and physical fitness:a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is associated with reduced physical activity (PA) and impaired physical fitness (fitness). Understanding associations between PSF and PA, and/or fitness could help guide the development of targeted exercise interventions to treat PSF. AIMS: Our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate PSFs associations with PA and fitness. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: Following a registered protocol, we included studies with cross-sectional or prospective observational designs, published in English or a Scandinavian language, which reported an association of PSF with PA and/or fitness in adult stroke survivors. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and World Health Organizations International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from inception to November 30, 2022. Risk of bias was assessed using Quality in Prognosis Studies. Thirty-two unique studies (total n = 4721 participants, 55% male), and three study protocols were included. We used random-effects meta-analysis to pool data for PA and fitness outcomes, and vote-counting of direction of association to synthesize data that could not be meta-analyzed. We found moderate-certainty evidence of a weak association between higher PSF and impaired fitness (meta r = -0.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.33, -0.15; n = 905, 7 studies), and very low-certainty evidence of no association between PSF and PA (meta r = -0.09; 95% CI = -0.34, 0.161; n = 430, 3 studies). Vote-counting showed a higher proportion of studies with associations between higher PSF and impaired fitness (pˆ = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.44, 0.97; p = 0.22, n = 298, 6 studies), and with associations between higher PSF and lower PA (pˆ = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.51, 0.90; p = 0.08, n = 2566, 16 studies). Very low- to moderate-certainty evidence reflects small study sample sizes, high risk of bias, and inconsistent results. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis showed moderate-certainty evidence of an association between higher PSF and impaired fitness. These results indicate that fitness might protect against PSF. Larger prospective studies and randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of exercise on PSF are needed to confirm these findings

Diet quality, stress and common mental health problems: A cohort study of 121,008 adults

Background & aims Overall diet quality may partially mediate the detrimental effects of stress and neuroticism on common mental health problems: stressed and/or neurotic individuals may be more prone to unhealthy dietary habits, which in turn may contribute to depression and anxiety. Lifestyle interventions for depressed, anxious or at-risk individuals hinge on this idea, but evidence to support such pathway is missing. Here, we aim to prospectively evaluate the role of overall diet quality in common pathways to developing depression and anxiety. Methods At baseline, N = 121,008 individuals from the general population (age 18–93) completed an extensive food frequency questionnaire, based on which overall diet quality was estimated. Participants also reported on two established risk factors for mental health problems, i.e. past-year stress exposure (long-term difficulties, stressful life-events) and four neuroticism traits (anger-hostility, self-consciousness, impulsivity, vulnerability). Depression and anxiety were assessed at baseline and follow-up (n = 65,342, +3.6 years). Overall diet quality was modeled as a mediator in logistic regression models predicting the development of depression and anxiety from common risk factors. Results High stress and high neuroticism scores were - albeit weakly - associated with poorer diet quality. Poor diet quality, in turn, did not predict mental health problems. Overall diet quality did not mediate the relationship between stress/neuroticism and common mental health problems: effects of stress, neuroticism and stress-by-neuroticism interactions on mental health problems at follow-up consisted entirely of direct effects (98.6%–100%). Conclusions Diet quality plays no mediating role in two established pathways to common mental health problems. As overall diet quality was reduced in stressed and neurotic individuals, these groups may benefit from dietary interventions. However, such interventions are unlikely to prevent the onset or recurrence of depression and anxiety.publishedVersio

Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf virus particles using hard X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source

Single particle diffractive imaging data from Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) were recorded using the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). RDV was chosen as it is a wellcharacterized model system, useful for proof-of-principle experiments, system optimization and algorithm development. RDV, an icosahedral virus of about 70 nm in diameter, was aerosolized and injected into the approximately 0.1 mu m diameter focused hard X-ray beam at the CXI instrument of LCLS. Diffraction patterns from RDV with signal to 5.9 angstrom ngstrom were recorded. The diffraction data are available through the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB) as a resource for algorithm development, the contents of which are described here.11Ysciescopu