Nanostructured Metal Oxides-Based Electrode in Supercapacitor Applications

To overcome the obstacle of low energy density, one of the most intensive approaches is the development of new materials for supercapacitor electrodes. Most explored materials today are carbon particle materials, which have high surface areas for charge storage. But in spite of these large specific surface areas, the charges physically stored on the carbon particles in porous electrode layers are unfortunately limited. Regarding advanced supercapacitor electrodes, metal oxides are considered the most promising material for the next generation of supercapacitors owing to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this chapter, the rational design and fabrication of metal oxide nanostructures for supercapacitor applications are addressed

Simulation of the Melting Process of Ice Slurry for Energy Storage Using a Two-Fluid Lattice Boltzmann Method

Ice slurry can be used as the thermal storage media in latent cool storage systems for both residential and commercial buildings. This paper presents the investigation of the phase change characteristics of the ice slurry using a two-fluid Lattice Boltzmann Method (TFLBM). The melting and migration processes of the ice slurry are simulated by improving the equilibrium distribution function and matching the relevant parameters such as the kinetic viscosity of ice particle cluster and cross-collision coefficient. The sensitivity analysis of the ice slurry viscosity and cross-collision coefficient are achieved through six numerical experiments, and the ice melting in the internal-melt ice-on-coil thermal storage device is then calculated. The results could be potentially used to guide the design of the ice slurry for cooling both residential and commercial buildings

Constitutive equation for the hot deformation behavior of Csf/AZ91D composites and its validity for numerical simulation

The flow stress behavior of 10 vol. % short carbon fibers reinforced AZ91D composites (C-sf/AZ91D) were investigated by hot compression test. The results show the flow stress reach the peak value at small strain and then decrease monotonically until the end of the large strain, which exhibits an obvious dynamic strain softening. The decrease of stress level with deformation temperature increasing or strain rate decreasing can be represented by Zener-Hollomon parameter in a hyperbolic sine equation. By considering the effect of strain on material constants, a modified viscoplastic constitutive equation was established to characterize the dependence of flow stress on the deformation temperature, strain, and strain rate. The stress-strain values calculated by the constitutive equation are in consistent with the experimental results. Applying the constitutive equation, the plastic deformation of C-sf/AZ91D) composites during the hot compression process were analyzed by finite element simulation. The calculated punch force-stroke curves agree well with the measured ones. The results confirmed that the established constitutive equation can accurately describe the hot plastic deformation behavior of C-sf/AZ91D composites, and can be used for the finite element analysis on the hot forming process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Circadian rhythm of Liposcelis entomophila and Liposcelis paeta in paddy warehouse: Presentation

Booklice is a small but serious stored grain pest, and understanding the circadian rhythm of booklice help to control. In this study, circadian activity of booklice were monitored with sticky traps in the grain bulk surfaces of two warehouses stored paddy rice in two different provinces in China. The results showed that the species of booklice were different and were Liposcelis entomophila, and Liposcelisp paeta for Nanning’s and Zhanjiang’s warehouses respectively. In term of L.entomophila, its activity intensity gradually decreased from 0 am to 12 pm and reached the lowest level of daily activity at 12pm. After this, there was a steady and straight upward trend, and the peak of its activity intensity is reached at 8 pm. Its circadian activity trend can be represented as: y = - 0.971x3 + 21.88x2 - 139.5x + 353.4(x: time; y: quantity of booklice). Over the same period, the activity intensity of L.paeta varied greatly. It gradually increased, reached a peak at 8 am, dropped dramatically at 12 pm and then climbed the second peak at 6 pm.Booklice is a small but serious stored grain pest, and understanding the circadian rhythm of booklice help to control. In this study, circadian activity of booklice were monitored with sticky traps in the grain bulk surfaces of two warehouses stored paddy rice in two different provinces in China. The results showed that the species of booklice were different and were Liposcelis entomophila, and Liposcelisp paeta for Nanning’s and Zhanjiang’s warehouses respectively. In term of L.entomophila, its activity intensity gradually decreased from 0 am to 12 pm and reached the lowest level of daily activity at 12pm. After this, there was a steady and straight upward trend, and the peak of its activity intensity is reached at 8 pm. Its circadian activity trend can be represented as: y = - 0.971x3 + 21.88x2 - 139.5x + 353.4(x: time; y: quantity of booklice). Over the same period, the activity intensity of L.paeta varied greatly. It gradually increased, reached a peak at 8 am, dropped dramatically at 12 pm and then climbed the second peak at 6 pm

The language of religious affiliation: social, emotional, and cognitive differences

Religious affiliation is an important identifying characteristic for many individuals and relates to numerous life outcomes including health, well-being, policy positions, and cognitive style. Using methods from computational linguistics, we examined language from 12,815 Facebook users in the United States and United Kingdom who indicated their religious affiliation. Religious individuals used more positive emotion words (β = .278, p < .0001) and social themes such as family (β = .242, p < .0001), while nonreligious people expressed more negative emotions like anger (β = −.427, p < .0001) and categories related to cognitive processes, like tentativeness (β = −.153, p < .0001). Nonreligious individuals also used more themes related to the body (β = −.265, p < .0001) and death (β = −.247, p < .0001). The findings offer directions for future research on religious affiliation, specifically in terms of social, emotional, and cognitive differences

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of flow and heat transfer evolution inside encapsulated phase change materials due to natural convection melting

A comprehensive study of the melting process inside a capsule can potentially take full advantages of latent heat of phase change materials (PCMs). The present study was devoted to the problem of complex interaction of natural convection and melting of PCMs inside a spherical capsule under differen t sizes. The numerical results, simulated by lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), were compared with experimental data and published simulations. The results showed that LBM presented desirable accuracy compared to traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. Then, the effects of non-uniform PCM properties, expressed by the solid/liquid thermal diffusivity ratio, on the melting rate were found to be nonlinear in different melting stages. The non-dimensional fully melting time reduced with the increase of the surface temperature and the capsule size, and the former compared to the latter could have a greater influence on the melting rate. Moreover, the non-dimensional fully melting time reduced when increasing of the capsule diameter at the macro-scale; while there was a near-invariable non-dimensional fully melting time when the capsule size was changed at the micro-scale. The good understanding of the phase change process inside the capsule would provide essential information to develop a multi-scale model of microencapsulated PCM slurries

Original and introduced lineages co-driving the persistence of Brucella abortus circulating in West Africa

IntroductionBrucellosis, a serious public health issue affecting animals and humans, is neglected in West Africa (WA).MethodsIn the present study, bio-typing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), and whole genome sequencing single-nucleotide polymorphism (WGS-SNP) analysis were used to characterize the Brucella abortus (B. abortus) strains from WA.ResultsAll of the 309 strains analyzed in this study were extracted and downloaded from the international MLVA bank and were from 10 hosts (cattle, humans, ovine, buffalo, dromedaries, horse, sheep, zebu, dog, and cat) distributed in 17 countries in WA. Based on the bio-typing, three biovars, dominated by B. abortus bv.3, were observed and reported across seven decades (1958–2019). With MLST, 129 B. abortus strains from the present study were sorted into 14 STs, with ST34 as the predicted founder. These 14 STs clustered into the global MLST data into three clone complexes (C I–C III) with the majority of strains clustering in C I, while C II forms an independent branch, and C III harbors three STs shared by different continents. These data revealed that most cases were caused by strains from native lineages. According to the MLVA-11 comparison, 309 strains were divided into 22 MLVA-11 genotypes, 15 of which were unique to WA and the remaining seven had a global distribution. MLVA-16 analysis showed that there were no epidemiological links among these strains. Based on the MLVA data, B. abortus strains from WA have high genetic diversity, and predominated genotypes were descended from a native lineage. While the MLVA-16 globally highlights that the dominant native and few introduced lineages (from Brazil, the USA, South Korea, Argentina, India, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Costa Rica, and China) co-driving the B. abortus ongoing prevalence in WA. The high-resolution SNP analysis implied the existence of introduced B. abortus lineages, which may be reasonably explained by the movement and trade of dominant hosts (cattle) and/or their products.DiscussionOur results indicated that B. abortus strains in WA consist of native and introduced strains that necessitate control such as vaccination, testing, slaughtering, and movement control by the relevant country authorities to reduce brucellosis in livestock