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Novel P2-type Na0.6Fe0.5-2xMn0.5TixVxO2 Cathode for High-Capacity and Stable Sodium-Ion Batteries
Get PDFNecessity of enery storage and battery production is soaring up steadily for the growth of portable electronic devices and surging evolution of electric vehicles and renewables. Lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology has been the primary choice for such applications due to its high-energy-density, high-stability, and longer cycle-life. Albeit with all merits, depletion of lithium reserve has prompted battery researchers to search for new alternatives to LIB. Sodium, in this respect, can be a viable solution as it is the sixth most abundant element and shares the same group with lithium in periodic table, having similar structure and electrochemical working mechanisms. The pivotal factor hindering the deployment of the laboratory-based Sodium-ion battery (SIB) technologies into the commercial battery market is low energy density compared to that of LIB. Improvement of overall electrochemical performance of cathode materials can be a game-changer as it affects energy density, lifespan, and tolerance of batteries. In this research, a novel P2-type transition metal-oxide cathode Na0.6Fe0.5-2xMn0.5TixVxO2 was synthesized by doping NaFeMnO2 (NFM) with vanadium and titanium. A set of physicochemical analyses, including Field-Effect Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis, were performed to justify the morphological competence of the pristine NFM and vanadium-titanium doped NFM and crystal structures and lattice parameters were refined through X-ray Diffraction and Rietveld analysis. These exhaustive structural and morphological comparisons provided insights on the effects of vanadium-titanium doping on stabilizing surface structures, reducing Jahn Teller distortion, enhancing stability and capacity retention, and promoting Na+ carrier transport mechanism
Predicting Unknown Facts about Flow Events using Convolutional Neural Network
No full textWe investigate the possibility of using artificial intelligence to deduce information about unobserved upstream or past events in fluid dynamics. To test the hypothesis, we applied an existing convolutional neural network (CNN), namely GoogLeNet, to predict an upstream object's geometry. Square and circle-shaped bluff bodies were placed in a two-dimensional turbulent flow. Downstream data was collected and fed to train the CNN model. Then the downstream velocity signals of a flow over an object that was unknown to the model were used to predict the object's shape. The CNN model's input was the absolute values of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of velocity signals recorded in far wake regions downstream. CWT transforms velocity signals to functions of time and frequency called scalograms. The contours associated with these scalograms, obtained for square and circle-shaped geometries, were used as the input to the CNN model. The trained model predicted that the unknown geometry was 93% similar to a square which was an optimistic prediction as the unknown geometry was a square with a missing corner. This remarkable achievement led us to move forward and use the model for real-world phenomena (e.g., optimizing power production of a wind farm using AI). Currently, we are researching a wind farm of three turbines using CFD to evaluate whether the model can predict which turbines are not facing the incoming wind using only the downstream wind farm's velocity field where the flow is thoroughly turbulent
*WINNER* Investigation of Coinciding Orthogonal Two-Dimensional Structure-borne Traveling Waves
No full textInspired by serpentine locomotion in animals, structure-borne traveling waves (SBTWs) have been investigated as means of propulsion in fluids and solid-state motion. SBTW are steady-state waves which propagate across a finite structure. One way to generate SBTWs is by using two-mode excitation. With this method, the structure is mechanically coupled with two actuators that are excited at a common frequency but with a phase difference. Two-mode excitation uses the modal properties of the structure to generate such traveling waves. SBTWs generated using two-mode excitation are designed to propagate along a given direction, normally determined by the location of actuator pair.
This paper investigates the superposition of orthogonally propagating SBTWs for general-planar particle motion in directions that are not aligned with the paired actuators. SBTW are excited using two-mode excitation in a thin plate using macro-fiber composite piezoelectric actuators. This approach allows for only two pairs of actuators to propagate waves across the plate in any direction along its surface. Numerical simulations are conduced to investigate the superposition of SBTW using the Finite Element Method. Several combinations of unidirectional traveling waves are investigated and the efficiency of this approach is evaluated
Animals Versus Humans in Der Struwwelpeter and other Children's Literature
No full textDer Struwwelpeter is a classic children’s German book that attempts to teach about behavior by exaggerated punishments. In many of the stories in Der Struwwelpeter, it is clear that animals have a significant purpose. The animals are portrayed as powerful and dominant against the protagonists, adding a statement on the effects of misbehavior. However, compared to animals in other children’s literature, animals in Der Struwwelpeter serve quite different roles. In this poster, we will take a closer look at the differences between the animals in Der Struwwelpeter and C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The animals in Der Struwwelpeter take control over the humans whereas the animals in The Chronicles of Narnia are friendly and welcoming towards the humans. This poster will aim to compare the relationship between animals and human characters in Hoffman’s Der Struwwelpeter and C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia
Emergent Literacy for School Readiness.
No full textWhat role does emergent literacy play in a child’s school readiness? This budding skill is essential for children before starting school. Children need a foundation of different learning techniques to learn the materials they will experience in the school setting. School readiness is key to a child’s learning while in education. The goal of this research is to explore the benefits of starting learning early in the home. Interaction with reading and writing prior to the start of school is achieved by learning through researching literature. Research shows that age matters when emergent literacy is most helpful and agrees that the learning should take place in the home. The research also has gaps on topics, such as age, and gender. Research also has gaps on who is the most helpful in teaching emergent literacy in the home. Developing emergent literacy is essential for a child to succeed in school readiness
Dietary Intake and Cognition and Emotional Health in Older Adults
Get PDFThe purpose of this review of literature was to explore the relationship between food and nutrient intake and cognition and emotional health in older adults. Nutrition is a key factor in successful aging, and a healthy diet is crucial to the psychological quality of life. Healthy lifestyles have been shown to help improve longevity and overall health in older adults. The prevalence of older adults in the United States, and the world, is growing rapidly, as is the prevalence of older adults showing signs of cognitive decline, dementia, or depression. Prevention practices help decrease the risk of developing diseases and have the most impact if they are implemented before individuals reach 65 years old. Mental and emotional health disorders, such as cognitive decline and depression, are not always preventable, which is why there is a need for more evidence- based research that can be implemented into practice to help manage certain health conditions. Several studies found that the increased consumption of fruit and vegetables was linked to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, and other research found that B vitamins are especially important in reducing the risk for negative neurological situations. Although there is no research that can definitively prove that a specific dietary intake will prevent or help manage cognitive impairment, dementia, or depression, all of the studies in this review provided data that did support a significant relationship between food intake (fruits and vegetables) and cognitive and emotional health in older adults
Parenting styles and the associated health outcomes in children
Get PDFSeveral studies over the last decade have provided data linking child health outcomes and eating behaviors to parenting styles. Because childhood obesity continues to be an issue in the United States, and obesity is a major contributor to the development of comorbidities, many researchers have conducted studies that aim to identify environmental variables that may impact health outcomes in children. The purpose of this review of literature was to identify which parenting styles were associated with positive or negative child health outcomes, and which behaviors exhibited by these parenting styles affect health outcomes. The four parenting styles: authoritative, permissive, authoritarian, and uninvolved, can be distinguished by the amount of nurturing and demandingness each display. Studies that examined parenting styles, specific parental behaviors, food restrictions, and eating patterns in relation to child health outcomes were utilized to determine outcomes. The review of data concluded that parenting styles, and more specifically, specific parenting behaviors shared a strong relationship with child health outcomes. Permissive parenting was found to be associated with higher body mass index (BMI) in children when compared to other parenting styles. Authoritative and authoritarian parenting resulted in higher Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores. Positive food modeling, avoiding pressuring children to eat, preparing home cooked meals, and restricting the over consumption of calorie-dense foods or foods that could be considered unhealthy when over consumed are all specific behaviors that need more research to determine the correlation with child health outcomes
DIY projects within the home to help the environment
No full textDuring the current pandemic there is a growing need for DIY projects while people are confined at home. This research is an examination of the likelihood that consumers will DIY their homes instead of buying everything new. Upcycling in a sustainable way is definitely achievable if done properly. Jane Milburn states, “Slow clothing is about thoughtful, ethical, creative, and sustainable ways to enjoy clothes while minimizing our material footprint. Slow clothing manifests through ten simple actions—be thoughtful, treasure natural, buy quality, support local, have few, care, make, revive, adapt, and salvage” (Milburn, 2017, p. 2). A case study done by The Design Society also proved that it is possible to use upcycled materials in the home in a functional way (Ali et al., 2013, p. 4). For example, a consumer can turn old wooden pallets into a bed frame or wall art. Most often consumers DIY or upcycle to show creativity or individualism. Another willingness to upcycle is to seek savings (Wolf, 2011, p. 5). For example if a consumer can not find the specific product they are looking for then they will DIY it. This research explores new options for utilizing textile waste within the industry to create new and recycled home decor products
Does Denitrification Drive Nitrogen Removal across Restored Floodplain Wetlands?
No full textWetland restoration projects commonly seek to promote denitrification, which permanently removes NO3 from ecosystems by stepwise conversion to N2 gas. Anammox (N2 production from NH4 and NO2) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (NH4 production from NO3) are assumed to be less common than denitrification in freshwater systems. However, the relative importance of these processes may not be consistent across wetlands subject to different vegetation and hydrologic restoration practices. We measured NO3, NH4, NO2, and N2 flux in 18 restored floodplain wetlands across west Tennessee and Kentucky, USA, in summer 2019 and 2020 using flow-through soil core incubations (n > 500). We predict N2 production will be positively correlated with NO3 uptake and sediment oxygen demand if denitrification is the dominant N removal process across our sites. A weak relationship between N2 production and NO3 uptake would indicate that other N cycling processes contribute significantly to NO3 uptake or N2 production. We will use mixed effects models to explore potentially dominant N cycling pathways while accounting for effects of restoration practices. Results will inform future isotopic labeling experiments designed to trace sources and fates of excess N in restored floodplains
*WINNER* Development of an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay to delineate the distribution of the imperiled Striated Darter (Etheostoma striatulum, Page and Braasch 1977) in the Duck River, Tennessee
No full textStriated Darters (Etheostoma striatulum) are small, uncommon darters endemic to the Middle-to-Upper regions of the Duck River, Tennessee. Since their description, they have become increasingly rare within their range. Historically, Striated Darters occupied 16 tributaries of the Duck River; as of 2011, their known distribution has declined to nine tributaries. Due to this documented decline, Striated Darters are currently under review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Effective management and conservation of this species will also require information about their distribution. This study aims to delineate the present-day distribution of the Striated Darter through a species-specific environmental DNA (eDNA) assay. Aquatic species discard DNA fragments in many ways (e.g., urination and reproduction) into the water column which can then be identified using well-established molecular techniques. Due to the Striated Darter's reclusive and cryptic behavior, conventional techniques are ineffective for detection, requiring the use of much more efficient and sensitive eDNA monitoring techniques. At 30 historical sites in the Duck River, three water samples will be taken and then filtered for molecular analyses. A qPCR assay will be designed to detect Striated Darters across all sites and conclusions will be run through a hierarchical occupancy model to test for the probability of detection at the qPCR replicate, sample replicate, and site levels. Another project investigating the population status of the Striated Darter will be running similar occupancy models using conventional techniques, which will allow for comparison between traditional and molecular approaches