Increasing energy consumption, shortages of fossil fuels, and concerns about the environmental impact of energy use, especially emissions of carbon dioxide, give fresh impetus to the development of ...renewable energy sources. With the advent of renewable energy, it is now indispensable that efficient energy storage systems have to be developed. One of the most promising storage systems to be employed in stationary energy storage applications are lithium-based batteries (LIB), mainly due to their high energy density, high power, and nearly 100 % efficiency. Within the scope of this paper, we carry out a patent search using the patent database PatBase
®
to assess the development status of LIB technology. The analysis of the generated patent sample reveals disproportionately high growth rates in LIB patent applications over the last years compared to other selected energy-related technologies. Breaking down patent application growth by the different components of LIB shows the principal drivers of growth. The purpose of this paper is to provide current research trends and prospects for the main LIB materials and designs.
The aim of this paper is to explore how minimal-self impacts the body image, projecting it as a reflection of one's approach toward their health and mental well-being.
The study takes qualitative ...data from two countries India and Germany and draws on a qualitative study of 20 individuals who are involved in some kind of physical activity for a long time. This paper examines the body image perspectives from
showcasing fit and healthy perspectives on
side and projected and superfluous perspectives on
side. The study also provides a model deciphering the rationale for both the reflections.
The body image projection from Snow White perspectives (success & dedication, self-esteem, bodybuilding, and cosmetic surgery) relates to positive reflection of oneself with focus on fitness, discipline, and mental rejuvenation in life. Notably, Evil Queen perspectives (unrealistic makeover, dark side of social media, gain an edge over others, and mental benchmarking with fair skin) reveal these facets as motivators to equip their body as means of physical non-verbal communication assets.
Analysis shows that there is no clear white or black view of health and fitness projection
body image but it's a gray line that gives wholesome fitness either a holistic mental peace or a competitive or success-oriented approach.
The rise of antibiotic resistance demands the acceleration of molecular diversification strategies to inspire new chemical entities for antibiotic medicines. We report here on the large-scale ...engineering of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified antimicrobial peptides carrying the ring-forming amino acid lanthionine. New-to-nature variants featuring distinct properties were obtained by combinatorial shuffling of peptide modules derived from 12 natural antimicrobial lanthipeptides and processing by a promiscuous post-translational modification machinery. For experimental characterization, we developed the nanoFleming, a miniaturized and parallelized high-throughput inhibition assay. On the basis of a hit set of >100 molecules, we identified variants with improved activity against pathogenic bacteria and shifted activity profiles, and extrapolated design guidelines that will simplify the identification of peptide-based anti-infectives in the future.
LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NCM) cathode material can be charged to different potentials. When using the standard salt LiPF6, elevated cut-off potentials during charge lead to increased capacity and energy ...density during discharge, but reduce the cycle life dramatically. Metal dissolution is promoted by acids, like HF, derived from deterioration of the electrolyte salt. To exclude the influence of HF, as alternative to LiPF6, the less hydrolysis sensitive LiBF4 and the fluorine-free conducting salt LiClO4 were investigated. To determine the metal dissolution behavior, NCM electrodes were stored in 1M EC/DMC (1/1, by wt.) electrolyte containing different salts for 28 days at different states of charge. The measurement of the metal ion content in the electrolyte was carried out by the inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. Constant current cycling experiments were performed with different charge cut-off potentials. In contrast to LiPF6, LiBF4 showed suppressed metal dissolution and superior cycling performance with low capacity fading even at high cut-off potentials (4.6V vs. Li/Li+). At lower cut-off potentials, metal dissolution, as well as capacity fading, is rather low for LiClO4 but escalates at potentials above 4.4V vs. Li/Li+.
This research highlights how cloud platform as a service technologies host extended reality technologies and convergent technologies in integrated solutions. It was only around 2019 that scholarly ...literature conceptualized the role of extended reality, that is, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, in the marketing function. This article is a multiple case study on the leading eleven platform as a service vendors. They provide the programming technology required to host software as a service in the cloud, making the software available from everywhere. Of the eleven cases, 10% integrate technologies in solutions. Research results show that extended reality technologies reinvent digital marketing; as part of this, they shape the customer delivery model in terms of customer value proposition; favor the choice of customer channel (the omnichannel); possibly lead to new customer relationships, such as cocreation; and reach global mass customers. Extended reality in the delivery model is complemented by other technologies in the operating model. These combinations provide the foundations of the business models, which are either network or platform business models. This study identifies a number of solutions enabled by extended reality, which have an integrated goal in the form of customer value contribution and are to be studied in further articles.
Digitalization has advanced to become an opportunity to spectate sports during the pandemic and its restrictions for traveling to competitions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the ...antecedents of using virtual reality technology for spectating mega sports events. Based on a literature review, the authors created a model of behavioral intention, built on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and technology acceptance model to examine the curiosity and self-construal of spectators. An online survey obtained empirical evidence from 339 sports enthusiasts. The research model was fitted using the partial least squares algorithm. The results show that all the antecedents significantly affected the intention to use a VR device to spectate mega sports events, which explains a significant variance. Surprisingly, influences arising from social norm predominated over those arising from curiosity and the hedonic exploration of VR (enjoyment, and experience). The social norm strongly influences a VR device’s perceived usefulness, implying that people believe using VR will enhance their position in society and that they will thus perceive the technology as being more beneficial. The novelty of this study arises from quantifying the importance of curiosity’s relationship to VR acceptance and pinpointing the relevance of self-construal for VR acceptance.
Energy storage is considered a key technology for successful realization of renewable energies and electrification of the powertrain. This review discusses the lithium ion battery as the leading ...electrochemical storage technology, focusing on its main components, namely electrode(s) as active and electrolyte as inactive materials. State-of-the-art (SOTA) cathode and anode materials are reviewed, emphasizing viable approaches towards advancement of the overall performance and reliability of lithium ion batteries; however, existing challenges are not neglected. Liquid aprotic electrolytes for lithium ion batteries comprise a lithium ion conducting salt, a mixture of solvents and various additives. Due to its complexity and its role in a given cell chemistry, electrolyte, besides the cathode materials, is identified as most susceptible, as well as the most promising, component for further improvement of lithium ion batteries. The working principle of the most important commercial electrolyte additives is also discussed. With regard to new applications and new cell chemistries, e.g., operation at high temperature and high voltage, further improvements of both active and inactive materials are inevitable. In this regard, theoretical support by means of modeling, calculation and simulation approaches can be very helpful to ex ante pre-select and identify the aforementioned components suitable for a given cell chemistry as well as to understand degradation phenomena at the electrolyte/electrode interface. This overview highlights the advantages and limitations of SOTA lithium battery systems, aiming to encourage researchers to carry forward and strengthen the research towards advanced lithium ion batteries, tailored for specific applications.
The cause of radiculopathy is the compression of the nerve root which can be secondary to sliding of the vertebra and reduced disc height. In some patients, decompression alone does not resolve this ...problem. We describe the uniportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion technique. Full-endocopic foraminotomy and discectomy are followed by cage implementation and percutaneous instrumentation. The goal of this surgical method is decompression of nerve roots, segment stabilization, disc height, and sagittal alignment restoration. Uniportal endoscopic facet sparing transforaminal transkambin lumbar interbody fusion is a good surgical option to treat degenerative disc disease, mechanical instability, and spondylolisthesis. This method shows favourable clinical outcomes in selected patients.
The most critical risk factor for optic nerve damage in cases of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is an increased intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by a resistance to aqueous humor outflow in the ...trabecular meshwork (TM). The molecular pathogenesis of this increase in outflow resistance in POAG has not yet been identified, but it may involve transforming growth factor TGF-β2, which is found in higher amounts in the aqueous humor of patients with POAG. Connective tissue growth factor ( CTGF ) is a TGF-β2 target gene with high constitutive TM expression. In this study, we show that either adenoviral-mediated or transgenic CTGF overexpression in the mouse eye increases IOP and leads to optic nerve damage. CTGF induces TM fibronectin and α-SMA in animals, whereas actin stress fibers and contractility are both induced in cultured TM cells. Depletion of CTGF by RNA interference leads to a marked attenuation of the actin cytoskeleton. Rho kinase inhibitors cause a reversible decline in the IOP of CTGF-overexpressing mice to levels seen in control littermates. Overall, the effects of CTGF on IOP appear to be caused by a modification of the TM actin cytoskeleton. CTGF-overexpressing mice provide a model that mimics the essential functional and structural aspects of POAG and offer a molecular mechanism to explain the increase of its most critical risk factor.
Most sustainability innovations are adapted to the needs of urban areas. These innovations are either not offered at all in rural areas (e.g., car sharing) or require massive effort and restrictions ...to be usable or effective (e.g., ride sharing). Delving deeper than the description scholarly research needs to clarify consumers' conceptualization of sustainability in urban and rural areas. Notably, the extent to which sustainable innovations are adopted and their associated adoption dynamics with the consequences for marketers, consumers and society differ between urban and rural. Two research questions are pressing: (i) How do conceptualizations of sustainability differ between rural and urban living consumers? (ii) Which consequences for sustainable marketing management arise from differences and similarities of upstream innovations with downstream dynamics in urban and rural areas? Despite the wide range of previous research, the question of whether consumers living in urban and rural areas have a similar understanding of “sustainability” has not been comprehensively addressed. We consider the literature on both the intention-action gap in sustainability and Value-Belief-Norm Theory. This provides researchers with guidance to reveal divergences in values, motives and enablers for sustainability among people in urban and rural areas. Studies that deepen the understanding of how innovative service and product offers need to be designed to the specificities of urban and rural environments, contribute to clarifying consumers' intention-action gap.
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