Synthesis and characterization of LiNi0.95-xCoxAl0.05O2 for lithium-ion batteries

Samples of LiNi0.95-xCoxAl0.05O2 （x = 0.10 and 0.15） and LiNiO2, synthesized by the solid-state reaction at 725℃ for 24 h from LiOH-H2O, Ni2O3, Co2O3, and AI（OH）3 under an oxygen stream, were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, SEM, and electrochemical tests. Simultaneous doping of cobalt and aluminum at the Ni-site in LiNiO2 was tried to improve the cathode performance for lithium-ion batteries. The results showed that co-doping （especially, 5 at.% A1 and 10 at.% Co） definitely had a large beneficial effect in increasing the capacity （186.2 mA.h/g of the first discharge capacity for LiNio.s.42OoaoAlo.0502） and cycling behavior （180.1 mA-h/g after 10 cycles for LiNio.85CooaoAlo.osO2） compared with 180.7 mA.h/g of the first discharge capacity and 157.7 mA.h/g of the tenth discharge capacity for LiNiO2, respectively. Differen- tial capacity versus voltage curves showed that the co-doped LiNio.95_xCoxmlo.osO2 had less intensity of the phase transitions than the pristine LiNiO2.     

Synchronization for linear singularly perturbed complex networks with coupling delays

This paper is concerned with the synchronization problem about linear singularly perturbed complex network system with coupling delay. The sufficient delay-dependent conditions for the synchronization of the network are established by introducing an equivalent network system with the Lyapunov stability theory. These conditions, which are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities, can be solved efficiently by the LMI toolbox of MATLAB. A simulation example is provided to show the validity of the proposed the synchronization conditions of the whole network.     

Development of a gap searching program for automotive body assemblies based on a decomposition model representation

Automobiles, aircraft, and ships require tremendously many parts to be assembled. For developing such large assemblies, most companies accelerate the design process by having many design engineers in different functional or sectional design groups working concurrently. However, interferences and gaps can be found when the parts and sub-assemblies of different design groups are to be assembled. These error cause design changes and additional repair processes, resulting in an unexpected increase in costs and time delays. While the interference problem has been resolved by digital mockup and concurrent engineering methodology, many cases of the gap problem in the automotive industry have been covered by temporary treatments when the gaps are small enough to be filled with sealants. This kind of fast fix can cause leakage into the engine chamber and passenger cabin when the gap size is too big for filling or when the sealant gets old, which can turn fatal. With this research, we have developed a program to automatically find gaps between the parts of an assembly so that design engineers can correct their designs before the manufacturing stage begins. By using the method of decomposition model representation, the program can visualize gaps between complex car body parts as well as estimate their volumetric information. It can also automatically define the boundary between a gap and the exterior space. Although we have reviewed the benefits of the program by applying it to car development, it can also be applied to aircraft and ship designs comprising several parts.     

Total-FETI domain decomposition method for solution of elasto-plastic problems

In this paper we present an algorithm for the parallel solution of the rate-independent elasto-plastic problems with kinematic hardening. We assume the von Mises plastic criterion and the associated plastic flow rule. The time discretization is based on the implicit Euler method. The corresponding one-time-step problem is formulated in the incremental form with respect to the unknown displacement and discretized spatially by the finite element method. We use an ‘external’ algorithm based on a linearization of the elasto-plastic stress–strain relation by the corresponding tangential operator and we parallelize the arising linearized problem by the Total-FETI method. The numerical experiments were carried out using our novel C/C++ library FLLOP (FETI Light Layer On top of PETSc) at HECToR supercomputer located at EPCC, UK.     

Optimal maintenance planning for sustainable energy efficiency lighting retrofit projects by a control system approach

The energy savings achieved by implementing energy efficiency (EE) lighting retrofit projects are sometimes not sustainable and vanish rapidly given that lamp population decays as time goes by if without proper maintenance activities. Scope of maintenance activities refers to replacements of failed lamps due to nonrepairable lamp burnouts. Full replacements of all the failed lamps during each maintenance interval contribute to a tight project budget due to the expense for the lamp failure inspections, as well as the procurement and installation of new lamps. Since neither “no maintenance” nor “full maintenance” is preferable to the EE lighting project developers (PDs), we propose to design an optimal maintenance plan that optimises the number of replacements of the failed lamps, such that the EE lighting project achieves sustainable performance in terms of energy savings whereas the PDs obtain their maximum benefits in the sense of cost–benefit ratio. This optimal maintenance planning (OMP) problem is aptly formulated as an optimal control problem under control system framework, and solved by a model predictive control (MPC) approach. An optimal maintenance plan for an EE lighting retrofit project is designed as a case study to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control system approach.     

Virtual screening of eighteen million compounds against dengue virus: Combined molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations study

Dengue virus is a major issue of tropical and sub-tropical regions. Dengue virus has been the cause behind the major alarming epidemics in the history with mass causalities from the decades. Unavailability of on-shelf drugs for the prevention of further proliferation of virus inside the human body results in immense number of deaths each year. This issue necessitates the design of novel anti-dengue drug. The protease enzyme pathway is the critical target for drug design due to its significance in the replication, survival and other cellular activities of dengue virus. Therefore, approximately eighteen million compounds from the ZINC database have been virtually screened against nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). The incremental construction algorithm of Glide docking program has been used with its features high throughput virtual screening (HTVS), standard precision (SP), extra precision (XP) and in combination of Prime module, induced fit docking (IFD) approach has also been applied. Five top-ranked compounds were then selected from the IFD results with better predicted binding energies with the catalytic triad residues (His51, Asp75, and Ser135) that may act as potential inhibitors for the underlying target protease enzyme. The top-ranked compounds ZINC95518765, ZINC44921800, ZINC71917414, ZINC39500661, ZINC36681949 have shown the predicted binding energies of −7.55, −7.36, −8.04, −8.41, −9.18 kcal/mol, respectively, forming binding interactions with three catalytically important amino acids. Top-docking poses of compounds are then used in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In computational studies, our proposed compounds confirm promising results against all the four serotypes of dengue virus, strengthening the opportunity of these compounds to work as potential on-shelf drugs against dengue virus. Further experimentation on the proposed compounds can result in development of strong inhibitors.     

Creating Disk Images of Born Digital Content: A Case Study Comparing Success Rates of Institutional Versus Private Collections

Although libraries maintain collections of material on computer disks in climate controlled environments, a significant amount of digital heritage is in private collections. In this study we compared the outcomes of creating disk images of the State Library of South Australia’s born digital collections with those of a private collector to gauge the effect of long term storage conditions. The failure rates of both collections give cause for concern, and the results from the private collection are alarming.