Impacts of Lithium Salts on the Thermal and Mechanical Characteristics in the Lithiated PEO/LAGP Composite Electrolytes

Lithium batteries utilizing solid-state electrolytes have the potential to alleviate their safety hazard, reduce packaging volume, and enable flexible design. Polymer/ceramic composite electrolytes (CPE) are more attractive because the combination is capable of remedying and/or transcending individual constituent’ properties. Recently, we fabricated a series of free-standing composite electrolyte membranes consisting of Li1.4Al0.4Ge1.6(PO4)3 (LAGP), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and lithium salts. In this study, we characterized thermal and mechanical properties of the CPEs with two representative lithium salts, i.e., lithium boron fluoride (LiBF4) and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). We found that the type of lithium salt can prevail the LAGP ceramic loadings on altering the key properties. It is observed that LiTFSI, compared with LiBF4, causes more significant reduction in terms of the crystallinity of PEO, melting transition, and mechanical strengths. The differences in these aspects can be ascribed to the interactions between the polymer matrix and anions in lithium salt.

MILAD: Robust Anomaly Detection for Electric Vehicles with Label Noise

One of the bottlenecks restricting the development of electric vehicle industry is the safety problem. Although numerous of anomaly detection algorithms for electric vehicles have been proposed, most of them may perform poorly due to the complexity and unpredictability of real scenes. We consider that there may be a certain degree of potential safety hazard in the battery system of electric vehicles before, during and after the process of faults in the real scenes, that is, label noise. In order to solve this problem, we propose a Multi-Instance Learning based Anomaly Detection (MILAD) framework, to perform anomaly detection for electric vehicles with label noise problem. Extensive cross validation experiments fully verify that the framework can effectively detect the existence of abnormal conditions in the presence of label noise in multivariate time series data.

Raising Awareness of the Severity of “Contactless Stings” by Cassiopea Jellyfish and Kin

Discussion around avoidance and mitigation of jellyfish stings has traditionally focused on swimmers and divers being mindful of their behavior relative to swimming medusae (pelagic jellyfish). This framework must be restructured with the inclusion of the oblique risk posed by novel autonomous stinging structures like cassiosomes from Cassiopea (a jellyfish genus of the taxonomic order Rhizostomeae). Cassiosomes are released by Cassiopea sp. into subtropical waters that can consequently sting human skin, causing varying degrees of pain and irritation; this trait extends to other rhizostome jellyfish species. Swimmers and waders may put themselves at risk simply by coming into contact with agitated water in the vicinity of Cassiopea medusae, even without touching any part of the jellyfish (medusa, tentacles, or otherwise). Herein, we highlight details provided by 46 researchers and professional aquarists reporting incidents in which they experienced “stinging water” sensations, which we also refer to as “contactless stings’’. We report these findings in order to increase the awareness of a public safety hazard the community may be unaware of in their own labs, aquariums, and sampling locations.

Toxoplasma gondii in pork and pigs in Serbia – a real food safety hazard

Infection with the apicomplexan protozoon Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most prevalent parasitic zoonotic infections globally, with existing seroprevalences varying between continents, countries, and even within countries and between individual communities. It is estimated that one third of the world’s human population is infected with T. gondii, with many studies showing that the dominant mode of infection is consumption of undercooked meat harbouring T. gondii tissue cysts. Prevalences of infection in food animals in different countries range from 0 to 93%. Because of the absence of clinical symptoms in infected animals, and the unfeasibility of rapid and unequivocal detection of microscopic tissue cysts in pork, infected pigs remain unrecognized, and their meat becomes an essential source of infection for humans. The data on T. gondii infection in pigs in Serbia from several studies, as well as on the detection of the parasite in different food categories, from fresh pork to heat-treated products, are discussed.

Computer Assisted Patient Monitoring: Associated Patient, Clinical and ECG Characteristics and Strategy to Minimize False Alarms

This chapter is a review of studies that have examined false arrhythmia alarms during in-hospital electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring in the intensive care unit. In addition, we describe an annotation effort being conducted at the UCSF School of Nursing, Center for Physiologic Research designed to improve algorithms for lethal arrhythmias (i.e., asystole, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia). Background: Alarm fatigue is a serious patient safety hazard among hospitalized patients. Data from the past five years, showed that alarm fatigue was responsible for over 650 deaths, which is likely lower than the actual number due to under-reporting. Arrhythmia alarms are a common source of false alarms and 90% are false. While clinical scientists have implemented a number of interventions to reduce these types of alarms (e.g., customized alarm settings; daily skin electrode changes; disposable vs. non-disposable lead wires; and education), only minor improvements have been made. This is likely as these interventions do not address the primary problem of false arrhythmia alarms, namely deficient and outdated arrhythmia algorithms. In this chapter we will describe a number of ECG features associated with false arrhythmia alarms. In addition, we briefly discuss an annotation effort our group has undertaken to improve lethal arrhythmia algorithms.

Aeronautic pilot training and augmented reality

<p class="Abstract">A pre-flight checklist requires in-depth technical knowledge of the aircraft and its dashboard, avionics, instruments, functions, and cabin layout. The student in training to be a pilot or advanced pilot, to obtain an updated certification, must know very thoroughly each instrument and its position on the flight panel. Every second spent searching for the location of an instrument, switch or indicator can waste time, resulting in a poor start-up procedure and possibly a safety hazard. The objective of this research was to obtain preliminary data to determine if the use of AR as a human interface for training can help pilots improve their skills and help them learn new flight panel layouts of different aircraft. The methodology used was Human-Centered Design (HCD) which is a multidisciplinary process that involves many actors who collaborate on design skills, including people who belong to this process such as flight instructors, students, and pilots. A mobile/tablet application prototype was created with enough detail of a flight panel of a Cessna150, an aircraft used in training flights at the Santa Catarina Aeroclub. The tests were applied in Brazil and the results showed a good response and acceptance from the users.</p>

Analysis of the Current State of Automation of Hazard Detection Processes in BIM in Slovakia

Building information modeling (BIM) brings several benefits to design and construction companies, especially in higher efficiency and quality of work. Several companies also use common data environment (CDE) systems, which speed up communication and collaboration between project participants. These can be used for occupational health and safety (HS) purposes and to increase the level of HS on construction sites. The first part of the article presents the state-of-the-art possibilities and approaches to implementing BIM in automatic or semi-automatic health and safety hazard detection. The following parts analyze the interviews with experts in BIM coordination, project management and health and safety in Slovakia and their answers to a survey, that covers the topic of safety hazard detection in BIM. The analysis shows that BIM is a suitable tool for increasing safety on construction sites, but there are several obstacles to achieving its full potential. The survey brings readers closer to the current state of the topic and the possibilities offered by BIM and CDE software in Slovakia. This paper, through the requirements and opinions of experts in BIM, project management and HS management, points out areas for further research and development of BIM software.

Designing for People’s Safety on Flooded Streets: Uncertainties and the Influence of the Cross-Section Shape, Roughness and Slopes on Hazard Criteria

Designing for exceedance events consists in designing a continuous route for overland flow to deal with flows exceeding the sewer system’s capacity and to mitigate flooding risk. A review is carried out here on flood safety/hazard criteria, which generally establish thresholds for the water depth and flood velocity, or a relationship between them. The effects of the cross-section shape, roughness and slope of streets in meeting the criteria are evaluated based on equations, graphical results and one case study. An expedited method for the verification of safety criteria based solely on flow is presented, saving efforts in detailing models and increasing confidence in the results from simplified models. The method is valid for 0.1 m2/s 0.5 m2/s. The results showed that a street with a 1.8% slope, 75 m1/3s−1 and a rectangular cross-section complies with the threshold 0.3 m2/s for twice the flow of a street with the same width but with a conventional cross-section shape. The flow will be four times greater for a 15% street slope. The results also highlighted that the flood flows can vary significantly along the streets depending on the sewers’ roughness and the flow transfers between the major and minor systems, such that the effort detailing a street’s cross-section must be balanced with all of the other sources of uncertainty.