A national cohort study (2000-2018) of long-term air pollution exposure and incident dementia in older adults in the United States.

Air pollution may increase risk of Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the U.S., but the extent of this relationship is unclear. Here, we constructed two national U.S. population-based cohorts of those aged ≥65 from the Medicare Chronic Conditions Warehouse (2000-2018), combined with high-resolution air pollution datasets, to investigate the association of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) with dementia and AD incidence, respectively. We identified ~2.0 million incident dementia cases (N = 12,233,371; dementia cohort) and ~0.8 million incident AD cases (N = 12,456,447; AD cohort). Per interquartile range (IQR) increase in the 5-year average PM2.5 (3.2 µg/m3), NO2 (11.6 ppb), and warm-season O3 (5.3 ppb) over the past 5 years prior to diagnosis, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 1.060 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.054, 1.066), 1.019 (95% CI: 1.012, 1.026), and 0.990 (95% CI: 0.987, 0.993) for incident dementias, and 1.078 (95% CI: 1.070, 1.086), 1.031 (95% CI: 1.023, 1.039), and 0.982 (95%CI: 0.977, 0.986) for incident AD, respectively, for the three pollutants. For both outcomes, concentration-response relationships for PM2.5 and NO2 were approximately linear. Our study suggests that exposures to PM2.5 and NO2 are associated with incidence of dementia and AD

Coevolution of male and female genital morphology in Waterfowl

Most birds have simple genitalia; males lack external genitalia and females have simple vaginas. However, male waterfowl have a phallus whose length (1.5–>40 cm) and morphological elaborations vary among species and are positively correlated with the frequency of forced extra-pair copulations among waterfowl species. Here we report morphological complexity in female genital morphology in waterfowl and describe variation vaginal morphology that is unprecedented in birds. This variation comprises two anatomical novelties: (i) dead end sacs, and (ii) clockwise coils. These vaginal structures appear to function to exclude the intromission of the counter-clockwise spiralling male phallus without female cooperation. A phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of 16 waterfowl species shows that the degree of vaginal elaboration is positively correlated with phallus length, demonstrating that female morphological complexity has co-evolved with male phallus length. Intersexual selection is most likely responsible for the observed coevolution, although identifying the specific mechanism is difficult. Our results suggest that females have evolved a cryptic anatomical mechanism of choice in response to forced extra-pair copulations.Funding was provided by an NSF post-doctoral research fellowship to P. Brennan. (NSF

Electrospinning as a route to advanced carbon fibre materials for selected low-temperature electrochemical devices: a review

Electrospinning has been proven as a highly versatile fabrication method for producing nano-structured fibres with controllable morphology, of both the fibres themselves and the void structure of the mats. Additionally, it is possible to use heteroatom doped polymers or to include catalytic precursors in the electrospinning solution to control the surface properties of the fibres. These factors make it an ideal method for the production of electrodes and flow media for a variety of electrochemical devices, enabling reduction in mass transport and activation overpotentials and therefore increasing efficiency. Moreover, the use of biomass as a polymer source has recently gained attention for the ability to embed sustainable principles in the materials of electrochemical devices, complementing their ability to allow an increase in the use of renewable electricity via their application. In this review, the historical and recent developments of electrospun materials for application in redox flow batteries, fuel cells, metal air batteries and supercapacitors are thoroughly reviewed, including an overview of the electrospinning process and a guide to best practice. Finally, we provide an outlook for the emerging use of this process in the field of electrochemical energy devices with the hope that the combination of tailored microstructure, surface functionality and computer modelling will herald a new era of bespoke functional materials that can significantly improve the performance of the devices in which they are used

Enhancing Safety In Lithium-ion Batteries With Additive-based Liquid Electrolytes: A Critical Review

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in various applications due to their high energy density, columbic efficiency, and scalability. While their safety mechanisms, such as heat-resistant separators, make them suitable for high-power devices, they require additional features when used in high-current and high-temperature systems. To address some of their inherent drawbacks, liquid electrolyte additives are increasingly being used in modern batteries. These chemicals, including borate, phosphate, nitrate, and phosphite, as well as polymers and other additives, can suppress the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase and dendrite layers, enhance thermal stability and useful life, and improve cycling characteristics. This paper provides an overview of the latest developments in contemporary additives and their significant contributions to battery efficacy. Additionally, the critical relationships between the thermal and electrochemical properties that impact battery safety are discussed

Characterization and Preliminary Assessment of Diesel Fire Prior to Setting Up Large Size Battery Fire Experiment

Any fire could quickly destroy human lives including casualties. Fire risk exposure by diesel-powered vehicles in confined area is critical. Also, turning to battery powered vehicles, fire risk is worse. Li-ion battery fire produces intense heat, smoke, and complex toxic gasses. among them, toxic gases constitute a significant threat to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to study the detailed identification of gas emissions from the battery fire. Previous studies reported the emission of toxic gases after firing the different types of batteries, still unknown gases are not studied or quantified. Remarkably, real-time gas analysis is not explored very well which motivates us to conduct this work. in this primary study, we conducted a large-scale diesel fire test at the predesigned fire station. the fire was recorded using the IR radiation from the thermal camera. the total fire lasted about 20 min with a maximum fire temperature of 601ºC. Thermocouple 1 (T1) measured the maximum temperature of 39ºC which is comparatively lower than Thermocouple 2 (T2) due to the considerable distance between them about 2 ft. This primary fire characteristics investigation will provide a new way to conduct large scale battery fires and a detailed understanding of battery fire and associated health risks