Design and On-Field Validation of an Embedded System for Monitoring Second-Life Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Batteries.

In the last few years, the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the transportation sector has contributed to the increased use of electric rechargeable batteries. At present, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most commonly used in electric vehicles. Although once their storage capacity has dropped to below 80-70% it is no longer possible to use these batteries in EVs, it is feasible to use them in second-life applications as stationary energy storage systems.

Working capital management, financial constraints and exports: evidence from European and US manufacturers.

This paper investigates the effect of firms' working capital management, measured by the cash conversion cycle (CCC) on exports, on both the intensive and extensive margins. By using Heckman's two-stage model for the treatment of sample selection bias, we find that the longer the CCC, the lower firms' likelihood of exporting and the lower the volume of their exports. This phenomenon is economically more relevant for financially constrained firms than for unconstrained firms.

Direct observation of ideal electromagnetic fluids.

Near-zero-index (NZI) media have been theoretically identified as media where electromagnetic radiations behave like ideal electromagnetic fluids. Within NZI media, the electromagnetic power flow obeys equations similar to those of motion for the velocity field in an ideal fluid, so that optical turbulence is intrinsically inhibited. Here, we experimentally observe the electromagnetic power flow distribution of such an ideal electromagnetic fluid propagating within a cutoff waveguide by a semi-analytical reconstruction technique.

Worldwide Research Trends on Milk Containing Only A2 β-Casein: A Bibliometric Study.

The protein fraction of β-casein may play a key role in the manifestation of a new intolerance: milk protein intolerance. The most common forms of β-casein among dairy cattle breeds are A1 and A2 β-casein. During gastrointestinal digestion of A1 β-casein, an opioid called peptide β-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7) is more frequently released, which can lead to adverse health outcomes.

COVID-19 infection and complications according to ABO blood group in the elderly: A population-based subcohort and meta-analysis.

Background And Objectives: It is reported that ABO antibodies have a role in COVID-19 infection and severity; however, ABO antibody titres vary with advanced age. The aim was to analyse the association between ABO blood group and risk of COVID-19 infection and complications in elderly patients, and to contrast this data with findings in the overall adult population.

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort study of the Navarre (Spain) population aged ≥60 years and a meta-analysis of published studies including participants of ≥60 years were carried out.

Tryptophan Levels as a Marker of Auxins and Nitric Oxide Signaling.

The aromatic amino acid tryptophan is the main precursor for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which involves various parallel routes in plants, with indole-3-acetaldoxime (IAOx) being one of the most common intermediates. Auxin signaling is well known to interact with free radical nitric oxide (NO) to perform a more complex effect, including the regulation of root organogenesis and nitrogen nutrition. To fathom the link between IAA and NO, we use a metabolomic approach to analyze the contents of low-molecular-mass molecules in cultured cells of after the application of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), an NO donor or IAOx.

The importance of the urea cycle and its relationships to polyamine metabolism during ammonium stress in Medicago truncatula.

The ornithine-urea cycle (urea cycle) makes a significant contribution to the metabolic responses of lower photosynthetic eukaryotes to episodes of high nitrogen availability. In this study, we compared the role of the plant urea cycle and its relationships to polyamine metabolism in ammonium-fed and nitrate-fed Medicago truncatula plants. High ammonium resulted in the accumulation of ammonium and pathway intermediates, particularly glutamine, arginine, ornithine, and putrescine.

The witching week of herding on bitcoin exchanges.

This paper analyses the herding behaviour among exchanges around the expiration of bitcoin futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). The database extends from December 2017 to October 2020, taking as a reference the main exchanges that trade bitcoin (Binance, Bitfinex, Bitstamp, Coinbase, itBit, Kraken, and Gemini) and using hourly closing prices and trading volumes in bitcoin and US dollars. Adapting the proposal of Chang, Cheng and Khorana (2000) (CCK) to test conditional herding, we obtain results that indicate that the herding effect is significant during the week before expiration.

Dementia Risk Score for a Population in Southern Europe Calculated Using Competing Risk Models.

Background: Dementia prevention can be addressed if the intervention is applied early.

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop and validate competing risk models to predict the late risk of dementia based on variables assessed in middle age in a southern European population.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of the EPIC-Spain cohort that included 25,015 participants.

In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles in Layer-by-Layer Polymeric Coatings for the Fabrication of Optical Fiber Sensors.

A new method is proposed to tune the interferometric response of wavelength-based optical fiber sensors. Using the nanoparticle in situ synthesis (ISS) technique, it is possible to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within a pre-existing polymeric thin film deposited at the end-face of an optical fiber. This post-process technique allows us to adjust the optical response of the device.

A grounded theory approach to understanding in-game goods purchase.

Video game companies are increasingly diversifying their profit models. Rather than relying exclusively on the sale of video game titles or the subscription model, video game companies are maximising the revenues and extending the lifecycle of their games by means of a strategy based on the sale of in-game goods. This study contributes to the theory on in-game goods purchases by explaining why and how video game players purchase different types of in-game goods.

Effect of Nutritional Factors and Copper on the Regulation of Laccase Enzyme Production in .

This research aimed to establish the relationship between carbon-nitrogen nutritional factors and copper sulfate on laccase activity (LA) by  . Culture media composition was tested to choose the nitrogen source. Yeast extract (YE) was selected as a better nitrogen source than ammonium sulfate.

Perceived Health and Earnings: Evidence from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015.

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between perceived health and earnings across Europe. Empirical analysis is based on the last published round from the European Working Conditions Survey (N = 43,850) and offers updated evidence on the effect of earnings on perceived health in 35 countries. The main findings show a positive and significant relationship between earnings and health, which is consistent with the existing literature.

The Spanish Version of the Child Medical Fear Questionnaire: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation.

Having valid and reliable tools that help health professionals to assess fear in children undergoing medical procedures is essential to offer humanised and quality of care in the paediatric population. The aim of this study was to develop the cross-cultural adaptation and the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the "Child Medical Fear Scale" in its shortened version (CMFS-R). The design consisted of two phases: first, of cross-cultural adaptation and second, of the psychometric validation of the CMFS-R with a sample of 262 children from Spain, applying a cross-sectional design.

Fault Detection of Planetary Gears Based on Signal Space Constellations.

A new method to process the vibration signal acquired by an accelerometer placed in a planetary gearbox housing is proposed, which is useful to detect potential faults. The method is based on the phenomenological model and consists of the projection of the healthy vibration signals onto an orthonormal basis. Low pass components representation and Gram-Schmidt's method are conveniently used to obtain such a basis.

Comparison of Culturing and Metabarcoding Methods to Describe the Fungal Endophytic Assemblage of Growing in a Range of Anthropized Disturbance Regimes.

Fungal endophytes develop inside plants without visible external signs, and they may confer adaptive advantages to their hosts. Culturing methods have been traditionally used to recognize the fungal endophytic assemblage, but novel metabarcoding techniques are being increasingly applied. This study aims to characterize the fungal endophytic assemblage in shoots, rhizomes and roots of the tall grass growing in a large area of natural grasslands with a continuum of anthropized disturbance regimes.

Modeling of the Influence of Input AM Parameters on Dimensional Error and Form Errors in PLA Parts Printed with FFF Technology.

As is widely known, additive manufacturing (AM) allows very complex parts to be manufactured with porous structures at a relatively low cost and in relatively low manufacturing times. However, it is necessary to determine in a precise way the input values that allow better results to be obtained in terms of microgeometry, form errors, and dimensional error. In an earlier work, the influence of the process parameters on surface roughness obtained in fused filament fabrication (FFF) processes was analyzed.

Strain Degeneration in : A Genotype Dependent Oxidative Stress Process Which Triggers Oxidative Stress, Cellular Detoxifying and Cell Wall Reshaping Genes.

Strain degeneration has been defined as a decrease or loss in the yield of important commercial traits resulting from subsequent culture, which ultimately leads to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production. is a lignin-producing nematophagous edible mushroom. Mycelia for mushroom production are usually maintained in subsequent culture in solid media and frequently show symptoms of strain degeneration.

A DNA Methylation-Based Gene Signature Can Predict Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer (BC) subtype and lacks targeted treatment. It is diagnosed by the absence of immunohistochemical expression of several biomarkers, but this method still displays some interlaboratory variability. DNA methylome aberrations are common in BC, thereby methylation profiling could provide the identification of accurate TNBC diagnosis biomarkers.

Associations of fitness and physical activity with specific abdominal fat depots in children with overweight/obesity.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between physical fitness and physical activity (PA) with specific abdominal fat depots and their potential implications for cardiometabolic risk and insulin resistance (IR) in children with overweight/obesity.

Materials And Methods: A total of 116 children with overweight/obesity (10.7 ± 1.

Density of nurses and midwives in sub-Saharan Africa: Trends analysis over the period 2004-2016.

Aim: To analyse the trends of density rates of nurses and midwives per population in sub-Saharan Africa over the period from 2004 to 2016.

Background: Nursing, the largest health care workforce, is actively contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The African continent is one of the most affected areas by the differences in the density of nurses and midwives indicator.