Owing to the serious energy crisis and environmental problems caused by fossil energy consumption, development of highenergy-density batteries is becoming increasingly significant to satisfy the rapidly growing social demands. Lithium-ion batteries have received widespread attention because of their high energy densities and environmental friendliness. At present, they are widely used in portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, security aspects need to be addressed urgently. Substantial advances in liquid electrolyte-based lithium-ion batteries have become a performance bottleneck in the recent years. Traditional lithium-ion batteries use organic liquids as electrolytes, but the flammability and corrosion of these electrolytes considerably limit their development. Continuous growth of lithium dendrites can pierce the separator, leading to electrolyte leakage and combustion, which is a serious safety hazard. Replacement of organic electrolytes with solid-state electrolytes is one of the promising solutions for the development of next-generation energy storage devices, because they have high energy densities and are safe. Solid electrolytes can remarkably alleviate the safety hazards involved in the use of traditional liquid-based lithium-ion batteries. In addition, the composite of solid-state electrolytes and lithium metal is expected to result in a higher energy density. However, due to the lack of fluidity of the solid electrolytes, problems such as limited solid-solid contact area and increased impedance at the interface when solid-state electrolytes are in contact with electrodes must be solved. The localized and buried interface is a major drawback that restricts the electrochemical performance and practical applications of the solid-state batteries. Fabrication of a stable interface between the electrodes and solid-state electrolyte is the main challenge in the development of solid-state lithium metal batteries. All these aspects are critical to the electrochemical performance and safety of the solid-state batteries. Current research mainly focuses on addressing the problems related to the solid-solid interface in solid-state batteries and improving the electrochemical performance of such batteries. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the challenges in the fabrication of solid-state batteries, including poor chemical and electrochemical compatibilities and mechanical instability. Research progress on the improvement strategies for interface problems and the advanced characterization methods for the interface problems are discussed in detail. Meanwhile, we also propose a prospect for the future development of solid-state batteries to guide the rational designing of next-generation high-energy solid-state batteries. There are many critical problems in solid-state batteries that must be fully understood. With further research, allsolid-state batteries are expected to replace the traditional liquid-based lithium-ion batteries and become an important system for a safe and reliable ene...
In this paper theoretical and empirical models of intra-industry trade are developed in which economic activities, based on measurement and an associated measurement infrastructure, play a role in creating product variety. The paper discusses how the measurement infrastructure which includes institutions conducting metrological research and standard setting organization reduces transactions costs, especially in markets where differences in product characteristics are important. The theoretical analysis focuses on the public good characteristics of the measurement infrastructure, considering how the infrastructure impacts upon trade in a model based upon product differentiation under monopolistic competition. In the econometric analysis, indicators of the strength of the infrastructure within the EU, both across industries and across countries, suggest that measurement activities are important in determining the extent of bi-lateral EU intra-industry trade. Despite many common elements in the measurement infrastructure across the EU, there is also some evidence of differential access to the infrastructure among EU members.
Purpose This paper aims to examine the perceptions of good design attributes and propose a model to estimate their relative importance through fundamental drivers. Design activities must understand and meet customer and producer expectations and deliver products in a profitable manner. Requirements analysis is conducted to understand customer expectations, but in new product development, this information can be available too late in the development cycle. Moreover, customer needs are often unclear to designers at early stages of design, with customers often unable to articulate their requirements or unaware of how a new product may solve problems or create complications. Evaluating non-product-specific drivers to generalized good product design attributes can help designers estimate important factors in early requirements analysis. Design/methodology/approach Quantification of the weight designers place in their mental models of what makes up a good product is determined from linear regression modeling, providing a more concrete evaluation of inherently subjective perceptions. A survey is deployed using Mechanical TurkTM to collect perceptions of good product attributes and drivers through product case studies. Data are analyzed using a utility theory framework and importance of attributes is estimated from the importance of drivers. Findings A generalized model that estimates good design attributes from drivers is presented. This study also demonstrates that non-product-specific attribute importance can be extracted from specific product cases. An application example demonstrating the relative importance of good design attributes is given for different types of watches. Research limitations/implications The approach is intended to supplement ordinary product design and development processes, and is not intended to replace market research and concept testing activities. Model coefficient weights are dependent on the quality of the data that was collected, which has limitations. While the current study included confounding variables, introducing interactions into the model could make attribute importance prediction more accurate. Practical implications While design requirements analysis is now central to modern design practice, these estimates can be available too late in the development cycle, especially when customers have no experience with the product type. The developed model quantifies design attributes that consumers, manufacturers and society as a whole use to distinguish if a product will be considered well designed. Product designers can better focus their development resources toward good design attributes based on guidance generated from generalized drivers. Originality/value Historically, requirements analysis is undertaken specific to the product being designed. This paper provides a model to give designers early guidance in a non-product-specific framework. The framework also considers good design attributes as holistic, including societal and producer concerns. Although all of the proposed good design attributes can be associated with a well-engineered product, it is unnecessary to design a product that performs exceptionally on every attribute. This model provides identification of the handful of attributes that can make the most significant difference for design success.
Modern zoos and aquariums position themselves as sites of conservation learning experiences. With a mantle of economic and public accountability, zoos and aquariums need to understand and promote conservation learning and its related components. While a great deal is known about conservation learning generally, less is known about how visitor experiences in zoos and aquariums impact conservation learning during a visit. This article outlines the need for more rigorous measurement tools for conservation learning in informal learning settings and provides an overview of Shedd Aquarium's work to validate an instrument that reliably and accurately measures aspects of conservation learning in the context of zoo experiences. Initial trends and limitations associated with this validated tool are described. An overview of future research is outlined as are implications for future use of this tool by practitioners and researchers.
The pharmaceutical industry is recognized as an industry with "high pollution and high energy consumption". In recent years, with the further promotion of national environmental protection policies, the responsibility of disclosure environmental information of pharmaceutical companies has also become the focus of attention. This paper narrates the correlation and action mechanism between the quality of environmental information disclosure in the pharmaceutical industry and the profitability of enterprises, and selects 19 representative enterprises in the pharmaceutical industry from 2012 to 2015 as research objects to make an empirical analysis. The analysis found that the disclosure level of environmental information in the pharmaceutical industry is highly positively correlated with the profitability of enterprises, that is, the higher the level of environmental information disclosure, the stronger the profitability of enterprises. In the increasingly serious environmental pollution situation, pharmaceutical companies should take the ARTICLE DETAILS ARTICLE HISTORY:
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