New way to create fast-charging lithium-ion batteries discovered

"The way to make batteries better is to improve the materials used for the electrodes," said Nikhil Koratkar, a professor at Rensselaer. "What we are trying to do is make lithium-ion technology even better in performance," Koratkar said in a statement. The team improved battery performance by substituting cobalt oxide with vanadium disulfide (VS2). "It gives you higher energy density, because it's light. And it gives you faster charging capability, because it's highly conductive. From those points of view, we were attracted to this material," said Koratkar. Excitement surrounding the potential of VS2 has been growing in recent years, but until now, Koratkar said, researchers had been challenged by its instability -- a characteristic that would lead to short battery life. The researchers not only established why that instability was happening, but also developed a way to combat it. The team determined that lithium insertion caused an asymmetry in the spacing between vanadium atoms, known as Peierls distortion, which was responsible for the breakup of the VS2 flakes. They discovered that covering the flakes with a nanolayered coating of titanium disulfide (TiS2) -- a material that does not Peierls distort -- would stabilize the VS2 flakes and improve their performance within the battery. "The TiS2 coating acts as a buffer layer. It holds the VS2 material together, providing mechanical support," said Koratkar. Once that problem was solved, the team found that the VS2-TiS2 electrodes could operate at a high specific capacity, or store a lot of charge per unit mass. Koratkar said that vanadium and sulphur's small size and weight allow them to deliver a high capacity and energy density. Their small size would also contribute to a compact battery. When charging was done more quickly, Koratkar said, the capacity didn't dip as significantly as it often does with other electrodes. The electrodes were able to maintain a reasonable capacity because, unlike cobalt oxide, the VS2-TiS2 material is electrically conductive. Koratkar sees multiple applications for this discovery in improving car batteries, power for portable electronics, and solar energy storage where high capacity is important, but increased charging speed would also be attractive. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The New Indian Expresshttp://doodleordie.com/profile/zinnazepesan

Fire torches top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

he cause of the catastrophic blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is "potentially linked" to a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the church's spire and its 250 tons of lead. Paris police said there were no reported deaths.Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Sights of the flames stopped passers-by in their tracks along the Seine River that passes beneath the cathedral.French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a televised speech to the nation because of the stunning blaze and was going to the cathedral himself.French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the fire was destroying "invaluable heritage.""It's been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris", Pascal said. "Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame."He recalled that Notre Dame bells sounded the death knell following the 2015 Paris attacks."We can be only horrified by what we see", Pascal said.Associated Press reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow-brown smoke filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the centre of Paris.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is in despair at the "terrible fire." Hidalgo said in a Twitter message that Paris firefighters are still trying to limit the fire and urged Paris citizens to respect the security perimeter that has been set around the cathedral.Hidalgo said Paris authorities are in touch with Paris diocese. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://anotepad.com/notes/ifwgq2

Hyderabad: Name deletion irks many, Election Commission says nothing major

'My name and the names of my parents, siblings, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, cousins, and a few friends have been deleted. All of us had voted in the Assembly elections. This is disappointing,' Ms Humera Firdouse said. Similarly, six members — Mohammed Salee, Zubeda Banu, Abdul Razzak, Zaitunnisa, Mohammed Suleman, Syeda Ahraf Begum, Syed Ahmedi — who come under the Chevella constituency found that there names were deleted. Mr S. Lakshmi Kanth said in a letter that he wrote to Deccan Chronicle, 'I voted in the state elections. However, my name was not to be found on the voters' list today. But my wife's name, which was missing in the list during the December elections, was there today. In addition to that, my daughter left for the US in 2003 but her name still appears in the voters' list. If there are two errors in listing in a small family of just three, then one can only imagine the volume of errors across the country.' There were other issues as well, with voting beginning late. A voter, Mr Gangadhar Pasam, wrote to Deccan Chronicle: 'In order to avoid the summer heat, many senior citizens gathered at the Vengalraonagar polling booth at 6.30 am. However, voters had to wait as voting commenced 45 minutes later at the Govt. Primary School, Vengalraonagar. How can the EC expect more people to vote if it lacks punctuality and discipline.' There were more complaints in Secunderabad, Malakgiri, Hyderabad, and Chevella seats. Many voters took to social media to express their disappointment after finding that their names were deleted. 'Highly disappointed to find out that my name has been deleted from the voters' list for NO reason and that there's not a single soul at the polling centre to help with any further information on how to proceed. There is no helpline either, in case we'd like to know what happens. Can anyone help? (sic),' said Ms Pooja Prahalad. On being asked, an officer at the chief election office said, 'We have got a few complaints on deletions. However, this cannot be considered as a large number.' Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://justpaste.it/2jxs2

http://www.subzerotyler.com/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/91096/Default.aspx

Shazam! is about a superhero with dual-identity issues

It's a nice change of pace for a big-screen mega-comic, if not a revolutionary shift. There are still a lot of brand shilling and the usual tediously overextended fights, ka-pow and ka-boom. But these are delivered via Shazam, a charmingly breezy avenger in tights once known as Captain Marvel, aka the World's Mightiest Mortal, or as I thought of him going in: Who?The answer emerges piecemeal in Shazam!, another movie about a superhero with dual-identity issues. Here, the divided self begins with Billy (Asher Angel, a relaxed, natural presence), a foundling with pluck, heart and a sob story. He's on a mission to find his mother (longish story), a journey that - as sometimes happens in male quests - leads him to a surrogate father. This one is an ancient wizard called, ta-da, Wizard (Djimon Hounsou in a comic Halloween-ish get-up), who passes his magic to Billy. Once back in his normal realm, Billy discovers that he can tap great powers by saying the word "shazam", which turns him into a hero with an adult body (Zachary Levi).If this sounds familiar - the Moses-like saviour who learns he's meant for greatness - it's because the character was conceived to compete with Superman. Yet because Shazam isn't as well known as Supes et al., he's not as weighed down with fan expectations, the fate of the world and auteurist aspirations. The filmmakers (Henry Gayden wrote the script, David F. Sandberg directed) adhere to the heroic template, which means there's a regulation villain (the reliably watchable Mark Strong) with schemes. But they also fill in the faces and places, and add enough shading and colour to Billy's world that when his inevitable fight against evil happens it feels as if something more than the box office is at stake.Of course, a franchise may be at stake, though considering how often the movie name-drops Batman and Superman, it can't help but feel as if the entire DC movie world is on the line. And maybe Shazam is a risk, just because he's an unfamiliar avenger in a wildly overcrowded field. Created in 1939 and originally called Captain Marvel (and physically modelled on the actor Fred MacMurray), this one was a hit and earned fans like Elvis Presley, who apparently borrowed his forelock and lightning bolt from the comic. But for legal reasons, Captain Marvel went into storage only to be later resurrected by DC as Shazam. (DC's long-time foe, Marvel Comics, managed to trademark the character's first name for the avenger currently played by Brie Larson in Captain Marvel.)The new movie quickly dusts off the Shazam story, first by grounding it in Billy, a sweet, if somewhat melancholic mischief-maker who soon becomes an appealing protagonist. The opening scene involving a couple of dimwit cops feels as ancient as a Bowery Boys movie, perhaps intentionally. Things soon settle into an easy, everyday groove when Billy moves into a new foster home, a sprawl populated by kids (Jack Dylan Grazer, among them) who are generally cute instead of cutesy. Tenderly overseen by Rosa and Victor (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews), the house has a lived-in cosiness, a warmth and security that feels as unforced as the mix of ethnicities and races.Once Billy says that magic word and his supersized alter ego appears, the movie goes to its happy place and comfortably embraces its own identity as a light, jocular, modest entertainment. Levi is best known for his television roles (Chuck, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), but he easily scales up for the big screen. He can look like a beefier, tougher John Krasinski; as Shazam, though, Levi is pure cartoon, from his bootblacked helmet of hair to his tumescent musculature. Ken-doll plastic and handsome, he is an ideal, suitably absurd figure on which to hang an old-fashioned hero with a satiny high-collared cape and a fat yellow arrow suggestively pointing down.The arrow is a winking joke and as subtle as the nod to the Tom Hanks body-swapping comedy Big. It's also a reminder of Billy's larger human journey, a metamorphosis that remains humorously, identifiably awkward, even as he wills his inner super-adult to heroic life. Angel's performance lays the groundwork for the character - and keeps him tethered to reality - while Levi lifts Shazam up with an exuberant turn that conveys the delight of Billy's extreme transformation as well as its lingering adolescent ungainliness and excess. It's one thing to fight evil, but Shazam's eye-popping, slack-jawed, discordant physicality is a reminder that it's just as tough to get a grip on yourself. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://www.aeriagames.com/user/descptodeen/

Voting made easy for specially abled

These three are physically challenged but they came to vote and were provided with transportation. Upon reaching the polling booth, Pynjam was carried by an election friend while Daniel was given a wheelchair. Joycy chose to walk on her own, her walking stick for support," Kharjana said."Since last year's Assembly polls, we have been provided with facilities to enable us to cast our votes. This time the facilities provided were more and hence we are inspired to go and vote," Kharjana said.There are 4,686 specially abled voters in the state. Of them, 2,540 are male, he said. From providing Braille ballots to training booth-level officers on sign language and appointing accessibility observers in both the parliamentary constituencies, the office of the chief electoral officer has been giving priority to people with disabilities to ensure that they, too, come out to vote.Kharjana said he has been receiving messages from his associates located across the Khasi hills informing him that they were provided with facilities to exercise their franchise.The elderly, including nonagenarians, also exercised their franchise. The election friends were there to lend them a hand. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://bmxmuseum.com/user/260255

'Fake news': Ex-services chiefs say they never wrote to President over politicisation of military

After 42 years as an officer, it is a little late to change. We have always put India first. I do not know who these people are and it (the letter with names of officers) is a classic manifestation of fake news," General Rodrigues said. Sources in Rashtrapati Bhawan say they have not recieved this letter that is going around in social media. However, the President's office said it has received one letter from former air chief Marshal NC Suri who has denied having written anything on the issue @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/oHZsmU7NtL - Sana Shakil (@sanashakil_TNIE) April 12, 2019 The purported letter, which went viral on social media, named eight former services chiefs including General Rodrigues and Ex-Air Chief Nirmal Chandra Suri. # Goa: General SF Rodrigues who is mentioned as the first signatory in the purported letter written by armed forces veterans to President, denies signing it. pic.twitter.com/h1PNBCV909 - ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2019 Air Chief Marshal Suri said, "This is not Admiral Ramdas' letter and it has been done by some Major Chaudhary. He has written this letter and this was coming on WhatsApp and emails. To put an end to it, I wrote that armed forces are apolitical and support the politically elected government." "My consent has not been taken for any such letter. And I do not agree with whatever has been written in that letter... We have been misquoted by this Major Chaudhary," he added. # Nirmala Sitharaman on purported letter to Pres signed by Armed Forces veterans: 2 senior officers said they haven't given consent,worrying that fake letters being signed by vested groups.Condemnable. Rashtrapati Bhawan has also said that they have not received the letter. pic.twitter.com/VQdWhbgKh5 - ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2019 Former Army Vice Chief Lt General ML Naidu, who figured in the purported letter, said, "No, my consent has not been taken for any such letter and neither have I written any such letter." However, Major General Harsha Kakkar, an ex-officer who was also named, said, "Yes, I had given my consent for being a signatory to the letter. I had given my consent only after knowing the contents of it." function catchException() {try{ twitterJSDidLoad(); }catch(e){}} function getAndroidVersion(ua) {ua = (ua || navigator.userAgent).toLowerCase(); var match = ua.match(/android\\s([0-9\\.]*)/);return match ? match[1] : false;}; var versions='4.2.2'; var versionArray=versions.split(',');var currentAndroidVersion=getAndroidVersion();if(versionArray.indexOf(currentAndroidVersion)!=-1){var blocks = document.getElementsByTagName('blockquote'); for(var i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++){blocks[i].innerHTML = '';}}DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The New Indian Expresshttps://www.theverge.com/users/rowdybabyso

http://www.trakyadans.com/UserProfile/tabid/57/userId/111877/Default.aspx

Congress hand in glove with anti-nationals, says Adityanath

Lord Ram is associated with the memories of Ayodhya and Chhattisgarh but some people are now denying the existence of Ram. Congress is raising questions over the existence of Ram. It was the Congress that raised questions over the Ram Setu and tried then to destroy it," he said.Time has come to teach a lesson to those who raise questions over the existence of Ram, he said."We will avenge the insult of Lord Ram," he vowed.Highlighting various schemes launched by the BJP-led central government, he said, "Modi ji has been working to fulfil the dream of 'ek bharat, shrestha (superior) bharat'."The Congress government is not serious in tackling terrorism and Naxalism and the recent killing of BJP MLA is its example."If you want to see law and order then come to Uttar Pradesh," he said.Mandavi and four police personnel were killed on April 9 in a Naxal attack in Dantewada district of the state."Had the BJP been in power now, this (Naxal attack on BJP MLA) could have been avoided," he said.Adityanath also accused the Congress of denying benefits of the welfare schemes to the people in the state, he said, "Mafia raj of the Congress in the state is trying to end various schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana, meant to benefit the people, and were operational in the previous Raman Singh government."In Chhattisgarh, mining and land mafias have become influential (after Congress came to power), he alleged.He also appealed to people to vote for Modi to make him the prime minister again.BJP has fielded its former MLA Renuka Singh in Surguja (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls in the third phase of election in the state on April 23.Congress has fielded its senior tribal leader and sitting MLA Khelsai Singh from the seat. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttp://rockndata.net/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/17709025/Default.aspx

http://doodleordie.com/profile/descptodeen