Safety issues concerning the use of large lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in electrified vehicles are discussed based on the abuse test results of Li-ion cells together with safety devices for cells. The presented abuse tests are: overcharge, short circuit, propane fire test and external heating test (oven). It was found that in a fire, cells with higher state of charge (SOC) gave a higher heat ...

In this paper, we consider a two species non-autonomous discrete competitive phytoplankton system with one toxin producing phytoplankton. We show that for such kind of system, it is also possible one of the components be driven to extinction while the other one will be globally attractive with any positive solution of a discrete logistic equation under some conditions. Our results supplement th...

Coal is largely composed of organic matter, but it is the inorganic matter in coal—minerals and trace elements—that have been cited as possible causes of health, environmental, and technological problems associated with the use of coal. Some trace elements in coal are naturally radioactive. These radioactive elements include uranium (U), thorium (Th), and their numerous decay products, includin...

A recent study of plants that accumulate selenium from soils illustrates how plant defenses can be sequestered and presumably exploited defensively by herbivores that have co-evolved selenium resistance.

The article describes bio-monitoring study concerning recent and long-term exposure of Czech women to toxic metals. Blood cadmium, mercury and lead levels were measured in groups of women with various life styles, etc., to have comparable results in the course of a long study period; a strong emphasis was laid on the quality control of the whole process during the study. Higher cadmium level wa...

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technology for compositional analysis that particularly effective light elements, Li, which critical commodity emerging green technologies. This study undertook by handheld LIBS of muscovite from the drill core, outcrop, and soil on Carolina Lithium Prospect (CLP) in Gaston County, North (USA), lies within Tin-Spodumene Belt (CTSB). Abundances al...

The accumulation of toxic metals and metalloids, such as cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), or arsenic (As), as a consequence of various anthropogenic activities, poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. The ability of plants to take up mineral nutrients from the soil can be exploited to develop phytoremediation technologies able to alleviate the negative impact of toxic elements in...

In order to ensure the safety of consumers in Serbia the prevalence of toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, Pb) in swine kidney collected from three different areas in Serbia (n = 90) was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Also, in order to find information on the effects of accumulation of toxic elements on swine kidney, pathohistological examination of the kidneys was performed. The presenc...

In the modern world, the grain mineral concentration (GMC) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) not only includes important micronutrient elements such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), but it also includes toxic heavy metal elements, especially cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). To date, the genetic mechanisms underlying the regulation of GMC, especially the genetic background and G × E effects of GMC, remain largely...