https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/tag/2023-03-05-git-912ac82a3c

RSID: <<2024-08-08T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

Welcome to program 365 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:42 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:48 MFSK32: Thin layer of tin improves lithium-ion batteries
  6:59 MFSK64: Silica dust could become the 'new asbestos'
10:51 MFSK64: This week's images
28:29 MFSK32: Closing announcements


 

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Fom TechXplore:

Adding thin layer of tin prevents short-circuiting in lithium-ion
batteries

by Greg Basky
Canadian Light Source
July 31, 2024

Lithium-ion batteries have a lot of advantages. They charge
quickly, have a high energy density, and can be repeatedly
charged and discharged.

They do have one significant shortcoming, however: they're prone
to short-circuiting. This occurs when a connection forms between
the two electrodes inside the cell. A short circuit can result in
a sudden loss of voltage or the rapid discharge of high current,
both causing the battery to fail. In extreme cases, a short
circuit can cause a cell to overheat, start on fire, or even
explode.

A leading cause of short circuits are rough, tree-like crystal
structures called dendrites that can form on the surface of one
of the electrodes. When dendrites grow all the way across the
cell and make contact with the other electrode, a short circuit
can occur.

Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of
Saskatchewan (USask), researchers from the University of Alberta
(UAlberta) have come up with a promising approach to prevent
formation of dendrites in solid-state lithium-ion batteries. They
found that adding a tin-rich layer between the electrode and the
electrolyte helps spread the lithium around when it's being
deposited on the battery, creating a smooth surface that
suppresses the formation of dendrites.

The results are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials
and Interfaces. The team also found that the cell modified with
the tin-rich structure can operate at a much higher current and
withstand many more charging-discharging cycles than a regular
cell.

Researcher Lingzi Sang, an assistant professor in UAlberta's
Faculty of Science (Chemistry), says the CLS played a key role in
the research.

"The HXMA beamline enabled us to see at a material's structural
level what was happening on the surface of the lithium in an
operating battery," says Sang. "As a chemist, what I find the
most intriguing is we were able to access the exact tin structure
that we introduced to the interface which can suppress dendrites
and fix this short-circuiting problem."

In a related paper the team published earlier this year, they
showed that adding a protective layer of tin also suppressed the
formation of dendrites in liquid-electrolyte-based lithium-ion
batteries.

This novel approach holds considerable potential for industrial
applications, according to Sand. "Our next step is to try to find
a sustainable, cost-effective approach to applying the protective
layer in battery production," adds Sang.

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-07-adding-thin-layer-tin-short.html
 

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64



 

RSID: <<2024-08-08T23:37Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>


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From Deutsche Welle:


Why silica dust could become the 'new asbestos'

If inhaled, silica dust from cut or drilled stone, can
cause a fatal lung disease. Experts want better protections
for workers exposed to it every day.

Fred Schwaller
7 August 2024

New limits to a person's daily exposure to silica dust in the
construction, mining, dentistry and other industries could save
about 13,000 lives worldwide.

That's what researchers in the UK recommend, having found that a
worker's lifetime exposure to current, "acceptable" limits can
result in serious risk of developing silicosis, a potentially
fatal lung disease.

They warn that silicosis could become as big a health problem as
exposure to asbestos.

"Our research supports the reduction of exposure to silica dust
from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3 over a working day," said study
author Patrick Howlett from London's Imperial College.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal Thorax on
August 8, 2024. It highlights a need for more data on silicosis
risks because the total burden of the disease is unclear,
especially in developing countries where data about silicosis is
scarce.

What exactly is silicosis?

Silicosis is a respiratory disease which causes a hardening of
the lungs. It is caused by silica dust or silica crystals, which
are found in soil, sand, concrete, mortar, granite and artificial
stone.

It is common in construction, mining, oil and gas extraction,
kitchen engineering, dentistry, pottery and sculpting.

People working in these industries are often exposed to silica
every day, and are at higher risk of developing silicosis as a
result. The illness has, for instance, wreaked havoc in small
mining communities in India.

Silicosis is a progressive disease and has no cure.

Why are workers inhaling silica?

When the materials are cut or drilled, crystalline silica is
released into the air as a very fine dust. Workers breathe it in
as they work, especially where industrial health and saftey
standards are poor.

It can take a long time for silicosis to develop — typically 10
to 20 years of occupational exposure to silica dust.

"It's estimated that millions [of people] worldwide have
silicosis, but data is very scarce. In the UK and Europe, we see
hundreds of cases per year," Howlett told DW in an interview.

Silicosis can lead to other serious diseases, including lung
cancer, but scientists aren't sure exactly how this happens. Some
speculate that the silica dust forms deposits in the lungs and
that those deposits cause persistent inflammation.

Call for silica dust exposure levels to be reduced

This new study, or meta-analysis, assessed eight existing studies
that looked at the cumulative risk of silicosis.

The studies involved 8,792 cases of silicosis among 65,977
participants, and included evidence from x-ray analysis of lungs,
postmortem examination results, and death certificates.

"We calculated the accumulated risk of silicosis over 40 years of
work with exposure to silica dust. Most studies involved miners,
and only two studies had non-miners," said Howlet.

The researchers found that if average exposure over a 40-year
working lifetime in mining was halved, from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05
mg/m3, there would be a reduction of silicosis cases by 77%.

"It would also lower risk among non-miners, but the caveat was
that [there were] only two studies included non-miners, so the
data was less clear," said Howlett.

Reducing silica dust exposure 'is achievable'

The UK's occupational limit for silica dust exposure is 0.1
mg/m3. That is in line with most European countries , including
France, Austria, and Switzerland. Other countries, such as China,
have much higher limits of around 1 mg/m3.

Lowering silica dust exposure limits to 0.05 mg/m3 would be
in-line with US standards.

Howlett said it was an achievable goal to reduce silica dust
exposure in the workplace. He cited experience from the US and
Australia, where such health and safey meaures had proved
effective.

Australia has banned the use of engineered stone due to its
propensity to release high levels of silica dust when cut or
drilled.

"There are established methods to follow, including using water
suppression methods of foams and mists to precipitate dust out of
air effectively, better ventilation, and personal protective
equipment," said Howlett.

But he said the issue of silicosis was likely to be much worse in
developing countries, where there are few or no safety measures
for silica dust.

"Miners in developing countries are exposed to a lifetime's worth
of dust in a year's work," he said.

https://www.dw.com/en/why-silica-dust-could-become-the-new-asbestos-health-risk/a-69875518
 

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This week's images ...


A boat from the Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry patrols the
Northern Mariana Islands. https://tinyurl.com/24zh7zu6 ...

Sending Pic:197x141C;







A kayak in northern Michigan. https://tinyurl.com/289zly83 ...

Sending Pic:203x143C;








In a photo captured from Earth, Mars as it emerged after occulted
by the moon, captured with a 14-inch telescope.
https://tinyurl.com/2ygrpvyv ...

Sending Pic:130x205C;







Lava rises from a crater of Mount Etna, Europe's most active
volcano, in Italy. https://tinyurl.com/22rgnawm ...

Sending Pic:148x201C;







The Olympics women's formula kiteboarding event at the Marseille
Marina in France. https://tinyurl.com/22rgnawm ...

Sending Pic:302x215;



 

The women's 100-meter heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics,
Saint-Denis, France. https://tinyurl.com/26lfshdw ...

Sending Pic:140x210C;






The Edinburgh international festival opened with an immersive
outdoor experience at George Heriot's School.
https://tinyurl.com/25yp8cmr ...

Sending Pic:205x128C;


 

A dragonfly at the Yorkshire Arboretum in England.
https://tinyurl.com/294ovg6a ...

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Vegetables grown, despite a lack of rain, at the Tyler Arboretum
near Philadelphia. https://tinyurl.com/2agdtgoo ...

Sending Pic:186x185C;







Our painting of the week is "Kensington Market Neighborhood"
(Toronto) (2024) by Jesus Estevez (Canadian).
https://tinyurl.com/2b4pgpjw ...

Sending Pic:216x160C;








Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...



 

RSID: <<2024-08-08T23:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...


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