Relevance Theory (RT: Sperber&Wilson, 1986) argues that human interpretative processes maximize relevance andpostulates that there is a relevance-based procedure that a listener follows when trying to understand utterances. However, Maz-zone (2013) points out that RT fails to explain how speaker-related information, such as the speaker’s abilities or preferences, isincorporated into pragmatic processes. He proposes that situational or goal schemata, with the speaker represented as a compo-nent, are sufficient to activate the hearer’s speaker-related knowledge and further asserts that human communication is drivenby goal management and action rather than relevance maximization. Yet Mazzone cannot fully explain how linguistic meaningand speaker-related knowledge are integrated within a modular system. Based on RT’s cognitive requirements and contempo-rary cognitive theory, we argue that this integration is realized within working memory via production-like conversational ruleswith which the constructed utterance interpretation should be consistent, and present a simple model of this process.

Nanomaterials and engineering approaches to assemble these nanomaterials play critical roles in the success of next-generation of high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage devices. As an on-going effort to increase the cycle life and energy densities of lithiumion batteries, high-capacity alloy anodes, such as silicon, tin, and their alloys have attracted considerable attention due to their high specific capacities (4200 mAh/g for Si, 994 mAh/g for Sn) compared to state-of-the-art graphite materials (372 mAh/g). These alloy materials are made into nano-size materials to achieve their full potential in capacity and life. The high-capacity material is assembled into a polymer laminate composite for a functional lithium-ion cell. However, these alloys experience a large volume change during lithiation and delithiation, which disturbs the electrode integrity, causing its mechanical failure, including delamination from the current collector and cracking of the electrode. Unlike the traditional approach to electrode architecture, new materials and approaches have been developed to assemble nanoparticles into hierarchical structures to achieve high capacity and performance. In this hierarchical approach, polymer electrode binders are a critical component to address the large volume change induced by the high specific capacity during lithiation and delithiation. We summarize the recent explosive development of polymer electrode binders for alloy nanomaterials assembly, along with the remaining challenges in this field.

Baseline Si electrodes were developed and characterized based on Si nanomaterials. Silicon (Si) with a designed nanostructure has attracted much attention as potential anode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to its high gravimetric specific capacity. Because of a resulted poor tap density of Si from the electrode while using nano-sized Si and also from including other additives like conductive carbon and binder, it is difficult to maintain a high loading of active materials at the anode side in lithium-ion batteries. In this report, we aim to investigate how the thickness of Si-based electrode influences the cycling performance, rate performance and impedance. We also discuss the variation of gravimetric, area and volumetric capacity along with increasing of electrode thickness. It is found that with a thinner electrode of 7 μm the volumetric capacity could reach up to 920 mAh cm-3 but a poor area capacity of 0.7 mAh cm-2, while a thicker one of 33 μm enables to provide a high area capacity up to 1.5 mAh cm-2 and gives a volumetric capacity less than 500 mAh cm-3. A cell operated under 0 °C shows a gravimetric capacity of 2000 mAh g-1 after 60 cycles.

A composite lithium electrolyte composed of polyelectrolyte-grafted nanoparticles and polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether (PEGDME) is synthesized and characterized. Polyanions immobilized by the silica nanoparticles have reduced anion mobility. Composite nanoparticles grafted by poly(lithium 4-styrenesulfonate) only have moderate conductivity at 60 °C. Almost an order increase of the conductivity to ∼10(-6) S/cm is achieved by co-polymerization of the poly(ethylene oxide) methacrylate with sodium 4-styrenesulfonate, which enhances dissociation between lithium cation and polyanion and facilitates lithium ion transfer from the inner part of the polyelectrolyte layer. This composite electrolyte has the potential to suppress lithium dendrite growth and enable the use of lithium metal anode in rechargeable batteries.

It has been proposed that senescence may be associated with changes associated with oxidative damage to macromolecules. Levels of cerebellar nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and rates of generation of cortical reactive oxygen species (ROS), have been determined in mice of various ages. Both of these parameters were significantly reduced in mice aged 9 months relative to 3-month-old mice. In order to determine whether dietary manipulation can modulate these changes, the effect of exposure of mice to differing diets incorporating various antioxidants, was examined. These diets were given to 3-month-old mice for a total period of 6 further months. The presence of melatonin (40 ppm) in the basal diet restored both NOS and ROS levels to the corresponding values found in the younger (3-month-old) group of mice while lipoic acid (1650 ppm) also restored levels of NOS to those found in 3-month-old animals. Addition of coenzyme Q (ubiquinone), 200 ppm or alpha-tocopherol (1000 ppm) to the basal diet had no effect on either NOS levels or ROS generation. These data suggest that dietary supplementation may aid in delaying onset of metabolic changes characteristic of the older brain. In behavioral testing, older (9-month-old) animals exhibited reduced motor activity and diminished recall ability on the second day of exposure to the test paradigm. While no diet altered motor activity or improved recall of older animals, lipoic acid or tocopherol treatment adversely affected place recall familiarity.

Lithium bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonamide (TFSI) is a promising electrolyte salt in lithium batteries, due to its good conductivity and high dissociation between the lithium cation and its anion. By tethering N-pentane trifluoromethane sulfonamide (C5NHTf), a TFSI analogue molecule, onto the surface of silica nanoparticle as a monolayer coverage should increase the Li(+) transference number to unity since anions bound to particles have reduced mobilities. Silica polymer composite has better mechanical property than that of the pure PEO. Analogously trifluoromethane sulfonic aminoethyl methacrylate (TfMA), a TFSI analogue vinyl monomer, was polymerized on silica nanoparticle surface as a multilayer coverage. Anchored polyelectrolytes to particle surfaces offer multiple sites for anions, and in principle the carrier concentration would increase arbitrarily and approach the carrier concentration of the bulk polyelectrolyte. Monolayer grafted nanoparticles have a lithium content of 1.2 × 10(-3) g Li/g, and multilayer grafted nanoparticles have a lithium content over an order higher at 2 × 10(-2) g Li/g. Electrolytes made from monolayer grafted particles exhibit a weak conductivity dependence on temperature, exhibiting an ionic conductivity in the range of 10(-6) S/cm when temperatures increase to 80 °C. While electrolytes made from multilayer grafted particles show a steep increase in conductivity with temperature with an ionic conductivity increase to 3 × 10(-5) S/cm at 80 °C, with an O/Li ratio of 32.

The mechanical failure at the electrode interfaces (laminate/current collector and binder/particle interfaces) leads to particle isolation and delamination, which has been regarded as one of the main reasons for the capacity decay and cell failure of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Polymer binder provides the key function for a good interface property and for maintaining the electrode integrity of LIBs. Triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEG) moieties were incorporated into polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) to different extents at the molecular level. Microscratch tests of the graphite electrodes based on these binders indicate that the electrode is more flexible with 5 or 10% TEG in the polymer binders. Crack generation is inhibited by the flexible TEG-containing binder, compared to that of the unmodified PMAA-based electrode, leading to the better cycling performance of the flexible electrode. With a 10% TEG moiety in the binder, the graphite half-cell reaches a reversible capacity of >270 mAh/g at the 1C rate, compared to a value of ∼190 mAh/g for the unmodified PMAA binder.