RESUMEN
Developing high-energy and efficient battery technologies is a crucial aspect of advancing the electrification of transportation and aviation. However, battery innovations can take years to deliver. In the case of non-aqueous battery electrolyte solutions, the many design variables in selecting multiple solvents, salts and their relative ratios make electrolyte optimization time-consuming and laborious. To overcome these issues, we propose in this work an experimental design that couples robotics (a custom-built automated experiment named "Clio") to machine-learning (a Bayesian optimization-based experiment planner named "Dragonfly"). An autonomous optimization of the electrolyte conductivity over a single-salt and ternary solvent design space identifies six fast-charging non-aqueous electrolyte solutions in two work-days and forty-two experiments. This result represents a six-fold time acceleration compared to a random search performed by the same automated experiment. To validate the practical use of these electrolytes, we tested them in a 220 mAh graphiteâ£â£LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 pouch cell configuration. All the pouch cells containing the robot-developed electrolytes demonstrate improved fast-charging capability against a baseline experiment that uses a non-aqueous electrolyte solution selected a priori from the design space.
RESUMEN
RATIONALE: Previous work indicated that progesterone (PRO) reduced impulsive choice for cocaine in female but not male rats (Smethells et al. Psychopharmacology 233:2999-3008, 2016). Impulsive action, typically measured by responding for a reinforcer during a signaled period of nonavailability of natural reinforcers, predicts initiation and escalation of drug use in animals and humans. The present study examined impulsive action for cocaine using PRO in male and female rats trained on a go/no-go task. OBJECTIVE: Rats were trained on a go/no-go task to respond for cocaine infusions (0.4 mg/kg/inf). During the "go" component, responding was reinforced on a VI 30-s schedule, whereas during the "no-go" component, withholding a response was reinforced on a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) 30-s schedule. A response during the no-go component resets the DRO timer and served as a measure of impulsive action. After baseline responding was established, rats were pretreated with vehicle (VEH) or PRO (0.5 mg/kg), and DRO resets and responding during the go component for cocaine were compared in males vs. females. RESULTS: DRO resets were significantly lower following PRO treatment compared to VEH in female, but not male, rats. Response rates and overall infusions during the go component were not significantly altered by PRO in either females or males. CONCLUSION: Treatment with PRO resulted in a sex-specific reduction in impulsive action for cocaine, while not affecting cocaine self-administration.
