Is cluster policy useful for the energy sector? Assessing self-declared hydrogen clusters in the Netherlands

Research on science-based industries has shown that it is important for organisations to be active in interorganisational networks. Cluster policy has been developed as a means to stimulate the development of these networks and thereby the success rate of these industries. Cluster policy is however not a common policy instrument in the energy sector. In this paper, we focus on three self-declared clusters active in hydrogen-related R&D in the Netherlands and address several characteristics of these clusters. We conclude that cluster policy is a useful addition to existing energy R&D policies but that monitoring whether self-declared clusters actually function as clusters and what their contribution is to the overall system is pivotal in reaping the benefits of cluster policy.     

Building 3D Statistical Shape Models of Horticultural Products

A method to build a 3D statistical shape model of horticultural products is described. The framework consists of two parts. First, the surfaces of the horticultural products, which are extracted from X-ray CT scans, are registered to obtain meaningful correspondences between the surfaces. In the second part, a statistical shape model is built from these corresponded surfaces, which maps out the variability of the surfaces and allows to generate new, realistic surfaces. The proposed shape modelling method is applied to 30 Jonagold apples, 30 bell peppers, and 52 zucchini. The average geometric registration error between the original instance and the deformed reference instance is 0.015 ± 0.011 m m for the apple dataset, 0.106 ± 0.026 m m for the bell pepper dataset, and 0.027 ± 0.007 m m for the Zucchini dataset. All shape models are shown to be an excellent representation of their specific population, as they are compact and able to generalize to an unseen sample of the population.     

Effect of nitrogen fertilisation on protein content,total fatty acid content and composition of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grains

The impact of N-fertilisation level on protein content, total fatty acid (TFA) content and major fatty acid composition of barley grains (cv. Eldorado), grown in a replicated field trial, was investigated. Increasing amounts of N-fertiliser, applied at several stages during the growing season, resulted in a higher protein content and a very slightly lowered TFA content in the grains. Protein and TFA contents were negatively correlated (r=-0.4685). Minor changes of fatty acid composition were found in the decrease of the oleic acid (C18:1) proportion (r=-0.8376) and in the increase of the palmitic acid (C16:0) proportion (r=0.7273). The stearic acid (C18:0) and the linoleic acid (C18:2) proportions were also affected, however, no significant linear correlations with the total N-fertiliser level were obtained. The slow increase in the linolenic acid (C18:3) proportion (r=0.5674) was too small, compared to the residual variance, to be significant. TFA content was positively (P<0.001) correlated with the oleic acid proportion, and negatively (P<0.001) with the palmitic acid proportion. These data suggest that the application of higher amounts of N-fertiliser slightly decreases the total fatty acid content of barley grains, probably due to a decreased synthesis of oleic acid, precursor of the unsaturated C18 fatty acids. The result is a relative increase in palmitic acid.     

COD and AOX Removal and Biodegradability Assessment for Fenton and O3/UV Oxidation Processes: A Case Study from a Graphical Industry Wastewater

Due to process stability and excellent effluent quality, the use of membrane processes is rapidly expanding. However, a drawback is the production of concentrates and their proper disposal. In this study, reverse osmosis concentrate was treated by Fenton and O₃/UV oxidation processes. The concentrate contains halogenated compounds, recalcitrant COD and low biodegradability. The removal of halogenated compounds and the enhancement of biodegradability were examined. Comparing the investigated processes, Fenton oxidation resulted in a better mineralization of organic matter; however, O₃/UV oxidation achieved a better enhancement of the biodegradability. Furthermore, similar degradation of halogenated compounds were observed for both oxidation processes.     

Accurate and efficient methods for modeling colloidal mixtures in an explicit solvent using molecular dynamics

Most simulations of colloidal suspensions treat the solvent implicitly or as a continuum. However as particle size decreases to the nanometer scale, this approximation fails and one needs to treat the solvent explicitly. Due to the large number of smaller solvent particles, such simulations are computationally challenging. Additionally, as the ratio of nanoparticle size to solvent size increases, commonly-used molecular dynamics algorithms for neighbor finding and parallel communication become inefficient. Here we present modified algorithms that enable fast single processor performance and reasonable parallel scalability for mixtures with a wide range of particle size ratios. The methods developed are applicable for any system with widely varying force distance cutoffs, independent of particle sizes and independent of the interaction potential. As a demonstration of the new algorithm's effectiveness, we present results for the pair correlation function and diffusion constant for mixtures where colloidal particles interact via integrated potentials. In these systems, with nanoparticles 20 times larger than the surrounding solvent particles, our parallel molecular dynamics code runs more than 100 times faster using the new algorithms.     

Bond behaviour of reinforcing bars in self-compacting concrete: experimental determination by using beam tests

The force transfer between concrete and reinforcement depends on the bond characteristics between the two materials. Bond influences crack widths and the deflections of RC members and also determines anchorage and splice lengths. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is characterized by a smaller amount of coarse aggregates when compared to conventional vibrated concrete. To investigate whether this change in mix design has a significant influence on the bond behaviour, a series of beam tests (according to RILEM recommendation RC6) was performed. A total of 36 specimens were cast using 3 different concrete types: one conventional vibrated concrete (CVC) and two powder-type SCC’s. The bond stress—slip behaviour of reinforcing bars with diameters ranging from 12 to 40 mm has been recorded. From these tests, it can be concluded that the bond strength of SCC is even higher than it is for CVC for small bar diameters, but the difference becomes smaller for larger bar diameters.     

Improved passive-matrix multiplexability with a modular display and UTCP technology

One of the major problems with PM displays is that, depending on the used display material, only a limited number of lines can be multiplexed. We developed a new driving technology and display setup that takes care of that problem. We divided the display into several independent parts or modules. Each module acts as an individual display and has its own display driver. With the use of the new ultra-thin chip package (UTCP), these driver chips can be embedded into the (flexible) display itself. This paper explains the setup of the fully modular display and describes the basic structure of the display drivers and its components.     

工艺多样性是高效RF解决方案的关键

未来消费电子产品的RF应用将向更高的载波频率方向发展.这种趋势已经初现端倪,新提议的IEEE-802.11a数字网络标准在5GHz频率工作,超宽带(UWB)的带宽要求则介于3GHz和10GHz之间.汽车防撞雷达的工作频率是25GHz,而多种IEEE 802.16WirelessMAN(无线城域网)标准、本地多点分布式服务(LMDS)网络和卫星返回通道所需的带宽位于25GHz到 35GHz之间(参见图1).     

Influence of the molecular weight of ionenes on the cobaltphthalocyanine-catalysed autoxidation of mercaptoethanol

In order to study the promoting effect of polycations on the cobalt(II)phthalocyanine-tetrasodiumsulphonate (CoPc(NaSO₃)₄)-catalysed autoxidation of thiols, it is imperative to know the molecular weight dependence of the polymer. Monodisperse oligomers can often supply a lot of information. To elecidate the mechanism of the promoting effect of 2,4-ionene, a poly(quaternary ammonium)salt, on the CoPc(NaSO₃)₄-catalysed autoxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol, a series of monodisperse 2,4-ionene oligomers were prepared. Trimeric 2,4-ionenes, containing two quaternary ammonium groups separated by four methylene groups, showed a high co-catalytic activity, and active Co-aggregates were detected with visible light spectroscopy. The spectroscopic behaviour was in close agreement with that of high molecular 2,4-ionene/CoPc(NaSO₃)₄ complexes. In order to achieve this aggregation several oligomeric ionenes have to act concertedly. If the distance between the ionic sites is short the trimer acts as a simple salt in stablizing the aggregates. With respect to the catalytic activity the optimum polycation/catalyst ratio, expressed as the N⁺/Co ratio, decreased with increasing chain lenght and reached a constant level of 50 at a 2,4-ionene nonamer. For the trimers and pentamers this ratio is affected by the type of end-group. All synthesized 2,4-ionene oligomers exhibited excellent co-catalytic properties at the optimum N⁺/Co ratio, with maximum turnover frequencies of 4600 mol thiol/(mol Co s), i.e. 50 times higher than those obtained for the polymer-free system. In the case of monodisperse 2,4-ionene pentamer with bromo end-groups, double Michaelis–Menten kinetics were observed, as also was exhibited by high molecular weight ionene.     

Changing Microspatial Patterns of Sulfate-Reducing Microorganisms (SRM) during Cycling of Marine Stromatolite Mats

Microspatial arrangements of sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) in surface microbial mats (~1.5 mm) forming open marine stromatolites were investigated. Previous research revealed three different mat types associated with these stromatolites, each with a unique petrographic signature. Here we focused on comparing “non-lithifying” (Type-1) and “lithifying” (Type-2) mats. Our results revealed three major trends: (1) Molecular typing using the dsrA probe revealed a shift in the SRM community composition between Type-1 and Type-2 mats. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) coupled to confocal scanning-laser microscopy (CSLM)-based image analyses, and ³⁵SO₄ ²⁻-silver foil patterns showed that SRM were present in surfaces of both mat types, but in significantly (p < 0.05) higher abundances in Type-2 mats. Over 85% of SRM cells in the top 0.5 mm of Type-2 mats were contained in a dense 130 μm thick horizontal layer comprised of clusters of varying sizes; (2) Microspatial mapping revealed that locations of SRM and CaCO₃ precipitation were significantly correlated (p < 0.05); (3) Extracts from Type-2 mats contained acylhomoserine-lactones (C4-, C6-, oxo-C6 C7-, C8-, C10-, C12-, C14-AHLs) involved in cell-cell communication. Similar AHLs were produced by SRM mat-isolates. These trends suggest that development of a microspatially-organized SRM community is closely-associated with the hallmark transition of stromatolite surface mats from a non-lithifying to a lithifying state.