Carbon/PbO2 asymmetric electrochemical capacitor based on methanesulfonic acid electrolyte

A new hybrid electrochemical capacitor based on an activated carbon negative electrode, lead dioxide thin film and nanowire array positive electrode with an electrolyte made of a lead salt dissolved in methanesulfonic acid was investigated. It is shown that the maximum energy density and specific capacity of the C/PbO₂ nanowire system increase during the first 50 cycles before reaching their maximum values, which are 29 Wh kg⁻¹ and 34 F g⁻¹, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and a depth of discharge (positive active electrode material) of 3.8%, that corresponds to a 22C rate. This is 7–8 times higher than the corresponding maximum values reached with a C/PbO₂ thin film cell operated in the same conditions. After an initial activation period, the performances of the C/PbO₂ nanowire system stay constant and do not show any sign of degradation during more than 5000 cycles. For comparison, the C/PbO₂ thin film system exhibits a 50% decrease of its performances in similar conditions.     

Flow over trapezoidal side weir

In this paper, the hydraulic characteristics of a sharp crested trapezoidal side weir have been experimentally and theoretically investigated. It was found that the DeMarchi coefficient of discharge for a sharp crested trapezoidal side weir in subcritical flow is related to the main channel Froude number, the side slope of weir, ratio of weir height to upstream depth of flow and ratio of weir length to upstream depth of flow. Suitable equations for the discharge coefficient are also obtained.     

Longitudinal Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in Magneto-Plasmonic Heterostructures

In this paper, the effect of Au nanoparticles and a Bragg reflector mirror on the optical and longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect of a new magneto-plasmonic structure has been investigated. The new magneto-plasmonic heterostructure consists of a Bragg reflector mirror beside a crystalline Ce:YIG thin film incorporating gold nanoparticles. Our results indicate sufficient broad band longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect enhancement in this new structure using the combination of surface plasmon resonance and Bragg reflector mirror.     

Magneto-Plasmonic Effect in Cobalt Thin Film Incorporating Core–Shell Ag@Au Nanoparticles

We report enhanced magneto-optical Kerr rotation in the magneto-plasmonic structure of a cobalt thin film incorporating silver/gold core–shell nanoparticles. Metallic nanoparticles with core–shell structure of silver/gold were fabricated by laser ablation in liquid method and the magneto-optical medium was prepared by electron beam deposition technique. Excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance was demonstrated for various incidence angles. The experimental results show direct evidence for localized surface plasmon resonance enhancement effect on the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect of the cobalt thin film.     

An extended discrete autoregressive model for variable bit rate video traffic encoded by scalable video codec

Designing an effective and high performance network requires accurate characterization and modeling of network traffic. This paper provides a study of the transmission, modeling, and analysis of variable bit rate (VBR) video, which is fundamental for designing protocols and for effective utilization of networks in video transmission. To meet the specified requirements of future networks, the scalable video codec (SVC) was chosen as the video compression standard. The main objective of this work was to propose a statistical model that will allow better coordination between generated SVC video traffic and original video traffic. The performance of the proposed model was evaluated by comparing the model with three existing low‐complex statistical models using graphical and statistical measurements as well as cross‐validation. For all evaluation techniques, the accuracy of the proposed model was evaluated, and the frame size distribution of the modeled traffic was found to match that of the original video traffic better than other existing models. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Electrochemical Behavior of Au/AuNPs/PNA/ZnSe-QD/ACA Electrode Towards CySH Oxidation

Nano-Micro Letters - This work describes the electrochemical behavior of azodicarboxamide (ACA) film immobilized on the surface of penicillamine (PNA)/ZnSe-quantum dot (ZnSe-QD) gold nanoparticle...     

Theoretical studies on a new single cristalline ribbon growth method

In order to obtain single crystalline ribbons from raw materials, we suggest a new method. From a narrow melted zone, formed along a generative line of a turning cylinder of polycrystalline material, a ribbon of material is continuously pulled in a direction perpendicular to the generative line and making a small angle with the horizontal plane. We have studied the application of the method to the silicon ribbon. We have studied the heat flux and temperatures profiles, pointing out relations between melted zone configuration, supplied power and rotation rate. The study of the melted zone hydrostatic equilibrium configurations and their influence on the ribbon growth characteristics and stability, improves on previous results for the melted zone central area and determines the shape of the floating zone lateral sides. The main advantages of the method for the production of silicon solar cells or in the space metallurgy field are discussed. Work supported by ‘Solar Energy Program’ (PIRDES) of the C.N.R.S.     

One-Pot,Three-Component Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydro-4(1H)-Quinazolinones Catalyzed by Perchlorated Zirconia (HClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) Nanoparticles as a Solid Acid Catalyst

Mono and disubstituted 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones were obtained in good yields via a one-pot, three component reaction of isatoic anhydride and aromatic aldehydes with ammonium acetate or primary amines in the presence of perchlorated zirconia (HClO₄/ZrO₂) nano particles as an efficient solid acid catalyst under solvent-free conditions. Simple workup and reusability of the catalyst are advantages of this method.