Activation effects during hydrogen release and uptake of MgH2

Scandium(II)hydride, ScH₂, and scandium(III)chloride, ScCl₃, are explored as additives to facilitate hydrogen release and uptake for magnesium hydride. These additives are expected to form more homogeneous composites with Mg/MgH₂ as compared to metallic scandium. However, scandium(III)chloride, reacts with MgH₂ during mechano-chemical treatment and form ScH₂ and MgCl₂ (that later crystallise during heat treatment). The composite MgH₂−ScH₂ was investigated using in-situ synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction during up to five cycles of continuous release and uptake of hydrogen at isothermal conditions at 320, 400 and 450 °C and p(H₂) = 100–150 or 10⁻² bar. The data were analysed by Rietveld refinement and no reaction is observed between either MgH₂/ScH₂ or Mg/ScH₂ during cycling. The extracted sigmoidal shaped curves for formation or decomposition of Mg/MgH₂ suggest that a nucleation process is preceding the crystal growth. The reaction rate increases with increasing number of cycles of hydrogen release and uptake at isothermal conditions possibly due to activation effects. This kinetic enhancement is strongest between the first cycles and may be denoted an activation effect.     

Characterizing delamination of fibre composites by mixed mode cohesive laws

A novel method is used for the determination of mixed mode cohesive laws and bridging laws for the characterisation of crack bridging in composites. The approach is based on an application of the J integral. The obtained cohesive laws were found to possess high peak stress values. Mixed mode cohesive stresses were found to depend on both the normal and tangential crack opening displacements. The bridging laws, which are to be used together with a mode mixity dependent crack tip fracture energy, were found to possess relative low bridging stresses; the peak normal bridging stress was approximately 2 MPa during pure Mode I and the maximum shear stress during pure Mode II was about 10 MPa.     

Heavy Metal and PAH Concentrations in Highway Runoff Deposits Fractionated on Settling Velocities

The correlation between settling velocity and associated pollutant concentrations is of major importance for best management practice in designing, redesigning, or evaluation of the efficiency of existing pond facilities for retaining unwanted pollutants. The prospect of this note is to state the relationship between the settling velocity of the runoff particles and the corresponding metal and polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration directly instead of dealing with two unknowns—the density and the shape of a single particle fraction in a settling velocity calculations. The measurements show that the highest cadmium, chromium, zinc, and nickel concentrations is associated with the most slowly falling particles and the lowest concentration associated within the faster falling fraction. This tendency is not clear for some of the sediments due to high content of organic matter and clearly not for lead and copper and there is no significant correlation between PAH concentration and settling velocity. The largest mass of metals and PAH within each pond can be found on the particle fraction with a settling velocity of 5.5–2.5 mm/s.     

Climate-change impacts on hydrology and nutrients in a Danish lowland river basin

The Mike 11-TRANS modelling system was applied to the lowland Gjern river basin in Denmark to assess climate-change impacts on hydrology and nitrogen retention processes in watercourses, lakes and riparian wetlands. Nutrient losses from land to surface waters were assessed using statistical models incorporating the effect of changed hydrology. Climate-change was predicted by the ECHAM4/OPYC General Circulation Model (IPCC A2 scenario) dynamically downscaled by the Danish HIRHAM regional climate model (25 km grid) for two time slices: 1961-1990 (control) and 2071-2100 (scenario). HIRHAM predicts an increase in mean annual precipitation of 47 mm (5%) and an increase in mean annual air temperature of 3.2 degrees C (43%). The HIRHAM predictions were used as external forcings to the rainfall-runoff model NAM, which was set up and run for 6 subcatchments within and for the entire, Gjern river basin. Mean annual runoff from the river basin increases 27 mm (7.5%, p<0.05) when comparing the scenario to the control. Larger changes, however, were found regarding the extremes; runoff during the wettest year in the 30-year period increased by 58 mm (12.3%). The seasonal pattern is expected to change with significantly higher runoff during winter. Summer runoff is expected to increase in predominantly groundwater fed streams and decrease in streams with a low base-flow index. The modelled change in the seasonal hydrological pattern is most pronounced in first- or second-order streams draining loamy catchments, which currently have a low base-flow during the summer period. Reductions of 40-70% in summer runoff are predicted for this stream type. A statistical nutrient loss model was developed for simulating the impact of changed hydrology on diffuse nutrient losses (i.e. losses from land to surface waters) and applied to the river basin. The simulated mean annual changes in TN loads in a loamy and a sandy subcatchment were, respectively, +2.3 kg N ha(-1) (8.5%) and +1.6 kg N ha(-1) (6.9%). The rainfall-runoff model and the nutrient loss model were chained with Mike 11-TRANS to simulate the combined effects of climate-change on hydrology, nutrient losses and nitrogen retention processes at the scale of the river basin. The mean annual TN export from the river basin increased from the control to the scenario period by 7.7%. Even though an increase in nitrogen retention in the river system of 4.2% was simulated in the scenario period, an increased in-stream TN export resulted because of the simulated increase in the diffuse TN transfer from the land to the surface-waters.     

Long Duration Persistent Photocurrent in 3 nm Thin Doped Indium Oxide for Integrated Light Sensing and In-Sensor Neuromorphic Computation

Miniaturization and energy consumption by computational systems remain major challenges to address. Optoelectronics based synaptic and light sensing provide an exciting platform for neuromorphic processing and vision applications offering several advantages. It is highly desirable to achieve single-element image sensors that allow reception of information and execution of in-memory computing processes while maintaining memory for much longer durations without the need for frequent electrical or optical rehearsals. In this work, ultra-thin (<3 nm) doped indium oxide (In₂O₃) layers are engineered to demonstrate a monolithic two-terminal ultraviolet (UV) sensing and processing system with long optical state retention operating at 50 mV. This endows features of several conductance states within the persistent photocurrent window that are harnessed to show learning capabilities and significantly reduce the number of rehearsals. The atomically thin sheets are implemented as a focal plane array (FPA) for UV spectrum based proof-of-concept vision system capable of pattern recognition and memorization required for imaging and detection applications. This integrated light sensing and memory system is deployed to illustrate capabilities for real-time, in-sensor memorization, and recognition tasks. This study provides an important template to engineer miniaturized and low operating voltage neuromorphic platforms across the light spectrum based on application demand.     

Linear-Time Self-Interpretation of the Pure Lambda Calculus

We show that linear-time self-interpretation of the pure untyped lambda calculus is possible, in the sense that interpretation has a constant overhead compared to direct execution under various execution models. The present paper shows this result for reduction to weak head normal form under call-by-name, call-by-value and call-by-need.We use a self-interpreter based on previous work on self-interpretation and partial evaluation of the pure untyped lambda calculus.We use operational semantics to define each reduction strategy. For each of these we show a simulation lemma that states that each inference step in the evaluation of a term by the operational semantics is simulated by a sequence of steps in evaluation of the self-interpreter applied to the term (using the same operational semantics).By assigning costs to the inference rules in the operational semantics, we can compare the cost of normal evaluation and self-interpretation. Three different cost-measures are used: number of beta-reductions, cost of a substitution-based implementation (similar to graph reduction) and cost of an environment-based implementation.For call-by-need we use a non-deterministic semantics, which simplifies the proof considerably.     

On the existence of statistically hiding bit commitment schemes and fail-stop signatures

We show that the existence of a statistically hiding bit commitment scheme with noninteractive opening and public verifiability implies the existence of fail-stop signatures. Therefore such signatures can now be based on any one-way permutation. We also show that genuinely practical fail-stop signatures follow from the existence of any collision-intractable hash function. These are the weakest assumptions known to be sufficient for fail-stop signatures. Conversely, we show that any fail-stop signature scheme with a property we call thealmost unique secret key property can be transformed into a statistically hiding bit commitment scheme. All previously known fail-stop signature schemes have this property. We even obtain an equivalence, because we can modify the construction of fail-stop signatures from bit commitments such that it has this property.     

The dispersion model for hydration of portland cement I. General concepts

This paper introduces an analytical mathematical model for development of the hydration of Portland cement: t₀ + t₁A + t₂A² = t t is time, and t₀, t₁ and t₂ are time-constants depending on temperature, cement type, admixtures etc. A is the hydration ratio, i.e. the ratio of hydrated to unhydrated cement. The dispersion model has been derived on basis of the typical particle size distribution for tube-milled products. Earlier findings by us have proven the particle size distribution to be a dominant factor in the correct modelling of cement hydration. The parameterization of hydration curves, which is easily performed with this dispersion model, gives a sufficient characterization of these for purposes of practical interpretations of the effects of factors decisive for the development of hydration.     

An impedance-measurement setup optimized for measuring relaxations of glass-forming liquids

An electronics system has been assembled to measure frequency-dependent response functions of glass-forming liquids in the extremely viscous state approaching the glass transition. We determine response functions such as dielectric permittivity and shear and bulk moduli by measuring electrical impedances of liquid-filled transducers, and this technique requires frequency generators capable of producing signals that are reproducible over the span of several days or even several weeks. To this end, we have constructed a frequency generator that produces low-frequency (1 mHz-100 Hz) sinusoidal signals with voltages that are reproducible within 10 ppm. Two factors that partly account for this precision are that signals originate from voltages stored in a look-up table and that only coil-less filters are used in this unit, which significantly reduces fluctuations of output caused by changes of temperatures of circuits. This generator also includes a special triggering facility that makes it possible to measure up to 512 voltages per cycle that are spaced apart at uniform phase intervals. Fourier transformations of such data yield precise determinations of complex amplitudes of voltages and currents applied to a transducer, which ultimately allows us to determine electrical impedances of transducers with a reproducibility error that is only a few parts per hundred thousand. This equipment is used in tandem with a commercial LCR meter and/or impedance analyzer that give(s) impedance measurements at higher frequencies, up to 1 MHz. The experimental setup allows measurements of the transducer impedance over nine decades of frequency within a single run.