Growth and photoelectrochemical behaviour of electrodeposited ZnO thin films for solar cells

Thin zinc oxide films were deposited potentiostatically from zinc nitrate aqueous solutions on ITO substrates. The influence of experimental parameters (temperature, electrolyte concentration, deposition potential) on structure and morphology of films was investigated. Deposited films were generally polycrystalline in structure, even if growth according to preferential planes occurs in certain conditions. The effect of thermal treatments in air at 150 and 350 °C was also studied. In some cases, Cl species were incorporated into deposit by adding zinc chloride to the electrolyte. A photoelectrochemical investigation, performed in neutral solution before and after thermal treatment, gives more information on film structure and reveals improvement of n-type semiconducting properties after annealing, suggesting diminution of defects and traps originated from the disordered regions of the oxide. In fact, after thermal treatment, the optical gap of the films decreases towards the value reported for the crystalline oxide. No apparent benefits in the semiconducting properties of the films were observed after incorporation of Cl species into the films.     

Dynamics of alternative modes of RNA replication for positive-sense RNA viruses

We propose and study nonlinear mathematical models describing the intracellular time dynamics of viral RNA accumulation for positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses. Our models consider different replication modes ranging between two extremes represented by the geometric replication (GR) and the linear stamping machine replication (SMR). We first analyse a model that quantitatively reproduced experimental data for the accumulation dynamics of both polarities of turnip mosaic potyvirus RNAs. We identify a non-degenerate transcritical bifurcation governing the extinction of both strands depending on three key parameters: the mode of replication (α), the replication rate (r) and the degradation rate (δ) of viral strands. Our results indicate that the bifurcation associated with α generically takes place when the replication mode is closer to the SMR, thus suggesting that GR may provide viral strands with an increased robustness against degradation. This transcritical bifurcation, which is responsible for the switching from an active to an absorbing regime, suggests a smooth (i.e. second-order), absorbing-state phase transition. Finally, we also analyse a simplified model that only incorporates asymmetry in replication tied to differential replication modes.     

Welfare of animals at slaughter and killing: a new regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing

Recently, the European Commission (EC) has published a proposal for a Council Regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing. The proposed regulation will enhance the technical requirements of Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing, which have not been amended since 1993. The main specific problems identified with the present EU legislation are the lack of harmonized methodology for new stunning methods, the lack of clear responsibilities for operators on animal welfare, the insufficient competence of personnel handling animals and insufficient conditions for the welfare of animals during killing for disease control purposes. The adoption of the “Hygiene Regulation Package”, which emphasizes the responsibilities of the food business operators on food safety, has also changed the legal environment for slaughterhouses. Furthermore, the first Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals, adopted by the EC in 2006, introduced new concepts such as the welfare indicators and the need for further research programs and centres of reference on animal welfare. Also, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted two scientific opinions in 2004 and 2006 on the different stunning and killing methods to be used for main farm species either for slaughter for human consumption or for disease control purposes. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in 2005 also adopted two international guidelines on the welfare of animals at slaughter. After presenting a picture of situation of meat sector in EU, the Author provides a broad overview on the regulatory situation and considers the legislative and scientific perspectives that lead the EC to draft new rules in this regard.     

Bio-ethanol production by fermentation of ricotta cheese whey as an effective alternative non-vegetable source

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the feasibility of bio-ethanol production by batch fermentation of ricotta cheese whey (“Scotta”), a dairy industry waste characterized by lactose concentration ranging from 4.5% to 5.0% (w/w) and, with respect to traditional (raw) whey, by much lower protein content. Scotta, therefore, could represent an effective non-vegetable source for renewable energy production. The microrganism used to carry out the fermentation processes was the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. Preliminary experiments, performed in aerobic conditions on different volumes of scotta, have shown the actual growth of the yeast. The subsequent fermentation experiments were carried out, in anaerobic conditions, on three different substrates: scotta, raw cheese whey and deproteinized whey. The experimental data have demonstrated the process feasibility: scotta is an excellent substrate for fermentation and exhibits better performance with respect to both raw cheese whey and deproteinized whey. Complete lactose consumption, indeed, was observed in the shortest time (13 h) and with the highest ethanol yield (97% of the theoretical value).     

A Typology for Multi-Technology, Multi-Service Broadband Network Synthesis

Current technological possibilities for implementing multi-service networks include both single technology ATM or IP networks and multi-technology networks such as SONET-based or flat networks. However, regardless of the technology employed, the synthesis problem – to optimally route traffic and divide the network's transmission resources between its virtual links – remains of prime importance.In this paper, we review, compare, and classify the extensive recent literature concerning multi-service network synthesis methods. In order to do this, we propose a typology based on switching and control strategies and a general notation that reflects the layered nature of the network. Technology independent mathematical models describe the various, essentially different, approaches presently found in the literature.     

Population Balances of Micron-Sized Aerosols in a Bipolar Ion Environment

The present work re-examines the assumptions that are required for a steady-state charge distribution analysis to be valid. First, the common approximation that there are only 11 charge states available to the distribution is relaxed to allow for 201 charge states to be available to the particle distribution. This is found to have large repercussions on the behavior of the distribution for radii greater than 0.5 μm. The steady-state assumption itself is then re-examined by calculating the time required to reach steady state for many different ion-pair production rates and initial particle charge states as a function of radius. In the steady-state model, the ion populations are often assumed to decouple completely from the aerosol; this is shown to be false throughout the troposphere. Finally, the number of positive and negative charge states needed to accurately model a particle population of a given size is determined.

© 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Decentralized robust control for interconnected nonlinear systems

Decentralized robust control of strongly interconnected uncertain systems is addressed in this paper. The uncertainties we consider here may include parameter uncertainty and input disturbance that may be nonlinear and (possibly fast) time-varying. We show specially how both internal and external uncertainties are taken into considerations. This work covers a broad class of large-scale systems since the current consideration renders all previous settings as special cases. Stability analysis with the proposed controllers is provided.