Ceria-coated replicated aluminium sponges as catalysts for the CO-water gas shift process

A study on the use of chemical conversion coating as a preparative technique for foam-based structured catalysts, in the water gas shift reaction, is presented. The results showed a significant correlation between the textural properties of the structure and the preparation technique, highlighting how chemical conversion coating is a suitable technique for highly porous structures. In the first part of the paper, the performance of two structured catalysts obtained by coating commercial aluminium foams, with different porosity, was compared. The activity tests suggested that diffusion phenomena occurred in the case of the uncompressed foams. These results were confirmed by evaluating the performance of a catalyst obtained by coating a compressed 5 PPI pore size commercial aluminium foam, which showed much higher activity, at the same contact time, with respect to the catalyst obtained with the corresponding non-compressed foam. Finally, the performance of a catalyst obtained by coating an aluminium sponge, synthesized by the replication technique, was compared to that of a catalyst obtained by coating a compressed 40 PPI pore size aluminium foam. The higher activity of the sponge-based catalysts confirmed the dependence of the activity on the textural properties of the structure: X-ray computed tomography images highlighted the narrow distribution of the pore sizes and the presence of “bottleneck type” connections in the sponge structure, which are beneficial for the activity of the catalyst.     

Interactions and effects of metal oxide nanoparticles on microorganisms involved in biological wastewater treatment

To clarify the toxicological effects of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) on microorganisms with environmental relevance, it is necessary to understand their interactions. In this work, they were studied the effects and the morphological interactions of two metal oxide NPs (ZnO and TiO₂) with microorganisms, during aerobic treatment of wastewater. The effects were evaluated according to nutrient removal from wastewater, while morphological interactions were determined by three different techniques such as TEM, HAADF‐STEM, as well as an elemental mapping. According to results about effects of both NPs, they inhibited the removal of organic matter and ammonia nitrogen, and enhanced the orthophosphate removal. Related to morphological interactions, the electron‐dense material of both NPs was mainly observed bounded to cell membrane. In tests with ZnO NPs, it was also observed electron‐dense material internalized in microorganisms without physical damage in cell membrane. The elemental mapping was useful to determine that the electron‐dense material corresponded to Zn and Ti. Both interactions, internalization and attachment of NPs on cell membrane of microorganisms may trigger the negative effect in the removal of organic matter and nitrogen.     

Decentralized multi-robot allocation of tasks with temporal and precedence constraints

Abstract

We present an auction-based method for a team of robots to allocate and execute tasks that have temporal and precedence constraints. Temporal constraints are expressed as time windows, within which a task must be executed. The robots use our priority-based iterated sequential single-item auction algorithm to allocate tasks among themselves and keep track of their individual schedules. A key innovation is in decoupling precedence constraints from temporal constraints and dealing with them separately. We demonstrate the performance of the allocation method and show how it can be extended to handle failures and delays during task execution. We leverage the power of simulation as a tool to analyze the robustness of schedules. Data collected during simulations are used to compute well-known indexes that measure the risk of delay and failure in the robots’ schedules. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in simulation and with real robot experiments.     

Hydration-induced reinforcement of rigid polyurethane–cement foams: mechanical and functional properties

Mechanical and functional properties of a newly proposed hybrid foam based on rigid polyurethane foam and Portland cement for application in the building field are herein reported. The hybrid is characterized by the co-continuity of the two phases, hydrated cement and polyurethane, which cooperate in a synergistic way to the properties of the resulting material. Furthermore, the closed-cell foam structure gives the material properties typical of porous materials: in particular, the hybrid foam evidences thermal insulation, sound absorption and acoustic insulation, high impact energy and low density typical of polymeric foams. At the same time, the hybrid foam exhibits water vapor permeability, improvement of thermal stability, high compressive mechanical behavior, and adhesion to concrete and mortars typical of inorganic binders such as cement. The materials were obtained by mixing cement powder with polyurethane foam precursors, i.e., methylene di(phenyl-isocyanate), polyol polyether and catalysts, and silicone surfactants. Water was used as blowing reagent. The resulting compounds were foamed in flat closed molds. The cement phase was then allowed to hydrate in accelerated conditions, i.e., in water at 60?°C for 72?h. Mechanical, morphological, and functional characterization showed that the hydrated cement particles interacted with each other, forming an inorganic network within the polymeric matrix (co-continuity), thus “hydration-induced reinforcement of polymer–cement” hybrid foam, in contraposition with the term “composite foam.”     

Influence of different abstractions on the performance analysis of distributed hard real-time systems

System level performance analysis plays a fundamental role in the design process of hard real-time embedded systems. Several different approaches have been presented so far to address the problem of accurate performance analysis of distributed embedded systems in early design stages. The existing formal analysis methods are based on essentially different concepts of abstraction. However, the influence of these different models on the accuracy of the system analysis is widely unknown, as a direct comparison of performance analysis methods has not been considered so far. We define a set of benchmarks aimed at the evaluation of performance analysis techniques for distributed systems. We apply different analysis methods to the benchmarks and compare the results obtained in terms of accuracy and analysis times, highlighting the specific effects of the various abstractions. We also point out several pitfalls for the analysis accuracy of single approaches and investigate the reasons for pessimistic performance predictions.     

Microstructure and mineral composition of dental enamel of permanent and deciduous teeth

Purpose: This study evaluated and compared in vitro the microstructure and mineral composition of permanent and deciduous teeth's dental enamel. Methods: Sound third molars (n = 12) and second primary molars (n = 12) were selected and randomly assigned to the following groups, according to the analysis method performed (n = 4): Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometer (EDS). Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the dental enamel were done. The microscopic findings were analyzed statistically by a nonparametric test (Kruskal‐Wallis). The measurements of the prisms number and thickness were done in SEM photomicrographs. The relative amounts of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) were determined by EDS investigation. Chemical phases present in both types of teeth were observed by the XRD analysis. Results: The mean thickness measurements observed in the deciduous teeth enamel was 1.14 mm and in the permanent teeth enamel was 2.58 mm. The mean rod head diameter in deciduous teeth was statistically similar to that of permanent teeth enamel, and a slightly decrease from the outer enamel surface to the region next to the enamel‐dentine junction was assessed. The numerical density of enamel rods was higher in the deciduous teeth, mainly near EDJ, that showed statistically significant difference. The percentage of Ca and P was higher in the permanent teeth enamel. Conclusions: The primary enamel structure showed a lower level of Ca and P, thinner thickness and higher numerical density of rods. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Energy efficiency of double skin façades: an approach to Brazilian climates

The heat gains and daylight transmitted through windows directly influence the building's energy demand. High performance façades, when correctly specified, produce a great potential of energy savings by using daylight efficiently and controlling heat gains and/or losses. In Brazil, the lack of natural ventilation associated with large glass areas in office buildings exhibits substandard results concerning energy efficiency. This article demonstrates an approach to highly ventilated double skin façades in Brazil, investigating the potential of natural ventilation in accordance with the local climate. Applying the Light Design and Ideal Window Area methodologies, window areas as a function of different types of high performance glass are thermally simulated in the program EnergyPlus. The simulations are run for 10 cities in Brazil, in one of those cities, Curitiba (–25° 25′ 40′′), the annual results of hourly simulations demonstrate the building energy demand as a function of window area, glass type, room ratio and size. The results concerning the energy efficiency perspective only illustrated that double skin façades could be applied for southern regions in Brazil and under certain criteria. Energieeffizienz von doppelschaligen Fassaden: eine Annäherung an brasilianische Klimabedingungen. Die ansteigende Temperatur und das Tageslicht, das ungehindert durch die Fenster tritt, beeinflussen den Energiehaushalt eines Gebäudes. Moderne Hochleistungsfassaden bieten bei korrekter Auslegung ein großes Potential zur Energieeinsparung, indem sie Tageslichtnutzung zulassen und solare Gewinne kontrollieren. Das Fehlen von natürlichen Belüftungsmöglichkeiten und der hohe Anteil großflächiger Glasfassaden in Bürogebäuden führen in Brasilien zu unterdurchschnittlicher Energieeffizienz. Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit belüfteten doppelschaligen Fassaden in Brasilien, indem das Potential von natürlicher Belüftung unter den lokalen Klimabedingungen geprüft wird. In Anlehnung an Regeln der Kunstlichtplanung und zur Ermittlung der idealen Fensterfläche werden unterschiedliche Fensterflächenanteile unter Variation der Glasqualitäten in dem Programm EnergyPlus thermisch simuliert. Die Simulationen wurden für 10 brasilianische Städte durchgeführt. Die Jahresergebnisse der stündlichen Simulationen für Curitiba (–25° 25′ 40′′) zeigen, dass der Energiebedarf des Gebäudes von der Größe der Fensterflächen, der Art der Glasscheiben sowie der Raumproportion und ‐größe abhängt. Die Ergebnisse bezüglich der Einschätzung der Energieeffizienz weisen ferner darauf hin, dass doppelschalige Fassaden in südlichen Regionen von Brasilien und vergleichbaren Klimaten unter bestimmten Bedingungen angewendet werden können.