Interests, trust and security in US-Jordanian nuclear relations

This article explores the relationship between Jordan and the United States (US) in the field of nuclear energy cooperation. Since 2010 the Jordanian government has accelerated its plans for a nuclear energy program and has engaged with multiple partners around the world in order to agree terms for cooperation in technology exchange, monitoring, and the construction of infrastructure. Bilateral negotiations between the US and Jordan for a "123" nuclear cooperation agreement were underway by early 2008, but were suspended in 2011 without an agreement being reached. Jordanian nuclear energy policy has been spurred by energy security considerations (as it currently imports 97 percent of its energy needs) and the discovery of up to 120,000 tonnes of uranium ore in Jordan. At the same time, the US is primarily interested in management of nuclear technology proliferation. This work considers the perceptions of self and other in Jordanian and US policymaking in order to understand why bilateral cooperation has not materialized and what this means for nuclear proliferation in Jordan. This study finds that the US–Jordanian negotiations have been impeded by contradictory objectives and perceptions, and a "123" agreement is not likely in the short to medium term, but that development of Jordan’s nuclear energy program will likely continue regardless

Pull-out Behaviour of Hooked End Steel Fibres Embedded in Ultra-high Performance Mortar with Various W/B Ratios

This paper presents the fibre-matrix interfacial properties of hooked end steel fibres embedded in ultra-high performance mortars with various water/binder (W/B) ratios. The principle objective was to improve bond behaviour in terms of bond strength by reducing the (W/B) ratio to a minimum. Results show that a decrease in W/B ratio has a significant effect on the bondslip behaviour of both types of 3D fibres, especially when the W/B ratio was reduced from 0.25 to 0.15. Furthermore, the optimization in maximizing pullout load and total pullout work is found to be more prominent for the 3D fibres with a larger diameter than for fibres with a smaller diameter. On the contrary, increasing the embedded length of the 3D fibres did not result in an improvement on the maximum pullout load, but increase in the total pullout work

Structure solution from orientated data\u2026 from 'avenue of last resort' to routine?

NRC publication: Ye

Novel Pn polymorph for Li2MnSiO4 and its electrochemical activity as a cathode material in Li-ion batteries

We report on the syntesis and characterization of a new metastable polymorph of Li2MnSiO4 adopting the Pn space group, prepared by ion-exchange from Na2MnSiO4. Density-functional theory methods were used to predict the lattice parameters and atom positions of hte new polymorph material and those of Na2MnSiO4 and LiNaMnSiO4, allowing their identification by X-ray diffraction profiles, as well as the comparison of the measured and calculated cell parameters. The electrochemical activity of this new polymorph as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries was evaluated in coin cells and compared to that of the thermodynamically stable Pmn2, polymorph of Li2MnSiO4, as well as LiNaMnSiO4 and Na2MnSiO4. Carbon coating, very vital to the electrochemical activity of the material, was added in situ to the material before ion-exchange because the metastable polymorph converts to stable polymorph above 370 degrees Celsius, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry scans. Both LiMnSiO4 polymorphs display similar charge-discharge curves, except for a marginally lower lithum extraction voltage during the first charge of the Pn structure that may be due to the presence of sodium ion impurities. A discharge capacity of 110 mA h g(to the power of)-1 is intially observed for both Li2MnSiO4 polymorphs and both exhibit similar capacity fades. LiNaMnSiO4, however, yields a stable capacity of 45 mAh g(to the power of)-1, whereas Na2MnSiO4 yields an initial capaciy of 20 mAh g (to the power of)-1, increasing to 60 mAh g(to the power of)-1 with cycling.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

First report of Pn-Li\u2082MnSiO\u2084 synthesized by ion exchange

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye