Electron Beam Induced Capacitance

A model of signal formation in the Electron Beam Induced Capacitance (EBICap) mode of the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is proposed. In the frame of this model the possibilities of this technique are analyzed. It is shown that EBICap is suitable to obtain a local depletion region width and for mapping of this parameter. Experimental results demonstrating the potentialities of EBICap are presented

Looming struggles over technology for border control

New technologies under development, capable of inflicting pain on masses of people, could be used for border control against asylum seekers. Implementation might be rationalized by the threat of mass migration due to climate change, nuclear disaster or exaggerated fears of refugees created by governments. We focus on taser anti-personnel mines, suggesting both technological countermeasures and ways of making the use of such technology politically counterproductive. We also outline several other types of ‘non-lethal’ technology that could be used for border control and raise human rights concerns: high-powered microwaves, armed robots, wireless tasers, acoustic devices/vortex rings, ionizing and pulsed energy lasers, chemical calmatives, convulsants, bioregulators and malodurants. Whether all these possible border technologies will be implemented is a matter for speculation, but their serious human rights implications warrant advance scrutiny

Capacity-building barriers to S3 implementation: an empirical framework for catch-up regions

In this paper, we investigate the implementation challenge of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in catch-up regional environments, through the lens of capacity building. We analyse capacity building at two levels: micro-level (individual organisations) and meso-level (regional inter-organisational networks). We use empirical evidence from 50 interviews conducted in the period 2015–2017 from two Greek regions dramatically hit by the economic crisis (Crete and Central Macedonia). We argue that in the Cretan and Central Macedonian context, the difficulty of implementing S3 is directly linked with firms’ lack of adsorptive capability to exploit university-generated knowledge, university knowledge that is too abstract for firm’s to easily acquire, as well as to the capability of regional actors to build inter-organisational networking that fits their strategic needs

A stochastic approach for assessing the chronic environmental risk generated by wet-weather events from integrated urban wastewater systems

Wet-weather discharges from urban areas with a combined wastewater system represent a threat for surface waters. In fact, when the system capacity is reached during medium/big rain events, a mixture of stormwater and untreated wastewater is discharged through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) or bypass (BP) of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The discharged pollutant loads are highly variable in time and space, making it difficult to correctly monitor and assess the environmental risks for a specific catchment. The present work proposes a methodology to assess the chronic impact of wet-weather discharges from integrated urban wastewater systems (IUWS) by using a stochastic approach. Monitoring data from the literature were used to characterize the discharges and to predict the risk posed by (micro-)pollutants on a yearly basis in an archetype IUWS. Calculated risks from wet-weather discharges are compared against those posed by WWTP effluent. The results show that CSOs pose a higher risk to surface waters compared to WWTP effluent and bypass, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons being the category of micropollutants of major concern for CSOs. Conversely, WWTP effluent discharges are responsible for most of the risk associated with pharmaceuticals. A sensitivity and uncertainty analysis highlighted the importance of performing an accurate estimation of the recipient flow rate, which can provide a better risk estimation than focusing only on the characterization of the discharged concentrations. In climate change scenarios, where recipient flow rate reduction and overflow volume increment is expected, the risk caused by wet-weather discharges may increase for all micropollutant categories, including pharmaceuticals.Environmental chronic risk generated by wet-weather discharges compared to final effluent was stochastically assessed, also from a climate-change perspective, stressing their growing contribution for many (micro-)pollutants

Water-based drilling fluids for high-temperature applications and water-sensitive and dispersible shale formations

This study examines the effectiveness of sodium erythorbate, potassium formate, and polyethylene glycol for the formulation of high-performance water-based drilling fluids. High-performance water-based drilling fluids are environmentally-friendly, remain stable when exposed to high temperatures, and retard problems associated with reactive shale. A biopolymer, diutan gum, is used as drilling fluid viscosifiers in the preparation of drilling fluid formulations. The viscosities of the drilling fluid formulations with pH 8-10 were measured using Model 1100 viscometer before and after aging dynamically in a roller oven for sixteen hours. Shale rock samples were characterised using scanning electron microscope photos while X-ray diffraction analysis was used to identify the mineral contents of the shale samples. Shale dispersion tests were carried out by aging shale cuttings in an inhibitive drilling fluid formulation and in freshwater dynamically in a roller oven for 16 hours at 120°C. The percentage recovery of shale rocks after dynamic aging was determined. Experimental data indicated that the diutan gum stability temperature in bentonite water-suspension after aging for 16 hours was 115°C. Experimental data also indicated that the mud formulations with the additives - sodium erythorbate, potassium formate, and polyethylene glycol - retained their viscosities up to 232°C. The additives, therefore, significantly retarded the degradation of the biopolymer and other mud additives up to 232°C. The result from the shale dispersion test showed that the shale cuttings recovered from freshwater was 78%; with drilling fluids formulated with the additives, the shale cuttings recovered were 100%. This new fluid system which is stable at high temperatures and inhibits shale dispersion can meet high temperature and shale formation drilling requirements

Statistics of leading digits leads to unification of quantum correlations

We show that the frequency distribution of the first significant digits of the numbers in the data sets generated from a large class of measures of quantum correlations, which are either entanglement measures, or belong to the information-theoretic paradigm, exhibit a universal behaviour. In particular, for Haar uniformly simulated arbitrary two-qubit states, we find that the first-digit distribution corresponding to a collection of chosen computable quantum correlation quantifiers tend to follow the first-digit law, known as the Benford's law, when the rank of the states increases. Considering a two-qubit state which is obtained from a system governed by paradigmatic spin Hamiltonians, namely, the XY model in a transverse field, and the XXZ model, we show that entanglement as well as information theoretic measures violate the Benford's law. We quantitatively discuss the violation of the Benford's law by using a violation parameter, and demonstrate that the violation parameter can signal quantum phase transitions occurring in these models. We also comment on the universality of the statistics of first significant digits corresponding to appropriate measures of quantum correlations in the case of multipartite systems as well as systems in higher dimensions.Comment: v1: 11 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; v2: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, new results added, extended version of the published pape

Pairwise comparison matrices and the error-free property of the decision maker

Pairwise comparison is a popular assessment method either for deriving criteria-weights or for evaluating alternatives according to a given criterion. In real-world applications consistency of the comparisons rarely happens: intransitivity can occur. The aim of the paper is to discuss the relationship between the consistency of the decision maker—described with the error-free property—and the consistency of the pairwise comparison matrix (PCM). The concept of error-free matrix is used to demonstrate that consistency of the PCM is not a sufficient condition of the error-free property of the decision maker. Informed and uninformed decision makers are defined. In the first stage of an assessment method a consistent or near-consistent matrix should be achieved: detecting, measuring and improving consistency are part of any procedure with both types of decision makers. In the second stage additional information are needed to reveal the decision maker’s real preferences. Interactive questioning procedures are recommended to reach that goal