Simulation of polar stratospheric clouds in the chemistry-climate-model EMAC via the submodel PSC

The submodel PSC of the ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry model (EMAC) has been developed to simulate the main types of polar stratospheric clouds (PSC). The parameterisation of the supercooled ternary solutions (STS, type 1b PSC) in the submodel is based on Carslaw et al. (1995b), the thermodynamic approach to simulate ice particles (type 2 PSC) on Marti and Mauersberger (1993). For the formation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) particles (type 1a PSC) two different parameterisations exist. The first is based on an instantaneous thermodynamic approach from Hanson and Mauersberger (1988), the second is new implemented and considers the growth of the NAT particles with the aid of a surface growth factor based on Carslaw et al. (2002). It is possible to choose one of this NAT parameterisation in the submodel. This publication explains the background of the submodel PSC and the use of the submodel with the goal of simulating realistic PSC in EMAC

Calculating WCET Estimates from Timed Traces

© The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comReal-time systems engineers face a daunting duty: They must ensure that each task in their system can always meet its deadline. To analyse schedulability they must know the worst-case execution time (WCET) of each task. However, determining exact WCETs is practically infeasible in cost-constrained industrial settings involving real-life code and COTS hardware. Static analysis tools that could yield sufficiently tight WCET bounds are often unavailable. As a result, interest in portable analysis approaches like measurement-based timing analysis (MBTA) is growing. We present an approach based on integer linear programming (ILP) for calculating a WCET estimate from a given database of timed execution traces. Unlike previous work, our method specifically aims at reducing overestimation, by means of an automatic classification of code executions into scenarios with differing worst-case behaviour. To ease the integration into existing analysis tool chains, our method is based on the implicit path enumeration technique (IPET). It can thus reuse flow facts from other analysis tools and produces ILP problems that can be solved by off-the-shelf solvers.Peer reviewe

ContextMap 2: fast and accurate context-based RNA-seq mapping

Background Mapping of short sequencing reads is a crucial step in the analysis of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. ContextMap is an RNA-seq mapping algorithm that uses a context-based approach to identify the best alignment for each read and allows parallel mapping against several reference genomes. Results In this article, we present ContextMap 2, a new and improved version of ContextMap. Its key novel features are: (i) a plug-in structure that allows easily integrating novel short read alignment programs with improved accuracy and runtime; (ii) context-based identification of insertions and deletions (indels); (iii) mapping of reads spanning an arbitrary number of exons and indels. ContextMap 2 using Bowtie, Bowtie 2 or BWA was evaluated on both simulated and real-life data from the recently published RGASP study. Conclusions We show that ContextMap 2 generally combines similar or higher recall compared to other state-of-the-art approaches with significantly higher precision in read placement and junction and indel prediction. Furthermore, runtime was significantly lower than for the best competing approaches. ContextMap 2 is freely available at http://www.bio.ifi.lmu.de/ContextMap webcite

Nanocrystalline silicon oxide interlayer in monolithic perovskite silicon heterojunction tandem solar cells with total current density gt;39 mA cm2

Silicon heterojunction solar cells are implemented as bottom cells in monolithic perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. Commonly they are processed with a smooth front side to facilitate wet processing of the lead halide perovskite cell on top. The inherent drawback of this design, namely, enhanced reflection of the cell, can be significantly reduced by replacing the amorphous or nanocrystalline silicon front side n layer of the silicon cell by a nanocrystalline silicon oxide n layer. It is deposited with the same commonly used plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and can be tuned to feature opto electrical properties for enhanced light coupling into the Si bottom cell, namely, low parasitic absorption and an intermediate refractive index of 2.6. We demonstrate that a 80 100 nm thick layer results in 0.9 mA cm 2 current gain in the bottom cell yielding tandem cells with a top cell bottom cell total current above 39 mA cm 2 . These first nc SiO x H coupled tandem cells reach an efficiency gt;23.

ContextMap 2: fast and accurate context-based RNA-seq mapping

Background Mapping of short sequencing reads is a crucial step in the analysis of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. ContextMap is an RNA-seq mapping algorithm that uses a context-based approach to identify the best alignment for each read and allows parallel mapping against several reference genomes. Results In this article, we present ContextMap 2, a new and improved version of ContextMap. Its key novel features are: (i) a plug-in structure that allows easily integrating novel short read alignment programs with improved accuracy and runtime; (ii) context-based identification of insertions and deletions (indels); (iii) mapping of reads spanning an arbitrary number of exons and indels. ContextMap 2 using Bowtie, Bowtie 2 or BWA was evaluated on both simulated and real-life data from the recently published RGASP study. Conclusions We show that ContextMap 2 generally combines similar or higher recall compared to other state-of-the-art approaches with significantly higher precision in read placement and junction and indel prediction. Furthermore, runtime was significantly lower than for the best competing approaches. ContextMap 2 is freely available at http://www.bio.ifi.lmu.de/ContextMap webcite

New insights into the environmental performanceof perovskite on silicon tandem solar cells a life cycle assessment of industrially manufactured modules

LCA studies of perovskite on silicon tandem PST cells have so far been heavily reliant on laboratory data and process data from test facilities to project environmental impacts, producing results that differ significantly from one another. This paper reports on potential environmental impacts of an industrially manufactured PST module. Based on process data from a volume manufacturing line in Brandenburg, Germany, a comprehensive life cycle assessment LCA was performed using the ReCiPe 2016 v1.1 method. The production of one module was estimated with a global warming potential GWP of 434 kg CO2 eq., terrestrial ecotoxicity potential of 598 kg 1,4 DB eq., freshwater consumption FWC of 14 m3, and fossil and metal depletion potential FDP and MDP of 164 kg oil eq. and 2034 g Cu eq., respectively. In line with other studies, the environmental performance of the PST module was largely influenced by the amount of energy consumed in the course of production, making the silicon wafer production the determining process step in most impact categories considered. Exceptions were found with the metal depletion potential MDP and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential TETP , where copper, aluminum and float glass implemented in the cell manufacturing and module production process decisively determined the impacts of production. The built in lead, on the other hand, had no significant influence on the result of the toxicity specific impact categories in ReCiPe, even if complete lead emission was assumed. The results were also analysed and compared to those of a silicon hetero junction solar cell SHJ module, modelled analogously to the PST production process. While we found the overall environmental impact of the PST module per piece to be higher than that of the SHJ module in most impact categories up to 7 due to the additional process steps, a comparison made on the basis of kW h produced shows advantages for the PST module with 6 18 across all impact categories, as a higher efficiency overcompensates the higher environmental burden of production, assuming the same lifetime for both module