CLIMATE FACTOR CONSIDERATION DURING ENERGY SAVING POTENTIAL ESTIMATION AT THE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES AND REGIONS

The approach to the allocation of climate factors, that influence on gas consumption with consideration of their interdependence, nonlinearity and inertia of factors has been reviewed. In addition to the classical approach of linear consideration of the dependence on the degree-days of heating and air conditioning, an additional consideration of the factors of lighting and precipitation level has been offered. The nonlinearity of dependences has been modelled by power functions, and the inertia effect by averaging data for the previous few months. The proposed mechanism makes it possible to exclude climatic factors from the actual data of gas consumption and, as a consequence, to allocate the influence of macroeconomic factors and the energy saving factor

CONSIDERATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN THE EVALUATION OF ENERGY SAVING POTENTIAL AT THE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES AND REGIONS

An approach to the allocation of economic and macroeconomic factors, affecting the final energy consumption, taking into account the seasonal unevenness of industrial production and the inertia of changes in the production of final products relative to the consumption of energy required for their production, has been considered in the article. In addition, factors have been reviewed not only at the end of the value chain on the basis of gas-consuming industries, but also taking into account the indicators of the raw material sector of the economy, which determines the beginning of the value chain

System approach to energy saving potential estimation on the сertain countries and regions level

The energy saving potential is related directly to the increase of gas application efficiency. Herewith, energy use efficiency is a complex concept, including not only the issues of technological efficiency, but also the requirements for the economic, social and environmental components of the processes. Meanwhile, the problem of energy efficiency assessment is a more general problem of effective use of resources in comparison with alternative energy and resource-using processes, reduced to comparable analysis conditions. In addition, efficiency should be distinguished from the point of view of consumers, producers and suppliers of energy resources, as well as from the point of view of general economic (state) efficiency

The electric double layer has a life of its own

Using molecular dynamics simulations with recently developed importance sampling methods, we show that the differential capacitance of a model ionic liquid based double-layer capacitor exhibits an anomalous dependence on the applied electrical potential. Such behavior is qualitatively incompatible with standard mean-field theories of the electrical double layer, but is consistent with observations made in experiment. The anomalous response results from structural changes induced in the interfacial region of the ionic liquid as it develops a charge density to screen the charge induced on the electrode surface. These structural changes are strongly influenced by the out-of-plane layering of the electrolyte and are multifaceted, including an abrupt local ordering of the ions adsorbed in the plane of the electrode surface, reorientation of molecular ions, and the spontaneous exchange of ions between different layers of the electrolyte close to the electrode surface. The local ordering exhibits signatures of a first-order phase transition, which would indicate a singular charge-density transition in a macroscopic limit

Ionic liquids at electrified interfaces

Until recently, “room-temperature” (<100–150 °C) liquid-state electrochemistry was mostly electrochemistry of diluted electrolytes(1)–(4) where dissolved salt ions were surrounded by a considerable amount of solvent molecules. Highly concentrated liquid electrolytes were mostly considered in the narrow (albeit important) niche of high-temperature electrochemistry of molten inorganic salts(5-9) and in the even narrower niche of “first-generation” room temperature ionic liquids, RTILs (such as chloro-aluminates and alkylammonium nitrates).(10-14) The situation has changed dramatically in the 2000s after the discovery of new moisture- and temperature-stable RTILs.(15, 16) These days, the “later generation” RTILs attracted wide attention within the electrochemical community.(17-31) Indeed, RTILs, as a class of compounds, possess a unique combination of properties (high charge density, electrochemical stability, low/negligible volatility, tunable polarity, etc.) that make them very attractive substances from fundamental and application points of view.(32-38) Most importantly, they can mix with each other in “cocktails” of one’s choice to acquire the desired properties (e.g., wider temperature range of the liquid phase(39, 40)) and can serve as almost “universal” solvents.(37, 41, 42) It is worth noting here one of the advantages of RTILs as compared to their high-temperature molten salt (HTMS)(43) “sister-systems”.(44) In RTILs the dissolved molecules are not imbedded in a harsh high temperature environment which could be destructive for many classes of fragile (organic) molecules

Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise

Dermacentor reticulatus is a hard tick species with extraordinary biological features. It has a high reproduction rate, a rapid developmental cycle, and is also able to overcome years of unfavourable conditions. Dermacentor reticulatus can survive under water for several months and is cold-hardy even compared to other tick species. It has a wide host range: over 60 different wild and domesticated hosts are known for the three active developmental stages. Its high adaptiveness gives an edge to this tick species as shown by new data on the emergence and establishment of D. reticulatus populations throughout Europe. The tick has been the research focus of a growing number of scientists, physicians and veterinarians. Within the Web of Science database, more than a fifth of the over 700 items published on this species between 1897 and 2015 appeared in the last three years (2013–2015). Here we attempt to synthesize current knowledge on the systematics, ecology, geographical distribution and recent spread of the species and to highlight the great spectrum of possible veterinary and public health threats it poses. Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis is a severe leading canine vector-borne disease in many endemic areas. Although less frequently than Ixodes ricinus, D. reticulatus adults bite humans and transmit several Rickettsia spp., Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus or Tick-borne encephalitis virus. We have not solely collected and reviewed the latest and fundamental scientific papers available in primary databases but also widened our scope to books, theses, conference papers and specialists colleagues’ experience where needed. Besides the dominant literature available in English, we also tried to access scientific literature in German, Russian and eastern European languages as well. We hope to inspire future research projects that are necessary to understand the basic life-cycle and ecology of this vector in order to understand and prevent disease threats. We conclude that although great strides have been made in our knowledge of the eco-epidemiology of this species, several gaps still need to be filled with basic research, targeting possible reservoir and vector roles and the key factors resulting in the observed geographical spread of D. reticulatus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1599-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Aluminum-Alumina Composites: Part I: Obtaining and Characterization of Powders

The process of advanced aluminum-alumina powders production for selective laser melting was studied. The economically effective method of obtaining aluminum-alumina powdery composites for further selective laser melting was comprehensively studied. The aluminum powders with 10&ndash;20 wt. % alumina content were obtained by oxidation of aluminum in water. Aluminum oxidation was carried out at &le;200 &deg;C. The oxidized powders were further dried at 120 &deg;C and calcined at 600 &deg;C. Four oxidation modes with different process temperatures (120&ndash;200 &deg;C) and pressures (0.15&ndash;1.80 MPa) were investigated. Parameters of aluminum powders oxidation to obtain composites with 10.0, 14.5, 17.4, and 20.0 wt. % alumina have been determined. The alumina content, particle morphology, and particle size distribution for the obtained aluminum-alumina powdery composites were studied by XRD, SEM, laser diffraction, and volumetric methods. According to the obtained characteristics of aluminum-alumina powdery composites, they are suitable for the SLM process