SL(nn) contravariant vector valuations

All SL($n$) contravariant vector valuations on polytopes in $\mathbb R^n$ are completely classified without any additional assumptions. The facet vector is defined. It turns out to be the unique such valuation for $n\geq3$. In dimension two, the classification corresponds to the case of SL(2) covariant valuations

Industrial Multi-Energy and Production Management Scheme in Cyber-Physical Environments: A Case Study in a Battery Manufacturing Plant

Among the various electricity consumer sectors, the consumption level of the industrial sector is often considered as the largest portion of electricity consumption, highlighting the urgent need to implement demand response (DR) energy management. However, implementation of DR for the industrial sector requires a more sophisticated and different scheme compared to the residential and commercial sector. This study explores all the elastic segments of plant multi-energy production, conversion, and consumption. We then construct a real-time industrial facilities management problem as an optimal dispatch model to enclose these elastic segments and production constraints in cyber-physical environments. Moreover, a model predictive-based centralised dispatch scheme is proposed to address the uncertainties of real-time price and renewable energy forecasting while considering the sequence of the production process. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can enhance energy efficiency and economics of lithium battery manufacturing plant through responding to the real-time price whilst ensuring the completion of production tasks

Progressive amorphization of GeSbTe phase-change material under electron beam irradiation

Fast and reversible phase transitions in chalcogenide phase-change materials (PCMs), in particular, Ge-Sb-Te compounds, are not only of fundamental interests, but also make PCMs based random access memory (PRAM) a leading candidate for non-volatile memory and neuromorphic computing devices. To RESET the memory cell, crystalline Ge-Sb-Te has to undergo phase transitions firstly to a liquid state and then to an amorphous state, corresponding to an abrupt change in electrical resistance. In this work, we demonstrate a progressive amorphization process in GeSb2Te4 thin films under electron beam irradiation on transmission electron microscope (TEM). Melting is shown to be completely absent by the in situ TEM experiments. The progressive amorphization process resembles closely the cumulative crystallization process that accompanies a continuous change in electrical resistance. Our work suggests that if displacement forces can be implemented properly, it should be possible to emulate symmetric neuronal dynamics by using PCMs

Enrichment of Phosphate on Ferrous Iron Phases during Bio-Reduction of Ferrihydrite *

The reduction of less stable ferric hydroxides and formation of ferrous phases is critical for the fate of phosphorus in anaerobic soils and sediments. The interaction between ferrous iron and phosphate was investigated experimentally during the reduction of synthetic ferrihydrite with natural organic materials as carbon source. Ferrihydrite was readily reduced by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB) with between 52 % and 73 % Fe(III) converted to Fe(II) after 31 days, higher than without DIRB. Formation of ferrous phases was linearly coupled to almost complete removal of both aqueous and exchangeable phosphate. Simple model calculations based on the incubation data suggested ferrous phases bound phosphate with a molar ratio of Fe(II):P between 1.14- 2.25 or a capacity of 246- 485 mg·P·g −1 Fe(II). XRD analysis indicated that the ratio of Fe(II): P was responsible for the precipitation of vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O), a dominant Fe(II) phosphate mineral in incubation systems. When the ratio of Fe(II):P was more than 1.5, the precipitation of Fe(II) phosphate was soundly crystallized to vivianite. Thus, reduction of ferric iron provides a mechanism for the further removal of available phosphate via the production of ferrous phases, with anaerobic soils and sediments potentially exhibiting a higher capacity to bind phosphate than some aerobic systems