The Role of International Human Rights Law in the Interpretation of the Fourth Geneva Convention

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Brill via the DOI in this recor

Corrosion and Electrochemical Properties of Laser-Shock-Peening-Treated Stainless Steel AISI 304L in VVER Primary Water Environment

Laser Shock Peening (LSP) is a surface treatment technique for metallic materials. It induces plastic deformation at the surface of up to around 1 mm in depth. This process introduces residual stresses that lead to strain hardening, and potentially improvements in fatigue, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and general corrosion behaviour in many, but not all, corrosive media. In this paper, two specimens made of AISI 304L stainless steel, one LSP-treated and one un-treated, were tested at 280 °C and 8 MPa in VVER (or PWR) primary circuit water chemistry using in situ Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). This experiment serves to qualify the influence of LSP on the changes in corrosion behaviour in high-temperature, high-density water. The residual stress (RS) measurement of the surface showed a compression RS. Before LSP treatment, RS at the surface was 52.2 MPa in the rolling direction 0°RD and 10.42 MPa in the transverse rolling direction 90°RD. After the treatment, surface RS was −175.27 MPa and −183.51 MPa for Scan and TScan directions, respectively. The effect of compressive RS at the surface was studied and showed an increase in corrosion rate. The analysis of oxide layer by SEM revealed differences between LSP-treated and untreated AISI 304L specimens and their connection to corrosion rates

Effect of Reynolds number and lithium cation insertion on titanium anodization

This work studies the influence of using hydrodynamic conditions (Reynolds number, Re = 0 to Re = 600) during Ti anodization and Li+ intercalation on anatase TiO2 nanotubes. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), Raman Confocal Laser Microscopy, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Mott-Schottky analysis (M-S), photoelectrochemical hydrogen production and resistance to photocorrosion tests. The obtained results showed that the conductivity of the NTs increases with Li+ intercalation and Re. The latter is due to the fact that the hydrodynamic conditions eliminate part of the initiation layer formed over the tube-tops, which is related to an increase of the photocurrent in the photoelectrochemical water splitting. Besides, the photogenerated electron-hole pairs are facilitated by Li+ intercalation. Finally, this work confirms that there is a synergistic effect between Re and Li+ intercalation

Field evaluation of controlled traffic farming in central Europe using commercially available machinery

The progressive increase in the size and weight of farm machinery causes concerns due to the increased risk of soil compaction that arises from non-organized vehicle traffic. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) offers an effective means to manage compaction by confining all load-bearing wheels to the least possible area of permanent traffic lanes. Although CTF is relatively well-established in Australia and in some countries in Northern Europe, its benefits and suitability for Central European conditions have not been demonstrated. A long-term experimental site was established in 2010 in Nitra, Slovakia, using a 6 m 'OutTrac-CTF' system with shallow non-inversion tillage practices. The 16 ha experimental field of loam soil is representative of land used for arable cropping in Central Europe. Four traffic intensities (non-trafficked, one traffic event per year with a single pass, multiple passes with permanent traffic lanes, and random traffic) were evaluated using two traffic systems: controlled (CTF) and non-controlled traffic farming (referred to as random traffic farming or RTF). This article reports the findings derived from the first four years of the project and focuses on the effects of traffic systems on yields observed in cereal crops (winter wheat, spring barley, and maize) grown at the site in a rotation cycle. Significant differences (p < 0.1) in yield are reported due to the heterogeneity of the field and the seasonal effect of weather. The results of this investigation suggest that CTF systems have potential to increase production sustainably in arable farming systems in Central Europe. Well-designed CTF systems using commercially available machinery allow for reductions in the area affected by traffic of up to 50% compared with random, non-organized traffic systems. Results also show that in years when soil moisture was not limiting, the yield penalty from a single (annual) machine pass was relatively small (~5%). However, in dry years, compaction caused by multiple machinery passes may lead to yield losses of up to 33%. When considering the ratio of non-trafficked to trafficked area within the different CTF systems evaluated in this study, yield improvements of up to 0.5 t ha-1 for cereals are possible when converting from RTF to CTF. Given the assumptions made in the analyses, such yield increases translate into increased revenues of up to 117 USD ha-1 (1 Euro= 1.1 USD). For Central European farming systems, the main benefit of CTF appears to be improved efficiency and enhanced agronomic stability, especially in dry seasons, where the significant yield penalty from machinery passes is likely

Synergistic effect between hydrodynamic conditions during Ti anodization and acidic treatment on the photoelectric properties of TiO2 nanotubes

In the present work, the combined influence of controlled hydrodynamic conditions during Ti anodization and the acidic treatment with HClO4 on the photoelectric properties of mixed anatase/rutile TiO2 nanotubes has been studied. Anodized samples were analyzed by means of Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE-SEM), Confocal Raman Microscopy, electrochemical measurements (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analysis) and photoelectrochemical measurements. It has been observed that the use of hydrodynamic conditions increases the surface area of nanotubes, while acidic treatment enhances their conductivity. Besides, there is a clear synergistic effect between the hydrodynamic conditions and the acidic treatment, which results in higher photocurrent densities for the treated nanotubes formed under hydrodynamic conditions.Authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support to the Ministerio of Economia y Competitividad (Project CTQ2013-42494-R).Sánchez Tovar, R.; Fernández Domene, RM.; Martinez Sanchez, A.; Blasco Tamarit, ME.; García-Antón, J. (2015). Synergistic effect between hydrodynamic conditions during Ti anodization and acidic treatment on the photoelectric properties of TiO2 nanotubes. Journal of Catalysis. 330:434-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcat.2015.08.002S43444133

Review: Soil compaction and controlled traffic farming in arable and grass cropping systems

There is both circumstantial and direct evidence which demonstrates the significant productivity and sustainability benefits associated with adoption of controlled traffic farming (CTF). These benefits may be fully realised when CTF is jointly practiced with no-tillage and assisted by the range of precision agriculture (PA) technologies available. Important contributing factors are those associated with improved trafficability and timeliness of field operations. Adoption of CTF is therefore encouraged as a technically and economically viable option to improve productivity and resource-use efficiency in arable and grass cropping systems. Studies on the economics of CTF consistently show that it is a profitable technological innovation for both grassland and arable land-use. Despite these benefits, global adoption of CTF is still relatively low, with the exception of Australia where approximately 30% of the grain production systems are managed under CTF. The main barriers for adoption of CTF have been equipment incompatibilities and the need to modify machinery to suit a specific system design, often at the own farmers’ risk of loss of product warranty. Other barriers include reliance on contracting operations, land tenure systems, and road transport regulations. However, some of the barriers to adoption can be overcome with forward planning when conversion to CTF is built into the machinery replacement programme, and organisations such as ACTFA in Australia and CTF Europe Ltd. in Central and Northern Europe have developed suitable schemes to assist farmers in such a process