696 research outputs found
Photothermal infrared thermography applied to the identification of thin layer thermophysical properties
Abstract: The aim of the present work is the thermal non-destructive characterisation of layers at the surface of metals. The sample is sinusoidally heated by means of an argon ion laser and a focal plane array infrared camera (CEDIP IRC 320-4 LW) is used to measure the temperature variations at the surface of the layer. A numerical lock-in procedure allows the detection of very weak temperature variations at the surface of the sample, down to a few mK when working from the acquisition of hundreds of images, yielding amplitude and absolute phase maps for modulation frequencies ranging from 0.1 Hz to 1000 Hz. An inverse procedure uses the Gauss-Newton parameter estimation method, in order to identify the thermal conductivity and the optical absorption coefficient of the layer. Confidence intervals on the parameters can also be estimated by the inverse procedure. More particular attention is devoted to the study of the sensitivity coefficients, as functions of the frequency range and of the radial range along the profiles, in order to optimise the identification procedure
Indications for the Nonexistence of Three-Neutron Resonances near the Physical Region
The pending question of the existence of three-neutron resonances near the
physical energy region is reconsidered. Finite rank neutron-neutron forces are
used in Faddeev equations, which are analytically continued into the unphysical
energy sheet below the positive real energy axis. The trajectories of the
three-neutron S-matrix poles in the states of total angular momenta and parity
J^\pi=1/2 +- and J^\pi= 3/2 +- are traced out as a function of artificial
enhancement factors of the neutron-neutron forces. The final positions of the
S-matrix poles removing the artificial factors are found in all cases to be far
away from the positive real energy axis, which provides a strong indication for
the nonexistence of nearby three-neutron resonances. The pole trajectories
close to the threshold E=0 are also predicted out of auxiliary generated
three-neutron bound state energies using the Pad\'e method and agree very well
with the directly calculated ones.Comment: 20 pages, 7 Postscript figures, fig.1 is corrected, uses relax.st
Resonances in the three-neutron system
A study of 3-body resonances has been performed in the framework of
configuration space Faddeev equations. The importance of keeping a sufficient
number of terms in the asymptotic expansion of the resonance wave function is
pointed out. We investigated three neutrons interacting in selected force
components taken from realistic nn forces.Comment: 38 pages, 11 tables, 4 figure
Consistent alpha-cluster description of the 12C (0^+_2) resonance
The near-threshold 12C (0^+_2) resonance provides unique possibility for fast
helium burning in stars, as predicted by Hoyle to explain the observed
abundance of elements in the Universe. Properties of this resonance are
calculated within the framework of the alpha-cluster model whose two-body and
three-body effective potentials are tuned to describe the alpha - alpha
scattering data, the energies of the 0^+_1 and 0^+_2 states, and the
0^+_1-state root-mean-square radius. The extremely small width of the 0^+_2
state, the 0_2^+ to 0_1^+ monopole transition matrix element, and transition
radius are found in remarkable agreement with the experimental data. The
0^+_2-state structure is described as a system of three alpha-particles
oscillating between the ground-state-like configuration and the elongated chain
configuration whose probability exceeds 0.9
Development of 2-in-1 Sensors for the Safety Assessment of Lithium-Ion Batteries via Early Detection of Vapors Produced by Electrolyte Solvents
Batteries play a critical role in achieving zero-emission goals and in the transition toward a more circular economy. Ensuring battery safety is a top priority for manufacturers and consumers alike, and hence is an active topic of research. Metal-oxide nanostructures have unique properties that make them highly promising for gas sensing in battery safety applications. In this study, we investigate the gas-sensing capabilities of semiconducting metal oxides for detecting vapors produced by common battery components, such as solvents, salts, or their degassing products. Our main objective is to develop sensors capable of early detection of common vapors produced by malfunctioning batteries to prevent explosions and further safety hazards. Typical electrolyte components and degassing products for the Li-ion, LiâS, or solid-state batteries that were investigated in this study include 1,3-dioxololane (CâHâOââDOL), 1,2-dimethoxyethane (CâHâ0OââDME), ethylene carbonate (CâHâOââEC), dimethyl carbonate (CâHâ0OââDMC), lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), lithium nitrate (LiNOâ) salts in a mixture of DOL and DME, lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPFâ), nitrogen dioxide (NOâ), and phosphorous pentafluoride (PFâ
). Our sensing platform was based on ternary and binary heterostructures consisting of TiOâ(111)/CuO(1Ì
11)/CuâO(111) and CuO(1Ì
11)/CuâO(111), respectively, with various CuO layer thicknesses (10, 30, and 50 nm). We have analyzed these structures using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and ultravioletâvisible (UVâvis) spectroscopy. We found that the sensors reliably detected DME CâHâ0Oâ vapors up to a concentration of 1000 ppm with a gas response of 136%, and concentrations as low as 1, 5, and 10 ppm with response values of approximately 7, 23, and 30%, respectively. Our devices can serve as 2-in-1 sensors, functioning as a temperature sensor at low operating temperatures and as a gas sensor at temperatures above 200 °C. Density functional theory calculations were also employed to study the adsorption of the vapors produced by battery solvents or their degassing products, as well as water, to investigate the impact of humidity. PFâ
and CâHâ0Oâ showed the most exothermic molecular interactions, which are consistent with our gas response investigations. Our results indicate that humidity does not impact the performance of the sensors, which is crucial for the early detection of thermal runaway under harsh conditions in Li-ion batteries. We show that our semiconducting metal-oxide sensors can detect the vapors produced by battery solvents and degassing products with high accuracy and can serve as high-performance battery safety sensors to prevent explosions in malfunctioning Li-ion batteries. Despite the fact that the sensors work independently of the type of battery, the work presented here is of particular interest for the monitoring of solid-state batteries, since DOL is a solvent typically used in this type of batteries
What factors influence training opportunities for older workers? Three factorial surveys exploring the attitudes of HR professionals
The core research questions addressed in this paper are: what factors influence HR professionals in deciding whether to approve training proposals for older workers? What kind of training are they more likely to recommend for older employees and in which organizational contexts? We administered three factorial surveys to 66 HR professionals in Italy. Participants made specific training decisions based on profiles of hypothetical older workers. Multilevel analyses indicated that access to training decreases strongly with age, while highly-skilled older employees with low absenteeism rates are more likely to enjoy training opportunities. In addition, older workers displaying positive performance are more likely to receive training than older workers who perform poorly, suggesting that training late in working life may serve as a reward for good performance rather than as a means of enhancing productivity. The older the HR professional evaluating training proposals, the higher the probability that older workers will be recommended for training.
keywords: training; older workers; HR professionals; factorial survey; multilevel model
Aberrant chromatin landscape following loss of the H3.3 chaperone Daxx in haematopoietic precursors leads to Pu.1-mediated neutrophilia and inflammation
Defective silencing of retrotransposable elements has been linked to inflammageing, cancer and autoimmune diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are only partially understood. Here we implicate the histone H3.3 chaperone Daxx, a retrotransposable element repressor inactivated in myeloid leukaemia and other neoplasms, in protection from inflammatory disease. Loss of Daxx alters the chromatin landscape, H3.3 distribution and histone marks of haematopoietic progenitors, leading to engagement of a Pu.1-dependent transcriptional programme for myelopoiesis at the expense of B-cell differentiation. This causes neutrophilia and inflammation, predisposing mice to develop an autoinflammatory skin disease. While these molecular and phenotypic perturbations are in part reverted in animals lacking both Pu.1 and Daxx, haematopoietic progenitors in these mice show unique chromatin and transcriptome alterations, suggesting an interaction between these two pathways. Overall, our findings implicate retrotransposable element silencing in haematopoiesis and suggest a cross-talk between the H3.3 loading machinery and the pioneer transcription factor Pu.1
Display of probability densities for data from a continuous distribution
Based on cumulative distribution functions, Fourier series expansion and
Kolmogorov tests, we present a simple method to display probability densities
for data drawn from a continuous distribution. It is often more efficient than
using histograms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, presented at Computer Simulation Studies XXIV,
Athens, GA, 201
The reaction dynamics of the 16O(e,e'p) cross section at high missing energies
We measured the cross section and response functions (R_L, R_T, and R_LT) for
the 16O(e,e'p) reaction in quasielastic kinematics for missing energies 25 <=
E_miss <= 120 MeV at various missing momenta P_miss <= 340 MeV/c. For 25 <
E_miss < 50 MeV and P_miss \approx 60 MeV/c, the reaction is dominated by
single-nucleon knockout from the 1s1/2-state. At larger P_miss, the
single-particle aspects are increasingly masked by more complicated processes.
For E_miss > 60 MeV and P_miss > 200 MeV/c, the cross section is relatively
constant. Calculations which include contributions from pion exchange currents,
isobar currents and short-range correlations account for the shape and the
transversity but only for half of the magnitude of the measured cross section.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys Rev Lett, formatting error
fixe
Virtual Compton Scattering and Neutral Pion Electroproduction in the Resonance Region up to the Deep Inelastic Region at Backward Angles
We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS)
process via the H exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance
region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the -dependence at
fixed GeV, and for the -dependence at fixed near 1.5 GeV.
The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance
regions. The observed -dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of
H to H cross sections emphasizes the different
sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally,
when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles,
our VCS data at the highest (1.8-1.9 GeV) show a striking -
independence, which may suggest a transition to a perturbative scattering
mechanism at the quark level.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.
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