Calculation of cyclic voltammetric responses for the reductive formation of catalyst-substrate adducts on electrode surfaces

Electrocatalysts based on monolayers of transition-metal complexes attached to electrode surfaces frequently follow mechanisms in which a chemical step is interposed between the first and subsequent electron-transfer steps. The cyclic voltammetric responses to be anticipated for such systems were calculated using finite difference procedures to solve the relevant differential equation. The calculated variation of the peak currents and peak potentials with the kinetic parameters governing the three steps in the mechanistic scheme are presented in graphical form. Application of the results to a specific experimental system, the catalysis of the electroreduction of O_2 by a macrocyclic complex of Co^(III) adsorbed on graphite electrodes, produced reasonable agreement between calculated and observed cyclic voltammograms

Beyond Burial - Transforming Death: A New Ritual of Farewell and the Ecological Return of the Body to Nature

Burial and funeral culture have been shaped by human self-awareness and reflect an anthropocentric worldview. The modern funeral industry\u27s multi-billion-dollar enterprise is based on the principle of protecting, sanitizing, and beautifying the corpse to promote the idea of human exceptionalism. However, this practice overlooks the natural process of decay and the potential beauty in returning the body to the earth, with which the body shares the same chemical basis as the earth itself. Modern science has provided Eco-friendly green burial methods, such as soil modification, ice burial, and water burial, making it suitable to contribute to natural ecology using human bodies. China\u27s explosive population growth resulting from urbanization has caused a shortage of cemeteries, making it challenging to access earthen burials and cremations. To address this issue, this thesis proposes an Ecological Architecture of Death by renovating Hong Kong\u27s iconic Star Ferry Pier into a new cemetery typology that promotes green burial methods and creates an earth-friendly resting place for the deceased and a space for the living to reflect on our entanglement with the natural world. The proposal is divided into four parts: Spiritual Space, Facility, Theatre, and Memorial. Spiritual Space provides a ritual to participate in the farewell process and build a relationship with the deceased. Facility offers functional and technical support for burial, while Theatre dramatizes the moment after the farewell to prolong the process of memorialization and incorporates it into architectural spaces and narratives to facilitate the grieving process. Memorial keeps remembrance alive and welcomes members of the surrounding community. By embedding the cemetery within urban life and improving accessibility, mourning behaviors can become a part of daily life. Ultimately, this thesis proposes a sustainable approach to death that challenges the conventional funeral industry\u27s anthropocentric practices and promotes ecological harmony between humans and nature. Providing safe and open interactions with death and dead bodies, this architecture can help individuals unburden their grief and find a path towards healing

The dynamic process of economic takeoff and industrial transformation

This paper studies the patterns and key determinants of staged economic development. We construct a two-sector dynamic general equilibrium model populated with one-period lived non-overlapping generations, featuring endogenous enhancement in modern technology and endogenous accumulation of labor skills and capital funds. We consider preference biases toward the traditional sector of necessities, capital barriers to the modern sector, and imperfect substitution between skilled and unskilled workers. By calibrating the model to �t historic U.S. development, we fi�nd that modern technologies, saving incentives and capital fundings are most important determinants of the takeoff time. By evaluating the process of economic development, we identify that saving incentives is most crucial for the speed of modernization. We also study how labor and capital allocations toward the modern industry respond to various preference, technology and institutional changes. We further establish that labor, capital and output are most responsive to the initial state of modern technologies but least responsive to the initial state of skills, along the dynamic transition path.Economic takeoff and industrial transformation; endogenous skill and technological advancements; saving incentives, preference biases and capital barriers

Fractal model and Lattice Boltzmann Method for Characterization of Non-Darcy Flow in Rough Fractures.

The irregular morphology of single rock fracture significantly influences subsurface fluid flow and gives rise to a complex and unsteady flow state that typically cannot be appropriately described using simple laws. Yet the fluid flow in rough fractures of underground rock is poorly understood. Here we present a numerical method and experimental measurements to probe the effect of fracture roughness on the properties of fluid flow in fractured rock. We develop a series of fracture models with various degrees of roughness characterized by fractal dimensions that are based on the Weierstrass-Mandelbrot fractal function. The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), a discrete numerical algorithm, is employed for characterizing the complex unsteady non-Darcy flow through the single rough fractures and validated by experimental observations under the same conditions. Comparison indicates that the LBM effectively characterizes the unsteady non-Darcy flow in single rough fractures. Our LBM model predicts experimental measurements of unsteady fluid flow through single rough fractures with great satisfactory, but significant deviation is obtained from the conventional cubic law, showing the superiority of LBM models of single rough fractures