Performance and Safety Characteristics of Lithium-molybdenum Disulfide Cells

The lithium-molybdenum disulfide system offers attractive characteristics including high rate capability, successful operation up to 75 C, a very low self-discharge rate, a good cycle life and safety characteristics which compare favorably to those of other lithium cells. Moreover, the materials and manufacturing costs for the system is effectively controlled, so the cells should ultimately be competitive with currently marketed rechargeable cells

A numerical method to solve the Boltzmann equation for a spin valve

We present a numerical algorithm to solve the Boltzmann equation for the electron distribution function in magnetic multilayer heterostructures with non-collinear magnetizations. The solution is based on a scattering matrix formalism for layers that are translationally invariant in plane so that properties only vary perpendicular to the planes. Physical quantities like spin density, spin current, and spin-transfer torque are calculated directly from the distribution function. We illustrate our solution method with a systematic study of the spin-transfer torque in a spin valve as a function of its geometry. The results agree with a hybrid circuit theory developed by Slonczewski for geometries typical of those measured experimentally.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Peculiar long-range superexchange in Cu2A2O7 (A = P, As, V) as a key element of the microscopic magnetic model

A microscopic magnetic model for alpha-Cu2P2O7 is evaluated in a combined theoretical and experimental study. Despite a dominant intradimer coupling J1, sizable interdimer couplings enforce long-range magnetic ordering at T_N=27 K. The spin model for alpha-Cu2P2O7 is compared to the models of the isostructural beta-Cu2V2O7 and alpha-Cu2As2O7 systems. As a surprise, coupled dimers in alpha-Cu2P2O7 and alternating chains in alpha-Cu2As2O7 contrast with a honeycomb lattice in beta-Cu2V2O7. We find that the qualitative difference in the coupling regime of these isostructural compounds is governed by the nature of AO4 side groups: d-elements (A = V) hybridize with nearby O atoms forming a Cu-O-A-O-Cu superexchange path, while for p-elements (A = P, As) the superexchange is realized via O-O edges of the tetrahedron. Implications for a broad range of systems are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; discussion extende

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center- July 2016

Inside this issue: Message from the interim director........................................1 Staff spotlight...........................1 Research update......................2 Product highlight....................3 Partnership spotlight.............3 AWDN information.................4 Update on regional climate conditions..................................4 Outreach/engagement.........5 Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center- January 2017

Inside this issue: Message from the interim director........................................1 30th anniversary......................1 Stakeholder engagement activities......................................2 Product highlights..................3 AWDN information.................4 Update on regional climate conditions..................................4 Services update........................5 Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................

Support for Drought Response and Community Preparedness: Filling the Gaps between Plans and Action

This chapter examines which levels of government handle various aspects of drought, as well as interactions between levels of government, providing examples from states across the western United States. It also takes a look at aspects of drought that fall outside traditional lines of authority and disciplinary boundaries. As part of a discussion on how states support local drought response, the chapter details and contrasts how California and Colorado track public water supply restrictions, and describes Colorado’s process for incorporating input from river basins across the state into its water plan. Case studies focus on drought planning in the Klamath River and Upper Colorado River basins through the lens of collaborative environmental planning. The chapter concludes that drought planning will be more effective as more states coordinate and align goals and policies at multiple levels of government

Among the Digital Luddites

I’m here to throw empirical salt on theory’s slug. In discussions of copyright or the literary marketplace, there is too much generalization. We often see the experience of one author with one book presented as a template for everyone, but book publishing doesn’t work that way. Each book is a unique product. One can take ten years to write, another ten weeks. It might be filled with photos and maps, or with none. What is true for one author will not be true for another. I am a self-employed author of serious nonfiction in the commercial marketplace. My world is summed up by an episode of The Simpsons, titled “The Front.” Bart and Lisa take Grandpa Simpson to visit the studio that makes “Itchy and Scratchy” cartoons; they’ve been submitting freelance scripts in Grandpa’s name. The studio chief says to Grandpa, “Are you sure you’re a writer? You’re so old!” Grandpa replies, “Where’s my check!” The studio chief says, “Oh, you’re a writer all right.” Self-employed writers can’t spend five minutes together without discussing money. If you think it’s because we’re greedy, let me quote The Aviator: “The only reason you don’t care about money is that you’ve always had it.” Like all of you, we want to make a living doing what we do best. We know we might fail, but we want to be able to try. But we face a structural problem. We are disaggregated individuals in a global economy dominated by large institutions that feel free to take advantage of us: huge corporations and sometimes, sadly, even universities. But our shared culture depends upon individual voices. Dissent comes from outside institutional thinking; creativity comes from the individual, often in opposition to majority opinion