Preparation of aromatic hydrocarbons from catalytic pyrolysis of digestate

Catalytic pyrolysis of digestate to produce aromatic hydrocarbons can be combined with anaerobic fermentation to effectively transform and utilize all biomass components,which can achieve the meaningful purpose of transforming waste into high-value products.This study explored whether catalytic pyrolysis of digestate is feasible to prepare aromatic hydrocarbons by analyzing the thermogravimetric characteristics,pyrolysis characteristics,and catalytic pyrolysis characteristics of digestate.For digestate pyrolysis,an increase in temperature was found to elevate the CO,CH_4,and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(benzene,toluene,and xylene;BTX)content,whereas it decreased the contents of phenols,acids,aldehydes,and other oxygenates.Furthermore,the catalytic pyrolysis process effectively inhibited the acids,phenols,and furans in the liquid,whereas the yield of BTX increased from 25.45%to 45.99%,and the selectivity of xylene was also increased from 10.32%to 28.72%after adding ZSM-5.ZSM-5 also inhibited the production of nitrogenous compounds.

Strain-Rate Dependency of a Unidirectional Filament Wound Composite under Compression

This article presents the results of experimental studies concerning the dynamic deformation and failure of a unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastic(T700/LY113)under compression.The test samples were manufactured through the filament winding of flat plates.To establish the strain rate dependencies of the strength and elastic modulus of the material,dynamic tests were carried out using a drop tower,the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar method,and standard static tests.The samples were loaded both along and perpendicular to the direction of the reinforcing fiber.The applicability of the obtained samples for static and dynamic tests was confirmed through finite elementmodeling and the high-speed imaging of the deformation and failure of samples during testing.As a result of the conducted experimental studies,static and dynamic stress-strain curves,time dependencies of deformation and the stress and strain rates of the samples during compression were obtained.Based on these results,the strain rate dependencies of the strength and elasticity modulus in the strain rate range of 0.001-6001/s are constructed.It is shown that the strain rate significantly affects the strength and deformation characteristics of the unidirectional carbon fiber composites under compression.An increase in the strain rate by 5 orders of magnitude increased the strength and elastic modulus along the fiber direction by 42%and 50%,respectively.Perpendicular loading resulted in a strength and elastic modulus increase by 58%and 50%,respectively.The average strength along the fibers at the largest studied strain rate was about 1000MPa.The obtained results can be used to design structural elements made of polymer composite materials operating under dynamic shock loads,as well as to build models of mechanical behavior and failure criteria of such materials,taking into account the strain rate effects.

Nonlinear analysis of r.c. framed buildings retrofitted with elastomeric and friction bearings under near-fault earthquakes

Reinforced concrete （r.c.） framed buildings designed in compliance with inadequate seismic classifi- cations and code provisions present in many cases a high vulnerability and need to be retrofitted. To this end, the insertion of a base isolation system allows a considerable reduction of the seismic loads transmitted to the super- structure. However, strong near-fault ground motions, which are characterised by long-duration horizontal pulses, may amplify the inelastic response of the superstructure and induce a failure of the isolation system. The above considerations point out the importance of checking the effectiveness of different isolation systems for retrofitting a r.c. framed structure. For this purpose, a numerical inves- tigation is carried out with reference to a six-storey r.c. framed building, which, primarily designed （as to be a fixed-base one） in compliance with the previous Italian code （DM96） for a medium-risk seismic zone, has to be retrofitted by insertion of an isolation system at the base for attaining performance levels imposed by the current Italian code （NTC08） in a high-risk seismic zone. Besides the （fixed-base） original structure, three cases of base isolation are studied： elastomeric bearings acting alone （e.g. HDLRBs）; in-parallel combination of elastomeric and friction bearings （e.g. high-damping-laminated-rubber beatings, HDLRBs and steel-PTFE sliding bearings, SBs）; friction bearings acting alone （e.g. friction pendulum bearings, FPBs）. The nonlinear analysis of the fixed-base and base-isolated structures subjected to horizontal com- ponents of near-fault ground motions is performed for checking plastic conditions at the potential critical （end） sections of the girders and columns as well as critical conditions of the isolation systems. Unexpected high val- ues of ductility demand are highlighted at the lower floors of all base-isolated structures, while re-centring problems of the base isolation systems under near-fault earthquakes are expected in case of friction beatings acting alone （i.e. FPBs） or that in combination （i.e. SBs） with HDLRBs.

Effects of near-fault ground motions on the nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete framed buildings

The design provisions of current seismic codes are generally not very accurate for assessing effects of near-fault ground motions on reinforced concrete （r.c.） spatial frames, because only far-fault ground motions are considered in the seismic codes. Strong near-fault earth- quakes are characterized by long-duration （horizontal） pulses and high values of the ratio ~PGA of the peak value of the vertical acceleration, PGAv, to the analogous value of the horizontal acceleration, PGAH, which can become critical for girders and columns. In this work, six- and twelve-storey r.c. spatial frames are designed according to the provisions of the Italian seismic code, considering the horizontal seismic loads acting （besides the gravity loads） alone or in combination with the vertical ones. The non- linear seismic analysis of the test structures is performed using a step-by-step procedure based on a two-parameter implicit integration scheme and an initial stress-like itera- tive procedure. A lumped plasticity model based on the Haar-K^n~m principle is adopted to model the inelastic behaviour of the frame members. For the numerical investigation, five near-fault ground motions with high values of the acceleration ratio C^p6A are considered. Moreover, following recent seismological studies, which allow the extraction of the largest （horizontal） pulse from a near-fault ground motion, five pulse-type （horizontal） ground motions are selected by comparing the original ground motion with the residual motion after the pulse has been extracted. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analysis carried out on the test structures highlighted thathorizontal and vertical components of near-fault ground motions may require additional consideration in the seis- mic codes.

Attitude Regulation With Bounded Control in the Presence of Large Disturbances With Bounded Moving Average

The attitude regulation problem with bounded control for a class of satellites in the presence of large disturbances,with bounded moving average,is solved using a Lyapunov-like design.The analysis and design approaches are introduced in the case in which the underlying system is an integrator and are then applied to the satellite attitude regulation problem.The performance of the resulting closed-loop systems are studied in detail and it is shown that trajectories are ultimately bounded despite the effect of the persistent disturbance.Simulation results on a model of a small satellite subject to large,but bounded in moving average,disturbances are presented.

The effect of humidity on the CO_2/N_2 separation performance of copolymers based on hard polyimide segments and soft polyether chains:Experimental and modeling

In this work, we studied two copolymers formed by segments of a rubbery polyether（PPO or PEO） and of a glassy polyimide（BPDA-ODA or BKDA-ODA） suitable for gas separation and CO2 capture. Firstly, we assessed the absorption of water vapor in the materials, as a function of relative humidity（R.H.）, finding that the humidity uptake of the copolymers lies between that of the corresponding pure homopolymers values.Furthermore, we studied the effect of humidity on CO2 and N2 permeability, as well as on CO2/N2 selectivity, up to R.H. of 75%. The permeability decreases with increasing humidity, while the ideal selectivity remains approximately constant in the entire range of water activity investigated. The humidity-induced decrease of permeability in the copolymers is much smaller than the one observed in polyimides such as Matrimid? confirming the positive effect of the polyether phase on the membrane performance.Finally, we modeled the humidity-induced decrease of gas solubility, diffusivity and, consequently, permeability, using a suitable approach that considers the free volume theory for diffusion and LF model for solubility. Such model allows estimating the extent of competition that the gases undergo with water during sorption in the membranes, as a function of the relative humidity, as well as the expected reduction of free volume by means of water molecules occupation and consequent reduction of diffusivity.

Algorithms to Compute the Largest Invariant Set Contained in an Algebraic Set for Continuous-Time and Discrete-Time Nonlinear Systems

In this paper, some computational tools are proposed to determine the largest invariant set, with respect to either a continuous-time or a discrete-time system, that is contained in an algebraic set. In particular, it is shown that if the vector field governing the dynamics of the system is polynomial and the considered analytic set is a variety, then algorithms from algebraic geometry can be used to solve the considered problem. Examples of applications of the method(spanning from the characterization of the stability to the computation of the zero dynamics) are given all throughout the paper.

Functional group resolved NMR relaxation of 3-carbon adsorbates in mesoporous alumina

NMR relaxation analysis provides a unique and non-invasive probe of fluid dynamics within porous materials,and may be applied to the interpretation of a wide variety of material and interfacial characteristics.Here,we report two-dimensional^(1)H T_(1)-T_(2)relaxation correlation measurements of a range of three-carbon adsorbates(1-propanol,2-propanol and propanoic acid)imbibed within the mesoporous metal oxide gamma-alumina.Our data,acquired across field strengths of 2 MHz,12.7 MHz and 43 MHz,clearly reveal two populations in each measurement,identified as the alkyl and hydroxyl moieties of each adsorbate.These results expand the range of materials in which such functional group resolved relaxation is known to occur,and demonstrate the clear persistence of such phenomena using a range of typical benchtop NMR systems employed to study fluid-saturated porous media.

Measurement methods and analysis tools for rail irregularities:a case study for urban tram track

Rail irregularities, in particular for urban rail- way infrastructures, are one of the main causes for the generation of noise and vibrations. In addition, repetitive loading may also lead to decay of the structural elements of the rolling stock. This further causes an increase in main- tenance costs and reduction of service life. Monitoring these defects on a periodic basis enables the network rail managers to apply proactive measures to limit further damage. This paper discusses the measurement methods for rail corrugation with particular regard to the analysis tools for evaluating the thresholds of acceptability in re- lation to the tramway Italian transport system. Further- more, a method of analysis has been proposed： an application of the methodology used for treating road profiles has been also utilized for the data processing of rail profilometric data.

An <i>in Vitro</i>Evaluation of Pressure Generated by Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus (PIEB) or Continuous Epidural Infusion (CEI)

PIEB has been reported as being superior to CEI for labor analgesia. The aim of this study was to measure the pressures generated by two commercially available pumps (CADD PIB, Smiths and Gemstar, Hospira) when delivering PIEB or CEI at 2 commonly used rates of infusion (10 or 5 mL). The two pumps were set to deliver fluid at four rates (CEI: 5 or 10 mL/h;PIEB: 5 or 10 mL every h) and connected to a pressure transducer (PCB Piezotronics 1500 connected to a NI USB-6251 Screw Terminal) to determine the pressures applied during each infusion. The peak pressure generated during the PIEB mode was consistently higher when compared to the CEI mode in both pumps. When comparing the two pumps in the PIEB 10 mL every hour mode, the peak pressures were approximately the same, while the pressure pattern differed. For each cycle the pressure generated by Gemstar oscillated from 25 mmHg to 0 mmHg;whereas with the CADD pump the baseline pressure was above 0. The Gemstar pump piston frequency (1.2 Hz) was twice as high as the CADD (0.5 Hz), so the volume delivered per cycle was lower. In the PIEB 5 mL every hour mode the peak pressures followed the same wave patterns. However, unlike the 10 mL mode, the pump piston frequency was approximately the same in both pumps. In both the CEI 5 or 10 mL/h modes, the CADD peak pressure was four times greater than the Gemstar. Both cycled between their respective peak pressures and 0 mmHg. Since the peak pressure of the CADD was approximately the same with PIEB and CEI, we speculated that the most important factor affecting the distribution of the solution in the epidural space was not the peak pressure per se, but the mode of delivery of the bolus.

On “Over-Sized” High-Gain Practical Observers for Nonlinear Systems

In this paper,it is shown that the performances of a class of high-gain practical observers can be improved by estimating the time derivatives of the output up to an order that is greater than the dimension of the system, which is assumed to be in observability form and, possibly, time-varying. Such an improvement is achieved without increasing the gain of the observers, thus allowing their use in a wide variety of control and identification applications.

Road-Spine versus Road-Tube： Roads as Space Generators

Arteries devoted to sustain streams of users, resources and debris, are a foremost factor and pre-condition of the development of urban areas and of the transformation of landscapes. Roadscapes reflect outcomes related to super urbanization tendencies. Often conceived as isolated tubes, roads cut and obscure form, structure, biotic and abiotic factors of sites, urban fabrics and spaces. A broad vision of landscape is a basis for reconceiving roads. The concept of road-spine emerges： the road is conceived as the basis of a bundle of routes, nodes, surfaces, poles and tiles, devised to frame and shape a mosaic of open spaces, crops, farms, stores, basins and service areas. The road-spine entails the idea of a permeable infrastructure devised to integrate diverse functions： from serving various forms of motion, by ordering an isotropic grid of routes, to framing a porous urbanscape; from disposing surfaces meant to preserve biocenosis and biotopes, to favoring osmosis amid land uses. It also prefigures a distribution of land uses dependent on site vocations, and a mosaic of scenarios open to encounter, evasion, rest, amusement, participation, and to spontaneous practices of space.

Development of an Expert Model to Assess Falls from Height Hazards in Construction Sites

This paper reports on the current state of an ongoing research project which is aimed at implementing intelligent models for hardly predictable hazard scenarios identification in construction sites. As any programmatic actions cannot deal with the unpredictable nature of many risk dynamics, an attempt to improve the current approach for safety management in the construction industry will be presented in this paper. To this aim, the features offered by Bayesian networks have been exploited. The present research has led to the definition of a probabilistic model using elicitation techniques from subjective knowledge. This model, which might be meant as a reliable knowledge map about accident dynamics, showed that a relevant part of occurrences fall in the ＂hardly predictable hazards＂ category, which cannot be warded off by programmatic safety measures. Hence, more effort turned out to be needed in order to manage those hardly predictable hazardous scenarios. Consequently, further developments of this research project will focus on a real time monitoring system for the identification of unpredictable hazardous events in construction.

Rehabilitation of Abandoned Monumental Hospitals： Tools for Urban Liveability

This proposal is intended to be a contribution toward achieving more liveable cities through the revitalization of inner areas based on the restoration and rehabilitation of historic facilities in order to meet current needs. The research starts by posing the following questions. Can we claim, in a general perspective of improvement of the quality of life in towns and cities, that the recovery of abandoned historic buildings could be a key-factor in conservation and innovation policies of the historical heart of towns？ What relationship, if any, is there between the adaptive-reuse design of ancient hospitals and the effects of such action, not only in terms of heritage conservation but also in terms of economic and social regeneration of the surrounding context？ The complexity of this issue is addressed by analyzing related cases, relevant for their design solutions and effects, and proposes answers to the opening questions by correlating the main characters of relevant case studies in Europe.

Possible Location of the Next Major Earthquakes in the Northern Apennines: Present Key Role of the Romagna-Marche-Umbria Wedge

It is argued that in some zones of the Northern Apennines, in particular the Rimini-Ancona thrust system, the Romagna Apennines and the Alta Valtiberina trough, the probability of major earthquakes is now higher than in other Apennine zones. This hypothesis is suggested by the comparison of the present short-term kinematics of the Romagna-Marche-Umbria wedge in the Northern Apennines, deduced by the distribution of major shocks in the last tens of years, with the previous repeated behavior of the same wedge, evidenced by the distribution of major earthquakes in the last seven centuries. The seismotectonics of the Apennine region here considered is closely connected with the larger context that involves the progressive migration (from south to north) of seismicity along the peri-Adriatic zones. The information provided by this study can be used to better manage the resources for prevention in Italy.

High Quality Bio-Oil Obtained from Catalyzed Pyrolysis of Olive Mill Solid Wastes in a Bi-Functional Reactor

Olive Mill Solid Wastes (OMSW) released in nature without any treatment is a major environmental problem in the Mediterranean region. In this work, the catalyzed pyrolysis of OMSW has been investigated. A catalyst based on SBA-15 mesoporous silica doped with chromium ferrite nanoparticles was prepared by the double solvent technique (DS). The prepared catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Wide and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS, SAXS), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and FT-IR spectroscopies. Reverse spinel chromium ferrite nanoparticles were located inside the SBA-15 pores as confirmed by SEM images. The obtained catalyst was tested for pyrolysis reactions of OMSW. Several parameters were studied to optimize the conditions of the pyrolysis reaction in order to increase the bio-oil conversion yield. The GC-MS results demonstrated that the quality of the obtained bio-oil was improved by decreasing the quantity of phenolic and oxygenated components as well as the size of the obtained molecules. The produced bio-oil from pyrolysis of OMSW is identical to that obtained from the pyrolysis of commercial cellulose under the same conditions. A 37% conversion yield of bio-oil was obtained for the best conditions.

Assimilation of NDVI data in a land surface-Vegetation model for leaf area index predictions in a tree-grass ecosystem

Periodic observations of vegetation index,such as the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),can be used for data assimilation in heterogenous ecosystems.Indeed,the new Sentinel 2 Multispectral instrument and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager sensor data are available at such high temporal and spatial resolutions that can be used to detect the patches of the main vegetation components(grass and trees)of heterogenous ecosystems,and capture their dynamics.We demonstrate the possibility to merge grass and tree NDVI observations and models,to optimally provide robust predictions of grass and tree leaf area index.The proposed assimilation approach assimilates NDVI data through the Ensemble Kalman filter(EnKF)and dynamically calibrates a key vegetation dynamic model parameter,the maintenance respiration coeffcient(ma).In the presence of large bias of the grass and tree ma base values,only the use of the proposed assimilation approach removes the large bias in the biomass balance,dynamically calibrating maintenance respiration coefficients,and corrects the model.The performance of a land surface-vegetation model was improved by assimilating observations of NDVl.The effective impact of the proposed assimilation approach on the evapotranspiration and CO_(2) uptake predictions in the heterogenous ecosystem is also demonstrated.

利用遥感数据绘制陆面-大气热通量和表面参数图

变量同化方案可用于推测表面能量平衡的两个关键参数，这两个关键参数是将有效能划分为潜热通量、感热通量及地面热通量（LE，H和G）的制约因素。遥感测量的地表温度（LST）是主要的数据源。1996年7月，以意大利阿诺盆地不同的土地覆盖为实例，绘制了一个为期18天的日间能量平衡组分图。在给定有效能的情况下，划分如下通量时仍需要一些主要的未知（无量纲的）参数：·在中性条件下，通过体积传热系数CBN获得近地面湍流的地形影响；·通过蒸发分数EF来表示LE和H相对值的表面控制。数据同化方案与1．1km分辨率的LST遥感测量影像图（从两个不同的卫星平台获得的基于光学、热学及微波的测量值）叠加生成热扩散的简约模型。测量值与模型预测值被认为是不确定的，由此推断其后估算参数的统计误差也是不确定的。

Toward scalable docker-based emulations of blockchain networks for research and development

Blockchain,like any other complex technology,needs a strong testing methodology to support its evolution in both research and development contexts.Setting up meaningful tests for permissionless blockchain technology is a notoriously complex task for several reasons:software is complex,a large number of nodes are involved,the network is non-ideal,etc.Developers usually adopt small virtual laboratories or costly real devnets based on real software.Researchers usually prefer simulations of a large number of nodes based on simplified models.In this paper,we aim to obtain the advantages of both approaches,i.e.,performing large,realistic,inexpensive,and flexible experiments,using real blockchain software within a virtual environment.To do that,we address the challenge of running large blockchain networks in a single physical machine,leveraging Linux and Docker.We analyze a number of problems that arise when large blockchain networks are emulated,and we provide technical solutions for all of them.Finally,we describe two experiences of emulating fairly large blockchain networks on a single machine:adopting both research-oriented and production-oriented software and involving more than 3000 containers.

Epidemicity indices and reproduction numbers from infectious disease data in connected human populations

We focus on distinctive data-driven measures of the fate of ongoing epidemics.The relevance of our pursuit is suggested by recent results proving that the short-term temporal evolution of infection spread is described by an epidemicity index related to the maximum instantaneous growth rate of new infections,echoing concepts and tools developed to study the reactivity of ecosystems.Suitable epidemicity indices can showcase the dynamics of infections,together with commonly employed effective reproduction numbers,especially when the latter assume values less than 1.In particular,epidemicity evaluates the short-term reactivity to perturbations of a disease-free equilibrium.Here,we show that sufficient epidemicity thresholds to prevent transient epidemic outbreaks in a spatially connected setting can be estimated by generalizing existing analogues derived when spatial effects are neglected.We specifically account for the discrete nature,in both space and time,of surveillance data of the type typically employed to estimate effective reproduction numbers that formed the bulk of the communication of the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and its controls.After analyzing the effects of spatial heterogeneity on the considered prognostic indicators,we perform a short-and long-term analysis on the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy,showing that endemic conditions were maintained throughout the duration of our simulation despite stringent control measures.Our method provides a portfolio of prognostic indices that are essential to pinpoint the ongoing pandemic in both a qualitative and quantitative manner,as our results demonstrate.We base our conclusions on extended investigations of the effects of spatial fragmentation of communities of different sizes owing to connectivity by human mobility and contact scenarios,within real geographic contexts and synthetic setups designed to test our framework.