The biofilm characteristics and enhanced performance of a marine microbial-electrolysis-cell-based biosensor under positive anodic potential

Microbial fuel cells have already been used as biosensors to monitor assimilable organic carbon(AOC).However,their signal production from AOC is known to be completely suppressed by dissoved oxygen(DO).In this study,two identical microbial electrolysis cell(MEC)based biosensors were inoculated with marine sediment and operated at two different anodic potentials,namely-300 mV and+250 mV relative to Ag/AgCl.The MEC biosensor operated under positive anodic potential conditions had electrochemically active microbial communities on the anode,including members of the Shewanellaceae,Pseudoalteromonadaceae,and Clostridiaceae families.However,the strictly anaerobic members of the Desulfuromonadaceae,Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfobacteraceae families were found only in the negative anodic potential MEC biosensor.The positive anodic potential MEC biosensor showed several other advantages as well,such as faster start-up,significantly higher maximum current production,fivefold improvement in the AOC detection limit,and tolerance of low dissolved oxygen,compared to those obtained from the negative anodic potential MEC biosensor.The developed positive anodic potential MEC biosensor can thus be used as a real-time and inexpensive detector of AOC concentrations in high saline and low DO seawater.

Three-dimensional forward modeling and inversion of borehole-to-surface electrical imaging with different power sources

Borehole-to-surface electrical imaging （BSEI） uses a line source and a point source to generate a stable electric field in the ground. In order to study the surface potential of anomalies, three-dimensional forward modeling of point and line sources was conducted by using the finite-difference method and the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient （ICCG） method. Then, the damping least square method was used in the 3D inversion of the formation resistivity data. Several geological models were considered in the forward modeling and inversion. The forward modeling results suggest that the potentials generated by the two sources have different surface signatures. The inversion data suggest that the low- resistivity anomaly is outlined better than the high-resistivity anomaly. Moreover, when the point source is under the anomaly, the resistivity anomaly boundaries are better outlined than when using a line source.

Vital effects of K isotope fractionation in organisms： observations and a hypothesis

Compared with the measureable but limited K isotope variation in geological samples,biological samples have much larger variations in δ^41 values：from-1.3‰ to＋1.1‰ relative to the international K standard NIST SRM 3141a.Notably,higher plants generally have δ^41 values that are lower than igneous rocks,whereas sea plants（algae）have δ^41 values that are higher than seawater;the range in δ^41K values of plants encompasses the δ^41 values of both igneous rocks and seawater.Plant cells utilize different K uptake mechanisms in response to highand low-K conditions.In a low-K environment,plant cells use energy-consuming ion pumps for active uptake of K;plant cells in high-K environments use non-energy-consuming ion channels.Based on these facts and on K isotope data from sea and land plants,it is hypothesized that the different K uptake mechanisms are accompanied by distinct K isotope fractionation behaviors or vital effects.The enrichment of light K isotopes in terrestrial plants could be attributed to preferential transport of isotopically light K in the energy-consuming active uptake process by K ion pumps in the membranes of plant root cells.On the other hand,the enrichment of heavy K isotopes in algae may be caused by a combination of the lack of K isotope fractionation during K uptake from seawater via ion channels and the preferential efflux of light K isotopes across the cell membrane back to the seawater.The large variation of K isotope compositions in biological samples therefore may reflect the diversity of isotopic vital effects for K in organisms,which implies the great potential of K isotopes in biogeochemical studies.

Some Electromagnetic Transition Properties of Odd-A Europium Isotopes

In this work, we analyze the positive parity of states of odd-A Eu isotopes within the framework of interacting boson fermion model （IBFM-1）. The result of an IBFM-1 multilevel calculation with the 3s1/2, 2d3/2, 2d5/2, and 1g7/2 single panicle orbits is reported for the positive parity states of the odd-A Eu isotopes. A/so, an IBM-1 calculation is presented for the low-lying states in the even-even 152-154Sm core nucleus. The energy levels and B（E2） transition probabilities are calculated and compared with the experimental data. It is found that the calculated positive parity low spin state energy spectra of the odd-A Eu isotopes agree quite well with the experimental data.

Position Sensorless Control for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Using Sliding Mode Observer

An approach of position sensorless control for permanent magnet synchronous motor （ PMSM ） is put forward based on a sliding mode observer. The mathematical model of PMSM in a stationary αβ reference frame is adopted, and the system is controlled by the digital signal processor （ DSP; TMS320LF2407 according to the control achieve closed loop operation of the motor, the stator theory of sliding mode observer. In order to magnetic field should be vertical with the rotor magnetic field and be synchronous with rotor rotating, so the position and speed of PMSM is estimated in real time and the estimated position is modified continuously. The simulation results indicate that the proposed observer has high precision is more robust to the parametric variation and load in estimation of PMSM position and speed, and torque disturbance.

Excess Heat Power Registration in High Voltage Electrolysis Cell Experiments

Experimental research of the heat and high-energy processes occurring in the cathode solid medium in the high voltage electric discharge system （electrolysis cell and glow discharge device） is presented. The experiments were carried out： Electrolysis in heavy water with a Pd cathode, electrolysis in light water with Ni and Pd cathodes, the glow discharge in deuterium with a Pd cathode. Excess heat was observed in experiments with high-voltage electrolysis （1,000 V or more）. The experiments showed that the maximum excess heat power values of 5-8 W for glow discharge and 180-280 W for high-voltage electrolysis and heat efficiency up to 170% for glow discharge, and 800% for high-voltage electrolysis. The production of impurity nuclide yield showing a shift of up to a few per cent from natural isotopic abundances was detected by spark mass spectrometry and by secondary ionic mass spectrometry. The authors propose based on these experimental results a phenomenological model for low energy nuclear reaction.

Charge Breeding Simulations in a Hollow Electron Beam

Charge breeding technique is used for RIB （radioactive ion beam） production in order of optimizing the re-acceleration of the radioactive isotopes produced by a primary beam in a thick target. Charge breeding is achieved by means of a device capable of increasing the ion charge state from 1＋ to a desired value n＋. In some experiments, a continuous RIB of a given energy may be required. To reach this goal, a charge breeding device based on a hollow gun EBIS （electron beam ion source） has been proposed by the author recently. That EBIS, in principle, can be capable to realize a CW （continuous wave） operation. A sufficiently high focusing magnetic field could reduce to zero the hole radius in the EBIS electron beam. However, a smaller efficiency in the ion charge state increase should be expected. A code developed for studying the ion selective containment in a EBIS has been modified and used to simulate the ion charge state breeding. The effects of the hollow electron beam on the breeding rate have been studied.

The role of proton dynamics on the catalyst-electrolyte interface in the oxygen evolution reaction

The development of non‐precious metal catalysts that facilitate the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is important for the widespread application of hydrogen production by water splitting.Various perovskite oxides have been employed as active OER catalysts,however,the underlying mechanism that occurs at the catalyst‐electrolyte interface is still not well understood,prohibiting the design and preparation of advanced OER catalysts.Here,we report a systematic investigation into the effect of proton dynamics on the catalyst‐electrolyte interfaces of four perovskite catalysts:La_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)CoO_(3‐δ)(LSCO),LaCoO_(3),LaFeO_(3),and LaNiO_(3).The pH‐dependent OER activities,H/D kinetic isotope effect,and surface functionalization with phosphate anion groups were investigated to elucidate the role of proton dynamics in the rate‐limiting steps of the OER.For oxides with small charge‐transfer energies,such as LSCO and LaNiO_(3),non‐concerted proton‐coupled electron transfer steps are involved in the OER,and the activity is strongly controlled by the proton dynamics on the catalyst surface.The results demonstrate the important role of interfacial proton transfer in the OER mechanism,and suggest that proton dynamics at the interface should carefully be considered in the design of future high‐performance catalysts.

Improved estimation of rotor position for sensorless control of a PMSM based on a sliding mode observer

This work proposes a new strategy to improve the rotor position estimation of a permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM) over wide speed range. Rotor position estimation of a PMSM is performed by using sliding mode observer(SMO). An adaptive observer gain was designed based on Lyapunov function and applied to solve the chattering problem caused by the discontinuous function of the SMO in the wide speed range. The cascade low-pass filter(LPF) with variable cut-off frequency was proposed to reduce the chattering problem and to attenuate the filtering capability of the SMO. In addition, the phase shift caused by the filter was counterbalanced by applying the variable phase delay compensation for the whole speed area. High accuracy estimation result of the rotor position was obtained in the experiment by applying the proposed estimation strategy.

Magnetic Isotope Theory of the Origin of Life on Earth

The authors have proposed a new of magnetic isotope theory of life on Earth. According to this theory the initial impetus for the beginning of the synthesis of organic compounds is the impact of electromagnetic radiation from the sun and energy radioactive isotopes.

Isotropic Double Index for Quantum Errors in One Qubit

This article describes a proposal for a double index to estimate the isotropic components of unitary errors in a quantum computation circuit. In the context of this work the error is considered isotropic if it has spherical symmetry about the state of interest. The theoretical definition is given, as well the numerical approximation for practical purposes. The index is tested in some simple examples and the geometric distortion of the propagated error is studied for an inaccurate Shor 9-qubits correcting code.

SOFT SWITCHED SYNCHRONOUS RECTIFIER WITH PHASE-SHIFTED FULL BRIDGE CONVERTER AND ITS SMALL-SIGNAL ANALYSIS

By using the output inductors and body capacitances without adding any component compared with hard switching synchronous rectifier,the topology of a soft switched synchronous rectifier with phase-shifted full bridge zero voltage switching DC/DC converter is proposed. The converter efficiency is maximized due to soft switching of the full bridge MOSFETs and the synchronous MOSFETs, and also the low conduction loss of synchronous MOSFET. The operation principles of the circuit are analyzed in detail and the small-signal model is derived, also the converter dynamic characteristics are analyzed. Frequency responses of transfer functions under different values of transformer primary leakage inductance are discussed. The experimental results were obtained from a 400 V input and 100 A/12 V output DC/DC converter operating at 100 kHz. The results show that the converter efficiency is 2% higher in rated power than traditional diode rectifier.

Novel Method for Optimal Location of STATCOM in Distribution Systems Using Sensitivity Analysis by DIgSILENT Software

In this paper a new method has been proposed to decide optimal placement and best sizing of STATCOM （static synchronous compensator）. The best place of STATCOM is found using the sensitivity analysis and optimum sizing of STATCOM is managed using the genetic algorithm. The average model can account for the high-frequency effects and power electronic losses, and more accurately predict the active and reactive power outputs of the STATCOM. This paper employs the DIgSILENT simulator and DPL （DIgSILENT programming language） as a programming tool of the DIgSILENT to show the validity of the proposed method. The effectiveness of suggested approach has been tested on part of the distribution network of Iran, Khoramdarreh city in Zanjan province.

SS6型电力机车主电路接地处理方法的探讨

电力机车存在着主接地现象,一旦发生,如果处理不当,就会造成不良后果,严重干扰铁路的正常运输生产。本文介绍了SS6型电力机车常见主接地的处理方法。该方法是利用同电位原理,通过采用切除法能起到事半功倍的效果。

Influences of water media on the hydrogen isotopic composition of natural gas/methane in the processes of gaseous hydrocarbon generation and evolution

The influences of water media on the hydrogen isotopic composition of organic-thermogenic natural gas were tested in three series of experiments on coal pyrolysis, with no water, deionized water （δDH2O-58‰）, and seawater （δSDn2O=-4.8‰） added, respectively. The experimental results show that the productivities of H2 and CO2 obviously increased under hydrous conditions and that the productivity of CH4 also remarkably increased in the high-evolution phase of hydrous experiments. Water was involved in the chemical reaction of hydrocarbon generation, and then the hydrogen isotopic composition of methane was affected. There is a linear correlation between the hydrogen isotopic composition of methane and its productivity, as reflected in the three series of experiments. In the case of the same CH4 productivity, the hydrogen isotopic composition of the methane produced in anhydrous experiments was the heaviest, that of the methane produced in seawater-adding experiments came second, and that of the methane produced in deionized water-adding experiments was the ligbtest. The hydrogen isotopic composition of natural gas/methane is affected by the following factors： 1） the characteristics of hydrogen isotopic composition of organic matter in source rocks, 2） the thermal evolution extent of organic matter, and 3） fossil-water media in the natural gas-generation period. The experimental results show that the influence of the fossil-water medium in the natural gas-generation period was lower than that of the other factors.

Optimization design and analysis of Si-^(63)Ni betavoltaic battery

Among the various micro-powers being investigated, betavoltaic batteries are very attractive for numerous applications because of their advantages of high energy density, long life, strong anti-interference, and so on. Based on the basic principle of the betavoltaic effect, the current paper adopted the Monte Carlo N-Particle code to simulate the transport processes of β particles in semiconductor materials and to establish the calculation formulas for nuclear radiation-generated current, open circuit voltage, and so on. By discussing the effect of minority carrier diffusion length, doping concentration, and junction depth on the property of batteries, the present work concluded that the best parameters for batteries are the use of silicon and the radioisotope Ni-63, i.e., Ni-63 with a mass thickness of 1 mg/cm2, Na=1×1019 cm-3, Nd=3.16×1016 cm-3, junction area of 1 cm2, junction depth of 0.3 μm, and so on. Under these parameters the short-circuit current, open circuit voltage, output power, and conversion efficiency are 573.3 nA, 0.253 V, 99.85 nW, and 4.94%, respectively. Such parameters are valuable for micro-power fields, such as micro-electromechanical systems and pacemakers, among others.

Actinide-uranium single-atom catalysis for electrochemical nitrogen fixation

Actinide-based catalysts have been regarded as promising candidates for N_(2) fixation owing to their unique 5f orbital with flexible oxidation states.Herein,we report for the first time the dispersion of uranium(U)single atoms on TiO_(2) nanosheets via oxygen vacancy confinement for N_(2) electroreduction.The single-atom U catalyst exhibited a high NH_(3) yield of 40.57μg h^(-1) mg^(-1),with a reasonably high Faraday efficiency of 25.77%,ranking first among the reported nitrogen-free catalysts.Isotope-labeling operando synchrotron infrared spectroscopy verifies that the key*N_(2)H_(y) intermediate species was derived from the N_(2) gas of the feed.By using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy,we found enhanced metal-support interaction between U single atoms and TiO_(2) lattice with more U-O_(latt) coordination under working conditions.Theoretical simulations suggest that the evolved 1O_(ads)-U-4O_(latt) moieties act as a critical electronfeedback center,lowering the thermodynamic energy barrier for the N_(2) dissociation and the first hydrogenation step.This work provides the possibility of tailoring the interaction between metal active sites and supports for designing high-performance actinide-based single-atom catalysts.

Low-lying states of Hg isotopes within the nucleon pair approximation

The low-lying states of 200-205Hg nuclei have been studied by using the nucleon pair approximation (NPA) of the shell model. We calculate low-excited energy levels, electric quadrupole moments, and magnetic dipole moments, and investigate dominant configurations of low-lying states in the nucleon pair basis. Our calculations reasonably reproduce the available experimental data. We also tabulate our predicted results of low-lying states, including excitation energies, electric quadrupole moments and magnetic moments.

Strontium isotope analysis of archaeological fauna at the Erlitou site

The Erlitou site is located at Yanshi City,Henan Province.This site is a large settlement site of Erlitou culture,and it is dated to 3800-3500 a BP.Five kinds of domestic animals,i.e.,dogs,pigs,sheep,goats,and cattle were found from the site.In this paper,two problems have emerged in studies involving the estimation of local isotope levels and the distinction of migrants from locals.Tooth enamel samples from 17 domestic animals individuals were analyzed for strontium isotope ratio(87Sr/86Sr),by the thermal ionization mass spectrometry,including 10 pigs,5 sheep and 2 cattle.The results show that the mean 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 10 pigs enamel samples were 0.712078,Based on the local strontium isotopes ratio range determined by the mean 87Sr/86Sr ratios ±2 of 10 pig enamel samples(0.712256-0.711900),we found that five sheep and one cattle from the Erlitou site fell well outside the local strontium isotopes ratio range and were considered to be non-local.