Carbon emissions reduction potentiality for railroad transportation based on life cycle assessment

This study addresses the comparative carbon emissions of different transportation modes within a unified evaluation framework,focusing on their carbon footprints from inception to disposal.Specifically,the entire life cycle carbon emissions of High-Speed Rail(HSR),battery electric vehicles,conventional internal combustion engine vehicles,battery electric buses,and conventional internal combustion engine buses are analyzed.The life cycle is segmented into vehicle manufacturing,fuel or electricity production,operational,and dismantlingrecycling stages.This analysis is applied to the Beijing-Tianjin intercity transportation system to explore emission reduction strategies.Results indicate that HSR demonstrates significant carbon emission reduction,with an intensity of only 24%-32% compared to private vehicles and 47%-89% compared to buses.Notably,HSR travel for Beijing-Tianjin intercity emits only 24% of private vehicle emissions,demonstrating the emission reduction benefits of transportation structure optimization.Additionally,predictive modeling reveals the potential for carbon emission reduction through energy structure optimization,providing a guideline for the development of effective transportation management systems.

Ion Transport and Microstructure of Sandwich Cementitious Materials Exposed to Chloride Environment

Ion transport of sandwich cementitious materials（SCM） exposed to chloride environment was investigated by accelerated diffusion method and natural diffusion method. Pore structure and micromorphology of SCM were investigated by MIP and SEM-EDS. In comparison with the monolayer structural high performance concrete（HPC）, conductive charge for 6 hours, chloride diffusion coefficient, and apparent chloride diffusion coeffi cient of SCM were decreased by 30%-40%, two orders of magnitude and 40%-50%, respectively. Pore structure of ultra low ion permeability cementitious materials（ULIPCM） prepared for the facesheet is superior to that of HPC prepared for the core. As for porosity, the most probable pore radius, the content of pores with radius 50 nm and the surface area of pores, the order is ULIPCM

Structure and Transport Properties of La_(0.67)Ca_(0.33)Mn_(1-x)Al_xO_3

The effects of Al ion doping on the Mn site were studied for the colossal magnetoresistance material La_(0.67)Ca_(0.33)MnO_3. It is found that the volume of the crystal cell decreases monotonically when the population of Al^(3+) increases across the entire doping range. As the Al^(3+) population increases, the resistance of the material rises rapidly, while the insulator-metal transition temperature T_(IM) decreases linearly. At small Al^(3+) dosage, a thermal activation model properly describes the transport properties at T>T_(IM), while a metallic model is more suitable at T<T_(IM). The variation of transport properties with the change of Al dosage may be attributed to lattice distortion caused by the destruction of Mn^(3+)-O^(2-)-Mn^(4+) double exchange channel as a result of Al^(3+)-doping. The doped Al^(3+) ions may modify the local field for electrons so to affect the transport properties.

Structural and Transport Properties of the Weyl Semimetal NbAs at High Pressure

We perform a series of high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction （XRD） and resistance measurements on the Weyl semimetal NbAs. The crystal structure remains stable up to 26 GPa according to the powder XRD data. The resistance of NbAs single crystal increases monotonically with pressure at low temperature. Up to 20 GPa, no superconducting transition is observed down to 0.3 K. These results show that the Weyl semimetal phase is robust in NbAs, and applying pressure may not be a good way to obtain a topological superconductor from Weyl semimetal NbAs.

Thermionic electron emission in the 1D edge-to-edge limit

Thermionic emission is a tunneling phenomenon,which depicts that electrons on the surface of a conductor can be pulled out into the vacuum when they are subjected to high electrical tensions while being heated hot enough to overtake their work functions.This principle has led to the great success of the so-called vacuum tubes in the early 20 th century.To date,major challenges still remain in the miniaturization of a vacuum channel transistor for on-chip integration in modern solid-state integrated circuits.Here,by introducing nano-sized vacuum gaps(~200 nm)in a van der Waals heterostructure,we successfully fabricated a one-dimensional(1 D)edge-to-edge thermionic emission vacuum tube using graphene as the filament.With the increasing collector voltage,the emitted current exhibits a typical rectifying behavior,with the maximum emission current reaching 200 p A and an ON-OFF ratio of 10;.In addition,it is found that the maximum emission current is proportional to the number of the layers of graphene.Our results expand the research of nano-sized vacuum tubes to an unexplored physical limit of 1 D edge-to-edge emission,and hold great promise for future nano-electronic systems based on it.

Multiband nodeless superconductivity near the charge-density-wave quantum critical point in ZrTe(3-x)Sex

It was found that selenium doping can suppress the charge-density-wave（CDW） order and induce bulk superconductivity in ZrTe3. The observed superconducting dome suggests the existence of a CDW quantum critical point（QCP） in ZrTe3-xSex near x ≈ 0.04. To elucidate the superconducting state near the CDW QCP, we measure the thermal conductivity of two ZrTe（3-x）Sex single crystals（x = 0.044 and 0.051） down to 80 m K. For both samples, the residual linear term κ0/T at zero field is negligible, which is a clear evidence for nodeless superconducting gap. Furthermore, the field dependence of κ0/T manifests a multigap behavior. These results demonstrate multiple nodeless superconducting gaps in ZrTe（3-x）Sex,which indicates conventional superconductivity despite of the existence of a CDW QCP.

Modeling the Synergetic Effect of Various Factors on Chloride Transport in Nonsaturated Concrete

Diffusion has been systematically described as the main mechanism of chloride transport in reinforced concrete（RC） structure, especially when the concrete is in a saturated state. However, the single mechanism of diffusion is not able to describe the actual chloride ingress in the nonsaturated concrete. Instead, it is dominated by the interaction of diffusion and convection. With the synergetic effects of various factors taken into account, this study aimed to modify and develop an analytical convection- diffusion coupling model for chloride transport in nonsaturated concrete. The model was verified by simulation of laboratory tests and field measurement. The results of comparison study demonstrate that the analytical model developed in this study is efficient and accurate in predicting the chloride profiles in the nonsaturated concrete.

Hanoi Public TransportmTransformation by Management Using Action Research and Behavior Setting Theory

After the economic reforms in Vietnam, the number of motorbikes surged while public transport lost its passengers. No funds for investment available TRAMOC （Transport Management and Operation Centre）, the Transport Management and Operation Center started the experiment of transforming Hanoi Public Transport by management based on action research, introducing some interventions, which had shown to be effective in Europe. Phase I of the experimental approach was carried out with the smallest company that operated Line 32. The number of daily passengers surged from 1,700 to 8,000. In Phase II, the experiment was extended to the whole net. In 2001, there were 35,000 passengers per day, in 2010, there were 1 million; this is an increase of 3,000%. The result surpassed by far the expectations. The key for understanding the surprising results is the mode choice. 53% of the users are riders by choice; they have access to a car or motorbike. Simulation of the decisions as rational choice based on time needed for trips was proved to be quite accurate. Behavior was analyzed in the frame of behavior setting theory, which brings together urban structure and the design of the transport system. Success with introducing public transport needs a self-reliant leadership, which works with people in their real life situation. An urban transport system is part of the organized behavior of the people, who make use of the technical opportunities offered.

AN ESTIMATE OF THE EFFECTS OF LARGE SCALE STRUCTURES ON THE TURBULENT TRANSPORT PROCESSES NEAR WALL

Based on the three-term decomposition model for turbulent flows, the fundamental equations for quasi-periodic motions are obtained, and the approximate analytical solutions of these second-order nonlinear partial differential equations are derived by using the match method. The effects on the mo- mentum, heat and mass transport processes in the wall turbulent flows can be estimated approximately.

Strain induced polymorphism and band structure modulation in low-temperature 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene single crystal

Organic semiconductors are inherently soft,making it possible to increase their mobilities by strains.Such a unique feature can be exploited directly in flexible electronics for improved device performance.The 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]-benzothiophene derivative,C8-BTBT is one of the best small-molecule hole transport materials.Here,we demonstrated its band structure modulation under strains by combining the non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and first-principles calculations.We found that the C8-BTBT lattice undergoes a transition from monoclinic to triclinic crystal system at the temperature below 160 K.Both shear and uniaxial strains were applied to the low-temperature triclinic phase of C8-BTBT,and polymorphism was identified in the shear process.The band width enhancement is up to 8%under 2%of compressive strain along the x direction,and 14%under 4%of tensile strain along the y direction.The band structure modulation of C8-BTBT can be well related to its herringbone packing motifs,where the edge to face and edge to edge pairs constitute two-dimensional charge transport pathways and their electronic overlaps determine the band widths along the two directions respectively.These findings pave the way for utilizing strains towards improved performance of organic semiconductors on flexible substrates,for example,by bending the substrates.

Experimental review on Majorana zero-modes in hybrid nanowires

As the condensed matter analog of Majorana fermion, the Majorana zero-mode is well known as a building block of fault-tolerant topological quantum computing. This review focuses on the recent progress of Majorana experiments, especially experiments about semiconductor-superconductor hybrid devices. We first sketch Majorana zero-mode formation from a bottom-up view,which is more suitable for beginners and experimentalists. Then, we survey the status of zero-energy state signatures reported recently, from zero-energy conductance peaks, the oscillations, the quantization, and the interactions with extra degrees of freedom. We also give prospects of future experiments for advancing one-dimensional semiconductor nanowire-superconductor hybrid materials and devices.

Analysis of the origin of peak aerosol optical depth in springtime over the Gulf of Tonkin

By aggregating MODIS（moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer） AOD（aerosol optical depth） and OMI（ozone monitoring instrument） UVAI（ultra violet aerosol index）datasets over 2010–2014, it was found that peak aerosol loading in seasonal variation occurred annually in spring over the Gulf of Tonkin（17–23°N, 105–110°E）. The vertical structure of the aerosol extinction coefficient retrieved from the spaceborne lidar CALIOP（cloud-aerosol lidar with orthogonal polarization） showed that the springtime peak AOD could be attributed to an abrupt increase in aerosol loading between altitudes of 2 and 5 km.In contrast, aerosol loading in the low atmosphere（below 1 km） was only half of that in winter. Wind fields in the low and high atmosphere exhibited opposite transportation patterns in spring over the Gulf of Tonkin, implying different sources for each level. By comparing the emission inventory of anthropogenic sources with biomass burning, and analyzing the seasonal variation of the vertical structure of aerosols over the Northern Indo-China Peninsula（NIC）, it was concluded that biomass burning emissions contributed to high aerosol loading in spring. The relatively high topography and the high surface temperature in spring made planetary boundary layer height greater than 3 km over NIC. In addition, small-scale cumulus convection frequently occurred, facilitating pollutant rising to over 3 km, which was a height favoring long-range transport. Thus, pollutants emitted from biomass burning over NIC in spring were raised to the high atmosphere, then experienced long-range transport, leading to the increase in aerosol loading at high altitudes over the Gulf of Tonkin during spring.

Recent advances in the design of dopant-free hole transporting materials for highly efficient perovskite solar cells

Continuous success has been achieved for solution-processed inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells（PVSCs） in the past several years, in which organic charge transporting materials play an important role. At present, most of the commonly used hole-transporting materials（HTMs） such as spiro-OMeTAD derivatives for PVSCs require additional chemical doping process to ensure sufficient conductivity and shift the Fermi level towards the HOMO level for efficient hole transport and collection. However, this doping process not only increases the complexity and cost of device fabrication, but also decreases the device stability. Thus development of efficient dopant-free HTMs for PVSCs is highly desirable and remains as a major challenge in this field. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances in the molecular design of dopant-free HTMs for PVSCs.

Physical vapor transport growth and morphology of Bi2Se3 microcrystals

High-quality Bi2Se3 microcrystals were grown by the physical vapor transport （PVT） method without using a foreign transport agent. The microplate crystals grown under the optimal temperature gradient are well faceted and have dimensions up to -200 μm, The growth proceeds by the layer-by-layer mecha- nism with the formation of flat low-growth rate facets. The phase composition of the grown crystals was identified by the X-ray single crystal structure analysis in space group R3m, a = 4.1356（3）, C= 28.634（5）A, Z=3 （R=0.0147）. The most probable twin planes in the tetradymite structure were evaluated by the pseudo translational sublattice merhad.