Geochemistry and pyrolysis at DSDP Hole 77-535

There are substantial differences in the character of organic matter contained in the Pleistocene and Cretaceous sedimentary sequences of DSDP Site 535. The argillaceous Pleistocene section contains type III, gas-prone organic matter whereas the calcareous Cretaceous section is dominated by type II, oil-prone organic matter. A more detailed investigation of the Cretaceous section reveals that the finely laminated limestones of Valanginian to Barremian age are of good to excellent source quality. The indigenous organic matter contained within this organically rich section is thermally immature, not having undergone sufficient thermal diagenesis for the generation and expulsion of hydrocarbons. Within this stratigraphic section, however, staining by mature hydrocarbons was detected. These stains are associated with a fractured interval. These fractures may in turn represent potential migration pathways.

The water footprint of olives and olive oil in Spain

This paper evaluates the water footprint of Spanish olives and olive oil over the period 1997-2008. In particular, it analyses the three colour components of the water footprint: green (rainwater stored in the soil), blue (surface and groundwater) and grey (freshwater required to assimilate load of pollutants). Apparent water productivity and virtual water embedded in olive oil exports have also been studied. Results show more than 99.5% of the water footprint of one liter of bottled olive oil is related to the olive production, whereas less than 0.5% is due to the other components such as bottle, cap and label. Over the studied period, the green water footprint in absolute terms of Spanish olive oil production represents about 72% in rainfed systems and just 12% in irrigated olive orchards. Blue and grey water footprints represent 6% and 10% of the national water footprint, respectively. It is shown that olive production is concentrated in regions with the smallest water footprint per unit of product. However, the increase of groundwater consumption in the main olive producing region (Andalusia), from 98 to 378 Mm3 between 1997 and 2008, has added significant pressure in the upstream Guadalquivir basin. This raises questions about the sustainability of irrigated olive orchards for export from the region. Finally, the virtual water related to olive oil exports illustrate the importance of green water footprint of rainfed olives amounting to about 77% of the total virtual water exports.

Analysis of jitter influence in fast frequency measurements

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of possible jitter impact in application of numeric criterion for fastmeasurement of frequency by coincidence principle. The primary goal is the generation of a signal containing a known amount of each jitter components. This signal was used for testing signals with regular pulse trains. Initially, jitter components are analyzed and modeled individually. Next, sequences for combining different kinds of jitter are modeled, simulated and evaluated. Jitter model simulation in Matlab is utilized to show the independence of frequencymeasurement results on the total jitter present in the reference and desired pulse trains independently. A good agreement between previously introduced theory of fastmeasurement of frequency and simulation in jitter presence is verified; these results allows to engineers use the numeric criterion for fastmeasurement of frequency in spite to interactions among jitter components in various applications for frequency domain sensors.

NetCDF based data archiving system applied to ITER Fast Plant System Control prototype

EURATOM/CIEMAT and Technical University of Madrid (UPM) have been involved in the development of a FPSC [1] (Fast Plant System Control) prototype for ITER, based on PXIe (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation). One of the main focuses of this project has been data acquisition and all the related issues, including scientific data archiving. Additionally, a new data archiving solution has been developed to demonstrate the obtainable performances and possible bottlenecks of scientific data archiving in Fast Plant System Control. The presented system implements a fault tolerant architecture over a GEthernet network where FPSC data are reliably archived on remote, while remaining accessible to be redistributed, within the duration of a pulse. The storing service is supported by a clustering solution to guaranty scalability, so that FPSC management and configuration may be simplified, and a unique view of all archived data provided. All the involved components have been integrated under EPICS [2] (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System), implementing in each case the necessary extensions, state machines and configuration process variables. The prototyped solution is based on the NetCDF-4 [3] and [4] (Network Common Data Format) file format in order to incorporate important features, such as scientific data models support, huge size files management, platform independent codification, or single-writer/multiple-readers concurrency. In this contribution, a complete description of the above mentioned solution is presented, together with the most relevant results of the tests performed, while focusing in the benefits and limitations of the applied technologies.

Self-assembled MgxZn1−xO quantum dots (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) on different substrates using spray pyrolysis methodology

By using the spray pyrolysis methodology in its classical configuration we have grown self-assembled MgxZn1−xO quantum dots (size [similar]4–6 nm) in the overall range of compositions 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 on c-sapphire, Si (100) and quartz substrates. Composition of the quantum dots was determined by means of transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-EDAX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Selected area electron diffraction reveals the growth of single phase hexagonal MgxZn1−xO quantum dots with composition 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.32 by using a nominal concentration of Mg in the range 0 to 45%. Onset of Mg concentration about 50% (nominal) forces the hexagonal lattice to undergo a phase transition from hexagonal to a cubic structure which resulted in the growth of hexagonal and cubic phases of MgxZn1−xO in the intermediate range of Mg concentrations 50 to 85% (0.39 ≤ x ≤ 0.77), whereas higher nominal concentration of Mg ≥ 90% (0.81 ≤ x ≤ 1) leads to the growth of single phase cubic MgxZn1−xO quantum dots. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and fast Fourier transform confirm the results and show clearly distinguishable hexagonal and cubic crystal structures of the respective quantum dots. A difference of 0.24 eV was detected between the core levels (Zn 2p and Mg 1s) measured in quantum dots with hexagonal and cubic structures by X-ray photoemission. The shift of these core levels can be explained in the frame of the different coordination of cations in the hexagonal and cubic configurations. Finally, the optical absorption measurements performed on single phase hexagonal MgxZn1−xO QDs exhibited a clear shift in optical energy gap on increasing the Mg concentration from 0 to 40%, which is explained as an effect of substitution of Zn2+ by Mg2+ in the ZnO lattice.

Contribution sharing of a fuel mixture components to the fuel cell potencial of a direct alcohol fuel cell

The increasing worldwide demand for electricity impels to develop clean and renewable energy resources. In the field of portable power devices not only size and weight represent important aspects to take into account, but the fuel and its storage are also critical issues to consider. In this last sense, the direct methanol (MeOH) fuel cells (DMFC) play an important role as they can offer high power and energy density, low emissions, ambient operating conditions and fast and convenient refuelling.

The NACIR Project: New Applications for CPV'S: A fast way to improve reliability and Technology progress

The main goal of this proposal is to join together the owners of the most advanced CPV technology, with respect to the state of the art, in order to research from its leading position new applications for CPV systems. In addition to opening up new markets, it will unveil possible sources of failure in new environments outside Europe, in order to assure component reliability. The proposed project will also try to improve the current technology of the industrial partners (ISOFOTON and CONCENTRIX) by accelerating the learning curve that CPV must follow in order to reach the competitive market, and lowering the cost under the current flat panel PV significantly within 3-4 years. The use of CPV systems in remote areas, together with harsher radiation, ambient and infrastructure conditions will help to increase the rate of progress of this technology. In addition, the ISFOC s contribution, which brings together seven power plants from seven CPV technologies up to 3 MWpeak, will allow creating the most complete database of components and systems performance to be generated as well as the effects of radiation and meteorology on systems operations. Finally, regarding the new applications for CPV subject, the project will use a CPV system sized 25 kWp in a stand-alone station in Egypt (NWRC) for the first time for water pumping and irrigation purposes. In a similar way ISOFOTON will connect up to 25 kWp CPV to the Moroccan ONE utility grid. From the research content point of view of this project, which is directly addressed by the scope of the call, the cooperative research between UPM, FhG-ISE and the two companies will be favoured by the fact that all are progressing in similar directions: developing two-stage optics CPV systems. In addition to these technology improvements the UPM is very interested in developing a new concept of module, recently patented, which will fulfil all required characteristics of a good CPV with less components and reducing cost.

Bio-inspired enhancement of reputation systems for intelligent environments

Providing security to the emerging field of ambient intelligence will be difficult if we rely only on existing techniques, given their dynamic and heterogeneous nature. Moreover, security demands of these systems are expected to grow, as many applications will require accurate context modeling. In this work we propose an enhancement to the reputation systems traditionally deployed for securing these systems. Different anomaly detectors are combined using the immunological paradigm to optimize reputation system performance in response to evolving security requirements. As an example, the experiments show how a combination of detectors based on unsupervised techniques (self-organizing maps and genetic algorithms) can help to significantly reduce the global response time of the reputation system. The proposed solution offers many benefits: scalability, fast response to adversarial activities, ability to detect unknown attacks, high adaptability, and high ability in detecting and confining attacks. For these reasons, we believe that our solution is capable of coping with the dynamism of ambient intelligence systems and the growing requirements of security demands.

Desulfurization of pyrolysis fuel produced from waste lube oils, tyres and plastics

Sulphur compounds remaining in petroleum fractions from topping, hydroskimming or deep conversion processes are a growing concern for oil refiners since in the lapse of a few years the sulphur specification for motor fuels has dropped from 500 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg in most European countries. This increasingly stringent regulation has forced refineries to greatly improve their hydrodesulfurization units, increasing the desulfurization rates and thus consuming huge amounts of hydrogen.

A methodology to analyze, design and implement very fast and robust controls of Buck-type converters

La electrónica digital moderna presenta un desafío a los diseñadores de sistemas de potencia. El creciente alto rendimiento de microprocesadores, FPGAs y ASICs necesitan sistemas de alimentación que cumplan con requirimientos dinámicos y estáticos muy estrictos. Específicamente, estas alimentaciones son convertidores DC-DC de baja tensión y alta corriente que necesitan ser diseñados para tener un pequeño rizado de tensión y una pequeña desviación de tensión de salida bajo transitorios de carga de una alta pendiente. Además, dependiendo de la aplicación, se necesita cumplir con otros requerimientos tal y como proveer a la carga con ”Escalado dinámico de tensión”, donde el convertidor necesitar cambiar su tensión de salida tan rápidamente posible sin sobreoscilaciones, o ”Posicionado Adaptativo de la Tensión” donde la tensión de salida se reduce ligeramente cuanto más grande sea la potencia de salida. Por supuesto, desde el punto de vista de la industria, las figuras de mérito de estos convertidores son el coste, la eficiencia y el tamaño/peso. Idealmente, la industria necesita un convertidor que es más barato, más eficiente, más pequeño y que aún así cumpla con los requerimienos dinámicos de la aplicación. En este contexto, varios enfoques para mejorar la figuras de mérito de estos convertidores se han seguido por la industria y la academia tales como mejorar la topología del convertidor, mejorar la tecnología de semiconducores y mejorar el control. En efecto, el control es una parte fundamental en estas aplicaciones ya que un control muy rápido hace que sea más fácil que una determinada topología cumpla con los estrictos requerimientos dinámicos y, consecuentemente, le da al diseñador un margen de libertar más amplio para mejorar el coste, la eficiencia y/o el tamaño del sistema de potencia. En esta tesis, se investiga cómo diseñar e implementar controles muy rápidos para el convertidor tipo Buck. En esta tesis se demuestra que medir la tensión de salida es todo lo que se necesita para lograr una respuesta casi óptima y se propone una guía de diseño unificada para controles que sólo miden la tensión de salida Luego, para asegurar robustez en controles muy rápidos, se proponen un modelado y un análisis de estabilidad muy precisos de convertidores DC-DC que tienen en cuenta circuitería para sensado y elementos parásitos críticos. También, usando este modelado, se propone una algoritmo de optimización que tiene en cuenta las tolerancias de los componentes y sensados distorsionados. Us ando este algoritmo, se comparan controles muy rápidos del estado del arte y su capacidad para lograr una rápida respuesta dinámica se posiciona según el condensador de salida utilizado. Además, se propone una técnica para mejorar la respuesta dinámica de los controladores. Todas las propuestas se han corroborado por extensas simulaciones y prototipos experimentales. Con todo, esta tesis sirve como una metodología para ingenieros para diseñar e implementar controles rápidos y robustos de convertidores tipo Buck. ABSTRACT Modern digital electronics present a challenge to designers of power systems. The increasingly high-performance of microprocessors, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) require power supplies to comply with very demanding static and dynamic requirements. Specifically, these power supplies are low-voltage/high-current DC-DC converters that need to be designed to exhibit low voltage ripple and low voltage deviation under high slew-rate load transients. Additionally, depending on the application, other requirements need to be met such as to provide to the load ”Dynamic Voltage Scaling” (DVS), where the converter needs to change the output voltage as fast as possible without underdamping, or ”Adaptive Voltage Positioning” (AVP) where the output voltage is slightly reduced the greater the output power. Of course, from the point of view of the industry, the figures of merit of these converters are the cost, efficiency and size/weight. Ideally, the industry needs a converter that is cheaper, more efficient, smaller and that can still meet the dynamic requirements of the application. In this context, several approaches to improve the figures of merit of these power supplies are followed in the industry and academia such as improving the topology of the converter, improving the semiconductor technology and improving the control. Indeed, the control is a fundamental part in these applications as a very fast control makes it easier for the topology to comply with the strict dynamic requirements and, consequently, gives the designer a larger margin of freedom to improve the cost, efficiency and/or size of the power supply. In this thesis, how to design and implement very fast controls for the Buck converter is investigated. This thesis proves that sensing the output voltage is all that is needed to achieve an almost time-optimal response and a unified design guideline for controls that only sense the output voltage is proposed. Then, in order to assure robustness in very fast controls, a very accurate modeling and stability analysis of DC-DC converters is proposed that takes into account sensing networks and critical parasitic elements. Also, using this modeling approach, an optimization algorithm that takes into account tolerances of components and distorted measurements is proposed. With the use of the algorithm, very fast analog controls of the state-of-the-art are compared and their capabilities to achieve a fast dynamic response are positioned de pending on the output capacitor. Additionally, a technique to improve the dynamic response of controllers is also proposed. All the proposals are corroborated by extensive simulations and experimental prototypes. Overall, this thesis serves as a methodology for engineers to design and implement fast and robust controls for Buck-type converters.

Fast modularisation and aomic decomposition of ontologies using axiom dependency hypergraphs

In this paper we define the notion of an axiom dependency hypergraph, which explicitly represents how axioms are included into a module by the algorithm for computing locality-based modules. A locality-based module of an ontology corresponds to a set of connected nodes in the hypergraph, and atoms of an ontology to strongly connected components. Collapsing the strongly connected components into single nodes yields a condensed hypergraph that comprises a representation of the atomic decomposition of the ontology. To speed up the condensation of the hypergraph, we first reduce its size by collapsing the strongly connected components of its graph fragment employing a linear time graph algorithm. This approach helps to significantly reduce the time needed for computing the atomic decomposition of an ontology. We provide an experimental evaluation for computing the atomic decomposition of large biomedical ontologies. We also demonstrate a significant improvement in the time needed to extract locality-based modules from an axiom dependency hypergraph and its condensed version.