Search results for " Plastic"

A simple method for the photometric characterization of organic light-emitting diodes

2022

A simple method for the photometric characterization of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is reported. It is based on the indirect measurement of the total emitted optical power by using a calibrated photodiode and the optical emission spectrum and space emission diagram of the OLED. From this and by measuring the current–voltage characteristic of the OLED all the relevant radiometric and photometric quantities can be extracted, including the external quantum efficiency. The usual method to collect all photons emitted by a LED source in the half space uses an integrating sphere with the LED source placed at the entrance hole and a photodiode (PD) placed at an exit hole at some point on …

Electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid using a Sn based cathode: Combined effect of temperature and pressure

2023

Electrochemical conversion of CO2 in the aqueous electrolyte into value-added chemicals is considered one of the most promising strategies to valorize waste-CO2. In the last decade, high attention was focused on the electro- chemical synthesis of formic acid (FA) via CO2 reduction using Sn cathodes. To improve the final concentration of FA in aqueous electrolytes, several approaches, including the utilization of different technologies (i.e. pressurized CO2 reactor, a gas diffusion electrode, divided cell etc...) and different operative conditions (i.e. pH, current densities, temperature, mixing rate, etc...) were investigated in detail. To date, the effect of temperature (T) on the electroc…

Inoculum of Indigenous Microalgae/Activated Sludge for Optimal Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters and Biochemical Composition of Residual Biomass for…

2022

In this work, municipal wastewater was treated with microalgal/activated sludge consortia. We aimed at obtaining a positive interaction between the microalgae and the heterotrophic bacteria and identifying the best combination for bioremediation purposes. A strain of Chlorella sp CW2 employed in this work was isolated from AS and molecularly characterised in this work for the first time. This strain and another previously isolated strain (Chlorella sp Pozzillo) were inoculated alone and in combination with AS in different ratios in wastewaters. Microalgae/activated sludge growth curves were obtained by using a UV–vis spectrophotometer and a fluorimeter to distinguish the contribution of the…

On Legal Cooperation and the Dynamics of Legal Convergence

2010

In this paper, we study the dynamics of legal convergence and the comparison between the different instruments of legal convergence based on cooperative strategies (i.e., harmonization and unification) or not. To study these questions we use a model with two nation-states which is inspired in part by that used in Carbonara and Parisi (2008) where preferences of each nation-state are such that it is costly to change the law, but it is also costly to have a different legal system from the other nation-state. We show that legal unification could be achieved in the long-run through small step by step changes despite the existence of huge harmonization costs in the short run. We also show that l…

Warner Winslow Gardner’s The Institutional Theory of John R. Commons (1933)

2011

Academic Practitioner Auditors

2016

Academic practitioner auditors engage in academic research on top of their audit activities. Based on constructive learnings theory and evidence-based management theory, we argue that engaging in research helps lead auditors to deliver higher audit quality. Moreover, we expect that this engagement enables lead auditors to develop their professional reputation and, hence, to generate higher audit fees. Using data from Germany, where lead auditors frequently engage in research, we find empirical evidence for these conjectures. Our study contributes to the current AAA and AICPA debate about the value of bridging the gap between academia and audit practice.

Audit Committee Independence and Auditor-Manager Disputes

2020

This paper analyzes the role of audit committee independence in resolving disagreements between management and the auditor regarding financial reporting. The common intuition suggests that the audit committee must be independent from management to be able to support the auditor against the manager's manipulation attempts. We build a one-period strategic model to show that this intuition is valid only if overinvestment is a bigger concern to shareholders than underinvestment. Otherwise, any audit committee will agree with management to avoid underinvestment. The audit committee's optimal independence level, which can be fully independent or partially dependent, is affected by investment effi…

High-pressure study of the aurophilic topological Dirac material AuI

2022

We endeavour to explore the high-pressure study in the aurophilic AuI within the state-of-the-art of first principles. The impediment of expressing precise ground-state features of aurophilic compounds that had afflicted prior theoretical research has been resolved by incorporating van der Waals corrections (vdw). Mechanical and dynamical stability are ensured at ambient using the computed elastic constants and phonon dispersion curves. The dynamical instability is triggered by the application of pressure in AuI, as evidenced by the softening of an acoustic mode (Eu) at ∼7 GPa. Non-adherence of estimated elastic constants to the Born stability criterion at this pressure illustrates the syst…

Forecasting green roofs’ potential in improving building thermal performance and mitigating urban heat island in the Mediterranean area: An artificia…

2023

Green roofs are widely used in hot or cold climates mainly because they are capable to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and, when implemented at a large scale, reducing air pollution and the urban heat island effect (UHI) in urban contexts. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) black-box algorithms are a valid alternative to studying complex systems. However, the literature highlights - quite surprisingly – none of the available research refers to coupling ANNs and green roofs in the Mediterranean area, where green roofs are instead considered one of the most suitable technologies to reduce the high cooling demand. Therefore, the objective of this research work is to create and validate…

Impacts of piscicide-induced fish removal on resource use and trophic diversity of lake invertebrates

2022

Chemical eradication of non-native species has become a widely used method to mitigate the potential negative im- pacts of altered competitive or predatory dynamics on biodiversity and natural ecosystem processes. However, the re- sponses of non-target species can vary from rapid full recovery to delayed or absent recolonization, and little is known about the potential shifts in resource use and trophic diversity of native species following chemical treatments. We used a before-after-control-impact approach to study the effects of rotenone piscicide treatment on abundance and tro- phic niche of benthic invertebrates in three untreated and three treated lakes in central Norway, the latter gr…