Abstract: The Sustainable Value approach integrates the efficiency with regard to environmental, social and economic resources into a monetary indicator. It gained significant popularity as evidenced by diverse applications at the corporate level. However, its introduction as a measure adhering to the strong sustainability paradigm sparked an ardent debate. This study explores its validity as a macroeconomic strong sustainability measure by applying the Sustainable Value approach to the EU-15 countries. Concretely, we assessed environmental, social and economic resources in combination with the GDP for all EU-15 countries from 1995 to 2006 for three benchmark alternatives. The results show that several countries manage to adequately delink resource use from GDP growth. Furthermore, the remarkable difference in outcome between the national and EU-15 benchmark indicates a possible inefficiency of the current allocation of national resource ceilings imposed by the European institutions. Additionally, by using an effects model we argue that the service degree of the economy and governmental expenditures on social protection and research and development are important determinants of overall resource efficiency. Finally, we sketch out three necessary conditions to link the Sustainable Value approach to the strong sustainability paradigm. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Being confronted with increasing and expanding urbanisation and the loss of natural green spaces, our living environment is threatened more and more by the effects of global climate change. Green infrastructure is often thought of as the solution to increase climate resilience and reinforce the quality of the lived environment simultaneously. While the benefits, or ecosystem services, that are generated through green infrastructure have been studied intensively, forces that influence green infrastructure decision-making have been far less subjected to thorough research. In this study a discrete choice experiment was conducted with local decision makers in Flemish municipalities to reveal crucial factors in the decision process applied to green infrastructure projects. Flanders is one of the most densely built regions in Europe, stressing the urgency to understand local spatial decision factors to guarantee green space. 568 decision makers active in the local administration of 235 Flemish municipalities participated in the experiment, set in a hypothetical neighbourhood park. Every choice alternative exists of five attributes: investment cost, maintenance cost, deferred investment, recreational value, and climate impact. We find that barriers hampering Flemish munipalities' GI implementation, differ over size of the municipality: smallers municipalities are more affected by knowledge gaps, while larger municipalities are experiencing prioritization issues. Results from hierarchical Bayes choice models indicate that municipal decisions on green infrastructure are highly – almost solely -cost-driven, rarely consider the full range of benefits, and centre around short-term and immediate arguments. Moreover, interaction models reveal that a municipalities' financial result is a key determinant of its willingness to invest in public greening and consider long term benefits, suggesting that GI is a luxury good. The results expose some of the heuristics in GI decision making and can be used to inform higher authorities on ways to overcome barriers towards informed decision-making and to facilitate GI investment.

Abstract: Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-delta (123) bulk superconductors have been synthesised by the oxygen controlled melt growth method. Unlike the YBaCuO system, platinum doping or Nd4Ba2Cu2O10 (422) rich compositions do not refine the peritectic '422' secondary phase, but the latter improves the microstructural quality. Low oxygen partial pressure and high purity precursors are necessary to achieve in a reproducible manner high T-c and J(c) (up to 56 000 A/cm(2) in 0T and 30 000 A/cm(2) under 1.5T). The fishtail effect observed at 77 K is compared with the one observed in the YBCO system, and is discussed in terms of oxygen deficiency, Nd-Ba substitution, defects and vortex lattice. Our TEM observations did not evidence any Nd-Ba substituted clusters in the Nd123 matrix; however, some diffuse streaks, observed in the [100] zone ED pattern, support the fact that the source of the peak effect in this system is mainly due to oxygen disorder and low stability of the orthorhombic phase. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Au particles were prepared by evaporation in ultra high vacuum at high temperature, on the surfaces of TiO2 micro-spheres with the anatase structure. The morphology and the structural deformation in Au deposits were studied by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and image simulations by the multislice technique. The particles were polyhedral, limited by (100) and (111) faces. Patches with a hexagonal lattice were found around the particles, which was interpreted as thin Au islands on the surface. In these islands the Au lattice was deformed and perfectly accommodated to the (110) surface of TiO2. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The effect of Ag and Cu addition on clustering behavior of Al-Mg-Si alloys during natural aging (NA) and artificial aging (AA) was investigated by hardness measurement, tensile test and atom probe tomography analysis. The results show that both Ag and Cu atoms could enter clusters and GP-zones, change the Mg/Si ratio and increase their volume fractions. Compared with the Al base alloy, the clusters in the Ag/Cu-added alloys more easily transform to beta" phases for size and compositional similarity, and the strengthening ability of these particles is enhanced by the increased volume fraction and shear modulus. In NA condition, Cu is greater in improving the volume fraction of clusters than Ag and thus produces higher T4 temper hardness. In AA condition, in contrary, Ag is more effective in facilitating the formation and growth of particles than Cu due to the stronger Ag-Mg interaction and the high diffusivity of Ag atoms in Al matrix, leading to highest hardening response. Compared to the Cu-added alloy, the Ag-added alloy shows higher precipitation kinetics during AA treatment and maintains a lower T4 temper hardness.

Abstract: Transmission electron microscopy and finite element-based dislocation simulations were combined to study the development of dislocation microstructures after cyclic deformation of single crystal and bicrystal Ni micropillars oriented for multi-slip. A direct correlation between large accumulation of plastic strain and the presence of dislocation cell walls in the single crystal micropillars was observed, while the presence of the grain boundary hampered the formation of wall-like structures in agreement with a smaller accumulated plastic strain. Automated crystallographic orientation and nanostrain mapping using transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of lattice heterogeneities associated to the cell walls including long range elastic strain fields. By combining the nanostrain mapping with an inverse modelling approach, information about dislocation density, line orientation and Burgers vector direction was derived, which is not accessible otherwise in such dense dislocation structures. Simulations showed that the image forces associated with the grain boundary in this specific bicrystal configuration have only a minor influence on dislocation behavior. Thus, the reduced occurrence of “mature” cell walls in the bicrystal can be attributed to the available volume, which is too small to accommodate cell structures.

Abstract: It is generally believed that β00 precipitates, rather than β0 precipitates, are the major strengthening precipitates in
aged Al–Mg–Si alloys. The reason for this difference is not well understood. To clarify this, two samples of the
same Al–Mg–Si alloy but with different aging states were prepared. The under-aged sample only contains nanoprecipitates
of the β00 type, while the peak-aged one contains nearly equal volumes of β00 and β0 precipitates. We
have, for the first time, separated the strengthening effect of the contribution from βʺ and βʹ precipitates,
respectively, by an indirect approach based on high-precision measurements of volume fractions, number densities,
sizes, proportions of the precipitates, their lattice strains, the composition and grain size of the matrix. The
β0 precipitates, which take 45.6% of the total precipitate volume in the peak-aged sample, contribute to the entire
precipitation strengthening by only 31.6%. The main reason why they are less useful compared to β00 precipitates
has been found to be associated with their smaller lattice strains relative to the matrix, which is 0.99% versus
2.10% (for β00 ).

Abstract: By means of electron diffraction the 2 root 2 a(p) x 2 root 2 a(p) phase, well-known in YBa2Cu3O7-delta was observed in two other perovskite-based materials (Y0.75Ce0.25)(2)(Sr0.85Y0.15)(2)AlCU2O9 and Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+x. Highly correlated ordering is observed in the ab-plane, the correlation along the c-direction being weak. The plane group of the superstructure symmetry elements was determined on the basis of observed reflection conditions in diffraction patterns. Our results unambiguously rule out oxygen ordering as a possible origin of the superstructure. Experimental evidence points out that the superstructure is associated with the CuO2 layers, that are the only structural elements common to the three compounds studied. A model is proposed where the CuO2 sheet is displacively modulated. Experimental evidence suggests a correlation between adjacent CuO2 sheets. Comparison of simulated and experimental [001] zone diffraction patterns strongly supports our model.

Abstract: We study the coherent dynamics of pairing in a nanoscale superconductor, that is intrinsically multiband, after an external perturbation in the non-adiabatic regime. The description of the dynamics of the pairing order is within the density-matrix approach based on the BCS model and the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We find that for certain resonant wire widths the superconducting order parameter exhibits two oscillatory frequencies which are determined by the long-time asymptotic values of the subgaps. This in turn leads to a pronounced beating phenomenon. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.