Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Energy Dependence Of Kπ, Pπ, And Kp Fluctuations In Au + Au Collisions From √SNn=7.7 To 200 Gev, James K. Adkins, Renee H. Fatemi, Suvarna Ramachandran, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Alekseev, J. Alford, A. Aparin, D. Arkhipkin, E. C. Aschenauer, G. S. Averichev

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A search for the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point was performed by the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, using dynamical fluctuations of unlike particle pairs. Heavy ion collisions were studied over a large range of collision energies with homogeneous acceptance and excellent particle identification, covering a significant range in the QCD phase diagram where a critical point may be located. Dynamical Kπ, pπ, and Kp fluctuations as measured by the STAR experiment in central 0–5% Au + Au collisions from center-of-mass collision energies √^sNN=7.7 to 200 GeV are presented. The observable …

The Implications Of Self-Driving Cars On Insurance, Amanda Lobello

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are being researched and tested by automakers, technology industry leaders, and other institutions. Lawmakers and politicians are discussing the legislation that will affect the fate of such technology. Primary benefits include safety, mobility, free time, less traffic, and green effects. However, there are also obstacles to the implementation of self-driving vehicles including consumer acceptance, legal liability, and cost. With the potential shift in responsibility from driver to automaker, rating factors for insurance may change, weighing more heavily on the model of the car as a factor. The fate of auto insurance is in …

Strengthening The Role Of Universities In Addressing Sustainability Challenges: The Mitchell Center For Sustainability Solutions As An Institutional Experiment, David Hart, Kathleen P. Bell, Laura Lindenfeld, Shaleen Jain, Teresa Johnson, Darren Ranco, Brian Mcgill

Publications

As the magnitude, complexity, and urgency of many sustainability problems increase, there is a growing need for universities to contribute more effectively to problem solving. Drawing upon prior research on social-ecological systems, knowledge-action connections, and organizational innovation, we developed an integrated conceptual framework for strengthening the capacity of universities to help society understand and respond to a wide range of sustainability challenges. Based on experiences gained in creating the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (Mitchell Center), we tested this framework by evaluating the experiences of interdisciplinary research teams involved in place-based, solutions-oriented research projects at the scale …

Multiple-Time Step Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Based On Two-Electron Integral Screening, Shervin Fatehi, Ryan P. Steele

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A multiple-timestep ab initio molecular dynamics scheme based on varying the two-electron integral screening method used in Hartree–Fock or density functional theory calculations is presented. Although screening is motivated by numerical considerations, it is also related to separations in the length- and timescales characterizing forces in a molecular system: Loose thresholds are sufficient to describe fast motions over short distances, while tight thresholds may be employed for larger length scales and longer times, leading to a practical acceleration of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Standard screening approaches can lead, however, to significant discontinuities in (and inconsistencies between) the energy and …

Umass Amherst Comprehensive Campus Energy Master Plan, Rmf Engineering

Sustainability Reports & Plans

The following Comprehensive Campus Energy Plan is intended to provide the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst Campus with a long range vision for efficient and reliable utility generation and delivery as well as effective energy conservation measures. While the plan is based upon a 50-year period, specific recommendations and upgrades are presented to address the short term needs associated with the 10-year capital plan.

Assignment: Climate Action Plan 3.0 (Sustainable Living), Lena Fletcher

Sustainability Education Resources

The UMass Amherst Climate Action Plan 2.0 lays out strategies to meet UMass’s energy goals by 2050, but many projects are still in the planning phase and have not been implemented on campus yet. It’s time for you to design the Climate Action plan 3.0!

As a team, you will create and present one solution from your Climate Action Plan 3.0 to help UMass become carbon neutral ahead of schedule. Your energy solution can be a policy, program, transportation improvement, or energy-saving technology. Research the Climate Action Plan 2.0 thoroughly to make sure your solution has not already been proposed.

Syllabus: Sustainable Living: Solutions For The 21st Century, Lena Fletcher

Sustainability Education Resources

In this innovative interdisciplinary course you will work with your peers to research and understand how sustainability in different contexts presents solutions to many problems facing modern society. You will work in teams to investigate, evaluate, communicate, and reflect on the multifaceted challenges associated with natural resource use, food systems, energy, transportation, waste, the built environment, water quality, and climate change. You will also research case studies, debate controversies, assess political and cultural contexts, investigate technological advances, and identify gaps in scientific knowledge. Using these resources, you and your peers will be tasked with developing your own sustainable solutions for …

Umass Amherst Energy Consumption, Ghg Emissions, Energy Intensity From 2002-2014, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Data spreadsheet of GHG emissions, fuel consumption, and energy intensity for UMass Amherst between Fiscal Years 2002 to 2014.

Fy 2015 Umass Amherst Electricity Data By Building, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Each year, UMass Amherst Utilities publishes this spreadsheet which has the monthly and annual building energy consumption of each metered building on campus. Cost data and production vs. purchased electricity data are also provided.

Fy 2015 Umass Amherst Water & Steam Data By Building, Ezra Small

Campus Data

Each year, UMass Amherst Utilities publishes this spreadsheet which has the monthly and annual building water and steam consumption of each metered building on campus.

Calculating The Campus Nitrogen Footprint, Allison Leach, Jennifer Andrews

NECSC Conference 2015

Many universities interested in sustainability have calculated their carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is well-established and understood: it tells us how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere as a result of university activities. While important, this calculation addresses just one part of a university’s environmental impact. Universities that want to expand their approach to sustainability can now also calculate their nitrogen footprint.

Nitrogen footprints connect entities, such as individuals or universities, with the reactive nitrogen (all species of nitrogen except N2) lost to the environment as a result of their activities. While necessary to …

Your Future In The Anthropocene, Hunter Lovins

NECSC Conference 2015

Hunter Lovins keynote address presentation

A Facile Approach To Synthesize Stable Cnts@Mno Electrocatalyst For High Energy Lithium Oxygen Batteries, Wenbin Luo, Shulei Chou, Jiazhao Wang, Yu-Chun Zhai, Hua-Kun Liu

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A composite of manganese monoxide loaded onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs@MnO) has been synthesized by a facile approach, in which the CNTs form a continuous conductive network connecting the electrocatalyst MnO nanoparticles together to facilitate good electrochemical performance. The electrocatalyst MnO shows favourable rechargeability, and good phase and morphology stability in lithium oxygen batteries. Excellent cycling performance is also demonstrated, in which the terminal voltage is higher than 2.4 V after 100 cycles at 0.4 mA cm^-2, with 1000 mAh g^-1 _(composite) capacity. Therefore, this hybrid material is promising for use as a cathode material for lithium oxygen …

Flexible Free-Standing Graphene Paper With Interconnected Porous Structure For Energy Storage, Kewei Shu, Caiyun Wang, Sha Li, Chen Zhao, Yang Yang, Hua-Kun Liu, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A novel porous graphene paper is prepared via freeze drying a wet graphene oxide gel, followed by thermal and chemical reduction. The macroscopic structure of the formed graphene paper can be tuned by the water content in the gel precursor. With 92% water content, an interconnected macroporous network can be formed. This porous graphene (PG) paper exhibits excellent electrochemical properties. It can deliver a high discharge capacity of 420 mA h g⁻¹ at a current density of 2000 mA g⁻¹ when used as binder-free lithium ion battery anode. PG paper exhibits a specific capacitance of 137 F g …

Harvesting Temperature Fluctuations As Electrical Energy Using Torsional And Tensile Polymer Muscles, Shi Hyeong Kim, Marcio Dias Lima, Mikhail E. Kozlov, Carter S. Haines, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Shazed Aziz, Changsoon Choi, Hyeon Jun Sim, Xuemin Wang, Hongbing Lu, Dong Qian, John D. W Madden, Ray H. Baughman, Seon Jeong Kim

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Diverse means have been deployed for harvesting electrical energy from mechanical actuation produced by low-grade waste heat, but cycle rate, energy-per-cycle, device size and weight, or cost have limited applications. We report the electromagnetic harvesting of thermal energy as electrical energy using thermally powered torsional and tensile artificial muscles made from inexpensive polymer fibers used for fishing line and sewing thread. We show that a coiled 27 μm-diameter nylon muscle fiber can be driven by 16.7 °C air temperature fluctuations to spin a magnetic rotor to a peak torsional rotation speed of 70 000 rpm for over 300 000 heating-cooling …

Harvesting Temperature Fluctuations As Electrical Energy Using Torsional And Tensile Polymer Muscles, Shi Hyeong Kim, Marcio Dias Lima, Mikhail E. Kozlov, Carter S. Haines, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Shazed Aziz, Changsoon Choi, Hyeon Jun Sim, Xuemin Wang, Hongbing Lu, Dong Qian, John D. W Madden, Ray H. Baughman, Seon Jeong Kim

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Diverse means have been deployed for harvesting electrical energy from mechanical actuation produced by low-grade waste heat, but cycle rate, energy-per-cycle, device size and weight, or cost have limited applications. We report the electromagnetic harvesting of thermal energy as electrical energy using thermally powered torsional and tensile artificial muscles made from inexpensive polymer fibers used for fishing line and sewing thread. We show that a coiled 27 μm-diameter nylon muscle fiber can be driven by 16.7 °C air temperature fluctuations to spin a magnetic rotor to a peak torsional rotation speed of 70 000 rpm for over 300 000 heating-cooling …

Effects Of Nanostructure On Clean Energy: Big Solutions Gained From Small Features, Jinyan Xiong, Chao Han, Zhen Li, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The increasing energy consumption and environmental concerns have driven the development of cost-effective, high-efficiency clean energy. Advanced functional nanomaterials and relevant nanotechnologies are playing a crucial role and showing promise in resolving some energy issues. In this view, we focus on recent advances of functional nanomaterials in clean energy applications, including solar energy conversion, water splitting, photodegradation, electrochemical energy conversion and storage, and thermoelectric conversion, which have attracted considerable interests in the regime of clean energy.

Nano-Carbon Electrodes For Thermal Energy Harvesting, Mark S. Romano, Joselito M. Razal, Dennis Antiohos, Gordon G. Wallace, Jun Chen

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Thermogalvanic cells are capable of converting waste heat (generated as a by-product of almost all human activity) to electricity. These devices may alleviate the problems associated with the use of fossil fuels to meet the world's current demand for energy. This review discusses the developments in thermogalvanic systems attained through the use of nano-carbons as the electrode materials. Advances in cell design and electrode configuration that improve performance of these thermo converters and make them applicable in a variety of environments are also summarized. It is the aim of this review to act as a channel for further developments in …

Flexible Electrodes And Electrolytes For Energy Storage, Caiyun Wang, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The advent of flexible, wearable electronics has placed new demands on energy storage systems. The demands for high energy density achieved through the use of highly conducting materials with high surface area that enable facile electrochemical processes must now be coupled with the need for robustness and flexibility in each of the components: electrodes and electrolytes. This perspective provides an overview of materials and fabrication protocols used to produce flexible electrodes and electrolytes. We also discuss the key challenges in the development of high performance flexible energy storage devices. Only selected references are used to illustrate the myriad of developments …

3d Hierarchical Porous Graphene Aerogel With Tunable Meso-Pores On Graphene Nanosheets For High-Performance Energy Storage, Long Ren, K N. Hui, K S. Hui, Yundan Liu, Xiang Qi, Jianxin Zhong, Yi Du, Jianping Yang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

New and novel 3D hierarchical porous graphene aerogels (HPGA) with uniform and tunable mesopores (e.g., 21 and 53 nm) on graphene nanosheets (GNS) were prepared by a hydrothermal self-assembly process and an in-situ carbothermal reaction. The size and distribution of the meso-pores on the individual GNS were uniform and could be tuned by controlling the sizes of the Co3O4 NPs used in the hydrothermal reaction. This unique architecture of HPGA prevents the stacking of GNS and promises more electrochemically active sites that enhance the electrochemical storage level significantly. HPGA, as a lithium-ion battery anode, exhibited superior electrochemical performance, including a …

Nanocomposite Hydrogels: Fracture Toughness And Energy Dissipation Mechanisms, Andrea Klein, Philip G. Whitten, Katharina Resch, Gerald Pinter

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

In this study, fracture toughness of nanocomposite hydrogels is quantified, and active mechanisms for dissipation of energy of nanocomposite hydrogels are ascertained. Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) nanocomposite hydrogels are prepared by in situ free radical polymerization with the incorporation of Laponite, a hectorite synthetic clay. Transmission electron microscopy proves exfoliation of clay platelets that serve as multifunctional crosslinkers in the created physical network. Extraordinary high fracture energies of up to 6800 J m-2 are determined by the pure shear test approach, which shows that these soft and stretchable hydrogels are insensitive to notches. In contrast to single- and double-network hydrogels, dynamic mechanic analysis …

Porous Nanoarchitectures Of Spinel-Type Transition Metal Oxides For Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems, Min-Sik Park, Jeonghun Kim, Ki Jae Kim, Jongwon Lee, Jung Ho Kim, Yusuke Yamauchi

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Transition metal oxides possessing two kinds of metals (denoted as AxB3-xO4, which is generally defined as a spinel structure; A, B = Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, Fe, etc.), with stoichiometric or even non-stoichiometric compositions, have recently attracted great interest in electrochemical energy storage systems (ESSs). The spinel-type transition metal oxides exhibit outstanding electrochemical activity and stability, and thus, they can play a key role in realising cost-effective and environmentally friendly ESSs. Moreover, porous nanoarchitectures can offer a large number of electrochemically active sites and, at the same time, facilitate transport of charge carriers (electrons and ions) during energy storage reactions. …