Low-Cost Potentiometric Sensor for Chloride Measurement in Continuous Industrial Process Control

Recently, the new updates in legislation about drinking water control and human health have increased the demand for novel electrochemical low-cost sensors, such as potentiometric ones. Nowadays, the determination of chloride ion in aqueous solutions has attracted great attention in several fields, from industrial processes to drinking water control. Indeed, chloride plays a crucial role in corrosion, also influencing the final taste of beverages, especially coffee. The main goal is to obtain devices suitable for continuous and real-time analysis. For these reasons, we investigated the possibility to develop an easy, low-cost potentiometric chloride sensor, able to perform analysis in aqueous mediums for long immersion time and reducing the need of periodic calibration. We realized a chloride ion selective electrode made of Ag/AgCl sintered pellet and we tested its response in model solutions compatible with drinking water. The sensor was able to produce a stable, reproducible, and accurate quantification of chloride in 900 s, without the need for a preliminary calibration test. This opens the route to potential applications of this sensor in continuous, in situ, and real time measurement of chloride ions in industrial processes, with a reduced need for periodic maintenance.     

Ordered and disordered patterns in two-phase flows in microchannels

We show that wetting properties crucially control the patterns in two-phase flows of immiscible fluids in microchannels. Ordered patterns, continuously entrained by the flow, are obtained when one phase completely wets the walls, while disordered patterns, intermittently adhering to the channel walls, are unavoidably produced when wetting is partial. A lower limit for the channel sizes capable of generating well structured objects (drops, pears, pearl necklaces, ...) is presented.     

A compact UHV package for microfabricated ion-trap arrays with direct electronic air-side access

We have demonstrated a new apparatus for operating microfabricated ion-trap arrays in a compact ultra-high-vacuum setup with excellent optical and electrical access. The approach uses conventional components, materials and techniques in a unique fashion. The microtrap chip is mounted on a modified ceramic leadless chip carrier, the conductors of which serve as the vacuum feedthrough. The chip carrier is indium-sealed to stainless-steel components to form vacuum seals, resulting in short electrical path lengths of ≤20 mm from the trap electrodes under vacuum to air side. The feedthrough contains conductors for the radio-frequency trap drive, as well as 42 conductors for DC electrodes. Vacuum pressures of ～1 × 10^?11 mbar are achieved, and ions have been confined and laser cooled in a microtrap chip. The apparatus enables accurate measurements of radio-frequency voltage amplitudes on the trap electrodes, yielding an excellent agreement between measured and modelled trap efficiencies. This feature is of significant use in establishing initial operation of new devices. The principle of the connectivity scheme presented here is applicable to larger ceramic chip carriers containing many more conductors.     

Online re-optimization of optical filters on a production sputter tool

This contribution presents a magnetron sputter deposition tool with broadband optical monitor and online re-optimization capability for high volume production. The layer termination relies on a comparison of the actually measured reflection spectrum with a pre-calculated target spectrum. Spectra recorded after each deposited layer are analyzed by the re-optimization module and in case of significant deviations layer thicknesses and target spectra for the remaining layers are recalculated. This technique significantly improves the performance and reproducibility in case of highly denlanding coating designs and is able to correct abnormal production errors in individual layers, which will lead to coating failure without re- optimization.     

Coexistence and harvesting control policy in a food chain model with mutual defense of prey

A model is proposed to understand the dynamics in a food chain (one predator‐two prey). Unlike many approaches, we consider mutualism (for defense against predators) between the two groups of prey. We investigate the conditions for coexistence and exclusion. Unlike Elettreby's (2009) results, we show that prey can coexist in the absence of predators (as expected since there is no competition between prey). We also show the existence of Hopf bifurcation and limit cycle in the model, and numerically present bifurcation diagrams in terms of mutualism and harvesting. When the harvest is practiced for profit making, we provide the threshold effort value that determines the profitability of the harvest. We show that there is zero profit when the constant effort is applied. Below (resp. above) , there will always be gain (resp. loss). In the case of gain, we provide the optimal effort and optimal steady states that produce maximum profit and ensure coexistence. Recommendations for resource managers As a result of our investigation, we bring the following to the attention of management:

• 1. In the absence of predators, different groups of prey can coexist if they mutually help each other (no competition among them).
• 2. There is a maximal effort to invest in order to gain profit from the harvest. Above , the investment will result in a loss.
• 3. In the case of profit from harvest, policy makers should recommend the optimal effort to be applied and the optimal stock to harvest. This will guarantee maximum profit while ensuring sustainability of all species.