University of Wisconsin-Madison

About: University of Wisconsin-Madison is a education organization based out in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 108707 authors who have published 237594 publications receiving 11883575 citations.

Ru-Pt core-shell nanoparticles for preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in hydrogen.

Abstract: Most of the world’s hydrogen supply is currently obtained by reforming hydrocarbons. ‘Reformate’ hydrogen contains significant quantities of CO that poison current hydrogen fuel-cell devices. Catalysts are needed to remove CO from hydrogen through selective oxidation. Here, we report first-principles-guided synthesis of a nanoparticle catalyst comprising a Ru core covered with an approximately 1–2-monolayer-thick shell of Pt atoms. The distinct catalytic properties of these well-characterized core–shell nanoparticles were demonstrated for preferential CO oxidation in hydrogen feeds and subsequent hydrogen light-off. For H2 streams containing 1,000 p.p.m. CO, H2 light-off is complete by 30 ∘C, which is significantly better than for traditional PtRu nano-alloys (85 ∘C), monometallic mixtures of nanoparticles (93 ∘C) and pure Pt particles (170 ∘C). Density functional theory studies suggest that the enhanced catalytic activity for the core–shell nanoparticle originates from a combination of an increased availability of CO-free Pt surface sites on the Ru@Pt nanoparticles and a hydrogen-mediated low-temperature CO oxidation process that is clearly distinct from the traditional bifunctional CO oxidation mechanism. To produce hydrogen by reforming hydrocarbons, efficient catalysts capable of removing carbon monoxide are needed. This can now be achieved via a preferential oxidation mechanism using nanoparticle catalysts consisting of a ruthenium core covered with platinum.

An empirical study of the reliability of UNIX utilities

Abstract: The following section describes the tools we built to test the utilities. These tools include the fuzz (random character) generator, ptyjig (to test interactive utilities), and scripts to automate the testing process. Next, we will describe the tests we performed, giving the types of input we presented to the utilities. Results from the tests will follow along with an analysis of the results, including identification and classification of the program bugs that caused the crashes. The final section presents concluding remarks, including suggestions for avoiding the types of problems detected by our study and some commentary on the bugs we found. We include an Appendix with the user manual pages for fuzz and ptyjig.

The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments: Sensitivity Analyses of Cross‐Country Regressions

Abstract: A vast empirical literature has used ad hoc linear cross-country regressions to search for the determinants of FDI. The literature is extensive and controversial. Can policy-makers use this body of research to learn anything that can help them stimulate FDI? The author uses Extreme Bound Analysis (EBA) to examine if any of the conclusions from the existing studies is robust to small changes in the conditioning information set. The EBA upholds the robustness of the correlation between FDI and market-size, as measured by per-capita GDP, but indicates that the relation between FDI and many of the controversial variables (namely, tax, wage, openness, exchange rate, tariff, growth, and trade balance)bare highly sensitive to small alterations in the conditioning information set. The author also studies the distribution of the estimated coefficients of the controversial explanatory variables to rank them in order of their likelihood of their being correlated with FDI.

Structure and function of the global topsoil microbiome.

Abstract: Soils harbour some of the most diverse microbiomes on Earth and are essential for both nutrient cycling and carbon storage. To understand soil functioning, it is necessary to model the global distribution patterns and functional gene repertoires of soil microorganisms, as well as the biotic and environmental associations between the diversity and structure of both bacterial and fungal soil communities1–4. Here we show, by leveraging metagenomics and metabarcoding of global topsoil samples (189 sites, 7,560 subsamples), that bacterial, but not fungal, genetic diversity is highest in temperate habitats and that microbial gene composition varies more strongly with environmental variables than with geographic distance. We demonstrate that fungi and bacteria show global niche differentiation that is associated with contrasting diversity responses to precipitation and soil pH. Furthermore, we provide evidence for strong bacterial–fungal antagonism, inferred from antibiotic-resistance genes, in topsoil and ocean habitats, indicating the substantial role of biotic interactions in shaping microbial communities. Our results suggest that both competition and environmental filtering affect the abundance, composition and encoded gene functions of bacterial and fungal communities, indicating that the relative contributions of these microorganisms to global nutrient cycling varies spatially.