SummaryThe Timor Bush Warbler Locustella timorensis was first collected by Georg Stein on Mount Mutis, West Timor in 1932, but there have been no confirmed field observations since. Here we report on the discovery of a new population of bush warbler on Alor (9 September 2009), which prompted a search for, and subsequent rediscovery, of the nominate Timor Bush Warbler (20 December 2009) in Timor-Leste. We also undertook the first bush warbler searches in the mountains on Atauro Island, and the first ornithological exploration of the mountains of Pantar and Wetar islands. On Alor, at least 13 male bush warblers were heard singing from shrub and grass beneath woodland and forest edge at 859–1,250 m. On Timor, at least 40 males were heard during December, April and July from tall grassland below Mount Ramelau (1,720–2,100 m), Timor-Leste. The song structure of the Alor and Timor birds is similar, and close to Javan Bush Warbler L. montis of Java and Bali, as well as to recordings of Russet Bush Warbler L. mandelli of mainland Asia and Benguet Bush Warbler L. seebohmi from the Philippines. The song of the Alor bird is substantially higher pitched (mean min/max 3,233–4,980 kHz) than the Timor bird (2,928–4,761 kHz) and both are substantially higher pitched than Javan birds. Recordings of Russet Bush Warbler from mainland Asia are higher pitched than songs of all insular taxa, and the song of Benguet Bush Warbler is of a similar pitch to the Timor bird. Recent molecular studies have found that divergences between Javan Bush Warbler and the Russet Bush Warbler are slight, and the high degree of song similarity of the Alor and Timor populations to Javan Bush Warbler places them close to the Benguet Bush Warbler complex. The Timor Bush Warbler is recognised as ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN, but this will require re-evaluation. On Alor, suitable habitat is extensive and under little threat, but grassland in the uplands of West and East Timor is intensively grazed and regularly burnt. Further field surveys are needed on both Timor and Alor to capture birds, clarify taxonomic relationships using molecular approaches, and further define habitat use and conservation status. Bush warblers were not recorded from Pantar, Atauro and Wetar islands.

Thick La2Zr2O7 (120) layers were produced via a water-based sol-gel route. All layers were analyzed in-depth by XRD, pole figures and transmission electron microscopy. Well-textured thick layers (120 nm) could be obtained by adjusting the heat treatment and introducing a LZO seed layer (20 nm). The overall quality of the LZO layers greatly improved by the introduction of seed layers. Nevertheless, nanovoids were found in the thick LZO layers. A tentative explanation for parameters influencing the origin and development of the nanovoids is presented, based on TEM observations. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

During the last decade the focus in Superconductivity research has shifted towards the manufacturing of easy-to-handle superconductors, because of their high usability in electronic applications in comparison to bulky ceramics. This article reviews our recent progress made in the buffer-layer architecture of such a coated conductor, focusing on CeO2 thin films prepared by an aqueous sol-gel method and deposited by dip-coating. Starting from water-soluble cerium(III) nitrate precursors, we were able to deposit films showing a very high degree of [002] orientation depending on the film characteristics and synthesis conditions. The formation and stability of the chemical complexes in the solution was studied by potentiometric titrations. The main parameters influencing the texture seem to be the ambient Ar-(5%)H-2 atmosphere and the thickness of the synthesized buffer layers. The microstructure of the thin films deposited on metallic tapes was controlled by the incorporation of doping elements. This research allowed LIS to achieve a 50 inn thick CeO2 film, showing a very high degree of [002] orientation and exhibiting a low surface roughness. Subsequent YBa2Cu3O7 synthesis by TFA-MOD resulted in promising XRD and J(c) measurements. Our easy-to-use, environmentally friendly strategy could contribute to the spreading of the use of coated conductors in everyday applications.

In this paper, we report a comparative study of hexagonal structured ethylene-and ethenylene-bridged PMOs with large pores.1,2-Bis(trietoxysilyl)ethane and 1,2-bis(trietoxysilyl)ethene were used as precursors and pluronic P123 was used as structure directing agent.The effect of butanol on the pore size distribution and the morphology of ethylene-bridged and ethenylene-bridged PMOs were investigated.This was done by first varying the butanol concentration and next, it was investigated if the acidity range to get uniform pores can be broadened with the addition of butanol.Further, the mechanical and hydrothermal stability of the PMOs were compared.The materials were characterized by N 2 -physisorption, XRD, SEM and TEM.It was found that the addition of butanol has a positive influence to get more uniform pores for both PMOs.Although, the effect is much higher for ethenylene-bridged PMOs.Further, it was observed that the mechanical and hydrothermal stability are better for the ethylene-bridged PMOs than for the ethenylene-bridged PMOs.

A water-based precursor solution was used to deposit a thin La2Zr2O7 layer (70nm) on a NiW substrate. The characterization of the La2Zr2O7 (LZO) consisted of X-ray diffraction, pole figures, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the cross-section. The results reveal that high-quality LZO layers can be produced using completely water-based solutions, rendering a high degree of texture (full width at half maximum=6.5°). In order to test the quality of this coating as a buffer layer, a 350nm thick layer of YBCO was deposited by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The superconducting properties were measured inductively (Cryoscan, THEVA). A thorough TEM study of all the interfaces present was carried out. Several secondary phases were found at these interfaces. Since the buffer layer was thin, oxidation of the substrate could not be prevented.

...........................................................................................................................................21 A. Introduction.............................................................................................................................21 B. Research approach................................................................................................................22 C. Research results based on statistical data ............................................................................23 1. General characteristics of the Belgian Building stock...............................................23 2. Motivation for renovation...........................................................................................23 3. Energy characteristics of the building stock..............................................................27 4. Conclusion: proposed building typologies for further research.................................29 D. Potential of the existing housing stock to reduce energy.......................................................30 1. General considerations .............................................................................................30 2. A case study for the Brussels Region .......................................................................32 E. Market segmentation for low energy housing retrofit .............................................................32 1. Segmentation based on ownership, private rent or social rent.................................32 2. Segmentation based on investment level .................................................................33 F. Conclusions............................................................................................................................33 1. Policy should also address non-energy benefits.......................................................33 2. Different building types require different approaches ...............................................34 3. A target group oriented approach is required ...........................................................34 4. Energy policy should reinforce best practice LEHR..................................................35 TAP2 Programme to stimulate knowledge transfer in areas of strategic importance 3 Project P2/00/06 – Low Energy Housing Retrofit LEHR V. TRANSITION TO LOW ENERGY HOUSING .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................37...........................................................................................................................................37 A. Context ...................................................................................................................................38

In this work a fluorine-free sol–gel method based on low-cost materials and water as primary solvent is developed, resulting in a sustainable superconducting film. Using a 0.6 M ‘AWAT’ precursor (M-acetates, water, acetic acid and tri-ethanolamine, patent pending) YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films were dip coated on SrTiO3 (STO) single-crystal substrates. After gelation at 60 °C, the amorphous gel was transformed to the desired crystalline superconducting phase. Sintering was conducted at 815 °C under a 200 ppm oxygen partial pressure, followed by a pure oxygen annealing at 400 °C. Highly textured (Δω = 0.2°, Δφ = 6.5°) YBCO films with a Tc,onset of 92 K, a ΔTc of 5 K, a Jc of 0.55 MA cm−2 and an Ic of 25 A cm−1 width at 77.3 K and self-field were achieved. Experimental results on film synthesis, morphology, microstructure and superconducting properties are presented.

A water based YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) precursor using a triethanolamine (TEA)/acetic acid complexing method to obtain YBCO thin films is described in detail. The influence of complexation behavior in the formation of transparent and homogenous sols and gels after the combination of Y, Ba and Cu—acetates, acetic acid and TEA has been studied by potentiometric titration and the results are compared with analytical simulations. The decomposition of the gel was studied by IR (infrared) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis/Differential Thermal Analysis (TGA/DTA). The results in sol-gel chemistry can be used to decide on the necessities in the preparation of stable sol–gel precursors with a minimum amount of organic compounds. The sol–gel system was also used for the deposition of high textured superconducting thin films on STO substrates by dip coating. The synthesized YBCO showed a superconducting transition temperature of 90.95 K with narrow ΔT (2 K) for thin films. The results from X-ray diffraction show that the single phase YBCO was obtained. SEM pictures also indicate that the properties of the surface thin films are good.

A novel water based precursor solution using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (H4EDTA) as a complexant and acetic acid and ethylenediamine (EDA) as additional components to obtain CeO2 buffer layers on Ni (5%W) tapes is described in detail. The influence of complexation behavior in the formation of transparent and homogenous sols and gels by the combination of cerium acetate, acetic acid and H4EDTA has been studied. The optimal growth conditions for cerium oxide were Ar-5% H2 gas processing atmosphere, solution concentration levels of 0.2–0.4 M, a dwell time of 60 min at 900 °C and 5–30 min at 1,050 °C. X-ray diffraction, SEM, spectroscopic ellipsometry and pole figures were used to characterize the CeO2 films. Highly textured CeO2 layers were obtained.

Through dip-coating Ni-5%W substrates in a water-based sol-gel solution, thin films of La2Zr2O7 (LZO) were produced. This method yields highly crystalline and epitaxial films. The surface of the LZO film was found to be smooth and homogeneous. Subsequently, CeO2 layers followed by an YBa2Cu3O7-y layer were deposited via Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) onto the LZO film. The crystallinity and biaxial texture of the LZO layer was successfully transferred to the next layers, as demonstrated by pole figures and RHEED measurements. Resistive Tc-measurements were carried out on these samples and showed a Tc of 85 K.

To achieve an affordable and fast synthesis proces for coated conductors, chemical solution deposition (CSD) methods seem to be a sensible solution. Buffer layers and superconducting layers can be prepared by CSD. In this research, a water-based CSD method, based on metal acetates and triethanolamine as cpmlexing agent was applied to make La2Zr2O7 buffer layers. In this study, an optimal heat treatment was examined for layers between 30 and 150 nm, where parameters such as heating ramp, dwell time and dwell temperature were investigated on their influence on crystal orientation, surface roughness and microstructure. Slower heating is necessary to prevent the thick layers from pulverisation. Furthermore, heat rate and sinter temperature needed to be controlled to prevent the (111) orientation from growing. The crystal orientation was analysed by XRD, pole figures and RHEED. Surface roughness was measured by AFM. Microstructural analysis was carried out by TEM analysis. The orientation relation between the NiW substrate and LZO layer was not straightforward and was previously reported by Molina et al. [1]. A possible explanation for the aparent misalignment was proposed.