Frameworks for Interaction Support in Distributed Learning Environments

A framework for the development of distributed learning environments is presented. The necessary technological infrastructure and the appropriate methodology for interactive learning in a distributed environment are explored. The framework is a result of the research group's experience with a distributed engineering laboratory that was conducted jointly by MIT and by CICESE in Mexico. This is an initial experiment in distributed collaborative learning that will be extended to a larger-scale effort involving multiple universities and corporate centers around the world. Studies of student interaction within this distributed classroom, and personal interviews, have provided us with significant insight into the necessary structure and technological support for distributed learning. This insight is used to generate a set of guidelines for the development of distributed collaborative learning courses.     

Treatment of air polluted with high concentrations of toluene and xylene in a pilot-scale biofilter

Air biofiltration is now under active consideration for the removal of the volatile organic compounds from air polluted streams. In order to investigate the performance of this newly developed technology, a biofiltration pilot unit was operated for a continuous period of 8 months. The biofilter column was packed with commercially conditioned peat. At start-up, the filter bed was inoculated with four species of microorganisms. The resulting biofilter was fed with air contaminated with toluene, xylene or a mixture of toluene and xylene. The maximum elimination capacities attained were 165 g m⁻³ h⁻¹ for toluene, 66 g m⁻³ h⁻¹ for xylene and 115 g m⁻³ h⁻¹ for the mixture of toluene and xylene. These specific performances exceed the values published in the technical and commercial literature for similar processes. Xylene isomers were degraded in decreasing order of reactivity, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene. In the case of air polluted with a toluene and xylene mixture, it was noticed that the metabolism of toluene biodegradation was inhibited by the presence of xylene. Characterization of the biofilm microbial populations after several weeks of operation showed that the dominant strains among the isolated culturable strains from the biofilm, even if different from the initially inoculated strains, had at least one physiological property favoring degradation of aromatic organic rings. The performance of the biofilter was found to be dependent on the temperature of the filter media and the pressure drop through the bed. Finally, a steady state mathematical model was tested in order to theoretically describe the experimental results. This model is used to illustrate the operating diffusion and reaction regimes at steady state for the case of each pollutant. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Comparative composition of aerial and subterranean potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L)

The composition of aerial and subterranean tubers of two potato genotypes cvs Desiree (red skin) and Epicure (white skin) was compared immediately after harvest using a range of analytical methods. Irrespective of genotype, aspartic acid, arginine, glycine, glutamic acid, histidine, leucine, serine, threonine and total amino acid concentrations were significantly higher (P<0·05) in aerial compared with subterranean tuber tissue. Significant increases (P<0·05) in valine in aerial tubers, but no significant differences in alanine, tyrosine and iso-leucine, when compared with subterranean tubers of cv Desiree, were found. In cv Epicure, alanine, tyrosine and iso-leucine were significantly higher in aerial tubers (P<0·05); however, no significant differences in valine were recorded. There was no significant increases in lysine and phenylalanine between tuber types. Regardless of genotype α-solanine, α-chaconine, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll and crude protein concentrations were significantly higher in aerial tubers compared with subterranean ones (P<0·01). No significant increases in total lipids between tuber types were found. In cv Desiree, ascorbic acid content was not significantly different between aerial and subterranean tuber tissue, but in cv Epicure concentrations were significantly higher (P<0·01) in aerial tubers. Starch concentrations were significantly higher in subterranean tubers of both cultivars (P<0·05). Sugar content was significantly higher in aerial tubers of cv Epicure (P<0·01), but not significantly different between aerial and subterranean tubers of cv Desiree. Regardless of genotype, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, manganese and sodium concentrations were significantly higher (P<0·05) in aerial tubers. Iron and copper concentrations were significantly higher in aerial tubers of cv Desiree (P<0·01), but significantly less in cv Epicure compared with subterranean tubers (P<0·01, P<0·05). Calcium concentrations were not significantly different between aerial and subterranean tubers of cv Desiree, but significantly higher in aerial tuber tissue of cv Epicure (P<0·01). Total gross energy (mJ kg⁻¹ FW) was higher in aerial tubers of cv Desiree compared with subterranean tubers (P>0·05), but not significantly different between aerial and subterranean tubers of cv Epicure. The potential applications of aerial tubers for industrial purposes are discussed. © 1997 SCI.     

Corrosion Inhibition of Stainless Steel in HCl Solution Using Newly Aniline and o-Anthranilic Acid Copolymer

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - This paper introduces copolymers of aniline and o-anthranilic acid with different ratio of aniline/o-anthranilic acid (r = 1, 2 and 3) as...     

GNSS定位接收器的校准

目前,全球导航卫星系统(Global navigation satellite system,GNSS)接收器不仅是精密测量的主要工具,而且还用于大地测量、地球物理和许多其他工业应用中。确保GNSS测量精度、通用性和寿命的唯一方法是对其接收机进行校准。本文讨论了影响单台GNSS接收机标定精度的参数,并根据以往的经验研究,建立了一个大地基准点作为校准的参考。此外,还讨论了这种校准对国际单位(Systeme international unit,SI unit)的可追溯性。通过三年多的长期测量,验证了基准点的稳定性。最后,对单台样本GNSS接收机进行了标定,并推导了不确定度计算公式。     

Imparting Superhydrophobicity with a Hierarchical Block Copolymer Coating

A robust and transparent silica‐like coating that imparts superhydrophobicity to a surface through its hierarchical multilevel self‐assembled structure is demonstrated. This approach involves iterative steps of spin‐coating, annealing, and etching of polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane block copolymer thin films to form a tailored multilayer nanoscale topographic pattern with a water contact angle up to 155°. A model based on the hierarchical topography is developed to calculate the wetting angle and optimize the superhydrophobicity, in agreement with the experimental trends, and explaining superhydrophobicity arising through the combination of roughness at different lengthscales. Additionally, the mechanical robustness and optically passive properties of the resulting hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated.