New evidence of surface mineralization of collagen fibrils in wild type zebrafish skeleton by AFM and TEM

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been generally accepted as a simple model to investigate the vertebrate tissues. In this study, comparative observations to the structural characteristics of the wild type zebrafish skeletal bone before and after decalcification were performed to gain information about surface mineralization in the collagen-mediated mineralization system using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). TEM observations to the decalcified samples showed empty space between the surfaces of the collagen fibrils. However in the TEM micrographs of the sections without staining and decalcification, hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals are observed to deposit on the surfaces, filling in the space and making the mineralized fibrils compactly aligned, with the diameter increasing to more than 150 nm. Consistent evidence was supplied by the AFM observations, which also indicated that the mineralized fibrils become thicker and more compactly aligned. Moreover, it was revealed that the diameters of the mineralized fibrils increase, as mineralization becomes heavier. In highly mineralized areas, they aggregate into thicker fibers. All of these data have provided the first visual evidence supporting the concept of surface mineralization on the collagen fibrils in the zebrafish skeleton system, by which the structural complexity is achieved.     

Effects of grain sizes, shapes, and distribution on minimum sizes of representative volume elements of cubic polycrystals

In the literature the concept of representative volume element (RVE) was introduced to correlate the effective or macroscopic properties of materials with the properties of the microscopic constituents and microscopic structures of the materials. However, to date little quantitative knowledge is available about minimum RVE sizes of various engineering materials. In our recent paper [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 50 (2002) 881], a new definition of minimum RVE size was introduced based on the concept of nominal modulus. Numerical experiments using the finite element method (FEM) were then carried out for determining the minimum RVE sizes of more than 500 cubic polycrystals in the plane stress problem, under the assumption that all grains in a polycrystal have the same square shape––called the simple polycrystal model. The major finding is that the minimum RVE sizes for effective elastic moduli have a roughly linear dependence on crystal anisotropy degrees. The present paper takes into account the effect of grain sizes, shapes, and distribution on the minimum RVE sizes for real cubic polycrystals that are formed by crystallization processes. Similar roughly linear dependence is found again, with the slope about 19% lower than that in the simple polycrystal model. This finding is interesting and useful because numerical experiments on minimum RVE sizes for a large number of crystals are quite time-consuming and the simple polycrystal model reduces significantly the FEM pre- and post-processing works. This should be particularly true in numerically testing minimum RVE sizes for three-dimensional polycrystals and for nonelastic properties in future works. With a maximum relative error 5%, all the polycrystals tested have a minimum RVE size of 16 or less times the grain size.     

相变储能材料研究进展

综述了固-固相变储能材料（s-S PCMs：sofid-solid phase change materials）、固-液相变储能材料（s-1 PCMs：solid—liquid phase change materials）的主要优缺点，并主要介绍了以下2种封装方式：（1）PCMs与基体材料复合制成定型PCMs，包括：与有机高分子材料机械共混、用无机多孔材料封装；（2）PCMs微囊化。此外，还分析了PCMs的主要应用领域及PCMs的主要研究方向。     

Generalized difference control of parallel streams temperatures

A furnace with multiple parallel passes and multiple burners is commonly seen in petroleum refineries. In order to maintain the furnace running in a safe, stable, and high-efficiency state it is necessary to control the outlet temperatures of the multiple passes to be the same. Due to the fact that the process of the oil heating in such furnace is nonlinear, multivariable, time varying, has serious coupling among passes, has frequent dynamic changes and a large time delay, traditional control methods have trouble in controlling these temperatures, and some advanced control methods, including predictive control, adaptive control, and robust control, are usually too complex for convenient use. In this paper, a control technique, called differences control technique (DsCT), is proposed to distribute the stream flowrates such that the stream temperatures are as identical as possible. The principle of the proposed technique is explained and demonstrated, and the results of its application to a real-life petroleum refinery furnace are also reported. The DsCT technique has the following advantages: it does not need complicated design procedures, the controller structure is simple, it is easy to apply, and it can be canonically applied to furnaces with different number of passes.     

Peracetic acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for enzymatic hydrolysis: a continued work

Previous work has shown that the enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse could be greatly enhanced by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment. There are several factors affecting the enzymatic digestibility of the biomass, including lignin and hemicelluloses content, cellulose crystallinity, acetyl group content, accessible surface area and so on. The objective of this work is to analyze the mechanism of the enhancement of enzymatic digestibility caused by PAA pretreatment. Delignification resulted in an increase of the surface area and reduction of the irreversible absorption of cellulase, which helped to increase the enzymatic digestibility. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed that the absorption peaks of aromatic skeletal vibrations were weakened or disappeared after PAA pretreatment. However, the infrared crystallization index (N.O'KI) was increased. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the crystallinity of PAA‐treated samples was increased owing to the partial removal of amorphous lignin and hemicelluloses and probable physical change of cellulose. The effect of acetyl group content on enzymatic digestibility is negligible compared with the degree of delignification and crystallinity. The results indicate that enhancement of enzymatic digestibility of sugarcane bagasse by PAA pretreatment is achieved mainly by delignification and an increase in the surface area and exposure of cellulose fibers. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

A new method for distributing power usage across a sensor network

We present a method for more uniformly distributing the energy burden across a wireless ground-based sensor network communicating with an overhead unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A subset of sensor nodes, termed a transmit cluster, receives and aggregates data gathered by the entire network, and forms a distributed antenna array, concentrating the radiated transmission into a narrow beam aimed towards the UAV. Because these duties are power-intensive, the role of transmit cluster must be shifted to different nodes as time progresses. We present an algorithm to reassign the transmit cluster, specifying the time that should elapse between reassignments and the number of hops that should be placed between successive transmit clusters in order to achieve three competing goals: first, we wish to better and more broadly spread the energy load across the sensor network while, second, minimizing the energy expended in moving the transmit cluster, all the while, third, reducing to the extent practicable the time to bring the UAV and the sensor network’s beam into alignment. Additionally, we present a method for reconfiguring the communication burden between the ground-based sensor network and the UAV. We describe and analyze two alternative strategies to bring the UAV and the sensor network’s beam into alignment, while minimizing the energy expended by the sensor network. The performance of the two strategies is compared in terms of probability of beam-UAV alignment as a function of time, and the expected time to alignment. We examine the performance tradeoff between the choice of strategy and parameters of the sensor network that affect power conservation.     

Synthesis and properties of cinnamic acid series organic UV ray absorbents–interleaved layered double hydroxides

Organic ultraviolet (UV) ray absorbents, cinnamic acid (CA) and p-methoxycinnamic acid (PMOCA) were intercalated into Zn₂Al layered double hydroxides (Zn₂Al-LDHs) by co-precipitation reaction. The organic–inorganic nanocomposites, Zn₂Al-LDH/CA and Zn₂Al-LDH/PMOCA were obtained. The samples showed excellent UV ray absorption ability and their catalytic activity for the air oxidation of castor oil greatly decreased when the organic UV ray absorbents were intercalated in the layers of the Zn₂Al-LDHs. The studies suggested that Zn₂Al-LDH/organic UV absorbent nanocomposites might be used as safe sunscreen materials.     

Optimization of the magnetic circuit in the MFL inspection system for storage-tank floors

Magnetization is the key to inspection of a tank floor via the magnetic-flux-leakage (MFL) technique. In order to optimize the magnetic circuit of the MFL detector and obtain the best detection effects, the influences of the magnet size on the floor magnetization condition, the gap magnetic flux density, and the magnetic force were studied with the help of the finite element method (FEM) and the effects of some other parameters, such as the magnet pole spacing and pole-piece thickness, on the signal-to-noise ratio were analyzed. The simulation results indicate that variation of the magnet width affects the magnetization much more than variation of the magnet thickness and that the detector can reach a trade-off between the magnetization effects and the driving force when the magnet is about 30 mm thick and 40 mm wide. On condition that the floor has reached its magnetizing saturation, an increase in the magnet-pole spacing and the pole-piece thickness can improve the testing sensitivity and the signal-to-noise ratio. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

操纵员心理评价方法研究

文章对核电厂操纵员心理定性化评价以及定量化评价方法进行分析和探讨。对轮廓图匹配法和模糊综合评价法的适用范围、应用效果进行了比较分析。该研究的结果可为操纵员评价提供有益参考。     

HACCP体系用于给水处理厂浊度控制的研究

介绍了危害分析和关键控制点（HACCP）体系的基本原理及其在城市给水系统中的应用进展，并以我国南方某城市的给水处理厂为例，对HACCP体系用于水厂浊度控制开展了探索性研究。应用故障树分析技术识别了水厂中可能导致浊度超标的潜在危害，应用决策树分析技术确定了水厂浊度控制的关键控制点，建立了关键控制点和质量控制点的关键限值、监控系统以及纠偏措施，并分析了对验证程序以及文件和记录保存系统的要求。