Modelling of heat transfer in an infiltrated granular bed in view of the difference of phase temperatures

Physically substantiated boundary conditions for problems of heat transfer in infiltrated granular beds based on the two-temperature model which allow for the absence of interphase heat transfer on boundaries are formulated. It is shown that classical Dankwerts conditions would be applicable for gas. The problem of porous cooling at the boundary conditions of the 2nd and 3rd kind on the outer boundary is solved in a new formulation.     

Electrochemical characteristics of heme proteins in hydroxyethylcellulose film

A stable film made from hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) on pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrode was employed for incorporating hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and the electrochemical characteristics of the proteins were studied correspondingly. Experimental results revealed that HEC film could greatly accelerate electron transfer between the proteins and electrode, and the proteins showed a thin layer electrochemical behavior in the film. Moreover, all the proteins in the film exhibited good catalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the low H₂O₂ concentration range. In the high concentration range, H₂O₂ would exhibit toxicity effect on the proteins. The electrochemical properties and electrocatalytic abilities of the three heme proteins in HEC film have been compared, and the optimal conditions for H₂O₂ biosensor fabrication have been obtained.     

Reductive acid leaching of manganese dioxide with glucose: Identification of oxidation derivatives of glucose

The oxidation of glucose during the reductive leaching of pure MnO₂ and manganese ore in sulphuric acid at 90 °C MnO₂ was investigated. The aim was to identify the derivatives and the chemical pathway of glucose oxidation. Organic derivatives were monitored by HPLC using an Aminex HPX-78H column and UV detection. Chromatographic patterns of leaching solutions showed that major compound formed was formic acid. Minor quantities of glycolic, glyceric and traces of gluconic acids were identified. Results suggest that during the leaching reaction, the carbon chain of glucose is shortened by detachment of one carbon atom as formic acid.     

Al–Si cast alloys under isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue conditions

This work presents a survey of the isothermal and anisothermal fatigue behavior of aluminum casting alloys obtained from different processes. Experimental results have shown that porosity, especially large and irregular pores, provides the main factor in decreasing fatigue properties of the tested alloys. In materials with similar porosity levels, other microstructural factors became relevant such as, matrix morphology and the amount of alloying elements. Fractographic analyses showed that fatigue cracks preferentially start to propagate in microcracks or interdendritic shrinkage usually located next to the surface. In most cases, propagation takes place in the eutectic phase, although in the thixoformed material, a transition from transgranular to intergranular mode was observed in the crack propagation mode.     

Bonelike apatite formation on carbon microspheres

Carbon microspheres with a diameter of 2 μm were prepared by hydrothermal process. The apatite-formation ability of the carbon microspheres was evaluated by soaking them in a simulated body fluid (SBF) for 5 and 10 d and apatite-formation mechanism was also analyzed. The result showed that bonelike apatite was formed on the surface of carbon microspheres. Our study indicates that the carbon microspheres synthesized by this method possess apatite-formation ability and may be used as a bioactive injectable filler for bone tissue regeneration.     

Priority mix planning for semiconductor fabrication by fuzzy AHP ranking

With today’s keen competition, semiconductor market has changed from producer-oriented to customer-oriented. To be successful, companies need to consider both customer satisfaction in demand and the ultimate profit goal of companies. Semiconductor fabricators today must face an environment with multi-product types and multi-priority orders. Since semiconductor fabrication has a very complicated production process, the production planning of different products types and priority levels is an even more difficult task to experts. The objective of this study is to construct an analytical approach under a fuzzy subjective judgment environment, in which fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method with entropy weight is utilized to deal with uncertainty, to generate performance ranking of different priority mixes. The results provide guidance to experts in a fab regarding strategies for accepting orders with the consideration of manufacturing efficiency in the aspects of product, equipment efficiency and finance.     

Machine-learning paradigms for selecting ecologically significant input variables

Harmful algal blooms, which are considered a serious environmental problem nowadays, occur in coastal waters in many parts of the world. They cause acute ecological damage and ensuing economic losses, due to fish kills and shellfish poisoning as well as public health threats posed by toxic blooms. Recently, data-driven models including machine-learning (ML) techniques have been employed to mimic dynamics of algal blooms. One of the most important steps in the application of a ML technique is the selection of significant model input variables. In the present paper, we use two extensively used ML techniques, artificial neural networks (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) for selecting the significant input variables. The efficacy of these techniques is first demonstrated on a test problem with known dependence and then they are applied to a real-world case study of water quality data from Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong. These ML techniques overcome some of the limitations of the currently used techniques for input variable selection, a review of which is also presented. The interpretation of the weights of the trained ANN and the GP evolved equations demonstrate their ability to identify the ecologically significant variables precisely. The significant variables suggested by the ML techniques also indicate chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) itself to be the most significant input in predicting the algal blooms, suggesting an auto-regressive nature or persistence in the algal bloom dynamics, which may be related to the long flushing time in the semi-enclosed coastal waters. The study also confirms the previous understanding that the algal blooms in coastal waters of Hong Kong often occur with a life cycle of the order of 1–2 weeks.     

Effect of Magnetic Interaction on Thermally Activated Reversal in a Magnet With a Distribution of Energy Barriers

The time dependence of magnetization is usually expressed as M(t)=M₀-SInt [see Proc. Phys. Soc. 62, 562 (1949)] for magnetic viscosity experiments. Considering magnetic interaction during the thermal activation process, a form as M(t)=M₀-SIn(t+t₀) is deduced. The dipolar interaction and exchange coupling in a magnet can lead to positive and nonpositive t₀, respectively. In the experiments of the magnetic viscosity for nanocrystalline Pr₂Fe₁₄B ribbons, the existence of positive t₀ is confirmed.     

Evaluation of sorbents for thiophene removal from liquid hydrocarbons

Thiophene is a commonly occurring sulfur compound in liquid hydrocarbon streams produced in a petroleum refinery. The concentration of thiophene often needs to be reduced to very low levels for most applications. Selective adsorption of thiophene is investigated in n-heptane, 1-octene and xylenes and their mixtures. A variety of adsorbents were tested for their selectivity and adsorption capacity. Improvements in adsorption capacity were attempted based on analysis of the adsorption mechanism. Adsorption capacity of NaX zeolite was found to be highest among tested adsorbents. However, competitive adsorption from xylenes reduced adsorption capacity for thiophene from mixtures containing large concentration of xylenes. Langmuir model is applied to describe observed competitive adsorption. Selective adsorption of organic sulfur compound could be used as a polishing step in a purification scheme which allows sulfur removal from hydrocarbons at low temperature and without the use of expensive hydrogen.