Removal of Cu2+ from Water Using Liquid-Liquid Microchannel Extraction

The very good extraction selectivity of Cu²⁺ from water was demonstrated with a new microchannel equipment, by employing di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as an extractant and kerosene as a solvent. The effects of different experimental parameters on the extraction efficiency E, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient K_La, and the entrainment were experimentally investigated. The results showed that the extraction efficiency increased with increasing temperature, extractant concentration, phase ratio (organic/aqueous), and pH. The total flow rate, phase ratio, and pH were found to have a great effect on the mass transfer, whereas the temperature and the extractant concentration showed little effect.     

Semantic word shifts in a scientific domain

Understanding semantic word shifts in scientific domains is essential for facilitating interdisciplinary communication. Using a data set of published papers in the field of information retrieval (IR), this paper studies the semantic shifts of words in IR based on mining per-word topic distribution over time. We propose that semantic word shifts not only occur over time, but also over topics. The shifts are examined from two perspectives, the topic-level and the context-level. According to the over-time word-topic distribution, stable words and unstable words are recognized. The diverging and converging trends in the unstable type reveal characteristics of the topic evolution process. The context-level shifts are further detected by similarities between word vectors. Our work associates semantic word shifts with the evolving of topics, which facilitates a better understanding of semantic word shifts from both topics and contexts.     

Potential pitfalls of smart city development: A study on parking mobile applications (apps) in Hong Kong

Smart cities are built upon information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable a broad range of advanced services. Through a comprehensive literature review, this study identified four pitfalls brought by the pervasive application of ICT, including information insecurity, privacy leakage, information islands, and digital divide. Therefore, a questionnaire survey together with 27 interviews was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate how the public perceived these pitfalls within the context of mobile apps providing real-time parking information which form a major part of smart mobility. System insecurity and privacy leakage were found to arouse worries among the app-users while their awareness of protecting personal data was found to have room for improvement. Islands of real-time parking information occur as a result of the lack of collaboration among private carpark operators. Digital divide existed widely among the disadvantaged groups and the problem cannot be solved by mere provision of ICT facilities. Overall, technologies alone cannot make a city smart or smarter. It is the suitable way in which ICTs are used to serve all citizens that matters.     

Influence analysis of bracket set on seismic performance of steel eave columns in Chinese traditional style buildings

This paper presents influence analysis of bracket set on seismic performance of steel eave columns in Chinese traditional style buildings. Eight 1/1.5‐scale steel eave columns were constructed and tested under low cyclic reversed loading, including 4 specimens with bracket set and 4 specimens without bracket set. Based on the analysis of the strain of the specimens, the failure modes of the specimens were obtained. In addition, the hysteresis loops, skeleton curves, degradations of stiffness and strength, ductility, and dissipation capacities of the specimens were analyzed. Bracket set changed the force transfer mechanisms and failure modes of the specimens and had a significant influence on the seismic performance of the specimens. Compared with the specimens without bracket set, the yielded and ultimate bearing capacities of the specimens with bracket set improved by 30.7% and 24.0%, respectively. And also, the stiffness of the specimens with bracket set at the yielded and ultimate points increased by 52.8% and 135.6%. The dissipation capacities of the specimens with bracket set were 2.12 times those of the specimens without bracket set at yielded load. However, the ductility of the specimens with bracket set slightly decreased by 8.5%. It was shown that the seismic performance of the specimens with bracket set was better than that of the specimens without bracket set. The work in this paper provides a basis for further theoretical study on the seismic performance of steel eave columns in Chinese traditional style buildings.     

Controllable Fe/HCS catalysts in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Effects of crystallization time

The Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) continues to be an attractive alternative for producing a broad range of fuels and chemicals through the conversion of syngas (H₂ and CO), which can be derived from various sources, such as coal, natural gas, and biomass. Among iron carbides, Fe₂C, as an active phase, has barely been studied due to its thermodynamic instability. Here, we fabricated a series of Fe₂C embedded in hollow carbon sphere (HCS) catalysts. By varying the crystallization time, the shell thickness of the HCS was manipulated, which significantly influenced the catalytic performance in the FTS. To investigate the relationship between the geometric structure of the HCS and the physic-chemical properties of Fe species, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N₂ physical adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, Raman spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy techniques were employed to characterize the catalysts before and after the reaction. Evidently, a suitable thickness of the carbon layer was beneficial for enhancing the catalytic activity in the FTS due to its high porosity, appropriate electronic environment, and relatively high Fe₂C content.     

Some concerns regarding the CAT16 chromatic adaptation transform

In recent literature, a new chromatic adaptation transform, CAT16, has been published to improve upon the widely used CAT02 model. The CAT16 model is based on the form of the CAT02 transform adopted in CIECAM02, but uses a slightly different sensor space to fix some gamut problems plaguing CIECAM02 and adopts a two-step CAT to ensure symmetry and transitivity. CAT16 is included in CAM16 but is also being promoted as a stand-alone CAT, one that can be used outside of the CAM16 model. However, the use of CAT16 as a stand-alone model can cause inconsistencies in the calculated corresponding colors due to the presence of the relative luminance of the adapting white (Y_w) in the von Kries-Ives gain control factors. Such inconsistencies are not present for the stand-alone version of the CAT02 model, which, unlike the version adopted in CIECAM02, does not include the Y_w factors. CAT16 should therefore be modified by omitting the Y_w factors. In this article, we will briefly discuss these issues in more detail and provide a consistent two-step CAT adopting the CAT16 sensor space.     

青海省都兰县开荒地区地球化学特征及找矿预测

青海省都兰县开荒地区大地构造位置处于塔柴板块南缘，东昆仑造山带中段，雪峰山—布尔汗布达金、钴、铜成矿带内。为在开荒地区实现找矿突破，于研究区内开展了1∶50 000水系沉积物测量工作，以527件水系沉积物样品数据为基础，采用元素的变异系数、富集系数、浓集比率对Au、Ag、As、Sb、Cu、Pb、Zn、W、Mo 9种元素进行了数理统计分析，分析各元素在空间上的富集规律及其成矿潜力，并结合成矿地质条件对研究区进行了成矿预测。研究表明：Au在研究区内具有较大的成矿潜力，其他元素的成矿潜力较小；通过R型聚类分析及因子分析确立了研究区内与Au成矿有关的元素组合为Au-As-Sb-Pb；运用衬度异常方法在研究区内圈定了2处找矿靶区，KH1靶区与KH2靶区内的Au、As、Sb、Pb异常套合性较好，并且在KH1靶区内发现了白金沟金矿体。由于KH2靶区与KH1靶区内的各元素套合性及成矿地质条件极为相似，故认为KH2靶区也具有较好的找矿潜力。分析结果对于在研究区进一步开展找矿勘探工作及相关成矿预测研究有一定的参考价值。     

ICFR: An effective incremental collaborative filtering based recommendation architecture for personalized websites

World Wide Web - To solve the problem that users’ retrieval intentions are seldom considered by personalized websites, we propose an improved incremental collaborative filtering (CF)-based...     

化工仪表及自动化课程教学改革探索

化工仪表及自动化是化工类专业的一门实践性、技术性较强的课程,对于夯实学生的理论基础、强化学生的工程实践能力具有十分重要的作用。根据化工仪表及自动化课程的特点,教学中通过精心筛选理论教学内容,不断拓展教学空间,强化课程与实践教学环节的互动,增强了学生的学习兴趣,提升了学生的应用创新能力和实践能力。