Evidence of fluid evolution of Baoshan Cu−Pb−Zn polymetallic deposit: Constraints from in-situ sulfur isotope and trace element compositions of pyrite

In-situ LA-ICP-MS and S isotopes of pyrite from the Baoshan Cu polymetallic deposit were conducted to investigate the ore-forming process and the enrichment mechanism of elements. Three generations of pyrite (Py I, Py II, and Py III) in the skarn-type ores and pyrite in the carbonate-hosted sulfide ores from central, western, and northern (C_Py, W_Py, and N_Py) mining districts are selected for comparison. Compared with Py I and Py III, the contents of most elements in Py II are apparently higher. The As and Se contents are high within a wide range and are decoupled in the growth band of the C_Py. The highest As, Se, and Pb contents were found in W_Py and N_Py. These results indicate the drastic changes in the temperature and fluid mixing during the mineralization. The occurrence of fluctuation and change in temperature and f(O₂) was triggered by intermittent pulses of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids, mixing with meteoric water, and water−rock interactions. The sulfur isotopes of all species of pyrite indicated the magmatic source. The change in the f(O₂) conditions caused slight differences in the sulfur isotope compositions. Consequently, a metallogenic model was proposed to explain the ore-forming processes.     

Poly(lactide)/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites by high-shear mixing

There is currently considerable interest in developing stiff, strong, tough, and heat resistant poly(lactide) (PLA) based materials with improved melt elasticity in response to the increasing demand for sustainable plastics. However, simultaneous optimization of stiffness, strength, and toughness is a challenge for any material, and commercial PLA is well-known to be inherently brittle and temperature-sensitive and to show poor melt elasticity. In this study, we report that high-shear mixing with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) leads to significant improvements in the toughness, heat resistance, and melt elasticity of PLA while further enhancing its already outstanding room temperature stiffness and strength. This is evidenced by (i) one-fold increase in the elastic modulus (6.48 GPa), (ii) 43% increase in the tensile strength (87.1 MPa), (iii) one-fold increase in the strain at break (∼6%), (iv) two-fold increase in the impact strength (44.2 kJ/m²), (v) 113-fold increase in the storage modulus at 90°C (787.8 MPa), and (vi) 10³-fold increase in the melt elasticity at 190°C and 1 rad/s (∼10⁵ Pa) via the addition of 30 wt% CNC. It is hence possible to produce industrially viable, stiff, strong, tough, and heat resistant green materials with improved melt elasticity through high-shear mixing.     

两种混合单元混合机理的数值模拟

为了研究SV型和SX型混合单元在全静态乳化器的混合机理,使用群体平衡模型对乳化器内部流场进行模拟分析。结果表明,SV型与SX型混合单元的混合机理是油相与水相材料通过混合单元时其空间流动方向改变,在流场内形成大量的漩涡,从而达到乳化的目的;通过比较流体在经过SV型和SX型混合单元后的水相索特平均直径(d_(32)),得出SV型混合单元的乳化效果更强,但同时消耗更多的能量,压降更大。     

Field-Effect Chiral Anomaly Devices with Dirac Semimetal

Charge-based field-effect transistors (FETs) greatly suffer from unavoidable carrier scattering and heat dissipation. Analogous to valley degree of freedom in semiconductors, chiral anomaly current in Weyl/Dirac semimetals is theoretically predicted to be nearly nondissipative over long distances, but still lacks experimental ways to efficiently control its transport. Here, field-effect chirality devices are demonstrated with Dirac semimetal PtSe₂, in which its Fermi level is close to the Dirac point in the conduction band owing to intrinsic defects. The chiral anomaly is further corroborated by the planar Hall effect and nonlocal valley transport measurement, which can also be effectively modulated by external fields, showing robust nonlocal valley transport with micrometer diffusion length. Similar to charge-based FETs, the chiral conductivity in PtSe₂ devices can be modulated by electrostatic gating with an ON/OFF ratio of more than 10³. Basic logic functions in the devices are also demonstrated with electric and magnetic fields as input signals.     

A fuzzy logic PI control with feedforward compensation for hydrogen pressure in vehicular fuel cell system

In a vehicular fuel cell system, alternative load and frequent purge action can lead to anode pressure varies with the hydrogen mass flow fluctuation. It's crucial to control the pressure difference between anode and cathode within a reasonable range to avoid adverse phenomena such as membrane failure, reactant starvation, or even water management fault. In this paper, an improved proportional integrative (PI) controller by the fuzzy logic technique that considers the engineer experience and knowledge on the hydrogen supply system behavior is proposed for hydrogen pressure control, in which the PI parameters are tuned by a fuzzy decision process. Furthermore, load current and purge action regarded as input disturbances are applied for feedforward compensation to reduce the pressure response hysteresis. A hydrogen supply subsystem based on the proportional valve is modeled, and corresponding parameters are determined by analyzing the response time and steady pressure fluctuation. The performance of the conventional PI controller, the fuzzy logic PI (FLPI) controller and fuzzy logic PI with feedforward (FLPIF) controller is validated. The presented results indicated that the FLPI controller significantly improves the dynamic response of hydrogen pressure compared to the PI controller, and the FLPIF controller can further reduce overshoot caused by disturbance. Finally, the proposed FLPIF controller is implemented on a rapid prototype platform of the hydrogen supply subsystem and an actual fuel cell system, exhibiting satisfactory performance.     

Rheokinematics for product development—Formulation screening in rotational rheometers

Product formulations for industrial processes are typically developed at laboratory scale. However, the mixing conditions are not easily mimicked in the laboratory. A rotational device is proposed in this study as a fast laboratory-scale formulation development, which enables mimicking the mixing conditions in the industrial process. The geometrical configurations of the rotational device are from rheometry devices (plate-plate and cone-plate). The main advantages of this method are the small amounts of raw materials and shorter testing times. This methodology is applied to an industrial case study, the reaction injection molding (RIM) process. The mixing length scales evolution in the rotational rheometer were matched to those in RIM machines. The main novelty of this study is the introduction of a protocol that bridges the processing conditions at laboratory using small amounts of raw materials to high throughput continuous flow reactors.     

Crowdwork platform governance toward organizational value creation

Crowdwork, a new form of digitally mediated employment and part of the so-called gig economy, has the capacity to change the nature of work organization and to provide strategic value to workers, job providers, and intermediary platform owners. However, because crowdwork is temporary, large-scale, distributed, and mediated, its governance remains a challenge that often casts a shadow over its strategic value. The objective of this paper is to shed light on the making of value-adding crowdwork arrangements. Specifically, the paper explores crowdwork platform governance mechanisms and the relationships between these mechanisms and organizational value creation. Building on a comprehensive review of the extant literature on governance and crowdwork, we construct an overarching conceptual model that integrates control system and coordination system as two complementary mechanisms that drive crowdwork platform governance effectiveness and the consequent job provider benefits. Furthermore, the model accentuates the role of the degree of centralization and the degree of routinization as critical moderators in crowdwork platform governance. Overall, the paper highlights the potential of crowdwork to contribute not only to inclusion, fair wages and flexible work arrangements for workers but also to organizations’ value and competitive edge.     

Optimal interval type-2 fuzzy fractional order super twisting algorithm: A second order sliding mode controller for fully-actuated and under-actuated nonlinear systems

In this paper, a novel interval type-2 fuzzy fractional order super twisting algorithm (IT2FFOSTA) which is essentially a second order sliding mode controller is presented. The proposed IT2FFOSTA enhances fractional order super twisting algorithm (FOSTA) by taking advantage of an interval type-2 fuzzy fractional order sliding surface (IT2FFOSS) for some classes of fully-actuated and under-actuated nonlinear systems in presence of uncertainty. The FOSTA significantly reduces the amount of chattering and the IT2FFOSS results in decreasing the tracking error, control effort, and chattering level. In order to control under-actuated systems, a hierarchical sliding surface is employed. The multi-tracker optimization algorithm is utilized to adjust the controller’s parameters; this leads to an optimal performance for the IT2FFOSTA. To examine the performance of the IT2FFOSTA, some simulation and experimental tests on three examples of different classes of fully-actuated and under-actuated systems, including ball and plate, inverted pendulum, and ball and beam systems are carried out. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the IT2FFOSTA in reducing the amount of chattering, tracking error, and control effort compared to those of the other control methods.