Particles in High-Pressure Cylinder Gases

An improved test protocol is presented for the measurement of particle concentrations in high-pressure cylinder gases. With the screening method, particles entrained in a cylinder gas can be collected and chemically analyzed for the isolation of particle sources. Results are presented for argon, helium, and nitrogen cylinder gases. Many fine particles are formed from the trace organic vapors present in the cylinder gas by gas-to-particle conversion occurring downstream of such pressure-reducing devices as an orifice plate. It is demonstrated that these fine particles in the cylinder gas can be significantly reduced by as much as three orders of magnitude by the insertion of an appropriate purifying stage before the pressure-reducing devices.     

NITROGEN REAGENTS IN METAL ION SEPARATION. PART VIII SUBSTITUTED IMIDAZOLES AS EXTRACTANTS FOR Cu3+

ABSTRACT

A number of derivatives of imidazole have been synthesized. Their extraction behaviour towards Cu²⁺ in dilute acid medium have been investigated in both chloride and perchlorate media. The influence of electronic and stereochemical effects are discussed. Two-phase potentiometric titrations were employed to determine the two-phase protonation constants and Cu(II) complex species present in the organic phases. The N-decylimidazole derivative has a higher extraction efficiency than the other C-ring substituted imidazoles in spite of their greater protonation constants.     

Solving subclasses of multi-player stochastic games via linear complementarity problem formulations—a survey and some new results

We briefly survey some results on the orderfield property of 2-player and multi-player stochastic games and their mixtures. Some of these classes of stochastic games can be solved by formulating them as a Linear Complementarity Problem (LCP) or (Generalized) Vertical Linear Complementarity Problem (VLCP). We discuss some of these results and prove that certain new subclasses and mixtures of multi-player (or n-person) stochastic games can be solved via LCP formulations. Mohan, Neogy and Parthasarathy (in Proceedings of the International Conference on Complementarity Problems, 1997) proposed an LCP formulation of ??-discounted (multi-player) polystochastic games where the transitions are controlled by one player, and proved that this LCP is processible by Lemke??s algorithm. Using this formulation repeatedly, we prove that we can solve a subclass of ??-discounted switching control polystochastic games. As our proof is constructive, we have an algorithm for solving this subclass. This algorithm only involves iteratively solving different LCPs and hence, it follows that this subclass has the orderfield property, a?question left open in the paper on orderfield property of mixtures of stochastic games by Krishnamurthy et al., (Indian J. Stat. 72:246?C275, 2010). Furthermore, we use results from Krishnamurthy et al., Indian J. Stat. 72:246?C275, (2010) to solve some mixture classes using LCP (or VLCP) formulations. We also propose two different VLCP formulations for ??-discounted zero-sum perfect information stochastic games, the underlying matrices of both formulations being R ₀. As a result, we also have an alternative proof of the orderfield property of such games.     

Regioselective Synthesis of Phenols and Halophenols from Arylboronic Acids Using Solid Poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone)/ Hydrogen Peroxide and Poly(4‐vinylpyridine)/Hydrogen Peroxide Complexes

Solid hydrogen peroxide complexes based on poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) were prepared and used as solid hydroxylating reagents. These solid hydrogen peroxide equivalents are found to be much safer, convenient and efficient reagent systems for the ipso‐hydroxylation of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenols in high yields at a faster rate. The versatility of the reagents has been further expanded for the one‐pot synthesis of halophenols. Density functional theory calculations were carried out on hydrogen peroxide complexes of N‐ethylpyrrolidone and 4‐ethylpyridine as models to get a better understanding of structure and behavior of hydrogen peroxide complexes of the polymers poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) compared to aqueous hydrogen peroxide.     

Single-step growth dynamics of core–shell GaN on Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> freestanding nanoprotruded microbelts

Freestanding wurtzite GaN nanoprotruded microbelts with Ga₂O₃ core, with typical thickness 1–10 μm, and length of few millimeters are synthesized by thermal annealing of Ga metal and subsequent reaction with ammonia at a low flow rate. They are of distinctive rectangular shape with a typical width of 10–100 μm. Thickness of the belt is about 1/10th of the width and length up to a few millimeters. The GaN, Ga₂O₃ layers and the GaN–Ga₂O₃ interface are characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy after focused ion beam sectioning of the belt. Initially, Ga₂O₃ nucleates after reaction with the O₂ available in the environment, and subsequent reaction with NH₃ results in the formation of core–shell structure in the catalyst-free vapor–solid growth process. Having a low-symmetry phase, Ga₂O₃ can grow only in certain preferred directions thus controlling the final morphology of the belt. Nanoscale protrusions ~50–100 nm found on the surface of the belts could be an ideal system for building functional devices.     

Influence of dehulling on the apparent metabolisable energy and ileal amino acid digestibility of grain legumes for broilers

BACKGROUND: Removal of hulls may be an effective means of reducing the level of some antinutritional factors and improving the feeding value of grain legumes. Published data on the effects of dehulling on the energy utilisation and amino acid digestibility of grain legumes are limited. This study was designed to investigate the influence of dehulling on the nitrogen‐corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEn) and apparent ileal amino acid digestibility of faba beans, Australian sweet lupins and peas for broilers. RESULTS: The non‐starch polysaccharide contents of all three legume species were decreased by the removal of hulls. Dehulling increased (P < 0.05) the content and ileal digestibility of starch in faba beans but had no effect (P > 0.05) on those in peas. Dehulling increased (P < 0.05) the AMEn of faba beans and lupins but had no effect (P > 0.05) on that of peas. Removal of hulls increased the amino acid concentrations in all three legume species, but the apparent ileal digestibility coefficients of most amino acids were unaffected (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dehulling of grain legumes is nutritionally beneficial in view of the improved amino acid concentrations and metabolisable energy values. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of toxic uranium from synthetic nuclear power reactor effluents using uranyl ion imprinted polymer particles

Major quantities of uranium find use as nuclear fuel in nuclear power reactors. In view of the extreme toxicity of uranium and consequent stringent limits fixed by WHO and various national governments, it is essential to remove uranium from nuclear power reactor effluents before discharge into environment. Ion imprinted polymer (IIP) materials have traditionally been used for the recovery of uranium from dilute aqueous solutions prior to detection or from seawater. We now describe the use of IIP materials for selective removal of uranium from a typical synthetic nuclear power reactor effluent. The IIP materials were prepared for uranyl ion (imprint ion) by forming binary salicylaldoxime (SALO) or 4-vinylpyridine (VP) or ternary SALO-VP complexes in 2-methoxyethanol (porogen) and copolymerizing in the presence of styrene (monomer), divinylbenzene (cross-linking monomer), and 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (initiator). The resulting materials were then ground and sieved to obtain unleached polymer particles. Leached IIP particles were obtained by leaching the imprint ions with 6.0 M HCl. Control polymer particles were also prepared analogously without the imprint ion. The IIP particles obtained with ternary complex alone gave quantitative removal of uranyl ion in the pH range 3.5-5.0 with as low as 0.08 g. The retention capacity of uranyl IIP particles was found to be 98.50 mg/g of polymer. The present study successfully demonstrates the feasibility of removing uranyl ions selectively in the range 5 microg - 300 mg present in 500 mL of synthetic nuclear power reactor effluent containing a host of other inorganic species.     

Effect of alloying elements on the segregation and dissolution of CuAl2 phase in Al-Si-Cu 319 alloys

The hypoeutectic 319 aluminum alloy (Al-7%Si-3.5%Cu) was used in the present study to investigate the effect of diverse alloying elements on the dissolution of the copper phase (CuAl₂) during solution heat treatment. Elements such as Sr, Fe and P were added to the base alloy individually and in various combinations. The cooling curves of these alloys were obtained by solidifying the alloy melts in a preheated graphite mold (600°C, cooling rate 0.8°C/s). From these the first derivate curves were plotted and used to determine the effect of the additives on the precipitation temperature of the Al-CuAl₂ eutectic reaction. Microstructural examination was carried out using optical microscopy, image analysis, and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopic (WDS) analysis facilities. Samples from different alloys were solution heat treated at 505°C for various times up to 100 hours. The results explicitly reveal that solution heat treatment plays a critical role on the dissolution of the CuAl₂ phase. It is found that Sr leads to segregation of the CuAl₂ phase away from the Al-Si eutectic regions, which slows down its dissolution during solution heat treatment. The -Al₅FeSi phase platelets act as preferred precipitation sites for the copper phase and hence lessen the degree of segregation. Thus, addition of Fe can accelerate the copper phase dissolution. However, phosphorus addition has a negative effect on CuAl₂ dissolution due to (i) its solubility in the CuAl₂ phase particles, and (ii) the formation of (Al,P)O₂ oxide particles which act as nucleation sites for the precipitation of the block-like CuAl₂ phase. It retards the complete dissolution of this copper phase even after 100 hr solution treatment. In the case when phosphorus and iron are added together, the negative effect of phosphorus can be neutralized to some extent.     

Multi-criteria mathematical model for designing the distribution network of a consumer goods company

This paper describes a multiple criteria mixed-integer linear program used for designing the best possible supply chain distribution network for a consumer goods company. The model determines the optimal configuration of the manufacturing plants, distributors and customers in the distribution network. The model is intended for making tactical decisions for designing distribution networks, or more specifically, for designing the flow of products from the manufacturing plants to the customers. The customers have four options for receiving products in this model. Products can be supplied from (1) the regional distribution center (DC), (2) the manufacturing plant, (3) an independent distributor who is supplied from the regional DC, or (4) an independent distributor who is supplied directly from a manufacturing plant. The model selects the best option for each customer/distributor based on several criteria: profit, lead time, power, credit performance, and distributors’ reputation. The model is validated with real data from a consumer goods company to show its functionality. To account for variability in demand, the model is run under multiple scenarios and the results are analyzed to obtain the best solution. The company uses two DC’s located in the same region, but the model assumes only one regional DC with infinite capacity. With the proposed network, we show that one of the regional DC’s could be eliminated and distribution costs would be reduced from 12% to 3% of the Net Sales (approximately a monthly reduction of $574,000 in distribution expenses).     

T–L plane-based real-time scheduling for homogeneous multiprocessors

We consider optimal real-time scheduling of periodic tasks on multiprocessors—i.e., satisfying all task deadlines, when the total utilization demand does not exceed the utilization capacity of the processors. We introduce a novel abstraction for reasoning about task execution behavior on multiprocessors, called T–L plane and present T–L plane-based real-time scheduling algorithms. We show that scheduling for multiprocessors can be viewed as scheduling on repeatedly occurring T–L planes, and feasibly scheduling on a single T–L plane results in an optimal schedule. Within a single T–L plane, we analytically show a sufficient condition to provide a feasible schedule. Based on these, we provide two examples of T–L plane-based real-time scheduling algorithms, including non-work-conserving and work-conserving approaches. Further, we establish that the algorithms have bounded overhead. Our simulation results validate our analysis of the algorithm overhead. In addition, we experimentally show that our approaches have a reduced number of task migrations among processors when compared with a previous algorithm.