Effective synthesis of ethanol from CO2 on polyfunctional composite catalysts

Synthesis of ethanol by hydrogenation of carbon dioxide has been investigated by developing the novel composite catalysts. The three different kinds of elementary reaction functions for ethanol synthesis were undertaken. The catalytic functions are partial reduction of CO₂ to CO, C–C bond formation, and –OH group insertion. For this purpose, supported Rh catalyst, Fe-based modified Fisher–Tropsch catalyst, and Cu-based modified methanol synthesis catalyst were combined by different ways. As a result, high space–time yields of ethanol as high as 0.8–0.9 kg/l h were obtained.     

Calculations of heats of formation for nitroaromatics with PM3 and MM2

Abstract

We have attempted to calculate heats of formation (Δ H _f °) for various aromatic nitro compounds with the semi-empirical molecular orbital theory and the molecular mechanics. As the results we may say that PM3, a semi-empirical MO method, and MM2, molecular mechanics, can estimate Δ H _f ° of energetic materials with accuracy enough to use Δ H_f° for energy hazards prediction. In case of aromatic polynitro compounds, both methods may be able to calculate accurate Δ H_f°.     

A communication protocol based on IR-space division transceivers for mobile robots

In this article, we propose MAC protocols based on our infrared-space division transceiver (IR-SDT) for mobile robots. The IR-SDT has eight communication modules, so it can communicate with a maximum of eight other nodes simultaneously. The number of parallel multiple accesses will be improved by using this transceiver and its specialized protocol. In addition, we consider situations in which a packet collision occurs, and propose a protocol that resolves communication conflicts using the signal collision-detection function of IR-SDT. Finally, we consider the performance of these protocols, and discuss the influence of signal collision-detection accuracy.     

Micro-/nanostructural investigation of laser-cut surfaces of single- and polycrystalline diamonds

Micrometer- to nanometer-scale structures of the cut surfaces of single- and polycrystalline diamonds by a pulsed ultraviolet laser have been thoroughly investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Within the laser-cut grooves, the processed diamond surfaces are extensively covered with laser-modified debris which consists of complex layered units of graphite with various crystallinities. The units consist of 1) highly oriented graphite, 2) corrugated graphite, and 3) nanocrystalline graphite, which are sequentially located from the surface of the underlying diamond substrate to the center of the grooves. Detailed textural examinations revealed that the highly oriented graphite unit is a product of the initial graphitization of diamond by a solid-state diffusion process, whereas the latter two units are deposition products from the liquid and/or vapor phases of carbon in the later stage. The present study demonstrates that the laser-cutting of diamonds proceeds in a two-step process: 1) extensive graphitization of laser-scanning path and 2) subsequent sublimation of the pre-formed graphite. These processes are basically identical among the three different types of diamonds (single crystal type Ib, single crystal type IIa and nano-polycrystalline aggregate) tested in this study.     

Self-organization of conceptual generalities and pattern-directed learning

Human expert decision makers can be characterized by their ability to perceive a hypothetical conceptual generality or pattern that is underlying a given collection of objects. The conventional cluster analysis is unable to generate such patterns since its clustering process is far from what the human experts actually do. That is, human experts form some concepts inductively from individual observations based on the conceptual “meaning” which the objects have. In this paper, by introducing an idea of prototype theory from a psychological domain with respect to human concept formation, an algorithm for human classification process is proposed. Based on this, the role of human generalization capability in his classification process is discussed with respect to the background semantic knowledge. The algorithm can be roughly divided into two phases; inductive prototype formation from training examples in a bottom-up fashion, and pattern-directed clustering of the instances being affected by the acquired concepts in a top-down fashion. Using a schematically-modelled example, the algorithm is illustrated with its implemented results. Our modelling method for the human classification process can be utilized for conceptual clustering that classifies a number of unknown objects into a distinguished group being affected by pre-acquired concepts.     

Safety Analysis of ITER EDA Design by GEMSAFE

General Methodology of Safety Analysis and Evaluation for Fusion Systems (GEMSAFE) was applied to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design in the stage of Engineering Design Activities (EDA) to identify Design Basis Events (DBEs) and the related safety features, which were compared with those of the ITER design in the stage of Conceptual Design Activities (CDA). As a result, 18 DBEs for the EDA design were selected in comparison with 25 DBEs for the CDA design. DBEs related to the fuel area were categorized in higher event category than those of the CDA design due to the increase of the mobile tritium contained in some components. It was necessary to reduce the inventory of the tritium absorbed in the tokamak dust in the EDA design as well as in the CDA design. Some measures were recommended to reduce mobile tritium dissolved in the coolant in the single cooling loop due to the increase of this estimated inventory.     

Surgical management of late esophageal perforation

A simple and rapid high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method for the determination of 2-mercaptopyridine-1-oxide (pyrithione) was developed. After addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), pyrithione was determined in the form of the free anion using 50 mM borate (pH 9.2) as background electrolyte and was detected at 244 nm with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.636 ppm (S/N = 3). The method was used to check the purity of pyrithione preparations and for the determination of pyrithione in shampoo.     

Effects of loading mode and water chemistry on stress corrosion crack growth behavior of 316L HAZ and weld metal materials in high temperature pure water

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth rates of 316L weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weld metal materials in high temperature pure water at 288 °C were measured using contoured double cantilever beam (CDCB) specimens and an alternating current potential drop (ACPD) in situ crack-length monitoring system. The effects of loading mode and dissolved oxygen and hydrogen on crack growth rate (CGR) were experimentally quantified. Typical intergranular SCC was found in the HAZ specimen and interdendritic SCC was identified in the weld metal specimen. The HAZ specimen and the weld metal specimen showed quite a similar response to the applied loading modes and the water chemistry, even though their absolute CGR values were different. The crack growth rates under trapezoidal loading were moderately higher than those under constant loading by several tenths percent. Switching the water chemistry from the oxygen-bearing water to the hydrogen-bearing water drastically decreased the electrochemical potential and the crack growth rate, and vice versa. A time-lag period for crack growth was observed after switching the water chemistry back to the oxygen-bearing water, where the crack growth rate was low even the dissolved oxygen concentration and the electrochemical potential had become high. Strain hardening and the resultant uneven distribution of deformation contribute to the enhanced intergranular SCC growth behavior in the HAZ area. The crack growth kinetics is analyzed based on the deformation/oxidation interaction at the crack tip, considering the importance of the electric-charge transfer, mass transport kinetics and the crack tip strain rate.     

Correction of instrument measurement data for improving the visual color match between monitor and hardcopy

Abstract— Soft proofing, which can confirm the color reproduction of printed matter on a monitor, is coming into wide use in the field of graphic arts. However, there is a problem in that the color on the monitor looks different from that of printed matter, even though the L*a*b* value of the monitor's white point has been adjusted to that of the paper by using a spectroradiometer. After the color rendition of an LCD is visually adjusted to that of the paper, the measured color of the LCD shows color with L*a*b* values corresponding to a more greenish‐blue white than that of paper. For CRTs, this corresponds to a more bluish‐white. In this paper, it was assumed that bright lines in the measured spectrums of the monitors and the illuminations spread to the next wavelength band by the optical systems of the spectroradiometer. To solve the problem, a method is proposed to enhance the bright line by using a three‐tap digital filter. The effect of this method on two types of monitors under three types of illumination is also reported. After enhancing the bright lines, ΔE between the monitor and paper becomes smaller than that for the original one.