Network model approach for calculating oscillating frequency of thermoacoustic prime mover

The network model is given and used to calculate the oscillating frequency of thermoacoustic prime mover. Theoretically calculated frequency by the model is plural, whose real part denotes actual frequency of the system, and imaginary part means attenuation coefficient of acoustic pressure. Numerical calculation is made under different conditions including different acoustic cavities, spacing between each parallel plate, gas pressures and system lengths. Theoretically calculated frequency and experimentally measured frequency are in quite good agreement.     

狭缝中生存——浅谈影响建筑师理想实现的因素

本文根据作者最近所参与“北大附中重庆实验学校”的工程项目中的所见所闻,结合国内建筑市场的实际情况,探讨了中国建筑师在理想实现过程中,所面临的各种困难及其背后深刻的社会原因,希望借此启发一些正在为自己的理想而在日夜奋斗着的年轻建筑师们。为了形象地说明这些因素对一项优秀建筑项目的产生所起的作用,文中采用了量化的百分比评价体系。     

Swelling behavior induced by alteration in granite and its implications on underground excavation

Granite is commonly recognized as an ideal medium for underground construction. However, in the site investigation for Heimifeng Pumped Storage Power Station project, it was found that there are swelling behaviors induced by alteration in granite and eventually causing slaking and disintegration of rock blocks. The study shows that hydrothermal alteration in granite is primarily due to the intrusion of multi-phase igneous magma. The clay minerals, such as montmorillonite, chlorite, kaolinite, are the main causes for the swelling behavior of granite. In the exploratory adits, alteration was observed to occur mainly along faults or fractures in the rock masses and resulted in roof caving if water is present. Some of the highly altered borehole cores swell and crack within 24 h in water and eventually disintegrate completely. From the testing results on the samples, the maximum axial free swelling strain is about 1.2%, while the maximum axial confined swelling strain is around 0.1% with swelling stress less than 25 kPa. Under free swelling tests, 80% of swelling is completed within 24 hours. Under confined swelling condition, swelling process is completed within 1 h for some samples, with 80% of maximum swelling strain finished within around 22 h for most of the samples. Contraction of samples occurs after swelling completed. The strength of granite, reflected by deformation and elastic moduli, shear strength, decreases due to alteration. The deformation and elastic moduli are even lower compared to highly weathered rock. The shear strength is between that for highly weathered and slightly weathered rocks. The swelling characteristics of the altered rock present great challenges for support or lining during construction and operation stages. Support or lining shall be in place immediately after excavation. Since the rock may swell when encountering water, the shotcrete shall be designed accordingly. During the construction of access tunnel and caverns, water shall be drained in time. Drainage directly from surface shall be avoided so as to prevent floor heave.     

Synthesis,characterization, and redox and electrochromic behaviors of poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene)

Poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene), a conjugated polymer, which possessed solubility in common organic solvents, was synthesized by electrochemical polymerization in the presence of lithium perchlorate as the supporting electrolyte and sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant in an aqueous medium. Characterizations of the intermediate, monomer, and polymer were performed by NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The process of electrochemical polymerization and the electrochemical redox behaviors were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and the potentiostatic method. A poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene) film that was deposited on a platinum electrode was found to exhibit electrochromic behaviors, and it switched electrochemically between blue–green oxidized and dark red reduced states. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Isobaric vapor–liquid equilibria for mixtures of tetrahydrofuran, 2-propanol, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane at 101.3 kPa

Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) at 101.3 kPa have been determined for a ternary system (tetrahydofuran + 2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) and its constituent binary systems (tetrahydrofuran + 2-propanol, tetrahydrofuran + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, and 2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane). The activity coefficients of liquid mixtures were calculated from the modified Raoult's law. Thermodynamic consistency tests were performed for all VLE data. The VLE data of the binary mixtures and ternary mixtures were correlated using the Margules, Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC activity-coefficient models. The models with their best-fitted interaction parameters of the binary systems were used to predict the ternary vapor–liquid equilibrium. All VLE data are also used to calculate the reduced excess molar Gibbs free energy g^E/RT and the deviations in the boiling point ΔT. The calculated quantities of g^E/RT and ΔT were fitted to variable-degree polynomials in terms of liquid composition.     

Stability of Mixtoxantrone Hydrochloride in Solution

A stability-indicating reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the detection of mitoxantrone HC1 and its degradation products under accelerated degradation conditions. The degradation kinetics of mitoxantrone HC1 in aqueous solution over a pH range of 1.18 to 7.20 and its stability in propylene glycol-or polyethylene glycol 400-based solutions were investigated. The observed rate constants were shown to follow apparent first-order kinetics in all cases. The pH-rate profile shows that maximum stability of mitoxantrone HC1 was obtained at pH 4.01. No general acid or base catalysis from acetate or phosphate buffer species was observed. The catalysis rate constants on the protonated mitoxantrone imposed by hydrogen ion water and hydroxy ion were determined to be 3.72 × 10 min^-1 5.64 × 10-min^-1 and 1.108 × 10^-2min^-1, respectively. The degradation rate constants of mitoxantrone affected by different ionic strength systems. Irradiation with 254 nm UV light at 25±0.5°C was found when canpared with the light-protected controls. Incorporation of nonaqueous propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol in the pH 4.01 mitoxantrone solution shows an increase in its stability at 502±0.5°C.     

Measurement of photon beam backscatter from collimators to the beam monitor chamber using target-current-pulse-counting and telescope techniques

Backscattered radiation (BSR) arising from field-defining collimators and entering the beam monitor chamber (BMC) may contribute to observed variations in medical linear accelerator photon beam output with collimator setting. Measuring the magnitude of such contributions for particular accelerators under specified operating conditions is therefore important when attempting to understand and model accelerator head scatter. The present work was conducted to confirm some backscatter measurements for collimating jaws reported previously and to extend these to include other accelerators and a multileaf collimator (MLC). BSR reaching the BMC from the jaws of Clinac 600C, 2100C and 2300CD accelerators and from an MLC on the 2300CD was investigated using both target-current-pulse-counting and telescope methods. Our measurements show that for the Clinac 600C BSR-dependent output variations are negligible. However, for the 2100C and 2300CD BSR-dependent relative output increased in an almost linear fashion, by up to 2.4% for 15 and 18 MV beams, and by up to 1.7% for 6 MV beams, as the field size varied from 5 x 5 cm2 to 40 x 40 cm2. The magnitude of BSR dependent upon collimator location in the head, as expected, thereby contributing to the collimator exchange effect. An earlier study at our centre using the telescope method had reported higher BSR levels. This discrepancy was resolved when corrections for telescope block and room scatter, previously assumed negligible, were made.     

Long-term progression in chronic manganism: ten years of follow-up

We studied the long-term clinical course of five patients with chronic manganese intoxication. The mean scores of the King's College Hospital Rating Scale for Parkinson's disease increased from 15.0 +/- 4.2 in 1987 to 28.3 +/- 6.70 in 1991 and then to 38.1 +/- 12.9 in 1995. The deterioration was most prominent in gait, rigidity, speed of foot tapping, and writing. Tissue concentrations of manganese in blood, urine, scalp hair, and pubic hair returned to normal. Follow-up MRIs did not show paramagnetic high-signal intensity on T1-weighted images. The data indicate that clinical progression in patients with manganese parkinsonism continues even 10 years after cessation of exposure.