强实时系统静态优先级调度的可调度性分析

文章在系统阐述和借鉴经典的强实时系统静态优先级调度理论的基础上,通过引入忙周期的概念,分析了任务时限超过任务周期的实时系统任务集的可调度特性,拓宽了该理论的应用范围,更有利于实时系统的设计者对任务的运行时间行为进行事前分析与预测。     

Introduction of new products at OAO MMK-Metiz

Improvement in the production technology for hot-rolled strip supplied by OAO MMK to OAO MMK-Metiz is described. New products at OAO MMK-Metiz are based on specially developed steel grades.     

Architecture as a Dissident Practice: An Interview with Diller Scofidio + Renfro

For three decades architect Liz Diller and artist Ricardo Scofidio have been collaborating on projects that test the boundaries between art and architecture. They have done more than any other practice to champion interdisciplinary research and to advocate architecture as a wider form of cultural production. Olympia Kazi went to talk to Liz Diller to ask her if she thinks theory could really be dead, or merely in a ‘lull’. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation and impact of granules in fostering clean energy production and wastewater treatment in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors

Anaerobic reactors have acquired a new relevance in recent years due to their ability to generate methane from biodegradable wastewaters—thereby producing clean energy. Methane capture in this manner also prevents the escape of the greenhouse gas to the atmosphere which otherwise occurs when anaerobic conditions develop in drains and outfalls carrying wastewater. Of all the different types of anaerobic reactors in vogue - anaerobic filter, downflow fixed-film reactor, expanded fluidized-bed anaerobic reactor, etc. - the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor is arguably the most widely used. Nearly 80% of the world's anaerobic wastewater treatment systems are estimated to be based on the UASB technology. The functioning of a UASB reactor revolves round its sludge bed which gets expanded as the wastewater is made to flow vertically upwards through it. It is the microflora attached to the sludge particles which acts upon the wastewater. Hence the quality of biofilms sported by the sludge particles, and the intimacy of the sludge-wastewater contact are the factors which, principally, govern the success of a UASB reactor. Very early in the development of UASB technology it was realized that granular sludge of appropriate particle size, particle density, and microfilm characteristics enhances the reactor efficiency in terms of the rate as well as the extent of wastewater treatment. From then onwards efforts have been made by scientists across the world to understand the factors which shape the granules and the manner in which the granules contribute to wastewater treatment. The state-of-the-art is presented in this paper.     

Elemental analyses and determination of lead content in kohl (stone) by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Elemental analyses of kohl (stone) samples collected from three different parts of the world were performed using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The analyses indicated that lead (Pb), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), and sodium (Na) were present in all the kohl samples. In addition to these elements, the sample from Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), contained the elements tin (Sn), zirconium (Zr), and antimony (Sb). The sample from Mount Toor, Egypt, also contained Sn. Also, quantitative analysis for lead was carried out by the standard addition method using the LIBS technique. The result showed the presence of 14.12 ± 0.28% by weight of Pb in the sample from Madina, which compares well with the measurement done using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) (13.31 ± 0.46%). The standard addition method used three calibration curves drawn for three emission lines of the LIBS spectra of Pb. The limits of detection (LoD) for these calibration curves varied from 0.27% to 1.16% by weight. The lead contents of the samples from Mount Toor and the local market of Bangladesh were also measured by the AAS technique, and the results were 14.61 ± 0.48% and 8.98 ± 0.35% by weight, respectively. The reason for determining only the lead content in kohl, which may be used as an eye cosmetic, is the adverse effect that lead has on health.     

Comparative study of NiFe2−xAlxO4 ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and sol–gel combustion techniques

A series of aluminum substituted Ni-ferrite nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical co-precipitation and sol–gel techniques. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), DC electrical resistivity and dielectric properties. Analysis of the X-ray diffraction pattern of all the samples confirmed the formation of spinel structure. The crystallite sizes remain within the range 25–41 ± 3 nm. FTIR measurements show two fundamental absorption bands, assigned to the vibration of tetrahedral and octahedral sites. DC electrical resistivity increases from 6.60 × 10⁷ to 6.9 × 10¹⁰ Ω cm as the Al³⁺ concentration increases from 0.00 to 0.50. The dielectric constant and loss tangent decreases with increasing Al³⁺ concentration from 22 to 14, 0.354 to 0.27 respectively at 5 MHz for all the samples. Impedance measurements as a function of frequency (1 kHz–5 MHz) at room temperature further helped in analyzing the electrical properties of the prepared samples.     

Physico-chemical and mechanical properties of nanocomposites prepared using cellulose nanowhiskers and poly(lactic acid)

A range of nanocomposites were prepared using cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) via a solvent casting process. Acid hydrolysis process was used to produce CNWs from bleached cotton. Structural morphology and surface topography of the CNWs and nanocomposites were examined using transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy. TEM images revealed rod-like whiskers in the nano-scale region which were dispersed within the PLA matrix. The presence of the functional groups of CNWs and PLA were confirmed via FTIR analysis. Tensile tests were conducted on thin films and the nanocomposites containing 1 wt% CNWs showed a 34 and 31% increase in tensile strength and modulus, respectively, compared to pure PLA. The dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the tensile storage modulus also increased in the visco-elastic temperature region with increasing CNWs content in the nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that all the materials investigated were thermally stable from room temperature to 210 °C. A positive effect of CNWs on the crystal nucleation of PLA polymer in the nanocomposites was observed using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis. The degradation profiles of the nanocomposites in deionised water over 1 week revealed a mass loss of 1.5–5.6% at alternate temperatures (25, 37 and 50 °C) and at the same conditions the swelling ratio and water uptake were seen to increase with CNWs content in the nanocomposites, which was strongly influenced by the presence of crystalline CNWs.     

Analysis of phase transformation in plasma sprayed alumina coatings using Rietveld refinement

During plasma spraying of alumina with the stable α phase in the starting powder, metastable phases tend to form in the final coating. This is attributed to the rapid quenching associated with the process. In this paper the weight fraction of metastable phase formed, i.e., stable phase retained, and has been estimated using Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data. This weight fraction depends on the process parameters like standoff distance, primary and secondary gas flow rate, nozzle size, etc., which in turn control particle melting. Under favourable melting conditions the weight fraction of the metastable phases approaches 1.