Preparation of CeO2-ZrO2 mixed oxide with high surface area and high thermal stability

Ceria-zirconia solid particles have been recognized as a key material of the automotive exhaust catalysts since they can release and uptake oxygen owing to the rapid reversible oxidation states of cerium between Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺. Several methods have recently been described to prepare the CeO₂-ZrO₂ solid particles used in the catalysts. In this paper, a new coprecipitation method is used to prepare the CeO₂-ZrO₂ solid particles. The Ce-Zr alcogel is dried and calcined in flowing N₂ not in flowing air under atmospheric pressure. The results show that the ceria-zirconia sample calcined at 650 °C has high surface area over 90 m²g⁻¹, which drops to 40 m²g⁻¹ following treatment at 900°C.     

Note on ‘Construction of Double Sampling s‐Control Charts for Agile Manufacturing’

He and Grigoryan (Quality and Reliability Engineering International 2002; 18 :343–355) formulated the design of a double‐sampling (DS) s control chart as an optimization problem and solved it with a genetic algorithm. They concluded that the DS s control charts can be a more economically preferable alternative in detecting small shifts than traditional s control charts. We explain that, since they only considered the average sample size when the process is in control, their conclusion is questionable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Y and Ce on Microstructures and Properties of Nb-Si System Composites

The effects of yttrium and cerium on microstructures and properties of Nb-Si system composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy( SEM), energy dispersive spectrum(EDS), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and high temperature oxidation experiments.It is found that the coarse primary silicide phase became finer and more homogeneous with Y and Ce addition.The results of high temperature oxidation experiments show that the oxidation rates of NbSi system composites with an appropriate amount of Y and Ce decrease compared with those of alloys without Y or Ce addition, and oxidation products mainly distribute along the phase boundaries between the Nb solid solution and silicide.     

A distributed adverse drug reaction detection system using intelligent agents with a fuzzy recognition‐primed decision model

Discovering unknown adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in postmarketing surveillance as early as possible is highly desirable. Nevertheless, current postmarketing surveillance methods largely rely on spontaneous reports that suffer from serious underreporting, latency, and inconsistent reporting. Thus these methods are not ideal for rapidly identifying rare ADRs. The multiagent systems paradigm is an emerging and effective approach to tackling distributed problems, especially when data sources and knowledge are geographically located in different places and coordination and collaboration are necessary for decision making. In this article, we propose an active, multiagent framework for early detection of ADRs by utilizing electronic patient data distributed across many different sources and locations. In this framework, intelligent agents assist a team of experts based on the well‐known human decision‐making model called Recognition‐Primed Decision (RPD). We generalize the RPD model to a fuzzy RPD model and utilize fuzzy logic technology to not only represent, interpret, and compute imprecise and subjective cues that are commonly encountered in the ADR problem but also to retrieve prior experiences by evaluating the extent of matching between the current situation and a past experience. We describe our preliminary multiagent system design and illustrate its potential benefits for assisting expert teams in early detection of previously unknown ADRs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 827–845, 2007.     

分置式牛津型斯特林制冷机的数值分析与实验验证

对分置式牛津型斯特林制冷机进行了数值计算 ,介绍了计算模型考虑到的众多不可逆因素。通过对计算结果与实验结果的对比 ,验证了本文数值计算的准确性 ,说明本文计算模型与数值处理方法是切实可行的     

Treatment of low turbidity water by sweep coagulation using bentonite

A novel strategy of sweep coagulation to treat low turbidity water is presented herein. Study findings demonstrated that an Na⁺‐saturated bentonite with medium cation exchange capacity (CEC) resulted in significant turbidity removal at a bentonite dosage of 30 mg dm^?3. Bentonite dispersion with fully delaminated platelets tended to undergo a more porous type of coagulation with intense face‐to‐face interactions of platelets and effectively entrapped TiO₂ particles in band‐type structures. This type of coagulation usually results in a large volume of settled flocs with a fluffy structure and excellent turbidity removal efficiency for sweep coagulation. The sign and magnitude of electrical charge on TiO₂ particles has a minor effect on the efficiency of sweep coagulation. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Two‐phase production of cyclohexene and cyclooctene oxides in water as an approach to pollution prevention

Liquid–liquid two‐phase epoxidation from cyclohexene and cyclooctene in aqueous potassium peroxymonosulfate (commercially available as Oxone^®) solution was studied as an application in pollution prevention. To avoid potential emissions of volatile organic compounds an aqueous solution was employed to replace the usual chlorinated solvents used in epoxide production. A droplet column reactor and stirred tank reactor were used to investigate two‐phase synthesis of epoxide. An aqueous Oxone^® solution was used to oxidize a dispersion of alkene droplets and form epoxide. The study of aqueous epoxidation in both reactors showed that the epoxidation of alkenes can be represented as a first order reaction with respect to alkene. The salting out effect of Oxone^® concentration was studied in both reactors and found to be very similar at optimal conditions. In comparing the two reactors, it was found that the droplet column reactor produces larger quantities of product per unit reactor volume for the same reaction time. The objective of this study is to provide an alternative reactor design and synthesis route that can meet pollution prevention goals. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry