Semi-annual cycle of sea-surface temperature in the East/Japan Sea and cooling process

Semi-annual cycles of the sea-surface temperature (SST) in the East/Japan Sea (EJS) and their forcings were examined by analysing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer data, scatterometer wind vectors, and heat flux data. The semi-annual cycle contributed to the total variance of the SST by 8% and amounted to 25% of the amplitudes of the annual SST cycle, particularly in the Tatarskiy Strait and along the continental shelf off Russia. The lowest phase, corresponding to the minimum SST, occurred during early November and 6 months earlier in May or June depending on the position. The forcings of the semi-annual cycle were not semi-annual but substantially annual with a lag of 6 months, which gave rise to SST cooling in spring and autumn. Our analyses illustrated that SST cooling in autumn was caused by direct, local atmospheric wind forcings, whereas the cooling with large amplitudes of the semi-annual cycle in spring was caused by the non-local, remotely forced cold water advection of the Liman Current associated with sea-ice melting in the Tatarskiy Strait. The phase lag of 1–2 months between the complete melting of the sea ice in the Tatarskiy Strait and the surface cooling along the Russian continental shelf was related to the advection of cold water from sea ice in the form of the Liman Cold Current. The semi-annual cycle also resulted from asymmetry of the time series of the SST due to a long cold winter and a short warm summer. To understand how SST curves are distorted and asymmetric, we suggested two mathematical parameters of kurtosis and skewness. In addition, we suggest that the ratio of the semi-annual amplitude to the annual amplitude of SST harmonics can be used as a typical indicator of the asymmetry in year-to-year SST variations.     

The use of non–physical standards in colour communication and matching

As a result of developments in spectrophotometry, together with improved accuracy in computer colour matching and laboratory dyeing, non–physical standards (reflectance data) can now be used for the successful communication, matching and quality control of colour. In colour palette generation, ‘matching by numbers’ has become a reality.     

Influence of Substrate Type on Level Dyeing of Acrylic Yarn Packages

In an earlier paper [1], the influence of flow rate, ramp (constant rate of temperature rise) and package density on the rates of dyeing of two basic dyes on Ex/an, and on the levelness obtained in the resulting dyeings, was investigated, and a relationship was derived to link these factors quantitatively. This work has now been extended to cover the behaviour of various basic dyes on Exlan and other acrylic fibres, under conditions expected to give borderline levelness. It has been shown that the shape of the rate–of–dyeing curve depends on the type of acrylic fibre and, to a lesser extent, on the cationic retarder used, but not on dye type within the group of CV2. 5–3. 5 basic dyes examined. The response of dyeing rate and degree of unlevelness to deliberate variations of ramp, as demonstrated in the previous work on Exlan, is now confirmed on Cashmilon. Evidence of a different type of random unlevelness, not related directly to dyeing rate, was also obtained from dyeings on the various fibres at a slow ramp.     

Nano-sized carbon hollow spheres for abatement of ethylene

In this paper, the ethylene adsorption capacities of the nano-sized carbon hollow spheres (CNB) and active carbon (AC), the Pd (PdCl₂) impregnated CNB or AC (Pd/CNB, Pd/AC) and heat treatment under various conditions, were studied at different ethylene concentrations from 64 to 1060 ppm. The results indicated that AC had a good ethylene adsorption capacity at high ethylene concentration. Pd impregnation decreased the ethylene adsorption capacity of AC. Heat treatment and H₂ activation could increase the ethylene adsorption capacity, but also lowered than AC itself. CNB had lower ethylene adsorption capacity than AC, but heat treatment and H₂ activation could increase its ethylene adsorption capacity markedly. With activating condition from heat treatment in N₂ at 300 °C to activation in H₂/N₂ at 100 °C, to activation in H₂ at 200 °C, and to activation in H₂ at 300 °C, the ethylene adsorption capacity of Pd/CNB was increased regularly. At low ethylene concentration, viz., 64 ppm, the ethylene adsorption quantities (q _a) by Pd/CNB activated in H₂ at 200 or 300 °C were higher than any other adsorbents. So, activated in H₂ atmosphere at higher than 100 °C, Pd/CNB is particularly advantaged for adsorbing low concentration of ethylene. Amongst all the adsorbents used, Pd/CNB activated in H₂ atmosphere at 300 °C for 2 h has the highest ethylene adsorption capacity at lower concentration than 125 ppm. In addition, all the CNB, Pd/CNB, AC, and Pd/AC samples can be easily regenerated in airflow for more than 3 h.     

Microstructural Evidence for Diffusion-Driven Tetragonal-to-Orthorhombic Phase Transformation in Y-Ba-Cu-O Superconductor

Microstructures of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor were observed using a polarized microscope. Orthorhombic and tetragonal phases were easily distinguished by the optical etching with cross-polarized light. In the specimen cooled rapidly in oxygen, it was possible to see the path of oxygen diffusion by observing the variation of the twin concentration. At the boundary between transformed and untransformed materials, evidence for diffusion-driven transformation could be clearly seen.     

Performance evaluation of electrodewatering system for sewage sludges

A laboratory-scale electrodewatering system, incorporating an electric field as an additional driving force to conventional pressure dewatering, has been developed to decrease the water content of sludges generated in wastewater treatment. Consisting of a piston-type filter press, a power supply and a data acquisition system, the electrodewatering system’s performance was evaluated as a function of applied pressure, applied voltage, sludge type and filtration time. Experiments were carried out using sewage sludges with the electric field up to 120 V/cm and pressure ranging from 98.1 to 392.4 kPa. Electrodewatering involving a combination of electric field and pressure enhances both the dewatering rate and final dewatered volume. The final water content of sewage sludges in the electrodewatering system can be reduced to 62 wt%, as compared to 78 wt% achieved with the pressure filtration alone. The electrodewatering system shows the potential to be an effective method for reducing the water content in sludges.     

Evaluation of the performance of tight-UF membranes with respect to NOM removal using effective MWCO, molecular weight, and apparent diffusivity of NOM

Concepts for the effective MWCO of tight-UF membranes, and apparent diffusion coefficients for NOM, were introduced to determine the mechanisms influencing NOM removal and to explain the various behaviors of NOM removal by UF membranes with different hydrophobicities, permeability, and surface charges. Colloidal NOM (COM) and non-colloidal hydrophobic NOM (NCD HP) constituents were chosen for the evaluation of two different UF membranes. For a relatively hydrophobic, relatively high permeability, and less negatively charged UF membrane, the hydrophobic fractions of COM were preferentially removed and were also removed by a size exclusion mechanism (i.e., both hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion mechanisms). The NCD HP exhibited no such preferential removal of the hydrophobic fractions, but could be removed by a size exclusion mechanism (i.e., only size exclusion mechanism). With a relatively hydrophilic, relatively low permeability, and more negatively charged UF membrane, COM exhibited no preferential removal of the hydrophobic fractions, but could be removed by a size exclusion mechanism (i.e., only size exclusion mechanism). Whereas the hydrophobic fractions of the NCD HP were preferentially removed, these could not be removed by a size exclusion mechanism (i.e., only hydrophobic interaction mechanism). The apparent diffusion coefficients of NOM, as determined from NOM diffusion experiments using a diffusion cell equipped with a regenerated cellulose membrane, were much lower than those calculated by the Stokes-Einstein relation. The diffusion coefficient of NOM is expected to be used to predict and explain NOM transport behaviors in tight-UF membranes.     

Mechanical and thermal properties of ceramic‐modified poly(amide imide)

Poly(amide imide)–epoxysilane (coupling agent) composites were reacted with silica, a condensation product of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), by a sol–gel process and were then cast into films. After this procedure, the chemical characteristics and mechanical and thermal properties were measured. Fourier transform infrared showed that silica existed in the poly(amide imide) matrix. When a proper amount of silica was added to the poly(amide imide) matrix, the tensile strength, elongation, and toughness increased greatly. A poly(amide imide)/30 wt % epoxysilane composite with 20 wt % TEOS had the best mechanical properties. Thermogravimetric analysis under nitrogen and oxygen atmospheres indicated that the char contents increased with the amount of silica. The glass‐transition temperatures of the poly(amide imide)–silica nanocomposites were observed around 170–180°C with differential scanning calorimetry. This approach may be a new method for the low‐temperature thermal curing of poly(amide imide). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1780–1788, 2004     

Adsorption and desorption characteristics of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid onto activated carbon

Adsorption and desorption characteristics of the 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) from aqueous solution onto the activated carbon (GAC, F-400) were studied. Adsorption equilibrium capacities of the MCPA increased with decreasing pH and temperature of the solution. Adsorption equilibrium of the MCPA could be represented by the Sips equation. The internal diffusion coefficients were determined by comparing the experimental concentration decay curves with those predicted from surface diffusion model and pore diffusion model. The adsorption model based on the linear driving force approximation (LDFA) was used for simulating the adsorption behavior of the MCPA in a fixed bed. Over ninety five percent desorption of the MCPA could be obtained using distilled water.     

Model algorithmic control of grade change operations in paper mills

In this work, the Model Algorithmic Control (MAC) method is applied to control the grade change operations in paper mills. The neural network model for the grade change operations is identified first and the impulse model is extracted from the neural network model. Results of simulations for MAC control of grade change operations are compared with plant operation data. The major contribution of the present work is the application of MAC in the industrial plants based on the identification of neural network models. We can confirm that the proposed MAC method exhibits faster responses and less oscillatory behavior compared to the plant operation data in the grade change operations.