A survey of research in deliberative real-time artificial intelligence

This paper surveys recent research in deliberative real-time artificial intelligence (AI). Major areas of study have beenanytime algorithms, approximate processing, and large system architectures. We describe several systems in each of these areas, focusing both on progress within the field, and the costs, benefits and interactions among different problem and algorithm complexity limitations used in the surveyed work.     

On the mechanism of kerogen pyrolysis

Aromaticities determined by ¹³C n.m.r. are reported for five shale oil samples (Green River formation) prepared under widely different pyrolysis conditions. In the absence of high-pressure hydrogen, the total amount of aromatic carbon in the products is nearly twice that in the raw shale. This is true for a wide range of pyrolysis conditions, although the distribution of aromatic carbon between the oil and carbonaceous residue changes. High-pressure hydrogen appears to inhibit both the formation of additional aromatic carbon during pyrolysis and the coking of aromatic oil. An improved kerogen decomposition mechanism is reported that accounts for these effects and provides for changes in the aromaticity of the liquid product with pyrolysis conditions. Further work is necessary to make it quantitative and account for gas formation.     

DDT absorption and chylomicron transport in rat

Male rats were fed 100 nM dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in oil by gastric tube. Recovery of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in thoracic duct lymph was 60% in 12 hr. Lymph dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C (97%) occurred in lipoproteins of d<1.006, designated chylomicrons. Mechanical separation of chylomicron triglyceride core (labeled with triglyceride-³H) from chylomicron membrane (labeled with phospholipid-³²P) showed that 97% dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C was present in triglyceride core. To investigate possible association of plasma clearance of the two core lipids, rats were pulse injected with chylomicrons, doubly labeled with triglyceride-³H and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C. The decay of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in sequential serum samples was rapid (T^1/2=2 min) and was independent of triglyceride-³H decay. In tissues removed 14 min after injection of chylomicrons, 30% administered dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C was found in liver but only 1% in adipose tissue. In hepatectomized (eviscerated) rats, the decay of serum dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C (T^1/2=10 min) was also independent of and more rapid than triglyceride-³H decay. With sucrose density gradients, it was shown that chylomicron dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C transferred to higher density serum proteins in vitro and in vivo and to bovine albumin in vitro. Thus, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was transported from intestine largely in the triglyderide phase of chylomicrons; disappearance of chylomicron-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane from the systemic circulation was rapid and partly independent of the presence of the liver and of triglyceride hydrolysis; some dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was transported from serum chylomicrons to albumin or other plasma proteins before tissue uptake.     

Effect of catalyst on regioselectivity and vinyl/H exchange on silicon in the hydrosilylation of vinyl-siloxanes by T8 hydrogen silsesquioxane

We have recently reported the synthesis of octopus molecules of defined shape and size with molecular weights well into the thousands. These octopus molecules were made by placing eight pendant groups symmetrically about a central silsesquioxane core via the H₂PtCl₆ catalyzed hydrosilylation of 1-alkenes as well as vinyl- and allyl-siloxanes by T₈ hydrogen silsesquioxane, (HSiO₃₂)₈. The chemistry of addition was studied and it was found that while the addition of the 1-alkenes to T₈ was regioprecise with only -addition being observed, both - and -addition occurred with vinyl-siloxane. In addition, H-vinyl exchange on silicon was observed to occur with addition of vinyl-siloxane to T₈. In the current studies, the effect of the hydrosilylation catalyst. homogeneous and heterogeneous, on the regioselectivity of addition and on the extent of exchange on silicon was evaluated. It was found that the heterogeneous catalysts Pt–C, sulfided Pt–C, and Rh–C required higher temperature and longer times to get complete reaction than the homogeneous catalysts. H₂PtCl₆ and the tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex of Pt. Pd supported catalysts were not effective catalysts for this hydrosilylation. The extent of exchange on silicon and the degree of the second mode of addition occurring were higher with the heterogenous catalysts and may be a result of the higher reaction temperatures.     

Carbonization and liquid-crystal (mesophase) development. 12. Mechanisms of the co-carbonization of coals with organic additives

In industrial situations, coals interact with solvents or additives to produce liquid fuels, solvent-refined coal, coal extract and metallurgical coke. In these processes there occurs a wide variation in effects or modifications of the coal by these additives. This paper describes the modifications which can occur, using a wide range of rank of coal, when these coals interact and are co-carbonized with a wide range of additives of different chemical properties. The optical texture of the resultant cokes is given special attention. The objective of the paper is to summarize the current state of knowledge of the mechanisms of these interactions. Possible mechanisms of interactions are summarized, kinetic and chemical structural aspects of reactions are outlined, the importance is mentioned of the formation of liquid phases enabling anisotropic optical textures in modified cokes to be created, and the industrial relevance of its possible development is discussed.     

2,2′-oxo-1,1′-azobenzene: microbial transformation of rye (Secale cereale L.) allelochemical in field soils byAcinetobacter calcoaceticus: III

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, a gram-negative bacterium isolated from field soil, was found to be responsible for the biotransformation of 2(3H)-benzoxazolinone (BOA) to 2,2-oxo-1,1-azobenzene (AZOB). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the transformation of BOA to AZOB by this microbe in sterile and nonsterile soil. Transformation studies with soils inoculated withA. calcoaceticus indicated that the production of AZOB increased linearly with the concentration of BOA in sterile soil and showed a quadratic trend in nonsterile soils. This also indicated that all soil types studied for the transformation experiments might containA. calcoaceticus capable of the conversion of benzoxazolinones.     

Carbonization and liquid-crystal (mesophase) development. 8. The co-carbonization of coals with acenaphthylene and decacyclene

Several coals of different rank have been carbonized singly and also co-carbonized with acenaphthylene and decacyclene. The resultant cokes were mounted in resin and polished surfaces were examined for optical texture using a polarized-light optical microscope fitted with a half-wave retarder plate. The optical texture can be assessed qualitatively (visually) or quantitatively by a point-counting technique in terms of size and shape of constituent isochromatic anisotropic units. Some cokes from coals were Isotropic. Acenaphthylene was only able to exert a smaller influence than decacyclene on the optical texture of the resultant cokes from co-carbonizations. Decacyclene was able to modify the optical texture for both the low-rank non-fusible and the caking coals. The effects of changing the proportions of coal to additive were examined. Results are interpreted in terms of ‘depolymerization’ of the coal by the action of the additive (as solvent) and also by the action of the additive in modifying the processes of formation of semi-coke via nematic liquid crystals.     

A New Indole Synthesis Promoted by Metal Triflates

A new synthesis of 4- and 7-carbon-substituted indoles is described. The overall sequence involves the addition of a nitrile oxide to 1 carboethoxy-2-(or 3-) allylpyrrole, hydrogenation of the intermediate isoxazoline to β-hydroxy ketone and cyclization of the ketol using magnesium or zinc triflate to the substituted indole. This new indole-forming strategy can also accommodate the introduction of oxygen functionality into the indole 6-position. Possible mechanistic aspects of the reaction are detailed.     

Analysis of wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns of aligned glassy polymers with particular references to polystyrene

Improvement of WAXD patterns from aligned glassy polymers by a numerical desmearing technique is reported. This gives a fibre type diffraction pattern that can be more easily interpreted than radial or cylindrical distribution functions. Application to atactic and quenched isotactic polystyrene shows that the molecular conformations that are found are in agreement with those deduced from i.r. and n.m.r. spectroscopy. For isotactic polystyrene there is significant agreement between the fibre pattern of the aligned glassy polymer and that of the drawn crystalline polymer.     

Electrically conductive adhesives: Effect of particle composition and size distribution

The effects of particle composition and size distribution on the electrical properties of conductive adhesives were studied. Silver-plated glass and silver-plated nickel particles with both narrow (37-44 μm) and broad (< 44 μm) size distributions were dispersed in an epoxy matrix. In all cases, formulations incorporating narrow particle size distributions required greater concentrations of particles to exceed the percolation threshold for electrical conduction than when broad particle distributions were used. Differences between glass and nickel particles were observed and attributed to the higher density of nickel particles, as well as subtle variations in particle size distributions.