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.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of three different combinations taken from styrene-co-itaconate, styrene-co-methacrylate, and styrene-co-sulfonate ionomers

Dynamic mechanical properties of three different styrene-based ionomer blends containing ca. 5 mol% of ionic repeat units were investigated; the three ionic units were itaconate (ITANa), methacrylate (MANa), and styrenesulfonate (SNa). For SNa-MANa ionomers, it was observed that this ionomer system showed only two loss tangent peaks, implying that this ionomer system resembles a typical miscible system. When the ion content increased, however, the ionomer blend showed two cluster loss tangent peaks, indicating the presence of phase-separated cluster regions. This suggests that, with increasing ion content, the role of ionic units becomes more important than that of host non-ionic units to determine ionomer properties. In the case of ITANa-MANa and ITANa-SNa ionomers, however, it was suggested that the multiplets of the MANa and SNa ionomers might be disrupted upon the addition of the ITANa ionomers. In addition, the SEM images showed that the fracture surfaces of ionomers changed upon blending.     

Measurement and modeling solubility of bioactive coumarin and its derivatives in supercritical carbon dioxide

To design a supercritical fluid extraction process for the separation of bioactive substances from natural products, a quantitative knowledge of phase equilibria between target biosolutes and solvent is necessary. How-ever, mostly no such information is available in literature to date. Thus in the present study, illustratively the solubility of bioactive coumarin and its various derivatives (i.e., hydroxy-, methyl-, and methoxy-derivatives) in supercritical CO₂ were measured at 308.15–328.15 K and 10–30 MPa. Also, the pure physical properties such as normal boiling point, critical constants, acentric factor, molar volume and standard vapor pressure for coumarin and its derivatives were estimated. By these estimated information, the measured solubilities were quantitatively correlated by an approximate lattice equation of state proposed recently by the present authors.     

An electrochemically regenerative hydrogen-chlorine energy storage system: electrode kinetics and cell performance

The electrochemical oxidation and reduction of hydrogen and chlorine in hydrochloric acid has been investigated on graphite, ruthenized titanium and platinum electrodes. Both steady state and potentiostatic pulse methods were used. Cell studies were also carried out in cells with flow-by and flow-through chlorine electrodes. Results indicate that the electrode kinetics are fast and the electrolysis and fuel cell reactions can be carried out in the same cell with electric-to-electric efficiencies in excess of 75% at current densities of 300 mA cm^–2. Mass transfer limitations at the chlorine electrode during discharge can be eliminated by cell pressurization and the use of flow-through electrodes.This study was carried out under the auspices of the US Department of Energy.in the summers of 1976 and 1977     

Preparation and characterization of modified starch‐based plastic film reinforced with short pulp fiber. II. Mechanical properties

Native corn starch‐ and hydroxypropylated starch (HPS‐) based plastic films were prepared using the short pulp fiber as the reinforcement and the glycerol as the plasticizer. The results of tensile test showed that the strain and stress at break and elastic modulus increased with pulp content. With glycerol content, the strain at break increased considerably, but the breaking stress and elastic modulus decreased. And the stress–strain curves showed that the brittleness problem of films was overcome by the pulp, glycerol, and water content. The hydroxypropyl starch films showed results similar to those of the native starch films. The results of the three‐point bending test showed that maximum deflection, flexural strength, and specific work increased with pulp content, but the flexural modulus was the highest at a pulp content of 20%. And with the glycerol content, the maximum deflection and specific work of rupture increased, but the bending elastic modulus decreased. The hydroxypropyl starch films showed results similar to those of native starch films as far as the maximum deflection and flexural strength were concerned, but the bending elastic modulus and specific work of the hydroxypropyl starch films were considerably lower than those of starch films. So it was concluded that the flexibility of films was improved by the hydroxypropylation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2108–2117, 2003     

High oleic acid oil suppresses lung tumorigenesis in mice through the modulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade

This study was undertaken to estimate the effect of dietary high oleic acid oil (OA) on 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice. Diet containing 10% oil was fed to mice through experimental periods. On day 30 after NNK injection (100 mg/kg body weight, i.p.), the treatment increased the level of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) as well as proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a marker of cell proliferation in a high linoleic acid oil (LA)-fed group but not in an OA-fed group. The NNK treatment also induced the activation of an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) cascade (Erk, Mek and Raf-1) in an LA-fed group. On the other hand, OA feeding abolished the NNK-induced activation of the Erk cascade. In conjugation with these events, OA feeding reduced lung tumor incidence and tumor multiplicity (percentage of mice with tumors) in mice compared with LA feeding at the 20th experimental week. These results suggest that OA suppresses lung tumorigenesis and that this suppression is correlated with the inhibition of PGE₂ production and inactivation of the Erk cascade.     

Measurement of minimum angle of resolution (MAR) in the stereoscopic display using the optotype of stereoscopic stimuli

In stereoscopic images, the crossing point of the viewing directions of the two eyes determines the perceived depth. Assuming that accommodation is affected by the positions of the crossing point, the effect of crossing point on minimum angle of resolution (MAR) was investigated. For 40 participants, MAR was measured by two‐alternative forced choice where Snellen optotype E of up and down directions were used as two kinds of stimuli. As the crossing point of the viewing direction of the left and right eyes moves farther from the sample display, the ability to identify the direction of letter E decreases at the optotype of the same line thickness. The change of MAR shows linear trends with respect to the optical power change that are the reciprocal of the distance from the participant to the crossing points located out of screen and on screen.     

Study of the Interfacial Reaction of Styrene/Maleic Anhydride Copolymerand (Amine)-Terminated Butadiene-Acrylonitrile Copolymer Using FTIR Imaging Techniques

The interfacial reaction between styrene/maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA) and amine-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (ATBA) was observed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging spectroscopy. The anhydride and amine reacted to form an imide. Each component was detected using a characteristic wavenumber, which was 1601 cm -1 for SMA, 2237 cm -1 for ATBA, and 1701 cm -1 for the imide. FTIR images were taken as the reaction proceeded at 150, 160, 170, and 180°C. At low temperatures (150 and 160°C), diffusion-controlled kinetics were observed since interdiffusion between the reactants did not appear in the images. On the other hand, both the diffusion front and the reaction front are observed in the images at high reaction temperatures (170 and 180°C), which indicates that the kinetics became reaction-controlled rather than diffusion-controlled. Absorbance profiles were extracted from the images and used for the calculation of the extent of reaction. The data were analyzed using the Frederickson and Milner theory based on the assumption of diffusion-controlled kinetics, and this theory fit the low reaction temperature data.     

A multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model: General derivation and application to pure fluids

A multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model with no temperature dependence of close packed volumes of a mer, segment numbers and energy parameters of pure systems is presented. The multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid (MF-NLF) model with the local composition concept was capable of describing properties for complex systems. However, the MF-NLF model has strong temperature dependence of energy parameters and segment numbers of pure systems; thus empirical correlations as functions of temperature were represented for reliable and convenient use in engineering practices. The MF-NLF model without temperature dependence of pure parameters could not predict thermodynamic properties accurately. It was found that the present model with three parameters describes quantitatively the vapor pressure and the saturated density for the pure fluid.     

Changes in the Peeled Surfaces of Copper Thin Films Deposited on Polyimide Substrates After Heat Treatment

Peel strength between a copper (Cu) thin film and a polyimide (pyromellitic dianhydride-oxydianiline, or PMDA-ODA) substrate is reduced by heat treatment at 150°C in air. In this work, we investigated the peel strength, the morphology of the interface between Cu films and polyimide substrates using optical microscopy and electron microscopy, and chemical change of the interface using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and micro X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis showed that CuO “lumps” were present on the peeled surface of PMDA-ODA after heat treatment at 150°C in air. The peeled surfaces of other polyimide substrates were also analyzed: biphenyl dianhydride-para phenylene diamine (BPDA-PDA) and biphenyl dianhydride-oxydianiline (BPDA-ODA). CuO lumps were present on the peeled surface of BPDA-ODA after the heat treatment, but not that of BPDA-PDA. Compared with the adhesion strength for the Cu thin film, the adhesion strength was high for the Cu/PMDA-ODA and Cu/BPDA-ODA laminates, but the adhesion strength was very low for the Cu/BPDA-PDA laminate. This low strength is the reason that CuO lumps were not detected on the peeled surface of the BPDA-PDA substrate. These CuO lumps were related to the adhesion degradation of the Cu/polyimide laminates after the heat treatment.