An integrated system to remote monitor and control anaerobic wastewater treatment plants through the internet.

The TELEMAC project brings new methodologies from the Information and Science Technologies field to the world of water treatment. TELEMAC offers an advanced remote management system which adapts to most of the anaerobic wastewater treatment plants that do not benefit from a local expert in wastewater treatment. The TELEMAC system takes advantage of new sensors to better monitor the process dynamics and to run automatic controllers that stabilise the treatment plant, meet the depollution requirements and provide a biogas quality suitable for cogeneration. If the automatic system detects a failure which cannot be solved automatically or locally by a technician, then an expert from the TELEMAC Control Centre is contacted via the internet and manages the problem.     

Peracetic acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for enzymatic hydrolysis: a continued work

Previous work has shown that the enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse could be greatly enhanced by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment. There are several factors affecting the enzymatic digestibility of the biomass, including lignin and hemicelluloses content, cellulose crystallinity, acetyl group content, accessible surface area and so on. The objective of this work is to analyze the mechanism of the enhancement of enzymatic digestibility caused by PAA pretreatment. Delignification resulted in an increase of the surface area and reduction of the irreversible absorption of cellulase, which helped to increase the enzymatic digestibility. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed that the absorption peaks of aromatic skeletal vibrations were weakened or disappeared after PAA pretreatment. However, the infrared crystallization index (N.O'KI) was increased. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the crystallinity of PAA‐treated samples was increased owing to the partial removal of amorphous lignin and hemicelluloses and probable physical change of cellulose. The effect of acetyl group content on enzymatic digestibility is negligible compared with the degree of delignification and crystallinity. The results indicate that enhancement of enzymatic digestibility of sugarcane bagasse by PAA pretreatment is achieved mainly by delignification and an increase in the surface area and exposure of cellulose fibers. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mode Matching Analysis of a Tapered Coaxial Tip in a Parallel-Plate Waveguide

A tapered coaxial tip in a parallel plate waveguide is investigated. A boundary-value problem of electromagnetic scattering from a tapered coaxial monopole is solved rigorously based on the Fourier transform, eigenfunction expansion, and mode matching. Scattering parameters are represented in a series and computed to understand the behavior of the scattering in terms of the coaxial tip geometry.     

用于实时数据传输的滑动帧方法及其实现

根据某雷达系统对测量信号的快速传输要求,提出采用滑动帧的处理方法并在FPGA中实现,克服了传统帧处理难以满足快速传输要求的不足。阐述了滑动帧结构的构造思想,详述了滑动帧结构的特点及具体功能模块的实现。根据实际应用需求构造了滑动帧结构处理器,试验和应用结果表明设计可行有效,能充分满足实时数据传输的要求。     

Evaluation of Digitally Encoded Layer‐by‐layer Coated Microparticles as Cell Carriers

To obtain more biologically relevant data there is a growing interest in the use of living cells for assaying the biological activity of unknown chemical compounds. Density ‘multiplex’ cell‐based assays, where different cell types are mixed in one well and simultaneously investigated upon exposure to a certain compound are beginning to emerge. To be able to identify the cells they should be attached to microscopic carriers that are encoded. This paper investigates how digitally encoded microparticles can be loaded with cells while keeping the digital code in the microcarriers readable. It turns out that coating the surface of the encoded microcarriers with polyelectrolytes using the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) approach provides the microcarriers with a ‘highly functional’ surface. The polyelectrolyte layer allows the growth of the cells, allows the orientation of the cell loaded microcarriers in a magnetic field, and does not hamper the reading of the code. It has further been shown that the cells growing on the polyelectrolyte layer can become transduced by adenoviral particles hosted by the polyelectrolyte layer. It is concluded that the digitally encoded microparticles are promising materials for use in biomedical and pharmaceutical in‐vitro research where cells are used as tools.     

Structural study of cubic pyrochlores based on quantum mechanical simulation

In the ideal A₂B₂O₆O′ pyrochlore structure, the x-value of O atom position is a variable parameter. In Bi_1.5ZnNb_1.5−xTa_xO₇ (BZNT) cubic pyrochlores, the x-values alter with the different compositions of Nb/Ta. In this work, a series of initial models for BZNT were established by analyzing X-ray diffraction data. Then three structure modifying methods, including Rietveld refinement, Rietveld refinement with energy and geometry optimization based on quantum mechanics, were employed to obtain the precise models using Materials Studio. Moreover, the reflectivities of BZNT were computed by quantum mechanical simulation based on the refined models. Comparing the simulation results from different modifying models with the experimental results, it is found that Rietveld refinement with energy optimization is the most accurate method for BZNT pyrochlores. According to the simulation results, the different reflectivities correspond well with various x-values of O atom positions in BZNT pyrochlores.     

Synthesis of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Hybrid Molecular Imprinted Polymer for Ethofumesate Linked by Silane Coupling Agent

TiO₂ hybrid molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) for ethofumesate using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer and silane coupling agent 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propylmethacrylate (KH570) as organic–inorganic connective bridge was synthesized via photo-excitation method. Hydrogen bond was proved to act between MAA and ethofumesate for pre- and post-polymerization binding properties as testified by UV spectrometric method. KH570 modified TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared via sonochemical reaction, which can accelerate hydrolysis, increase collision chance for the reactive system and improve the dispersion of the nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), binding and the adsorption kinetics experiments as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed for characterization. The results indicated that the hybrid MIP revealed a larger surface area and more ordered imprinting cavities with improved thermal stability compared to organic-only MIP. Furthermore, faster adsorption kinetics and enhancive adsorption capacity were achieved, which made it promising in chemical sensor applications.     

The impact of roasting on the ochratoxin A content of coffee

Roasting coffee led to a drop in the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration, as measured by the reference method, especially for dark type roasts. The way the beverage was prepared also affected the OTA content, which could paradoxically be higher than that of the initial roasted coffee. Assays on the thermal stability of pure OTA showed that it ought to be found in larger quantities in roasted coffee. This suggested that OTA was masked by reactions with the substrate during roasting. The absence of OTA in green coffee is therefore the best guarantee of safety.     

Effect of surfactants and liquid hydrocarbons on gas hydrate formation rate and storage capacity

Hydrate formation rate plays an important role in making hydrates for the storage and transport of natural gas. Micellar surfactant solutions were found to increase gas hydrate formation rate and storage capacity. With the presence of surfactant, hydrate could form quickly in a quiescent system and the energy costs of hydrate formation reduced. Surfactants (an anionic surfactant, a non‐ionic surfactant and their mixtures) and liquid hydrocarbons (cyclopentane and methylcyclohexane) were used to improve hydrate formation. The experiments of hydrate formation were carried out in the pressure range 3.69–6.82 MPa and the temperature range 274.05–277.55 K. The experimental pressures were kept constant during hydrate formation in each experimental run. The effect of anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)) on natural gas storage in hydrates is more pronounced compared to a non‐ionic surfactant (dodecyl polysaccharide glycoside (DPG)). The induction time of hydrate formation was reduced with the presence of cyclopentane (CP). Cyclopentane and methylcyclohexane (MCH) could increase hydrate formation rate, but reduced hydrate storage capacity The higher methylcyclohexane concentration, the lower the hydrate storage capacity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.