Thermal Expansion of Y2SiO5 Single Crystals

The thermal expansion of Y₂SiO₅ crystals has been measured for the principal crystallographic directions and two orthogonal directions in the (010) plane in the temperature range 25° to 200°C. This monoclinic crystal has strongly anisotropic expansions with coefficients which range from 0.6 × 10⁻⁶/°C for [100] to 11.4 × 10⁻⁶/°C for [001]. Third-order polynomials have been calculated from the expansion curves. Data for the β angle and cell volume as a function of temperature are also given. The thermal expansion of Y₂SiO₅ crystals is not affected by doping with 5% Tb.     

An evaluation of autotrophic microbes for the removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas streams

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is believed to be a major contributor to global warming. Studies have shown that significant amounts of CO₂ are released into the atmosphere as a result of fossil fuels combustion. Therefore, considerable interest exists in effective and economical technologies for the removal of CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion gas streams. This work evaluated the use of autotrophic microbes for the removal of CO₂ from coal fired power plant combustion gas streams. The CO₂ removal rates of the following autotrophic microbes were determined: Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Euglena gracilis, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, Aphanocapsa delicatissima, Isochrysis galbana, Phaodactylum tricornutum, Navicula tripunctata schizonemoids, Gomphonema parvulum, Surirella ovata ovata, and four algal consortia. Of those tested, Chlorella pyrenoidosa exhibited the highest removal rate with 2.6 g CO₂ per day per g dry weight of biomass being removed under optimized conditions. Extrapolation of these data indicated that to remove CO₂ from the combustion gases of a coal fired power plant burning 2.4 × 10⁴ metric tons of coal per day would require a bioreactor 386 km² × 1 m deep and would result in the production of 2.13 × 10⁵ metric tons (wet weight) of biomass per day. Based on these calculations, it was concluded that autotrophic CO₂ removal would not be feasible at most locations, and as a result, alternate technologies for CO₂ removal should be explored.     

Utilization of municipal solid waste incineration ash in Portland cement clinker

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash is used in part as raw materials for cement clinker production by taking advantage of the high contents of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and CaO. It is necessary for environmental reasons to establish a material utilization system for the incineration waste ash residue instead of disposing these ashes into landfill. The aim of this paper is to study the feasibility of replacing clinker raw materials by waste ash residue for cement clinker production. MSWI bottom ash and MSWI fly ash are the main types of ashes being evaluated. The ashes were mixed into raw mixture with different portions of ash residue to produce cement clinker in a laboratory furnace at approximately 1400°C. X-ray diffraction and X-ray florescence techniques were used to analyze the phase chemistry and chemical composition of clinkers in order to compare these ash-based clinkers with commercial Portland cement clinker.     

Palladium-based plasmonic perfect absorber in the visible wavelength range and its application to hydrogen sensing

We report on the experimental realization of a palladium-based plasmonic perfect absorber at visible wavelengths and its application to hydrogen sensing. Our design exhibits a reflectance <0.5% and zero transmittance at 650 nm and the operation wavelength of the absorber can be tuned by varying its structural parameters. Exposure to hydrogen gas causes a rapid and reversible increase in reflectance on a time scale of seconds. This pronounced response introduces a novel optical hydrogen detection scheme with very high values of the relative intensity response.     

Macroporous calcium phosphate ceramic implants for sustained drug delivery

Limited blood circulation to the skeletal tissue is a major cause of reduced therapeutic effects seen with drugs administered by conventional systemic ways. To resolve this issue and obtain a sufficiently high local concentration to induce therapeutic effects, several implanted drug delivery systems have been developed for hard tissues using biomaterials.We have designed a drug delivery device based on hydroxylapatite (HA) and tested it in vitro using metronidazol and chloramphenicol as model compounds. Porous HA ceramics were prepared with two different shapes (cylindrical and spherical). Known amounts of drugs were introduced inside a drilled hole and sealed with wax. The ceramics were then suspended in stirred distilled water in closed polypropylene vials. Drug release was observed during several weeks.A mathematical model used to describe drug release from HA was elaborated based on the expressions of Fick's laws. The experimental kinetic results could be related to ceramic constitution and to drug localization.     

Vacuum Technology Considerations For Mass Metrology

Vacuum weighing of mass artifacts eliminates the necessity of air buoyancy correction and its contribution to the measurement uncertainty. Vacuum weighing is also an important process in the experiments currently underway for the redefinition of the SI mass unit, the kilogram. Creating the optimum vacuum environment for mass metrology requires careful design and selection of construction materials, plumbing components, pumping, and pressure gauging technologies. We review the vacuum technology¹ required for mass metrology and suggest procedures and hardware for successful and reproducible operation.     

驾驶员对北京市道路交通标志的感知和理解

通过模拟在交通标志引导下到达指定地点的过程,研究了北京市道路交通标志信息量以及驾驶员脑力负荷对感知和理解道路交通标志的影响.在已有研究的基础上,改进了交通标志信息量的计算方法.相关分析结果表明,该方法很好地拟合了驾驶员对交通标志信息量的主观评价.方差分析结果表明:1)信息最的大小对驾驶员感知和理解交通标志没有显著影响;2)脑力负荷对交通标志识别率、决策时间、决策正确率以及决策确信程度有显著影响;3)脑力负荷对主观任务负荷和识别交通标志的时间没有显著影响.     

Infrared study of nitrogen monoxide adsorption on palladium ion-exchanged ZSM-5 catalysts

The adsorption of NO at room temperature on a H-ZSM-5 catalyst exchanged with Pd(NH₃) ₄ ²⁺ complex and activated in oxygen at 773 K has been examined by FTIR spectroscopy. After the oxidizing treatment, the Pd tetrammine complex decomposed into Pd(II) ions and/or Pd(II) hydroxyl complexes dispersed in the zeolite channels. The subsequent adsorption of NO at room temperature led to the reduction of Pd(II) to Pd(I) entities, resulting in the formation and adsorption of NO₂ on H-ZSM-5. The Pd(I) entities were shown to adsorb NO and form mononitrosyl complexes dispersed in the zeolite porosity and characterized by a single infrared absorption band at 1881 cm^–1. The Pd(I) mononitrosyl complex was shown to reversibly coordinate water and NO₂ molecules. The resulting nitrosyl complex was characterized by a single NO vibration band at 1836 cm^–1.