Effects of Ozone-Gas Bubble Size and pH on Ozone/UV Treatment

A series of ozone/UV treatment under injection of ozone with different ozone-gas bubble sizes was performed at pH 1.7 and 7.4. The increase in the bubble size and the decrease in pH enhanced the ozone utilization efficiency. The enhancement of ozone utilization efficiency was caused by the shift of the production pathway of hydroxyl radical (OH) from the OH production via O₃ ^– to the UV photolysis of H₂O₂. The lower pH caused this shift through the chemical equilibrium of H₂O₂ and HO₂ ^–, and the large bubbles caused this shift through the augmentation of H₂O₂ transport from the bubble surface to the bulk solution.     

Queuing Scheme for Improved Downlink Throughput on WLANs

A transmission queuing scheme is described that increases downlink throughput on wireless local area networks (WLANs) while also increasing the total throughput. When the amount of uplink traffic increases on a WLAN, the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol, which is the prescribed scheme for IEEE 802.11 WLAN channel access, may substantially reduce the rate of downlink data frame transmission. This results in severe throughput degradation for mobile stations with downlink traffic. The proposed scheme comprises a transmission control function based on consecutive transmission, as described in the IEEE 802.11e standard, and a dynamic queue prioritization algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme increases the maximum total throughput for uplink and downlink traffic by 17% compared with the conventional distributed coordination function (DCF) scheme and that it reduces the difference between uplink and downlink throughput. In an environment where transmission errors occur, the difference in throughput is reduced by about 50% compared with the conventional schemes.     

In‐line monitoring of polyethylene density using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy

Density and melt index are two key properties in grading commercial polyolefin polymers. For quality assurance, these properties must be controlled as accurately as possible in the production plant. However, the lack of suitable in‐line sensors for these properties makes feedback quality control difficult. In this study, an in‐line density sensor using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is developed. The NIR spectra of molten polyethylene in flow are collected by a fiber‐optic device attached to a single screw extruder. By the ratio of the absorption intensity at 1170 nm to that at 1213 nm, the densities of 14 grades of polyethylene were successfully measured. The results were very promising for quality control in the polyethylene production process.     

Development of metallic closed cellular materials containing polymers

A closed cellular material containing polymers for intelligent materials has been developed. Polystyrene powder particles coated with a nickel–phosphorus alloy layer by electroless plating were sintered at high temperature. A metallic closed cellular material containing polystyrene was then fabricated. Scanning electron microscope indicated that polystyrene remains in the cells after heat treatment. The compressive tests of this material show a low Young’s modulus and high-energy absorption. These results indicate that this metallic closed cellular material can be used for the energy absorbing systems.     

Accumulation and elimination profiles of paralytic shellfish poison in the short-necked clam Tapes japonica fed with the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum

The paralytic shellfish poison (PSP)-producing dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum (Gc) was fed to the short-necked clam Tapes japonica, and the accumulation, transformation and elimination profiles of PSP were investigated by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with postcolumn fluorescence derivatization (HPLC-FLD). The short-necked clams ingested most of the Gc cells (4 x 10(6) cells) supplied as a bolus at the beginning of the experiment, and accumulated a maximal amount of toxin (181 nmol/10 clams) after 12 hr. The rate of toxin accumulation at that time was 16%, which rapidly decreased thereafter. During the rearing period, a variation in toxin composition, derived presumably from the transformation of toxin analogues in the clams, was observed, including a reversal of the ratio of C2 to C1, and the appearance of carbamate (gonyautoxin (GTX) 2, 3) and decarbamoyl (dc) derivatives (decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX) and dcGTX2, 3), which were undetectable in Gc cells. The total amount of toxin contained in clams and residue (remaining Gc cells and/or excrement in the rearing tank) gradually declined, and only about 1% of the supplied toxin was detected at the end of the experiment.     

The effects of point defects on transmission coefficients in two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystals

Based on finite-difference time-domain(FDTD) method,the wave propagation and localization in two-dimensional defect-containing piezoelectric phononic crystals are investigated when the mechanical-electrical coupling is taken into account.The characteristics of localized defect modes are studied,and the effects of the number and direction of defects on the defect modes and transmission coefficients are discussed.Numerical results of defect modes and transmission coefficients are presented for BaTiO3/polymer piezocomposite,and from which we can see that the number and direction of defects have pronounced effects on the defect modes and transmission coefficients.The results also show the existence of elastic wave localization in piezoelectric phononic crystals containing defects.     

Configuration and Characteristics of a Fiber-Optic Video Distribution System

A multiservice fiber-optic subscriber system using wavelength division multiplexing technology has been developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation to provide both 64 kbits/s and broad-band communication services on a single multimode fiber. The subscriber network is formed in a star topology to facilitate bidirectional connection. The system was put in service in March, 1985, as part of the information network system (INS) model system. This paper describes the configuration and characteristics of the video distribution system of this fiber-optic subscriber system. The distribution system uses analog baseband video transmission at a 0.89μm wavelength. The video channel selection is made by an FDM video tuner installed in a central office. The overall performance successfully met design objectives.     

Hydrogen permeation of Hastelloy XR for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

Hydrogen permeation of Hastelloy XR, which was developed for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, has been investigated with a simulated gas to the reactor environment, 80% H₂ + 15% CO + 5% CO₂. In this gas environment, Hastelloy XR formed chromium oxide and manganese-spinel oxide on the surface and showed a good quality to prevent hydrogen permeation. The prevention behavior can be interpreted in terms of a hydrogen diffusion model in a uniform oxide layer, and dependences of permeation rate on time and temperature are explained by variation of oxide thickness. The pressure dependence of the permeation rate for the oxidized alloy as well as bare metals obeyed Sieverts' law. The environmental effects on hydrogen permeation are also discussed on the basis of correlation between the characteristics of the surface layer and the permeation behaviors.     

Magnetic properties of sintered sendust alloys using powders granulated by spray drying method

The iron-silicon-aluminum alloys (particularly Sendust) have been widely used in applications requiring high saturation flux density, low coercive force and high electrical resistivity. For this reason they have been promising for magnetic thin film heads, however, they are too hard and brittle to be made into thin films by rolling, or into three-dimensional products of complex shape by mechanical working or a conventional powder metallurgy process. The reduction in the size and weight of devices that can be accomplished through the use of Sendust has had an important effect on technical development. In this report, magnetic characteristics of Sendust ring samples produced by the powder metallurgy process with spray drying were investigated. After gas-atomized Sendust powders were mixed with paraffin compounds, these powders were granulated by the spray drying method using organic binder consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and plasticizer in the range from 0.1 to 0.5 wt% of PVA, in order to improve the powder flowability and mechanical strength of compacted bodies. Results show that the present method is an excellent process for producing near-net-shaped parts with high performance and high dimensional precision after sintering.