Effects of solid retention time on the performance of submerged anoxic/oxic membrane bioreactor.

In this study, four similar bench-scale submerged Anoxic/Oxic Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) were used simultaneously to investigate the effects of solids retention time (SRT) on organic and nitrogen removal in MBR for treating domestic wastewater. COD removal efficiencies in all reactors were consistently above 94% under steady state conditions. Complete conversion of NH(4+)-N to NO(3-)-N was readily achieved over a feed NH(4+)-N concentration range of 30 to 50 mg/L. It was also observed that SRT did not significantly affect the nitrification in the MBR systems investigated. The average denitrification efficiencies for the 3, 5, 10 and 20 days SRT operations were 43.9, 32.6, 47.5 and 66.5%, respectively. In general, the average effluent nitrogen concentrations, which were mainly nitrate, were about 22.2, 27.6, 21.7 and 13.9 mg/L for the 3, 5, 10 and 20 days SRT systems, respectively. The rate of membrane fouling at 3 days SRT operation was more rapid than that observed at 5 days SRT. No fouling was noted in the 10 days and 20 days SRT systems during the entire period of study.     

Use of the Extreme Groups Approach: A Critical Reexamination and New Recommendations.

Analysis of continuous variables sometimes proceeds by selecting individuals on the basis of extreme scores of a sample distribution and submitting only those extreme scores to further analysis. This sampling method is known as the extreme groups approach (EGA). EGA is often used to achieve greater statistical power in subsequent hypothesis tests. However, there are several largely unrecognized costs associated with EGA that must be considered. The authors illustrate the effects EGA can have on power, standardized effect size, reliability, model specification, and the interpretability of results. Finally, the authors discuss alternative procedures, as well as possible legitimate uses of EGA. The authors urge researchers, editors, reviewers, and consumers to carefully assess the extent to which EGA is an appropriate tool in their own research and in that of others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing and microstructural evolution of powder metallurgy Zn-22 Pct Al eutectoid alloy containing nanoscale dispersion particles

The present article deals with the processing and microstructural evolution of powder metallurgy (PM) Zn-22Al pct eutectoid alloy. The powder material was produced through inert gas atomization and then cryomilled in liquid nitrogen. The milled powder particles were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (“hipping”) followed by thermomechanical treatment, resulting in a two-phase microstructure. The microstructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The principal processing factors and microstructural characteristics associated with the major processing steps, including spray atomization, mechanical milling (MM), consolidation, and heat treatment, were evaluated and discussed. Hot isostatic pressing and extrusion followed by heat treatment to produce the superplastic structure (Al-rich phase and Zn-rich phase) are effective in elimination porosity. A TEM examination of the microstructure of the alloy after processing reveals the presence of nanodispersion particles that are not uniformly distributed. The formation of the dispersions was attributed to the interaction between the powder material (primarily Al phase) and environmental elements such as oxygen and nitrogen during milling. Moreover, the size and distribution of the dispersions present in the bulk material met the anticipated requirements for serving as inhibitors for grain growth and barriers for dislocation movement. The TEM observations on crept specimens reveal extensive dislocation/dispersion interactions.     

The problem of the choice of optimal chemical composition of shipbuilding steel

The problem of the choice of optimal chemical composition of shipbuilding steel in the presence of several optimal criteria is considered. The solution of the problem is based on particular results of the theory of relative importance of criteria and uses particular numerical information on relative importance of criteria.     

The role of iron and its compounds in processes of enrichment of sulfide ores of non-ferrous and noble metals

On the basis of the analysis of the literature data and the data of our investigations, the role of iron and products of its oxidation in sulfide pulps is shown. The technological factors are noted, such as the pH value of the medium, concentration of modifiers, mineral composition, and points and the order of batching flotation reagents; which affect the redox processes with the participation of iron and the characteristics of separation of sulfide minerals during flotation.     

In-Situ and Real-Time Investigation of Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in Metallic Alloy

In this article, we present a review of observations during Al-3.5 wt pct Ni alloy solidi.cation experiments performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. These experiments provide direct access to dynamical phenomena during columnar growth (initial transient and breakdown of a planar solid-liquid interface), and for the first time to the transition from columnar-to-equiaxed microstructure (nucleation ahead of a columnar front and blocking of a columnar front by an equiaxed microstructure) and fully equiaxed growth (propagation of an effective front). Based on these experimental observations, critical parameters such as columnar growth velocity variation during the transition or equiaxed-grain diameter are measured and discussed. This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled “Solidi.cation Modeling and Microstructure Formation: In Honor of Prof. John Hunt,” which occurred March 13–15, 2006, during the TMS Spring Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, under the auspices of the TMS Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, Solidification Committee.     

Multidimensional stability domain of special polynomial families

Consideration was given to the characteristic polynomials with special affine uncertainty. For this family, the stability domain in the parameter space was shown to be a union of polyhedra. For continuous-time and discrete-time systems, a simple method was proposed to single out the stability domain and determine the stability radius for different norms of uncertainty. Efficiency of this method was corroborated by examples.     

Flows in rectangular microchannels driven by capillary force and gravity

Capillary phenomena was studied and discussed by the scholars about 200 years ago, but the progress was slow due to the limited equipment and manufacture precision of the microchannel. In recent years, because of the rapid development of MEMS and micromachining, many applications of the capillary flow is widely developing in some modern processes, such as underfilling of flip chip, flow in microfluidic chip or biochip, and a variety of other fields.