Synthesis of hydrous SnO2 and SnO2-coated TiO2 powders by the homogeneous precipitation method and their characterization

Hydrous SnO₂ and SnO₂-coated TiO₂ powders were synthesized by the homogeneous precipitation method using urea and the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and energy- dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Electrical conductivities were measured with an impedance analyser. Hydrous SnO₂ powder prepared under conditions without SO ₄ ^2– ions was a bulky product containing 75 wt% of water. The addition of SO ₄ ^2– ions to the solution changed bulky hydrous SnO₂ to a dense product; approximately spherical particles were obtained with an average particle size of 0.14 ± 0.03 m. with 13.5 wt % of absorbed water. Antimony-doped hydrous SnO₂ prepared under conditions with SO ₄ ^2– ions consisted of approximately spherical particles with an average particle size of 0.17 ± 0.04 m with 15.0 wt % of absorbed water. Hydrous SnO₂-coated TiO₂ powders with a good dispersion state and with various Sn/Ti ratios were prepared under conditions with SO ₄ ^2– ions. All the as-prepared coated powders were white, but the products doped with Sb³⁺ ions were turned to pale blue by heat treatment at 600° C for 1 h and their electrical conductivities increased by orders of about 3.0 in comparison with those of the other two.     

The α- to β-Si3N4 transformation in the presence of liquid silicon

The compacts consisted of , -Si₃N₄ and free silicon are heat treated in the range 1650° C to 1750° C in an argon atmosphere in order to observe the following behaviours; the to phase transformation and variations of the microstructure during heat treatment in silicon nitride. For the microstructural observation of the heat treated specimens, the same grains in the polished surface were investigated before and after eliminating the retained silicon by etching. The to phase transformation, in this case, occurs via silicon melts irrespective of added -Si₃N₄. Both and phases are soluted and precipitated into molten silicon and their morphology are changed from an equiaxed shape to prismatic one. Although elongated grains are precipitated at low temperature or in the early stage of heat treatment, fine precipitated grains are mainly observed with increasing heat treating temperature.     

Amino acid profiles and liposomes: Their role as chemosensory information carriers in the marine environment

Yellowfin tuna enhance their hunting success in the vast pelagic environment by using their sense of smell to detect intact (uninjured) prey that are beyond visual range. However, the olfactory cues that tuna use would normally face huge and rapid dilution in the open ocean. We demonstrate that these prey odors are complexed within biologically derived lipid structures that probably delay the dilution of the amino acids to subthreshold concentrations and provide persistent arousal and search cues for the tuna. This may be the first demonstration of an extracorporeal biological function for liposomes. Tuna may also form chemical search images to maximize feeding efficiency. We demonstrate that the amino acid profiles of various prey species are consistent over time and between schools, which makes the formation of search images feasible.     

Pressure-induced conversion of α-connectin to β-connectin

The mechanism of the pressure-induced tenderization of meat has not been fully established in spite of its beneficial effect. To detect the changes in the large structural proteins of the myofibrils induced by pressurization without heat treatment, high hydrostatic pressure (100-300 MPa) was applied to rabbit at-death skeletal muscle for 10 min at low temperature (0-2°C). Significant differences in the electrophoretic pattern of connectin (also called titin) in isolated myofibrils were observed between the control and pressurized muscle samples. The conversion of α-connectin (2800 kDa) to β-connectin (2100 kDa) was accelerated with increasing pressure applied to the muscle; also nebulin (800 kDa) was degraded by pressure treatment. From the results it is clear that the degradation of connectin is induced by pressurization alone without heat treatment. If the conversion of α-connectin to β-connectin during conditioning has some influence on meat tenderization, the pressure-induced conversion of α- to β-connectin is possibly one of the causes of pressure-induced tenderization of meat.     

Infiltration behaviour of an internal electrode and electrical properties of multilayer capacitors by electrode infiltration

The infiltration behaviour of a tin melt, as an internal electrode, to the porous layers, and the electrical properties of multilayer ceramic capacitors was investigated by electrode infiltration. By preventing green-state delamination between the dielectric green sheet and the carbon paste, uniform porous layers, 5 m thick, could be formed after sintering. When 15 vol % ceramic pillars were added to the carbon paste, the porous layer of the sintered samples could be considered as a porous solid formed by many pores larger than 4 m. The critical pressure for the infiltration of tin melt into such a porous layer was found to be 0.5 MPa. With a high infiltration pressure, the resistivity of multilayer capacitors was decreased to 10⁸–10⁹cm due to the growth of micro-defects formed on the surface of the dielectric layers during the lamination process.     

Dielectric properties and microstructural behaviour of B-site calcium-doped barium titanate ceramics

Dielectric properties and microstructural behaviour of Ba_1–x Sr _x Ti_1–y Ca _y O_3–y ceramics, where strontium and calcium were doped on the barium and titanium sites, respectively, within the range 0x0.24 and 0y0.05, were investigated. Calcium addition decreased the tetragonality,c/a, increased the unit cell volume, and lowered the Curie temperature, which were all attributed to the occupancy of Ca²⁺ ions on titanium sites. When sintered at a low oxygen partial pressure of 10^–9 MPa, a resistivity higher than 10¹¹ cm was maintained for the formulations containing B-site calcium substitution more than 0.5 mol %. With increasing the amount of calcium addition, the Curie peak was depressed and completely broadened for the compositions with calcium addition more than 3 mol %, where the average grain size was smaller than 1 m. Co-firing with nickel electrodes in a reducing atmosphere also depressed the Curie peak and inhibited the grain growth due to the diffusion of nickel into the dielectrics.     

独立发电商的电压安全成本构成分析

电力市场环境下,发电、供电与用电环节分离,各自成为独立的市场主体,其成本投入与经济损失需要各自负担,因此,研究市场环境下的电压安全成本构成需要对各个市场主体的参与情况分别进行讨论和分析。本文针对目前市场上独立发电商无功辅助服务定价所存在的问题,根据已有研究成果,提出一种评估独立发电商电压安全成本的新方法,该方法能有效补偿独立发电商为了维持系统电压安全稳定增加无功出力而大大减少有功出力的经济损失。通过对IEEE-57节点测试系统的仿真结果分析表明,该评估方法不仅可以实现系统总发电成本的最小化,而且能通过经济信号激励独立发电商积极参与维持系统的电压安全稳定运行。     

遗传优化的GNNM在瓦斯涌出量预测中的应用

研究矿井瓦斯涌出量准确预测一直是煤矿安全生产中重点关注的问题。煤层瓦斯爆炸因受开发环境、矿层深度、天气等因素的影响,造成与瓦斯涌出量增大而引起的。针对传统预测模型在矿井瓦斯涌出量预测中存在建模困难、收敛速度慢、要求历史数据量大的问题,提出了一种遗传优化的灰色神经网络预测模型。模型利用灰色系统对数据量要求低的特点,将灰色系统理论与神经网络有机结合起来,建立灰色神经网络模型。并采用遗传算法对所建立模型的权值和阈值进行优化。采用模型对矿井瓦斯涌出量进行预测,实验表明,遗传优化的灰色神经网络模型,可以简化系统建模,并能提高瓦斯涌出量预测精度,有一定的实用价值。     

基于邻域搜索的OPTA指纹细化改进算法

在指纹细化的研究中,基于OPTA的细化算法及其改进算法普遍存在指纹图像不够光滑,毛刺较多,细化质量不高等现象。为解决上述问题,在OPTA改进算法基础上提出一个新的设计方案。首先重新设计了删除模板和构造模板,然后将该模板设计成一种独特的一维数组查表索引模式,通过计算比较点的邻域值,在表中查找并进行比对判决,即根据邻域的情况来判断一个点是否可以删除。仿真结果表明,用新方法处理后的指纹图像细化完全,骨架接近纹线中心线,光滑无毛刺,且查询速度快,是一种较为成功的细化改进方案。     

一种PC式数字录像机软件系统的设计与实现

介绍了一种PC(个人计算机)式数字录像机软件系统的设计与实现,给出了该软件系统的组成框架,对系统主要功能的设计与实现进行了简介,包括图像预览、录像与回放、移动侦测与遮挡、电子地图等。文章给出了系统设计中的多厂家设备支持、系统性能优化两个关键问题的设计与实现。该PC式数字录像机软件系统界面友好、功能完善、运行稳定,用户易于掌握使用,同时具有良好的可扩展性,在实际使用中效果良好。