Thermodynamic assessment of MCl–YCl3 (M=Na,K, Rb,Cs) systems

Thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of the MCl–YCl₃ (M=Na, K, Rb, Cs) systems were reassessed by using the CALPHAD method with the latest phase diagram data. A two-sublattice ionic solution model (M⁺)_P(Cl⁻, ${\mathrm{YCL}}_6^{3-}$, YCl₃)_Q reflecting the ionic behavior of the components was adopted to describe the liquid phase in the systems. A new set of optimized model parameters was found, and the calculated phase diagrams and enthalpies of mixing have good agreement with experimental data. The calculated liquidus near to YCl₃ side agrees much better with experimental data compared with previous work. In consideration of high and low temperature modifications as well as stability of intermediate compounds, Gibbs energies of formation of these compounds evaluated in the present work are more reasonable.     

Critical transistors nexus based circuit-level aging assessment and prediction

Accurate age modeling, and fast, yet robust reliability sign-off emerged as mandatory constraints in Integrated Circuits (ICs) design for advanced process technology nodes. In this paper we introduce a novel method to assess and predict the circuit reliability at design time as well as at run-time. The main goal of our proposal is to allow for: (i) design time reliability optimization; (ii) fine tuning of the run-time reliability assessment infrastructure, and (iii) run-time aging assessment. To this end, we propose to select a minimum-size kernel of critical transistors and based on them to assess and predict an IC End-Of-Life (EOL) via two methods: (i) as the sum of the critical transistors end-of-life values, weighted by fixed topology-dependent coefficients, and (ii) by a Markovian framework applied to the critical transistors, which takes into account the joint effects of process, environmental, and temporal variations. The former model exploits the aging dependence on the circuit topology to enable fast run-time reliability assessment with minimum aging sensors requirements. By allowing the performance boundary to vary in time such that both remnant and nonremnant variations are encompassed, and imposing a Markovian evolution, the probabilistic model can be better fitted to various real conditions, thus enabling at design-time appropriate guardbands selection and effective aging mitigation/compensation techniques. The proposed framework has been validated for different stress conditions, under process variations and aging effects, for the ISCAS-85 c499 circuit, in PTM 45 nm technology. From the total of 1526 transistors, we obtained a kernel of 15 critical transistors, for which the set of topology dependent weights were derived. Our simulation results for 15 critical transistors kernel indicate a small approximation error (i.e., mean smaller than 15% and standard deviation smaller than 6%) for the considered circuit estimated end-of-life (EOL), when comparing to the end-of-life values obtained from Cadence simulation, which quantitatively confirm the accuracy of the IC lifetime evaluation. Moreover, as the number of critical transistors determines the area overhead, we also investigated the implications of reducing their number on the reliability assessment accuracy. When only 5 transistors are included into the critical set instead of 15, which results in a 66% area overhead reduction, the EOL estimation accuracy diminished with 18%. This indicates that area vs. accuracy trade-offs are possible, while maintaining the aging prediction accuracy within reasonable bounds.     

新型层状表面相锆基固体酸催化酯化反应研究

将所研制的层状表面相锆基固体酸催化剂用于一元、二元醇醋酸酯和其他羧酸酯类产品的合成 ,考察了其催化性能。研究发现 :层状表面相锆基固体酸催化剂对所考察的酯化反应具有很好的普遍适用性 ,但其酯化率与醇的性质和结构密切有关。催化反应动力学研究表明乙酸与丁醇、戊醇、己醇的酯化反应均为二级反应 ,且反应活化能均较低 ,分别为 47 4kJ/mol、2 3 3kJ/mol和 19 8kJ/mo     

A helical drive in-pipe robot based on compound planetary gearing

The modern society is fuelled by very comprehensive grids of gas and liquid pipelines. In recent years, various in-pipe robots have been developed for inspection and maintenance tasks inside such pipes. In this paper, a novel in-pipe robot is proposed and developed for gas/oil well interventions at thousands of meters downhole. Due to the nature of such intervention, in-pipe robot design must be capable of carrying a very large payload, as large as 2500?N inside a pipe with diameter as small as 54?mm. The proposed design concept is based on a compound planetary gearing system. One of the major novelties of this design is the use of pipe wall as a ring gear for one stage of the compound planetary gear system; the other novelty is the generation of helical angle when the planetary gears are expanded to press on the pipe wall. The proposed concept is compact, efficient, and has never been reported before. In this paper, the helical angle, the velocity, and load capability of the proposed system will be analyzed. The load transportation capability of the proposed robot is also measured based on an experiment. Initial data have shown great potential in carrying large payloads.     

磷钨杂多酸催化乙醇和乙酸酯化反应的研究

以多孔钛片为支撑体,制备了磷钨杂多化合物薄膜化催化剂。在膜催化器上,考察了薄膜化催化剂对乙醇和乙酸合成乙酸乙酯的催化性能。结果表明,薄膜化催化剂显著提高了催化活性;当n(乙醇)∶n(乙酸)=1.5∶1,原料流量2.55mL/h;在反应温度为110℃时,乙酸乙酯产率可达97%,且薄膜催化剂的处理很方便,不污染环境。     

Exploring single electrode reactions in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Utilising a pseudo-reference electrode in polymer electrolyte fuel cells allows for the separation of anodic and cathodic contributions to the entire cell impedance. Modelling the impedance responses by using equivalent circuits inhibits the investigation of kinetic parameters of the basic electrochemical reactions, which take place at single electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Therefore, we evaluate single electrode impedance measurements by a kinetic model, which is based on specific reaction pathways, either for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) or the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). As a consequence, it is possible to obtain kinetic parameters for the specific reaction of interest. Furthermore, the information gained from the single electrode impedance measurements and the kinetic model can give insight into single reactions steps. In particular, the ORR has to include a chemical step in the reaction pathway.     

Coking kinetics of a Cr2O3/Al2O3 catalyst during 1-butene dehydrogenation: Effect of H2 partial pressure

The influence has been studied of the partial pressure of hydrogen (0–30 kPa) upon the coking rate of a Cr₂O₃/Al₂O₃ commercial catalyst during 1-butene dehydrogenation. Coke deposition has been analysed using a monolayer-multilayer reversible coke growth model (MMRC model). This model provides good fits to the experimental data, within the range of partial pressure of H₂ studied, and allows us to estimate the main kinetic parameters involved in the coking-deactivation process. The results obtained reveal a dual effect of hydrogen: competition against 1-butene for the active sites and the removal of coke precursors from the catalyst surface. Bom effects diminish the coking rate as the H₂ partial pressure is increased.     

Prediction model of compressive strength development of fly-ash concrete

Based on experimental results concerning the compressive strength development of concrete containing fly ash, the authors derived an estimation equation for compressive strength development. The equation can express coefficient , which indicates the activity of fly ash as a binder, in the form of a function of age, fly-ash content, and Blaine specific surface area of fly ash.

This equation is capable of explaining the increases in the early strength due to fly ash in place of part of fine aggregate, the decreases in the early strength due to fly ash in place of part of cement, the increases in the long-term strength due to pozzolanic reaction, the relationship between the fly-ash replacement ratio and the ratio of strength increase/decrease, and the effect of fly ash's Blaine specific surface area on the strength.     

Modelling the effects of human papillomavirus in cervical cells

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, after breast cancer. The prevalence of this malignant disease is estimated at 1.4 million cases worldwide, causing about 290,000 deaths and 500,000 new cases per year, of which 80% correspond to women living in developing countries. In this work we propose a family of ordered models for basal cells of the cervix corresponding to different stages ranging from normal cells to the formation of precancerous lesions. We analyse the first member of the family analytically and for the second member we developed a non-standard numerical method in order to extract some biological information.