Development of calibration models for quality control in the production of ethylene/propylene copolymers by FTIR spectroscopy,multivariate statistical tools,and artificial neural networks

Principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS), StepWise ordinary least squares regression (OLS), and back‐propagation artificial neural network (BP‐ANN) are applied here for the determination of the propylene concentration of a set of 83 production samples of ethylene–propylene copolymers from their infrared spectra. The set of available samples was split into (a) a training set, for models calculation; (b) a test set, for selecting the correct number of latent variables in PCR and PLS and the end point of the training phase of BP‐ANN; (c) a production set, for evaluating the predictive ability of the models. The predictive ability of the models is thus evaluated by genuine predictions. The model obtained by StepWise OLS turned out to be the best one, both in fitting and prediction. The study of the breakdown number of samples to be included in the training set showed that at least 52 experiments are necessary to build a reliable and predictive calibration model. It can be concluded that FTIR spectroscopy and OLS can be properly employed for monitoring the synthesis or the final product of ethylene–propylene copolymers, by predicting the concentration of propylene directly along the process line. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Polysaccharide‐based artificial extracellular matrix: Preparation and characterization of three‐dimensional,macroporous chitosan,and heparin composite scaffold

Scaffold‐guided tissue engineering based on synthetic and natural occurring polymers has gained many interests in recent year. In this study, the development of a chitosan‐heparin artificial extracellular matrix (AECM) is reported. Three‐dimensional, macroporous composite AECMs composed of heparin (Hep) and chitosan (Chito) were prepared by an interpolyelectrolyte complex/lyophilization method. The Chito‐Hep composite AECMs were, respectively, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, as well as cocrosslinked with N,N‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)‐N′‐ethyl carbodiimide (EDC/NHS) and N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The crosslinking reactions were examined by FT‐IR analysis. In physiological buffer solution (PBS), the EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECM showed a relative lower water retention ratio than its glutaraldehyde‐crosslinked counterparts. The EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECMs showed excellent biocompatibility, according to the results of the in vitro cytotoxic test. This result suggested that the EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECMs might be a potential biomaterial for scaffold‐guided tissue engineering applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Environmental Effects of Hydro-Electric Power Generation in Africa and the Potential for Artificial Floods

Electricity is a fundamental requirement for economic growth, and hydro-electric power is often thought to be environmentally benign. However, the construction and operation of many hydro-power dams in Africa have had significant negative impacts on the environment and rural economies. Reduced downstream flooding has destroyed fisheries and starved the floodplain soils of moisture and nutrients. Often the worst-affected areas have no electrification and therefore do not benefit from power generation. New dams which are planned in Kenya and Tanzania have been specifically designed to make flood releases. This will allow electricity to be generated whilst maintaining a dynamic flooding pattern for the short-term economic importance of fisheries and agriculture and the longer-term importance of soil fertility and biodiversity. Involvement of local community representatives in deciding when flood waters should be released on the Phongolo River in South Africa has resulted in substantial benefits to floodplain users.     

A Study of Surface Deformation during Wire‐Rod Rolling of High Speed Steels using Experimental and Computational Techniques

The evolution of surface defects during shape rolling of high‐speed steel billets is studied using longitudinal surface defects prepared by machining and welding. The reduction of the defects during rolling in a production mill is compared to the total area reduction of the billets. Samples are collected after pass 4, 6, 8, 14, 19 and the final pass, 28, representing the finished 5.5mm wire. By inspecting the cross sections, the rotation of the billets from pass to pass is evaluated. Results from FE simulations on solid billets are compared to the experimental results. Generally, simulations predict less reduction than observed experimentally. In most cases cracks reduce most effectively followed by carbon steel welds and stainless steel welds.     

How to make and defend a proposal in a deliberation dialogue

In this paper it is shown how tools developed in argumentation theory and artificial intelligence can be applied to the development of a new dialectical analysis of the speech act of making a proposal in a deliberation dialogue. These tools are developed, modified and used to formulate dialogue pre-conditions, defining conditions and post-conditions for the speech act of making a proposal in a deliberation dialogue. The defining conditions set out what is required for a move in a dialogue to count as the making of a proposal by one of the parties. What is required are the conditions that (1) the move fit the requirements of the argumentation scheme for practical reasoning, and (2) the premises are propositions describing common goals of both parties or propositions that they reasonably consider means to achieve these goals. The analysis goes beyond the standard speech act approach by specifying not only the normative requirements for making a well-formed proposal, but also the requirements for responding to it by questioning or criticizing it, and the requirements for defending it.     

专家系统在化工中的应用进展

本文综述了近年来专家系统在化工领域的应用状况，并指出今后的发展趋势。     

孤东油田的海油陆采进展

孤东油田极浅海区域新发现几个边际油藏。其中垦东401块水深-2m,距陆地2.7km,为稀油、疏松砂岩油藏,试油获14～25t/d工业油流。在三维地震、测井约束地震反演、数值模拟和油藏经营管理评价基础上编制了产能建设方案,通过修筑海公路、人工岛、丛式井组、大位移水平井、采用数据采集与控制的远程测控和紧急关断技术,能够无人职守、遥测遥控,整体实现了海油陆采。有效动用地质储量233×104t,钻井12口,建成年产油4×104t能力,累产油8.6×104t。目前在垦东12人工岛上钻打了26口井,推广了海油陆采经验。     

AI paradigms

The aim of this paper is comparative analysis of most important AI paradigms. An AI paradigm is defined as the pair composed by a concept of intelligence and a methodology in which intelligent computer systems are developed and operated. Three paradigms, the behaviourist paradigm, the agent paradigm, and the artificial life paradigm are discussed.     

基于人工势场方法的WSN传感覆盖率提高算法

感覆盖率是WSN系统中重要的性能指标之一。Sink节点的移动性能提高系统的传感覆盖率,人工势场能描述普通节点与Sink节点之间的关系。提出了一种利用人工势场方法有效的Sink节点移动控制策略,通过Sink节点的移动能够提高系统的传感覆盖率。普通节点搜集的数据能通过多跳的方式传送给Sink节点。在最初的随机部署之后,由人工势场产生的力迫使移动Sink节点移动到整个环境中的平衡点以获得更高的传感覆盖率。在整个算法执行过程中无需事先了解环境的情况,此方法能在实时的环境中采用。给出了具体的算法步骤,最后利用一个仿真实例对控制效果进行了说明。     

洪水预报智能模型在中国半干旱半湿润区的应用对比

为探究不同洪水预报智能模型在我国半干旱半湿润区的应用效果,选用决策树、多层感知器、随机森林和支持向量机4种模型在陕西省3个典型流域进行逐时洪水预报;选择相关系数、纳什效率系数、均方根误差、平均绝对误差和相对误差等评价指标,比较不同预见期下4种模型在半干旱半湿润典型流域洪水预报的适用性。结果表明:在短预见期预报中,4种模型在半湿润区典型流域均可获得较高的预报结果,在半干旱典型流域模拟精度相对偏低,仅支持向量机模型满足预报要求;随着预见期延长,不同模型性能变化差异大,支持向量机模型整体稳定,在小流域实时洪水预报中具有明显优势;随机森林模型与决策树模型精度随预见期延长而缓慢下降,前者适应性更好;多层感知器模型精度随预见期延长而骤减,模型稳定性较差。