New Preparation Method of CdS Clusters Encapsulated in Y-Type Zeolites

CdS clusters encapsulated in Y-type zeolite were prepared by a novel technique with non-aqueous systems. The mechanical mixture of CdCl₂· 2.5H₂O crystal with Y-type zeolite was heated at 773 K, followed by the H₂S treatment at 373 K, resulting in the formation of CdS clusters with the size <2.3 nm.     

Preparation of plasma-polymerized membranes from I-(trimethylsilyl)-I-propyne and gas permeability through the membranes

Summary Plasma-polymerized membranes for gas separation were prepared from 1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne. The permeation data of He, H₂ 0₂, N₂, CO₂, and CH₄ through the membranes showed plasma-polymerized 1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne had high permselectivity but low permeability compared with poly[l-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne]. This behavior is considered to be due to the crosslinking structure of the plasma-polymerized membrane. The correlation between plasma polymerization conditions and the membrane performance was studied. The optimum condition at which the deposition rate of the plasma polymer is maximized agreed with the optimum value to yield maximum separation factor of gases through the membrane.     

Bayesian inference explains perception of unity and ventriloquism aftereffect: identification of common sources of audiovisual stimuli

We study a computational model of audiovisual integration by setting a Bayesian observer that localizes visual and auditory stimuli without presuming the binding of audiovisual information. The observer adopts the maximum a posteriori approach to estimate the physically delivered position or timing of presented stimuli, simultaneously judging whether they are from the same source or not. Several experimental results on the perception of spatial unity and the ventriloquism effect can be explained comprehensively if the subjects in the experiments are regarded as Bayesian observers who try to accurately locate the stimulus. Moreover, by adaptively changing the inner representation of the Bayesian observer in terms of experience, we show that our model reproduces perceived spatial frame shifts due to the audiovisual adaptation known as the ventriloquism aftereffect.     

The Influence of Rapid Annealing Cycles on the Recrystallisation Behaviour of Cold Rolled Ultra Low Carbon and Low Carbon Steel

For ultra low carbon (ULC) and low carbon steel (LC), the influence of heating rate, annealing temperature, and holding time on the recrystallisation behaviour and the resulting grain size was investigated. For ULC smallest grain sizes of about 9 μm were obtained at the lowest heating rate whereas for LC significant smaller grain sizes of about 5 μm were determined at the highest heating rate. Furthermore, the evolution of the grain size distribution with varying heating rate, annealing temperature, and holding time was studied in dependence of the rolling and normal direction. The state of the as‐hot rolled microstructure as well as the precipitation state exert a strong influence on the development of the recrystallised microstructure along the different directions for both steel grades. The inherent prolonged microstructure due to the cold rolling process is still obvious just after recrystallisation. With ongoing annealing and grain growth, the aspect ratio approaches the equiaxed state. This change proceeds faster for the ULC steel grade. With increasing annealing temperature, the bimodal character of the grain size distribution disappears and the distribution becomes more homogeneous.     

Towards the improvement of thermal efficiency in lignite‐fired power generation: Concerning the utilization of Polish lignite deposits in state‐of‐the‐art IGCC technology

Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the most advanced technology for coal‐fired power generation. The two‐stage entrained flow gasification process allows for the use of a wide range of coal, as long as the gasification temperature is above the ash melting point of a used fuel. In this gasification technology, lignite, which often has a low ash melting point, can be preferably utilized. However, ash fluidity is also another importance, because the behaviour of molten slag can diminish a stable ash discharge from a gasifier. As the eligibility of coal ash properties is a considerable factor, water physically and chemically kept in lignite (30 – 60% in mass) attributes to deteriorating gasification efficiency, because it causes significant heat loss and increasing oxygen consumption. Developing a thermal evaporative lignite drying method will be a necessary attempt to apply lignite to the coal gasification process. For those preceded objectives, coal and ash properties and drying characteristics of several grades of Polish lignite, extracted from Belchatow and Turow deposits, have been experimentally investigated in a preliminary study evaluating the applicability and consideration for its utilization in state‐of‐the‐art clean coal technology, IGCC. This paper particularly discusses the eligibility of Polish lignite from the perspective of the fusibility and fluidity of ash melts and the fundamental drying kinetics of lignite in superheated steam in the light of water removal. The viscosity of ash melts is measured at high temperature up to 1700 °C. In the drying tests, the significant influence of structural issues, because of the provenance and origin of lignite on the drying characteristics, was found by applying the method of sensitivity analysis of physical propensity. This paper concludes that the investigated Polish lignite has characteristics favourable for utilization in IGCC technology, once the precautions related to its high moisture have been carefully addressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laboratory measurement of hydraulic conductivity functions of two unsaturated sandy soils during drying and wetting processes

The importance of applying unsaturated soil mechanics to geotechnical engineering design has been well understood. However, the consumption of time and the necessity for a specific laboratory testing apparatus when measuring unsaturated soil properties have limited the application of unsaturated soil mechanics theories in practice. Although methods for predicting unsaturated soil properties have been developed, the verification of these methods for a wide range of soil types is required in order to increase the confidence of practicing engineers in using these methods. In this study, a new permeameter was developed to measure the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils using the steady-state method and directly measured suction (negative pore-water pressure) values. The apparatus is instrumented with two tensiometers for the direct measurement of suction during the tests. The apparatus can be used to obtain the hydraulic conductivity function of sandy soil over a low suction range (0–10 kPa). Firstly, the repeatability of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity measurement, using the new permeameter, was verified by conducting tests on two identical sandy soil specimens and obtaining similar results. The hydraulic conductivity functions of the two sandy soils were then measured during the drying and wetting processes of the soils. A significant hysteresis was observed when the hydraulic conductivity was plotted against the suction. However, the hysteresis effects were not apparent when the conductivity was plotted against the volumetric water content. Furthermore, the measured unsaturated hydraulic conductivity functions were compared with predictions using three different predictive methods that are widely incorporated into numerical software. The results suggest that these predictive methods are capable of capturing the measured behavior with reasonable agreement.     

Biosynthesis of Trehangelin in Polymorphospora rubra K07–0510: Identification of Metabolic Pathway to Angelyl‐CoA

Trehangelins are trehalose angelates discovered from endophytic actinomycete Polymorphospora rubra K07‐0510. We identified the trehangelin biosynthetic gene cluster, including genes that encode a glycoside hydrolase‐like protein (thgC), α‐amylase (thgD), 3‐ketoacyl‐ACP synthase III (thgI), 3‐ketoacyl‐ACP reductase (thgK), enoyl‐CoA hydratase (thgH) and acyl transferase (thgJ). Heterologous expression of thgH, thgI, thgJ and thgK confirmed the importance of these genes in the biosynthesis of trehangelin A. Enzymatic activity studies showed that ThgI catalyses the condensation of acetyl‐CoA and methylmalonyl‐CoA to 2‐methylacetoacetyl‐CoA (MAA‐CoA), ThgK catalyses NADPH‐dependent reduction of MAA‐CoA to 3‐hydroxy‐2‐methylbutyryl‐CoA (HMB‐CoA) and ThgH catalyses the dehydration of HMB‐CoA to angelyl‐CoA (AN‐CoA). This is the first report on the elucidation of the enzymatic formation of AN‐CoA.     

Clarifying the hydrological mechanisms and thresholds for rainfall-induced landslide: in situ monitoring of big data to unsaturated slope stability analysis

The development of early warning systems for landslide hazards has long been a challenge because the accuracy of such systems is limited by both the complicated underlying mechanisms of landslides and the lack of in situ data. In this study, we implemented a multivariate threshold criterion that integrates in situ monitoring data and data from unsaturated hydro-mechanical analyses as an early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides in the Wenchuan earthquake region of China. The results indicate that rainfall intensity is closely correlated with the probability of landslide occurrence. Variations in matric suction and suction stress were obtained from in situ measurements and used to quantify the soil water retention curve, which presented clear hysteresis characteristics. The impacts of rainfall infiltration on slope failure in post-earthquake landslide areas under transient rainfall conditions were quantified by hydro-mechanical modelling theories. Variations in the suction stress of unsaturated soil were used to calculate the safety factor. The influence of hydrological hysteresis processes on the slope failure mechanism was analysed. Multivariate threshold criteria that include the intensity–probability (I-P) threshold, soil moisture and matric suction based on in situ big data and unsaturated slope stability analysis benchmarks are proposed for use in an early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides.