Fractional crystallization: Design alternatives and tradeoffs

Guildlines for the design of fractional crystallization processes to separate two-and three-solute mixtures are presented. By using solvent addition/removal, stream combination, and cooling/heating, these processes bypass regions of multiple saturation in the phase diagram and recover purse solutes. Design equations are formulated, and the constraints on the design variables are identified. also included is a discussion of the effect on recyle flows of changes in the design variables and an estimate of the cost of a fractional crystallization separation.     

Exact methods for determining the kinematics of a stewart platform using additional displacement sensors

The Stewart platform (SP) is a parallel closed-kinematic chain robotic mechanism that is capable of providing high structural and positional rigidity. Because of its unique capability, the platforms have been employed in many control engineering applications such as simulator shakers, robotic manipulators, etc. However, a main problem often found in the implementation of a real-time controller for the platform is the lack of an efficient algorithm for solving its highly nonlinear forward kinematic transformation (FKT), where one seeks to find the translational and orientational altitudes of the moveable platform from knowing the lengths of the platform linkages. This article describes two new direct and exact methods for computing the translational and rotational displacements of an SP by employing extra transnational displacement sensors (TDSs), in addition to the existing TDSs for the six links of the SP. The key for the approach lies in knowing where to employ the TDSs for determining positional vectors of strategic platform locations. By taking advantage of a tetrahedral geometry, closed-form solutions for the FKT can then be derived and directly evaluated. The new methods produce accurate solutions with only minimal computation necessary. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed methods are discussed and compared to an existing method. The exact methods are being investigated for an on-line implementation of a nonlinear adaptive control system and redundancy scheme for a 25-ton Stewart platform-based Crew Station/Turret Motion Base Simulator (CS/TMBS) at the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM).     

Study of segmented ethylene terephthalate–caprolactone copolymer by differential refractometry and light scattering

A segmented ethylene terephthalate (ET)–caprolactone (CL) copolymer was characterized by light scattering in chloroform tetrahydrofuran and butanone. The flexibility of the copolymer chain is comparable with that of typical flexible chains, such as polystyrene. In the process of applying the Bushuk–Benoit light scattering theory to the segmented PET–PCL copolymer, we encountered not only the problem of finding three solvents with different refractive index but also the problem of determining the specific refractive index increments for the PET and PCL segments in the copolymer, i.e., ν_PET and ν_PCL . In principle, the approximate values of ν_PET and ν_PCL can be obtained from the PET and PCL homopolymers, respectively. In reality, it involves many practical problems, e.g., to find three solvents not only for copolymer but also for the PET and PCL homopolymers. In this study, a different method was used to find both ν_PET and ν_PCL , wherein the ν values of at least two segmented PET–PCL copolymers with different PET compositions were used. With ν_PET , ν_PCL , and ν, we characterized the absolute molecular weight. Further, we show that the composition of an unknown segmented PET–PCL copolymer can be estimated from ν_PET , ν_PCL , and ν. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

基于中心投影形状特征的车载移动测量系统交通标志自动识别

针对车载移动测量系统所拍摄图像中的交通标志的自动识别问题,提出了一种基于中心投影特征的交通标志自动识别算法。文中详细研究了基于自适应图像分割和中心投影变换的交通标志图像的形状特征计算方法,利用信息熵解决了中心投影变换的最佳投影个数确定问题。在中心投影特征计算的基础上,利用训练后的概率神经网络实现了交通标志具体含义的自动识别。使用车载移动测量系统所拍摄的实际交通标志图像对本文算法进行了实验,并将中心投影形状特征和不变矩特征及SIFT特征的识别效果进行了对比,实验结果表明基于中心投影特征的识别方法具有最高的识别准确率。     

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of extracts of Ginkgo leaves

The aim of the present study was to determine the flavonol contents of crude extracts from Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) leaves, their antioxidant properties in model system studies, and their inhibitory action of linoleic acid oxidation in an emulsion system and of triacylglycerols (TAG) in rapeseed oil. Extracts were prepared from both green and yellow leaves of Ginkgo trees using water, aqueous acetone, and ethanol. Extracts were analyzed by HPLC for their presence and content of selected flavonols; these included myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and morin. The highest level of flavonols, especially quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol, were found in the aqueous acetonic extracts. Crude extracts from yellow Ginkgo leaves contained greater amounts of flavonols. The best DPPH radical‐scavenging activity amongst the Ginkgo extracts examined was determined for aqueous acetonic extracts, while the lowest was noted for the ethanolic extract of green leaves. Water infusion extracts exhibited the highest iron(II) chelating activity. The reducing power of extracts from yellow leaves was 2 higher than that of crude extracts from green leaves. Nevertheless, extracts from green Ginkgo leaves imparted a greater protection factor against TAG oxidation, as assessed by the Rancimat method. Crude extracts from yellow Ginkgo leaves were more efficacious than green ones at inhibiting oxidation of the linoleic acid emulsion.     

Manganese oxide hollow structures with different phases: Synthesis, characterization and catalytic application

Manganese oxide hollow structures with different phases were synthesized by calcination using a γ-MnO₂ hollow structure as a precursor. Our results revealed that the as-synthesized β-MnO₂ and Mn₂O₃ still maintained the morphology of the precursor. Compared with the MnO₂ reported and conventional MnO₂, both the γ-MnO₂ and β-MnO₂ hollow structures showed a higher catalytic activity and an excellent selectivity in the aerobic oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamyl aldehyde. The TPR experiments demonstrated that the reduced size of crystallite, hollow nature and higher BET specific surface area were responsible for their higher catalytic activity.     

Exposure to ethyl carbamate in alcohol-drinking and nondrinking adults and its reduction by simple charcoal filtration

The risk of exposure to ethyl carbamate from the consumption of kimchi, soy sauce, and alcoholic beverages was assessed in alcohol-drinking and nondrinking adults. An alcohol-drinking adult obtains 5.6–9.2 ng/kg bw/day of ethyl carbamate through the addition of kimchi and soy sauce, while a nondrinking adult receives 3.3–4.0 ng/kg bw/day via kimchi and soy sauce alone. The average excess cancer risk of an alcohol-drinking adult (3.9 × 10^?7) was also twice higher than that of an adult who does not drink (1.9 × 10^?7). We achieved a maximum of 47% and 45% removal of the ethyl carbamate present in diluted spirits and soy sauce, respectively, through a simple charcoal filtration process. This resulted in a reduction of the average daily intakes of ethyl carbamate through diluted spirits and soy sauce from 1.7 and 2.2 ng/kg bw/day to 0.9 and 1.2 ng/kg bw/day, respectively.     

邹庄井田3_2煤层煤与瓦斯突出地质预测

根据矿井已揭露瓦斯地质参数信息,运用煤与瓦斯突出地质预测方法,结合数量化理论,建立了矿井32煤层瓦斯地质预测模型及瓦斯地质区划预测指标体系,从而提高了瓦斯防治的前瞻性、针对性。     

Improved active‐diode circuit used in voltage doubler

An improved active‐diode circuit, which makes use of positive feedback to achieve fast on/off transition, is presented in this paper. The proposed active‐diode circuit can be embedded into a voltage doubler to replace the commonly used dead‐time circuit and to eliminate reverse current. In addition, the relationship between oscillation frequency, boosting and output capacitances, load‐ and on‐resistances of the power switch and the output voltage is analysed, to investigate a methodology to retain high voltage gain of a voltage doubler. The proposed active‐diode circuit is applied to a voltage doubler implemented in a commercial 0.35‐µm process with threshold voltage of about 0.68 V. The input voltage, maximum output current and oscillation frequency of the voltage doubler are 1 V, 1 mA and 0.4 MHz, respectively. Moreover, the used boosting and output capacitances are 22 nF. The highest power efficiency achieved is 83% at a load current of 0.47 mA. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.