A new approach to energy consumption prediction of domestic heat pump water heater based on grey system theory

This paper presented a new approach to energy consumption prediction from a domestic air source heat pump water heater (ASHPWH) based on grey system theory. An improved GM (1, 1) (i.e. a single-variable first-order grey model) applied in domestic hot water system was developed and its prediction accuracy was tested. Comparison of the measured and predicted values of heat from hot water and electricity consumed by the ASHPWH for two typical families (with 4 members and 2 members) were done. Results showed that, the prediction accuracy of the improved GM (1, 1) increased with increase in the data sample interval. The data sample interval of four weeks produced the best prediction accuracy. Based on the improved GM (1, 1) and weather data of Shanghai, the electricity cost saving, the monthly average heat and electricity consumption and the annual carbon emission reduction related to the use of the ASHPWH for the two typical families were evaluated and compared with those of the conventional electric resistance water heater.     

Fatigue behaviour of dissimilar friction stir spot welds between A6061‐T6 and low carbon steel sheets welded by a scroll grooved tool without probe

A6061 and low carbon steel sheets, whose thicknesses were 2 mm, were welded by a friction stir spot welding (FSSW) technique using a scroll grooved tool without probe (scroll tool). Tensile‐shear fatigue tests were performed using lap‐shear specimens at a stress ratio R = 0.1, and the fatigue behaviour of dissimilar welds was discussed. Tensile‐shear force of the dissimilar welds was higher than that of the A6061 similar ones. Furthermore, the dissimilar welds exhibited nearly the same fatigue strengths as the A6061 similar ones, indicating FSSW by a scroll tool was effective technique for joining aluminium to steel sheet. Fatigue fracture modes of the dissimilar welds were dependent on load levels, where shear fracture through the interface between A6061 and steel occurred at high load levels, while crack grew through A6061 sheet at low load level.     

Performance of Silica-Titania Carbon Composites for Photocatalytic Degradation of Gray Water

The objective of this research was to develop a photocatalytic reactor that will reduce the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of a gray water influent. The system used a reactor packed with titanium dioxide (TiO2) supported by silica gel (SiO2) and was optimized with respect to several system parameters. The SiO2–TiO2 composites (STCs) were capable of reducing the TOC concentration from 3,000 ppb to below the targeted concentration of 500 ppb in a recirculating system. An optimum empty bed contact time of 7 min was found based on the fastest destruction rate to reach below 500 ppb of TOC. Also based on destruction rate, a STC having a TiO2 loading of 12 g/100 mL of SiO2 precursor and approximately 120-? pore size was shown to have the best performance among several composites of different TiO2 loadings and pore sizes. The addition of activated carbon to the STC was found to improve the overall performance of the system by increasing the composite’s adsorption capabilities.     

Ultraviolet to visible frequency-conversion properties of rare earths doped glass ceramics

Nd3+,Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions doped transparent chlorophosphate glass ceramics were prepared and their frequency-conversion properties were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns evidenced the formation of expected halide nanocrystals. The absorption,excitation and emission spectra investigation indicated that some of rare earth (RE) ions were trapped in low phonon energy halide nanocrystals,and therefore an efficient down frequency-conversion was observed. The comparative spectroscopic studies of RE doped samples suggested that the glass ceramics systems are potentially applicable as efficient ultraviolet to visible frequency-conversion photonics materials.     

Young infants' generalization of emotional expressions: Effects of familiarity.

From birth, infants are exposed to a wealth of emotional information in their interactions. Much research has been done to investigate the development of emotion perception, and factors influencing that development. The current study investigates the role of familiarity on 3.5-month-old infants' generalization of emotional expressions. Infants were assigned to one of two habituation sequences: in one sequence, infants were visually habituated to parental expressions of happy or sad. At test, infants viewed either a continuation of the habituation sequence, their mother depicting a novel expression, an unfamiliar female depicting the habituated expression, or an unfamiliar female depicting a novel expression. In the second sequence, a new sample of infants was matched to the infants in the first sequence. These infants viewed the same habituation and test sequences, but the actors were unfamiliar to them. Only those infants who viewed their own mothers and fathers during the habituation sequence increased looking. They dishabituated looking to maternal novel expressions, the unfamiliar female's novel expression, and the unfamiliar female depicting the habituated expression, especially when sad parental expressions were followed by an expression change to happy or to a change in person. Infants are guided in their recognition of emotional expressions by the familiarity of their parents, before generalizing to others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social cognitive predictors of Mexican American college students' academic and life satisfaction.

In this study, we used Lent's (2004) social cognitive model of well being to examine the academic and life satisfaction of 457 Mexican American college students attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that the model provided a good fit to the data. Specifically, we found positive relations from positive affect to enculturation, acculturation, college self-efficacy, academic satisfaction, and life satisfaction; from enculturation to college self-efficacy; from acculturation to college self-efficacy and college outcome expectations; from college self-efficacy to college outcome expectations, academic goal progress, academic satisfaction, and life satisfaction; from college outcome expectations to academic satisfaction; from academic goal progress to academic and life satisfaction; and from academic satisfaction to life satisfaction. Findings indicated the model was invariant across gender groups, and overall, 38% and 14% of the variance in academic satisfaction and life satisfaction, respectively, were explained by the predictor variables. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In plain English: Avoiding recognized problems with Miranda miscomprehension.

The landmark case of Miranda v. Arizona (1966) affirmed that custodial suspects must be advised of their Constitutional rights; however, the language of Miranda warnings is not standardized, and marked variations continue to be observed across jurisdictions. Following Miranda, additional Supreme Court decisions—for example, Rhode Island v. Innis (1980), Duckworth v. Eagan (1989), and Florida v. Powell (2010)—have reflected a general trend towards greater flexibility in the designation of Constitutionally acceptable content. For example, the Court in Florida v. Powell (2010) held that two separately stated warning elements were sufficient—when interpreted together—to inform custodial suspects of their right to counsel during questioning. Beyond issues of general content, the particular vocabulary and terminology of some Miranda warnings may pose formidable obstacles to basic comprehension. In this regard, the current investigation sought to identify specific phrases and terms that are generally ineffective in informing pretrial defendants. Results indicate that certain ambiguous phrases and abstruse terms contributed substantially to insufficient comprehension of Miranda warnings. In addition, oral advisements led to much higher percentages of failed comprehension. In light of these findings, we present “plain English” Miranda phrases that appear understandable by most pretrial defendants, including persons with limited academic and cognitive abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Solid Desiccant Dehumidification Techniques Inspired from Natural Electroosmosis Phenomena

Electroosmosis has been shown to be an effective means of different applications in various fields such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical systems (MEMS) and biomimetics applications. This paper aims to prove the concept that the electroosmosis phenomena can also be cooperated into larger scale applications in the building service industry like dehumidification or damping proof. The electroosmotic flow inside a porous medium is validated experimentally to further understand the dehumidification mechanism of combined techniques. An experimental test validates that the condensation from the porous medium can be obtained by electroosmotie force generated by external electric field, especially for specific desiccant powders like zeolite and diatomaceous earth. With a range of volts from 5 V to 20 V applying between the testing plates, the maximum flow rate through the cross section in the testing plate achieved during the peak period is 1.35 μL·min-1. These promising phenomena can act as an alternative way for energy choice in dehumidification industrial field. Further researches on new regeneration methods for solid desiccant dehumidification are required to make the system simple, energy-saving and suitable for small air conditioning units.     

Increased cognitive load leads to impaired mobility decisions in seniors at risk for falls.

Successful mobility requires appropriate decision-making. Seniors with reduced executive functioning—such as senior fallers—may be prone to poor mobility judgments, especially under dual-task conditions. We classified participants as “At-Risk” and “Not-At-Risk” for falls using a validated physiological falls-risk assessment. Dual-task performance was assessed in a virtual reality environment where participants crossed a simulated street by walking on a manual treadmill while listening to music or conversing on a phone. Those “At-Risk” experienced more collisions with oncoming cars and had longer crossing times in the Phone condition compared to controls. We conclude that poor mobility judgments during a dual-task leads to unsafe mobility for those at-risk for falls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Breakthrough Curves and Simulation of Virus Transport through Fractured Porous Media

In this paper, an advective dispersive virus transport equation, including first-order adsorption and an inactivation constant, is used for simulating the movement of viruses in fractured porous media. The implicit finite-difference numerical technique is used to solve the governing equations for viruses in the fractured porous media. In this work, the focus is (1)?to investigate the transport processes of the movement of viruses in both fractured rock and porous rock without fracture and (2)?to simulate the experimental data of biocolloids through a fractured aquifer model. It is seen that movement of the contaminant is faster in the fractured rock than in the porous rock formation. Higher values of diffusion coefficient, matrix porosity, mass transfer constant, and inactivation rate reduce both temporal and spatial virus concentrations in the fracture. Also, experimental data of biocolloids in the fractured aquifer model with constant and time-dependent inactivation rates were simulated successfully.