Graded evolution of anisotropic microstructure during sintering from crystal-oriented powder compact

Anisotropic sintering, including shrinkage and grain growth, was examined for c-axis-oriented (Sr,Ca)₂NaNb₅O₁₅ (SCNN) ceramics, which were prepared by colloidal processing under a magnetic field. In the c-axis-oriented SCNN powder compact, shrinkage and grain growth along the c-axis were higher than those along the a-axis. The anisotropic microstructural development was clearly associated with anisotropic sintering shrinkage. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy back scattering diffraction showed that the grain growth of oriented particles by including random grains contribute to the development of the oriented microstructure. Finally, the highly crystal-oriented SCNN ceramics with a densified microstructure were obtained through anisotropic sintering. These results clearly showed the potential to develop a well-defined anisotropic microstructure during sintering by designing and controlling the particle packing structure in a powder compact.     

Pilot Plant Study of Simultaneous Sewage Sludge Digestion and Metal Leaching

This research is related to a preindustrial pilot scale study of the performance of the simultaneous sewage sludge digestion and metal leaching (SSDML) process for decontamination and stabilization of sewage sludge. Ten batch tests were carried out in two 4?m3 bioreactors under various conditions of operation. Results indicated that the addition of 1.0 to 1.5?g?S0/L, which is the equivalent of approximately 30 to 50?kg?S0 per tons dry sludge, is sufficient to obtain conditions of acidity (pH<2.5) and oxido-reduction potential greater than 500 mV necessary for an effective solubilization of toxic metals. The final average of metal solubilization in the output sludge during the SSDML process varied in the following ranges: 25–78% Cd, 9–32% Cr, 48–100% Cu, 77–99% Mn, 15–53% Ni, 12–47% Pb, and 66–100% Zn. The N, P, and K contents were also preserved in the decontaminated sludge. Moreover, the use of low concentrations of elemental sulfur makes it possible to obtain decontaminated sludge with a low total sulfur content (1.4–1.5% S) compatible with agricultural use. The suspended solids removal calculated for the SSDML process was slightly lower, (2.5±0.4)% volatile suspended solids per day, than those reached using standard aerobic digestion. Finally, the SSDML process was found to be effective in removing bad odors and in the destruction (99–100%) of indicator bacteria.     

Effect of humidity and temperature on the adhesive strength of pressure sensitive adhesives

This paper reports the effect of humidity and temperature on the adhesive strength of a pressure sensitive adhesive (Flexbond 150) used to bond Mylar films. It has been found that, ill general, the adhesive strength decreases significantly with an increase in temperature. The effect of humidity on the bonding strength, however, was found to be process dependent. The sample preparation conditions, e.g., press weight for the bonding and the press time, are important in determining the humidity effect. The water sorption isotherm A 24°C for the adhesive was also determined. The amount of water sorbed by the adhesive at 95 percent relative pressure was found to be less than one weight percent.     

Half-bridge inverter using 4H-SiC gate turn-off thyristors

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a half-bridge power inverter constructed from silicon carbide gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) operated in the conventional GTO mode. This circuit was characterized with input bus voltages of up to 600 VDC and 2 A (peak current density of 540 A/cm²) with resistive loads using a pulse-width modulated switching frequency of 2 kHz. We discuss the implications of the thyristor's electrical characteristics and the circuit topology on the overall operation of the half-bridge circuit. This work has determined the conservative critical rate of rise value of the off-state voltage to be 200 V/μs in these devices     

Multi-functional biochip for medical diagnostics and pathogen detection

We describe a multi-functional biochip (MFB), which uses two different types of bioreceptors, including nucleic acid and antibody probes, on a single platform. The multi-functional capability of the MFB device for biomedical diagnostics is illustrated by measurements of DNA probes specific to gene fragments of Bacillus anthracis and antibody probes targeted to Escherichia coli. Calibration curves for monitoring pathogenic species using antibody probes against E. coli and DNA probes for B. anthracis illustrate the capability of the device for medical diagnostics and for quantitative detection of pathogenic agents.     

Exit effect on hydrodynamics of the internal circulating fluidized bed riser

This is the first time an extensive investigation has been carried out regarding the effects of riser exit geometry on pressure drop and solid behaviour inside the Internal Circulating Fluidized Bed (ICFB) riser, using different riser exit geometries at several operating conditions.The Radioactive Particle-Tracking (RPT) technique was used for solid concentration measurements and solid residence time distribution at the exit zone. Experiments were conducted using Geldart B particles, in the gas superficial velocity range of 4 to 10 m/s. Axial solid hold-up, solid residence time distribution in the exit zone, and the reflux ratio factor k_m, (defined earlier by [E.H. Van der Meer, R.B. Thorpe, J.F. Davidson, Flow patterns in the square cross-section riser of a circulating fluidized bed and the effect of riser exit design, Chem. Eng. Sc. 55 (19) (2000) 4079-4099]), were the main criteria used to investigate the impact of gas-solid separator devices implemented at the ICFB riser exit.Solid residence time distribution results and axial solid hold-up profiles provided clear evidence that the separator device at the riser exit strongly influences the hydrodynamic structure of the ICFB riser. The V-shaped riser exit geometry was found to be the optimum of all the configurations studied.     

程控电流源无需电源支持

工程实验室通常都配有各种电源设备、伏特计、函数信号发生器和示波器。然而．许多这样的工程实验室却缺少电流源。这令人感到非常遗憾，因为电流源有助于生成I-V（电流对电压）曲线，它能对电池进行充放电操作，对电源设备预加负荷，并可实现许多其他的应用。     

Analysis of the Datagram Congestion Control Protocol’s connection management procedures using the sweep-line method

State space explosion is a key problem in the analysis of finite state systems. The sweep-line method is a state exploration method which uses a notion of progress to allow states to be deleted from memory when they are no longer required. This reduces the peak number of states that need to be stored, while still exploring the full state space. The technique shows promise but has never achieved reductions greater than about a factor of 10 in the number of states stored in memory for industrially relevant examples. This paper discusses sweep-line analysis of the connection management procedures of a new Internet standard, the Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP). As the intuitive approaches to sweep-line analysis are not effective, we introduce new variables to track progress. This creates further state explosion. However, when used with the sweep-line, the peak number of states is reduced by over two orders of magnitude compared with the original. Importantly, this allows DCCP to be analysed for larger parameter values. Somsak Vanit-Anunchai was partially supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP0559927) and Suranaree University of Technology. Guy Edward Gallasch was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP0559927).     

Methods for the analysis of parallel streams of continuously recorded social behaviors.

Presents a strategy for analyzing social interactive behaviors occurring simultaneously in parallel streams. The standard strategy for representing such data has been interval coding. Interval coding converts the behavioral stream into a sequence of codes representing the behaviors observed in equal length intervals. This strategy is problematic because statistics calculated from interval coded data depend on the arbitrary choice of interval length. An alternative strategy is to represent the behavioral stream in a continuous-time format, using both the sequence of behaviors and their durations. A continuous-time model for social interactive data was applied to observations of mutual gaze between a husband and wife. The analysis uncovered different distributions of event durations in the two partners: The wife looked primarily at the husband and responded sensitively to his gaze behavior, whereas the husband looked primarily away, unresponsive to the wife. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)