The Severn Barrage and other tidal energy options: Hydrodynamic and power output modeling

Details are given herein of the current main proposals for tidal energy provision from the Severn Estuary, in the UK, with particular emphasis being focused on the Severn Barrage project, as originally promoted by the Severn Tidal Power Group. In particular, emphasis has focused on assessing the potential hydro-environmental impacts and power outputs of a barrage across the estuary, with an unstructured grid, high resolution, model being developed and applied to the estuary to assess the implications of each of five shortlisted proposed schemes on the hydrodynamic, geomorphologic, flood risk and faecal indicator organism changes within the estuary. An outline is given of recent research on power refinements to the model to assess the options for power generation. The results show that the Severn Barrage has the potential to reduce the tidal currents in a highly dynamic estuary. This leads to the reduction of suspended sediment loads (particularly upstream of the barrage), an increase of light penetration within the water column and, potentially, an increase in the benthic bio-diversity and the level of aquatic life in the estuary. The results also show that the Severn Barrage will reduce markedly the risk of flooding upstream of the barrage and to a lesser extent downstream of the structure. In contrast the alternative options have far less impact on flood risk changes. In addition to the Severn Barrage some results are shown herein for a typical lagoon option, namely the Fleming Lagoon.     

Synthesis of new optically active poly(amide‐imide)s containing EPICLON and L‐phenylalanine in the main chain by microwave irradiation and classical heating

EPICLON [3a,4,5,7a‐Tetrahydro‐7‐methyl‐5‐(tetrahydro‐2,5‐dioxo‐3‐furanyl)‐1,3‐isobenzofurandione] or [5‐(2,5‐dioxotetrahydrofurfuryl)‐3‐methyl‐3‐cyclohexyl‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid anhydride] ( 1 ) was reacted with L ‐phenylalanine ( 2 ) in acetic acid, and the resulting amic acid was refluxed under a Dean‐Stark system with benzene, which produced diacid ( 3 ) in high yield. Compound ( 3 ) was converted to the diacid chloride ( 4 ) by reaction with oxalyl chloride in dry carbon tetrachloride. The polycondensation reaction of this diacid chloride ( 4 ) with several aromatic diamines such as 4,4′‐sulfonyldianiline ( 5a ), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane ( 5b ), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylether ( 5c ), 1,4‐phenylenediamine ( 5d ), 1,3‐phenylenediamine ( 5e ), 2,4‐diaminotoluene ( 5f ), and 1,5‐diaminonaphthalene ( 5g ) was developed by using a domestic microwave oven in the presence of a small amount of a polar organic medium such as N‐methylpyrrolidone ( NMP ). The polymerization reactions were also performed under two different classical heating methods: low temperature solution polycondensation in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride, and high temperature polymerization. A series of optically active poly(amide‐imide)s with moderate yield and inherent viscosity of 0.14–0.22 dL/g were obtained. All of the above polymers were fully characterized by IR, elemental analyses, and specific rotation. Some structural characterization and physical properties of this optically active poly(amide‐imide)s are reported. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3281–3291, 2004     

Simple and efficient motion estimation algorithm by continuum search

Motion estimation plays a vital role in reducing temporal correlation in video codecs but it requires high computational complexity. Different algorithms have tried to reduce this complexity. However these reduced-complexity routines are not as regular as the full search algorithm (FSA). Also, regularity of an algorithm is very important in order to have a hardware implementation of that algorithm even if it leads to more complexity burden. The goal of this paper is to develop an efficient and regular algorithm which mimics FSA by searching a small area exhaustively. Our proposed algorithm is designed based on two observations. The first observation is that the motion vector of a block falls within a specific rectangular area designated by the prediction vectors. The second observation is that in most cases, this rectangular area is smaller than one fourth of the FSA’s search area. Therefore, the search area of the proposed method is adaptively found for each block of a frame. To find the search area, the temporal and spatial correlations among motion vectors of blocks are exploited. Based on these correlations, a rectangular search area is determined and the best matching block in this area is selected. The proposed algorithm is similar to FSA in terms of regularity but requires less computational complexity due to its smaller search area. Also, the suggested algorithm is as simple as FSA in terms of implementation and is comparable with many of the existing fast search algorithms. Simulation results show the claimed performance and efficiency of the algorithm.     

Flame-Retardancy Improvement of Novel Styrene–Maleic Anhydride Based Copolymers

Brominated flame-retardants are one of the common and efficient compounds in producing flame retardant plastics and antimony trioxide is often used as a synergistic agent for halogenated flame-retardants. In this research, a new reactive flame retardant, maleated tetrabromobiphenol-A (MTBBA) crystals, has been introduced for the first time and its structure was fully characterized by high-field ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The improvement in flame-retardancy effect of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer by MTBBA and also their compounded samples with Sb₂O₃ was investigated as the main purpose in this work. Limiting oxygen indexes (LOI) for the neat terpolymers and the compounded samples were measured by flammability tests. Also thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were applied in order to study thermal behavior of the samples. The results of thermal analysis were used to observe the effect of insertion of this novel monomer into the copolymer chain in comparison with styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer.     

Extended distributed learning automata

In this paper, a new structure for cooperative learning automata called extended learning automata (eDLA) is introduced. Based on the new structure, an iterative randomized heuristic algorithm using sampling is proposed for finding an optimal subgraph in a stochastic edge-weighted graph. Stochastic graphs are graphs in which the weights of edges have an unknown probability distribution. The proposed algorithm uses an eDLA to find a policy that leads to a subgraph that satisfy some restrictions such as minimum or maximum weight (length). At each stage of the proposed algorithm, the eDLA determines which edges should be sampled. The proposed eDLA-based sampling method may reduce unnecessary samples and hence decrease the time required for finding an optimal subgraph. It is shown that the proposed method converges to an optimal solution, the probability of which can be made arbitrarily close to 1 by using a sufficiently small learning parameter. A new variance-aware threshold value is also proposed that can significantly improve the convergence rate of the proposed eDLA-based algorithm. It is further shown that our algorithm is competitive in terms of the quality of the solution.     

Preparation of organic–inorganic nanocomposites with core‐shell structure by inorganic powders

Organic–inorganic nanocomposites with core‐shell structure were prepared in two steps. In the first step, the latex particles in the semibatch emulsion polymerization of butyl methacrylate (BMA), in the presence of methacrylic acid (MAA), were prepared. Small amounts of acrylic acid incorporated into the latex to have better interaction between the surface of particles and inorganic phase. MAA also increased the latex stability and decreased the amount of coagulum. In the second step, the core‐shell structures were prepared by coating the latex particles with three types of inorganic powders. Pectin coated precipitated calcium carbonate, alumina, and silica. The examinations show that pectin‐coated calcium carbonate has the best response than other types of calcium carbonate. Alumina was the second type of inorganic powder that was used for coating the core particles. Silicagel and fumed silica (Aerosil) were used for coating by silica. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed the particle morphology and the core‐shell structure, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Simulation of Segregation to Free Surfaces in Cubic Oxides

Segregation of isovalent solute cations to (001) and (001) free surfaces in cubic metal oxides is investigated using atomistic computer simulations. Solute concentrations are represented by a mean-field approximation, and equilibrium distributions of solute are calculated by minimizing the free energy. Surface energy effects are found to dominate segregation behavior, even when in competition with misfit strain energy effects. Results are compared with a conventional Langmuir-McLean (LM) analysis. The two approaches are found to agree well in certain cases, but the LM treatment fails to reproduce important phenomena revealed using the free energy method (i.e., segregation to subsurface atomic layers).     

Preparation of polypyrrole/ferrocyanide films modified carbon paste electrode and its application on the electrocatalytic determination of ascorbic acid

Functionalized polypyrrole film were prepared by incorporation of (Fe(CN)₆)⁴⁻ as doping anion, during the electropolymerization of pyrrole onto a carbon paste electrode (CPE) in aqueous solution by using potentiostatic method. The electrochemical behavior of the (Fe(CN)₆)³⁻/(Fe(CN)₆)⁴⁻ redox couple in polypyrrole was studied by cyclic voltammetry and double step potential chronoamperometry methods. In this study, an obvious surface redox reaction was observed and dependence of this reaction on the solution pH was illustrated. The electrocatalytic ability of polypyrrole/ferrocyanide films modified carbon paste electrode (Ppy/FCNMCPEs) was demonstrated by oxidation of ascorbic acid. It has been found that under optimum condition (pH 7.00), the oxidation of ascorbic acid at the surface of such electrode occurs at a potential about 540 mV less positive than unmodified carbon paste electrode. The kinetic parameters such as electron transfer coefficient, α and catalytic reaction rate constant, k_h′, were also determined by using various electrochemical approaches.The catalytic oxidation peak current showed a linear dependent on the ascorbic acid concentration and a linear calibration curve was obtained in the range of 4.5×10⁻⁴ to 9.62×10⁻³ M of ascorbic acid with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999. The detection limit (2σ) was determined as 5.82×10⁻⁵ M.     

Direct polycondensation of N‐trimellitylimido‐L‐isoleucine with aromatic diamines

N‐Trimellitylimido‐L ‐isoleucine (3) was prepared from the reaction of trimellitic anhydride with L ‐isoleucine [L ‐2‐amino‐3‐methylvalerianic acid or (2S,3S)‐2‐amino‐3‐methyl‐n‐valerinic acid] in an N,N‐dimethylformamide solution at the refluxing temperature. The direct polycondensation reaction of the monomer imide diacid (3) with 1,4‐phenylenediamine, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone, diaminodiphenylether, 1,5‐naphthalendiamine, 2,4‐diaminotoluene, and 1,3‐phenylenediamine was performed in a medium consisting of triphenyl phosphite, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrolidone (NMP), pyridine, and calcium chloride. The polycondensation was performed under two different conditions: in one method, the reaction mixture was heated in an NMP solution at 60, 90, and then 130°C for different periods of time, and in the other method, the reaction mixture was refluxed only for 1 min in the same solvent. The resulting poly(amide imide)s (PAIs), with inherent viscosities of 0.21–0.37 dL/g, were obtained in high yields. All of these compounds were fully characterized by IR spectra, elemental analyses, and specific rotation measurements. Some structural characterizations and physical properties of these new optically active PAIs were examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 116–122, 2003